There were some things that were absolute necessities to function in life. For some people it's a sense of purpose, for others it’s a commitment, and still more it’s one of a hundred over high concepts that they take into themselves and devote themselves to. For Thaddeus Montalegre Zilberschlag, and many others, it’s coffee. Coffee, the black gold in a mug, that hit of energy needed to rev up the engines, it was on the par with money as one of the major resources that made the world go round.

And Thaddeus was on his way to get some.

Oh. Don’t get it wrong. He already had some coffee when he first got up in his fancy, high rise apartment that overlooked central park (or at least buildings that were just in front of central park). But that was just to get his day started. Today he had a coffee date with one of the only people whom he would allow in his life to wear a cheap, Bullseye, 100% polyester cardigan.

Top of the Mug. Thadd rolled his eyes. He didn’t know why he kept agreeing to meet Annie here. She seemed to like it, or something, and while there were a hundred other trendy cafes they could meet at, sometimes he had to allow her to decide where they would meet. Something about it being “near her job” or “affordable” or something.

Even Thaddeus Montalegre Zilberschlag could concede to a friend every now and again. Though he would be sure not to make a habit out of it.

He made a sight to behold. Walking into “Top of the Mug”, most eyes turned to him. He wore the white leather jacket, denim shirt, and dark slacks with relative ease. Most would not be able to pull off such a combo but Thadd had a means of walking with a complete air of confidence about him. His sassy expression was only accentuated by the thick glasses he wore and the hair that he combed high and back.

His hand ran over the stubble of his face, and stopped upon his chin as he peered around the interior. It was more crowded than he would have liked, filled with blue-collar workers and hipsters the likes of which Annie tended to surround herself with. And, sadly, each of them were just as he suspected -- their social media presence was #low.

Above each of them, Thadd could see the impact they made on the Social Media-verse. Their “Likes” and “Rechirps” were all mostly below the hundreds, maybe one or two had a 1k, but really, that was probably by either Rechirping something already popular or flash-in-the-pan minor popularity. Ugh, to be surrounded by such nothings.

“Hello sir!” A chirpy voice announced. “Welcome to ‘Top of the Mug’! Can I help you find something?”

Thadd raised a brow and turned to eyed the barista, a busty redhead with oily skin. ”No…” replied tiredly. ”...though I can suggest a few facial scrubs that can help with all of...that…” he continued, gesturing vaguely at the entirety of her face.

“W-What…?”

Too late. He found her. With a barely amused, squinty-eyed smile to the barista, Thadd walked away, heading towards the void that appeared in his Social Media Awareness. That could only be Annie.

Patented leather boots tiptoed behind her. She seemed to be engrossed in something in front of her. He crept closer, peered past her shoulder, and watched her watching porn. Well, it should be porn. It was on that AdultHug website and all videos on there are considered porn, yes? That agent again. The one that worked for the government who was running around on the street, naked as a can be, fighting something invisible. Rumor was that it was a vampire mutant.

Whatever. Thadd had already seen the video, several times actually. It was hard to not want to rewatch it. But out in public? How degrading.

Thadd remained quiet, merely watching over Annie’s shoulder, dangerously close to her cheek for several moments before he finally spoke to her startlement. ”You know, if you’re going to be sad, lonely, and pathetic, at least have the decency to do it at home where you can safely add ‘nude’ and ‘self-pleasing’ to the list.” He slipped away and into the seat across from her, a devilishly sarcastic smile wide on his lips.

"Meeting with Vic at six, check-in with Scott at eight..." Coffee shops were often where she spent her free time when she wasn't working or sleeping. With a steady stream of caffeine at her fingertips and an environment where nobody cared how long she spent with all of her notes and books hogging up the table, it was just. Perfect.

"Ah, shit, gotta remember to email Choi about that audit too." She tapped at her lips with a very well used pen. Hadn't even bothered re-applying makeup yet as she still had a gap between one job and the other. Annaleise Reed was a very busy woman, but unfortunately not for any companies that made it worthwhile. She was meticulous with her notes and files, wrote everything by hand in the neatest little cursive loops, and had impeccable organizational skills that often put others with her degree to shame. The only problem was that those other folks already had all of the jobs she wanted. She was currently at capacity with sic, yes six jobs on her docket, and one startup company she was investing time into in the hopes that it would succeed and she would be lifted out of-

"Here you go, Annie!" A kind, bubbly barista with very distracting breasts set her newest 24oz cup of coffee beside her on the table and kindly took her empty one.

"Thanks, Barb." Annie leaned back from her hunch over her paperwork, rubbing the palms of her hands into her eyes and groaning. God five hours of sleep was not enough you have to put up with all of this shi-

Her phone buzzed as a slew of emails came through and she reached for it while picking her new cup up. Check-in, check-in, query, follow up on the fraud investigation from Kim's office, Check-in, check-in, new schedule.

She glanced at the time. Still enough before Tadd was supposed to show up.

The young woman grinned and tucked one of her earbuds back in as she flipped to the Seenit app on her phone. She knew that there was another Hugh video out, one of his latest escapades, and she had heard such naughty things about that three-legged stallion!
Following a link on Seenit, she ended up on Adulthug (Hugh always ended up on Adulthug) and she settled in to watch the whole thing while sipping on her coffee. People here were used to her...uh... eccentricities, so nobody batted an eye at her flushed cheeks and dreamy sighing. They were all there at Top of the Mug for the cheap, shitty coffee and lack of judgment at what you chose to do with your time.

Well, everyone but Thadd, that is.

His voice popped up right next to her ear and she came dangerously close to spitting out a mouthful of coffee all over her hard work. Instead, she choked it down quickly and set her coffee cup waaay off to the side away from her papers.

"Jesus goddamn baby christ, Thadd! A little warning next time?!" Her phone went away first, but one could tell what she had been looking at just from the color on her face that still remained. She shot the finely dressed, totally out of place man a glare that could boil water, and meticulously set about collecting up all of her papers and notes, filing them away in separate folders, and tucking them away in her messenger bag by her side. The table was clear in seconds flat because they did this often and she was well versed in it by now.

...Well... save for the video bit. Annie cleared her throat.

"Have you heard back from Margot yet about that overcharge? She better have replied by now or I will @#$%ing roast her over an open flame." Sarcasm and snide remarks aside, Thadd was a friend, a close one at that, and she was willing to throw her weight around in what she knew to make sure people weren't messing with him. She had to get some use out of her master's degree, after all!

She checked the old watch on her wrist, a vintage piece passed down from her grandmother and frowned. He was right on time. Damnit, he'd caught her daydreaming!

It was a friendship that he had never expected. Growing up, Thadd didn’t have a lot of friends. He was too quiet and too observant for most people. It made them uncomfortable whenever he would point out facts about themselves that they hadn’t revealed to him personally. Whatever. He didn’t see a big problem with it and if they didn’t want to be around him for such a petty reason, then so be it. If they couldn’t face a little truth then he didn’t want to be around them.

Annie, for some reason, had managed to slip through those carefully built walls, finding a crack the way a weed finds a way to grow through concrete. She was a weed, and that was the nicest way that Thadd could think about it. Still, she was his weed and if she was going to persist in being in his circle of friendship then he was going to ensure that she was the best her she could be.

Though she certainly made that a challenge.

With a huff, Thadd pulled his computer bag from off of his shoulder and set it at his side. One elbow planted on the table top (after laying down a napkin, of course), he cupped his cheek as he looked at her squarely.

Annie reminded him of his current feud with one Margot Robby (no relation). The scrawny blonde had her own business, Harlequin Cosmetics, making custom high-end skin care items. The trouble started when, after recommending the line to Annie, his financially savvy friend had discovered that she was overcharging Thadd for his purchases since he was a celebrity of sorts. Immediately that started a feud between Thaddeus and Margot, luckily he had a poorly dressed but intelligent woman at his side.

”Unfortunately yes,” he said with a tired sigh. ”Disagreeable woman, that Margot. She is still claiming small business rights as reasoning for price gouging.” He shrugged. He had the money but at this point it was about the principal of the thing. ”I would suggest getting the fire started but from the look of her she’s probably been spitroasted more than a few times in her life -- so good luck.”

She could do it. Annie was fiercely intelligent and loyal. If anyone could rack Margot over the coals, it was her. Speaking of…he eyed her outfit.

Annie was the poster child for ‘Bargain Basement Shopper’ and it was a reality that made him quite sad. And despite his efforts she still continued to shop at Bullseye. Why even try if she was going to defy him so blatantly.

Without any sense of personal space, Thaddeus reached over with one hand and pulled at the material of Annie’s ‘comfortable’ looking cardigan. With the other he raised his glasses to the top of his head and squinted his eyes as he peered closely at the material, rubbing it between his fingers. He tutted the homely looking woman and sat back with a frustrated sigh.

”Annalise, I thought we’ve had the discussion about cotton-polyester blends already.” He tented his hands, resting his chin on his knuckles as he continued. ”Remember, just because you can buy in bulk doesn’t mean you should subject the rest of us to this tragedy.” He shook his head, pulling out his phone. ”I’m making a shopping appointment for you,” he said, pulling up his calendar, and speaking in a volume where most anyone could hear. ”You’re not going to get Sexy Agent Man between your thighs if you're dressed like the local cat lady, sweetie.”

She listened and didn't like what she heard. Margot was going down. "I'll shoot her another email reminding her that I have documented, legal proof that her products are being sold way above market value, and that the fine here for price gouging is $25K per violation." Annie scooted her phone closer to herself and barked an order at her AI virtual assistant to remind her to do exactly that.

She continued to sip her coffee as Thadd invaded her space to scrutinize her wardrobe again (she was used to it), but blushed guiltily at being caught in a new sweater from Bullseye. She avoided his piercing stare. "They were having a sale, Thadd! I got enough new sweaters to last a year of punishment from this city!"

It was true... horribly, horribly true. Annie had once been the preppy, popular star of the cheer team. She'd worn all the latest fashions, been a clothes snob, and tried to make sure she looked good 100% of the time.

But now she was tired. Tired and bitter and it was too easy to just put a different color or pattern of the same sweater on over a floral skirt and call it good. For every ounce of chic Thadd had, she was the opposite. Into the negatives maybe. Annie couldn't remember the last time she'd owned something as impressive as the jacket he was wearing today.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, please, we all know I have a snowball's chance in hell with a guy like that." She sighed, plopping a cheek in her own hand and pouting at Thadd with utmost despondency. Not only because she was a wallflower who worked in back offices, but because if he ever came within 50ft of her she'd freeze up and start foaming at the mouth, probably.

"I just have to settle with only ever attracting the attention of guys like Gustave." Gus for short, and probably the only thing short of the attack a few years back that she'd ever want to wipe from her memory. The man was head over heels for her because of her ability to turn him back into a human. His mutant form was a giant, stalked-eyed slug and they had once worked in an office together much to her dismay.

Heaving another, much more dramatic sigh, she picked up her phone again. "What date and time are you trying to set up this appointment for? I am free on..." She trailed off, swiping through packed days in her own calendar, looking for any free spots.

".... Next month on the third, for approximately fifteen minutes." Her phone laden hand dropped back down onto the table with a thud, and she speared her friend with a blank look. Eventually, he was gonna have to give up. Every time he dragged her along into high-end clothing stores, she'd take one look at the price of the things he wanted her to try on and just flat out refuse to touch them at all. Some of those things were worth a good chunk of her car payment every month!

The cringe. The cringe was so powerful when she said that dreaded word. Sale. Ugh. There was no excuse for allowing her finances to force her to purchase such tacky garb; well, except under threat of not paying rent. He guessed that could be a valid reason but it was so distasteful, nonetheless. He honestly didn’t know how she did it. But, he guessed that was why he was in her life -- to help her make better choices.

”No, sweetie, wearing those sweaters for a year is punishment to the city.” He shook his head. He loved her, but she definitely needed better priorities.

He shook his as he began to look through his calendar for the day. He would move some things around to squeeze in some time to take her on a shopping trip. After all, she wasn’t going to get anywhere by continuing to stagnant in the eternal bog of Bullseye bargain shopping. But that wasn’t why she shook disappointedly -- it was because Annie was being down on herself -- again.

After he made the necessary changes to his calendar, he cupped his hands and rested his chin in his palms, watching her as she lamented her inability to land a man like Mr. Sexy Agent. He rolled his eyes disapprovingly. Annie was a beautiful woman and the fact that she was refused to believe that was disheartening and aggravating. She even went so far as the remind of of Gustave. GUSTAVE.

”Oh, Annielse, please…hur!” he feigned retching as he covered his mouth.

He had met Gustave a grand total of one time and that was all for him. After Annie had excused herself to use the restroom, Thadd attempted small talk with the man and then watched in horror as he shifted into a slimy, stalk-eyed slug, whose mouth bubbled whenever he spoke. The memory was enough to churn the croissant he had for breakfast. He had hoped never to meet that sad sack of slime and neurosis again.

That was enough talk about slugs. They needed to check calendars so Thadd patiently awaited as he shook his phone at her to check her situation. After a moment Annie pulled out her own phone and began to go through her list of appointments. Thadd half-listened, checked his phone again for any hot rumor tips before he finally gave up, opened his hand to her and snapped his fingers.

Once he had her full attention (and distracted), Thadd snatched her phone from her hand and opened her calendar. He ignored her protests as he opened up her day and started to swipe and tap with abandon, mutterly to himself mostly, but sometimes giving her odd lucks as he spoke.

”Boring...Boring...you can certainly reschedule that...I don’t even know what that is...Ooooo…’Pipe’s Cleaned’,” he smiled wickedly. ”...that sounds taudr- oh...plumper. Tragic. Nope...nope...nope…” he said and finally tapped a final time and handed her back her phone. ”There. I clear your schedule for the rest of the day. We’re going shopping as soon as you finished your coffee water.” He smiled. Truly, he was like a saint helping the poor.

She giggled at Thadd's antics. She knew his personality and sense of humor weren't optimal for some people, but to her, he was just the best. He never failed to make her giggle while reacting to all of the things life put her through.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot you have such a visceral reaction to just his name."

His distraction unfortunately worked, and the only thing stopping her from launching herself over the table at him in order to get her phone back was the knowledge that he only had good intentions and wasn't ultimately going to ruin her life with whatever trick he was trying to pull. That didn't stop her from trying to lamely snag it back, while he easily juked and dodged her half-hearted attempts.

"Thaddeus, do you even-!"

Too late. He handed her her phone back, her day unnaturally empty, and she sat back in her seat and waited for a heart attack to claim her. "You absolute rascal!"

Thankfully she had backups of all her appointments in her email, as well as paper copies in the planner. It was hard not to smile ruefully back at him as his dastardly plan succeed.

"Oh, alright. You win." She made quick work of sending out a generic email excuse for taking the day off to all of the various clients and businesses she worked with. Once done she picked up her cup and quickly drained the rest of her coffee and tucked her phone away in her bag.

"Alright, I'm ready to be an overgrown barbie doll for the day. Just keep in mind that I need something to conceal my holster while a work? A lot of my clients are fine with me open-carrying on the job, but customers tend to get nervous when they see the secretary is packing heat."

She stood, slid her messenger bag over her head and onto her shoulders, and grabbed her empty cup to throw it away.

"I can buy us lunch later? I have a bit saved up that I was gonna use on another gun, but I don't necessarily need it. We could go to that favorite little place of yours with the Tacos and the cute cook!" She winked at him as she tossed her cup in the trash.