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Front Page News

WHO: Cobb Vanth & Others
WHERE: The newspaper offices
WHAT: General work day activities and banter.
WHEN: One day.
WARNINGS: Possible swears.

Every day, almost without fail, Cobb made it to the office at 8:30 am.

"Morning Charlie," he said to the security guard as he walked through the lobby, the sound of his cane echoing off the marble floors and slate ceilings. There were a few others around, judging by the echoing footsteps. The building was never quiet but it wasn't a madhouse just yet.

He could smell some fresh flowers and a vanilla chia latte with two shots of expresso as he passed the reception desk which told him who was manning the phones this early. "Morning Jo."

"Morning Mr. Vanth," answered the young African-American woman. He couldn't see her. He couldn't see anything but she had told him once when he commented on how it sounded like she had beads in her hair. She wore her hair in dreadlocks with beads. Cobb 'saw' the world through sound and sense most of the time.

"You're gonna call me Cobb one of these days," he teased playfully on his way to the elevators.

"Of course I will, Mr. Vanth," she replied dryly without looking his way.

He chuckled, cane still leading the way. When it bumped the wall for the elevator bank he reached his hand forward, running his fingers along it until it went from wood paneling to metal. A little swipe of his fingers and he found the buttons to call the elevator. Luckily, those buttons never changed. And this early there was no one offering to get the buttons for him either.

They meant well but he was perfectly capable of handling elevator buttons by himself.

The elevator pinged and he stepped in. Another search with his fingers reading the braille off to the side of the buttons he found the right floor, pushed, and then waited for the familiar sensation of the elevator moving. He went over a few story ideas in his head while the elevator went up. When it stopped and the door opened he stepped off.

He walked into the office, enveloped in familiar scents and sensations. He could walk around the desks here without needing his cane. The layout was imprinted into his mind. It blazed in his senses as well but he didn't rely on that when he was in a familiar place. He could go to his desk but he went to the little breakroom and made coffee first.

With his heightened sense of smell he could brew it without burning the grounds. Unlike some of the people in this newsroom who always, always burned it without fail whenever they made a pot.

With fresh coffee he made his way to his desk and settled in. Time to start the work day.

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"Eh, ugly building," Cobb said with a little smirk. Even with his heightened senses he only had a vague idea of what the building looked like. He liked to make blind jokes whenever possible.

When the cab pulled up Cobb got in, neatly folded his cane and tucked it into his suit jacket. "Maybe he's been asked the question before but he might answer it a different way when you ask it. His mood, the way you ask it, you being a kid, all that influences how people talk to you."

He told the cab driver to take them to Stark Tower and settled back for the ride. "People talk to me differently because I'm blind. They'll talk to you differently because you're young. You'll figure out how to read a person with some practice."

Settling into the cab, Cal nodded thoughtfully at Cobb's words. It made sense. "I see," he said. It'd be a lot of trial and error, but you clearly didn't just blurt out anything that came to mind. Not that Cal needed to be told that.

"So how much do you let on to people about what you pick up?" he asked, his smile quirking a little.

"Most blind people pick up more than sighted people think." Cobb drummed his fingers against his thigh for a moment. There were a lot of ways he could explain how he "saw" but he never gave away too much.

"I can hear really well so I can pick up a lot just by listening. The sound of my voice comes back different when it hits a hard wall versus hitting a soft curtain." He turned towards Cal with a little smile of his own. "Hits different when I talk to people too."

Hearing was pretty reliable. People accept that answer easily.

"I've noticed," Cal chuckled. It was hard not to study the man a little as he went about things in the office sometimes. Even with the layout memorized, that didn't account for the bodies that moved through it, or the misplacement of a chair or a stool.

Difference in sounds. That made sense. He nodded thoughtfully. "That's really interesting. And I guess it's not really anything new, just things you take for granted unless it's all you have to go by."

Cobb was comfortable in the office. He didn't often walk around with his cane. Everyone knew he was blind and often moved out of way, unless they weren't paying attention. They were very apologetic when they did bump into them.

"There are a lot of different ways to sense the world. You can close your eyes and try it. You'll notice your sense of balance a lot more. And the difference in warmth between where the sun is and isn't. How strong this driver's cologne is." Cobb really hated strong perfumes but there wasn't much he could do about it inside this cab. "Even the slight dip and rise in the seat with us sitting here. All different ways to see, kid."

And none of them the vibrant glow of the world in his strange heightened senses. But that was how he knew how to describe it to sighted people. If he started talking about seeing the way he did people tended to think he was crazy.

These were simple, obvious things. But you didn't let yourself think about them. They were just there. Cal considered, closing his eyes. There wasn't much to be doing as they rode anyway.

He could feel when the cab passed under the shade of a building or a tree, although in that sense he felt like he was still cheating because he could still see the light through his eyelids. But being more aware of the temperature shifts did make them more apparent. He could hear the grinding tires on the road, the subtle bump and metal thunk as the cab rolled over a manhole cover. He wrinkled his nose as he settled back against his seat and opened his eyes again.

"...that cologne really is strong," he murmured, his lips twisting in a lopsided smile.

"Glad you noticed." Cobb was actually really pleased that Cal tried it. Some people didn't. They just dismissed him as a crazy blind man. Didn't seem like Cal was the type to dismiss the words and experiences of other people.

When they pulled up at Stark Tower and Cobb was glad to get out of the cab and away from that cloud of cologne.

It was very busy outside the building. Cobb "saw" the crowd as a blur passing by him. He unfolded his cane and began to slowly make his way through. Most people got out of the way once they saw him coming. "Get the door for me?" he asked Cal.

Experience was nothing to brush off, and neither was considering things from the perspectives of other people. Cal was also very much someone who learned better by doing, but he usually caught on quick for it.

Once they were out of the car, he took a moment to look around the place. It was always busy around here, it seemed, but then a lot seemed to always be happening at Stark Industries. He didn't take long to catch up with Cobb.

"On it," he said, starting past him at the man's request.

"Thanks." It was easier if Cal got the door for him and luckily when they were in the lobby things calmed down a little bit. There wasn't too much of a crowd once they were inside.

Cobb tapped his way to the reception desk. When his cane hit the desk he stopped and smiled at the receptionist. "Hi there, Cobb Vanth." He felt around his suit jacket pockets until he found his press badge and showed it to her. Well, in her general direction.

"This is my assistant, Cal Kestis. We're hoping Tony Stark might have a few minutes to answer some questions." He clipped the press badge on and leaned on his cane a little.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Nope. But he likes me." Cobb's tone and grin turned charming. It usually worked on most people.

It was certainly a different atmosphere than outside, but no less overwhelming for where they were. Cal kept in step with Cobb, finding it easier to focus on getting to the reception desk than let his eyes wander too much. They were professionals here.

As introductions were dispensed, Cal nodded at the receptionist. He couldn't help but grin a little at Cobb's response.

"One moment please."

Cobb listened to the receptionist and the other end of the phone call. It wasn't Stark's voice on the other end but probably another receptionist. She mentioned him and... well it didn't sound like he was getting to talk to Stark today.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark is in a meeting right now. You should come back another day. When you have an appointment," the receptionist said politely but was clearly also saying "fuck you".

He glanced over at Cal. "Do you want to wait and see if he stops being in a meeting?"

The response they eventually end up being given wasn't completely unexpected. Cal shrugged as he looked to Cobb.

"We could, but I don't think the receptionist looks too entertained by that idea," he said, glancing over at said receptionist. Still, he offered a polite smile back at the woman. It probably wouldn't be in good form for the assistant to be asking questions about setting up an appointment, so he'd just follow Cobb's lead.

"What a shame, I can be pretty entertaining." Cobb tapped his knuckle against the receptionist desk as he thought about his next move. He wanted to talk to Stark about a few projects he'd heard about but now clearly wasn't the time.

He'd have to actually set up an interview. Well, hopefully he could bring Cal along next time too.

"Here." He searched around his pockets again and brought out a business card. He rubbed his thumb over the text which had his name and his phone number and the logo for the paper. He offered it to receptionist. "Can you get this to Mr. Stark and ask him to call me? He knows me."

Cobb couldn't see but he could almost feel the receptionist's skeptical look. He puts a hand on Cal's arm and turns him away from the desk. "Alright, well, sorry to bring you out for nothing, kid."

If they tried to linger any longer Cal wondered if they'd be escorted out. Press always had some kind of a reputation for being pushy so he was sure it wasn't particularly because of Cobb or their paper specifically.

Cal shook his head as they started away from the reception area. "Eh, it's okay. I still learned some things. And you got everyone a break from the shredding I had to do," he added with a wry grin. He wouldn't be surprised if that stack grew a bit by the time they got back. Merrin was just as efficient as he was when it came to such tasks.

Cobb was very pushy when he wanted something. Without Cal he might have pressed his luck and tried until he did get escorted out. He decided to be professional instead and not deal with security.

"Oh, yeah, but when we get back you're gonna start up again." Cobb considered for a moment. "Let's grab a coffee somewhere before we go back. There should be a place down the block."

He could smell the coffee and baked goods. Cobb really wanted to avoid that shredder.

There was that. Cal laughed. "Well, yeah," he said, grinning sheepishly. Not that he could help it unless they invented a quieter paper shredder or found something else to give him to do in the meantime.

He hadn't been able to finish much of his coffee from earlier, so the suggestion to get some before they headed back sounded like a fine plan to him. "All right," he nodded. He could probably go for a snack on the side too.

They should outsource the job but no, the boss gave it to the interns. "Maybe if we oil the teeth it'll be less annoying."

Back on the street Cobb put himself close to the buildings so the crowd of people walking could get around him. They were much more willing to avoid him once he snapped out his cane and started tapping against the sidewalk.

"How do you like working at the paper?" he asked, switching tactics to interviewing Cal.

"Maybe. I think it's due for a cleaning out in general. I'll give it a look once we get back."

Cal stepped along after him, hands shoved into his pockets. His brow furrowed slightly when he found questions being directed his way again, but he had to smile. "It's not bad. Not exactly how I figured it would be but I knew I'd have to start out at the bottom. But everyone's been really great."

"If it stops the noise a little longer you can take all afternoon working on it." And that would be an afternoon of blessed silence.

Maybe he should let Cal interview him. Maybe he would over coffee but he was a very curious guy. It's what made him a good reporter. That and a stubborn streak longer than a mile.

"Ah, you'll get to the fun stuff eventually. And you can always just ask. Ben would probably show you anything you want." Cobb didn't think it would be long before they got into more interesting stuff. They worked hard and were smart. They'd move up fast.

"Just so long as everyone knows it was your idea if they ask me why I'm elbow deep in shredder parts the rest of the day," the teenager laughed. He doubted it would be that bad, at least.

"What do you consider 'fun' stuff?" Cal asked, curious. Those were probably the big stories that everyone gunned for. In a city like this it seemed like those kind of headlines weren't terribly uncommon. It was a pretty lively place, and that was putting it nicely.

There, Cal was interviewing on his own. Cobb figured he'd get curious eventually but he was too polite to ask what most people did. How'd you lose your sight? Do you know what colors are? How do you shave?

"I like revealing corruption and hopefully making it better for people. You remove the bad apple from the bunch and hopefully save the good apples." They reached the coffee shop and Cobb nodded towards the door again.

Cal was helpful like that. "It's nice to see the good that comes from being a nosy reporter."

Cal nodded at that. "So exposés that help make positive change." It was unfortunate that it would take such things for people to do so, but then that was why it was corruption. At Cobb's silent direction, he stepped forward to get the door.

"Well, only the ones getting outed would have any right to complain about the nosy reporters," he chuckled, stepping in after the man and taking in the rich smell of coffee. "You ever get in trouble for those stories with the ones you were looking into?"

"Hopefully make positive change. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it doesn't." There was only so much his words could do. He needed people to be motivated to change and try better. To take down the corrupt forces he exposed to the light.

He walked to the counter and ordered a black coffee. Cobb was a man of simple taste. "And whatever this guy wants as well," he said, jerking his head towards Cal.

"Sure, people get mad. They sue. They call me a liar. But there's evidence and that's damn hard to argue with. When a blind man can see you're guilty... you're guilty."

That was understandable. You couldn't dictate the outcome of things no matter how much you provided by way of information. But at least the effort made would be a starting point for some. That was an admirable goal.

"I bet some still claim otherwise even with all the evidence piled against them." People only saw what they wanted to see, sometimes.

Cal considered the menu board before ordering an iced coffee with some cream and a blueberry scone. "I can pay for mine," he said, not wanting to seem like he was taking advantage of a treat since he'd planned on getting something to nibble on beforehand.

"I'm sure you can but I'm going to pay anyway. Think of it as makin' up for draggin' you out for nothing."

Cobb wasn't going to back down so he made sure that his credit card was out first and handed over before Cal could really make a move. An extra coffee charge wasn't going to suddenly bankrupt him.

"I promise you, I do know Tony Stark and I have interviewed him. I'm not making that up." Cobb thanked the cashier once he got his card back and tucked it away. "I'll try to get you in on an interview before this internship is up."

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