Front Page News

[heypartner]

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.

Comments

[heypartner]

"I raised an incredible daughter. I am allowed to brag about my skills." Cobb leaned back in his chair as she got comfortable on the edge of his desk. He could sense her adjusting.

He had taught her to be thorough and look at things closely. The answer was always in the details. Read something enough times and the answer will show up.

"Oh, there's always something interesting in court records. What kind of interesting are you looking for?" He was curious and a little concerned. She had a nose for trouble like he did. Probably his fault. He didn't want her stumbling into trouble she couldn't handle.

But he'd help her out of that trouble, whatever it was.

[noch]

Here it comes: the eyeroll. She takes another sip of her coffee as she does it, because she's not about to admit that she's both pleased by the compliment and in agreement with him. She knows how lucky she is that Cobb took her in, raised her as if she was his own. He ended up being more of an incredible father than she is a daughter.

"You brag too much already." He can probably hear the smile in her voice, lightly teasing. She includes herself in that bragging, because she knows that Cobb talks her up any chance he gets. It's nice, but a little embarrassing. But nice.

"Hmm." She makes a humming noise, as if she's thinking about her answer to his question—she's definitely teasing now, if only because she's picked up on the underpinnings of concern in his question. "I do not know yet. There's always the usual suspects, but I suppose I will know it's interesting when I see it."

By the usual suspects, she means the government, Stark Industries, Djarin Enterprises, their employees, partners, and competitors. Criminal or civil—really, either one could be exciting. Maybe she does have a nose for trouble...

[heypartner]

Cobb can't really sense the eyeroll but he knows her well enough to guess that's her response. His work as an embarrassing dad is done for the moment and he's very pleased with the results.

"I've got an interview with Din later this week." He picks up his phone and asks when the interview is. Wednesday, 4 pm. There, now Merrin knew as well. God bless voice activated phones and voice to text. Modern technology made his life so much easier. "And I've got to finish up the article on the construction contracts for the new schools that seem a little shady."

He didn't have hard proof of corruption yet but he was looking. "Then maybe you can bring me whatever looks interesting." But they'd investigate together.

[noch]

She nods, making a soft humming sound in acknowledgement, mostly for Cobb's benefit. Wednesday at four p.m. That gives her some time to go through the records, and if she finds anything juicy related to Djarin Enterprises... well, Cobb can ask the man himself. Speaking of, she'd always wondered how he managed to get such relatively free access to Din Djarin—moguls of his stature weren't usually known for being friendly with reporters.

But, well... one thing at a time. First, she asks, "Should I go to any of the construction sites?" It's an offer she makes a lot—she's used to being an extra pair of eyes for him.

Cobb might be far more perceptive than any blind man should be, but there are still some things that need a good pair of eyes—like taking a quick peek at a supposed construction site, just to see if anything looks amiss, or like it doesn't match up with whatever's in the contracts.

[heypartner]

"Construction sites are unsafe and no reasonable father would encourage their daughter to do something like that," Cobb said with a little smile. "But you don't have to tell me you went to one."

There was a lot he could pick up from visiting whatever Din's latest construction project was but he would have to go at night and it was hard to go out without Merrin getting curious and wanting to tag along.

"Din's business is usually above board. He's not one to cut corners." Cobb didn't usual trust billionares but Din Djarin was different. He did good with all that wealth. At least, Cobb had never been able to find anything bad.

[noch]

Well. Looks like she'll just have to go check a few of those sites out, then, and take a peek through the fences. She won't even do any breaking and entering! Probably. Depends on what she sees. "Then I will not tell you," she says decisively, smiling innocently and taking another drink of her coffee.

Merrin doesn't usually trust billionaires either, but Cobb's faith in Din Djarin makes her rethink it—in this case, anyway. Cobb is an excellent judge of character, in her opinion, and she trusts his judgement. If he says that Djarin Enterprises is above board, then it must be true. Still... her curiosity piques.

"He seems to like you." Her tone is neutral enough. It's true, though—Cobb has done many interviews with the man, and Din Djarin wouldn't do them if he didn't want to.

[heypartner]

That innocent tone doesn't fool him for a second. She's going to go look. Hopefully, only look but teaching her independence and pursuing her goals sometimes bites him in the ass.

"I've always been fair to him. A little ruthless too but never unkind." Cobb genuinely liked the man which was rare when it came to the super wealthy. There was a core in Din that struck Cobb as good.

"Never made up shit about his kid either. Man takes care of a mutant and you'd think the world had ended." He rolls his eyes as he sips his coffee. "Besides, I'm very likable."

[noch]

"Some people might disagree," she quips, because it's her goddess-given right as his daughter to always give him a hard time. It keeps him humble. Probably. Besides, nosy reporters always make at least a few enemies. It's inevitable in this line of work.

As for Djarin's child... Merrin isn't a mutant herself, but she definitely isn't normal. While she's always been proud of her heritage, there's a reason why the Nightsisters had always kept their magick a secret from outsiders, and why only Cobb knows her secret now. The world does funny things to people who are different. It makes her even more grateful that Cobb was the one to take her in.

"I see. So that is the secret," she says a little more soberly, with just a hint of fondness. "Does this mean that the way to a father's heart is through his child?"

[heypartner]

Almost all of Cobb's dangerous enemies were locked up. It had been at least two years since a death threat was serious. In a city of superheroes it was pretty easy to get a problem like that dealt with.

"I don't have his heart," Cobb sputters. "We're two dads very proud of our kids. We talk about being parents when I'm not bothering him about whatever business deal he's got going."

He's probably talking too much. Cobb huffs and stops himself by sipping his coffee.

[noch]

Well, that isn't the reaction she'd been expecting. She'd used the phrase pretty innocuously, all in all, but if Cobb's going to start sputtering then she's definitely surprised—and a little intrigued, because she really does have a nose for trouble. Is something going on with... her father and Din Djarin?

Her eyebrows raised high, she leans forward a little across his desk, her weight propped up on her hand. "Is that so?" she asks, her tone arch. And yes, she's fully aware of the irony of her questioning him like this as if he hasn't done the exact same thing to her for years—but hey, she learned from the best.

[heypartner]

He can almost feel Merrin's intense stare on him. She had this way of talking when she was interested in something.

"I brag about you all the time." Which was very true. He liked to tell Din all about his little girl's accomplishments. Even though she wasn't very little anymore and hadn't been. "And if I don't, he asks."

Which always warmed Cobb's heart. Din was a soft guy under it all. "You wanna go out for dinner after work today? Or do you have plans?" Time to change subjects.

[noch]

Does he think that his attempted subject change is subtle at all? Because it's not, which only seems to confirm her suspicion that something is going on beyond two dads that are very proud of their kids.

But here's her dilemma: she wants to know more, but not too much more. While she very much wants Cobb to be happy, especially since she's on her way out of the nest now, so to speak, he's still her dad, and she really doesn't need too many details on her dad's love life.

"I'm studying with Cal tonight," she says briskly, quashing that subject change, and then immediately—too immediately for him to get a word in edgewise, if he even wanted to—follows up with, "Is his heart on the table?" She sounds almost nonchalant.

[heypartner]

"Don't know what you mean." Nope, no talking about his love life.

"You're studying with Cal, are ya?" She wasn't the only one catching on to something. Cobb couldn't see the way the two looked at each other but he could hear faster pulses and how the talked to each other.

Definitely a crush going on there.

"I guess you'll be busy then." He wasn't going to interfere. Maybe later he'd have a chat with Cal out of fatherly responsibility but he'd let them figure this out for themselves. Mostly.

[noch]

Wow, completely shut down. Fine, she won't pry! But don't think she's going to forget about this, because she's not. Her disappointment is evident in the small frown on her face—not a pout—not that Cobb can see it, anyway. But he can certainly hear the little huff of breath she lets out before taking another sip of her coffee.

Well, two can play this game. The way Cobb asks about Cal is not very subtle at all—at least not to her—and she deliberately ignores it, because... well, because. Getting defensive will only give him the wrong idea. Or the right idea? She's been trying not to think about it, honestly.

"We'll probably get food later. I can bring you back something?" It'll probably be late, but... it's a genuine offer. She's kind of a doting daughter, underneath it all.

[heypartner]

There isn't much to pry about. Cobb's got some feelings but he's not sure they'll go anywhere. The huff of breath makes him smile a little. Yeah, probably frustrating when she's always trying to look after him.

"We'll see how late you are. I might get something for myself before then. Get the early bird special and the senior discount." He rubs his hand over his beard which he knows from his barber is grey.

He doesn't mind Merrin looking after him though, not like other people. She's offering because she cares but wouldn't insist if he refused. "If you wanna bring me dessert I'd be pretty pleased."

[noch]

"You are old, but not that old," she teases him, shaking her head. Then again, if anyone could charm a server into giving him a senior discount, it's her father. Honestly, it's a good thing he can't see how handsome he still is, even at his age. Especially at his age? She's young enough that anyone over thirty is ancient to her.

(What, you think she's never noticed the amount of people who have gone starry-eyed around him? One time, she overheard one of her classmates calling him a DILF. It made her wish for the ground to open up and swallow that girl whole. Yuck.)

"That I can do. The usual?" By the usual she means his favorite.

[heypartner]

"I'm old enough." Maybe. If not, he can absolutely be charming enough to get the discount anyway. He might try though. Or he'll visit the local Ramen. The woman who runs it doesn't take any of his shit, though he can make her laugh.

( Cobb overheard that comment too. Nice to know he's handsome but someone half his age is not appealing. )

"Yes, please." He raises his coffee at her in something of a salute. "If I'm asleep on the couch just put it in the fridge. And wake me up so I don't ruin my neck."