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Not far from NYU there is a small cafe, frequently cramped by students and visitors alike. The staff are admittedly happy that spring break is over, for business is booming once again. It's not entirely students, of course, but they do make up a majority of the clientele.
One such student is Anya Corazon. She's seated at a small table by herself, even though some of her friends aren't far away; they're too interested in chatting about boys and Beatles. She came here to study, and it shows. There's a big book titled 'Advanced Computer Programming', a big legal pad upon which she has been scribing countless mathematical equations and how they apply to circuit patching. An empty cup of coffee sits next to an ashtray, upon which three cigarette butts are littered.
Finally, she utters something under her breath in Spanish, and closes the book with a sigh. She reaches for the cup, only to find it empty, prompting her to stand and move toward the bar.
Today, she is dressed casually as it goes for her, the young student has clearly taken up on the British fashion fad that's sweeping the states. Mary Jane's, white tights with a ribbed pattern, and a baby blue dress with open sleeves. The red jacket remains on the chair with her stuff, for spring time has come and the accessory certainly helps with color blocking!
Roberto had been at work all day today. Doing press and the like for Da Costa International, the billion-dollar marketing giant that Roberto is the CEO of. They had been making a push for a a combined-sponsorship for a charity event that seems to be building in popularity. Once the meeting was finished? Roberto changed out of his -very- expensive suit in exchange for a simple brown jacket with a sweater underneath it, blue jeans, and boots.
VERY casual and Very comfortable.
So he starts moving to that Cafe, brushing his hair back as it maintains it's somehow still stylishly wild look, only to see that the cafe is filled to the brim with students! With that in mind, he ends up with that small sigh on his face as he moves to get in line. Though when it's finally his turn? He ends up next to the beautiful Anya Corazon!
Wow, she was beautiful.
Roberto seems to cough into his elbow, thankfully avoiding a coughing fit..because so not cool, and he orders himself a standard cappucino. His eyes falling upon Anya, he takes a chance! "Hi."
"Si, black as usual," Anya is telling the clerk, smirking a bit. It doesn't take long to fill that cup with steaming black coffee, to which she drops another coin on the counter. "Gracias!"
The young woman turns just when Roberto makes to greet her. She looks up, for the fellow has at least seven inches on her, her eyebrows forming a weird skeptical arch. "Hey yourself," she quips back, before the skeptical look turns into a smirk. "Oooh, fancy," she says of his order, before turning to lean a hip on the counter. "Lotta sugar though, huh, Senior?"
Roberto watches as Anya gets her coffee and looks up at him, because yes, she was a bit shorter than him, but nothing that would be seen as 'oh good heavens the size difference'. That said, he smiles to her warmly, looking her right in the eyes as he starts to pay for his coffee blindly, his eyes never leaving hers for even a single moment.
"Ooohh you know it! I like the sugar, seniorita." he grins at her as he steps aside after getting his coffee, leaning against the counter to mimic her stance. "I take it you like the raw stuff eh?" he points to her black coffee.
"I like el cafe negro too sometimes, thoug htoday? I need a good shot of energy to wake me up." he smiles to her.
"Roberto da Costa. Friends call me Bobby." he extends a hand to her.
"Only until the work is done," she agrees with a quick nod. "Then? Then, cappuccino." With a grin, she offers a hand to greet the man. "Anya," she offers, forgoing the last name for now. "Do you go to - oh." Some of the New Yorkers are giving them dirty looks. Her friends over at the other table are whispering and looking their way. "You, um. I have a seat, over there." Anya nods her head toward the table she's vacated, then promptly turns and walks that way. Soon as she's broken eyes with Roberto, she gives her friends a dirty look.
Back at the table, she shoves her stuff into a somewhat disheveled stack, before reaching under the table and kicking her bookbag back against the wall. Then she sits down, reaching across and kicking the empty chair back so Roberto can sit. Suddenly, she switches from English to Spanish, looking at the man with a quizzical eye when she speaks her first language. "Do you attend school here at NYU?"
Roberto shakes her hand then, though it's firm, it soon turns more…gentle. She could also tell that he was -warm-. Like sitting next to a fire, letting it cool your cold bones kind of warm. Though he does notice that she foregoes the last name, he doesn't push. "Do I go?" he asks her then when she looks over at the new yorkers and friends, only for her to invite him to sit down with her, which he seems to happily smile and move with her.
He never cared much for the opinions of the masses about him -or- his new friends.
Once he sits down, he's next to her, his hands clasped together as she switches to spanish, the second language of Roberto (Portuguese was first, English was third) "I do, yeah. Just taking a few classes this year so that I can graduate." he smiles to her warmly. "What about you?"
"Si," Anya answers, still opting for Spanish, though when her guess is proven accurate, she warms significantly. "Final year of undergrad," she continues, leaving English far behind. "Computer science and engineering. And, I'll probably go to grad school, because I'm crazy. Not really. You know how hard it is for a woman to get a respectable job in the industry? Not to mention for a Latina." She shakes her head, but opts to avoid the negative subject of class warfare for now.
"What are you studying, Roberto?" Anya asks. It's hard to tell if she noticed the sheer warmth of his handshake, but hers was decidedly strong for a person of her stature. That's probably nothing, right? Let's also ignore how she hooks a shoe back to touch her backpack, just to know it's safe.
Roberto seems to smile as Anya starts to mention her majors, that being Computer Science and Engineering, he smiles softly to her then. "I understand completely. I'm actually in Computer Science and Engineering. But…I do know a place that does give women upstanding positions just like men whose only rule for success is to work hard." he smiles warmly to her. Though he does see her hook her foot back to touch her backpack while also noticing how strong her grip was.
He can already tell this lady is awesome.
Two special people just meeting together. "Ah, I see. Though.." he turns his head to the New Yorkers and her friends who were shooting her those dirty looks, he smiles back to her. "I think you'e friends are jealous." he shoots a grin then.
"Really!" Anya exclaims. "I'm surprised we haven't had any classes. Oh wait. Night classes?" She's making a wild guess here.
Magic words are a thing. Anya visibly perks up when Roberto mentions this particular company, and leans forward with interest. "Tell me more." The feminist in her is absolutely lit up about this. As for her friends…
Anya shoots them another look, then goes right back to Roberto. "They're just gossips. I swear, every move I make is under a microscope." Granted, she chews her lip for a moment at something that goes unspoken. "Benefits of you speaking Spanish, they don't have a clue we're talking about them."
Roberto couldn't help but smile big and wide at her then as she leans forward with excitement in her voice. "Si, really." he teases her softly. "Si, si…I tend to go to the night classes so I can do all I gotta do in the morning. can come home and go right to sleep." he laughs a little bit then. "Plus I only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I'm muy bueno." he smiles softly.
Though then she's curious about the company in question. "Da Costa International. Given, it's based out of Brazil, but there's been a new building constructed, which creates many jobs for both men and women." of course, Roberto's always been an equalist, never one to hold one sex or race above or below another.
"You should check it out." then he looks to her friends, before he grins softly. "I think I know how to really mess with them." and he reaches for her hand as if to hold it. "Nowve no idea what's happening."
Of course, Roberto was flirting with Anya at the same time, but hey. Double whammy.
"God, you must be busy beyond belief," Anya breathes. She can relate, it's there in her eyes, but rather than running a corporation she's typically up to other nocturnal activities of which she's not about to talk about.
"How soon will it be constructed?" she asks, taking a moment to drink from her coffee. "As soon as it's opened, I'll be there. Believe me, I'm tired of hair nets and dishwashing."
Now, when Roberto reaches for her hand, Anya is of half a mind to pull away. She doesn't, but her upper half leans back just so, and she's shooting Roberto with that skeptical look again. She smirks for a moment, and doesn't answer at first. This part of her life is… beyond complicated. Should he be perceptive enough or a talented cold reader, it might be obvious. However, she eventually curls her fingers around his hand in return. "Roberto da Costa, is this your game? Walking into coffee shops and hitting on college students? It has been done before."
Busted.
Roberto is somewhat happy that she doesn't know that he's the superhero Sunspot. Otherwise, they would have far more to relate to each other. Though upon her question of when it will be instructed, he smiles to her. "I hear the renovations and final touches will be completed within the week." he gives her that big, warm smile of his as she admits that she'll be there -asap- for a job inquiry. "Happy to hear it. I never did like how the job system is now between women and men…unfair." he says then a moment.
He's with the -X-Men-. He knows that women can be just as badass and awesome as the boys. that said, when he feels her fingers curl around his hand, his attention removes itself from her friends to look upon Anya as she smiles.
"Eh? Oh, no no no. I actually came here to get some coffee. You were my surprise of the day, Chica." he smiles to her then, keeping his hand in hers as he looks her in the eyes.
Honestly, he has the same body langauge as she does. The more romantic part of their lives are complicated. Nuff said. "Though..speaking of which, I never got your last name, Senorita."
"It's Corazon," Anya answers. "Yes… the reporter was my father." Gilberto Corazon may be a name Roberto could recognize from his childhood. The freelance reporter had been killed when Anya was quite young.
She finally lets go of Roberto's hand; that was enough showmanship for the day. "You realize," she continues in Spanish, "I'm going to hear about this for at least a week. Probably longer. And I have studying to do." She lifts the coffee again, taking a good long drink before setting it down. "I'm glad you at least see it, but I shouldn't be surprised. Latino men don't have it easy here, either. Hell, I can't even vote, which is… bullshit." Anya may be feisty but she certainly has the mouth to match it.
Roberto smiles softly to Anya, before he hears her name. He furrows his brow in curiosity only. "The re-" then she answers for him, before he nods a few times. "Lo Siento." he apologizes to her in spanish, before she starts to scold him lightly for teasing her like that, and he chuckles softly. "Lo Siento seniorita, I could not resist the charms of a beautiful woman forever." he compliments her, before he releases her hand.
He takes this time now to sip at his own coffee.
"Si, I see it." he nods then a moment, looking her in the eyes with a beautiful smile. He shrugs then. "Until things get better…it is what it is. I only hope we can change it soon."
"It's alright," Anya answers. "It was a long time ago." She doesn't speak of her parents often, which may suggest why she was hesitant to give her last name. After all, charming as this fellow might be, he's still a complete stranger and Anya Corazon is no fool.
Speaking of which, she hides that rueful grin behind the mug for a moment. "I see," she says musically. "So many beautiful women in the world, Roberto, how ever do you survive?"
Still, he's won serious points on his borderline feminist views. "Activism," she answers. "It's the only way. People have to see what they're blind to."
Roberto smiles softly to her then as she recalls her father's death, at least it doesn't appear to have broken her at all, but of course, who is he to say. "I lost my father when I was young too. Emmanuel da Costa." he shrugs then. "Jerk of a man but…he was still mi padre." he shrugs then.
But as she hides that grin behind her mug, his eyes fall on her own and as she asks him how he survives, he flirts with her some more, leaning towards her some. "It is simple, really, I just find the best one." and he winks at her softly. Then they speak of activism, which Roberto seems to be on the fence on.
"It depends on the activism. If people are being aggressive with it, tossing over cars, lighting buildings on fire, then I don't think that will help matters at all. But if it's peaceful protesting, marching up to the white house, for example and shout at them until the walls come falling down, then I think we'll get somewhere."
Oh, well played. Anya brightens visibly, and can't help but barely stifle a laugh. "Oh, you're good. You're good, senior."
As the conversation turns to activism, she nods her head along, vigorously. "Well, that's just making an ass of yourself," she agrees. "You don't scare people, you let them see the change, let them realize they can be a part of it." She gestures with her hand. "I took a trip to Memphis to see Doctor King speak, it was… well it was beyond fascinating. I've never seen one man captivate so many people. Different kinds of people, too, you know?" She then grins widely. "And a little shouting never hurts, especially when people are deaf. Like, you know, half of congress."
She sighs then, and motions toward her books. "I really must get back to it, Roberto. Though, I have to say." Here she switches to English, which is entirely for the benefit of her classmates at the table yonder. "You've quite the smile."
Roberto does know how to play his cards! He grins at her with that big smile as he keeps close to her, smiling as she compliments his apparent flirting ability. "I try." he winks then a moment before they are back to the conversation about activism, with Sunspot nodding here and there, at each individual point and statement.
"Yeah, yeah…I heard of him too. I'd follow him if he called to march." he nods a few times then, though he does end up laughing as she throws her verbal jab about congress. "Yeah….true, true. Painfully true." he laughs then a moment…before she informs him that she needs to get back to studying!
"Heh, that's alright. Maybe I can even work with you." he grins at her then as she compliments his smile. "You have quite the smile yourself you know…." he compliments her back, his cheeks flushed pink.