#every part's introduced a new chacter so far

[puddleslimewrites]

Coffee Shop (Part 5)

Vigilante

Part 1 (Hero) / Part 2 (Civillian) / Part 3 (Villain) / Part 4 (Superhero)

"Vigilante." Superhero breathed a harsh sigh.

Vigilante bumped their shoulder and grinned. "In the flesh. Relax, what are you so wound up for?" They were all too chipper for Superhero's taste. As per usual.

Superhero frowned and went back to watching the store. They couldn't let the wannabe hero distract them.

Undeterred, Vigilante leaned on the wall and remained where they were. "So? What's up?" they tried again, tone ever light and friendly.

Superhero tried not to grind their teeth. "What's up," they bit out, "is confidential. Now be quiet."

"Awww, mean as ever I see."

Superhero made note of two more people entering. Civillians by the looks of them. But then again, everyone who came and went appeared as such. Even the known villains were hard to spot. Was that another effect of the strange energy surrounding the place? Did it provide anonymity as well?

"Maybe you're just losing your edge, hm?"

Superhero ignored the voice in their ear. Vigilante's presence was irrelevant right now. Hero still wasn't out yet. Had they run into trouble? They hadn't ruled out that the place was a front for underground activities. If Hero was in trouble, they'd have to decide if they should go in or call for-

"They're probably just enjoying a drink. You should try one."

No, calling for back up wasn't necessary. It'd draw too much attention, too. Sidekick was away on another mission-

"-nice Chamomile might calm your nerves. Give you a break for once-"

Movement caught their eye. Superhero's focused shifted sharply...only to see a squirrel sifting through the trash. They checked their phone. Still no word from Hero.

"-eriously, the mocha I had last week-"

Superhero closed their eyes and tried to concentrate on the invisible force. It encompassed the whole building, hovering just on the surface, like background noise they would only hear when they listened for it.

The chatter in their ear died down. Superhero opened their eyes and was disappointed to see that the thorn in their side was still there. Vigilante had a curious look on their face, like they were tasting something they couldn't describe.

"You can actually feel that? Huh," they said quietly, more to themself than to Superhero. Then they looked up, their friendly smile brighter than before. "Find anything out about it?"

Superhero grit their teeth. They took a deep breath and made sure they made a show of clenching and releasing their fists. "How many times," they said slowly, softly, "must I tell you to mind your own business?"