Settling into her new home wasn't difficult to do. After a few busy days introducing herself to Nexus Spire, Vivian gave herself some time to get to know her own home, and she did it by lounging around, watching films and television, and playing retro videogames. She gorged herself with many different foods that she had discovered since she had arrived. She also made sure that her bed was adequately lived-in.
A few days of lounging around her home was heaven and, while she didn’t objectively hate her job, she wasn’t excited to getting back to it. She did, however, feel somewhat differently about an upcoming date with Delano.
It was only a few hours after Vivian accepted his contact information that Delano messaged her and asked if she was interested in getting some coffee. She felt good about this turn of events, but there was also an underlying uneasiness. It may not exactly have been a "date," and it certainly wasn't an official work date.
After a little research into the coffee shop that he invited her to, she discovered that it is near the top of the spire, so she dressed accordingly. Vivian slipped into an opulent maxi dress and collar that matched the blue in her eyes.
Once she slipped on her peep-toe heels, she stepped outside to be picked up by an ultra-elegant personal transport. It arrived, silently and gently touching the landing platform. Sliding glass doors opened into a large cabin with plush ergonomic seating on a central dais with a full 360-degree cylindrical glass wall that provided an uninterrupted view of the city and the spire as the vehicle climbed toward its upper levels.
The Vista Barista was exactly what the name indicated. When Vivian arrived on the roof of the building, she was greeted by her suitor offering her a hand as she stepped out of the transport.
"Hi," Vivian said softly, already intimidated by the large man's gentle smile.
"Hi," Delano replied, himself intimidated by Vivian's beautiful visage.
The two were awkwardly silent and still, their touching hands freezing them in place. Vivian was afraid that the man would bow and kiss the top of her hand as if it were an old movie, but she felt a subtle disappointment when he refrained from doing so, instead guiding her to the entry elevator.
The descent into the Vista Barista was breathtaking, as many things so often were on this planet. The beautiful elegance of the café was eclipsed by the view that inspired its name. After stepping out of the elevator, they moved to a secluded enclave next to the inclined glass wall, allowing them to peer out and see the not-quite skyscrapers and skybridges stretching out interminably to meet the curvature of Nexus's surface.
"What do you think?" Del said. Vivian looked over the expansive grid of buildings below them.
"It's quite the sight," she said with a calm demeanor.
"You don't have acrophobia, do you?"
"When I arrived here only weeks ago, I might have said yes, but extreme heights seem to be unavoidable in this city."
"That's true, at least if you are fortunate enough to live above the surface."
Del did not need to order his coffee, as his digital companion understood his tastes and ordered his drink ahead of time. As soon as they were seated, a waitron approached and placed two drinks on the table between them.
"What is this?" Vivian asked. Del was unsure of the name himself and would have needed to access his companion for the information. Instead, he just looked to the waitron.
"This is called a Nitro Cascade," she said. "It is an espresso infused with nitrogen, layered with a cascade of frothed salted caramel cream, and accented with cracked cacao."
"It really is very good," Del said, sipping at the caramel froth. Vivian took a sip of her own and hummed with satisfaction.
"Wow! That's incredible, thank you!" She said. The waitron smiled with a polite nod and left the table.
"You do live above ground, yes?" Del asked.
"You know I do. You sent the transport, didn't you?" Vivian replied. Del nodded with a smile, and Vivian continued, "would it have been an issue if I didn't?"
"Not in the least bit, but I will be honest, I was surprised to find out that, not only do you live above ground, but you actually live on The Spire's exterior, and on a platform, no less."
"What about it surprises you?"
"We did meet on the surface, first of all. Not many people from The Spire ever set foot on the surface. That and my intuition."
"Intuition, huh?" Vivian grinned. "What else does your intuition tell you about me?"
"If I'm being honest, now that I have an idea of how you live, my intuition is a bit thrown. I don't really know what to think of you."
"Is that a good thing?"
"I'm not quite sure," Del said, then leaned forward and squinted his eyes at her, as if he was trying to peer past her stony facade. When he was unable to make it through, he smiled. "But I admit, the mystery is interesting."
"What mystery is that?"
"Where do you come from, Vivian Frost?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that I popped out of thin air?" Vivian sat back and sipped her drink.
"That tends to happen a lot these days." They both laughed at the tired joke. "So, what do you already know about me?" Del asked.
"Hmmm." Vivian put a finger to her chin. "I can't really shy away from the obvious. You're the CEO of a pretty big company, right?"
"I'm not sure if it's really that big yet." Del was trying to be modest. It wasn't working. "I only started it maybe a month before you got here."
"Ohh, you're the founder too?" Vivian batted her eyes, flattering the man. "What business are you in?"
"It's a corporation, so there are a few things, but we mostly focus on erecting megastructures from Plasteel, much like The Spire itself."
"Being that your business is so new, I don't imagine that you've built anything yet?" Vivian asked.
"Nope, not as of yet, but I have some ideas, and we're currently working on getting together clients and contractors."
"Can you tell me one of these ideas, or is that a breach of client confidentiality or proprietary information or something?" Vivian's question elicited a laugh from Del.
"This one's a bit down the road, probably won't happen for a few years yet. I'm planning a terraforming support station. A satellite with enough mass to stabilize a planet's orbit, protect it from impact, and with its own OTech drive. It will be the largest megastructure in human history by far. Unless someone beats me to it."
"Wow!" Vivian's excitement was subtle. "That's quite the ambitious project!"
"I certainly agree."
"It seems like a lot of work."
"That it is."
"Well," Vivian said, tucking a lock of her platinum hair behind her ear, "I appreciate you taking some time for me."
"I would say that I just couldn't resist, which is true, but I have to admit that I am still doing work as we speak." Del brought his hand up and tapped his neck at the the base of his skull. Vivian wasn't completely oblivious. She could see the flickering in his eyes.
"Whether or not you are multitasking, you are still dedicating your meat to me, and that's still nice... Unless... your not using a surrogate body are you?"
"Of course not!" Del reached his arm out and placed his open palm between them on the table. "I am still mostly meat, and my grey matter is right here."
Vivian's hand reached out and hesitated momentarily before placing her palm against his. Del used his other hand to cup her fingers. He was warm to the touch, and even as gentle as it was, she could feel his blood beating against the tips of his fingers.
"And I'm already enjoying the time I am spending with you."
"Is that so?" Vivian asked coyly as she took a sip of her espresso. "Is this what you do for fun?"
"What, take women out to coffee shops?" Del laughed. "Not really. It is fun, as I said, but unfortunately I haven't had a lot of time to myself in a while."
"I see. What would you do for fun if you had the time?"
"I don't really know, to be honest." Del presented an embarrassed smile.
"Really?" Vivian said with a confused smile. "You have to at least have time enough to think about it, right?"
"I suppose that without a BSI, it's hard to imagine having access to an entire galaxy of information, people, AI's and quantum computers, and all at the speed of thought."
"That sounds like too much."
"I think it certainly can be, but if you have a good companion, they'll quickly learn how to organize and present data in a way that your brain is most easily able to consume and process."
"Your companion, huh?" Vivian asked. Del already knew where this was going, but let her continue anyway. "Aren't those often used for sexual companionship?"
"They are, yes, and I assume that's probably their primary use for most people."
"What about for you?"
"Not for me. My companion is almost exclusively used for scheduling, resource and data management, translations, etcetera. I'm not too into the sexual aspects of companions. I hope it's not to forward to say that I much prefer actual flesh and blood."
"Blood?" Vivian raised an eyebrow. Del shook his head with a nervous laugh, letting his professional demeanor drop.
"Well, not blood, per se. It's a common idiom!" Del could see Vivian's laugh at his sudden discomfort. "You know what I mean."
