Coffee and Candy

Kids!

The day started simple enough for Hanna Holmes, or the "Angel of Chaos," as the city knew her. She had planned to spend the afternoon brewing coffee and ignoring her long list of heroic duties. That plan changed the moment Jacques burst into the shop, panting and waving his tablet in the air.

“Hanna! Annie! We’ve got a situation!” Jacques exclaimed, his cyberpunk-inspired outfit glowing faintly as his excitement activated some of the lights.

“What now?” Hanna groaned, setting down her cup of tea.

“There’s a rhinoceros mutant monster holding kids hostage in an orphanage!” Jacques said dramatically.

Annie, casually polishing her katana in the corner, stood up immediately. “Kids? Hell no one would hurt the kids except for their parents,We’re going No!"

---

The trio arrived at the orphanage, its once bright, cheerful façade now marred with scorch marks. Smoke billowed from the upper windows, and terrified children peeked out from behind broken curtains. The mutant rhinoceros stood in the middle of the courtyard, its hulking frame covered in rough, armored hide.

It roared, shaking the ground beneath their feet. “Leave now, heroes, or these kids will be barbecue!”

“Barbecue?” Hanna muttered under her breath. “How bloody creative, now im Hungry for a snack.”

Jacques crouched behind a car, typing furiously on his wrist-mounted device. “Okay, I’m scanning for weaknesses. Annie, try to keep him distracted while I—"

Annie didn’t wait. She darted forward, her fox mask gleaming as she flipped over the monster’s head. “Hey, ugly! Over here!” she shouted in Japanese, “このバカ犀！お前は遅い'You stupid rhino! You’re slow!' "

The rhinoceros bellowed, swiping at her with a massive claw. Annie dodged effortlessly, her movements a mix of grace and precision.

Meanwhile, Hanna sprinted toward the orphanage. “You two keep it busy!” she yelled. “I’ll get the kids out!”

---

Inside, the air was thick with smoke. Hanna found the children huddled in a corner, their eyes wide with fear. “Alright, loves,” she said, kneeling down. “Stay close to me. We’re getting out of here.”

A little boy raised his hand. “Miss Angel, are you going to punch the monster?”

Hanna chuckled. “Not today, sweetheart. Now, let’s move before The bad guy Get You guys again"

Just as she herded the kids toward the exit, a massive fireball exploded through the wall, the shockwave knocking Hanna to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, placing herself between the children and the fiery rhinoceros that had forced its way inside.

---

The monster roared, its maw glowing as another fireball formed. Without thinking, Hanna threw herself over the children, shielding them with her body.

“Bloody hell,” she muttered.

The fireball hurtled toward her, but before it could hit, a shadow swooped in. Mr. Crow appeared, his dark cape flaring as he deflected the fireball with a sharp wave of his arm.

“Late, as always,” Hanna said, coughing through the smoke.

“Just in time, as always,” Crow retorted, his voice low and steady.

The children stared in awe as Crow scooped Hanna up just as the floor beneath her gave way. “Got you,” he said, his tone annoyingly calm.

“You could’ve done that five seconds earlier,” Hanna grumbled.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Crow replied with a smirk, setting her down outside the building.

The children giggled, their wide eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Are you two married?” one of them asked innocently.

“NO!” Hanna and Crow answered in unison, startled.

Another chimed in, “I think they’re in love!”

Hanna glared at Crow, who simply shrugged. “It’s your reputation,” he said before disappearing into the shadows.

Hanna glared at the dark corner where Crow had vanished, muttering under her breath. “Bloody kids…”
---

Outside, Jacques was busy controlling a swarm of drones, directing them to pester the rhinoceros.

“Alright, big guy, let’s see how you like this!” he shouted as the drones fired tiny electric pulses.

The rhinoceros roared, charging at Jacques, who barely dodged by jumping onto a parked van. “This is not part of the plan!” he yelled, frantically pressing buttons on his wrist console.

Annie zipped past, her katana slashing at the monster’s leg. “Stop whining and fight!” she shouted, flipping out of reach of the rhinoceros’ claws.

“I am fighting!” Jacques retorted, sending his drones to create a glowing electric net that temporarily immobilized the beast.

“Finally,” Annie muttered, landing a kick squarely on the rhinoceros’ snout.

---

With the monster subdued and the children safe, the trio returned to the shop. Hanna, still covered in soot and sporting a fresh scrape on her cheek, leaned against the counter.

“Well, that was fun,” she said sarcastically. “Next time, let’s all get matching burns, shall we?”

Jacques looked up from his tablet, confused. “What did I do?”

Annie crossed her arms. “Yeah, what’s your problem?”

“My problem?” Hanna said, raising an eyebrow. “Let’s see. Annie, you’re more focused on insults than strategy. Jacques, you nearly got flattened because you were too busy pressing buttons. And me? Oh, I was just shielding kids from a fireball while playing human target practice.”

The two exchanged guilty looks.

Hanna sighed, waving them off. “Forget it. Just…try not to be useless next time.”

Jacques whispered to Annie, “Are we useless?”

“Definitely not,” Annie replied. “But she’s bloody scary when she’s mad.”

---

Later that night, Hanna sat on the rooftop of the café, sipping her tea as the city lights twinkled below. She spotted a familiar figure perched on a nearby building, his silhouette dark and brooding.

“Thanks for the save,” she called out.

“You’re welcome,” Crow replied, his tone lighter than usual. “Those kids were funny. Got any plans for the wedding?”

Hanna groaned, rolling her eyes. “Don’t you start. I already get enough of that from Jacques and Annie.”

Crow chuckled, stepping closer. He plucked a small flower from the rooftop garden and tucked it gently behind her ear. “You look good tonight,” he said softly, his voice losing its usual edge.

Before she could react, he vanished into the shadows, leaving her flustered and cursing under her breath.

She held her head in her hands. “Great. I’m crushing on someone who probably stalks people for fun. Bloody fantastic.”

She shook her head, muttering to herself as she climbed back down to the café. “At this rate, I’ll have to make ‘Couples Counseling for Heroes and Villains’ part of the café menu.” he jokes sarcastically.

AND by that The Story of this will be continued to be more....