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 and 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 very good, 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." Both of them laughed.