Vincent M. Lee

“I fucking wish I could tell you that.  There’s not enough booze in the world to erase that memory.  Trust me when I tell you that I have tried, multiple times, to black out hard enough to wipe it from my brain.”  As if to prove her point, she knocked back another shot before refilling Vincent’s glass with a couple of finger waggles.  Wholly unnecessary to utilize her abilities, but she did like doing most things with a bit of flair.  “And yet the mooing remains.  That it does, friend, and especially handy when it comes to lining my pockets.  Any fancy abilities beneath that pretty face of yours?”

Vincent couldn't help but shudder at FaBi's comments, knocking back his own drink in sympathy.  "Good lord, that sounds awful.  Thankfully the weirdest I ever experienced was a couple who wanted me to take turns anally violating them with the woman's high heels while I was wearing them.  Trying to maintain my balance after all those drinks so I didn't impale one of them was quite the challenge."  He nodded his head in thanks when she refilled his glass, tossing her a wink and a grin.  "Unless you count my tasteful fashion sense or artistic ability, I do not.  I'm a plain Jane though absolutely fabulous human."

“Why you really know how to flatter a woman now don’t you.” Harper said before letting a gentle laugh escape from her lips as she spoke to him. “Well I prefer to go with a non gun to your head answer, never really was a fan of that saying. Maybe it’s alright to be a bit of both.” She spoke to him, not taking her eyes off of him. “Honestly. Yes on more than one occasion, sometimes they were friends that were close to me that I didn’t want them to be hurt. I know I shouldn’t but I had to.”

Vincent smiled at Harper and shrugged, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  "Well it does help that you make it incredibly easy to do," he replied as he sipped his drink.  "I get that, but you know what I mean.  I mean if I'm being really honest with myself and not letting my biases affect my judge."  He sighed and nodded, actually combing his fingers through his normally well-coiffed hair.  "I guess this is where I'm glad I'm an artist and not a journalist.  I'm a... social butterfly I believe is the polite phrase, so the few real friends I have, I want to protect them."

“I am indeed. You aren’t the first one to say that to me.” She laughed softly as she looked at him. “Really? Those ones are either bad or good so I hope for your sake that it’s a good one.” She admitted to him before looking down at herself. “That’s exactly what I had in mind, after everything, I finally get the time off that I need so I am going to turn off my phone and relax for once.”

“Be that as it may, even dressed down you’re still a beauty,” Vincent remarked with a wink before looking back down at his tablet with a sigh.  “Honestly, I’m not sure which one it is.  Gun to my head answer?  Probably a little bit of both, just not sure how much of each it is.”  Swirling his coffee, he polished it off and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Have you ever had a scoop that you left alone and buried because it could hurt the people involved in it?”

How was she doing with everything. Kelli knew what he meant by that. It was nice to see Vincent acting normally around her though, instead of the pitying looks and condolences from some other people she had talked with. “I’m still picking up the pieces but doing a lot better than when it first all went down, you know? Thanks for asking. Everyday you wake up on the right side of the dirt is a good day or something like that.” 

With another sip of her drink she attempted to change the subject to one of their shared interests. “So this project, anything you’re willing to share or is it not quite ready for other’s eyes?” It was always fun chatting with another artist no matter the medium they worked with. There was just something unique about the meeting of artistic personalities. “While I was…recovering…I had some inspiration myself. Not sure if I’ll do anything with them. If nothing else putting it to canvas might help me work through some stuff.”

When the tournament had occurred, Vincent had stayed home, blood sports not really being his thing.  With everything that had ended up happening, he was doubly glad he’d stayed away.  “Well, when you hit bottom like that the only place you can go is up.  Besides, I knew you’d be back on your feet in no time.  You’re too much of a badass not to be.”

Vincent paled a little when Kelli asked about his work.  The last thing he had expected to be doing was sharing his art with one of the subjects of it, at least as far as his graphic novel went.  Though that wasn’t entirely true, the real last thing was figuring out that he worked side by side with members of the Hero Squad at the bar.  “That’s wonderful news sweetheart.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve drawn something simply to toss it in the digital trash heap once I was done with it.  Your art is for you after all.”  Taking a large swig of his coffee, Vincent heaved a sigh before nodding.  “As for my project, well… I suppose it’s only fair I show you considering the subject matter.  Just, do me a favor and don’t freak out when you see it.”  Turning the screen back on, he slid the tablet over to her showing the models he had been working on now that he had figured out who the Heroes really were.

Vincent M. Lee ||  Future Event Bio

Age:  38

Status:  Alive

Affiliation:  Civilian

Vincent has continued to work as a bartender at Knight Life while keeping up his day job as a graphic artist, though he takes on fewer projects these days.

Part of the reason for his reduction in projects is that his graphic novel of the Hero Squad has taken off in popularity, fueled partly by the squad’s rise in popularity thanks to the subsequent rise of H.A.M.E.R and the more realistic renditions of the heroes now that he knows who they are.  He still disguises his drawings enough to keep from outing them publicly

Harper finally got the time off that she needed, after everything that happened she was over the moon to lay low for a little while. She was even dressed down from her normal attire, even going around with the glasses that nobody very rarely seen her wearing. She had been out doing a few things that she had been meaning to do before everything started up and she just wanted to grab something quickly before she went to do her grocery shopping. Hearing the sound of the voice that was familiar to her, she turned. “Why on earth does it look like you have seen a ghost. Are you alright?” She asked with a bit of concern in her voice.

Vincent was so caught up in his revelation that it took him a moment to recognize the voice, let alone the fact that it was directed at him.  Looking up from his tablet, Vincent saw Harper and grinned.  "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes."  He chuckled at her question, waving off her concern.  "Of course lovely, everything's fine.  Just had an epiphany that I wasn't expecting.  What about you?  You look like you're ready to curl up on the couch with a bottle of wine and a good book."

Enough was enough. Kelli had spent almost a week hiding out between the heroes’ base under Knight Life and her apartment. She didn’t want to feel sorry for herself any more, not to mention she didn’t want HAMER to think they won with her.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t keep a low profile as she went about her day. Besides a few stares here and there most people seemed to pay her no mind which was a relief. Finn had been right, they’d forget about her soon enough. That certainly made the few errands she ran go a lot smoother. Before heading back to help Hope finish packing up their place Kelli decided to treat herself to a hot beverage. She didn’t get very far before noticing a friend and coworker.

“Hey Vincent, mind if I sit with you for a little bit?” she asked before taking the seat across from him. She took a long sip of her steaming cup, relishing in the warmth that spread through her body. Maybe it was the loss of her powers, or just the winter in California but she had been feeling much colder recently. Her attention focused back on Vincent who still seemed frozen with a look of astonishment. Perhaps she wasn’t the only one feeling the cold. “Are you okay? You look like you just realized the meaning of life.”

Vincent was in his own little world when he got sucked into his drawing, completely ignoring his surroundings in favor of getting lost in his work and his thoughts.  He hadn’t even noticed Kelli joining him at his table until she spoke to him a second time.  “What…  Oh yes please, sit.”  Hitting the button to turn off the screen to his tablet, Vincent turned his attention to Kelli, slapping his usual flirtatious grin on his face.  Hopefully she hadn’t noticed what he had been drawing before he realized he’d had an audience.  “Oh you know me sweetheart, always being dramatic.”  Grabbing his own coffee, Vincent took a sip, grimacing now that it had gone cold.  “Just had a breakthrough with one of my art projects.  How are you doing with everything?”

With everything that had happened recently with the reveal of HAMER and Kelli as Firehawk, Vincent had decided that it was about time to work on another issue of the Hero Squad comic he published under a pseudonym.  He'd seen enough movies and read enough books to know that anybody that he'd probably end up as a target for someone wanting to hurt the Squad regardless of the fact that he didn't know any of them.  Or well… didn't know them at the time.

Tucking into the chair, he pulled out his tablet and stylus, resuming the previous session that he had been working on.  Brow furrowed in concentration, he set to work correcting his drawings of Firehawk.  Now that he knew who she really was he could draw her more true to life.

While his fingers did the actual work, Vincent let his mind wander.  Who were the other Heroes?  Did he know them as well?  How had he missed that Kelli had been Firehawk?  It was that last question that really set the wheels of his mind turning.  Turning to a blank sheet, he continued to idly sketch the figures of Fallen Angel and Phantom appearing with each stroke of his pen.  As the figures began to solidify Vincent trailed off, staring hard at the screen.  "No way…" he whispered, whipping out his phone and scrolling through to some of the various photos he'd taken of his coworkers and friends.  "It can't be…"  Sketching quickly Vincent, suddenly dropped his phone and tablet both.  "Well I'll be fucked."

“Oh sure, we can talk about that.  But there are some animals that I just draw the line on.  I had a girl who had thing for cows.  It was cute when it was collectable porcelain, not so much when she strapped on udders and begged me to milk her as she mooed.”  FaBi shuddered at the memory, using her abilities to fill up a shot for herself to toss back in an effort to erase that mental image.  “They say you shouldn’t kink shame and all but fuck that, I will absolutely judge you based on what gets your gears grinding.”

The look on Vincent’s face as FaBi continued her story could only be described as horrified.  “Please tell me that you are joking.  I cannot…"  Vincent knocked back the rest of his drink to try to wipe the mental image she had constructed from his mind.  "I'm willing to try a lot of different things but that's, just no."  Chuckling softly, he slid his glass to her.  "That ability of yours definitely comes in handy in a place like this."

She looked around at the… questionable decor of the bar and wondered for a moment if she would have been better off to just be caught rather than deal with… were those metallic pink vases? This was horrifying but her thoughts were interrupted by a masculine voice that sounded somewhat bemused by her situation. She turned her head and caught his gaze, eyebrow raised and mouth set in a grim line. 

Instead of replying verbally, she made a noise of ascension as she found a seat for herself. The man seemed to be quite relaxed and she wondered what he was doing around these parts. “And yourself?” she asked perfunctorily, she wasn’t an uncultured and impolite monster. She had manners after all. She continued to case the area and kept an eye on him, he was beginning to intrigue her. 

He didn't know what was going on with the woman but based one the way she kept looking around, Vincent was fairly certain she was running from someone.  The fact that she had stopped and sat down was a pretty clear indication that it wasn't the cops since there was no crowd to speak of for her to hide in.

Smiling at her question, Vincent shrugged a shoulder as he sipped on his drink.  "Personally, today is a fantastic day.  I don't have to work tonight and I decided to play hokey from my day job so I get to spend the day doing whatever, or whoever I want."  A smirk graced his lips as he waved over the bartender.  "Drink darling?"

Harper thanked the waiter for their drinks, soon taking hers into her hand. “You have a very patient women with you right now, so I will wait. There is nothing worse than a spoiled surprise if you ask me.” She smiled as she took a sip of her drink. “Trust me if I ever hear any gossip I will pass it onto you, if I think it’s good enough.” She replied to him. “What would you like to know about me?” She asked her eyes never leaving him.

"Excellent.  I'm glad we see eye to eye on this.  You would not believe the number of people that insist on ruining surprises."  Vincent replied, smiling over his glass as he took a sip as well.  "Perfect, I'm always in the mood for juicy drama.  Makes a hum-drum life a little more exciting."  Vincent smiled as he met Harper's gaze, eye contact being one if those things he never shied away from.  "I'll be honest, I don't know where to start.  You intrigue me.  Actually, scratch that.  Tell me about your favorite breaking news story you covered."

Harper looked at him and couldn’t help but let a small chuckle. “Now I am quite interested on what sort of trouble. I am quite curious now and I must play my cards right.”She replied with a playful grin appearing on her lips as she spoke.”Well,there are a couple of things both news and fiction that I have up my sleeve,I have some leads on a couple of stories, but it’s best not to tell,just in case they turn out to be fake, wouldn’t want to go around spreading untrue news now would I.”

Vincent's grin grew when Harper looked at him and chuckled, winking at her as their drinks arrived.  "Well, you'll just have to wait and see.  Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise after all."  He was glad to see the grin on her face and that she seemed to be loosening up.  "Alright, alright.  I won't go poking, despite how much I love juicy gossip."  Settling back in his seat, Vincent waved his hand at Harper.  "So tell me something about yourself darling."

Running from the Past || VincentxPersephone

@vincentmlee

This was the last thing she had needed in this week of horrors. To be fair, perhaps she was being a little too dramatic, as she thankfully hadn’t gotten turned into some formal of animal that would hinder her work or something equally as stressful. But she had woken with a sense of fear running cold in her blood. For a moment she had thought it was her imagination until she had peeked out the window after her morning routine. Thé thé distance she saw a silhouette of a guy in a trench coat and what could be mistakes for soldiers cap. She knew better and began to feel the panic rise in her.

Priprosely trashing her lounge room in case her neighbours saw the man coming through the building, she exited out the fire escape and legged it to the nearest and most inconspicuous location that she could find. She knew that there may have been several agents mulling around so she made sure to surveil each area she passed before she gave up and ducked into an unassuming bar and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. “Fuck...” she swore colourfully in Russian.

Vincent had been enjoying a much needed break away from the hustle and bustle that was his life as a bartender at Knight Life and his day job as a graphic designer.  That's part of the reason why he had chosen an out of the way to enjoy himself a nice drink, even if the decor was downright detestable.

Sipping on the Viniq cocktail he'd managed to badger the bartender to make, Vincent watched as the glitter in the alcohol shimmered and swirled as he stirred it.  When the woman burst into the bar and leaned up against the wall, he smirked as he looked over at her.  "Bad day darling?"

“It’s Tinder, my darling.  Hardly a pool of taste and decency, thus, he might thrive there,” Jude chuckled, a sharp intake of breath sucked between her teeth as his met the sensitive skin of her neck.  In response, she ground her rear against his crotch a little harder before stepping towards the woman they’d agreed to try for the night.  “Are you just crossing your fingers for Daddy issues or …?” she laughed, tossing Vincent a wink over her shoulder as she moved to approach the other girl.

"I suppose you are right about that.  In that case let us hope that he heads back there so he stops polluting the field for everyone else."  Vincent laughed, letting out a subtle groan and reaching out to playfully swat Jude on the ass as she pulled away.  "I wouldn't say no if she did have them," he laughed, shaking his head as he followed Jude, letting her take the lead with their potential playmate.

Harper did enjoy having a joke around with people,especially people that she just me. The brunette chuckled and held up her hands. “Don’t you worry I shall not push my luck, you have my word.”She chuckled once more. “Ah well I have been let down my grilled cheeses before so maybe today is the day that I find the perfect one.”She said with a happy grin appearing on her lips. 

Vincent was definitely glad he had run into Harper, enjoying the break from what would have been an otherwise dry day since he was in between projects at the moment.  “Well I do appreciate that lovely,” he said with a laugh.  “Tell you what, you play your cards right and I’ll see what kind of trouble I can rustle up for us to get into later.”  He winked at Harper as the waiter showed up to take their order.  “So tell me lovely,” he started, once the waiter had taken their order.  “Any juicy stories you have tucked away that you’re working on?”

“I’m still sexy as shit, even if I do have green skin.”