The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Athena had never met Handshaw before, so she wasn't sure how to view him until he appeared.

When he appeared, he drove into the alley in a relatively new-looking car. However, "new" here doesn't refer to the kind of cool, trendy newness.

It was a white four-door sedan, possibly of any brand. It was probably the most boring car Athena had ever seen countless times.

The car slowly came to a stop in front of them, then the front door opened and a man stepped out.

Handshaw, like his car, was utterly boring.

He was wearing jeans and a knitted vest, both in dull colors. His hair was cut unkempt, and he even looked a bit hunched over.

He is a vivid example of a boring person.

If it weren't for the bandages wrapped around his body and the domino-like mask perched on his nose, Athena might have dismissed him at a glance.

“He doesn’t seem that impressive,” Athena said.

The man stopped in front of the car, his hands deeply tucked into his pockets, his silhouette illuminated by the headlights. "Boss? Isabella, or should I call you Ursa Minor?"

“I only use this name when I’m playing a fake hero,” Isabella responded.

Sienna, the eldest sister, put her hand on Isabella's shoulder.

Athena remembered what her elder sister Sienna had said: "Handshaw" was an intelligence broker who would do everything he could to gather all sorts of information, so they had to be extremely careful. Fortunately, caution was Athena's forte.

"And who is this?" he asked, looking at Athena.

“A friend of the boss,” Athena said, crossing her arms as she spoke, her leather jacket creaking with the movement. “You can call me Athena.”

“Athena? Like the goddess of the ancient Reik?” He pulled a hand out of his pocket and stroked his chin. “The goddess who governs skills, inventions, war, pottery, owls, and is often associated with wisdom. I’m curious, which aspect of her do you represent?”

“If you pay me, I might tell you,” Athena said.

"Handshaw" snorted. "Maybe I really will pay," he said, turning to his eldest sister Sienna. "I didn't expect it to be the three of you. I suppose the youngest goddess will be with us too?"

"She will, she'll be happy to see you?"

“Don’t lie to accommodate me. If everyone’s ready, get in the car. We can discuss our strategy on the way to the hotel.” Handshaw turned and walked back to the driver’s seat. “Shall we go?”

Sienna nudged Isabella toward the back seat, and Athena began to walk around the car, glancing at the license plate as she passed the rear, before quickly walking past the foul-smelling exhaust fumes.

She jumped into the seat behind Handshaw and fastened her seatbelt.

She also had to tuck the seatbelt behind her back, because it was right in front of her face.

"You mentioned a hotel?" the older woman asked while fastening her seatbelt.

"Yes, it's probably not a high-end place. We, that is, the few of us and the guest we are going to meet, have booked a meeting room at the Holiday Inn Oliver.

“Isn’t that a bit too public?” Sienna asked.

“That’s right, it has to be public,” Handshaw said. “We assume neither side wants to involve the public. That means keeping a low profile.”

At the same time, choosing such a public place as the meeting location will also encourage both parties to behave more formally.

“I think I understand,” Sienna said, “but I really don’t like being seen with a villain.”

"Ah, right, your hero status. I don't think you need to worry too much. I'm not well-known in the public eye, but in our circle, whether they're heroes or villains, everyone knows me and asks me for favors."

"Our circle?"

"It's a world of heroes and villains, the real world, not the embellished and beautified version that the Legion and the government want people to see. I think calling it a 'world' might be a bit of an exaggeration."

"I guess so?"

“It’s more like a community, separated from the outside world. And every year on the same day, this community grows larger.” Handshaw leaned forward to see if any cars were approaching on the road leading from the alley. After confirming there were no cars, he drove out and merged into the traffic.

"Is it really isolated from the outside world?" Athena asked. "We still need to eat, and some of us still need to go to school and so on."

“That’s true. But many people with superpowers, unfortunately I’m not one of them, feel that they are… I think the word ‘superior’ is more appropriate. They are more capable, more talented, or more deserving of special treatment than ordinary people.”

"Makes sense."

Athena blinked. "Aren't you a communist?" she asked.

"That doesn't mean I'm a fool. If all my comrades could become powerful bears, that would be fine, but only I can do it."

So I am a bit different, but that doesn't mean I deserve more.

Athena rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. I guess it's understandable that people with superpowers feel superior."

“This isn’t entirely an illogical viewpoint,” Handshaw said.

They turned off the main road and drove into a large parking lot. Next to it was a tall, short, and stout building with a large canopy at the entrance, under which stood a young man wearing an overly tight suit.

Handshaw parked the car in a secluded corner of the parking lot and then turned off the engine.

Everyone got off the bus.

The weather was starting to get a bit cold, and Athena wished she could wear gloves to warm her hands, but wearing gloves wouldn't make her look tough enough.

So she put her hands in her jacket pockets, moved them around to get the blood flowing, and then followed the others toward the hotel.

The guy at the door—was he the doorman?—was startled when he saw them coming and quickly ran over to open the door for them.

“Welcome to the Holiday Inn Oriday,” he stammered, as they walked straight inside.

"This way," Handshaw said, walking straight through the lobby without even glancing around. But there really wasn't much to see in the lobby.

Inside were several pots of artificial flowers and a large table. Behind the table sat a person with a smile on his lips, but no smile in his eyes.

The few customers were all sitting on the bench with a sign that read "Free Wi-Fi!" No one noticed the four of them passing by.

The meeting room where they were going to meet the villain was on the second floor. "Handshaw" didn't take the elevator, but chose to take the stairs instead, even though the elevator was perfectly functional.

They walked down the corridor and slipped into a room. "Handshaw" turned to face them. "Please close the door," he said.

Athena was the last to enter, and she took a moment to look around. It was indeed a conference room, with a large table in the center and a stack of chairs against the wall. "Okay," she said, closing the door behind her.

“No, this isn’t the room where we’re going to meet ‘Cement,’” Handshaw said. “That room is further inside. But I think we need to talk about a few things first.”

Sienna nodded. "That's exactly what I'm hoping for," she said.

“Great. First, let’s look at the contract terms.”

“Our what?” Isabella asked.

Handshaw smiled. "Our contract. I wouldn't bring you here without explaining the terms first."

"It sounds like one of those capitalist tricks to give you the upper hand," Isabella said. "Don't you need to get some elite lawyer or something to read it out?"

"Huh?" Handshaw was speechless for a moment.

Athena stepped forward, looking directly into his eyes. "What are your terms?" she asked, making the dimly lit corner of the room seem even more suspicious.

"Handshaw's" smile remained unchanged. "Our bargaining chip today is intelligence."

In return for protecting me during and shortly after our meeting, I will tell you about that...

I remember we didn't mention their real names to avoid revealing their identities, so I'm telling you all the information about the gang we called 'The Joker'.

In addition, I will pay each person who comes to protect me a thousand dollars. The money is in my car; I just need to remind them every now and then.

Sienna nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what we want."

"Great! In that case, I think the deal is done."

“Hey, wait,” Athena said. “Don’t we know some things about them too? If we tell you more details than you do, then we’ve done all this work for nothing.”

Athena really hoped she hadn't ruined her older sister's plan. But then Sienna nodded, and she felt a little better.

“Athena is right. What if intelligence alone isn’t enough? The money is good, but, well, we want more.” Athena’s eldest sister modified the terms of the deal, her voice trembling slightly as she suppressed her anger.

“What else do you want?” Handshaw asked.

Sienna paused, then her eyes hardened, and for a moment she looked resolute. "The location of a safe house in or around this city. Also, if we protect you, we'll have to pay some money."

Handshaw tapped his chin lightly. "I can provide the location of the safe house, provided you allow me access to anyone hiding inside. Let's say someone uses that place within the next thirty days."

Sienna considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

“Let’s shake hands to signify that it’s settled. You will do your utmost to protect me. In exchange, I will give each of you a thousand dollars, a safe house location for thirty days, and intelligence about the gang codenamed ‘The Joker.’”

He held out his hand.

Sienna shook hands with him.

Just then, Athena felt a sudden tightness in her chest.