She wanted to say You're welcome, and her lips formed around the Y, but the words just wouldn't come. Instead, she flattened her mouth into an N: "No problem."
She turned around and nodded at the sparkling lights of the Grid. Now that he was no longer injured, she could go back to snark. "Do you think you can make it back there without injuring yourself again?"
Cor chuckled softly with a small smirk at the banter and nodded. “I happen to be a very good driver and I know exactly where I'm going.” he said confidently. “What about you?”
"I'm going home," she said shortly, stepping on-Grid and taking her lightcycle baton off of her hip, mentally planning her route back to her penthouse.
Cor laughed a little at the curt reply and waved. “See you around then.” he smiled before following her example. He stepped back on the Grid, rezzed in his bike and headed off in a different direction than she did. His little rendezvous for the data delivery wasn't until tomorrow night, so he could analyze what he was asked to get and still make it to the opening of the End of Line club. He was really looking forward to that.
Nora rezzed in her bike and headed back home. When she did, she was relieved to find that Bit hadn't blown anything up or set anything on fire.
(Skip to End of Line opening?)
(Sure!)
Nora was standing in the middle of End of Line. It was ten minutes to opening and she was nervous. Everything had been fixed, the DJ's were ready, and they had a fully stocked drinks bar. Now all she had to do was hope Bit didn't blow up anything and that the bartender from downstairs wouldn't come storming up, and she would be fine.
Cor cleaned up his appearance slightly as he got off his lightcycle and joined the eager crowd as they waited for the club to open. Ever since he met Nora and found out that she was the new owner, he'd been looking forward to tonight. True, they had only met once before but… oddly enough, he wanted to see her again.
Nora took a deep breath as the elevator doors opened. Tradition dictated she should have some sort of welcome speech, but in the true style of Castor, she was planning to say three or four words, chat for a bit, and disappear into the nook overlooking the club. Unlike Castor, she wasn't planning to get deadbeat drunk and have Kevin Flynn show up in the middle of the night. This time around, End of Line would be different. She was sure of that.
The elevator was a little crowded as programs poured into it and out into the club so Cor was glad to be able to move freely after that. He looked around at the club, not too surprised that it looked pretty much the same but it was somewhat reassuring and a lot of the other programs seemed to enjoy it. When he finally saw Nora, he gave a small smile and waved slightly at her.
It was… oh, stars, she couldn't remember his name. Frantically, she searched her memory banks. Cor. That was it. Awkwardly - it was a gesture she had performed less than five times in her life, she was sure - she waved back.
Bit whizzed around her head. Yes.
"Shh," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth. The very last thing she needed tonight was Bit going crazy.
Cor smiled slightly at her reaction and chuckled at seeing Bit again. He had definitely missed the energy of Nora’s little companion and, he realized, he hoped that the three of them could spend a little time together. Obviously, Nora would be busy with handling the club but…It still would be nice.
Bit floated over to Cor. Yes.
“Hey, Bit.” Cor smiled warmly. “Enjoying opening night?”
Yes, Bit said happily, zooming around his head.
Nora's lips twitched into a smile for a split second, then back to their usual flat line. She was more amused than she'd admit out loud: Bit had really taken a shine to Cor.
Cor chuckled slightly. “I’m glad to see you again.” he admitted before looking around the club. “Looks like Nora did a great job handling this place.”
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Nora took a few steps towards them, eyeing them coolly. She was still a few feet away, close enough to hear their conversation but not close enough to hold one.
Cor smiled at Bit's enthusiasm, taking the response to mean that the little guy missed him too, and agreed that Nora did a good job on the club. “I hope you've been staying out of trouble.” he teased, looking in Nora’s direction.
Bit bobbed up and down in the air facetiously, and Nora decided it was time to step in.
"Not much trouble," she confessed, walking over to them. "No more than usual, at least."
“Well, that's good. At least it keeps your life interesting.” Cor smiled a little. “Good to see you again. And congratulations on your successful reopening.”
Nora's lips twitched into a smile for a split second. "Thank you."
“You’re welcome.” Cor nodded slightly before looking around the club, just taking in the sights and sounds of it.
One of the workers, a tall and attractive Siren, stepped over to Nora and whispered in her ear, "We're about to officially open the club. Do you have everything ready?"
Nora nodded and looked at Cor. "I have to go. Come on, Bit."
She wanted to say see you later, but it seemed too… informal, too sentimental. Bit, however, wasn't that way, and bobbed above Cor's head. No, no, no.
“I understand. You have work to do.” Cor replied, though he chuckled softly when Bit didn't want to leave him. “If you want I can keep an eye on your Bit for a while.” he offered.
Bit whizzed around Cor's head so fast that it looked like a blur. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
A two-tone laugh escaped from Nora's mouth; unfortunately, it was drowned out by the other Siren's high, false one. Batting her eyelashes at Cor, she stepped away and melted into the crowd.
Nora sighed, all traces of amusement vanishing. "That's Astra. She flirts with everyone."