Dancing. Everywhere, programs were dancing, heads thrown back, arms in the air, feet stamping, bodies waving. Nora joined them, but in her own, significantly less frivolous way. Somewhere, she thought she saw Skye dancing wildly, and was glad of the chance not to stop and say hello.
Cor smiled as he danced with Nora, enjoying the moment of near normalcy. His style of dancing hadn't changed as he was uniquely still a barely off rhythm.
(why am I already envisioning an unmasking scene for Cor in front of Nora? It's way too early in the story for that…)
Nora was simultaneously irked and amused by Cor's slightly offbeat movements. As a Siren, it was in her core programming to be rhythmic and mechanical, and that part of her wanted to grab him and force him to dance in time.
Or maybe it wasn't her core programming that wanted to grab him and dance with him.
She shrugged off the thought with a roll of her shoulders and continued dancing, the tiles lighting up beneath her heels, a few loose pieces of hair swinging around her face. She'd forgotten how much she loved to dance. She hardly did anymore. And best of all, she didn't have to worry about what Bit was doing.
"I should use Bit's cage more," she said, almost absentmindedly.
(why am I already envisioning an unmasking scene for Cor in front of Nora? It's way too early in the story for that…)
(Because we're writers and it's in our nature to think waaaaaaay far ahead 😆 )
(lol 😆 very true.)
If she had decided to grab him to correct his dancing, he genuinely wouldn't mind. He’d be blushing at the situation, but he wouldn't stop her.
Cor chuckled at her offhanded comment and nodded briefly. “Could save you a lot of trouble during business times.” he agreed. “Though I hope I’d still get to see the little rascal.” Truthfully he wanted to see both of them again and while there was nothing wrong with saying that… his other job was too dangerous to get attached like this. He was good at faking these kinds of friendships but this one was far from fake.
"Rascal, hmm?" Nora nodded. She liked that, it was a good way to describe Bit.
“Yeah. It basically means the same thing as “troublemaker” or “playful” or even “mischievous”. It just sounds nicer… kind of endearing.” he explained with a small smile.
"I know what it means," Nora said, sidestepping him and swaying in time. "How would you describe me?"
Cor laughed softly with a light blush and nodded. Of course, she would know what the word meant… Had he been trying to show off? If that's what the explanation was, then he just made himself look silly. Her question caught him off guard, however, and he had to slow down his dancing. “You? Hmm… I guess I’d say you are…” he paused for a moment to think. Graceful? Well, yes, she was a Siren after all. Snappy? He’d used that one already at the other bar… or had that been Sassy? “Passionate.” he finally decided. “You don't let anyone or anything get in your way when you know what you want and you don't take attitude from anyone.”
Nora paused for a moment at that. Passionate. She'd never been described that way before. Straightforward, efficient, and slick, yes. Passionate, no. That was a word for programs like Skye.
She didn't know what to say; eventually, a "Thank you" tumbled out of her mouth, and it felt strange in the few seconds it was there, heavy and coarse. She hoped he wouldn't notice and take her as insincere, but the words were foreign to her now, even more so than they had always been.
With a smile she hoped looked genuine, she continued dancing.
Cor's blush darkened slightly as he returned the awkward smile with one of his own. “You’re welcome.” he replied, the words coming out smoothly. He didn't often have a chance to say that phrase but it felt more fitting here than his usual, and sometimes slightly dismissive, response of just saying no problem.
Nora's eyelashes dipped, and she smiled, the first true, full smile that had graced her lips this evening.
(Skip to next vigilante scene/Astra sending Cor a message?)
(oh, oops! 😳 I'm so sorry. I thought I replied to that last one. 😅)
(If you want to skip ahead, that's fine with me… Again, sorry.)
(Ah it's aight! You can reply again if you want.)
(ok. Thanks… I’ll just respond to your last post then)
Cor’s eyes widened as he felt his breath leave him. Nora's smile… it felt like… There had been moments when he regretted his decision to make a second identity, though there were also plenty of times that made it so worth it. This would be one of the former. The idea of spending time with her and getting to see that smile was almost as intoxicating as End of Line’s best drinks. In his opinion, it suited her much better than that voice she used for her speech. But he didn't say anything… he couldn't, so he simply continued to dance with her.
Nora noticed the change in the look in his eyes, and she could feel her stubborn, emotion-refusing self clawing its way back into her mind. With a deep breath, she kept dancing. What was wrong with her? She was becoming… attached to him. He was nice, funny, honest. A lot like Kaira. Maybe a little too much like Kaira.
Cor likewise found himself finding a few similarities between Nora and Tetra. Both were fearless and said what they felt or what they were thinking. Though Tetra was only a very good friend, almost a sister to him, where Nora was… enchanting in a way. Maybe it was her charm as a Siren but there was definitely something else. The fire that she mentioned Gem said she had, possibly? He couldn't put his finger on it but he was certainly drawn to it.
They danced for a while longer, and then Nora suggested that they sit back down. "I don't want to leave Bit alone for too long, even if it is in a cage."
Cor nodded at her suggestion and her reason. “That’s fair. I can't imagine what kind of trouble it gets into when it gets too lonely.” he agreed, walking back to the bar with her.
Bit whizzed happily around its cage when Nora retrieved it, apparently expecting to be let out, but Nora shook her head. "You're not getting out until we get back home."
No, Bit said, sinking to the bottom of its cage, disappointed.
"Yes."
No.
"Yes."
No.
Nora didn't reply this time, picking up the cage and heading back to Cor. "Do you want another drink?"
Cor chuckled softly at the banter between Nora and her Bit, his shoulders shaking slightly. “Maybe one more.” he agreed with a small nod.
"How strong?" Nora asked, rapping her nails on the counter to summon the bartender.