Yes, Bit said happily, now zooming around the other program's head; Nora scowled and tried to grab it, but ended up clutching empty air.
"Yes, this one's mine. It's supposed to be in my apartment, I don't know how it escaped. Bit, come here."
No, said Bit, dodging another grab and bobbing up and down in the air.
Cor laughed again and attempted to help catch the Bit floating above his head. “Sneaky little rascal, aren't you?” he asked rhetorically.
No, Bit said, evading the catch attempts.
The bartender, meanwhile, had sidled up to them and was eyeing Bit apprehensively. "Nora, please get this thing out of my bar. Do you remember the last time it showed up?"
"Vividly," Nora said, scowling. "Bit, for the last time, calm down."
Bit bobbed up and down in the air for a few seconds, then zoomed once around the bartender's head and floated above Nora's lap.
“I doubt that.” Cor smirked at the Bit, relaxing as the bartender scolded Nora. Nora… Nice to have a name to go with that face. He raised a brow at the implications mentioned between the other two programs. “Dare I ask what happened last time?”
"You don't want to know," Nora said, but it was too late: the bartender had heard the question.
"What happened? What didn't happen? Drinks all over the floor, programs running out screaming their heads off, three dozen broken glasses, four lights broken, and this" - he pointed accusingly at Bit - "floating around in the middle of it, scaring my remaining customers out of their wits!"
"Only a fourth of that is true," Nora said acidly (Bit concurred). "And are you sure it's a good idea to talk about the crime in front of the perpetrator?"
The bartender paled. "Just keep that - thing - far away from where it could do any damage!" he said, before bustling off to help a new customer.
Cor's eyes widened when the bartender spoke, though there was an intrigued spark until Nora and her Bit pointed out the exaggeration. He gave a soft chuckle and shook his head in both relief and amusement. “My kind of Bit.” he smirked at the pair as the bartender left.
Yes, Bit said happily, going over to him and floating above his lap. Nora frowned and took another sip of her drink.
Cor chuckled softly at the Bit and took another sip of his own drink. “Gotta say, meeting the two of you has been the best part of walking in here.”
Yes, Bit said, but Nora said nothing. A compliment? She hadn't had one of those in what felt like hundreds of cycles. Already she could feel herself shutting down. Don't let anyone get close to you, you'll just get hurt again and again and again and again.
She sighed and swirled her drink. "Well, Bit certainly seems to think so."
Cor smiled again at the Bit and carefully reached out his fingers towards it. Truthfully he had no intention of getting attached to either of them but he did enjoy their company… and he was kind of a sucker for Bit’s. Especially one's with a more rambunctious streak like the one in his lap. Perhaps it was the drink making Cor seem and act more like a normal program instead of his normally jaded demeanor.
Bit jerked away from his outstretched fingers. No.
"Bit doesn't really like being touched," Nora said stiffly, though inside, she was quietly amused. Her Bit was definitely a free spirit, just like Kaira, to whom it had belonged before Kaira was derezzed. Nora and Bit were - she didn't know if you could call them friends, exactly, but Bit was definitely the closest thing she had to one.
Cor pulled his hand back at the Bit’s reaction and nodded when Nora explained the line he’d almost crossed. “Oh, ok. Sorry.” he apologized, holding his hands up slightly in peaceful surrender.
"It's all right," Nora said, with a ghost of a smile on her face. She sipped her drink.
And it was then that a yell came from the far side of the bar.
"My disc! Has anyone seen my disc?"
A white-faced, orange-haired program came hurtling out of the crowd towards the counter. "Bartender, has anyone turned in a disc?"
"N-not that I know of," stuttered the bartender, shrinking back.
Nora's nerves immediately sparked to life. Those two gang members had been up to something! Standing up again, she shoved her way through the crowd and peered towards their now-empty booth. Cursing softly to herself, she headed for the door, ready to track the two of them down, then realised she'd forgotten Bit. Somewhat grudgingly, she headed back towards the bar.
"Bit, come here," she said.
No, Bit said, bobbing up and down.
"I said come here." She swiped for it, but it dodged her hand and whizzed off towards the orange-haired program, who was now frantically asking everyone whether they had seen her disc.
"I don't have time for this," Nora grumbled impatiently, heading towards Bit.
Cor choked on his drink as he heard the scream. Disc jackers? Really? he groaned as the frantic program raced towards the bar. “Oh, for Flynn's sake.” he muttered under his breath. He was looking around at the bar when Nora came back for her Bit and stood up when it left him. “Nora, calm down.” Cor said calmly as he followed her towards the panicking program.
"Tell that to her," Nora said, pointing at the orange-haired program. "And you're going to have to pay for that drink, you know."
(OK I have some semblance of a plot for this, I was thinking they could both go chasing after these disc jackers and then bump into each other while in vigilante dress, not recognise each other, and then either strike up an alliance or a rivalry, with each trying to outdo the other, while still remaining friends outside of "work", and then eventually secret identities get revealed etc. etc. etc. If you don't like it or would suggest a change let me know!)
“She at least has a reason to get worked up.” Cor defended. “You’re acting like you could have stopped this. And I already paid for mine.” he said before walking up to the woman. “Hey, hey. It'll be alright, ok.” he told her calmly. “Tell me your name and what you do. Please.”
(I like it! Maybe a reluctant alliance between them? Like they have to work together but they snipe off at each other all the time… Overall, I love your idea!)
Nora scowled. She could have stopped this, if only she'd trusted her instincts. She was losing time. She needed to get going.
"Come on, Bit," she said, hurrying through the crowd and out of the door, ducking into a dark alleyway and activating her Aurora outfit before hopping on her lightcycle and heading down the street, fairly confident she knew the direction the two programs had gone. Bit rode on the tails of her short, shimmery cape.
"I don't know!" The orange-haired program was hysterical, clearly torn between flight or breaking down in a sobbing heap. "I don't know…"
"Shh, honey, it'll be all right," said the program's friend, patting her shoulder. Her name's Aya, she mouthed.
(Sounds gucci!)
Cor didn't even pay attention to Nora when she left, focusing on the program in front of him. He bit his lip at the news. If she already didn't know then her disc must have been missing for a while before she actually noticed. Really not good. He nodded gratefully at the supposed friend… Hopefully she really was. “Aya? Aya's a nice name.” he smiled softly. “Alright, Aya. You see this nice program next to you? I want you to stay with her until you get your disc back, ok?”
"O-okay," the program stuttered, burying her face in her hands. Her friend patted her back and mouthed, Thank you.
Nora, meanwhile, was still on the track of the two disc jackers. She had spotted them up ahead in a Light Runner, and was now going full speed after them.
Cor smiled slightly back at the friend and nodded. “Keep her calm and keep talking to her. I've heard it helps.” he instructed softly before turning to the bartender. “Here. Their drinks are on me.” he said, putting a few bits on the counter with a deep glare. “And while you're at, hire some decent security around here.” he added crossly as he stormed out of the building.
He sighed softly as his buzz from the drink faded away too quickly from all that excitement. Though he figured it couldn't be helped as he ducked down an alley and change his suit to black while the lighting stayed the same. He didn't know which way the two thieves went but there was only one place they could be going to. The sleeves on his jacket dissolved as he rezzed in his lightcycle and drove off.
Nora sped after the Light Runner, tailing them to an old, abandoned warehouse on the docks.
If it weren't for the urgent nature of this little mission, Cor would be enjoying this a little more. But having your disc taken… He couldn't help the shudder at the thought. A program was honestly better off losing a limb than their disc. He sped up as he took another back alley shortcut.
Nora got off of her lightcycle and peeked into the warehouse. The programs she'd seen earlier were indeed there, as well as a few others. She searched for the disc: there. It was sitting on a box. They weren't even doing anything with it.
A spike of fear rammed itself into her heart. What if they'd stolen the disc… just to steal it? Just to wreak havoc?
Regardless of the programs' purpose, she had to get it back.
Once he arrived at the right location, Cor took off his ISO band, hiding it in an inner pocket of his jacket, and slid on a slim visor that covered his eyes. A full helmet like Clu or Rinzler would send all the wrong impressions. He put his lightcycle back in its baton form and walked up to the abandoned building. He wasn't one to make a lot of moral judgments considering what he did while dressed this way but he drew the line at stealing any program’s disc.
Nora, safely hidden in the shadows, eyed the new program warily. Another Iris - or another vigilante? Bit skulked behind her, pulsating nervously.
Plan after plan raced through her mind. If this new program was indeed another gang member, things had just gotten a whole lot more dangerous.