Cor would have laughed at her response if their situation didn't rely so much on not getting caught. “It’s ok if you were, you know. You wouldn't be the first…” he smirked mischievously. It was just so fun for him to push Aroura’s buttons like this. Of course, he knew there was a limit he didn't want to cross since there was no way he could do all this on his own. “Almost done. Just have to do one more container.” he assured her.
"Good," Nora said, folding her arms. It was a good thing End of Line didn't open until 12000, or she would have been in a hurry.
Cor chuckled softly and walked past her to the last container for this job, making sure to check its contents before placing the tracking data on it. I really hope Cyrus can't do anything to this… he realized, biting his lip suddenly as the worry came to mind.
"What?" Nora asked.
Cor shook his head and resumed his work at the question. “Just a thought… It's probably nothing but with someone like Cyrus, you can't be too careful.” he said, almost softly. “I was just thinking… What if Cyrus finds the tracking data…”
"If you're being careful, he shouldn't," Nora said. Realising that may have come off as cold, she added, "Though I don't think he would be suspecting it. All containers have shipping numbers, so a data tracking system in it wouldn't be abnormal."
“Oh, trust me; I’m being careful.” he assured her, nodding a little. Cor let out a soft breath and was able to relax slightly as he focused back on his work. “Right… Thanks, ‘Roura.” he said sincerely.
"You're welcome," Nora said, a little stiffly; the words were still unfamiliar to her.
Bit zoomed back to them and circled Nora's head.
"Guards?" Nora asked.
No.
"Everything's okay?"
Yes.
"Good."
Cor smiled faintly at the awkward comment… It almost reminded him of the cute way Nora said it. He glanced up at Bit when he heard the two talking. “Good. Cause I just finished the last container.” he informed. “We can get out of here without running into any trouble.”
"Good," Nora said, taking her baton from her hip. She was unsure of what to do now - say goodbye? Or was that too formal? Informal? She didn't know.
"I'll… see you," she said awkwardly, before rezzing in her bike and zooming away.
“See you.” Cor chuckled, giving a brief nod as a goodbye. “She’s definitely not a social program.” he said to himself once she was out of earshot before driving away as well. He had a couple of quick searches to take care of before he could head over to End of Line to meet Nora.
(Not me rewatching Uprising. Paige do be hot tho)
Nora, meanwhile, was speeding down the streets of the Grid in her cycle, having derezzed her helmet and her Aurora outfit.
"I have to get that helmet fixed," she muttered. She didn't know any mechanics or fixers now that Kaira was gone, and she couldn't remember any of the staff at End of Line having any training on that kind of thing. Maybe Cor? She could ask him to fix it for her tonight. She couldn't risk Black Light knowing her identity, even though she did almost trust him.
(lol don't blame you. Yeah, she is. Totally shipped her with Beck too.)
Cor zipped down the streets, delivering a couple of messages and handling searches for most of the cycle, having changed out of his Black Light suit a few blocks from the docks. He was honestly still a little nervous about everything he and Aroura were doing… but someone who knew about this had to deal with it. Though he was still considering sending that anonymous message to the Black Guard…
At the end of the cycle, Nora was at the bar in End of Line. She had realised she was suddenly concerned with how her hair looked, and kept straightening her bangs.
Cor sighed and ran his fingers through his hair to try to make it look nicer as he waited for the elevator to reach the club. He didn't want to look too much like a complete mess this time, straightening out his jacket before getting out of the glass elevator and looked around hoping to see Nora.
Nora saw Cor and a smile touched her lips. She wasn't sure how to summon him over - waving seemed, what, too obvious? Fortunately, Bit did the job for her: with a Yes, it zoomed off towards Cor, circling his head a few times.
Cor smiled when he saw Nora waiting for him, not even flinching when Bit zoomed over. “Hey, little buddy.” he chuckled, gently lifting his hand towards Bit but not touching. Just close enough for Bit to close the gap, if it wanted to. “Hope you guys haven't been waiting long.”
No, Bit said, settling into Cor's hand. Nora smiled when she saw it. Bit, similar to Nora, wasn't very trusting, but it seemed to have really taken a shine to Cor.
(Don't even get me started on how much I loathe Pavel)
Cor’s smile widened as Bit actually responded to his gesture. “I thought you didn't like being touched… Guess you really warmed up to me.” he chuckled softly before he started walking towards Nora.
"Greetings, program," Nora said with a smile.
“Good to see you too, Nora.” Cor chuckled as he sat next to her. “How’s your head?”
"It's been feeling better," Nora said. "Would you like a drink?"
“A drink sounds great.” he smiled, relieved that apparently he had done a good job of fixing her injury.
Nora smiled and summoned the bartender, ordering a light drink, then turned to Cor. "What do you want?"