The bartender refilled the drink, saying to Nora, "This one's on the house, then?"
"On the house," Nora confirmed, standing up and picking up her own drink, beginning to make her way through the crowded programs towards her office.
"Not much of a talker, is she?" said the bartender with a wry smile. "You two have fun."
Cor was almost tempted to roll his eyes at Nora paying for his drink but simply smiled gratefully at both her and the bartender. He chuckled, shaking his head slightly at the bartender. “Maybe not… but she says what she needs to.” he pointed out, a bit more slyly than he intended, as he gave the other program a wink before following Nora to her office with his drink in hand. “Come on, Bit. Don't want to get in any trouble, do you?”
No, Bit said, bobbing next to Cor's shoulder as they rode Nora's wake. In truth, Bit wanted the night to go as smoothly as possible, and had no intentions of mischief. Well, maybe some intentions.
Nora activated the stairs up to her office and climbed them, saying to Cor once they were inside, "There's something I'd like you do to for me." Activating her helmet, she took it off and set it down on the desk, saying, "Do you think you could fix this?"
Cor smiled a little at Bit’s more mellow attitude tonight. He did enjoy the little rascal’s energy but, he had to admit, this was a nice change of pace. As he joined Nora in her office, he raised a brow at her business-like statement. He took a sip of his drink to help him relax when she explained more. “You know I'm not a repair program, Nora.” he chuckled, setting his drink on the desk before picking up her helmet and examining the damage.
"I know, but… maybe you know one?" she asked hopefully. She really did need to get the voice warper fixed.
“Actually, I do know someone who could help.” he nodded. “Name’s Hermes. He owes me a favor. He's another messager program but he does have a little habit of “borrowing” stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if he has the tools we need to fix this.” Cor admitted, shrugging a little as he twisted a few facts.
(I figured out why everyone in Uprising has such wide shoulders - they're ripped from grabbing their discs all the time.)
Nora raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'borrowing', but consented. "If you think he can fix this, then… okay." She took her helmet gently from him and put it back on before rezzing it out. She smiled at him, took her drink, and sat down on the couch.
(That actually makes sense…)
“Maybe.” he nodded. “I'm at least sure he's got the tools. I could always go over and bring them over. He's… a little shy. Especially around beautiful women.” Cor said almost playfully as he looked at Nora. Though he felt kind of bad about lying to her. There was no favor that Hermes owed Cor. Truthfully, Hermes was one of Cor’s old names from when he was helping Tetra with the ISO’s. But he didn't get to use it much since he had been reluctant to actually get involved.
"If he's shy, I can stay behind while he works," Nora said, though she was somewhat reluctant to stay away. She wanted to make sure the work was done right, and she needed her helmet - not only for Aurora, but for things like lightcycle driving.
Bit bobbed behind Cor, nudging his back, almost seeming to prompt him to sit on the couch next to Nora.
Cor sighed a little and nodded at her apparent insistence on going with him. “He… Uhh…” he stammered slightly when Bit bumped him but took the hint and moved to sit down next to Nora. He still left some space between them for comfort but definitely closer than the last time they were in her office together. “I guess I can take you there. All the stuff is in an old Recognizer he high jacked and crashed a few miles in the outlands.” he explained.
Nora raised her eyebrows. "He sounds…" The first word that came to her mind was reckless, but she didn't want to say that about Cor's friend. While she paused, searching for the right word, she noted the distance between her and Cor. He was definitely more comfortable with her now - or was she more comfortable with him?
"Interesting," she said eventually.
Cor chuckled at her choice of words and nodded. “Yeah… That was, probably, one of the more dangerous things he did.” he admitted, feeling his ears burn slightly. “Other than that, he mostly stuck with getting surplus supplies from Clu’s army and gave them to some of the ISO’s.” he added.
Nora nodded. "Did he voluntarily go into the Outlands, or is he… a fugitive? From the law?"
“Oh, he volunteered. I mean, he's probably on a list somewhere but I've never heard of it.” Cor assured with a nod. “And he still comes into the local sectors every once in a while but he keeps a low profile and doesn't stay long.” He had to admit that he was having some fun putting so much story into this old pseudonym but he knew this would be awkward if, or when, Nora found out that Hermes wasn't real.
"Volunteered?" Nora asked, raising her eyebrows, wondering why anyone would want to live in the Outlands. It was freezing out there, and a million miles away from anyone. "How - why would you volunteer?"
“He likes the quiet.” Cor shrugged nonchalantly. “And there are parts of that Recognizer that still work so the cold doesn't bother him much.” he added truthfully.
Nora nodded, though in truth, she still didn't understand why anyone would live in the Outlands. She hated the cold.
"So," she said awkwardly, not knowing if Cor wanted to talk about Hermes anymore. Casting her gaze about frantically, searching for a subject of conversation, she spotted the crowded club down below. "It's a pretty busy night."
The words had flown out of her mouth before she realised, and she shut her lips tightly. The club. She was talking about the club…
"I'll… bet you're glad you're up here," she said tentatively.
Cor looked up at the change of topic but nodded as he followed her gaze. He figured it was pretty normal for Nora to bring up the club since she owned it and had been a part of it for a long time. “Yeah. It does look a little crowded down there.” he chuckled, raising a brow at her hesitant comment. “Well… It is nice up here.” he admitted before taking a sip of his drink before continuing. “But what I really am glad for is spending time with you and Bit.”
"Thanks," Nora said with a smile, her light lines flashing pink. "I'm… glad to spend time with you too."
Yes, Bit concurred.
Cor smiled softly at her reaction, his own lines flashing briefly as well. “Thanks…” he replied, unsure of what else to say at the moment. Though he had to admit that Nora was currently the closest thing he had to a friend… Well, maybe “friend” wasn't the right word considering how he nearly kissed her earlier and how complicated things were for him with his secret identity of Black Light.
Nora inched the tiniest bit closer to him, sipping her drink. "So…"
“So?” he echoed, chuckling softly as he raised a brow. Cor noticed her moving closer but didn't mind or make a move to discourage her action.
Nora was lost for words; she didn't seem to know what words to say. All conversation seemed facile, somehow.
"So," she repeated, "um… have you… heard anything about Cyrus lately?"
Oh, good Flynn. She was talking about escaped prisoners. How low had she sunk?
Cor blinked at the question almost laughing as he was caught off guard. “Umm… Honestly, nothing recently. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. The guy seems to know how to stay hidden.” he sighed, taking another sip of his drink. “Have you heard anything?”
(I went to class. The professor shows up 15 minutes late and tells us that someone in our class tested positive for Covid this morning. He then tells us to go home and get on Zoom. What's the point? Put a bloody sign on the door or something.)
Nora shook her head, thinking of what she'd found out this cycle, over the past few cycles. The containers of programs and weaponry. The fear. Feeling like she was in over her head.
"No," she said. "I haven't heard anything."