Yes, Bit said, bobbing up and down in front of Cor's face, then zooming over to their two abandoned drinks from last night, then to the fridge, and back to Nora.
"I think it thinks we should have some energy," Nora postulated; Bit agreed.
“Ah. Good idea.” he nodded, smiling softly at Nora and her Bit. Cor reluctantly shifted a little to let Nora get up so he could follow her.
Nora reluctantly left Cor and opened the fridge, yawning. There was a bottle or three of energy in there; she chose the lightest one - no buzz - and set it on the counter.
Cor sat forward and stretched out his stiff limbs. The couch had been surprisingly comfortable… but the thought of her bed being even more comfortable made his ears burn. He wouldn't put Nora in that kind of position. He liked her way to much for that. “Thank you.” he smiled softly at her.
Nora smiled softly at him as well, batting Bit away from the energy and taking two glasses from the cupboard. "Do you want ice?"
“No, thanks. Cold energy puts me back to sleep in the mornings.”
Nora nodded and poured his out, putting ice in hers, then turned around to put the bottle back in the fridge. While she was turned, Bit floated towards the two unguarded glasses of energy.
Cor chuckled and shook his head, catching the mischievous act. “Bit! Don't even try.” he warned as he stood up and walked over to collect the glasses.
Bit, disappointed, floated away; Nora turned around and picked up her glass, the faintest smile playing around her lips.
“Little rascal.” Cor chuckled again as he picked up the glasses from last night and carried them over to the kitchen, trading them for the fresh energy. He smiled softly back when he saw Nora’s faint smile. “Thanks again.”
"You're welcome," she said, walking around the counter to join him, slipping daintily onto a bar stool.
Cor smiled and sat down on the stool next to her. “I probably said this last night but you have a really nice place.”
"Thank you," she said, looking around. "It used to be Gem's. I… inherited it."
“Ah…” Cor nodded before taking a sip of the fresh energy. “Did… Did you and Gem have similar tastes?” he asked, hoping that it didn't come across as insensitive.
Nora blinked. She hadn't really thought about it before; she had liked the apartment when she'd recieved it, and had thus changed relatively little about it.
"I suppose so, yes," she said, sipping her drink. "In this, at least."
Cor nodded with a soft smile, glancing around the spacious home. A part of him couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the very big difference in their lifestyles. The rest was more awed that an incredible woman like Nora would even look twice at a simple program like him.
Nora had noted the difference between them as well. A very small part of her suddenly imagined Cor living with her, doing this every day, waking up, drinking energy, talking… it appealed to her more than she thought it would - she had always been so independent.
Cor had always lived alone though, before her disappearance, Tetra had made so many frequent visits that he had never felt alone. Now he mostly just kept himself busy with both his official jobs, and his “other” work… He didn't spend as much time at his place as he used to. Maybe that was why he felt so relaxed being with Nora like this right now.
Nora sipped her drink and looked out of the windows, unsure of what to say, to comment on.
"Sometimes I feel like this is a little too big," she said eventually, gesturing to her apartment. "Though not big enough for Bit."
Bit concurred.
Cor looked around her apartment and gave a small nod, chuckling softly when Bit chimed in. “I can easily see Bit with a whole tower all to itself.” he agreed before turning back to Nora. “But this does seem… a little big for one program.”
"Gem used to have… programs over," Nora said delicately, sipping her drink.
“But you're not as social as she was.” he said gently.
"It was… they weren't exactly… not parties," Nora said, a faint pink pallor appearing on her cheeks. "One at a time. Usually overnight."
“Oh! I see.” Cor nodded, his ears burning slightly at the implications. “So, Gem was a bit more like Skye and Astra in that regard.” he mused as he tried not to compare last night to that situation.
Nora nodded. "More like Astra, but yes."
It had occurred to her that Cor had spent the night. The tiniest of sighs escaped from her mouth. They hadn't done anything. It was fine. She wasn't turning into Gem. And Cor was different. And she liked him.
Yes, but you like him in what way? said a small voice at the back of Nora's mind, and doubt began to spread across her code. Did she like Cor in that way? He had stayed the night… but they hadn't done anything… she didn't know. And as a creature of logic, that frightened her in some small way.