forum ENCOM OS-12 | OxO | Closed unless you're a fellow Program/User/ISO | Stalkers get a free Light Runner

Started March 25, 2021 by @murphysgirl

tune

Nora smiled softly. It was then that Bit came whizzing back to them, circling Nora's head a few times before zooming ahead of them.
"I think Bit likes it too," Nora said.

“Really? Explored everything already?” he asked with a chuckle. “You sure move fast.” he teased.

Yes, Bit beeped happily.
"Hermes must not have noticed it," Nora said, though how someone could not notice Bit was a mystery to her.

“Maybe.” he shrugged, still not sure if he should tell her. “Or he just might not be here right now.” Cor offered as a more believable option for now.

"Hermes must trust you a lot, if he lets you come out here and use his things," Nora commented, looking around the work room.

(ok. Just heard Rapture and you were right. That song totally fits Cor’s feelings towards Nora.)

“Yeah. He trusts me.” Cor nodded, blushing a little. He didn't like the feeling he was getting from keeping the little fact from her. Maybe he should tell her…

(Me listening to that song for the first time: Okie this is a vibe
Me listening to that song for the second time: This reminds me of something but idk what
Me listening to that song for the third time: lightbulb appears wAiT iT's CoR aNd NoRa -)

"Remind me how you know him, again?" Nora asked, looking around at all the tools. Something told her that Hermes and Kaira would have gotten along very well.

(It really is!)

Cor froze for a moment at that question, not having expected it. Though he probably should have. “We, uh, we've met at work a few times. Then started to hang out for drinks and…” he shrugged. This was getting complicated…

Nora nodded, faintly curious at his hesitation, but didn't pry. Rezzing in her helmet, she took it off and set it on a table.

Cor paused at the table as she took off her helmet before turning to some of the nearby storage containers. “Right. Tools should be around here somewhere.” he told her.

"Don't let Bit get into anything it shouldn't," Nora said, with a faint smile.

Cor chuckled at the obvious warning regarding Bit’s behavior. “Definitely. We don't want Bit to become destructive.” he agreed, teasingly. Though he was glad for the lighter mood.

Yes, Bit beeped, zipping around Cor's head once before floating back to Nora.

Cor smiled a little more at Bit’s actions and went back to his search. “Glad you agree.”

Nora watched him look for things. She wanted to help in some way, but wasn't sure how to, or even how to ask.

“Ah! Knew I left them in here!” Cor exclaimed happily as he pulled out two types of repair tools. One being for more general repair and the other for fine-tuned details.

Nora looked at the tools curiously. She was vaguely familiar with this sort of thing - Kaira had always been fiddling with tools.

Cor didn't even notice his little slip of the tongue as he brought the tools over to the table. Without another thought, he set the tools down and pressed a button on the side of the table causing it to illuminate just enough to make their task easier.

"When you say you left them in here…" Nora said, something shifting in her subconscious, watching the lit table with interest.

“Sorry, what was that?” Cor looked back up at her, not having heard the comment fully.

"You said, "I knew I left them in here," implying you were the last one to use them. But you told me you hadn't seen Hermes in a long time." Nora could feel her shields going up; had he lied to her? She couldn't imagine his motivation to, but according to her, that was hardly an excuse.

“Oh…” Cor could feel the color drain from his face. “I… Uhh…” he tried to think of a reasonable answer for her but nothing seemed good enough. “Ok. Ok.” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “If I tell you something, will you… not tell anyone else?”

"That depends entirely on what it is," Nora said, raising her eyebrows. If it was illegal… well, she would report him, wouldn't she? …Wouldn't she?

“Fair enough.” Cor nodded, letting out a soft slow breath as he tried to steady himself for what he had to say. “See, the truth is… I’m the one who crashed this Recognizer. Hermes was an alias I invented. But I haven't used it since this crashed.” he explained despite the intense vulnerability he felt.

Nora said and did nothing, save her eyebrows raising a fraction of an inch. She was more curious than angry; the Recognizer story had piqued her interest.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she said softly, after a moment or so. Did he think he couldn't trust her? Was that it? She trusted him, didn't she? Her eyebrows furrowed, and her curiosity turned into disappointment. Maybe they weren't that close, after all, and her connection-starved code had rushed things… oh, stars, she was an idiot.