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

(Resident Tron expert, at your service.)

"Do you have a fire?" Nora asked. She was cold, and she didn't want to show up at End of Line with wet hair.

Cor hummed thoughtfully for a moment. “Not exactly… I mean, this was made to carry soldiers and equipment. Not a luxury vehicle.” he reminded her. “But I think I can make something work.” he added with a smile.

"Good," Nora said, smiling back.

Cor smiled a little more and lead her into one of the warmer rooms. “Here. You sit down and I’ll see what I can do for a fire.”

Nora tentatively sat down, keeping an eye on Bit, who was curiously buzzing around, inspecting everything. "Thank you."

“Not a problem.” he smiled before walking over a corner of the room. Even though it had been a while since his last visit, Cor knew he had a fire-stick in this room. He had spent many cycles up here preparing and organizing all the useable rooms when he had decided to make good use of this wreck.

Nora looked around. It was very clean, neat, and organised, if a little dusty and disused. She wondered how long Cor had spent in this Recogniser, and how, exactly, he had managed to get ahold of it… but maybe those were questions for later.

How he was able to commander the Recognizer was quite a story but he wasn't going to tell it unless she asked. It had been a reckless and impulsive decision but… He had been lucky. “Ah, here we are.” he murmured as he found the fire-stick and began piling up a few pieces of burnable wreckage near Nora, lighting it soon after.

Nora's usually impeccable posture hunched slightly as she leant towards the fire, closing her eyes as the welcome heat washed over her.
"This is one source of chaos I'm sure Bit will avoid," she said with a small smile. "Thank you."

“Good to know.” he chuckled as he moved to sit next to her, willing to share body heat if she needed it. “You feeling better?”

"I am, yes," she said, scooting closer to him by an infinitesimal amount.

“Good.” Cor smiled a little, pretending not to notice. Though he definitely wasn't going to complain… He just wasn't sure how to tell her that she could move closer if she wanted.

(Rewatching Legacy. Zuse and Jarvis share one braincell the entire time I swear)

Nora stared into the fire's depths, trying to ignore how very close she was to Cor. Her light lines were a soft, pale pink, the kind of pink you only noticed if you looked hard enough.

(lol)

Cor may have practically been right next to her but the light from the fire was just enough to hide the color of her lights. And his as well, which were actually the same shade as hers.

Nora was silent. She had no idea what to say. Should she say something? Make conversation? But the words and phrases stringing themselves together in her head just sounded dumber and dumber the more of them there were.

Cor shifted a little, feeling the same awkward weight of their silence. Though he found it a little strange since they had been able to sit quietly in front of the spring… Had moving really made that much difference?

Nora, tentatively and slowly at first, leaned into Cor, resting her head softly on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she breathed him in. He smelled wonderful. Between the soft warmth of the blanket the crackle of the fire, she was able to forget about everything. It was just the two of them, and Bit, sharing a moment.

Cor smiled softly as he shifted to take her weight and wrapped his arm around her. This felt so nice… His lights flickered a brighter pink for a moment before he kissed her forehead gently. A part of him didn't even want to go back to the city, to just stay out here with Nora and Bit.

Nora shifted the blanket so it was covering him as well and allowed her eyes to close.

Cor smiled softly and kissed her forehead again, adjusting the blanket slightly before turning back to watch the flames.

Nora blushed, her light lines turning a soft pink.

Between the blanket and the color of the fire, Cor didn't notice her blush or her lines. But he was very comfortable sitting beside her like this… “Feel warmer?” he asked, internally cringing at asking that question.

"Yeah," Nora said, curling closer to him… she definitely wasn't going to tell him that he was the main reason she was no longer cold.

“Good.” he smiled, keeping his arm around her as she moved. “I’d hate for something to happen to you because of me.” he admitted. Yes, he knew that it wasn't his fault that she had fallen in but he still felt somewhat responsible because he was the one who brought her all the way out here.

"It wasn't your fault," Nora said. "If anything, it was Bit's."