superman } { post-supergirl 201, of friend reunions and holding onto secrets

[impetere]

Cora: [has got her head in her data as she walks through the lower floors of L Corp, where most people don't venture down to. Lena likes to keep the visitors above ground so that the people running R&D, aka Cora, can focus on the work and not have to worry about being "on." That being said, there are exceptions and Cora left her phone on her office desk rather than her work desk, so she didn't receive the copious amounts of text messages telling her that the DEO was coming to look at one of her projects. So when she rounds the corner to the sound of the elevator opening she assumes it's her partner and doesn't even bother to try and respond, assuming that Lena will either chide at her or go around her because she has better things to do]

Stiles: [and nope, he is going to be letting his eyes look all around, taking everything in with his amazing visual accuracy and retention. Because of that, when he sees something shiny he becomes a bit clumsy. And L Corp is totally shiny, so he is going to be looking up instead of straight ahead and bump right into Cora] Oh my god, I'm sorry.

Cora: [the collision completely throws her off her game and she tenses out of habit, shoving whatever it was back hard, and eyes looking around, like a deer caught in headlights] What the ...

Lena: Cora! [steps forward and tries to smooth things over with a smile] Cora Hale is our head of R&D. She tends to get a little too involved in her work. Cora, this is Agent ...

Cora: [Lena's voice helps ground her a little, enough to take things in and actually focus on the face in question to discover it's ...] Stiles?

Stiles: Hi Cora. [and he hit the wall hard, rubbing at his head] I thought the force of that push was familiar.

Lena: [glances between them] You ... know each other?

Cora: We grew up together. [glances over] A warning might have been nice.

Lena: I sent you many, many texts.

Cora: [and her hand goes to pat her pockets and then closes her eyes] I left my phone on my desk.

Lena: The desk you never actually sit at. [Cora wrinkles her nose and Lena laughs] Well, as punishment, you can take over showing Agent Stilinski around. The DEO is interested in one of our prototypes.

Cora: Great. [only her tone very much says not great. boo government intervention. then she realizes how that sounds and glances over to Stiles] Not about you. More the ... bigger you.

Stiles: Glad to see you've noticed that I've been working out. [smirks]

Cora: No, that's not ... [is she blushing? Maybe a little.]

Lena: So I'm going to leave you to it. Agent Stilinski, I'll see you on your way out. [and then she flees, leaving her best friend to suffer like the bff she is]

Cora: No, Lena ... [the elevator doors close and ... Cora and Stiles are alone] ... Hi.

Stiles: [looks over at Lena and nods] I won't be long. [and then back at Cora] Hi. So this is where you've been hiding.

Cora: Not exactly. I just got into National City from Boston a couple weeks ago.

Stiles: Still, Kara and I would have loved to know.

Cora: I'm still feeling it out. I don't even have a place yet. [a deep breath] Anyway. What prototype are you here to see?

Stiles: Yeah, rent is insane. Kara and I live together just to be able to afford it. [he pulls out his tablet and pushes a few buttons] Um, the one I can't pronounce.

Cora: Right. [and she turns and heads towards the lab in question, walking fast despite the click of her heels against the tile floor, almost as though she's trying to outrun questions about where she's been] It's over here.

Stiles: [and he will jog to catch up] So that's it? No questions, no wild stories about school...?

Cora: Not much to tell. Worked with Lena a lot, we became good friends, and when she got L Corp, she brought me with her.

Stiles: What's your brother think about that?

Cora: I've known Lena longer than Clark has known Lex. I trust her. Clark will just have to deal with it.

Stiles: [nods, not going to really go further on that family drama] So you built this thing all by yourself?

Cora: Something like that. [she pauses to input the security code and the lab door swings open] Ideally this is going to be some kind of ... mass medication dispersal designed to counteract airborne illnesses. We're still working out the kinks though.

Stiles: [and he's going to follow] So dispersing cures for the flu.

Cora: Yeah. Or honestly anything that spreads super quickly. You would have to aerosolize the treatment, but the drone would be able to fly over the area and disperse the cure the same way you would pesticides over fields.

Stiles: And how does it control the dosage each person will take in? Prevention of allergic reactions?

Cora: Hence, the kinks. We haven't figured those parts out yet. Dosage I think will be easy enough - we would have to go back to the formula of the treatment itself and look at balancing the concentration with the amount that would come in contact with the target. It will ideally be a concentrated enough formula that it can be effective with a few drops. As for allergies ... we're still brainstorming.

Sties: But if it's airborne, do you have the ability to make sure the people only get a few drops? an what about if they are inside?

Cora: Well, ideally we're starting this for quarantined areas.

Stiles: [nods, taking notes]

Cora: We're also trying to backdoor in a "cannot be used for evil" programming so that terrorists can't steal the tech and dump .... anthrax into it or something.

Stiles: So a detector in the system that can tell the good things from the bad and lojack itself?

Cora: Yeah. I think the technical word is "failsafe." [but she's not really good at using the technical terms all the time, most of her requests usually wind up using the word "thingie."] But whether it's a testing process or density test or security codes or a combination of the above.

Stiles: And who has access to the device currently?

Cora: Me and Lena. Only our security measures can open the door, so even when we bring someone in to help, they don't enter on their own.

Stiles: And you've removed Lex from having access, right?

Cora: Obviously.

Stiles: And there is no backdoor that he may have installed into the systems here.

Cora: No, I completely redid all the security and the servers myself.

Stiles: Good. [makes notes] Good.

Cora: [she crosses her arms in front of her, hugging her tablet to her chest] Anything else you need to know?

Stiles: Yeah. [closes the cover on his tablet] Wanna go grab a beer?

Cora: [and startles because] What?

Stiles: Beer. Maybe a burger? Talk and catch up?

Cora: Oh. [she shifts awkwardly on her heels, before glancing down at the prototype in front of her, not really sure if she's ready to leave the safety of her lab basement] I have a lot of work to do. Maybe another time.

Stiles: Everyone has to eat, Cora. I'm sure Lena will give you an hour or two.

Cora: [she shifts awkwardly, because she knows Stiles, and she knows he's not going to give up easily. But the idea of being somewhere public makes her heart race and she knows that there's no way she'll be able to relax, so she just looks away from him, moving over to one of the other tables before shaking her head] I can't, Stiles. I'm sorry.

Stiles: [just nods, then shakes his head] Me too. See you later then. [and he will head back for the elevator to go find Lena]

Lena: [and she'll be waiting in the lobby for him as he comes up] Find everything you were looking for?

Stiles: Yeah, we're good. [rubs at his face] Lena, what happened to her? That's not at all like the Cora I remember.

Lena: [her face softens, before she shakes her head] Not my story to tell. And she will when she's ready. [she gestures to lead him towards the door]

Stiles: But something did happen. [sighs] Our families were close growing up. When we graduated High school, she just disappeared into Boston.

Lena: Probably partially my fault. I'm sure saying that your best friend has the last name "Luthor" doesn't really play well. But she loved being there and she loves the work we're doing.

Stiles: And she's good at it. I mean, this project looks good and if her fail safes hold, it should pass with flying colors. Though since I know Cora they may not accept my evaluation and send someone they feel would be more impartial.

Lena: Well, then that frees you up to bring her dinner, doesn't it? [because Lena is a) nosy and b) clever.] If she won't go out with you for dinner, bring the dinner to her.

Stiles: [and he'll think on that a moment] Should I give her a day to finish whatever project you've got her on?

Lena: If you're going to try and wait her out, she will always find another project.

Stiles: Right. [slaps the tablet against his other hand] What time does she usually leave?

Lena: [weighs for a moment, before deciding she needs to give a little to help her friend] She doesn't.

Stiles: She doesn’t leave?

Lena: [shakes her head before making her way over to the security desk. after a brief conversation she comes back and hands him a passcard] Her actual office is on B2. Don't make me regret this?

Stiles: I'll try my best. [pockets the card]

Lena: [nods, resting her hand on his arm for a moment before walking him to the door] Good luck, Agent Stilinski.

Stiles: Have a good rest of your day, Miss Luthor.

Lena: [and off she will go to go back to work]

Stiles: [and he will return to work and file his report, then sit at his desk a bit, gnawing on his thumb as he decides how to approach this]

Kara: [and she will swing in after a full day of Supergirling and lean against his desk] Hey! Everything okay?

Stiles: [looks up with his thumb in his mouth, then drops it] Did you know Cora was back in town?

Kara: No? [she shrugs] Clark's been grumbling about a new job she has but I didn't know where it was.

Stiles: She's working for Lena Luthor.

Kara: [jaw drops a little] That's ... okay.

Stiles: [he can feel the key card pressing against his leg] From what I observed, Lena really does care about Cora's well being.

Kara: Yeah. And Lex and Clark used to be friends. [it is what it is] She seems to have good intentions for now though. I believe her when she talks about wanting to take L Corp in a new direction.

Stiles: So do I. She was pretty open to my inspection.

Kara: Cora also has a pretty good sense of people. If they're friends then she's hopefully better than her brother.

Stiles: Here's hoping. [shakes his head and sits back up] So what are your plans tonight?

Kara: James, Winn and I were going to go hit up a karaoke bar. Wanna come?

Stiles: Eeeeehhhhhh, no. I think I'll just grab a pizza or something.

Kara: Okay, well, you are going to be missing my kickass rendition of all things Beastie Boys.

Stiles: Have Winn record it for me on your phone and you can show it to me later.

Kara: Deal. [she straightens a bit to face him] You okay? I know you and Cora were close.

Stiles: Yeah. Well, no... I mean, I'm just confused and worried. But she said she just got back and didn't know we were here which is why she didn't reach out.

Kara: Okay. But if you need to talk about it, just call? I've got your back. [and then there's arms out for a hug because you look like you need it, bro]

Stiles: Oh, ok. [smiles and hugs her back, resting his head on her shoulder a moment]

Kara: [look, Kara's A+ at hugs, take advantage of them when you can get them. She'll hold as long as he wants before pulling back with a smile] I gotta go change. See you at home?

Stiles: Yup. Have fun, and let me know if you're bringing home some hot guy.

Kara: [snorts] Yeah right. [but off she goes to have some karaoke fun with her boys]

Stiles: [and he will rock in his seat a bit more before getting up his courage to grab a meat lover's pizza and some beer and heading back to L Corp, and sneaky sneaky downstairs to Cora's lair.]

Cora: [her actual workspace takes up most of one of the subfloors. The part that's most well used is her lab, where there's various blueprints of different prototypes she's thought of but haven't moved forward into an actual project yet. Her office sits kitty corner to it, featuring a desk and computer, along with a sitting area for when she needs to use it. It doesn't seem lived in in the same way -- unless you happen to be here at night, and your eyes drag all the way to the far corner, where a rather large closet exists. Sitting in the closet are the remains of her life that she managed to pull with her from Boston and a small cot. Cora's not in there right now, mostly because she went to the gym floor to grab a quick shower, and when she returns, in comfy leggings and an oversized t-shirt, wet hair hanging around her shoulders, she's very surprised to find Stiles standing there] Stiles!

Stiles: [tries not to jump out of his skin] Hey, so I happened to come across this pizza and beer and thought you could help me consume it.

Cora: How did you get down here?

Stiles: Magic.

Cora: [squints] Lena?

Stiles: Like I said, magic.

Cora: [sighs, before nodding and gesturing to the table next to a small sitting area] I guess I could go for some pizza.

Stiles: You still like the meat lovers, right?

Cora: That I do.

Stiles: Good, because this sausage isn't going to eat itself. [and he will put it down on the table, and then have the beer join it]

Cora: [and she will go perch herself on the couch before realizing...] I don't have any plates or anything?

Stiles: Eh, paper towels can do just fine. It's pizza, not soup.

Cora: ... I don't have any of those ... hold on. [and she's back on her feet again to run to the bathroom and grab some paper towels out of the dispenser]

Stiles: You know, if you're going to live down here, you need to at least hit up a dollar tree and get basics.

Cora: I don't normally have guests. [hands him half the stack to use while she takes her seat again] And I'm just staying here until I find a place.

Stiles: How's the looking going?

Cora: There's ... a lot to choose from. I just haven't really had the time to look super in depth.

Stiles: Maybe I could help?

Cora: You're not too busy working for the government?

Stiles: [scoffs] I'm a paper pusher. You'll save me from an endless array of papercuts.

Cora: ... Okay. [she doubts that because she's seen Kara floating around and she knows Stiles but she'll take his word for it] But no, it's okay. I'll find a place eventually, I'm just picky.

Stiles: I remember. You being picky, that is.

Cora: Oh really?

Stiles: Yup.

Cora: And how picky was I, exactly?

Stiles: You had to have specific things for lunch. Only ever wanted to play soccer. Needed to have the same seat in class every day.

Cora: Routine is the secret for success. [she gives him a look over her pizza] And soccer is clearly the superior sport.

Stiles: Uh huh, sure it is.

Cora: [shakes her head] You're just jealous that the soccer team has more trophies than the lacrosse team.

Stiles: No. Our team sucked. But at least we did more than just kick a ball around.

Cora: [rolls her eyes] Whatever.

Stiles: [grins] So you got into robotics in college, huh?

Cora: Big time. I even joined a robotics team.

Stiles: Did you play those games where you built bots to destroy the other people's bots?

Cora: They're not games, they're competitions and they're very serious.

Stiles: The ones I'm thinking about look like miniature monster truck rallies.

Cora: That is very accurate, but ours is better because we can seriously customize our options.

Stiles: Did you win often?

Cora: Obviously. [smirks] Lena has all our trophies somewhere around here.

Stiles: You still have any of the robots?

Cora: [and with that her amusement fades and she shakes her head] They're still in Boston. [some of them in pieces but she's trying not to think about that]

Stiles: Probably not allowed on airplanes, huh?

Cora: No, I just didn't really have a place to put them. [that's a lie]

Stiles: [laughs] L Corp has a problem with storage space?

Cora: They're personal. They're not work related.

Stiles: You really think she'll say no to you?

Cora: I've already asked for a lot. [aka living in her office instead of the hotel, also a lot of other things Stiles doesn't know about]

Stiles: I'm sure she doesn't think that.

Cora: No, but I do. And as I said, I'll get them here eventually. They're just waiting for me to send for them.

Stiles: After you find a place. [nods, reaching for a second slice]

Cora: Exactly. [and she keeps nibbling at her own] So how have things been with you?

Stiles: Been good. Kara got an internship at CatCo. She wanted to earn her own way into journalism and not on Clark's laurels.

Cora: I'm sure she'll get there eventually.

Stiles: I hope so. She's made for more than just fetching coffee and salads.

Cora: From what I've heard, she really likes working for Cat, though.

Stiles: She does. Especially since Jimmy Olsen came to town. [smirks]

Cora: Let me guess? She's got a crush?

Stiles: Totally.

Cora: Well, James is a good guy. She's got good taste.

Stiles: Yeah, but she is trying the whole friends thing, which is going to get her nowhere fast

Cora: I don't know, being friends isn't a bad thing. It helps you figure out if they can be trusted or not.

Stiles: Yeah, but when you become too deep into friendship, that shift to dating isn't easy because you don't want to risk losing that friend.

Cora: Maybe. But it's better than taking a risk and it turning out to be a bad guy. Not that Kara has to worry about that, I guess.

Stiles: [and that is a bit far from what they were talking about] True.

Cora: [is it? She doesn't seem to notice, given that's where her mind seems to go as of late, tearing apart her relationship and trying to see where she missed the red flags. she shrugs] Plus they always say you should marry your best friend, right?

Stiles: Yeah, but if that was true, Scott's going to have to leave his girlfriend and move out this way.

Cora: [she laughs] I mean, he would. You guys were always a little Corey and Shawn.

Stiles: [a look]

Cora: [returns that look with a defiant stare of her own] I'm kidding, relax. I'm not allowed to make jokes anymore?

Stiles: [smirks] Of course. Anyway, pretty sure even I can't get Scott to leave Kira. He's like a puppy around her.

Cora: How did Kara take that?

Stiles: We moved to National City

Cora: And now she's puppy-ing after James Olsen, so I guess everything worked out.

Stiles: Yeah, for her. Yet I am not a puppy nor have one of my own.

Cora: [she laughs] Then what are you doing here, hiding in a L Corp basement with me?

Stiles: You're a lot better company than the computer and a stack of papers.

Cora: Well, you're never going to find someone to puppy after with any of these things. You'd actually have to get out and meet people.

Stiles: Well, I'm with someone right now. And I think Lena might have taken a liking to me.

Cora: You mean you didn't use your secret agent skills to hack your way down here?

Stiles: Nope. [holds up the key card] I promised to use it responsibly.

Cora: Wow. She definitely likes you. Or at least she trusts how much you like me.

Stiles: I have an innocent face, that's all.

Cora: Yeah, no you don't. That hasn't been true for decades.

Stiles: [holds his hands over his chest] You wound me.

Cora: Try that on someone who's known you less than all your life.

Stiles: [laughs, grinning widely] God, I've missed you.

Cora: [her head ducks as the smile crosses her face because this is the first thing in a long time that's actually felt good] I've missed you too.

Stiles: You know, I usually end up eating dinner alone most nights. Cat runs Kara until all hours of the evening. I can show you some really great places to eat around town. Just hang out and catch up, like old times.

Cora: [she swallows for a moment, before glancing up at him] Do they have take out? [she wants to try and meet in the middle. not make it seem like she just doesn't want to see him because she does. she's just not ready to be in public, even with someone else]

Stiles: We're in a major city. Anything in my price range relies on takeout orders.

Cora: Then can we maybe have it here?

Stiles: Do they at least have a cafeteria? I mean, you don't want me to have to come back next project and take point off because there's teriyaki sauce on a sparkplug or something...

Cora: [she laughs] Yeah, there's a cafeteria.

Stiles: Then let's try that next time, and you won’t have to worry about not having plates.

Cora: Deal.

Stiles: And maybe I could even convince you to come to our place. I know Kara would love to see you. She and I have these sibling nights once a week to make sure we're not drifting apart, but otherwise all other nights are free.

Cora: Maybe. I just ... [a breath] I don't want to talk about it right now but I just need a little time, okay?

Stiles: Sure. We've got all the time in the world. Endless amounts of time.

Cora: Okay. [a small smile] But I'm glad you came tonight.

Stiles: Me too.

Cora: [and they'll dig back into their pizza and talking about nothing until it's gone]

Stiles: [yup, because there is a lot of geek stuff and Beacon Hills stuff to talk about]

Cora: [yep. and one the pizza is done, she'll sigh] I guess that means I have to kick you out now.

Stiles: Already?

Cora: Unless you're planning on sleeping here and this couch is not comfortable.

Stiles: Yeah, I mean I can sleep anywhere but I don't need to have a kink in my neck or something.

Cora: ... Wait, seriously?

Stiles: Yeah. One time I fell asleep half in Scott's laundry basket after we drank too much at a dorm party.

Cora: .... You two never change, do you?

Stiles: Why mess with perfection? [smirk]

Cora: [she shakes her head] C'mon. I'll walk you up.

Stiles: Alright. But here. [he held out the entry card] Give it back to Lena with my thanks. I don't want to risk it being found at work.

Cora: [she nods, before walking him up to the front door, crossing her arms in front of herself as he goes] It was good seeing you, Stiles.

Stiles: Same here. I'll text you tomorrow, okay?

Cora: [she nods before] Oh. I have a new number. [reaches out for him to hand her his phone]

Stiles: I know. Already got it. [and he will smirk because he is still that sneaky]

Cora: [something unreadable crosses her face, before she swallows and looks away] Right. Secret agent.

Stiles: More like old habits. [come on he cloned keycards in his sleep as a teenager] But I left mine in yours too.

Cora: [she nods, because that wasn't the issue so much as pushing a boundary she hadn't quite reinforced with him yet. It reminded her of something she was trying to escape from, and she knows Stiles didn't mean anything by it, but it rubbed her just the wrong way] Got it.

Stiles: So talk to you tomorrow? [he has that feeling something's still wrong, but he can take his time figuring it out]

Cora: [she nods] Yeah. Talk to you tomorrow.

Stiles: [and home he will head]

Kara: [is tucking Winn in on the couch and glances up when she hears the door open] Hey!

Stiles: Hey. How'd karaoke go?

Winn: [holds up hand] I won.

Kara: He's very drunk. [smirks] Where'd you go? I thought you were having dinner at home.

Stiles: Well, that is a requirement to winning, Winn. Congrats. [looks at Kara] I ended up having pizza with Cora.

Winn: Who's Cora?

Kara: An old friend. How'd that go?

Stiles: Went well, all things considered.

Kara: Is she okay?

Stiles: I think so. I mean, yeah, she's good. But something feels off. It could just be time changing us, but I can't shake the feeling there's more.

Kara: Well ... give her time. You guys were always close, so she'll tell you when she's ready.

Stiles: [nods] Well, anyway, unless we're going to have some shooting practice tonight, I think I'm going to turn in.

Kara: [nods and moves away from Winn, following Stiles until they're out of earshot] Are you sure you're okay?

Stiles: [sucks on his lower lip a moment, thinking] I don't know. It just felt like she didn't trust me.

Kara: It's been years since you guys have seen each other. Maybe it's just going to take her some time.

Stiles: I guess. [rubs his neck] It's just frustrating.

Kara: [nods and places a hand on his shoulder] I know. But ... Clark always used to talk about how secretive Cora was, even with people she really trusted. Just ... give her time. And keep being there.

Stiles: [nods] Alright.

Kara: [a small smile, pulling him in for a hug] You'll figure it out. If anyone's going to figure it out, it's you. You always knew her best.

Stiles: True. [hugs her back] You sure you don't need me to go shoot arrows at people tonight?

Kara: Not unless the DEO's got something cooking that I don't know about. Why? Do you want to go shoot arrows at people?

Stiles: Kinda. Mostly because it's fun. But I also know it's bad which is why I don't make a habit of it.

Kara: Then no arrows for you. Go to sleep.

Stiles: Yes Dad. [salutes]

Kara: [squints at him, and then heads off to bed herself]

Stiles: [and he will lay in bed, staring at the ceiling until he falls asleep]

Cora: [and she is doing the same, trying to play with this twist of feelings and figure out what it means]

Stiles: [and he will just drink his coffee right out of the pot the next morning]

Kara: You didn't get much sleep, do you?

Stiles: Brain wouldn't shut off. [long sip]

Kara: [pouts] Cora?

Stiles: Yeah. And then trying to figure out a new kind of exploding arrowhead.

Kara: [sigh] You and your fancy toys.

Stiles: You said you liked the splody arrow.

Kara: I mean, yeah, it was cool the first time, but how many times can you reinvent the wheel?

Stiles: [he just gives her a look over the rim of the coffeepot. don't dampen his fun]

Kara: [smirks before heading off] I gotta get to work. But I'll see you later?

Stiles: Sure thing.

Kara: [and off she goes to do her thing]