11109/Really, need a new name for the Arrowcave!

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Really, need a new name for the Arrowcave!
Date of Scene: 10 May 2022
Location: Arrowcave
Synopsis: When is not a date not a date? When an ex-girlfriend crashes it.
Cast of Characters: Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen




Felicity Smoak has posed:
The side-hustle is a real thing. Second jobs are almost necessary in order to live reasonably comfortably and afford anymore than an apartment in a few years. Normal side-hustles are things like teaching computers at a local community college at night, maybe tutoring kids, or fixing seniors' computers so they can talk to their kids and grandkids.

Who ever said Felicity was normal?

Her side hustle is a little more on the wild side, in that, if she, or they for that matter, ever get caught, there'd be more than a few fines to be paid. So much hacking..

Her evening begins directly from work, with the *click* of heels heralding her approach. Even as she walks, her head is canted and she's pulling the larger hoop earrings from her ears; first one, then the other. Her purse is slung up and over her shoulder, and her hair remains in that pony tail, to keep it out of her face. She hasn't been able to get the 'cave out of her thoughts after lunch, working up different permutations for searches.. and of course, Oliver's words keep rolling over and over and over in her head. The 'hot nurse'.

*click*click*

Her three-screens are lit, though they're not showing anything more pressing than popping from red light camera to red light camera, blinking in and out. Occasionally, there's a pause as facial recognition comes into view, the tell-tale box around a face taking that quick snapshot before moving on. She undoubtedly has an underlying process..

Oliver Queen has posed:
After his adventure at the office, Oliver went home. To his real home. He said hi to his Mother, had an actual dinner with family for a change, and bustled about in the Mansion. He did his best to avoid the small limp, but Moira picked up on it. He gave her a similar twist on the story he had told at the office - losing the ace, tripping - but he omitted the hot nurse part. Something he realizes he probably should have done at the office too, but...

He sits in his room, thinking quietly. He can almost hear the taptaptap from far below him, and like Poe's telltale heart it plagues him. He owes her an apology. A huge one. And he just dreads saying something that is going to make it worse. Because he KNOWS it is going to make it worse.

He sighs deeply to himself, and realizes he has to get it over with eventually. He makes his way down towards the Arrowcave, and stands in that hidden elevator for a moment, going over things to say. Things that might explain....what, really? What exactly was he going to say? What was he apologizing for? There were so many different things there to...

Aaaaaaaand then the door opens, and he hears the taptaptap for real. He pushes off his lean against the back of the elevator and walks in, heading over toward Felicity's desk.

Last chance, Oliver. Think of something nice. Or clever. Or...

"Hey."

Idiot.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity is pulling out her rolly chair, at the same time setting her purse down on the table in front of her. It's small, so it probably doesn't carry anything more than her wallet and cell phone. And a sprayer of mace. Just in case.

Twisting around first at the sound of the elevator, then as the *ding* sounds, she catches Oliver, still limping. Her lips press together and brows rise. "You know you're not going out to mess up the other ankle, right?" She takes that breath and lets it out slowly as she pays attention to her seat once more, and settles in. This time, she spins it around to watch his progress towards her, her attention not leaving him for a moment.

"Hey."

Oliver Queen has posed:
Eventually, Oliver gets to her. It takes a bit longer to do so than it usually does. Not that that is surprising. He gives her a nod back to her "hey", a similar nod to the "hey" he sent her way. Then he hobbles around to peer at the monitors, a hand moving to rest at the back of her chair as he leans over to look at the monitors.

"Any activity from our friends tonight? I know we just kicked over the hornet's nest, but I assume there would be some action about it by now."

Yeah, apparently he thinks "hey" covers it.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
If Felicity was looking for something, waiting for something, anything, she'd be sorely disappointed, and in the face of the nod she moves her attention back to the monitors. Back to normal. Back to watching, reporting, and trying to remember how long her leftovers have been in the refrigerator, and if they can stand yet another reheat.

"Well, that's probably how you messed up your ankle," Felicity begins, though she doesn't look up and back when she feels the pressure on the back of the seat. Any silence that could come directly after is taken up with words, "Right," she continues, "So far, all I've got is this," and reaching for her mouse, she's working both keyboard and pointer, bringing up the various scanners. Still raw data, so the static is present.

"'...investigating break in at the pier... 29th and Strand...'" and it plays as ongoing.

She looks up, finally, to look at his face, "Warehouse. The usual. Alarms went off, and it was a corner that I didn't have Thea put up new cameras, so.." She's blind, but not completely, and she looks inordinately pleased with herself as she faces front again and plays with the picture that she gets up on the far right monitor. It looks like google earth, but in real time. In the bottom corner?

NSA.

"I just got here, and not enough time to make the popcorn." With police on scene, who knows how it'll go down?

Oliver Queen has posed:
There is a smirk back at Felicity as she calls out how Ollie hurt his ankle. "Different thing," he mutters. He leans forward a bit more, trying to peer clearly at the screen.

He showered before he came down, it would appear. There is still a modest smell of shampoo, and a dampness visible in his hair. These probably would not be evident if he was not hanging over her shoulder, but...

"But nothing related to us, right?" He reaches out, extending his arm past her face to poke at the screen. "This isn't one of their warehouses, is it?" She has told him multiple times not to touch the LCD screen with his fingers. He does not appear to have captured that lesson.

He frowns and finally straightens up. "Police on the scene. We can let the SCPD handle it, then." He takes a half step, half hop back. "You're right, I'm not going out there for anything other than something absolutely necessary."

He looks down at Felicity. Considers. "Forget the popcorn." He waves a hand at the screen. "Pull that data later. Let's grab a bit to eat." He takes another step back, and offers a bit of a grin.

"I owe you at least that after almost tossing your salad this afternoon."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Well then, the next time you kick it, use the other foot."

Felicity can sense him, smell him.. smelling like clean, but underneath it all, still //him//. Her lips form a ghost of a smile, and as she looks back down to see where he's gesturing, he's getting awfully close to her mo- "Hey." Reaching out, Felicity tries for his hand to lightly bat it away. "Monitor. Don't touch. At least your hands aren't greasy," this time, "but not a habit I want you practicing. I hate having to clean my screens every time." She can always tell when the boys are downstairs, using her gear.

The fingerprints.

The Starling Police are indeed on scene, and from the looks of it, and the sound, they've got everything under control. Control enough that they don't need a limping Green Arrow, that is. "I think you're going to get to heal one more night."

It's what comes next, however, that takes Felicity aback a little. She looks up, her expression dubious. "This isn't some 'I have a reservation and my blind date stood me up' sort of thing, right?" Like before, "Because I really don't like.."

And there's the reason.. and her mouth closes, the complaint falling silent upon her lips. Instead, she does amend, "You're lucky you didn't wear it. As it was, I was happy I didn't get any oil on my outfit." Still, she twists in her seat, not wanting this particular moment to pass, though she's pretty sure it will. "Where are you thinking?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
There is a short laugh and a smile from Oliver as she bats at his finger, and he withdraws it, shaking it from dramatic effect. "Ouch, I'll make sure not to touch any of your things again." He chuckles for a moent, watching the scene unfold, and nodding in agreement to the night off. Seemingly content with that answer.

It's a reflex. She says something about not getting oil on her outfit, Oliver looks down at the outfit. Like when you say "ice cream", the other person just automatically thinks of "ice cream". Which explains why in his second HR violating moment of the day (at least) Oliver's gaze is directly down, which given his posture and her sudden spin is ... well, probably wouldn't be the most polite when viewed from a third person angle.

"Uh, thinking," he echoes quickly, because he feels he has to say /something/ as he quickly lifts his head up, trying to play it off as non-chalant as if perhaps maybe Felicity wouldn't notice that he was just absolutely looking down the front of her blouse. "...that you should pick." He takes a half step and hop back. "I know that you have a particular diet, and I'm sorry that I don't really know all the rules, but I'm sure whatever place you pick, I can find something there." He looks off towards the uniform case. Why? Because it's in the distance.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity is a real girl. She has cleavage and everything!

Boys will be boys, and playboys will play. There are some things that simply remain the same, though it's probably a good thing that she doesn't realize what is happening. Yes, she wears lower cut outfits at times; they're flattering to her form and figure, and there are days when she not only wants to look professional, but also pretty. A touch of makeup here, some mascara there..

When Oliver takes the half-step back, his words more a filler than an actual answer, she has enough room to swing the chair completely around, her gaze lifting up. "I wouldn't do that to you. I know how important cheese and bacon are." She's teasing. "Honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, it really doesn't matter. Chinese, Italian. I'd be happy with a burger, too." A chuckle exits, and she makes to rise, "Just don't put cheese and bacon on the fries, okay?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
"Chinese," Oliver agrees quickly, seizing upon Felicity's first suggestion. "I know of a great place not far." He doesn't add how he knows of it - or that it was recommended to him by a Chinese gangster with whom he has maintained a casual relationship with because sometimes the best way to maintain order is to have reasonable criminals be the one keeping all of the unreasonable criminals in check - but he does seem to have a good sense of it. "If you want, take your stuff, I can take you home after." He starts to step towards the elevator. "Honestly, I've been wanting to give you a ride for a bit." He flashes a grin. "I think you might enjoy it." And then he is stepping into the elevator en route to the Queen garage.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity gains her feet and nods her assent, "Right. Chinese. That works for me." There's a moment in silence that she allows to slip by before turning to get her small clutch purse, and she pauses, looking behind her. "Not on the motorcycle, right?" Because motorcycles are scary. "That's still out getting repaired?" She's not looking for fancy, nor is she looking for expensive.

"As long as your sister isn't driving," she says slowly. "I know about her record." As much as she adores Thea, wrapping a new car around a tree isn't an auspicious start to a driving career!

Oliver Queen has posed:
Waiting until Felicity joins him in the elevator, Oliver leans past her to push the button, sending the elevator rocking gently upwards. "No no. Not the motorcycle. Not a great idea at the moment, and I wouldn't want you to get..." He chuckles for a moment. "I know they make you nervous. Someday, maybe."

Oliver flashes a grin as the elevator opens into the small secret room off the wine cellar. "New convertible. I thought maybe you'd like to let your hair down. The weather's gorgeous." He waves a hand ahead of him to let Felicity go first, and then follows, heading towards the garage.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity follows, her heels *click* on the stone floor as she does. She moves past Oliver to stand next to him and a little back so he can exit the elevator first when it came to rest. It's not an area that she's in a lot; more like, almost never. She's got a different entrance that she goes to, after stopping the cab a couple of blocks away so she's not tracked to a certain location every time.

"Yeah," she agrees softly. "They make me very nervous. I like four tires on the ground, please and thank you."

As they step out, Oliver gives away the surprise, and her brows rise appropriately, "A new convertible? Really? I mean, isn't that the sort of thing that you find the prettiest girl you can, drive around and make sure you're seen at all the red lights?" She knows how this goes, really! She chuckles, and starts the path towards the newest purchase, though before she, before they get there, Felicity actually does just that. The hair is pulled from it's hair-tie, and the blonde hair falls to just behind her shoulder blades. When in the ponytail, it seems a great deal shorter!

With her hair literally down, as well as slightly towards the figurative end, Felicity looks beside her and smiles, "Chinese restaurant, here we come?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver chuckles softly, shaking his head. "They're really not so bad, as long as you have something firm to hold onto and feel secure." He nods to the motorcycle as he steps past it, and then heads over towards the convertible in question.

Felicity's assessment of the convertible scheme earns a grin from Oliver. "Sounds like you already know the trick." He pulls the passenger door open and waves for her to enter. "Only redeeming things about red lights."

Once Felicity has taken her seat, he'll close the door and make his way back over to the driver side. A button opens the door to the garage, and he turns to look at her, offering a smile. "You should probably know..." He ignites the engine, and revs it. "I'm the one who taught Thea how to drive."

And then he hits the gas and the convertible launches itself out of the garage, hitting top speed far too quickly as he jerks the wheel to take the first curve. A broad, perhaps maniacal grin on his face.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
'...something firm to hold onto and feel secure'.

*sigh*

Felicity has a thousand different thoughts about that. It's what any girl wants, right? For something, or someone to hold on to. She had, once.. or so she thought. Now, a thousand different questions rise, and each one of them is tamped down. Instead, she smiles gamely, though to see the new beauty, it's lovely. New. Shiny. And very, very convertible-like.

"I see it all the time in movies." All the chick flicks that she watches with Thea! "I live vicariously," is added lamely. Who takes out girls from IT?

Felicity has the door opened for her, and settles in, cinching up the seatbelt. It's those fated words, however, that has her looking a warning, "Oh, you better not.." and she's thrown back into her seat, breath pulled from her.

"Oliver!!" is lost to the wind.

Oliver Queen has posed:
To say that Oliver's driving is reckless is an understatement. He drives much like he lives, and Felicity knows very well how those habits are. It would probably make her feel more at ease if he did not so frequently take his eyes off the road to see how she is enjoying the ride, but of course, that is part of it, isn't it?

Fortunately for her nerves, the drive from the open winding roads near the Queen Mansion to the busier, less capable of blazing speeds streets of Starling City proper is brief. Within the city, Oliver is far more careful and law abiding. Although he does, at least on two occassions, give a significant nod to someone standing on the corner when stopped at a red light. But from the way he grins and turns to regared Felicity after doing it, that might be for her benefit.

Within ten minutes, they have arrived at the Golden Rooster, a rather fancy looking restaurant with two elaborate carved lions standing guard on either side of the door. The valet opens up the door for Felicity before Oliver can come around to do it, and he tosses the key. "Not a scratch," he says, pointing at the young man, before he turns to look back at Felicity. "I hope you brought your appetite." He opens the door, and waves her in.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
And Felicity has nothing to hold on to other than the door handle. It's a sports car, designed to take the streets at speed, and look good doing it. Oliver looks amazing driving it, and she undoubtedly looks like a panicked.. something as the wind has blonde hair blowing back, and around her face.

She can breathe a little easier once they hit city limits, the streets have more traffic, more pedestrians.. though Oliver //did// say he was the one who taught Thea how to drive!

The stop lights. The upnod from people at the corner, the pointing at the car.. girls waving.. and then off to the next, only to be repeated.

Once they pull up to the restaurant, however, Felicity is a little shaky emerging from the car. It's a step //up//, and when the valet opens the door, she's emerging slowly and deliberately. Whew! It's when Oliver comes around, hands the key off and begins the pace to the restaurant with her that she's getting at least a few of her wits back. "I didn't expect this.."

Oliver Queen has posed:
There is an odd pause from Oliver as he regards Felicity and her last statement. "Have you been thinking of me taking you to dinner enough to have expectations?" It is intended as a light tease, of course. How could he have known? Well, he could have, if he ever paid attention.

He offers her an arm, perhaps noticing the shakiness of her steps. "Come on, let's get something into you." He guides her in and with a nod to the hostess is ushered along to a table off to the side. He releases her arm as both have their chairs pulled out for them, and he drops down into the seat opposite her.

Oliver glances briefly at the closed menu on the table, and then returns his gaze to Felicity. "Not sure what you'd like, but they have the most amazing Shanghai soup dumplings here. They are hot, and juicy, and..." he trails off for a moment, sighing. "...made from pork. Sorry."

He actually paid attention to something, somewhere.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
No.. no!

Caught?

"No. Just, you don't think of high end when you think 'chinese food'. I think 'hole in the wall', 'strip mall' sort of cuisine that is almost always called something like 'Peking Kitchen' or 'Hot wok' or something." Felicity prepares her words carefully, but doubles down. "Before you say anything, you like Big Belly burgers."

Before she truly realizes it, or stops herself, she's reaching for his arm. It's strong, muscular.. and while she's really an abs girl, arms aren't a bad thing. Something she can actually feel under the suit jacket!

It's a testament to the quality of the restaurant, or could easily be because she's with Oliver QUEEN, Starling's star child as it were, that the waiter pulls the chairs out, then gently guides hers in. Attentive, but not too.. and when the menus are placed, Felicity reaches for her own, once the napkin is settled on her lap.

When Oliver begins his recommendations, then stops himself, Felicity can't help but laugh. "It's okay. I'll figure something out. Don't worry. I promise, I won't starve." Even if it means getting a salad! So.. the shellfish is a no go. Chicken? That actually works. "Szechuan chili chicken.." is murmured.

Oliver Queen has posed:
"Just because food is inexpensive, readily accessible, and swift, does not mean it is not also good." replies Oliver, although he does grin at the remark about Big Belly. It is hard to argue that point.

He seems not to mind if Felicity takes an extra squeeze of his arm. Or any squeeze, really. In some respects, he is just used to it. As he settles into his seat and watches her consider the menu, a smile resides upon his face. He nods to her as she indicates that she wants.

Within moments, the waiter arrives. Oliver looks up at him and smiles, delivering both of their orders in what appears to be flawless Mandarin. The waiter smiles in return, and nods, moving back to the kitchen.

"This is nice," he says quietly, avoiding any possible tension that might arise with unexpected silence. Not that there often is any with Felicity around. "Seeing you without the blue glow of a monitor on your face." He even does the whole "hand circles the face with fingers outstretched" thing.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Uh huh.." though it is definitely noticed that her point was made, and Felicity offers a smile in return of that grin. He's seeming more relaxed when he's completely away from the office or from the 'cave. Away from any pretense of work.

It's the Mandarin that takes her a little by surprise, and she sits a little straighter in her seat. "When did you learn that? I mean.. I would think it's really useful in business, but.." she never dreamed he could do that?

It's the actual.. well, not really compliment, but compliment all in one. She actually smiles again, and it reaches her eyes, seen even behind her slightly thick lenses. "Really? Because I actually put my makeup on, knowing I'll be in blue light. I plan for it." She's joking, really. Seriously. "But, it's strange." Her brows crease a little, giving her something of a wrinkled nose. "I don't remember seeing you this.. relaxed?" Then again, when has she really ever seen him when he doesn't have an issue to contend with? Even at the burger joints, there's //always// something. "Yeah, it's kind of nice."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"I took a crash course," replies Oliver, a slight smirk on his face. It was well known that the Queen's Gambit sunk in the South China sea. How much Oliver came home with was not so public, but Felicity has seen more of it than most.

And Oliver does look relaxed. Calm. Not checking the door every moment, or expecting some calamity. He is not the Arrow. Or even the scion of Queen Industries. He is simply...

"...Oliver??" The sound is high pitched, borderline shrieking, despite coming from clearly across the room. Its owner shimmies over in a too-tight dress and too-high heels. "What are you /doing/ here?" asks the woman, that up and down intonation that Felicity is likely all too familiar with - every popular sorority girl, ever. Except this one may as well be a super model - drop dead gorgeous, legs that stretch before disappearing into that too-short skirt.

Resulting in a too-brilliant smile from Oliver as he looks up at her. "Vera." A blink or two from Oliver - perhaps blinded by the shimmering bling nestled in her too-low cut front. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity winces at the choice of words. She is aware of the sinking, of the fact that he'd been away for 5 years, but she's never heard all that'd happened. That was for Thea, and she knew Slade was somehow involved, and, of course, Oliver. All she knows is just that little more than the papers do; and the papers got it all generally //wrong//.

"Yes.. in a manner of spe-"

'...Oliver?'

There's a voice from across the room that demands attention, even in its brief tentativeness before it's followed with 'What are you doing here?!'. Felicity is momentarily stunned into silence, and she watches the tableau unfold before her, unable to do much of anything. This woman, now identified as 'Vera' is gorgeous. Legs that go on for days, and.. suddenly Felicity is the IT girl. Bringing a hand up to wrap hair behind her ear, she's got the polite smile on her face, falling slightly as she catches Oliver's smile in return.

Should she call the cab now, or wait until after they're served for the take out?

Oliver Queen has posed:
The look of surprise on Oliver's face is evident. It is unclear if the happiness is genuine or not. But Felicity has little time to make that judgement, as Oliver is up from his chair, politely rising to greet Veraas she arrives at the table.

"It's so wonderful to see you again!" she says in that overly saccharine tone. She opens up her arms and flings them around Oliver, clutching to him like he were some sort of possession. Oliver's hands make it up to her waist as she hugs, in what might be halfway between pushing her away or...well from the way she moves in that dress, something else entirely.

"It has been some time," says Oliver, once Vera releases the bear hug on him and steps back. "How are you?" Felicity recognizes this tone. It is his business tone. The tone she usually gets from him when he is trying to assess a situation. He is /not/ as relaxed as was a mere moment ago, despite the smile.

Vera flashes a radiant smile - the best money can buy - and reaches up to tuck her hair unnessarily behind her ear. The sparkly diamond at her earlobe was already visible before that manuever, of course. The dimples are new, though. "I'm doing great, actually! I just got back from a launch in Milan, and decided to stop by Starling on my way to the coast." She shakes her head slowly. "If I had known that you were in town, I'd have booked a far longer layover."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
This is one of those moments when Felicity //feels// like she's out of place. It's difficult to judge exactly what is happening, as it's a whirlwind. She's hugging her da- No. She's hugging Oliver, and he's finding purchase. And she's not letting go, not for a good couple of heartbeats. (At least she didn't kiss him?)

She's trying, she really is. Her attention flickers between the two like a tennis match; she's turning on the charm, he is.. also trying to figure out exactly what is happening? Well, if Felicity is any judge of character, the chances are better than even that Vera is going to change her flight if she can.. or promise to be back at the next opening, and.. and..

Great.

Oliver Queen has posed:
The smile on Oliver's face appears genuine enough as he nods. "Well, I've been here for years, so..." He half shrugs. "No surprises there."

Vera bites at her lip, and her toe twists a little bit on the ground. "Yeah, I'd heard that, but you know...I heard you went through a /lot/, and I just didn't want to..." Intrude? Pester? Or get bogged down with someone that had baggage.

Oliver smiles still. "No, it's fine. I haven't done a good job of reconnecting with folks from before."

Vera gives her best attempt at an understanding, sympathetic smile. It's not a great one. Then she seems to notice, for the first time, that there is a woman sitting at the table with Oliver. "Oh, Oliver, I'm being /so/ rude. Who is your date?" She looks over at Felicity and gives her the warmest fake smile imaginable.

It is at this moment that it seems Oliver suddenly remembers that Felicity is, in fact, there. "Oh, no, it's not..." He turns towards Felicity. "This is my friend, Felicity."

As soon as Oliver turns to Felicity and his eyes are off Vera, the fake smile vanishes. Once that word - friend - comes out, the smirk appears. Vera's eyes move up and down Felicity. They narrow briefly. "It's so great to meet you, Felicity!" The overdone enthusiasm spilleth over.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
It's a testament to Felicity that she's able to sit in the chair long enough to actually be noticed, and thank you for that! Score one for Vera, for the moment.

She smiles tightly at the question, and is also quick to second the 'it's not a date', thing with a rapid shake of her head, though not before looking at Oliver. "No, it's not a date. Not here." She laughs, and it's a little forced, "Just a friend." She turns blue eyes towards Oliver before continuing, casting them again towards Vera halfway through, "He wanted to take the new car out, and.."

And she is inspected. Why is it that women like this cause the little hairs on the back of her neck to rise? Yet, there isn't a damned thing she can do.

Friends.

"A pleasure, I'm sure." What that pleasure is, she's not saying, but it is spoken a little tightly.

"When is your flight again, exactly?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
Vera smiles sweetly at Felicity. "Tomorrow morning, I am afraid." She turns to look up at Oliver, and reaches out to put her hand on his arm. "Oh, but Ollie, I just remembered! I'm going to be in Central City in two weeks, doing a walk for La Perla. You should /totally/ come!" Not just a model - a lingerie model.

Oliver tilts his head. "That's great to hear, Vera, but I have been really busy with work lately, and you know, that isn't really my thing...."

Vera laughs musically, and swats Oliver on the chest. "Oh, come on Ollie. It's not like it's anything /you/ haven't seen before." She winks at him, making it abundantly clear to anyone within earshot /exactly/ what Oliver has seen, and then nods towards Felicity. "You should bring your friend, too! Maybe she'll get some good ideas to spruce up her closet!"

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Aw, such a shame," Felicity begins, and the Vera and Oliver show begins anew.

Lingerie? There's that game smile again; the worst position to be in. At dinner, not a date, with a friend. And the ex who obviously still has a thing for him.

She doesn't own him, though. She's got zero claim to him.

Brows do rise, however, in regards to 'her closet'. Her back straightens, and she opens her mouth.. and closes it again. Lowering herself to that level only makes both of them muddy. "I'm fine, thank you. Thank you for your concern, though."

Finally, however, she just can't help it. She really can't, and her voice drops to the point where she's pretty sure only Oliver can hear it. "A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but who misses it if it was never there to begin with?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
There is, perhaps, a slight tinge on Oliver's cheeks as Vera lays bare their sordid past. "Yes, but, you know, that was a long time ago." Oliver manages a smile. "I'm a very different man than I was then." He says it in such a way as to suggest that she might not quite care for the changes.

Vera is undeterred. "It's called /growth/, Ollie." She reaches out to run a hand across his chest again, and there is a lot of mild surprise on her face. "And, uh, growth in the right places too, I see." She licks her lips for a moment, and then leans forward, placing her them near to his ear. Somehow, in turning to speak into his ear, she ends up looking right at Felicity as she whispers in a voice that is nowhere near soft enough to not carry to the table. "We can make the Central City Four Seasons feel just like that little French chateau where we didn't leave our for 36 straight hours." There is a twinkle in her eye as she watches Felicity. Then she steps back. "I gotta go, but you should still have my number." She turns and looks at Felicity, smiling sweetly. "Bye Felicia!" And then she turns and walks out, making sure every last person saw each piece of her ass as she goes.

Even Oliver, who stands there transfixed until she is out of sight.

And then, as if nothing happened, he turns back to Felicity and takes a seat. "Vera and I went to boarding school together." he offers, as if Felicity needed further explanation of who that was.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity sits there, and she absolutely refused to allow her features to go anywhere near jealousy or anger. She's just.. upset. Looking down at herself, she takes quick stock; she's smart, cute.. the glasses are a little much, but there is no way she's going to switch to contacts. NO.

So, there she is, fuming.. and all Oliver can say is 'went to boarding school together'?

"I see," Felicity says softly. "Look," and she puts a hand up to forestall any other explanations, "You don't have to say anything. This is a 'grab food', and we're friends. There's nothing. I'm.. I'm.. I'm not jealous or anything. I mean, really. Of that? I bet she doesn't know what a Mandelbrot set is. She probably couldn't access school records much less .." do illegal things like tap the NSA.

"I'm fine. Just.." and she looks up again, a hint of a smile on her face, but it's far from happy or amused, "don't. Okay?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver does not, initially, seem to see what has happened. Why would Felicity care if he met an old friend? And so it is without much thought that he casually mentions, "Actually, she was a Rhodes scholar studying particular physics." he corrects with a shrug. "Modeling just pays more."

It's the "I'm fine" that catches him by surprise. He remembered the girl card code. He looks at her, and perhaps in another situation his look of deer in headlights might be endearing.

"Uh." He seems to be trying to think of the perfect thing to say to defuse the situation. "We don't have to go to her show."

Nailed it.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity stares at Oliver for a long moment before she sets her napkin slowly but deliberately on the top of the table; their dinner hasn't yet arrived.

"I'm not hungry anymore. I.. I think I'll just grab a cab or something, and go home." She smiles tightly, and there's nothing that even resembles the action in those blue eyes behind thick glass.

"No. I'm probably going to be doing something that night. I don't know what, but I'm sure I'll be busy." Even if it's staying in and watching the Hallmark channel, finishing off yet another pint of ice cream.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Yeah. He screwed up. Oliver realizes it, although he tries to play back exactly what it was that he did. "I'm,..." He stammers for a moment. "I'm sorry, I didn't..." He sighs. "That's silly. Let me drive you home." He drops his napkin on the table, and starts to push back in his chair. "A cab from here would cost you a fortune."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity gets to her feet, taking up her purse. She shakes her head quickly, feeling the fact that her hair is down, which gets her a little more upset. "No, it's okay. I can afford it." She has a credit card, after all! And a job.

"I'll.. see you later. Tomorrow, probably. Maybe. I don't know. I just need to go."

With the jumble of words that come from her, she's turning around to make her escape. In the few steps that she manages to take, the hair goes back up into the ponytail in definite, distinct, angry movements unil once again, she's.. Felicity, the IT girl.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid.." she murmurs angrily to herself. "Never again."