Shrewd Schemes. (Tron & Noma)

[NOMA]

The best part about this city was the fact that Noma hadn't been cornered yet, asked what she was planning by the way she acted around users. She'd yet to lay a hand on one, but words had been exchanged as well as ideas with other programs that weren't fond of the new occupants of the city. Noma would never approve of this, and if she could have it her way, she would have loved to take things back to how they were when Clu 2 was in control.

Users were merely a myth--if one was in the midst they were subject to deresolution, it was that simple. But now...now Tron was allowing this. Tron and Sam Flynn, the Creator's son. The city was basically another 'vacation spot' for users, and that was not what it was meant to be. Muttering to herself as she entered a darker alleyway of the city, Noma ran a hand through her nearly disheveled hair, walking far enough back that she could still see the streets, but was able to hide in the shadows comfortably.

The program watched users and other programs walk past, some laughing, others just talking, and she felt disgusted. Making a face, she looked down to her boot, reaching into the lacing of it and pulling out what looked like a pen, but was indeed a digital clipboard. Sliding down the wall into a sitting position, Noma began to flip through files on the board, reading over notes she had taken herself and information she had downloaded over the past few days.

Simply, without getting caught, what would be the best way to fix things in this city?

This could take many cycles...

[TRON]

Tron wasn't too keen on riding lightcycles or other vehicles everywhere he went. Besides, he only thought of the lightscyles as a game piece and he wasn't too fond of those types of battles. All he did was remember chasing people with one when he was corrupt and known as Rinzler. It would take a while for him to get out of that mindset. The disks, however, he had always used them no matter if he was battling someone or defending. He rarely had any bad thoughts about them and he still preferred to use the two he possessed as he was capable of such a thing and found he had been before he was changed. The only difference was their color and their purpose.

As he walked down the streets, they rest peacefully on his back, combined as usual, taking in any information his eyes were receiving. Tron liked to walk around the city and take in the simple surroundings that changed at every moment. When you were driving fast enough that everyone seemed like a blur, keeping the peace seemed like it wasn't a daily occurrence. He often looked through alleys, passed by programs; wondering if they were suspicious or not, and just simply enjoying the digital air. The sky rumbled with the hum of the grid, trying to make it seem like it was thunder rather than an electronic current. No sun, no rain, constant thunder and lightning. He didn't mind it in the slightest. It was home and it beat the pale blackness he had seen before.

The sound of his footsteps echoed on the sidewalk as they had always done when he pressed his foot on the vibrating surface of the grid. Glancing to the side down a random alleyway, he noticed a program rustling down by the wall and looking at what appeared to be some sort of memo pad. The awful thing about the lighting was that you could see basically everything that was meant to be hidden and dark. If it were a simple users clipboard, he would have probably just passed by, unable to see it and assuming she was just drunk, but this peaked Tron's interest and he approached, looking to see what she was so intent on hiding from the city. Now this was suspicious. "What are you doing, program?" He asked in an official voice, standing tall to show himself. He had less circuitry lights than most others. It was a benefit that most couldn't see him as easily, but when they did, they noted the T on his chest and knew instantly it was Tron.

[NOMA]

Tron didn't scare Noma one bit, but what did frighten her was the boom of his voice when she was least expecting it. She knew that quickly cutting off the digital clipboard would seem even more suspicious than she probably already did, so she opted for continuing to flip pages, until she was at one that couldn't get her into any trouble--and the others were locked behind a password.

Furrowing her brows, she looked up to him with disdain on her features. "I'm sorry, am I bothering anyone?" She asked, avoiding his question, looking genuinely concerned. "I was just a little tired. Did not quite feel like walking all the way back to my flat. I had a couple of things I needed to check on." She nodded to the clipboard, before now finally closing it down to its normal pen size, and sticking it back in her boot, standing to face Tron.

"I sincerely apologize if it looked strange, my seat in the alleyway. It was simply away from all the hustle and bustle and unoccupied, so." She gave a simple shrug, before offering him a smile. "You're Tron? There's absolutely no mistaking you, sir." She said happily. "My name is Noma, pleased to meet you."

[TRON]

Narrowing his eyes in an attempt to see what she had, his tries were foiled when she finally placed the lightboard back into her shoe. As she looked up at him, he looked at her as though he were a parent that didn't believe if their child did their homework that day. At least, in the world of the users, that is how he would have looked. In this world, he just looked at her with simple disbelief. She looked up at him as though she were completely innocent of any crime, which seemed odd as well. It could be his mood at the moment that made him on edge with every single out of place thing he saw. It really wasn't all that devious of her to look through a lightboard away from prying eyes. It did irritate him when Clu read over his shoulder. Perhaps she was simply the same way but to a further extent. Many possibilities ran through his head, but the oddness of it inched passed the others slightly as he gazed upon her.

The way she spoke to him at first made his head retract a bit as though he were offended that she was talking back at him. "It is just not normal to see a program in the middle of an alleyway, hiding a lightboard from view. Forgive me for simply asking." He rose an eyebrow, returning her attitude right back to her. "I understand. Carry on." He said swiftly after he heard her story, ready to keep on with his walk of the day. It wasn't as though he could accuse her of any crime she might be committing. Even his own eyes had no evidence. It was simply the air of it all that put him at unease. Before he could walk away, she kept talking with an introduction. Tron wasn't one to suddenly be rude and not introduce himself. Giving her a very faint smile, he nodded his head once. "The pleasure is all mine, Noma." He craned his neck forward in a prim nod.

[NOMA]

Again, too simple. He may have had his suspicions of what she was doing, but at least she knew she was getting away, scott-free, again. Leaning against the wall beside her, she watched him quietly and gave a smile when he answered her introduction. Well, now what? It was rare that she would run into an important program. Good to make nice now, correct? It was important if she wanted to get anything done that she'd planned for so far. Thinking up a simple conversation starter, she decided to keep him there a bit longer.

Reaching up with her right hand to brush back a strand of her hair, her eyes followed his every move. "Forgive me, it's not everyday I meet someone so important. You've done so much for this world, you know." She said, forcing a smile, hoping that it didn't look just that--forced. He had indeed done a great deal for this world, in screwing it up. By letting Users come and stay and play with programs like they were at some sort of amusement park. Noma didn't like humoring these users, and the first time she'd get a chance to toss a disc at one, she'd take it...but the consequences were too dire at the moment, she couldn't risk doing something stupid.

"Are you just out patrolling, or do you walk the streets every night? Nothing to do?" She asked, playing the questions game. "Do you want some company? I mean, I don't have much else to do, and I'd love someone to talk to."

[TRON]

She was getting to friendly with him too fast for Tron's taste. It was as though she were throwing her arms around, trying to make him forget he even saw anything, but in a more low key way. The smiling and the compliments right after he almost accused her of something got his circuits twitching uncomfortably. He let it slide and tried to think on the bright side of her kindness. Although, the twitch in the back of his neck kept nagging at him to remind himself that this seemed off. Could have been the night he was having or that she actually seemed suspicious. There was nothing he could do about it now.

Tron forced a half smile, barely seen. Taking a step back to loosen himself up and lower some defenses, he nodded his head once in acknowledgment to her... sucking up. Pursing his lips at her question, his eyes narrowed carefully. Did she really admire him so or was she just trying to throw his complicated mind off with inquiries. "A bit of both, I suppose." He said with a cool and raspy tone, his eyes still locked on her target. "I suppose you could, if you felt the need to speak further with me..." Tron continued, moving aside from the opening of the alley as though he had been blocking it the entire time. Technically, he was. He moved his arm aside in a gesture that was polite and courteous. As though arm was showing her how to follow through the opening of the alley.

ooc: gah so short, sorry.

[TRON]

She was getting to friendly with him too fast for Tron's taste. It was as though she were throwing her arms around, trying to make him forget he even saw anything, but in a more low key way. The smiling and the compliments right after he almost accused her of something got his circuits twitching uncomfortably. He let it slide and tried to think on the bright side of her kindness. Although, the twitch in the back of his neck kept nagging at him to remind himself that this seemed off. Could have been the night he was having or that she actually seemed suspicious. There was nothing he could do about it now.

Tron forced a half smile, barely seen. Taking a step back to loosen himself up and lower some defenses, he nodded his head once in acknowledgment to her... sucking up. Pursing his lips at her question, his eyes narrowed carefully. Did she really admire him so or was she just trying to throw his complicated mind off with inquiries. "A bit of both, I suppose." He said with a cool and raspy tone, his eyes still locked on her target. "I suppose you could, if you felt the need to speak further with me..." Tron continued, moving aside from the opening of the alley as though he had been blocking it the entire time. Technically, he was. He moved his arm aside in a gesture that was polite and courteous. As though arm was showing her how to follow through the opening of the alley.

ooc: gah so short, sorry.

[NOMA]

Noma gave a small smile when he answered her and nodded. Of course, the unstable part of her processors wanted to tell her she was going about this the right way when she wasn't; she would have been less suspicious if she just let him walk away, but Noma seemed incapable of doing that. She loved gaining the trust of others first. It was like a huge game that you had to make intricate steps in, and if you didn't play your part correctly, the entire set-up fell apart. Almost like Chess, although that was a bad example. It was a -user- game. Stepping out of the alleyway, she ran through her mind better ways to go about this.

Up front admitting she was acting strange would only make it worse, wouldn't it? Sadly, the brunette was so lost in thought that she couldn't quite find words to talk to Tron, like she'd originally planned. Looking around the city and up and down the streets, she finally let her gaze rest on Tron, and her demeanor calmed. Smiling again, she laughed a bit.

"You make it sound like it's complete business...you don't have friends? People to just...spend time with?" She asked, genuinely curious about this. Maybe if she was actually interested in the conversation things would work out better. Well, did he? She waited on his answer. There was Clu..but they weren't friends, no. Then Sam...but what was Sam to him exactly? Just a user to protect? She'd yet to meet Sam Flynn face to face yet, but had plans for when she did. Noma always had some kind of plan...it was a downfall and a talent at the same time.

ooc: No worries about length.

[TRON]

Tron lowered his eyebrows as if deep in thought as though the word friends was foreign to him. He had friends, yes, but did they consider Tron to be a friend? He was mostly business, but this program did sometimes have a playful side where he laughed at the most random of things. Some sort of a bipolar disorder for programs. Something Alan1 must have had trouble with was probably the personality. Then again, Alan1 had no real idea that programs had their own world. It wasn't as though any user knew that they were walking around, but the fact that Tron couldn't keep a straight face at the oddest of times made him wonder if Alan1 placed a few bits of humanity in his programming without really knowing it, therefore making it hard to make sense of. It was a confusing thought and probably hard for anyone to comprehend. He was even speaking gibberish in his own mind at the thought.

He nodded his head once and turned his cheek toward her. "I do have friends. They just... aren't walking types..." He paused again and looked up at the sky. "I suppose." It was a good question that still plagued his mind. Was he really that dull? A simple walk wouldn't kill them? Well, it was mostly Clu that was in Tron's presence and the two didn't exactly have the most friendliest of relationships so it made sense that Tron was often alone in the things he decided to do.

[NOMA]

"Not the walking type, huh." Noma repeated, frowning a bit. Poor thing. If she had any inkling of conscience she might have felt sorry for him, but she didn't, though she could act like she did. Either way, at least she'd started a decent conversation, one that wasn't difficult to keep going near the same subject. Friends, they were always a good subject, especially for a program that seemed to be unsure of the concept. At least, in the way he answered.

Noma, of course, wasn't one to speak of friends. She had none. Maybe Castor, but that was a maybe. All she knew was she could run to him if she was in trouble and he would fix it. However, did that really constitute friendship? Instead of thinking too much on it, she spoke again to Tron.

"That's too bad. Surely it's far more interesting to walk along these streets with someone to talk to. I'm one to speak of this, I mean...I was alone, but...heh. You probably have more friends than I do." She shrugged it off, realizing the subject had somehow, even by her own hand, come back to her lack of friends.

Great, wonderful. Of course you would start a conversation about friendship. Best save that for later when you can brood on your own.

[TRON]

Tron wasn't really used to anyone looking, acting, or actually being sorry for him. He wasn't sure if he liked it so his face was unchanging and unrelated of any forced programmable emotion. All he did was stare awkwardly. "You can think better while alone. Get your affairs in order in the circuitry of your mind. It's quite nice if you don't have someone, but also pleasant vice versa." He wasn't the best at communicating with people. Tron tended to be a wet blanket at times, but he tried to dry himself out and be a bit more kind since he was pulled out of his Rinzler state. If someone was now thrilled at something, he decided to smile instead of being blunt and cold about the situation, if it were so.

A sprinkle of mist fell upon his nose as it started to softly sprinkle down, threatening lighting shining around them. The lightning was always there, but it seemed a bit odd when it was raining and it still treated everything the weather was going to turn for the worse. According to the human world, it was just about the opposite in thought. Tron reached in his boot and pulled out something that looked like it would produce a light cycle if he unsheathed it, but it transformed into an simple umbrella. Handing it over to Noma, he didn't care if the mist dampened his face or hair. It didn't phase him in the slightest.

[NOMA]

Hm. He didn't like company. Why was she surprised? She shouldn't have been. Tron seemed to be...more focused on what he was programmed for than anything else. Hell, Noma didn't really have any room to talk. She had no friends, honestly, she preferred to focus on what made her happy...even if what made her happy was highly illegal and often dangerous. She wasn't sure how to reply to him, but was delightfully interrupted when it began to mist a bit, and she glanced up. The rain wasn't uncommon, she was used to looking like a drowned rat by the end of the night, but when Tron brandished the umbrella, her reaction could have been a dead giveaway to what kind of hospitality she was used to.

For a few good moments she simply stared at the umbrella, before she realized he was indeed offering it to her, and she took it gently from him. "...thanks." She murmured, now taking her turn to be the awkward one in the conversation. "I'm used to the rain, but it's kind of you nonetheless." She said, forcing a smile onto her face.

"You're actually correct, I suppose I'm inclined to agree with you about thinking better when you're alone." She said, shrugging a bit. At least that much made sense.