2012-10-17 L&C: Lunch

Midday. Lunch rush. Lois, true to her word, has yanked Clark from his computer terminal to take him to lunch. She steps out of the Daily Planet building and onto the busy sidewalk.

"So, where did you want to go? Tony's Tacos? Danny's Dogs? There's a sushi place not far from here. Suresh took me. Nice place," Lois is saying to Clark. - New Activity -

"Ladies choice." Clark answers, as he pushes his glasses up his nose and releases the door he had been holding open for Lois. "Don't think I've ever had sushi before, though. Isn't that raw fish?" [+vote received]

Lois nods, waiting for Clark to fall into step with her as she heads toward that sushi place. What she can't remember is if they are a dinner only place or not.

"Raw fish, rice, some veggies. Really good stuff. You've never had it before," she asks him, looking over at the cornfed reporter with her violet eyes. [You +vote for Clark Kent.] - New Activity -

Clark falls into step with Lois, doing his best to not run in to anyone on the crowded sidewalk as he follows the woman towards the resturant. "I don't think I have." he answers, shaking his head and grinning. "Not a lot of sushi places in Smallville. And I've just never had a chance to try it since I've been here. I'll give it a shot though." the man answers.

Lois glances at Clark, looking mildly surprised at him. Her lips curl up in a grin.

"Trying something new's what the big city's all about, huh, Kent? Oh, you finish that story you were working on?" - New Activity -

"I did. The soup kitchen was really really nice, and the folks there could really use the publicity boost. It was really swell of Superman to stop in and help out as well, though I missed him again. Jimmy was able to get some pictures." Clark says, before shrugging lightly and chuckling. "Trying something new in the big city. If nothing else, it will make for a good article. Been thinking about putting a general article together on the various foods available in Metropolois."

Lois eyes Clark, a brow quirked, "Wouldn't Cat get annoyed, you stepping on her 'entertainment' toes like that?" Food and Entertainment, right? "Unless Perry's fine with it. In which case, have at!"

"I think the idea was to write it with Cat. She seems to keep asking me to take her to all these places all over the city. For the article." Clark says, once more adjusting his glasses. Clark looks like he's going to add something, but the wisdom of Thumper comes to mind and he keeps quiet, save to mutter, "if you can't say something nice...."

Lois must not have seen that movie.

"Hussy. She's just trying to get in your pants. If I were you, I'd keep dodging. And if Perry wants you to write with Cat, you find more interesting topics to write about. Like... hey! What about that charity thing? I gave Kyle's card, didn't I? She had this Big Cats thing in Gotham a few months back. I didn't see you there..." Woops... Lois wasn't on the clock, and had NO reason to be covering anythign remotely like a Big Cat Charity event in Gotham.

Clark raises an eyebrow as the two walk up to the sushi bar. He holds open the door and grins. "I don't normally go to Gotham to cover stories..." he says, his voice all but hinting that Lois shouldn't be either. "And Kyle? This is the first I've heard of it. What do you mean Big Cats thing?"

Lois rolls her eyes as Clark gets the door for her.

"Selina Kyle. She heads up some Save the Big Cats of Africa or something. I bumped into her not far from here, literally almost. Remember when that cabbie nearly ran me over," Lois prompts as she moves to a table. She sets her purse on it and moves to sit. - New Activity -

Clark is quickly there, holding Lois chair and moving to help her sit like a good gentleman, before he moves to the other side to take a seat himself. Wow...it's been nearly 10 mins and Clark hasn't managed to klutz out yet. "Which time?" he asks, when Lois mentions nearly being run over by a cabbie. Only when dealing with someone like Lois Lane would someone need to ask a question like that, but there it is.

And only would a person like Lois Lane laugh at it, even as she very daintly settles into the chair Clark is helping her with.

"Afternoon before my triade of an article on how hard the cabbie bite it in New Troy. It was... oh... god, I don't remember. The night Pho King Noodles cart was smashed. Same cabbie. Jumped the curb, WHAM! Right into the noodles." Lois begins digging into her purse. - New Activity -

"I don't think you've told me about that one." Clark says, shaking his head as he settles into his own chair and reaches for a menu. He manages to spill both the soy sauce and the salt shaker. "Oops." he says softly, grabbing a napkin and righting the bottles before cleaning things up.

"But please, continue. So you were nearly hit by a cab, and thats where you met this Selina Kyle?"

Lois sighs softly as Clark happens. She rescues her purse and holds it over her head as he cleans up. Settig her purse back down when it's safe, the reporter snaps her fingers.

"That's right! You book it back to Kansas shortly there after. Droughts or something. How'd that go anyway? Price of corn didn't sky rocket or anything did it?" Because Lois stays on topic, honest! - New Activity -

"Price of corn is fine." Calrk says, that note of frustrated tolerance entering his voice when ever Lois starting making fun of his home. "And the family farm is fine. But you were saying? Selina Kyle?" the man promts, trying to get her back on topic.

Lois wasn't teasing this time! She really was asking and listening to the answer this time. She tilts her head at the note of frustration she hears this time. It makes her brows knit together lightly.

"Right. Kyle. So, anyway... She handed me her card, which I can't find now. Figured I'd give it to you, since you do charities and stuff. At least, I told her you'd be a better reporter for those kinds of things than I would be. so, as soon as I can find it..." She lowers her gaze to her purse as she keeps digging, just as the waiter arrives to take the order. - New Activity -

Clark nods his nead and leans up a little to peer over the edge of Lois' purse, like that will help her find it. He leans back and turns as the waiter arrives and smiles. "Oh, hello. This is my first time eating sushi. What would you recommend?" the man asks, looking over the menu. He settles on a menu choice and then looks over to Lois. "And for you Lois?"

Of course it doesn't help! Lois grumps when she can't find it, and so proceeds to empty her purse out on the table.

"Oh, order something for me, would you, Smallville? This is driving me crazy," Lois quips. "I'm going to find that stupid thing..." - New Activity -

"She'll take the same, I guess." Clark says to the waiter, before glancing at some of the things in Lois' purse as he lifts his arms off the table. Hopefully there isn't anything coming out that's too embarassing.

Not unless you have xray vision or something! Lois keeps her reinforcements in a little discreet eyeglasses case. What? It could be holding sunglasses. It's not but no one needs to know that, right? Oh, and hte hand gun she leaves in her purse. Because that's not something one just whips out and sets on a table in the middle of a restaurant at lunch time.

"Ah HA!" Lois cheers and pulls the card out from where it had gotten tucked into the bottom part of her purse. She brandishes it at Clark.

"Here we go! I thought I had given it to you the day after at the park, but I guess when we got to talking I forgot about it. Oh, well. Maybe she'll host something in our neck of the woods, or Scott'll requisition you to cover stuff in Gotham, or something...." - New Activity -

"I'm still a little leary about this whole acquisition." Clark says, reaching over to take the card and glance at it before tucking it into his shirt pocket. "I mean, is this Scott of yours just allowed to ask for us at anytime? We don't get a say in the matter?"

"Of course we get a say in the matter. If it's a BS story, tell him to shove it. He'll prolly poke at Perry some, but you know how Perry is. He'll stick by us come hell or high water," Lois retorts as she repacks her purse. "Scott's realized that while GBC isn't as bad as the Bugle or the Gazette, its got nothing on the Planet. He just wants a bit of the action." - New Activity -

Clark almost comments about being quite sure wich bit of action this Scott is probably after, but he stays quiet. "I still don't like it." he says, shrugging and adjusting the placement of his chopsticks so that the sit pefectly in the middle of his napkin, and the napkin is sitting perfectly square with the table. "But you seem to be quite friendly with this Scott." Clark prompts.

Lois seems nonpulsed at it and she uses her straw to stir the ice cubes of the drink the waiter drops off.

"I suppose. I did sort of knock his socks off," she comments with a snicker and a sly grin. - New Activity -

Clark coughs lightly at that, and ruins his perfectly set up chopsticks as he grabs the napkin to cover his mouth. "Lois!" the man says, shaking his head at the implied comment and almost blushing. He grins and lowers the napking to the table again, starting to smooth it out. "I don't need to hear that."

"What?" Lois' eyes widen and lift from her glass to peer at Clark, seeming at a lost for what he might be talking about. "You asked." - New Activity -

Clark pulls his glasses off and starts polishing them on his shirt, a rather vacant smile never leaving his face until the glasses are back in place. "I don't need to hear about your.....under the covers reporting." the man states, before glancing out the window and mentally groping for a subject change. "But it still seems like a lot of effort to go through to nab just one reporter. He must really like you."

"Under.. the. cov... CLARK!" Lois actually has the decency to blush at that, her cheeks going pink in an instant.

"ohmygod, I can't believe you'd think. NO! He's married. Well. Widowed, but that's beside the point. He tried to buy out my contract and Perry gave him the finger. He wants me all dolled up on front of a camera. Can you imagine? Me? TV Reporting. Ugh," Lois says, trying to not make it seem like Alan Scott, CEO of GBC is sweet on her. Because she NEVER got that impression... EVER. *^.^*  Lois Lane asks, "was she runnig a fever today?" - New Activity -

Clark shrugs his shoulders lightly and grins. "Just putting the facts together." he says softly, before looking out the window again. "So how is it over at the Hall of Justice, oh honoary Justice League member?"

Lois narrows her eyes at Clark as the sushi arrives.

"Yeah... facts. Right," she mock-growls at him, fingers collecting her chopsticks. Oh, safe topic, right? Right. Lois' blush is slow to fade as she asnwers the question.

"Well enough, I suppose. Everyone's nice, but understandably hesitant around a reporter. I'm trying really hard not to come off as a reporter allt he time, but well.. old habits die hard. Canary's nice. Beat the tar out of me, but sweet about it," Lois says, collecting a piece of tuna sashimi and dipping the fish side into some soy sauce. - New Activity -

Clark hesitates at the food, and looks over and starts to copy Lois' motions with the sushi. He takes a bite and hrrms softly, chewing thoughtfully at it before he shrugs and goes for another bite. He doesn't look impressed, but at the same time doesn't look disgusted. "That would be one of the newer members, Black Canary?" Clark asks, motioning with his chopsticks as he talks. "They seem to be getting a lot of new members lately."

Lois nods, putting the whole thing in her mouth and chewing before talking further.

"Brand spanking. Got to be there for her.. induction, I guess? Did you know that Superman bakes? I'm going to have work that in some how. 'Man of Steel Cup Cake Tin'. Yeah. Sounded stupider than it did in my head," Lois rambles faintly, grining slightly. Yep, derpie Lois.

Clark chuckles lightly as he continues to eat. "Superman bakes? Sounds like my kinda story." the man says, shaking his head. "How about, Bakerman- Super Cakes. Or even, "The Last Baker of Krypton?"

Lois laughs. No, she snorts. Then coughs, and then laughs. "Bakerman, isn't that a kid's sing song thing? Like patty cake or something? And I'm NOT going anywhere /near/ Super Cakes. Ever." She points her chopsticks at Clark, as if in warning. She quiet a moment then, "What if his cousins bake?" - New Activity -

Clark chuckles along and then grins at 'Super Cakes', and Lois going no where near it. "Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Baker's Man." the man starts on the childrens rhyme, before breaking off and laughing at the joke again. He quiets when Lois seems to get serious and raises an eyebrow. "You'll have to ask her." he says, shrugging, and then blinks. "And did you mean to say cousins in the plural, or cousin?"

Lois grins lightly at the children's rhyme, but as Clark grows serious with her, Lois nods. "Yes, plural. Superboy? He's around too. Looks just like Superman, if you ask me. Makes me wonder, but I'm not saying anything yet, given that even he didn't know the boy was around. Really makes a girl wonder, you know?" - New Activity -

"Add that to woman who all but attacked you on the roof, and the number of Super's seems to be growing all the time." Clark muses out loud as he sets his chopsticks down and daps at the corners of his lips with a napkin. "Starting to sound more and more like the 'last son of krypton' is hiding something...again."

Took the words right out of her mouth. Lois nods, growing much more coworker-y. "Agreed. Which is why I'm glad I've got this all but all access pass to JLA HQ. For as much as he's the poster child, Superman's not around an awful lot. So far, I haven't been able to pug it, but I'll get it eventually. And if he is hiding something again, and he tries to keep it from me, you better believe there'll be hell to pay when I find out," Lois states, grabbing as a piece of sushi. "Trying to hide that he's an alien - hmph!" - New Activity -

"Have you tried just talking to him?" Clark asks, grinning a little as Lois' mean streak pops up a bit. "I mean, he does seem like a busy guy. I bet if you googled him right now, he's off in Austrilia fighting a forest fire or building a children's school in africa or something. Not that I think he should be hiding things from you, but...maybe give him the benefit of the doubt? Has he earned that much at least?" Clark says, setting his napkin down and leaning back in his chair. "We put a lot of pressure on Superman to be perfect. And he has yet to fail us, but still....thats gotta be hard to handle /all/ the time."

Tried? Since their last blow out? When she's kept her distance and let him work out friend status with her? Lois frowns a bit, the sushi lowering to her plate before she gets it fully to her lips. The frown lightens a bit at the mention of the things Superman might be doing at this very moment. It is all so wonderfully Disney-ishly heroic. Lois can't help but soften slightly at it. She tucks a lock of hair behind an ear.

"Yes. I suppose you're right. I can't imagine.. what it's like.. being 'super' all the time. And other than a few lapse of judgement on what to share and not share, no. He really hasn't ever let us down. Ever, really." Lois pauses to think a bit more.

"I guess, I just don't know how to just /talk/. We used to, but... well, things got stressful. I'm trying really hard not to annoy him, you know? Give him some space. Not like we ever, well, none of your business, but yeah." Lois stops talking. Point: Clark.

Clark motions for the waiter to bring the check, and reaches for his wallet. "It seems to me, that he wants you closer, not further away." Clark muses, pulling his visa card. "Otherwise, why give you full access? Didn't he give you a communicator and everything? Couldn't you just walk right into his office right now?"

"Not the actions of someone pushing you away, I think." Clark surmises, shrugging lightly. "Maybe he wants to talk, but is afraid to just come out and admit weakness? Your a reporter, Lois. The man is a walking, talking, breathing story. Maybe just once tell the world who he is, rather than what he's done. I know I'd read it."

Lois, too occupied with mulling over Clark's words, is three seconds too late to prevent Clark from putting his visa down for lunch. When she realizes it, she pout-scowls at her coworker.

"/I/ was paying this time," she retorts, tone far softer than usual, far more gentle than she typically shows, with that pout evident in her voice. "Fine, I'm not gonna fight you, but now I owe you two lunches, and Heaven help me, I'm going to pay for them," she insists. Her eyes however, still have that distant glint to them, that tell-tale 'Lois is thinking' to the focus of them.

Clark knows better than to interrupt the Amtrack train that is Lois' mind, and just smiles and signs for the lunch before he stands and moves over to help the woman out of her chair. "Wanna make me your soundboard?" he asks quietly.

"Oh yes, because you only pretend to be a reporter so you can hear about emergencies before they happen and then squeeze me out of the byline, am I right, Smallville," Lois retorts, quoting his own line back to him when he, perhaps a year ago, snarking told her he was Superman. She called him a sick man and walked away. It's plausible that he fell out of his chair immediately there after. Because he's a clutz and not because the silent alarm at Metropolis Gold Exchange went off.

"Sure. Why not? If you take off your glasses and I squint really hard, maybe I can pretend you sort of look like him," she quips as she takes Clark's hand to accept his help out of her seat. She resets her purse to her shoulder.

"I meant just as a way to get your thoughts in order, Lois." Clark says, once again his voice taking on that tolerant tone as she gets a little snarky with him. "But really? Can you imagine being Superman all day and then trying to have a day job too?" Clark jokes softly stepping ahead to hold the door of the resturant open.

"I'd lose my mind," Lois fires back, stepping through the opened doorway. "Because there simply isn't enough coffee in the world to keep me that awake."

"Maybe thats it." Clark says, letting the door swing shut as he follows Lois back to the planet. "Superman has lost his mind."