RP for dl_greenarrow

[have_no_mercy]

Tess arrives at the restaurant early, on purpose. She's chosen the table carefully; not out of the way, but not in the middle of everyone, either. One hopes Oliver will take the hint, but she has to admit, she can't always tell with him

Comments

[dl_greenarrow]

Oliver arrives right on time and offers her a smile as he sits down, immediately picking up a copy of the reports she's looking at. "You already order?" he asks, glancing around for the waiter or waitress.

[have_no_mercy]

"No, actually," she replies, lifting her gaze briefly and offering a small smile in return. Her menu remains closed. "I'm not in that much of a hurry."

[dl_greenarrow]

That actually catches him by surprise, given that he'd been under the impression this was a business lunch. "Oh. All right." He shrugs a little and leans back in his chair, studying her for a moment before looking down at the reports.

[have_no_mercy]

Never let it be said that Tess Mercer doesn't like keeping the upper hand by catching people off guard.

The silence lasts a few moments longer until Tess closes her folder (she knows these reports forwards and backwards anyway) and smiles at him again. "I thought I'd let you take point for this one. I know the board would be thrilled to hear your opinions on where we've been and where we're going."

[dl_greenarrow]

A small smirk forms on his face. "Freudian slip?" he teases, leaning back in his chair, amusement clear in his eyes.

[have_no_mercy]

"Freud was a lunatic." Still, her smile is somewhat more genuine this time, even if her gaze drops to study her cutlery.

"If I was concerned about this, I wouldn't have asked you."

[dl_greenarrow]

"Touche," he responds with a genuine smile of his own. It's been a long time since the two of them had eaten a meal together, though he's still slightly surprised she had invited him. "So how are you?"

[have_no_mercy]

The question seems to surprise Tess, her eyes snapping back up to his face, almost trying to determine if he's being serious.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

[dl_greenarrow]

He offers her a wry grin. "Thanks. I'm glad I survived, too." And he's fully aware of just how occupied she's been, but he doesn't think this is the time or the place to have that particular discussion. So for now he lets that go, too. "Could have been worse. It was just the regular flu, thankfully." There's a hint of amusement in his voice.

[have_no_mercy]

"It can always be worse." It's a form of agreement. "And I'm sure you had no shortage of volunteers willing to nurse you back to health."

[dl_greenarrow]

At that statement, he pauses, studying her for a moment. He knows exactly who she's referring to, and he's pretty sure that's not a topic that should be brought up right then, either.

So he holds her gaze. "I have some good friends."

[have_no_mercy]

That's one challenge Tess is willing to take.

"So how's that going, anyway? You and Chloe."

[dl_greenarrow]

Oliver's expression softens a little, his own neutrality dropped for a moment, as well. "You've always under-estimated yourself. You had a lot of friends in Star City." He pauses, then drops his gaze to the table, picking up his glass of water.

[have_no_mercy]

"I only did that for you. I knew it made you happy that I had friends." Tess... has no idea why she said it either. And for the moment, she's a little too stunned to do anything other than grab her own glass and attempt to pretend he's just hearing things.

[dl_greenarrow]

"Mercy." His voice is soft, just barely audible.

[have_no_mercy]

This.. is not what 'let's have lunch' was supposed to be. And she hates that tone in his voice, the 'I'm sorry' hanging in the air, not needing to be spoken.

Tess is in no mood to be pitied.

She sets her water back down, calmly, and then rises from her seat. "I've suddenly lost my appetite. This has already been expensed, so feel free to stay and enjoy. I'll see you at the meeting."