Technical Assistance

Chapter 11: Online Shopping Assistance

Felicity bolts awake at the sound of Saphira barking in her ear.  She's nearly trampled as the dog walks over her and jumps down from the bed to get to the window, tail wagging as she paws at it.  She wines pitifully as she scratches at the window, working herself up into a frenzy. While Felicity's glasses are off, she can make out the silhouette of that figure even when it's blurry.  Now completely awake due in part to the adrenalin rush, she rolls over to get her glasses from the bedside table, and the first thing that comes into focus are the glowing numbers of her digital clock, unhelpfully informing her that it's 3:17AM.

Sighing, she pulls herself up into a sitting position, she pulls herself up from the bed, going to open the window, thinking that tonight was probably a bad night to wear her Star Wars pajamas. (Her pants are covered with cartoon Darth Vader faces, while her shirt shows Han with a guitar and reads "Guitar Solo" below the picture.)  "I know you don't," she says tiredly, drawing the last word into a half-stifled yawn, "but most people have a day job.  A little consideration goes a long way, you know."

"I wouldn't have interrupted your sleep if it wasn't important," is his synthesized reply, and she knows that's as close to an apology as she's going to get.  Saphira interrupts by standing on her back legs and putting her front paws on his leg, and Felicity is amused to see Starling City's feared Vigilante palm her a treat before patting her head.

She yawns again, and then grabs her robe.  "Fine," she says finally, "I'll go start the coffee pot.  I'm going to need caffeine if you expect me to work my usual magic—which, I might add, takes a full eight hours of sleep per night to maintain."

He follows her back into her living area, and she winces as she realizes her papers and documents from the Tempest investigation are sprawled all over her coffee table.  Of course the Arrow, curious thing that he is, immediately goes up to them, reaching for one.  She slaps his hand away.  "Hey, that's QC business.  As in, not yours.  Unless you're Walter Steele, then of course you're welcome to poke around."  He opens his mouth, but she cuts him off.  "And no questions.  It's top-secret stuff, and even I don't know all the details."  She frowns, knowing that her high-powered laptop is full of Tempest business, and she grabs her tablet instead.  "You're coming with me to the kitchen—I don't trust you alone in here with my research."

She's surprised when he complies with her, only asking, "What makes you think I don't have a day job?"  He sits at the bar as though he belongs there, elbows resting on the bar casually.  Saphira lies at his feet, and Felicity isn't sure whether to laugh or cry at how bizarre her life is.  She would have laughed if anyone told her she'd one day think that the Arrow looks awfully domestic, but, somehow, he does look as though he belongs right at the bar in her kitchen.

As she adjusts her coffee pot, Felicity replies to his question, "Because you're running-slash-rappelling-slash-sneaking around Starling City at three-seventeen in the morning."  She rolls her eyes.  "Nobody can go infinitely without sleep, and you've been active this entire week.  So, you probably sleep during the day and play superhero by night.  Kind of like a vampire."  She winces at the horrible analogy.  "Well, you know what I mean."

"I don't have fangs," he assures her, and Felicity can't help but laugh because, dear God, the Arrow is starting to make jokes now.  Instead of continuing, he pulls a black arrow that looks nothing like the green ones from the police reports.  "There's a new archer in town, and he's killing people that have already paid Starling City for their crimes.  This is one of his arrows.  If you can get me the purchase records, I can find him."  The end of his sentence turns ominous, and Felicity thinks it isn't going to end happily.

She frowns.  "While I appreciate the confidence boost," she starts, "there's no guarantee that he buys these arrows.  I mean, you clearly don't buy yours."  She bites her lip as she realizes her mouth has run away with her again.