Girl Power

[Felicity Smoak]

Felicity had always been a fan of the idea of the girl who was out there doing something similar to Oliver. She had liked reading about her, and got excited when the mystery girl even went as far as helping Oliver escape from different things. While Felicity might not be a ass kicker, she was fan girl enough to enjoy the idea of a woman being able to do it.

She had been surprised to find out who she was, and her heart broken while watching Oliver come to terms with it. That island had done so much to them both, and she knew that even now a year and half later it was still doing things to them. Eating at them.

Oliver and Diggle were out, Sara was here with her while trying to stay hidden from her family and everyone who once knew her. Felicity stood before one of the machines they used to test samples, and was waiting for the dirt to run through so she could use it to track down the bad guy.

-----------Tag: Sara Lance, in ep 2.05

[danigirl]

Sara Lance had been pacing around the Arrowcave while Felicity Smoak worked on tracking down the assassin. She was going over the mornings events in her head, replaying everything. The fight at Oliver's mansion had been a surprise. She'd hoped she would be long gone from Starling City before the League caught up with her again, but she'd miscalculated. She should have left when she had the chance. She'd put everyone in danger just by being here.

Worse than that, she'd had to confess her sins to Ollie. Watching his face fall when she told what she'd done, when she admitted to him she was a murderer was gut-wrenching. And he wanted her to tell her family, to admit to them what she was? She didn't want to face the rejection she felt she was do, not from her Dad, and especially not from Laurel. To have to face her sister after running off with her boyfriend was awful enough.

The fact that his team members were present for this only made it worse. She'd understood John Diggle and Ollie's association right away. Digg was ex-military, highly skilled, he was a brother in arms. She still wasn't sure how Felicity Smoak fit in. And Sara had been certain the girl would want to keep her distance. But she'd made her welcome and had even talked to her like a normal person.

Maybe it was time to get to know this girl better, figure out why she was so important to Oliver. She moved back towards Felcity's work station, stopping a few feet away.

[Felicity Smoak]

Sara was moving around the room, and Felicity had been trying to watch her without making it obvious that she was watching her. No need to make things more awkward then it was by being rude. When Sara came over and stopped, she finally looked up at Sara and smiled. "It must be boring for you, to be stuck here." Since Sara was used to going out and doing things rather then being locked up here for a while.

Felicity on the other hand was used to being in one place all the time, and found comfort in it. Her office, here, her house. She had even updated Oliver's stuff a few times without asking first as she made herself at home. However Sara had spent the last five years moving around--or so she assumed. To come back here, and be here had to be hard. "If you want me to get you a pizza or anything . . . . if you even eat pizza." She looked rather fit, and she knew after the island Oliver didn't eat much. When he did it was smaller meals, rather then a larger one.

[danigirl]

Sara smiled at Felicity's offer of food. "No thanks, I'm not hungry." Sara moved around the machine Felicity was working at, stopping when she reached Felicity's side. "And I'm not really bored, just restless, ya know. I wish i could be helping you out, but i have no clue how any of this stuff works." Sara glanced towards the workout area. Maybe she should just leave Felicity to her work and distract herself with a workout. But the last thing she really wanted to do was be alone with her thoughts.

[Felicity Smoak]

"That's why I am here." Felicity joked, knowing it was true too. "Oliver needed help with some tech stuff and came to me for help a few times, before I joined the team officially." That was another longer story, and one she knew would only bring out a babble unless Sara asked she wouldn't explain. Besides, Sara and Oliver were both these mysterious silent types and Felicity was an open book. She was trying to fit in by not explain everything.

Unless she should explain things? Should she? No. This was better. Totally better! Turning from the computer she faced Sara full on, and tried to appear less curious then she was. Sara knew Oliver before the island, and it was tempting to try to quiz her and find out everything she could, but she didn't know if Sara would talk (or want to talk) and if Oliver would approve. "Can I ask you something? Why did you pick the name Canary? I know how Oliver got his name . . . . names." He had like 3 or 4 now. "Why yours?"

[danigirl]

Sara looked back when Felicity spoke to her. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk anymore about her past, but something about this woman put her at ease. Besides, the his try behind her name was minuscule in comparison to the rest of her past.
"When i joined the League, i had to take a new name. I chose the name Canary," Sara paused a moment as images flashed before her eyes, "I chose it because it reminded me off home. When i was kid, my Dad gave me a pet canary, and i loved that thing like crazy. He gave it to me before things fell apart, before i started acting out." Sara moved a few feet away, her back to Felicity. "Before i ran off with my sisters boyfriend, before i died. Before i was reborn a killer." Sara turned back and faced Felicity again, a sad smile on her face. She didn't know why she felt like crying all of the sudden. What was it about this girl that made Sara want to trust her? Before Sara did anything crazy like tell Felicity everything about her past, she decided to turn the tables and find out a few things about Ms. Smoak. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she said, "So tell me Felicity, how did you get tangled up in all this? You don;t really seem the type for vigilante work"

[Felicity Smoak]

"Sounds like you might not have changed all that much." Felicity told her, noticing the emotion that was clear on her face and knowing there had to be so much more that she could not see. "You could have taken any name, and yet you picked the one to remind you of what was important." Her family. Her home. Who she was before the ship wreaked and she had to become something stronger.

But Sara had asked about her story, and Felicity felt herself glance at the ground and try to hide a smile. Oliver. He was why she was here. "I like helping people." Which was true, and she would help anyone she could, but this was more then just helping. "Oliver came to me for help, right after he started all this. At first it was one REALLY bad lie after another, but . . . I dunno, I trusted him. He was nice to me." And not too many people were completely nice to her.

They became annoyed with her talking, and tended to avoid her or ask her to shut up. Walter had not. Oliver had not. Diggle and Sara. There were others but not every many. "He got shot once, and when he knew he could not make it back here he came to me. Trusted me to get him here." Her words trailed off as she had never really thought about how much trust that was putting into her before. It made her feel good. "My story is really boring." Complared to Sara and Oliver's.

[danigirl]

Sara was in shock. The kind of lives they lead, the secrets they had to keep, by definition meant they had to live in the shadows, removed from those around them. But when he'd been in trouble, he'd gone to her. For Ollie to trust this person enough to reveal his identity-it was a little mind blowing. Sara had no one to rely on, no one to watch her back; to know that Oliver had found that, with this girl, and with John, made her happy. It made her envious. What she wouldn't give to have that in her life.
"No, not boring," Sara said. "For Ollie to come to you, vulnerable like that...you must be something special Felicity Smoak." Sara back towards her, stopping in front of her.
"I can see you care, and i can see why he would trust you." Sara laughed to herself, "Hell, i feel like spilling my guts to you, and I've known you a few hours. Ollie is lucky to have you. And he knows it."

[Felicity Smoak]

Sara's words made her heart skip a beat. "No. I don't like him." She tried to cover. "I mean I like him, but not like him like him. He's a friend. We're friends." Maybe that was what she meant? "We just . . . are friends." Stop babbling! Running her hand over her hair and ponytail Felicity mentally counted down from three before looking back at Sara and trying again.

She didn't know if Oliver thought himself lucky to have her, but she knew he trusted her. That alone was big for him, and it wasn't something Felicity ever down played. It was all she had---his trust. She wasn't Oliver's type for anything else. Sara was. His type. Apparently. "What I meant to say is that Oliver is not just my boss, but a friend, and while I didn't always approve of what he did, I do now."

"Just as I like that you helped those women. Not everyone can fight, and protect themselves. It's good to know someone is out there helping." Helping people like her. "I once had a guy put a bomb around my neck, and there have so many other times when things have happened and I needed help. It if wasn't for people like you and Oliver who could stand up, then people like me would be dead."

[danigirl]

"Don't go thinking I'm some kind of hero. I'm not." Sara didn't like the idea of being labeled a hero. Yes, she'd saved a few women from the would be predators of this city, but that didn't erase all the pain and chaos she'd unleashed in her past. Sara wouldn't even be here if she hadn't heard about what Oliver was up too-the whole rescuing women thing came about because she needed something to do while investigating the vigilante. Sara knew what it meant to be a victim, and no woman deserved. that. Still she didn't want this one getting an crazy ideas.
"I'm just a killer who had sometime on her hands. Ollie though, he's changed. He's not broken, like i am. Or at least not as much as i am. And for the better too. And i also know, no matter how much you may protest, that you're a big part of that."
"As for the whole guy putting a bomb around your neck, that's a story i definitely need to hear. And if you want i can show you a few moves to help you out of sticky situations. If you want."

[Felicity Smoak]

Not a hero? "To the women you saved, you're very much a hero to them." Which sometimes was all it took. One mother or daughter saved to return to their families; and seeing how Sara's family reacted to her death . . . it was easy to see the value of one person. To a family it was only that one life that was important.

As for her story, "It was one of my first cases with Oliver, and Diggle. There was a jewel thief, and instead of letting Oliver deal with him . . . . I confronted him. He had a reputation for putting these necklace bombs on people and I was his last victim." But Oliver saved her, and Diggle didn't let her panic. Her boys! "Oliver didn't kill him, but made sure the police could arrest him." That was important at the time. Oliver not killing. She learned to look the other way later, but it had been hard. Now he didn't kill, and she liked that.

"So yes! If you have anything that would help me, I would love to not be so useless." She knew she was good, but when it came to a fight she was more of a hindrance then a help most days. "Diggle has been helping me, but . . . . well he's a guy." So he fought like a guy, and Felicity was girl, so not all the moves worked for her. Then there was Oliver, who was also teaching her but she didn't volunteer that. She liked those one on one moments, and having his focus solely on her.

[danigirl]

Sara smiled at her eagerness. She saw the way Felicity's face lite up at the mention of Oliver TOO. 'That was interesting' Sara thought. It appeared Ms. Smoak had feelings for Ollie. Sara wasn't too sure how she felt about that. She didn't worry for Oliver, but she did for Felicity. However much progress he'd made since coming home, Sara could see he was still broken. Maybe not as bad as she was, but he defiantly still had some serious baggage. Sara could tell Felicity had an inner strength. She just was't sure she was strong enough to deal with Oliver.
Shaking off her thoughts, she took in Felicity's appearance. She wasn't exactly dressed for sparing.
"Do you something you can change into?"

[Felicity Smoak]

Change! Yes! Skirts were good for looking pretty but less so for rolling around on the mat! "Yeah, I have something here." Left in hopes that Oliver decided one day to teach her on a random move, or Diggle had some free time. She liked learning this so left clothes and a water bottle here just in case--sad but true. "I'll go change and come back." She reached down to change a few settings on the unit, before turning to nearly skip out of the room--or as best as in heels.

When she came back she was wearing yoga pants, a sports bra, and had better shoes on. Walking to the computer she checked it once more before looking up at Sara. "You never know when one of the boys will come home bloody, so I keep clothes there." For them and for her. It was her way of taking care of her boys! One of the few she could do at least. She had also come back with two water bottles, and handed one to Sara. "In case you want it later."

[danigirl]

Sara snags the offered water. She's surprised by Felicity's enthusiasm, if she's being honest. She figured John and Ollie would have prepared her for physical encounters. To hear that she'd had a bomb attached to her neck made her wonder if they were sufficiently looking out for her. It bothered her, to think this woman in front of her had been in such a dangerous situation. And if the boys weren't going to do anything to ensure her safety, then Sara would see to it.
Sara knew what it was like to be on her own, and she was gonna teach Felicity what she could in order to help protect her. Indicating the training mats, she started to make her way over there, assuming Felicity would follow. Asking over her shoulder, she said, "So, have those guys shown you any moves, or am your first?"

[Felicity Smoak]

Following Sara over to the mats, Felicity tried to remember everything she had been shown, and think of what they called each move. In truth, she might know the moves but she failed to remember what they were called. Electronics, she had that! Fighting . . . not so much. Or at all. "They showed me some. A bit of self defense that I mostly forget when I get into trouble--or the people we tend to go up against are more advance." Which was everyone.

"A few months back, I did manage to rather awesomely knock a thug out." She had seen him going for Oliver, and more reacted then thought. "His back was too me, and I hit him over the head with one of those priceless-heavey things the Queens have everywhere." It was one thing she could brag about, and she was going to do it! There wasn't much in a fight that she could brag about.

[danigirl]

Sara laughed at Felicity's response. She looked so proud of herself-and she should. Sara wanted to encourage that kind of quick thinking. "That's great. You saw what was going on, found a weapon, and incapacitated the bad guy with minimal fuss. That should always be your plan." Coming to stop in the middle of the mat, she turned to face Felicity.
She was right about the opponents they faced being stronger than her. The kind men and women Oliver dealt with would not take it easy on her just because she was a woman. Men always saw women as less of threat, and Sara would teach Felicity to use that to her advantage. She could get the drop on a lot of people, and Sara would teach her a few life saving techniques that might also come in handy.
"I'm gonna show you a few moves, and then we'll practice them. Nothing to crazy, I promise," she said with a small smile. "My goal is to keep you alive long enough to get away. And that's actually rule number one: whenever you can, run. Never let yourself get into a situation where you can be taken down. Especially if you're with Ollie or Diggle. They've been trained for this-you haven't. They can take care of themselves much better when they don't have to also worry about you. Got it?"

[Felicity Smoak]

Everything Sara said made so much sense that it should have been common sense, but it wasn't anything most people thought about. She knew about the running. She was rather good at that part when her shoes weren't as high as they were in the office. Her street shoes were more normal. She could run in them. "Got it!" She felt a bit excited to be trained by Sara! She had been a fan of the idea of a woman doing what Oliver did since they first got reports of her.

Something else Sara said made her wonder. "You call him Ollie, too." She noticed that most people from before the island did that. It was . . . odd to think of him with that nickname. Ollie was the spoiled rich boy. Oliver was the man who that boy became. "I noticed a lot of people did that." She wasn't sure where that was meant to go, but it had just slipped out.