The Daily Planet…
The Daily Planet!
Clark could scarcely believe his luck. And it was luck: despite the years of diligent study and hard work, nothing in his resume had been quite good enough for Perry White. He'd needed an extra opportunity to prove himself, and that had come thanks to a gorgeous woman who'd turned out to be none other than award-winning journalist Lois Lane. Now, as Clark tried to orient himself in the purpose-driven chaos of the busy newsroom, he couldn't help but feel that a momentous new chapter of his life had begun. There had been other cities and other jobs in the past, but this was different. Somehow, this was the beginning of his entire future.
A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, spinning him around. He found himself facing a striking, auburn-haired woman whose eyes glinted with amusement. “I thought you said working here would be a bad idea,” she said slowly, knocking her fists together and gesturing around her face.
Clark blinked in confusion. “What?”
Her eyes widened, and she lowered her hands. “Oh! Sorry, I, uh, thought you were someone else.” After a moment, she put a hand forward. “Cat Grant. I write the gossip column: Cat's Corner.”
“Clark Kent,” he replied, accepting the shake.
“So…” She looked him over from head to toe, as though he were some kind of exhibit. “You're new here?”
“Um, yes?” He cleared his throat and tried not to squirm under her attention.
“I see.” She grinned. “Well, welcome to Metropolis…Clark. I have a hunch things are going to get very…exciting.” She swished away, leaving him feeling confused and somehow uneasy.
Lois soon appeared by his elbow, her eyes following his stare. “Watch out for the local wildlife,” she muttered. After a pause, she added, “Actually, you got off pretty easy. I'm surprised she didn't offer you the ‘Grand Tour'.” Lois looked him over, though less intently than Cat had. “Must be that ‘innocent small town' thing you've got going on; maybe it's contagious.”
“Maybe,” Clark mumbled, wandering towards his desk. Was his rural background really that obvious? It would certainly explain how she had immediately known he wasn't from Metropolis…
**********
Cat's heart was pounding again when she finally arrived home. Her new roommate was busy in the kitchenette, unbagging groceries and looking nearly as excited as she felt. She tapped him on the shoulder.
His eyes lit up when he saw her, and he grinned and pulled her into a tight hug. In the following flurry of hand-motions, Cat barely caught the word for “Sale”.
“What?”
Her roommate paused, then grabbed a pen and notepad from the counter. Less then a second later, he tore off a sheet and handed it to her:
“The store had some kind of secret sale going on! There weren't any signs for it, but I got all this for under $100!!!”
He waved proudly at the fifty-dollars-worth of groceries on the table.
Cat frowned. “That wasn't a—” She broke off, shaking her head. It could wait. “I saw…” How did that sign go, again? It had been nearly a week since she'd last seen it, and her little crash course was still twisting her brain in knots... Ah, yes: she motioned to him then touched her thumb to her forehead. “I saw your father today.”
His eyes widened, and suddenly he was in the living area, rifling through the newspaper. She ran after him and grabbed his shoulder again, shaking her head when he looked back up. Cat thought for a moment, unsure of what to do, then finally settled for making circles with her fingers and positioning them over her eyes like glasses. It must have got the point across, because he suddenly smacked himself in the forehead and dropped onto the couch.
She curled up next to him. “We…talk to him?” she managed.
He shook his head emphatically, and she was once again lost in a flurry of signs that she didn't understand; though she recognized one from the first day they'd met: something like an H, a W, and a pocket-watch.
...?
Last edited by Queen of the Capes; 04/05/24 03:00 PM.
