2012-10-05 Corn, Coffee, & Idols

It's a beautiful day in Metropolis, the kind of day that makes people take the family out to the park after work for a picnic. The kind of day that inspires grilling, gossip, and secret hopes of Superman sightings. Even the Daily Planet isn't immune to this: The activity hasn't slowed down much, but someone does occasionally pause in their typing to look out a nearby window.
Which might explain how Jubilation Lee ended up in the newsroom. Finding the receptionist's desk empty, she'd simply stepped through the door, her borrowed book on newswriting tucked under her arm. Seriously, they know her, right? Right! Her height isn't any help as she cranes her neck to look around the room, trying to find the desk of a certain idol of hers. Of course, that same smallness isn't much help in staying unnoticed, considering her spiky hair, designer denim, and her signature red earrings and shades.
Said idol, having just stepped out of the restroom, smirks and steps up for what passes as super stealth in the hub-bub of the Planet bullpen behind Jubilee. Hands on her hips, the reporter says with something close to firm and almost disapproving, "Do you have an appointment?"
Jubilation, having just taken a step towards an empty desk, halts and whirls at the disapproving voice behind her. Then she realizes who it is, and a smile breaks over her face like a California beach wave. "Miss Lane!"
Lois chuckles, her own smile breaking free as the girl beams at her. 
"Hello, Jubilation. How are you," asks the reporter, doing what a reporter does best: questions!
Clark emerges from the break room, carrying two cups of coffee as approaches the pair standing in the news room. He holds one out to Lois and smiles. "No Superman sightings today." he states, shrugging. Of course not. For some reason Clark seems cursed never to see the Man of Steel. I wonder why. "Oh, Hello." he says, nodding his head and smiling warmly at Jubilee. "Who is your friend, Lois?"
"I'm good, totally, and I hope you're just as good," the teen replies, her smile not faltering. "I came to return that book I borrowed from you," she adds, holding it up. "I'm sorry to the /max/ I'm late with it, but it's already helped me some in class, though I haven't had a chance to do any actual /news/ writing. I guess that'll have to come later."
She glances up as someone steps over, thoughtfully bringing a cup of coffee to Miss Lane. Jubilation smiles, bowing her head in greeting. "Hi!"
Lois glances over as Clark approaches with the coffee cup. She takes it, pursing her lips at their bad luck. Then she shrugs, seeming unconcerned for the moment.
"He'll turn up," is all Lois remarks about the lack of Steel in the area. Maybe Kal's allergic to corn, takes away his super powers or something? Clark's corn-fed.
"Jubilation Lee; Clark Kent," Lois says by way of answer to her partner's question and polite introduction. She reaches out with her non-coffee'd hand to take her book back, lips twitching up into a light smile.
"Sure thing, Lee. Glad it helped out." This is Lois, not saying that the best way to get a good news story is to get out there and let it fall on you, or fling you off roof tops, or try to crash the airplane you're in, or...
"A pleasure, Ms. Lee." Clark says, nodding his head in greetings. He glances curiously at the book being handed over and reaches up to gently push his glasses back up his nose. "Are you studying journalism, Ms. Lee?" the man asks, making a wild guess from the book title.
"It was really cool of you to loan it to me. I'll totally have to find a copy of my own," Jubilation replies, handing over the book. Introductions are made, and she looks back over to the Bringer Of Coffee with a smile. "Oh, /you're/ Clark Kent! Miss Lane's told me about you," she says cheerfully. "I'm not exactly studying journalism, but I have to do a lot of writing for classes and such, and well, writing's writing. Mostly. It's /sooo/ great to meet you, Mister Kent."
Lois sips her coffee, a flicker of a grin and a soft almost sigh - coffee goooood - as Jubilee just rambles. Lois gives a light nods, tucking the book under an arm. She's refraining from comment; Lois didn't talk about Clark.... honest. Damn kid's just making it up.
Clark actually looks a little surprised to hear that Lois was talking about him. He glances at Lois, and a rather stupid grin creeps over his face before he looks back at Jubilee. "That makes a lot of sense. The ability to write well is a great skill to develop. It can help you with nearly any profession you may choose." he offers sagely, trying to be helpful. 
"So what has Ms. Lane told you about me?" he asks, trying to make it sound like an innocent question.
"That's what the book said!" Jubilation recalls. "And it's helped me some already. Dunno if I'll ever be a /great/ writer, but I can try and get better at it."
She glances over at the oddly-silent Lois, then smiles at Clark again. "She said you were a good writer. Maybe a little clumsy... but some people just are. It's not something you can help," she replies, that hesitation hinting that she's not speaking Miss Lane's words at the last, but her own, hastily added.
Lois nearly chokes on her coffee a bit as the teen nearly quotes her word for word. A glance at Clark, and then Lois seems to flip her hair sorta in his direction. 
"You're misremembering, Lee. A lot clumsy," Lois retorts, hoping Clark won't dwell on the fact that Lois does think he's an amazing writer.
Clark chuckles lightly at Jubilation claiming that Lois called him a great writer and is bringing his coffee to his lips. His chuckling causes him to tip the cup a little too early and he spills a bit of coffee to the floor, just managing not to spill it down the front of his shirt. 
"Whoops." Kent starts, reaching out to set the coffee cup on the very edge of a nearby desk to pull and handkercheif from his pocket and dropping to one knee to clean his shoes and the floor quickly. "Excuse me." he says jovially, like this happens all the time.
Of course, as soon as he starts to rise again, he bumps the edge of the desk with his head and sends his nearly full coffee cup over the edge to land with a splash in the trash can. "Oh bother."
"Surely he's not that..." Jubilation starts to reply. And then Clark has a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip, which results in a puddle on the floor, and on his shoes. "...bad?"
Nope, he's not that bad. He's worse! With a bump and a splash, Clark's cup gets trashed. Jubilation quickly puts a hand over her mouth. "Oh, dear," she says, when she can trust herself not to giggle. "Where's the machine? I could get you another."
"Can't take you anywhere, can I, Smallville," Lois quips as she takes that half step away from Clark as the klaxons in her mind tell her that a clutz-out moment is about to- oh look. he clutzed out. Lois can die happy now. A chuckling smirk dances to her face. She sips her coffee again.
"At least you made it into the trash can this time," Lois notes as she watches Clark clean up. Because it's not safe to get near the husker whenhe's having a Clark moment. He's a big guy, even if he hunches over and acts uncomfortable in his own skin. 
"How's school," asks Lois of Jubilee as Clark collects himself.
Clark mutters something about at least this time it's not all over the front of Cat's shirt, as he rises, rubbing the top of his head briskly before his own mutterings make his blush lightly. "Thank you, but that isn't necessary, Ms. Lee."
He falls quiet when Lois asks her question and smiles warmly as he reaches up once more to push his glasses back into place on his nose.
"School? It's okay," Jubilation replies, with the air of someone saying what's expected about a dull subject. School. It's /boring/. For 13 years of your life. Not much more to say, especially when you can't say /that/. "At least I'm writing better."
She looks up as Clark speaks up again. "Well... okay, if you're sure, Mister Kent," she replies. "Who's Cat?"
Lois points with a pinky, motioning with the hand that holds her coffee at the very curving, very cleavage-fied, very 'that's way too tight for you', very hair done perfectly and makeup done too much, highlight wearing woman half sitting, half leaning on her desk as she talks on the phone.
"That," is all Lois says, the tone of that single monosyllabic word filled with annoyance and disapproval. The /gossip/ columnist. Jubilee's canned answer sounds no bells in the reporter's mind.
"I had a great time in back when I was in school." Clark chimes in, totally missing the 'school sucks' vibe. "So much to learn, books to read, papers to write. Great times." When Cat is pointed out, Clark glances over and blushes again. It went right down the front of her shirt that fateful day. Thankfully, or maybe not so thankfully, it was an iced mocha coffee that day, and didn't burn the poor girl.
Jubilation's eyes follow Lois's pointing pinky to... /that/. "Nice hair," is all she says, possibly following the old advice of what to say when you've got nothing nice to say. And her attention comes back to Lois and Clark. Catchy double-handle! "You must've gone to a /totally/ different school, Mister Kent. And I guess the low-cut blouse look wasn't in then," she adds playfully, amused twinkles filling those blue eyes.
"Yeah. Smallville here went to high school with corn and cows, right, Kent?" Lois, being snarky, sips her coffee. She's more than a little amused by Jubilee's reaction to Cat's attire, and how the girl points out Clark's blush. Alright, ratting her out about thinking Clark is a good writer is forgiven. For how long depends entirely on how he takes the teen's low-cut blouse comment. Violet flick to the farmboy, lips twitches up in an anticipatory grin.
"The low-cut blouse look?" Clark says, looking confused for a moment and thin grinning a moment later. He still doesn't look like he got it, but maybe if he nods and smiles, nods and smiles, the two ladies wont catch on. 
"There were a few people too." the man responds weakly to the corn and cows comment. "I think there were...68 in my graduating class."
"Those cows must've been pretty good teachers, judging by your writing," Jubilation replies, her teasing turning good-natured. "I'm sorry to say I've never heard of Smallville. But with a graduating class that size, I guess it's no mystery why." A lot of towns do go unnoticed in this great country.
"Jesus. A whole sixty-eight," Lois quips with a shake of her head and a smirk on her lips. She's about to continue on, but - since they've got company who's under aged - Lois opts not to keep in on Clark, for the moment. It's telling in how she opens mouth, then brings coffee cup to lips. Nothing to see here, folks.
"I suppose the cows were good enough to get me into Metropolis University." Clark says good naturedly, the teasing barely phasing him at all. "Smallville is a little town in Kansas." Clark explains to Jubilee, like she might be curious as to why she's never heard of such a small place. "In the middle of a lot of corn."
Jubilation gives Lois a surprised look. Okay, she doesn't work with him, but that sounded rather mean. And what had she started to say? But, Kansas, corn, cows, and Smallville. "It sounds like a nice place, in a Mayberry-ish sort of way," she says, not without approval. "The kind of place where nobody locks their doors, and everybody knows everybody, at least a little." Her smile turns wry. "Prob'ly no malls, though. I don't know if I'd be a very good guest. Do you still have... family there, Mister Kent?"
Oh here we go. Jubilee just gave Kent permission to rattle on about Farmer John and his wife Mary. Lois puts on a tolerant smile, steps around to her desk (right next to them), and sits down to check her email. Heard it or doesn't care about it? Probably a bit of both. Hearing Clark talk about his still living and very loving mother is not Lois' idea of a good time. 
Oh, hey look! Lois is speechless. Point: Jubilee.
"My mother still lives there. I go see her as often as possible." Clark says, smiling softly. Of course...Clark is out there usually every Sunday, but that's beside the point. "What about you, Ms. Lee? Where are you from?"
Clark glances over as Lois takes a seat at her desk and seems to be ignoring the conversation. "Jimmy got those pictures you took of the Justice League all wrapped up, Lois. They came out really well."
"That's cool," Jubilation replies approvingly. "I'll bet she's glad to have you visit so often. I know... just bet she is." Strange. Why did she hesitate?
But the mutant motormouth goes on. "Me? Salem Center, now. It's upstate of New York City. Before that, Los Angeles. I've been around a bit."
She glances up at the mention of that name. "Jimmy? The carrot-topped guy with the camera? And what's a Justice League?"
Lois glances up at Clark at the mention of those photos. Nothing perks a girl up like work-talk. Clicky clicky goes her mouse to find the files. 
"The Justice Leauge? You know? Superman, Colossus, Martian Manhunter," Lois prompts the girl while her violet eyes are on the monitor. She smiles brightly suddenly as the first of her amateur photography butt photos come up.
"Ah, that's a good one."
"Jimmy said something about taking your finger off the trigger of the camera when you where done, Lois." Clark comments, with another of his good natured smiles before glancing back at Jubilee. "Well, I need to go get Mr. White's dry cleaning before his meeting this afternoon. Lucky shirt, as I understand it. It was a pleasure to meet you Ms. Lee. If you'll excuse me, ladies?"
Clark actually stands there and waits for the ladies to let him know it's okay to leave before moving a muscle towards the elevators.
"Oh... I've heard of Superman, but none of the others," Jubilation replies. "I'll have to read up on them." She turns that brilliant smile on Clark. "It was nice meeting you, too, Mister Kent. Hope to talk to you again soon!"
Her gaze strays to Lois's desk... and monitor. Huh? "Miss Lane? What are you looking at?"
"Yeah? Well, Olsen's lucky I used an actual camera this time and not my cellphone," Lois retorts, muttering about fingers and triggers. And then Clark mentions the dry cleaning. She stops her work and looks up at Clark.
"Oh, really, Kent? His dry-cleaning? You're not his little errand boy," Lois states, eyes on Clark. But, she knows that look. She shakes her head lightly at the other reporter.
"You're going to have to stand up for yourself someday, Kent," she says softly, half rolling her eyes and looking at Jubilee. A smile and she lets the girl see the monitor. It's a photo of some of the JLA members, sans one shiny metal mutant.
"Photos I took while on assignment eariler this week. I'll be heading back Monday, most likely. Apparently, things are quiet at the Hall on the weekends. I'm still waiting for an alert to go out though." What? Lois is mental.
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