Title: Better than Expected
Author: slacker_d
Crossover: Arrow/Orphan Black
Pairing/Characters: Felicity Smoak/Sara Lance, Sarah Manning/Cosima Niehaus/Delphine Cormier, John Diggle, Oliver Queen
Summary: Cosima may have gone to Vegas with one goal in mind, but she left with something much better.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Assumes knowledge of both shows through season 2. Also the timelines of the two shows don't quite match up, but hopefully this crossover is amusing enough that it's ignorable.
2nd A/N: I've never been to Vegas, so I got all the info online. And with the gambling, I kind of just made some conclusions that hopefully are close enough to the truth. So apologies if I got anything wrong.
She doesn't tell the others what she's up to, just that she wants to check things out alone. They don't question it too much, more concerned about what they want to do. She knows they only asked because she's Brenda's roommate and it was a bit awkward not to. Cosima doesn't mind—at least that's what she tells herself—since she came to Vegas with a specific goal in mind.
She ends up at the Circus Circus Casino because of the name and the fact that it's a smaller casino. She hopes that means it'll be a little easier to count cards and not be noticed.
She wanders a bit, taking in the atmosphere and trying not to seem too eager. She hopes she can just blend it, but wonders if her glasses scream geek, meaning it's obvious that she's counting cards. Or maybe she's over thinking it, which she tends to do.
She finally picks a black jack table with two open seats and finds herself sitting next to a young blonde about her age—who offers her a smile, which Cosima returns—and a balding man who looks about fifty. She receives her chips and is dealt her two cards.
…
The addition of another person at the table means that Felicity has to adjust her approach a bit. But she's been doing this long enough that it's a simple matter. She's actually more concerned about using a fake ID than she is about her card counting.
Five hands after the woman with the dreads sits down, a new shoe begins and Felicity mentally calculates how much longer she can stay at the table before she has to worry about being caught.
It's as she's figuring this out that she realizes that the woman next to her is counting cards as well. She's good, not as good as Felicity—she'd be willing to bet that this is dreads first time—but she's subtle enough that she could have had an excellent night, if she'd just picked a different table. Two people counting cards and not working together make it a bit more obvious about what's happening. Felicity debates what to do.
…
The cute blond to her right keeps sneaking glances at Cosima. She's not conceited enough to assume it's interest, but the smile she wears while looking at Cosima does seem encouraging.
They're both doing well and Cosima wonders if she should maybe invite her out for a drink after. Even if she's not interested—Cosima's been wrong before—she at least seems like someone who'd be interesting to talk to.
But then she cashes out and Cosima thinks the opportunity is lost.
But as she stands, the blonde leans over and asks, "Would you want to get a drink with me?"
Figuring that she can always try again later, Cosima agrees and cashes out as well. The dealer is eyeing them suspiciously, but Cosima just ignores him, since she's not sure why.
She follows the blonde out of the casino and suddenly wonders if she's walking into some sort of set up.
...
Once Felicity's gotten the woman outside and away from the casino, she introduces herself.
"Felicity Smoak."
"Cosima Niehaus."
The name fits her, Felicity thinks.
"So I hope you don't mind," Felicity begins. "But I thought it was better if we both got out of there."
"Because of the dealer?" Cosima asks.
"Yeah. Kind of," Felicity replies. "More because we were both counting cards and were probably about to be busted."
"Whoa, no way."
Felicity nods.
"Then I totally appreciate that," Cosima says. "I didn't realize... You didn't have to get me out of there."
"Course I did," Felicity replies as they start walking. "They're real asshats if you get caught counting cards. You don't deserve that."
"How do you know I don't?"
Felicity shrugs. "I just do."
"So... did you still want to get a drink?"
"I could actually use some food," Felicity counters. "I was in there a while. My treat?"
Cosima nods. "You earned more than me, dude, so sure. Lead the way."
…
Felicity takes her to a taco place nearby.
"You're not vegan or anything, are you?" Felicity asks suddenly as they stand in line.
Cosima shakes her head, finding the question endearing.
They order and find a table, immediately falling into conversation easily. It helps that Felicity seems as talkative as Cosima. She learns—surprisingly—that Felicity is eighteen and grew up in Vegas. She's been earning extra money for college by counting cards.
"At first it was just a fun challenge, but the better I got, the more sense it made."
Cosima, in turn, talks about growing up in San Francisco, her interest in Biology and what she plans to do after she graduates from Berkley next year.
…
Felicity is pleasantly surprised at how much fun she's having talking with Cosima. She'd just been hoping to save her from being thrown out or worse, but the more they talk, the more Felicity hopes they can be friends.
...
Cosima ends up hanging out with Felicity the rest of the week. It's more fun than spending time with her roommate and her friends. Felicity is definitely more interesting than Brenda and her group.
Felicity takes her to two other casinos to count cards while Felicity does other things. Cosima does well, especially because of the tips Felicity gives her on how to avoid drawing attention.
At the end of the week, they exchange information and vow to keep in touch. They'll be on opposite ends of the country, Felicity starting at M.I.T. and Cosima continuing at Berkley, but she figures that with all the ways to keep in touch, they'll be able to sustain their friendship.