othmtmte. /Faithful 13/. Random Day

[marsthewriter]

Frank: *over in a corner of the engine room, the pieces of an electronic component laid out carefully in front of him as he snisses to himself and studies each bit closely. Has no idea that his white fur is fluffed out in concentration*

Random: *has placed a few more boxes than usual in the engine room* *is tinkering with a few things on the engine itself as he shuts it down* *trying to stop himself from reacting to the softly blowing air* *still isn't quite used to feeling the air on his chassis*

h13: *looks in through the door and beeps. She found the blue wire connectors*

Random: *absently replies that she should put 'em down on one of the box piles* *focused on the last couple of things he's doing* *luckily, he had found a way to make her "doll" hardlight, so she can actually do that task*

h13: *still thinks it's less intrusive to make the little box of connectors scoot over and settle on a crate to one side of his work area*

Frank: *sudden furpoof as a soft zzt is heard* Ack! Alright, not that way...

Random: *takes a step back from the engine and watches as the lights and movements slow and stop* *interestingly enough, Dr. Frank's occasional outbursts this morning have been helping him get used to his increased hearing capabilities* *looks over at the circuit Dr. Frank is working on and makes a suggestion of how to fix it*

Frank: ...Backward? Are you sure? *studies the pieces, one in each hand* ...I did have them backward. *voice trails off into snissing as he sets to fixing his mistake*

Random: *leaves Dr. Frank to sort that out* *moves to remove what looks like a disk set in a metal plate with holes from one of the boxes*

Kia: *peeks in* Random, can I borrow your 8mm laser spanner?

Random: *looks towards her a moment before turning around until he finds the tool on another box and hands it to her* *gives her a slight smile* Sure. Here ya go.

Kia: *happy little bounce as she takes the tool* SDOK is almost all put together. *pauses* Can I hug you?

Random: *nods once and moves around the boxes for easier reaching*

Kia: *gentle hug*

Random: *smile grows a bit bigger as he hugs her* *contact like this can still be kinda weird, but it feels kinda good, too*

Kia: *happy little puff of a sigh that doesn't blow against him, and then she's letting go and smiling up at him* I love you.

Random: *returns her smile* Love you, too.

Kia: See you at supper. *turns, all ready to scoot away*

Random: See you then.

Kia: *and away she goes*

Random: *looks after her for a moment or two* *takes the plate he had set on the box and begins to examine it*

Frank: *intently floof again* Now we have this... Hmm. *sniss sniss*

Random: *uses his fingers to measure the disk on the inner side of the plate. Thinks for a bit, and then nods and starts digging through a different box*

Jenny: *looks in* Okay, I can trigger my magnets without thinking about it. Can I go outside?

Random: *stops mid-digging and looks up, clearly confused* What?

Jenny: *confused too as she clings there by the door and wrinkles her forehead at him* You said to wait till I was used to my suit before I tried going outside.

Frank: That was me, child.

Jenny: Oh. Can I go outside now?

Frank: *glances at Random to see if the boy seems worried by the idea*

Random: *trying to catch his processor up on "Jenny" and "outside" when he sees Jenny's suit and remembers that Kia made it for Jenny* *looks slightly more at ease about the idea* *probably because the decision for her to go out is out of his hands*

Frank: Go ahead. Stay near the others.

Jenny: *surprised that he'd think she wouldn't, since the whole reason she wants to go out is to be near the others* Yessir. *sound of light footsteps running away*

Frank: *attention back on his work and his grumbling*

Random: *thinks for a moment as he watches Dr. Frank work before he reaches to get the thing he was digging for out of the box: a portable power source of some kind*

Frank: *without looking up* How's your energy level? Oh confound it, where did that go? *starts combing his fur*

Random: *connects the power source to the plate before he checks his level* *reaches into subspace for the energon snack he placed there* Oh. Right.

TwoBad: *looks in* Mrphle Thrrpt? (Bubby, do you know where our squeaky is?)

Random: *is in the middle of a bite so he points with the hand not holding the energon to the squeaky in the corner where the two-headed Predacon left it*

Bad: *looks and razzes gleefully*

Two: *earnest and happy sounds at Bubby as they go to get the beloved toy. Two is babbling, though it doesn't sound like human baby babble, but more like a husky puppy*

Random: *smile between bites despite himself as he watches them move* *still not entirely sure what to think of them*

Two: *inquisitive yammering at Bad*

Bad: *thrrpt. He carried squeaky last time*

Two: *kissie! Get squeaky!*

Bad: *so much razz about the kissie as they bounce out*

Random: *finishes snack and shakes his head at them* *turns on the power source connected to the plate, runs his free hand over it a few times, and then holds it over his knee* *a moment passes before the plate becomes magnetized to his knee* *keeps a hand on the power source but lets go of the plate* *smiles a bit when the plate doesn't move*

Dreadwing: *looks in* Random, do you think you could eat this pasta in white sauce for supper?

Random: *looks up at Dreadwing* What pasta?

Dreadwing: *shows him a large shape slightly reminiscent of a squid torpedo*

Random: *looks at it* Um, that should be fine.

Dreadwing: Alright. *turns and walks away, his mind on supper duty*

Frank: *sneeze* Drat...

Random: *absent Further Rim word that seems to be similar to "Bless you" or "Gesundheit"* *pleased look as sees that the plate is still on his knee* *reaches down and pokes at it*

Frank: Thank you. *rubs his nose and then resumes the search through the fur*

Random: *smiles when he sees that the plate's not budging* Welcome. *catches the plate as it falls upon losing magnetization a moment later and then turns off the power source* *smile's a bit bigger* *starts disconnecting the power source as he moves to return it to the box*

Nightwish: *looks in* Random, do you have time to go pick up our ration order?

Frank: *looks up with surprise*

Random: *in the process of returning the items when his Mom walks in* Ration order? *looks confused*

Nightwish: *nods* The things we get from the Black Dog, like the pasghetti.

Random: *likes the sound of pasghetti, but still seems confused* Now? I thought Dreadwing had enough for dinner.

Nightwish: *soft chuckle* We've got enough for supper, but it's time to restock. Nemesis has our order.

Random: Oh. *starts looking a bit uncertain*

Nightwish: *perches on a low stool near the door* *patiently and gently* What's wrong?

Random: You sure I'm ready? *hasn't left the ship since his operation* *not sure what leaving's going to be like*

Nightwish: You are physically. *glances at Frank*

Frank: *huffs and nods* And TwoBad would want to go with you.

Random: *glances between the adults and the door that TwoBad went out of, still looking unsure*

Nightwish: You're only going to the Black Dog.

Random: *processing that*

Frank: What's the location got to do with anything?

Nightwish: *soft chuckle* It's the safest place I know of, outside this ship. Between Nemesis, Dinobot, Tarantulus, and Rhinox, no one dares do anything. Not to mention Keg views the place as part of his jurisdiction.

Frank: *pauses in fur combing* Oh. I see.

Nightwish: And it's behind you.

Frank: What's behind... *turns, sees his lost connector* *sniss sniss*

Random: *remembers that knowledge from his previous trips to the Black Dog* *looks at his Mom* I'd be going straight there?

Nightwish: *nods* Like we usually do.

Random: Okay. *relaxes some before starting to wonder if he thinks he's ready for the trip* *with the people she mentioned being there, no one should mess with him, but did he really want to go into a busy situation right now?*

Frank: *zzt* *sniss sniss*

Random: Just for the ration order? *trying to remember how long it usually took Nemesis to get those ready*

Nightwish: *brows lift slightly* Unless there's something you want.

Random: *automatically thinks back to the conversation he had with her about wanting to know how to survive a fight--but his new processor quickly realizes that that probably wasn't what she was referring to* No.

Nightwish: *approving smile even as she shakes her head slightly*

Random: *frowns as he realizes she answered his face like she always has and then starts to look a bit embarrassed*

Nightwish: *her own brows draw together slightly* What's wrong?

Random: Uhhhh. *not sure he wants to say*

Frank: *ZZT!* *FURPOOF* *WORD!*

Nightwish: *face palm*

Random: *looks to see if Dr. Frank needs help*

Frank: *slight flail as he snisses. Fur is standing out with a vengeance* How is it even doing this? The power pack is over THERE!

Random: *looks* That's not the power pack.

Frank: *pause* *slowly* What is it?

Random: Sound module.

Frank: *snssle snss. Face PALM*

Nightwish: And 13 has her finger in the scanner.

h13: *is irate beeping all the way to the door*

Frank: *doesn't even!*

Random: . . . Maybe you should take a break.

Frank: *deep sigh and steps away from the scanner* I'm afraid I'm no mechanic.

Random: *steps over and sees if he can see any immediate problems with the scanner . . . other than being taken apart to be worked on* It was mostly 13 messing with you. *tells him the proper order of putting things back*

Frank: *sighs and snisses, his hands starting to fix his fur and lay it down* Why don't you do it?

Random: Don't usually work on things that small. *but then he remembers he's got NEW TOOLS FOR DELICATE THINGS(TM)!* *calls them out of his fancy new on-board tool compartment* *startles a bit as his vision magnifies and shows him the parts more clearly*

Frank: *sharp look of concern as he spots that small startle. But sees that Random's alright and returns to grouching and fixing the fur*

Random: *remember when he'd have to get a magnifying glass and work very slowly on the small stuff, Nightwish?* *he's STILL working slow because he's not used to being able to work this precisely on his own, but his caution using his new tools is still faster than how he used to do things* *soon has everything put together and uses a tool to hand the scanner to Dr. Frank* There. Try that.

Frank: *eyes it warily, but takes it and switches it on* Oh, I see you there, 13. So don't get any ideas.

13: *disembodied chuckle*

Nightwish: Don't worry. She's got a weird sense of humour, but she's not a pest.

Random: *absently playing with his optic magnification settings while he waits to see if Dr. Frank has any problems with the scanner*

Frank: *idly hits the button to scan for lifeforms* Ohhhh. There are ants over there.

Nightwish: *bit of a grin that vanishes nearly as quickly as it came. Plainly knows about the ants*

Random: *takes that to mean the scanner's working well and resets his optics and puts his tools away*

Nightwish: *as the doctor goes to investigate the insects in the nest in the far corner* So what do you think, Random?

Random: *!!* *oh right, they were talking about him going to the Black Dog to get the ration order* *remembered much faster than before* Uh, I guess it'd be okay?

Nightwish: *smiles* Do you want TwoBad?

Random: Uh. *trying to think if they'd actually help in that situation, forgetting they were trained to be police animals* *doesn't seem to like another added variable*

Nightwish: *rises to her feet* Okay.

Random: *relaxes, glad he doesn't have to explain*

Nightwish: *holds out PINpoint* Quick while Frank's distracted. *voice holds laughter as she says that*

Random: *oh!* *glances over at Dr. Frank* *quick movement to replace crate cover and take the PINpoint from his Mom* *takes another glance before he uses the PINpoint to teleport to the Black Dog*



Continued here


((co-written with random_xtras))