ANH 'verse. Somewhere in space. Team dynamics?

[random_xtras]

"This from the mech who parked in a giant space worm's belly?"

"I was a little outta it at the time, in case you hadn't noticed, Princess."

Kia looked up as a boom rang through the hold. "That panel doesn't go there, Hot Shot."

"What?" The yellow mech looked at her. "No way! I was sure it went here."

The young femme shook her head seriously, then winced as Jetfire banged another panel against a spot on a wall opposite to the one it was supposed to be attached to.

Comments

[astrotechmech]

His arm was doing much better now. It just needed a check-up with an actual medic. However, the same could not be said for his head.

Scary monsters . . . . More repairs . . . Arguing . . .

Not to mention the fact he was surrounded by idiots.

He could barely resist the urge to facepalm.

When we get back, I'm retiring . . . Or at the very least getting an on-base job.

[random_xtras]

"So anyway, Princess...."

"Jetfire?"

"Yeah, kid?" He turned and looked down at the little silver femme, who looked back earnestly.

"That's not where that goes. Is this one of those 'do it wrong so you get chased out of the room' things?"

The white and red flyer goes o.0, and then shakes his head. "No! No way, kid. Um...." He looks at the panel in his hands. "...So where does this go?"

"Over there." She gives him her sweet, shy smile as she points, then squeaks a Murphy romps up to her with something in his hand. "Ohhh, what's this?"

[astrotechmech]

Random couldn't help it. He facepalmed at Jetfire's painfully honest question.

Then he stared at the thing in Murphy's hand.

[random_xtras]

"A glitchmouse? You mean they're real little bots?" She touches the tiny thing with one finger, watching as its 'whiskers' tremble. "Was it messing up the Falcon?"

Murphy shakes his head and beeps, then turns and holds the glitchmouse up to Jetfire, who is returning for the tools to keep the panel on the wall. The red and white mech takes one look at the tiny being.

And then screams like a little girl.

[astrotechmech]

Random comes over to get a better look at the glitchmouse. "You sure about that, Murphy? How long's it been running around?"

He winces and puts his hands over his audios before staring at Jetfire.

[random_xtras]

Kia whimpers and hunkers down like a baby bird in the grass, and even Murphy beeps alarm and cowers slightly as he holds his mouse protectively.

"Whoa." Hot Shot also stares at their captain. "What was that, buddy?"

Jetfire just circulates air deeply and then turns and walks out.

"Well, now," says Arcee, wapping herself in the audio and wincing.

[astrotechmech]

Random stares after Jetfire with his hands still over audios for a moment before he snaps out of it and moves to give Kia a hug.

The expression on his face most closely resembles, 'Did he hit his head?'

[random_xtras]

His young ward is wibbling as she hides against him and clings. She's silent, but Murphy's not as he rambles excitedly about Jetfire scaring his mouse.

Glitchmice are delicate! says the Minicon, beeping up a storm as he checks on his living treasure. Jetfire could have hurt it!

Arcee's still trying to get her audios back online as Hot Shot gawks after the retreating flyer.

[astrotechmech]

"Shh, shh." Random says softly and rubs her back.

[random_xtras]

"I'm okay," she murmurs, still shaking and clinging. "It's alright, Random. I'm okay."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Hot Shot hunkers down by Murphy and tries to get him to calm down. "You're gonna blow a gasket, buddy. Slow down."

[astrotechmech]

Random just continuing to rub her back and probably will until she stops shaking.

Instead, he watches Hot Shot interacting with Murphy.

[random_xtras]

"Yeah, I know he scared your mouse. But hey... I kinda think you're scarin' him too. You're bein' pretty noisy, you know. And I think it's buggin' Kia, too."

The hold suddenly goes dead silent as Murphy's little optic visor flashes with surprise and dismay.

[astrotechmech]

Random continues to hold and comfort Kia as Hot Shot calms Murphy down, and after a moment of silence, he says, " . . . Despite the . . . "unique" way of showing it, I think there's a legit concern . . . Glitchmice have been known to eat wiring. You sure it didn't do anything?"

[random_xtras]

Murphy looks up at Random and blinks his visor a bit, then beeps and nods. Yes, he's sure. His mouse lives in a box and only eats what he gives to him to eat.

[astrotechmech]

Random raises an optic ridge at that, somehow maintaining his Kia-rubbing. "How long have you had him?"

[random_xtras]

Only a few stellar cycles. The little Minicon gently strokes his tiny prize with one finger, then beeps laughter as the glitchmouse climbs up his arm and sits up on his shoulder with the proud air of a pet who is usually well rewarded for his antics.

[astrotechmech]

". . . Well, I guess you would know then."

[random_xtras]

Of course he does! Isn't that what he's been saying? Murphy pat pats his knee to take the sting out of his communication, then looks around and wonders if he can help.

And Hot Shot chuckles at him a bit over from the other side of the hold where he'd gone to give Kia and Random some space.

[astrotechmech]

The comment doesn't hurt. He has gotten similar response to things he has said/done.

Since he has a hold on Kia, he is not going to let for anytime soon.

However.

"Um, no, Hotshot. That does not go there."

[random_xtras]

"Really?" The yellow mech pulls the part away from the wall and studies it, then looks over at the pile of other things. "Is there something else shaped nearly the same? Because I was sure that paint outline on the wall was from this."

[astrotechmech]

"By your foot. And they're completely different shapes."

[random_xtras]

"Completely different shapes?" Hot Shot frowns as he hunkers down to look at the parts by his feet. "Did they have the wrong thing up here to start with?"

[astrotechmech]

"No, what was up there originally was probably correct . . . What happened after that is anyone's guess."

[random_xtras]

"Well this thing isn't shaped like the paint mark at all." Hot Shot picks up the correct part and gives it a confused scowl.

[astrotechmech]

He looks up from his Kia hugging and rubbing to see what Hot Shot was talking about before he lifts her up and carries her over to where Hot Shot is to get a closer look.

"That's the right one," he says after he catches a closer glimpse of what Hot Shot's holding. "Someone probably just decided to repaint the parts without actually removing them."