Nexus. Near the Park. New friendships and a blast from the past?

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"Are you sure you're all right?" the little blond haired girl in his hand asked again. "You're shaking."

That, and his systems were still trying to calm down after the pure shock of finding that she had teleported back to the Nexus with him. The rest of her “friends” were hopefully still back in the very tourist-trappy suburb of Portland, Oregon where he had deposited them after the ‘Con chase. The ‘Cons had been a bit tricky to ward off, but luckily, back up had arrived before the poor, craven shuttle mechanic became Swiss cheese a la Decepticons or short-circuited from sheer fright. So much for a 'quiet, boring, and peaceful' patrol in the suburbs. Cowardliness: 1, Wisdom of Autobot High Command: 0.

But it had all worked out. He and the kids were still alive, and he brought them back to their parents before they could get too worried. They had been grateful enough, all things considering, but he had left before too long, hoping for a chance to sit and think by himself before reporting back in with Prime.

So you can imagine his fright at discovering that, not only had one of the kids caught up with him, but that she had hitched a ride with him back to the Nexus.

"Y-yes. P-perfectly f-fine," Random stammered as he continued walking through the Nexus. He currently had no idea what to do. He probably should return her back to her parents, but . . . There was just something holding him back.

Comments

[random_xtras]

"Oh no!" exclaims a soft voice from over behind a big couch. "Murphy, the door closed. Now we can't go back, and Random said that I'm supposed to be on that shuttle!"

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Rosemary is about to say something in the contrary when the young femmebot's plight catches her ears. "That doesn't sound good." She looks over Random's hand briefly before she looks at Random quizzically. "Wait. Is she talking about you?"

Random shakes the O_o expression off his face. That voice was too familiar. "In here, you never know," he replies simply. Especially considering he has a 'Con alter--No, don't think about it.

"Aren't you gonna help them?"

Random squirmed sheepishly. "I should probably get you back to your parents . . ."

"But they need help!"

Random sighed. He'd insist on dropping her off first and then helping them, but by this time, he has realized that while he can get back where he left, he hasn't ever been able to get back to the Nexus when he left. "All right. you've convinced me"--Rosemary beamed right up at him--"but you're going home right after that."

Random carried Rosemary over to where the young femme and her companion were. "Are you two needing any help?"

[random_xtras]

Big blue optics and a wide blue optic band stare up at him with surprise, and then the slender silver femme frowns slightly as she looks at Random's badge. "Um...."

[Who are you?] beeps the little black bot in her arms, seeming to puff up a bit despite having no fur. [And what is that?]

That, of course, is Rosemary.

[random_xtras]

"Murphy says Christmas Elves live in their own reality, but that they visit other realities to give people the gifts the Greatest Creator wants them to have," says Kia. "He says he doesn't know about anybody named Santa, though. They're just tall people who look a little like grown up versions of Rosemary."

Then she looks at the earnestly beeping and mewing Minicon as she takes a step toward Random. "I did? Oh!"

Big blue optics look up at the mech and his passenger. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you who we are. This is Murphy, and I'm Kia. We're part of the Rebel Alliance."

The last being added because Murphy's being cuddled in front of her badge at present.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"'Greatest Creator'? Do you mean Heavenly Father?" Rosemary asks. "'Cause Santa usually helps him reward all the children who have been good during the year as a reminder of the Greatest Gift He gave to each of us." Yep, she comes from a family who have attempted to both let their kids have the fun of opening presents on Christmas morning, but also keep the religious aspect of the holiday intact. "But elves usually have pointier ears." Rosemary tucks some of her hair behind her ear as if illustrating the point.

That confirmed it. Why did the Nexus feel the need to keep throwing her alternates at him?

But Random manages to smile. "That's okay. Pleasure to met you, Kia, Murphy."

Something seemed to click in Rosemary's mind at something Kia said, and she frowns while she tries to figure it out. "'Rebel Alliance'?"

[random_xtras]

"Do you mentor anybody, Random?" The question comes softly out of left field.

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Random's optics widen, and he almost stops mid-step but resists doing so.

Is that what he is to her? He couldn't fathom that actually working out.

"No," Random replies. ". . . At least not how you're probably thinking. I've been--or had been--teaching a friend of mine wanting to get into Special Ops how to bypass door locks and such other others, but that was more to fill in what actual mentor hadn't been able to do before he . . . passed on.

"'Bots are sparked to be at an adult--or at least teenage--understanding in my universe, so there's no real need for mentors--unless a bot wants to specifically train a bot in their own profession."

[random_xtras]

Kia looks at the human girl, the firms her delicate chin and steps forward to apply the best remedy that she knows for a muddled or unhappy Random. A hug.

And Murphy beeps his approval and attaches himself to the blue mech's leg in his own earnest hug.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Random startles, and Rosemary clings to his fingers as he moves her out of the way. He then carefully returns Kia's hug and somehow manages not to jostle Rosemary again as he startles from Murphy's hug.

[random_xtras]

"Okay." She looks at Murphy, who is rubbing his visor and beeping complaints.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"I thought there was a bowl of them . . ." Random mutters to himself.

[random_xtras]

Murphy beeps helpfully and points at the device, though he's not actually saying anything because he knows Random can't understand him. And yes, it looks like it is indeed the ultra cheapie model.

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"Drat, that's what I was afraid of," Random says to himself thought he looks to Murphy to see what he is saying.

"What's wrong?" Rosemary asks.

"Nothing major. With this model another device is required, and I'm not sure if I've got any credits on me at the moment."

"Oh."

[random_xtras]

"Murphy's good at it." Kia laughs softly. "Sometimes he kicks things for me."

Then she laughs again as the little Minicon bops around in a victory dance.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"He's gotten a lot of practice at it, has he?" Random adds, "'Jack and Perceptor say it's guaranteed to work every time, so long as it's applied correctly."

Rosemary giggles at Murphy's dance.

"If you give me the device, Murphy, I'll get ya scan and ready to go home," Random says, bringing the conversation back to the situation at hand.

[random_xtras]

"Sneaker died when our ship was destroyed," says Kia softly, her optics shut off as she tries not to cry.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Random grows silent as he thinks about what would happen if he were to lose the Sneaker of his reality. He wasn't sure what he would do without him. Sure, they didn't have an awful lot in common. They were just two 'bots that were ostracized by the others at their last base, but Random had come to think of Sneaker almost like a sparkbrother anyway. Even if they didn't even have coding in common. "I-I'm s-s-sorry."

Rosemary pats Kia's fingers comfortingly.

[random_xtras]

The little femme looks up, blinking puzzledly. "I was on Princess Arcee's shuttle, and we were flying past the Imperial blockade."

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Random's processor comes to a screeching hal--!

"Huh, so either the scanner doesn't like a moving target or the Imps' presence is somehow causing a backlash," Random muses, trying very, very hard not to think of certain things.

Rosemary wears a puzzled frown on her face.

"Maybe I should scan you just in case, Kia," Random says, offering to take Rosemary back.

[random_xtras]

"No." The perk fades a bit. "He stayed behind to fix the last shuttles."

*logs into the correct account*

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Random sighs and rubs the area around his optics. "I don't know how to help you then."

[random_xtras]

Kia shakes her head. "But I'm pretty sure they're a ship, because they're moving."

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"I was afraid you were gonna say something like that," Random says.

[random_xtras]

"Primus is taking care of us." She smiles her sweet little smile, and then steps back and waves to Rosemary before holding the PINpoint where Murphy can press the button.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

"That he is," Rosemary says, waving back.

"Goodbye Kia," Random says with a bit of sadness and not saying yes or no to the Primus thing.