Sign Nexus. Sign Area. I Roam Around Around Around

[misslucysleeches]

There's a newcomer to the Nexus today -- a woman in her very early thirties, with bright red hair and a forest-green sweater, sitting on one of the provided couches and looking at travel brochures. She wandered in earlier, and after the obligatory "?!?/can I get back" moment, has decided that she might as well do as the sign asks and ask a question. She spreads out her brochures on a table in front of her and looks up.

"So, random strangers! I'm a wanderer, and I've wandered almost all of the United States. So I think it's time I broke into international travel. Since it's my first time in this regard, I figured I'd at least start out by going to one of the more well-known cities, and see where adventure leads me from there."

She holds up three brochures.

"The question of the day is, then: London, Paris, or Rome?"

Comments

[misslucysleeches]

"Still, useful to somebody!" Lucy accepts the pamphlets with a nod, looking them over. "'Nexus 101,'" she reads on the second. "Okay, yeah, this one's on the definite must-read list."

"Someone trying to cut naptime short?" she asks, chuckling (but quietly, as to not disturb the kid).

[random_xtras]

"He's always ready to visit," says Sam, his affection for the little one that he's holding very clear. "But if he doesn't get his sleep he'll be so tired that he can't even keep his fuel."

Optimus looks at the bundle with concern, but then smiles and turns back to Lucy. "Do you have any more questions?"

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy chuckles -- then blinks in confusion. "His -- fuel?" she parrots, unable to help herself. Odd name for food. . .then again, she's got to remember this place just doesn't open onto regular old Earth.

"Anybody know how big this place is, or is it sort of a case of it's as big as it wants to be?" she asks, curious. "I mean, there's this place--" she points at the sign "--and I've heard of restaurants and a library. . ."

[random_xtras]

"Grandpa and Isaac are Cybertronian," says Optimus. "And when I look at this place I see... Twenty square miles? A little more or less. It changes for some people, but the ones I know usually see the same thing I do. We've got the square here, the park across the street from it. Over this way a few blocks over there'll soon be a hotel on the shores of the weed monster lake, over by the subdivision that never got built. In that direction..." He turns and points the opposite way. "Is the harbour and that chunk of Venice. Between the harbour and here is the Nexus Library, which includes every book ever written. A little closer and to the West is the Nexus mall." He turns again, facing North East. "There's a populated subdivision in that direction, on the other side of the Sanctuary of Primus, and just here to the North is the blanket factory and my mom's doll factory. To the East, along this path between the brownstones and in the huge old warehouse at the end of the path, are the entwife's garden and the Black Dog pub, which is having a live band tomorrow night. To the far West is Blackout's kingdom. You want to avoid it. And over to the far North East is the lost highway. Some people live there, and there are a lot of motor sport events. Between the highway and here is forest with some homes in it."

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy has that mildly-stunned look on her face that most people get when they try to take in a lot of information all at once. She blinks a few times, trying to process the info dump. "Okay. . . I think I have all that. . .maybe. . ." She shakes her head. "It's like -- I'd say it's own country, but it's more like a weird mix between a town and a world. If that makes any sense at all." She's still feeling a little loopy.

[random_xtras]

Optimus looks sheepish as Sam laughs at him. "Well..." His hand suddenly sparkles with red and blue lights, and then holds out another pamphlet as the sparkles die away. "Here's a map."

[misslucysleeches]

Whoa -- Lucy wasn't expecting that either. But it's cool-looking. Now why can't her magic do that? "Thank you," she says with a smile, taking the paper. "I think I know where to go and where not to go, but -- this is appreciated."

[random_xtras]

"Doing my job," says Optimus, then looks at Sam for a moment before quickly shaking his head and looking back to Lucy. "Can we help you with anything else?"

"That band that's playing tomorrow night's not bad, if you can take classic rock," says Sam, his eyes twinkling.

[misslucysleeches]

"Your job to save damsels in not-quite-distress?" Lucy jokes, then leafs through all her various papers. "I think this should cover just about everything I need to know."

"I'm not opposed to classic rock," she says with a smile.

[random_xtras]

"It's to help people." Optimus grins and starts to turn away, but Sam speaks up.

"I can think of one more thing it'd be good for you to know, Miss."

[misslucysleeches]

"Well, you've been very helpful today," Lucy assures him. "Thanks."

She tilts her head as Sam speaks up. "Oh? What's that?" She almost feels like she should be taking notes.

[random_xtras]

Sam looks at her thoughtfully. "Do you know how you'd react to a face to face meeting with people who didn't look human?"

Optimus' brows lift at this, and he glances back to Lucy with visible concern.

[misslucysleeches]

"Er -- I'd do my best not to make a fool of myself," Lucy says, now a little awkward. "Granted, I don't have any experience. Everybody I've met has been human, or at least human-shaped."

She's -- getting the feeling she's going to be in for a shock.

[random_xtras]

"C'mere," says Sam gently, shifting his seat slightly and moving the blanket away from his little son's face. "You heard Op say that Isaac and I were Cybertronian?"

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy nods, getting up from her seat to move closer. "Yeah -- I've heard about that place." She'll hold off on saying that it was from the Michael Bay movie for now.

[random_xtras]

The little pale yellow being in Sam's arms is baytech, though still possessed of all the charm and appeal of a young child in the range of five years. His little, very human looking face is peaceful as he smiles in his sleep.

[misslucysleeches]

How can you not "aww" at that face? "He's cute," she says quietly, giving Sam a smile. And this does help explain the tank business.

[random_xtras]

Sam smiles back. "Do you want to hold him while I transform?"

[misslucysleeches]

"Okay," Lucy says, game. "You'll have to show me the right way, though. I've only held a human babies and kids a few times. Dunno if what I remember from that will work for him."

[random_xtras]

"It'll work fine." Sam gently transfers the little guy. "Just let him rest his head on your shoulder... like that, and put an arm under his bottom."

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy carefully takes him, doing her best to follow Sam's instructions. She nods when she thinks she's got a good hold on the little one.

[random_xtras]

"Now don't drop him when I get bigger." Sam turns to Optimus.

Optimus nods. "I'm ready to catch, if I need to."

[misslucysleeches]

"I won't," Lucy promises. No matter what happens, she is determined not to drop this kid.

[random_xtras]

Isaac, for his part, snuggles close with a soft sigh. He feels just as warm and comforting as most sleeping bittyfolk.

Sam nods, and then seems to static out of existence. A moment later that beautiful classic muscle car he'd been sitting on is rising up with a soft whisper of metal on metal till it's become an 18 foot tall cybernetic person with a face that looks a lot like an older version of Isaac's, and blue optics that manage to still look like Sam's eyes.

[misslucysleeches]

Awwww, he's so precious. And Lucy keeps her promise not to drop him, even as her eyes widen at the sight of the car transforming. "Whoa," she breathes, trying to look up at Sam's face.