Backwater Nexus. The Black Dog. Encounter at the Black Dog

[lumina_mechnics]

Black Dog: *nearly silent, except for soft conversation between the tall purple femme at the bar and the bartender sitting behind it. Perceptor and both Kias have taken their leave, and now the only patron at a table is a nondescript blue mech with a Lumina alt mode and a Cybertron sunrise on a plate*

Random: *thinking* *between seeing svKia again, learning of her coming back from the dead of all things, and then of edvKia and her crew in Canada, he has a LOT to think about* *he's also pretty sure that he's forgetting something in there*

Keg: *enters with a cheerful bound, and then has to go over and hug Threnody and laugh and grab a cube of hot choccy and give noogies to Runt and Pooka and say something cheerful in reply to Nemesis' growled comment*

Random: *so much thinking*

Keg: *and now he's sitting across from Random and grinning at him*

Random: *startles and falls out of his chair*

Keg: ...Whoops. Do you need a hand?

Random: *laying on the ground with his mouth open, intaking heavily, and optics wide* Give me a spark attack why don't you!

Keg: *quizzical concern as he gets up and comes over to lift Random up* I thought you saw me come in.

Random: 0_o? With my back to the door? *yeah, there are reasons that you should watch the door!*

Keg: *sets the older mech on his feet* I was over at the bar, scuffling with the kids.

Threnody: *from the bar, to Nemesis* He's an admirable mech. Any female would be honored to know him.

Keg: *BLUSH*

Random: *blank face*

Keg: *quiet sigh. Very softly* Every girl but Kia...

Random: *automatically, since he's not really computing why he didn't hear Keg scuffling* She considers you a 'love', whatever that is.

Keg: *soft chuckle as he turns to go back to his own seat* She considers Ratchet a love, too.

Random: *frowns as he considers if he should tell Keg about Kia considering the green mech a brother* *and then--* Wait, green? Weren't you blue? *and then he realizes something else as Keg gets far enough away for him to realize it* And weren't you--*squatter*--shorter? I could have sworn I was taller than you.

Keg: *pauses halfway sitting, then gives a more hearty chuckle* Hey, I had to grow up sometime. And I was green the last time we talked too.

Random: *looks like he's thinking REALLY hard on that math* *even going so far as to have one finger up and looking back and forth between Keg and the door as if something at the door has something to do with this *

Keg: *quizzical glance toward the door as he plants his butt*

Random: *remember that poor, processor broken look he gave you a few days ago? Yeah, it's back*

Keg: *"Oh dear" expression* It was a joke, Random. I just got upgraded, because my boss wanted a bigger guy for the job.

Random: *points in the direction of the other bot's hip* Your scars are still there.

Keg: *nods* Perceptor did the upgrade. This is the same body, just bigger.

Random: *blinkblink*

Keg: Yours doesn't have that thing that shrinks and grows stuff?

Random: He does. *used it to get inside Megs once*

Keg: Well that's what that guy used. That's why I'm built like... well. Built like a keg. *chuckle*

Random: Uh huh.

Keg: *cheery grin*

Random: *flails his hands vaguely* But it--Dah!

Keg: *brows lift slightly* *quietly* You sound like Ratchet.

Random: *exasperated and annoyed frown face* His thing grows and shrinks. But your scars are there and you're skinnier!

Keg: I guess the Perceptor I know has worked on his gadget a little more. *fleeting, thoughtful quirk of a frown* And didn't want me to look like Bulkhead.

Random: *pause* *and then looks up briefly in an annoyed "I give up" fashion* I . . . don't know who that is. And why did your boss want you bigger if you were just going to have a desk job?

Keg: *seriously* Because Optimus knows me, and how well I stay behind a desk.

Random: *surprised blink*

Keg: *a bit sheepishly* Yeah. I tend to work everywhere but in my office.

Random: *sudden knowing smile* Oh, I know that you prefer to be where the action is. *frowns again* I had just been worried when you said that it would become a desk job. Didn't expect it to actually not be one.

Keg: *chuckles* I'm really good at multitasking and remote interaction.

Random: *thinks on this* Ah.

Keg: And I don't need much downtime.

Random: And why is that? *thinking like a mech who's been on Earth for a few months and gotten used to sleeping when there was nothing else to do during the usual human downtimes*

Keg: *cheery grin* I don't know, Red Alert and Perceptor don't know, and it used to drive Blue nuts.

Random: 0_o? Have you talked to a medic about it?

Keg: *quiet whoops* Red Alert is a doctor there. She's the CMO.

Random: . . . Oh. . . . I think this is one of the situations where "Bob" applies.

Keg: Bob?

Random: Tons of humans named Bob, but they're different people.

Keg: *grins* Ahhh. Yeah, we've never actually stopped to check if she's an alternate, or if she just has the same name, as Blue's creator. *more quietly* She still treats me like her kid, though.

Random: *reminded of his conversation with svKia about Blue* *distracted, so he thinks he lost who Keg is talking about* Who?

Keg: Red Alert the medibot. *quizzical look*

Random: Oh. Right. *and then* Why didn't--*hesitates* Why didn't you say you couldn't see Blue?

Keg: *voice even, though his eyes have brightened just a tiny bit* I didn't want to stress you out any more than you already were, old man.

Random: *shifts uncomfortably* *makes sure the chair is righted and sits down*

Keg: And we weren't really talking about that at the time, anyway. *pokes at Random's plate*

Random: *unconsciously grabs the Sunrise that is there* *frowns as he tries to think about what he should say*

Keg: *cheer is back* Have you ever met a purple guy named Bob?

Random: *still frowning*

Keg: *sees the look and sighs softly* *quietly* She's gone, Random. But she's someplace where nobody can mess with her, and where she can take care of things to her spark's content.

Random: I'm a bit more concerned about you, “kid.”

Keg: *blinks* Me?

Random: I didn't notice it last time, but you seem hurt by her being gone and not being able to see her.

Keg: *another sigh, this one slightly deeper, as he looks down into his drink* I miss her, yeah. And I can't keep myself from thinking of how I could have secured her against what happened. But that's just my programming.

Random: *twitches slightly* I know I'm going to regret this . . . but what happened, exactly?

Keg: *shakes his head firmly* Nuh uh. No way.

Random: *another flinch* Kid, you're blaming yourself for whatever happened to her. I can't give a second opinion if you don't tell me.

Keg: It was a wave of parasitic lifeforms. They infected her and tried to corrupt her programming. I wasn't there. She left me to guard our home.

Random: *flinch* *not really happy to have the reminder about what happened to him when he worked for Tierron--even if it wasn't quite that bad* *and why did he keep finding all of the femmes that had their programming altered?* Sounds like there's nothing you could have done to me. You did what she wanted you to do, and that's what matters.

Keg: *shrugs* I tell myself that. *brow quirk*

Random: What?

Keg: Did Kia find you?

Random: *somewhat bashful* Yeah. . . . *looks down* She told me you couldn't see Blue. . . . And how she landed up where she is now.

Keg: *facepalms and shakes his head*

Random: *still looking a bit embarrassed* *Kia gets to him like that*

Keg: *lowers his hand and looks at the blue bot. Slight brow quirk* You okay?

Random: *sudden offended coverup* Yes!

Keg: *hands up in front of him* Okay okay. Sheesh. *eyes twinkling again*

Random: *realizes what he did* Sorry. *tries to think about what else svKia told him . . . that wasn't totally processor breaking* *he's got the conversation with the edvbots more at the forefront of his mind*

Keg: And yeah. I'm talking to somebody about it. My pastor's a really good counsellor. *leans on a fist and studies his drink with absent interest*

Random: *takes him a moment to realize that Keg is talking about what they were discussing earlier* Good. . . . What's a pastor?

Keg: *slight snerk* She teaches people about God. She's also the local Primus Servant.

Random: Oh. *that actually explains a lot*

Keg: *bit of a grin* And part of my adopted family.

Random: *not sure what to say now* Ah. Good.

Keg: *has a sip of hot choccy without looking away from his friend* I forget... does your reality have Fireflight yet?

Random: *snaps out of his unsurety* *raises an optic ridge: he forgets?* Yeah. The Aerialbots have been around for about 10 years.

Keg: *nods* Okay. All guys?

Random: Yeah. All of the current crew are male. . . . Unless you count Carly.

Keg: *humorously* My condolences.

Random: Huh?

Keg: Life without girls. *eyes twinkling so much*

Random: *makes a sound equivalent to a human snort* I've had enough of femmes, thank you. *stops and thinks about that* At least the ones I keep running across. *apparently has head stuck in his reality right now and has forgotten his more positive encounters with Kias in the Nexus*

Keg: *eyes twinkle worse* I could introduce you to some nice ones.

Random: *looks vaguely disgusted* It might have happen millennia ago, but my ex-girlfriend's kinda dampened my views of femmes right now.

Keg: Awwww! *glances toward the bar and the two ladies there as he has another sip of his drink*

Random: She only wanted me for the money I was supposedly going to get.

Keg: *sudden ick face* *voice of rumbling disgust* One of those.

Random: And saw other mechs behind my back. When I didn't give her everything she wanted.

Keg: *purses his lips* I know this girl... Quiet, shy little thing. Works retail on this border space station, and would love knowing a nice guy who isn't going to dump her for being quiet and plain. She's black with dark blue accents...

footsteps: *quietly sound from behind Random . . . *

Random: *doesn't appear to have quite heard Keg* But she was actually sane. There's this one femme who is completely crazy. *starts to turn as he feels someone behind him and sees a shadow* I don't think there's--*sees the person behind him and falls out of his chair again* AHH!

dark-colored femme: *stares down at Random with a blank expression*

Keg: *on his feet* Stop right there, ma'am. This is a no violence zone.

Random: *breathing heavily as looks up at the dark-colored femme, hardly believing that he is seeing her here--though he really should know better by now* *quietly to Keg without turning his head* Is she from my reality?

dark-colored femme: *continues to stare down at him with that unreadable expression*

Keg: Your reality. *watching the dark female with a wary expression*

Random: *gets Keg's answer and looks at him, unwittingly informing the dark-colored femme that, indeed, they are from the same reality* // Brilliant. // Ah, Mrs. Schattendieb, I--*cuts himself off, as in reaction to something in her glance* It's part of Earth custom to say tha–

dark-colored femme: *ignores Keg and accesses the multinets she finds to look up more about this "Earth custom" stuff the blue mech mentioned* *despite Random's reaction, doesn't really appear to react to his slip* Miscellaneous, was it?

Random: Random, actually. *said with a suddenly annoyed tone, as if he's had this conversation before*

dark-colored femme: *waves off Random's correction as if saying "nuance"* Where's the brat?

Random: *confused, pauses in the middle of moving to stand* . . . The what?

dark-colored femme: *as if holding in temper* The brat. The mech in whose shadow you're always cowering behind.

Random: *annoyed again as he moves to get up* In whom's. *Random, honey, that's not helping the already grammatically awkward sentence* And what makes you think you can just walk in here and start ordering me around, broad? *Random looks like he's about to continue in this vein when he backs off and puts his hands out in front of him when he sees something in her glance again* That is-*leaning back as she leans forward* What I mean is--*leaning back further* Okay, call me whatever you want--*lands on the floor* But Sneaker is not a brat!!

Keg: Guys, keep it civil. The pup's watching.

dark-colored femme: *though not entirely clear that she heard Keg, seems to be struggling to restrain herself from calling Sneaker a brat again* Where is . . . he?

Random: *glares up at her from the floor* Why? So you can harass him some more?

Keg: *reaches down to offer Random a hand*

Random: *glances over at the movement caused by Keg offering him a hand and takes it* Thanks. *will let Keg help him up*

Keg: *easily hefts Random up, and then steps back slightly as he looks back and forth between the two. He looks like a security bot right now*

Random: *turns back to the dark-colored femme* Look, I'm sorry that the 'Cons kill--*sees the dangerous glance in her optics*---brutally murdered your sparkmate, but that doesn't mean you can be a vix--*more dangerous glaring from the femme*--en about it and take it out on Sneaker. And if you really feel like shoving what happened in people's faces, you're better off taking it out on the Special Ops guys that were there at the time.

Keg: *silent sympathy for the femmebot*

Random: But since you're more concerned about being a harpy-faced, virago--

dark-colored femme: *interrupts him* Miss Cellaneous.

Random: *stops at that, seeming to understand what she's implying with that*

Keg: *sympathy fades somewhat as he gives a low warning rumble*

Random: *startles slightly as he realizes Keg's rumble is also for him, but he still can't stop himself from feeling annoyed at the dark-colored femme as he returns his attention back to her* Fine. Whatever. Call me a femme. As if I've never heard that one before. But the fact of the matter is that your sparkmate, Schattendieb, was the only one on base who treated Sneaker like a person.

Keg: *sympathy is showing again*

Random: *doesn't seem to have noticed Keg's sympathy as he continues talking to the femme, who seems like she might actually be thoughtful under her rough exterior* Unless you think that the same mechs that were so concerned about extolling their superior tactics that they didn't provide adequate backup to the one mech that wasn't concerned about putting on a show when infiltrating enemy bases would lower themselves to take the mech he was training under their own wings? Or even allow him to work in the Special Ops realm afterwards? In that you'd be greatly mistaken. And the commanders are too weak in their command over them to even do anything about it. So, no, I'm not gonna to tell you where Sneaker is.

dark-colored femme: *seems to have thought through enough to come up with a different angle of attack* Who's your commanding officer?

Random: *quiet as he gives her a long, wary look, as if debating whether or not he should tell her* *finally, he seems to decide that no harm could possibly come out of it and he says, curtly* Optimus. Prime.

dark-colored femme: *raises an optic ridge at that, clearly not believing him*

Random: He was looking for an extra mechanic to take care of the shuttles going back and forth from Earth and Cybertron. And Jazz was actually open enough to teach Sne--*realizes what the femme just lead him to do and promptly stops his sentence halfway through*--Blast it.

Keg: *unconsciously rumbles again*

dark-colored femme: *gives Keg no heed as she seems to smile smugly* *to Random* See you on Earth, mech. *turns and moves to leave the bar, nodding once to Keg before she does so*

Random: *automatically* Random. *watches her leave, and then turns to sit down at the table again once she's gone* *hits his head against the table* Idiot.

Keg: *watches the femmebot for a few moments, and then turns to follow her*

dark-colored femme: *on her way to the portal that she came out of, which is still there*

Keg: *moves faster* Excuse me.

dark-colored femme: *doesn't appear to have heard him*

Keg: *lifts voice to an authoritarian bark* You! The dark lady looking for Sneaker!

dark-colored femme: *turns and raises a skeptical optic ridge at him*

Keg: *lowers his voice as he reaches her* I'd like to speak with you for a moment.

dark-colored femme: *standing in front of her portal, positioned to go* Make it quick.

Keg: *quietly* Primus says he sees you. That's all he said.

dark-colored femme: *that seems to cut her to the quick, and she has no witty comeback*

Keg: *more quietly* I know what it's like to lose someone.

dark-colored femme: *seems to scoff*

Keg: *same quiet, level voice* Only I lost my creator right after I lost my world.

dark-colored femme: I felt him dying. It wasn't quick.

Keg: *nods* I can still sometimes feel my creator's pain. *not speaking to prove himself, only trying to offer understanding*

dark-colored femme: *doesn't seem to believe (or even want to believe) that this mech knows what she's been through*

Keg: *still quiet* Anyway. If you want to talk to Primus, there's a place just over there... a sanctuary. *turns his head* I better get back to the Black Dog.

dark-colored femme: *thinks she's better off talking to the Brat right now* *turns to go*

Keg: *jogs back to the Black Dog, and enters with something small in his hands and a grin on his face*

Random: *head still on the table and muttering to himself*

Keg: Hey, Random! Look what I have! *so happy, this big guy* One of her other caretakers asked me to take a turn while he did a library shift.

Random: *startled out of his self-condemnation session by the sound of Keg being cheerful* *frowns and turns to look at the thing in Keg's hand*

thing: *tiniest little silver baby bot he'll have ever seen. Is comfortably curled up in Keg's big hand and hanging onto a thin soft blanket with both her tiny ones. Spots Random with big blue eyes and cuts him such a sweet grin as can only belong to one person*

Random: *wide optics as he makes the realization* *however, is too shocked to get any words out*

Keg: I'm one of her caretakers when I'm here. *eyes are just shining* Do you want to hold her? She doesn't wiggle.

bitty: *heard her favourite words, is smiling even more now, and one of those tiny hands is shyly reaching*

Random: K-K-Kia's tiny.

tKia: *cooooooo. Chirp!*

Keg: *grin looks a bit dopey* Yeah. Isn't she cute?

Random: *too flabbergasted to reply!*

Keg: *grin falters slightly* Random? You okay?

Random: She's tiny! *yes, very astute observation, Random*

Keg: *understanding* All the bots from her reality are.

tKia: *bitty wibble and cuddles blankie*

Random: But she's tiny!

Keg: *concerned look for his friend*

Random: *seems to be a bit one-tracked due to his processor-brokenness*

Keg: Uh. Maybe I should just bring her home.

tKia: *tiny wibble as she looks from her green big to the new big*

Random: *snaps out of his processor-brokenness enough to be sheepish about Keg bringing her home and her wibbling*

Keg: I guess I'll see you later. *still uncertain, and a little disappointed*

Random: Uh. *doesn't want Keg to go, but this new Kia is TINY*

Keg: *pauses*

tKia: Puppup booo...

Random: *looks down at her and isn't sure what to do*

tKia: Bth? *wistful look*

Keg: *takes a shot at trying to fix the problem* She's pretty sturdy. And a lot easier to hold than a human baby.

Random: I'm sorry, Kia. *seems to have said that automatically* *looks up at Keg* I better not.

Keg: You don't need to hold her. She could sit on the table and hang out with us. *cheeks heat as a rumble sounds* Oh yeah. Right.

tKia: 9.9?

Random: *looks noticeably relieved that he won't have to worry about holding the TINY* . . . *blinks at the rumble*

Keg: Haven't eaten enough today.

tKia: *eat? Sucks on her blankie. Figures this is good eat*

Random: *more blinking* You should probably do something about that. *looks down at tKia* And should she be doing that?

Keg: *looks at the bitty too* She does it all the time. *slight grin, and a gentle, teasing tug for the blanket*

tKia: Bov! *as blankie pops out of her mouth*

Keg: *gotta chuckle at that. Rumbly chuckle*

tKia: *tiny chuckle of her own*

Random: *smiling a bit himself*

Keg: *has forgotten about noms again. Is carefully pulling a bigger blanket out of subspace and sitting down so that he can make a nest for tKia to sit in on the table*

Random: *watches as Keg makes the nest* *absently getting his Sunrise back out of subspace where he had put it without realizing*

Keg: *rumbly talking to the bitty as he gets her propped up properly and offers her a small, bright coloured toy* There you go, sweetheart. Heh. Now you can visit.

Random: *nomming and watching*

Keg: *tank rumbles again, but is too intent on making sure his little ward is comfortable to notice*

Random: *somehow notices that* Aren't you going to fuel some more, Keg?

Keg: *absently* In a click.

tKia: *notices what Random's got, and emulates a baby bird*

Random: *looks at the hot choccy Keg had brought to the table, wondering if the mech had even drunk from it* *looks at tKia* Uh, Keg?

Keg: *finally looks up* Yeah, Random?

Random: *points at tKia* I think she's eying my food. *and how he knew that, he wasn't sure*

Keg: *laughs* Just asking for a taste. Oh, hey. I have hot choccy. *pulls the cube over* ...Okay. Cold choccy. XD

Random: *doubletakes as realizes had taken his last Sunrise out* . . . Oh. *blinks at Keg's words and shakes his head*

Keg: *gets out a tiny spoon with a spout and feeds some choccy drink to tKia*

tKia: *not good at drinking yet, but she's not spilling! Much*

Random: *finding himself watching this with a raised optic ridge*

tKia: *has three spoonfuls, and then smacks and turns her head away from the spoon. Sees Random and grins at him*

Random: *shy little wave back*

Keg: Could she have that little splinter of your sunrise? *points to the table*

Random: *looks down at the table*

tKia: *telling her blanket about the Random wave. So much tiny sounds*

Random: *sees the bit of Sunrise Keg saw and picks it up carefully* *moves it over tKia to see if she wants it*

tKia: *notices it and gives it a big-eyed and studious look. So interested!*

Random: *not sure of himself as he moves the splinter closer to her* Do you want it?

tKia: *oh! Can has? Tiny hand reaches out and grasps it strongly* Bov...

Random: *lets go after it feels like she might have it*

tKia: *so much more studying!*

Random: *wonders if she knows it's for eating*

Keg: *as he sips his drink* She does that with everything.

Random: *startles a bit as he remembers Keg is there* Oh. Okay.

Keg: You have to be home soon?

Random: Uh, I usually get back the time I left.

Keg: *chuckles* Okay. *settles his elbows down on the table with all the air of a man ready to waste the rest of the afternoon with friends*

Random: What about you? Kia said it was your sleep day?

Keg: *grin* I slept.

Random: Good. *and Keg's probably guessed that being worried about his friends is just in Random's nature*

Keg: *cheery grin that holds sympathy* Are you feeling better?

Random: *stops just as he's about to bite out his Sunrise again* Huh?

Keg: You looked a little rough there for a bit. Are you feeling better?

Random: *raises an optic ridge* You mean when I had my head down on the table calling myself an idiot for thinking that the femme who has no respect for Optimus Prime's girlfriend would have any respect for Optimus Prime himself?

Keg: *brows lift*

tKia: *was watching him. Also lifts her brows as she sniffs at her piece of candy*

Random: *not sure what Keg is lifting his brows about* No, I still think I'm stupid for thinking that.

Keg: Optimus didn't get where he is by being a pushover. *more quietly* Besides, I kinda think she's going to have someone bigger than Optimus to deal with soon.

Random: Neither is Elita One, apparently, but that didn't stop Tessen from leaving the Femme Commandos to go on her revenge trip. *looks up at the latter things Keg says* Oh?

Keg: *slight nod* *quietly* Primus told me to tell her something.

Random: *looks at Keg skeptically*

Keg: *shrugs* Hey, he got through to Blackout.

Random: *waves it off and goes back to eating his Sunrise and gets distracted as he hits the middle* *delicious~!*

Keg: *grins at him, and then settles down to visit with Random and tKia for a few hours*


((co-written with random_xtras))