Backwater Nexus. Question Square and Black Dog. Not Ganked This Time

[lumina_mechnics]

Random: *actually chose to be in the Backwater today* *he hopes that an indeterminate length of time hasn't happened again*

Keg: *heads past with an armload of stuff, a file of Seekers following him similarly laden* Heya, Random! I've gotta get this done, but maybe I'll catch you later!

Random: *blinks as he looks after them, seemingly lost for words*

dark purple Seeker: *breaks off the end of the line and turns to walk toward Random, his arm protectively around the shoulders of a slender and confused looking female* Are you Keg's friend? I'm Bob, and this is Slipstream.

Slipstream: o.0

Random. *briefly has a "oh snap, the Seeker's walking towards me" moment* *tries to recover* Uh, yes. Random.

mgBob: *happy grin* Were you looking for Keg?

Random: Um, not particularly. *he's not exactly sure why he's here today* *other than to make sure the Nexus wouldn't change on him again and maybe get some more Sunrises* *those things were going to make him broke*

mgBob: Oh, okay. Have you been here before?

Slipstream: *just discovered a reflection on her arm plating* 0_0

Random: Yes, loads of times. *to himself: there was just a large gap in there*

mgBob: Sweet! What part do you like best? Have you seen the rat pits yet? They fight monsters there!

Random: Uhhh. *what did he like about it?* *and did he like it or just treat it like a car accident with the added bonus of some friends/acquaintences and Sunrises?* Uh, no, I haven't, and I think I'll pass on them.

mgBob: *surprised look* You don't like seeing monsters get beat up?

Slipstream: *softly* Me either. *distracted by fluff blowing past*

Random: Not really, no. *read: at ALL*

mgBob: Wow, weird. What do you like doing instead?

Random: Reading manuals, vehicle magazines, and fixing things. But it's my job to fix things.

mgBob: *big grin* Really? Like Deepdancer? Oh wait. No. She fixes people.

Random: *glad the Seeker picked up on the "things" to mean "not people"*

mgBob: *starts to ask something else, but then straightens up and looks toward a shout* I'm coming, Ramjet. Don't get your thrusters in a knot.

mgRamjet: *sticks his head through a portal a distance away* Bob, you idiot! You were supposed to be keeping Slipstream from getting lost, not getting lost yourself!

mgBob: *laughs* I'm not lost. I'm talking to somebody.

mgRamjet: Well you're leaving the supply storing to everyone else!

mgBob: *"didn't think of that" face* Oops. I'll be right there. *to Random* We have to go.

Random: *nods* Sorry for keeping you. *though he's still trying to figure out what just happened*

mgBob: *friendly whomp on the Random shoulder, and then turns to lead his sister away*

mgRamjet: *tells him just how dumb he is as he approaches*

Random: *rubs his shoulder after the whomp, shaking his head as he turns to figure out what he was doing here anyway* *you'd think a bot who came here himself would know these things*

somebody: Are you okay?

Random: *turns around with an optic ridge raised* Who?

voice: I'm down here. And I was asking if you were okay.

Random: *looks down* Oh. *quickly* Yeah. *read: NOT okay*

voice: *belongs to a furry black girl that looks a little like a centaur* You sure? That guy's a little hard to take. *there's a chuckle in her slightly fuzzy sounding alto voice as she talks about that young Seeker*

Random: *hesitates* Nno. I guess I'm a bit rusty at Nexus visits. *thoughtful look* Not sure why though since I technically haven't stopped coming.

girl: *soft chuckle that holds no blame or censer* It can take a little getting used to.

Random: Yeah. *shakes his head* *was it all of the Nexus kidnappings and finding out that he hadn't been there for a while?* *or the fact that SHE showed up?* *or both?* *shakes his head again*

girl: *looks at her back, and then back up at Random* Are you alright with touching organic people?

Random: *was he all right with touching organic people?* *seeming to wonder why that'd be an issue, despite the time he spent with Tierron* Uh, yes.

girl: *helps a little bitty long-legged guy nearly as dark as her down off her back, and then looks up* My son thinks you need a hug.

bitty: *happy little dance as he smiles up hopefully*

Random: *raises an optic ridge* Okay.

bitty: *hugga foot. Pat pat. Looks up* Buh?

girl: He's asking if you feel better now. *shakes head slightly at her little one, her expression affectionate*

Random: *smiles a bit* A bit. Thanks. *smiles a bit bigger at the bitty*

bitty: *gonna dance! He can't talk yet, but he can dance!*

girl: *laughs quietly and looks up again* I'm Shade, and this is Denver.

Random: *looks away from the bitty* *nods* My name's Random.

Shade: What does it mean? *curiosity in her voice as she absently does a few steps in response to her son's dancing*

Random: Just like it sounds.

Shade: *hesitates* Which language?

Random: 0_o? *wondering why she asked that* English.

Shade: Oh. *scratches her head* Is there a story attached to it?

Denver: *hugs the foot some more*

Random: *there's a bitty down there* *gotta be careful* *looks back up to Shade* My creator gave it to me after he asked for me, and then he left.

Shade: *frowns* That doesn't sound very nice.

Random: *shrug, being careful that the movement only affects his shoulders* It's how it happens sometimes where I'm from.

Shade: Oh. *thinks a moment, and then looks up again* I didn't know. The Autobots where I'm from don't do that.

Random: Didn't know what?

Shade: That it was normal. I'm sorry for saying what I did.

Random: Just because it happens all the time doesn't make it nice.

Shade: *grins* Okay. *glances down to check on her son, and then once more looks up* Do you come here often?

Random: Ah, it depends on how you define "often."

Shade: Well, I'm on supply duty for my base, so I know the area between the Black Dog and the mall pretty well.

Random: I'm here pretty regularly when it doesn't uh, randomly skip an indefinite period of time on this end.

Shade: *eyes widen slightly* You've been through a time wrinkle?

Random: I was here one day, and then I come back the next and my friend Keg says he hadn't seen me in 24 vorns.

Shade: Oh wow. That must've been really confusing.

Denver: *Mam sounds sympathetic. Babby will hugga foot again*

Random: Yeah, I'm still recovering from it.

Shade: How much time passed before you could come to the Backwater again?

Random: No idea. But the whole Nexus was changed. There used to be a Sign out here. Not on that place. *meaning the Visitor's Center*

Shade: The big bright sign. *looks toward the Visitors Centre* I've heard about it. Wow. The other time wrinkles I've heard about didn't seem to affect things here. The people said that they couldn't come for years, but when they got back here it was only a day or so since they'd been last. *thinks* Or a couple hours, for Hormah's son.

Random: *thinks the concept of the NEXUS being the thing experiencing the time wrinkles is weird*

Denver: *hugga foot!*

Random: *looks down at him, wondering why it was so amusing to hug his foot*

Shade: Is he bugging you? *hand out to call to the baby if the answer is yes*

Random: I'm just not used to it.

Shade: Ohhhh. *soft trill that has her little son romping back to her in his stumble-y way*

Random: *watches*

Shade: *gets baby by one front leg and hefts him up on her back, where he settles and hugs her around the waist* There you go. *looks up at Random again* I should get going. Maybe we'll meet again some time. *smile for the interesting new person*

Denver: Byeabye.

Random: *keeps the thoughts about being gone for another 24 vorns to himself* *he really needed to figure out if it was actually 24 vorns* Maybe. Goodbye. *small smile*

Shade: *smiles again, and then turns and bounds away, one of her leaps carrying her right over a slightly oversize couch*

Random: *watches her leave and then thinks about how the bitty kept hugging him* *remembers his experiences with Aria and Rosemary as he turns to go wherever he was heading before*

PINpoint: *is tapped by his foot and scoots across the floor/ground slightly*

Random: *blinks and looks down* *thinks it's odd to find a PINpoint on the floor* *reaches down to pick it up before his processor starts screaming at him, "DON--"*

Black Dog porch: *there!*

Requiem: *slight arm wave as he redirects the foot that'd been aimed for the spot where Random is* ...Did you do that on purpose?

Random: *startles and drops the spare PINpoint like it burned him* No!

Requiem: *hunkers down* Hold still, let me make sure you're alright. Hey, I recognize you.

Random: *realizing he nearly got stepped on* Y-you're w-wtih Blackout.

Requiem: *nods, one hand going up as though to steady the smaller bot, though not touching him* Yeah. I'm her third in command, Requiem. The moron on my shoulder's Toyrt-Mow.

Toyrt-Mow: *no comment. He's rather tied up at the moment*

Random: *steps back, though he's trying to get his systems to calm down after the sudden relocation and landing up by one of Blackout's Decepticons, although Hormah's . . . brother, yeah, that's what was said the last time he ran into him, he thinks* *doubletakes at Toyrt-Mow*

Requiem: He's a little warped. And he'd gone without recharge for two weeks. Medic figured if we tied him down he'd shut up and sleep. *takes his hand back and glances at his shoulder passenger*

Random: *is going to continue staring at your shoulder, Requiem, and ignore the fact that his systems need air in order to cool down*

Requiem: *hand goes to pocket, and then comes out with a small orange and yellow rock. Offers this to Random*

Random: *looks once he notices the hand and remembers to breathe* *though he doesn't reach for the Sunrise*

Requiem: Don't like those? *shifts slightly*

Random: *he does; he's just not going to take one from what he thinks is a Decepticon*

Requiem: *hand to mouth, followed by the sound of crunching*

Random: *that seems to snap him out of it* *turns to go*

Requiem: Hey. Wait up.

Random: *doesn't get very far because he realizes that he's in the Black Dog*

Requiem: *looks after him. Well, at least the guy's absent wander brought him in the right direction? Or the more interesting one, anyway* Buy you a drink?

Random: *still a bit shakey and intaking a bit hard* *looks back* I . . .

Requiem: *slight grin* I'm not scary unless you're a Tyraborg or an AT-AT.

Random: *doesn't like the sound of the things he mentioned*

Requiem: Seriously. I'm a guard at the sanctuary of Primus.

Random: Oh. *about all he has to say about it*

Requiem: *lifts his head slightly* Hey, Fireflight and 'Racer. Anything new?

Fireflight: That Springer's gotten kicked out again.

Requiem: *facepalm*

Random: *not sure what he should be doing*

Moonracer: *smiles at Random* Are you coming in?

Random: *steps away from the door to get out of the way* I have no idea.

Requiem: He's Keg's friend.

Fireflight: Ohhhh. *sunny grin for Random* Keg's busy today.

Requiem: *chuckle* And you're Captain Obvious.

Random: *raises an optic ridge* What's he doing?

Fireflight: Supply run and tunnel expansion for a reality that's friends with the one where he usually works.

Random: That sounds like it's a lot of work.

Fireflight: *nods* But Keg says he's built for work.

Random: *frowns* Yeah.

Fireflight: He might come in later. Like for supper. *hand to his face as he checks his chronometer*

Random: *still frowning* Oh. *maybe he should have asked if he could help, but then again, maybe not*

Fireflight: *lowers his hand and turns that sunny grin back to Random* But we're here. Do you wanna hang out?

Random: Uhhh.

Fireflight: We have games! :D

Moonracer: Have you ever played boardgames?

Requiem: *with interest* I'll play fourth.

Random: Only Cybertronian games. Except for "Go Fish."

Fireflight: *pulls out a box with happy cartoon lion cubs and other animals on it* How about this one? It's a lot of fun.

Requiem: *snerk* Race game? Those're good.

Fireflight: Perceptor made this one big for us. *hopeful grin to Random* Do you want to play?

Random: Uh, sure.

Requiem: *more grin around his mask* Winner gets a deluxe Cybertron Sunrise.

Moonracer: Oooooo.

Fireflight: *looks to Random to see what he says*

Random: *raises an optic ridge* How is that different from a regular one?

Fireflight: Oh. It's just the same, but it's as big as Requiem's fist.

Random: *looks at Requiem's fist* *that was pretty big . . . *

Moonracer: *friendly grin* Are you in?

Random: *still has no idea what he's doing* Sure.

Fireflight: Great! Our table's over here.

Moonracer: I'll order some drinks for while we play. Fizzy? *looks to Random*

Random: *nods*

Moonracer: Plain?

Random: *feels kinda silly saying this* Cooler shade of blue?

Moonracer: *lovely face lights in a smile* Alright. *looks up at Requiem*

Requiem: Just get me some of the stars. Mixed.

Fireflight: *chuckles as he heads for the table* You just like sharing.

Requiem: Don't ruin my rep, kid. *eyes twinkle over the mask*

Random: *follows Fireflight and isn't sure what to make of this*

Fireflight: *offers him a seat, and then gets the game out of its box* See? This is the spinner. We have this instead of dice. And if you fall on one of these squares you get to use the little catapult to flip this marker and see how far you get it. But that's just a bonus thing.

Random: Oh. *moves to sit down and hopes he sees*

Fireflight: *explains the rules of the game simply and succinctly even as he sets it up. Offers the blue playing piece to Random*

Requiem: *sits down himself, his long legs splaying out in a slightly comical manner as he studies the board*

Random: *looks at the blue piece before trying to pay attention to Fireflight as the bot explains the rules* *thinks he's understanding it*

Moonracer: *returns with goodies, and then sits down across from her husband to pass them out*

Fireflight: *finishes the explanation, and then looks hopefully at Random*

Requiem: *to Random, without looking up from his bowl of candy* Ready?

Random: *takes a sip from his cooler shade of blue* *looks up at Requiem* I think so.

Requiem: *eyes grin as he glances up*

Fireflight: Great! You go first, Random.

Random: *which is no pressure or anything, but through the course of the game he manages to remember most of the rules and actually have a bit of fun along the way . . .*


((co-written with random_xtras))