Backwater Nexus. Black Dog. Keg got Married

[lumina_mechnics]

Random's comm: *has a message asking him to meet Keg in the Black Dog*

Random: *wiping his hands after completing repairs on something* *frowns as he notices the message* *finishes clean up before moving to a more private location, where he unsubspaces his PINpoint and uses it to go back to his last location in the Nexus--the Black Dog*

Requiem: *standing just inside the door, people watching. Looks down as he hears the displacement of air* Hey, Random.

Sparky: *offers her trunk to say hi*

Random: *starts and moves back a bit* *sees that it's Requiem and relaxes a bit* . . . Hi.

Sparky: *offers him a dolly made of twisted wire*

Requiem: Sparky, Random doesn't need a dolly. He hasn't got kids.

Random: *steps back a bit from the mammoth* *nod of thanks to Requiem* Seen Keg around?

Requiem: *glances toward the usual table and snerks* Yeah, he's over there.

Sparky: *wants to give the dolly*

Random: *looks over there* Ah. I see. Thanks. *sees the mammoth is still insistent* I'm good, thanks. *bemused smile for the mammoth* *will make his way over to the table*

divaShot: *runs past squealing and flailing one hand* *there is no sign of his wife*

Keg: *doesn't even look toward the squealing. He's talking to someone at the table*

Random: *steps to the side of that . . . craziness* *blinks a bit at the odd sight* *doesn't recall seeing that PINK guy here*

random bargoer: *sees the look* Spider.

Random: *turns to the "random" bargoer with a raised optic ridge* Excuse me?

bargoer: The pink guy's dealing with a spider.

squealing: *goes past again over that way somewhere*

Random: *thinks that's odd--thinks the most cowardly of all the Autobots at the Ark at the moment* *shakes his head and walks up to Keg's table* *stops when he sees that Keg's talking to someone at the table*

Keg: *turns then and grins a bit sheepishly* Hey, Random. Thanks for coming.

femme: *small and compact, she's black with midnight blue trim and a gentle blue optic band* *watches Keg and Random with a shy, quiet smile*

Random: *raises an optic ridge at Keg's sheepishness and then turns to the someone . . . who happens to be a femme* *Oh* *turns back to Keg* *a bit cautiously, like a person who's expecting some sort of angle to occur* . . . No problem.

Keg: *cheekplates heat as he rubs the back of his head* *quietly* Heh. I asked you to come so that you could... heh. Um. Meet my wife.

Random: o.o!

Keg: *blushes more* Random, this is Twilight. Twilight, this is my old friend Random.

Twilight: *softly* It's really exciting to finally meet you, Random.

Random: *looks a bit uncomfortable himself--hard to tell why though* *nod* Congratulations. *turns to Twilight* You, too, Twilight.

Twilight: *expression is shy and gentle as she smiles at him* Keg ordered some Cybertron Sunrises and a cooler shade of blue drink for you.

Keg: *sheepish big homely bot*

Random: *well, they could be all uncomfortable with Random standing up by the table, or Random could sit down at the table and still have everyone uncomfortable* *moves to do the latter* Cool. Thanks, Keg.

Keg: You're welcome, old man. *looks at his own plate*

Twilight: *sigh* You're being silly, Keg.

Keg: Yeah, probably.

Random: *has sat down* *pleasantly surprised by the largeness of the Sunrises* Ooo.

Keg: *looks over, his usual grin showing as his eyes twinkle* I got you top grade.

Random: *sounds like he really means it this time* Thank you! *picks one up to savor its smell*

Keg: How have things been since last time? *hands on the table, and one's in a splint*

Random: *shrugs* Pretty much the same. Decepticons are Decepticons, and the base always needs maintenance, even if there aren't ships to fix.

Keg: Yeah, that's true. Have you been here since I saw you? *goes to reach for his fuel with the splinted hand. You didn't see that wince! Reaches with the other hand*

Random: *looks up in thought* Might have done a Sunrise run since then. Can't quite remember. *and ever observant, he finally notices the splint* . . . Do I want to know?

Keg: *quizzical look over the straw he's drinking from*

Twilight: *gentle poke* Your hand, Keg.

Keg: Ohhhh. *looks from her to Random* Nobody told you about that?

Random: *takes a bite out of his Sunrise* *matter-of-factly* No one really tells me much of anything. . . . Some cases, it's probably better that way. *since he's a coward and all* *starts to look kinda reflective until he realizes he probably shouldn't think that much about it*

Keg: Heh. Well... *waves the splinted hand carefully* This is from an encounter with a city with a brain injury.

Random: o_0? A what?

Keg: A titan Transformer.

Random: . . . That . . . doesn't sound safe.

Keg: *slightly sheepish grin*

Random: *frowns as he sees Keg's reaction* *after a couple of moments the lifting of an optic ridge suggests he does not like what he feels is being implied by Keg's sheepish grin* Keeeeg. What did--Don't tell me . . .

Keg: You know that Perceptor that's just a kid?

Random: Which one? *since there's probably hundreds of . . . don't go that far, Random*

Keg: The one from the reality where you found their Kia when she was new. The kid.

Random: *frowns as he remembers* Yeah, seemed like he was.

Keg: *amused* He's three vorns.

Random: *still older than the Aerialbots in his own reality, but . . .* That's pretty inexperienced.

Keg: The whole team is, there. Even Optimus's a kid.

Random: >.o

Keg: Anyway. *sips his drink and then grins at Twilight in response to a little pat pat* *back to Random* That kid Perceptor called to ask me for backup while he investigated something big that'd come down out in the Utah desert.

Random: *sees his own drink and takes a sip* Sounds reasonable.

Keg: Well, the thing was a titan, and she thought I was a monster attacking her. *more drink sip*

Random: But as a "titan" wasn't she much bigger than you?

Keg: *shrugs one shoulder* Her perceptions were off.

Random: Oh, yeah, "brain injury." *takes another sip of his drink before taking another bite of one of the Sunrises* *sooooo good*

Keg: *offers his drink to Twilight and is gently refused* Anyway. She snapped out of it after she attacked, and she's alright now.

Random: *raise of an optic ridge* That's good, but that doesn't explain how you got that. *nods to the splinted arm* *since Keg didn't SOUND as sheepish as before*

Keg: *looks at the injured limb* ...She stepped on me.

Twilight: *hands over her optic band*

Random: *WINCE* >.o

Keg: *sheepish again, and a bit resigned, as he pushes back from the table and then stands to show the scars that now pattern his armour*

Random: *more WINCE and a shudder*

Keg: *sits down again* You alright?

Random: *hand over his face* That looked like it hurt. *and he thought you going off on your own and getting shot was bad, Keg*

Keg: *thoughtfully rubs his nose* I don't remember anything till Ratchet got me jumpstarted. By then he'd turned my pain sensors off.

Random: Well, that's . . . reassuring. *absently rotates his shoulders as if trying to deal with an itchy back*

Twilight: So the first thing you remember is a lot of grumbling?

Keg: *looks at her sideways* Huh? Oh. No. *snerk* White Ratchets aren't as grouchy as the old red ones.

Random: *shakes himself out of whatever thought process he has going on*

Twilight: *surprised* He didn't say anything.

Keg: *hesitates and glances at Random*

Random: I got nothin'. Can only think of things Gears says.

Keg: *snerk* Ratchet was just muttering.

Random: *still looks a bit bothered by whatever he tried to shrug off* He does that sometimes. *distracts himself with a Sunrise* *delicious~!*

Keg: Optimus scolded though.

Random: *looks a bit confused* Did you do something to provoke her?

Keg: *blink* No. The big guy was yelling at Perceptor for going out with just one bot for backup.

Random: *chose the WRONG time to take a drink* *choke*

Keg: *winces and moves over to pat his back in the right spot* *he limps as he walks*

Random: *INTAKE* *sigh* *holds up a finger* He--You--Keg. WHY?

Keg: *shrugs one shoulder* It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Random: *shakes his hand in a "WHY!??!?!" fashion as he struggles to get a coherent word out*

Keg: *limps back over to his seat and settles into it* At least the kid didn't go alone.

Random: *sighs and lets his hand fall to the table* Yeah. . . . Still. Two people against a giant mech is suicide, Keg. *thinks for a moment* Unless there's lots of cover.

Keg: *shakes his head* We were on the salt flats. It's done, and we survived. The kid'll know better next time.

Random: *shakes his head*

Keg: And something good came out of it. *grin*

Random: *looks at you, Keg, and it seems to be highly doubtful of any "good" that might have come from yet ANOTHER suicide mission you decided to go on*

Keg: *splinted hand goes over and gently pats the small black one that's sitting on the table near his plate*

Twilight: *looks up and frowns at him without anger*

Random: *raise an optic ridge* More like, something good came out in spite of it.

Keg: But I would never have noticed her if I weren't welded down.

Twilight: You were silly, and you know it.

Keg: *sigh* I was trying to lighten the mood.

Twilight: *looks at Random, then back to her husband* *headshake*

Keg: *this sigh sounds resigned and amused, and he turns back to Random* Sorry.

Random: Don't tell me; tell her. *nods toward Twilight* Married man.

Keg: *pats that little hand again* She isn't the one that wigs out, old man.

Random: *takes a few moments, but Random starts to see that Keg was referring to the whole telling* Oh. That part.

Keg: *quirk of a grin* Yeah. That part.

Random: Deugh. *shakes himself* Don't go into stupid situations without backup, Keg. Was hoping you were past that.

Keg: Yessir.

Random: *remembers he probably should have been backup the FIRST time it happened* >.o *no way to win*

Keg: *grins and pokes Random's plate*

Random: *looks up at Keg before taking the Sunrise he started off the plate and helping himself*

Keg: I rested at home for awhile. And then I thought I could go back to work. *chuckle* But when I reported to Optimus, Ratchet got me.

Random: *think he might have missed something* Which ones?

Keg: In the reality where I work.

Random: With the first Kia I met. *meaning the reality with that Kia* . . . You don't quite look like you're ready to do much more than the desk job I thought you had gotten stuck in.

Keg: *rueful and sheepish* Actually, Ratchet says if I try to go to work before he says I can, he'll weld me down again.

Random: I can't say I disagree with him.

Keg: *glance toward the little lady quietly sipping her drink says that the big security bot is more worried about what she says than what Ratchet says* Yeah, well, I'm being good.

Random: *notices Keg's look but decides not to comment on it* Good. *gets to the liquid part of his Sunrise* *It's always the best part*

Twilight: Does sitting and playing video games all day count as being good?

Keg: *has to stop and think about that* *glances at Random to see what he thinks*

Random: Ah. Video games. Don't really have time for that.

Keg: Me either, most of the time. But they take more time than reading.

Twilight: *plays a little clip of Keg holding a controller and going, "No no no no! AHHH!"*

Keg: 9_9

Random: *looks at the clip* You sure that's not too stressful?

Keg: *brow plates lift* It's not stressful. *grin* And 'Unravel' was pretty good.

Random: *starts to finish his Sunrise* I'll have to take your word for it.

Keg: I got him past the stampers on the next try. *siiiip*

Random: >.o

Keg: Sitting still's a lot more stressful.

Random: *nods* *Keg's one of those "needs to do things to be useful" peeps*

Keg: I just found this thing called 'Roblox'. *grin* I build things and the kids play on 'em.

Random: *has no idea what this "Roblox" thing is* Oh. That's cool. *he guesses*

Keg: It's a platform where you can make your own games. I built a cooperative dungeon. *sips drink* So far it's got ten levels. Oh yeah. We still need to go to the dungeon here. *grin*

Random: Huh. *sounds pretty cool* Wait, dungeon? 0_o *and why would you want to go to one*

Twilight: *wiping a drip off her plating* Not till Ratchet says you can.

Keg: I know. *chuckle* *to Random* Yeah, didn't I tell you about the one they have here?

Random: Uh, no. *and his looks seems to say that he's not sure if he wants to know, probably because he's thinking of a different type of dungeon*

Keg: Aww, I must've been dreaming again. *shakes head, though he's still grinning* Well, it's kind of an adventure game that you play with a group of friends. Each level's got different traps, puzzles, and monsters.

Twilight: *looks at husband like he's nuts*

Random: 0_o *listens a bit more* So, like a real life version of a video game? *since that seems close to what he's seen briefly of some video games* *finishes the rest of the Sunrise he's been working on*

Keg: Yeah. Like some video games. *thinks of what year Random's from* Only you can play with more friends.

Random: Oh. Okay. That sounds pretty neat. *though he's not sure about the "monsters" Keg was talking about*

Keg: Yeah. Though sometimes you wind up having to save newbies that are on levels too hard for them. But we'd be staying in the virtual ones.

Random: *looks a bit confused* Staying in the virtual?

Keg: Yeah, if you go down below level ten, the monsters are solid.

Random: >.o *yeah, no, does NOT sound like a good idea*

Keg: Even though the kids I usually party with are good, I won't take them down there. *om nom some little stars from his plate*

Random: *absently picks up and drinks from his cube of cooler shade of blue* *sounds like Keg's already been to the "dungeon" several times already*

Keg: *offers a star to his wife and watches her eat it, then looks back to Random, once more grinning* What do you say, old man?

Random: *oh, right, Keg had been sorta saying Random needed to see them when he brought them up* Uh.

Keg: You'd make a great support character.

Random: 0_o? "Support character"?

Keg: Yeah. They're the guys that stay in the back of the group and do things like replenish health bars or snipe.

Random: *well, sounded better than being close to the monsters, but . . .* I don't think you'd want me doing medical stuff.

Keg: Oh, you just point a staff and press a button.

Random: Oh. *that doesn't sound TOO bad . . . unless there were a secret catch*

Keg: There are these holographic health bars over everyone's heads. And when they run out we can't do anything to the monsters anymore. *counting his stars as he speaks, though he keeps looking up as he talks*

Random: *okay, so no actual maiming involved in these "dungeons"--or at least in the virtual parts* But the monsters aren't exactly gonna make it easy to keep everyone topped off, are they? *thinks that could be a stressful job*

Keg: No. But you can use the staff to take energy from them, too.

Random: *thinks that over* Huh.

Keg: And the last time I looked, the bargain bin had a lot of functional stuff in it.

Random: *bargain bin?* What bargain bin?

Keg: *nods* It's where they put all the stuff that hasn't sold in a while. Some of it looks goofy, but it works.

Random: *still looks confused*

Keg: *gently* What don't you understand?

Random: You have to buy stuff?

Keg: Well, you can rent it too. But it works better to have your own.

Random: Oh. Okay. *still sounds like it's a bit of an investment*

Keg: Though the Backwater Wheeljack just sticks tags on herself and goes as "An Engineer who's Really Good at Being Cute and Destroying". *snerk*

Random: 0_o *guess he'll have to see it to understand exactly what the heck Keg is talking about*

Keg: Don't worry, she isn't as explosive as some Wheeljacks.

Random: *not what he was worrying about* Wheeljack being explosive seems to have been trumped up a bit back home. *or at least he hasn't SEEN all of the explosions the mech is supposed to do on a regular basis*

Keg: Oh, you have one of the saner ones?

Random: Seems like it.

Keg: Good. Because let me tell you, the lady where I work is a pain in the diodes sometimes.

Random: *thinks for a moment* Her explosions causing you trouble?

Keg: I'm in charge of keeping the riffraff from looting her lab after she blows it open. *looks toward gentle wife boot to the leg* Heh. Yeah. I'm not right now.

Random: *reminded of the stories he's heard of what's been taken from his Wheeljack's lab* Sounds important.

Keg: She's Cybertron's top RnD engineer.

Random: Ye-ah. That's pretty darn important. . . . But why's she a pain in the diode?

Keg: *chews fuel thoughtfully, then swallows* I think she just doesn't think things through.

Random: Because of the explosions she causes?

Keg: Well it's just a theory, but wrecking her lab isn't that good for project progression.

Random: *still looks a bit confused* *answers the part he can* No, no it's not.

Keg: *slight snerk* Though at least she's not using Starscream coding to program doofuses to fly.

Twilight: *frowns at him for calling people doofuses*

Random: >.o *at the using Starscream coding for anything* I don't think I wanna know.

Keg: Nope. *rueful grin*

Random: *shakes the thought away and takes another sip from his drink*

Keg: *and then he's murphing before he rumbles a yawn* >.o *shakes head with a bibble* Have you seen that lady with the fan?

Random: *emphatically* No. And I slagging hope it stays that way.

Keg: *reaches over and pat pats*

Random: *sighs, remembering back to his conversation with the femme he'd rather not be reminded of* Though if she is coming to Earth it'd be a little bit longer till she gets there the long way. *looks down as Keg patpats him*

Keg: *quietly* It'll be alright.

Random: Hope so. Sneaker's dealt with enough junk without her adding to it.

Keg: *still quiet* I seem to remember reading about Somebody saying people wouldn't be given more than they could bear.

Random: o_0 *remembers everything he's seen in the War* That's some definition of "bear," then.

Keg: *grin that's a little sad* You're still sane, and you still have us, huh?

Twilight: *peeks at Random* *and then frowns at Keg as he murphs another yawn*

Random: *stares at Keg a bit blankly* *soon realizes what he's doing and takes another drink* Don't know how with everything that's happened.

Keg: *another yawn gets murphed with his hand* *then* Ask Sneaker.

Random: o_0 Sounds like you need some recharge, kid.

Keg: *frown of protest as he looks at his wife*

Twilight: *nod nod*

Keg: *droop* *grumble* That's all I'm doing.

Twilight: *softly* If you do it now, you won't need to do it later.

Random: *contemplates empty energon cube while Twilight takes care of Keg*

Keg: *more soft, peeved rumbling. But then a big hand is reaching over toward Random, palm up* Hope I see you again soon, old man.

Random: *looks up when he sees the hand, puzzled* *remembers that humans usually shake hands, so will do that*

Keg: That'll do. *strong grasp, and then lets go* Thanks for coming.

Twilight: *softly* I'm glad I got to put a face to the name. *gentle smile*

Random: *nod for Keg* Welcome. And hopefully it's not a long time before the next time you see me. *nod for Twilight--and isn't sure what to say to that*

Twilight: *doubtful look* Would you like a hug?

Keg: *cracks a slight grin as he pries himself out of his chair*

Random: Uh, sure? *likes hugs from Kias, though he's not sure about getting a hug from Twilight but Keg doesn't seem to mind*

Keg: *grin grows as he watches his wife jump down and scoot over*

Twilight: *big hug from little lady. Hug is full of support and warmth* *and it comes with a huggy sound*

Random: *hugs her back* *it's a bit easier for him to do so since he's still sitting down*

Twilight: *smile from the little masked face that despite its shyness holds a good helping of the same good nature usually seen in Bumblebees, and then she lets him go and turns to see what her husband's doing*

Keg: *is doing stretches*

Random: *lets go of her when she does* *gives her a small smile back before turning to watch Keg as well*

Keg: *stretch lower back. Stretch upper back. Soft dubstep to himself as he does so. Stretch hips. Stretch...* *blinks as he realizes he has an audience* *GRIN*

Twilight: *chuckles*

Random: *glad to see the mech isn't too badly hurt still if he's able to stretch so much without pain* *also has no idea what kinda of noise the mech is making to himself* *looks and sees that he still has like, four more Sunrises on his plate* Thanks again for the Sunrises.

Keg: *grin widens* Don't eat them all at once. *limps over to gently smack Random on the shoulder*

Random: *blinks a bit at the light smack, not really used to it since he doesn't get that sort of friendly behavior from Sneaker* I'll try not to. *will place them carefully into subspace before causing his empty cube to dissolve into thin air*

Keg: *nods, and then turns to head for the door, trying to scoop his little wife up as he goes and protesting quietly as she squeaks and scoots out of reach*

Twilight: *gentle remonstrance in return to his protests as the two pass out the door*

Random: *watches them go for a few moments before shaking his head* *he rises from the table and looks as if he's searching for something* *for some reason, part of him isn't convinced that the bill's been paid, even though he found out previously that Keg's put him on the green mech's tab*


((co-written with random_xtras))