Nexus; Arcee's apartment. Bearing the weight of bad news.

[critical-medic.livejournal.com]

((The SP-X Nexus thread may go another tag or two. Starting this here as the inevitable in the meantime.))


Seeking shelter from all the noise and hustle of the Nexus, Prowl finally finds his way to what he believes is the entrance to Arcee's apartment. Taking the key Ratchet gave him from a hidden compartment, he crouches on the ramp in front of the garage-style door for a moment, wondering if there's anyone home or not and if he'll be intruding. Still...he's not ready to return to Detroit. His thoughts are jumbled and the noise closer to the sign is making it harder for him to regain his composure. Keeping his wounded right hand closer to his chassis, Prowl uses the key to get the door unlocked before opening it, putting the key away after. He slips inside without even raising the door all the way, silent as a shadow before pulling the door shut after.

Comments

[critical-medic.livejournal.com]

Prowl waits as patiently as he's able while Arcee is away, seating himself on the floor as though he's about to enter a meditative state, though he's far from calm enough on the inside to manage it. When she does return, he notes with rising anxiety that she is limping, her body practically radiating warning signs of exhaustion. As Arcee sits, he gets up and moves to her side. Momentarily, the two prototypes are forgotten... Prowl has not let Eleven herself slip his mind, but she is out of his reach. Arcee is not.

"Your excuses of long work shifts aside, you are not well. You need help. I may just be a friend of a friend, but I cannot sit by and watch you deal with this on your own!"

[random_xtras]

She looks up at him with an absent scowl, too busy battling the urge to recharge to really be able to focus. "They weren't there. I'll try to keep an eye out when I'm off work."

Then his words register and she scowls more deeply. "Don't you dare bother Ratchet. He's got enough to process without your making him think there's something the matter with me."

Arcee knows her friend. He'll be half frantic about Eleven. She doesn't want to add to his stress level.

[critical-medic.livejournal.com]

Undaunted by her scowling, Prowl stubbornly digs in and sticks to his guns. "And what if something should happen to you as a result of your condition, whether directly or indirectly? Ratchet - all of us - are already at a loss to help Eleven. You can still be seen to and if I simply sit by and do nothing, he WILL be furious with me. I appreciate your willingness to help watch for those two prototypes, but it is either I fetch Ratchet or Sari, or I locate someone else in the Nexus who can help you."

[random_xtras]

She doesn't flinch or look away, but her voice holds calm flat finality as she says, "I've been seen to. There's nothing anyone can do."

[critical-medic.livejournal.com]

At this point, Prowl is starting to go from anxious frustration to anger. Forcing himself to control the tone and volume of his voice, he looks her straight in the optics. "By who? And with what diagnosis?"

[random_xtras]

"Some of the best medics on Cybertron. And it's chronic spark failure. I've got a booster; if I keep away from any more all night marathons I'll be fine."

[critical-medic.livejournal.com]

Prowl's vents release a long, weary sigh before he finally backs off a little and sits down on the floor again. Tired of being outside his center of calm, he draws several more circuit-cooling "breaths", each one more controlled than the last before he speaks with a more even tone. "...I do hope you realize you cannot hide this from Ratchet forever. I will do you the favor of not telling him right off in thanks for your help and offer of temporary shelter, but sooner or later he will find out."

[random_xtras]

She draws her good leg up and leans wearily against her knee. "It's not a favor to me. Like I said, Ratchet's got enough to process right now. And... he has enough issues in regards to me. This isn't his fault, but I'd bet my hubcaps he'd manage to find some way to think it was."

Then she growls softly at the error messages scrolling across the bottom of her feild of vision. "Shut up, I know how I feel."

[critical-medic.livejournal.com]

Not sure he can argue with that, Prowl remains silent. He feels he does not know Ratchet quite as well as he should just yet, but he is well aware that the medic is far more compassionate than he tends to let on. And given Ratchet does not like to talk specifics about the war, it's possible that he's more easily hurt by things than he lets on, as well. There's no telling how much he may or may not blame himself for where he failed in his job during that period of his life.

"You may be correct," he finally admits. "Time will tell how the energon chips will fall, however. In the meantime, I will have to take him what news I have of Eleven's status. That much cannot be helped."

A slight waver in Prowl's voice is the only indicator of his inner turmoil. He fears for Eleven more than even he cares to admit out loud, but all he can do is lock down his emotions and prepare to go home.

[random_xtras]

She winces and clenches her jaw for a moment, hating the weakness that's holding her down. "Wish I could go with you. He'll... he'll need someone to keep him...."

Her forehead sinks down to settle on her knee as her systems finally cease arguing with her processor and just shut down.

[critical-medic.livejournal.com]

Prowl is tempted to gather Arcee in his arms and take her right along with him...but he doesn't see the move as an all around wise one for the time being. Instead, he sighs and takes a few more minutes to center himself before taking his leave, slipping back outside again with as little sound as possible.

He'll PINpoint home once he finishes up one more bit of business in the Nexus. Ratchet will want his own device back and given the current circumstances, it might not be a bad idea for Prowl to find and take a few pare devices for himself and the other three Autobots without.