Nexus. Blackout's base. Company's over

[random_xtras]

Hormah lay a flying glomp on her brother and deedled laughter as he was pwned face-first into the bucket of paint he just opened.

Blackout blinked at them from where she lay propped up on her bed of sand, then looked at Auspex, ignoring Bob and Scarecrow's startled staring match. "Sorry."

The white and gold servant of Primus blinked, a hint of a smile on her faceplate as she nodded in silence.

"We need to get new furniture..." said Blackout, pointing to the side of her bed as Requiem straightened up and grabbed his now cursing sister to wash her face with paint. "Have a seat here."

Auspex chuckled softly as she settled on the sand. "I'm not sure it's easy to come by, in the Nexus. Other than large rocks, perhaps."

Blackout shrugged the shoulder that didn't hurt. "There are all kinds available... for a price. Boulders are what we were using." She glanced over at Scarecrow as he folded up and offered Bob a seat, which earned him another startled deer in headlights type stare.

Auspex blinked curiously at the couch-former. "One of your residents is furniture, I see...."

"No one told you about Scarecrow?" Blackout tried to shift her position and winced as a small beep of pain escaped before she could stop it. "Requiem, I want to move."

"Hormah mentioned him, I think, but I wasn't aware of the unorthodox altmode. Very unusual...." The white femme offered a smile a smile as the young mech dropped his sister and came to help.

Then she winced at the hint of pain from Blackout. "At least you're recovering; I'm glad of that."

"Yeah, he's a freak." Blackout's voice was affectionate as she glanced toward the odd rookie, but then went gruff as she added, "I'd be more recovered if I hadn't ripped things loose a couple days ago."

Auspex gave a concerned frown. "What happened?"

"I got drunk." Blackout waved Requiem away once she was comfortable, and he resumed his filling of shells with paint.

Auspex's frown deepened. "Well... that's not always conducive to proper judgment... but you don't need to hear that from me. What was the... occasion?" Then she noticed what Requiem was doing and blinked distractedly.

Blackout watched Bob sit cautiously on the bot-couch as she said gruffly, "I was angry at Rollbar, and forgot that my spark couldn't take too much of a charge." Her optics flicked to new weapon scars on one wall and the ceiling.

"Oh dear," said Auspex, unhappy but not scolding. "As long as no one was seriously hurt...."

"The brats are sturdy, and Skywarp is quick." And Blackout wasn't proud of what she did and tried to do to them. Scarecrow wasn't sturdy, and still had dents.

Auspex sighed softly. "I thank Primus for that, then."

Then she paused thoughtfully. "I take it you met Skywarp at the time of the... second couch incident?"

Blackout looked down at her fingers digging into the sand of her bed, feeling her faceplate heat with a blush. "No, we'd met before that. Several weeks before."

Hormah glanced over and snorted mirthfully through her mask of green paint.

Blackout growled at her without anger, then watched as Bob startled and looked around.

Auspex watched this exchange with a raised brow, then watched as Hormah went to sit by Bob with a comic book and comfort him, before returning her gaze to Blackout. She'd caught that hint of embarrassment. "Hm. I'm not sure if that makes things less awkward, or more so." She offered a bemused hint of smile.

"Since the very first time that I saw him was in a series of dreams... it was an awkward first meeting. Till we stopped trying to talk and started to fight." She smiled as she fondly remembered that battle, her hand going to a particularly nasty looking weld on her chest.

Auspex's optics flickered in surprise. "Dreams? That's... very unusual."

She fell silent a moment, pondering the implications... though she did chuckle at Blackout's latter note. "I'm sure that smoothed things over rather well." Violence as socialization was the very model of Decepticon culture. She would have expected nothing less.

Blackout was silent as she remembered those dreams; the closeness between she and the enigmatic black mech, and the separation after she'd first dreamed of Requiem's creation. Her spark thrilled with longing and content at the memories. "What's unusual is that Hormah had them too... and then the second time that I saw Skywarp, he came looking for me because he'd had one."

Auspex's optics went wide. "Goodness... that's... either a LOL, or Primus is... distinctly up to something." Humor crept into her optics, to mix with the surprise as she also made note of the emotion this subject elicited in her friend. "I don't normally hear of such prophetic dreams from anyone but other servants. It does happen every now and then... you think he is attempting to bring you together, then?"

Blackout glanced at her first sparked. "Hormah thinks so. And I'm not deleting the idea."

Hormah razzed her cheerfully, then smirked at her brother as Requiem barely reminded himself in time that he wasn't allowed to hit his sister while she was sitting on Scarecrow.

Auspex nodded thoughtfully. "It seems likely, though that's a very unusual way to bring it about. He... needs some sort of personal relationships outside of his universe, I think, and this most definitely qualifies."

Blackout shrugged her good shoulder, unsurprised that her friend knew Skywarp, but blushing again at the white femme's words.

Comments

[primus_seeress]

Hmm... *she ponders this* What does he think of all this, do you know?

[random_xtras]

"He's angry, and suspicious. But he believed me when I told him that I had nothing to do with the dreams."

Hormah makes kissy sounds, and Blackout throws a handful of sand at her. "Take yourself and the rest and get out of here. Now."

"Yes, boss." The little femme snickers and bounces up, pulling Bob along with her.

[primus_seeress]

*Her brow is raised again, as Hormah and company depart, before turning back to Blackout* Which leaves him angry at and suspicious of Primus, instead... but open to talking to you? I'm glad he doesn't blame you, either way; this obviously isn't your doing.

[random_xtras]

"He doesn't like someone trying to manipulate him." The Decepticon femme looks down at her hand, which is now smoothing the sand. "But he likes me."

[primus_seeress]

Well, no, and it's just as well that he doesn't. But there is a difference between manipulation, and guidance. But that can only be accepted with trust - or making yourself believe it was your own idea all along. *she chuckles a little* I'd believe the latter before the former... but at least he's not refusing to have anything to do with you, in an attempt to slight Primus.

[random_xtras]

"Like I say." Blackout's voice is pleased. "He likes me."

[primus_seeress]

And you have no objections to Primus' method, in this case? *she's curious to know how Blackout reads the situation*

[random_xtras]

The bigger femme hesitates, but then admits, "I asked him not to scare Skywarp off."

[primus_seeress]

*Auspex nods solemnly* That is a distinct possibility, if it is too overt, and I know Primus does recognize that. Though, I meant your feelings toward Primus, for doing this.

[random_xtras]

"I just got taken down by a slagging couch. I'm not so desperate for more punishment as to get angry at someone of Primus' stature."

[primus_seeress]

*She winces slightly* He does not punish his children for being angry with him. I'm a bit... bemused, myself. Negative emotions happen, and they are just as real as the positive. But... I'm glad, then, that you're taking this in stride. But it probably helps that you seem to like Skywarp, as well. *there's a trace of teasing humor in her optics*

[random_xtras]

Blackout makes a sound of clearing intakes, her faceplates heating. "I have no complaints about him. Though he could be less suspicious of Hormah."

[primus_seeress]

*Auspex lets Blackout's abashed reaction go by without comment, before frowning a bit, at the mention of distrust* I've seen them in the same place together only once... and they did not seem to get along, no. That, I did not understand; he seems to trust you, inasmuch as he can, but why not those he would see as under your command?

[random_xtras]

The larger femme frowns, her fingers once more digging through the sand as she lays her head back. "It's got something to do with her other creator. He doesn't like Minicons."

[random_xtras]

((co-written with primus_seeress))