Nexus. Blue's Bar. A Meeting of Opposites

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

It was another late night for Random, another recharge-less night. It was on these nights that he got off his berth and walked down to the Engineering Labs to work on some unfinished project leftover from the day--or at least that's what he told whichever mech found him recharging in the lab one of those times when he was unable to make it back to his quarters.

As usual he had managed to pass through the quiet halls without being approached by the nightshift. If Red Alert heard that, he'd freak. However, when he opened the door to the lab and walked in, he found himself in a place that he didn't recognize as either Wheeljack's lab or the Ark.

At first he wondered if he'd missed a memo, like one saying "Wheeljack's working on something in his lab, ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK," and searched over his memory banks to find such of a memo as he glanced around the bar to prevent extra thinking. When he doesn't immediately find a memo, his 'oh great, just what I needed' attitude began to fade to outright panic. Before it spread too far, however, something in his mind made a connection between "bar"--which this place obviously was--and "Nexus."

Hmm. Maybe . . . ? He began to take his processors off of finding the memo and to set them to the task of thoroughly searching the bar for anyone he's seen before in the Nexus . . .

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[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He manages a small, if somewhat strained smile, conveying reassurance he himself lacked, and removes his hand as Blue sits down.

While the conversation still appears safe, Random takes the bite that allows him to access the Sunrise's liquid center and starts to drink it slowly, his other drink and the energon pellets forgotten.

When the bomb is dropped, there's no explosion of liquid from his end. Instead, he becomes as still as a stone statue for several moments. After which, he finishes his drink as slowly as before, his hands trembling only as begins to eat the empty husk of his Sunrise.

[random_xtras]

Arcee stares for several clicks, her optics wide with shock.

Then she shutters them and puts her hands to her head. "I... how the slagging pit am I supposed to respond to this?"

Blue winces at the way the older femme's voice is breaking up, and reaches to touch her arm, but Arcee pulls away.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Random has picked a solitary spot on the table and is entranced by it, the slight trembling of his hands groping for his eaten Sunrise still foiling his visage of a stone statue.

He'd been afraid of something like this. She'd just seemed so . . . different . . . young . . . fragile . . .

[random_xtras]

"I... can't... I can't take anymore of this." Arcee's voice is shaking as she shakes her head, still holding onto it. "I can't take anymore. I... can't."

"'Cee...." Blue reaches toward her again, but the pink and white femme recoils so strongly that she bumps into Random.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Emotional breakdowns . . . those aren't good either. Random slowly shutters his optics and sighs softly.

He doesn't start, and he doesn't jump at Arcee's sudden touch. Instead he looks down at her calmly. One hand hesitates before reaching for one of her arms while the arm closest to her tries to reach around her without bumping her, hoping to get a neutral hold of her . . .

[random_xtras]

She startles at his touch and tries to push his hand away, but then collapses, low mutters and blurts of static coming from her vocalizer. If she were human she'd be crying now, as it is she's shaking hard.

Blue hesitates, but then moves over to that side of the booth, giving Random an apologetic look as he gets pressed against the wall. One hand goes to her friend's shoulder as she waits for the storm to pass.

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

Having once intended to get a hold of Arcee's arms in an attempt to get her attention, he now pulls her closer to him in an one-armed embrace, rubbing her upper arm soothingly.

[random_xtras]

When the fit finally passes it's because the elderly femme is drooping with exhaustion. She slumps against Random, one hand going up to press on her shuttered optics as her processor struggles to make sense of this last loss.

"Arcee... do you want a trank?" offers Blue, frowning at her condition.

"NO!" Arcee's optics pop open to glare, then shutter again. "Last slagging thing I need right now...."

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He stops rubbing her arm when she finally slumps against him, pausing with his hand in the air and not sure what she was going to do next.

His optics widen slightly--the unusual calmness he exhibited in the last few minutes shattered like glass in an instance--and he stares at Blues, stunned. Wasn't that just a bit extreme?

When Arcee replies to Blue, he breaks out of his trance and calms down again. He hesitates and starts rubbing Arcee's arm again.

[random_xtras]

"Give me some space." She gets a leg up and pushes at Blue, who moves out of the booth and then hovers worriedly. "And stop that!"

She lowers her optics and mutters a little, then gently catches Random's hand and moves away from him. "Sorry."

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He accepts her action passively, nods understandingly, slides a bit away from her, and indulges himself in his forgotten mid-grade.

[random_xtras]

"I'll be right back." Arcee gets up and heads toward the prep room behind the bar.

Blue watches her go, then looks back at Random. "You knew Kia?"

[lumina-mechnics.livejournal.com]

He gazes down at his drink for a moment. "A little bit, yeah."