Nexus. Edge of the Subdivision. New Neighbors

[dens_extra_pups]

Blades: *comes back in from checking the flowers on the front lawn* Brina, I think we have new neighbours.

Sabrina: *looks up from organizing books* We do?

Blades: You know that big house across the field on the other side of our back yard? There are things on the roof, and it looks like Trrrl, Wrrml, and Beacon are stalking it.

Sabrina: *will move to look out one of the kitchen windows* I see them peeking over the fence...

Blades: *comes to stand beside her and watch the watchers for a moment, then lifts his gaze toward the beautiful brand-new colonial style mansion that the feline men are so interested in. Soft gasp* Look, are those little brown sheep? *points to where the animals have just been herded out of the six car garage*

Sabrina: *surprised sound* We should see if they need any supplies.

Blades: *goes and looks in the bread box* I wonder how many people are there, and if they'd like potato sourdough bread. *glances from bread box to bread machine*

Sabrina: I can go find out... *looks a bit uncertain about doing so though*

Trrrl: *stands up then and calls over the fence to Nyaan not to pounce the shepherd boy!*

Sabrina: *watches the distant figure of the young catgirl give an offended huff, and then get distracted by something else* We should probably go see who our new neighbors are.

Blades: *gathering all the bread in the house, and also that bucket of blue butter that he just bought this morning* I'm almost ready.

Sabrina: *small smile* That looks like a good gift.

Blades: I hope they know what it is. Did you see what sort of clothes the boy with the sheep is wearing?

Sabrina: I think he might've been skyclad...

Blades: *lifts head from checking the butter. o.0?*

Sabrina: Skyclad... As in, wearing what he was born in?

Blades: 0.0! Oh dear.

Sabrina: We should bring them some blankets too.

Blades: *blinks, but then brightens* I have a whole closet full of those. It's the one in the upstairs hall. Could you get them? Or do you want to carry the bread and butter?

Sabrina: I'll go get them. *quick peck on the cheek for Blades, then she's heading for the upstairs*

Blades: *has the food all packed when she comes back* Trrrl and his family are bringing them some stew, and meat. *glances toward the kitchen door as it closes*

Sabrina: *chuckles and peeks around the stack of blankets she's carrying* Alright.

Blades: *looks at her and becomes concerned and fussy* Are you sure you can carry that much that far?

Sabrina: I can put some in subspace.

Blades: Oh right. *sheepish* I forgot about that.

Sabrina: *gentle chuckle* It's alright. *will stow some of the blankets for now*

Blades: *hesitates, but then looks at his wordmate* You know, the meat is going to be the biggest animal they can get, and we're probably going to have to eat some too.

Sabrina: We could also see if they'd be interested in Dinoham.

Blades: That's true. *heads for the door. Squeals as he goes through and is Nyaanned*

Sabrina: *startled ack as the Mrrpt-Nyaah teen chatters and talks about the family that arrived*

Blades: *softly, still shaking a bit from reaction but trusting Nyaan as a friend* We're bringing them some bread and butter and some blankets.

Nyaan: Oooh. Okay! *grins and scampers off to tell her family*

Sabrina: *moves to fuss over Blades*

Blades: *softly* I... I'm alright, Beany. She does this to me all the time.

Sabrina: *is still going to fuss a bit* Still...

Blades: *gives her that sweet little grin*

Sabrina: *nuzzle* *quietly* Let's go meet our new neighbors.

Blades: *smiles and starts across the field after he's beeped the house lock*

Sabrina: *keeping pace with him, and making note of the fact that Drill Boy is over by one of the other houses, and is holding a couple of boxes. Suspects Den is in the process of moving as well*

Blades: *looks toward the tall, round, blue house* Oh. I wonder if they're finished moving yet.

Sabrina: If they're not, they're very, very close.

Blades: She started bringing things as soon as the house was finished. But she said she's having a little trouble getting all her things moved. *slightly sad face* I wish I could help. But she says that even Drill Boy can't go with her to her reality without being changed to a doll.

Sabrina: *small frown* I wonder how she found that out... Hopefully not by trying.

Blades: *quietly* Drill Boy says that being a doll is boring, even if he does get to cuddle more easily.

Sabrina: ... *facepalm* So they did try.

Blades: He goes to see her all the time.

Sabrina: ... Huh. *still wondering to herself if there's a way for her to visit Blades somehow*

Blades: *as he walks along* Did I tell you Cade dressed up as Santa Claus?

Sabrina: ... He did? *trying so hard not to snicker*

Blades: *nod* Somehow he scared Cody. Which scared me.

Sabrina: *wince wince wince, hug*

Blades: Ohhh, careful. *juggles his grip on his burdens*

Sabrina: Sorry... *will help keep things from falling*

Blades: *gets the bread and the bucket resettled, and then glances toward excited voices from by the mansion and goes wide-eyed as he spots a towering figure covered by a nylon tunic to keep the snow out of his workings* Oh, there's Ironhide!

Sabrina: *looks* *snerk* He's got his hood up... It's not snowing though...

Blades: *softly* Listen. He's got the baby under there.

Sabrina: *blink blink* Baby? *listens*

Blades: Her name is Mira. *soft smile* She's his daughter.

Sabrina: *d'awws softly* How old is she?

Blades: *chagrined look as he pauses by the edge of a formal flower bed in the mansion's shadow* Oh, I don't know. But she's just tiny.

Sabrina: ... *blink blink* How tiny are we talking about here? *trying to get a better mental image*

Blades: Four foot. *shrinks back slightly as a tall woman with neat corn braids notices him and Sabrina and comes walking toward them*

Sabrina: *attention going to the tall woman* Hello.

woman: *smiles, her attitude that of a confident leader* Hello. What brings you here today?

Sabrina: The Mrrpt-Nyaah let us know we have new neighbors. *smiles and offers the blankets*

woman: *doesn't even blink as those blankets appear out of no where* Ahh. Thank you for the gift. *turns and calls, then hands the blankets to the girls and boys who ran up in response*

Blades: *quietly and shyly* We... do you like bread? And b... butter? Oh, and my name's Blades. This is my wife, Skydive. I mean Sabrina. *blush*

Sabrina: *noticed the lack of surprise at the blankets being brought out of subspace* *slight headtilt* Have you had contact with Cybertronians before?

woman: *smile grows as she looks up from peeking curiously into the container of butter* My husband is from Cybertron.

Sabrina: *small nod and a chuckle* That explains why you didn't seem all that surprised when I brought the blankets out of subspace.

woman: My name is An, General in Chief of the Fire Tribe. My husband is Optimus Primal of the Axalon. Thank you for these gifts. *finger butter, finger mouth* o.0

Sabrina: *nods* It's nice to meet you, An.

An: And I'm glad to meet you, Sabrina. *pauses and looks up at that big black guy hunkered down to speak gruffly to the other hunters of the tribe, then looks back to Sabrina as she passes the bread and butter to another child* *quietly, as she remembers one thing her husband hoped they'd find in this place* Is there a Cybertronian doctor here?

Sabrina: There are Ratchets who frequent the Nexus, and Hormah lives here, at the Sanctuary of Primus. *did her research ages ago, for the just in case*

Ironhide: *heard that, looks over* What do you want a Ratchet for?

Mira: *yap babble chirp in agreement with Daddy!*

Sabrina: *looks to Ironhide and reminds herself that Ironhides tend to be gruff, but kind* An asked if there are any Cybertronian doctors here.

Mrrk: *turns from discussing that lovely smelling honeysuckle bush with one of the ladies of the tribe* Oh. WakeJumper's our doctor.

Ironhide: *nods in agreement* And one of the bartenders at the Black Dog, Rhinox, is a medic as well.

Mrrrna: No need to bother Hormah. *mrrps softly as she finds herself mobbed by curious little humans*

Nrra and Myah: Nyaan, don't pounce... the children. *twin facepalms*

Sabrina: *as Nyaan gets retaliation pounced* There are a lot of doctors available.

Ironhide: *calling WakeJumper and getting into a snarkmatch with the orange medic*

Mrrk: You can tell him it's safe to let Eclipse come. I don't think these friends will be frightened by her.

Ironhide: *relays the message* *to An* Eclipse is getting supplies, and then she will be stopping by.

Mira: *babble babble chirp!*

An: Why were you worried that she would frighten us? *doesn't blink as Hhhchee comes off the roof aimed at a Lumen*

Ironhide: *as Lumen scampers* She tends to be... Excitable. *is trying to be polite, honest!*

Sabrina: *glances to Blades, brows raising. She's not familiar with any Eclipses*

Blades: I think there's an Eclipse at Optimus' base. She was scolding Heatwave the time he was rude to Muhlisha.

Sabrina: There's nobody by that name back home... *attention going to where an orange and black femme just arrived* *blink blink at the happy chatter coming from the femme*

Blades: *blinks, and then hides from the happy chatter*

An: *surprised look for the tall, slender man*

Sabrina: She sounds like Bluestreak.

orange and black femme: *just a bit distracted by talking to WakeJumper, but is very careful where she puts her feet*

An: I should go and greet her. Make yourselves at home, friends. *smiles and then goes*

Sabrina: *protective of Blades, will watch the orange and black femme carefully crouch down so she's closer to An's level* She's an Autobot.

Ironhide: *nods, and then he's getting Mira off of his back, since the sparklet is currently gnawing on part of his armor* She was an Autobot.

An: *quizzical expression as she turns her head to look at Ironhide*

Ironhide: *nods to the femme* Our tribe is neutral.

Eclipse: *introduced herself already, nods in agreement* Yup. Only 'cause Ironhide had no alliance before he and his family became Exiles. When Wake, Lu, and I joined, we were all Autobots. But since we're also Exiles, it's just easier to be Thetacons and help anyone who we're able to help.

An: *surprised* I thought that Ironhide was the name of an Autobot hero from old legends.

Ironhide: *snort* In your reality, maybe. *Mira out and then he's turning his attention to feeding the sparklet, so she'll quit trying to nom on his armor*

Nyaan: *from where she's got one of her cousins in a headlock* Different realities can go a lot of different ways. *nod nod*

Myah: *gives in to instinct and jumps on her sister and her cousin*

Fire Tribe kids: *follow suit*

An: Ahh. *looks up at Ironhide: Have you anything against Autobots? Or Maximals? Because my people belong to the latter faction.

Blades: *surprised blinkings*

Ironhide: *headshake* I have no quarrel with Autobots, Maximals, Destrons, and a few Decepticons. *slight smirk as he thinks of the shenanigans he's been witness to* As long as they do not try to attack my tribe.

An: We have no intention of attacking anyone here. *looks back toward the mansion and her people, who are now all outside and greeting the neighbours who have come to see them* *quietly* We're here to keep from being attacked.

Ironhide: *small nod* Then you are in a very safe place.

Moonglide: Other than from LOLs.

Starchart: *big armload of pretzels* Those aren't hard to avoid.

Beacon: Just don't eat anywhere but the Black Dog, or things purchased from SwindleCo. *nod nod*

Ironhide: Besides, the Metalworkers consider themselves Autobots, and most of my friends in the Nexus are Autobots as well. *chuckles*

Mira: *nomph nomph nomph, purrrr*

Starchart: *pauses to stretch up and kiss the baby in passing*

Mira: *will 'talk' to Unca!*

An: *to Eclipse* You aren't the doctor?

Eclipse: I can assess the situation, and if it's beyond what training I've had, Wake can help. He was trained by Ratchet. *nod nod*

An: *frowns slightly* I don't know how we'll get you into the sickroom, though.

Eclipse: *ignores the amused snerk Ironhide just did* I have a holoform that can go where I'm too big to go.

An: What does that mean? *glances toward a Blades shriek*

Sabrina: *fussing over Blades, since he got pounced unexpectedly*

Eclipse: Here... *optics flicker, and then there's a redheaded human woman clad in an orange and black jumpsuit*

An: *turns back, and then starts backward with surprise*

Trrl: *would have gone poofcat at her reaction if he had hair* *continues sheepishly on his way to the house*

holoform: *sheepish expression mirrors Eclipse's*

Eclipse: Sorry. *ignoring the snickerfit Ironhide is now doing*

An: *tilts head and studies the holoform, then sees if she can poke it*

holoform: *feels just like any other human would feel* *blinks at the poke*

Eclipse: I even gave it similar bio-functions like breathing and a heartbeat and pulse. *bit of a grin going*

An: I have no idea what some of those words mean. But... *turns her head and calls to a woman even taller than herself, and very well rounded* Luna, will you take this woman to the sickroom?

Luna: *finishes sharing out bread and butter to kids, and comes over* Alright.

holoform: *will move to follow Luna then*

Luna: *as she leads the way inside the massive and ornate foyer of the house* You live here?

holoform: *nods* *with Eclipse's voice* Yup. My family lives across the road from Ironhide's family. We're located over along the Lost Highway.

Luna: Is that far from here? *up the sweeping polished wood staircase*

hEclipse: It's about four and a half miles. Not too terribly far. *smile*

Luna: *returns the smile and then leads the way down the wide upstairs hall to the smaller staircase at the end of it* We thought he'd be the most quiet and comfortable up here.

hEclipse: What happened, if it's alright to ask?

Luna: *quietly* He went up against the Predacons alone to save the children.

hEclipse: *wince wince wince. Meanwhile, her main body's calling her mate and relaying the info*

Rattrap: *meets them at the top of the attic stairs, her sharp optics wary in her little techno-organic face* Neehhh, who's dis, Moony?

hEclipse: *grin* I'm actually just a holoform, created by my main body, which is outside.

Rattrap: *crosses arms over shapely chest* Dat don't tell me who yous are, toots.

Luna: *so much facepalm* She's a doctor's assistant. She wants to look at Dinobot and tell her doctor about him.

hEclipse: So move your skid.

Rattrap: *stink eye* How're we supposedta know yous's really who you sez yous are?

Luna: She knows an Ironhide. Just move your can. *picks up the little femme and boosts her out of the way*

Rattrap: *so much complaining! Not all is printable*

hEclipse: *amused chuckle as she moves to see how bad the damage is*

Dinobot: *laying quietly on a camping cot, surrounded by life support equipment*

Rattrap: *just said that she's not surprised Luna's Rhinox's old lady, since she's the same kind of jerk*

hEclipse: *paying Rattrap no mind, will relay the info to WakeJumper* *to Luna* WakeJumper will be here soon.

Luna: *quietly* Thanks.

Rattrap: *pauses shouting to wibble, but then sniffs and puts her nose in the air*

hEclipse: *moves to give Rattrap a hug* WakeJumper'll help him recover. You'll see. *complete confidence in WakeJumper's abilities*

Rattrap: *squeals!* Eeehh! Alright, kid. Jes' keep the touchy feely stuff to youseself.

hEclipse: *sheepish expression is a go, releases Rattrap* ^_^;; Sorry.

Luna: Don't mind her. She's just difficult.

Rattrap: *unprintable snark* *snark cuts off as Dinobot groans softly*

hEclipse: *absently* WakeJumper's here. *attention going to where a miniature version of the orange and black mech just flickered into existence*

Luna: *lifts her eyebrows slightly* Doctor?

hWakeJumper: *nods* My designation is WakeJumper. Eclipse let me know what's going on.

Luna: *gentle hand on Dinobot's shoulder* *quietly* His spark nearly went out. His shell was so depleted of energy that it fed off the spark.

hWakeJumper: *slight frown is a go* How is he for energy now? *moving to scan Dinobot*

Luna: He'd be out if not for the life support.

hWakeJumper: *more frown is a go* *checking scan data to get a better idea of what fuel to get Dinobot* *will also get out the tools he'll need to begin repairs* *to Luna* What repair facilities do you have, normally?

Luna: He's been in the CR chamber. Rhinox said he was so bad that there was only so much it could do, since the thing is on its last legs after it got dropped over a cliff into a lake.

hWakeJumper: *small nod* I'll do what I can. *as hEclipse vanishes* Eclipse went to get fuel for him. Something that will be easy to process.

Rattrap: *scowls* He's hooked up ta da energy feed dere.

hWakeJumper: *calmly, as he moves to begin repairs* Every little bit helps.

Rattrap: *sucks in a breath and scratches the side of her head, unable to hide her concern. And do you understand the reason why she's here when the rest of the Axalon crew isn't, WJ?*

hWakeJumper: *gently, as he works* Your mate will be alright, in time. He's in a safe place to recover, and he's got you close by.

Rattrap: *blinks at him* *then looks thoughtful* I wonda if he'd be able ta handle any'a dat organic food we had at da Black Dog dat time we was heah.

Luna: *looks to hWJ for his verdict* We can make broth.

hWakeJumper: *nods* If he's awake enough to eat it. *remembers the time he did a house call to the blanket factory and helped the woman who runs it when she was ill*

Rattrap: *quietly* He ain't woke up yet. Dat's why Rhinox told us ta look up a proper doc instead'a jes' stickin' 'im in da R chambah again.

hWakeJumper: *small nod as he works* Well, he'll be able to be awake for longer periods soon.

Rattrap: Youse sure about dat, Doc? *hovering, the light glinting softly off the wheels on her hips*

hWakeJumper: I am. He'll need time to recover fully, but he'll have that time.

Rattrap: *slightly shaky sigh* *quietly* Good. Dat's good.

hWakeJumper: Eclipse got lamb broth... And the Dinobot who guards Nemesis' warehouse wishes a swift recovery.

Rattrap: *pauses, and then chuckles* Dat guy. How long's it ben since he tied da knot heah? Ben awhile wheah we're from.

hWakeJumper: *names the date* It's been awhile here as well.

Rattrap: Not as long as fer us. *looks at her mate, face unwontedly serious*

Luna: They've recently gone back to Cybertron. That's why Rattrap looks like this. Something about the planet changed them.

Rattrap: *snorts* What I get fer goin' ta see da old places.

hWakeJumper: *nods* The same sort of thing happened to others... I have an alternate who works at the Black Dog whose alt mode is almost wolf-like. *chuckles* His kid's cute.

Luna: We've been here in the Nexus four days, but it's been months back where we came from.

Rattrap: Yeah. I set my PINpoint ta bring me back heah.

hWakeJumper: *another small nod* Time runs differently sometimes. I have no idea how long it's been since I left my reality. Probably a long time.

Rattrap: Prime.

Luna: *light wallop*

hWakeJumper: Hm? *quick glance at Rattrap*

Luna: She was just being sarcastic again.

hWakeJumper: Oh. Okay. *back to work* Just don't do that around Denpup. She won't get it.

Luna: *stern look for Rattrap as the small femme looks gleefully interested in that idea*

Rattrap: *snorts at her and sulks*

hWakeJumper: You'll get to meet her eventually. *turns to hEclipse, who just brought up the broth*


down in the kitchen


Blades: *demonstrating stove usage*

young Fire Tribe man: *finishing the cleaning of the giant rat that the Metalworkers brought over. Making sure blood goes down the drain in the kitchen floor*

Sabrina: *making a list of suggestions for good things to order from SwindleCo and the Black Dog, and trying not to look at the giant rat*

Fire Tribe woman: But there are places to hunt here? *glances toward the rat herself, recognizing a fresh kill*

Nyaan: There're rabbits in the woods, and birds there too. We get most of our meat from the rat pits though, 'cause some of the hunters go there to train. *nod nod, helping with putting things where they need to go*

hunter: *starts cutting the big rat up into pieces* Rat pits?

Nyaan: *nod nod, will begin telling about the rat pits, and about the different sizes of rats she's seen there* Even Ironhide goes to fight there.

woman: *exchanges a startled glance with her friends, and then looks back to the pink and black girl* That's a small giant rat?

Nyaan: The bigger ones usually go to the big lizard guys, so they're not available for hunting fights. *did some research, aka asking around, one day*

Starchart: *just came in with a load of stuff brought by Denpup* They're not a hundred percent certain that those armoured rats don't carry anything that could hurt a warm-blooded person. So they keep them. But these are good. *looks over his armful* Where should I put this?

woman: *hurries to clean a spot on the island to set the things*

Denpup: *bringing the rest and looking around the stack she's carrying* Where should these go?

Starchart: Over here, Den.

woman 2: We don't have money, so those places won't be able to help us get food.

Starchart: *looks over* Just go to the Dungeon and fight a few levels. Plenty of money there.

Denpup: Yup. Just watch out for the acid slimes. They tend to cling and burn. *nodnod*

Starchart: But they don't start till level four anyway. *sniffs at one of the things she brought in*

Denpup: *will get the crock pot with rice noodles, beef broth, and vegetables situated* Yeah... They're still a pain in the butt though.

Beacon: That's what you get for sitting on them! *peers into the room*

Denpup: *stinkeye for Beacon* At least I didn't go screaming like a little schoolgirl when one started chasing me, Beacon.

Beacon: *scowl* I didn't do that!

Nyaan: Yes, you did. *grins at her uncle*

hunter: *interested but confused* What are you talking about?

woman: *pushes curious Beacon nose out of the crockpot*

Denpup: I went dungeon crawling with these guys one time, and we were on level five... This big acid slime started chasing Beacon, and he screamed and ran. I had to sit down, 'cause I was laughing so hard, and I didn't realize I was sitting on a smaller acid slime... Until it ate through my armor.

Starchart: *will stare at you now, Den*

Denpup: Next time, I'm getting armor from Hormah. *nodnod* And not the cheap stuff I got last time.

hunter: *slightly exasperated but still very interested* I don't know what a dungeon is, or how you crawl in one, or what a slime is. Unless it's that word that Rattrap uses for Predacons.

Denpup: A dungeon's usually a place underground where there're things to fight. A dungeon crawl is going down to a dungeon to fight monsters. And a slime, in this case, is anything that looks like this. *cell phone out and a picture of an acid slime is on the screen. Offers the phone to the hunter*

hunter: *studies picture carefully, from several angles, till eyes unaccustomed to looking at images of things understand what they're seeing* Ugh. I'm going to have words for Rattrap if she ever calls me that.

Denpup: *blink blink, puts phone away* I know a girl Rattrap... She's a #$-*mouth covered by Nyaan hand* *stinkeye for Nyaan*

Nyaan: That's a bad word. *brat grin*

hunter: She's obnoxious, but Dinobot loves her.

Nyaan: *about to reply, acks and removes her hand from over Denpup's mouth*

Denpup: *smirk*

Sabrina: She licked, didn't she?

Nyaan: Yes. *scowls at Denpup*

Starchart: *butt leaning against the island* So wipe it on her face.

Nyaan: ... >3 *and now she'll proceed to chase Denpup out of the kitchen*

Starchart: Beacon, get your nose out of the pho.

Beacon: Aww... But it smells good.

Sabrina: Denpup brought that for the Fire Tribe.

Starchart: You can get some of your own later. Settle for the other food that there's a lot of if you need to eat.

hunter: Wait. You can eat human food? *looks at the brothers with surprise* I thought you were Autobots, not Maximals.

Beacon: We've got parts that let us eat organic food too. *nodnod*

hunter: Huh. Well, that's good to know. We can share hospitality. *looks toward a crash from the hallway*

Sabrina: *attention going to the hallway, concern clear on her face*

Starchart: Den, get off the floor, and off Nyaan, before her brother sees you squashing her.

Sabrina: *facepalm*

Denpup: Karma, I can has. *chuckles and lets Nyaan up*

Starchart: *perks ears* Mirden, don't kick her butt. She'll squash Nyaan worse.

Mirden: But it's such an obvious target. *chuckles*

woman: No violence. *looking through the door with amusement* Hello. I'm Jael.

Mirden: *nods* My name is Mirden. It's nice to meet you, Jael.

Denpup: *picking herself and Nyaan up off the floor* Mirden's scary when she's mad. *grins at the raised brow look she gets from the other woman*

Beacon: At least she never teddy bear cuddles the person she was just trying to squish. *inspects the stack of bowls Denpup brought*

Denpup: *thrrpt*

Nyaan: *gigglefit, wiggles out of Denpup's hug, will go see if Hhhchee got Mira grabbed again*

Mirden: *to Starchart* There is another family moving into their new home today as well.

Starchart: *perks* Really? Which neighbourhood?

Mirden: The subdivision. One of the townhomes there. They all got written out of their reality.

Starchart: The same complex as Scott lives in?

Mirden: I believe so. *bit of a frown as she thinks about the family* There's something strange about the men, though...

Starchart: Strange in what way? *picks up a knife and gets up to help the young hunter cut up the rat's ribs*

Blades: Ohhhh! Bacon! *looking at that part of the rat's former anatomy*

Mirden: There's a strange feeling to them. They've got a feeling of power to them. And the long haired one feels... Incomplete. If that even makes sense.

Denpup: *headtilt* Did you get their names?

Blades: I know how to salt this and make it into real bacon, too. *going to look for the tools for that now*

Mirden: *nods* The one who answered the door is Kanae Shin. There was another man named Tekuma Nekasa helping a third man, Genji Natsuhara, and a young woman, Chiharu Natsuhara.

Denpup: *bit of a grin* I know who Kanae and Tekuma are...

Starchart: *flicks quizzical ears toward Den*

Blades: *trying to get his wife interested in making bacon*

Sabrina: *is interested, and is also interested in hearing what Denpup has to say*

Denpup: In my reality, Kanae's a fictional character from the anime 'Generator Gawl'. He was the assistant to the main baddie, but was really on the good side. *more grin* And he had bad fashion sense.

Beacon: Would he know what to do with a whole dead rat? *leaning backward over a corner of the island and looking at Denpup upside down*

Denpup: Probably not. Heck, I don't even know what to do with a whole dead rat.

Beacon: Oh. *frown* *perk* How about a dead turkey?

Jael and her friends: *amused*

Denpup: Maybe. Genji might know what to do, too.

Mirden: *quiet as she thinks about the incomplete feeling she got from Genji, wondering if it's something she might be able to help with*

Starchart: Why don't we just give them some of the ham from Swindle co, Beacon?

Beacon: Heey! There's an idea!

Denpup: I'll go get them some blankets.

Mirden: *small nod, excuses herself. Intends to research realities like the one the new family comes from*

Blades: Den, let us. Our closet's overflowing. *peeks at her over his shoulder*

Denpup: *blink blink* Oh, okay. *smile*

Sabrina: They might need other things as well, Den.

Denpup: True...

Beacon: Plushies!

Starchart: *frowns at brother* Were you helping Mrrk chew on the honeysuckle bushes?

Beacon: *sheepish expression is a go*

Denpup: *snickerfitdie* Fail.

Starchart: *facepalms* You know that stuff can't really affect you, right?

Beacon: It still tastes good!

woman 2: I didn't know cat-like people would act like cats.

Jael: Why not, Debora? There are plenty of humans who act like baboons.

Denpup: *amused headshake, will move to see if there are any vegetables, and to make note of what the mansion's pantry needs*

Sabrina: Well, Mrrpt-Nyaah are felinids... And the ones I know tend to be pretty cat-like even in human form.

An: *comes in then, and goes to the pantry to put away the huge wheel of cheese she just received. Bumps into Denpup* Oh. Forgive me.

Denpup: It's okay. I should've been paying attention... *blink blink* Do you need any help with that?

An: No. *heaves the monster onto the counter in the centre of the storage room, then studies it* I've never seen cheese like this before, but it smells good. Oh, my name is An.

Denpup: Nice to meet you, An. *small smile* I've met one of your alts over at the Black Dog.

An: Really? *pats the Parmesan, and then takes out a sharp stone knife to cut it* What sort of world does she come from? *chuckle* And you didn't say your name.

Denpup: One similar to yours. *blink blink* Oh... I'm Den. I'm a full-time Nexusite. *small smile* I co-own and co-operate the blanket factory that's near here.

An: *pauses and looks up* Den? My husband says that a woman named Den once unexpectedly arrived at the ship.

Denpup: *blinks a bit and then she's fishing for her PINpoint, glad that she finally splurged on one that has a built-in coordinate scanner* I stepped through a portal one time, and wound up in a reality where the Vox weapon had recently cooked part of the planet...

An: That was last spring. *watching the fishing with curiosity*

Denpup: I have a feeling I know what this thing's gonna show me, but I still gotta check... *finds what she's looking for, will get her PINpoint out and fiddle with it until she gets the coordinate scanner up and running. Will scan An for coordinates*

An: *is indeed the lady who was but newly wed and who brought her some Christmas tree tea that day*

Denpup: ... *snerk* That Den? Was me. How is Rhinox?

An: I don't know. *looks back to the cheese* Rattrap says that a lot of time has passed, though it's only been a few days here. All she'll tell me otherwise is that Optimus has had two more new bodies, and that his current one is going grey.

Denpup: *wince* Grey as in... grey hair?

An: Yes. *quietly* He hasn't had hair since I first met him.

Denpup: ... *small nod* *quieter* Things'll be okay. You'll see.

An: I don't know. Luna keeps dreaming that Rhinox is dead. *starts cutting the cheese again*

Denpup: *bites her lower lip and decides to keep her mouth shut about the part of the story she knows from her reality and from what she's heard from the feathery Dinobot* I'm sure he's fine. ... This is probably gonna be a dumb question, but who's Luna?

An: *slight smile* Rhinox's wife.

Denpup: Oooh... *very slight quirk of a grin* I remember, when I visited, Rattrap thought you were Optimus' girlfriend.

An: Girlfriend? I haven't been a girl in many years.

Denpup: It's a term for the lady someone's courting, if they're not married. *bit of a stinker brat grin* Dinobot got Rattrap to shut up for a bit by pointing out that you weren't Optimus' girlfriend, you're his wife.

An: *absent grin* We'd just married that evening.

Denpup: Aww... *chuckles* And then Rattrap gave me grief 'cause I thought it was cute.

An: She's spoken to me about it. She was afraid of Optimus being hurt when he had to leave me behind. *more quietly* As he was.

Denpup: *small nod* *quietly* No matter the reality, Optimus is a big, squishy spark.

An: *deep sigh* He is a beautiful man.

Denpup: *nod* *softly, with conviction* You'll see him again soon. I'm sure of it. And then you two'll go off and be mushy and cute together. And Rhinox and Luna will be doing the same elsewhere, and Rattrap and Dinobot'll be snarking at each other and nearly killing each other and cussing each other out like normal.

An: *looks up* Dinobot is standing on the edge of the veil.

Denpup: There're a lot of medics here. And I saw a WakeJumper's alt-mode outside.

An: *nods* Optimus told me to ask for a Cybertronian doctor, WakeJumper is the one who came. *pauses and looks over her shoulder as she hears chirping* Oh no, the Cybertronian baby.

Denpup: WakeJumpers tend to be trained by Ratchets... *blinks and looks* Baby?

Mira: *chirp!*

An: *sets down the knife and goes over to hunker down in front of the little bundle of parts* Does your father know where you are?

Mira: *headtilty, blink, sits and points* *chirp! Daddy's out there!*

Denpup: Probably. Cybertronians of their tech have scary good sensors. *nod nod* Even the non-medical types have really good sensors. And Ironhide'd be raising cain if he didn't know where this bitlet's at.

An: *shakes her head, but hold out a hand toward the sparklet* I don't have anything to offer to you, little one. I don't think you can eat cheese.

Mira: *scoots closer, will study the hand and clickstorm*

Denpup: *soft chuckle* She looks like one of Hormah's kids...

An: Is Hormah someone who lives here? *wiggles fingers*

Denpup: *nods* She's the resident Primus Servant, and takes care of the Sanctuary of Primus.

Mira: *yap babble chirp! This lady's squishy like Bubby's doggies!* *will do her best to be gentle like she has to be with the doggies*

An: *speaking of doggies, she's just noticed that huge husky coated brute who just walked up the hall. Eyes wide*

Denpup: Ooo, big dog. *hesitant. Wants to pet the dog, but doesn't know how friendly or not it is*

dog: *gently opens big mouth and grabs Mira, then wags a tail and turns to bring her back to Master*

An: 0.0

Mira: *squeak! Wasn't done visiting, doggy!*

Denpup: Aww...

Lumen: *talking quietly to Mira, and getting squeakerfitted at*

An: Is that really a dog?

Denpup: *nod* Yeah. Not sure what breed or mix it is though. It's cute, whatever it is. *clearly has a very strange definition of 'cute'*

Lumen: *peeks at her* *quietly* His mom's a Neo Mastiff...

An: I don't know what that means. *stands slowly*

Denpup: Neo Mastiffs are big, wrinkly dogs. *grin* That explains why he's big... He looks like he's got some husky in him, too.

Lumen: *small nod* We think his dad might've been a husky, but we're not sure...

dog: *lays down and puts chin on Master foot. Ignores the sibling that just walked up and started gnawing his leg*

An: *shakes head slightly*

Mira: *playing with doggy wrinkles now*

Lumen: *small smile* *quietly, feeling a bit shy now* Mentor and I have been training the dogs since they were puppies...

An: What does "mentor" mean?

Lumen: *quiet for a few moments as he tries to think of the best way to explain* He is not my creator, but he is raising me.

An: Your second father?

Lumen: *nods* *quieter* My first father is in the Well, with my first mother.

Denpup: *wibble, will busy herself with working on her list, which gets forwarded to Dennis*

An: *compassion on that strong face framed by braids as she walks over to Lumen. Offers a silent hug of sympathy*

Lumen: *careful reciprocation of the hug*

An: *hugs a good hug to this tall child. And then backs off a little and looks down* My foot is not food. *chuckle*

Mira: *big optics are a go*

Lumen: *soft snicker, will pick the sparklet up* She does that to Mentor and Mentor's mate, too.

An: *gentle touch for the little sparklet's hand* All babies will try to do that. Looks up as one of the boys of the tribe runs up*

boy: Alright, I've got the byre cleaned up. Do you want to see the new lambs now, Lumen?

Lumen: *nods and shifts Mira to his hip after she starts having a gleefit* Lead the way.

boy: *grins and does so*

Denpup: *absently* I remember, I scared the *bleep* outta Dinobot when I fell asleep in the middle of his and Rattrap's lover's spat.

An: Lover's spat? *looks at Denpup with a smile as she turns to go back to the pantry and the cheese*

Denpup: *nod nod* They were arguing like a married couple.

An: Well, they are a married couple. *cuts off bit of cheese rind and tastes. Eyebrows up. GNAW to try and get a bite*

Denpup: ... *snerk* Somehow, I'm not surprised. Is Cheetor still a goofball teenager?

An: Rattrap says he's becoming a leader. And that he's handsome. *looks at the rind, and sets it down. Then tries cutting out a piece of what was under the rind*

little kid: *comes in, peeks onto counter. Gets rind piece. Nomnomnomgnaw*

Denpup: *chuckles* I remember he fell asleep when he was getting a game to show me when I visited...

An: That was right after the wave. *slight smile* I'm proud to think of him as my son. *slightly more quietly* He'll be my only child.

Denpup: *nod* He's a good kid. Even if he is older than me by a lot. *slight smile* And you and I have something in common.

An: *quizzical look*

Denpup: We're both moms. *cell phone out and pictures of the glitterbitty on slideshow!*

An: *surprise* He's Cybertronian.

Denpup: *headshake* No, actually... He's a baby version of my boyfriend, who is human-made.

An: I don't understand. *tastes bit of cheese*

Denpup: *pulls up a picture of her boyfriend* He's from a reality where humans have cracked the secret to adaptive artificial intelligence, and have built robots who can think, feel, and learn. What they didn't count on was that those robots would develop the equivalence of a human soul. Drill Boy's the sixth in a line of "Super A.I" robots serving as police officers in his home reality.

An: *sheepish* I didn't understand any of that, either.

Denpup: ... They're like Cybertronians, but made by humans. *is trying, really!*

An: *eyes widen* Humans can build cybernetic people?

Denpup: *nod* In Drill Boy's time, they can. They're just starting to crack that in my time.

An: *slow head shake* I'm amazed. *offers Parmesan*

sound: *faintly, so faintly from upstairs comes the sound of an upset Rattrap fussing*

Denpup: *as she accepts the offered cheese, she's looking up* Oh, crud. Rattrap's here?

An: *brows lift slightly* She's with her husband. It's not safe for her to be fighting right now.

Denpup: *bit of a frown, think think think*

An: *frowns slightly herself* What's wrong?

Denpup: Trying to think of something to give her to hold, but I'm kinda drawing a blank...

An: To hold?

Denpup: *nod* Like a teddybear, or a RagSeekerBunny...

An: Ohh. A doll, you mean?

Denpup: *nod* We make and sell 'em at the factory too.

An: Sell dolls. *seems to think this is quite a novel idea* *puts away her knife and heads out of the pantry and out of the kitchen* I better go speak to her.

Denpup: I'll come with you. Maybe having someone else to argue with'll cheer her up a bit.

An: Maybe. She's a contentious one. *jogs down the hall toward the stairs, her long legged stride eating up the distance with easy grace*

Denpup: *following and looking around* You mean she's a walking pain in the %$#$%#$. *grin*

An: Optimus wouldn't want the children learning that word. *sounds amused*

Denpup: *sheepish expression is a go*

An: *reaches the back stairs and starts up, not slowing down one bit*

Denpup: *doing her best to keep up*

An: *has reached the main floor and is heading for the second when a cry echoes down the stairwell*

child's voice: Doctor! Rattrap fell down!

An: *speeds up!* Keep her calm!

Denpup: *hurrying after An* *will be breathing a bit heavier by the time she reaches the top of the stairs*

hEclipse: *over by Rattrap, doing her best to keep the older femme calm*

An: *sees this as she reaches the second floor and goes over to kneel beside the trembling little Maximal femme* *softly, to hEclipse* What is it?

hEclipse: Er... *sheepish expression is a go, scanner out and scanning*

Rattrap: *very quietly* It's separatin'.

An: *rocks back on her heels* The baby?

Denpup: *meeps*

hEclipse: Is there a protoform? *is totally calling Rhinox*

An: No. We haven't had time to prepare. She just came back yesterday from helping the others go to Cybertron.

Rattrap: *shutters optics, her face looking wan and tired*

hEclipse: *small nod* *will make sure Rhinox knows of this as well, and ask him for advice*

An: *looks at Den, absently curious about the woman's reaction*

Denpup: *wringing her hands and looking a bit nervous now*

An: You don't have to stay.

hEclipse: *distractedly* Wake's working on her mate, and I've never delivered a sparklet before...

Denpup: H-here. *will give An one of the spare PINpoints she has* It's got the blanket factory coordinates...

An: *startles as a small green baytech femme appears with a bundle under one arm*

Denpup: *excuses herself quietly, and then a few moments later, the roar of some kind of jet engines can be heard leaving the area*

hEclipse: *looks over her shoulder* Hi, Spazz.

Spazz: Hey, 'Clipsie. What can you tell me?

hEclipse: *will relay what her scanner told her, and also point out what she scanned from Dinobot*

Spazz: *looks at the scanner, then has a peek at Rattrap* Sheesh. She's in this crazy nearly organic shell.

hEclipse: Sort of like Mutt's?

Spazz: And the feather duster. Yeah. There are no access panels. *looks at the scan again* Dude, she's not separating.

hEclipse: *puzzled headtilt* Huh?

Spazz: *quickly energizes hands and catches a small glowball as it comes from Rattrap's shell* This brat's fully separated.

hEclipse: *acks and topples back onto her butt* Oh...

Spazz: ACK! You little *unprintable opinion of newborn... wait. Newborns. She's holding newly split twins, and one's trying to leave* Oh this joke's getting old.

hEclipse: *flickers out in surprise, then reappears* Oh, scrap.

Spazz: I only brought one shell!

hEclipse: *letting Rhinox know, will vanish again as the femme PINpoints*

Spazz: *colourful vocabulary as she stuffs the one sparklet into the shell she brought, and then goes after the other one*

An: *picks up baby and watches the rodeo*

Rattrap: *face in her hands as she mutters*

hEclipse: *hurrying back up the stairs a short while later with another little shell*

An: *holding a fuzzy little male sparklet and looking worried for his brother*

hEclipse: Here's another shell. I found Oppy, and he was able to get another shell and how is Rattrap doing... *and here goes the ramblefit!*

Rattrap: Rattrap's stupefied.

Spazz: Get the chest open quick! Ack!

hEclipse: *still rambling as she does so*

Spazz: *stuffs babby spark in there fast so he can't mess with her circuits anymore* Little leech!

hEclipse: *rambling right past that*

An: *reaches over and gently slaps hEclipse in the back of the head*

hEclipse: *flickers and acks*

sparklet: *hungry wail as soon as his features show*

Rattrap: Ack! Shaddap! Yer gonna scare yer fadda stupid.

hEclipse: Then feed him, Rattrap. *will offer to show the new mother how to do so*

Rattrap: I don't got no tank access. *scowls*

An: I don't have milk.

Jael: *had come up to investigate the baby crying* Milk? *hands to dress fastening*

hEclipse: That works too, I guess?

Rattrap: *boggling stare as she watches her sons get presented with a source of food*

hEclipse: *clicking softly*

An: *frowning as she studies Rattrap's frame*

Rattap: Hey, I ain't too happy wit' dis bod eeda. Der ain' even no weapons on it.

hEclipse: *innocently* Ever consider taking up Judo?

Rattrap: All da unarmed combat moves in da galaxy ain' gonna make me not feel naked widdout a gun.

hEclipse: But then nobody would suspect you, and you could get in under the radar and kick butt.

Rattrap: Trust me, sistah, I couldn'.

hEclipse: Somehow, I doubt that... I mean, I've handed Ironhide his skid a few times... And I'm definitely not a combat model...

An: She means she'd be suspected.

Rattrap: Yeah. Dat.

hEclipse: *blink blink* Oh.

Jael: *chuckle*

hEclipse: *soft clicks as she thinks*

Rattrap: *quiet sigh*

hEclipse: *a few more moments of soft clicks, then* Well, at any rate, you should get some rest...

An: She's sleeping. Would it be safe to bring her to her and Dinobot's room?

hEclipse: Hmm... *very slight headtilt as she checks in with her mate* It... should be.

An: *leans forward to gently scoop the weary little mayhem expert into her arms*

Rattrap: *doesn't even twitch. Utter exhaustion here*

hEclipse: *will move to get the door then*

Jael: Here, this one's through eating. *offers the slightly fuzzier baby*

hEclipse: *will reach for the fuzzier baby and click softly* Let's get them situated...

fuzzy: *looks at her quizzically, then yawns and wriggles*

An: *has gone over to the other end of the room from where Dinobot's bed is and gently lay Rattrap inside the trunk that's there. Smooths the mink coat that the femme's laying on, and then moves out of the way for hEclipse*

hEclipse: *will follow An, and tuck the fuzzy in with Rattrap* *softly* I wonder what kind of creature that came from...

An: *turns back and looks* Some kind of weasel, I think. I left part of it up so you could cover them.

hEclipse: Okay. *will do so, carefully* It's soft...

An: It looks warm too. *looks over at Dinobot as he makes a small sound*

hWakeJumper: *gently* Easy... You're alright.

Dinobot: *whispers something, but isn't strong enough to really speak*

hWakeJumper: Just take it easy for now.

Dinobot: *faint frown, and again the whisper*

Jael: *pauses on the way into the room as the sparklet in her arms gives a little shout*

Dinobot: *brows up!*

hWakeJumper: *looks, chuckles* And it looks like you've got a healthy pair of sparklets now.

Dinobot: *optics widen, and he's looking bewildered*

Luna: She never told him she was expecting.

hWakeJumper: ... *snerk* *facepalm*

An: I guess she hasn't really had much time.

Jael: *goes over and lays the little shouter in the crook of his father's arm*

sparklet: 0.0

Dinobot: *shutters optics and tries to rumble*

hWakeJumper: *looking for a blanket to cover Dinobot with now*

Luna: What do you need?

hWakeJumper: A blanket to cover them with.

Jael: I'll get one. *turns and runs down the stairs*

sparklet: *talking to this nice sounding guy*

Dinobot: *already sleeping again*

hWakeJumper: *will talk quietly with hEclipse in the meantime*

An: Doctor?

hWakeJumper: *looks up* Yes?

An: Do you know when Dinobot will recover?

hWakeJumper: He's going to need a long time to recover, but he's got it now. This is really about the safest place for recovery that you could get.

An: *nods and then looks down at the sleeping warrior* And his wife and sons are here.

hWakeJumper: *nods* That will help. He's going to need a lot of rest, and that will probably be a bit frustrating for him at times. He reminds me of one of the people who works at the Black Dog.

An: He hasn't had enough energy to even open his eyes or wake up before today.

hWakeJumper: He'll be alright. Just make sure he gets fuel regularly, and that he doesn't try to get out of bed anytime soon.

An: Broth, besides the energy hookup?

hWakeJumper: *nods* Lamb or chicken broth.

An: Not vegetable?

hWakeJumper: No... I don't think that would work.

Rattrap: *soft murmur from the trunk* Didn' I have two'a dese?

hEclipse: Dinobot's got the other one.

Rattrap: *slightly louder and more awake sounding* He's awake??

hEclipse: Shh... Not now, he's not. He was for a little bit, but now he's asleep again.

Rattrap: Ah. *sighs and passes out again*

hEclipse: *bit of a frown, is puzzling over what to do now*

hWakeJumper: *will move to gently nudge hEclipse* We should get going.

hEclipse: *blink blink* Oh... Yeah...

An: Thank you for coming and helping us.

hWakeJumper: *nod* You're very welcome. If you need us, we're actually very close by. We live across the road from Ironhide and his family, over along the Lost Highway.

An: Alright. *looks at Luna*

Luna: He's told me what to do.

hWakeJumper: *nods* I'll stop by in a couple days to check on everyone.

An: We will look forward to it.

Luna: *nods*

hWakeJumper: Stay safe, friends.

hEclipse: *nodnod in agreement with mate's words*

An: *waves*

hWakeJumper and hEclipse: *vanish as the bots PINpoint back to their home*

((Written with random_xtras))