GRV. Fort Lamont and Birmingham. Morning Antics Part 1

[dens_extra_pups]

morning: *quiet, peaceful, and sunny, even down here below the ground*

blue nylon hammock: *sways gently as the person inside moves and pokes a foot out of the blanket they're wrapped in*

Catherine: *yaaaawn, stretch. Contemplates getting up*

somebody: *laughs softly in their sleep from the living room*

Catherine: *soft snerk, recognizes that giggle. Will get up and get dressed before going to poke at Dallas*

Dallas: *grins and rolls over, pulling his pillow over his head as he snuggles the back of the futon couch*

Catherine: *pokes Dallas right in the ribs*

Dallas: *arm up, snagga Cat! Both arms around her and cuddle her close before she even has time to realize she's not upright anymore*

Catherine: *startled squawk*

Dallas: *chuckles and snuzzles close to her shoulder*

Catherine: *snuggle* Doofus.

Dallas: *drowsily, his breath brushing her softly* Love y'u too, Kitty.

Catherine: Wanna go get breakfast?

Dallas: *still only half awake* Got someth'n good.

Catherine: *poke in the ribs again* C'mon. Up and at 'em.

Dallas: *chuckles and pokes her back*

Catherine: *pokes in a spot she knows is ticklish*

Dallas: *OH, IT'S ON!*


after the ticklefight


Dallas: *in the bathroom under the stairs, running water on his head and making funny noises*

Catherine: *busy brushing her teeth while Dallas showers* *once she's done, she'll carefully fold the sink back up so it's out of the way*

Dallas: *starts to sing her a song, his fine voice echoing beautifully in the metallic interior of the house*

Catherine: *chuckles softly and contemplates shutting off the tankless water heater*

Dallas: *water off at that moment, and a long arm comes out and pats the towel rack* W'ut? Awww, Kitty...

Catherine: I didn't do anything this time.

Dallas: *feels the bar again, and then looks out and sees his towel on the floor* *grabs! Ducks back and wraps! Then scoots!* Your turn.

Catherine: *moves to make sure her towel is within reach before she starts the water*

Dallas: *gets dressed, and then he's singing again as he heads up the stairs to check her three tomato plants that grow on the ground floor by the door. Would never even think of looking down through the perforated metal floor into the shower*

Catherine: *singing once she's in the shower* *looks up through the upstairs floor herself, blinking at the sunlight shining brightly through the translucent skin of the roof and upper walls. Thinks about how much more room she has with this place than with the one in DC and how much more comfort than her last place in the bot house, and how the engineers built two other narrow underground houses like this one with the intention of having some of the female soldiers on base live in them. Still thinks the soldiers are nuts for choosing to live elsewhere*

Dallas: *still not looking down* Kitty, there's a tomato!

Catherine: *stops singing* Shiny!

Dallas: *laughs* Actually, they look kinda fuzzy at that age. *stands and looks out through the front window, and then hollers at his Landmine and goes to get him out of the orchard*

Catherine: *soft snerk, will finish showering and get dressed*


back to the first moment


same early morning sunshine: *shining also through a window over a bed, and through some skylights on the roof of a skinny building with a sloping roof that's tucked between the barn and the new womens' barrack. Falls softly over the comfortable though narrow bed that fills the entire end of this floor in the four foot wide house*

Bathilda: *grumbles as a sunbeam gets her right on the face*

Sanftherz: *soft thunk as she bonks her head while opening the door downstairs* -Oooo. Sun.-

Bathilda: *as she moves to get up* Ve should go sit outside soon.

Sanftherz: -My half is outside now.- *feeling of intense purring and the sun on skin*

Bathilda: *chuckles and goes to get dressed* -Und soon, I vill be, too.-

Sanftherz: *sun on the belleh. Ohhhhhhhhh*

Bathilda: *pleased sound, will dress comfortably for lounging in the sun, in that case*

Sanftherz: *quizzical. Is her other half going to cook breakfast now? Can Sanftherz watch through Bathilda's eyes?*

Bathilda: *thinks about the contents of her tiny fridge and considers what to cook*

Sanftherz: *thinks of the loaf of raisin bread on the middle shelf of the pull out fridge*

Bathilda: *perks and thinks about how it will taste toasted and with cream cheese and honey on it*

Sanftherz: *approves!*

Bathilda: *will get to toasting some of the bread after setting the cream cheese out so it will be soft enough to spread easily*

Sanftherz: *just told Crusher to go get some peaches. And now she's watching Dallas pop out of Catherine's house and yell at Crusher to get out of the orchard*

Bathilda: *amused snerk, even as she looks forward to having fresh peaches*


back to the first moment


white, doughnut shaped tent: *sitting up in the barn loft with the covered deck section facing the opening. Light plays softly over the figure that's been out here on the deck since before dawn*

Senaiji: *moving through forms with precision and grace. Has been up for a couple hours now, meditating and going through his morning routine*

sunbeam: *greets him strongly just as life starts to stir in the various barracks that surround the commons*

Senaiji: *will finish the form he's on before stretching and moving to check on his roommate*

Jinju: *looks up brightly from where she was drinking at her little automated watering cup, then flaps her tiny newborn wings and dances on her fuzzy little toes, begging to be picked up. Already filled her tummy as soon as she could see her food cup*

Senaiji: *chuckles and moves to gently pick Jinju up, one hand going to give the white chick something to stand on*

Jinju: *jumps right up, and then sits down to twist her little tufted head to see Mama with one bright black eye and then the other*

Senaiji: *affectionate praises in Korean, will gently stroke Jinju's back*

Jinju: *little nestling motion as she sings her soft happy sound. Pecks his finger in her curious and friendly way*

Senaiji: *soft chuckle*

Jinju: *quizzical look, and then peers over the edge of the hand. And yes, she'll try to jump again, even if she is only two days old and her wing feathers are only a whisper of a promise*

Senaiji: *quick to stop the chick from jumping, will gently set her down*

Jinju: *delighted not to be in the rectangular red bucket that is her home! Will straighten her little wings, and then bite her tail before starting to study the floor for noms*

Senaiji: *contented humming as he moves to get something to clean up after Jinju with*

Jinju: *beetles in his wake. She is a good baby, and keeps Mama in sight when she's out of the bucket*

Senaiji: *soft chuckle* You silly girl.

Jinju: *looks up toward the Mama sounds*

Senaiji: *thinks back to two days ago, when he found an abandoned chicken egg and was informed by one of the hatchlings that there was a chick in there. Also thinks back to how he'd asked Matt for help making sure the tiny creature survived*

Jinju: *sees bug! GETS bug. Eats bug* *checks on Mama*

Senaiji: *moving to sit down on his favorite cushion on the deck so that he can watch the rest of the farm wake up*

Jinju: *puts her head down and her wings out so that she can run fast! Runs up to Mama, and then scrambles onto his knee. Wiggles tiny tail, and then sits down companionably to watch the world down below*


back to the first moment


rooster: *wandering around after having been quick enough to get out the coop door after Matt opened it this morning at dawn. Flaps his wings, lifts his head, and crows loudly* *right under the bottom deck of Dixie's new guest house that the Army Corp of Engineers built on her poor tree that died*

Kae Yau: *wings one of her rubber shoes at the bird*

rooster: *angry and startled cackling at the top of his Rhode Island Red lungs!*

Kae Yau: *unprintable*

sun: *peeks through the trees and shines on where she's laying in the hammock on the deck level of the tree house*

Kae Yau: *more unprintable, will move to get up* *even more unprintable as she manages to flip the big Mayan-style hammock while trying to get out of it*

Dixe: *sticks her hand, and a plastic pitcher, out of Jesse and Chrissy's window. Pours cold water on the unprintable!*

Kae Yau: *SHRIEK*

Dixie: *pointedly slams the window shut*


elsewhere


Optimus: *sits bolt upright in the big cushioned sunken pit that is his and Elita's bed as the shriek cuts through his slumber* What?

Elita: *sitting up as well* That sounded like Kae Yau.

Optimus: *frowns and listens intently*

Elita: *also listening* ... Dixie dumped water on her?

Optimus: *sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, but then perks and pokes himself in the ear* Yes? Ah, certainly, I can come to the meeting. But Ratchet has explained that I am retired, hasn't she? She has. Yes, I am Optimus Prime. If you continue on that thread I will have to share this line with the President before she's had any coffee this morning. Yes, I knew you would understand. Thank you. Good bye. *looks down at his wife, feeling amused and exasperated*

Elita: *soft snicker* You wouldn't really patch President Pratt through before her coffee, would you?

Optimus: *quietly, as his eyes glint* Wouldn't I?

Elita: What did she do this time to deserve it?

Optimus: *stretches till his cables twang and vibrate* She enjoys expressing herself. *pauses to listen to the President expressing her opinion of Kae Yau's morning expressions*

President Pratt: *so much vituperation*

Elita: *so amused* I wasn't aware she was fluent in French.

Optimus: I think that's Fig's fault. *lays back down and stretches again, and then gives Elita a sleepy smile*

Elita: *soft chuckle, snuggles*

Optimus: *arms around her and snuzzles his face against her shoulder* I don't need to be up yet.

Elita: Neither do I.

Optimus: *happy rumble and commences operation cuddle wife*

Elita: *happy sounds as she cuddles and is cuddled*


other end of the compound


Diehard: *stumbles out into the morning light and walks into the combine* Ouch. Excuse me. Ugh. *thumps himself in the head and then peers blearily at a blur of yellow that he thinks he sees*

Drift: *will peek over Diehard's shoulder* *blinks at the brightly colored bot*

Ratchet: *reminded strongly of Optimus* Good morning, Diehard.

Diehard: *bright smile* Ratchet! *pause. Looks up* It's morning?

Ratchet: *nods as Drift sneaks a quick cheek nuzzle* It is.

Diehard: *looks pleased to learn this* *then goes blank again* Is it the day we were to be released from hospital?

Ratchet: *will scan Diehard and Drift before responding, pleased that they've recovered enough from the energon deprivation to be up and about* It is. Whirl made a break for the skies once she saw the Seekers flying, and Cyclonus went with to keep her from fighting dirty.

Diehard: *looks up and squints, then blinks* Are those hatchlings?

Ratchet: Seeklets. They're getting flying lessons, and strengthening their wings.

Diehard: How do you come to have hatchlings here? *tries to get his blurry optics to follow the quick movements of the little fliers and their accompanying adults*

Ratchet: Megatron was caring for them. He and his forces raided hatcheries near the beginning of the war...

Drift: *soft click, hides face against husband*

Diehard: *reaches back to gently touch his wife's side* I know of the raids. But if those bots are that old, how are they still hatchlings?

Ratchet: *quietly* They spent a lot of time in stasis.

Diehard: Ah. *looks up again* I see. *blink* Isn't that WakeJumper?

Ratchet: *looks up* Yes. *soft chuckle* She enjoys flying, even though she hasn't developed wings. *pause. Blink. Looks at Diehard* How did you know her name?

Diehard: *pats his wife* Drift told me.

Ratchet: Ah. *small nod for the white femme*

Drift: *very slight smile*

Diehard: *already looking more alert as he glances around at the suddenly active surroundings* What should we do? Where should we go? *lifts his voice* Ordnance, put her down! She's cursing!

Ordnance: *unfazed by Prime command or Kae Yau vinegar* She was cursing when I picked her up. *walks over and offers the damp woman to Ratchet*

Ratchet: Everything will be getting set up for morning rations shortly. *will take Kae Yau and give the woman a stern look for her language*

Kae Yau: *wet and cranky*

Diehard: *bangs his wrist against that of his mentor, and then socks him in the chest and is socked*

Ordnance: *laughs, and then peeks around Diehard at Drift* You're being clingy.

Diehard: We're drunk.

Ordnance: *backs off and stares at him with gobsmack* What? Since when do you get scrapfaced?

Drift: *soft stream of Decepticon* *no, it's not polite* *no, the mun isn't translating*

Diehard: *smacks her on the bottom, as he has since they were small and she used rude language* *quiet humour* I think it's safe enough here for me to see what all your old kissing stories are about.

Drift: *squeaks at the smack, won't let go of Diehard, however*

Ordnance: *blinks, and then walks off laughing loudly*

Diehard: *quiet grin* *then looks toward a clank from somewhere behind the hospital*

Ratchet: *looks toward the clank* ... I'm almost afraid to go look.

Diehard: *hears another clank, and follows the path toward the back of the hospital*

Ratchet: *moving to follow, setting Kae Yau down*

Kae Yau: *grumbles and storms off to find dry clothes*

Diehard: *and then he stops and frowns toward the opening in an artificial hillside that he can see a couple hundred yards away and the white, green, and red Cybertronian woman who is trying to push away a big eyed grey male*

Drift: *quiet concern*

Ratchet: *sigh* *goes to check on Wheeljack and Bluestreak*

Wheeljack: *laughing and pushing at her wordmate* Blue. Y'already did that!

Bluestreak: *doesn't care, wants to try it again!* Wanna try again.

Wheeljack: *tries to shove him again and staggers as her hands slip* Whoops! Blue, yer scrap-faced. *more laughter*

Bluestreak: *gonna try and catch Wheeljack* So're you, 'Jack. *wants to cuddle and snog some more!*

Wheeljack: Meep! *catches him as he nearly falls over, then falls on her butt* Wow!

Ratchet: ... *scanning the tipsy couple*

Wheeljack: *drunk beyond belief! How is the woman still coherent?* You... *beeping* kiss monster... Mrrph. Hmmm.

Bluestreak: *three sheets to the wind? Try four or five!* *snogging Wheeljack happily now*

Ratchet: *one with her facepalm*

Diehard: *quietly* What should we do?

Ratchet: If we had a sink of some sort to draw away the excess charge they've got going, that'd help... but for now, let's just get them picked up and separated.

Smokescreen: *slightly bleary from where he's leaning on Sideswipe* They should just slaggin' get married the rest.

Sideswipe: Throw 'em in the dugout.

Diehard: *looks at her funny*

Ratchet: *moving to separate the couple and stand them on their feet*

Wheeljack: *doesn't protest being separated from her husband, though she falls over the moment she is* Whoa.

Bluestreak: *diiiizzzy, aft meet ground* *dopey grin*

Wheeljack: *firmly, though slurring* No more kissin'.

Bluestreak: *pout* Awww...

Wheeljack: Meanit! *points finger sternly, and then keels over with a clunk*

Ratchet: *sighs and scans Wheeljack, though she strongly suspects she knows what's going on*

Wheeljack: *just very drunk*

Ratchet: *soft snort, scans Bluestreak, finds him in a similar state*

Diehard: What is it, Ratchet?

Ratchet: They're both drunk.

Drift: *very soft snickerfit*

Sideswipe: Who'da thought Blue had it in him? *snerk*

Smokescreen: *gives his girlfriend an incredulous look*

Ratchet: *moving to lift Wheeljack* We should get them both to quarters, so they can rest and sleep off their overcharge.

Bluestreak: *snoozing with his optics on*

Diehard: *suggestion, as he lifts Bluestreak* Separate quarters?

Ratchet: *nods* Bluestreak has quarters in the barracks.

Diehard: *nods* Can you tell me the number?

Ratchet: *provides the number* It's across the hall from one of the empty quarters... Not that Bluestreak ever really uses his quarters.

Bluestreak: *snooooore*

Diehard: *looks down toward the snore and shakes the snorer slightly*

Bluestreak: *murmurs nonsense*

Diehard: Don't poke him, Drift. *nods to Ratchet, and then turns and carries Bluestreak toward the barrack, his steps sure and his progress straight*

Drift: *quiet chatter of Decepticon as she and Diehard head for the barrack*

Ratchet: *sighs and moves to carry Wheeljack back to her quarters*

Smokescreen: *goes to follow. Falls on his face instead, and then can only growl and cuss as Sideswipe sits on him and laughs*

Optimus: *is the sound of a soft thud as he trips over the corner of Dixie's front porch, but then he and his son are quietly conversing for a moment before leaving their wives and going to find Skymine and go to Washington DC for the day*


meanwhile, in Birmingham


Bethany: *grumbles at the map she just bought, and then regretfully gives up on the notion of a surprise visit to her daughter. Pulls out her Blackberry and dials Catherine's number* *glances toward the sweet faced little blonde woman who is making much of Sasquatch as she waits for her daughter to pick up*

Debbie: *talking gently to the big Oldenberger Warmblood*

Sasquatch: *talking right back. Likes this little Not Mama*

Bethany: Watch your face, hon. He's a kissing fool. *frowns and redials the number, then once more puts the phone to her ear as she wonders just what that strange noise that had answered it was*

Debbie: Ah ain't bothahed bah kisses. *chuckles softly*

clicky little voice: //Mamaphone!//

Bethany: He gets your whole face at... hello? *puzzled expression* Catherine?

clicky little voice: *more insistently, though sounding a bit farther away* //Mamaphone!//

Bethany: *confused. Calls a little louder* Hello?

another woman's voice: //Here, sweetie. I'll make sure Cat gets the phone.//

clicky little voice: //Mamaphone, talkin'! Ladeh!//

Bethany: o.0 ...Hello?

woman: //Ah, hello?//

Bethany: Ain't this Catherine Wyatt's phone?

woman: //It is, but her kid was running around with it as a lovey this morning.// *chuckles* //I'm bringing the phone to Cat.//

Bethany: *gobsmack very plain in her voice* Her kid? What do you mean? Who is this?

woman: //She adopted one of the kids here. As for who this is, I'm Den Pratt. Can I let Cat know who's calling?//

Bethany: *rather lost in shock now* *blankly* I'm her mother. ...You have the same name as the President.

Den: *snerk* //Lady, I am the President. Oy! Cat! Phone! It's your mom!//

Bethany: *will sit with her mouth open now, unable to even yell at Sasquatch for kissing the little blonde till she squeals*

Cat: *thanking the President, takes the phone from the woman* //Mom?//

Bethany: *small "uh" sound*

Cat: //...President Pratt didn't rickroll you, did she?//

President Pratt: *in the background laughing now*

Bethany: *blink blink. Scowl* Catherine Dan'ette Wyatt, you have some explaining to do!

Cat: //... About what?// *confused*

Bethany: You adopted somebody? And never even let me know?? And without anybody to help you with a child?

Cat: //It's not like that at all, Mom. She chose me, and it's not like I don't have help here... As for not letting you know, things've been really crazy lately, especially in the past week.//

Bethany: *voice quivering slightly with pent up concern and anger* Hon, you disappeared off the face of the earth! I had to go pick up your things from your apartment, and some old man in a uniform told me they'd found your school binder roadkilled down an alley a ways off!

Cat: //... Oh, man. I would've loved to see Norman's reaction to you calling him an old man.// *soft snicker, then she's apologetic* //You've seen the news, right? About the robots?//

Bethany: *distressed* Of course I did. *eyes suddenly go wide and her hand goes to her mouth* Oh, honey, don't tell me you got caught up in that!

Cat: *quickly* //I wasn't anywhere near Chicago. But I'm part of the base team down here in Tannehill, now. I'm still gonna become a doctor, Ma.//

Bethany: *grabs something her mind can focus on right now even through the nearly blind worry* Tannehill? Where the heck IS that place? And where are you? I've got a truck load of stuff here.

Sasquatch: *whinnies his distinctive call as the nice Not Mama moves out of his reach*

Cat: //Yeah. It's near one of the state parks in Alabama. I'm at the base here...// *soft snerk* //Some of the guys call it "Fort Lamont", after the family whose land we kinda commandeered.//

Debbie: *quietly* Ah know wh're Tannehill 's. Ah was 'eadin' th're mahself, but mah cah broke down.

Bethany: *surprised glance for the little blonde* What's your name, hon?

Debbie: Ah'm Debbie MacKenzie.

Cat: *heard that* *is now calling to someone named "Denver" and asking them if they've got any relations named Debbie* //...Okay. Right. Ma, ask her if she's related to Dallas, Denver, and Beau.//

Bethany: *brows up, but looks back to Debbie* You know anybody named Dallas, Denver, or Beau? *blinks at a happy male voice evidently shouting over Catherine's shoulder* ...Or BJ?

Debbie: *small grin* Mah brothah's name's Dallas, 'n we's got cousins named Denver, Beau, 'n BJ. BJ's short f'r Bubba Joe.

Bethany: Bubba Joe? Seriously?

Debbie: 'E's a good kid. Must be 'bout 's tall 's 'is Pa bah now... *soft chuckle*

Bethany: ... He says he's General Lee.

Debbie: *blink blink, brow raised*

Bethany: *listening to the awking and laughter on the other end of the phone* Catherine?

Cat: //Hang on, gotta school BJ!// *mushed her hand in the young man's face*

BJ: *laughing and trying to avoid hand to face*

Bethany: *shakes her head* I'll talk to you in a little while Catherine. I love you. God bless! *hangs up and looks at Debbie* ...You need to wash your face.

Debbie: *blink blink* Ah'll go git washed up, th'n.


meanwhile, in Washington DC


Mason: *day seventeen of red tape and rigmarole. Has finally given up on official channels and bribed somebody to give him a phone number for the President. Is calling that now as he sits and scowls behind the desk in his plain office*

President Pratt: *answers on the second ring* //Bob's Redneck Barbeque. You kill 'em, we grill 'em!// *sounds quite chipper and wide awake*

Mason: Uh. Who is this? *blinks as somebody in the background yells that they killed it with the grill* *so much shock* That sounded like Jesse Lamont.

President Pratt: //This is Den Pratt.// *to the person in the background* //No points for killing it with the grill, Chrissy!//

Chrissy: //Aww.//

Dallas: //That ain't the grill she was talkin' about, Ma'am. She meant like the grasshoppers.//

Mason: *roars* Dallas! Gimme that boy!

President Pratt: *startled sound, fumbles the phone*

Dallas: *startled awk, dives for the phone* //'Lo?//

Mason: *gives his youngest son a piece of his mind. Since his worry for Dallas was acute, the telling off takes off a good strip of skin!*

Dallas: *as Chrissy reassures President Pratt in the background* //Things were so 'ectic durin' the Chicago incident, Pa.//

Mason: *quiet now, his anger held in check with difficulty* That was over a year ago.

Dallas: //Been busy down on the new base, too.//

Mason: *quieter, the held in anger more apparent and masking his hurt and concern* I didn' even know if you were alive or dead.

Dallas: *can you just see his cringe?* //Ah'm sorry, Pa.//

Mason: *abruptly* Will you tell me where you are?

Dallas: //Ah'm at Dixie 'n Matt's place.//

Mason: *mouth opens. Mouth closes* Excuse me. I gotta go swear.

Dallas: *cracking up now, excuse him*

back on base


BJ: *stops chasing Jake around with a grilled 'hopper to look at Dallas. Then slips the dead bug down the back of his older cousin's pants and books it out across the field*

Dallas: *startled squawk! Drops the President's phone and does the bug in pants dance*

Jazz: *pauses on the way past and looks down* *scans and can't tell what's wrong* ...Do I wanna know?

Dallas: *unprintable* Grasshopper!!!

Jazz: *scans again* It's dead. *mystified. Usually the bug in the pants got there under its own power*

Dallas: *once he's got the grasshopper out of his pants* BJ stuck it there.

Jazz: *now it's his turn to crack up*

General Lee: *quizzical look over from where he's helping carry hay in from the field*

Matt: *ditto from where he's contemplating the novelty of putting round bales up in the loft*

Ordnance: *just snorts as he walks into the farmyard with a bale on each shoulder*

President Pratt: ... *as she picks up her phone* I love my brickphone.

((Written with random_xtras))

Continued here