dens_tf_den | hsv, Autobot Base, New Arrival of an Old Friend

Optimus: *sitting in his office a few days after Waltz's mother had come to visit. Ratchet, Elita, and Galvatron are also present, and they're all listening to Jazz, who is earnestly expounding on the reasons why he and Prowl should go to the female Jazz's reality and take over for her so that she can come back here.*

Ratchet: *frown, not sure if this Jazz is thinking logically or not*

Prowl: *sees that frown and steps forward to soberly present his own arguments in favor of the trade* Waltz needs her mother. And you've noticed how Bumblebee has been acting since her visit. Also, Jazz and I have nothing to hold us here, and our presence may prove beneficial to the Autobots of that other reality.

Optimus: *looks at his mate*

Elita: *also frowning* You two had better remember to keep in contact.

Prowl: *nod* If we're able. *looks to Ratchet*

Ratchet: *sighs and nods, before looking to Optimus and Galvatron*

Optimus: *thinking of Bumblebee's behavior* It does seem as though the trade would be beneficial. Prowl, you're one who's been chafing since the truce began.

Prowl: *short nod*

Ratchet: As Elita has requested, if you find a way to stay in contact, please do.

Galvatron: *gruffly* And be careful.

Optimus: *looks at how Jazz is bouncing on his feet and resists the urge to pinch bridge of nose*

Ratchet: *resisting the urge to remind Jazz to behave himself*

Optimus: *grave nod* Dismissed, Jazz, Prowl. Primus be with you.

Prowl: *nods and leaves the room, Jazz roaring out ahead of him and making glee sounds*

Ratchet: He'd better behave himself... *sighs and checks on Showtime through the remote sensors in the medbay*

Optimus: *waits till the door's shut to pinch his nose. Even if he thinks the trade is beneficial, he's going to worry about those two*

Galvatron: *just snorts at Ratchet's wishful thinking and goes to help Cho give Draco and some of his friends their lunch*

Ratchet: *mild stinkeye at Galvatron as he goes to make absolutely sure that Showtime's recharging peacefully*

Later that afternoon

large box: *appears with a PINpoint flash and swish in the front hall. It has ribbon on it and is addressed to Bumblebee*

Red Alert: *trips over it spectacularly*

Lumen: *Doing his best not to snicker as he helps his mother's CO up off of the floor*

box: Mrrrph!

Lumen: *JUMPS, inadvertantly squishing Red Alert when he lands*

Red Alert: Ouch! .... Jazz is in this box... but his spark signature is strange.

Bumblebee: *coming down a side hallway, having been told by Eclipse that his help was needed in the front hall*

Lumen: ...*getting up to poke the box curiously*

Galvatron: *has come over too and is scanning the box with sensors and PINpoint. Sudden facepalm* //I told you it was wishful thinking, Ratchet.//

box: Mmmmph mrrph mmmmph!

Lumen: Whoah!!! *Stumbles back into Bumblebee*

Bumblebee: Ack! *suddenly stuck beneath Lumen*

Ratchet: //...What did he do THIS time?//

Red Alert: *declares it contraband that needs to be quarantined*

Galvatron: No it doesn't, Red Alert. Go on and take your down shift. *waves him off* //Come see. We're in the front hall.//

Red Alert: *eyes the box distrustfully, is about to insist on taking the box to be quarantined when Inferno comes and insists, by way of picking the smaller mech up and carrying him off, that Red take his down shift*

Ratchet: //I'll be there shortly...//

Bumblebee: Lumen, would you mind getting off? You're heavy... >.>;;

Galvatron: *looks at them and winces*

Lumen: ... Oh, sheesh! Sorry 'Bee... *gets up and helps Bumblebee to his feet*

box: MRRRPH MG!

Bumblebee: ... *eyes the box* Do I want to know?

Galvatron: Oh I think you'll like the contents, once she stops cursing. *sigh*

Bumblebee: ...*scans the box, half expecting a Lambo-style prank*

Ratchet: ... She? *Scans the box as well, before facepalming*

Lumen: Gyaa! *maybe he should just stay seated for now... he ends up on the floor anyways*

Galvatron: Someone let the poor femme out.

Bumblebee: *Working on it and talking to the femme in the box reassuringly*

Ratchet: *pinching the bridge of his nose now* Whatever posessed my alternate to do that... I'm not even sure I want to know.

Galvatron: *looks up* Your alternate?

Ratchet: Her motor controls are disabled. I strongly suspect that our Jazz, as well as the Ratchet of her reality, had a hand in this.

Galvatron: 0_0

box: *once opened reveals.... BUBBLE WRAP*

Bumblebee: ... Are you sure Jazz did this? Bubblewrapping someone's more Sunny or Sides' style...

Galvatron: *stands on his toes to reach up and pull out the small sheet that is pink and has heart-shaped bubbles*

Ratchet: ... *sighs and sets to work helping Bumblebee free the femme Jazz from the bubblewrap*

Jazz: Mmmmph! Mrph! Mmmmp!

Bumblebee: Easy, Jazz... we'll get you outta this stuff and moving really soon, promise.

Jazz: *whines*

Galvatron: *helping too by clearing away the wrapping and tape. Has tape trailing from his foot* Did they need this much adhesive?

Bumblebee: It's the Jazz from here, Galvatron...

Ratchet: He never does anything halfway.

Galvatron: *grumbles* I wonder if it's got anything to do with the times he got taped down while he was suffering flashbacks.

Ratchet: *brief guilty look, before he's working faster to get girlJazz out of her bubblewrap and tape prison*

Jazz: *head finally free, and her visor goes up to reveal brown optics that are snapping with temper over a gag*

Bumblebee: *Clicking soothingly, and working to remove the gag*

Jazz: *opens her mouth as soon as it's free, and spits out a wad of duct tape. Then she starts a low-voiced and steady stream of Cybertronian vituperation*

Galvatron: ...That's Jazz alright.

Bumblebee: *ups the attempts at being soothing*

Ratchet: *has discovered an envelope, which gets set aside for now. He'll look at it closer later. Right now, he's focusing on getting the bubblewrap off and once that's done, he'll re-activate Jazz's motor controls*

Galvatron: *gets tangled in tape as he pulls it off the last layer of bubble wrap and does a faceplant* Ouch!

Lumen: *the shock has worn off finally. Moves to help Galvatron*

Galvatron: Thank you. *sigh*

Jazz: *echoes his sigh* I can't stay here. There's stuff I gotta do.

Bumblebee: *doing his best not to pout at Jazz's words*

Ratchet: *attention going to the envelope now* *Hrmmms and holds it up where Jazz can see it* What is this?

Jazz: *groan* They stuck th' slaggin' transfer papers in there too?!

Ratchet: *Brow ridge up, pings Optimus' comm*

Optimus: //Optimus here.// *sounds drowsy*

Ratchet: //I held our Jazz to higher standards than I should have... He bubblewrapped Waltz's femme-creator, and delivered her here... with transfer papers.//

Optimus: .... *groans over comms* //I'll be there as soon as I can get Elita and Diehard to let go of my chest plating.//

Jazz: *tired expression* Guess I gotta stay. But.... *clearly hates the idea of leaving her team in other hands*

Bumblebee: *gentle patpat* Prowl's good at what he does... and even though he's a prankster, the Jazz from here will do his best to make sure things turn out alright...

Jazz: *quietly* They said you 'n Waltzie needed me. But you said you were alright.

Optimus: *stumbles out of the rec room with his mate and son held close since he couldn't get Elita to let go of him*

Jazz: 0.o

Bumblebee: *looks over to Optimus, and raises a brow ridge* O.o;;

Lumen: *coughs to hide his snerk*

Optimus: *gently* Welcome to the team, Jazz. I'm sorry for what your alternate did. He's been a little... odd... since his last run in with Megatron.

Galvatron: *winces*

Jazz: *to Bumblebee* //Yer Prime's buff....//

Bumblebee: *almost inaudiable snerk* //I think it's because of the fact that our Prime's a mech...//

Jazz: Uh... thanks, Optimus. //Yeah, I kinda got that. Still....//

Bumblebee: *moving to gently rub Jazz's back and quietly offer to get her some energon*

Optimus: When you're ready to take on active duty you're welcome to be one of my lieutenants, if you wish. That was Prowl's position. And before Jazz's injury it was his. But I want you to settle in for the next week or so, alright?

Jazz: *slightly peeved expression, and her reply is just a bit sullen because she thinks this broad-shouldered male Prime is making things easy on her because she's a femme*

Optimus: That way Waltz will have plenty of time to get to know you.

Jazz: *blinks* Yessir.

Diehard: *sleepy squeak, wants fuel*

Optimus: *looks down, and then looks to Ratchet and Galvatron*

Galvatron: *nods* We've got things in hand here, Optimus.

Ratchet: *nods in agreement with Galvatron* *soft chuckle*

Optimus: Alright. *smiles encouragingly at Bumblebee and then returns to the rec room to lay down again and feed his son as he naps*

Jazz: ...All Optimuses must be sucks. Ratch... you gonna let me move again?

Ratchet: *Snerks, sets to work re-activating Jazz's motor controls*

Lumen: *about to add his two creds, tilts head when he's pinged over comms* I gotta go get Uncle 'Hide and Hound... Sideswipe's stuck under a berth... *Snerk* oh, and Ratchet?

Ratchet: *looks up from his work* ?

Lumen: Sideswipe's back to normal... *amused*

Galvatron: *looks after the blue mech with surprise, and then looks up at Ratchet himself* I should go see to that. We don't need Ironhide smacking him around with Showtime in her condition. *hurries off, his strides making him seem like a much larger mech*

Jazz: *twitches her hand and then makes a fist before she groans and shutters her optics* Pins 'n needles. Gah.

Ratchet: *pings Ironhide's comm with a warning to just get the berth off of Sideswipe and let him go on his way* *scans Jazz to see if there's anything he can do to ease her discomfort*

Jazz: *shivers all over and then sits up slowly, her optics on her hands as they curl and move in her lap* 'Hide, huh?

Ratchet: Most of the sparklets refer to Ironhide as "Uncle 'Hide" or "Uncle Ironhide"... Lumen continues to do so, even though he is no longer a sparklet... *Soft chuckle*

Jazz: *softly* So he's alive here.

Bumblebee: *Nods, again offering to get Jazz some energon*

Jazz: *silent as she stares down at her hands, and then something splashes down into her lap*

Bumblebee: *acks softly and tries to cheer up Jazz as best as he can, isn't quite sure what to say or do, but he's trying!*

Ratchet: *gentle clicks for a few moments before he's apologizing and hurrying back to the medbay*

Bumblebee: *watches Ratchet go, notices that Jazz didn't even look up at that* *quietly* Jazz?

Jazz: *leans against him a little, a shudder passing through her frame and plating* Sorry, k... Bee. Jes'.... *static sound*

Bumblebee: *gently rubs Jazz's back, isn't quite sure what to say*

Jazz: *rubs her optics and straightens* *voice normal, though serious* The 'Hide I knew... he died savin' my aft from Megs. *wincing a bit as she gathers her legs under her in preparation to getting up* Where's Waltzie at?

Bumblebee: *will help Jazz to her feet* I think she's in the medbay... Ratchet's been teaching her about field repairs...

Jazz: *looks at him with surprise* She likes that kinda thing? Or he jes' bein' commandeerin'?

Bumblebee: *Small smile* Waltz likes to help others almost as much as she likes music.

Jazz: *optics soften* Looks like we made somethin' special.

Bumblebee: *nods in agreement* I don't know if we should go to the medbay right now though... *small frown* With Showtime not feeling well... Sunstreaker's wound pretty tight...

Jazz: *softly, with some concern* Don't blame the gal fer not feelin' good. *frowns slightly* Waltzie gonna be safe there?

Bumblebee: *nod* Ratchet's mate and their son are in the medbay too... and Ratchet's just as protective of Waltz as he is of Clarion and Cragbuster.

Jazz: *had been turning to look the way the medic had gone, but at Bee's words she stops as short as if she hit a wall* Whaaaaaat choo tellin' me?

Bumblebee: *blink* About Ratchet? Or about his family?

Jazz: o.O Ratchet's hitched????

Bumblebee: *nod nod* He and Clarion are word-mates, at the very least... Ironhide, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Showtime were their witnesses.

Jazz: *slow grin as she shakes her head slightly* Well don't that beat all....

Bumblebee: *doing his version of ^_^* Last time anyone did a headcount of sparklets, or tried to, the general consensus was that there're around ten or so running around...

Jazz: Yeah... saw some'a the lil' guys when I was here last. That ain't what got me chucklin'. It's th' thought'a ol' Hatchet hitched.

Bumblebee: *Snerks* Yeah... I think the only person who saw that coming was First Aid, to be honest...

Jazz: *looks around and sighs* I got anyplace ta sleep around here? *attention back to him* What she like?

Bumblebee: There're quarters next to mine... *blink* Who? Clarion?

Jazz: Ratch's lady, yeah. *thinks about having Bumblebee for a neighbor* Where's Waltzie sleep?

Bumblebee: Well... I'm not really sure, to be honest... She's hardly ever out and about... I think she's a bit shy... *small smile* Waltz and I share quarters... She's got her own berth and everything...

Jazz: *thoughtfully* What kind's next ta yers?

Bumblebee: Well... the one on the right hand side's standard quarters... but on the left, and across the hall, the quarters are the kind meant for large teams or families.

Jazz: Les' go see these big places.

Bumblebee: *nod nod, offers Jazz his arm again*

Jazz: *split second pause, but then she puts her hand on it and grins at him* Lead the way, my man.

Bumblebee: *Smiles and leads the way past a few side hallways leading to more quarters, and past Wheeljack's lab, before taking the first left hand hallway to where the larger quarters are*

Starscream: *turns the corner the other way and nods to them in passing. Something in her cockpit is clicking and squeaking away*

Jazz: *turns her head and watches the taller femme go* O.o

Bumblebee: *chuckles* Sounds like Backwing's awake...

Jazz: Backwing? *still looking the way Starscream went, following her with her sensors*

Bumblebee: *nods* Starscream's sparklet...

Jazz: Ahhh, yeah. I remember ya mentionin' she built somebody. ...Don'tcha need two people fer that here?

Bumblebee: *blink blink, nod* Yeah... unless you know a lot about sparks and can create spark codes... *Small shrug*

Jazz: o.O Create... spark codes?

Bumblebee: *nod* It's one of those things that Percy could probably explain better...

Jazz: Ack! Lessee these quarters. *looks around, suddenly seeming busy*

Bumblebee: *nods and moves to lead the way down the hall a bit further* Which one would you like to see first?

Jazz: Somethin' nice 'n big. Gonna need plenty 'a room fer me 'n Waltzie. *grins at him*

Bumblebee: *Blink blink, goes to the quarters right across the hall from the quarters he shares with Waltz* Hrm... *checks the lock and gives Jazz a thumbs up when the door slides open easily, revealing the empty and spacious room*

Jazz: *waltzes right in in typical Jazz style, and then starts poking into every corner to see just what's here*

quarters: *hold a lot of dust bunnies*

Jazz: Niiiiice. *gathering dust bunnies as she looks at the berths and tables that are spread out over a couple of rooms*

Bumblebee: *perks a bit, and then he's looking over his shoulder as Jetfire, arguing with Skyfire yet again, comes stomping down the hall* *"Meep"s and hurries into the quarters, lest he be caught in the path of the arguement*

Jazz: Hey, you two, keep it down! *throws dust bunnies at Bumblebee*

Skyfire and Jetfire: *trail off in their arguement to boggle at Jazz*

Jazz: *hands on hips and looks right back up at them, that Jazz ability to be bigger than you are very apparent* Whaat? I got somethin' on my face?

Skyfire: *sounding a bit brain-broken* Jazz?

Jazz: *knows what the problem is and smirks* In th' shell.

Skyfire: ... Where's Prowl? *definitely brain-broken... and it's apparent Jetfire is too*

Jazz: Noooo clue. I don't keep track'a that mech.

Bumblebee: *trying not to snicker at the baffled looks on the older mechs' faces* This is Waltz's femme-creator...

Jetfire: ... *mutters something under his breath about needing a *Bleeping* drink, goes off to get said drink*

Skyfire: ...*a bit of understanding dawning on his face now* Ah... I see...

Jazz: *chuckling and offers the tall jet a hand*

Skyfire: *knows this gesture! Carefully shakes hands with Jazz*

Jazz: *snerk* Not ben around th' humans much yet, huh?

Skyfire: *Sheepish headshake* No... Most of them seem to be a bit frightened of me...

Jazz: Well, when yer shakin' hands yer supposedta introduce yourself too. *grin*

Skyfire: Oh! *Sheepish again* My designation is Skyfire...

Bumblebee: *cracking up silently*

Jazz: Pleaseta meetcha man. *elbowing Bee as she grins at Skyfire* So yer part'a Screamer's bunch.

Skyfire: *nods* That is correct... I'm a part of both her family triad and her working triad...

Jazz: Zat so? *bit confused by the 'triad' part, but shrugs it off*

Skyfire: *nods* My brother, Jetfire, is also a part of the triad... Despite his obvious appearance.

Bumblebee: *coughs to hide his snicker*

Jazz: What's 'is looks got ta do with it? *head tilt*

Skyfire: *dryly* Most would mistake him for a scrapheap.

Bumblebee: *cracking up again* //Jetfire just got burrrrned!//

Jazz: .... You two twins?

Skyfire: *nods* And ironically enough, we've been on the same planet for ages, without even realizing it...

Jazz: *suddenly poker faced as she thinks she knows nerds when she sees them* Zat so?

Skyfire: *nods, about to explain when he's interrupted by Bumblebee*

Bumblebee: Jetfire was hiding at a museum, and Skyfire was found buried in the ice in Antartica... Ironhide griped about the snow for a LONG time...

Jazz: Riiigght. The Seekers. *looks up at Skyfire again* Kin you read th' language 'a the Primes?

Skyfire: *Blink blink* Er...

Bumblebee: He should be able to... He's the same age as Jetfire... *not oblivious to the Look Skyfire gives him*

Jazz: *expectant look to the Seeker*

Skyfire: *slight headtilt* Oh, Starscream is asking me to join she and Backwing on a flight... Pardon me... *heads off to find Starscream*

Jazz: *cacklefit!*

Bumblebee: *Will get back to you, is in the middle of his own cacklefit*

WakeJumper: *being carried past the room by Lumen, sights Jazz and Bumblebee, small smile* She'll fit right into this madhouse... *and then he and Lumen are off to find Sweep and Eclipse*

((Co-written with

random_xtras))