Nexus, Near the Sign, Odd Jobs

[dens-extra-pups.livejournal.com]

Tarantulus: *helping Showtime to a bench, and getting gently told off for 'Hovering like a creche-guardian'* *will move closer to the Sign then*

Blackout:  *looks down at them from her place beside the sign, where she's ignoring the young black alien mammoth who is currently trying to hug her leg with its trunk, and also the little pink bot that's sitting on said mammoth*

Showtime: *calmly listening to her surroundings and paying Tarantulus no mind*

Tarantulus: *quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Showtime's safe, then he's asking his question to the Nexus* What sorts of jobs would you reccommend for someone who would be considered an outcast in their home reality?

Blackout:  I've hired a few of those.

Tarantulus: *looks up to where he thinks Blackout's face is, seriousness in his optics as he automatically reaches up to keep the furry-looking helm he wears on his head* What kinds of jobs do you hire them for?

Blackout:  *looks back, her crimson optics holding small amusement as Pink abandons Kid and flies up to argue with Scorponok a bit*  As members of my army.  To go hunting.

Tarantulus: *considering expression* Any particular prey?

Blackout:  Not at the moment.  Whatever's profitable.  *whatever that slagging Charlie tells her about*

Tarantulus: *quick glance over his shoulder at Showtime* *back to Blackout* How soon are you planning on going on another hunt?

Blackout:  I don't know right now.  But my minions are paid even when there isn't any prey afoot.

Tarantulus: ... *considering*

Blackout:  Ten credits a month, besides your room and board.  If you need more I may consider it.  *grunts at the mammoth, who has started squeaking*

Kid:  *wants Mama to let her know she sees her*

Blackout:  *only tolerates Kid because she's useful and Pink loves her*

Tarantulus: I'll think about it... Where would I be able to find you if I do decide to become one of your minions?

Blackout:  Ask for me at the Black Dog bar.  If I'm not there Nemesis will know where I am.

Kid: *going to come look at Tarantulus and finger his cloak with her trunk*

Tarantulus: *steps back a bit, doesn't want to lose his cloak, kthx*

Blackout:  Kid.  Heel.

Kid:  *will go to Mama!*

Tarantulus: *small nod to Blackout, will go and fuss over Showtime again, and get lightly bapped for his troubles*

Blackout:  *resumes watching the comings and goings by the sign as Pink flies back down to play with Kid*

Tarantulus: *giving Showtime an amused look as he moves to sit next to her*

Showtime: *baps Tarantulus again* Seriously, quit worrying so much. Things'll work out... You'll see.

fScream:  *pauses to drop wearily onto a couch nearby, his wings drooping slightly*

Showtime: *looks that way, doorwings raising with curiosity*

Tarantulus: *recognizes this guy from the holo he saw the other day, moves to get up and approach the couch* Hey, are you alright?

fScream:  *looks up and smiles slightly*  Yes.  Thank you.  I'm only a little tired.

Tarantulus: Are you sure?

fScream:  *sighs, but nods*  Yes, my youngest daughter decided to stay awake all night and express herself.  *and then he'd gone to visit the new Decepticon base on Earth and experienced the usual spark-wrenching shock of having people regard him as a hero and be glad to see him *

Tarantulus: ... *blink blink* What's a daughter?

fScream:  Ah... it's a term for someone's female creation.

Tarantulus: *lightbulb going on expression* Oh....

Showtime: *Soft snerk from where she's sitting*

fScream:  She's very small yet.  But very loud.

Tarantulus: Huh... *not quite sure what to say here, and it shows*

fScream:  *looks at him curiously*  Have we met before?

Tarantulus: No... I think I might've met someone from your reality at one point though....

fScream:  *puzzled*  Really? *expression clears*  Oh, do you mean the local Magnus?

Tarantulus: Optimus Magnus?

fScream:  *smiles*  Yes, that's the bot I know.

Tarantulus: *nods* I've met him....

fScream:  He was here talking to his alternates, wasn't he?

Tarantulus: *nods* There were three alternates there when I met him...

fScream:  All of the same tech?

Tarantulus: *nods, figuring that this Starscream won't realize he was counting himself in the group as well*

fScream:  So you didn't get to see the big fellow with part of his internals showing.

Tarantulus: ... No....

fScream:  Ah well.  If you stay around here long enough you'll probably....  *turns his head toward the muffled sound of a gun going off*  Oh, she's doing it again.

Blackout:  *kissing a Tracks silly*

Tarantulus: *looks that way* ....

fScream:  *quietly*  I'm so glad she never does that to bonded mechs....  My boss and his sons are fond of her, but frankly she scares the....  *looks down at the flight feather he just lost*  Yes.  That.

Blackout:  *drops Tracks on his aft and laughs*

Tracks:  *going to wobble away now*

Tarantulus: *bending to pick up the feather, will study it curiously*

fScream:  You can keep that.  *frowning warily at Blackout, who has noticed a young 'Con moping over there and is talking to him gently*

Tarantulus: *moves to put the feather in Showtime's hands, chuckling at the expression on her face as she carefully learns about what she's just been presented with*

Blackout:  *gentle kiss for the sulky young 'Con, and then sends him on his way with a pat on the shoulder before she boots Kid away from the trash and goes back to the sign*

Starscream:  *watches her, and then notices Showtime and the feather and smiles*

Showtime: *carefully turning the large feather over in her hands, curiosity showing in the angle of her doorwings*

Starscream:  *looks at his wing, running his fingers over the flight feathers, and then carefully tugs free another loose one.  This one is identical to the first... except for being about six foot long*  *softly*  Here, let her see this one, too.

Tarantulus: *small nod, will offer the second feather to Showtime now*

Showtime: *Curious sound* What is this?

Starscream:  It's part of the flight apparatus from my wings.

Showtime: ... No offense meant... but it feels strange to me...

Starscream:  *quietly*  None taken.  They still feel strange to me.

Showtime: *looks up and in the direction of Starscream's voice, raising one brow ridge* What do you mean?

Starscream:  I'm techno-organic.  But this isn't how I was created.  *wry smile*  I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it.

Showtime: ... Techno-organic? *confused expression, even with her optics covered by fabric*

Starscream:  *brow ridges lift*  Do you know what organic means?

Showtime: Er... no..... *Doorwings down, and then she's reaching her hand out to see if she can learn about the mech she's talking to by touch*

Tarantulus: *Quietly, to Starscream* She's from the same reality as me...

Starscream:  *turns his head and makes a soft keeking sound, which attracts the attention of Blackout's mammoth.  When the young creature comes over he gets up and brings it over to Showtime, then guides its trunk toward the femme's hands*  This is an organic creature.

Kid:  *soft snuffling.  Making small curious and friendly sounds*

Showtime: *soft, curious sound as she gently uses her fingers to learn about what she's touching* It's warm....

Kid:  *gently hugs Showtime's hand with her trunk*

Pink:  *has come over too*  Oooo, can I have one of the pretty feathers?

Showtime: *attention going to Pink, curious femme is curious*

Pink:  *flies a little closer and touches her on the arm*  I'm right here.  Would you like to touch another part of Kid?

fScream:  *slight smile as he steps back out of the little Minicon's way*

Showtime: Kid? *blinking behind the fabric* Is that a type of organic creature, or the name of this particular one?

Pink:  It's what some organics call their creations.  But it's this one's name.  My big brother said she's just a kid.

Showtime: So she is a youngling? *Trying to understand, really!*

Pink:  Yup!  When she's finished growing up she'll be bigger and her tusks will be longer.  

Kid:  *tusk.  She knows tusk.  Puts Show's hand on the nearer of her digging tusks, which are too short to dig with yet*

Showtime: *brow ridges up as she feels this new-to-her surface*

Pink:  It's one of her teeth, but it sticks out so she can dig for food.  She's got another set for stabbing things with.

Showtime: Huh... For defense?

Pink:  Yup!  There are some nasty things where she's from!  As big as she is?  She'd be helpless all by herself there.

Showtime: *Doorwings at nearly 180 degrees to one another, concerned expression*

Pink:  She and Sparky got separated from their herd.  So when they saw us fighting the Goo they came to help because we looked like a safe herd to belong to.

Showtime: Aww...

Pink:  *coaxing her pet to turn broadside to Showtime*  Feel how soft her underneath hair is.

Showtime: *feeling, doorwings and brow ridges up with surprise*

Pink:  *giggles*  And you can pull big handfuls out, and there's a human here in the Nexus who'll buy it!

Showtime: But would that hurt Kid though? *concerned, yes, she's very much an Autobot*

Pink:  *more giggles*  No.  It's not attached anymore.  Someone said that some pets lose some of their hair when it gets warm.  I think that's what this is.

Kid:  *snuffling Showtime's helmet now*

Showtime: *being very careful, is still a bit unsure*

Kid:  *makes a little happy sound and flares out her small ears.  She likes to be groomed*

Pink:  *buzzing around Kid now*  Besides, if it doesn't get pulled out it mats all in her outside hair and looks yucky.

Showtime: Oh... That doesn't sound like it would feel too good...

Pink:  *busy pulling handfuls of wool out from under Kid's long guard coat*  Uh uh.

fScream:  *smiling, and not worried at being forgotten*

Tarantulus: *looks a bit brain-broken now*

Pink:  I'll be right back!  *turns jet and zooms away*

Kid:  *has found Showtime's nose.  Beeps it*

Showtime: *Surprised sound*

fScream:  *also surprised*  Goodness, she even made a sound effect for it.

Tarantulus: ... *moving to see if Showtime's okay*

fScream:  I don't think she hurt her.  That's a children's game where you pretend someone's nose is a horn.

Tarantulus: ... Er.... *acks as Showtime reaches and baps him*

Kid: *gently baps him too*

Tarantulus: *Skitters back a few steps*

Showtime: *attention going back to Kid now, kthx*

Pink:  *back, and in root mode so she's got both hands to hold the big garden rake that Requiem bought to use on the coats of the mammoths*  Here, I have a brush for her.  I'll show you how to use it!

Showtime: Okay...

Pink:  Hold out your hands, okay?  Do you want me to give the feathers to your friend?

Showtime: *offers the feathers to Pink and holds her hands out*

Pink:  *takes feathers and offers them to Tarantulus*

Tarantulus: *nods and moves to carefully hold the feathers*

Pink:  *gets the rake and puts it in Showtime's hands*  This is the brush.

Showtime: *getting a feel for the rake's weight, will also feel to see which end is which* Okay... show me how to use it?

Pink: *little hands guiding hers to show her how to run the rake's teeth through Kid's hair and collect the wool*

Showtime: *quick learner*

Kid:  *happy sounds and her trunk comes to play with some of the wool*

Showtime: Does that mean I'm doing something right?

Pink:  Those are her happy sounds.

Showtime: *Small smile*

Pink:  Okay. You brush.  I'll gather the wool!

Showtime: Alright... *continuing with the brushing*

Pink:  *busy stuffing bags!*

fScream:  *quiet chuckle from where he's standing by Tarantulus*

Tarantulus: *slight smile that starts to vanish as he thinks back over why he was out and about today in the first place*

fScream:  What's the matter?

Tarantulus: *Quietly* I came out here to see if I could find some work... But so far, I've only heard one offer, and I'm not sure I want to take it...

fScream:  My boss might have something for you.  Do you think you could deliver pizza?

Tarantulus: I... I'm not sure... *even quieter* I'd probably be bad for business...

fScream:  I haven't put anyone off their appetite yet.

Tarantulus: ...

fScream:  You have to admit I'm a bit tank wrenching.

Tarantulus: .... Not really....

fScream:  *glances at him sideways, his head hanging slightly*

Tarantulus: I've seen giant spiders....

fScream:  *thinks of giant spider*  *featherPOOF*

Tarantulus: ... Are you okay?

fScream:  *hugging self and shaking slightly*  I don't like to think of giant spiders.

Tarantulus: *Slight wince* *apologetically* Sorry....

fScream:  You didn't know.

Pink:  *flies away with bags of wool.  Comes back with empty bags and money, which she gives to Tarantulus since Showtime's busy*

Tarantulus: *Blink blink* Er....

Pink:  *already back to filling bags.  Having the time of her little life following Blackout's orders and doing something she likes anyway!*

Blackout:  *gave no orders and no one can prove it*

Tarantulus: ... *looks to fScream, hoping for an explaination*

fScream:  *clueless*  *shrugs*

Kid:  *filling the bags too.  She's also having fun*

Showtime: *humming something she had to have learned back on Cybertron, is happy*

Pink:  *working fast!  But there's more wool coming than she can stuff quickly enough.  Will you help, Tarantulus?*

Tarantulus: *hesitant, but moves to help Pink*

Pink: *happy giggle and urges fScream over to hold the bags open for them*

Showtime: *happy 'wing perk as she works*

Blackout:  *watches in silence, Scorponok cradled against her chest with one hand*

Pink:  *away she goes with more full bags!*

Tarantulus: *helping Showtime brush Kid when Pink gets back*

Pink:  *ready to fill bags more!*

*When Kid finally runs out of loose wool Tarantulus and Showtime find themselves in possession of two hundred dollars.  Then Blackout takes her minions and her mammoth and walks away.*

((co-written with random_xtras))