Nexus and Linkverse. The Black Dog, Eclipse and Dropkick's Shop, and WakeJumper's home. New Body
Vi: *zipping around and being a pest for anyone who gets in her way*
Link: *leaning in the doorway as he watches that little form zip around. Has a slight smile on his face*
Vi: *startled curse as tDesinex narrowly misses her* *scoots for the door* AAAAH! She's gonna EAT me!!!! *cackle*
Link: *hand out. Catch*
Vi: *squeak!*
tDesinex: ... *grumble, curse, goes to sulk and snuggle with tHound*
Link: *slowly brings the hand up and peeks into it* Hi.
Vi: Heeey! *impression of a slight grin*
Link: *chuckles and opens his hand* So what's new?
Vi: *slight dip of a shrug* Not much... Rhinox is still trying to figure out how I got a spark.... I'd kinda like to know that too....
Link: *green optics look at her with a sparkle of amusement* Do you have any ideas?
Vi: Not really....
Link: Huh. *shrug* So... glad to see me? *bit of a grin on that lean face now. It's teasing*
Vi: Slag, yes.
Link: *and there's the grin* Really?
Vi: *impression of a 'Not amused' look* I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, Link.
Link: *grin actually fades* You really are. And not just because I showed you an easy way to get drunk.
Vi: That was fun and all... But I also like being around you.
Link: *that quiet grin full of laughter returns* So are you busy now?
Vi: Nope!
Link: *grins more* Want to go shopping?
Vi: Sure. If only to get out of the line of fire if Desi decides she wants to attack me again. *smug*
Link: *looks around calmly* She and Hound have disappeared.
Vi: *cackle* Prolly going to go off and snog....
Link: *chuckles* You want to tell anybody where you're going? *nods as Mirage passes with tShowtime on his shoulder*
Vi: Better let Rhinox know, so he doesn't blow a gasket... *pauses to razz tShowtime, is IGNORED* *cackle*
Link: *gives Vi a gentle toss into the air* Alright. I'll wait here.
Vi: *zips over to the bar to find Rhinox and tell him where she's going*
Rhinox: *down on the lower level of the bar, polishing glasses. Looks up when he hears her coming, a quizzical frown on his broad face*
Lucky: *points and babbles* Vi-Vi!
Vi: *gonna hover near optic level* Link's taking me shopping.
Rhinox: *dark scowl as he drops the bar towel on Lucky and jumps up to the top level of the bar. Scowls toward where the tawny and red mech is standing. Pause, scowl faltering into a puzzled frown as he studies Link closely*
Vi: *follows after making sure Lucky's alright* This's the same guy who took me out drinking that one time, 'n he didn't try anything funny then.
Rhinox: *seems to snap out of a surprised daze as he frowns down at her. Then looks down at where Lucky is sitting and rubbing the bar towel along the bottom of the glass* *snort* Just don't come back budded. *jumps down and goes back to work*
Vi: *razz, zips back to Link*
Link: *slight uncertainty in the look he gives her as he puts up a hand* Do I have something on my face?
Vi: Not that I can see.... *gonna cling to the hand*
Link: Huh. *gently closes fingers in a small hug as he turns to exit the bar* It was almost like he knew me or something. *down the front steps*
Vi: *slight dip* Just chalk it up to Rhinox being Rhinox, I guess.
Link: Hard to do when I don't know the guy. What's he like? *pauses to reach over D'Coda's hedge and gently brush Vi against snow dusted apple twigs, which results in snow dusted Vi*
Vi: *acks at the cold* *shakes snow off onto Link's hand*
Link: *chuckles and holds her up to his vents so he can blow warm air on her as he waits for her to answer his question*
Vi: *grumble grumble* Rhinox is a dad.... So he's pretty protective.... He's also got some serious issues... Not really my business though....
Link: Your dad? *glances up at the whales and blinks as he spots a bipedal form leaping from one to the other* ...There's a Mrrpt-Nyah up there. No. Two of them.
Vi: I guess.... He did sorta adopt me after Mutt and the walking feather duster brought me here.... *looks up* Heheh... Cat people....
Link: *magnifies his vision* It's a man and a young girl. They're harvesting barnacles.
Vi: Huh....
Link: *chuckles* It's so interesting how people can fit into any corner, and get up after any knock and keep going. *looks down at her, his optics sparkling and his smile lighting up that lean face*
Vi: *snerks* Yeah... *making a mental note about how much nicer Link looks when he smiles* And those crazy cat people can get into all kinds of trouble on their own....
Link: *gives her a gentle poke with a finger as he chuckles again* Let's go. Are you ready?
Vi: Yeah. *nod* Let's go.
Link: *does. One moment they're standing by D'Coda's orchard in the shadow of the pod, and the next they're in a wide and spacious room with stasis pods lined up on a rack next to them*
Vi: *visor dims for a moment in a blink* Bhuh??
Link: *slight frown* Are you alright?
Vi: Yeah.... Where are we?
Link: Oh. *grins again* Eclipse and Dropkick's shop. I need to pick up a couple protoforms for a project of Sunhalo's. *opens the nearest pod and looks in at the slender liquid metal form* Though I think she wants smaller ones than these.
protoform: *pretty, even in her non living state. Has arms and legs, and a graceful head*
Vi: *slight tilt* She workin' on sparklets or something? *curious about the pretty*
Link: I'm not sure. She just asked me to see what there is. *turns his head to consider the next pod*
Vi: Oh.... Huh...
Eclipse: *coming over to greet Link as she usually does* *blinks a bit when she sees Vi* *small frown*
Link: *turns toward Eclipse, bringing the little femme in his hand very close to the chest of the protoform* Hi, Eclipse. Do you have any protoforms smaller than these?
Vi's spark: *can sense spark chamber! Can sense space!*
Eclipse: *small nod, is still watching Vi*
Vi: *urk sound*
Eclipse: *earlights turn yellow*
Link: *optics widen, and he quickly turns his attention back to his passenger* Vi?
Vi: *quietly* I don't feel so good... *can feel how cramped her spark really is right now*
Eclipse: *setting up to fuss and fret silently*
Link: *face creases up with sharp concern as he cups Vi with both hands* Was it the trip here? Wait. *lifts his head and blinks at the protoform* ...It's calling you.
Eclipse: *nod nod nod, will scoot off to get both Dropkick and WakeJumper. The first 'cause she knows where the smaller protoforms are, and the latter because he's got better sensors than she herself does*
Vi:*just a slight hint of a whine in her voice* I feel cramped....
Link: *softly* You're glowing through your seams, too. *considers moving her away from the protoform, but then realizes that doing so would probably cause her pain. Instead, he checks her little round shell for a panel that could be opened*
Vi: *shell only has little panels that allow repair work to be done, but nothing that could open her up to the core* *squirms*
Link: *scowls, but then intakes deeply, asks the Greatest Creator for help, and gently catches hold of Vi between the fingers and thumbs of both hands* *quietly* This is probably going to hurt. I'm sorry for that.
Vi: *quietly* Rhinox is gonna be %$#%$#ed...
Link: I'm sorry for that too. *quick twist as he rips the little shell apart*
Vi-spark: *fizzes and sparkles, is just a bit stressed out*
something: *seems to surround her with soothing and healing peace. It nearly feels like someone she knows and has always known*
Vi-spark: *settles down, aside from the occasional bout of temperamental fizzing*
WakeJumper: *can be heard approaching* Easy, Eclipse, I'm hurrying.... *clang!* Ow! Hey! I said I was hurrying!
Eclipse: *has been bapping her mate to urge him on at a quicker pace*
Dropkick: *arriving with a couple of small protoforms* .... Who's that, Link?
Link: *just standing and looking down at the pulsing spark in his hands, his optics absent and focused elsewhere*
Vi-spark: *pulsing quietly. Even if nobody else can see it, she's changing*
WakeJumper: *slight frown that has nothing to do with the situation* .... She's growing and developing....
Eclipse: *earlights flash with surprise, hands going a mile a minute as she 'rambles' excitedly*
Dropkick: Holy slag....
something: *gentle and soothing urging to Vi to answer that call she hears, that promise of space and comfort*
Link: *blinks slightly, and then opens his hands to let the spark free*
Vi-spark: *zips over to the waiting protoform in a similar manner to how the femme herself moved in her old shell*
protoform: *chest closes around her, and the silver form is suddenly surrounded with a pulsing skin of energy as the pod softly talks about scanning an alt mode*
Link: *blinks again. Still looking absent as he checks for Wake, and then steps out of the orange and black bot's way*
WakeJumper: *moves to get the protoform going, will also enter alt mode specs, though he half expects the femme will scan a different alt mode as soon as she's up and about*
pod: Alt mode acquired. Initiation sequence completed.
protoform: *taking shape. She's sleek, and her form hints at possible flight capabilities. Helm definitely bears resemblance to the old shell, since it's a bit rounder and has the 'bunny ears'. Overall, her color settles to a light silver, with darker accents*
WakeJumper: *talking quietly and soothingly to the femme as she unshutters her optics*
femme: *optics are amber-yellow, though it's hard to see because she's soon squinting and trying to make sense of everything she's sensing*
Link: *quietly, from where he's peering around his larger friend's arm* Vi?
femme: *silent for a few moments, then...* Yeah...
Link: *reaches around WakeJumper to gently touch her on the arm*
something: *full of comfort and reassurance, and that familiarity still*
Vi: *bit of a squirm and some funny faces as she realizes her nose is starting to itch*
WakeJumper: *snerks and moves to help the femme sit up slowly*
Link: *reaches over and gently takes hold of her hand, then lifts it slightly* *optics are sparkling with laughter again*
Vi: *wrinkles her nose a bit, and turns her head slightly to rub it against her shoulder.... KERCHOO!* *startled blurt*
Link: *slight flinch, and then a laugh as he folds all her fingers down but the pointer, and then uses that to scratch her nose*
Vi: *boggling a bit at the new experience*
processor: *has found the needed data! Finishes uploading her personality matrix and memories*
Vi: ... *flips the medic the bird*
WakeJumper: *snort, is too amused* *to Link* Let's get her on her feet.
Link: *scoops her out of the pod and turns to check for a patch of open floor with no friends standing on it*
Eclipse: *nearly soundless squeak as Dropkick herds her back a few steps*
Link: *smile for the orange and black femme, and then he's looking at Vi* Are you ready?
Vi: I guess.... *just a bit antsy and.... wow, Link looks different...* *suspects it might be due to new sensors or some other junk like that*
Link: *sets her down on her feet, but keeps his hands on her waist*
Vi: *a bit wobbly as she gets a feel for standing as opposed to hovering in place*
Link: *tilts his head and looks down* Press down with your heels.
Vi: *gives that a try*
Link: *loosens his grip to see if she can manage*
Vi: *still a bit unsteady, but not as bad as before* *face clearly shows her wonder at this new experience*
Link: *and there's that grin again. She'll hear it in his voice if she doesn't recognize the sight of it* Yeah, that's it.
Vi: *soft snerk* Rhinox is still gonna be %$%#$%#ed... *too amused*
Link: Oh yeah. *frown* Though it's not like we haven't done what he should have done himself.
Vi: *blink blink* *slight shrug* All he said was that I shouldn't come back budded....
Dropkick: *snerk* No danger of that.... Link's too decent of a guy to do that on the second date.
Eclipse: *Look for her daughter, bap* *points to the little protoforms the other femme is holding and then points to Link. He came here for those.*
Link: *shakes head and rolls optics, but then perks* How much? *absent arm around Vi*
Dropkick: *names the price, which is less than what normal protoforms cost*
Vi: *taking comfort in Link's proximity, and the fact that since he's got his arm around her, it's easier to stay standing!*
Link: *transmits the funds to Eclipse* Will you bring those to Sunhalo and Katana's lab, Dropkick?
Dropkick: Gotcha. *moves to head out*
WakeJumper: *making sure Vi's spark has fully settled, is doing his best to not make the femme feel crowded*
Eclipse: *purses her lips a bit before bustling off to a different part of the shop for a few moments*
Link: *watches WakeJumper as he continues to give support and comfort to Vi. Figures since she liked him to hold her when she was small and round that she will probably like it still*
Vi: *no complaints from her about that! Though she is giving WakeJumper a bit of a stinkeye*
WakeJumper: *chuckles* Well, everything looks alright.
Link: *smiles and looks down at Vi, the laughter once more sparkling in his optics* What do you want to do now?
Vi: *thinking about this a bit* Um.... *blank look* I dunno....
Link: Do you want to go home? *kind of hopes she doesn't yet*
Vi: *wrinkles her nose at the suggestion* No way.
Link: *grin* Well, how about calling Rhinox? We can go back, but stay out of the way while you talk to him.
Vi: *considers this for a few moments* That'd work...
Link: Alright. *offers her his other hand while keeping the first arm around her*
Vi: *reaches for Link's hand*
Link: *gives her hand a gentle squeeze, just like he used to give her* Brace yourself.
Vi: *not sure how to do that, but she'll certainly try*
Link: *nods to WakeJumper, and then appears up on the roof of the Black Dog*
Vi: *giddy squeak, looks around for a few moments, taking in how different things look and feel now* *shivers slightly in response to the chilly breeze and then pings Rhinox's comm*
Rhinox: //No, Vi, I will not call for Seymour Butts. Don't tell me you're drunk again already.//
Vi: *snickerfit* //I'm not drunk this time. I swear.//
Rhinox: //... Then what do you want?//
Vi: //Well....// *and now she's a bit nervous about explaining what happened* //Promise you won't try and maim Link. And before you ask, no, my spark hasn't budded.//
Rhinox: *sudden silence* *then, darkly* //Then what has happened?//
Vi: *slight cringe* //I got a real shell...//
Rhinox: *sharp and anxious now* //Your spark wasn't ready!//
Vi: //The medic where Link lives says everything's alright...//
Rhinox: //And who the slag is that?// *so much concerned grouch in his voice, mixed with anger*
Vi: //One of Mutt's alts....//
Rhinox: //Oh of...// *exasperation is GO* //You wouldn't let any WakeJumper, Ratchet, First Aid, or Red Alert look at you for over two weeks, and then you... Argh!//
Vi: //It's not like I had a choice, Rhinox! He's the only medic there!//
Rhinox: *grouch grumble growl* //Don't get in anymore trouble.// *click*
Vi: *sags with relief*
Link: *tips her chin up with one finger and gives her a quizzical look*
Vi: He didn't yell too long...
Link: Is that good? *brow quirk*
Vi: *nod* *snuggle*
Link: *comforting hug*
Mirage: *just came out with tShowtime to check the snowdrop bulbs in Rhinox's garden. Sees a mech and femme cuddling and stops to clear his throat*
Link: *lifts head and quirks brow*
Vi: *razz*
tShowtime: *blink blink*
Mirage: *then the mech clicks* You're Link. *frowns at the femme, wondering if Vi knows about this. After the way she's been looking for this mech since their first date he hates to think of what the little virus will say about what Link is doing now*
Vi: *scowl and put 'ears' back* Keep starin'. I might do a trick.
tShowtime: ... *boggling now*
Mirage: Vi??
Vi: *nod* *snuggles closer to Link*
Mirage: *looks at tShowtime, blinking and wondering what they should do*
tShowtime: *concerned* Does Rhinox know about this?
Vi: Slag,yes. Just got done talkin' to him a little bit a go. *more scowl for the blue femme*
Mirage: You shouldn't be out here in the weather.
Vi: *flatly* You two numbskulls are.
Mirage: *gently* We haven't just been transferred, either, Vi. *and now you can see why tShowtime finds this young Towerbot so appealing* *and you can also see just how shiny tShowtime really is, but that's another matter*
Vi: *slight sulk going on now* I don't tell YOU how to do your dates...
tShowtime: *quickly* Yes, you do.
Link: Hey. *touches Vi's face to get her attention* Let's go to WakeJumper and Eclipse's place.
Vi: *slight start at the touch to her face. Then she's nodding and moving to cling to Link even more.... Will also razz tShowtime*
Link: *takes her away* *and appears behind the couch at Wake and Eclipse's place just as the vid Lumen is watching gets to the place where the monster jumps out to eat the unsuspecting bot*
Lumen: KYAAAAAH!!! *JUMPS and falls off the couch*
Link: ... *brow up*
bot on the vid: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHgurk!
Vi: Ew....
Link: *looks at the holo player* Lumen, what've I said about watching this slag?
Lumen: *picking himself up off the floor* Well, Dropkick ganked all the normal stuff....
Link: *shakes his head, his expression saying that Lumen is telling a whopper. ...Or that his idea of 'normal' is pretty much scary too. One or the other* *quietly* Sunhalo got the protoforms.
Lumen: *blink blink, grin* Sweet! *will move to head out then*
Link: *shuts off the holoviewer and then pushes the top of the couch over so that a flat and level surface results*
Vi: *soft snerk*
Link: *looks at her with a quizzical grin*
Vi: Didn't know couches could do that....
Link: Eclipse made this one because of how often Lumen, Katana, and I wind up crashing in her living room.
Vi: Huh.... Gotcha....
Link: If we're on or around this we're a lot harder to trip over. And Katana's less likely to wander off in his sleep and try to find his lab. *grin*
Vi: *snerk* So he's a nerd?
Link: He's an engineer and a scientist.
Vi: ...'Mkay.... *blinks a bit as all the excitement of the day starts to catch up with her*
Link: Here. You better lay down. I'll see what Wake's got in the pantry. *turns toward the home bar*
Vi: *small nod, moves to figure out how to lay down. This is totally foreign to her, but she'll do her best to get situated on her own*
Link: *whirls back at sound of belly flop and slight bounce* *brow quirk*
Vi: *muffled grumblings as she realizes that laying on her front isn't very comfortable. Will try turning over*
Link: *over he comes and gently helps* You've never watched anybody go through a sleep cycle?
Vi: 'M not allowed into people's rooms back home... *wonder why?*
Link: *he doesn't need to wonder* Well, this is the best way to lay down. *shows her, being careful not to bump her and disturb her. Then lays on his side with an arm under his head and looks at her to see what she'll do next*
Vi: *going to try imitating what you showed her, Link. Blinks a bit and quirks a slight grin*
Link: *grins back* There you go. Though laying on your back's probably the most natural.
Vi: Heh... *surprises herself by yawning, soft grumping*
Link: *as a bellow of horror comes from somewhere outside* Don't worry about that. That's just Lumen reaping the reward of showing his sister scary holo vids since she was younger than you.
Vi: *snerk* Lumens are derps....
Link: He's not that bad. *chuckle*
Lumen: *off in the distance* AAAAH! SHE'S GONNA EAT MEEEE!!!!
Vi: ... *snickerfit*
Link: *griiin* *then pats the elbow of the arm she's laying on* I'll go check the pantry. *starts to move so that he can roll off the couch*
Vi: *absently* M'kay..... *exploring the texture of the couch surface with her fingers*
Link: *walks over to the bar, not twitching as he hears a Lumenish bellow about two little mechs, though his grin widens a little and looks gentle. Busily examines labels as he looks for a certain kind of bottle*
Vi: *soft snerk* *has found a comfortable position*
Link: *does look up at a second Lumenish bellow, this one of pain* *concerned frown* //Lu? You need backup?//
Lumen: //TEETH. TINY. BITEY. TEETH.//
Link: *gentle thunk of his head against the cabinet* //You knew that already.//
Lumen: *sheepishly* //.... I forgot.... 'Halo hasn't been little like these two in vorns.... OW! SLAGGIT, THAT'S MY FINGER!//
Link: //Take it away from him.// *finds the bottle he wants and takes the top off as he rises to his feet. Then closes the cabinet and walks over to where Vi is*
Vi: *facepalming and snickering at that last bellow, which had been aloud as well as over comms* Fail....
Link: One of his sons is checking him for flavour. *offers the good smelling bottle of sweet oil*
Vi: .... *moves her hand to STARE* He spawned?!
Link: ...Spawned?
Vi: *gestures absently* Passed his coding on..... or whatever it is you guys do to get sparklets....
Link: Oh. Well, we find the new sparks, and get them a protoform. *offers bottle*
Vi: *blink blink* .... Huh.... *will reach for the bottle and study it curiously*
Link: *thoughtful frown as he considers the fact that he's never heard of two sparks being found at once before* //Hey, Lu?//
Lumen: //Yeah?//
Link: //They both have sparks?//
Lumen: //Yeah....// *sounds just a bit flabbergasted* //Song and Dance.....//
Link: //So 'Halo found two at once?//
Lumen: //No.... The spark split in her hands right as she caught it...//
Link: *soft gasp* *quietly, aloud and over comms* So... Spark twins, like that pair from old Cybertron.
Vi: *blink blink, looks up from studying*
Lumen: //...Yeah.... I don't remember much about the other set though....//
Link: //They were gone before you were born.// *settles to sit on the side of the couch and stare into space as he searches back to his earliest files* They were even before my time, and I'm a vorn older than you.
Lumen: //Yeah, but WakeJumper has memories of 'em.... Even if it's just old news feeds about 'em...//
Link: *slight, wistful smile* WakeJumper remembers a lot of the Old Guard. He was born before Cybertron died, and lived there awhile.
Vi: *soft snerk, will give the sweet oil a bit of a taste-test*
Link: *gives her an absent glance, then gently touches her helm and listens to his teammate* He even saw the Prime, Lu.
Lumen: //...Yeah.... WakeJumper's a bit of an old fart.... But so is Eclipse....//
Link: *shakes his head* Neither of them are old compared to Katana's dad. Perceptor was Old Guard.
Lumen: //... Seriously?//
Link: Yup. 'Tana's only the same age as you because Wake put his spark in stasis when it was born, to make it easier to move him out here.
Lumen: //.... Huh....//
Link: *glances toward Vi as he hears a burp*
Vi: *sleepy snickering*
Link: *corner of his mouth quirks* What's so funny?
Vi: *small grin* I burped... *and she's just a bit zonked now.*
Link: I thought that didn't sound like something Lumen transmitted. *gently takes the bottle from her and checks it*
Vi: *managed about a quarter of the bottle's contents before she started nodding off*
Link: *grins and puts the lid on* Well congratulations anyway, Lu. You're a family man now. *waits to hear the reaction as that sinks in*
Lumen: //....Oh.....slag...//
Vi: *flinches slightly at the crash, had nodded off again*
Link: *chuckles and sets the oil bottle on the end table, then puts a hand on Vi's back* Get some sleep.
Vi: Mmhm... *shutters her optics and soon settles into a sleep cycle*
Link: *moves over to the armchair and starts scrolling through the music menu, ready to tend to her if she needs anything*
((Written with random_xtras))