mbv, Blacksburg and a House in Newfoundland, Seaspray's Family pt2
((Continued from here.))
Autumn: Well... there's more than one reality in existance... And where those realities converge and meet are hubs called nexii... the one most of us go to when we go to a nexus is one that's got a sign in it, and it's almost like a whole world in and of itself....
Bonnie: *eyes go wide and then blink rapidly as she tries to absorb this and believe it*
Autumn: I know it sounds crazy... but shortly after I first arrived on this planet, the two mechs I was travelling with and I wound up there...
Bonnie: It's jes... some hard t' believe.
Autumn: *Small nod*
Rachel: *back, with Derrick by the ear* So what's the plan, Chief?
Patrick: *eyeing the confiscated PINpoints for a moment* Well, I've got the coordinates of the town....
Rachel: *brow quirk* Now?
Patrick: Either now, or on the weekend....
Russell: We'll keep an eye on things here...
Kia: *from behind Patrick, where she stopped to listen after driving herself to the cookout in her odd little electric cart* It might be best to attend to the matter as soon as possible.
Derrick: *Trying to get away from Rachel!*
Rachel: *twists ear without looking away from Patrick*
Bonnie: *gives Derrick a Look. Is not the eldest of a large family for nothing*
Derrick: *Cringes*
Patrick: *small nod* Someone let Xiaobei know that she, Petra, Russell, and Serenity are in charge till we get back?
Kia: Who will be going, Captain?
Patrick: Crusher, Miss Raby, and myself.
Kia: Are there sufficient family members to keep the young Rutegers content in the meantime? *blinks as she notices Derrick, then frowns at him*
Patrick: *About to answer when Will moves to try and cling to Greg's back, while Destiny chases Marcia around*
Marcia: *Looking like this 'game' wasn't her idea!*
Rachel: *soft snerk as she shoves Derrick away* They're fine. Jack's here somewhere.
Jack: *Telling Wallace and Bartholemew to be careful*
Wallace: *has Bartholemew in a headlock*
Steeljaw: *Is that furry lump eyeballing the smoker and waiting*
Rachel: *lets all her babies know she'll be right back. Except Moofy. He's in her pink heart bag, which is over her shoulder*
Moofy: *curious deedle*
Patrick: *Soft chuckle*
Simon: *turns and waves to Mama, then shows Sven another ant*
Sven: *Hunkered down next to Simon, looks up to wave to Mama before his attention goes back to the funny creature brother is showing him*
Sarah: *folding more bunnies!*
Rachel: *looks for Sandra*
Sandra: *Tussling with Beau*
Rachel: *grins as she spots Ryan over by the Kittywalk tipi that holds the rest of the drones* Ready when you are, Chief.
Patrick: *holds out his hand to Bonnie*
Bonnie: *looks up at him quizzically*
Patrick: *explains about how PINpoints work*
Bonnie: *eyes widen, but puts her little rough hand into his* ...T'is gonna make me urky?
Rachel: *chuckle* I doubt it. But if it does....
Bonnie: I'll aim t' ot'er way.
Rachel: *grins. She likes this kid*
Patrick: I've databurst the coordinates to the PINpoint...
Rachel: *gone*
Bonnie: *blinks and looks quickly up at Patrick*
Patrick: *soft sigh, will bring Bonnie with him*
Rachel: *standing on an abandoned looking bit of road when they arrive, her hair and skirt whipped by the wind as she gazes off to sea*
Bonnie: *perks the moment she appears and then tugs on Patrick's hand before letting go of it* *calls over the wind* T'is way, me son!
Patrick: *moves to grab Rachel's hand so he can lead her in the direction Bonnie's going*
Rachel: //Ewww, chief cooties.// *gives him a gentle fake shove and turns to walk beside him, holding onto her bag so it doesn't swing and blow around too much*
Moofy: *Deedling and trying to get a peek at where Mama brought him, since it sounds different than Javan's place*
Patrick: *Snerks and shakes his head* //You... are a doof, Rachel.//
Rachel: Xp XD //Supersonic bounce back.// *finally tucks the bag into the crook of her arm* //Make sure you don't knock my stuff out, sport.//
Moofy: *Deedle!*
Bonnie: *trotting on ahead, not hindered or tripped up by the rough dirt road in the least*
Rachel: *glad she's got the pretty brown slingbacks on. Thinks this road would have eaten most the rest of her shoes, including her oxfords* //Wow... reminds me of that one planet. Do you remember? Nothing but wind and rock.//
Patrick: //Yeah... And cold...// *chuckles, but the sound is lost to the wind*
Rachel: *turns and walks backward, looking the opposite direction to the way they came as she holds her bag with one arm and her skirt with the other hand* //That must be the town. I see three buildings and some sheds by the ocean.//
Moofy: *headtilty, peek... and ducks right back into the bag, transforming to his tape recorder mode*
Patrick: //There wasn't much to it on Google Maps...//
Rachel: *turns to face the way they're going and scans the area* //I see a house tucked into a fold in the hills there. But it doesn't seem to be where we're going.//
Patrick: //I wonder where Bonnie's grandmother lives?//
Rachel: //We should ask her. Your shoes aren't made for this kind of terrain.//
Patrick: //No kidding...// *Hurries to try and catch up to Bonnie*
Bonnie: *ears used to the wind and the sea hear him coming, and she turns and smiles up at him* Jes' 'round t' bend 'n a couple miles more!
Patrick: ...
Rachel: //Couple miles.// *looks at Patrick's feet* //Um... ow.//
Patrick: //It might be best if I go to root mode till we're closer to the village...//
Rachel: ..... *purses lips doubtfully*
Bonnie: *has noticed the discussion and come back*
Patrick: *to Rachel* //It's either that, or wear these shoes out completely and be off my feet anyways.// *Small frown as he eyes his shoes*
Rachel: *scans their surroundings again* //Or we could PINpoint again.//
Bonnie: *watching the wordless conversation, her brows lifted as she tries to figure how they're talking. Knows they are*
Patrick: //True...// *Raises his voice a bit so Bonnie can hear him over the wind* We're going to use the PINpoint to get closer to your hometown.
Bonnie: Hometown's t'at way! *points toward the hamlet* Home's t'at way! *slight grin as she points the way they're headed* We don't live in town.
Patrick: ... //Rachel, do you have coordinates for it?//
Rachel: //No. But I have coordinates for a spot a lot closer to it.// *sends him the coordinates to the bend in the road they can see up ahead* Is there anyone around here, Bonnie!?
Bonnie: *shakes her head* Everyone's in t' bar 'r down at t' boats!
Patrick: //That works...// *offers Bonnie his hand again*
Bonnie: *eyes twinkle as she takes it*
Rachel: *stands near them, since her PINpoint is of that make. And... they're where the road bends*
Bonnie: T'at one feels some different! *looking at Rachel's watch*
Patrick: *chuckles* At least Rachel's PINpoint also doubles as an accessory...
Moofy: *Deedlebeep of agreement!*
Rachel: *looking ahead. Points now to a worn looking grey frame house that's standing by a couple equally worn outbuildings* Is that it?!
Bonnie: Yup! Just be Dad 'n Granny t'ere right now!
Rachel: *twiddle fiddle. PINs them right to the yard*
cats and geese: *scatter!*
Patrick: *Soft snerk, can't help it*
Bonnie: *laughing her butt off at the honking storm of bee bee beeps and gabbling from the half Canada goose geese*
big gander: *spooked by Rachel's skirt and bites Patrick for it*
Patrick: *Startled yelp as he's bitten*
Bonnie: Hey! Ralph!
Moofy: *transforms to peek again* *Curious deedle*
Bonnie: *waving her arms and chasing geese as a rangy, short-haired white border collie with a black ear comes out to help*
Rachel: *looks toward the house as the front door opens, and smiles when she sees the wrinkled face of the tiny old lady who looks out*
Patrick: *Watches the border collie for a few moments, before his attention goes to the door*
collie: *gets the geese all cornered against an old Chev pickup with no tires, and then sits down to stare them out of countenance*
Bonnie: Good dog. *then scoots toward the door* Granny!
Granny: *frowns* Ye'r supposed to be to school.
Bonnie: No no, school's done for t'e day.
Patrick: *wonders to himself if he and Rachel should approach yet*
Granny: *doubtful wondering in her gaze as she looks at her eldest granddaughter, and then her dark, clear eyes go to the visitors*
Moofy: *chirrup as he registers another spark*
Rachel: *recognizes the chirrup and looks down at him* //Is Granny one of us, sport?//
Moofy: *nodnod, wants to climb out to wave hello*
Rachel: //Just wait, okay, baby?// *hugs him through the bag*
Granny: *has seen the little robot and is curious, but she's listening to Bonnie before she speaks to the visitors*
Bonnie: *explaining, her accent so thick now as to make her be speaking another language*
Granny: *finally nods and pats Bonnie on the arm as her face breaks into an amazed grin* *turns to Patrick and Rachel and lifts her brows*
Bonnie: Come on in. *grinning herself now*
Patrick: *small smile, moves to follow Bonnie and Granny into the house*
Rachel: *walks beside him, but stops along the way to pick up a fluffy little orange kitten and cuddle it under her chin. Curious light in her eyes as she looks around the worn but clean kitchen and follows the snaky trail of the stove pipe that's hanging by wires from the ceiling*
Bonnie: *over poking at the vintage oil burning heater* Ye got t'e money I sent fer oil? Dad needs it warm if he's gonna git better.
Granny: *cheerful eye roll* We got t' money. Stop yer purdlin', Bonnie.
Bonnie: *relieved, but looks around* Y'don't got t' plastic over t' windows yet.
Granny: It ain't cold yet. *finishes fixing a coffee pot and puts it on the heater*
Rachel: *startles slightly as the wind rattles a window in its frame*
Patrick: *Also startles at that*
Moofy: *Deedles and 'talks' to the rattling*
Granny: *pauses and turns toward the deedling* *softly* Who's t'at?
Bonnie: T'at's Mrs. Ruteger's little un. Granny, t'is's Mr. Oberson, 'n Mrs. Ruteger. Folks, t'is's Granny.
Granny: *grins a greeting, but she's coming over to investigate that odd little sound*
Rachel: *comforting hand on Moofy and lets him know he can come out now if he wants to as she nods to Granny* Hi.
Moofy: *Gonna try climbing on Mama's sleeve now!*
Patrick: It's nice to meet you, M'am...
Granny: Well don't jus' stand t'ere. Set a spell. *over to Rachel now, her dark eyes sparkling with curious wonder as she sees the bitty robot that the woman is holding* Well now....
Moofy: *Deedles happily*
Granny: He's a baby?
Rachel: Well, he's a drone. But he's one of my babies. *sits Moofy on her knee as she settles in one of the old ladderback chairs. Sets the kitten in her lap by her bag*
Patrick: *Soft chuckle as he moves to sit down in a chair*
Bonnie: *comes over and sets homemade cookies on the table, and then milk and white sugar* She's goat milk, but she's still good.
Patrick: *Thanks Bonnie and has a couple of cookies*
Moofy: *Happily deedling away as he sits on Mama's lap*
Granny: *smiles at Moofy, but then clucks her tongue and goes to tend the coffee pot. It's clear there will be no business spoken till the guests have been served*
Rachel: *offers Moofy a cookie to play with, knowing that the little guy won't spoil it or make a mess* Thanks, Bonnie. I like goat milk.
Moofy: *'talking' to the cookie now!*
Patrick: *thoughtful silence as he eats. This house, despite how different it is from the houses in Blacksburg, feels more like a home to him than even the Ark...*
Rachel: *looks up as the house creaks in the wind, and then smiles as she notices the door behind the stove and the thin, grey-haired man that's laying in the bed in that room*
Bonnie: *notices and grins too* T'at's Dad. He knows 'bout t' family story. *goes to tell Dad what's going on*
Granny: *back with coffee, which she pours into worn pink melamine mugs* He ain't up t' much talkin' right now, t'ough. Jes' gettin' over t' p'mony.
Rachel: *wince* Pneumonia's no fun. *soft chuckle as she sees the affection in Mr. Raby's face as he listens to Bonnie talk to him*
Moofy: *Chirrup*
Granny: Yeah, well, he usually don't get it till winter. *smiles at Moofy* Ye likes t' cookie?
Moofy: *happy deedle!* ^.^
Granny: Kin ye eat it?
Moofy: *headtilt*
Rachel: No. He doesn't eat normal food. But he likes it a lot, anyway.
Granny: Kin he play video games?
Rachel: *looks down at Moofy* Can you?
Moofy: *Plays the "intel inside" clip*
Rachel: *laughs and looks up* He says he can.
Granny: Well we's got a tennis game hooked to t' TV in t' livin' room.
Bonnie: *back* I'll show him how t' use it. *holds out hands toward the little copper bot*
Rachel: *checks to see if Moofy wants to go*
Moofy: *Beetles off Mama's lap and over to Bonnie*
Bonnie: *grins and takes the little guy through the door to the living room. The sound of an ancient tennis video game soon follows*
Granny: *settles herself in a chair across from Rachel and Patrick* Alright, now. ...Y'knew t old one?
Patrick: *nods* Yes... A long time ago, well before we were exiled from Cybertron.
Granny: *quietly* Bonnie sez ye'r machines.
Patrick: *nods* We are... We represent one of the two races of Cybertronians, the Autobots and the Decepticons... Mrs. Ruteger and I are Autobots.
Granny: *slight frown at her folded hands as she thinks this over. Then looks up again* But we're not machines. Even afore t' changin' t'ing was after bein' lost t' book sez we were flesh 'n blood.
Patrick: That's true... but you have sparks, just as we do...
Granny: *more thinking, and then an admission* I don' understand how t'at kin be.
Patrick: *has a go at trying to explain why this may be: It's likely a trait that's been passed down through the family*
Granny: *waits till he's done talking before she speaks again herself* So yer after sayin' our family useta be machines?
Patrick: That, or it's somehow related to the thing that made it possible for your family to change form.
Granny: *understanding brightens her weathered face* T'at could be it. *glances toward the living room as the sound of Bonnie's laughter and encouraging words to Moofy reach them*
Moofy: *Happily deedling away as he plays*
Granny: *smiles at that, and then turns back to her visitors* So you want t' see t' book. *searches Patrick's face as she remembers the stories of how the transformation object was lost*
Patrick: *nods* I know a few dialects of written and spoken Cybertronian, so I should be able to translate it....
Granny: *absently folds her hands as she prays*
Rachel: *sees this* *softly* Maybe He sent us, so you'd finally know the answers.
Patrick: *silently wonders if it was also meant for his people to meet Bonnie's family so they could finally know the answers to their questions as well*
Granny: *looks up, her expression showing the peace of the answer she feels she was given* *quietly, as she gets up* I won't take long.
Patrick: *nods* Go ahead...
Rachel: *grins, and then leans across the table once the elderly woman has gone up the stairs, and leaves a small handful of junior mints at her place on the table*
Patrick: *soft snerk*
Rachel: *quiet thrrpt*
Mr. Raby: *is that quiet chuckle from his room as he watches them*
Patrick: *chuckles*
Granny: *and here she comes back, being careful on the steep enclosed staircase as she holds the book under one arm*
Rachel: *sets her bag on the table and then jumps up and darts over to offer Granny help in the form of an arm to lean on and a hand to take the book*
Granny: T'anks, b'y.
Patrick: *starting to understand why Emilia jokingly calls him a bibliophile... His attention's firmly on the big, old, leatherbound book in Rachel's hand... and he can't wait to get started translating it!*
Rachel: *gets Granny safely on the floor and then hands her back the book, then turns to Patrick and laughs* Chief, stop drooling.
Granny: o.0 *tries to figure out what the tall woman means, but then sees the hopeful expression on Patrick's face and grins*
Patrick: *Razzes Rachel*
Granny: Now. T'ere's no call t' be rude, Mr. Oberson. *eyes twinkling as she walks over toward the table*
Rachel: *smirks at Patrick as she follows Granny*
Patrick: *Amused eyeroll as he moves to help with the book*
Granny: *lets him have it, and the sheer weight alone of the volume will tell him its age, even before he gets the old book smell* T'anks, b'y. *settles back in her chair, then examines the candy with curious interest before having one and setting the rest aside for her grandchildren*
Rachel: *knows what you're doing Granny. She's grinning about it as she sits down again herself*
Patrick: *Carefully opening the book once he's got it on the table, quickly scanning the first page over for anything familiar*
page: *carefully written on in shaky cybertronian characters done in ink... but these are over a more steady hand done with a spectrum laser!*
Patrick: *Raised brow, and then he's digging in subspace for the notebook and pen he keeps there*
Rachel: *surprised* Someone couldn't see the writing, so they used this page for a title page.
Granny: Writing?
Patrick: *nods as he begins jotting down the translation of both sets of writing* The ink's been written over something done with a spectrum laser...
Granny: What's t'at?
Patrick: It's sort of an advanced type of invisible ink....
Granny: Invisible t' humans. *gives him a sharp, curious look* What's it after sayin'?
Patrick: *explains what the spectrum laser writing says* It says that the datapad's dying, so he, Ice Hunter, is going to put everything down in this human made book that he sent away for. There's a date recorded that's in the seventeen hundreds, and it then explains what a datapad is and looks like, and where he's going to bury it.
Rachel: o.0 That explains the parchment pages. This thing must have cost a fortune.
Granny: *nods* It was a lot of hides, the stories say.
Patrick: ... It's also got the location where the original datapad's buried....
Rachel: *perks* Does he mention the model? I might be able to recharge it and get it working again.
Patrick: *Eyes moving quicker than any human's as he reads off the description of the datapad*
Rachel: *grin* Those things never die.
Patrick: *Also grinning* They just need charging every so often....
Rachel: Yes! *victory fist*
Granny: *eyes bright. Not sure exactly what they're talking about, but knows it's good*
Patrick: *writing the translations as he reads*
next page: *is the beginning of someone's private log. The original writer makes mention of Seaspray as 'Father', and then talks about day to day life in an aquatic city and how much fun it is to slip through the water, or to ride the waves in his robotic form. Says he's glad to have been given this datapad for his birthday, and that he's going to write in it every day, and then goes on to talk about his world and how proud he is to be the son of heroes like Seaspray and Alana*
Patrick: Seaspray wound up on an aquatic world... The datapad belonged to one of his children...
Granny: *squints one eye* So t'is ain't Seaspray's book. T'en what was t' old 'un's name?
Patrick: *scans the page again*
page: *talks about the youngster's beautiful organic mother, and how pretty she looks when she visited the Well of Transformation and took on a robotic form so that she could ride the waves with her family in the shape of a canoe. Talks about how Seastar wants to fly instead of swim, and how he sort of understands that and wonders if that's why his name is Skyboat*
Patrick: Skyboat....
Granny: ...Different sort 'o name.
Patrick: This page also mentions someone named Seastar....
Rachel: *leaning over and looking* His sister, look. *points to a glyph near the bottom of the page, where Skyboat talks about this sister as his best friend other than a girl named Tesla*
Patrick: *nods, continues reading and translating*
Rachel and Granny: *listen as he recounts the ups and downs of a young boy's life, and of Skyboat's occasional wonderings about the world that his father came from. The youngster also wondered just which was his true form, and how he would know*
Patrick: *read, write and translate*
Granny: *listening, caught up in the spell of trying to imagine the scenes that her ancestor describes*
Rachel: *also totally absorbed in the story, till a ping on her comm makes her jump* Chief, we've been here three hours.
Patrick: *Acks*
Rachel: Petra and Skylar are wondering why you've got your comm off, and Jack says the kids just realized I'm gone.
Patrick: *Sheepish expression as he turns his comm back on and gets an earful*
Rachel: *gets up and goes to look at the pair in the living room. Chuckles as she sees Bonnie sound asleep on her face on the blue shag carpet by the tennis game, one arm thrown around Moofy*
Granny: *surprised look at the clock, and then nearly jumps out of her house slippers as she sees the girl over by the stove stirring a pot of stew* o.0 I never heard you lot come in.
girl: *grin, curious glance for Patrick*
other kids: *sitting in the living room, or their dad's room, doing homework*
Patrick: *Blink blink*
Rachel: *chuckling some more as she greets the youngsters in the living room, and then whistles softly to Moofy*
Moofy: *Deedles and chirrups*
Bonnie: *lifts her head* Huh? Ack! *sits up fast, then pulls faces at her brothers and sisters for laughing*
Moofy: *Beetling over to Mama!*
Rachel: *scoops him up and cuddles him* Did you have fun, my good boy?
Moofy: *Happy deedle!* ^.^
Granny: *invites Patrick to stay for supper*
Patrick: As much as I appreciate the offer, I've been informed that two of my daughters have gotten into a scuffle with someone else's children... *is pinching the bridge of his nose*
Granny: *sympathetic frown* How old?
Rachel: *comes back with Moofy in her arms* Old enough to know better.
Patrick: *sighs* What Rachel said....
Granny: I sees. *goes and makes up a package of cookies, which she gives to him. He'll be able to see her unspoken concern as she looks at the book. Yes, she feels she's been told to trust, but she knows the story of the person who took the transforming thing*
Patrick: If it's not too much hassle for you, I'd like to come back tomorrow and continue translating the book...
Granny: *surprised* Yer not takin' it wit' ye?
Patrick: It's more important that it stays with your family.
Granny: *blinks and wipes her eyes on her sleeve* Alright. Here, take t'ese.
Patrick: *Thanks Granny as he accepts the package of cookies*
Granny: *smiles, and then tells Rachel and Moofy good bye before giving Bonnie a swat and telling her to be good*
Bonnie: ^_^ *sets youngest sibling down and comes over by Patrick as Rachel does the same*
Patrick: *Thanks Granny again for her hospitality, will bring Bonnie, Rachel, and Moofy back to the barbecue*
Rachel: *eeks as she's mobbed by upset youngsters*
Sarah: *CLINGS*
Moofy: *Deedling up a storm*
Susana and Marcia: *Working together to fish their siblings out of the pool with Javan's help*
Alicia: *Still has a handful of Wallace's hair!*
Bartholhemew: *getting the dressing down of a lifetime from Xiaobei as Jack hurries over to Rachel*
Patrick: *over to try and separate Alicia and Wallace*
Rachel: Shhh, Greg, I'm here. Heyyyy, Sarah. Oof! Sven, that hurt, sport.
Sven: *fussy and ready to go home, as is Sandra*
Jack: *Trying to help keep the peace* Find anything out?
Rachel: Yeah. A lot. The Chief's going back to translate more tomorrow. *hugging upset sparklets*
Jack: *chuckles* Did he go into geek mode? *rubbing backs and clicking soothingly*
Rachel: And how. *clicks softly herself* Did these guys all get enough to eat?
Jack: *nods* And now they're ready for bed, I think...
Destiny: *is being brought over by Felicity, looks to be halfway asleep already*
Rachel: *looks around as she asks Moofy to get the other drones* Where's Ryan?
Moofy: *Deedles and beetles off to round up siblings!*
Jack: Knowing him... probably up in a tree... *Going to go look now*
Rachel: *nods to mate, and then croons to Sven* Heyyy, you know I can't understand you when you whine.
Sven: *Snuggles and sulks*
Rachel: *kisses him on the cheek* We'll be home soon. Don't cry.
Jack: *Amused chuckling as he watches Raj scale the tree that Ryan's currently sleeping in*
Rachel: *wince wince as she sees that*
Sora: *concerned and fussing down where she's standing by Jack*
Rachel: *soft 'eeeeeeee' and closes her eyes*
Tracks: *tense and half off his lounge chair as he watches his creche brother*
Raj: *reaching up to gently shake Ryan's foot*
Ryan: Huh? *lifts his head and blinks, baby confusion showing on his older looking face*
Raj: It's time to go home, Ryan...
Ryan: Oh. Okay. *massive yawn and then starts moving himself free of his tree fork* Gramma's house or Uncle Tracks'?
Raj: Rachel's... *Will try and climb down carefully*
Ryan: Okay. *jumps out of tree and lands rolling*
Sora: *FUSS*
Rachel: *yes. She just fainted*
Tracks: *just about did too, that's a tall tree!*
Sarah: *Frightened squeal*
Jack: *Comes running!*
Simon: Let go her Mama. Give her Mama space. Let me Simon lay her down. Is okay. Her Mama just got scared.
Sven: *Clinging to Sandra now*
Greg: *serious expression as he puts his arms around his younger and smaller siblings*
Jack: *Checking Rachel over*
Sora: *Fussing over Ryan now!*
Rachel: *just had a start... and don't pay any attention to that little discrepancy in her spark signature*
Ryan: I'm okay. *wide eyed at the reaction to his jump* I'm sorry. I'm okay.
Jack: *Clicking quietly and gently smoothing Rachel's hair*
Rachel: *small sound and turns her head, then opens her eyes and blinks with confusion* What...?
Russell: *hurrying over* Keep her still till I've had a look.
Jack: *Gently* Just stay still, Rachel... Everything's going to be okay... *Quietly explains what happened*
Rachel: What??? I don't faint anymore. Uh.... *starts running a self diagnostic* WHAT??
Jack: *blink blink* What is it?
Russell: *Scanning*
Rachel: We've got all the Dinobots that everyone else has. My sensors must be glitching.
Russell: I don't think this one's a Dinobot....
Jack: .....
Rachel: o.0 *weakly* What makes you say that? *quick glance at her husband*
Russell: Well, for one, there's none of the energy that the Dinobots' sparks show... and this one is the size one would expect a newspark bud to be.
Rachel: Then.... *eyes fly open wide and dart back to Jack as she realizes what that means*
Jack: *Boggling and looking stunned stupid*
Rachel: *reaches for his hand* *quietly* Jack... talk to me.
Jack: *quietly* Must've formed... proximity...
Rachel: I... coded in a code similar to yours for Greg and Simon. The proximity bond we had must have been deepened by it.
Jack: *has to sit down. His legs don't want to cooperate, but thankfully he was already crouching, so he doesn't have too far to go*
Rachel: *up on her elbow reaching for him* Jack?
Jack: *manages to grab your hand, Rachel... he's shaking a bit, but at least he's able to gently squeeze your hand*
Simon: *watching all this from where he's kneeling by his siblings and hugging a drone* *quietly* Uncle Russ? What wrong with her Mama?
Russell: *Quietly* Nothing's wrong... She's just carrying a newspark...
Simon: *face brightens* New baby sister?
Greg: *quietly from the heap of siblings* Want dog.
Sarah: *clicks quietly*
Russell: *nods* She's still growing, so it will be a little while before you can meet her....
Greg: Darn....
Simon: We take care of her Mama. *smiling as he turns to look at Sarah*
Sarah: *more quiet clicks, snuggaSimon*
Sandra: *peeking from behind Greg*
Sven: *Quiet grumbles as he agrees with Greg's "want dog"*
Chance: *chooses that moment to plop into Sven's lap*
Rachel: Russ? Can I get up now? If she's just normal and nothing's wrong, I want to make sure.... EEEEEEE, my puppy!
Chance: *Ears perk, waggatail!*
Rachel: *jumps on Jack and glomps him good* Ohhhhhh! You jerk! I love you.
Jack: *soft, amused chuckle, snuggles Rachel* Finished him earlier today....
Rachel: *kiss on cheek, HUUUGGGG*
Jack: *glad that Rachel is happy*
Simon: Mama? Him Daddy not a bed. We bring you home to bed.
Tracks: *tsk* Really, Rachel.
Denver: *snickering softly as she watches from where she's lounged in another deck chair*
Rachel: Thrrrpt! Buzz off, Tracks. *kisses Jack and then sits up beside him*
Jack: *Arm around Rachel's shoulders, even as Russell moves to try and get Ryan to come join the rest of his family*
Rachel: *leans her head on Jack's shoulder and reaches toward her sparklets* Neither of us are in any shape to drive.
Russell: Which is why I've got a PINpoint.
Rachel: Alright, I'm presuming you know how Sven reacts to PINpointing.
Sven: *Grumbles and complains about "Dizzy machine."*
Rachel: Yeah, but you want to go home to your bed, right, sport?
Sven: *more grumbles, agrees*
Rachel: *grins and pats him* That's my good boy.
Destiny: *Sleepy clicks, is now using Greg's lap as a pillow*
Rachel: *counts noses, her arm still firmly around Jack*
Sarah: *has a Simon-pillow, kthx*
Sandra: *leaning against Greg, as is Sven*
Rachel: Sora and Raj?
Sora: *Still fussing over Ryan, even as Raj tries to gently herd both she and Ryan over to Rachel*
Ryan: *trying to be herded, but doesn't want to ignore Mom*
Raj: *Will pick Sora up then, since she's in full-on fret mode*
Ryan: *grins at that, and then turns and races over to the rest of the family*
Rachel: *grins at him* Hey, Sport. Ready for home?
Ryan: *supporting a sleepy Dinobot now* Yeah. Sorry about that. *grin*
Sandra: *SnuggaRyan*
Raj: *moves to set Sora on her feet next to the rest of the family*
Rachel: Where's the Chief? *looking*
Tracks: *is an ack because Justice just went by*
Patrick: *telling Alicia and Scarlett that they're both grounded for a week.*
Rachel: //Chief?//
Patrick: //Yes, Rachel?//
Rachel: //The population's grown again.//
Patrick: *blink blink, looks at Rachel* //...Another Dinobot?//
Rachel: //Nope. Russ says she's normal.//
Patrick: //... Congratulations, Rachel.//
Rachel: *quietly* //She's a bond spark, Chief.//
Patrick: //...But I thought you and Jack weren't able to bond...//
Rachel: *explains what happened, and that the bond is probably one way, and very light for a mate bond*
Patrick: //I see...// *Concerned, nonetheless.*
Rachel: //But I need to get my kids and my hubby home now.//
Patrick: //Be careful getting home, alright?//
Rachel: *points to Russell* //PINtrip.//
Patrick: *nods, then returns his attention to his own family*
Rachel: *signs off and then pings Javan* //Time for us to go, buddy. Thanks for the cookout. Even though I didn't eat any.//
Serenity: *Has a baby on her front and on her back as she moves to get Jack's keys from him*
Javan: //No worries. I got 'nough leftovers t' bring you some t'morrow mornin'.//
Rachel: //Great. The boys and Sandy'll love that with scrambled eggs.// Rinny, be careful, alright?
Serenity: I will be.
Javan: //Heh, you stay safe, 'n I'll see ya in the mornin'.//
Rachel: //Same to you, buddy. God bless.// *signs off and then muffles a yawn as Simon gives one* *soft snerk and looks at Russell* Wait. Where are my cats?
Steeljaw: *curled up with Ravage on one of the chairs on the deck. Is asleep and stuffed full of pilfered dinoham and roast*
Ravage: *is only a bitty purr under her mate's chin*
Denver: //Th' furballs 're sleepin' off th' meat th'y ganked....// *Sounds amused*
Rachel: *shakes her head and whistles softly* //Steeljaw. Time for home. C'mon, the kids are tired.//
Steeljaw: *Groggily* Mrrrrrpt.... *lifts his head and then he's stretching and moving to get up*
Ravage: *holds onto him with her front paws around his neck* //Sleeepy....//
Steeljaw: //Boss says it's time to go home...//
Ravage: //...Carry meeeeee.//
Steeljaw: *Will do so and pad over to Rachel*
Rachel: *face palm and chuckle*
Steeljaw: *headbutts Rachel*
Rachel: *hand goes from her face to his chin* Okay, Russ, I think we're ready. Everybody got everything?
Raj: I believe so, Rachel...
Jack: *small nod*
Rachel: Good. Let's go.
Russell: *Nods and PINpoints the family home*
Rachel: *hand on Sven as she gets to her feet* Alright, guys. Who wants to go to bed, and who wants to camp here in the living room?
Sven: *whining a bit about being dizzy*
Destiny: *Clickstorm, snuggles Ryan*
Rachel: Campout it is. *goes to get blankets and sleeping bags*
Russell: *Will help with that*
Rachel: *getting favorites from beds first* So how far along am I? *shakes head* I'm starting to feel like a baby vending machine.
Russell: A couple of weeks at the most... If you were to look, she's likely to be showing her own color...
Rachel: Sheesh. *small smile as she bundles up the blankets and stuffies and gives some to Russell to carry*
Russell: *chuckles* Well, at least you're not totally outnumbered anymore....
Rachel: *more laughter* It's funny how my spark recognized the parts of the code I input that were like Jack's and kept them.
Russell: *soft 'heh'* *Quietly* And if he could, you know he'd gladly sparkbond with you...
Rachel: *softly as she picks up Sarah's favorite soft bunny* I know. But neither of us can take that risk. You want to bring that to the living room and then grab the mats from the basement? I think the kids made a fort with them.
Russell: *nods and goes to get the mats as Jack tries to get tired and cranky kids ready for bed*
Rachel: *can hear that fussing as she gets more blankets from the closet* //I'm sorry I was gone so long, sport.//
Jack: //It's okay, Rachel. You found out something important that needed to be taken care of.//
Rachel: //Yeah.... That book is a copy of Seaspray's oldest son's journal.//
Jack: //...Seaspray has a son?!//
Rachel: //He had six at the time that the pages the Chief translated were first written. And four daughters.//
Jack: //... *Says something quietly that may or may not be a curseword*//
Rachel: *slight frown, then facepalms* //Did anyone tell you about Bonnie Raby?//
Jack: //Lisa only mentioned her as a friend, and Skylar said she's one of his neighbors, but that's it...//
Rachel: //She's Seaspray's several greats granddaughter. Human, but with a spark.//
Jack: //...Sort of like Seamus and Starpounder's kids... Huh...//
Rachel: //Yup. Only it seems that Seaspray's wife is from a race of organic shapeshifters who transformed by using something they called a Well of Transformation. And that Skyboat brought part of it with him when he and his wife came to Earth.//
Jack: //Huh... Any specs on it?//
Rachel: //Not yet. We hadn't got that far in the book before we realized what time it was.// *come into the living room with her bundle of blankets and bunny*
Sarah: *quiet clicks, is snuggling Simon*
Russell: *Already laying mats out and trying to encourage Destiny to let Ryan go long enough for him to lay down*
Simon: *snuggling baby sisters. Turns his head and blinks groggily as Mama comes in*
Bubba: *beeping cheerfully as he beetles off to add the colorful leaves he found today to his treasure pile!*
Chance: *headtilt, ears perked*
Sora: *Putting everyone's shoes where they belong while Raj tries to help Russell with Destiny*
Rachel: *chuckles at Bubba and steps over him, then comes over and sets the blankets down before holding out Sarah's bunny* Want me to undo your dress? I have your favorite nightgown here. *glances over at Jack to see how deeply he's thinking about what she just told him*
Sarah: *nodnod, moves to sit up enough for Mama to help her with her dress*
Jack: *head down, small nods as he works things over in his head*
Rachel: *smile for Jack, and then turns to helping Sarah* Sandy, do you want a night dress?
Sandra: *sleepy nod*
Rachel: Your blue one with chickens on it?
Greg: *tired chicken sound*
Sandra: *nod* Chickies....
Rachel: *gently pulls Sarah's nightgown over her head and then comes over to look at Sandra* Hmmm. Looks like I need a wet facecloth.
Sora: *Down the hall to get washcloths*
Sandra: *small headshake*
Rachel: *chuckles* You're not this dark coloured, baby. Don't worry, Sora will make sure it's warm. *holds up the favorite nightgown with the little dark blue chickens on it*
Sandra: *sleepy grumbles, does not like having her face washed*
Sora: *is back with several wet washcloths, and made sure they'd all be warm for the kids*
Destiny: *sleepy clicks as Raj covers her with a blanket*
Rachel: Thanks, Sora. *takes one and gently starts washing Sandra's arms first*
Sora: *Soft chuckle as she moves to help other messy kids get cleaned up for bed*
Greg: *startled flail and whimper* No!
Sora: *Soothing clicks as she offers Greg a nice, warm washcloth*
Sven: *Fussing a bit*
Greg: *lifts his head with a little groaning sound, and then takes the cloth, rolls over onto his front, and reaches over to wash Sven's face*
Sven: *Sputtering and squirming*
Sora: *gives Sarah one of the washcloths before going over to wash her sister's face, since Destiny tends to try to avoid baths of any sort*
Greg: You, Sven hold still and not be dummy. Then this go faster. *wash wash wash*
Rachel: *washes Sandra's back, because that feels comfortable, then gently gives her a hug and washes that scowly little face* There, see? That's not so bad.
Sandra: *Sleepy blink blink*
Sarah: *has mastered washing her own face*
Rachel: *chuckles and gives Sandra a kiss on the hair, then installs her nightgown before trying to finger comb a few leaves out of the sparklet's dark curls*
Sandra: *Quiet, contented purrs*
Rachel: *grins, and then snerks at Simon*
Simon: *sleeping with his cloth over his face*
Jack: *covering kids with blankets as Raj gently makes Sora lay down*
Rachel: *looks at her simple knit dress and grins, then checks her feet and moves to lay down with Sandra in her arms*
Russell: *Helps make sure everyone's got blankets and is comfortable, as Serenity can be heard parking the car in the driveway*
Jack: *Will move to lay down beside Rachel and Sandra*
Rachel: Hrrrmm. *cuddles youngest daughter and watches the three boys jostle for space for a bit before collapsing into a sort of puppy pile*
Sarah: *moving to snuggle against Sandra, Daddy, and Mama*
Rachel: *reaches a little further and cuddles both young daughters, checking on Destiny as she does*
Ryan: *snuggling Aunty. Also hugging his wet facecloth and is too tired to notice he's wet*
Sora: *being cuddled by Raj as she snuggles her sister and her son*
Destiny: *Asleep and purring quietly*
Russell: *Once Serenity brings the car keys inside and sets them where Jack will find them, he's moving to lock the doors behind him as he and his family take their leave*
Rachel: //G'night, Russ and Rinny. Thanks.// *makes mental note to look into better scanners sometime tomorrow in the Nexus, and then drops into sleep*
Russell: //Goodnight, Rachel. See you tomorrow.// *and then there's a slight flash as he PINpoints his family home*
((co-written with random_xtras))
Autumn: Well... there's more than one reality in existance... And where those realities converge and meet are hubs called nexii... the one most of us go to when we go to a nexus is one that's got a sign in it, and it's almost like a whole world in and of itself....
Bonnie: *eyes go wide and then blink rapidly as she tries to absorb this and believe it*
Autumn: I know it sounds crazy... but shortly after I first arrived on this planet, the two mechs I was travelling with and I wound up there...
Bonnie: It's jes... some hard t' believe.
Autumn: *Small nod*
Rachel: *back, with Derrick by the ear* So what's the plan, Chief?
Patrick: *eyeing the confiscated PINpoints for a moment* Well, I've got the coordinates of the town....
Rachel: *brow quirk* Now?
Patrick: Either now, or on the weekend....
Russell: We'll keep an eye on things here...
Kia: *from behind Patrick, where she stopped to listen after driving herself to the cookout in her odd little electric cart* It might be best to attend to the matter as soon as possible.
Derrick: *Trying to get away from Rachel!*
Rachel: *twists ear without looking away from Patrick*
Bonnie: *gives Derrick a Look. Is not the eldest of a large family for nothing*
Derrick: *Cringes*
Patrick: *small nod* Someone let Xiaobei know that she, Petra, Russell, and Serenity are in charge till we get back?
Kia: Who will be going, Captain?
Patrick: Crusher, Miss Raby, and myself.
Kia: Are there sufficient family members to keep the young Rutegers content in the meantime? *blinks as she notices Derrick, then frowns at him*
Patrick: *About to answer when Will moves to try and cling to Greg's back, while Destiny chases Marcia around*
Marcia: *Looking like this 'game' wasn't her idea!*
Rachel: *soft snerk as she shoves Derrick away* They're fine. Jack's here somewhere.
Jack: *Telling Wallace and Bartholemew to be careful*
Wallace: *has Bartholemew in a headlock*
Steeljaw: *Is that furry lump eyeballing the smoker and waiting*
Rachel: *lets all her babies know she'll be right back. Except Moofy. He's in her pink heart bag, which is over her shoulder*
Moofy: *curious deedle*
Patrick: *Soft chuckle*
Simon: *turns and waves to Mama, then shows Sven another ant*
Sven: *Hunkered down next to Simon, looks up to wave to Mama before his attention goes back to the funny creature brother is showing him*
Sarah: *folding more bunnies!*
Rachel: *looks for Sandra*
Sandra: *Tussling with Beau*
Rachel: *grins as she spots Ryan over by the Kittywalk tipi that holds the rest of the drones* Ready when you are, Chief.
Patrick: *holds out his hand to Bonnie*
Bonnie: *looks up at him quizzically*
Patrick: *explains about how PINpoints work*
Bonnie: *eyes widen, but puts her little rough hand into his* ...T'is gonna make me urky?
Rachel: *chuckle* I doubt it. But if it does....
Bonnie: I'll aim t' ot'er way.
Rachel: *grins. She likes this kid*
Patrick: I've databurst the coordinates to the PINpoint...
Rachel: *gone*
Bonnie: *blinks and looks quickly up at Patrick*
Patrick: *soft sigh, will bring Bonnie with him*
Rachel: *standing on an abandoned looking bit of road when they arrive, her hair and skirt whipped by the wind as she gazes off to sea*
Bonnie: *perks the moment she appears and then tugs on Patrick's hand before letting go of it* *calls over the wind* T'is way, me son!
Patrick: *moves to grab Rachel's hand so he can lead her in the direction Bonnie's going*
Rachel: //Ewww, chief cooties.// *gives him a gentle fake shove and turns to walk beside him, holding onto her bag so it doesn't swing and blow around too much*
Moofy: *Deedling and trying to get a peek at where Mama brought him, since it sounds different than Javan's place*
Patrick: *Snerks and shakes his head* //You... are a doof, Rachel.//
Rachel: Xp XD //Supersonic bounce back.// *finally tucks the bag into the crook of her arm* //Make sure you don't knock my stuff out, sport.//
Moofy: *Deedle!*
Bonnie: *trotting on ahead, not hindered or tripped up by the rough dirt road in the least*
Rachel: *glad she's got the pretty brown slingbacks on. Thinks this road would have eaten most the rest of her shoes, including her oxfords* //Wow... reminds me of that one planet. Do you remember? Nothing but wind and rock.//
Patrick: //Yeah... And cold...// *chuckles, but the sound is lost to the wind*
Rachel: *turns and walks backward, looking the opposite direction to the way they came as she holds her bag with one arm and her skirt with the other hand* //That must be the town. I see three buildings and some sheds by the ocean.//
Moofy: *headtilty, peek... and ducks right back into the bag, transforming to his tape recorder mode*
Patrick: //There wasn't much to it on Google Maps...//
Rachel: *turns to face the way they're going and scans the area* //I see a house tucked into a fold in the hills there. But it doesn't seem to be where we're going.//
Patrick: //I wonder where Bonnie's grandmother lives?//
Rachel: //We should ask her. Your shoes aren't made for this kind of terrain.//
Patrick: //No kidding...// *Hurries to try and catch up to Bonnie*
Bonnie: *ears used to the wind and the sea hear him coming, and she turns and smiles up at him* Jes' 'round t' bend 'n a couple miles more!
Patrick: ...
Rachel: //Couple miles.// *looks at Patrick's feet* //Um... ow.//
Patrick: //It might be best if I go to root mode till we're closer to the village...//
Rachel: ..... *purses lips doubtfully*
Bonnie: *has noticed the discussion and come back*
Patrick: *to Rachel* //It's either that, or wear these shoes out completely and be off my feet anyways.// *Small frown as he eyes his shoes*
Rachel: *scans their surroundings again* //Or we could PINpoint again.//
Bonnie: *watching the wordless conversation, her brows lifted as she tries to figure how they're talking. Knows they are*
Patrick: //True...// *Raises his voice a bit so Bonnie can hear him over the wind* We're going to use the PINpoint to get closer to your hometown.
Bonnie: Hometown's t'at way! *points toward the hamlet* Home's t'at way! *slight grin as she points the way they're headed* We don't live in town.
Patrick: ... //Rachel, do you have coordinates for it?//
Rachel: //No. But I have coordinates for a spot a lot closer to it.// *sends him the coordinates to the bend in the road they can see up ahead* Is there anyone around here, Bonnie!?
Bonnie: *shakes her head* Everyone's in t' bar 'r down at t' boats!
Patrick: //That works...// *offers Bonnie his hand again*
Bonnie: *eyes twinkle as she takes it*
Rachel: *stands near them, since her PINpoint is of that make. And... they're where the road bends*
Bonnie: T'at one feels some different! *looking at Rachel's watch*
Patrick: *chuckles* At least Rachel's PINpoint also doubles as an accessory...
Moofy: *Deedlebeep of agreement!*
Rachel: *looking ahead. Points now to a worn looking grey frame house that's standing by a couple equally worn outbuildings* Is that it?!
Bonnie: Yup! Just be Dad 'n Granny t'ere right now!
Rachel: *twiddle fiddle. PINs them right to the yard*
cats and geese: *scatter!*
Patrick: *Soft snerk, can't help it*
Bonnie: *laughing her butt off at the honking storm of bee bee beeps and gabbling from the half Canada goose geese*
big gander: *spooked by Rachel's skirt and bites Patrick for it*
Patrick: *Startled yelp as he's bitten*
Bonnie: Hey! Ralph!
Moofy: *transforms to peek again* *Curious deedle*
Bonnie: *waving her arms and chasing geese as a rangy, short-haired white border collie with a black ear comes out to help*
Rachel: *looks toward the house as the front door opens, and smiles when she sees the wrinkled face of the tiny old lady who looks out*
Patrick: *Watches the border collie for a few moments, before his attention goes to the door*
collie: *gets the geese all cornered against an old Chev pickup with no tires, and then sits down to stare them out of countenance*
Bonnie: Good dog. *then scoots toward the door* Granny!
Granny: *frowns* Ye'r supposed to be to school.
Bonnie: No no, school's done for t'e day.
Patrick: *wonders to himself if he and Rachel should approach yet*
Granny: *doubtful wondering in her gaze as she looks at her eldest granddaughter, and then her dark, clear eyes go to the visitors*
Moofy: *chirrup as he registers another spark*
Rachel: *recognizes the chirrup and looks down at him* //Is Granny one of us, sport?//
Moofy: *nodnod, wants to climb out to wave hello*
Rachel: //Just wait, okay, baby?// *hugs him through the bag*
Granny: *has seen the little robot and is curious, but she's listening to Bonnie before she speaks to the visitors*
Bonnie: *explaining, her accent so thick now as to make her be speaking another language*
Granny: *finally nods and pats Bonnie on the arm as her face breaks into an amazed grin* *turns to Patrick and Rachel and lifts her brows*
Bonnie: Come on in. *grinning herself now*
Patrick: *small smile, moves to follow Bonnie and Granny into the house*
Rachel: *walks beside him, but stops along the way to pick up a fluffy little orange kitten and cuddle it under her chin. Curious light in her eyes as she looks around the worn but clean kitchen and follows the snaky trail of the stove pipe that's hanging by wires from the ceiling*
Bonnie: *over poking at the vintage oil burning heater* Ye got t'e money I sent fer oil? Dad needs it warm if he's gonna git better.
Granny: *cheerful eye roll* We got t' money. Stop yer purdlin', Bonnie.
Bonnie: *relieved, but looks around* Y'don't got t' plastic over t' windows yet.
Granny: It ain't cold yet. *finishes fixing a coffee pot and puts it on the heater*
Rachel: *startles slightly as the wind rattles a window in its frame*
Patrick: *Also startles at that*
Moofy: *Deedles and 'talks' to the rattling*
Granny: *pauses and turns toward the deedling* *softly* Who's t'at?
Bonnie: T'at's Mrs. Ruteger's little un. Granny, t'is's Mr. Oberson, 'n Mrs. Ruteger. Folks, t'is's Granny.
Granny: *grins a greeting, but she's coming over to investigate that odd little sound*
Rachel: *comforting hand on Moofy and lets him know he can come out now if he wants to as she nods to Granny* Hi.
Moofy: *Gonna try climbing on Mama's sleeve now!*
Patrick: It's nice to meet you, M'am...
Granny: Well don't jus' stand t'ere. Set a spell. *over to Rachel now, her dark eyes sparkling with curious wonder as she sees the bitty robot that the woman is holding* Well now....
Moofy: *Deedles happily*
Granny: He's a baby?
Rachel: Well, he's a drone. But he's one of my babies. *sits Moofy on her knee as she settles in one of the old ladderback chairs. Sets the kitten in her lap by her bag*
Patrick: *Soft chuckle as he moves to sit down in a chair*
Bonnie: *comes over and sets homemade cookies on the table, and then milk and white sugar* She's goat milk, but she's still good.
Patrick: *Thanks Bonnie and has a couple of cookies*
Moofy: *Happily deedling away as he sits on Mama's lap*
Granny: *smiles at Moofy, but then clucks her tongue and goes to tend the coffee pot. It's clear there will be no business spoken till the guests have been served*
Rachel: *offers Moofy a cookie to play with, knowing that the little guy won't spoil it or make a mess* Thanks, Bonnie. I like goat milk.
Moofy: *'talking' to the cookie now!*
Patrick: *thoughtful silence as he eats. This house, despite how different it is from the houses in Blacksburg, feels more like a home to him than even the Ark...*
Rachel: *looks up as the house creaks in the wind, and then smiles as she notices the door behind the stove and the thin, grey-haired man that's laying in the bed in that room*
Bonnie: *notices and grins too* T'at's Dad. He knows 'bout t' family story. *goes to tell Dad what's going on*
Granny: *back with coffee, which she pours into worn pink melamine mugs* He ain't up t' much talkin' right now, t'ough. Jes' gettin' over t' p'mony.
Rachel: *wince* Pneumonia's no fun. *soft chuckle as she sees the affection in Mr. Raby's face as he listens to Bonnie talk to him*
Moofy: *Chirrup*
Granny: Yeah, well, he usually don't get it till winter. *smiles at Moofy* Ye likes t' cookie?
Moofy: *happy deedle!* ^.^
Granny: Kin ye eat it?
Moofy: *headtilt*
Rachel: No. He doesn't eat normal food. But he likes it a lot, anyway.
Granny: Kin he play video games?
Rachel: *looks down at Moofy* Can you?
Moofy: *Plays the "intel inside" clip*
Rachel: *laughs and looks up* He says he can.
Granny: Well we's got a tennis game hooked to t' TV in t' livin' room.
Bonnie: *back* I'll show him how t' use it. *holds out hands toward the little copper bot*
Rachel: *checks to see if Moofy wants to go*
Moofy: *Beetles off Mama's lap and over to Bonnie*
Bonnie: *grins and takes the little guy through the door to the living room. The sound of an ancient tennis video game soon follows*
Granny: *settles herself in a chair across from Rachel and Patrick* Alright, now. ...Y'knew t old one?
Patrick: *nods* Yes... A long time ago, well before we were exiled from Cybertron.
Granny: *quietly* Bonnie sez ye'r machines.
Patrick: *nods* We are... We represent one of the two races of Cybertronians, the Autobots and the Decepticons... Mrs. Ruteger and I are Autobots.
Granny: *slight frown at her folded hands as she thinks this over. Then looks up again* But we're not machines. Even afore t' changin' t'ing was after bein' lost t' book sez we were flesh 'n blood.
Patrick: That's true... but you have sparks, just as we do...
Granny: *more thinking, and then an admission* I don' understand how t'at kin be.
Patrick: *has a go at trying to explain why this may be: It's likely a trait that's been passed down through the family*
Granny: *waits till he's done talking before she speaks again herself* So yer after sayin' our family useta be machines?
Patrick: That, or it's somehow related to the thing that made it possible for your family to change form.
Granny: *understanding brightens her weathered face* T'at could be it. *glances toward the living room as the sound of Bonnie's laughter and encouraging words to Moofy reach them*
Moofy: *Happily deedling away as he plays*
Granny: *smiles at that, and then turns back to her visitors* So you want t' see t' book. *searches Patrick's face as she remembers the stories of how the transformation object was lost*
Patrick: *nods* I know a few dialects of written and spoken Cybertronian, so I should be able to translate it....
Granny: *absently folds her hands as she prays*
Rachel: *sees this* *softly* Maybe He sent us, so you'd finally know the answers.
Patrick: *silently wonders if it was also meant for his people to meet Bonnie's family so they could finally know the answers to their questions as well*
Granny: *looks up, her expression showing the peace of the answer she feels she was given* *quietly, as she gets up* I won't take long.
Patrick: *nods* Go ahead...
Rachel: *grins, and then leans across the table once the elderly woman has gone up the stairs, and leaves a small handful of junior mints at her place on the table*
Patrick: *soft snerk*
Rachel: *quiet thrrpt*
Mr. Raby: *is that quiet chuckle from his room as he watches them*
Patrick: *chuckles*
Granny: *and here she comes back, being careful on the steep enclosed staircase as she holds the book under one arm*
Rachel: *sets her bag on the table and then jumps up and darts over to offer Granny help in the form of an arm to lean on and a hand to take the book*
Granny: T'anks, b'y.
Patrick: *starting to understand why Emilia jokingly calls him a bibliophile... His attention's firmly on the big, old, leatherbound book in Rachel's hand... and he can't wait to get started translating it!*
Rachel: *gets Granny safely on the floor and then hands her back the book, then turns to Patrick and laughs* Chief, stop drooling.
Granny: o.0 *tries to figure out what the tall woman means, but then sees the hopeful expression on Patrick's face and grins*
Patrick: *Razzes Rachel*
Granny: Now. T'ere's no call t' be rude, Mr. Oberson. *eyes twinkling as she walks over toward the table*
Rachel: *smirks at Patrick as she follows Granny*
Patrick: *Amused eyeroll as he moves to help with the book*
Granny: *lets him have it, and the sheer weight alone of the volume will tell him its age, even before he gets the old book smell* T'anks, b'y. *settles back in her chair, then examines the candy with curious interest before having one and setting the rest aside for her grandchildren*
Rachel: *knows what you're doing Granny. She's grinning about it as she sits down again herself*
Patrick: *Carefully opening the book once he's got it on the table, quickly scanning the first page over for anything familiar*
page: *carefully written on in shaky cybertronian characters done in ink... but these are over a more steady hand done with a spectrum laser!*
Patrick: *Raised brow, and then he's digging in subspace for the notebook and pen he keeps there*
Rachel: *surprised* Someone couldn't see the writing, so they used this page for a title page.
Granny: Writing?
Patrick: *nods as he begins jotting down the translation of both sets of writing* The ink's been written over something done with a spectrum laser...
Granny: What's t'at?
Patrick: It's sort of an advanced type of invisible ink....
Granny: Invisible t' humans. *gives him a sharp, curious look* What's it after sayin'?
Patrick: *explains what the spectrum laser writing says* It says that the datapad's dying, so he, Ice Hunter, is going to put everything down in this human made book that he sent away for. There's a date recorded that's in the seventeen hundreds, and it then explains what a datapad is and looks like, and where he's going to bury it.
Rachel: o.0 That explains the parchment pages. This thing must have cost a fortune.
Granny: *nods* It was a lot of hides, the stories say.
Patrick: ... It's also got the location where the original datapad's buried....
Rachel: *perks* Does he mention the model? I might be able to recharge it and get it working again.
Patrick: *Eyes moving quicker than any human's as he reads off the description of the datapad*
Rachel: *grin* Those things never die.
Patrick: *Also grinning* They just need charging every so often....
Rachel: Yes! *victory fist*
Granny: *eyes bright. Not sure exactly what they're talking about, but knows it's good*
Patrick: *writing the translations as he reads*
next page: *is the beginning of someone's private log. The original writer makes mention of Seaspray as 'Father', and then talks about day to day life in an aquatic city and how much fun it is to slip through the water, or to ride the waves in his robotic form. Says he's glad to have been given this datapad for his birthday, and that he's going to write in it every day, and then goes on to talk about his world and how proud he is to be the son of heroes like Seaspray and Alana*
Patrick: Seaspray wound up on an aquatic world... The datapad belonged to one of his children...
Granny: *squints one eye* So t'is ain't Seaspray's book. T'en what was t' old 'un's name?
Patrick: *scans the page again*
page: *talks about the youngster's beautiful organic mother, and how pretty she looks when she visited the Well of Transformation and took on a robotic form so that she could ride the waves with her family in the shape of a canoe. Talks about how Seastar wants to fly instead of swim, and how he sort of understands that and wonders if that's why his name is Skyboat*
Patrick: Skyboat....
Granny: ...Different sort 'o name.
Patrick: This page also mentions someone named Seastar....
Rachel: *leaning over and looking* His sister, look. *points to a glyph near the bottom of the page, where Skyboat talks about this sister as his best friend other than a girl named Tesla*
Patrick: *nods, continues reading and translating*
Rachel and Granny: *listen as he recounts the ups and downs of a young boy's life, and of Skyboat's occasional wonderings about the world that his father came from. The youngster also wondered just which was his true form, and how he would know*
Patrick: *read, write and translate*
Granny: *listening, caught up in the spell of trying to imagine the scenes that her ancestor describes*
Rachel: *also totally absorbed in the story, till a ping on her comm makes her jump* Chief, we've been here three hours.
Patrick: *Acks*
Rachel: Petra and Skylar are wondering why you've got your comm off, and Jack says the kids just realized I'm gone.
Patrick: *Sheepish expression as he turns his comm back on and gets an earful*
Rachel: *gets up and goes to look at the pair in the living room. Chuckles as she sees Bonnie sound asleep on her face on the blue shag carpet by the tennis game, one arm thrown around Moofy*
Granny: *surprised look at the clock, and then nearly jumps out of her house slippers as she sees the girl over by the stove stirring a pot of stew* o.0 I never heard you lot come in.
girl: *grin, curious glance for Patrick*
other kids: *sitting in the living room, or their dad's room, doing homework*
Patrick: *Blink blink*
Rachel: *chuckling some more as she greets the youngsters in the living room, and then whistles softly to Moofy*
Moofy: *Deedles and chirrups*
Bonnie: *lifts her head* Huh? Ack! *sits up fast, then pulls faces at her brothers and sisters for laughing*
Moofy: *Beetling over to Mama!*
Rachel: *scoops him up and cuddles him* Did you have fun, my good boy?
Moofy: *Happy deedle!* ^.^
Granny: *invites Patrick to stay for supper*
Patrick: As much as I appreciate the offer, I've been informed that two of my daughters have gotten into a scuffle with someone else's children... *is pinching the bridge of his nose*
Granny: *sympathetic frown* How old?
Rachel: *comes back with Moofy in her arms* Old enough to know better.
Patrick: *sighs* What Rachel said....
Granny: I sees. *goes and makes up a package of cookies, which she gives to him. He'll be able to see her unspoken concern as she looks at the book. Yes, she feels she's been told to trust, but she knows the story of the person who took the transforming thing*
Patrick: If it's not too much hassle for you, I'd like to come back tomorrow and continue translating the book...
Granny: *surprised* Yer not takin' it wit' ye?
Patrick: It's more important that it stays with your family.
Granny: *blinks and wipes her eyes on her sleeve* Alright. Here, take t'ese.
Patrick: *Thanks Granny as he accepts the package of cookies*
Granny: *smiles, and then tells Rachel and Moofy good bye before giving Bonnie a swat and telling her to be good*
Bonnie: ^_^ *sets youngest sibling down and comes over by Patrick as Rachel does the same*
Patrick: *Thanks Granny again for her hospitality, will bring Bonnie, Rachel, and Moofy back to the barbecue*
Rachel: *eeks as she's mobbed by upset youngsters*
Sarah: *CLINGS*
Moofy: *Deedling up a storm*
Susana and Marcia: *Working together to fish their siblings out of the pool with Javan's help*
Alicia: *Still has a handful of Wallace's hair!*
Bartholhemew: *getting the dressing down of a lifetime from Xiaobei as Jack hurries over to Rachel*
Patrick: *over to try and separate Alicia and Wallace*
Rachel: Shhh, Greg, I'm here. Heyyyy, Sarah. Oof! Sven, that hurt, sport.
Sven: *fussy and ready to go home, as is Sandra*
Jack: *Trying to help keep the peace* Find anything out?
Rachel: Yeah. A lot. The Chief's going back to translate more tomorrow. *hugging upset sparklets*
Jack: *chuckles* Did he go into geek mode? *rubbing backs and clicking soothingly*
Rachel: And how. *clicks softly herself* Did these guys all get enough to eat?
Jack: *nods* And now they're ready for bed, I think...
Destiny: *is being brought over by Felicity, looks to be halfway asleep already*
Rachel: *looks around as she asks Moofy to get the other drones* Where's Ryan?
Moofy: *Deedles and beetles off to round up siblings!*
Jack: Knowing him... probably up in a tree... *Going to go look now*
Rachel: *nods to mate, and then croons to Sven* Heyyy, you know I can't understand you when you whine.
Sven: *Snuggles and sulks*
Rachel: *kisses him on the cheek* We'll be home soon. Don't cry.
Jack: *Amused chuckling as he watches Raj scale the tree that Ryan's currently sleeping in*
Rachel: *wince wince as she sees that*
Sora: *concerned and fussing down where she's standing by Jack*
Rachel: *soft 'eeeeeeee' and closes her eyes*
Tracks: *tense and half off his lounge chair as he watches his creche brother*
Raj: *reaching up to gently shake Ryan's foot*
Ryan: Huh? *lifts his head and blinks, baby confusion showing on his older looking face*
Raj: It's time to go home, Ryan...
Ryan: Oh. Okay. *massive yawn and then starts moving himself free of his tree fork* Gramma's house or Uncle Tracks'?
Raj: Rachel's... *Will try and climb down carefully*
Ryan: Okay. *jumps out of tree and lands rolling*
Sora: *FUSS*
Rachel: *yes. She just fainted*
Tracks: *just about did too, that's a tall tree!*
Sarah: *Frightened squeal*
Jack: *Comes running!*
Simon: Let go her Mama. Give her Mama space. Let me Simon lay her down. Is okay. Her Mama just got scared.
Sven: *Clinging to Sandra now*
Greg: *serious expression as he puts his arms around his younger and smaller siblings*
Jack: *Checking Rachel over*
Sora: *Fussing over Ryan now!*
Rachel: *just had a start... and don't pay any attention to that little discrepancy in her spark signature*
Ryan: I'm okay. *wide eyed at the reaction to his jump* I'm sorry. I'm okay.
Jack: *Clicking quietly and gently smoothing Rachel's hair*
Rachel: *small sound and turns her head, then opens her eyes and blinks with confusion* What...?
Russell: *hurrying over* Keep her still till I've had a look.
Jack: *Gently* Just stay still, Rachel... Everything's going to be okay... *Quietly explains what happened*
Rachel: What??? I don't faint anymore. Uh.... *starts running a self diagnostic* WHAT??
Jack: *blink blink* What is it?
Russell: *Scanning*
Rachel: We've got all the Dinobots that everyone else has. My sensors must be glitching.
Russell: I don't think this one's a Dinobot....
Jack: .....
Rachel: o.0 *weakly* What makes you say that? *quick glance at her husband*
Russell: Well, for one, there's none of the energy that the Dinobots' sparks show... and this one is the size one would expect a newspark bud to be.
Rachel: Then.... *eyes fly open wide and dart back to Jack as she realizes what that means*
Jack: *Boggling and looking stunned stupid*
Rachel: *reaches for his hand* *quietly* Jack... talk to me.
Jack: *quietly* Must've formed... proximity...
Rachel: I... coded in a code similar to yours for Greg and Simon. The proximity bond we had must have been deepened by it.
Jack: *has to sit down. His legs don't want to cooperate, but thankfully he was already crouching, so he doesn't have too far to go*
Rachel: *up on her elbow reaching for him* Jack?
Jack: *manages to grab your hand, Rachel... he's shaking a bit, but at least he's able to gently squeeze your hand*
Simon: *watching all this from where he's kneeling by his siblings and hugging a drone* *quietly* Uncle Russ? What wrong with her Mama?
Russell: *Quietly* Nothing's wrong... She's just carrying a newspark...
Simon: *face brightens* New baby sister?
Greg: *quietly from the heap of siblings* Want dog.
Sarah: *clicks quietly*
Russell: *nods* She's still growing, so it will be a little while before you can meet her....
Greg: Darn....
Simon: We take care of her Mama. *smiling as he turns to look at Sarah*
Sarah: *more quiet clicks, snuggaSimon*
Sandra: *peeking from behind Greg*
Sven: *Quiet grumbles as he agrees with Greg's "want dog"*
Chance: *chooses that moment to plop into Sven's lap*
Rachel: Russ? Can I get up now? If she's just normal and nothing's wrong, I want to make sure.... EEEEEEE, my puppy!
Chance: *Ears perk, waggatail!*
Rachel: *jumps on Jack and glomps him good* Ohhhhhh! You jerk! I love you.
Jack: *soft, amused chuckle, snuggles Rachel* Finished him earlier today....
Rachel: *kiss on cheek, HUUUGGGG*
Jack: *glad that Rachel is happy*
Simon: Mama? Him Daddy not a bed. We bring you home to bed.
Tracks: *tsk* Really, Rachel.
Denver: *snickering softly as she watches from where she's lounged in another deck chair*
Rachel: Thrrrpt! Buzz off, Tracks. *kisses Jack and then sits up beside him*
Jack: *Arm around Rachel's shoulders, even as Russell moves to try and get Ryan to come join the rest of his family*
Rachel: *leans her head on Jack's shoulder and reaches toward her sparklets* Neither of us are in any shape to drive.
Russell: Which is why I've got a PINpoint.
Rachel: Alright, I'm presuming you know how Sven reacts to PINpointing.
Sven: *Grumbles and complains about "Dizzy machine."*
Rachel: Yeah, but you want to go home to your bed, right, sport?
Sven: *more grumbles, agrees*
Rachel: *grins and pats him* That's my good boy.
Destiny: *Sleepy clicks, is now using Greg's lap as a pillow*
Rachel: *counts noses, her arm still firmly around Jack*
Sarah: *has a Simon-pillow, kthx*
Sandra: *leaning against Greg, as is Sven*
Rachel: Sora and Raj?
Sora: *Still fussing over Ryan, even as Raj tries to gently herd both she and Ryan over to Rachel*
Ryan: *trying to be herded, but doesn't want to ignore Mom*
Raj: *Will pick Sora up then, since she's in full-on fret mode*
Ryan: *grins at that, and then turns and races over to the rest of the family*
Rachel: *grins at him* Hey, Sport. Ready for home?
Ryan: *supporting a sleepy Dinobot now* Yeah. Sorry about that. *grin*
Sandra: *SnuggaRyan*
Raj: *moves to set Sora on her feet next to the rest of the family*
Rachel: Where's the Chief? *looking*
Tracks: *is an ack because Justice just went by*
Patrick: *telling Alicia and Scarlett that they're both grounded for a week.*
Rachel: //Chief?//
Patrick: //Yes, Rachel?//
Rachel: //The population's grown again.//
Patrick: *blink blink, looks at Rachel* //...Another Dinobot?//
Rachel: //Nope. Russ says she's normal.//
Patrick: //... Congratulations, Rachel.//
Rachel: *quietly* //She's a bond spark, Chief.//
Patrick: //...But I thought you and Jack weren't able to bond...//
Rachel: *explains what happened, and that the bond is probably one way, and very light for a mate bond*
Patrick: //I see...// *Concerned, nonetheless.*
Rachel: //But I need to get my kids and my hubby home now.//
Patrick: //Be careful getting home, alright?//
Rachel: *points to Russell* //PINtrip.//
Patrick: *nods, then returns his attention to his own family*
Rachel: *signs off and then pings Javan* //Time for us to go, buddy. Thanks for the cookout. Even though I didn't eat any.//
Serenity: *Has a baby on her front and on her back as she moves to get Jack's keys from him*
Javan: //No worries. I got 'nough leftovers t' bring you some t'morrow mornin'.//
Rachel: //Great. The boys and Sandy'll love that with scrambled eggs.// Rinny, be careful, alright?
Serenity: I will be.
Javan: //Heh, you stay safe, 'n I'll see ya in the mornin'.//
Rachel: //Same to you, buddy. God bless.// *signs off and then muffles a yawn as Simon gives one* *soft snerk and looks at Russell* Wait. Where are my cats?
Steeljaw: *curled up with Ravage on one of the chairs on the deck. Is asleep and stuffed full of pilfered dinoham and roast*
Ravage: *is only a bitty purr under her mate's chin*
Denver: //Th' furballs 're sleepin' off th' meat th'y ganked....// *Sounds amused*
Rachel: *shakes her head and whistles softly* //Steeljaw. Time for home. C'mon, the kids are tired.//
Steeljaw: *Groggily* Mrrrrrpt.... *lifts his head and then he's stretching and moving to get up*
Ravage: *holds onto him with her front paws around his neck* //Sleeepy....//
Steeljaw: //Boss says it's time to go home...//
Ravage: //...Carry meeeeee.//
Steeljaw: *Will do so and pad over to Rachel*
Rachel: *face palm and chuckle*
Steeljaw: *headbutts Rachel*
Rachel: *hand goes from her face to his chin* Okay, Russ, I think we're ready. Everybody got everything?
Raj: I believe so, Rachel...
Jack: *small nod*
Rachel: Good. Let's go.
Russell: *Nods and PINpoints the family home*
Rachel: *hand on Sven as she gets to her feet* Alright, guys. Who wants to go to bed, and who wants to camp here in the living room?
Sven: *whining a bit about being dizzy*
Destiny: *Clickstorm, snuggles Ryan*
Rachel: Campout it is. *goes to get blankets and sleeping bags*
Russell: *Will help with that*
Rachel: *getting favorites from beds first* So how far along am I? *shakes head* I'm starting to feel like a baby vending machine.
Russell: A couple of weeks at the most... If you were to look, she's likely to be showing her own color...
Rachel: Sheesh. *small smile as she bundles up the blankets and stuffies and gives some to Russell to carry*
Russell: *chuckles* Well, at least you're not totally outnumbered anymore....
Rachel: *more laughter* It's funny how my spark recognized the parts of the code I input that were like Jack's and kept them.
Russell: *soft 'heh'* *Quietly* And if he could, you know he'd gladly sparkbond with you...
Rachel: *softly as she picks up Sarah's favorite soft bunny* I know. But neither of us can take that risk. You want to bring that to the living room and then grab the mats from the basement? I think the kids made a fort with them.
Russell: *nods and goes to get the mats as Jack tries to get tired and cranky kids ready for bed*
Rachel: *can hear that fussing as she gets more blankets from the closet* //I'm sorry I was gone so long, sport.//
Jack: //It's okay, Rachel. You found out something important that needed to be taken care of.//
Rachel: //Yeah.... That book is a copy of Seaspray's oldest son's journal.//
Jack: //...Seaspray has a son?!//
Rachel: //He had six at the time that the pages the Chief translated were first written. And four daughters.//
Jack: //... *Says something quietly that may or may not be a curseword*//
Rachel: *slight frown, then facepalms* //Did anyone tell you about Bonnie Raby?//
Jack: //Lisa only mentioned her as a friend, and Skylar said she's one of his neighbors, but that's it...//
Rachel: //She's Seaspray's several greats granddaughter. Human, but with a spark.//
Jack: //...Sort of like Seamus and Starpounder's kids... Huh...//
Rachel: //Yup. Only it seems that Seaspray's wife is from a race of organic shapeshifters who transformed by using something they called a Well of Transformation. And that Skyboat brought part of it with him when he and his wife came to Earth.//
Jack: //Huh... Any specs on it?//
Rachel: //Not yet. We hadn't got that far in the book before we realized what time it was.// *come into the living room with her bundle of blankets and bunny*
Sarah: *quiet clicks, is snuggling Simon*
Russell: *Already laying mats out and trying to encourage Destiny to let Ryan go long enough for him to lay down*
Simon: *snuggling baby sisters. Turns his head and blinks groggily as Mama comes in*
Bubba: *beeping cheerfully as he beetles off to add the colorful leaves he found today to his treasure pile!*
Chance: *headtilt, ears perked*
Sora: *Putting everyone's shoes where they belong while Raj tries to help Russell with Destiny*
Rachel: *chuckles at Bubba and steps over him, then comes over and sets the blankets down before holding out Sarah's bunny* Want me to undo your dress? I have your favorite nightgown here. *glances over at Jack to see how deeply he's thinking about what she just told him*
Sarah: *nodnod, moves to sit up enough for Mama to help her with her dress*
Jack: *head down, small nods as he works things over in his head*
Rachel: *smile for Jack, and then turns to helping Sarah* Sandy, do you want a night dress?
Sandra: *sleepy nod*
Rachel: Your blue one with chickens on it?
Greg: *tired chicken sound*
Sandra: *nod* Chickies....
Rachel: *gently pulls Sarah's nightgown over her head and then comes over to look at Sandra* Hmmm. Looks like I need a wet facecloth.
Sora: *Down the hall to get washcloths*
Sandra: *small headshake*
Rachel: *chuckles* You're not this dark coloured, baby. Don't worry, Sora will make sure it's warm. *holds up the favorite nightgown with the little dark blue chickens on it*
Sandra: *sleepy grumbles, does not like having her face washed*
Sora: *is back with several wet washcloths, and made sure they'd all be warm for the kids*
Destiny: *sleepy clicks as Raj covers her with a blanket*
Rachel: Thanks, Sora. *takes one and gently starts washing Sandra's arms first*
Sora: *Soft chuckle as she moves to help other messy kids get cleaned up for bed*
Greg: *startled flail and whimper* No!
Sora: *Soothing clicks as she offers Greg a nice, warm washcloth*
Sven: *Fussing a bit*
Greg: *lifts his head with a little groaning sound, and then takes the cloth, rolls over onto his front, and reaches over to wash Sven's face*
Sven: *Sputtering and squirming*
Sora: *gives Sarah one of the washcloths before going over to wash her sister's face, since Destiny tends to try to avoid baths of any sort*
Greg: You, Sven hold still and not be dummy. Then this go faster. *wash wash wash*
Rachel: *washes Sandra's back, because that feels comfortable, then gently gives her a hug and washes that scowly little face* There, see? That's not so bad.
Sandra: *Sleepy blink blink*
Sarah: *has mastered washing her own face*
Rachel: *chuckles and gives Sandra a kiss on the hair, then installs her nightgown before trying to finger comb a few leaves out of the sparklet's dark curls*
Sandra: *Quiet, contented purrs*
Rachel: *grins, and then snerks at Simon*
Simon: *sleeping with his cloth over his face*
Jack: *covering kids with blankets as Raj gently makes Sora lay down*
Rachel: *looks at her simple knit dress and grins, then checks her feet and moves to lay down with Sandra in her arms*
Russell: *Helps make sure everyone's got blankets and is comfortable, as Serenity can be heard parking the car in the driveway*
Jack: *Will move to lay down beside Rachel and Sandra*
Rachel: Hrrrmm. *cuddles youngest daughter and watches the three boys jostle for space for a bit before collapsing into a sort of puppy pile*
Sarah: *moving to snuggle against Sandra, Daddy, and Mama*
Rachel: *reaches a little further and cuddles both young daughters, checking on Destiny as she does*
Ryan: *snuggling Aunty. Also hugging his wet facecloth and is too tired to notice he's wet*
Sora: *being cuddled by Raj as she snuggles her sister and her son*
Destiny: *Asleep and purring quietly*
Russell: *Once Serenity brings the car keys inside and sets them where Jack will find them, he's moving to lock the doors behind him as he and his family take their leave*
Rachel: //G'night, Russ and Rinny. Thanks.// *makes mental note to look into better scanners sometime tomorrow in the Nexus, and then drops into sleep*
Russell: //Goodnight, Rachel. See you tomorrow.// *and then there's a slight flash as he PINpoints his family home*
((co-written with random_xtras))