Nexus, Black Dog, Shopping Trip Part 2
Continued from here
Meanwhile, over at the bar
Nemesis: *staring at mvStarscream as she wipes the bar top* A cookbook? The organic food I sell's prepackaged or brought in.
mvStarscream: *small frown* No, I want something for making things like those cookies.
Nemesis: Oh. *smirk* You'll have to talk to Swindle about that. The cookies're his work.
mvStarscream: ... *small nod, considering* Where would I be able to find Swindle then?
Nemesis: Here, sometimes. I can give you his frequency.
mvStarscream: *perks* Really?
Nemesis: Yeah. Gotta warn you, though. He's a busy mech. *pauses and looks over his shoulder* Hey, Optimus, this guy wants to talk to your boss.
mvStarscream: *also looks over his shoulder, expecting to see a mech standing nearby*
red and blue dragon: *looking at Starscream with quizzical blue eyes as he comes up to the bar* You need Swindle for something?
mvStarscream: *unintentionally squeaks when he realizes that the dragon he's looking at is well over twice his size* Er...
yOp: *startles at the squeak and then stares at the Starscream with surprise*
Nemesis: *snerking* What the slag are you in that mode for anyway?
yOp: *blinks and looks at her, and then droops a little* I was just working in a place called Haiti. I used up all my energy, so I'm stuck in root mode.
Nemesis: *goes to the back and comes back with an utterly massive dish of poutine*
yOp: *perks, thanks her, and attacks the organic fuel. Starscream is temporarily forgotten*
mvStarscream: .... *feeling a bit brain broken again*
Nemesis: *looks at him* Anyway, Optimus is one of Swindle's minions. He can take a message to his boss.
mvStarscream: *slow nod, trying to remember how to speak*
Nemesis: *snort* He ain't gonna hurt you. He's Guardian Fae.
mvStarscream: ... Guardian Fae?
Nemesis: *shrug* They're good guys.
yOp: *food finished, he curls into himself a little, and then suddenly sparkles all over with red and blue before suddenly standing tall in his bot form* Ah, that's better. Can I get a deepfried energon pickle pizza?
Nemesis: *goes to get*
mvStarscream: *Boggling* You.... you're....
yOp: *looks at him* Sorry?
mvStarscream: *small shake* Sorry.... You look like someone I know...
yOp: Lemme guess... Optimus Prime?
mvStarscream: Yeah.... one of the ones that lives in the reality I'm from....
yOp: *nods as he takes the massive folded and breaded looking pizza* Well I'm Optimus. But I never lived long enough to gain any rank.
mvStarscream: *small frown as he nods* I see....
yOp: *shrugs* But you wanted to talk to Swindle?
mvStarscream: *nods* I'm hoping to find a cookbook for things like the cookies... My mate expressed a desire for such a thing...
yOp: *surprised and then thoughtful as he makes the big drippy pizza vanish like the poutine* A cookbook. Doesn't she like what we sell?
black Seeker femme with acid green accents and optics: *comes in with a huge armload of boxes. Stops to frown at yOp* Optimus? It's my week to deliver here.
mvStarscream: *briefly studies the Seeker femme, before answering yOp's question* She likes to cook...
yOp: *excuses himself for a moment* I know, Disturbia. I'm here to eat. *turns back to Starscream* Sorry. My trine sister. *slight smile* Likes to cook.... Let me talk to Swindle and Zoe and see what they say.
Disturbia: *has dropped off boxes, now comes over and puts arms around yOp's neck from behind* *it might be noted that neither young bot is wearing a badge*
mvStarscream: Alright... *attention going to Prowl when the smaller mech pings his comm with a suggestion that he try some of the mudpies*
yOp: *follows his gaze and perks* Hey, what do you think of the mudpies? I just got three of those flavors figured out and I wasn't sure if anyone would like them. *over he goes to Prowl's table, Disturbia still attached to him*
Prowl: *starts slightly, before reminding himself that he is in a multiversal nexus* They are very pleasing in flavor and texture.
yOp: *quiet satisfaction* Good. They're based on the flavor of foods that humans eat. *has no idea that this mech eats human food*
Prowl: *chuckles* They're very similar in flavor to human foods...
yOp: *pause* Oh, you've had that?
Disturbia: *snerks at him* Dork.
Prowl: *nods* On a regular basis, in fact...
yOp: 0.o. Are you interested in exotic organic foods?
Prowl: *gives mvStarscream a Look when the larger mech snerks* *headshake* Some of the mechs and femmes of the reality I am from have undergone modifications to allow us to process organic foods... If we hadn't undergone those modifications, we would have died of starvation.
mvStarscream: That hasn't stopped Jazz from finding all kinds of meat and meat-products to try... *totally not fazed by the Look, Prowl.*
yOp: *sober frown, but then perks* Has he ever tried dinoham?
Prowl: ... I don't believe so...
yOp: *digging for a sample, looks at what Disturbia's holding by his face and squints* No, that's the crunchy rind. I need the ham. The salted stuff.
mvStarscream: ... He'd eat that, if you told him it was food. *sees the look Prowl gives him this time* What? You know he would.
Prowl: ... *sighs, nodding* He would...
Disturbia: *offers it to mvStarscream* You want to try it?
mvStarscream: *small nod as he accepts the piece of rind*
Disturbia: *sets her chin on yOp's shoulder and watches mvStarscream*
mvStarscream: *brow ridges up, and then he's making a contented sound as he gnaws on the piece of rind*
yOp: *has found the salt cured dinoham samples. Offers a slice to Prowl*
Prowl: *thanks yOp as he accepts the slice and has a taste*
ham: *delicate deep flavor, much better than even the finest Spanish pig ham*
Prowl: *now understands mvStarscream's reaction, has a look of pure bliss on his face*
mvStarscream: *finishing the rind sample* We HAVE to get some of this for Jazz.
Disturbia: *slightly Screamish chuckle* What about yourselves?
Prowl: *to mvStarscream* He can get his own.
mvStarscream: *Snerrrrk*
yOp: *chuckles himself* I have sliced packages, and I can get boneless or bone in whole hams in a few minutes. I've also got stasis packs of the rind... and of the smoked ham it comes off of.
Prowl: How much would a package of sliced, and a stasis pack of the rind be?
yOp: I've got ten slice and twenty slice packs of the salted ham.
Disturbia: *takes out a container of small cubes of the smoked ham and lets the smell out*
Prowl: How much for a twenty slice pack?
yOp: Ten dollars. And the rind's ten too.
Prowl: *raised brow ridge, gets more money out. He had been saving it to buy himself a treat anyways...*
yOp: *looking at the sampler of mudpies and seeing which ones are gone from it* Do you like organic pickles?
Prowl: *nods* Though I am one of the few in the Autobots who does... Sharpshot likes them, to an extent, however.
yOp: *pulls out a small stasis container, and then takes from it a container made from a round of bamboo and takes off the plastic wrap covering* Try this.
Prowl: *curious, tries one of the pickles in the container*
slimy 'keeny: *sliced, fermented zucchini that is... very very good*
Prowl: *surprised and pleased sound*
yOp: *grin* Yeah, it's good stuff, isn't it. Totally natural. The juice from the tronda bamboo causes the fermentation. And it's fair trade.
Prowl: Fair trade?
mvStarscream: Like your coffee and mug.
Prowl: Ah...
yOp: It means we buy it directly from the natives, and we pay them enough that they benefit from it. *getting out Prowl's order, disturbs a package of coffee in the process and lets out the smell*
Prowl: *Attention goes back to yOp when he catches the scent of the coffee*
mvStarscream: *Snerks at Prowl's expression once he too, catches scent of the coffee*
yOp: *looks up at the snerk, sees Prowl's expression, and looks nonplussed* Ah... what?
Disturbia: *sniggers at him*
mvStarscream: *amused* How much for the coffee you're carrying?
yOp: Oh. Ten dollars a pound. *reaches into the stasis container and offers Prowl a small can with a heat it up button on the bottom*
Prowl: *curious, accepts the small can*
mvStarscream: *small nod, gets out some money to pay for the coffee*
coffee: *deep purple, full bodied, and has a very slight rich sweetness to it*
yOp: *accepting the money as he sets Prowl's meat on the table* The coffee's fair trade too. It's from a colony that just finally made it to their new homeworld after being stuck in space for nearly twenty generations.
mvStarscream: ...*quiet as he nods*
yOp: They're human. They also made this pickled fish. But I think I'll show that to you another day.
Prowl: *small nod, musing into the coffee a bit*
yOp: And here's a free gift with your order. *sets down what looks like a normal small stasis container, but is in reality a subspace container holding a very large number of basic energon and calcien energy bars* Oh, and there's a deposit on the containers that we return when you bring them back.
mvStarscream: *nods* Thank you...
Disturbia: *gentle poke for Prowl* What do you think?
Prowl: *startles, drawing the container of coffee closer to his chest out of habit*
Disturbia: I think he likes it.
mvStarscream: *glances to Prowl, chuckles* He's the coffee addict of our group...
Disturbia: I recognize the symptoms. *soft cackle*
mvStarscream: *amused* Then I don't have to warn you what might happen if you try to take the container from him.
yOp: No problem, if you pay the deposit.
mvStarscream: How much is it?
yOp: For that one, two dollars. For the others, three. It gets refunded fully.
mvStarscream: *does some quich math, and gives yOp the required amount*
yOp: *thanks him with a warm smile. He's a much more cheerful young Optimus than the one that they know* *at least till Disturbia pokes him in the side* Ack!
Disturbia: Rache just made pickle jello.
yOp: 0_o Is there any left?
Disturbia: Mmmhmmm.
mvStarscream: *snerks at the antics of yOp and Disturbia, before carefully packing both his and Prowl's purchases away in storage for the trip home*
yOp: *just a little hurriedly as he offers mvStarscream his frequency* This is my comlink frequency. Let me know if you'd like your next order delivered. I'm good at getting in under the radar. *sparkles, and is suddenly a dark-haired human sitting on Disturbia's shoulder*
mvStarscream: I'll have to talk to the Prime... *small smirk before he's transforming to alt mode* I think he'll be alright with it, but the humans might be upset....
yOp: *slight frown* Upset that you're getting good fuel?
Skylar: *headshake* No... We're still fighting Decepticons.... *looks around before dropping the volume of his voice* Recently one of our own was attacked without anyone seeing who did it or how.... Everyone's on edge...
yOp: *frown deepens* I might be able to help you find the culprit.
Prowl: *quietly* We will have to discuss this with Prime... He has the most contact with the humans who we are working alongside currently.... Though I do not believe there will be any objections...
yOp: *nods* *also quietly* I can't make any promises, because sometimes Primus and the Greatest Creator tell me to stand back and not interfere in things.
Prowl: *small nod* I believe, if you are able to, your help would be appreciated.
Skylar: *Nod* It might bring a bit of relief... Especially for Tracks and Raoul. I don't think I could stand seeing Major MacKenzie constantly.... She's nice enough and all...
Disturbia: *pokes her trine brother gently* Why don't you look now?
yOp: *pushes her finger away, but nods* Alright. Don't poke me. *frowns slightly and tilts his head, his eyes going unfocused*
Prowl: *focuses on finishing the coffee before he transforms back to alt mode*
Skylar: *amuses himself by picturing what Javan's reaction will be to the taste of dinoham, and to Prowl telling the young man to get his own*
yOp: *blinks and shakes his head* All I'm getting is that you're safe for now. And that there's concern for a little furry animal.
Petra: *nods, expression somber* One of our people found a ferret in a shed... The poor thing was starved and very weak.... Alice is taking care of him now.
yOp: *wonders why Primus is worried about a ferret, but obeys the unspoken request to keep quiet on that* That's terrible. I've never seen a ferret, but my family has two felines and a horse.
Petra: *quiet chuckle* Alice has one ferret already... A female named Rewind... *gets a picture out of her wallet, showing Rewind sticking her face in the camera* This isn't the best image....
yOp: *changes back to bot mode and laughs as he leans down and looks at the picture, then shows a holo of a gorgeous white Egyptian Arabian stallion with a tasseled halter and a tiny silver Seeker on his back* That's Phantom. And these are the felines, Velvet and Blizzard. *Velvet is a Meowth. Blizzard... looks like a large snow leopard cub except that he's white with blue spots and has two snakes coming from his shoulders*
Petra: *chuckles when she sees the tiny silver Seeker, hedging a guess as to the source of the handprints on the mudpies*
yOp: *big grin* Silver invented the mudpies.
Petra: *another chuckle* I thought those handprints looked like they came from a minature Seeker...
Skylar: *Stinkeyes Petra*
yOp: *notices the stinkeye and blinks with confusion* Is something wrong?
Petra: *bemused expression as she glances to Skylar* He's touchy about people supposedly mocking Seekers....
yOp: *blinks* My adopted mother is a Seeker. And so is my trine sister. *hand on Disturbia's arm* As well as my adopted baby sister and several of my extended adopted family.
Disturbia: And most of us are second or third generation Starscream spawn. *smirk*
Petra: ....*raised brow*
Skylar: ...
yOp: ^_^; You're... rather common where we live.
Skylar: ... I'm not even going to ask.
yOp: It's a nexus called the dream. A version of you is one of the rulers. And the place tends to collect Starscream kids.
Disturbia: And a few other Starscreams. And Swindles.
Petra: ... *gives Skylar a Look and gets one in return*
Disturbia: *quietly* Sometimes realities end, or get rewritten. And then the floatsam and jetsam settles into quiet backwaters. *shrug* Not every Starscream learns to think with his head instead of his ego before he gets deleted.
yOp: Hey, Disturbia. Cut it out. *looks to the two mechs* Sorry.
Skylar: *absently waves the apology away* We'd better get back home.... I need to get a PINpoint, since I gave mine to that femme....
yOp: I have a deluxe one. *reaching into his storage again and then offering the wrist watch looking device*
Skylar: *raised brow* You've got a way to get back to where you're supposed to, right?
yOp: *slight grin* I can teleport myself now.
Skylar: Ah... *still a bit hesitant, though he does reach for the offered PINpoint*
yOp: *gives it, offering a few pointers on its use and features. This model is a compact personal computer complete with pop up holo screen*
Skylar: *impressed whistle*
yOp: Technically speaking, it's not really a PINpoint. But it does the same job, so. *shrug*
Petra: We'd better not let Wheeljack see that... *Chuckles*
yOp: I bought the Wheeljack proof model. *his optics say he knows a Wheeljack well enough to laugh about him*
Skylar: *Snerk*
Petra: Ours would try to turn this into another drone for his wordmate.
yOp: *blink* What?
Skylar: *now it's his turn to show a picture, this one no doubt taken when Wheeljack was distracted, showing the inventor working on a little shell while another drone tries to restrain a third* Wheeljack's idea of proper courting gifts were little drones that Ratchet could cuddle and fuss over.
yOp: *d'awwws despite himself* They look like the Moofies in the game I play!
Disturbia: *face. Palm*
Skylar: This one's an old image...wait... 'Moofies'?
yOp: *nods* Little pet robots that usually emote a happy face.
Petra: *SNERK*
Skylar: .... *puzzled* How'd someone get the specs for the drones?
yOp: Maybe they just made cute little robots, and the drones are cute little robots too?
Petra: Do you have an image of one of the 'Moofies'?
yOp: *pulls out his datapad and starts tapping at it with his stylus, goes to the game guide, selects the article on Moofie, and then turns the pad so that Petra can see it*
Petra: *raised brow* The similarities are a bit unsettling, I'll admit...
Spazz: *wanders in. Looks like a big Moofie*
Skylar: ... O_o;;
yOp: *looks at him, then looks toward the door* Right. There are a lot of bots who look like that in some realities.
Disturbia: How could you forget about Walrus, you dork?
yOp: I'm so used to him that I don't see him anymore.
Petra: ... *confused, has no clue who or what Walrus is*
yOp: *picks up on this and explains quickly* Walrus is a tiny little bayformer tech mech, who turns into an eggtimer.
Skylar: ... Bayformer?
yOp: *points to a mech of Denver's tech* Like that little green one we saw. Only he's smaller.
Skylar: Ah.... *still a bit brain-broken from meeting the alternate of the Major who happens to be a Cybertronian femme and taller than him*
yOp: *blinks and pokes himself in the audio* I have mail.
Disturbia: *pokes him* Let's go. I wanna snuggle my Swindle.
yOp: *rolls optics, but turns to say good bye to Skylar and Petra*
Skylar: We should head back as well... Melissa's going to worry about me....
Disturbia: *pauses as yOp vanishes* ...Melissa?
Skylar: My mate.... Melissa is her human name. *Yes, his expression is one of fondness and affection*
Disturbia: ...And her other name?
Skylar: *A bit puzzled, but will answer* Moonshadow.
Disturbia: *thoughtful* Too bad our kitchen's so noisy. *vanish*
Petra: *shares a "WTS" look with Skylar, before going to pay for the cookies and an order of mudpies in various flavors*
((Co-written with random_xtras))
Meanwhile, over at the bar
Nemesis: *staring at mvStarscream as she wipes the bar top* A cookbook? The organic food I sell's prepackaged or brought in.
mvStarscream: *small frown* No, I want something for making things like those cookies.
Nemesis: Oh. *smirk* You'll have to talk to Swindle about that. The cookies're his work.
mvStarscream: ... *small nod, considering* Where would I be able to find Swindle then?
Nemesis: Here, sometimes. I can give you his frequency.
mvStarscream: *perks* Really?
Nemesis: Yeah. Gotta warn you, though. He's a busy mech. *pauses and looks over his shoulder* Hey, Optimus, this guy wants to talk to your boss.
mvStarscream: *also looks over his shoulder, expecting to see a mech standing nearby*
red and blue dragon: *looking at Starscream with quizzical blue eyes as he comes up to the bar* You need Swindle for something?
mvStarscream: *unintentionally squeaks when he realizes that the dragon he's looking at is well over twice his size* Er...
yOp: *startles at the squeak and then stares at the Starscream with surprise*
Nemesis: *snerking* What the slag are you in that mode for anyway?
yOp: *blinks and looks at her, and then droops a little* I was just working in a place called Haiti. I used up all my energy, so I'm stuck in root mode.
Nemesis: *goes to the back and comes back with an utterly massive dish of poutine*
yOp: *perks, thanks her, and attacks the organic fuel. Starscream is temporarily forgotten*
mvStarscream: .... *feeling a bit brain broken again*
Nemesis: *looks at him* Anyway, Optimus is one of Swindle's minions. He can take a message to his boss.
mvStarscream: *slow nod, trying to remember how to speak*
Nemesis: *snort* He ain't gonna hurt you. He's Guardian Fae.
mvStarscream: ... Guardian Fae?
Nemesis: *shrug* They're good guys.
yOp: *food finished, he curls into himself a little, and then suddenly sparkles all over with red and blue before suddenly standing tall in his bot form* Ah, that's better. Can I get a deepfried energon pickle pizza?
Nemesis: *goes to get*
mvStarscream: *Boggling* You.... you're....
yOp: *looks at him* Sorry?
mvStarscream: *small shake* Sorry.... You look like someone I know...
yOp: Lemme guess... Optimus Prime?
mvStarscream: Yeah.... one of the ones that lives in the reality I'm from....
yOp: *nods as he takes the massive folded and breaded looking pizza* Well I'm Optimus. But I never lived long enough to gain any rank.
mvStarscream: *small frown as he nods* I see....
yOp: *shrugs* But you wanted to talk to Swindle?
mvStarscream: *nods* I'm hoping to find a cookbook for things like the cookies... My mate expressed a desire for such a thing...
yOp: *surprised and then thoughtful as he makes the big drippy pizza vanish like the poutine* A cookbook. Doesn't she like what we sell?
black Seeker femme with acid green accents and optics: *comes in with a huge armload of boxes. Stops to frown at yOp* Optimus? It's my week to deliver here.
mvStarscream: *briefly studies the Seeker femme, before answering yOp's question* She likes to cook...
yOp: *excuses himself for a moment* I know, Disturbia. I'm here to eat. *turns back to Starscream* Sorry. My trine sister. *slight smile* Likes to cook.... Let me talk to Swindle and Zoe and see what they say.
Disturbia: *has dropped off boxes, now comes over and puts arms around yOp's neck from behind* *it might be noted that neither young bot is wearing a badge*
mvStarscream: Alright... *attention going to Prowl when the smaller mech pings his comm with a suggestion that he try some of the mudpies*
yOp: *follows his gaze and perks* Hey, what do you think of the mudpies? I just got three of those flavors figured out and I wasn't sure if anyone would like them. *over he goes to Prowl's table, Disturbia still attached to him*
Prowl: *starts slightly, before reminding himself that he is in a multiversal nexus* They are very pleasing in flavor and texture.
yOp: *quiet satisfaction* Good. They're based on the flavor of foods that humans eat. *has no idea that this mech eats human food*
Prowl: *chuckles* They're very similar in flavor to human foods...
yOp: *pause* Oh, you've had that?
Disturbia: *snerks at him* Dork.
Prowl: *nods* On a regular basis, in fact...
yOp: 0.o. Are you interested in exotic organic foods?
Prowl: *gives mvStarscream a Look when the larger mech snerks* *headshake* Some of the mechs and femmes of the reality I am from have undergone modifications to allow us to process organic foods... If we hadn't undergone those modifications, we would have died of starvation.
mvStarscream: That hasn't stopped Jazz from finding all kinds of meat and meat-products to try... *totally not fazed by the Look, Prowl.*
yOp: *sober frown, but then perks* Has he ever tried dinoham?
Prowl: ... I don't believe so...
yOp: *digging for a sample, looks at what Disturbia's holding by his face and squints* No, that's the crunchy rind. I need the ham. The salted stuff.
mvStarscream: ... He'd eat that, if you told him it was food. *sees the look Prowl gives him this time* What? You know he would.
Prowl: ... *sighs, nodding* He would...
Disturbia: *offers it to mvStarscream* You want to try it?
mvStarscream: *small nod as he accepts the piece of rind*
Disturbia: *sets her chin on yOp's shoulder and watches mvStarscream*
mvStarscream: *brow ridges up, and then he's making a contented sound as he gnaws on the piece of rind*
yOp: *has found the salt cured dinoham samples. Offers a slice to Prowl*
Prowl: *thanks yOp as he accepts the slice and has a taste*
ham: *delicate deep flavor, much better than even the finest Spanish pig ham*
Prowl: *now understands mvStarscream's reaction, has a look of pure bliss on his face*
mvStarscream: *finishing the rind sample* We HAVE to get some of this for Jazz.
Disturbia: *slightly Screamish chuckle* What about yourselves?
Prowl: *to mvStarscream* He can get his own.
mvStarscream: *Snerrrrk*
yOp: *chuckles himself* I have sliced packages, and I can get boneless or bone in whole hams in a few minutes. I've also got stasis packs of the rind... and of the smoked ham it comes off of.
Prowl: How much would a package of sliced, and a stasis pack of the rind be?
yOp: I've got ten slice and twenty slice packs of the salted ham.
Disturbia: *takes out a container of small cubes of the smoked ham and lets the smell out*
Prowl: How much for a twenty slice pack?
yOp: Ten dollars. And the rind's ten too.
Prowl: *raised brow ridge, gets more money out. He had been saving it to buy himself a treat anyways...*
yOp: *looking at the sampler of mudpies and seeing which ones are gone from it* Do you like organic pickles?
Prowl: *nods* Though I am one of the few in the Autobots who does... Sharpshot likes them, to an extent, however.
yOp: *pulls out a small stasis container, and then takes from it a container made from a round of bamboo and takes off the plastic wrap covering* Try this.
Prowl: *curious, tries one of the pickles in the container*
slimy 'keeny: *sliced, fermented zucchini that is... very very good*
Prowl: *surprised and pleased sound*
yOp: *grin* Yeah, it's good stuff, isn't it. Totally natural. The juice from the tronda bamboo causes the fermentation. And it's fair trade.
Prowl: Fair trade?
mvStarscream: Like your coffee and mug.
Prowl: Ah...
yOp: It means we buy it directly from the natives, and we pay them enough that they benefit from it. *getting out Prowl's order, disturbs a package of coffee in the process and lets out the smell*
Prowl: *Attention goes back to yOp when he catches the scent of the coffee*
mvStarscream: *Snerks at Prowl's expression once he too, catches scent of the coffee*
yOp: *looks up at the snerk, sees Prowl's expression, and looks nonplussed* Ah... what?
Disturbia: *sniggers at him*
mvStarscream: *amused* How much for the coffee you're carrying?
yOp: Oh. Ten dollars a pound. *reaches into the stasis container and offers Prowl a small can with a heat it up button on the bottom*
Prowl: *curious, accepts the small can*
mvStarscream: *small nod, gets out some money to pay for the coffee*
coffee: *deep purple, full bodied, and has a very slight rich sweetness to it*
yOp: *accepting the money as he sets Prowl's meat on the table* The coffee's fair trade too. It's from a colony that just finally made it to their new homeworld after being stuck in space for nearly twenty generations.
mvStarscream: ...*quiet as he nods*
yOp: They're human. They also made this pickled fish. But I think I'll show that to you another day.
Prowl: *small nod, musing into the coffee a bit*
yOp: And here's a free gift with your order. *sets down what looks like a normal small stasis container, but is in reality a subspace container holding a very large number of basic energon and calcien energy bars* Oh, and there's a deposit on the containers that we return when you bring them back.
mvStarscream: *nods* Thank you...
Disturbia: *gentle poke for Prowl* What do you think?
Prowl: *startles, drawing the container of coffee closer to his chest out of habit*
Disturbia: I think he likes it.
mvStarscream: *glances to Prowl, chuckles* He's the coffee addict of our group...
Disturbia: I recognize the symptoms. *soft cackle*
mvStarscream: *amused* Then I don't have to warn you what might happen if you try to take the container from him.
yOp: No problem, if you pay the deposit.
mvStarscream: How much is it?
yOp: For that one, two dollars. For the others, three. It gets refunded fully.
mvStarscream: *does some quich math, and gives yOp the required amount*
yOp: *thanks him with a warm smile. He's a much more cheerful young Optimus than the one that they know* *at least till Disturbia pokes him in the side* Ack!
Disturbia: Rache just made pickle jello.
yOp: 0_o Is there any left?
Disturbia: Mmmhmmm.
mvStarscream: *snerks at the antics of yOp and Disturbia, before carefully packing both his and Prowl's purchases away in storage for the trip home*
yOp: *just a little hurriedly as he offers mvStarscream his frequency* This is my comlink frequency. Let me know if you'd like your next order delivered. I'm good at getting in under the radar. *sparkles, and is suddenly a dark-haired human sitting on Disturbia's shoulder*
mvStarscream: I'll have to talk to the Prime... *small smirk before he's transforming to alt mode* I think he'll be alright with it, but the humans might be upset....
yOp: *slight frown* Upset that you're getting good fuel?
Skylar: *headshake* No... We're still fighting Decepticons.... *looks around before dropping the volume of his voice* Recently one of our own was attacked without anyone seeing who did it or how.... Everyone's on edge...
yOp: *frown deepens* I might be able to help you find the culprit.
Prowl: *quietly* We will have to discuss this with Prime... He has the most contact with the humans who we are working alongside currently.... Though I do not believe there will be any objections...
yOp: *nods* *also quietly* I can't make any promises, because sometimes Primus and the Greatest Creator tell me to stand back and not interfere in things.
Prowl: *small nod* I believe, if you are able to, your help would be appreciated.
Skylar: *Nod* It might bring a bit of relief... Especially for Tracks and Raoul. I don't think I could stand seeing Major MacKenzie constantly.... She's nice enough and all...
Disturbia: *pokes her trine brother gently* Why don't you look now?
yOp: *pushes her finger away, but nods* Alright. Don't poke me. *frowns slightly and tilts his head, his eyes going unfocused*
Prowl: *focuses on finishing the coffee before he transforms back to alt mode*
Skylar: *amuses himself by picturing what Javan's reaction will be to the taste of dinoham, and to Prowl telling the young man to get his own*
yOp: *blinks and shakes his head* All I'm getting is that you're safe for now. And that there's concern for a little furry animal.
Petra: *nods, expression somber* One of our people found a ferret in a shed... The poor thing was starved and very weak.... Alice is taking care of him now.
yOp: *wonders why Primus is worried about a ferret, but obeys the unspoken request to keep quiet on that* That's terrible. I've never seen a ferret, but my family has two felines and a horse.
Petra: *quiet chuckle* Alice has one ferret already... A female named Rewind... *gets a picture out of her wallet, showing Rewind sticking her face in the camera* This isn't the best image....
yOp: *changes back to bot mode and laughs as he leans down and looks at the picture, then shows a holo of a gorgeous white Egyptian Arabian stallion with a tasseled halter and a tiny silver Seeker on his back* That's Phantom. And these are the felines, Velvet and Blizzard. *Velvet is a Meowth. Blizzard... looks like a large snow leopard cub except that he's white with blue spots and has two snakes coming from his shoulders*
Petra: *chuckles when she sees the tiny silver Seeker, hedging a guess as to the source of the handprints on the mudpies*
yOp: *big grin* Silver invented the mudpies.
Petra: *another chuckle* I thought those handprints looked like they came from a minature Seeker...
Skylar: *Stinkeyes Petra*
yOp: *notices the stinkeye and blinks with confusion* Is something wrong?
Petra: *bemused expression as she glances to Skylar* He's touchy about people supposedly mocking Seekers....
yOp: *blinks* My adopted mother is a Seeker. And so is my trine sister. *hand on Disturbia's arm* As well as my adopted baby sister and several of my extended adopted family.
Disturbia: And most of us are second or third generation Starscream spawn. *smirk*
Petra: ....*raised brow*
Skylar: ...
yOp: ^_^; You're... rather common where we live.
Skylar: ... I'm not even going to ask.
yOp: It's a nexus called the dream. A version of you is one of the rulers. And the place tends to collect Starscream kids.
Disturbia: And a few other Starscreams. And Swindles.
Petra: ... *gives Skylar a Look and gets one in return*
Disturbia: *quietly* Sometimes realities end, or get rewritten. And then the floatsam and jetsam settles into quiet backwaters. *shrug* Not every Starscream learns to think with his head instead of his ego before he gets deleted.
yOp: Hey, Disturbia. Cut it out. *looks to the two mechs* Sorry.
Skylar: *absently waves the apology away* We'd better get back home.... I need to get a PINpoint, since I gave mine to that femme....
yOp: I have a deluxe one. *reaching into his storage again and then offering the wrist watch looking device*
Skylar: *raised brow* You've got a way to get back to where you're supposed to, right?
yOp: *slight grin* I can teleport myself now.
Skylar: Ah... *still a bit hesitant, though he does reach for the offered PINpoint*
yOp: *gives it, offering a few pointers on its use and features. This model is a compact personal computer complete with pop up holo screen*
Skylar: *impressed whistle*
yOp: Technically speaking, it's not really a PINpoint. But it does the same job, so. *shrug*
Petra: We'd better not let Wheeljack see that... *Chuckles*
yOp: I bought the Wheeljack proof model. *his optics say he knows a Wheeljack well enough to laugh about him*
Skylar: *Snerk*
Petra: Ours would try to turn this into another drone for his wordmate.
yOp: *blink* What?
Skylar: *now it's his turn to show a picture, this one no doubt taken when Wheeljack was distracted, showing the inventor working on a little shell while another drone tries to restrain a third* Wheeljack's idea of proper courting gifts were little drones that Ratchet could cuddle and fuss over.
yOp: *d'awwws despite himself* They look like the Moofies in the game I play!
Disturbia: *face. Palm*
Skylar: This one's an old image...wait... 'Moofies'?
yOp: *nods* Little pet robots that usually emote a happy face.
Petra: *SNERK*
Skylar: .... *puzzled* How'd someone get the specs for the drones?
yOp: Maybe they just made cute little robots, and the drones are cute little robots too?
Petra: Do you have an image of one of the 'Moofies'?
yOp: *pulls out his datapad and starts tapping at it with his stylus, goes to the game guide, selects the article on Moofie, and then turns the pad so that Petra can see it*
Petra: *raised brow* The similarities are a bit unsettling, I'll admit...
Spazz: *wanders in. Looks like a big Moofie*
Skylar: ... O_o;;
yOp: *looks at him, then looks toward the door* Right. There are a lot of bots who look like that in some realities.
Disturbia: How could you forget about Walrus, you dork?
yOp: I'm so used to him that I don't see him anymore.
Petra: ... *confused, has no clue who or what Walrus is*
yOp: *picks up on this and explains quickly* Walrus is a tiny little bayformer tech mech, who turns into an eggtimer.
Skylar: ... Bayformer?
yOp: *points to a mech of Denver's tech* Like that little green one we saw. Only he's smaller.
Skylar: Ah.... *still a bit brain-broken from meeting the alternate of the Major who happens to be a Cybertronian femme and taller than him*
yOp: *blinks and pokes himself in the audio* I have mail.
Disturbia: *pokes him* Let's go. I wanna snuggle my Swindle.
yOp: *rolls optics, but turns to say good bye to Skylar and Petra*
Skylar: We should head back as well... Melissa's going to worry about me....
Disturbia: *pauses as yOp vanishes* ...Melissa?
Skylar: My mate.... Melissa is her human name. *Yes, his expression is one of fondness and affection*
Disturbia: ...And her other name?
Skylar: *A bit puzzled, but will answer* Moonshadow.
Disturbia: *thoughtful* Too bad our kitchen's so noisy. *vanish*
Petra: *shares a "WTS" look with Skylar, before going to pay for the cookies and an order of mudpies in various flavors*
((Co-written with random_xtras))