Prompts the third
Ta-Da! I now present Pumpkin.
“No.” Feeling the beginnings of a processor-ache as he glanced away from the spark broken look on Bluestreak’s face Prowl crossed his arms over his chassis in a defensive manner at the accusing look being directed towards him from a certain blue visor. “How would you even attempt to carve images into some ridiculously fragile piece of organic produce without creating a mess of your joints and circuitry that would have our CMO ranting about it for cycles on end?”
“But that’s why it’s supposed to be a contest between the Ark!” Bluestreak protested his door wings fluttering behind him anxiously. “The human sparklings are supposed to come trick or treating that night and it would be nice, really, really nice if we could have jack-o-lanterns up around the base like most human homes do for Halloween and-.”
“Bluestreak,” Prowl interrupted calmly his hand coming up into the air before settling with a comforting pressure on the grey mech’s shoulder. “Your shift will start in less than a breem I suggest that you get to your assigned post for this shift and I promise that I will give you an answer by the end of your shift.” Watching as blue optics lit with delight at his promise Prowl waited until Bluestreak had left his office before resuming his pacing with data pad in hand his processor already beginning to deconstruct the proposed plan on the data pad.
“Y’know I heard Carly tellin’ Spike that back in the day people used t’do jack-o-lanterns and put ‘em out in the open wit’ candles so they could welcome their family comin’ home t’see ‘em.” Jazz mused pensively his optics tracking Prowl’s movements from beneath his visor as he lay sprawled in the chair of Prowl’s desk. “Seein’ as how Halloween was the only time their families could come home people took real well t’the idea of leaving a light in the window or in front of the door so they’d remember how to get there.”
“Why would they even need to do so?”
“Cause y’see the family they’re welcomin’ home ain’t the sort that come visitin’ ev’ry day. Ain’t a God I know who don’t have a rule for the dead and deactivated.”
“Dead?”
Looking up from he’d been picking at a rough spot of paint on the palm of his hand Jazz shook the loose flakes of paint onto the floor before pushing away from the chair. “Blue’s wantin’ ya to let ‘im do the pumpkins cause he heard Carly tellin’ Spike the same as I did. He don’t want anything other than t’be able to carve that fragile piece of organic produce so ‘e can leave it at the front of the Ark.” Brushing past Prowl as he moved towards the door Jazz stopped with one hand still on the door sensor. “Blue don't ever ask for much and I think sometime's he's afraid of askin' for too much cause 'e had it all once and then 'e lost it.” Several seconds dragged by as the door slid shut behind Jazz’s retreating form as Prowl stared blankly at the data pad in his hand before setting the pad onto the desk and moving to follow Jazz out of his office.