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Post by Long Haul on Dec 28, 2010 0:06:20 GMT -5
Xaaron makes his Diplomacy roll (or his Lawyering roll, as the case may be)! The security personnel look surprised at the party first, but when Xaaron pays him off, he instead looks rather intentionally uninterested.
Long Haul, meanwhile, glances back at the others. Hmm. Boss is carrying Perceptor. As the guy whose designated job is to carry things, Long Haul supposes he should offer, but... Long Haul really doesn't like to carry things, and hey, it's not like Xaaron doesn't know that Long Haul could carry Perceptor. So instead he shrugs and turns back towards the concourse. "It's down this wing," he says, plodding ahead of the others.
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Post by Swerve on Dec 29, 2010 22:44:36 GMT -5
At Xaaron's question, Swerve's disgruntled expression turns guarded and vaguely suspicious, baffled at the same time. It's a nonsensical question to the racer, but for all he knows, it's perfectly legitimate for Xaaron to ask and it isn't just the old jalopy being sly.
Or it could be both. "I dunno. Why?" he asks in return. "Is fifteen a lot where you come from?"
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 1, 2011 12:53:45 GMT -5
It's probably a very good thing that Perceptor's hands are still bound, for he suddenly finds himself flung over someone's shoulder, his visual field filled with a rather close view of a bright gold aft. His first inclination is to pet said aft, examine it to learn the textures and planes, the concept of who said aft might belong to not even entering his processor. It's just a shiny, shiny aft of pleasing proportions, and it appears to be all his, as he seems to be slung over the owner's shoulder.
"Electrum plated bliss!" Perceptor giggles, and squirms, trying to rub his cheek against one reflective plane of plating.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jan 1, 2011 15:01:05 GMT -5
"How far now, Long Haul?" Emirate Xaaron asks his logician. The sooner he can strap Perceptor into Skyfire's crash webbing, the better.
He looks mildly (but not dully) surprised at Swerve's answer, and he explains, "By the standards of my reality, three is about average, some never changing, some changing more often, but fifteen would be considered quite exceptional, if not unheard of. You must have exceptional neural plasticity, to adapt to different bodies so easily. That is very-"
Emirate Xaaron twitches, and he snaps, "Perceptor, fraternisation is inappropriate even when you're drugged! Cut that out."
He hopes there's just an aphrodisiac component to whatever it is Oil Slick gave Perceptor and that Perceptor would be trying to get fresh with whoever was carrying him. Emirate Xaaron does recall, rather glumly, that Perceptor has seemed particularly interested in him, more so than Long Haul, anyway. He hopes that Perceptor doesn't have some repressed crush on him. That would be terribly awkward.
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Post by Long Haul on Jan 1, 2011 17:56:32 GMT -5
"I think we're about there," Long Haul answers as they approach one of the exits to the runway. This one calls for them to actually go outside, rather than providing a covered pathway directly to their flight - the Autobots don't rate that, and the spaceport walkways aren't really designed for Skyfire, anyway. He points. "Should just be right out there."
He glances at Swerve. "Fifteen rebuilds is close to unheard of where I'm from. I mean, not say it don't happen, but I can't think of any case where I heard of it. Though maybe some s'plorers, if the need to fit in with the locals? Don't know much about that, Skyfire'd be the one to ask."
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Post by Swerve on Jan 2, 2011 11:41:10 GMT -5
The talk of fifteen swaps being exceptional actually does not flatter Swerve, humble as he tends to be about his engineering accomplishments. He shuffles awkwardly, expression pinching into a look of consternation that has nothing to do with Perceptor's increasingly bizarre behaviour. He's trying to ignore that, actually.
"I never said it was easy," he corrects Xaaron quietly. "Just that I did it fifteen times." He still recalls with painful clarity an early swap that he botched so badly it took him months to recover. "And besides," he adds with yet more deflection, "they weren't that slaggin' different. All cars. I just… made 'em smaller. And faster." Here, he gestures helpfully with his hands, holding them out with the palms facing each other and decreasing the gap between them in stages to demonstrate.
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 4, 2011 13:55:06 GMT -5
Perceptor will eventually be quite disappointed to have missed out on the discussion about Swerve's various rebuilds; fifteen is quite extraordinary, and he would be beside himself to discuss the matter with Swerve. Perhaps it's best for Swerve that Perceptor isn't quite following the discussion that coherently, then.
"Fifteen upgraded shells on the wall... Fifteen upgraded sheeeellls," he sings. Badly. "Put one on reserve, slap it on Swerve.... Fourteen upgraded shells on the wall!"
"Second verse, close to the first! Fourteen upgraded shells on the waaaall, fourteen upgraded sheeeells..."
Yes, he will continue singing all remaining verses until he comes to the end. Or until someone shuts him up. Whichever comes first. As for Xaaron's exclamation, it has quite flown right over Perceptor's upside-down cranium, for he continues trying to rub his cheek against whatever part of Xaaron's anatomy that he can reach, even as he continues "singing".
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jan 4, 2011 14:42:49 GMT -5
Long Haul has a thing for exploring, doesn't he? Or so Emirate Xaaron thinks he is noting. Then he picks up on something else, narrows his optics, and asks Swerve, "You did it to yourself?"
Rebuilding anyone is difficult, but Swerve rebuilt himself? In the slums of Velocitron?
As he walks briskly towards where Skyfire should be, he tries to swing Perceptor around, so that Perceptor's legs are hanging over his back instead of Perceptor's face, because Perceptor won't knock it off, and he tries to stuff a doughnut in Perceptor's mouth to shut him up. It's a doughnut meant for organic aliens, not robots, and so Emirate Xaaron hopes that Perceptor won't immediately try to eat it.
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Post by Long Haul on Jan 4, 2011 15:35:23 GMT -5
Long Haul trundles out the door and along the pre-designated path, which should lead the party right to Skyfire! Unless something else happens on this one final stretch.
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Jan 4, 2011 18:06:06 GMT -5
Skyfire is right where he's supposed to be--over there, on the tarmac with a fuel bowser pulled up alongside and a rather puzzled looking Thranx chewing on his antenna, trying to figure out where the pilot is and who is going to pay him.
"Listen, mac, I got it that you are a high-autonomous AI ship, but youse guys ain't paying the rates for high-end automated fuel service. I gotta have an actual sign-off here, I ain't equipped for wireless electronic credit verification!"
The blue-green insectoid lifts a wing cover slightly and scratches under it with a foot-hand. "These your guys?" he asks, pointing with a true-hand at Emirate Xaaron, Perceptor, et al.
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Post by Swerve on Jan 6, 2011 1:06:04 GMT -5
Perceptor's little ditty earns the foulest look Swerve has given anyone so far today and doughnut gag silencing the larger Autobot or not, the racer can't help himself.
"Will you shut up?!" he snaps. It's a distraction from Xaaron, around whom Swerve normally remains guarded because the shrewd stares and clever questions raise a few old alarm bells; it's sufficient distraction, in fact, that Swerve misses the change in Xaaron's expression and doesn't even pause before answering. "Yeah," he says, irritated with the need to repeat himself. He isn't Blurr, after all. "I said I made 'em smaller, didn't I?"
Swerve says nothing to the station worker; he has nothing to say and only barely acknowledges the thing. Diversity of weird, non-mechanical life is still very strange for him.
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Post by Perceptor on Jan 6, 2011 2:53:39 GMT -5
"...on Swerve, twelve upgraded fr--mrrfph!"
Doughnut gag successfully applied! And it doesn't ping as fuel to Perceptor's oral chemo-receptors, so he doesn't bother trying to do much more than continue singing around the muffling pastry. Xaaron's pelvic gimbal is collecting a coating of sprayed crumbs.
"Mrrphmrphfrrphrfmrfm..."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Jan 6, 2011 11:22:49 GMT -5
"Long Haul, handle... him?" Emirate Xaaron directs, pointing at the Thranx. Engage those magic logistics powers.
He comments respectfully to Swerve, "Rebuilding yourself that many times is very impressive, Swerve." Also suggests that Swerve is chronically unhappy with his body! Body dysmorphic disorder? Or just that Swerve likes change. "You know, ah... you might want to talk to Breakaway's sort. They seem to be able to reconfigure their bodies nearly instantaneously, given an appropriate template. You might try grafting that technology into yourself, if it's cross-platform compatible."
Emirate Xaaron's really curious to see if it can be done, and it would seem to fit Swerve's interests. Why not learn from each other, if they're going to be exposed to all these new and strange realities?
He tries to open up Skyfire's hatch if it isn't already open, because he really wants to get Perceptor inside Skyfire and into crash webbing as soon as possible, and if it is open, he tries to enter. Perceptor is getting crumbs all over! At least Perceptor hasn't tried to eat the doughnut. Explaining to Botanica why Emirate Xaaron got doughnut in Perceptor's fuel filters is not a talk he wants to have with the plant woman.
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Post by Long Haul on Jan 6, 2011 12:57:02 GMT -5
Long Haul waves his hand almost absently. "Yeah, I got 'em," he grunts. He plods towards the Thranx. "Yeah, we're with him. Whatcha need?"
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Jan 6, 2011 19:36:42 GMT -5
Skyfire's bow ramp is already descending--he figured out early on that leaving his doors open and unlocked on Pzz-Zazz was a Bad Idea, so kept them closed until needed. Emirate Xaaron will be able to access his cavernous cargo hold just about as soon as he can walk there.
The insectoid fuel tender looked at Long Haul and held out a datapad. "Sign here so's I can charge the fuel and finish this job."
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