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Post by Jetfire (Ani) on Dec 16, 2010 20:43:38 GMT -5
Jetfire is glad to know the truth, even if the truth makes him unhappy. Better than living in happy ignorance, right? Probably. He accepts Botanica's comfort and nods firmly as Jetstorm speaks. "I am agreeing, brother."
Raising his chin stubbornly he says, "Ah, please do not minding us! We would not be wanting to get in the way of work." Maybe home command isn't worth the loyalty, but the Autobots here have never done wrong by him. "We will being fine."
Jetstorm nods in agreement.
Gotta keep a stiff upper lip! Like Sentinel said, he is a Guardsman, after all.
OOC: Jetstorm posed by request.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 16, 2010 21:53:01 GMT -5
"Not really," Sentinel Prime answers Optimus, leaving it ambiguous as to which half of Optimus's question he's answering.
Wow! Botanica totally digs what he just said! Sentinel Prime's optics light up, and his expression turns into a somewhat goofy smile.
"I'll do my duty, ma'am," Sentinel Prime insists, making himself look a bit more stern. Can't be letting stupid wishy-washy feelings get in the way of what needs to be done. Also, if he slacks off now, he'll just have to do it later. "I just wanted to show the Twins around here, and I got sidetracked. Won't happen again."
Jetstorm's not angry at him? Jetstorm's angry at Ultra Magnus? That... worked a lot better than Sentinel Prime was expecting, so much better that he frankly feels a bit suspicious. For now, he just goes with it. They'd really rather be here than there? He supposes he can't blame them, they're not freaks here - there are plenty of older flying Autobots around for them to learn from, and they're treated like real people, not science experiments, but... but... all he can manage is a loud, sulking sigh and, "I'll miss you two, then. I'm going home when I can. I'm needed there."
Unsaid: that he's not needed here. He isn't. He's completely unnecessary and unwanted, and when he feels much of anything other than numb, he's usually miserable or on the edge of a mental breakdown.
Remembering his audience, Sentinel Prime amends, "When I make Magnus, maybe I can fix some of this?" More likely he'll break it even worse, given his past track record, but pessimism never got him anywhere.
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Dec 17, 2010 18:57:38 GMT -5
"I don't want to be a bother, but maybe rescheduling would be a good idea," Optimus says once he returns, weedless, from the compost heap. He doesn't really want to deal with Sentinel, and he's pretty sure Sentinel doesn't want to deal with him.
"Jetfire, Jetstorm, I think you should consider coming back home, once we figure out how. There need to be 'bots there to provide a positive example, and stand against the corruption in the upper ranks."
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Dec 22, 2010 12:49:55 GMT -5
Hmm, Sentinel votes yes, Optimus no, to the possibility of having to work together. Given the two Prime's shared histories....
Rescheduling would be the easiest on everyone. However- Botanica is a bit intrigued by Sentinel's search for some form of personal ethics. Who the snowplow is now is shaped by who he was, and Optimus had a large hand in that shaping.
"Well, Optimus, I'll not require you to assist us, since technically your shift does end rather soon, and this task will cut into your free time by a good half hour. Since Sentinel is willing to continue, I think I would like to get this over and done with. Jetstorm, Jetfire, if you're not too upset, I really could use your assistance as well."
Botanica starts to walk in the previously indicated direction of said task. As she passes Sentinel, she tries to give him a comforting pat on the shoulder.
Ball's in your court Optimus. Help or not, but either choice says much.
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Post by Jetstorm (Ani) on Dec 25, 2010 17:11:46 GMT -5
The blue jet looks a bit dejected at Sentinel saying he'll go back. "I am supposing that is for the best, since Ultra Magnus is being out of commission." Jetstorm is rather torn - Sentinel Prime's done good by them so far - and they've stuck by him and fought for him here and at home. Home, though - that universe is full of the badness that was just discussed. Here, though, there's lots of other flying Autobots, and lots of cool 'bots. If an opportunity to go home arises, though, they'll all probably want to take it...
If they ever find a way home.
Jetstorm then nods at Botanica. "Yes'm, we are being up for helping, right brother?"
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Post by Jetfire (Ani) on Dec 26, 2010 12:35:55 GMT -5
Jetfire lets Jetstorm speak for him on the topic of going home. It's something he's going to have to think about, but right now the hurt is too fresh to make any sort of decision. At the moment it seems like there are a lot of pros for staying and a lot of cons for going home. But for now, it is a moot point anyway!
And hey, what better way to distract oneself from unpleasant revelations than manual labour?
"We are always being up for the helping, Botanica, ma'am!" He'd usually grin at this point, but he doesn't really feel like it.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 26, 2010 16:20:20 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime won't hold it against Optimus that he never helped at the asylum and that he never really checked on Sentinel when he was sick. (That would be ludicrous - Optimus had a different player then. ) He does, however, give off a vibe that this kind of avoidant behaviour is just so typical for Optimus. Avoid going to the dangerous alien planet, avoid looking for the horridly mangled corpse; avoid doing any actual work to earn that Primeship, Mr. Corruption in the Government. Yeah, Sentinel Prime caught that slight, but for once, he ignores it, which is not like Sentinel Prime at all. Then Jetstorm derails Sentinel Prime's train of thought entirely. He stares at Jetstorm for a long moment, and he finally manages, "I... what? What happened to Ultra Magnus?" Hopefully, by the time he gets the answer, he'll have an appropriate reaction to follow that shock. Sorry Jetfire, but Jetstorm may have just given Sentinel Prime the best news of his life.
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Dec 26, 2010 18:56:06 GMT -5
" I'd be glad to help, ma'am. I don't really have any leisure activities planned. I'm willing to give this a try." He was only going to excuse himself so he and Sentinel wouldn't have to be around each other. But if Sentinel is staying, so is he. Because anything Sentinel Prime can do, Optimus Prime can do with less crankshaftery.
(And don't start on avoidant behavior. What Sentinel Prime calls avoidant behavior, Optimus calls common sense. It's common sense not to go to the horrible spider planet, common sense not to go back and look for a dead 'bot when there are two still-living 'bots to consider. And perhaps we are forgetting who took the fall for whose dumb idea and had to work his way back up into the brass's good graces just to earn a chance to command a maintenance scow, Mr. Energony Goodness. So don't start on not doing actual work. Optimus bets Ultra Magnus's coffee cup is just so heavy. Yeah, he'll just be over here breaking space rocks with an axe and herding chickens named Bulkhead and Bumblebee while Sentinel Prime does the hard work.)
Parenthetical ranting aside, Optimus wasn't actually trying to slight Sentinel Prime. He was speaking generally. They both know any ethics commitee the Autobots have back home is very underworked.
"Wait, something happened to Ultra Magnus?" he asks, genuine concern tingeing his voice.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Dec 28, 2010 13:17:13 GMT -5
"Well, if we are all in agreement-," Botanica starts to say, but is interrupted by even more Bad News from Home Revelations. Inwardly she sighs.
"When you have finished," she says somewhat tiredly, pointing toward the bramble patch. "Jetstorm, Jetfire, if you each could take a Prime and fly that way, you'll come to rather large clearing. I'll meet you all there."
With those instructions, Botanica dives beneath the ground, leaving the other bots to follow at their leisure.
Botanica is skippable until folks reach the clearing
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Post by Jetstorm (Ani) on Dec 28, 2010 19:06:30 GMT -5
Jetstorm glances between the Primes, then to Botanica. "Ah, yes ma'am!" He pops a quick salute, then turns back to Optimus and Sentinel. "Am I being from farthest along at home?" he idly says, more rhetorical than anything.
"Ultra Magnus was attacked by Longarm Prime! It's turning out that he was secretly Shockwave, a badness bot spy! He attacked Ultra Magnus and took the Magnus Hammer. Ultra Magnus is surviving, but he is on spark support." Jetstorm only looks a little bothered by it. Hard to feel bad for the guy when you found out that he thought you were expendable.
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Post by Jetfire (Ani) on Dec 29, 2010 22:27:18 GMT -5
Jetfire salutes Botanica as well, then scratches sheepishly at one cheek as she leaves. Shocking revelations may be important and emotionally trying and all, but he's starting to feel bad about holding up work. It's hard to shrug off the cog-in-a-machine mindset, even when you've found out that your original machine was willing to cast you off as unimportant.
He nods as Jetstorm speaks. "Yes! Brother is telling me of these things when he is arriving."
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 29, 2010 23:28:12 GMT -5
Fantastic, they have scared off the lady officer with the overwhelming drama of their home universe. Sentinel Prime shuts off his optics and tries to focus on feeling... whatever it is he'd feel. He's spent most of his life hoping Ultra Magnus would suffer something horrible, but is he really happy now?
No. He's just hollow.
Blast it.
Sentinel Prime sighs and says, "That's... unfortunate for the Commonwealth. Ultra Magnus was a powerful unifying figure, and a lot of people believed in him, despite what he may have done behind closed doors. The Magnus Hammer is an important symbol, too. It's more than just a weapon. It's mythology."
And mythology is a sharper weapon than any lance.
"I'd be the one having to try to hold things together." He would, it's so close, and he can't have it. "But I'm not there, and Rodimus is sick... oh frak, we're screwed."
It's all right. They'd be screwed if Sentinel Prime was there, too.
He feels faintly betrayed that Jetstorm didn't tell him sooner, but he doesn't press the issue.
There's no doubt about it. Sentinel Prime's sick.
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Dec 30, 2010 20:48:00 GMT -5
"There are other Primes back home. And there's the Council. I'm sure they'll get through somehow." Optimus sighs. "There's nothing we can do about it here. We may as well focus on the problems we can fix now. Like whatever it is Botanica needs us to do."
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Post by Jetstorm (Ani) on Jan 2, 2011 18:01:00 GMT -5
Jetstorm rubs the back of his head. "But you are all being from times in my past, but you were all there when I was being brought to this universe..." He frowns. "Is confusing..."
However, Optimus makes a point! "Yes, let us be going." Working on plants is less headhurty than wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff.
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Post by Jetfire (Ani) on Jan 3, 2011 14:43:12 GMT -5
Jetfire generally does his best not to think of all the strange implications involved with this dimension-pulling, alternate timeline whatnot. No good thoughts ever seem to come from it. "Is best not to worry about what is happening in places we cannot be going, I think."
"Is better to be concentrating on places where Botanica is needing us!" Forcing a grin, Jetfire kicks into the air. "Who is wanting the lift from who?"
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