Synapse
Minor
Do not touch...please
Posts: 380
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Post by Synapse on Sept 18, 2007 21:36:56 GMT -5
Two black globes duck around and above the city streets, their controller ensconced within the branches of a leafy tree. Somehow he has found a branch that can suitably hold up a mech of his size. Still not quite knowing what these things are, Synapse has found that they're quite fascinating and easy to hide in. So being a shade of green is actually helpful on this planet (considering most things on Cybertron seemed to be a shade of blue, grey, or orange).
The sound of engines coming into the area brings Synapse's attention to his present location. Voices follow and he finds himself peering through thick foliage at the trio of approaching bots. Holi and Wheelie he recognizes but the third bot...it takes him a moment to process the image, but a gasp barely makes it out of his mouth when he finds a match in his memory banks. Mirage, one of the Autobots that got chosen to be part of Optimus Prime's search team?
Automatically directed by Synapse's sudden change in direction, the nodes change course and hover towards the park.
He only barely overhears Holi's statement about the thing that he's sitting in being one of those 'trees'. By now the nodes are coming in overhead and bobbing curiously over the interesting trio.
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Post by Mirage on Sept 19, 2007 0:06:50 GMT -5
Mirage stiffens a bit at Holi’s laugh. While the Micromaster surely meant no harm, the spy’s pride has been dinged all the same; a completely illogical reaction that has more to do with bad memories than Holi’s childlike amusement.
As a result, the spy’s voice is noticeably more reserved than it had been, “I must have failed to mention that I have never been off Cybertron. In fact, the Decepticon/Autobot war in itself is a fairly recent development. As such, it is not just the many realities I am encountering that are foreign, but the very nature of this world as well.”
Looking down at Wheelie, Mirage says, “It is a sad thing if your life till now has been nothing but hardship and strife.” Kneeling, so as not to loom over the smaller bot, he continues, “It is indeed possible for beings to co-exist in harmony, and to indulge in a bit of recreation without fear of attack. Even on Cybertron, there are places like this. The Helix Gardens at Praxus are quite beautiful, a place for quiet reflection. At least, they were, before…”
His voice trails off, and he turns his gaze back toward the park. He would prefer not to get into a discussion about what his pre-war Cybertron was like. Too many painful memories, and all too close to the surface.
Not once during all this does Mirage ever look up. Looks like he failed his Spot Check this round.
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Holi
Major
Captain Can-Do
Posts: 672
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Post by Holi on Sept 19, 2007 20:06:17 GMT -5
Holi didn't mean any insult by it, Mirage. Really he didn't. He was just genuinely tickled pink by the thought of newness to something he has come to take for granted.
The Micromaster winces internally at the stilted tone of Mirage's words. He'll have to make up for that somehow. Just as, he decides after hearing Wheelie's questions, he'll have to help make up for the time his friend seems to have missed. Holi, mender of rifts! But Mirage is doing the talking right now, so Holi does the looking. It's very peaceful here, if maybe a little too quiet; he's used to some sort of background noise other than the wind in the trees. It's a light breeze, just enough to stir the branches.
Except for that cluster there. Holi pulls near to the tree and peers up as closely as he can in this mode. The colours seem alright, but the shadows are wrong. They don't play as Holi would expect among broad leaves.
"…Hello?" he ventures. This neatly takes his attention away from Tiny for the moment while she paws at a window. She'd like out, please.
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Wheelie
Rookie
Can't sleep. Sharkticons will eat me.
Posts: 191
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Post by Wheelie on Sept 19, 2007 23:07:49 GMT -5
Mirage's display of sympathy takes Wheelie by surprise.
"Cybertron?" he asks. "Is that where we're all from? Where 'bot and 'con fight, struggle, and shoot their guns? I've never been, seen place or glade. Does Wheelie come from there? Is that where he was made?"
However, when Holi investigates the tree, he goes totally into action mode, loading a firerock into his slingshot and pulling it back. "Stand back, stand free! Leave everything to me!"
Surprise meant attack, after all.
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Synapse
Minor
Do not touch...please
Posts: 380
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Post by Synapse on Sept 20, 2007 6:51:30 GMT -5
Synapse freezes as he watches Holi roll towards his tree. It doesn't take him long to figure out who the curious greeting is directed to. As ambiguous as someone's gaze in alt-mode is, the facts that Holi is parked right beneath him and that there is no one else nearby are indicators enough.
In any other circumstances, Synapse might be content with just trying to slip away. But at Wheelie's sudden cry, he scrambles to his feet. As strange as that weapon might look, Synapse has learned that underestimating an opponent never leads to a pleasant aftermath. "Ah...wait! Please, wait!"
Quickly and quietly, Synapse drops out of the tree, hands outstretched and empty. Overhead his nodes spin in an anxious tizzy.
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Post by Mirage on Sept 20, 2007 9:50:34 GMT -5
Surprise doesn't always mean attack. Sometimes surprise means energon-cake and dancing girls. Or boys. Mirage is all for Equal Opportunity Enjoyment.
When Wheelie arms his slingshot, Mirage turns swiftly in that direction, his rifle aimed and ready, while inwardly muttering a string of curses that would make a dock worker blush. Yes, Mirage, you were just beaten to the punch by a pair of children. Perhaps you should get your head out of your aft and start paying better attention to your surroundings, Mr. Good-Enough-Not-to-Get-Caught.
Synapse drops from the tree, seemingly unarmed. Mirage notes that the stranger does appear to be an Autobot. However, he declines to lower his weapon just yet, instead asking, "And who might you be?"
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Holi
Major
Captain Can-Do
Posts: 672
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Post by Holi on Sept 20, 2007 20:21:12 GMT -5
You might want to save the dancing girls or boys for the company of a few more adults, Mirage. Little optics and all that. And who knows how Synapse would react.
"Synapse, sir!" Holi all but cheers to see the scout. No, he hasn't noticed the drawn slingshot in Wheelie's hands. The cry, though… a little hard to miss that. Oh, to be able to turn around quickly. "This is Synapse!" adds the little police car as he makes an awkward about-face. "Wheelie, Mirage sir – it's okay, this is Synapse!" Oh, and Mirage has drawn a gun, too. "No, no, it's okay! He's a friend!"
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Wheelie
Rookie
Can't sleep. Sharkticons will eat me.
Posts: 191
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Post by Wheelie on Sept 20, 2007 21:39:29 GMT -5
Wheelie, after a moment, lowers his slingshot, slipping both it and the firerock into wherever it is he's keeping these things.
If Holi trusts him, then that's good enough for Wheelie. Though self-reliant, his fellow bitty-bot is obviously much more knowledgeable of which people are going to shoot them and which people it would be considered frightfully rude to shoot.
"Friends find, up a tree? Why you sneak up on Mirage, Holi, and me?"
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Synapse
Minor
Do not touch...please
Posts: 380
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Post by Synapse on Sept 20, 2007 22:09:26 GMT -5
Energon cakes and dancing girls and or boys. Such a situation might not compute properly for the first few moments. Synapse would rather not have to deal with such a situation. Parties usually end up with unfortunate endings.
"Synapse, my present function is as a scout."
He really is thankful for Holi's quick defense. "Yes--ah, a friend," Synapse echoes, fingers curling tightly as he prepares to flee at any moment if things do turn out ugly. "I-I didn't sneak up, really. I was already there." Honest!
With Synapse's own gun still in sub-space (he had felt a lot more at ease after retrieving it from Wedge), the sight of Mirage's rifle pointing right at him is doing nothing to help his nerves.
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Post by Mirage on Sept 21, 2007 12:03:45 GMT -5
At Holi's assertion that the newcomer is indeed an ally, Mirage puts away his own weapon. Hopefully the skittish scout will calm down a bit now. Wait a minute...Holi called called him Synapse...
"You were one of the ones chattering on the broadband about that Skyfire business, yes? Have you any idea what came of all that?"
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Holi
Major
Captain Can-Do
Posts: 672
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Post by Holi on Sept 21, 2007 18:57:13 GMT -5
Whew. Crisis averted. Go Holi!
The Micromaster would contribute more to the conversation, but Tiny has decided she wants a closer look at Synapse and to do that, she needs to turn around. So of course she plants a foot right in the middle of Holi's dashboard console for leverage. He isn't sure how many buttons she hits, but it's enough to make him hold very, very still while she finishes getting herself faced out the rear windshield so she can watch the green and blue flier.
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Wheelie
Rookie
Can't sleep. Sharkticons will eat me.
Posts: 191
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Post by Wheelie on Sept 21, 2007 19:48:35 GMT -5
Wheelie, bored now that the crisis has been averted, casts his attention toward Holi.
"Is Holi all right, while the dragon slips and slides? Is he well? Or is he hurting on his insides?"
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Synapse
Minor
Do not touch...please
Posts: 380
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Post by Synapse on Sept 21, 2007 20:12:54 GMT -5
Synapse relaxes a smidgen as attention slips away from him. Well, sort of. There's still Mirage's question to be addressed.
"No, I do not know how that ended up. I saw no signs of Skyfire while in the asteroid belt," Space is a pretty big place after all, that and he was busy dancing around large rocks. There is a barely noticeable note of disappointment in Synapse's voice though as he looks down.
That's when he notices the long face peering out of Holi's rear window. A confused flicker passes through Synapse's visor.
That...that's the tiny mecha dragon that he's seen Emirate Xaaron toting around. He bends over to get a closer look, fingers mimicking a tapping motion over the window. Never does he actually make contact with the tiny police car. "Doesn't that feel...uncomfortable?" Synapse makes a face as he imagines the feeling of a squirming live thing within his cockpit.
Holi must be very tough.
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Post by Mirage on Sept 21, 2007 23:19:24 GMT -5
Mirage shrugs at Synapse’s reply, “Ah well, I was just curious. The voice on the general channel was familiar…but I don’t recall anyone called Skyfire from my time.”
Tiny’s shifting about within Holi has also drawn Mirage’s attention1. The dragonette seems entranced with Synapse’s wriggling fingers. She lunges, her jaws snapping, and when her head bangs hard against Holi’s window, she starts scrabbling about within the Micromaster. Mirage winces. That cannot be comfortable! Not to mention the damage the dragonette’s claws are doing to Holi’s upholstery.
“Let’s let her out for a bit Holi,” Mirage says, “It won’t take that much longer to cross this park on foot.” He comes around to Holi’s driver’s side, bends down, and stares at Tiny- who is now giving Mirage her most innocent face- through the window. “If you chip my paint with those teeth, you little monster, not only will you be re-muzzled faster than Blurr can blink, you’ll forfeit any snacks we might find on this expedition.” With that settled, Mirage positions himself a bit better, “Go ahead and open up, Holi.”
Thankfully, Tiny was not in the best of positions, which prevented her from lunging out the open door for a much desired romp in the park. Snagging her leash, Mirage manages to get her maneuvered out of the Micromaster; and thankfully-perhaps heading his earlier warnings about no snacks- Tiny doesn’t bite the spy, though she snaps at the air around him a bit. She stretches a bit glad to be out of the tiny space.
Oh dear. The dragonette just noticed Synapse’s twirling nodes. This cannot end well.
1all posing in of Holi done with the permission of Holi's player.
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Holi
Major
Captain Can-Do
Posts: 672
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Post by Holi on Sept 22, 2007 0:16:31 GMT -5
This is a very relieved Holi slumping on his tires. He hadn't wanted to say anything about Tiny and her oblivious wriggling and clawing of his passenger area – at least, nothing after his brief outburst earlier when she bit down on a headrest – because it isn't as though he hasn't dealt with small and rambunctious passengers before. Jan could be remarkably ill-behaved and unmindful of just what did and didn't hurt when he pried at it in his younger years, so Holi understands well enough that Tiny probably had no idea what she was doing. He does look just like a proper car, after all.
He's still very grateful to have her out. If no-one minds terribly, he'd like to take a moment before he does much of anything.
"Guuh…." Holi's just used to things like this; he isn't really all that tough, but he'd be quite flattered if he knew Synapse thinks that of him. "I'm okay, Wheelie," he finally answers the orange Minibot. He might be a little sore later, but he's alright, really. Nothing some rest can't fix.
Finally, Holi musters up the drive to transform and stand. It feels good to be himself again! Well, he's still himself as a car, but this is him him. Or… more him. Something like that. He sets aside those thoughts to turn and smile anxiously at Synapse.
"Sorry, sir," he murmurs. "I didn't mean for anyone to be startled."
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