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Post by Elita-1 on Jun 7, 2011 22:13:18 GMT -5
Month 6, Week 4, Day 3, Open
Elita-1 is sitting at a table in the mess. One foot is propped up on the table edge, pushing back against it so that her chair cants back at a sharp angle. Her other leg is crossed over that leg and is currently serving as a rest for a datapad on which she seems to be busily typing. Occasionally, she purses her lips in a frown, or chews on the end of her stylus as she seems to be searching for words. Her gloves today are made of a shiny black material embroidered with blue roses.
Technically, she’s supposed to be meeting Optimus here for lunch, but really, the mess is one of the best places to be seen without being really seen. Lots of activity, she gives the appearance of being social, and also keeps her from seeming secretive. The time has crept up on her though, and it’s very possible that Optimus might do the same, engrossed as she is in her writing.
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 8, 2011 21:31:32 GMT -5
Optimus Prime doesn't deliberately sneak up on Elita-1, though he tries to move her chair so all fours legs are firmly on the ground before he catches himself and says hello. "Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Old habit. I got sick of Bumblebee falling over backwards all the time."
And now he is uncomfortably reminded of his age difference with Elita once again! She's actually closer to Bumblebee's age than his own. The Prime makes a wide-eyed face before he can stop that train of thought. He did not need the mental image of Elita-1/Bumblebee. Maybe Sentinel is on to something with the whole short-term memory deletion thing.
"Hi Elita," he says finally, taking a seat across from her.
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Post by Elita-1 on Jun 8, 2011 22:20:58 GMT -5
When Optimus mucks about with her chair, Elita-1 startles and her datapad and stylus go flying in the typical animated juggling act one sees in nearly every cartoon. Bumblebee has probably done it a time or two himself.
This probably does not help Optimus with the age issue at all.
"It's fine!" she almost squeaks as she finally gets a handle on things. Hastily, she saves and closes the file she was working on before dropping the datapad into a subspace pocket. She visibly works to gather her composure, even smoothing a hand over her ponytail-like headpiece.
Finally, she gives Optimus a lopsided smile. "Hi. You startled me a bit. Sorry."
"Oh! I was supposed to grab the drinks before you got here! I got distracted-" Elita jumps up and almost runs over to the dispenser, returning shortly with cubes for them both. She moves her chair over closer to Optimus before she sits.
"So how's things? I know we've all been pretty busy, what with the Guard training and all. We haven't had much off-duty time for... visiting."
Part of Elita wonders if Sentinel does that on purpose.
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 11, 2011 21:08:03 GMT -5
Elita-1's flailing actually does help Optimus with the age issue, in the same way that studying with Sentinel did. It makes him feel like he's a cadet again. Because he hasn't really been friends with Elita-1 and Sentinel since then. He reaches out to take an energon cube gratefully.
"Things have been . . . busy," he agrees. "What with the trial and Guard stuff and normal duty, I haven't really had time for much else."
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Post by Elita-1 on Jun 12, 2011 15:26:18 GMT -5
"Yeah, the trial and all..." Elita-1 shifts uncomfortably in her seat, "You did really well in that, though I'm still a bit surprised that they let you be judge with me as a prosecutor."
She props her elbow on the table and cradles her chin in her hand, "And... I'm still not sure about my part in it. I know I technically did well, and there's some pride in that, but..."
"I'm not so sure how I feel that I was able to effectively argue for what was essentially someone's execution. Or that I am, even now, convinced that what I argued was actually right."
OOC: I know vagueness is kinda needed here because the trial is still going on, but we do know the predetermined outcome, and I do think these two would discuss it at some point.
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 16, 2011 19:22:35 GMT -5
"Thanks," Optimus responds, fidgeting nervously. "Rodimus brought that up when he asked me to be the judge, actually. I assured him I could be impartial. Anyway," he adds with a smile. "It's not like you tried to use your feminine wiles on me."
The Prime reaches across the table for Elita-1's hand, trying to cover it with his own, his expression growing far more serious. "Elita, listen. The whole thing with Hook was a difficult moral decision. Sometimes there is no clear-cut right or wrong answer. We can only try to make the most right choice available to us. Giving Hook a fair trial was the best we could do, and that meant someone had to act as prosecutor. It fell to you and Jazz."
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Post by Elita-1 on Jun 17, 2011 16:44:48 GMT -5
Elita looks down at Optimus's hand holding hers for a minute, then gives the Prime a wan smile. "Yeah, well, I'm not a hundred percent certain that Jazz alone would have handled it the way I did. I was the one who suggested gambling on getting a death sentence."
"Anyway, that and well... some of the sims Sentinel has been running us through have me thinking about things that really- have no place on a lunch date" she finishes with false brightness.
"So, you and Sentinel still getting along outside of the Guard?"
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 18, 2011 13:28:48 GMT -5
"Well, Hook is- I mean, he was an enemy combatant, and our resources are limited. We couldn't keep him locked up forever," the Prime justifies.
He just nods when Elita-1 mentions their training schedule, and the contents thereof. Sentinel Prime is a cruel taskmaster sometimes.
"We're getting along about as well as can be expected. He's still Sentinel, but, er," Optimus looks away from Elita-1, not wanting to mention Archa 7, to remind her of what happened there, what hasn't happened to her (yet?), "he apologized about what happened at Archa 7, and he's been pretty laid-back lately, as compared to how he normally is."
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Post by Elita-1 on Jun 19, 2011 9:06:11 GMT -5
She reaches out and tries to cover Optimus's hand with her other hand, so that it is sandwiched between hers and give it reassuring squeeze.
"It's all right. I'm not going to freak out from talking about that mess. Not anymore, at least."
"Yeah, he seems more... together lately. I think having the Guard to focus on helps him. He also spends a lot of time with that plant lady in the biosphere thing. Guess he finds it calming. I don't know. Getting him to spend non-training time with me is like pulling teeth." Elita is pouting slightly and doesn't even realize it. Sentinel's refusal of her still stings. Badly. And Botanica may be a technorganic Maximal thing, but she's very pretty and very composed and....
"I didn't have to choose. He chose for me. So I guess you... don't have to worry about that, if you ever did."
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 19, 2011 15:29:42 GMT -5
Optimus allows Elita-1 to grab his hand and smiles at the squeeze.
"Well, that makes one of us that won't, then," he says.
"You want me to talk to him? Tell him you miss him?" Or, since these are the Animated Primes we're talking about . . . "Maybe just subtly hint in a roundabout way that you'd like to spend some time with him?"
"Worry about . . .?" Optimus's brow creases. "Oh! Well . . ." He always sort of thought she preferred Sentinel way back when they were cadets, actually. Sentinel was more adventuresome, not so much of a stick in the mud. How times have changed. "We can still all be friends," he says. It's almost a question.
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Post by Elita-1 on Jun 19, 2011 21:29:09 GMT -5
Elita-1 perhaps did rather prefer Sentinel back then, but Optimus was the more stable, more suitable match. They both had qualities which were especially appealing to Elita. If she could have found all those qualities in one person, things would have been much easier.
"Of course we're still friends. If we weren't that, I don't think I could stand it here," she says quickly. Too quickly, perhaps. "But don't bother talking to him about it. He just... still looks at me as a cadet, and he's trained cadets." That should be enough to explain things to Optimus, given what he knows of Sentinel.
Man. She totally fails at this dating thing when it doesn't involve a third person, doesn't she?
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 22, 2011 18:59:12 GMT -5
Elita-1 could date Scourge. Scourge/Blackarachnia/Elita-1 probably fills some weird fetish niche somewhere. Manly black truck on barely legal Autobot and her quantum future self.
"Sentinel has gotten much more . . . professional, since we were all cadets together." This is the polite way of saying he has a stick lodged so far up his tailpipe that he coughs up wood chips sometimes. "You really couldn't stand it if we didn't all get along? I'm glad we're all friends, Elita, but there are other Autobots here. You wouldn't lack for friends, hypothetically."
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Post by Elita-1 on Jun 23, 2011 12:49:08 GMT -5
Ew. No... just no. Yeah. Scourge is certainly a sexy beast of a tanker truck, but... no. Elita/Blackarachnia does not compute.
"Hypothetically," she repeats. Elita doesn't bother pointing out that in the several months she's been a part of this group, she really hasn't made any other friends. Oh sure, she gets along pretty well with Clipper- they're close to the same age and all- but she doesn't have any real friends here.
Except Optimus and Sentinel. And she's come pretty close to fragging both of those friendships up but good.
"They wouldn't be you two though," she finally does say, giving Optimus a wan smile and squeezing his hand again.
"So what's on your schedule after lunch? I've got rock watch. With... Arcee, I think."
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Optimus Prime
Minor
Caution: Hero makes wide right turns.
Posts: 385
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Post by Optimus Prime on Jun 26, 2011 11:14:00 GMT -5
Maybe if Elita-1 didn't forcibly reprogram people, she wouldn't have to worry about ruining her friendships so much? "I'm sure you'd be fine," he answers, smiling softly. "After this? I've got a maintenance detail, actually. Checking the ship for micrometeorite holes and such."
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Post by Elita-1 on Jun 26, 2011 21:53:12 GMT -5
Elita rocks back in her chair as she sips her energon.
"Wanna trade? I hate rock watch. So many people arrive dead or so near to dead they die right before your optics...."
"Which isn't really my issue," she hastily adds, "Though it isn't exactly pleasant to see. I just... I'm not comfortable with what we do with the bodies."
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