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Post by Drift on Dec 19, 2011 20:07:37 GMT -5
"Fisitron's were very accurate." That's what happens when your Wreckers fanboy is a geek, though.
"Site." He catches the strange tension in Perceptor's frame. So much for this just being an easy trip. He squints toward the horizon, following their gazes.
"It's up to you." Drift's just the stabby guy, after all, the one who's not supposed to stab anything. "Would be nice to drive, though." The shuttle drop had been fast enough, but now that he's on a planet's surface, he kind of wants to move.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 20, 2011 9:49:17 GMT -5
Rodimus comes to the conclusion that if they're both leaving the matter of whether Perceptor will ride with Drift up to each other, they are, eventually, going to decide that Perceptor is riding with Drift and that Rodimus's services as a transport is therefore not required.
"All right, then," he says with exaggerated cheerfulness. "I'll see you there!"
He starts rolling, though for the moment he's not going to get so far ahead that Drift can't easily follow, not that he's too worried, since he's pretty sure Perceptor knows the way.
(Famous last thoughts?)
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Post by Perceptor on Dec 20, 2011 19:58:23 GMT -5
Rodimus is correct; Perceptor will ride with Drift, given the opportunity. He nods, smiling at Drift and gestures toward the open space before Drift, waiting for the white Autobot to transform.
"Agreed. Well, in a matter of speaking," he replies. "As my alternate mode lacks the appropriate specifications to maintain a comparable speed with either yourself or Rodimus, I cannot truly offer forth a valid opinion on that, however, I would appreciate being allowed to ride with you in my mass-shifted form as opposed to trailing behind at my ambulatory pace."
Given that he's pretty certain that Drift would walk if Perceptor were forced to walk? Even if he hadn't wanted to get this part over with quickly, he'd have requested transportation, just to give Drift the chance to open it up and relax, rather than stump along on foot.
Once Drift has transformed, Perceptor does likewise, angling his tumble to plop him with uncanny grace and accuracy onto Drift's passenger seat in his human-sized-microscope form. He rattles off the appropriate speed limit, slyly adding, "however, I do not believe that there are any human authorities in this area to become vexed if one would wish to... bend that regulation, somewhat."
ooc: posing of Drift done with permission.
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Post by Drift on Dec 20, 2011 20:24:02 GMT -5
Drift stifled some disappointment: he kind of wanted to see Perceptor's tank mode rolling up the roads. He was curious to see of the mode reminded him of Turmoil.
Except, you know, without all the mutual hatred and such.
So it takes him a klik to realize Perceptor was waiting for him, sheepishly popping open a door. And Drift is all about Ludicrously Reckless Driving, but well, not with a passenger, and not when it's likely to ram his front end up the mission commander's rear bumper.
He is trying to reform his reputation, after all.
So he only races...juuuuuust enough to catch up to ride in Rodimus's wake.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 21, 2011 21:52:10 GMT -5
And Rodimus... has a lot of wake. At his size? He's fulla wake! He is, in fact, wakefull.
Once he realizes that Drift has caught up with him, he starts pushing the gas a little, pushing forward here, breaking there... playful, and slightly taunting, almost as if he's daring Drift to a race.
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Post by Perceptor on Dec 23, 2011 21:36:51 GMT -5
Sorry, Drift. There's really not much to see, though. Just a flat red tank rumbling very slowly down the road. Later, when there's no one else around and better terrain and Drift has had a chance to spin his wheels and unwind a little, Perceptor will show off his treads.
For now, he's content to bounce happily along in Drift's passenger seat, taking vicarious pleasure in the speed that Drift manages in his alternate form. He is, perhaps, even a little envious.
He would grin, though, if he could as a microscope, as he begins to make sense of the odd fluctuations of speed, trajectory, and momentum that Rodimus has begun to employ once they have caught up. Instead of smiling, he merely rattles off the coordinates for their destination, and a few directions.
You know, in case Drift might want to stop following.
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Post by Drift on Dec 23, 2011 21:53:00 GMT -5
Sorry, yourself, Perceptor. Groundframes are always curious (and a little competitive) about others' alt modes.
Competitive case in point: Drift rides up behind Rodimus. It was something he rarely got to feel--during the war, or even before the war, in the gutters, he almost never got an open road ...and no one shooting at him.
It felt...good. Good to feel the strange rubber of his new mode's tires gripping into the surface, feel the wind of his own speed slicing up his hood, his windscreen.
And good to know where they were going. His engine gave a pleased little rev as Perceptor recited the coordinates.
Rodimus? Prepare to be passed. on the right
(Drift is such a lawbreaker!)
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 24, 2011 13:27:41 GMT -5
Oh, no, not the right! Not the right!
Rodimus is pretty damned fast for his size (and, weirdly, faster than Hot Rod was), though most of the sports and race car Transformers still have the edge on him in speed. His advantage is that, despite his size, he's more maneuverable than most, which makes a race against someone's whose specialty is a racing style that maintains speed during turns by sacrificing control interesting.
Rodimus moves to cut Drift off, though he's hampered, in truth, by the awareness that if they collide, he'll probably do a lot more damage to Drift than Drift would do to him. This makes him more hesitant than he would be otherwise, and no doubt gives his opponent an opportunity to pull past!
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Post by Perceptor on Dec 24, 2011 22:45:55 GMT -5
Yes, the right! The right!
Perceptor's excited bouncing has absolutely nothing to do with either the condition of the road or Drift's driving. Rather, it is entirely due to Drift's driving, but not because of any reckless maneuvering, but because of Perceptor's gleeful enjoyment of the impromptu race.
"Pardon me, Rodimus Prime," Perceptor inquires verbally and across a short distance broadband, "however, could you perhaps offer us directions for 'backwards'?" It isn't quite a giggle, but there is definitely a smile in his voice.
"Ah, thank you for your courteous assistance!"
Smack-talk, nerd style.
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Post by Drift on Dec 26, 2011 17:03:31 GMT -5
Drift would pass during an intersection, too, but there are none around, alas.
Rodimus should have some faith in Crystal City armorers. And his own driving. But not, actually, Drift's sense of self-preservation. He, uh, he doesn't have that.
But he does have a bouncy microscope in his front seat and so he's actually a bit more careful now than he otherwise might be.
As Rodimus moves over, Drift slams on his brakes, letting the fishtail swing his tail to the right before flooring his acceleration, hoping to swoop around behind and to the left, spraying gravel and leaving long black scores of rubber on the sunbaked road.
Oh. Right. Microscope. Uh. "Hang...on to something?" Somehow?
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 26, 2011 18:52:47 GMT -5
"Hey, Perceptor, I would say that you're all talk and no walk," Rodimus answers cheerfully, "but considering you're just riding anyway..." In other words, speed smack talk doesn't mean much coming from a backseat driver.
A move like Drift's takes up a fair bit of the road. Rodimus decides to give him less road to work with by slamming into his own breaks, swinging his aft end to the left before surging forward, making a second attempt to cut Drift off, though hopefully in a way that'll let him catch up quickly should the race car get past him.
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Post by Perceptor on Dec 27, 2011 22:02:41 GMT -5
"Those that can, do," Perceptor remarks cheerfully. "Those that cannot, heckle."
He's the first one to admit that he could not race his way out of a moisture saturated celluloid material transport receptacle. That will not prevent him from having fun now, though.
"Do not worry about me, Drift," he tries to reassure the white mech. "As long as you remain upright upon your wheels, I am sturdy enough to survive your maneuvering. Not that I am flinging a challenge for you to prove me wrong, that is. I shall leave the challenge flinging to Rodimus."
His EM field flares with his enjoyment, flickering against the seat and door which he is braced against. Hopefully that won't distract Drift from the race. This is just so exhilaratingly enjoyable, though!
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Post by Drift on Dec 27, 2011 22:16:01 GMT -5
"You two can fling challenges," Drift mutters. He prefers to fling, you know, himself, the king of irresponsible driving.
He hopes Perceptor's not lying about his sturdiness. He'll prepare an apology, anyway, just in case, setting it to autoplay in the highly likely event that they do, at some point on their stay on Earth, end up upside-down.
He has to cut his wheel hard to the right to avoid Rodimus's....rather, uh, stately rear bumper. His tires screech in protest, as he races his engine, coming up hard to the right.
Perhaps it is time to dip his toe plate into the dangerous waters of smack talk himself.
"Typical Autobot," he says, racing up beside Rodimus, engine straining to gain a lead, "Leading from behind."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Dec 27, 2011 23:13:11 GMT -5
Rodimus does seem to be falling behind at the moment. However, he doesn't seem too bothered by this.
"Maybe I just prefer the view from back here," he says entirely too innocently.
Is Rodimus... flirting?
Well, yes, it's not unheard of, but he's probably mostly just hoping to distract Drift from the upcoming twist in the road.
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Post by Perceptor on Dec 28, 2011 21:44:16 GMT -5
If this were Holi, rather than Perceptor, there might suddenly manifest within Drift's passenger compartment a lowering little black cloud that would encircle the little Microscope that is suddenly not quite as bouncy as just a few moments ago. Fortunately, this is Perceptor, and he doesn't quite telegraph his possessive ire quite so obviously.
He does, however, mutter, "Optics on the road, Prime." Softly, but still muttered.
Sulky nerd is sulky.
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