Metal Dinosaurs and Motorcycles

[Dinobot]

Day 21, Event Horizon private quarters, open to Team Good

Dinobot is in his quarters, practicing basic forms with his sword. No reason to take up space in the holo-room for such a simple exercise. He's decorated his corner of the room to fit his tastes. There's a neat little shelf full of paperback Shakespeare books (He had them custom-printed from his datatrax on Pz-Zazz), a rack of three spare swords, and a group picture of the Maximals that got stranded on prehistoric Earth, (circa early Season 2). Rattrap is making a face at the camera and Dinobot is snarling and reaching for him. Rhinox is looking annoyed. It's one of those kinds of pictures. Sadly, he didn't manage to bring his clone's skin with him to this universe, or he'd have it hanging on the wall.

The raptor shifts smoothly through his stances, a look of intense concentration on his face.

[Grimlock]

Grimlock wanders into his room in robot mode - he still looks kinda crappy from his and 3cee's clash with that skinwalker, but he's about three-fourths of the way recovered. He's carrying a wooden box loaded up with bits of metal he's acquired from various sources around the ship. He would've gotten better faster, but the lack of resources after rebuilding Omega Supreme has made extra material scarce!

The box is placed on Grimlock's berth, and then he transforms, sticking his snout in the box and nomming away at one hunk, looking back at Dinobot. "What Dinobot-That-Not-A-Dinobot doing?"

[Arcee (RotF)]

Elita-1 rolls in after the Dinobot--but not Dinobot, who is already in their room--with a box of her own metal scraps. Hands full, she instead nods and smiles at the warrior, greeting him a "Heya, Dinobot" before leaving the box at the foot of Grimlock's berth and heading for her own.

"There you go, Grimlock. Hope it's enough." If it wasn't, she might have to go to the planet surface and she what she could find there. It's the least she could do. Elita-1 feels responsible enough for what happened to both Mirage and Grimlock without having added to the mess by shooting the latter inadvertently, and wants to make up for it.

[Dinobot]

Dinobot blinks his optics when Grimlock and Elita-1 enter, and Grimlock starts doing his Insecticon impression.

"I am simply practicing my basic forms," he replies. "What are you doing?" The Predacon-turned-Maximal looks at Grimlock with interest. They've exchanged a few pleasantries over the past while, being roommates, but they've never really talked.

[Grimlock]

Grimlock gulps down the hunk of metal he was nomming on, then noses around in the box for another.

"Me Grimlock munch metal. Her Elita-1 help me Grimlock find metal. Me eat metal so me Grimlock get fixed by own systems and not bother Perceptor when him doing more important things."

[Arcee (RotF)]

Elita-1 tilts her head to the side for a moment in casual evaluation before shrugging, "That's about the long and short of it." she turns to back Grimlock. "I didn't know you could do that. Though," she considers "I don't know you very well, so I suppose I wouldn't know anyway." Arcee is reminded of many ancient--and not so ancient--warrior cultures that devoured their fallen enemies with the objective of adding their strength to their own (sometimes with observable results). Though Grimlock is snacking on scraps, not Decepticons.

[Dinobot]

So Grimlock has some sort of speech impediment. That's fine. He can have a speech impediment and still be a tactical mastermind. Probably best not to mention it. "You wish to remain independent of the medical staff. A worthy goal," Dinobot says, stowing his sword on the rack.

Dinobot has devoured at least one of his fallen enemies. Said enemy was both handsome and tasty.

[Grimlock]

Grimlock turns to look over at Elita-1. "Me Grimlock not always do it. Perceptor put it in after me get rebuilt on Gillanan III after we have fight with fake evil Autobots and me Grimlock have bad luck fighting fake Rodimus."

Grimlock swallows the chewed up bits of metal. "More like medical staff want me Grimlock to not show up so much. Me not mind, though - me not get nagged so much this way."

[Arcee (RotF)]

"Interesting. Hrmm," she pauses for a moment. She's read the database, and while she doesn't like the idea of their being an evil version of herself out there--a thought no doubt shared by many--she can't help but wonder what they'd be like.

She shakes her head to clear herself of her thoughts and continues, "But maybe you should still pop by Medical to make sure everything's in working order." Elita-1 can certainly understand at least a couple of reasons for wanting to keep Grimlock out of the lab, even if they weren't the intended ones (or were they?), but it's still better to be safe than sorry.

Elita-1 takes note of Dinobot putting his blade away and asks, "By the way, Dinobot, how could are you with your sword?"

[Dinobot]

"Fake evil Autobots? Clearly, I've much to catch up on. Are you frequently injured in battle?" Dinobot asks as he watches Grimlock eat.

Turning to Elita-1, he responds, "I am skilled in the warrior's arts, especially with a blade. Why do you ask?"

[Grimlock]

Grimlock shrugs at Elita-1. "Long as me Grimlock can fight and move, me good."

The big dinobot sticks his head in the bucket again, getting a bigger mouthful of metal this time, chompin' away. His answer to Dinobot is muffled from both the bucket and his lack of manners - "Me didn't get injured much back home. Apparently Decepticons stronger here or something."

Or Grimlock has a tendency to bite off more than he can chew, but it's not like he'll ever admit it.

[Arcee (RotF)]

“I know my way around a sword, but it never hurts to get more instruction and practice in, if you’re not busy sometime?” she smiles at Dinobot. Anything to get more training in.

Elita-1 cranes her head to make something of a face at Grimlock, before relenting with a sigh. She can’t make the big dinosaur do it if he doesn’t want to. “Alright, Grimlock, if you’re sure.”

“Grimlock, it’s kind of--oh, nevermind.” Elita-1 winces, then decides to quit while she’s ahead. Somehow, she thinks that trying to teach Grimlock basic etiquette would be a bit of a bust.

“...except it wasn’t a Decepticon, this time.” If she never sees one of those replicants again, it’ll be too soon. She managed to get away pretty much unscathed. Physically, anyway. Her pride’s still recovering from that one.

[Dinobot]

Dinobot nods at Grimlock, raising a clenched fist. "I agree! As long as you're still able to meet the enemy in battle, superficial wounds can be ignored."

"I would be honored to spar with you, Elita-1," he says, ignoring Grimlock talking with his mouth full. He still has better table manners than Rattrap. "You were attacked by a native?"

[Grimlock]

At the mention of the skinwalker, Grimlock's head is yanked out of the bucket. "Nnng...me Grimlock could have beat him if Mirage not draw him off! Me Grimlock have half-mind to smack Mirage in him stupid face over that!"

Yes, he's still sore over that.

[Arcee (RotF)]

“That’s great, Dinobot. Thank you.” Elita-1 says gratefully, always eager to learn. Offhand, she’s wondering how sparring with Dinobot’ll be different from her sessions with Sideswipe, but she won’t know until they happen.

“I’m still not sure who or what, underneath. It could shapeshift,” The bastard took her form! “but it was more than just an illusion; it gained the weapons and abilities of whomever it changed into.” She’s been wondering how that worked. It seems very similar to her universe’s trans-scanning ability, but without the limitations she was familiar with, as well as expanded copying capabilities. At the same time, she saw the body within the body when the disguise distorted like a bad holo. The changes weren’t permanent. Was it some kind of hard light technology? She can’t help but think about it.

She’s still thinking about it on some level, even as she answers the Dinobot with an understanding sigh. “I know, Grimlock, but cut him some slack. Besides, a smack from you might be a megaton punch to somebody else.” Beat. “And that’s bad.” Just in case he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with that.