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Post by Kup on Dec 19, 2010 18:29:54 GMT -5
"Yeah, that's about the size of it," Kup answers, inclining his head in a brief nod. Then he shakes his head. "I know this sort of thing ain't easy. Never is. But... there's no undoing what's done. All that's left is offering to make things right." And hoping like the pit that if Sentinel can't get back home, someone else can figure out the situation with 'Longarm Prime.'
"I'll make sure to note the new 'Con arrival in the database, but is there anyone in particular you can think of who needs to be warned about this guy?"
Kup pretends not to notice Sentinel's wince, since it's pretty obvious that Sentinel doesn't want it noticed.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 19, 2010 19:22:38 GMT -5
"I was going to put a profile on him in the database as soon as I had some free time, sir," Sentinel Prime assures, by which he means that he'll do it when he should be defragmenting.
He gives Kup's question some thought, answering immediately, "Bumblebee. Uh, my Bumblebee. If he ever showed up."
Sentinel Prime does another throw and catch, still thinking. "I dunno. He got along with Ironhide when he was back in boot." Yes, Kup, boggle that Sentinel Prime trained Ironhide, the only student out of that batch to turn out well.
"He might get jealous of the Twins? Wasp wanted to be Elite Guard. They got what he always wanted." He throws, and he takes the wing clean off the target. Perhaps he's feeling just a bit overprotective?
Sentinel Prime sighs and says quickly, "I'll fix that!" He paces over to a supply closet to get what he needs to put the wing back on the target.
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Post by Kup on Dec 19, 2010 19:58:37 GMT -5
"Iron... hide?" Kup asks, then snorts, muttering, "Okay, that's funny."
Just wait until he finds out that Red Alert is a girl.
He watches as Sentinel takes the wing off the jet and smiles faintly. "Not bad," he observes. "But all right. Will keep the rest in mind, but for the time being, unfortunately, sounds like you're probably his main target right now."
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 19, 2010 20:24:40 GMT -5
"Ironhide! Came from a rural prefecture of Cybertron. Heard he's working as a security officer for Rodimus's Team Athenia now," Sentinel Prime says absently. "Why's that funny?"
He paces over to the target, tools in hand, and gets behind it to rivet the wing back on. It's not like he wasted his life in the maintenance brigade, but he did used to be a drill sergeant, and guess who had to wake up at o'dark-hundred to make sure everything was set up for when the cadets woke up at the axle-crack of dawn? So the wing is back on, and people can shoot at the target some more now.
At Kup's 'not bad', Sentinel Prime says awkwardly, "Uh. Thanks, sir. Anyway, I can handle Waspinator if he turns on me."
No, not at all.
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Post by Kup on Dec 19, 2010 20:56:24 GMT -5
"In my reality, Ironhide was an ornery old cuss. Emphasis on both ornery and old," Kup explains, smirking. He shifts his weight to his left leg as he talks, absently resting that hand near his waist. "Not... as old as me, mind, but he was definitely one of the elders among the 'Bots."
Was. Kup keeps using past tense to describe him.
"But about Waspinator... if you can handle him, great, but don't let your pride deprive us of a troop, got it? If you need help, ask."
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 19, 2010 21:21:17 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime gives Kup a troubled look over the use of 'was'. He hasn't fully processed the implications, and he doesn't want to, because if he thinks about Kup's Ironhide being dead, he's going to think about his own Ironhide dead, and thinking about one of his old students being dead would be...
He leans against the target for a moment, blanking his thoughts to keep focused on the task at hand.
Thankfully, Kup distracts him by insulting Sentinel Prime's vainglory. He narrows his optics and mutters, "Because that went so well last time."
He slings the shield over at a vaguely bipedal-shaped target.
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Post by Kup on Dec 19, 2010 21:49:18 GMT -5
Kup snaps his gaze towards Sentinel, puzzled frown firmly in place. "Eh? What d'you mean?" he asks. "What last time?"
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 19, 2010 22:04:15 GMT -5
"Ultra Magnus turned me down," Sentinel Prime says flatly, catching the shield and hurling it at the bipedal target again. Why is he so disappointed? What does it matter, anyway? Loser.
He muses aloud, "I guess I'll ask Arcee next. She's good at vehicular combat," and driving's a weak spot of his, "Jazz is more of a ranged specialist, and I don't think I'm ready to study firearms yet."
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Post by Kup on Dec 19, 2010 22:42:08 GMT -5
"What?!" demands Kup, shocked. "He did? Seriously?" The veteran shakes his head slightly, lifting a hand to his forehead.
"Gotta keep reminding myself that lookin' like one I know and soundin' like one I know ain't the same as being like the one I know," he mutters. This is one of the hardest parts for him in his reality. Kup tends to get very mired in the idea of things happening like they've always happened. He's not much of a creative thinker - not anymore, anyway - he just has a wide enough base of experience that he can sometimes fake it. But people he knows well not being people he knows well continues to throw him off, especially when they're so similar in so many ways.
He frowns and considers. "I could do some training. I don't know any fancy 'martial arts' or anything... I usually just deal with my opponents with punching or rippin' 'em apart... but I've got some familiarity with a few different combat styles." This would be 'non-specific styles that amount to a Seasoned level in Melee', of course.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 19, 2010 23:29:40 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime notes Kup's surprise as he catches his shield. He reports dutifully, "He told me to, 'pull my processors out of my tailpipe.' Oh, and that he couldn't tell me anything you couldn't."
He is really a horrid little gossip sometimes. So, Kup had the nice Ultra Magnus?
Sentinel Prime says slowly, "I know you're busy with more important things, but if you're seriously offering, sir, I think I'd have to take you up. My Ultra Magnus trained with whoever he could - ninjas, aliens - I can't really do any less if I want to be like him, can I?"
"Think I'd have a chance if I applied to the Wreckers?"
Sentinel Prime doesn't think he would, for a lot of reasons. For one thing, there's that whole issue of not being so good about tackling Decepticons on his own. For another, there's that he can't join the Gunbunny Association when he wouldn't know what to do with a gun if he was handed one - he just said so. There's the fact that he's stuck in Punishment Hell for the rest of his life here, as far as he can tell - and Springer handed down the sentence. That Ultra Magnus seems to hate his hydraulics.
Clipper would have a better chance of joining the Wreckers, as far as Sentinel Prime can tell. She can aim a gun. She hasn't pissed off Ultra Magnus and Springer, as far as he can tell.
But he remembers talking to Rodimus Prime about the Wreckers, seems like ages ago. Rodimus Prime said he was sure they'd find something for Sentinel Prime, but here he is, and he's worse than a nobody. He wants to be something special again so badly it hurts.
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Post by Kup on Dec 20, 2010 10:35:53 GMT -5
Kup scowls at Sentinel's question. As it so happens, he's from what appears to be the only reality to have a Springer but no Wreckers, so he doesn't get what the slagging deal is, beyond another way to divide the Autobots against themselves, something a small, piecemeal operation like theirs hardly needs. Perhaps it could be useful to get those who aren't used to working with teams practice in doing just that on a smaller scale than being with the Autobots as a whole, but that's not Sentinel Prime's problem. If anything, Sentinel's problem is from the opposite end. "I wouldn't know much about that," he says sourly. "Can't really say anyone ran the qualifications for what fit and what don't by me." He shrugs. "I know you don't care much for 'em, but you might want to learn to use a gun first. That's about all the advice I can give."
The whole guns business is another thing Kup doesn't really get. Tools, not weapons? A tool is an instrument used for manual labor, a weapon is an instrument used to attack or defend. The moment you stop using an instrument for manual labor and start using it to attack or defend, it becomes a weapons. The idea that using instruments meant for labor to attack or defend puts someone on higher moral ground than using instruments meant for that purpose to do the same thing is completely mind boggling to Kup. At least a gun is more honest.
"And yeah, I'm seriously offering. I wouldn't have said it if I weren't," he snaps, vaguely annoyed at the implication that he'd even make an offer he doesn't intend to follow through on.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 20, 2010 17:07:31 GMT -5
Throw and catch, throw and catch, throw, ricochet, and catch. Is that a... sour note Sentinel Prime is detecting from Kup, with regards to Springer's darlings? Maybe Sentinel Prime should rethink that whole idea, but at this point, Sentinel Prime is desperate enough that if Dinobot started a Shakespeare Club, Sentinel Prime'd read Juliette's part.
He says absently, "I will, sir. Just in case." Sentinel Prime said he wasn't ready to ask Jazz about firearms yet, not that he'd never do it.
Sentinel Prime holds up his shield defensively when Kup snaps at him, and he tries to mollify the geezer with, "I'm just used to having the floor plating pulled out from under me, okay? So, what do I owe you?"
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Post by Kup on Dec 20, 2010 21:02:10 GMT -5
"Owe me?" Kup asks, surprised. "It's my job to make sure you lugs are properly trained up! If the others won't help there..." he shrugs. "Well, first off, I'm gonna have to go figure out what the blazes their malfunction is, but it also means I'll have to step in myself. Don't think this is going to be any weekend picnic."
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 20, 2010 22:09:00 GMT -5
Everyone owes someone. There is no such thing as a free cube.
Sentinel Prime actually gives Kup a wicked grin and says firmly, "I wouldn't have it any other way, sir."
Kick his skidplate and break his back - Sentinel Prime's not going to shy away from it this time. He's not going to look for the easy, lazy way out. He wants to learn. He needs to learn. Sentinel Prime has enemies here, and more than that, he has people he needs to protect. He's had enough with failing.
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Post by Kup on Dec 20, 2010 23:14:57 GMT -5
Kup grins back.
It's not a nice grin.
He strides towards Sentinel and makes a grab for his shield, grasping it by the sharp edge and ignoring as it cuts into the thick armor of his hand before he tosses it aside. With that same hand he reaches out and grabs up Sentinel by the chest, lifting the other Autobot off his feet so he can smile up at him.
It's still not a very pleasant smile.
"Good, because we're getting started right now."
Kup drops Sentinel, and training begins.
OOC: Scene end. Manhandling of Sentinel with permission.
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