New Places, Different Faces

[Oracle]

There are various important things going on all around apparently, but from her position sprawled on a nearby roof, Oracle listens to Nightbeat, Grimlock and Slag take part in what seems to her to be fairly silly bickering. Then Rodimus arrives and she finds out why exactly Nightbeat is cleaning up after the party in the first place, though she supposed using the party clean up as punishment for Nightbeat's overcharged antics the night before makes sense in retrospect. Listening to them provides nice background sound, but by the time the conversation drifts around to time travel, she finds she isn't able to aimlessly listen anymore. Since for her this defeats the purpose of being lazy in the sun, with a quiet sound of resignation she rolls over and gets to her feet.

With a last glance at the other roof, and a short wave for any there that look over, she steps off her own roof and glides down to the ground using her thrusters. She thought it was about time she got a better look at more of the area they were based in and actually got to meet a few of the other Autobots. The party last night was a good start, but if she was going to be working with these people in the future it was probably a good idea to introduce herself around a bit more. With that in mind, she set out to see if she could find someone not occupied with something important, and not incidentally get to know the layout of the base a bit better.

---

OOC: Open thread, feel free to post in, also permission for eavesdropping obtained from all players in other thread.

[Rattrap]

In her ambling about base, Oracle just might happen to hear an intermittent tapping noise in the general vicinity of the first floor storage. If she decides to hike up her wings and investigate further, she'll probably catch the sound of someone with a thick Brooklynese accent muttering to himself in between rounds of a now distinctly metallic tap-tap-tap. But before she can weave her way through the stacks of crates and piles of salvaged sheet metal and other odds and ends collected down here over the course of the Autobots' habitation – before she can do much more than peek her pretty little head into the room, in fact – there's a clang and a clatter accompanied by a quick spate of cursing.

Yup, there's only one rat around here with this sort of charm, and out from between two high walls of crates he comes at a slow trudge, scowling and rubbing the back of his head. Rattrap stops quickly, though. Looks like he's got an audience.

Gone is the frustration, replaced with a lopsided smirk of sorts. Not exactly a friendly expression, but a social one. Oracle kinda puts him on his toes ever since he read the entry on Seekers; she isn't Dinobot – thank Primus for that, because Dinobot is the one body aboard the Axalon Rattrap doesn't miss and if he shows up here, Rattrap may just have to scream, and preferably at him – but she's the closest thing this wacky place has going for it as far as the spy is concerned.

"Yo," comes his customary greeting with a slight wave of one hand, the other resting on his hip.

[Oracle]

Oracle does in fact decide to investigate the tapping noises. If it turns out to be nothing interesting she can always wander off again, but since tapping sounds often have a body behind them she decides to find out who or what is making the noise. As soon as she gets close enough for the voice to accompany the tapping she becomes even more intrigued, because that doesn't sound like any voice she's been introduced to so far. Not to say she would have simply left if it had been, but part of the point of this excursion was meeting new people after all.

Making a mental note of the various cursing coming from within for posterity as she peeks into the room, it takes her a moment to place directionality with presence and look down at Rattrap as he comes out from between the rows of crates. All the different sizes of people around here took a little getting used to, that was for sure.

If she wasn't aware she was something of an aberration, Oracle might be bothered by Rattrap's train of thought, but having read Kup's database entry on Seekers herself, she would probably see where he was coming from. She would be happy to inform Rattrap of his poor assumption, but it would mostly amuse her.

"Hey there. If you don't mind the asking, what are you up to in here? I'm Oracle by the way, since we haven't been introduced before." Not the most graceful way to start a conversation, but introducing herself seemed to be a good beginning at least.

[Rattrap]

Rattrap's heard worse conversation starters over the years. He's used some of them, too; one more isn't gonna kill him. Now, Oracle nosing about his business won't kill him either, but it will get his hackles up just a bit. Suspicious is just how Rattrap is and a select few folks in his lifetime have decided not to take it personally. Even fewer get the distinction of not being constantly second-guessed. She isn't one of them.

"Little o' this, little o' that," Rattrap answers casually, shrugging. "Keepin' busy. And the name's Rattrap." At some point, this is going to become obvious. Rodent backpack, people.

[Synapse]

Looks like Synapse will join the list of people nosing around in Rattrap's business. He doesn't mean to of course, the minibot's only on his way out to make a circle around the city again. But pressing oneself against a nearby shadow at the sound of people nearby and then not leaving might start to count as eavesdropping if he doesn't leave soon.

The scout doesn't budge though. What if they see his movement? What if they already noticed him? Does he say anything? Synapse takes the easy way out and just stays frozen silent and still. He'll be a good scout and subordinate and not speak unless spoken to for now, hopefully out of sight and out of mind.

[Oracle]

Oracle hadn't been intentionally nosing around in Rattrap's business really, she was just curious about what he happened to be occupying himself with that prompted such interesting curses. She isn't socially unaware enough to miss his noncommittally vague answer though, and she can even take a hint, though it does leave her a bit cold since she was just trying to be friendly. On the other hand she can certainly understand suspicion so she doesn't let it bother her too terribly much.

"I suppose keeping busy is better then the trouble boredom usually inspires." She knows some of her more idiotic ideas have been inspired by it anyway. "Your reality is the one that seems to be the future of possibly one of the other realities, right? Though I suppose for you it would be past rather then future." She thinks that's what she saw in the database entry Airazor added anyway.

She doesn't notice Synapse, though if she knew he was there she would invite him to join them. She's observant, but not that observant.

[Rattrap]

Have you seen the things spacers and miners get up to when there's no mining or exploring to be done? Rattrap has. As a matter of fact, he was one of those bored miners and he learned a few handy things through the many long, dull tours. He'd never have guessed he was so flexible before that time the ship got stranded in orbit, for one. Or that he could go that long without air.

"…Trouble's one way o' puttin' it," he drawls, grinning a crooked grin that isn't quite directed at Oracle. "And how 'bout you? What kinda mayhem are you up to dis fine an' dandy day?" That brief flicker of blue-green at the edge of his vision as a certain flighty scout ducks for cover goes noticed but otherwise carefully unacknowledged; if Synapse wants to play the sneaky game, that's fine by Rattrap. No skin off his back (thankfully, because that sort of thing stings).

[Synapse]

There's a silent sag of relief when his presence seems to go unnoticed. Synapse spends a few moments listening to their words, but one look out the base entrance has the scout thinking of the wide open sky. This little spacer plans on flying soon. If there's no exploring to be done, he'll make some of his own

All he has to do is walk out of the entrance, but that requires passing by the two that he's so automatically hidden himself from. What in the world would it look like if he just appeared in the middle of their conversation? Would they mind? Nervously, Synapse pads out of the shadows and towards the door, offering a polite and apologetic nod as he nears Oracle and Rattrap.

[Oracle]

The kind of trouble Oracle had been thinking of was apparently not the same kind of trouble Rattrap was remembering, and the expression on his face got him a slightly odd look for a moment before she made the connection. At which point Oracle was absently glad she wasn't capable of blushing like humans did, or she suspected she would be a nice glowing pink.

"I uh, haven't exactly been up to any mayhem really." Thankfully she realized her voice was steady, to spite the slight stutter when she began. "Just looking around the base and trying to get a better feel for the layout. Well that and looking to acquaint myself better with the other people I hadn't already met. Knowing what names go with which faces is pretty important after all."

This time, as Synapse approaches, she spots the minibot and gives him a wave and a small grin. "Hi, don't think we've met. I'm Oracle, and you are?" She was unaware he had probably been lurking long enough to overhear her last introduction, though she might have introduced herself again even if she had known.

[Rattrap]

Trouble? Well, yeah, taking on a dare to fix some fried power relays in a crawlspace just below the deck while hanging upside down and bending over backwards was decently troublesome. He only had to go without air because that deck lost atmo in the middle of the job thanks to the widget-brained engineers screwing around with the ship's power allocation. Just what was Oracle thinking?

"Yeah," Rattrap agrees on the matter of faces and names to go with them. "So just wanderin' around 'til ya run inta people, got it." At least it's a tried and true method. Even if you don't meet anyone on your own, someone's bound to spot you and ask what you're up to.

…Oh, wait.

"Don't suppose you've, eh… run inta anybody else yet?" wonders the spy. No, he isn't asking about Botanica. Directly. Synapse gets a jaunty wave tossed his way with a "Heya, Spooky," for flavour. "If yer headin' out fer recon, try not t' get scrapped, awright?"

[Synapse]

Synapse freezes in mid-step as Oracle addresses him. Years of associating seekers with getting shot at means her attention on him trips a few defensive protocols--mainly freezing. He firmly reminds himself that this Oracle is an Autobot and that's Rattrap right next to her as he wills himself to turn before offering a slightly embarrassed bow. Embarrassed at his initial reaction, embarrassed at his interrupting, flustered with the unexpected attention, any one of those reasons fits the bill.

"My designation is Synapse," another slight bob before Synapse continues, his voice soft and slightly unsure. "It is a pleasure."

Rattrap's greeting brings a couple of blinks, but 'Spooky' beats 'Jitters' or 'Pipsqueak' any day...not that the latter name would not do much good for the second in command. Not that any of these thoughts are ever going to be exiting Synapse's vocalizer. All that comes out is a simple and practiced "Yes, sir."

[Oracle]

Apparently she was thinking entirely the wrong thing, or at least she had been since she was currently rather focused on her inquisitive study of the minibot as she tried to figure out how Rattrap's comment of Spooky could apply. He didn't seem spooky to her after all...

She still manages an absent nod and reply to Rattrap's comment though. "That's pretty much the idea. Even if I hadn't run into anyone it would have been time well used in preparations for myself." Always good to know where the blind corners and dead ends were after all.

"You're two are the first I've seen other then the crew out cleaning up after the party last night. Well, Nightbeat is cleaning, Grimlock and someone I suspect is probably Slag were watching, then Prime joined them. No one but you two since then, but I haven't exactly been looking long." No she hasn't seen Botanica, honestly she'd have to guess at who Rattrap was talking about even if she had seen her, unless she'd gotten an introduction.

Watching Synapse does give her a clue to why Rattrap addressed him the way he did, not spooky like eerie, spooky like jittery. The nickname suddenly makes a lot more sense. "Pleased to meet you too Synapse, you're welcome to stay and talk if you like, though I can understand the call of the skies." Well that and he didn't look all that comfortable with her, but she couldn't say she blamed him if he was just used to Seekers shooting at him like most Autobots were.

[Rattrap]

Okay, so no 20 on Botanica. This is both good and bad; Rattrap doesn't need future plant lady just popping up on him any old where and when and not knowing where she is makes that trickier to avoid, but she's also probably not nearby if Oracle hasn't seen her. Eh, he's has worse to go on before.

"I was wonderin' what they'd end up givin' Nightbeat fer dat show o' his," he mutters. Oh, sure, he probably should've stepped in at some point. Nightbeat's supposed to be one of his subordinates, right? Yeah, right. But Rattrap probably wasn't a whole lot better off at the party than the detective after his own go at the high grade; he just knows better. And yeah, as usual, he knows from experience.

It probably helps that he makes no claims on Botanica. Doesn't want to, either. Oh, sure, he likes 'em tall and exotic and boy does she fit the bill… big eyes, long, er, vines, and that purr of a voice – gah! Focus, Rattrap! He doesn't bother not smacking one hand against his forehead; he isn't that desperate (yet) and she's stretching the bar just a bit. Rattrap shakes his head good and hard in the hopes it'll rattle out the thoughts he doesn't need to be having, then waves at Synapse again. It's a dismissal of the "go on, do what you like" variety, not to be mistaken for a brush-off or a shooing. Rattrap's already said his piece about the scouting.

[Synapse]

Other than Grimlock taking a tumble over the roof and all the speeches that came before and after, Synapse doesn't remember much else from the party. "I am afraid I...retired," passed out, "from the event rather early." If the scout is thankful for anything at the moment, it's the fact that he rebooted in his own, if slightly unused, berth instead of strung from a ceiling somewhere.

"Ah, what sort of 'show' has Nightbeat performed that warranted clean-up duties?"

Oracle shouldn't take too much offense at Synapse's nervousness around her. He's like that around most anyone anyways.

There's a pop-hiss and a pop-hiss as his two nodes drop out of their mounts and make a brief, scanning circle around Oracle and Rattrap before setting a bee-line course for the outside. Rattrap's shake and dismissive wave has Synapse relaxing into a more at ease position. Though, the violent shake has the minibot puzzling. "Are you feeling alright, sir?"

He'll politely hear the answers to his questions and murmur his replies before setting out then.

[Oracle]

Oracle grinned slightly at Synapse's dissembling way of mentioning his little rendezvous with the floor at the party. She hadn't actually seen him pass out, but she had noticed Kup carrying him off. "Nightbeat got just a slight bit overcharged and apparently decided that decking Xaaron sounded like a good idea for some reason I happen to be unaware of." She glanced down at Rattrap with a slight shrug to see if he had anything to add to the explanation.

"Apparently clean up duty was what he got assigned to in return." Pretty light for punching a superior, but maybe there were other circumstances she didn't know about. Or maybe it was an Autobot thing she still wasn't used to...but it still seemed like he got off easy to her, even if the roof was a mess.

Synapse's nodes circling her produced a momentary tensing up before she deliberately shook it off. Synapse's question on the other hand, has her peering a Rattrap curiously as well. What had prompted that reaction she wondered. "Every thing alright Rattrap?" Hopefully he doesn't thing she's prying again, considering how fast she got brushed off when she asked what he was doing earlier. She could do without having to try and dig the conversation out of another full stop like that.