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Post by Rodimus Prime on Feb 21, 2012 15:56:14 GMT -5
M6W3D3. Semi-private.
Rodney Pryor sits on the stairs leading up to his apartment building after work, can of cola in hand, watching the street. He's expecting a visitor. In fact, the meeting had been arranged over the phone. He could easily have stayed inside and used the button to unlock the front door when the other arrives, but it's a nice day and so Rodney's decided to soak in the sunlight a bit before she shows up.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 21, 2012 16:11:10 GMT -5
There is a car driving up to the apartment complex just now. It's a very nice car, almost certainly an import, with sleek lines and a spoiler on the back. Clearly, someone is having a midlife crisis.
It is also a shade of magenta, with a fairly distinctive flame design and some yellow and orange trim.
It is also moving really slowly, at least ten miles per hour under the posted speed limit, which is almost painful to watch, because this baby was clearly designed to rack up speeding tickets. There is something a bit more subtlely peculiar about the driver's driving - the driver doesn't take corners well at all but also stays right in the middle of the lane, as if terrified of running into something on either side. When the driver parks it in visitor parking, as far away from any other cars as possible, the vehicle is barely moving at all.
There is a long moment, more time than is need to park, pull a keycard out of the ignition, unbelt a seatbelt, and unlock a door, as if the driver wants to be absolutely sure that the car is not moving. Then a door opens hesitantly, and a woman who is overall rather tawny steps out of the car, her yellow eyes clearly looking for someone.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Feb 21, 2012 17:10:16 GMT -5
Rodney is in the process of taking a sip when the car comes into view.
He spittakes, soda flying everywhere in front of him, and stares at the car.
That's... that's... him! Well, not him, Hot Rod. Or rather, Hot Rod's alternate mode.
He starts to stand up. If that's not Emirate Xaaron, it's an incredible coincidence. Hell, even if it is Emirate Xaaron, that's an incredible coincidence. He wipes the front of his shirt, making sure there's no stray visible soda droplets, and waves. "Sharon?" he asks.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 21, 2012 17:25:37 GMT -5
Drinking soda on the stairs? Classy, Rodney, classy.
Ms. Zaman very gently closes the door on the car and locks it. The car chirps at her and flashes its headlights to confirm that the doors are all locked. Secretly, she thinks this is adorable. If only some of her troops were so well-behaved, she thinks. Ms. Zaman considers the redhead for a moment and confirms, "Ms. Sharon Zaman, yes. You are Mr. Rodney Pryor?" She tries to walk over and shake his hand.
He matches the description given to her when she checked in. He's in the right place at the right time. His green eyes are intensely worrisome, however.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Feb 22, 2012 14:19:45 GMT -5
At least Rodney's not drinking beer!
"I am," he answers, shaking her hand. He glances over at the car again. "Nice car," he observes mildly.
Oh, he will be asking about that in a bit.
He gestures towards the entrance to the apartment building. "Come on up," he invites.
OOC: Feel free to assume Rodney is accompanying Sharon up on your post.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 22, 2012 14:37:49 GMT -5
"Divine, isn't it?" Ms. Zaman replies coolly, as if her sports car is nice but nothing particularly unusual.
She follows him up, and whenever she turns a corner or enters a new area, she looks up, if if watching for airplanes. She does not even knot she is doing this. When they enter his apartment, she looks down as well.
At this point, Ms. Zaman regrets not asking him to her house instead. There are always so many people in apartment complexes, and they change over so often. Who can say if the place is bugged or not?
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Feb 22, 2012 20:45:36 GMT -5
Divine, isn't it?
Is there any way that Rodney can answer that question without sounding either more vain than he usually does or like he's faking humility?
He shrugs, "Sure." To heck with humility.
Once inside the apartment, he offers, "Can I get you anything? Something to drink?" He opens his fridge and looks in. "I think I have more soda."
And then, "Why that car?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 22, 2012 22:08:27 GMT -5
"Do you have anything pink?" Ms. Zaman asks. She will drink soda if it is pink! Her collection of pink beverages at home borders on the neurotic, with the sole exception of her Angel's Envy whiskey, of course.
She laughs, "That's really your first question for me? I don't know how it is for you, but I feel like someone tried to format C: and install a completely different operating system on me and load in a bunch of file folders of video - except they botched it. I have all these new memories, but I usually know they aren't real. My thoughts are mine first, and... these fake thoughts second, most of the time. I was startled when I walked out and that beauty chirped at me when I clicked the key, but those false memories tell me that... well, you see, when a lawyer reaches a certain age, it common to have a 'mid-life crisis' and buy a ridiculously expensive vehicle. I have this memory of walking around the lot, seeing that particular one and thinking, 'That's the only sports car endorsed by God,' and so I bought it."
She shakes her head. "How peculiar."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Feb 22, 2012 23:34:03 GMT -5
Rodney shakes his head. "Nothing, erm, pink. The cider's a nice amber, though," he offers. In fact, he grabs one himself, and shuts the fridge. He turns towards Sharon.
"I don't have the extra memories. I mean, I have a background and a life, but some of the details just... aren't there, and my only 'human' memories go back as far as... when I woke up in this body after that business underwater." Rodney shrugs and gestures towards the couch as he settles into an arm chair. "Most of my sensibilities are still pretty robotic, most of the time. Well, where the senses themselves overlap." Sight, yes. Taste, not so much.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 23, 2012 9:04:50 GMT -5
"I'll have a cider, then, if you don't mind?" Ms. Zaman replies. Humanised Transformers seem to be a bunch of drunks!
She adds, "I even remember thinking it was either that or a 1970s red Freightliner FL86 Cab-over-Engine triple-axle semi trailer truck, boy, that would show the men at the practise who had the most money to waste on ridiculous expenses... but that would have had trouble fitting in the parking lot." She snorts. "Does it bother you? Do you want me to have it repainted?"
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Feb 23, 2012 10:13:34 GMT -5
Rodney gets back up and grabs a cider for Sharon. Should have probably waited for an answer before he sat down! He passes it to her on his way back to his seat. "Naw, I'm good. I mean... it's a little weird, sure, but not enough to go through that effort." He takes a drink from his own cider. "Besides, you'll have a hard time finding a better color combination."
"All right, so. Apparently I work in special effects for the movie business, but like I said, I don't have any memory of that. Almost lost the job before I realized I had it. And you are... a lawyer, I take it?"
"And Shockwave is the head of a major technology empire, but the thing is... he... well, she's been at this longer than we have. And not just because this... whatever decided to give us backstory. I saw her as a human in that underwater base, before everything happened."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 23, 2012 11:04:19 GMT -5
Ms. Zaman smirks when Rodney tells her that he will have a hard time finding a better colour combination. She takes the cider, sits down, knees daintily together, and has a sip. Ms. Zaman offers, teasingly, "I'll lend you the keys, if you like. Anyway, yes, I am a lawyer, apparently. Do you know whom I am defending at the moment?"
She pauses a moment to let Rodney get a guess in.
"Impactor. But I severely doubt you will be able to guess why. Nightbeat mentioned Shockwave. Said that Pincher says that Shockwave would like to speak with either of us."
Ms. Zaman has another sip of her cider. This game of 'telephone' that they are playing is getting a bit ridiculous.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Feb 23, 2012 13:27:44 GMT -5
Rodney doesn't managed to guess, only responding with a, "I don't know, who?" His reaction to the name, however, is to snort in amusement.
"I'd guess he got in trouble over being too Impactor somewhere," he suggests. "That's trouble enough!"
His lips twist into a frown when Ms. Zaman mentions Shockwave wanting to speak to them. "Pincher says? How does Pincher know?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on Feb 23, 2012 15:25:38 GMT -5
"It isn't, actually," Ms. Zaman says, frowning, "Impactor was stabbed in the arm with a knife for using a men's washroom. Fought back, as you would expect."
"Pincher is working for Shockwave, apparently, which raises some questions." She frowns more.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Feb 23, 2012 20:27:16 GMT -5
"What? Why would someone do that?" Rodney asks, eyes wide. He takes a sip of his cider, and scowls at what Sharon says next.
"Like, 'Can we trust the guy who arrived convinced that Shockwave was a planetary hero and hasn't been here long enough to see how dangerous he can be to be under his constant influence?'" he suggests.
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