[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Required Freedom [Closed]

[Blurr]

Week 4, Day 5 - North America, Autobot Base
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The base had seemed quiet, much too quiet for a certain speedster’s preferences. The light but quick sounds of Blurr's peds joined the soft hum of machinery inside the control room as he stepped into the empty threshold.

Disappointment loomed over the Wrecker as he slowed his speed walking into a full blown halt. He was sort of hoping that someone would have been present. He should have expected this, there’s a war, no one just hangs around the base. He's not with the Wreckers anymore, this is the elite's domain, down time probably isn't as... exciting from what he's used to. He is used to a much more rowdy atmosphere. To be honest he doesn't miss that kind of energy THAT much, but this? This was a complete three-sixty from what the Wreckers used to do.

He has only been here for four days and already he feels like he has been trapped. Of course, no one was making him stay here, no one other than himself. Blurr almost felt a bit of fear and trepidation from the simple thought of leaving the base unprepared. He was expected to learn the ways of Earth and the Humans… however four days of non stop studying was starting to become annoying. Blurr needed to escape. Most Wreckers would just go out and jump ship without a second thought… literally in some cases. Though Blurr wasn’t like that, he always has second thoughts, and even third and fourth thoughts about everything. He isn’t usually scared of repercussions, something that developed over time from being a Wrecker for such a long while. However his situation was different and as far as he knew, he was alone. He had no partners in crime if he even decided to go 'rule breaking'. All responsibility would fall onto him. Plus, he was never under direct order from Optimus Prime before. The Autobot leader really pounded expectations into the speedster during their first encounter with one another, it was... intimidating.

Blurr had never broke orders just for the fun of it unlike his fellow Wreckers have. He only did so for good reason. However if he messed up, he tried to learn from his mistakes, he cared about screwing up, while the others? They just didn't care. At all. Blurr was one of the few Wreckers that didn't lose their reasoning and common sense...

Tip…tap… tip, tap, tip, tap…

Blurr began moving forward once more, eyeing the ground bridge's controls. He kept his distance… but the temptation was biting at him. His spark ached, craving an adrenaline rush. His frame was dying to feel the rush of wind fly past him… the curiosity of wanting to test his new Earth ALT mode was eating the racer up inside.

No, no… The ground bridge was too much of an ambitious move. He should start simple…

Blurr redirected his gaze to where the entrance to the base was, a small bend that led outside of this imprisonment of a structure. Though he recalled that there was a human town not far, it probably was not a good place to accidentally drive into, especially since he’s still learning Earth road rules. He wouldn’t want to risk getting pulled over by human law enforcement. He’s already learned that running from them is one of the worst ways to handle the situation since they apparently would recognize his ALT. How can creatures with a processor the size of a bolt be so smart?

But… if he took the ground bridge, he could find a super remote area! Brilliant!

“Ughn… buthowwouldIgetback… hmm… I’d have to com base. Stupid. That won't work.” The cyan mech muttered to himself irritably. He turned his frame and began walking in a random direction taking a few quick steps forward before swiveling and retracing his steps.

Back and forth he went, pacing restlessly in front of the ground bridge controls.

“Blurr you’re a newbie, you can’t be out there alone.” Blurr grumbled in a deep voice, creating a mocking voice of literally anyone he imagined from higher authority.

“Then I’d be like ‘Yeah you’re right but I couldn’t help it! I’m a speedster, not a slowster-’”

He paused, scrunching his faceplate in disgust that was clearly directed at the word he just said.

“I can’t believe I just said that.”

He quickly pressed his digits against his forehelm and shut his optics, internally scolding himself before thrusting his servo away from his helm nearly instantaneously and gesturing up to the ceiling. “They’d still understand right?! Come on Blurr get yourself together. You’re a Wrecker, just do it.”

The cyan mech reached for the ground bridge controls, and… and…

And he couldn’t do it!

What if he left, messed something up, came back and then he was banned from leaving the base! He couldn’t risk his freedom by being stupid and unprepared!

Blurr shook his helm and completely stepped away. He leaned up against the nearest wall and looked down, rapidly tapping his ped against the floor, while crossing his arms over his chest plate. He needed to find an escort. That was his only escape. He needed to get out and have someone take him with them. If he stayed inside for one more day he was going to lose it.

Now... should he go find someone? Or just stand here and wait by the entrance? No, that could be really weird and much too desperate looking. He just needed to hang on a bit longer and wait for an opportunity to present itself. That shouldn't be too hard right...? Wrong. Waiting was dreadful.

[Carbine]

Living moment by moment had worked well for Carbine for the majority of his life, letting guidance come only in the form of amusement and personal vices that brought him joy. It backfired often, resulting in varying levels of trouble or unideal situations, though nothing compared to the tank-eviscerating trauma of recent events and the shockwaves they left behind. It shook him deeply on a core level that was far beyond most other things in his more recent life. This opened a door he didn't even know was there to reveal a form of introspection that was as disturbing as it was traumatizing, leaving who he normally was rather subdued and muted when moving around the base normally.

Keep head down.

Do what is asked.

Don't draw attention.

It was a good motto to have, and he was doing well to make it a reality for the last week or so in his desire to do everything right and be a respectable Autobot. In some ways, he could have considered simply hunkering down in his room to just wallow until he got a task assigned to him, yet that wasn't good either and it left his own mind shredding further beneath his own thoughts. Not that he needed such silence to do so. Yet, he had to tend to another besides himself, and it was this that pulled him out into the living world once more, a simple goal made to make his way out of the base while hopefully not having to deal with others.

This evidently wasn't going to be possible.

Carbine heard the voice of the other mech before he entered the room, a small level of hesitation felt due to it. While he didn't recognize the individual that was attached to it, what scared him more was the worry of just who he was speaking to. There were some he simply didn't want to cross paths with at this point, though it didn't seem to be any sort of option as a meshed snout pushed up into the underside of his palm that was hanging at his side, a dulled yellow gaze casting down to the animal that looked up expectedly.

With a slow exvent, he stepped forward.


Walking into the Control Room was a tall mech, primarily black with accents of white etching across in angular banded plates and a couple of rings, including two hoops that acted as heels on otherwise narrow lower legs. There wasn't anything particularly notable about his frame type, smoother shapes more angled to running, though nothing on par with the other soul in the room. The most notable perhaps was the shields across the outer hook of his shoulders, where yellow chevrons were painted below a shallow domed police light, while the next thing of note would likely be his complete lack of a face.

Blank and empty, the almost stock-built helm was smoothed and rounded with a black glass front, accented by flared jaw panels that hooked back at where a hinge would be. The front of the faceplate held a shallow crack across its middle, though it didn’t disrupt the eye projections, which were simple yellow shapes with no discernable pupil to note where his vision was aimed.

At the mech's side was a large canine Cassette, sleek and built for speed with narrow limbs and a similarly smoothed frame, though not without its own form of power. By paint and style alone, it would be abundantly clear who its Carrier was, similar lights on shoulders, miring shoulder rings, as well as an equally difficult-to-read face that consisted of a stagnant unexpressive canine with no lips or brows to aid in interpretation, paired with eyes that were only flat round light disks.

As they entered the room this hollow gaze of the animal turned to look at Blurr, a sort of eerie focus in play as slender ears crooked up and angled forward at attention along with the rest of its frame going stiff and alert. It was difficult to decipher if it was merely curious, or if it was a form of aggression at seeing someone new in the base that it had not been introduced to. Friendly? Hostile? Holding back a want to charge over and greet? Or one motion away from going on full assault?

A quick flick of an ear was offered back at Carbine before they pointed forward once again when the mech started to speak.

"Uhhh... you t-talkìng to so̕ḿéone o̕r are you just cra̵zy?"

Cautiously asked with a faint mocking flair since he had heard enough to know that things were leaning in the direction of crazy. What he didn't know however was who this other individual was, and for all he knew he was some general that was about to whip around and grill him for not saluting or other horseshit to ruin his day. Either way, it was apparent that something was wrong with the black and white mech’s voice, there being an odd crackly undertone at points like it was being fed through a radio poorly with a single stutter tossed in for good measure.

[Blurr]

Of course, the two new present beings did not go unnoticed! He had heard the ped steps of others entering the room and upon hearing them, he whipped around to face who ever would become victim to his request... not that he had actually meant that in such a negative way.

The presence of the two had completely blown him away, as one of them was someone he had never expected to see! it was a... an, uh... a... He had no idea, but it was a creature of some sort for sure. Believe it or not, he'd never seen anything like it before. Such as the life of a professional racer back on Cybertron, pet's weren't allowed, though he was never a 'pet' kind of mech anyways.

As for it's owner, they looked pretty average! However their voice was... hmm... strange.

"Crazy? Nonono, haha! I'm just simply talking to myself. It's not a strange thing to do you know, I hear others do it all the time!"


Blurr chuckled and stepped a few feet away from the wall, giving the mech before him a flashy grin. The speedster glanced down at the bridge controls and the quickly back towards the two before him. He probably stared at the creature longer than he should have... he was awed by it.

"The name is Blurr, it is a pleasure to meet you! I can't help but notice you aren't alone, care to introduce me? I've never really seen anything like em' before."

Such a creature was a perfect conversation starter. Perhaps the speedster could use it as a chance to do a quick introduction with this new stranger... and then convince him to go out for a drive. Don't be mistaken by the intent, sure it seems like Blurr was only trying to get to know this mech just to use him to escape the base for a bit-- well... perhaps it actually is what it seems... but of course his intentions with getting to know the guy were genuine. The more acquaintances he meets, the better things could be for him around here! It would simply just be a plus to potentially stumble upon a driving partner to go out with him pretty much whenever! Seemed like a probable dream to him!

[Carbine]

Just after his rather accusatory question, Carbine cast a secondary glance across the room they were currently in, noting that this other Cybertronian was indeed alone, and indeed was speaking to himself unless he was piping his discussion through a comm or other thing. This look was momentary before the solid-toned eyes seemed to peer back, the top edge of one slightly raised as if to imply a crooked brow that formed in response to the quick defense that was offered.

"Really n-now? And what sǫrt ͘o̕f͘ other̀s are you sp-speaking to that adm͟i̕t tơ that, hm?"

[Somewhat teasing, Carbine tried to elevate his tone of voice to a happier mindset, recognizing that this was some new person that didn't know who he was, and as such, didn't know of his grievous slights and mistakes through the months. Due to this, his weight rocked back, settling down some at the longer conversational distance while trying to evaluate the mannerisms of the other Autobot so he didn't instantly set him off. He seemed casual enough, though he was starting to stare at Bolo perhaps a little too long which caught his attention.

The reason for this was quickly offered.

"Oh? Never seen a dog before? Well t-today's yo͜ur luc͝ḱy da̢y I suppose!"

Ramping his amusement up a little further, Carbine seemed excited at this prospect, and indeed he actually was! While Blurr wasn't a lady that he could get close to and possibly flirt with while introducing Bolo, there was still a level of joy in play with getting to witness a potentially funny introduction.

"I'm Carbine, this is Bolo, h-he doesn't under̡stand ͟a lot ̛of w͜ords, and doesn't think like us, so he will do some weird thin̷ǵs."

Carbine didn't know how far 'never really seen anything like em' before' went. Was it simply referring to the model and body shape of this particular animal? Or was it a broader term since creatures of any sort were hard to come by? Even when Cybertron was thriving, animals never were a huge presence being walked on the streets or soaring overhead to roost on street signs, and once the war was kicked off they seemed to vanish right fast beneath the raging fire that became their planet. Any way it could be explained however, it still felt surreal to the black and white mech, as he had been created alongside his companion and the two of them had walked side by side without knowing life without the other.

After his warning, Carbine looked down at Bolo, and flicked his pointer forward with a sort of chirped whistle in Blurr's direction. If he hadn't seen a creature before, then he certainly would now, as encouragement was given with an undertone of an order to get over.

With an understanding that this wasn't a foe and it was a friend that he could greet, the canine turned and trotted over with newfound interest that had transitioned to happy curiosity. While Carbine had known that this could be Blurr's first real introduction to an animal, Bolo certainly did not, and as such he didn't have the wherewithal to comprehend that he should possibly tone things back. With this lack of consideration, he barged right into his personal bubble as though there was no such wall in existence, his snout pressing up to get a sniff at his new friend to try to guess what sort of things clung to his armor.

There were the familiar smells, the dust of the base, its recycled air, and the odd mishmash of people that walked down its halls... there were the sorts of metals and rubber materials that the mech was made out of, plus any other more nitty-gritty details that composed his own unique scent signature... though there was something else. A familiarity while also not, a sort of ashy dead metal, able to grasp that he had smelt it before, though not able to put two and two together on the fact it was the remains of a fallen ship. It was faint, but it was there, mixed with some lingering traces of the pod itself. Whatever the case, Bolo pressed the mesh of his snout up, expecting a greeting back of some kind as continued huffs of air were pulled in with heavy cycles.

Carbine watched carefully, ready to intervene if there was a profoundly negative reaction so that he could stop Bolo from getting spooked and lashing back in perceived self-defense.

[Blurr]

Carbine had a good point, that Blurr couldn't really deny. Most people would never admit that they are speaking to themselves, though Blurr isn't 'normal' so perhaps that's good enough of an excuse. The speedster grinned and shrugged at such an inquiry. 

"Well, I suppose no one has really ever admitted it, but I've seen people do it. Albeit they're a little... yknow-" Blurr reached up and turned his digit in small circles on the right side of his helm as he let out a light whistle, clearly indicating he was talking about crazy people. "Perhaps your original assumption is slightly true, I guess I'm a little crazy, too. In all the best ways, of course."

With a light chuckle, the Wrecker lowered his servo and rested it on his hip plate. "No, I haven't seen one. I've seen smaller cyber animals before but never one of his size, or design! My old profession didn't allow animals anywhere I went. I was never home long enough to be able to take care of one, either."

Blurr watched in fascination as Bolo's demeanor changed once Carbine gave him a signal. Blurr had never been so close to an animal, however he was about to be much closer.

Bolo clearly was happy to see him and as soon as he approached the racer to immediately smell him, Blurr was unsure of what to do or to say to him, however he was not conveying any negative feelings towards such a sudden animal in his space. In fact he felt overwhelmingly happy and excited. 

The tall mech couldn't help but let out an amused laugh, "I hope at least he thinks I smell good." Blurr said with a bright smile, staring up at Carbine. "How'd you even manage to keep him out of harms way all the way from Cybertron? I feel like trying to keep a pet close by could be rather hard with the possibility of them running off or something. Though I suppose he's clearly pretty smart seeing as that he obeys your signals. If I were a pet I'd probably run away all the time, simply because it's in my nature."

Blurr joked as he crouched down and held his servo towards Bolo, curious to see if he would let him pet him or not. 

[Carbine]

"-I guess I'm a little crazy, too. In all the best ways, of course."

"Welcome t-to the club, thère ̨a̴re ̕p͘lenty of off individuals here!"

Himself included, though Carbine didn't focus on that, more interested in what was going on with Bolo rather than highlighting just how... bad... they all were.

"Well... I a̵m a Carr͟i̕er s-so he isn't an ext̀ern̴al th-thing trained to heel."

The term 'pet' being used in a more literal meaning was an odd one to Carbine. He certainly called the animal that on occasion in more informal means, especially since so many could easily boil Bolo down into such a label! Yet, to call him that to someone who had no clue of what he actually was made the title feel ill-fitting on many layers. The canine was more a fraction of his very spark that was mounted into a less than intelligent frame, one and the same while being completely different. This made him then wonder if the other mech before him was so separated from animal-like things overall that a more beastly Cassette wasn't considered or even known as a thing, though that could be diluting his intelligence to insulting levels as though he was truly isolated from everything.

"I m-mean, he is external, obviously, but we àr̴e véry m̢uch con͡nected."

When declaring this, Carbine reached his right arm up to pat twice at the juncture between his neck and shoulder, pulling focus to a series of clashing gray plates that looked as though they could slide back to reveal internal components. He was trying to indicate his back where he would actually carry his companion when he wasn't out free-roaming as he was in the now, though he certainly wasn’t going to turn around, not one to angle his spine to others even when leaving a room. After this gesture, his arm would sling back down, the motion paired with a couple of steps out into the main area so he wasn’t completely avoidant at the far edge.

"I hope at least he thinks I smell good."

A bark of a laugh snapped out abruptly.

"Good or bad is reļa̕ti̧v̨e!"

Carbine admitted this with an almost grimace behind the words, the bottom of the optical projections crooking up in the process to form a smile.

"He w̛ill e̢at garbage if-́f̸-kz͢t͝th-f he thinks it stinks in thè ri̢ǵht way."

Those moments absolutely horrified Carbine. While one could argue it was the dog's problem trying to process it, more likely than not vomiting it out later on, at the end of the day it affected him as well. They shared a circulatory system when docked, and the idea of trash-laden fuel potentially bleeding into his own frame was as appealing as trying to consume the rancid material himself. So many times he had stopped him and tried to rip something out of his throat that wasn't meant to be there, this organic world an absolute smear of nasties that shouldn’t be consumed by a mechanized creature.

A creature that was happy at current events.

If Blurr wanted any modicum of a personal bubble, kneeling down as he did certainly was a recipe for disaster on the topic. This new lowered state meant that the mech was much closer to Bolo's height, and as such the canine barged forward to then try to sniff at his chest and face, the fine woven mesh of his snout smearing across some of the metals in the process. Between deeper huffs and pulls through his system he did lick at his nose however, almost as if trying to clean the surface off in a cursory swipe as well as add a small amount of moisture that could assist in picking up more details. He was showing a level of happy curiosity, especially as he was pet.

With no tail to speak of, Bolo's lower frame seemed to wiggle some, an indication that he was accepting of the stranger, his long narrow ears folding back towards his neck.

[Blurr]

Since this was his first personal experience with a canine, there was no way the speedster would have known that keeling down would have invited such an excitable reaction from Bolo. The moment the canine went to invade Blurr's personal space, the cyan mech instinctively held up his servos to create a bit of a boundary between him and the animal. The lick on his nose had been successful, causing the speedster to let out a bit of a huff, followed by an amused burst of laughter. 

"Hey-! Whatinthe-" Blurr sputtered out, his quick speech fumbling out though his light chuckles.

Having to put a bit of pressure to keep Bolo back, Blurr was surprised at how much force he had to apply to keep him back. However Blurr was not the strongest of mechs, physically. If Bolo tried to push past him, he definitely would have succeeded. Before even allowing that to be a possibility, Blurr forced himself to stand up quickly, though he didn't stop the pets and pats. The energy of the canine matched his own and he really enjoyed it.

Blurr tilted his helm to look up at Carbine, his bright cyan optics reflecting his joyful mood. 

"Well, that doesn't sound like a healthy diet. Whatatroublemaker." The speedster joked, "So how does the whole... connection thing work? Does it have anything to do with what your occupation is?"
Blurr was curious t know more about these two. They're dynamic was unique and together they must have something more than just a connection, right? Perhaps they fought well together? The idea of Bolo having side mounted guns was a very entertaining idea to say the least...

Blurr had even looked back down at the canine as he envisioned that... If he ever had to face that on the battle field, he'd probably just run. It's a very intimidating scenario.

With his attention back on Carbine, Blurr had let his servos fall off of Bolo and he casually let them drop by his sides, eager to receive answers to his questions.

[Carbine]

Once Blurr stood up and got out of his immediate reach, Bolo's more forceful approach eased back, no longer pressing to get as close as he possibly could despite the lighthearted protests. While he didn't truly back off, and was still in range of the generous pets, he wasn't threatening to knock the other mech over, a form of grumble gurgling out. Carbine simply watched with a careful gaze, understanding the sounds and what they meant, though keeping an ear for any changes or ghost feeling through their line. Despite it appearing as though this other Autobot knew enough to not do anything out of line, he still stepped in to give him a break and redirect.

Reaching down, Carbine tapped the side of his knee with two fingers, the white points making a light click that instantly caught the canine's focus. With a whipping motion, he turned his helm, before trotting over as though Blurr had evaporated into thin air and was no longer a concern, stopping at his Carrier's side to then rotate his hindquarters so that he was facing the same direction.

"Con͞struc̴ted t-together, created duo!"

Carbine declared this almost proud, his hand reaching down to grab at the side of Bolo's neck to pull him against the side of this leg, roughly scratching at the bound cables of his throat in a way that could almost look cruelly harsh. Despite the aggressive motion, Bolo seemed to love it, his head lifting as his mouth gaped open happily, a slatted tongue hanging out the side as another garbled noise was made. He seemed to almost be staring up at the black and white mech with fondness, though it was hard to say if it was that or simply due to the fact that his eyes were flat plates that couldn't be closed.

Some had their own opinions about Constructed individuals that could be rather polarized, spanning from not caring, to caring WAY too much. There was of course the idea that they were force-made and not natural in the slightest, affronts to some deity or Primus themselves, while on the other side, they could be pitied for not only being funneled into a role via the Caste System, but their very bodies made to serve such a placement to begin with. Something that may not speak to their Sparks. Most seemed to fall into the category of 'don't care, not my problem', which was nice, while Carbine simply had no opinion given it was who he was and he accepted as much. It let him get Bolo! So that was a win-win as far as he was concerned.

Stopping the rubbing, Carbine dipped slightly and half slapped the shoulder of the dog, the white ring that constructed it twitch spinning a quarter rotation before flicking back with a couple of ratcheting clicks. The motion was almost a signifier of 'I am done', which prompted Bolo to stand independently instead of leaning any longer against the nearest leg.

"Pursuit public enforcement with scen͘t̕ ͘wo͞rk s̀lap̴ped on."

Being they didn’t have an abundance of officers and canines in his sector, Bolo had to cover some broad ranges, though thankfully programming helped with much of it right out the gate.

"Few could outr̵un us!"

After this was thrown out as a typical boast he said to show off, Carbine seemed to mentally catch up and realize who he was speaking with. While he didn't know that the mech ran for actual sport as a champion, the vents and build showed that he certainly could kick off, and may be able to serve as a good challenge... unknowing that it wouldn’t be a challenge but would actually be an impossibility. This passing thought made him let out a thoughtful hum, the top edge of one of the optical projections crooking up in an implication of a raised brow.

At this, his pointer would wiggle out at Blurr.

"Wh̕át are you?"

Perhaps not the most tactically spoken, but it was out there now.

[Blurr]

So, they were enforcers, huh? To be fair, the longer Blurr thought about that, it started to make more sense. Their dynamic seemed to be like a perfect fit for such a lawful job.

Enforcers seemed to always have their servos full with anyone ranging from delinquents to criminals. Blurr believed this to be true considering he had overheard enforcers talking about how difficult their job is to do alone, or if they didn’t have reliable teammates. These two clearly don’t have the same issue.

Blurr believed Carbine when he spoke so proudly of he and Bolo’s accomplishments, there were probably many mechs who couldn’t escape from them and the only reason for that was simple. They weren’t fast enough… Unfortunate.

The cyan speedster slowly began to smirk and crossed one arm over his chassis as the forearm of his other arm raised to rest on top of it for support. With gentle placement of his servo, he pressed his thumb and pointer digit up against his chin plate. That familiar pulse of pride rushed through his frame fueled by the scrutinizing look from the mech before him. Blurr was beginning to see this all as a challenge and he couldn’t help but grow curious about the speed capability of these two. From the shift of Carbine’s optical projections, it seemed as if Carbine was starting to wonder something similar.

After Carbine’s straight-to-the-point question, Blurr had flashed a knowing look towards the enforcer as if silently daring the mech to take a guess.

“An enigma.”

Blurr half joked, staring right at Carbined projected optics. A playful chuckled escaped from him before he added,

“I’m one of the few that can probably out run you.”

His ego was slipping out some, however was sure to keep it friendly and playful, whether the mech before him understood that, it would be on him.

[Carbine]

A popped sound crackled out from Carbine at Blurr's first comment, it difficult to decipher as a scoff, a laugh, or just an uncontrolled glitchy burst breaking through the damage that seemed to plague his speech. Whatever it happened to be had a sense of amusement behind it on some level however, and thankfully what came next wasn't as cryptic, only the first noise fizzling as though it were fed through a poorly tuned long-distance radio. Then again, just about all of his words had such an effect, the difference simply being how bad it manifested itself at any given moment, and how much of his actual emotions were audible through it.

"O͘͡h͢͞ḩ̶h̴͠ so edgy..."

Carbine's hands rose with fingers splayed, wiggling them from the wrist to pair with the potent sarcastic tones that absolutely saturated the simple statement. Joining in with this display, the top line of his optical projections hooked with his helm raising in an ark, imitating an eye roll. While he didn't have the full range of expressive features that others took for granted, he seemed to be quite used to it and knew how to over-inflate physical gestures to convey just what he felt on the matter.

Which was that this Autobot was full of himself.

As if the 'I'm a mystery!' comment wasn't bad enough, Blurr then continued on, Carbine's eyes slowly narrowing while trying to juggle if it was a bluff and simply two arrogant souls trying to get into a pissing contest, or if it was something legit and he was about to get schooled. He certainly knew he wasn't able to compete with individuals even more specialized than himself, yet he hadn’t really come across many in his time, mainly because he worked around more traditional civilians back in his days in service on Cybertron. The everyday average soul, plodding along with their assigned roles in their ever painfully long existence... yet... here he was... seeing someone who appeared just as ego bloated as himself.

And ego always won.

"Re̢ally now..."

Purred with a low growl snaking behind it, a sort of aura of a smug grin creeping into play.

"That's a b-bold stat̴em̨ęnt."

Bolo seemed to catch onto the fact there was a shift of some kind, though didn't have the processor power to understand just what was happening between the two. It was there though, he felt it, both by the two Cybertronian's tones of voice and postures, as well as the fact he and his Carrier were bound in more intangible ways. In response, long ears rotated high up on their sockets into alarm, while his more relaxed posture straightened, the white rings on his shoulders clicking slowly with pent-up energy that was starting to coil. He was waiting for a command of some kind, looking at the black and white mech intently for anything he had to say that he could actually understand beyond the arbitrary noises that evidently were words of some sort.

Carbine's yellow optics bore down into Blurr fiercely.

[Blurr]

Despite having a hard time pulling emotion from the odd clicks and pops that broke during this mech’s obvious speech troubles, his words and gestures were enough to portray what he was attempting to deliver.

At first, Blurr set this all up to be a bit of a joke, though clearly he had awoken the competitor that once appeared to be dormant in the mech before him just moments ago. Carbine clearly was trying to test the speedster and Blurr wasn’t going to just sit there and let this mech challenge him so casually, it wasn’t in his nature to simply ignore doubts about his ability to outrun others. If Carbine deemed this a bold statement? Wait until he heard what Blurr had lined up to say to him in response.

“I’m sure it’s a true statement.”

Blurr took a step towards the mech and leaned in ever so slightly with a tall, bold posture. His cyan optics peered up into Carbine’s projected ones, reflecting that fierce gaze right back to the mech. Even if Carbine had a bit of height on the speedster, it wasn’t enough to make him intimidating. Blurr’s certainty in his ability to show this mech up was fueling his actions now… and he wasn’t about to give up until he was proven wrong.

“Why don’t we take a step outside, mech? That is, if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. I’d offer to invite you to a race but I can assure you, It won't last long enough to even be considered one… so how about we call it a demo, hm?”

Trash talk. An ego fueled tactic Blurr knows all too well. There was something thrilling about getting on the nerves of another when they doubted his speed, mainly because it made the win of victory even more rewarding. If this mech had pride in his own ability, he’d be foolish to not defend himself.

The best part about this? Carbine didn’t seem to have any idea of who Blurr used to be… and this gave the cyan mech extra power to hold against this mech once he left him in his dust.

[Carbine]

Oh! This fool had some kick in them and was not holding back at all when it came to bragging and flinging out verbal insults. To be so assured of their own victory that they wouldn't even put the term race in play as there would be no sense of real competition? Well, it spoke of not only arrogance but continued on to raw stupidity. For all he knew Carbine's label of 'pursuit' was far more solid than simply a term stamped on a job certificate, and he had the skills to cover those checks, catching this blue mech off guard.

It was a form of gambling in a way with two individuals who had only known the other was a thing for a few minutes at best, and knew next to nothing of real value. Keeping their hands close to their chest. Bluffing and trying to get their opponent to fold... or... even holding a real lineup that would obliterate the other and wanting to watch them fall.

Carbine liked to gamble.

A soft 'tsk' slipped out that was followed by a low chuckle, one that growled beneath the crackle of his voice, its tones deep and amused.

"Some n̕ewbi̛e t-to the team. B-barking. Looking tò maké a n̢ame for themselves... -"

With a shift of his weight, Carbine moved into a walk, though as he raised his right leg to continue the stride, the sound of a minor transformation took place. It was abrupt and short, his calf guard and ring slats splitting apart with a flare, while his ped and the mounting bracket it was attached to swung in a quick hatcheting motion to pull inside. As quickly as it had began, it stopped, the hoop that had formed his heel now centered with no ped point to brace it. This happened so fast that his gait didn't even falter, the ring placing down with a click of metal against concrete.

"-Not knowing w-who or what lay in͡ these r̛a̧nks..."

Pushing off, Carbine started into a slow roll, curving just enough so that he seemed to be starting to circle Blurr. While his one leg was transformed, the other remained standard for the moment, acting as a gentle push if needed to keep his momentum going. The point wasn't showing any level of speed, so much as it was displaying that he had such wheels in his root form to begin with, a boon that could assist a great deal given he was built to be able to use them properly. It was a flex in a way, further presenting the fact that this was what he was MADE to be and that he had more to use other than simply longer legs and a smoother frame structure.

It also tapped into a more predatory mindset.

Being built to chase was all fine and good, but with it came a pulsed NEED to catch that could be difficult to contest. It could become as much a necessity as it was a want. As such, while he circled, it was almost like a track dog that got to see the lure before the gates flung open, his gaze unrelenting while he continued.

"I w-would best you in b-both worlds, but my Alt-Mode h̀as b́een in͞va͏l̵id́ated here-"

That was a sore subject he didn't want to get into, though he needed to throw it out there before an alt race was considered. There would be nothing worse than boasting all this time only for Blurr to think it was on wheel only, making him sound like a braggart who couldn’t back up their claims. He wanted to choke chain this topic to root only with a vicious wrench of the lead before things strayed too far.

"-I suppose I w-will h͜ave t̷ó ma͠ke͏ ͟do ̧with what we have..."

Dipping some, Carbine would hook forward so that he would be able to see Blurr's face from the corner of his vision, flicking his fingers in a rough gesture at one of his shoulder wheels while continuing in a low mocking tone.

"Unless you were r-ręlyi̵ng on ̕an ̡a͏xle h͡and͏i̧cap to get sympathy."

Bolo remained motionless, staring at the blue mech with an unflinching focus, an ear only twitching to the side every now and again as Carbine spoke.

[Blurr]

It was the quick and graceful shift from ped to hoop that caught Blurr’s attention. His optics flicked down to glance at Carbine’s near subtle transformation, it had been so quick, so smooth and rather impressive. That was not a complement he was willing to share though.

Blurr’s opinion of this enforcer sprouted ever so slightly in a positive direction, especially seeing his fancy little trick with his peds. Perhaps he’d actually prove to be a challenge to the cyan mech… an opportunity Blurr had been waiting on for quite a long while. Excitement swarmed his frame at the mere thought of possibly having to give this race everything he’s got, so long as Carbine actually posed a threat to his speed.

That push off drew Blurr’s attention back upwards where he caught a glimpse of Carbine’s faceplate before he began to circle the speedster as if he were some sort of prey. It had been a rather bold move in all honesty, who did this mech think he was? Calling Blurr a newbie, talking about ranks and such. This mech thought he was above him, how cute. This wasn’t about ranks… but if it was, Carbine's talk about Blurr’s position only fueled his desire to kick earth right into the face of this mech.

A small hum of amusement underlined with a bit of sarcasm escaped from Blurr as Carbine mentioned his inability to use his Alt-Mode. It wasn’t until his last comment on his wheels did the speedster finally shoot back.

“I’m flattered to know you’d sympathize me. Though I won’t be needing it.” Blurr stated, fanning his servo in a shooing motion while turning his helm away from Carbine’s side gaze with disinterest.

With a quick swivel on his heel, he turned his back struts on the mech near him before taking a few steps towards the tunnel of the base that led outside.

“I don’t need my alt or wheels, they’re just bonuses. You however seem like you do for hopes of an advantage over me, even if they are all super fancy or whatever. Who am I to judge though? If it makes you feel better, be my guest. I’ll outrun you and your pretty little excuses for racing tires.”

Blurr then turned around to face Carbine, bowing forward elegantly and placing one servo over his chassis as the other gestured towards the tunnel, “Where are my manners? After you, sir.” He mocked.

[Carbine]

Oh, this was going to be interesting. It was easy to see both of them were high ego A personality types, ready and willing to butt their heads together and flex until the bottom line hit and they saw just who won whatever competition was in play. If this event were to turn out even marginally close, then there was a decent chance that it could turn into a repetitive thing done to try to punch one another down a peg or two while polishing their own pride. Carbine didn't even know this mech, and yet he found himself already liking him, knowing he would like him even more after he was put in his place.

"Where are my manners? After you, sir."

"Letting m-me go first? Ida th-th͜oùg̴ht ýo̸u w̢ould want to so you could w-win at somet͡hing."

This was cackled out before his gradual circling stopped so that he could change his direction. Leaning away, Carbine kicked off with the toe of his left ped, pushing backward towards the exit tunnel of the base smoothly. It was once this momentum was sent rolling that this leg would then lift up, the ped bracket swooping down and around to vanish within the limb. Now that he had both of his wheels active, he casually cut the angle of his rolling gently, to keep his leisurely speed even without any wavering. It looked as though he had reversed out of the base more than a few times, a single glance not even offered as the curve was taken and the metal exit door soon came into view.

As his Carrier went into motion, Bolo stood up from his seated position, quickly moving forward to catch up and then keep pace. His strides were long and loping, with a sort of grace to it as he stayed at heel and didn’t push on even though he could have. Just like the mech, he didn't peer ahead at where they were going, his flat plate eyes looking up for directions of any kind. This focus deviated once they passed the metal doors that spiraled out of the way, however, Bolo breaking aside to snoop around seemingly unphased by the sudden onslaught of oven-dry and hot air that flowed through.

Rolling to a stop, Carbine’s peds that had just been folded aside into wheels would clip back into place, the triangular points planting down as he fell stationary.

"That diŕection iş wḩęre Jasper is-"

Carbine lifted his arm and flicked his hand out a couple of times while he said this, the motion almost flippant as he indicated where the human city was located. It was a place that he had never been other than once, his altmode not permitting any casual adventures in that general direction. The one time he had gone over those buildings was when it was the MECH incident with Ratchet, and that wasn't really a moment in which he could sightsee. That was all fear and panic, laced with a healthy dose of added fear at not wanting to crash and cause an even bigger scene. The fact he had gotten through that in one piece was a miracle, however, that was irrelevant in the now, his arm then rising to flick the opposite direction where the road seemed to drift into the desert somewhere.

"-That sh-should work o̢ùt."

A sort of smugness then formed, yellow optics trailing across the relatively flat plane. For all the interesting textures and colors this world had when viewed from space, they had certainly found themselves in the blandest damn spot. Mesas scattered along the edges of the flat valley, washes making some few and far between grooves. There were some chunky rocks here or there, but it wouldn’t really be a large issue should they stick more to the road.

After indicating the best way to go, Carbine would straighten back up, side-eyeing the landscape a moment further before he peered at Bolo, the canine busying himself smelling around. While he had smelt these same patches of earth and stone numerous times since arriving, there was still a curiosity to see if anything had changed, at one point pressing his snout on the side of the road, trying to pick up unique scents from a car that may have gone past that had something stuck to their tires.

"A lot h-hotter out hęre th̵àn ex́pec̴ted hm?"

Taunted, Carbine looked back at Blurr, the bottom edges of his optics crooking up again, wondering if the mech was at all ready for the sweltering Nevada day.

[Blurr]

Graceful, that's what it was. The way Carbine’s movements flowed so effortlessly with great finesse was very enthralling. Not to mention Bolo followed so obediently, yet again, Blurr was simply blown away by their dynamic. If speed wasn’t their strong suit, they probably had him beat with style and grace, that much he’d give them credit for.

The Wrecker only wasted a few nano-clicks on admiring them before following them out.

As soon as those metal doors opened, his systems quickly detected that drastic temperature change. He hadn’t been out of the base yet, so this sudden change of atmosphere was quite shocking. He cautiously stepped out and squinted slightly as a small dry, hot gust of wind flew past. It was bright and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. His optics trailed Carbine’s indication towards Jasper. He knew of that small human town… perhaps one day he could visit it.

He then was quick to follow the enforcer’s second gesture towards their ‘racing track’. Blurr’s optics widened slightly once he realized that he could visibly see the heat radiating off of the asphalt.

Great. High temperatures. His favorite.

“Hm… yeah, it is.”

Blurr began to look a bit hesitant after he agreed. His optics watched the heatwaves dance off the road, his thin plating was already starting to warm up under the sun’s rays.

He had run across surfaces like this before and it was less than ideal. The problem was going to be the friction against the hot ground Blurr would have to endure while running. The bottom of his peds growing hot after a sprint was something his sensors learned to tolerate and adapt to, but running at high speeds over heated surfaces? That was very uncomfortable… he was going to regret this later, but it would be worth it.

Nothing could ruin the chance for him…

He wanted nothing more than to let the scenery flash past him in blurred imagery, to hear the inner workings of his very own systems ramping up in power to cross that threshold of freeing speeds.

That slight bit of worry that was once lacing through his EM field was no longer there. He was ready for the thrill. Ready to run.

Blurr took a confident step forward and straightened his posture, casting Bolo a glance, distracted by the canine only for a moment before turning to face Carbine, flashing him an arrogant grin.

“Alright, Sir Elegance. Let’s see if your fancy ped work is actually worth my time. How far are we going?” he said, strolling forward onto the burning asphalt, expecting for the other mech to follow. The engines built into his shoulder plating hummed to life with a smooth whirr, rapidly sliding into a higher pitch, somewhat similar to the engines of a jet preparing to take off.

Blurr lowered himself into a crouching position as he stared off down the road. Excitement pulsed through his spark, reigniting that once near-suffocated flame of adrenaline that fueled his passion. This was his moment to shine… his moment to finally experience freedom after such a long, long time of isolation. There he waited until Carbine took his place beside him and gave him an answer.