We are a literate, intermediate to advanced AU Transformers RPG Based off of the first season of TFP with dashes of other incarnations sprinkled here or there. Characters from any continuity are welcome however must be restyled to match the TFPrime universe.
Active, with ongoing plotlines, we are always willing to integrate new characters into storylines once incorporated into the setting.
"Worse, you might damage the sunrays, and all that mud would have been for nothing."
Shadow set the watering can down and settled on the ground beside it, curling up with the flexibility of her frame and function class to watch as Rhinox meticulously planted seed after seed. She would have found it tedious, but Rhinox was obviously enjoying it the way she enjoyed racing, so she simply offlined her optics and let herself enjoy the heat of the sun and the warmth of the longwave EMF coming off her companion.
"So, what got you interested in gardening?" she asked after a few kliks. "You're an engineer, and you modded some pretty heavy weapons for yourself when the war started. Why take up organic plantlife as a hobby?"
She had a point. Rhinox directed some longwave reassurance at the sunrays themselves - who knew, they said talking to plants helped them grow. Maybe EMF did the same thing.
"Precisely because," he answered, "I'm an engineer with modded heavy-weapons in the midst of a war." He tucked a seed with extra gentleness into the dirt, as if to balance the heavy subject darkening his EMF. "I have nothing but respect for career warriors, both those who were built as such and those who chose the warrior's path later in life, but I don't count myself among them." He gave the ground a pat, the damp earth already warming up again in the intense Nevada sun. "I will fight if I have to. But I detest the necessity of it. And I don't like who I am in battle mode."
Another seed, another gentle pat, giving the seed a protective blanket of earth and water. "Plants are a restful hobby. They don't hurt anybody, they cannot be weaponized by our kind." He smiled over at the sunrays. "And they're beautiful, just as they are. Beauty should be appreciated for its own sake."
There was, Shadow suspected, a not-so-fine line between restful and boring, and she was landing toward the bored side of it. Not so much so that she regretted her decision to come out here - Rhinox was charming company - but she doubted she'd ever see the appeal of gardening for its own sake. Then again, Rhinox probably wouldn't see the appeal of going to a flat, empty field and opening her engine up all the way, so they were pretty much even there.
"As far from the war as it's possible to get, huh? I can understand that."
At least Rhinox did have something genuinely beautiful to show for his efforts, something which should, as he'd said, be appreciated for its own sake. Besides, she had never seen him fight. It was entirely possible the affable engineer who talked to plants really did turn into someone it was best not to know on the battlefield.
"However," she said, tone and field deliberately attempting to lighten the mood, "as a scientist you must have learned the value of planning. What's next on the list, after you've grown your bee plants?"
Rhinox's field flickered in gratitude when Shadow changed the subject. It was too nice a day to think about such gloomy things during his down time.
"What, bee plants and sunrays aren't enough for you?" Rhinox chuckled. "I have a lot of work to do to make sure these little ones grow." He nestled the last of the seeds in their beds and stood carefully. "But... yes, I have plans. Several. I'm still trying to decide which path to take." He offered her a smile. "I kind of want to try growing a cactus."
"I think the question is," Shadow teased, "are sunrays and bee plants enough for you? You have an awful lot of empty space here to fill up."
She rose to her pedes, plates rippling to shake dust off. "What kind of cactus?" She did a quick internet search and sent him an image file. "Echinocereus triglochidiatus, maybe?" she suggested. "It's regional, it's colorful, and it should attract hummingbirds."
Last Edit: Apr 17, 2012 11:39:29 GMT -5 by Deleted
"Hummingbirds?" This is Rhinox, perking right up. "I like the sound of that." He got up and dusted off his knees. "Maybe Mrs. Darby will know where to get a seed. Or even the cactus itself." He stepped back, surveying the area - everything looked good. One last task, then.
"Help me set this up, then I'll be done for the morning," he offered, unsubspacing a roll of 40% light-permeable tarp and some long metal stakes. "The bee plants are going to need a little shade while they're still young."
Shadow hid a smile at Rhinox's reaction. She'd thought the hummingbirds would get him, one more Shiny Organic Thing to encounter. She should probably warn Jack that his mom was likely to be pounced the next time she visited the base.
"You know," she said innocently as she helped Rhinox set up the cover for his seeds, "I bet June would take you to a plant nursery if you asked. It wouldn't be quite the same as picking out plants yourself, but she could show them to you with her cell phone and you could tell her which ones you wanted."
Last Edit: Apr 17, 2012 12:10:42 GMT -5 by Deleted
"Oh, I don't want to trouble her more than I already have," Rhinox demurred modestly. "She seems so busy. Being a nurse seems to be a high-stress job for humans."
...That was what came out of his mouth, but his field told a different story - setting off fireworks of do want like a little sparkling about to get a present. It seemed inevitable that June would be getting harassed by an overexcited giant-robot-truck-gardener in the near future. He started planting the stakes, happy and energetic.
"Being a nurse is a high stress job for humans," Shadow agreed, revising her mental note to warn Jack that his mom was definitely going to be pounced, "but you never know, she might find shopping for plants relaxing." She pinged him another link. "Or you could skip the shopping and just take a scenic drive. You might find it inspirational."
Not that she really thought he needed inspiration, when his field felt like something Miko might produce if she were Cybertronian, but a little harmless encouragement wasn't going to hurt anyone.
Rhinox began to suspect, then, that he was being Egged On. Possibly for someone else's amusement. It was a feeling he was familiar with.
...He found he didn't mind.
"I may do that anyway," Rhinox smiled, planting the last stake in the ground. "It sounds like my idea of a perfect afternoon." He unrolled the tarp and shook it out with an expert snap. "Would you want to come with me?" He started to tie the tarp to the stakes, glancing up to make sure the 'tent' was still below the cliff.
((OOC: Shadow is shocked - shocked! - that Rhinox doubts the innocence of her suggestions.))
"I might." Shadow caught her edge of the tarp, pulling it snug before tying it to the first post on her side. Teasing flicked through her field. "But first, we'd have to come to some sort of compromise between tearing through at a hundred and fifty, and staying to look until the plants gain sentience."
She followed his gaze, and ran a quick sensor sweep of the area. Nobody to notice them, and she scrambled quickly to the top of the low cliff, folding into her alt mode as she flipped over the edge. ::Not visible to anything human height,:: she commed, backing up so she could get enough speed to launch herself airborn. Still in her alt, she cleared Rhinox and his bee plants easily; she transformed back as her front end began to drop, to land in a crouch a good distance away from the larger mech. "At least, not until you get right to the edge of the cliff, and by then everything's visible anyway."
Rhinox snickered at her quip, and allowed her to do the visibility check without question - though the showing-off did make him duck half behind the tent. But Shadow landed neatly, crushing not a single flower - he laughed and nodded approvingly. "Nicely done."
He tied down the last corner of the tent and stepped back to survey it. "I think that'll do it, then. Thanks for your help, and the company."
"Thank you." Shadow gave Rhinox a little bow as she straightened, then turned to survey his garden. This might not be the sort of thing she'd be interested in doing every day, but as a periodic break, it wasn't bad.
She helped Rhinox gather up the tools he'd brought, including the mostly empty watering can, and called for a ground bridge. This had nicely filled the time until her next duty shift, and, she admitted to herself, it had been more pleasant than simply driving by herself.
"I'm going to hold you to that scenic drive," she told Rhinox as they stepped into the glowing vortex of the ground bridge. "And I even promise to hold myself down to the speed limit. Mostly."