(DONE) Ep. 1 - The Data Courier and the Singer [Dart]

[Dart]

Immediately, the girl shook her head and looked concerned once again. "No, we'll get you to the police station," she said firmly, tipping her shoulders back. Dishwater blonde strands of hair curled out of the ponytail and flicked against her bare neck. The galloping horse on her t-shirt rippled with her motion. Underneath the animal, the faded words were able to finally be made out. 'Runs like a girl- 2009 Preakness.'

"Promise, it's not a big deal. I'll take you into Jasper. It's okay; my boss will understand that I took a bit of a detour if I'm late at all. I just won't claim the mileage, you know?"

There, that sounded legit. It sounded better than - well, I'd rather not attract anyone's attention. Which was concerning Dart more and more the closer they got to the city. Chances were low, very low, that they'd run into anyone, she just was - well, overcautious. The sort of overcautious that saved you from being shot.

"Ugh," Rachel echoed. "I- I guess I've not been that close to folks on drugs, really, but that just sounds totally awful, yuck."

Which was true. Dart didn't. Oh, she'd had a guy once come out of a bar and nearly puke on her tire while parked, but... really, that wasn't his fault. She'd just been in an unfortunate place while waiting for a missive.

"Sorry," she apologized. Now that she thought about it for a second, she supposed it was rather insulting, or rather prying that she'd asked if she knew them on some personal level. It just seemed rather odd to the courier that you would pull over and uh, get jumped for your car. Well, human odd. Being jumped on by other Cybertronians, that made a lot more sense.

"I didn't mean to um, upset you if you think I thought you knew them," she said, turning to Sarita with a lift of her hand off the steering wheel. The gesture was quiet and contrite. "I swear, not implying that you were doing drugs or anything, honest."

[Deleted]

"I know you didn't, ma'am," said Sarita, smiling politely. "I would have picked up by now if you had. You are a woman of good character, miss, and I could tell that, even if it was subconsciously, when you pulled over for me. I probably would not have blubbered out what had just happened if you were not."

She hoped her words put the girl more at ease. This young lady was a flighty, flighty thing, a creature of constant motions and tics, ever expressive in those shoulders. Oh yes, Sarita was reading those shoulders like a horse's rider would read their mount's ears — they were telling her so much about Rachel, it wasn't even funny. With a cross of her legs, Sarita readjusted herself again, and cleared a little phlegm from her throat.

"The thing is," she began, hoping she didn't sound condescending, "the situation I was in was much like the one you were in when you found me. I saw someone crying by the road, standing beside a broke-down car, and I stopped to help. What I didn't pay attention to, however, were the signs: the twitches I mentioned before, the looking-around, the caginess and the glancing at the roadside bushes. I didn't go with my gut feeling, I based my actions on pure emotion. There are many honest people who stop on the highway for help, and then there are those who are predatory, looking to take advantage of the next person who stops."

She paused, hoping her words would sink comfortably into the young woman.

"The key is, always use caution. Do not be afraid to turn away from a bad situation. Know your environment, and you will not become the prey of another. Think constructively. Make sense?"

...Okay, it was a bit of a "if you were in my situation speech", but it couldn't be solely construed at that, could it? It could also be a warning to think on one's feet, right?

[Dart]

A woman of good character...?

The words made Dart wince to herself. Character, not so good, unfortunately. Of course, it wasn't quite a thing she could bring up. Hi, alien robot here to uh take all of your resources, thank you. She simply settled her hands on the steering wheel - her avatar's hands. It was holding - she could project it well in here. Close and she really wasn't doing much moving. Glad it hadn't glitched yet, or passed through the seat. Just a little longer into town.

She was still trying to digest the word, ma'am in relationship to her. No, she couldn't do it.

"Oh," she said quietly. "I guess- I wasn't looking at that."

Rachel shifted her weight in the bucket seat again. The car rumbled, as if she'd touched the accelerator with her toe. The air vents whuffed out a little burst of air and then didn't make another sound.

Well that was- uncomfortable too, where the conversation had slid. Not that she was incredibly concerned about being attacked; she was watching the woman's body language; there was no tension in her, no sharp rising scent of sweat. Not because it wasn't true, what the other woman was saying. Dart knew the avatar's projection was - uh, younger than Sarita appeared. Well, she thought it was anyway. She'd based it off of...

A long time spent on campus. Listening. Watching. They did that sometimes down at the school; the professors taking their classes outside on the grass and discussing things- the geology department was notorious for it. One of them in particular -what was his name... right, Professor Creager. White haired, little glasses, stick legs that were ropy with muscle. she remembered him for the fact that at his age he sure outran a bunch of desk-sitting college folks down at the dunes, charging up one side and sliding down the other in pure glee, pointing out all the landscape's features.

It was because it hit oddly close to home. Know the environment, and you won't become prey-- well, unless you uh, let yourself be drawn right into a trap. Starscream's warning, seeping back up into her head. She stopped. For this human. It could easily be something far more dangerous. Not just a vicious pair of drug users.

"Your compassion for - the humans will get you killed one day. I'm sure that MECH would have even less difficulty in putting up a convincing sympathetic front - not to mention fewer compunctions about following up such a charade with violence."

Underneath her passenger, the car rattled softly as Dart shook away the memory of Starscream's words. She frowned and pretended to steady her hand on the wheel, dropping her other hand to the shift stick as if she was going to gear her speed down.

"Not many bushes to glance at," the courier chuckled in an attempt to hide her discomfort. She took a quick peek out the window at the passing desert and rock. "Not many places to hide out here, it's pretty flat. Er, but yeah, I- I understand. Good advice. Safe advice. Thanks."

A pause. "I'm not sure where the police station is," she admitted. "I don't know Jasper too well. Do you know, by any chance? Or just have an idea? I've never been here myself."

[Deleted]

Something about her words had thrown Rachel off. Sarita would not know the truth why, but it was fairly obvious her praise had deflated the girl. Sarita's face was expressionless, but inside, she was frowning.

Is that...guilt?

"It's downtown, I believe," said Sarita. "But first — first, we should loop around the block. If that's all right with you, of course."

She waited for Rachel's reply. If given the affirmative, Sarita would continue with, "Rachel...this might sound personal, and I apologize if it is, but...are you wanted in Jasper? Is someone after you, or did someone piss you off? If so, I'm not mad."

She turned to try and look the girl in the eye. Sarita's look was firm, determined and gentle at the same time, and there was not a hint of judgment in her gaze. She said to the woman, "If you're in trouble, there is a back road you can take at the next left. Go around it, and we'll be in the sticks around the edge of the suburbs. If you go that way, we can pull up Sandstone Road and that's a one-way route to the police station. If you need money, if you leave a post office box or something, I will send it to you."

She leaned back in her seat. She was surprisingly calm, all things considered, but could feel her heart starting to race. She really, really hoped she hadn't hopped into the same car a convict was driving, or worse.

"I'm not here to judge. Just...be honest with me, if you can."

[Dart]

There was an incredulous blink over at Sarita and it was followed up with an expression of bafflement and utter confusion. Where had that suddenly come - oh. Was she jittering? She didn't think she was, but okay, her concentration was diffcult in both places at once. The road beneath her, the seat, concentrating on keeping track of where she was, sniffing and listening outside, and trying not to do the same inside. Ugh.

Dart was used to the mechs around her ignoring it. Dismissing it - just who she was. Annoying, but just a quirk. A glitch in her processor, one of many. However, the human had picked up on her nervousness as if she just was one of those people who instinctively guessed your weight, too. Dart had thought she'd been hiding most of it pretty well. Apparently not. She'd hid it better down in the canyon with a very upset and injured Autobot packing a fake bomb, go figure. Apparently her brain hadn't considered this situation dangerous and she'd relaxed way, way too much with the avatar. Great. Wonderful. Not good.

Of course, there was no running away from this right now. Unless she wanted to pull the old ejector-seat moment. Nope, another thing her Trans Am mode didn't have. Not that she ever would have, never. Things didn't go like they did on TV, heh.

"Uh, no ma'am?" the girl replied immediately. "I'm uh, fine, really. I just am a bit behind. Sorry, work stuff, just sort of trying to figure out what sort of time-table I have right now. I was already running a bit off time when I stopped to pick you up."

"I just can't afford to get fired again," Rachel said, with an emphasis on that one awful word, yep. She lifted her hand off the wheel, palm up, ducking her head ever so slightly. However, the fact that the woman went to lock gazes with her was automatic and uncomfortable. This- this human and her behavior was starting to throw her a bit and yet she didn't know why. Another sniff. No, okay, still didn't smell any drugs, nope.

On the back end of the car, the spoiler tilted, flattening against the trunk; as low and submissive as possible. Rachel held Sarita's gaze for a fraction of a second before tipping her chin and quickly, politely turning away.

"It's not anything to do with you," she said, focusing on the road and a car that had just pulled out in front of them. Immediately, she slowed down to let the driver in front. "I just can't afford to mess up my job, that's all. You know, fuel and all that. I need this one. Like you said, the economy's pretty bad out there. Don't need money, though. Honest. I think you should really keep that for yourself, especially if you need a hotel for the next few days..."

Rachel trailed off. The car's vents huffed softly, as if the fan was sticking.

"Until you can get your car back, I mean. I hope you can. Sounds like a fairly quick route though," the courier offered. "I don't have a map of Jasper on me, so I'd rather go a way you know will get us there for sure with no hitches."

A smile. "S'just about time constraints. It comes with the job. Faster is better, you know?"

[Deleted]

...Oh.

"Oh."

Sarita's face flushed red with embarrassment. Instead of considering the more obvious consequence of "she's going to get fired", the woman had jumped to a completely wrong conclusion. Sarita had just accused, in more polite words, a kind stranger of being a convict. A convict. That was as bad as calling a married woman a slut, or a veteran soldier with no legs a baby killer. Sarita slunk down in her seat, suddenly finding the road a lot more interesting than Rachel.

"Well, I, uh..." the woman began to choke out, clutching her knees tightly. Her fingernails dug into the bony joints, and she felt her throat tighten up in the next sentence. "Well, um...yes, that should have been obvious, shouldn't it have? I uh...uh...uhhhh...."

There really was no recovering from this type of social faux-pas. The best Sarita could do was smile, shut up and let her driver hurry on in peace. The sooner they got to the damned police station, the better.

And yet, she couldn't help but give a quick, "S-sorry," to try and break the tension. As if that would make up the an outrageous, disgusting conclusion Sarita had drawn. A convict Sarita? Really? Really?

[Dart]

Underneath them, the car smoothly moved into the left hand turn. The low, sweeping hood seemed to nose the pavement to the sides as it traveled. Heat wavers rose up from the road; the sunshine blared from above and reflected off the dark dashboard. The speedometer needle dropped to exactly the allowed speed and didn't waver or move a bit- level and perfect. For such an old sports car, it braked softly and carefully and didn't jerk Sarita against the seatbelt.

Interestingly enough, the interior seemed all original; minimal scuffs. No worn places in the vinyl of the doors, no broken locks. For how road-worn it seemed on the outside, the inside didn't quite seem as broken in.

Rachel cocked her head slightly to the side, chin tipping. The scent of nervous sweat, the clutch of fingers on Sarita's knees. Her brows drew up a little bit as she peered over at Sarita from under her scruffy bangs. Really, she could have used a haircut to neaten up the ends. Perhaps her money was better spent on Top Ramen, the old college standby for dinner.

"Oh, uh, no no, don't be sorry," the girl reassured Sarita quickly as she peered at the street signs. Her shoulders tipped a little and she relaxed and settled back against the grey seat.

"Left, to the sticks, up Sandstone Road..." she murmured to herself, repeating the instructions perfectly before she glanced over again. "No, like I said, please don't be sorry." Totally polite, her accent thickening just a little. "Honest, ma'am... You've had a pretty lousy and rough day, you know? I'd- I'd be a bit worried about everything and everyone. I don't blame you at all for being upset.

"Er, including me. Honestly, I'm amazed you're holding together- I mean, I'd about have a breakdown if someone stole my car. I kinda need it for everything."

A pause. "I'm a courier," she offered, trying to explain. Maybe that would help a bit. Smooth out the uncomfortable moment here, nose it towards better things, safer spaces. Funny, it had been so much easier to talk to the college students. Hikers. Nature folks. She could relate to them, common ground. She understood them, understood the awe in a river or the sky or the birds.

Not that she didn't love cities, with the people going by, the traffic, the constant things to see and watch and learn. Conversations on cell phones. I regret eating at Taco Bell. I'm going to Starbucks, you want anything? All the little nuances that humanity had, and she loved more than anything to observe, to lose herself in - to step away into a different reality at times.

"Point a to point be as fast as possible, you know?" she asked.

[Deleted]

At the mention of how well she was holding it together, Sarita wanted to cry again. She cleared her throat reflexively, rubbing at her eyes as they began to burn. "Y-yeah, fancy that," she muttered, trying to keep polite but instead coming out with a quip. She tried to steel herself and focus on the road, the edge of Jasper quickly coming up on the horizon. From where they were driving, she could see the top of the police building.

If she talked, she might start bawling. Sarita kept quiet, nodding and listening to Rachel converse with her. The girl explained her courier job (though Sarita could swear she was repeating herself), and the singer found her inner gears turning. Courier work? That sounds like a couple of jobs I've done....

"You know, if you ever need work, I know a couple of guys," said Sarita. "They're up near the southern part of Oregon, but I've delivered flyers and a couple of packages for them in the past. I can give you their numbers if you'd like."

Her voice was tight, but she was keeping it together. That was all that mattered.

[Dart]

The car's sticky air-vents huffed slightly as she took the next corner, like someone had drawn a breath through their teeth, and was deep in thought.

... could this... do that?

Dart glanced down at the avatar's hands on the wheel. She'd never thought of that. At all. It had never crossed her mind to maybe use the avatar to- get a few dollars. Money. Oh goodness... yes, wait, yes, if- if it could hold together, if it wouldn't glitch. A temporary job, one she could do in a short period of time, no strings, hopefully. Not anything that required uh, her to hand over documents, or a driver's license. Just something that could get her a little bit to put away. Money got you places in a human world. It got you- that ability to walk into Starbucks, order a coffee and be able to sit there and watch the people.

It was a whole lot to think about all of a sudden.

"Seriously?" Rachel replied, perking up in the seat. "Aw, um, I'd love that, if you wanted to give them, sure. I mean, I may not er, need it anytime soon but it doesn't hurt to call and see if they've got something available sometime.

I go by Ashland a lot. They have these really cool outdoor plays there, Shakespeare Festival. Grant's Pass, too. I run by there on a regular basis."

Rachel turned the Trans Am into the left hand lane and followed the street signs. A few easily navigated blocks and traffic led them to the police station. The Pontiac was a wide vehicle compared to most of the compact cars now built-- but she guided it smoothly into a parking space, leaving more room on Sarita's side so that she could easily swing the door open.

[Deleted]

"I think I've been there a couple of times," Sarita commented idly. Her throat was clamping up, and it wasn't from any allergic reaction or smell in the air. "I used to do some theatre and...stuff."

She was fine up until they started pulling in. Her knees began to knock together, the girl shaking slightly as she looked at the modest brick building. It seemed to loom on the horizon like a skyscraper, the nearby patrol vehicles like coyotes in the bush. All at once did Sarita feel watched and vulnerable, and she sank down a little in her seat as Rachel parked. The girl took a quiet breath, trying to steady herself; she felt her eyes burn again, this time more harshly.

"Yeah, um...s-so yeah, um, if you have a scrap of paper — "

She quickly rambled off some numbers, hoping Dart caught them. What followed was a an e-mail address and a post office box in Jasper, recently acquired after getting rid of some...ill-gotten...copper wiring. "If...if you need anything, let me know. Send me a message, a letter...whatever you n-need. I'll...I'll t-try to be as h-helpful as I can, promise."

She sniffed, wiping furiously at her eyes. Try not to cry. Try not to cry. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but start to weep again as she got out, dragging her guitar case along with her.

"...Th-thanks, Rachel," the singer managed to stutter out. "I...I appreciate this. A lot."

And with that, and a small huff of apprehension, off Sarita went.

//ooc// You can fit in one more post if you'd like.

[Dart]

As the car stilled, the engine ticked. Across the rear of the vehicle, the spoiler rattled on a loose bolt. The air vents huffed softly, pulling in air. It was slightly cool against bare legs.

"No paper," Rachel smiled sheepishly. "My pack's in the trunk... um, but I'm good at remembering things, honest. I'll remember. Thank you. This is way more than enough, I didn't even need this."

Dart repeated the numbers back to Sarita solemnly. The parking lot at the police station was clear. However the courier was becoming more and more apprehensive herself- too much going on. Too many things to watch this time of the day; too much of a danger to sit here in the open in this particular city with how she looked. She wished that her sigil was a bit less... obvious in placement sometimes. She'd done her best to hide that and her lightning bolt under a thick later of red road dust and grime, obscuring it as much as possible.

Gotta get moving. Don't want the humans getting hurt. Too close. Too much going on. Too dangerous like this. Once this poor woman stepped out of her seat, Dart would at least feel a little better. She'd be safe here.

"I hope you get your car back," the young woman said as Sarita opened the door. A faint drift of moisture and salt, and Dart's spoiler lowered down, even as her avatar looked incredibly concerned. "I hope- I hope things get better for you soon. You're most welcome. Take care of yourself."

As the passenger door shut, the Trans Am sat in the parking lot. Dart hesitated and watched her heft the guitar and head across the shimmering blacktop. As Sarita reached the door, a soft, mechanical whine drifted out from under the long, sloping hood. The car's left front tire twisted slightly back and forth, a vehicular paw against the hot parking lot.

A few moments later, the car backed smoothly out of the space. It politely flicked on the blinker and let a few cars pass before it pulled back out into traffic and disappeared into the Jasper streets.

ooc: aw thanks! Hope that works!