Ep. 1.5 - Cat and Dog - [Closed]

[Carbine]

Eppisode: 1.5 - Week: 2 - Day: 3


So a scouting job eh?... was that all that ever happened around here?

Scout this, hunt that, look out for this, and clean that. It seemed like that was all that he was good for on this planet. Look around for things, and cleaning the base since he couldn't make proper reports on anything or do computer work again with his disability. He was a glorified janitor and it bothered the heck out of him since he used to be a police officer back on Cybertron. From respected cop, to prisoner, to low class menial laborer.

Damn...

He had to try to take the good for what it was though. It was true scouting wasn't glorious but it got him out of the base right? And it got him something to do that wasn't quite as pathetic correct? But... What happened to fighting the Decepticons? What happened to those big frontline battles with all the chaos and action? This was boring, and left him hungering for something more.

He shouldn’t want more... he still was trying to master his flying, and that brought with it plenty of 'excitement' for him... oh well...

Carbine waited in the main room where the Ground Bridge was, having arrived early. As much as he may appear to be just an unruly liability? Ready to cause trouble and start fights? He actually did have sides to him that displayed his original programming. Arriving not on time, but EARLY to something? Was just second nature to him. Even if he had to wait around? It was far better than being late. It is because of this, he was scatting backwards upon his heel wheels.

Both toe peds were folded up into his shins, leaving his lower legs to end in the spoked wheel that would become his tail rotor if he were to take his alt-Mode. His arms were folded behind his back, as his frame was almost post straight with his legs tucked close together. He was rolling backwards in the room, the path of the parallel wheels cutting a long sloping snake back and forth as he went, while his upper torso kept mostly in the same place, only his bottom half moving.

When he would reach an end to the room, the 'S' curve would bend into a full turn in a graceful swoop, before he started to roll the other direction, the rotors on his back flicking occasionally for balance. He was getting accustomed to the rotors gradually, at first? He hated them. He hated them so much it BURNED... but now? He was trying to adapt them into his skating, which made it a bit more bearable.

The heavy fall of peds caught his attention, and slowed his motion, the broad 'S' of his skating growing more and more subdued until it was a straight leisurely drift backwards, facing the entrance to the room. It was only a moment later that Optimus made his way in.

The large mech glanced over at Carbine, wondering just how long he had been waiting there. Optimus knew he was not late, his internal chronometer telling him such clear as day. It is because of this he assumed Carbine just arrived early for whatever reason, and dismissed it entirely a moment later as he traversed to the Ground Bridge controls.

"So... where e?x?a?ctl?y yo?u sending us?"

Carbine stated this in amusement, the 'us' referring to himself and Bolo. He was hoping that Bolo would count as the 'second' in the group, so that he didn’t have to be weighed down by another, or have to deal with Thunder's huge as hell jet form. He loved the mech, as much as you could without it being like THAT, but he hated how he could fly circles around him because his alt-mode was comparatively slow.

"You will be accompanied to an abandoned Decepticon mine. Your objective is to use Bolo to scout for any Energon that may have been missed during final cleanup."

Optimus spoke flatly, not once turning to peer at the helicopter while he worked to type in the proper coordinates to prepare the Ground Bride. Carbine? Instantly stopped rolling with a little squeak of his wheels. He stood upright fully, and his stance changed so that his legs were spaced further apart for balance. He looked frustrated.

"Ahh B?olo and I can handle anything we co?m?e? a?cro?ss?! We don’t need backup!"

He spat this out a bit, without being too belligerent. He didn’t want to anger the Prime, he did respect his leadership, but... at the same time? He was frustrated it was seen as if he couldn't manage if something were to go astray.

"You are too large to successfully harvest in hard to reach locations."

Blunt and to the point, Carbine shut up at this, what remained of his lips pressing together into a thin line behind his riot helm. The helmet concealed his face from view almost entirely with a black visor, leaving nothing but the flat glow of his optics. It was hard to argue with Optimus' words, he wasn't a small mech, and chances are? If he told Bolo to fetch any stone in a hole? The dog would eat it before ever handing it over.

Well played Prime...

[Deleted]

Clean this, fix that, keep out of the way, Scout This! Kit felt like a glorified janitor, and she was okay with that, no responsibility. But now! She was going on a mission, an actual honest to Primus mission, learning to become an actual soldier, so one day she could hunt actual Decepticons. Her current track record sucked. Okay yes, there was going to be actual responsibility but Kit was unconcerned about that, she was the newbie and thus the responsibility would not really be hers. There was actual danger too, well, an actual possibility of danger. Kit felt right at home with that one.

Apathy had been left on the berth this day. Kit was only bringing the other half of her personality, the feisty energetic neophile.

Kit rounded the last corner on her way to the portal. Yes it was a ground bridge, but Kit liked to think ‘portal’. Her forward motion halted immediately at the sight of two big mechs, two particular big mechs.

One was Optimus Prime, the Leader, the Last Prime, Optimal Optimus. She could keep going. Kit didn’t know what to say or do around him, he was larger than life, and he gave butterflies butterflies. He made Kit feel twice as tall just and half as short at the same time.

The other mech…was a cop, and Kit was exactly the sort to feel guilty for no reason at all whenever she saw a cop. Once upon her time in her life, Kit had been quite guilty, mostly of being stupid. She held a degree of respect for them actually. When the law had found her, and uncovered the majority of her misdemeanours, she had been rather gently kicked in the right direction.

With the change to Terran Altmodes, Kit could not be sure, but the cop looked like he was maybe the same chassis type as those in Vos, her home city. Who knew? Maybe he was even the same one who had cleaned her off the streets. The chances were close to non-existent but definitely non-zero.

With nothing left for it, Kit shoved her trepidation away and strode up to the pair. In a clear and crisp voice, slightly louder than her usual, “The whole, Kitandcaboodle, reporting in Sir!”

[Carbine]

Carbine was annoyed, his frame drifting back a slight amount while he waited. He didn’t want backup. If he found something he couldn't reach? And he couldn't trust Bolo to fetch for him? He could call it in, he could get aid then... but nooo... he had to tote someone around with him. It didn’t help that the only small mech he could think of offhand, was Zoom Zoom.

Yeahhh... today was going to be great.

When he heard footfalls, they were light and small, a bit smaller than he'd think of the minibot, but still definitely not one of the larger mech he knew. It is with this approach, his arms folded out from behind his back, only to loosely cross across his chest in a stance of disapproval and frustration. He was ready to glare Zoom Zoom into the ground, or mock him tauntingly; he hasn't really decided what way he was going to go yet. It was then he saw the little thing.

And by little? It wasn't an exaggeration.

A poping sound of static barked out a second, almost like a short laugh that was forced though a broken projector. He wrenched forward in tandem with this noise, his hands clapping down upon his knees which lowered his frame a bit more to her level, though was far far from it because she was... she was just so TINY oh primus! Look at her! How was she even a thing!? How was she functioning!? She was like a little toy!

"W?el???l?!"

He squawked out, laughter prominent now as it raked through his words. Each word was shuddered from this restrained cackles, laced with some static from losing his composure from the hilarity of it.

"I'd agree and say you b-br?-o?u-?b?-retrieved the whole collection, but think dont k?z?z?t? I you could ca?r?r?y ha?l?f?!"

He was playing off of her names literal meaning, letting fly an obnoxiously loud laugh after this. He had completely forgotten about Optimus by now, not even caring that the Prime was there and he was possibly teasing one of his... soldiers?... oh primus there was no way that little thing could fight! This was his backup!? Oh his pride wasn't hurt at all anymore! How could it be!? His 'backup' was a little tiny monkey cassette geared severely towards a femme's build!

Carbine's wheels rolled back and forth a moment, debating if he wanted to follow through with what he was going to do, before he plunked down to the ground upon his shins, easing down as light as one could with a larger frame as himself. He was now on his knees before the tiny little femme, looking her over rather obviously despite the fact his lens plates couldn't be discerned from the general glow through the visor. His optics were half lidded, an unseen grin peeled back so fully it was like he was trying to break off the other half of his face.

"Are y?ou? a? ?C?a?s?s?ett?e!? You ha-ha?v-a?-?MUST to be, there's NO way ?y?o?u’?r?e? ?a? full femme. PRIMUS look how TINY y?ou? ?a?re ?I can?'?t? take it!"

He was beside himself, his glitch presenting fully as he was snort laughing again when Optimus finally had had enough. The Prime finished putting in the coordinates to exactly where they were going to drop them, as he reached his hand over to grasp onto the lever. With a light push and a creak of metal, the lever was snapped down, activating the mechanics for the Ground Bridge which roared to life just a moment later. Green tendrils spun and spiraled at the edges of the machinery, before the center of what would become of the portal split open like a forming whirlpool. The white and green with flecks of blue vortex flickered and danced as it fully took shape, ready for the scouts to pass through to their new location.

"Objective is to locate, and if possible, harvest any Energon that may have been missed during excavation. Any Decepticons or MECH, and you are to report in to return to base immediately."

Optimus repeated the mission with a bit more detail because of the fact Kit was now present, and had not been for the first time he spoke. The tone in his voice showed that there would be no arguing his decision about the threats. If either of the groups showed up? Well... He didn’t want to deal with that nonsense, especially when Kit wasn't a full out fighter yet. He would not permit such a confrontation to occur when the outcome would be only grim for them, and their cause.

Carbine didn't get up when the Ground Bridge revved to life, but more remained kneeling, white fingertips drumming across the ground in a bit of an anxious excitement as he looked out at the tiny TINY little femme. He was absolutely beside himself in amusement, and he couldn't get over it. In his mind she had to be a cassette of some kind, she absolutely had to be, there was no explanation. Well... there WAS but really, shed be the smallest femme he's ever seen in his life. Maybe he was hoping it was a Cassette? Was there another Carrier around? He didn't know but the idea made him hopeful.

[Deleted]

Optimus was easy to deal with really, from Kit’s point of view. Straight forward, wise...everything a leader is supposed to be. Intimidating sure, but that was because of the legends and such. He was simply easy to roll with.

“Sir!” and that was all Kit felt she needed to say to Optimus, to confirm she understood the mission. He commanded respect, he got it.

But then there was carbine.

There was little in the universe that could unnerve Kit, at least that’s what she thought to herself. Carbine however managed to achieve just that and Kit reflexively took a small step backward. All of his aspects, taken singularly, Kit could deal with, had dealt with. Except one. The patronising, fawning demeanour. They weren’t really the right words but Kit could think of no other.

She gave barely conscious notice of the vocal tic, her ears had met many. The joke about her name, practically cliché, unoriginal, lame, boring, beneath her notice. Cop she could deal with. Flier she hadn’t noticed yet, but Thundercloud had softened things a little there. When Kit found out, and she surely would at some point, that Carbine was a crap flier, well, all animosity would just evaporate on that point. Leering Mech, Kit wasn’t even sure he was leering at all, but she could play their nature against them.

But fawning, patronising...Kit didn’t have the vocabulary for what he was doing. It certainly cleared up one point, he was not from Vos. Several ideas flittered through the tiny femme’s processor. She could straight up kick Carbine in the face, lots of satisfaction, but not for long. She could threaten, bring up two snarling buzz saws to his face, but it was fifty fifty whether he would laugh it away or get the point. She could act utterly professional, but that just wasn’t her style, and she did like style.

Kit settled for feisty, and just a touch confrontational, and with just a smidgen of flirty thrown in for good measure. She popped one hip, both curvy and angular, to the side and back, placed hand upon it. Chest forward and chin too. Tone defiant, and ever so slightly husky. “I assure you, I am more femme than you have ever had, or ever will. So, do you have a name to go with the manners?”

[Carbine]

Oh man, she was adorable!

Carbine's grin remained just as strong as the first second he saw her, when she tried oh so hard to be all huffy and sassy. Her words? Didn't even phase him, as he figured it was just stereotypical Femme nonsense meant to derail a mech. It is because of this? His hands that had been placed on the ground before him? Pulled back to clasp onto his knees, still knelt down to be more at her level, though still was plenty big even at this height.

The rotors on his wings flexed slightly, rattling ever so faintly in his restrained attempt to hide his laughter. He just couldn't take her seriously at all, she was just so tiny it was as if he were looking at a child. The fact she wasn't a Cassette? Did disappoint him a bit though, as he wondered if there was another Carrier around, but he shoved it aside to simply marvel at how TINY of a femme she was. What was her purpose on Cybertron? He had to assume it was something with maintenance to get where others couldn't.

"I don’t know, you?r? ?ma?ss eq?u?als ?o?nly ?a?bout one limb of some of the F?e?m?me?s ?I? h?a?ve? be?en with... You'd have to really work twice as har-"

Annnddd... nope...

Optimus was done with this as soon as it started.

He didn't want to have to deal with the aftermath of such jokes, or even have to endure being around them to begin with. He was good at ignoring some of the verbal spats between his soldiers, as long as it didn’t get overly antagonistic and was more just... sarcastic sassing... but once it reached into the 'flirty' area? And nope. Nope. All the nope. This sort of verbal warfare was not something he ever wanted to even think went on, and as such? He was through with things BEFORE they even started.

"You are wasting fuel."

Optimus had stated this bluntly with a bit of a forced edge to it, aiming to interrupt Carbine. As he did so? His arm lifted and pointed at the Ground Bridge that was still spiraling and awaiting to transport them to their intended goal. He had begun to turn now, blue optics settling on them both, hoping they would cut out their foolish game and actually get something done. They could continue when he didn't have to overhear that nonsense and were following Bolo.

Carbine looked up sharply at the Prime, before he let out a long exhale of a vent. With a hiss of hydraulics, his large frame pushed up and off of the ground. When his right foot raised? The ped folded out with a minor transformation from his shin, the sharp triangular armor pressing to the ground, before his other leg was drawn up and took shape once more, clunking down lightly.

"Well come along clutterbug. A rousing adventure s?ta?ri?ng? ?a?t? roc?k?s? ?awaits!"

He cried this out over enthusiastically, while throwing both limbs up into the air. Optimus didn’t seem amused, piercing optics just observing as the helicopter moved one step not towards the portal, but actually to the femme?

Carbine swooped his hand down, long white fingertips lightly grabbing about Kit's waistline like a clamp. He didn’t apply any more pressure than was needed, and was actually careful, but his hand was large enough on her tiny little frame to nearly touch his thumb to fingertip all the way around her waistline. With a light tug and a pop to heft her off the ground? The next thing shed realize is that she was tucked under his arm not unlike a football facing forward with limbs dangling.

With a whir, he then turned about and began walking through the portal, throwing his free arm in the air in a half-assed salute of sorts to Optimus. The Prime, opened his mouth to protest, to tell Carbine to not manhandle Kit like that, but they had breached to the other side before he could vocalize the thought. With a light frustrated motion, he rubbed his faceplates with one hand, before reaching forth to grab the switch, ready to turn it off once they were on the other side.

They could handle their own problems. Consider it an exercise in teamwork.

The helicopter mech exited the ground bridge with Kit, looking up and about once they were through and the portal powered down behind him. They had been planted inside the mines itself, the cavernous interior of layered rock creating an odd environment. It was a main cavern where machinery used to reside, though had long been cleared out, leaving tracks on the ground and some stains from oil and other mechanics. Though, even ignoring the tracks on the stone? One would know machinery had resided there, for the air was thick with the lingering exhaust.

Many passageways and tunnels wove away from the central cavern, showing that... oh boy... there was plenty to look through and map down.

[Deleted]

Work twice as hard, Kit completed the sentence in her head. Even in her darkest days, best forgotten, Kit had never had to work it hard, at most, she worked it smart. Admittedly, she had never worked anyone even close to Carbine’s size.

Kit had no idea how she was going to get this damn mech to take her seriously…

Primus on a Piston, he was actually picking her up and carrying her underarm, the sheer ignominy of it. She didn’t fight it; he had to be an order of magnitude stronger than her. Part of her really wanted to shove a plasma lance in his optics, but that part wasn’t the majority. Kit endured until they she was carried beyond the eyes of Prime. This was not going in the report, no way, no how.

Still small victories, he hadn’t said any stupid remarks about her design, like her stupid ears and stupid tail and stupid triple optics.

“Could you please put me down, and tell me your name? And I will pretend this never happened.” Kit’s tone was both weary and hopeful.

She really wanted to get into this scouting jig, map these tunnels, examine all the tracks and marks, and find energon. Kit was certain she could find more energon and prove her mighty worth. She was counting a lot on her infra-red vision to do just that.

[Carbine]

The reason Carbine wasn't pointing out her tail or eyes or anything yet, is because he was not really convinced the tiny little thing was an independent Femme. He still had it locked in his mind that she was a little Cassette, and Cassettes? Could often look quite odd. Four legs, wings, beaks, claws, teeth, skittering insect frames, long whipping tail, or even tails, they all varied so much, and in a way? It is because of this? Carbine had no prejudice against such abnormalities that pushed frames away from the norm. He may comment on them, he may point them out if he felt need to annoy, but they never really... struck him as weird like they may others?

When Kit spoke once they were through the portal? Carbine's shielded helm turned down to peer upon her curiously. There was a pause, as if he was considering whether or not he should comply, before a light chuckle slid out. He was simply far too amused. How could he deny something so fragging ADORABLY TINY my god his processor was going to explode by the end of this.

"Ohh, I thought f?emme?s l?o?ved? ?to? ?g?et? swooped off their peds by a big s?tron?g mech?"

He teasingly stated this while he dipped his knees a little. With one hand looped under her abdomen, he eased down until her feet could touch the ground. Once she was low enough she could support herself, he let go and pushed back upright before he started to annoy his knees from kneeling in such a way. Once he was upright? He rolled his shoulders back, before hooking his body forward once more, planting his hands on his knees though he didn’t bend them.

"We?ll?, I? ?am? ?Carbine anndd..."

He trailed off, as in the middle of his words? The armor panels on his back started to flair and whir. Two large disks surged out from the main mass, the blue lighted wheels spinning as components clicked onto the root disk while parts started to wrench out. From between the panels, a helm ripped out of the frame, crooking forward a moment later as long ears flicked and spun as they locked in place. In a fast chain of events, a large canine was soon standing on Carbine's back.

Bolo's hind paws were planted on the metal posts jutting out of the back of Carbine's hips, the posts seemingly meant for the dog to do such a thing at how perfect the paws capped over the end. His forelegs? Were sunken down inside Carbine still, and with a hissing pop they disengaged, planting the white forepaws on his owner's shoulders.

"-tha?t’?s? Bolo"

Bolo shook his frame a bit, causing the loose armor that was settling in place to wiggle and clunk together. The canine worked his jaw a moment, before looking down to see someone new! It was this sight that prompted Bolo to hop down off of Carbine, permitting the mech to ease back upright while his Cassette looked over Kit.

The police dog's face was stagnant. No moving parts for expression, no eyelids to even blink with. It was an emotionless face, yet despite this? One could almost feel Bolo was happy, knowing through the link with master that this other Cybertronian was friend not foe. It is because of this, Bolo shoved his snout into Kit, sniffing her, trying to look for treats or anything of value. While he did so? His haunches wiggled a bit, as if trying to wag a tail that was not even there.

Carbine smirked knowingly as Bolo played cute. Unbeknownst to Kit? Bolo was playing along pre taught actions, and wasn't just being a cute dog for the sake of being cute. Truth, Bolo didn’t really need much prompting to do so, he really did want to look for treats, and he didn’t mind the scratches and fawning it often brought. The disgraced cop turned some, to make it seem like this wasn't staged, as he started to walk towards one of the side tunnels a few paces.

From a side pocket in his armor, Carbine produced a chunk of raw Energon he got supplied just for the sake of tracking with his canine. The stone was blue, which is to be expected, and was very rough. The translucent material glowed softly, save for one spot that had raw stone still clutching to its surface since it was such a rough cut. Once Bolo was done winning him all the points in the world he would set him to work.

[Deleted]

“We only like the sweeping off the peds by big strong, handsome, intelligent, gentle, understanding, compassionate, wise...let’s say that someone like you would have to do some serious wining and dining first.” While Kit’s tone started as exasperated, it finished with cheeky. Ok so maybe the cop was annoying, but he seemed like he might be some fun too.

Much happier being back on the ground, she brushed imaginary dust from her body in feigned indignity. Kit looked around the tunnels with curiosity. Noting how dark it was, her tail extended to half again its length with the tip now above her head. And on that tip, the plasma torch sparked to life. Fully de-focused and absolute minimum power, it was an effective infra-red flashlight. Kit didn’t get to look around much before Carbine was once again stealing her attention.

It took a moment for Kit to realise what Carbine was even doing. Her realisation only just beat Bolo’s full emergence. Suddenly Carbine’s fixation on cassettes made sense, he was a carrier. With a face full of robo-snout, Kit fell totally utterly for Carbine’s trap. She very happily played along with Bolo’s demand for affections, scratching his head and flanks with her long capable digits.

“Ok you I like, Bolo is it? I’m Kit and you must surely be Carbine’s better half. The smarter half too I reckon”. Caught up in treating Bolo almost exactly how Carbine had treated her, something went click in her processor. For a moment, just a very brief moment, Kit considered not fawning over Bolo, but scrapit, the canine seemed to be enjoying it, where she obviously hadn't.

So no, she didn’t stop fawning over Carbine, instead she decided to spoil the cassette, turn him to the Kit side and see if she could make Bolo a better friend of her than Bolo's carrier. It was of course a futile plan, but that rarely stopped Kit in her tracks. With one hand, she magicked an energon goodie out of sub-space and fed this to Bolo. Her other hand transformed into a buffer, and started to give Bolo a most excellent belly rub.

[Carbine]

"You aren’t ?helpin?g ?yo?ur arg?ument of being a Femme."

This was his only quick reply to her list of qualifiers about what kind of mech would be acceptable to swoop a femme off her feet. It was a sideways swing, a bit of a jab at her, while at the same time there was a boast that yes... yes he fit all those qualifications... Even the handsome part, even though his face was half blasted off. He was just THAT good lookin' and no one could convince him otherwise.

Bolo had absolutely no clue what the femme was saying. He could pick up on some things, he was able to listen to basic instructions. It is because of this? He only grasped 'Like' 'Better', and their names. But alas, he didn’t need words to understand the side and head scratches. It is with this? The canine let out a whirring sound from his internals, dipping a bit and arching into the touch happily. His ears were pulled back, but there was no aggression in the stance, meant as a pleased submission to get more attention.

The canine had been turned away from Kit when the Energon goodie was produced, but the scent hound? Didn't need to SEE it to know that... oh wait... something is actually there?... With a snap his helm shot upright, and his ears pivoted around to face Kit. Somehow, his optics almost seemed to be bigger, or perhaps they were just glowing a bit brighter with renewed focus. When the goodie was handed out? The massive clamp of his jaw grasped completely around her hand.

Bolo knew not to bite it off... he knew not to hurt her, but he was excited, and the clamp 'gnawed' in the lightest version of the word, as his tongue lapped forward until the object was dropped into HIS possession. With it now in maw, he would back off and abandon her hand to bite and gnaw at the goodie eagerly with over powerful clamps which made audible clanks.

Carbine turned a bit at this, his helm crooking to the side as he had sensed Bolo had been fed. Through their link? He knew right away when food was produced, and he watched a bit warily like the overprotective Carrier he could be. It isn't that he thought the food would be poisoned or something ridiculous, and he wasn't worried a single treat would hurt Bolo who could consume an entire cube of Energon in seconds (despite the fact his tank shouldn’t hold that much) no... maybe it was the fact she didn't ask if she could feed him? As when Bolo docked? That goodie would be transferred into his own systems, so that food had been effectively force fed to him.

Ah... it wouldn't hurt anything.

Bolo was happy gnawing on the last bits of the treat when the buffer was planted on his belly. The canine's ears flicked upright abruptly in surprise, before he turned to peer and see what the heck was actually happening. A few seconds later? And the dog threw himself onto his side and stretched all his limbs out post straight. The forelegs splayed the tiny pawpads before they tucked up to his chest in happy glee. An odd garbled sound was made along with the buffers whir, a pleased sort of 'chatter' that didn’t translate to anything.

Carbine seemed far more alert now, turning fully as he held onto the Energon chunk. He observed the situation a moment, optics flicking down to view Bolo's nonexistent expression, before a low laugh started to form. The sound was way too amused again, while he took a few paces over towards the two. Each footfall caused gravel to crackle beneath his peds, before he came to a stop and planted his hands on his knees once more. He had to lean at least a little bit so he didn’t have to yell down at them.

"You k?n?ow th?at works on me too."

He mused in an overly flirtatious tone meant to tease. They should probably be getting to work... but he wanted to torment the little TINY femme. If he could get her so flustered she stumbled over her words? He would consider it a win on his part.

[Deleted]

I wiser bot may have been ready for a canine instinctive chomp, may have held the energon goodie in a better way, may have asked permission. Kit was not a wiser bot, not by a long stretch. So she got her hand bit, gently. Kitandcaboodle stopped frozen in near panic as Bolo ever so tenderly gnawed her hand. Her hands were her most valuable feature, durable, intricate, the only parts of her that were top-shelf. Blind rage and abyssal fear rose in Kit’s spark for a nanosecond, until Bolo let go and went for the snack. Whatever admonishment Carbine could have given her paled in comparison to the lesson she had learnt. Kit would never ever hand feed Bolo again. Thankfully the moment passed as quick as lightning, and the cheek in her EMF held.

It wasn’t Bolo’s fault at all, Kit was wise enough to know that without even having to process the thought. His tummy still got buffed, and Kit giggled lightly fully enjoying the pure pleasure the canine cassette was displaying. The simple affection was somehow nicer than the intricate web of social slag intelligent creatures put themselves through.

“I wonder about your optics, with these curves, I shouldn’t have to prove I’m a femme.” Mild indignation, less mild teasing. Clearly Kit was a femme, the subtleties of her lines, the sparse but still highly apparent altmode parts. Pure Femme Cybertronian, no cassette was she.

“Given half a chance...” Kit transformed her other hand into a buffer “These work on anyone and I’ve never had to work it hard.” And with that, Kit stood up, no doubt to Bolo’s dismay and booped Carbine on his visor with a buffer.

“Boop.”

Carbine had already unnerved her with his affectations, but that was past now. Casual flirting would only bring kind in return. She spun on a toe and began the impression of earnest scouting. Kit wanted to see what response she could illicit by turning her back and to Carbine and her apparent attentions away.

[Carbine]

Bolo continued to make a weird garbled array of sound, his form wobbling to try to roll onto his back, but he couldn't. The large posts sticking from his shoulder blades that made the harness handle? Prevented him from being able to do so. He tried to fold it flush with his spine though, the metal clicking a moment, but in the end? He would end up lying back on his side and as such? He simply sprawled out to try to expose as much of his stomach as possible.

Carbine meanwhile, let out a snort of a sound at her first reply. So what if she had curves? Could Cassettes not? Sometimes it was so weird to him how little... non Carriers... seemed to understand them? Or it just felt like it was as such. Such a different way of looking at the world around them at times that could cause these sorts of weird clashes. Either way, he rolled his shoulders, flicking a fingertip towards her tail.

"And with your an-?ani-a-a?-?creature attributes, I shouldn’t prove have kz?z?t? to you aren’t a Cassette"

He teased this back lightly, wiggling his finger from pointing at her tail, to her ears, and then her three eyes. The later wasn't really an 'animal' attribute when it came to earthly terms, but it easily could qualify as one on Cybertron. In the end? Carbine was well aware she was a normal femme now, no longer believing her as a cassette, for he'd expect one to act a bit differently.

However? It didn’t mean he couldn't still tease.

Unseen brows hooked up at her words, reading into them a bit before his visor was bopped by the buffer. He chuckled out at this, easing gradually up to his full height once more which was well out of her reach, ignoring the smear across the tempered material. He didn't really enjoy leaning over like that, and he figured if he kept down? The next time she took a swing at him it may be to actually try to hurt instead of just smudge his sight.

"Well when you de?-ep?-?d?e?-rely on power tools it takes some? ?of? t?h?e ?s?port out of the game."

Carbine almost purred this back with a wicked grin, watching her start to walk off to attempt to do some scouting. In reply, Carbine clicked his tongue down sharply, the sound almost a pop that caught Bolo's attention. The canine was disappointed, and had watched Kit depart sadly, but his moping? Was interrupted by his master's call. With a springing pop, he scrambled over before Carbine, looking up at him with bright optics.

Carefully, Carbine held the raw Energon before Bolo, fingers curled around it to show it wasn't an offering, but was something to be inspected. Unheard, and unseen, commands and orders were being filtered through their spark bond, the canine's ears rotating around a few times before he understood fully what he was to do. Eagerly, he sniffed at the Energon crystal, maw parting a bit while the mesh panel of his nose rubbed along the blue surface.

Once the scent was cataloged, Bolo converted into work more. The canine's bio-lights all spiraled a second, before clicking down into a primarily blue array. The blue lights illuminating around him faintly so that he would be easy to track and follow, even in the dark. It is with this; he slammed his face low, and started to scoot along. Carbine reached a ped out, and gently nudged Bolo to start down the first of many hallways; the one Kit had been walking towards. Carbine followed after calmly as Bolo walked past her.

"So i?s? th?at ?h?o?w? you win, hmm? You cheat?"

He was adding onto the previous words, an unseen brow hooking up. His field radiated amusement, and enjoyment. He really was appreciating having SOME kind of game in play instead of just the boring work.

[Deleted]

Clearly if Kit was going to pretend to ignore Carbine, she would have to try much harder. This game of who could fluster/out flirt the other was proving to be more cerebral than Kit generally liked. It was definitely fun however, maybe the most fun she had had since arriving on Earth one week earlier.

Kit held her arms up in mock surrender. “Ha, ok you win. My chassis type is never gonna grace the pages of Calendar Femmes, or PlayMech. I am kind of niche. So sure, one point to you.” Maybe she should have tried just transforming. That would surely prove she was full femme. Too late now.

She briefly considered what it meant to be a carrier/cassette pair. Kit had very little experience with them. There was a bunch of stuff she wanted to know, but she pushed that thought train aside for now and focused on the task at hand – getting the best reaction she could out of Carbine.

“So tell me” her tone husky, begging for attention, “Would I grace your calendar as Mizz Technoval*?” Kit leaned against one rock wall, left hand high, fingers biting into the rock. Her peds were slightly more than shoulder width apart and her hips pushed out. Her back was highly arched with her abdomen almost parallel to the floor. Her right hand was gracing the contour of her aft armor, her tail a tight double curve, up then down, and her optics, as much as they could had a come hither look.

“Or perhaps you’re more into Mizz Maxflarer* hmm?” Kit gracefully turned and put her back against the wall; she put both hands flat against the rock at thigh height, jutted out her chest, brought one knee up and rested that ped against the rock. She finished her ‘sexy pose’ by wrapping her tail around her other leg. Her playful restlessness got the better of her and she couldn’t hold the pose for long. She pushed off and walked after Bolo, the only one really doing work.

“So you think power tools are cheating huh, do you know what I can do with said power tools?” Kit twisted on one ped and walked backwards facing Carbine. She made a silly face with her hands – buffers once more – framing her head. “I’m only using what Primus gave me, besides, we all use our little tricks, and I do play to win. Anyhow, all fairs in love and war.” Kit alleged with casual cheek.

With casual ease born of practice, Kit arched over completely until her hands – quickly transformed into wheels – touched the floor. She brought up one leg to vertical and maintaining momentum, flicked the other one up. It was likely a nice view from Carbine’s perspective. With perfect balance, Kit was rolling along on her hands, peds pointed at the tunnel ceiling.

“So what tricks do you use to catch the allusive femme of your dreams?”

*First and last Months of the currnt Cybertron calendar**
**Nnja’s head canon

[Carbine]

Bolo scuttled along at a reasonable pace. He wasn't really zooming down the tunnel, but he most definitely wasn't dragging his paws. What slowed him down the most though? (Which was good to make sure the other two could keep up) Was the fact he was zigzagging from side to side along the pathway. At one point? He stopped and sniffed up the side of some stones, head crooking a bit in curiosity.

White paw pads plunked down and clawed a bit at the rubble, a couple clicks ringing out as he tried to wedge his snout into a small cap in the stone. After a moment? He abandoned it, not giving the signal that he found anything as he continued along. Whatever had been there was a false read, or it was just residue left behind when the stone was originally pulled from the rocks.

Carbine kept an eye on Bolo, walking along smugly at having won the one battle with the femme beside him. However? As soon as he had gotten that point? She had taken the bar and threw it up to a new level. The husky voice caught his attention, and the faceless mask of his helm turned down to peer at her wordlessly to let her continue.

With a subtle creak his frame came to a halt, his left leg reaching forward a bit more in his last step to crunch into the gravel below. He took this longer stride, and turned it into a twisting motion to face her fully, taking on a more proper posture. In a way? He was channeling his old cop days, his stance, the aura about him, starting to fall back into that 'authoritative power' that he knew would earn him some points.

Ladies like a guy in 'uniform' right?

Nonetheless, he peered down at her as she struck a pair of poses that rather were pleasing to the eye. Oh man, normally femmes didn’t play this game like this against him. They would either get angry and snub him, or they would get flustered and embarrassed to a point of trying to scurry away. So very few would actually play along like this. Did it bother him?

Oh...

Oh no...

Bring it on.

When Kit pushed off to continue on after Bolo, Carbine let out a long drawn out whistle as if impressed. The sound teetered off towards the end, transferring seamlessly into a bit of a rumbled growl from his internals. The noise was low to a point it almost reverberated through his chest, edged with a bit of a rattle of the metal components clicking against one another. However as soon as this started? It was broken with a bit of an awkward laugh, as if he embarrassed himself by playing along like that. The laugh sounded so genuine and struggled, humiliated and perhaps a bit flustered.

It was a lie.

It was all a god damn lie.

Carbine had learned long ago, that when you play the goofy almost... dorky path a bit? Laced with the 'heroism' of being a cop? And you won so many points it was absurd. A bit of meek, a bit of flustered mortification slapped down after raunchy comments or a crass flirt, and it just worked so well.

"I have a f-?f?e-?f-some sp?ecu?lat?ion?s?!"

He laughed this out, the awkward embarrassment still in play. Oh he definitely had some ideas what she could use those tools for, but there was a time and place and that really wasn't here. He didn't directly comment on the words, less this game get incredibly tactless... not like it was good to begin with... As such? Internally? He simply snickered, Bolo flicking an ear a moment, confused. Was this work or conversation time? He didn't really understand, but went back to his task.

Easing back on the awkward throttle a bit, he acted as if he was pulling himself back together, getting secure once again to play the game. Shoulders rolling, and the rotors on his back flaring out momentarily to stretch some before settling along his spine once more. Really? He was never derailed at all, already having a reply ready the instant she spoke.

"I don’t tricks any k?z?z?t?t have to cat?c?h t?hem; normally they come ?run?n?i?ng? to me."

His field flicked out a bit at this, revealing amusement and the implied grin that could not be seen. Mirth, and joy, with that subtle undertone of embarrassment that was weak as if he was trying to hide it to make his prior manipulation seem legitimate. Of course the embarrassment was fake, but if there was one thing Carbine could do? It would be lie. Lie lie and some more lies atop of them.

"But alas!"

He cried this out over dramatically, throwing his right hand up to plant the back of his palm upon his helm. His frame dipped back slightly as he strolled with the melodramatic woeful motion.

"I am just far t?o?o? ?gran?d ?for ?an?y? femme to handle! But I am always w-?wi?ll?-?wi?-capable to let the stubborn little things try!"

Bolo hopped up atop some more rocks, sniffing around them a bit. He seemed very focused on the stones, and pawed at them to try to dig and get a better read. He didn't give the signal yet, but he was thinking really hard about something neither of them could see.

[Deleted]

Carbine should have been an actor, his body language, the control of his apparent emotions; Kit bought hook, line, sinker, rod and reel, and the boat too. She knew she was a poor judge of character, that she possessed neither wisdom or perception into people true nature, but fore warned was not forearmed. A new planet, new family and a new start had left her more open than usual to this sort of trickery.

So Kit fell for Carbines lies like a dinosaur killing asteroid fell for gravity wells. Well, in so far as those lies were not spoken. Some of those were over the top.

Ladies like a guy in 'uniform' right?

Nope, not really, not this one at least

What started as little chuckles exploded into full blown incredulous laughter at Carbine’s proclamation of grandeur. Kit’s laugh was pure and honest, straight from the gut. It was enough for Kit to fully lose her composure and stumble back onto her peds.

“Only innocent protoforms go running for the paint of authority, or maybe a victim of crime.” Kit’s word were interwoven with continued laughter, snorts and snickers. “No femme wants to play second fiddle to a Mech with a duty. Straight cops might even string up a bad femme and the bad cops bring trouble”.

The blatant poke at stubborn little things trying their wicked ways with Carbine sent Kit back into fits of giggles.

“Oh Primus, you’re just too much.” The poorly worded sentence sent Kit into another fit. Once she had regained some semblance of dignity, she tried again. “I don’t believe femmes fall from the sky for you just because of the badge, not for a second, a nano, not at all. What makes you different, better, than anyone other mech with the paint of Authority?” Still walking backwards and hardly in full control, she nevertheless never stumbled on the uneven floor. Graceful in step if nothing else.

Kit was definitely of the opinion Carbine was not a good cop, not straight riveted at all. If Carbine had wanted a reaction, he was getting one. Anyone looking in would realise that Kit was very unlikely to win this game at all.

It was about now as Kit walking backwards passed Bolo. Seeing the cassette investigating brought her back to the mission at hand. She stopped but did not approach as she did her own investigations. Kit was built to see ultra-violet and infra-red but she had zero experience with raw energon. She was curious as to whether she could see what others could not.

[Carbine]

There was an odd difference in Carbine's helm between acting to mask and shield his own emotions, and acting in order to try to emulate someone or something else. If someone gave him a task with acting scared and frightened for something? He probably would fail, and just make the most unconvincing display. However? If he was grabbed or cornered by a Decepticon and unable to fight? He could very well pretend to be scared to lower their defenses to try to take advantage of it. He could act the HELL out of that. What separated them? He didn’t really know, since it wasn't always a 'life or death' thing, kind of like right now.

If he failed in this act? It wasn't going to really HURT anything but pride.

Carbine let out a low rumble of a chuckle, amused at the words that followed. He most definitely was NOT a good cop. That had been deemed so in trial, and he had served his time in a living hell because of it. It is because of this, he dipped a bit at his waist while he strolled alongside her, hands planting idly upon the arch of his hips because he didn't really know what else to do with them from this hunched posture.

"There is more than one kin?d? ?of t?ro?u?bl?e..."

He mused this back as his only reply, leaving it to her to decipher in whatever way she wanted as the conversation had moved on. Once she started talking? He already knew right off the bat how he was going to reply. He knew what he was going to say to a point she barely got done with her words, before he let out a scoffing snort as if she had personally offended him.

"Primus! Pit ?if ?I kn?o?w?! You are the femme! You tell me? Why DO fall ladies k???z?z??t?? the for me?"

Carbine cheekily stated this, planting fingertips on his chest with optics half lidded in a sarcastic motion. It was then he glanced up to notice Bolo who was digging and rummaging in the stones. It was a crevice that plunged off from the main pathway, a natural fault amongst the machine drilled environment. The canine tried to wedge his head in-between, but the metal ended up just clicking and scraping against the rock. He ended up wiggling a bit, taking in a deep ventilation through his sensors, before he abandoned the post. For how much focus he had given it moments prior? He really didn't seem interested any longer, trotting along with his head low and sniffing around once more.

The crevice had just collected some particles of Energon from the mining process, the small flecks and useless residue dusting its interior enough to confuse the dog. Carbine picked up on this dismissal, giving the opening a sideways glance, before he started into a walk once more after the dog. Keeping pace for him was exceptionally easy with his longer legs.

"Maybe it is just my sl?eek? bu?i?ld?!?"

He boastfully got right back into the previous conversation, his right hand clapping down just under the equivalent of a 'sternum' to slide it down his abdomen in order to visually highlight his bio-lights that had been disabled. Because he was such a cocky bastard? He tried to show them off a bit, by attempting to trigger them as if he were pursuing someone or trying to rush through a crowd and needed to part a pathway.

This caused the blackened spots on either side of his abdomen, the bars on the arching engines over his clavicle, and the cap lights on his actual shoulder armor to illuminate bright red before flickering to blue in a pattern. Issue is? He screwed up, and the strobe pulse of the alarm lights, were paired with a high pitched squawk of a siren that screeched from his central frame.

The sound was horrendously loud in the confines of the mines, and was shrill, cutting through the stillness like a knife to create a cascading echo effect. Bolo ducked down in alarm for a moment, spooked, before he slammed all four paws into the rocks below hard, and raised his head at attention. Ears that had been pinned back in surprise were now upright and turned to face Carbine, bright yellow eyes locked on him intently with a high level of focus. The canine's own bio-lights had the same shoulder caps as Carbine, the domes pulsing red in alert.

Carbine himself flinched at this. He was well accustomed to the sound, but he had not expected it, nor the shrill volume in the cage of stone. His optics were wide, and betrayed that... yeah no... he did not intend to do that in the slightest.

"Whoop!"

He cried out as if he got caught doing something wrong.

"Did no?t? m?e?a?n? that'un!"