[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Dropped Opportunity [Open]

[Cintra]

Episode 3 | Week 3 | Day 5

"Wuh-oh..."

Cintra stared down at the ground below, warily looking over splinters of glass that now coated across stone and grit. In normal times? She could possibly find the visuals pretty, wonder if there was a way to make it permanent, or start brainstorming other interests that were inspired from the sight! In current times? Well, she was focused on the fact that she, a glassworker, had somehow stupidly dropped a lightbulb down to the ground with catastrophic results from height ((Even if it was 'no height' compared to her skyscraper standards)).

To be fair, the lightbulb was weird and small to her. It was some kind of white tube that had to be slotted into the holder not unlike a battery of some kind. A weird pencil shaped battery... which... wouldn’t be a major problem there, only there was the very real very problematic problem with the fact it was significantly more fragile than a Cybertronian battery or pencil, and such a fact hadn't been taken into account. Too tight a squeeze, too forceful a push to try to snap it in... and boom. It broke in half and took a nice tumble.

The femme seemed completely flabbergasted at this fact, like her processor was still trying to churn through the turn of events to come to any kind of conclusion. Pale faceplate held a blank expression, arms were hung limp to dangle at both sides... Thankfully the rest of her frame hadn’t gone as slack as this, or she would have taken her own tumble down to the ground. Cintra had not used a ladder to actually reach the tall ceiling and as such couldn't just flop against it for support.

Cintra was suspended within the air, supported by what appeared to be a construction workers harness that was bound about her upper torso. A set of four gray and teal straps were slung up to connector points, adding to stability to keep from swaying from a wrong move or fast lurch. Only, said straps were far too thick to be normal wiring, looking almost like chunky cables... On another look, said cables were not taunt as if clipped on but were instead bowed somewhat like a living appendage.

Because it wasn't a construction worker's harness.

Four blades were clipped down into the stone walls towards the top of one of Blackridge's numerous hallways, two on either side to hold on tight. The sharpened tips found purchase against the groves and burs made by the large drilling machinery, and the one that could not find such a grip instantly instead found a pocket of softer material it gored into a little bit. The blades were connected to four long cables that tapered gradually larger up to the femme's back, fusing together along her upper spine, back of shoulders, and helm in a way that showed it was part of her frame and not an added device or tool.

It was this set of appendages that had permitted Cintra to get her job ((a simple one to help the base!)) that now were the sole things that kept her from flopping over in disgust and flabbergasted distress. While her primary role back in the day was replacing and cleaning glass, changing lights for some decorative outdoor fixtures when someone contacted her boss with such a job was not unheard of. She should be able to handle it just fine! And because of this there was this horrible nauseating feeling of shame.

It may have been a flimsy as frag earth bulb that could be argued wasn't her fault, but there was this primitive almost built in HATE of broken glass in these situations and how she could have dropped it from twenty stories up onto someone's head. Despite how many years it had been? She could almost hear her boss yelling from what was likely the grave, and sadly it was at her instead of one of her coworkers.

"FFFFFFRrrAG!"

A popped squawk of a shriek, Cintra flung her head back as her processor seemed to finally add one and one together to equal failure. Her hands flared at this as if wanting to claw at the air paired with a fleeting peddle kick of her legs, before she eased into movement. With careful motions the neon pink, yellow, and teal femme twisted around, ending with her now hanging upright with legs aimed at the ground and her mistake rather than trying to peek over her shoulder at it.

What to do... what to do...

Did she clean first? Remove the evidence? Or did she run and try to find another lightbulb? It was an out of the way hall she thought, she probably had time to do both before being caught... yet if she didn't have time, would the glass or the missing light be more noticeable? Logic said the black void patch of light was the obvious problem, yet she simply hung there staring at the ground thinking, wondering how well a dust pan would work on dirt and limestone.

[Starscream]

The distant shattering of glass was heard, but went mostly unnoticed.

Starscream had far better things to do than concern himself with every little noise at Blackridge. Even though it’d been a mere four days, there had been no word from Megatron during his newfound absence, and as such the silver Seeker remained temporarily in charge of the Decepticon forces.

Ah, such a role was something he strived for to the point of obsession, and if it were under normal or more fitting circumstances he would’ve no doubt been far happier by this unexpected arrangement. However, with their Warlord regretfully being alive and this whole situation being unfortunately nothing more than temporary, he had to play nice, sticking to and dutifully following the orders given, without being granted the satisfaction of truly being in charge.

Things had been going so well during Megatron’s prior abandonment that a small, bitter part of Starscream wondered if he’d returned simply to remind the Decepticons of who he was. A fleeting glimpse and distraction, a promise of conquest and power via this ridiculous weapon before he’d left once more- leaving his Second in Command to pick up the pieces and follow through with his ridiculous plan.

Begrudgingly, Starscream had set his own agenda aside for the time being - feigning interest in the weapon known only as the Mortillus’ Hymn. Two significant pieces had been found, one of those in recent days, with plans in motion to increase their search for more.

Of course, like all things, this took some time. Further adjustments had to be made to the equipment used to pinpoint the shattered remains, with competent scouting parties - usually teams of two - briefed on the importance of the task before being sent out.

Trying to keep one step ahead, Starscream found his attention on a datapad as he made his way through the winding corridors of Blackridge Hold. Wanting an active presence around the base, he had been a frequent sight as of late, even if his focus had seemingly been on his work.

Turning a corridor, something bright and so very out of place in his peripheral vision caught his attention almost immediately, and he’d lower the datapad to see just what he’d stumbled upon, quirking a brow.

Well, that explained the noise he’d heard just moments earlier.

“Having a bit of trouble, are we?”

His tone wasn’t condescending, yet was delightfully smug all at the same time, no doubt helped in turn by the smirk that’d crossed his lips.

[Cintra]

A frustratedly stressed sound slipped out from Cintra, a noise not unlike a growl intertwined with a whine while she eased down to fully stand upon her own two feet rather than rely on her makeshift harness. Her stance was broad, peds planted apart from one another while shoulders squared off, almost trying to confront the issue as if intimidation played a role in its outcome. Her thin pupils flicked along the glinting powder and larger splinters, hands flexing before curling into fists.

Broken glass of this thickness wasn't a REAL threat to the vast majority. Crackled glints, shattering into dust beneath the feet of others... It at most could scuff paint if really rubbed onto a surface, or agitate joints or eyes, but down on the ground? Well, it was rather harmless. Yet, it was a sign of failure, a sign that GLASS had been dropped and it had to be cleaned up and disposed of properly before anyone could see it. It was this thought that clicked Cintra down a goal, a want to clean so that the darkness hid the evidence in the time it took her to fetch something. Only, this decision was a few steps too late.

Evidently her time management and estimations were far off.

A low snarl formed a second after the other spoke, finials on either side of her helm flicking back while clenched hands flared out at the ready for confrontation. She wouldn't be seen as weak in front of someone who would judge her! She wouldn’t permit them to think they could snitch on her to manipulate! It wasn't a huge problem... but she was over exaggerating it in her mind, and as such she whipped around, frame lowering in a way as if she were ready to charge the other individual without a second of hesitation.

"Don’t you say any-"

Loud, boisterous, until her mind caught up to her and she saw WHO it was. It wasn’t a Vehicon or Eradicon, it wasn’t some soldier or basic worker... no. It just had to be someone of rank, someone well known through the war that led them to many victories. Someone so high up on the food chain they were one step below their Lord and took control in his absence with skill and finesse! Someone she had only seen in recordings and never in person.

"Commander Starscream!"

A squawked shrill noise of surprise, Cintra's demeanor shifting gears with a skid and twist. Her frame lurched upright to a more formal stance, no longer hunched in hostility, while her right hand swung up into a salute so violently the side of her thumb clunked heavily along the teal crest. Her other arm snapped down to her side, while peds pulled close together to clink the inside of her ankles against one another. Lastly, the long extrusion from the back of her helm and shoulders then wrenched down and spiraled together, ending with a single mass that tucked behind her tightly with bottled up anxiety.

"No trouble that can't be fixed! I will get right on it! Please don't let me distract you from far more important stuff!"

Frantically spoken and fast. While her words may have implied she would book-it into a run the second after in order to get to task, she found herself stuck in place, almost starstruck. Widened eyes looked up at the mech down the hallway as if she were looking upon some kind of mythical creature, while her stance was set in the salute with a sort of anxious twitch of bottled energy. Cintra was blindingly loyal, and would jump when told as high as she possibly could even if it would hurt her in the process. She didn't know how to conduct herself in front of someone with REAL status and it set her into a state of 'deer in the headlights' mixed poorly with flight mode.

[Starscream]

The confrontational posture of the tiny femme garnered little response from the slim Seeker, his own posture unchanging aside from the mere quirk of a brow. Her words were curious, however, and he wondered if he’d caught her in the middle of something she shouldn’t be doing.

It certainly explained her first instinct to seemingly want to attack anyone who caught her, and while he couldn’t know which words would’ve come next in her tapered off sentence, it sure added to the impression of guilt.

Except... she didn’t seem to be doing much of anything - it did not take a genius to work out that she’d merely been changing a lightbulb. A simple task that even an Eradicon could do, not something that screamed of a coup d’état in the making, nor something he should be worried about.

Then again, some of his own schemes had been thought up during moments of mundane normality.

“Lord Starscream.”

He was quick to correct. Even if it was only temporary, Megatron was not here at Blackridge and as such was technically not in charge at present. Still, though, it amused him to no end at how quickly her demeanor shifted upon realizing who had stumbled upon her.

His own form remained relaxed, although there was a gentle twitch of his wings as they settled, the servo that held the datapad would ease carefully behind his back as he peered down at her as she spoke quickly.

Normally, this would be - he expected - where she would scurry off to gather whatever tools would be needed to clean the mess. Only there was no movement, only a sort of look of bewilderment almost as if she was frozen in place.

Instead, he would move first. At a casual pace, he moved to close the distance between them, paying attention to her, rather than his datapad as if to show he wasn’t doing anything of real importance. He couldn’t help but loom over her, the height difference being what it was, but there was no tension in his frame, nor an attempt to be imposing.

Glancing up, he would chuckle.

“About time someone saw to that light.”

It’d been flickering for a few days now, and he could only assume it’d finally given up on life completely. Interesting that a Vehicon hadn’t gotten to the task first, however, given they were usually tasked with such boring jobs.

Lowering his gaze, he would look upon her once more.

“Were you asked to fix it, or are you a rarity in that you showed some initiative?”

[Cintra]

Starscream's posture thankfully did not convey a belittling look as he got closer, his towering frame not translating as trying to be imposing in her processor. Perhaps there was a bit more leeway given due to who it was, it easy to argue his approach alone in such a way was a means to accent how much 'better' he was, though Cintra's own negative thoughts were sidelined in her awe. They were however also sidelined by the comment he had made regarding rank and his new title. The pink femme's expression seemed to go blank, trying to chew over what it had meant.

Then it all broke.

"Lord Starscream!? What happened to Megatron!? Is he wheeze DEAD!?"

A sudden shocked cry of horror, the news slamming into her like a bag of rocks. Nobody had said anything to her! She had not only called Starscream by the wrong title, she now had the crushing reality that their leader was deceased! How could that be? He was the voice of the Decepticons! He was their core, their foundation. His ideals shaped everything they were, his strength carrying them forward to their current power!

"He was the shining leader of the Cause! The driving force!"

A sobbed cry sounded out, Cintra's hands whipping up to clap onto either side of her face as she tried to process this revelation.

"Not that I don't believe you can lead! You totally can! But nobody told me!"

A sharp backpedal, though it was easily apparent she was trying to grapple with sudden grieving as if her best friend had been beheaded violently in front of her. It didn't matter she had never seen him face to face, nor ever speak to him. She and Flux had gone to the rallies, she saw him back on Cybertron from a far distance, yelling about their uprising... inspiring them all... but that was really it other than pre recorded directives and mission statements. Yet even then most everything to their outpost had been given through other figureheads.

"WHY did nobody tell me!?"

Another sobbed noise, before Starscream's follow-up questions had finally caught up to her in her mourning weeping.

Cintra was so frazzled now, she didn't actually remember if someone had ordered her to tend to the light. Was she put to a job and pranced off to accomplish it? Or did she see it and scream internally that she was perfect for this task? Whether she was told or not, she did know she asked where to find the supplies, not even remotely familiar enough with Blackridge to do it all on her own. But... did said individual tell her to do it? This question slammed her, eyes widening in the fact she couldn't answer Comman- Lord Starscream's question.

"I did it myself! Yes. No stranger to lightbulbs and heights!"

A boastful statement, followed by a sniffled pop and awkward laugh through weeping and her frayed nerves and stability.

[Starscream]

Normally when Starscream corrected others on his title, it went one of two ways. Stammering apologies, with the mistake quickly being rectified. Or, the complete opposite with a begrudging correction - if there was one at all - sometimes paired with the rolling of optics.

Of course, he was smart enough to only really correct those that he knew would react with the former response, and as such found himself taken aback by how the femme seemed to take the rectification.

Dead?

Primus, oh how he wished. While it wouldn’t have been at his hand like he’d dreamed of many a time, the knowledge of Megatron’s demise would be so very welcome indeed.

He would continue to bide his time. The title of Lord, as temporary as it was, would be more than enough for now, even if it was used by few and few alone.

The shocked cry of horror, the almost sobbed words - they came quickly and in rapid succession. The slim Seeker gave her a second or two to finish this word vomit, if only to get it out of her system. Quirking a brow as she veered off course, answering his question almost in the same vented intake.

Finding a moment to cut in after her response, he would hold up a servo as if telling her to hush.

“Are you quite done..?” a purred drone, he shook his helm. There was no disappointment or annoyance on his features, if anything there was mild amusement in the hint of a smirk - no doubt because in the flurried ramblings there’d been a small compliment to him, even if it’d been nothing more than a quick backpedaling of words.

“Megatron is still very much alive.” there was some slight disdain to his words, although given her reaction to his supposed death, he did well to remain mostly neutral. “Off planet - somewhere in the void of space, searching for pieces of his precious weapon. I assumed that was common knowledge.”

Eyeing her with a scrutinous gaze, his wings would twitch some.

“You mustn’t have been here long- yet show the initiative to do simple repair. What is your designation?”

He’d been made aware of new arrivals to Blackridge over the last week or so, yet even despite his active presence had not yet had the pleasure of meeting many of them face to face.

[Cintra]

When Starscream held up his hand to tell her to hold her tongue without word, Cintra's mouth planted closed and jaw tightened to make sure it stayed as such. This abrupt decision was made that much more resolute when he droned a sideways phrase that basically said 'shut up' to her. She didn't want to annoy him, but things had sideswiped her hard and she found herself belting out everything she had before thinking it through fully. As such, she looked a bit 'deer in the headlights', staring up at the mech intently.

Because of her blind ignorance and a want for things to be all good and alright, Cintra did not even register the fact that Starscream had a hint of not sounding pleased with the idea that Megatron was still alive. The Air Commander turned Lord was not exactly the most reclusive with his ambitions and goals in front of many, yet she mentally needed the team she and Flux had signed up for to be stable and sound. What the pink femme did pick up on however was the concept that despite Megatron still being alive, Starscream had changed his title as if the opposite was true.

Was this protocol? Whoever was temporarily in charge able to get a title promotion to boast and strut with for a bit? She didn't know. Promotions were never in her future, nor goal enough she would look into it. Perhaps now she would ask, perhaps Flux knowing something... If not, others would have an idea of it, maybe even their new roommate able to shed some light. That is, if Cintra cared enough to ask about it later, and didn't have another task or goal obscuring this fleeting curiosity.

At Starscream's question, her arm would snap up into another aggressive salute.

"Combat assist Cintra! I arrived here... a-uhh..."

She blanked a moment, not accustomed to this planets particular rotation and timetables. It didn’t help that the sun was not visible down in Blackridge, so she had to think back on how many 'slow periods' there were when the Vehicons dwindled in number and others filtered back to their quarters. She would get the hang of it eventually, get a good bead on things like others had, but she was likely still in the jet-lag sort of transition.

"Weeeeek ago?

Uncertain chirped declaration, though she didn't exactly sound confident in this guess. Whether it was six days to ten, the point was she hadn’t been lurking around under the radar for months. Not that she rightly could however with any level of skill given her personality and vibrant appearance.

A snorted pop sounded then, residual response from her momentary meltdown a moment prior. This was followed by a swallow in an attempt to get herself back together, not wanting to show horrible weakness and more sobs despite her outburst. She EXTRA didn't want to show weakness in front of their acting Lord, wanting to impress since she believed she would represent both her and her partner.

Her hand remained up in salute as if glued there.

[Starscream]

Starscream had been expecting further questions about Megatron, or at the very least, an inquiry about the Mortillus’ Hymn - and so could only quirk an inquisitive brow as she seemed to shift directly into answering his question, skipping the subject entirely.

Fine by him, the less he had to speak of Megatron, the better.

The second salute was absolutely unnecessary, yet he did not mind the show of respect. It was something that was severely lacking, and a part of him was pleased that she at least had some common decency. It was something they would all have to get used to doing eventually, and so better to start now.

The arm that’d been held up only moments earlier when he’d effectively told her to shush would ease behind his back, taking on a far more casual stance. He did not want to seem too imposing, given she had been doing something productive when he’d stumbled upon her, and so with this gradual motion, his wings would relax some.

The uncertainty of her answer was mildly troubling, then again if she had been here such a short time, she was probably still getting orientated with Earth’s cycles - so he would not question the mild confusion.

What did pique his curiosity was the snorted pop noise that followed her words, and he’d recoil some - almost as if expecting some sort of follow-through like vomit. When this did not happen, he would give a quiet hum - distaste, or absent thought, it was not apparent - but would break the awkward silence once more.

“You can lower your arm, you know.”

He could tell she was probably a little out of her depth, and so would chuckle.

“Tell me more of this combat assist role. What do you do?”

Her unique form was not lost on him, the strange tendril-like appendage was certainly different. He was not curious enough to enquire about that specifically, as Shockwave may be apt to do, and so instead asked a more general question, if only to gauge her combat prowess.

[Cintra]

At being told to lower her arm, the hand that was up in salute almost twitched a second, the joints of the fingers crooking at a small angle with a pop as if moving for the first time in eons and was rusted stiff. In truth, she had locked her arm so tight it was almost a twitch of trying to actually break this tension, before her arm jerkily swooped back to her side to mirror the other. It felt awkward not doing something with her hands however, placing on hips, clasping together, weaving at lower back... she tended to keep active but now they were stuck pin straight down to keep semi-formal in presentation.

This same awkward movement of limbs was reflected in the tendril that extruded from her shoulders.

The appendage was pulled tight to her back, the end curling and wrapping around her ankles to keep anchored down and non-obtrusive. Trying to seem semi normal even if she normally didn't care about such presentation. This attempt to hide however was only challenged when Starscream asked just WHAT she did to assist, the thought making the honed blade twitch to the side some, its slightly curved edge gritting against the ground in a near inaudible scrape.

Cintra's lips pinned together tightly, orange eyes looking up at Starscream like a deer in the headlights.

She had to be reserved. She had to contain herself. She had to seem like a well-behaved soldier! She knew what HAD to be done, logically she knew what to do here. Politely explain, articulate what she offered to the cause in a clean-cut informative way. But just because she knew this, did not mean she could manage to do so, and her locked up energy simply had to find an outlet of some kind, especially as her spark had already been racing from the trauma of 'losing' Megatron, and meeting the Second in Command.

She snapped.

"I ride larger individuals into combat!"

A sudden barking chirp of excited joy, proud of what she offered. Pairing with this exclamation, Cintra's hip crooked out with a pop, her right arm swinging up to jab her thumb at her chest in a boastful way, while a broad toothy grin peeled across her faceplate. She was obviously quite excited at what she offered, since she truly believed she was a unique asset, having never seen another like herself that rode another into combat. Granted, she and Flux had only served on one moon, so her pool of examples to pull from were... lacking.

Uncoiling from around her legs, the tendril would whip up into a hooked shape at her side, the blade sweeping high into the air to show off the sharp edge. While the light above her was negated and blacked out, the UV twinged illumination from her bio-lights made a sheen skirt along its edge. While it seemed sharp, the tips were dented and dinged up some, though should be able to do some kind of damage even if they would not pierce as readily.

"I guard their flank and back!"

Cintra's pride seemed to overpower her want to be quiet and reserved, the pink femme rather excited and happy.

[Starscream]

In stark contrast to the tiny femme, Starscream was rather relaxed. His form and posture not overly rigid, with his wings settled at ease. He quietly observed, watching the tendril-like appendage with mild curiosity, noting how it twitched when he asked - what he thought was - a rather simple question.

He could tell she was tense, no doubt a mixture of stress and worry over breaking a light paired with just whom had encountered her in the aftermath. Her movements awkwardly jerky and forced as she lowered her arm.

This tension was quickly cut away though by a chipper - and rather sudden - response, her posture changing in an instant as the excitement came through in her tone. Almost boasting, she sounded proud of her role.

Her enthusiasm was countered by the rather neutral expression of the Seeker, and he’d quirk a quizzical brow as he tried to imagine just what she was talking about - never one for being on the frontlines, or the ground for that matter, it was an interesting concept. Surely she meant those with bulkier than average frames, with the mass and means to support another as they made their way across a warzone.

It was the comment about guarding that elicited a response, and the faintest smirk would twitch at his lip.

“Oh? And how do you do that- by making yourself a target instead of them?”

A servo gestured loosely in her direction. Her color scheme was certainly an odd choice, surely she was aware that she would stand out in stark contrast against a battlefield, moreso when paired with someone with a duller color. Even some of the more colorful individuals here at Blackridge - like Knock Out and Pyrotech with their reds, or Breakdown with his blue, would blend in far better than the femme.

A low chuckle, he would continue.

“Can’t say I’ve heard of riding others into battle, however. An interesting tactic to be sure. That ah, that thing-” another gesture, this time to the tendril that had hooked to her side.

“I assume it comes in rather useful?”

[Cintra]

"Oh? And how do you do that- by making yourself a target instead of them?"

"Yeah!"

An instant excited chirp without a second of consideration or thought that perhaps somehow maybe there was a possible chance Starscream was making fun of her and giving her grief about her color choices. In her mind it was GOOD to be a distraction out on the battlefield with her role. Lure individuals in, get them to focus on her, and in turn, run into the larger Cybertronian she rode to face their death, or become focus-blind to others that may attack from the side or behind.

"My paint job does wonders AND looks great!"

Still pleased, still feeling good about this discussion, the femme tossed one arm in the air and back while the opposite clutched at her elbow behind her helm almost as though she were further showing off her paint. Teal and yellow accents flashed across her primarily pink and charcoal frame, made that much more intrusive by the haze of UV lines and patterns that ghosted in the darkness near her bio-lights. She held no shame about her choices, and would be hard pressed to change them. Should Lord Starscream demand it? She would have to... it was expected of her... but she would be distraught and thrown off.

Pulling her arms down, realizing she was likely going out of line in front of a Commander, err.. Lord, Cintra wove her fingertips together in front of her to try to keep them anchored down, looking a bit more subdued with a nervous wide eye look to the side. She may have no shame about her color, but she could realize when she was edging towards getting too 'familiar' with someone she shouldn’t and that excitement was leading her too strongly. Acting too casual among one that was leaps and bounds above her.

Her sudden nervousness was dwarfed however by Starscream's praise that she was one of a kind.

GASP! I AM unique!

This was a super ego boost all on its own, making her concept of herself that her tactic was actually creative and worthwhile more assured and reinforced. She knew it could produce nice results, she had seen it firsthand among a splatter of failures, yet the verbal confirmation by one more skilled than her? It was nice and she would have to tell Flux all about it. Then remind him. And remind him. And remind him some more, just so it stuck and he could be proud. It also had the nice boon of seeing his excitement for her again and again.

The joys of having a significant other that forgot everything half the time.

"I assume it comes in rather useful?"

Unlacing her fingertips, Cintra looped one arm back to hook around the tendril, pulling it forward beneath her arm. Pink armor panels clapped over the top edge, ending about a third down, where it remained plain to the bottom third where teal bands were settled. At the very end was a blade that looked layered as if there were multiple stacked on top of one another, its tip dinged up some but otherwise appeared sharp.

"I use this to stab people that get too close."

She was trying to calm herself again, looking up at Lord Starscream to see his thoughts on it.

[Starscream]

The almost instantaneous response made Starscream think she either hadn’t listened, or it hadn’t yet clicked that he was indeed making a jab at her strange choice of color. In the grand scheme of things, however, it did not really matter to him what paint she had chosen for herself, as long as she carried out her duties as a Decepticon.

Yet that did not stop him tsking quietly at the boasting, paired with the pose as if to show herself off.

“Indeed.” his reply was monotone and unimpressed. “You sound like a certain Medic.”

At least should she ever act out of line, he need not try hard to find inspiration for punishment. While she did not appear to be as vain as their CMO, she obviously cared for her appearance - something that was easily exploitable.

The change in her posture was not lost on him, and for a moment he wondered if his words had finally caught up with her. Watching as she pulled the tendril forward, he would nod.

“Speaking of a certain Medic, should you want that looked at?” he would tilt his helm some toward the dinged up tip “He can probably sort that out. Given the presence of Autobots on this planet, it will do you well to stay on top of even the simplest of repairs.”

At this, he would flex and curl the digits of his left servo, admiring his claws as he chuckled lowly.

[Cintra]

Once more Cintra was mostly oblivious to the fact the comment about she and Knock Out's sort of pride on appearance may not have been the most complimentary. But, while she was blind to makeshift low jabs and insults from their acting Lord, she was not blind to the dull monotone and unimpressed words this time around. It made her feel a bit anxious to pierce the ignorance a couple scratches, wondering if it was something bad? While if anyone else had said such a thing, she would want to get hostile and further boast, accuse them of being bland pieces of trash that didn't know how to express themselves. People who were envious in secret and lashed out with their own inability to have the BRAVERY to break the mold! Yet... she couldn't here. She wouldn't, and her lips pressed together.

When the conversation shifted to her tendril, and the damage to the tip was pointed out, Cintra stalled a bit on what she should say. On one had she was more than happy to jump to the directive! She could scrabble run down the hall and possibly scare the crud out of Knock Out by slamming open the door with the new command from their Lord! Yet, on the other hand, she did have enough forethought to know the moment she went mobile on them, it would get dinged and chipped up once more. It would be a constant maintenance when they remained sharp enough to still function without a truly violent point.

"Of course! I will do that next opportunity!"

Lightbulb...

She had to remind herself she had the other task first, so she couldn't rush to do anything until that was dealt with. Or more, she couldn't unless Starscream were to demand something else of her. If he redirected her focus, then that was that and made the decision for her. The tunnel could keep its sad little dark patch, and people could just walk over the useless glass and grind it into glittery dust on the floor. If they had issue with it? It was THEIR problem and they had to get over themselves!

Dropping her tendril, the appendage would slump to the ground with a soft slap, trying to tuck it closer to her frame once again in a curl around her peds. She didn't need it flicking idly or being an obnoxious distraction.

"Once I deal with... uh... the light, is there anything else I can do?"

Bright and energetic, Cintra did not ask this out of nervous worry of trying to impress. She did not ask this to try to gain favor as if it would earn her some valiant rank or other nonsense. She actually seemed eager to help, and wanted to keep busy. Her skills were limited though, she wasn't useful for anything TRULY worthwhile! But she tried! And boy did she try when set to task. As such, orange eyes looked up at Starscream with a bright and near fierce look of determination, gaze flicking across his expression intently.

[Deleted]

While the other two Cybertronians were occupied with one another, a far more giant one made its way through the weaving tunnels of their outpost. One who was more than twice their size and mass. A behemoth, well armored with thick plated chunks of overlapping metal plates across its frame.

With slow dragging pedes he strode forward, while trying his best to walk cautiously. Two large wings were tucked closely behind his back as he balanced a crate within his servos that seemed too small in comparison to his size. But despite the lack of the containers weight and mass, the jet was aware of its fragile structure and made sure to avoid any unnecessary movements that could jolt the items inside it.

As he rounded a corner, and then another, he could hear voices through the muffled pathways, carrying a faint whisper to his audials. It wasn't hard to actually take notice of them, especially with his way of perceiving the world around him.

However, as he came closer, the voices became more and more 'visible' the moment their echos were not blocked by rock and walls. And then... the almost too familiar tone of Starscream's voice, accompanied by a more feminine one could be heard very clearly.

Downfall could easily decipher that, at least, there was no argument or fight between them... which was good! He didn't want to run into any trouble. But what in Primus name was their commander doing down here in the most isolated areas of Blackridge?

It wasn't his intention to actually witness the other one's conversation, nor actions, but it was hard not to notice. Especially as the femme seemed to have pretty good working vocals. However, a faint, yet small thought occurred to him as he wondered if he had taken a wrong turn again.

It wouldn't be the first time where Downfall had gotten lost in this maze of tunnels and endless seeming corridors. After all, Blackridge was still expanding at a rapid pace as new hallways were created through the thick stone and rock.

Slowly coming to a halt a good distance away, he would stop and tilt his helm in confusion. Then he began to loose himself to his own train of thought, staring into the direction of the other two Cybertronians for a while.

Should he approach, and ask for direction? Or should he turn and walk away to try and backtrack his steps?

But this femme seemed as she required a job, maybe some help? But their commander was RIGHT THERE too! Was she in trouble? But again, they weren't fighting...

“If you require assistance in your task, I... could offer to assist.”

Slightly blunt, blurted out in a still thoughtful manner as he then again to slowly approach them.

It might have been a mistake, it might have been foolish to interrupt them and it PROBABLY might have been rude to throw such a statement at them. But whatever the case, if this smaller individual required indeed some saving, or needed an excuse to bolt out of this situation, who would he be to deny her?

[Starscream]

At Cintra’s chipper response, Starscream would nod. A quiet hum escaping him as he looked her over with a gaze that wasn’t quite scrutinous, yet held some subtle disdain.

“See that you do.”

As he was technically in charge and wanted to show that he was more than capable of leading in Megatron’s absence, he had made a point of paying attention - and addressing - details that normally he would not have bothered with.

As such, he wanted everyone in fighting form. While he wouldn’t track people down and hound them to go for maintenance and medical checks - after all, that was Knock Out’s job, nor did he have the time to do such things - a gentle reminder here and there should he see anything that needed attention never hurt to bring up.

And maybe it would actually get done if he were the one to suggest such a thing.

Opening his mouth to reply to her following question, the silver Seeker paused at the sound of approaching footfalls. Slow, heavy - Starscream’s optics would narrow some as he turned in the direction of their approach. He knew this tiny femme had arrived with another - a large triplechanger, if he remembered correctly - and could only assume that it was him coming to track her down.

It wasn’t, and another hum was given as the other mech eased into a stop a good few paces away. A momentary look of confusion was given, wondering just what was wanted here. He was not left waiting long, and an offer was given.

“That would be up to Cintra here.” he chuckled, turning his attention back to the tiny femme.

“As for your question, I’m sure - between the two of you - if you put your minds to it, you can find plenty to do. Surely you do not need me to give you direction.” a servo would wave flippantly in a vague gesture. Blackridge was in a constant state of adjustment. With expansion going on there was lots of work to be found - either helping Vehicons moving materials to and fro, or cleaning up the messes left behind. An endless effort, really, yet something that needed to be maintained.

“Obviously deal with the light first, however…” he droned. Not wanting Cintra to get distracted by all the ‘opportunity’ that’d been given and prance off to go be helpful elsewhere.