[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Hitchin’ It (Open)

[Deleted]

WEEK 1, DAY THREE

God, Mitch hated his boss.

Today was particularly sweltering in the Nevada heat, but he’d sent him to take a look at someone’s beat up old junker. That wasn’t a problem, the old man who’d needed the tune up was loaded and tipped well. The problem was setting him up to work on it with his lazy-ass nephew. It had taken a couple of long hours to get it done with his lack of knowledge dragging him down. But considering his uncle was his only source of income, the teen had to bite his tongue and deal with it.

Mitch was actually relieved when he’d taken off early - not even asking why or where he was going. Instead, he’d been able to finish his work quick and easy, and start the trek back into town given that pain in the ass had been his ride. No biggie, he figured, he only had to put up with needing rides for another seven months, then he’d be sixteen and he could find some fixer-upper to give a tune up. 

“Almost home free,” Mitch muttered to himself as he took a look at his watch. “Maybe I’ll even drop by KO Burger on the way back. Least I can do is take my thirty.”

Was his boss expecting him back soon? Sure. But Mitch was expecting him to hire some competent people soon too. So they’d both be disappointed! Peering over to the side of the road, he was still probably two or three miles from Jasper. Safe enough distance he figured to at least try to hitch a ride back. Dangerous? Sure, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t done it a dozen times before.

Putting out a thumb he kept an eye out. Going over his mental checklist of red flags to remember.

[Miko Nakadai]

It hadn’t taken Miko long to realize she’d made a dire mistake.

The first clue had been that the bus was going completely the wrong way. The second was that they appeared to uh… not be stopping anytime soon. While there were bus stops among the remote and dusty road outside of Jasper, the bus just kept on truckin’.

This was fine, absolutely fine - the bus had to stop at some point, right?

How did this even happen? She was certain she’d read the timetable correctly but man these bus schedules were so confusing. American culture had been something she’d immersed herself in quickly, integrating herself and fitting in perfectly! She understood their language, their weird mannerisms that weren’t quite as polite as the folks back home, and everything in between!

But bus timetables?! ARrrgh!

There wasn’t even anywhere for her to sit down on this bus, nor could she move much of anywhere, sandwiched in between masses of people going who even knew where. The only saving grace was that she could see - at least a little bit - out one of the side windows.

Course, this didn’t help her growing nervousness as they drove further and further away from Jasper. Everyone else seemed to be content, going about their day - some taking this downtime as an opportunity to close their eyes and get a brief moment of rest.

At some point on this journey into the unknown, the bus trundled past a lone hitchhiker going the opposite way. Nobody paid him any mind- the occasional hitcher wasn’t an uncommon sight, although in this sweltering weather? Oof, hopefully someone would take pity and take him to wherever he needed to go.

Clutching the strap of her backpack tightly, Miko would rummage in her pocket to pull out her phone. The last thing she wanted to do was call her host parents to come and get her whenever the bus stopped, and so would type in the digits to the Omega Base to pre-warn them that she’d uhhhh… gotten herself into a bit of trouble.

…

Only to be met with a ‘no signal’ beep as the call refused to go through. With a groan of frustration, she snapped the phone closed and returned it to her pocket.

Maybe it was the panic that made the bus ride feel like an eternity, or the fact there weren’t any real landmarks to gauge where she was except cacti and rocks, but it hadn’t gone too far at all in terms of distance - simply over to the next town a few miles out.

As the passengers departed, Miko would move with them. Hopping down from the step as she once again she pulled out her phone, another attempt made in calling the Omega Base. Surely one of the Autobots would be okay coming to get her, and if not? Well, maybe she’d walk just like the hitchhiker.

This time, the call thankfully went through - the familiar chirpy beeps of Bumblebee on the other end. While she didn’t understand a word he said, he at least sounded like he was either going to come out here himself, or someone else would.

Maybe she was assuming a little bit, but heyo, they wouldn’t leave her stranded out here, right?

And so she waited, sitting on a bench and watching as people got onto the bus before it eventually departed into the desert.

…

She’d expected Bumblebee, or maybe someone like Ratchet or Kup to come and get her, and so there was a moment of confusion as Optimus was the one to show up instead. Assuming this meant she was in trouble for getting on the wrong bus, she was uncharacteristically quiet as she climbed up into the truck cab, offering the briefest of explanations as to what happened.

Other than that, she was mostly quiet as they made their way back toward Jasper.

Only to perk up considerably at seeing the same hitchhiker in the distance. He hadn’t been picked up yet? But it was so hot out and he looked to be a kid not much older than herself. Maybe he went to her school, even! Sitting up in the seat and craning her neck some, she’d look to the holoform beside her, then quickly straight ahead once more.

“Oh! Oh! Pull over, Optimus! This dude has been out here for ages. Maybe he’s going to Jasper?”

[Optimus Prime]

Miko perhaps thought she was in trouble for bothering someone from Omega to have to come fetch her, however that was far from the case. Mistakes could happen, it simply was a way of life. Even on Cybertron transport shuttles could be a bit confusing to figure out, and if Earth was anywhere near the same? Well, it meant that it was likely bound to happen at one point or another. Thankfully Optimus was available to assist, so Miko did not need to keep spending money and time to hopefully make her way home. Eventually.

It also offered a few moments of quiet and peace.

While Optimus expected Miko to ramble and chatter on the way back, he did get a sliver of time on the way there to just drift within his own processor. Feeling the road beneath him, flowing through traffic letting it dictate speed and movements. There was no rush in play, no need to hurry as if another were in danger. While others may wish to turn on the radio to listen to some talk show or music, Optimus reveled in the empty sound of the asphalt flicking past below, and the hiss of wind. It muddled into an idle hum that was relaxing all on its own.

Along the way to pick up Miko, he did see the younger boy trying to hitch a ride, the empty uncanny valley look of the Holoform's gaze drifting over in curiosity before continuing along on his less than dire mission. While it was concerning someone so young was looking into hitching a ride, it wasn't really something he should get too involved with. Optimus' Holoform was not the strongest out of others. It functioned well, no flickers or lapse of resolution... no pops as color altered or a transparency haze forming as it moved... it worked well, but user error was a real thing.

He didn't have the practice others did at trying to look natural. Too long a stretch of time before blinking, movements stilted with lulls in between that were perhaps a bit too still... it was a risk. Besides, even if he had his illusion mastered, it was not the most reputable thing for a lone man in a semi-truck to stop and try to pick up a kid from the side of the road. It could look potentially sketchy there alone.

So, he continued, going to pick up Miko.

---

As with the drive there, the drive back seemed particularly quiet, though this time it was less relaxing and more concerning. Optimus may not be the best at socialization, not one for small-talk or trying to fill the void, yet he assumed Miko was the type that liked to break the silence with something. Anything. Prideful boasts about beating up a bully or helping a friend. Complaining about how her homework was out of line and ridiculous. Sulking about any detention she may have in the upcoming days, or that her host parents were being pests. Perhaps jabbering about some new adventures that she was having with Bulkhead, Wheeljack, or the others. Yet... nothing was there.

Brown eyes cast over to glance at Miko as the red and cobalt semi-truck drove down the street, trying to see if she truly looked sad or was just tired. He was about to speak, to ask if everything was alright or perhaps force out a potentially awkward 'how was your day' despite the fact he had picked her up after being profoundly lost... yet he only had the time to open his mouth before Miko perked up abruptly and called for him to pull over.

Becoming more alert from the neutral relaxed state he was in at being told to pull over abruptly, the Holoform's gaze snapped up and forward as all of his attention lurched ahead to make certain there wasn't an emergency. It was then the rest of her words caught up to him, a hesitation forming as his brakes started to hiss active. With as much haste as would look natural, the large vehicle pulled off to the side in the gravel and dirt gutters on the flank of the street with a crackled crunch beneath his tires. It was a short distance ahead and across the road from the young man Optimus had seen earlier. Evidently, Miko had as well.

His want to help yet reservations to do so were suddenly challenged.

"Miko, assisting strangers can be risky."

Granted, this hitchhiker was not an adult, though should an individual truly become aggressive, Optimus felt more than capable of defending Miko if push came to shove. However, his concerns were less about general safety as it was more over the entire... Holoform issue. Yet... perhaps Miko's presence alone would be a saving grace. Make certain she sat in the middle between them, while more likely than not jabbering and talking to the kid as the professional distraction she could be.

"I suppose it does not hurt to ask what direction he is going."

Stilted awkward words, not exactly thrilled.

[Deleted]

Mitch was starting to feel a little exhausted.

Of course, it wasn't that he'd expected anyone to stop. But at the same time it was absolutely annoying to find that no one did anyway. So he decided to occupy his mind with other things. Lunch was covered but maybe he'd take the time after he'd done so to grab some actual food for dinner. He dug into his pockets, he had enough from his tips to cover a lot of that. But he did need to of course conserve too.

He'd been going over his math when he noticed the truck from earlier. As the kind of guy who was really into trucks, it was pretty cool - given its unique coloring. Most trucks had a boring off-white color to them but this one appeared to have some hot rod red and a deep blue, sweet! God, he swore he had the attention span of a fruitfly sometimes!

Of course, he stopped just as he noticed that the truck had pulled over. Really? He was a little surprised, considering it'd driven past him before! Mitch tilted his head, debating on whether or not to approach for a moment. One side of him said not to, given truckers could go either way, but it was the only person who seemed likely to stop at this point. So what exactly was the point in keeping up with the hitchhiking?

He felt a little more relaxed when he approached and noticed there was someone around his age there. Maybe a father and daughter? Honestly, he couldn't tell, but since the girl hardly looked to be in distress from this angle  so he didn't feel too nervous. He brushed himself off, and tried to at least look somewhat presentable. The last thing he needed was them asking more questions than people usually did.

When he'd made it to the passengers side, he decided to speak up first though. Gage just how trustworthy they are - and if they had any telltale signs. "Thanks for stopping. I uh... I'm not going far, just Jasper," he explained with a nod. "Maybe about three miles? I don't know I've always been bad with distance. But I do my best to remember."

As usual, he spoke with a nervousness to his voice. But hopefully didn't come off as shifty.

[Miko Nakadai]

As Mitchell made his way over toward them, Miko would wrinkle her nose some - watching him and getting a better look at his face. He didn’t look like he went to her school, but then again it wasn’t like she knew everyone!

Maybe he was a newcomer to the town - poor guy, probably lured in by the whole ‘Entertainment capital of the world’ slag that she had listened to, only to find Jasper was prrrrrrettty much the world’s most boring place.

Actually, no, she was pretty sure it was the most boring place in the universe. Well, Autobots aside, anyway!

At Optimus’ advice, she’d nod. She knew all about stranger danger, but with Optimus here? She felt pretty safe.

“Yeah, I know- but we’ve stopped now so we’ll see where he’s going at least!”

They couldn’t just drive away now that they’d stopped, after all. She was a pretty good judge of character, so if anything seemed off? She would absolutely let Optimus know, if he didn’t pick up on anything first, anyway!

Leaning her head out the window, she’d give a cheery wave as she peered down at him. She wouldn’t open the door - not yet, anyway. Wanting Optimus’ okay before she did anything reckless. This guy could be a murderer for all she knew, and she’d seen many a horror movie that started with someone picking up a hitchhiker.

First impressions, though? He seemed nice!

“Aw no worries! You look like you’ve been out here a while!”

She chose not to mention the fact she’d zoomed by him on a bus not too long ago. Her expression brightening some with a nod and a smile as he mentioned Jasper, turning to look at the Holoform in the driver seat.

“He’s going to Jasper!” her voice quieter, although she was sure the outsider could probably hear through the open window. “We can’t just leave him out here, it’s like a billion degrees!”

Maybe she just wanted to do some sort of good deed to make up for her dragging Optimus all the way out here, but now they’d stopped? It totally made sense for them to help him out!

But, that was entirely up to Optimus.

[Optimus Prime]

Unseen eyes watched as the male crossed the street and started to walk over, trying to judge how he carried himself or anything that may be amiss. Optimus' over cautious approach seemed to pull up nothing that could be wrong, however, a teen that simply got stranded and was looking for help. It made him think about Miko, and what may have happened if she didn’t have them to call. She may have possibly tried the same gimmick to cut some time off and get herself home sooner. It was only when this unknown stranger got even closer it became apparent that he wasn’t an older teen, but was rather young to be out alone trying to hitchhike. This made his brows furrow some, watching until the kid moved out of the line of sight of the projection.

While the two humans exchanged some words, Optimus pushed his Holoform to try to break the more rigid stance he was in, leaning back into the chair, forcing his shoulders to relax... He didn’t ever have individuals in his cab that didn't know what he really was, so he never had a real NEED to act truly natural. He left the projection on only for other drivers to not see a void spot, and to give the children or Fowler and his soldiers something to look at while speaking so it wasn't too weird at times. Now though? He couldn't afford to seem 'off'.

Looking to the left out the window, the side view mirror on the opposite side of Miko and the unknown kid would angle back, to try to look at himself when the other child was out of the line of sight. It was almost a fast crash course in managing more minute things, expression twitching some to break the static look and seem more 'normal', his shoulders relaxing a little bit more, only for Miko to then speak and pull his attention back. This shift in her direction caused his expression to subconsciously drop once more into the dry neutrality of a default state, reverting everything that had been done.

"Very well."

Because of the fact the Holoform was still out of view of the stranger, Optimus did not reach over to unlock the side door, it simply did so on its own accord. However, there was no further effort made to open it for Miko, letting her do so in order to look as natural as possible. During this last-minute opportunity to try to 'fix' himself, Optimus moved his hands into what he thought was a less formal and rigid stance when holding a wheel, trying to do any little thing he could think of. Perhaps if he appeared distant and indifferent enough most of the attention would be on Miko anyway.

The truck's engine ran at a low idle, waiting to get back onto the road.

[Deleted]

Out here a while, you could say that again.

Mitch let himself smile a little, trying to appear friendly rather than nervous. It wasn’t always an easy task if he were being honest. A lot of people made judgements based on his appearance, his clothes, and the like. But the girl didn’t look or seem judgemental. Or at least he didn’t notice the normal gape from her. Though he had noticed the man’s brow furrow.

Adults were more perceptive. But now that the driver was out of sight, he at least didn’t have that grating his nerves. “Yeah. I uh... Been meaning to work on getting a car. Especially since I dropped out to support my mom. Work and all,” he kept his lie clear and concise. He’d been working on it for the better part of a year now after all. “But they only pay a mechanic so much. So it’s not really the first time.”

Of course, he let the girl start talking to.. Well whoever this guy was to her. And he did have to agree, it was hotter than hell. But he also wasn’t going to be the one to complain. If he got invited in it was at their own discretion and he was hardly an insanely direct person. Instead he let the man decide away while he inspected the truck some more.

It was sleek, top of the line type of stuff. The kind of thing that he hoped he could one day drive - least he could dream. “I mean if he isn’t comfortable it’s all good: if anything I get to stare at this beauty,” he admitted honestly. Trying to come off a bit less nervous. “I dig the paint scheme. And looks like it gets some great mileage I mean... Sorry I’m kind of a truck guy.”

Thank god the man spoke up before he continued his never ending talk about trucks. Lord he was so awkward. He blamed his time away from the “real world” for that. “Thanks man, I appreciate it. I can even pitch in gas money if you want,” he said as he carefully moved to open the door. “Name’s Dane, Dane Cromwell by the way.” He was sure to use the alias he’d taken.

[Miko Nakadai]

“I getcha! I’d love a car of my own when I’m old enough, sure beats using the crappy bus system! Those timetables? Eesh!”

Of course, using the bus was a rarity - in fact she’d only done it a couple of times since moving here, but she couldn’t exactly start blurting out about Bulkhead picking her up on a near-daily basis.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she wouldn’t draw attention to the whole school dropout thing. It was probably one of those things that you don’t pry into or talk about. School totally wasn’t for everyone, something she knew quite well given her frequency in detention, and hey at least this dude was doing something neat!

“Ooh you’re a mechanic? That’s cool!”

While she was pretty positive the guy couldn’t see Optimus’ holoform from where he was standing, she made a point of trying to make herself the focal point without being awkward - leaning out the window as she spoke, turning her back fully on the window to take up as much ‘space’ as she could when she turned to talk to the man in the driver seat, just in case Optimus had to do anything to make his holoform fit in better.

It was something she was used to, knowing of course that the holoform wasn’t real and therefore would act a little weird compared to an actual human, but to someone new? These strange mannerisms may stand out. She wasn’t worried, though, all focus would be on her! And they weren’t going too far into Jasper, so hopefully any conversation wouldn’t last too long.

She could hear the compliments about Optimus, but she was smiling for a different reason. She hadn’t honestly expected Op to say yes to the idea of picking this guy up, but then again he’d been put into a difficult and awkward position. They couldn’t just leave him out here, and the fact that they’d pulled over showed that they probably intended to help.

Leaning forward to push the door open, she would then scoot across into the middle seat.

“The paint scheme was totally my idea! Something to stand out against the dullness of well- everywhere.” she laughed, gesturing to the boring desert that surrounded them.

Totally a lie, but she played it off so naturally that it seemed completely genuine.

“As for gas money, aaah I mean, we’re going to Jasper too, so that shouldn’t be a big deal- right, dad?” she’d turn to the man in the driver seat, trying to include him a little in the conversation as to not arouse any sort of suspicion. The dad thing had honestly just slipped out, buuuuut if any questions were asked about that? She totally had a follow-up.

Leaning forward some, she would tug her backpack along and closer to herself on the floor, nestling it between her feet to give the new passenger some legroom.

“Nice to meet you Dane, I’m Miko! So do you live in Jasper?”

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus was not very perceptive when it came to liars. He could sometimes get a bead on things, experience gifting insight, yet the minute intricacies were often lost to him. Because of this he didn't even look at the boy's story a second time, taking it all on surface level as fact rather than fabrication. As such, he could only think on how it was a sad day when a young individual had to abandon their education simply to try to support themselves and help keep a roof over their head. There was nothing that could be done about it however, nor time to dwell on this too much when Miko started to chatter about getting her own car.

A terrifying prospect.

When the stranger started speaking about his paint and color scheme, Optimus' unseen gaze would shift over, the Holoform's focus following suit as if looking through the door itself as well. He was about to reply, only to instantly freeze up when Miko chimed in once more. Her bold claim didn't really bother him on its core level. The idea she had a part in picking how he presented himself really didn't hurt anything in the grand scheme of things and was inconsequential... What alarmed him and caught him off guard was how smoothly she belted out the lie with so much confidence as if she herself believed it to be fact.

Optimus was just wrapping his mind around this, now questioning how many other times she lied that he never picked up on, when she hit him with another lie that pulled him even more into her fabrication.

"Yes. You certainly insisted against standard colors."

Stilted and dry words. As poor as Optimus could be on picking up on deception at times, he was just as bad at belting it out himself.

A low 'breath' of a sigh shifted through the Holoform.

"Do not worry about financial compensation. We are merely happy to assist."

Even if he were a human, even if he had to pay for fuel and was trying to live his life... how could someone take money from a child for gas? Especially just after they admitted they had to drop out of school and get a job to help their own mother? It was cruel in his opinion. A good deed needn't have a dollar bill associated with it to make it more appealing. If he were to offer aid, it was an offer with no expectations attached other than perhaps a 'thank you'.

"Do you know where in the city you need to go?"

Brown eyes would shift over, watching as Miko settled into her new seat to make room for Dane.

[Deleted]

Cool? Most people thought it was a pointless job. Least when they lived in a world where machines were taking over. So Mitch definitely smiled at the girl me comment. “Yeah the bus is a pain in the ass. That’s why I’d rather walk or hitch it if anything.” He admitted. “Besides like I said, mechanic, I can’t wait for the chance to trick my own truck out. I got lots of ideas.”

Huh, that did make sense when she put it that way of standing out. If things were too dull he hardly thought you’d want to call it your own for that matter. Though he did notice how the guy was a little stiff in his comment back. Sure she had called him her dad, but was he really? He couldn’t tell. But who was he to question it?

“Well you both have excellent taste. Hot Rod red is always a personal favorite of mine,” he admitted with a cheeky grin. “Back in my day, when my dad had a tru...”

He paused, god was he thinking that far back? It wasn’t typical for him to really talk about his parents. What little he remembered of them that was. So bringing them up in conversation - the real them and not his fabrication anyway always left a lump in his throat. “That is... My dad used to drive one like that,” he said honestly. “He didn’t have the blue on his though. It was straight red.”

As he finally climbed in and buckled himself in he was more than a little thankful to not have to give gas money. Well, he wouldn’t have minded but of course every penny did count even if the mom part was not so truthful homelessness was no joke either. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.” He gave a small smile. “Tell you what, if you ever need a tune up on this baby. Come by Bobby’s Auto - I’ll do it on the house.”

Miko - ok cool. It was good to at least have a name for her besides “the girl” - made it a little less formal. “Yeah, I uh... Well I’m originally from Vegas. But my mom and I moved out here before she got sick,” he explained. “Then I spent some time down in Reno because uh. Reasons..” probably best not to bring up his criminal record. Non-violent or not.

Oh! Right! He hadn’t even told the man where he was headed. “Right, sorry. You can drop me off near KO Burger if that’s cool. I was planning to take my thirty. Plus it’s like half-way between work and my house,” he chuckled. He wouldn’t mention where the latter was - of course. “So what about you guys, been in Japer long?”

[Miko Nakadai]

The way Miko saw it, little white lies were probably okay - especially in a situation like this where they had to keep Optimus’ true form a secret. Of course, other little lies were needed sometimes- like insisting she’d done all her homework, for example. The color scheme thing was to add to the conversation, the dad thing was so questions weren’t raised why she was with a random dude in a truck.

Even though she didn’t ever tell really big lies, she seemed to be pretty natural at telling small ones.

Unlike Optimus, whose reply was a little dry.

She’d turn to Dane as he spoke of his father’s truck, smiling.

“Plain red is just as good! Sure beats the boring old white and gray ones around here! I wanted to go black and pink, y’know, to match the hair-” as if for emphasis, she’d point to her head with one hand “Buuut Mr fun police here said no, so we compromised!”

She hoped Optimus wouldn’t take insult to the name, it was just one of those things that slipped out to make things seem more natural - and she’d make a point of apologizing a thousand times over once they were safely back at Omega. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she'd ease her hand back onto her lap. 

“Aw, that’s so nice of you, thanks!”

She didn’t know much about mechanics, to be fair, but she’d heard her host dad talking a few times about how expensive it was for even the most of basic repairs to his car - so the offer to look at Optimus for free was met with genuine words and enthusiasm, even if she knew it wouldn’t ever be needed.

“Vegas, huh? That’s not too far away. Bet it was a shock coming to Jasper though.” she droned, her distaste for this boring little town coming through in her words. “Least you changed it up a bit with Reno, but now you’re back in mundane-ville!”

The ‘reasons’ was not lost on her, but she knew better than to pry. When someone said that, it meant they didn’t really want to talk about whatever it was- and as she’d literally only just met this dude? It totally wasn’t her place to ask.

She’d nod as Dane replied to Optimus’ question, smiling.

“We go right by KO burger so that’s no worries! As for how long we’ve been here, maaaan… long enough to know how boring it is here!”

[Optimus Prime]

While Dane and Miko continued to talk about how flashier bright colors were superior to more dingy tones, Optimus abruptly became well aware of just how non-standard his interior was. The glass dials and controls were made up of cyans and red bars and hazes of glowing light. The center of his wheel even had the Autobot emblem on it... Something that he'd never really had to consider before, having never carried individuals that didn't know what he was. A low grumble filtered out from his true self that was thankfully muddled beneath the idling engine.

The offer to help mechanically should it be needed was generous for those who required such things, given it would likely be spendy from what Optimus understood. It was not, however, something he would ever utilize. Despite this, he tried to sound sincere in his following words, focusing more on the act of kindness behind the sentiment rather than the offer itself. This resulted in a more earnest reply, even if his words were still a bit stilted, his gaze casting over to the male as he spoke.

"I will keep that in mind."

Once Miko and Dane settled into place and continued to chat, the man's attention moved away from them to look over at his side view mirror. This road was not particularly busy all things considered, even less so this time of day. As such, it only took a couple of moments for an appropriate break in what meager traffic there was to present itself, his Holoform reaching over to visually shift from park to drive. He made a conscious effort to do such things manually, flicking on the turn signal with a click.

All things he normally did not do with his Holoform.

At the mention of KO Burger, Optimus stated a simple 'alright' while he moved out into the sparse traffic. There was a momentary crackle of gravel at the gutter of the road he had pulled over into, but it soon smoothed out to asphalt as the semi-truck settled and started on the short trip to Jasper.

For now, he remained quiet, focused ahead at the road, letting Miko and Dane chat away.

[Deleted]

Dane snorted.

Pink and black? Well, he guessed it did look sick as hair, but he definitely didn’t see it working on a truck. At least he hoped not. But then again he’d seen some pretty crazy cars in Vegas that ended up looking good enough. “You sound like you’d love the cars in Vegas,” he explained rather smoothly. “We were the home of neon. We used to make games out of spotting the craziest colored cars. Pink and black almost seems normal.” He joked.

He smiled and waved his hand in a don’t mention it way when they both thanked him. Honestly, did Mitch mind? Hardly. He offered it to a lot of people and at the end of the day it was nothing on his back. “I mean I do it enough, plus I just like working on vehicles,” he then added. “Plus this truck is sick like I said. Lots of customization.” He pointed at the symbol on his wheel. “Though I’m still trying to figure out the symbol. Company logo or something?”

After a moment, he focused back on what Miko had to say, this time about Vegas vs Jasper vs Reno. “Believe it or not I kinda prefer Jasper. It was quiet up until recently,” he pointed out. Honestly could anyone blame him for enjoying quiet? “Things kinda got crazy lately. There’s all these rumors going around my part of town - conspiracy theories and shit. This one guy is convinced he saw an alien...”

Of course, he just gave a laugh at the notion. “It’s pretty crazy though. But I guess we are home to Area 51 so what else is new? It’s just added that little tingle of excitement this place was missing,” he explained. “I’ve been trying to catch any weird stuff myself. But I haven’t had luck yet.”

[Miko Nakadai]

Arrrgh.

Miko was feeling some secondhand embarrassment at how Optimus was responding. He so wasn’t good at this conversation thing, and she made a mental note to give him a lesson on ‘how to people’ once they were back at the base. She’d also try and sneak in some tips for his holoform too, since he looked like… a generic dad.

Which was okay! But at least in Miko’s opinion, he could do with something a little more adventurous. Jeans and a t-shirt? Boring! He needed a snazzy leather jacket, maybe some cool badass aviators! Maybe a mohawk!

Snapping her attention back to Dane as he mentioned Vegas, she’d perk up some.

“Aw man, I was supposed to go to that huge car show they had a few months back? My friend’s dad was gonna take us but it was all a ploy to trick us into going to a science museum.” she groaned this as if it was the most boring thing in the entire universe. Honestly though, it hadn’t been that bad all things considered, and as much as she hated to admit it? She’d actually learned a couple of things!

Nodding to show she was listening, there was the briefest - tiniest - moment of panic as Dane noticed the Autobot symbol. Blinking, she quickly shook her head.

“Company logo? Pssh no. That is the logo to my second favorite band!” throwing up both hands in a double metal salute, she would continue “The Wreckers! Dad’s secretly a fan too hence why I got away with it. They’re a kind of underground band though, but keep an eye out!”

She grinned.

“I tried to push my luck with a Slash Monkey logo but someone found that offensive.” she smirked, thumbing in the direction of her ‘father’ before lowering both hands into her lap.

Quirking a brow as Dane said he preferred Jasper - something she found hard to believe - she could only peer at him quizzically as he mentioned conspiracy theories and aliens.

“Aliens? Like little grey men flying around UFOs and stuff?” she scoffed, chuckling. “I haven’t heard anything like that at my school, then again like you said - we’re so close to Area 51 that hey, y’never know!”

Ah, if only you knew Dane. If only you knew.

[Optimus Prime]

Miko sure was pushing her luck when she knew she was temporarily 'invincible'. She was running wild, writing whatever narrative suited her... and while that could be valuable in some ways to add depth and legitimacy to things? It also meant that he would need to play along, as contesting it or arguing in some way would draw even more unwanted attention. It wasn't something to be overly angry about later, but it was getting bothersome and edging a line when the Autobot emblem could have been passed off as a work thing rather than making it be a band logo.

Optimus knew nothing about Earth music. He didn’t seek it out, he didn't turn on radios or other things to drown out the silence... He only knew what he had overheard by being in proximity of others who may have something playing, or sounds from a television show or movie that the kids were watching. He couldn't just come up with things to support this lie at the drop of a hat, as he had no foundation to even play off of here. If it were a boring work logo? He could easily lean back on what he knew of shipments and transportation, mocked up a sort of bland freight company a kid would more likely than not find no interest in.

But no. She instantly threw him into a ring of fire.

"...I let Miko get away with far more than I should."

These words held so much more 'realism' behind them than any of the previous stilted statements from before. Real honesty, real emotions, speaking far more from the heart that conveyed it wasn't an idle comment for this incident alone, but likely accounted for things outside of this little fabricated scenario right here and now. It was while this was said, the man's gaze would shift over, eyeing Miko from the corner of his vision a bit in perhaps a soft warning, before his attention shifted back to the road ahead.

"Some lines must be drawn."

This was referring to the other band logo, trying to support the lie that he did not favor much... However, all his concerns about needing to try to scrounge up possible replies to music related nonsense were thrown aside at Dane's following observations and thoughts on aliens.

The Holoform's gaze remained straight ahead at the road, expression neutral, a sort of emptiness in a way in how it viewed the road itself. Brown eyes flicked slightly, scanning for other vehicles or signs that needed to be read. It was an idle filler motion, while his unseen gaze shifted back, focusing upon Miko and Dane. His following statement sounded tired.

"I would not place money on it."