[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Finders Keepers [Closed]

[Starscream]

Episode 3 | Week 4 | Day 6
Early Morning
-

It’d been just over a week since Starscream had met Cintra for the first time, and it hadn’t taken him long at all to get more than enough insight as to her personality. Far, far too happy, considering the circumstances they were in, eager to please - yet with an edge that showed she could hold her own should she need to.

He’d expected that meeting to be the only time - missions and the occasional brief sighting in the corridors aside, anyway - they would interact here at Blackridge Hold. But oh, how wrong he was.

Every day since, at an hour that was probably far too early for most, she was there. Waiting by the doorway to his quarters to learn what her assignment would be for the day. Given that she and her partner were new arrivals to the base, there wasn’t a lot for them to do. The bigger one could assist with hefting stone from the base as certain areas were expanded upon, but even that had slowed in recent days.

At first, the tasks were simple enough. Things that needed doing - with an outing with Flux arranged just two days after the initial meeting to search for a piece of the Hymn. Simple fetching ‘missions’ to retrieve items around Blackridge that’d been misplaced, ones to count - and double check, of course - the contents of the storage room.

There’d even been an objective to pass on a message to a certain Vehicon deep within the mines, a task that he’d assume would take the majority of the day, only to be dismayed when she’d finished it in mere hours, even with comms being down.

Soundwave had caught on to Starscream’s little ‘helper’, and at one point had received a ping asking if she was waiting. It seemed the Spymaster had a sense of humor, as he’d sent back a ‘negative’...

…Only for Starscream to find out seconds later that it was a lie, both by the fact he opened the door to find Cintra standing there waiting, but also the single, smiley face emoji from Soundwave a moment later.

The only time there had been peace, and he found it strange to even welcome such a thing considering the circumstances, had been when he’d been stuck in the Medical Bay getting repairs after a run in with Optimus Prime.

It’d given him time to think, at least. Not only about the situation with Patch and how best to handle things there, but also how to find a use for Cintra - and Flux. Their quest for the Hymn piece had not been successful, but given the Mortillus' Hymn was a fool's errand to begin with, he had other ideas - ones that weren’t a complete waste of time.

The Autobots. It was so ridiculously simple.

Making his way into the Control Room, two pings were sent out - one to Cintra, and the other to Flux, asking them to make their way here as soon as possible for yet another mission.

[Flux]

The last thing that Flux expected this day - or, ever, really - was a ping from Starscream, and at first he’d wondered if something had happened to Cintra. While it was probably a silly thought, it certainly got him moving through the corridors of Blackridge Hold.

They’d been here for a little over two weeks now, and while it’d taken him what was probably longer than most new arrivals? He’d finally begun to get a grasp of where things were. He had the occasional moment of confusion, of course, but there were enough landmarks - scratches in the rock, or various marks on the flooring, that helped him get back on course.

He hadn’t been doing anything important when the comm had distracted him, and had been making his way back from the rec room after finishing his morning ration. Good timing, he figured, as all he had to do was keep walking and he’d beeline straight to where was needed.

He wasn’t sure where Cintra was, nor was he aware that she’d received a ping as well - but given the communication had come from Starscream, he figured it was important to simply move without asking questions.

Making his way into the spacious room, he made his way directly to Starscream, offering a swift - but firm - salute.

“Starscream.”

[Cintra]

Cintra hadn't intended to come off as a pest to their acting Lord, she was simply an energetic individual... to put it lightly... with some higher ambitions in mind. If she knew that she was annoying or irritating Starscream with what she was doing? There was a good chance she would be appalled at herself and possibly even feel embarrassed in the process. It was such a large jump for her to mentally take however, too far a leap for her to connect the dots herself when she saw what she was doing as an admirable want to help rather than being detrimental. She knew for a fact that others didn't seem to be as go-getum! She didn’t see them waiting outside for their daily missions, and some even seemed perfectly keen to just putter along their days waiting for something to happen.

It was annoying.

As such, Cintra had been very active, and sitting around on her hands watching a clock tick was not her idea of helping the war effort. If she did have to lay low... she wouldn’t know what to do with herself fully, needing to find someone else that was high energy like herself to do things with to pass the time. She would not sit around reading a datapad or whatever a boring person would do.

In the end... all things said and done...

Starscream's call initiated an instant response.

It was like a switch had been flipped, and Cintra was quickly on the move to get to the room that was specified. She did not sprint in the process however. As high drive as she was to jump to call, she was not a comical mess that would scuttle scrape peds against the ground like a dog that had been whistled for. Instead, her gait was a light jog that would carry her there plenty fast enough. It was during this short trip she was already starting to try to put together what could be coming, trying to compare to previous errands or tasks, wondering what new intel could have been dropped.

Turning the corner, Cintra could see Flux, and as such her stride almost popped a moment, happy to see what he was summoned as well. Not only was it nice to get to work with the large black and orange mech, the two of them meshing so well together and having emotionally bonded for a great deal of time, it also implied a more important mission. Starscream wouldn’t tell the two of them to go find a certain soldier, or to locate an object around Blackridge... this had to be something better! And that idea made her rather excited.

Jogging up the last few steps, Cintra would plant herself at Flux's side, her stance broad with peds placed slightly beyond hip width from one another. She didn't look up at him, at least not yet, her fierce orange optics instead latched up at Starscream as she hunted for any sort of detail that could give a hint at what they would be doing. This focused look was paired with a sort of grin, and her own salute as well to mirror her companion's own.

[Starscream]

Turning on his heel at the sound of heavy footfalls, Starscream nodded at Flux before his gaze shifted downward to offer another nod at Cintra who arrived mere seconds after the bigger mech. With the acknowledgments out the way, he would begin speaking.

“Thank you both for arriving so quickly.”

Cintra he had expected nothing less, she had been prompt and on time so far for every one of their encounters, almost as if she’d given herself some sort of schedule to stick to even if it was not needed - but Flux was a little surprising. It was no matter, however, as the Seeker then turned to the monitor behind himself.

“I’ll get right to the point-” he started, as one servo would move to the small keyboard, typing something and bringing up various windows on the screen itself. One of these windows seemed to be the main focus, and was recognizable as a map of Nevada.

It would be familiar to Cintra, no doubt, as it was the same map used during a prior conversation, right down to the markers.

“There has been a notable increase in Autobot activity, due to recent developments which I needn’t go into. However, we are still unable to get any solid leads as to an exact Outpost location.”

Turning, he would look at Cintra. While it was only a half truth, this ‘mission’ was still important in itself. Any sighting of any Autobot could be the key to finding out for sure where the Autobots were hiding, and while this may have been a stab in the dark? It was still far more productive than doing nothing at all.

“I’m sure you recall our meeting, and thus recognize the map behind me. You are to take Flux and do some simple surveillance of the area you picked out.”

Easing one arm behind his back, he would idly pick at his thumb claw before continuing.

“This is not something to be rushed, and I can only assume it will take the better part of the day. That being said, do you have any questions?”

[Flux]

Flux heard Cintra before he saw her - though it wasn’t until he was in the Control Room itself and she’d moved to stand next to him that he offered her a glance and a warm smile as he lowered his arm from the salute. Even though they shared a room, it felt like he hadn’t gotten to do much with her in terms of actual work here at Blackridge Hold, and to know that she had been summoned as well? It was exciting.

Of course, that could all change should she have gotten herself into trouble for something and now they’d both been called here because of that, but as Starscream began speaking it was fairly evident that this was indeed a mission that needed them both.

Shifting his weight ever so slightly as he listened, he tried to pay attention to the screen while taking in the words being said. With Cintra here it wouldn’t be so bad if he couldn’t remember all the details, knowing full well that she would be around to help him out, but still - he didn’t want to be completely useless, especially as this sounded kind of important.

The way Starscream was talking made it sound like Cintra already had some knowledge of what to do here, or at least where they were going. He wasn’t even aware that she’d talked to the Seeker about anything, though maybe he’d forgotten that detail after being told prior.

Surveillance? Well, that’s easy enough…

Glancing to Cintra momentarily, he would then shift his attention back to Starscream as the question was asked.

“No real questions, no. I assume we report to you if we see an Autobot?”

He was all for chasing them down and ending them then and there should they happen to find one, but given there had been no instruction to do so? He figured he should double check.

[Cintra]

Orange optics were latched upon Starscream with an overly intense look, Cintra's focus absolute while their acting Lord took point and started to explain what was happening here, and why they had been summoned. She didn't want to miss a single detail, both so that she could remember it, as well as being able to relay it back to Flux with as much accuracy as she could manage. If she was able to lock some phrase or visual to her processor and she spat it out again? Perhaps Flux would be able to put something together that she missed with phrasing once they were out in the field. It was with this her gaze flicked up to the opened window on the main display screen, her brows pulling up at what she saw.

The area she had picked was good enough a spot to look for Autobots in person?

A level of pride seemed to manifest at this, Cintra finding a form of validation that her plan had even been humored beyond the momentary discussion in Starscream's office area. She had thought it would be cast aside as nothing of any sort of value, feeling almost embarrassed after the fact due to the way her thoughts had been challenged. Their acting Lord didn't seem particularly impressed with it, but now knowing that he had liked it enough to assign it to them as a real task, meant that he may not be the type to show his emotions more blatantly.

Cintra made a mental note at this, trying to slide her threshold of expectations down to more subtle levels. This had to mean for Starscream that even the most mild of signs of being happy with something, had to mean that she truly did a good job and it was something of note. She didn't require some big show of appreciation, she just wanted to be aware of it if it happened to be there rather than lay ignorant and feel shoved aside in a way that could kindle ire.

Whatever the case, as Starscream continued, asking if they had any questions, Cintra seemed to mull over the opportunity a second to see what sort of issues she could foresee. Really though, she had no frame of concept on what questions to ask, simply because she had no frame of concept of what sort of area they were even going to be plunked down into. Whether it was a flat stretch of land, or a rocky mountainous region... whether it was blotted with foliage and heavy greenery, or was a barren wasteland of snow... Cintra's experience on Earth was severely lacking, and while she had already visited Nevada at one point, she didn’t put two and two together that the glittering city and hotter environment was associated at all with the area the Autobots were lurking around.

The finials on either side of Cintra's helm seemed to crook slightly as Flux spoke up, the pink femme’s helm turning to look over at him as he replied to Starscream with a rather foolish question. Then again, maybe they were simply expected to track it down and dispose of them... it not worth calling in... though she couldn't imagine that would be the case at all. How big was the Autobot presence?... As over confident as she was in their abilities, she didn’t think that the two of them could straight up take down a base worth of soldiers.

Especially when Optimus Prime was part of that roster.

She wanted to just pat Flux’s arm and say she would have that handled, to take that off his shoulder, but instead she decided to ask her own question, one that may be seen as just as foolish.

Cintra's right hand would raise up some, as she spoke.

"What should we be looking for?"

Ripped up trees? Trenches through the ground or blast marks or... she didn't really know. Back where she and Flux were, they KNEW where the enemy roughly was, it had simply become a game of figuring out how to try to deal with it. She wasn't used to having to try to think tactically and didn’t know how to differentiate who knows what Earth natural occurrences, from Autobot activity. How would that even be possible? As some weird ridge in the ground could just be part of this planet, or it could be important.

Oh well... problem for future her unless Starscream had wonderful insight.

[Starscream]

Starscream’s gaze shifted to Flux as he spoke up first. That was a little surprising, as part of him had fully expected Cintra to blast in with a million over-eager questions once she had realized the location they were being sent off to.

“I shall leave that up to your discretion. While you are not required to report in, should you get a confirmed sighting it would be wise to make a note of where and when.”

Who would also be beneficial, but he highly doubted either of them had taken the initiative to look up known Autobots on this planet. Still, some of the more well known Autobots would stand out should they be spotted, and a good number of them were foolish enough to display their badge when out and about.

“On the off chance you somehow get overwhelmed, of course call that in and backup can be there in an instant to assist.”

Between the two of them, he was certain they wouldn’t have any issues. However, given the fact they currently held an Autobot prisoner - and a Medic, at that - they would no doubt be traveling in groups should they be out and about.

Something he should probably inform them of, but knowledge of Patch was to be kept limited for a reason. Cintra had stated she was a combat assist, and he could only assume that Flux was her partner - as such, they could handle themselves.

Cintra spoke up next, and it was a good question indeed. Both of them were.

“Suspicious activity,” he stated, simply, before continuing. “While I needn’t go into details, it is safe to assume that their patrols have increased in frequency.”

Or, he could speculate as such, anyway. With Patch missing, they would certainly be wanting her back - and they wouldn’t achieve anything by simply doing nothing. It did mean that they would have to be careful, as any Decepticon at this point would be a target, even with Windshield framing MECH for the missing medic.

“Repeated sightings of the same vehicle could be something, or someone acting not quite right. Newer arrivals to the planet may not know all the native rules and regulations and as such may slip up in trying to act normal.”

Sidestepping, he would turn just slightly to input the coordinates directly into the console. While this probably would be for nothing, it would at least give them some hands on experience with being on Earth - which would be beneficial in its own right.

Then again, maybe Cintra was the genius here and had somehow found a location far closer to the Autobot outpost than previous attempts.

Pulling the lever down to activate the ground bridge, it would swirl to life an instant later.

“This should take you to the outskirts of the noted area. Good luck.”

[Flux]

Flux would hum quietly in affirmation as Starscream spoke, nodding along to his words as his question was answered. The whole thing seemed a little strange, though he couldn’t place why that was. He and Cintra were not scouts, nor had they really done enough on Earth itself to be considered knowledgeable to be sent on a mission like this.

But they’d obviously been picked for a reason, and so aside from this initial feeling? Flux wouldn’t question it. Orders were orders, and they were coming from Starscream himself - meaning they were important.

While he was doing his best to listen and take in the answers given, his attention had shifted to look at the monitor behind Starscream, trying to gather any details that he could from the displayed map. Should there be things of importance said, Cintra would be able to relay them should they be needed, and as such he wasn’t too worried about forgetting details.

Only when Cintra spoke up with a question of her own did his attention seem to break from the monitor, looking down at the femme with a smile. That was a smart question, especially as neither of them had encountered Autobots on Earth before. It wasn’t the same as the outpost they’d been in prior to this planet where altmodes were rarely used.

The same vehicle?

Great. That’d be on Cintra for sure - the same vehicle could drive past repeatedly and he probably wouldn’t remember it. Folks acting oddly though? Maybe he could help with that, at least.

As the portal tore into existence, it was then that he would step forward. A sharp salute given to Starscream as he made his way past the Seeker, wasting no time in making his way through the bridge itself. He didn’t want to transform here and now, not with how slow and clunky the process was for him - and as such would wait until he was safely on the other side to do so.

[Cintra]

Suspicious activity? But what was that!?

Cintra's expression remained rather blank while Starscream continued to speak, the mech going on to say that he didn't need to go into details beyond that causal statement, as if his prior words were anywhere informative enough to mean anything at all to her. Their acting Lord may have been thinking about details related to why patrols would be heightened, but that wasn’t where Cintra’s mind went, which was rather distressing to her. It sounded as though she should already know what would be out of place or notable, when in actuality she didn’t. If she saw giant footsteps? Yeah, sure, whatever... that'd be something to point out and jot down... but what would be suspicious tire treads to differentiate between Autobot and humanity...?

She was already getting over confused, and this was amplified by the fact she still didn't know what the environment would even look like to begin with. Thankfully, after seemingly brushing her question aside, Starscream then looped back to it, and she tried to focus intently on what examples were given! Only for there to only be one example of repeated cars and then a 'you figure it out' mentality thrown in once more.

"-Newer arrivals to the planet may not know all the native rules and regulations-"

"But I'm a new arrival!"

Her squawked reply barked out just as the Space Bridge was opened, the shining vortex of light spiraling noisily beside them. However, its appearance didn't instill an instant response to the outing as it may have otherwise if Cintra was feeling confident. As much as she wanted to run to call and aim to please, she didn't even understand what they were meant to look for. For a flicker she wondered if they were simply being gotten rid of? Did they do something wrong to be exiled?! No, they wouldn’t do that.... but Starscream was throwing them into some unknown hoping for something good which was... not wise. Or was it a test? Maybe being lost was a big part of this?

The heavy thrum of Flux taking a step caught Cintra's focus, her helm crooking over, before she ducked down and strode a few quick paces around. As she started to pass Flux’s back, her left arm would hook up, grab hold of his door wing, before using her momentary jog and the new pivot point, to kick off and swing up to sit roughly down onto the matte black shoulder plating. It was here she settled, her palms flat on the armor for stability, though she wasn't aimed forward. Instead, she was still looking back at Starscream's direction, seeking some kind of last words of wisdom or who knows what.

[Starscream]

The squawked reply was, unfortunately, expected - which was probably the only thing stopping the silver Seeker from grimacing or showing much of a physical reaction at all.

Instead, her words were met with a smile.

“Well then, this is the perfect opportunity for you to learn.”

Between the two of them, he was certain they would manage one way or another. Even if they did not see trace of any Autobot activity at all, some good could come from such an outing. As she had said, she was a new arrival - as was Flux - meaning that as grounders they would have to abide by rules outside of Decepticon control. Speed limits, road rules - things that he as a flier didn’t have to take heed of.

While it was simple enough and no doubt quick to pick up, the more familiar they were being around the native pests, the more use they would be to the Decepticon cause. The last thing they needed was awkwardness or attention drawn, and this would be a lesson on fitting in and acting normal.

He watched as Flux moved, gaze shifting to the femme as she quickly pulled herself up and onto his shoulder. There was no hesitation in her movement whatsoever, meaning she had probably done that countless times before.

It was curious how she kept her gaze on him, however, and as they moved closer to the bridge he would gently shrug.

“Best of luck.”

Once they shifted through the portal and he was safe to assume they’d made it to their destination, he would close the bridge before another question could be thought up and they circled back - the room plunging into the ambient, amber low light that they were all used to. With it, that smile faded in an instant, a servo raising to tiredly smear down his faceplate as he vented out a long-suffering sigh.

[Flux]

Flux was only half paying attention to the ‘conversation’ going on as he moved, his own focus on what they were supposed to be doing once they made it through the bridge itself.

Suspicious activity. Repeated sightings. Autobots.

As this was a mission given to them by Starscream himself, the last thing he wanted to do was forget a key detail and mess everything up. Cintra had obviously gotten herself in his good graces to be trusted with such a thing, and their earlier words had implied that she had been the one to find this area to begin with.

He was proud. Since their arrival to Blackridge Hold, he’d been busy helping with what was essentially drudge work due to his larger size and trying to familiarize himself with the layout of this outpost, yet Cintra had been assisting high command with important things.

He did not seek glory nor status, and was perfectly content remaining on the level of a soldier, however the fact that Cintra had been noticed and given this assignment, he wondered if that would bring more opportunity for missions such as this.

If they did well, anyway.

Suspicious activity. Repeated sightings. Autobots.

He did not slow his gait as the femme moved around him, though would tilt his shoulder just slightly in an unconscious motion to allow her easier access to his frame. With her settled, he would just as quickly readjust and keep moving - with no arm risen to hold onto her, knowing full well she was stable and wasn’t about to fall off, even if she was facing the wrong way.

Moving through the swirling vortex, his optics would narrow as he was met with harsh sunshine which seemed so very out of place, considering it was still fairly early. He wasn’t quite sure where they were, only that the area seemed to be out the way of anywhere important - Starscream bridging them somewhere safe as to not be directly in view of the natives, he assumed.

Pausing in his footing as the bridge closed behind them, he would take a heavy intake.

“Alright, so, uh- what’s the plan here?”

He assumed she’d know - though if she didn’t? Well, they could work it out together.

[Cintra]

To learn? Without a teacher?! How did he expect them to LEARN anything? Did he want them to just drive around, find a car that looked too fancy versus the cars with a bashed in bumper or a standard hatchback or something... and then punch it? See if it goes 'ouch' or if an occupant jumps out to run in complete terror? She had too many questions to even put together into words, Cintra's facial features a stumped look of being completely lost, all the way up to the point when she was told best of luck and the Space Bridge slammed shut.

The brightness of their new location certainly was alarming to say the least. Going from the relative shadow of an underground base... all the way to a topside rush of sun assaulting them with no shadows of trees or who knows what to try to break it up. It would be something to cause the vast majority of individuals to squint in immediate response, yet not Cintra. The only reaction was the fact the apertures in her eyes cycled down violently, though she looked just as stunned and lost while looking into the now blasted white abyss where she couldn’t see anything yet.

How... How...!?

"I don't know!"

Cintra dramatically cried this in response to Flux's words, her first inkling she was even present despite the weight that was settled on his shoulder.

"There is no plan! Well... there is... but not!"

Leaning back, the pink femme would 'fall' backwards in front of Flux since she had been sitting the opposite direction on his shoulder, only instead of slipping straight down to thud onto the ground in front of him, her arms would push out, palms placing against his chest to use as a sort of springboard. With this heft, Cintra's frame would flip over itself, the long cable-like extension from behind her shoulders whipping in her wake as she fully popped off the large mech's frame. This smooth movement ended with her landing a few paces in front of him, trotting off a last dwindled amount of momentum with a couple backwards steps and hops.

Without a single beat, she continued to speak, her eyes finally squinting against the light as she tried to see.

"He said we need to look for Autobot activity, but how do we know what Autobot activity looks like?"

It wasn't as though this was a vacant planet with nothing on it at all. Without humanity it would be a very simple exercise to accomplish. Look for trails cut through the ground by use, footfalls or crushed in wilderness. Maybe some burn marks from blaster fire, trying to differentiate from some kind of natural fire to an artificial one caused by weapons. It would be so easy then! Yet if that was the case then it would have been so easy for High Command to have already zeroed in on their presence on this world. They wouldn’t need some rag tag pair of newcomers to go trudge around aimlessly hoping their path happened to go across something of note.

"This planet has others and I don’t know the difference."

Well... she KNEW the difference between Autobots and humans, yet that wasn't what she was trying to convey, her words not particularly clear on the matter.

[Flux]

Suspicious activity. ---. Autobots.

Wait, what was that second thing?

Flux’s train of thought was almost immediately derailed by Cintra’s dramatic response, though it wasn’t like it really mattered. With her here, he didn’t need to remember specifics - knowing that she would keep him up to date on what was going on. He could remember that they were here to find Autobots, and that was the main thing, right?

“Maybe we just need to make our own plan then, eh? Prob’ly doesn’t matter as long as we’re sort of doing what we’re supposed to, yeah?” he chuckled, standing still as she maneuvered down and off his shoulder - there was no concern shown, nor motions made to help ease her down. She’d done that what was probably thousands of times now to the point it was second nature, and as such he paid it very little attention at all.

Given Cintra’s confusion, he could only assume that the ‘plan’ was loose enough that they could probably do their own thing at the same time. Look for Autobots while driving around and trying to learn more about the natives and how they did things, or even look for shinies for Cintra to take back to their quarters - happy wife happy life, and all that. Though, he couldn’t recall if they were allowed to stray too far from the area. This place had been picked for a reason, though now that they were here it certainly didn’t look like much.

Looking around, he would quietly hum in thought as Cintra spoke - a single step forward was taken to close the short distance between them, as a heavy servo moved to plunk down and rest lightly on the top of her helm, squared thumb rubbing one of the finials in absent thought. He wasn’t putting any real weight behind the action, a wordless way of saying ‘hey, calm down - it’s okay’.

“Maybe they walk around like we’re doing? Ain’t like this area seems populated.”

Granted he didn’t know if they had to drive to another location, but he certainly felt comfortable enough being in his root-mode here, what was to say that Autobots weren’t the same? Out the way like this, they didn’t have to hide or try to blend in.

“Did he say anything else? Like where we gotta go?” he frowned, trying to think back on the conversation from just moments prior. “We don’t just have to stand here like idiots, right?”

Even though the company was exactly who he would’ve picked in a situation like this - because why wouldn't he? - standing out here in what was essentially the middle of nowhere would get old very fast - at least for Cintra, and, uh- unhappy wife, unhappy life.

No thanks.

[Cintra]

"Maybe we just need to make our own plan then, eh?"

"Maybe... but we have a goal and no idea how to accomplish it!"

With these words, she officially became a broken record, likely starting what would be a long chain of events where she barked out these same words. Or... at least ones that were similar enough that it might as well be the same. It undoubtedly would go on so long that there was no way Flux would be able to forget this outing, it burned perpetually in his mind as the adventure with a mission with no path to get to the end line. Cintra would certainly remember it, though that wasn’t as much of a surprise given she was going to be dramatic at every opportunity so long as it was applicable.

As if sensing this frustration building and boiling up towards the surface, Flux had planted his hand atop her head with a plop. While no overt heft was put behind it, given it would cause her to wheeze and scrabble to hold the limb up, it still applied pressure, her finials crooking back under the weight, while her brows straightened into a flat line. It was a sort of dead look that peered into the abyss, a grumbled growl slipping out to pair along beside it. It wasn’t directed at Flux, not at all. In fact, his motions essentially put a cork into a possible outburst.

Thinking. Thinking. Thinking some more...

While it would take time for her to churn through their options, this long pause that had been forced upon her was much better than her spiraling up into a frustrated frenzy. This permitted her to more accurately recall what had been told to them before they were lobbed out here, which was good given Flux asked for a reminder of what clues they had to offer.

"I picked a spot on the map-"

An event she had worried about and mentioned more than a few times.

"-and he decided to send us there. He said to look for 'Suspicious Activity'"

At those last two words, she crooked her hips and held her hands up, doing over exaggerated quotation marks.

"He also said it may take all day, and to not rush."

What was rushing? It wasn’t as though they could flip every pebble out here. There was bound to be brief passes of a look at spots, yet was that enough? Maybe there'd be a little footprint they'd miss if they were sloppy, yet... what was too careful? A balance she wasn’t good at.

Flapping her arms up in a mock slappy motion suddenly, Cintra shooed Flux's hand off of her head, only to loop one of her arms over its wrist the second she got clearance to do so. This handhold quickly turned from a 'loving' gesture holding onto his arm, to what it really was... an over dramatic flop response. With this, Cintra would drop her full weight to hang off the limb, her suction cups locked down, while her legs essentially turned useless, the knees buckling in a way that she would collapse to the ground if she lost her grip.

"UGHhh... pick a direction."

Starscream had said they were on the outskirts of where she had picked, yet she didn’t know what direction was the right direction to move from outskirts to in...skirts? Inskirts? Whatever.

[Flux]

“It could be a test?”

He replied after a moment of thought, humming quietly after he spoke as if mulling over if he should say more on this idea or not. If they had a goal but no direction of how to reach said goal, it could be some weird way for Starscream to see how they worked together as a team when pushed into something as vague as this. Looking for suspicious activity was so open-ended an order that it could mean absolutely anything, maybe they were supposed to get creative in how they sought it out?

“Y’know, to see how we work together or something since we ain’t been here long.”

He knew Cintra had been helping Starscream in recent days - and while the specific details were fuzzy, it’d happened often enough that he could recall that she’d been assisting him. Maybe this was a step up, kind of like a promotion type thing.

Well, depending how they did, anyway.

Turning his attention to her as she spoke, he would listen attentively as she filled in a few more details. The only new information was that they did not need to rush - as he couldn’t remember Starscream specifically saying that - which brought up further questions. Was there a planned patrol and it was up to them to identify it at a specific time? Were the Autobots only active between certain hours?

“Hm.”

Lifting his servo as it was shooed away, he would remain motionless as Cintra then looped her arm over his - before dramatically flopping a second later. His arm tensed instinctively so it would remain steady, though his attention would shift once more to the horizon.

The whole thing was weird, though unlike Cintra? He wasn’t letting it get to him. This was a chance to get out of Blackridge and go on a proper mission with his favorite person, even if said mission was confusing and strange.

At the frustrated noise, he would turn his gaze back down to the femme, blinking.

“You sure that’s smart? You prob’ly know more about this whole thing than I do. But if I have to pick then uhh… Straight ahead maybe? See if we can spot anything and then go from there?”

Maybe once they’d started moving, Cintra would calm down about the whole thing - and if not? Well, he’d try to make the most of it regardless.

“You wanna walk or drive? Or I can walk, if you want.” a smile was paired with these words, his helm tilting just slightly to one side at his shoulder.