[ti]Ep 3.5[/ti]New Work [Closed For Now]

[Cassandra Cassidy]

Week 1, Day 2

Omega Outpost One, NV

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In the center of the Control Room, the Autobot symbol on the floor gleamed with polish. The air was heavy with a chemical lemon tang. The soft shwush, shwush of a mop at work formed a steady rhythm with the hum of lights. Out from the rec room, that lemon tang drifted from the children's couch and TV, each wiped down to a shine.

It had been a few days since the Autobots had gained a new janitor. Cassandra Cassidy worked hard, said little, and mostly kept to herself. Her first day or so had been dedicated to sorting out and tidying up the human areas of the base. From there, she'd swept catwalks, mopped up leaks, removed oil slicks in hard-to-reach spots, and brought a kettle in to make fresh tea and coffee with. The children's games were now in alphabetical order, and a floral blanket tossed on the couch. It smelled mostly of lavender and slightly of tobacco, but Cassandra wasn't aware of any complaints about it.

As she worked, the Autobots might've noticed the woman stopping from time to time to observe them. It wouldn't be for long, but she'd watch as one might watch the birds. If a flier flicked a wing, her attention went to where the limb might hang next. If someone's engine rumbled, Cassandra would lean in to listen. Sometimes, when someone's back was turned at the terminal, Cassandra might stand there and watch them type for a moment. If asked to move along, the cleaner would do so quickly, and never questioned an order or request given. Neither did she ask any questions of the robotic beings, no matter how curious she seemed of them.

Now, as the lights above gave the "CAUTION: WET FLOOR" sign a neon orange glow, Cassandra stood and breathed out slowly. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and glanced at a cheap watch on her wrist. It was getting late, and she had a job in Vegas the next day that she swear she could smell the stink of. Cassandra dunked her mop in the wheeled bucket she'd been using, swirling it around a few times.

((OOC: Thread may be open to more characters later.))

[Crescent]

Overhead, an undetected presence lurked. Much like the artic Earth-avians that Luna resembled, she was a silent flier. The type who could creep up on their prey without so much as a single audible flap of a wing, and crush them with sharp talons before they ever saw their end coming.

Luckily, Cassandra had not been classified as prey. She was just an interesting, moving thing that could be investigated. Unfortunately for Cassandra however, Luna was dead silent even when intentions were pure. She glided through the air, insulated feathers masking any noise that would have normally resulted from the action in a different model of her species. 

A semi-circle around the area was made, before she would finally land to perch on a nearby rail. Only then, would she announce her presence, with a soft yet audible- 

"Hoo."

If Cassandra had truly wanted to do some bird watching, her wish had been granted.

[Cassandra Cassidy]

Butch liked to think she wasn't easy to sneak up on. Ever-observant, she had an ear for picking out small sounds, and an eye for shadowed movement. Combined with this were reflexes made for catching the edge of windows in free-fall. Butch was confident in her reactivity, and took most surprise appearances in stride.

This was not one of those times. The soft, "Hoo," made the cleaner jump a little, wobbling as her feet skidded on the wet floor. Her eyes searched the room rapidly, only to land on what could be described as...an owl. A giant, nearly-nine-foot-tall owl, painted in periwinkle and white and with piercing yellow eyes. Butch froze in place.

Don't - move.

There was a giant owl on base. It was sitting on a catwalk rail just above where she was cleaning. Butch eyed its talons, and imagined how easily the thing could tackle her and pierce her flesh with them. How long had it been there? Was it sizing her up? It was a beautiful creature, but not knowing what she was dealing with, Butch's awe was replaced with dread. There'd be time for admiration once she understood what kind of beast it was.

[Crescent]

What kind of beast was Luna? Currently, she was a beast that desired a stick- and Cassandra was holding one. That there was a mop head attached to it was something of little consequence. It was a stick, and she wanted it. Now.

Her search for nesting material had been ongoing for the past half hour, despite her carrier's protests. There wasn't the sort of scrap metal she had once used to build nests readily available at the moment, so she had to get creative- and so far, sticks had proven to be a good structural choice. Yet every time she began to construct a new dwelling outside of their quarters, Crescent would become frustrated and dismantle it. Luna did not understand why. Was it not more beneficial to have multiple places to sleep? In her mind, her plan involved less time and less flying, and was thus superior. What a shame the seeker didn't agree.

The owl took a soft step back, before stretching her wings and preparing for flight. With a strong flap, she was airborne once more, and gliding towards the human. She landed relatively close to her, but not overly so, and chose to only curiously observe the strange being for a moment. Then, once she had taken a good look, she would make a move to snatch the end of the mop up with her beak. 

[Cassandra Cassidy]

The owl took flight, and Butch fought the urge to take a step back as it approached the cleaner. With wings of silence - something that should be impossible for a metal creature - it glided with incredible grace for a being its size. Wicked talons clicking on the floor, it sat and stared at Butch, and Butch stared back.

Don't make eye contact, the cleaner thought. Stand still. Stay silent. Look off to the side. Don't provoke it.

The robot bird eventually broke its stare and came towards Butch. Her eyes followed the beast as it reached for her mop, beak opening. It took all of two seconds for Butch to realize what the owl was doing, and she let out a sudden, "No!" before reaching for the mop. With speed and a few hops backwards, the cleaner dragged both mop and bucket with her, water splashing over the latter's side. Coming to a stop, Butch eyed the bird warily, holding the mop close to her.

"No. No. That's not for you."

Would the bird even understand her?

[Crescent]

Understand, Luna did not. The only thing she understood was that she was currently looking at a very nice stick, and Cassandra was withholding it from her. How very rude of her. The owl let out a displeased squawk, but did not attempt to go for the mop a second time. The human was now holding on to it, and as such, if Luna were to fly off with the desired item, she would come with it...and Cassandra did not look like good nesting material.

Disgruntled, the avian-bot would take a few steps back herself, before flapping her wings in preparation for takeoff. With a powerful push, she was airborne again, and sailed away- most likely in search of other items that remained unclaimed.

Her hunt was interrupted. As she sat perched on a nearby catwalk, scanning the ground below, her owner approached. Much like his cassette, he moved quietly, the shock absorbers in his pedes swallowing up most of the noise from his footfalls. Absent was the typical click-clack that heels like his would be expected to make. Perhaps, the woman would not be aware of his presence until he spoke.

"Luna? Oh, good heavens...what are you doing?" 

Yellow optics narrowed as the seeker attempted to collect his companion. He remained unaware of the human's presence, however, until he turned around. His wings would lift ever so slightly in surprise, though his expression remained the same. "Ah...hello there. How are you?"

[Cassandra Cassidy]

"I'm well."

There she stood, awkwardly holding the mop still, staring at what had to be the prettiest robot she'd seen so far. He was all white and navy, with bright yellow accents and piercing, blue-and-yellow eyes. There was a grace to his movements, to his soft speech and how he carried himself. He walked on silent feet, so quiet as to make Butch jump when he finally spoke. This one had wings, too...for a moment, Butch thought of the jet that chased her, and her stomach clenched.

Manners, Cassandra.

"I don't believe we've met," the cleaner said, setting her mop back into the bucket. "Most people call me Butch. You can call me that too, sir. Is, ah...is she yours?"

The woman gestured with her good hand at the owl. It was currently hidden underneath a bright yellow rubber glove. Butch hoped the sudden motion didn't attract the owl's attention towards her.

"Or is she like a pigeon, and is just roosting here?"

[Crescent]

Crescent was still a bit unclear on how human naming conventions worked, exactly, but he would offer a polite nod to acknowledge Cassandra's introduction of herself. "Nice to meet you. I am Crescent, and This is Luna." The white and indigo seeker whistled softly, and extended his arm, inviting the aforementioned avian back to her perch on his arm brace. Thankfully, she complied.

Cassandra's comment about his cassette potentially being a rogue pigeon caught him off guard, and as such, his calm demeanor would temporarily crack as he let out a snicker. "No, she's mine. But... sometimes she tries to build nests where they don't belong. We're...trying to work on that." He let out a sigh, and rolled his optics off to the side, before refocusing them on the human. 

"But don't worry- she won't hurt you. You don't particularly look like a cyber mouse to me, and you aren't made of metal, so you aren't ideal prey. " Blissfully unaware that her owner was trying to reassure the woman that she wouldn't try to eat her, Luna would idly preen her feathers without a care in the world. 

[Cassandra Cassidy]

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Crescent," Butch said. "You too, Luna. Does she, uh...does she understand what people say?"

Despite that sheepish question, all traces of hesitance disappeared when Crescent mentioned a "cyber mouse". Butch's eyes widened, and her thoughts began to spin. Mice? They have mice? she thought, and then looked at Luna again. Now that Butch's wariness had passed, she paid better attention to the cassette's avian features. The round face, wide eyes, and heavily-"feathered" body brought to mind a snowy owl from Earth. If she hunted mice, did this mean she lived a life similar to a snowy owl? Were the feathers for show, or were they some kind of insulation? If she was building nests, did that mean she had chicks she was trying to hatch?

"Have you ever heard of an owl, sir?" Butch asked, taking a step forward. There was a glint to her eye now, the woman observant as if she were bird-watching. She focused on every little move Luna made. "Luna resembles one of them from Earth. Do you have owls where you're from? Do you use her for hunting small creatures, like a falconer does? Did you raise her yourself?"

At the edge of her words, excitement crept in.

[Crescent]

Questions- my oh my, did this human ever have questions. Crescent laughed softly, bringing his claws to his face to cover his mouth. He wasn't exactly sure why Cassandra was so excited (he really didn't think of himself as being all that interesting), but he would entertain her inquiries anyways.


"Luna is my cassette. She is a part of me. I have had her since my activation day." Figuring she would probably need a bit more clarification, he continued. "But, she also an individual with her own thoughts and feelings....that don't always align with my own." Groaning, Crescent would eye the nest in progress overhead. "One sleeping spot just isn't enough, is it?" The complaint was muttered under his breath, but still audible to both the woman and his avian companion. However, the owl-bot remained unbothered by her owners scolding, and simply yawned, before continuing on with her preening.


Feeling a bit awkward over standing so far away from the human as she spoke to him, Crescent would shuffle a bit closer, and rest his non-bird-carrying-arm against the railing.


"But as for your other question, I do not typically use her for hunting. Before the war, I was a wildlife researcher. I studied animals from both my own planet and those of nearby star systems. Luna helped me track them down and take video of them.”

Although this sudden barrage of inquiries had been unprompted, and summarizing his career history just a few moments after meeting someone was a bit strange, talking about his passions lifted his spirits. One could see his typically downward-pointing wings raise slightly as he spoke.

A thought occurred to him. Was he doing a good enough job of explaining things to her? Butch had only just recently learned that their kind existed in the first place, and now he was trying to describe a Cybertronian phenomenon that was likely totally foreign to her. Of course, her kind likely kept domesticated creatures of their own, but the connection between carrier and cassette ran much deeper than that of most animal owners and their chosen companions ever could, be that organic or mechanical. 

"Are we really so interesting?" At this, he would give a small teasing smile.

[Cassandra Cassidy]

Cassette. Activation day. Wildlife researcher?

All these terms were committed to memory, Butch's brain skidding to a halt at the last one. "Wildlife? Cybertron had wildlife?" Butch asked, leaning in. Her look at Crescent was intense, as if he were something to be studied before he flew away forever.

"Of course, sir. You are of a sentient people not native to Earth, and living proof that life exists in the universe beyond us. Not only that, but what you say suggests that Cybertron has evolved convergent, in many cases, to us. You have mice and owls, and an upright speaking species with the ability to form complex thought."

Butch leaned back on her heels to get a better look at Luna, who was preening away. That, or she realized she was scrutinizing Crescent a bit too intensely. "It's a miracle to have met you. A marvel. I could ask you a thousand questions, sir, if you'd let me."

[Crescent]

Cassandra’s enthusiasm was refreshing but also…a bit overwhelming. As he was silently studied, he found himself doing the same to his company. He had interacted with another human prior to this, however, he still was largely unfamiliar with their species. He compared and contrasted her to Nathan, and made a thoughtful noise as he tapped a claw against his chin. Oh, right- he had been asked another question.


“We did. However, from what I’ve seen, the biodiversity on your planet is much more pronounced…” Once again, the human would likely need clarification, and so it was provided. “Cybertron is completely made of metal, like ourselves. Both the developed land as well as the unclaimed territory where our wildlife could be found...” Could be found…but no longer. Although reminiscing about the past could be enjoyable at times, it was not without its fair share of sorrows. He missed the world he had once called home, and the creatures that had once populated it. He tried to compartmentalize these feelings, however, not wanting to have to talk about the war and the devastation to their planet, at least not yet.


“A thousand questions hm? I guess I could try to answer them, but I might need to step away to stretch my wings a few times.”

[Cassandra Cassidy]

"Oh, of course," Cassandra said. "Please, don't let me stop you if you need to do anything. It's just.... Well, there's nothing quite like you on Earth. We have no sentient beings that are mechanical, and it's only recently that artificial intelligence has made any sort of splash, as far as I know. I've always been interested in life that isn't my own...."

She trailed off, clearing her throat. Cassandra realized she was rambling, and rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish expression. Standing up a little straighter, she added, "Though I'm surprised that you don't have the biodiversity we do. Human progress has taken out a lot of life on our planet, and I assumed that alien worlds - should we ever find them - would be lush with life. To hear otherwise is a bit...underwhelming. But that doesn't mean I don't have more questions, of course."

Again, more excited rambling, barely contained by the slight smile on the cleaner's face. Her tired expression had a spark of energy to it, and the look in her eyes was a little bit brighter now. "What else was there on Cybertron for wildlife?" the cleaner asked.

[Crescent]

The owl stirred. She had assumed she would be able to get on with her nest-building after returning the human’s broom (how unfortunate), but said human continued talking, and her carrier remained in place. Letting out a light huff, the bird bot would start preening her wings, digging into the seams of her feather plates for any unwanted debris.

Crescent seemed unbothered by his animal companion’s impatience. At the mention of Cybertronian wildlife, particularly at the use of the word “was”, the seeker’s wings would drop. Was. Almost all of the creatures that had once roamed their homeland were gone. His..home was gone, too. He sighed, but tried to collect himself, not wanting to drag Cassandra in to such a dark and depressing subject so early into their conversation.

His wings would rise again, though unbeknownst to the woman, this movement was more forced than natural.

“I don’t think you’d have the time to hear me list off every single one. But I appreciate your enthusiasm.”

[Cassandra Cassidy]

Oh. The question seemed to sour the Autobot's mood. Immediately Cassandra felt a pang of guilt - talking about home probably hurt for Crescent. He was a survivor of a world-shaking apocalypse, come down to Earth with nothing but his cassette and the team Optimus had assembled. Why would he want to ruminate on such a destructive past?

Butch cleared her throat. She straightened her posture a little, and tried not to look too embarrassed about being prying. "I imagine it would," she said in regards to his statement. "Forgive me, I...got ahead of myself. Please, if you have other things to do, don't let me get in your way."

The cleaner quickly grabbed her bucket and began to drag it away from Luna and Crescent. She glanced back at the two out of the corner of her eye, lingering mid-step. There was a brief farewell look of admiration, Cassandra focusing on the flier's robotic owl in particular. Then she remembered herself, turning away to continue taking the bucket to another dirty part of base. There was still work to be done, and she didn't want to pry further into Crescent's sore spots.

~Fin