[ti]Ep 3.5[/ti]Shopping List [Blurr]

[Cassandra Cassidy]

WEEK 1, DAY 5

Omega Outpost One, NV

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The medbay, as expected, had been near-spotless when Butch went in to clean it. Only the smallest of nooks and crannies - that is, to a Cybertronian like the on-base medics - needed work. Once the dust and dirt had been swept and scrubbed from those places, little had been left for her to do. It was nearing the end of her mostly-free week, and the Outpost's cleanliness was at a suitable baseline for her. That left tidying up loose ends such as supplies, of which Butch now jotted down in a notebook.

"Salsa...chips...Hot Pockets..." the woman murmured to herself, pulling open the freezer with one hand. Though she'd brought in snacks earlier in the week, the cupboards and fridge were lacking. Though the children and Sergeant Walker could bring in their own food, it was a matter of being prepared for the fridge to be full. What if everyone was stuck at base due to a disaster, or some kind of Decepticon attack? What if something had happened in the children's lives, and they needed extra food to bring home? Besides, snacks lifted morale, and there was a tension around base Cassandra'd picked up on.

On top of food, the base was in need of more cleaners. Cleaning wipes, paper towels, bleach, glass cleaner.... It was a laundry list of things Butch had gone through in fixing up the base, the human area especially. There was a little cleaning-bot who frequently used them, as well, and Cassandra didn't want him to be lacking. He'd been a polite, kindly fellow, and Butch felt bad about some brief confusion over how to organize the base cleaners. That, combined with how gentle a soul he was, motivated her to make sure he was taken care of.

((Permission to reference Unit 74 has been granted by Sari.))

[Blurr]

Grocery lists, errands, supplies... the necessary essentials humans need for survival inside of a base full of living metal giants. It was common sense right? After all, this place was a bunker... a huge one, it was normal to stock structures similar to this full of supplies to last for awhile.

Except this was in fact, not normal. There was no way to explain this situation to anyone who was not actually a part of the same experience.


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Upon exploring the base since his arrival, Blurr has noticed small pieces of furniture settled in their own little areas, no doubt belonging to the humans that shared the same roof as he and the rest of the Autobots. Though, the cyan speedster still had yet to meet one of them. He pondered on the experience quite often: What does he talk to them about? What does he want his first impression to look like to them?

Blurr is pretty good at socializing, he's good at engaging and selling the best of himself to others... respectfully of course.

The doors to the rec room slid open, revealing the curious cyan mech. He had not given himself the chance of exploring areas of the base fully. Blurr still had matters to attend to, be it more lessons on Earth and it's inhabitants or he was partaking in his own recreational activities... like driving. His excuse to get out was him claiming he's going to go practice the 'rules of the road'. Which is only half true.

However since he had been walking by, he figured he take a quick peek inside, hoping to find someone to talk with. though the Wrecker had discovered a presence in there that he was not expecting.

He let his optics scan the area, faintly familiarizing himself with the set up until a small figure caught his attention, causing excitement to spark through his wiring.

There stood a human, rummaging through a rectangular box much bigger than she while she spoke to herself. A trait she and Blurr had in common!

Curious, Blurr took a few steps closer, watching with the up most fascination. His steps were very light despite his height. He probably could have gone unnoticed if it weren't for his bright and flashy coloration.

"I was starting to believe you didn't exist."

A joke, clearly. Blurr didn't believe that at all and naturally, he had to say something to her, he's not a creep that just sits and stares at people when they don't realize it. 

The speedster couldn't help but flash a small toothy grin at the human before him.

"What do you have in that little box there? Or big box, depending on whoever's perspective you want to look at it from."

[Cassandra Cassidy]

A shadow passed over Cassandra, and she jumped a little. The cleaner whirled around just in time to see a 'Bot of the brightest blue approach her. Her eyes went up to his face and met his cyan own, and she nodded in greeting. The pen in her hand had stopped mid-writing, and now hung with her arm down at her side.

If I had a nickel for every time these guys sneak up on me....

"We exist, all right," Cassandra replied to the robot's inquiry. She returned his smile with a small, polite one of his own. "This is a freezer, and the second door leads to the refrigerator. Humans don't subsist on liquids alone - we have various kinds of food we consume to get our nutrition. Some of it has to be kept at a cold temperature to stay edible. I'm checking our supplies of that cold food to see what we could stock up on."

She turned back to the fridge, looking at a small, magnetized whiteboard that sat on the freezer door. It was mostly blank save for "SHOPPING LIST" in a thick, half-neat scrawl off to one side. A little bit of text beside it clarified that the list was for anyone who had requests on things needed for the base. Butch scanned it to see if someone had left such a request for her to pick up something -

"A twelve-foot beach ball?" the human muttered to herself. Her eyebrows rose up as Butch tried to think of why someone would need a twelve-foot beach ball. Maybe someone needs it for the plastic? was her first thought, and she shook her head and wrote it on her list anyway. If she couldn't find what was asked for, Walmart would have one of the smaller ones, no doubt.

[Blurr]

The Wrecker had moved in closer, peering at the board that had caught the human's attention. Upon looking at it, his optic ridges raised upwards. To say the least, he was quite... impressed.


"Various types of food, yeah, I can see that. considering one of you want to eat a twelve foot ball." He stated nonchalantly. Would that even fit inside of a human? How would their inner systems even process that. Strange creatures they were...

Now that Blurr was closer to the human, he was able to obtain a closer look at her features. Strange thin wires came from the top of her helm and the protoform under her flimsy armor looked soft and squishy. Blurr knew that's probably not the terminology the humans used, that's just what he knew them as... it's not like he was a doctor, or a scientist. He had only just recently arrived, he's got a lot of learning to do. To be honest he probably was taught some of these things when being debriefed on this complicated race of beings... but there was just so much to try and remember. Blurr had a hard time keeping up! Especially since he had a hard time remembering things in the first place.

"It's handy you have a shopping list. I hardly remember when the last time I went shopping." He paused for a moment to think, bringing up his navy blue servo to gently grab the bottom of his chin as he pondered on the thought, but to no avail, his memory of it was very foggy. "I never even went for myself back on Cybertron before the war. usually I hired others to go for me. Or I just went out all the time. I was a different mech back then though, I sort of wish I took a shopping trip, just to say that I have done it." Blurr explained, his now noticeable quick speech patterns kicking in.

There were a lot of things Blurr whish he had done before the war started. If only he wasn't so naïve in the past.

Blurr lowered his servo from his face plate and then pointed to the refrigerator and freezer box before speaking once more.

"So that's the freezer and the refrigerator. Got it. So what does that make you? Your name I mean-- I already know you're a human. I'm Blurr, a pleasure to meet you." The speedster introduced, now gesturing to the female before him. His signature quick speech still in play... as per usual. It's not often Blurr ever talks at normal speeds subconsciously... he does his best to be mindful about it though, a generous habit he's been trying to improve.

[Cassandra Cassidy]

It hadn't occurred to Butch that a giant beach ball might be wanted by someone other than the Autobots. Though their presence around base had been noted, she'd forgotten about the children. A beach ball taller than some people would be right up a kid's alley as something they'd want to have. This only came to mind when Blurr mistook the ball as something edible.

"What? No, no, not for us," Butch said, turning. She scribbled a note down to definitely make sure that the beach ball was regular-sized. She didn't need the kids hurting themselves or getting in the Autobots' way with the toy. "Someone just asked for me to pick it up...who knows why."

If Blurr thought his speedy train of speech might throw Butch off, he was mistaken. The woman picked up on every word without missing a beat. "Do Cybertronians often send others out to do shopping?" Butch asked, not looking up from her notes. She would continue to jot down what she felt was needed up Blurr introduced himself. At that point, she'd look up at him.

"Good to meet you, Blurr," Butch said. "My name's Cassandra, Cassandra Cassidy. Most people call me Butch, and you can do the same if you'd like."

[Blurr]

"Cas-san-dra" Blurr repeated, sounding out the foreign name to see how it felt coming from his own vocalizer. it didn't roll off as smoothly as he thought it would though.

"I like it. Butch is cool, too. I just feel like it's way too easy. Trying to remember your name will help keep my memory sharper. I like a good challenge." 

It had made more sense that the ball hadn't been for the humans to consume... as impressed as he was initially, the more he thought about it, the more concerning the idea had become.

When Cassandra had inquired about the way shopping trips occur on Cybertron, Blurr visibly shifted and displayed a contrite expression. "Well,uhnonotusually" He sputtered out far too quickly, placing a servo behind his neck cabling as he turned away ever so slightly. He was caught off guard by the question, it was almost embarrassing to explain the reality of the situation.

"I had other responsibilities... Winning races and... Stuff..." the speedster trailed off before attempting to cover up his inexperience with some sort of lame excuse. "Times were different then, I didn't know the things I know now."

Oh the true tragedy of what the life of luxury can do to a mech...

Blurr lowered his servo from his neck cabling and placed it on his hip plating. With a swift glance back down to Cassandra, the Wrecker couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the situation he found himself in. "I know what you're probably thinking 'he's one of those kinds of people.' I promise, I've come a long way. I just lack the experience is all. It's not like I need to do it considering we're in a war and all. It's not relevant anymore, understandably so. But in all honesty I'd be more than happy to assist you in doing your shopping if you need it. I'm willing to see what the task is all about."

[Cassandra Cassidy]

Butch gave Blurr a questioning look as he stammered, but said nothing. Instead, she moved over to a cupboard and began to search through it. There was little to be found, the shelves bare except for an empty box of Cheezits and some dust. Cassandra began rapidly scribbling down a few more ideas for food.

When Blurr spoke up about helping with the shopping, Butch turned and rested her pen against her notebook. She gave him a small smile, saying, "I don't think that at all, Blurr. Your help getting into town would be appreciated. I have to go into Vegas to get some of my favorite brands for cleaning. Have you ever been there before?"

She wanted to ask what his other responsibilities were, but he seemed embarrassed by them. Butch would probably speak more with him about his life on Cybertron on the way into Las Vegas. All of the Autobots were immensely fascinating to her, even if Blurr was the equivalent of a "rich kid". Their stories and lives were something to learn from in her eyes, something to share and cherish. This was especially so since Cybertron was long gone.

[Blurr]

"I can't say that I have."

Blurr hadn't been anywhere outside of Jasper in all honesty. He's been stuck at the base far too long for his liking. He was ready to get out and go for a much needed drive, and maybe slightly speed on a straight away or two...

Safety always comes first, though. He knows better than to drive recklessly, especially when he would be responsible for a human life. Blurr also knows that staying hidden and blending in is crucial to the Autobot's survival. He doesn't want to attract any unnecessary attention. Buuuut he's pretty confident that he can get away with some things if he were in a complete remote area.

The Wrecker had already grown some respect for Cassandra, if she said that she did not think of him in negative lighting, then he believed her. He had no reason not to.

"Well then, whenever you are ready to go, I will be too. I have nothing super important to attend to for the rest of the cycle. So take your time, I'm in no rush... despite what my name may imply." Blurr said, flashing a smirk.

it's true though, despite what one would think. The speedster can in fact have a lot of patience, he's had to learn how to have any chance in survival during war.

[Cassandra Cassidy]

"Really?" Butch said, blinking in surprise. "You...don't have to report to anyone? Ask to get off shift, get permission to leave the base...?"

Butch's understanding of the military was limited to Earthen customs. To her, it wouldn't make sense for a soldier to randomly walk off-base for an errand. What would his commanding officer say? Wasn't it important that the Autobots report to each other their movements, in case something happened? The Decepticon jet came to mind, and Butch shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Nothing in her face showed this discomfort, however.

"I don't want you to get in trouble," Butch said. "If you can take me, that would be fine, but it's also okay if it isn't. Don't think I don't appreciate you offering to help just as-is. There's plenty of other things you could do that would assist me, or answer questions of mine in general."

Including everything and anything about Cybertron and its people. But there would be a time for that later, when she didn't have to run out and restock the human part of the base.

[Blurr]

She wasn't entirely wrong about that. Blurr did have to most likely have to tell someone he was leaving base. Though he wasn't too worried about being told no, it would be a chance for him to learn more about the humans they literally live with. Why would be be denied that?

"Getting permission would literally take two clicks for approval, not even. It's a learning experience for me. I don't know why they would tell me no. If they did, I'd be pretty upset to be honest with you." Blurr stated, crossing his arms over his chassis. "Besides I have been pretty fair on my end with staying behind and taking the time to actually learn things about this world. I at least deserve a break, or at least a little field trip." it was clear the Wrecker wasn't really willing to take 'no' as an answer.

He then quickly added, "You don't need to worry about me getting in trouble. Or worry in general about me, I've been involved in and scolded for doing much worse than leaving the base, with permission or without."

Blurr obeyed common sense rulings that were expected from him, and naturally he had no issue with complying to said rulings. However, in the the moment they become too invasive, he refuses to be bound and chained down by them. He can not live like that again. The Wreckers had to go through that before and it essentially broke them a part. Some of them were threatened with imprisonment if they did not comply to every single rule, despite how simple it was. Being locked down like that was worse than imprisonment in his opinion, he had no freedom of will then.

With a soft ex-vent, Blurr unfolded his arms and laid them to rest by his sides, "If that came off aggressively, I'm sorry, I didn't intend on that, It's just an irritating topic. I've just been locked down before and you know, I'm kind of hoping being here will give me a bit of a do-over. But... I'm willing to assist you if you really need it, even answering any questions you may have. I'm not super knowledgeable on topics of the same levels that scholars or those who practice studies may be on, but I'm fine sharing knowledge in the ways I understand things." He expressed quickly.

[Cassandra Cassidy]

Butch wasn't sure what to say to the ex-Wrecker's spiel. She sympathized with being stuck in, she really did, but he came across as a bit.... Petulant when he spoke. He sounded as if he was willing to risk getting in trouble for a "little field trip". Cassandra wondered if that trouble might extend to her for willingly going along.

She made a frown, but nodded as Blurr apologized. "It's okay," she told him. "I don't have to leave yet. Why don't we talk a bit about your home before we see if you can leave with me?"

She wasn't sure if walking and talking to his CO's post or office was an option. On a human base, it certainly wouldn't be. Cassandra was only volunteer help here, and had no intention of getting in the Autobots' way.

"I'm interested in particular about what you said about races. What do you say? Feel like giving little old me a story from Cybertron?"

[Blurr]

Petulant was sort of a way to describe how Blurr was curranty acting. He defaulted to rebellious intentions sometimes, he has always been like that in nature, only because used to be quite an independent individual. He has learned to work well with others, yes, but he quickly came to realize that becoming a team player resulted in invasive people sometimes... which made Blurr grow a strong resentment towards mechs with such oppressing control.. it was common thing. Could this be considered selfish? Depending on how one wishes to view the situation. Though it is to be an expected reaction from someone who has always appreciated and valued themselves as an individual.

Blurr gave a firm nod to Cassandra, physically confirming the suggestion. Home... he missed it, truly... he knew they all did. It was a nice topic to reminisce on when the war wasn't brought into the light. 

Though the human's inquiry awakened something the ex-racer immediately as soon as her words escaped her mouth. 

Blurr's optics widened an his signature paparazzi pleasing (genuine) grin, -- or at least that's what it used to be, crowd pleasing-- found itself onto his faceplate. 

Out of anything she could have asked, she asked about racing. Blurr was more than willing to talk about it... and if anyone knew everything about the sport, it was him... for the simple fact that he was the champion.

"Well, I can tell you anything and everything about it, Cassandra. That was my life, and I'm not talking about just hobby wise, it was my career, my passion, my everything! Back then, I was titled as 'Cybertron's Fastest.' Seriously. I won the Ibex championships sixteen times. Breaking my own records, again and again. Primus! Iwouldlovetotellyouanythingyouuwanttoknow! Youshouldhaveseenit!" He paused, his optics flashing bright with excitement and deep passion, though he had realized that he perhaps should slow down so that she could actually hear the stories. "Sorry, sorry- the answer is yes, yes I would love to tell you a story or two about it!"

[Cassandra Cassidy]

Butch liked passionate people. Quiet as she might be, she was a sponge around the sort, taking in everything they had to say. She could listen to something as simple as why someone liked pineapple on their pizza. Passionate people were knowledgeable about their subjects, about what drove them, made them. They were good to learn from, and good for making her think about things she didn't usually muse over.

"You were a record-breaker?" Butch asked, raising an eyebrow. "How fast did you go? And the Ibex Championships...were those named after a goat? We have something on Earth called an ibex, but it's a mountain goat. I'm not sure if you'd have the same thing. I know you already have something like Earth's owls...."

She motioned with her left hand, which seemed stiffer than the other, for him to follow her. She turned and walked to the next cupboard, quickly opening it and scanning its contents. It was bare, and so was the next, but Cassandra expected the conversation to be anything but.

"How did you become the fastest?" she inquired. "Were you made the fastest, or did you train like Earth's racers? We have our own, of all sorts. Some are on pavement, some are through rough terrain, some are legal and some less than legal...."

[Blurr]

"Well, I'm not really sure what a mountain goat is, but Ibex was a city back on Cybertron. My home city, actually. It was known for many grand attractions across the entire planet, especially it's racing and sporting events." Blurr explained.

He had paused after noticing Cassandra's gesture, in which he quickly stepped after her. There was no way he'd ever fall behind now, especially since he was so invested in the conversation.

The speedster had to think for a moment after the human's barrage of questions, it was sort of difficult to explain his own speed. "Mmm... I suppose a bit of both. I was forged to be a speedster, just like how one is forged to be a flier which gives them the ability to... well, fly." he stuck both of his servos out and flapped his digits as he explained that, "It's just based off our spark's natural coding." the cyan mech stated. "However as for my speed, I can easily go over what my Earth vehicle's range is, which is two-hundred miles per hour. That's how you guys measure speed here right, miles per hour? I paid attention to this part of my learning course." Blurr chuckled softly, continuing onwards with his winded explanation. "Based off of my own curiosity, I converted Cybertronian speed measurements to your 'miles per hour' and I found out that my top speed here is eight-hundred, and that's not just my ALT mode, that's also my running speed." He hummed, clearly looking rather prideful and perhaps slightly smug. Blurr definitely was a special kind of mech... and he knew it.

Blurr rested his servos on his hip plates and shifted all of his weight onto one leg, "Trust me, I know a thing or two about illegal races. I do not recommend those to anyone unless someone is looking to get there processor knocked around. Been there done that, paid the price. Though I did practice a lot to be able to perform the way I do. It took a strict regimen to train my frame to handle a lot of stress, no one is naturally agile, you know. At least no one I've ever met-- wait. You guys have races here too?" he questioned, quickly growing fascinated by that piece of information. He would love to go see them some time, honestly. Blurr smirked at the idea. "I hope there's vehicle ones?" He inquired.

[Cassandra Cassidy]

This one was a talker. Butch couldn't help but be impressed at the numbers Blurr could be pull, but it was also obvious he was very proud of his achievements. She'd keep that in mind once they hit the open road, in case the speedster had any funny ideas about breaking the speed limit. It might've been rude of Cassandra to assume he would, but she had a gut feeling Blurr's pent-up energy was pushing him to his limit.

His reaction to asking about vehicle races, especially after admitting to knowing about illegal ones, cemented that feeling in her stomach more. "Oh yes, we have tons of them," Butch casually replied, reaching into a cupboard to feel around for what was there. She added a couple more things to her list as she continued, "The Indy 500, rally racing, the races they have on the raceway over in Las Vegas...plenty of things you can watch on TV, or go to yourself if you have the cash. I don't think you'd be able to participate in them without some kind of paperwork, though. The susceptibility of crashing makes me think they'd want you to fill out a lot of insurance forms."

Moving to the next cupboard, the cleaner flicked it open. "What do they use on Cybertron to measure speed? Is it something like kilometers, or more similar to American miles?"