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 Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 2:59 pm
"If I tell you a story will it get you to shut up?!" She demanded, tired of his slurring and purring. It was actually sort of scary, and there was no way in hell she was going to blush. Her sharp eyes wandered over his ridiculously ungarded expression and form. Even though such a gaze would have quickly unnerved anyone else, he was probably used to it by now. In any case, she was about to shoot him, why did she care? He was only half on the same page, only partly paying attention to her movements. Her words might distract him even more, a lesson learned from her fathers again. "Well, I'll tell you anyways, even if you're too drunk to remember."
"When I was just a kit I was interested in Science, but it wasn't until I was older and living with my father that I was exposed to any kind of toxic chemicals that I would be stupid enough to ingest." She was still circling, just barely, doing her best to keep to the facts in this story, the extrancing and logical facts. Her gun twirled, catching the light. "It was essentially poison that I drank, luckily more than one someone in the house was familiar with the symptoms and..." Ahh almost there, just got to get the sun out of my eyes, no less than seven seconds and... "Long story short, I have no gag reflex. Machines? Technology? Short cuts to improvements, both bad and good. It was good in that case but..."
"Probably not now." There, perfect. Gun raised and story incomplete with gaping plot holes and a ridiculous ending, she smirked and shifted her footing just slightly. Aiming for his shoulder, the one facing her, all that's left to do is pull the trigger - her safety's always off. Come on, just shoot him, he won't get hurt and it'll be entirely interesting! If he doesn't kill me first... If we weren't friends before we certainly won't be now. He wants you dead, just shoot! What kind of Holmes are you!? Hoping that those few seconds of internal debate wouldn't have gotten rid of her perfect window, she shifted professionally and shot.
(Yeah, that's a very kinky story. lD He's distracting her, which is probably why this makes no sense at all. Sorry. <3 )
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 8:40 pm
Parts of Reb's body were slowly starting to find areas that could safely hold more energy and store it until later, but the buzz hadn't yet worn off, and his circuits were still too distracted to fend off the story. Mesmerized, he swiveled his audio receptors to catch the story and attempted to analyze it. Part of it went through his processor mostly unscathed. What does that matter? And how hard was she induced to vomit before she lost the ability? Is that how some robots don't cover their optics when they place a lens on it? Was it conditioned? Another part of him that ran its tests in a more simplistic part of his processor was having...uncomfortable thoughts. They were held at bay by the energy. For now.
The story had come to a very sudden stop, as if he'd run into a bullet and been stopped by it. There was some sort of useful information in there somewhere--what was it? Oh, yes! She'd answered his question! ...Why did his shoulder joint hurt? Reb looked down, and his optics cleared from the energon buzz. A slug of lead had gotten wedged into his shoulder joint, just below his shoulder piece. Delicately, hardly realizing what had happened, Reb reached in a few fingers and drew it out. It glowed softly with the cyan of processed energon--apparently, it had severed one of the cables that carried the energon through his body. Nothing serious--he just had to reconnect the wires.
Reb slowly looked back at Scout, his eyes turning crimson. She shot me! She shot me! She took aim and managed to get one of her pathetic little bullets into my arm and sever one of my wires! She used primitive technology to do actual damage to my body! She used her primitive sensory aparatuses to do damage to a Cybertronian! Could I have picked a better archnemesis? She's good! "Ow," Reb said simply, then smiled. A few shutters of his optics returned them to orange. "That hurt." And it did--now he could feel the pain of the severed wire, and feel the damage some of the leaking energon was doing to his system. Slaggit, that hurt!
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:02 am
'Huh. Okay. So only about a million more and some actual damage could be done. That's laughable, it took me this long to just shoot once.' She had darted back for the door, her back to it but she could have escaped easily enough if it looked as though he was going to attack in response. After all, it wasn't like she was going to turn her back on him instead. It wasn't until he spoke that she realized her gun was still raised in his direction. Aiming for right between his eyes, she realized, and swiftly lowered it.
"So you don't bleed, that's a pleasant not-really-surprise. I'm not really a fan of blood, or being responsible for it." This was the moment when she was supposed to smirk, but for some reason all she could pull off was a slightly embarrassed smile. Damnit, that wouldn't do, back to scowling. "Still, that's close enough... does it..." She gestured with her gun, which probably wasn't the best of ideas. "Hurt?" Her thoughts jumped back to her own fresh injuries, but she had been ignoring that subtle ache of pain rather well so far. There was no way it could be noticeable to anyone who wasn't looking for it.
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:17 pm
The buzz had faded and various thoughts were starting to sneak in that hadn't been able to get through before. The first one he was willing to listen to pointed out the obvious. She's walking towards the door, getting ready to run away--but she's not going to run away. I won't let her. I'm not done talking to her. I like talking to her, and there's no way I'm going to stop now. "Where are you going?" he asked lightly. "What, do you think I'm going to attack you? I've told you before, I'm not interested in attacking you." He watched her gun as she lowered it and tucked it away. Good thing, too--if she had wanted to do real damage, she wouldn't have messed with his shoulder. She would have shot him in the optics and messed with his sight.
She's testing me. What's she testing me for? To kill me? He pushed back a wave of irritation. Irritation, and nothing more. Odd, but not wholly unusual. "As for blood, no, I don't have blood. Not in the conventional sense. I'd explain about mech fluid and processed energon, but that would take too long and contain too much technobabble. Suffice to say, I have something analogous to blood, so you have made me, in a mechanical way, bleed. Ow." And what was up with the gag reflex? Seriously, she can't prevent herself from swallowing? I mean, there are some places that that could be...useful...or at least interestwhy am I thinking about that sort of thing with an organic?! That's disgusting!
Scout's next words surprised Reb. She was asking about his health? What for? He blinked in surprise. "Of course it hurts!" he snapped. "Pain is the body's way of telling the processor--or the mind--that the body has gone too far, in robots as well as organics! You just severed some of my wires, and that hurts!" He reached under his shoulderplate into his shoulder and carefully pushed the ends of the wire back together. It still hurt, but it was nothing that a little soldering couldn't fix.
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 2:26 pm
She snorted, standing up a bit straighter at having her escape preparations brought into light. "I was prepared for it in any case." Was her haughty reply, punctuated by a flick of her tail. Why wouldn't you want to attack someone who's just shot you? She wondered to herself, eyeing him warily, there was something going on here that made her uneasy. He didn't want her to leave yet, alright, but why? She huffed once more, hiding her gun away in favor of her cane. It was a more familiar weapon in any case, and easier to use in self defense.
Now he's irritated? What exactly was he drinking!? What's so irritating about a scratch? "Oh clearly, I'm sure it stings something awful." She rolled her eyes, voice heavy with sarcasm, at his long winded explanation that mostly involved expressing his intent to not explain. After all, he just basically fixed it himself. "If you weren't your toaster self, you'd probably have severe blood loss right now. We'd have to take you to a hospital... which admittedly I was not prepared for. I probably would've just called my... no, I would've let you bleed out." That wasn't nearly as offensive or threatening as it could have been, in fact it sounded pretty much like the lie that it was. "You can notify your family of any conflict somehow, can't you? Doesn't seem like something you'd leave out of the design process anyway. Not that I'm an expert."
She wasn't an expert in regards to any aspect of him, excepting the fact that he was slowly revealing his weaknesses without meaning to. Or maybe he did mean to, he wasn't being particularly good at hiding them after all. But what could he possibly gain from that, except perhaps a false sense of security on her part? She wasn't stupid, but... neither was he. None of his actions made sense in comparison with her previous data. If he wanted to kill her, he would have already. That was the strangest bit probably. Although, it could all just be a game to him. "We must seem so fragile in comparison." She made a face at that, disgusted mostly.
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 2:52 pm
In some respects, Scout reminded Reb of his sister and father--that pride, that haughtiness. In some ways, she reminded him more of that strange earth-creature, the cat. I noticed what she was doing, but she didn't have a good excuse to do it. She's not even trying. "Don't worry...Deryn. I don't plan to hurt you. That would be anticlimactic, and frightfully dull. I have very little to do here, and you've made my life...interesting. I'll live for a million years or more--why kill you now? I don't have any interest in shooting you just because you did minor damage to one of my joints. And your sword will have even less of an effect; I could just break it. I suggest you put your cane down."
He leaned against the door, effectively keeping it shut. Idly, he placed one arm across the doorknob; any attempt to grab it would not end satisfactorily for her hand. She's not leaving until I get bored with her. "I'm not surprised that you'd let me die," he replied mildly. Her lie was obvious. His father was practically a professional liar; he could easily tell deceit. She wouldn't let him die. But why? Maybe it's for the same reason I won't shoot her or call Commie over my commlink. That would be too easy. The battle would be over practically before it began.
"As for contacting my family?" he continued. "I don't have the ability to, not without meeting them," he lied smoothly. "I'm not a communications officer; it's not like I can spontaneously toss out a robot minion to run off and tell my parents that some organic broke a couple wires. And at least with organics, your blood doesn't cause parts of your systems to jitter around and do things they're not supposed to. Severed cords do that. I'm twitching."
Wait, why am I telling her this? Thinking about the communications thing made him realize something: he was a spy! Not a teacher! He needed to learn information, not give it away! Okay, that's it. No more giving away information! At least, not more than I'm about to give away. He smiled and nodded at her. "Of course we think you're weak. You're so...pathetic. You organics can be broken so easily, so easily killed, and you hardly last any time at all. You die so easily. It's a wonder that you're even catching up to us in technology at all. The fact that you're able to do so much with so little is...it's amazing. It's just incredible what you can do." When did this turn into a peptalk...? "My point is, yes. You do seem fragile in comparison to us. We're made for war--what are organics made for?"
((LOOOOOOOVE [Bricked]))
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 7:58 pm
She pulled a face, this one not so much disgust but vexation instead. Did he insist on being so obnoxious just when she was being calm about things? "I prefer Scout, actually, and you know it," A sneer, and a biting tone, "Toaster." Then, just as she suspected, he explained how it really was similar to a game to him. Insignificant was her life, her entire lifespan, probably everything she'd ever accomplish. He had more time than any one person should, or would want, in her opinion. She brandished her cane with practiced movements, twirling it once and then suddenly leaning against it, eyeing him as he blocked the doorway.
"You know I wouldn't, just as I know you're lying. Even though you've done a better job of it than I have. Clearly I should leave and come back to talk to you only when I've had more practice." She was teasing him, mostly, but it seemed to have some sort of effect on him at least. He was oddly determined to keep her there, enough to give away more and more weakness. Was his life really that boring? He'd just admitted to her being pointless, so why should he care in the least about the next hour passing with or without her there?
"We are weak... to an extent. So are you." She countered easily, tone slow and measured. She wanted to understand him, and have him understand her, without sounding a fool or losing the upper hand she currently held. "We weren't made for anything, we're not technology like you. There was nothing to improve upon when we came, according to most. In a way we make our own purposes, although there's always the responsibility to continue of the species that belongs to everyone." She paused, thoughtful, then scowled again, staring at him with a gaze that unnerved many and broke down most. "If your lot doesn't care, thinks we're... pathetic, knows you're better. Why are we still here?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:35 am
That's it! If she calls me--No. No. I am not rising to the bait. I'm just not. She wants to call me toaster? Fine. Let her do that. I will not let her know that it bothers me. If she can't take the hint the first time, she'll just have to never get it. And I will. Be. Fine. With. That. Counting prime numbers swiftly to regain the temper that had almost flared out of control, he replied, "Yes. I know that. But you called me toaster, an appellation I dislike--my name is Rebel's Ambition. Just as you prefer Scout, I prefer Reb. You know that. There is no need for either of us to be childish and name-call each other. In fact..." He counted to primes again, closed his eyes, and opened them again, allowing his eyes to turn the yellow-orange of calm. "I...apologize for calling you by your given name. Scout."
He found, disturbingly, that he was no longer in the mood to fight. That would be too sudden; it would break the flow of the conversation. Besides, it's more fun to fence with words than with blades. "I would be glad to give you more practice," he said with a smile. "It's clear I need more practice myself, if you were not fooled. Though I'm sure a lesser being might be tricked by my deceit."
It was all he could do to hold back a flinch when she parried his thrusts. She's good at this. She's really good. I just don't have the self-confidence to do this the way she does. Reb didn't answer for a moment. He let her words sink into his mind, hoping that the waters they stirred would produce a displaced reply. The paltry result was anything but satisfactory. "You are quick," he replied quietly, "to be able to pull down a civilization that has stood five million years or more to its knees with just a few words. My father alone, considered...well, not old, by my race is older than your entire race." And she makes us sound useless, like drones! Like we have no lives of our own! "If our conversation is like a battle, Scout, I concede this victory to yours. I have no other choice," he explained, ears flicking with irritation and a metallic whir of gears. "I suppose I should learn from this and no longer underestimate you." Not that I was intentionally underestimating you before.
Move on. Don't dwell on this subject, get to high ground before you drown in her logic and slink off with your cord between your legs! "As for your continued survival in the face of Decepticon attacks," he added quickly, his voice returning to its previous light tones, "the answer is three syllables: Autobots. They're Cybertronians like us who are determined to protect the autonomy of every race from every other race, forgetting in the process that their protection is merely meddling of a different sort. We're also fighting over our home planet and its resources. It's an ancient war."
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Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 8:57 am
She waved a paw at him impatiently, idly brandishing her cane apparently unable to sit still while her mind was working. "Contrary to your belief, it's not childish, it's a simple version of our odd conversation game of ping-pong." Scout suddenly found it hard not to begin to pace, and bit the inside of her mouth to make herself focus on the conversation and not him. It was getting too interesting, far too interesting, and she could feel her self control slipping into emotional response as well. A little logical curiosity was fine, but mindless anything was absurd, was pointless. Still, she couldn't help but let a little of that slip into conversation, "What method have you been employing to keep your temper down? No, don't tell me..."
Suddenly feeling strangely meek, because it was probably a little over the top to suddenly go from challenging him to challenging everything that he was her ears pinned back, hat sliding forward to cover her eyes slightly. "Ah. Well now that you've told me, I'll do the best to forget it." Damn, now her moods really were taking control of her mind, dragging it down with them, she could feel it like an ache in her chest and- no, stop that! Breath coming out as an impatient sound, she gave up and really did begin to pace the shop's familiar floors, not caring if he watched her mind work.
Muttering under her breath, Scout let her hat fall slightly further over her eyes, fully recognizing that if she let herself continue on like this she really wasn't going to be leaving the shop for a few days. Sherlock wasn't going to be happy with her, but he'd understand. John on the other hand... Scout scowled, cane twirling as she went, practically forgetting Reb was still there. And he was someone who was rather difficult to forget.
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Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:30 pm
((Would she be heading... home then? OhIamsooooodead. xDDDD)) "An exchange of insults is the prelude to a battle, Scout," Reb replied. "If all is fair in love and war, then both are equal--in which case, our 'verbal ping-pong,' as you call it, is the foreplay of death." And I just realized how disturbing it is that that analogy suddenly popped into mind by looking at you. "Besides," he added, "if you don't like the name Deryn for some...arbitrary reason, and I don't like the name Toaster because it sounds like the name of a slave, then we should probably stop before we tear each other to pieces. Wars are for more important things." Reb's eyes watched Scout as she paced back and forth. An emotional response, pacing--how had he managed to trigger an emotional response from her?
He opened his mouth to answer her, then closed it. Why ask if she doesn't want to hear? Or maybe she wants to figure it out on her own. Probably best not to tell her anyway. It's a weakness. As her ears flicked back and her bowler slid forward to shade her eyes, Reb narrowed his own. Was that an expression of embarrassment? Of sudden shyness? You won the battle, why show shame in victory? Victory is made of the ashes of one's foes, charge forward and raze their planet! "What do you mean? Forget what? What's keeping you from my family destroying you and every organic on this planet?" He released the door and shifted to lean against the doorframe. Scout was a puzzle. She was a mystery, one he wanted to solve.
Why? Just another organic! She'll be gone in a hundred years, and you'll still be there! Want a puzzle? Try an Autobot, unravel them! But the idea didn't excite. It fizzled. I think it's time I went home to think about this where I won't expose any more weaknesses to her. "Well," he said, giving an exaggerated stretch, "it's been a lot of fun chatting with you, Scout, but I think it's time I did something about my shoulder." He detached from the wall and opened the door. "I suppose we'll have to complete that experiment with the potatoes later, hm?"
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