elephant [OPEN]

[weapabilities]

Date & Time: Feb 6th, all day.
Location: Around the outskirts of the city.
Characters: Drift and YOU!
Summary: Finally bored with hiding, Drift takes a walkabout. Which means robot parkour!
Warnings: None, will update if needed.
Note: You can enter in from the given prose or write a setup and I can adjust/write into it. You can also post in your preferred format and I'll match!



Boredom and anxiety drive him out of the abandoned building he's made his temporary home for the time being. He hasn't felt comfortable going to his designated housing. Unsure if he'd fit or even be very well-received. At least he's starting to settle with the fact that most humans here aren't out to trap or kill him.

That's a new and exciting concept. Fortunately, it appears nobody has really seen a Cybertronian, save for that one fellow, who didn't much seem to care.

So he ventures out, unfolding from his vehicle mode to dart down the empty streets and look for anything useful. The information he'd been given... he isn't sure if he can trust it at all now. It doesn't bode well, either way. He's been thrown into this mess, and the talk of war.

War.

He'd not adjusted well. About as well as Rodimus or Atomizer or Whirl (Primus, Whirl...) to not having 'kill Decepticons' as the primary M.O. anymore.

He's not sure if he's relieved or depressed that he's back in the apparent thick of it again. But it's what he's good at. Killing. As much as the "Flaky Spiritualist" act sustained him on the Lost Light, he knows deep down it is just that. An act, even if he played the part so well that even he started believing it.

Drift vaults himself up onto a sturdy looking building, using it to reach a crumbling ledge of something taller. He climbs, scaling until he reaches some of the upper-rooftops.

"What am I going to do?" He asks the sword on his back, which maintains it's silence, as always.

"Am I here for a reason?"

Perhaps.

Or maybe it's just happenstance, just like Ratchet would tell him. But he pretends to have a purpose, and moves on.

Comments

[oncearanger]

Billy takes it in stride, quickly pocketing his hands and smiling up. There are so many questions he wants to ask, but he's still conscious of how rude they could be. Better to start slow. "Well...welcome, though I know this isn't the greatest place to be welcomed to. How are you settling in?"

[weapabilities]

There's a brief, worried look that flashes across his face at the question.

"Uh. Well I guess." Not well at all. He's scared, alone and hungry.

"Thank you, though. Uh. Oh. Right. I'm Drift."

[oncearanger]

Billy is surprised---something's not quite right, but he's never been an expert at reading facial expressions. He just decides to be careful here, toning down the enthusiasm.

"I'm Billy. It's nice to meet you. And...wow, I can't say I've ever met anyone quite like you before."

[weapabilities]

"That's probably for the best, actually." More than half his species would have stepped on this guy without a second thought. All of the Decepticons.

Some Autobots, too.

"But ah. It's a pleasure to meet you." He offers a small smile, and a handshake as he kneels to be more on-level, even if his hands are probably awkwardly huge.

[oncearanger]

Billy snorted. He wasn't afraid of giant robots, he adored them. But talking to one? Perfect.

He awkwardly pats the offered arm. "I didn't think the transporter looked that big," he joked. "But welcome anyway. Have the streets been a problem?"

So many objects built for people. Fairly short clearance heights.

[weapabilities]

The swordsmech gives a nervous little sound of amusement.

"Oh, well. Sort of. I mean, not terribly. I get around okay in my alt-mode, but I'm kind of waiting for the moment when I run over a bit of broken glass and pop a tire."

[oncearanger]

Billy winced sympathetically. "I'm good at tire repair, if you ever need a hand. But what's this alternate mode?"

[weapabilities]

"Oh, really? You're a medic, then?" A mechanic to him is a medic.

He pauses, and then takes a few steps back, seamlessly, his body simply rearranges itself until he's all folded up into his car mode.

[oncearanger]

"Mechanic," Billy repeats, not quite getting it at first. But he is definitely prepared to patch things up.

He watches with interest as the car appears, and eventually gives into the urge to clap with delight. "Wow! I've never seen a transformation that smooth."

[weapabilities]

Drift unfolds back into his root mode and stretches, moving back down to a kneel.

"Well thank you. I try to keep myself in good shape." He can't help but be a little bit prideful.

No faster way to a Cybertronian's spark than to compliment them on their alt-mode switch.

[oncearanger]

Billy looks Drift over more carefully, admiring those well-oiled joints. "You must be great with self-maintenance, huh?"

[weapabilities]

"Oh, just the standard, you know. I guess for a human it would be like... like changing clothes, or something."

He shrugs his red shoulder guards and smiles.

"So you're a med- a mechanic? Is that your job here?"

[oncearanger]

Billy nods eagerly. That makes sense. "Got it. And I'm freelance more than anything. I just take whatever jobs I can find, I'm not really officially established yet."

[weapabilities]

"Well if you can fix me, I'd hire you myself. I'm kind of in a weird spot here, being the only one of my kind and all."

If he gets hurt or worse, he's completely slagged.

[oncearanger]

"I think I could," Billy guesses, rubbing his chin in thought. "I've worked on others like you...admittedly one was small and didn't transform and the ones that were larger and did transform weren't sentient, but I've also worked on many different vehicles. I'm sure I could figure it out."

[weapabilities]

"Well, if I do end up popping a tire, I know who I'll be coming to, if that's okay by you."

It never hurts to have some backup. Though the thought of medics gives him a little pang in his spark.

He never thought he'd actually miss Ratchet in all his crankiness.

[oncearanger]

Billy nodded. "It's fine! I'm always looking for new work. Can't imagine the constant rain is doing you any favors."

[weapabilities]

"Eh... I've managed to find some cover, but it's starting to rust while I recharge and it really makes the joints hurt."

Maybe he should just suck it up and go 'home'. He's just a little apprehensive, he likes his privacy.

A lot.

[oncearanger]

Billy could only imagine that. He gave Drift a sympathetic look. "Is there anything I can do? It wouldn't take that long to fix the roof for a better shelter."

[weapabilities]

"What? No, I wouldn't trouble you for something so minor. I just need to find some oil and I'll be fine."

He smiles confidently.

[oncearanger]

"All right. Well...is anyone else from your world around here?"

There was so much more Billy wanted to ask, but...it could wait, he thought. No need to be too pushy at the start.

[weapabilities]

"Not that I know. I think they'd have come forward unless they were a Decepticon, maybe. But even then you'd probably know if one was here."

They'd have probably killed someone already.

[oncearanger]

"They're all as big as you?" Billy asked, looking up to try to imagine how much taller one could be while still fitting in the city street.

[weapabilities]

"Oh, most are larger. I'm a frame built for speed and agility. Combat mechs are often a little larger and heavier, in varying degrees."

Tanks and things like that. Like Turmoil.

[oncearanger]

Interesting. The same design differences he would expect. Billy took note of that. "Large enough to crush the city flat? I've seen robots that big, but at a certain size it gets difficult not to crush everything in sight. I had my own mishaps that way."