Aliens! Multi-pup post.

[helpful_squid]

Sometimes the Bar's demographics skew just the tiniest bit away from the usual human-heavy distribution. Today, for instance, there is a glowing purple-pink squidlike creature drifting through the rafters, fiddling aimlessly with a number of machine parts it's found. It secreted a few of them away at Cubefall to work on later and found them looking

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[g00d_d0ggie]

At some point, a nine-foot-tall combat droid comes lumbering through the area. A tiny black-and-white humanoid 'bot is straddling the larger droid's 'neck,' holding on to the headflaps as one might hold the reins of a horse.

Any or all of the aliens in residence may find this interesting.

[not_toothfairy]

The big black one does, certainly. "You I recognize," Ironhide rumbles, pointing to D0G, "but the little one, not so much. Seems... familiar, though. Who're you?"

[g00d_d0ggie]

The little robot lets go of one headflap in order to wave at Ironhide. ".. -'... / -- ., / ... -.- .. - -.-. ....!"

( IT'S ME, SKITCH! )

[not_toothfairy]

Ironhide does not, strictly speaking, have eyebrows. But it's amazing what a slanted optic shutter can do. "Lemme guess," he says. "Cubefall upgrade?"

What? It's his cultural holiday. Of course he's gonna think that.

[g00d_d0ggie]

The little robot nods. ".. / -... ..- .. .-.. - / - .... . -- / -- -.-- ... . .-.. ..-.!"

( I BUILT THEM MYSELF )

[not_toothfairy]

Ironhide whistles. "Nice," he says approvingly. "Getting into the spirit of things. Good work."

From him this is incredibly high praise. Frankly, he's proud of the little fellow. You don't see that kind of wholehearted adoption of tradition often.

... it looks like that to him. Hush.

[g00d_d0ggie]

He nods again. Despite having a completely inflexible face, he manages to look downright smug.

[not_toothfairy]

"How much can you do now?" Ironhide says curiously. "Looks like you got some pretty good range of motion there. Anything interesting in the features?"

[g00d_d0ggie]

...Ironhide is getting a blank look. He was supposed to add other stuff?

[not_toothfairy]

"Just wondering," Ironhide says. "Sorry. 'm used to seeing mechs my size upgrade themselves. They usually add sensors and guns. Getting upright and legs from wheels is a pretty slagging big change, though. That's impressive, getting that right."

[g00d_d0ggie]

"- .... .- -. -.- / -.-- --- ..-!"

( THANK YOU )

[not_toothfairy]

"You're welcome," says Ironhide. "Anybody else make any Cubefall upgrades?"

D0G hasn't attempted to communicate this whole time; Ironhide figures he's giving the droid a chance to try. If it doesn't want to say, it doesn't want to say.

[g00d_d0ggie]

D0G shakes his head (causing Skitch to eeep! in alarm and cling to the headflaps to avoid being thrown off).

[not_toothfairy]

Ironhide nods. "Fair enough," he says. He hasn't made any such changes in a while himself, where 'a while' is measured in units of time somewhat longer than the existence of agriculture on Earth. "If you're good with yourself, that's what matters."

[g00d_d0ggie]

D0G lifts his left foot and carefully stomps out a message, which the narration will translate for you because writing the whole thing out in Morse code gets really old.

D-0-G W-A-S A D-O-G F-O-R C-U-B-E-F-A-L-L

[not_toothfairy]

Ironhide has to stop and think about that.

"A good, big, respectable working breed, right?" he finally says. He still doesn't get along with Mojo.