Paying the tab ((co written with backupbots))
Nightwind: *wanders into the current watering hole, slightly greasy and with a sleeping Fritz draped around her shoulders*
Spiral: There you are, kid!
Backtrack: *looking a bit on edge* Where've you been?
Nightwind: *whistles a quiet grin to Spiral, then blinks her visor with surprise as she looks at Backtrack* Like I said when you called, working on my project.
Backtrack: << Oh. *has rather chewed-up tyres*
Nightwind: *looks at them quizzically but without her usual minor panic* Dude, what happened?
Backtrack: *darkly* That creature you gave Oval is a menace.
Spiral: *stifled laughter*
Nightwind: *puts up a hand to scritch the sleeping Fritz as she shakes her head slightly* She's a lot smaller than you.
Backtrack: That's not what I mean!
Spiral: *snigger*
Nightwind: *tilts her head with a quizzical whistle*
Backtrack: He's taught the horrible thing to fetch.
Spiral: *falls off chair laughing*
Nightwind: ...Fetch you?
Backtrack: Yes!
Nightwind: *gives a soft beeping chortle, something that she'd have never done before*
Backtrack: *flailing* How does it even find me halfway across the city?
Nightwind: *wisely silent as she rubs Fritz's ears, only glances at Spiral and beeps softly, sounding amused*
Spiral: *engine sputtering, she's laughing so hard*
Nightwind: *calm concern* Don't hurt yourself.
Fritz: *wakes up to see if he can have fun too*
Nightwind: *looks at him, then drops him on Spiral*
Fritz: *KISSY!*
Spiral: *vibrating like a washing machine*
Backtrack: *SULK!*
Nightwind: There are tougher tires. I know they cost more. *shrug*
Backtrack: *dark tones* It dragged me back by them. *sliiight exaggeration but whatever*
Nightwind: ... *repeats self* You're bigger than her.
Backtrack: Oh, like I was actually going to squash her. The little fiend knew I wouldn't and she used it.
Nightwind: *soft chuckle* Bender used to call it the mighty power of cute.
Backtrack: It's CHEATING.
Nightwind: *just beeps and shakes her head, amused but not mocking* Oh, is Rollbar here? I have to pay off Bender's tab.
Spiral: *sputterflail*
Backtrack: *grumbles and points* Yeah, he's over there.
Nightwind: Thanks! *looks at Spiral and Fritz* You want me to get him off of you?
Spiral: *weak thumbs-up* We're good.
Nightwind: Okay. *heads off*
Fritz: *snuggled under Spiral's chin. love love love....*
Nightwind: Hey, Rollbar.
Rollbar: *wrestling a reluctant bot into handing over her missiles* Hey, Nightwind. How's it going?
Nightwind: Alright, I guess. *hesitates* Need a hand?
Rollbar: *manages to get a missile away and flips it to her* Catch?
Nightwind: *does so, beeping to herself softly but without overt fright as she tenses slightly, ready to catch more or to dodge the owner if she has to* Got it.
Tank-bot: ><
Rollbar: *gets the launcher off her and shoves off* Good!
Nightwind: *watching warily, not too sure what to do now*
Rollbar: *takes the missile back and scoots behind the makeshift bar with his armload of armaments* What're you looking for tonight?
Nightwind: *hands it over, glancing at its owner* I want to pay off Bender's tab.
Tank-bot: *plotting revenge*
Nightwind: ... *steps away slightly*
Rollbar: *chuckle* You're sure you can afford that?
Nightwind: *quiet and serious* I have seven race prizes. It should be enough.
Rollbar: Heh. Good point.
Nightwind: *gives him her credit chip* You can close the account. He doesn't need it any more.
Rollbar: It's not that much, anyway. *wouldn't leave them high and- wait, what?* Why not? He ditching me for another bartender?
Nightwind: *leans on the bar and looks at her hand* He's gone to be with his team.
Rollbar: *puts down the missiles and leans on the crate-counter* *quietly* His team?
Nightwind: *nods* The one he had before. *the one that died*
Rollbar: *shakes his head* Slag and scrap, kid, how?
Nightwind: He was over in the old shipping sector. Part of one of the bombed out buildings fell on him.
Rollbar: *says nothing, but reaches down and a moment later sets an orange-tinged cube in front of her* Here.
Nightwind: *gives him a questioning look and whistle*
Rollbar: There's worse places to be than the Linkage, but it ain't so easy for the guys who get left behind. This stuff ain't strong, but... it'll help for a bit.
Nightwind: *takes it with a nod of thanks* He's been gone for a couple weeks or so... I lost track of the time.
Rollbar: *fist slams down through the crates* Damnit, kid, why didn't you tell us?
Spiral and Backtrack: *heads snap that way*
Nightwind: *startles at the crash and winds up covered in her drink* I... I didn't know.... I had no idea what to do. He said I was stronger than I knew, and I didn't want to make him into a liar.... I didn't know.
Rollbar: *winces at the sight and turns to find a cloth or something* You could have called someone.
Spiral: *behind Nightwind* Kid? There a problem?
Nightwind: *quietly, still stubbornly pulling the calm around her* I didn't know. I... sorry?
Rollbar: *nods, still hunting* All right. It's OK.
Spiral: Nightwind?
Nightwind: *turns and looks at her friend, absently taking Fritz as he climbs her leg and offers to help her with her energon problem* I... he got mad because I didn't tell anybody that Bender... died. *she's bewildered and sad, and apologetic.*
Spiral: *blinks in shock* When? *she reaches out to put a hand on the younger bot's shoulder*
Nightwind: *looks down at Fritz and hugs him* A few weeks ago. A couple days after I started working on my project.
Spiral: There you are, kid!
Backtrack: *looking a bit on edge* Where've you been?
Nightwind: *whistles a quiet grin to Spiral, then blinks her visor with surprise as she looks at Backtrack* Like I said when you called, working on my project.
Backtrack: << Oh. *has rather chewed-up tyres*
Nightwind: *looks at them quizzically but without her usual minor panic* Dude, what happened?
Backtrack: *darkly* That creature you gave Oval is a menace.
Spiral: *stifled laughter*
Nightwind: *puts up a hand to scritch the sleeping Fritz as she shakes her head slightly* She's a lot smaller than you.
Backtrack: That's not what I mean!
Spiral: *snigger*
Nightwind: *tilts her head with a quizzical whistle*
Backtrack: He's taught the horrible thing to fetch.
Spiral: *falls off chair laughing*
Nightwind: ...Fetch you?
Backtrack: Yes!
Nightwind: *gives a soft beeping chortle, something that she'd have never done before*
Backtrack: *flailing* How does it even find me halfway across the city?
Nightwind: *wisely silent as she rubs Fritz's ears, only glances at Spiral and beeps softly, sounding amused*
Spiral: *engine sputtering, she's laughing so hard*
Nightwind: *calm concern* Don't hurt yourself.
Fritz: *wakes up to see if he can have fun too*
Nightwind: *looks at him, then drops him on Spiral*
Fritz: *KISSY!*
Spiral: *vibrating like a washing machine*
Backtrack: *SULK!*
Nightwind: There are tougher tires. I know they cost more. *shrug*
Backtrack: *dark tones* It dragged me back by them. *sliiight exaggeration but whatever*
Nightwind: ... *repeats self* You're bigger than her.
Backtrack: Oh, like I was actually going to squash her. The little fiend knew I wouldn't and she used it.
Nightwind: *soft chuckle* Bender used to call it the mighty power of cute.
Backtrack: It's CHEATING.
Nightwind: *just beeps and shakes her head, amused but not mocking* Oh, is Rollbar here? I have to pay off Bender's tab.
Spiral: *sputterflail*
Backtrack: *grumbles and points* Yeah, he's over there.
Nightwind: Thanks! *looks at Spiral and Fritz* You want me to get him off of you?
Spiral: *weak thumbs-up* We're good.
Nightwind: Okay. *heads off*
Fritz: *snuggled under Spiral's chin. love love love....*
Nightwind: Hey, Rollbar.
Rollbar: *wrestling a reluctant bot into handing over her missiles* Hey, Nightwind. How's it going?
Nightwind: Alright, I guess. *hesitates* Need a hand?
Rollbar: *manages to get a missile away and flips it to her* Catch?
Nightwind: *does so, beeping to herself softly but without overt fright as she tenses slightly, ready to catch more or to dodge the owner if she has to* Got it.
Tank-bot: ><
Rollbar: *gets the launcher off her and shoves off* Good!
Nightwind: *watching warily, not too sure what to do now*
Rollbar: *takes the missile back and scoots behind the makeshift bar with his armload of armaments* What're you looking for tonight?
Nightwind: *hands it over, glancing at its owner* I want to pay off Bender's tab.
Tank-bot: *plotting revenge*
Nightwind: ... *steps away slightly*
Rollbar: *chuckle* You're sure you can afford that?
Nightwind: *quiet and serious* I have seven race prizes. It should be enough.
Rollbar: Heh. Good point.
Nightwind: *gives him her credit chip* You can close the account. He doesn't need it any more.
Rollbar: It's not that much, anyway. *wouldn't leave them high and- wait, what?* Why not? He ditching me for another bartender?
Nightwind: *leans on the bar and looks at her hand* He's gone to be with his team.
Rollbar: *puts down the missiles and leans on the crate-counter* *quietly* His team?
Nightwind: *nods* The one he had before. *the one that died*
Rollbar: *shakes his head* Slag and scrap, kid, how?
Nightwind: He was over in the old shipping sector. Part of one of the bombed out buildings fell on him.
Rollbar: *says nothing, but reaches down and a moment later sets an orange-tinged cube in front of her* Here.
Nightwind: *gives him a questioning look and whistle*
Rollbar: There's worse places to be than the Linkage, but it ain't so easy for the guys who get left behind. This stuff ain't strong, but... it'll help for a bit.
Nightwind: *takes it with a nod of thanks* He's been gone for a couple weeks or so... I lost track of the time.
Rollbar: *fist slams down through the crates* Damnit, kid, why didn't you tell us?
Spiral and Backtrack: *heads snap that way*
Nightwind: *startles at the crash and winds up covered in her drink* I... I didn't know.... I had no idea what to do. He said I was stronger than I knew, and I didn't want to make him into a liar.... I didn't know.
Rollbar: *winces at the sight and turns to find a cloth or something* You could have called someone.
Spiral: *behind Nightwind* Kid? There a problem?
Nightwind: *quietly, still stubbornly pulling the calm around her* I didn't know. I... sorry?
Rollbar: *nods, still hunting* All right. It's OK.
Spiral: Nightwind?
Nightwind: *turns and looks at her friend, absently taking Fritz as he climbs her leg and offers to help her with her energon problem* I... he got mad because I didn't tell anybody that Bender... died. *she's bewildered and sad, and apologetic.*
Spiral: *blinks in shock* When? *she reaches out to put a hand on the younger bot's shoulder*
Nightwind: *looks down at Fritz and hugs him* A few weeks ago. A couple days after I started working on my project.