"I know." The green crystal is carefully added to his foamy brew, and then the indifferent gaze flicks back to Stormcloud as he names a colony that vanished long long ago.
"It was there after everyone else lost contact." He absently scratches at one of his scars, flaking off bits of solder, then decides that he's let his drink foam enough and knocks it back in one gulp.
Wait for it... hear that rumbling in his internals?
Waterlog sniggers in the background. Stormcloud cocks his head and wonders if now's a good time to back up before the old guy blows a gasket... or something. But lo! He has a thought! "So it wasn't even worth keeping in touch. What's on the surface?"
Ironhide lets out a burst of metallic thunder and mentally notes that he could still win burping contests, then mixes himself another drink before he remembers Stormcloud's question.
Stormcloud's optic visor flickers as the noise rolls around him. For a click he's left squinting at Ironhide and trying to work out if he heard the old Autobot right. "Hey! Easy on the audios!"
"Keep sounding off like that and ye'll attract something," Waterlog says to both of them, a low and relatively pleasant gurgle to his voice. He doesn't know how right he is.
"Slagging great at conversation, aren't you?" Stormcloud remembers his own neglected drink and goes back to it. Whatever lingering questions he might have about its provenance, they're forgotten for now. He drinks for half a minute in silence, then turns back to Ironhide. "Let's see if you can answer this one. What's behind the happy-fun sharing hour?"
Waterlog stops drinking and cocks his head at his brother. Up until now he was satisfied with 'Autobots be soft like that'. But Stormcloud's always been that bit cannier...
There's a touch of triumph in the snort Stormcloud gives. "Everyone knows your buddy Ironhide doesn't like us, and you've got no reason to either, Autobot. So why spread the high-grade around?"
"He told you that," says Waterlog. Thinking about it, his shipmate's right. "There's no love spared between our crews."
The other Sea Minicon jerks his head in a nod. "Yeah, and I'm not going to play happy team-mates when there isn't a fragging surgehead stupid enough to buy it."
Ironhide shrugs. "I've drunk with mechs who wanted me for spare parts, and I've drunk with the mech that deactivated my mate and the new spark she was building. Shut up and drink the slagging energon."
Stormcloud's shoulders jerk back, his optics flashing yellow in surprise - and success. He takes the point and returns to his drink with renewed interest.
A sudden crash upstairs gets both Minicons' attention, though it's too small to be another Bulk. In fact, Ironhide might be able to see that Nightscream has just fallen in through a window.
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Stormcloud laughs. "Frag, you really are an ancient clunker."
Polite conversation - they're not much good at it.
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Wait for it... hear that rumbling in his internals?
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"Carbon."
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"Keep sounding off like that and ye'll attract something," Waterlog says to both of them, a low and relatively pleasant gurgle to his voice. He doesn't know how right he is.
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Waterlog stops drinking and cocks his head at his brother. Up until now he was satisfied with 'Autobots be soft like that'. But Stormcloud's always been that bit cannier...
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"What?"
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The other Sea Minicon jerks his head in a nod. "Yeah, and I'm not going to play happy team-mates when there isn't a fragging surgehead stupid enough to buy it."
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A sudden crash upstairs gets both Minicons' attention, though it's too small to be another Bulk. In fact, Ironhide might be able to see that Nightscream has just fallen in through a window.
That's through an upstairs window, yes.
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