"Awww, are you lost?" Leave it to one kid to immediately notice another kid in the Nexus. Sari Sumdac peers at Kadaj, obviously sympathetic to his plight. "Who are your brothers? Maybe we can help you find them!"
Unfortunately, by "we" she means herself and her giant robot escort. Not allowed into the Nexus by her lonesome, Sari is being accompanied today by a twenty foot tall, red and white Autobot medic. While he can crush cars with his bare hands, Ratchet has the potential to be quite gentle. ...that part of him is just tough to notice given his size, his battle scars and his somewhat grating voice.
"Trying to find anyone in this place is like trying to find a needle in a haystack at times. His brothers might not even be IN the Nexus, Sari."
"Ratchet, you're scaring him! Sit down or...or something!" Sari says before trotting to the couch and getting down on her hands and knees.
The medic rolls his optics and parks it as carefully as he can, sitting down away from the couch in a cross-legged position. "Yeah, 'cause this'll only cut me down by about half, here."
Peering under the couch, Sari blinks at Kadaj. "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you. He won't hurt you, either. Just 'cause he's big doesn't make him mean!"
Actually, it's Ratchet's attitude that makes him mean sometimes. Size has nothing to do with it. At least he generally has a soft spot for youngsters.
Too frightened now to even think about coming out, Kadaj inches farther underneath the couch, shaking his head rapidly and not meeting Sari's eyes. It's probably obvious by now that he's much more jumpy than he ought to be.
Sari's bigger than Kadaj because she's a little older, but she's also a skinny little thing. ...not quite skinny enough to get under the couch after him, though she does make the attempt. Failing to follow, she lays on her stomach and watches him in silence for a moment before saying anything further. "No one can hurt you here, you know. I just want to be your friend. Is that okay? Can you tell me your name? We can talk to each other like this if you want."
Nearby, Ratchet sighs and rests his chin on one hand. This is turning out to be a long day already.
Kadaj only whimpers and shakes his head harder, curling up and wrapping his arms around his knees as he mumbles something; it's near-impossible to make out, but it sounds a bit like he's saying he's not allowed to have a name or something similar.
Sari frowns and continues to lay on the floor, watching. "You're not allowed to have a name? That's kind of silly. What's everyone going to call you if you don't have a name?" She tries to smile at him in the most friendly way possible. "My name's Sari, by the way."
Ratchet remains silent, keeping an optic on Sari. Obviously no one can step on her by accident thanks to the AVF. Still, old habits don't go away just because the Nexus is different than home.
"That's not very nice of them!" Sari's tone is indignant. "Um, whoever they are..."
Despite having hearing better than a human's Ratchet is unable to pick up on Kadaj's end of the conversation. The couch is muffling the sound a little too much for the words to be clear. "He got a name, kiddo?"
"He says he's not allowed to have a name," the little girl calls back. "Maybe he's like the Xavier soldiers or something?" Sari peeks under the couch again. "Someone's probably really worried about you. Your brothers, I'd think. Something happened to my dad and I haven't seen him in a long time. You have to be brave, though, like I was when that happened."
Kadaj's lip wobbles slightly, his eyes filling with tears again when Sari mentions his brothers, and he tucks his face down against his knees. "I wanna see them," he whimpers out softly.
"I know how that feels. I really wanna see my dad again, too," Sari says, sadly. Then she remembers she's (more than likely) the older child here and if she's going to help, she needs to follow her own advice and be brave. "Well, if you stay under here, you probably won't be able to see them. And if they come looking for you, they won't be able to see you, either. It's okay to come out and sit on the couch instead of hiding under it. Really. Ratchet and I can stay here with you a while and keep you company. Plus Ratchet's so tall that if you tell us what your brothers look like, maybe he can spot them through the crowds."
"Aww, but they're not here, right? No one's mad at you right now. Here... Take my hand?" She reaches toward him with her right hand. Sari's the persistent and stubborn type. This could go on for a bit.
...which is why Ratchet has shifted his gaze to the couch. It wouldn't take much for him to lift it.
"Whoever 'they' are, they must have been really mean to you. I don't know why some people have to be so mean to kids like us." Sari tries to remain patient, waiting to see if he'll take her hand or not.
"You know, I could just lift that couch up," Ratchet comments from where he sits.
"Yeah, but that's kinda scary, Ratchet," Sari says, glancing back at him. "I know you're just trying to help and all. I don't think he knows that, though. Maybe he's never seen a big robot like you before."
Kadaj seems like he's about to take the hand, but then whimpers and curls up tighter again, shaking. It's nothing personal against Sari; he's just too scared.
Unfortunately, by "we" she means herself and her giant robot escort. Not allowed into the Nexus by her lonesome, Sari is being accompanied today by a twenty foot tall, red and white Autobot medic. While he can crush cars with his bare hands, Ratchet has the potential to be quite gentle. ...that part of him is just tough to notice given his size, his battle scars and his somewhat grating voice.
"Trying to find anyone in this place is like trying to find a needle in a haystack at times. His brothers might not even be IN the Nexus, Sari."
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All bets are off, though, when he sees Ratchet.
He screams and dives under the closest couch.
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The medic rolls his optics and parks it as carefully as he can, sitting down away from the couch in a cross-legged position. "Yeah, 'cause this'll only cut me down by about half, here."
Peering under the couch, Sari blinks at Kadaj. "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you. He won't hurt you, either. Just 'cause he's big doesn't make him mean!"
Actually, it's Ratchet's attitude that makes him mean sometimes. Size has nothing to do with it. At least he generally has a soft spot for youngsters.
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Nearby, Ratchet sighs and rests his chin on one hand. This is turning out to be a long day already.
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Ratchet remains silent, keeping an optic on Sari. Obviously no one can step on her by accident thanks to the AVF. Still, old habits don't go away just because the Nexus is different than home.
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Despite having hearing better than a human's Ratchet is unable to pick up on Kadaj's end of the conversation. The couch is muffling the sound a little too much for the words to be clear. "He got a name, kiddo?"
"He says he's not allowed to have a name," the little girl calls back. "Maybe he's like the Xavier soldiers or something?" Sari peeks under the couch again. "Someone's probably really worried about you. Your brothers, I'd think. Something happened to my dad and I haven't seen him in a long time. You have to be brave, though, like I was when that happened."
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...which is why Ratchet has shifted his gaze to the couch. It wouldn't take much for him to lift it.
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"You know, I could just lift that couch up," Ratchet comments from where he sits.
"Yeah, but that's kinda scary, Ratchet," Sari says, glancing back at him. "I know you're just trying to help and all. I don't think he knows that, though. Maybe he's never seen a big robot like you before."
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