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Post by Jessica Ross on Jan 12, 2012 15:26:51 GMT -5
Jessica smiled a bit as she paid for the things, thanking the guy at the cash register. In her head, however, she decided that attempting to teach Whips how to be human would be very difficult. She shifted a bit in her wheelchair as they began to head back out. All in all, the entire store adventure was something that, while she wouldn't mind having a repeat of the adventure, she would rather do it when there were less people around. She made sure none of the stuff was going to fall out of the plastic bags by tying them shut and already situated the helmet back onto her head so she would have less to carry around.
While not lazy, it was going to be hard enough getting into the sidecar without carrying the helmet. "Brave?" she asked, curiously, carefully holding the bags in one hand, while focusing on trying to figure out how to get into the sidecar with the bags.
However, she was mostly listening to Whips.
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Post by whiplash on Jan 12, 2012 22:53:04 GMT -5
The holoform was ready to help her out. He took the items from her, set them aside, and helped lift her into the sidecar as he had before. While definitely fit-looking, the holoform was not heavily muscled, and the strength in his arms was much more than their outward appearance would suggest; he lifted Jessica easily, as if she weighed nothing.
“The cashier,” the motorcycle went on to explain. “He looked me right in the eye and didn’t even flinch. He didn’t know that I was me, of course, but still. I coulda been.” The holoform, having gotten Jessica situated, now gathered the things and helped arrange them in her lap before he went to put her wheelchair in the sidecar.
“I mean, you humans sort of know about us. You’ve seen what we can do. It kinda surprises me that you guys don’t spend all your time lookin’ over your shoulder, eyein’ every new vehicle or weird-looking stranger suspiciously and all that. If I knew someone was runnin’ around, blowin’ cities half to the Pit, I’d be more careful.”
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Post by Jessica Ross on Jan 13, 2012 6:46:41 GMT -5
Jessica was rather relived that she didn't have to figure out a way to get the things in with her, but she was slightly annoyed he just hefted her up to move her into the sidecar. She just didn't put up too much of a fuss and decided to not bother with explaining that the cashier was probably brave because he was used to seeing "weird" people. "Yes, but if humans panicked about every strange vehicle and every different person, we would never get to know anyone. Humans would spend the entire time, locked up in our houses, which would have meant we wouldn't have met, and, well, humans are just as capable of blowing cities 'half to the Pit'. The human race was trying to rip itself apart long before the Cybertronians came along, I'm afraid," she answered simply.
She then looked thoughtful and added, "Though, admittedly, it is harder for humans to do that."
She settled more into the sidecar and made sure nothing would go flying out when they drove out. It hadn't taken as long as she would have thought, but if she remembered correctly, it would take at least an hour to get to the drive-in and the road up to the hill was going to be difficult to navigate in near darkness. "Do you think we should head up now?" she inquired of the Decepticon.
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Post by whiplash on Jan 13, 2012 14:07:22 GMT -5
Whiplash paused to actually thoughtfully consider her words. That point of view was… interesting. For all the pastoral beauty of their world, it seemed humans struggled with one another almost as much as Cybertronians, and yet they’d adapted. Maybe it had something to do with their pitifully short life spans. Maybe they figured they didn’t have a lot of time, so they’d take what time they were given.
Whiplash knew he would probably die before he reached full adulthood. He was actually a little surprised that he’d made it as far as he had. Hmm. Maybe there was something to this backward human philosophy. “Sounds like humans need someone to step up to the plate, to get things runnin’ smoothly,” he said aloud, “just sayin’, my boss is a mech that’s qualified for the job.” Whiplash did not possess the same zealous, almost worshipful loyalty that many of his fellow Decepticons did for Megatron, but he respected him.
He was pleased that Jessica left the decision up to him. He mulled it over, and his holoform shrugged, walking around the sidecar to hop into the motorcycle’s seat. “Sure, why not? Ain’t like we got anything better to do.” He pulled out and coasted at an even speed along the road, once again taking care not to go overly fast. It wouldn’t do to break his pet, after all.
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Post by Jessica Ross on Jan 13, 2012 14:34:51 GMT -5
Jessica decided not to comment on how evil overlords weren't exactly the best people to have ruling over anyone. She just managed to keep from rolling her eyes at that and decided that whoever the guy in charge was, he was probably the only person that Whips respected. She, instead, fixed him with a patient look. She decided she'd start having him watch history things. She knew history and from history she had learned; the world, any world, wasn't meant to be ruled by one alone. Something always happened, every single person who tried met their Waterloo and fell. She shifted a bit in sidecar and, wisely, chose not to voice her thoughts.
She didn't want to be on the receiving end of Whips's temper. And, possibly, insulting the one person Whips seemed to respect. It was something knew she learned and smiled at his choice to head over. "All right, we'll need to turn left," she explained.
She wasn't heading for the lookout and she wished, a little, that he could do 'as the crow flies' travelling. She settled more in the side-car and began to voice the instructions to get them to the drive-in. As she suspected, it wasn't very busy. She settled more into the sidecar and smiled as they drove along, once again humming between the instructions.
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Post by whiplash on Jan 13, 2012 16:12:29 GMT -5
Whiplash didn’t know much about Cybertronian history, himself, and as such didn’t really have any sort of basis for comparison as far as society went that didn’t involve war. The great upheaval was literally all he knew, so he found it understandably difficult to wrap his mind around what it meant to run any peaceful society.
The motorcycle turned, leisurely taking the course that Jessica directed for him. He didn’t seem concerned as dusk began to settle. He drove for a while in deepening shadow, only flickering his headlight on if directed by Jessica. Clearly, he had some other means of seeing. The visor of his holoform’s helmet seemed oddly luminous, though it didn’t outright glow.
“So this place is isolated enough that I can switch to my true form? I don’t wanna bring the military in,” the motorcycle grumbled, “it’d ruin the movie.” At least Whiplash had his priorities in order.
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Post by Jessica Ross on Jan 13, 2012 16:22:54 GMT -5
Jessica gauged, carefully, when to turn on the headlight, if only so as to not be arrested for reckless driving because, once again, it was just not something that they needed. She relaxed in the sidecar and was glad that she had her jacket with her. She had a feeling it was going to be cold later. She decided she would pull it on at the drive-in and, between giving directions, she continued to hum softly. However, at Whiplash's question, she nodded before answer verbally. "Yes. We can't go on weekends, it'll probably be crowded, but every other day, yeah it'll be completely deserted and isolated. No one will risk it on a school night," she explained, before she looked out.
She then pointed. "That's the road. It should wind up to the top of the hill. The movie will be starting soon. Well, the first of the evening. It'll probably be about an hour, or so, before the next one. They show a lot of movies," she explained.
She was relaxing calmly in the sidecar and she let out a soft sigh of contentment.
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Post by whiplash on Jan 13, 2012 16:30:44 GMT -5
Whiplash looked to the winding road ahead of them and gave a chuckle that sounded through Jessica’s helmet. “All right.” The holoform leaned down against the body of the motorcycle. “Hold on!”
The vehicle leaped forward, gleefully tearing at the winding mountain road. It wasn’t as fast as Whiplash was capable of moving--his speed was understandably limited by his sidecar--but it was more than enough to make the drive to the top a thrilling experience. As long as he didn’t accidentally scare Jessica, he made it to the top of the hill in record time, finally slowing to a halt in a clearing at the top.
“Huh. Kind of a dump huh?” Whiplash could see the remains of past ventures to this spot: a few crushed cans, an empty beer bottle or two. His holoform hopped off to help Jessica out of the sidecar and into her wheelchair. “You wanna sit in your chair, or on the ground?” Whiplash asked as he helped her get situated. He would wait until she was settled to switch out of his alt mode.
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Post by Jessica Ross on Jan 13, 2012 17:06:42 GMT -5
Jessica let out a squeak and did just that. She hung on as tightly as she could as they went winding up the road, but she was far from scared. She was, in fact, ecstatic. She clung on to the sidecar as they whirled up the winding road and she smiled a bit. She looked around, a little sad that the place that she and her brother used to visit now had litter across it, but she was pretty sure he had cleaned up all litter before they got there. He wanted everything in his sister's life to be perfect, she figured, especially after the accident. She shifted a bit and nodded. "People don't respect things anymore I guess," she murmured softly, almost sadly.
At his second question, after he had helped her into her wheelchair, she actually blushed a little before she carefully pulled off her helmet. "Actually, I prefer to sit on the ground," she stated, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I can get myself down," she murmured softly. She shifted a bit nervously, holding the bag of snacks in hand.
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Post by whiplash on Jan 13, 2012 17:18:08 GMT -5
Whiplash cocked his head at her insistence. “Okay. Whatever.” His holoform trotted back to his alt mode, where it flickered once, and then vanished. An odd sound suddenly filled the air--like sand striking against metal, and when it died down, yet another weird noise cropped up. It was a high-pitched whine, rather like a power drill. Before Whiplash could explain (not that he was going to) the sidecar fell away with a thunk, and Whiplash’s alt mode was vanishing in a flurry of shifting plates as he changed.
He immediately stretched out, clawing at the ground and arching his back like a cat would, his optics shuttered tight. Jessica had never seen his face up-close, and it was a shockingly vicious visage; the lower half of his face was dominated by bristling, blade-like mouthparts, and he had four narrow, poisonously green optics. They flickered to life as he finished up his stretch, and he pulled himself up on two feet again, looming over her. His tentacles were retracted, and the plates under which they emerged were relaxed and flush against his back.
“Y’sure you got it? I don’t mind pickin’ you up, it ain’t like you’re heavy or anythin’.”
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Post by Jessica Ross on Jan 13, 2012 17:33:15 GMT -5
Jessica turned suddenly, and nearly sent herself toppling, at the grating sounds. She covered her ears and resisted the urge to glower at Whips for the lack of warning. She was tempted to throw something at him, but it wouldn't do much. She continued to cover her ears and stared at the fact that all that noise was made from detaching the sidecar. Her jaw dropped and then...Whips transformed.
While, yes, she had seen it before, it was still an amazing sight. However...the face was new. He looked violent and he had four insect like eyes. She blinked a bit at that and lowered her hands before she smiled at his comment. "Thanks for the compliment," she answered and locked her wheels. However, as she moved to get herself out, she realized that, with her muscles as sore as they were....she'd never be able to get out.
"Actually...yes I will need help," she admitted and looked up at Whips.
"Could you please help me?" she asked.
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Post by whiplash on Jan 13, 2012 17:42:55 GMT -5
He wasn’t sure how he’d complimented her. Was it the not-heavy thing? Why would a human place value on something like that? Being a lower weight class meant you were weaker, or so it seemed to Whiplash. When she asked for help, he blinked, startled, but clearly pleased. Despite the huge difference facial anatomy, it wouldn’t be hard for Jess to read Whiplash’s moods. His lower set of eyes squinted and he tilted his head. He was smirking at her. It was nice to be reminded that he was in absolute power as far as this relationship went. Hanging out with this tiny, pathetic human was downright therapeutic.
“Yeah, sure. Just hold tight.” He leaned down to scoop her up. Whiplash wasn’t used to handling things with any manner of delicacy, but he managed not to slice the poor girl to ribbons with his talons. He peered down at the screen far below before finding what he deemed was an appropriate spot, and set her down. “There. Good?”
Without waiting for a response, he turned. A moment later he tossed her bag of snacks over his shoulder, and it skidded to a stop beside her. Then he returned, dragging the wheelchair, and collapsed on the ground next to her, stretching out on his belly like some enormous metal cat. “So it’s going to be down there?” He nodded towards the still-blank screen.
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Post by Jessica Ross on Jan 13, 2012 18:01:32 GMT -5
Jessica wasn't too surprised by the easy moving, though she did listen to him. She also wasn't surprised she didn't get shredded. Considering he had done it before the fight, she wasn't at all surprised. However, she did have to resist the urge to glare at both his smirk and the way he tossed her food. Instead, however, she gave him a smile and answered, "It's perfect Whips."
She settled more on the ground and smiled a bit at his question. Without fully thinking about it, she reached out and pet along his horns, considering they were in easy, if stretching, reach. Most everything about Whips was in easy, if stretching, reach however. She smiled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, that's where it'll be starting. They seem to be running a bit late though. When it lights up, that's probably when you should hook into the speakers so we can hear the movie," she answered, the entire time petting along his horns, not fully realizing what she was doing.
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Post by whiplash on Jan 13, 2012 18:15:54 GMT -5
At the first light touch against his horns, Whiplash froze, eyes going momentarily wide. He didn’t move, but nor did he pull away; instead, he just sat there, blinking slowly. As Jessica’s fingers came around for a second pass, he tilted his head slightly, towards her fingers. “Okay,” he managed to say, though his voice was uncharacteristically soft and somewhat distracted-sounding.
A sense of calm was settling over him. It felt very strange, as if some force was passing through him and relaxing him without his permission, which would have been alarming if it wasn’t so darn relaxing. Whiplash blinked again, and lowered his head, letting it rest on his forearms, which he had crossed underneath his chin. “I’ll go on and do it now,” he said again, in that same curiously soft voice.
There was a soft click, and then the gentle static hum of white noise filled the air. It almost, but not quite, drowned out the sound of Whiplash sucking air into his vents once, deeply, and then letting it out in a sigh. Very, very softly, a gentle rumbling began to emanate from his engine. It was, unmistakably, the beginnings of a purr.
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Post by Jessica Ross on Jan 13, 2012 19:55:48 GMT -5
Jessica looked over nervously at that. The 'okay'...in that dreamy voice. She almost stopped until she realized that she was petting his horns. Her jaw dropped and she had to use her other hand to stifle her giggles as she put two and two together. She barely managed it, though her hand never faltered and settled more on teh ground, content and relaxed. Though she was probably going to get cold now. She had to smile, however, as he rested like a content cat on the ground, the soft white noise filling the area.
Not that it covered the beginnings of a purr. She resisted the urge to giggle again, but it almost made her ribs burst. However, she would do nothing to destroy the calm he did not have everyday. It was nice, however, to give Whips something he didn't have everyday. "Okay, Whips," she answered softly, once she had her voice under control.
The mirth was gone from it as she continued, her eyes resting lightly on the 'Con before she turned back to the screen. The sun died and suddenly the screen light up, the soft theme music filling the air around them. Her hand started at that, however, because she wasn't expecting it, before she went back to the calming strokes.
If Whips let her that is.
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