Forgotten Dreamer (KARR)

[KARR]

KARR hesitated a moment. A hug? He actually had to look up the definition because he had never even seen people do it! Obviously no one had ever given him one either because of what he was. He decided that since he wasn't here to fight and he wasn't ignoring this little girl now, what could it hurt to learn something new? He made sure to scan her to ensure she was clean however before settling on any final decisions. Outwardly and inwardly, the AI vehicle was learning new things once again, his processor advancing by the nanosecond as he interacted with Maddie. In truth, she was unintentionally conditioning a Decepticon with a little more processor power than some to be sensitive, in a way. Perhaps though at the same time he could be doing it just to get it over with, but in KARR's case, he was actually curious to the core, and enlightened by such an unusual interaction as this. "You wish to give me a form of affection?...Go ahead, I suppose. Given what I am I am, returning such a gesture is difficult." he hadn't used his holoform much yet either...

[Madeline Flynn-Morgan]

Madeline watched him as he seemed to think it over. She couldn't think of the proper term that would fit the vehicle. She was fully expecting him to say 'no', in fact, when he surprised her and said yes. She let out a little happy squeal, though it was quiet. She immediately walked over to his hood and smiled brightly. "I know you can't. That's okay. The purpose is it give a hug to you! As your friend!" she answered cheerfully.

With that, after she made sure her scratched up hand wouldn't touch his hood, she immediately hugged KARR on his hood. It was really hard, but she carefully hugged the spot right above his yellow light thing. She placed her cheek on his hood and smiled, squeezing his hood slightly. She smiled into the hug and then slowly stood back up normally,making sure that she had left any smears on his hood.

She hugged Bay-Bay to her chest and smiled at KARR brightly. "Probably not my best hug ever, but considering it was the hood of a car, I figure I did pretty well for a first time," she commented cheerfully.

[KARR]

"It would seem so." KARR replied awkwardly. "Do you need a ride anywhere? That is about all I can offer in return." well he could offer Maddie some other things, like perhaps play some video games with him if she was into that, or share music. He didn't know her that well yet, so giving her a ride was basically the only non-violent offer he could give her, especially since he didn't want to use his potentially scary robotic form out in the dead middle of the general populace. The AI vehicle didn't want to lose one of the only human friends he'd made so far.

[Madeline Flynn-Morgan]

Maddie shook her head a bit and waved her injured hand up to the apartment building. "I live there. Mama died recently so, until they find my father, I'm with a friend of the family's. Staying there makes my chest hurt, though. And makes me breathe funny. It sounds like a kitten mewling sometimes," she answered with a tiny grin and ran a finger along Bay-Bay's mane, wrapping some bits around her fingers before she gave KARR a shaky smile.

She hugs the stuffed horse to her chest. "Mama went out, but she didn't come back. And she promised," Maddie added quietly and she wondered what it was she was supposed to do.

She hadn't gone far, the apartment was still paid for up through the month...life was as normal as it was going to be without Mama around anymore.

Maddie wondered, distantly, what it was that made life normal. Because...because this...this wasn't it. And suddenly, she wished it was before and, in way, it is horrifying to her that there is a before now.

She began to chew on her lip and suddenly dreaded school more then before. Because, without Mama, how much worse would the bullies get?

[KARR]

"Do you seek protection, and security, then?" KARR questioned. Normally, KARR would think that even just interacting with a human in this fashion was a waste of time, but his ever-evolving instincts whispered to him otherwise. KARR was an independent Decepticon, his Master was Starscream, the second in command to the Decepticons. That did not dictate his rank among them of course because he was simply a earth-bound AI vehicle created by the dominant species. KARR didn't necessarily have much respect for them, but Madie was teaching him that not all humans were what he usually thought them to be. Or maybe it was because Madie was so young and innocent. KARR dismissed that side of his inner contemplations.

[Madeline Flynn-Morgan]

Maddie looked back up at KARR then. She was a bit surprised by the offer, considering that everyone mostly was just taking care of her for the time being. Normally, she would be in a foster home, or something similar, but there was proof her father was alive and that was enough to have a neighbor watching her, temporarily of course.

She figured she was really in a situation of being a ward of the state or something like that, but it didn't really matter, in the end. Instead, she just smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Mama provided that before, of course, because that was what she was supposed to do. And I've never been...without that before," she answered, deciding that honesty was the best policy.

After all, no one got hurt if the truth was spoken. "KARR, where do you live?" she asked, deciding to turn the conversation back at the vehicle.

It couldn't just be about her. Friends didn't just talk about themselves. They shared and stuff.

At least, that was what it looked like.

[KARR]

"I see...I am no good at giving protection to others...but perhaps it is worth a try." KARR replied. He said it half-heartedly, almost, because he really didn't know what protect others meant. He only wanted to protect himself. He had no interest in the safety of others. But yet, the innocence and purity of this little girl was making him think differently of the world around him. Maybe not all humans were as manipulative, dirty and twisted as he thought they were. It gave him a glean of hope when he looked at Madie. "I am really only offering such because you are...different from the few others I've seen. I have had no human friends up to this point for a reason."

Of course, KARR wouldn't outright say it, but if there was ever a time when Madie betrayed him by giving out information to the wrong people later in life, he would not hesitate to end that friendship. But she was a girl with few of the same motives adults had - at least that's what he observed so far. Then again, did she even HAVE such complex ulterior motives that could hurt a being like himself? He highly doubted it.

[Madeline Flynn-Morgan]

Maddie looked at him, as if she was trying to understand why he was telling her this, before she answered, "You must have met some very poor people to have such a bad opinion of humans. Of course, I can see how that would happen. My entire class is basically bullies and tyrants."

Because, Maddie could see it. See how KARR could come to hate, loathe, and despise humans in such a way that she was surprised he was taking a chance on her. Inwardly, she swore to never tell another living soul about KARR, not a single, solitary, one. She would never speak of meeting him until she was sure KARR could trust them and keep the knowledge of the strange black car with the yellow scanner thing to herself.

"And, even if I didn't cause it, I'm sorry that you were never able to feel the care you deserved," she added, softly, and slightly unsure of how to approach her damaged friend.

People had hurt him.

Hurt him so badly, Maddie was sure that KARR would never recover. "Who did hurt you so badly?" she wondered out loud, her concern coming through easily, but also veined with...maybe contempt for the people who had harmed him, but that was too strong of an emotion for Maddie to feel and understand.

Maybe it was more like a thread of fury towards anyone who would dare harm KARR, despite only knowing him for such a short time, but she was a child and children, for the most part, make friends of the strangest sorts.

[KARR]

"My creator." KARR lowered on his chassis a bit, his nanoskin bristling a little in a slight shimmer upon the thought of that word. "He abandoned me because he was not satisfied with what I had become and seemed incapable to reason with me properly, and because my programming would not change. He abandoned me and shut me down in fear almost as soon as he had created me. I was brought into this world a couple times decades ago because two innocent men stumbled upon my shell in a garage. I was not on line for very long back then...Thus why I have sought to protect no one but myself. I required maintenance, and they would not give it to me, so I had to try and resolve that issue by my own means." KARR explained, his dark voice filled with discontent. It wasn't that he desired change per se, he had just grown weary of being created and destroyed twice over. So far he was lucky to still be alive. He hoped that luck woudl continue. "I am glad to be alive again. I have been created and destroyed twice, because people fear me."

[Madeline Flynn-Morgan]

Maddie tried to place what she knew of parents with KARR's experience. She knew, of course, of child abuse. It was around and she wondered how anyone could have done that to KARR. Rejected him because he didn't turn out like they wanted, because they had no foresight. Because he wasn't what they wanted and it was something so alien to her, so foreign, that she could never understand it. "Well that was stupid of him, her, your creator. You don't just abandon someone because they don't turn out like you expect," she responded, though she knew he probably already knew that.

She felt felt like it needed repeating, however. So, she stared at KARR and smiled a bit. It was weak and tired. "Well, as much as I hate what you went through, I am glad we met," she answered cheerfully, deciding not to think too much on the fact that KARR's entire basis for trusting humanity again was her. Her, the girl who was bullied daily and hated school.

Her, the girl who was useless.

"Very glad," she added and shifted so she was closer to KARR, trying not to think too much on the fact she was focused on a car who could talk.

She really hoped no one would come out and ruin it.