001 | audio & action | location encrypted

[fun_police]

[A cursory examination of the omni-tool manually activated an audio feed to the Network. Intriguing. One of the few objects of the situation he was currently thrust in that actually incited a little curiosity. It's integration with his internal systems went rather seamlessly, he was impressed.]

...click!

[And an irritated sounding voice makes itself known on the comm. Huh. It seemed to have a slight synthetic trill to it.]

Someone should inform me of the closest thing that passes for security services on this rock. It is difficult to determine which gang is the least predatory.

[Pleasant guy! Someone should go grab a robo-drink with him.]

If you are technologically inclined, I have an offer that may interest you.

[ooc: He'll be lurking in the marketplace/merchant areas for anyone who wants to action tag. he'll stick out like a sore thumb.]

Comments

[fun_police]

I've noticed.

[Oh. You're a kid with sass. That just makes this all the better!]

[Still, Prowl isn't feeling particularly threatened by this conversation, so Marco is free to analyze. He'd just arrived, the only thing he'd brought with him were a pair of black tonfa-like batons magnetically locked to his legs (an impromptu solution, they would have been built in otherwise).He also had what looked to be car tires tucked away into each ankle joint.]

You live here on your own. What else do you know of this place?

[tradecraftdude]

Actually, I'm not even really living by myself. I have a charming band of merry roommates who I would probably call criminal if there were like, actual laws here that anyone can break. But what do I know? I'm just a kid.

[ He shrugs as if this is totally the norm and you better just suck it up and deal with it buddy or else you're going to be one sad dude. ]

[fun_police]

...

[Prowl couldn't really help him with that. As much as he'd deny it, that fact weighed down on his spark. He doesn't have any money or a place to live. Not yet, anyway. Cesspools like these tend to put a high value on his particular skillset, and he intends to put those to good use.]

[Until then...]

You're familiar with the station. What is there to know?

[tradecraftdude]

Uh, let's see. Don't piss anybody off, there's definitely porn on the extranet, and I haven't yet found anybody here that makes a good cheeseburger. Lots of things will probably try to kill you for no reason.

[ I mean, those are relevant things to know if you're a squishy thirteen year old. ]

So do you like. Skate around on those wheels or something?

[fun_police]

[Great. Nothing useful. He didn't even know what porn was. It was something he never bothered to investigate on Earth. At the question, he gets a puzzled look before realizing what he had been referring to.]

The wheels are part of my alternate mode. I can change into a car.

[Skating on them would be dangerous and silly, but it would technically be possible.]

[tradecraftdude]

[ Those are totally useful. Just less so for robots. ]

Wait. You mean like, turn into a car? That's what you said, right? Not as in changing your clothes?

[ Prior to this point, Marco was entirely under the impression that he was talking to a big guy in really weird armor. Now, he's giving Prowl the most dubious stare in the universe. ]

[fun_police]

Yes. Turn into a car.

[Grumpiest Prowl face. He's gone through this conversation many times in the past, kiddo. He knows exactly what you're thinking. The answer's no, he's not going to give you a ride.]

Transforming requires energy I currently do not have the luxury of wasting.

[tradecraftdude]

Oh! You mean you're like, not actually a person in there? You're a transforming robot!

[ Marco zooms in close and knocks on Prowls torso. There's a look of awe on his face.]

Okay, so what's your energy source? Gasoline? Nuclear? Come on, we'll totally find a way!

[fun_police]

...

[Well. Yes, that certainly is a torso that he's tapping. It's tangible and everything. It's not hollow, if that's what he was checking. There's a buttload of thrumming alien machinery just under the metal armor plating, and that's exactly what it sounds like when he knocks.]

Energon.

[tradecraftdude]

Energon? Never heard of it!

[ Satisfied with the thumping noise Prowl's torso made, Marco moved on to prod at the wheels sticking out of his ankles. Robots don't have any concept of personal space, right? ]

So what happens if you run out? Do you have a powersaving mode? Do you have to backup your memory banks? Are you remote-controlled? You look pretty autonomous to me...

[fun_police]

...

[Okay. No. He's not up for display, mister. Prowl's going to reach down and try to grab Marco by the back of the shirt to pull him up eye to eye.]

My spark will go out. So I will be looking for a replacement fuel source, shortly.

[As in now. So shoo.]

[tradecraftdude]

[ Marco is pretty small as far as humans go; he almost doesn't notice that Prowl is hauling him up by the shirt until his feet leave the ground. Uh oh. What now. ]

Oh, bummer, dude. Stick with me, I'll keep your spark going!

[ Because Marco totally doesn't want to lose track of this new toy he found. ]

What's Energon like? We can probably rustle up something close enough for you. There are like a bazillion fueling stations out here.

[ Despite his rather undignified dangling position, Marco has a wide grin plastered on his face, and he offers a hand towards Prowl. ]

I'm Marco!

[fun_police]

[Prowl gives him a good, long look.]

[A real good one. With a little detective analysis and everything. In that few couple of seconds of awkward silence, he's running numerous scenarios in his head based on what he observed of the station and of him. Then he's just gonna calculate the several different possibilities that will result from befriending him based on his plans.]

...

[Nope. Putting you down now.]

It's better if you keep your distance, Marco.

[tradecraftdude]

[ Marco almost withers at that look. It isn't for the look itself, though; he'd seen it often enough, mostly when he was about to get in trouble and someone was trying to figure out what to do with him. That look was something he knew how to deal with. What throws him off is he fact that it's coming from a robot, something he didn't think should have been capable of actually emoting. This isn't just a box of bolts; somewhere past the glowing eyes was something equivalent to what he'd call a soul.

As his feet hit the ground, he immediately reaches up to straight out his shirt. He didn't understand what Prowl meant by 'spark' until now. ]

Better for who, big guy? Me or you?

[fun_police]

You'll just get in the way.

[In reality, he doesn't want to grow attached to someone that could just get easily kidnapped or killed one day. That does mean he appears to care, if its any consolation. But when one is in a cutthroat environment like this, it really is better to keep oneself aloof and distant. At least in his mind.]

[So don't mind the abrasiveness. It's really for what he considers to be the best.]

[tradecraftdude]

So, okay, better for you, then. That makes a lot of sense, that you'd ask me all about how to survive here because I know how this place works better than you do, and then as soon as I like, start helping you out, you tell me to get lost.

[ He folds his arms once he gets his shirt back into place. Here he is, trying to make nice with his first ever alien robot dude, and all he gets is grumping. Sheesh. ]

And by a lot of sense, I mean it doesn't actually make any sense at all! But whatever, I dunno how your metal buckethead works. So do you wanna know where to get fuel or not? It's friendly advice, not an invitation to dinner and movie! I already have a girlfriend anyway.

[fun_police]

[Excuse me sir, you started talking about how no one makes good cheeseburgers. That doesn't count as knowing how the station works in his book. Still, the little outburst does get a puzzled look out of him. Why isn't he leaving? He said to shoo.]

[Well. Consulting the map on the Omni-Tool would probably take more time then following him. So, begrudgingly, he accepts the offer.]

After that we will be parting ways.

canon-blind handwaving go

[tradecraftdude]

[ A smart lad never tips his hand for how much he knows. It is safer to play stupid. ]

Your wish is my command, dudebot.

[ With a satisfied nod, Marco leads the way to the nearest fuel station. Despite the fact that he's had absolutely no reason to visit one, he knows where one is because he's walked passed it a bajillion times and gets them there in the most direct route possible. It nominally serves small transport vehicles on the station, but Marco saunters up to the attendant as if he's about to order a soda. After a brief exchange, he procures a range of small fuel cells and battery packs, packed in a crate that was a little awkward for him to carry to Prowl. ]

Not bad for a hundred credits. Bottom's up?

[fun_police]

It's Prowl.

[No nicknames, please.]

[He watches from a distance as Marco approaches.. and actually purchases some fuel for him? As he comes back, the bot is rather wordless. He didn't ask for anything, and he'd told the kid he'd leave as soon as this was done. Did he think this was going to change what he said earlier?]

[Still, he reaches over to relieve Marco of the heavy crate and inspect it's contents. What the battery packs provided would barely be enough to be considered a snack. The fuel-cell canisters, on the other hand.. That appeared to be sufficient. He just needed more of it.]

Not quite. These will need to be synthesized into energon.

[tradecraftdude]

[ It was obvious that Marco had to buy the fuel for him. He had credits while Prowl didn't, and it seemed reasonable to partake in a pay-it-forward system for non-hostile newcomers. ]

Huh. Hopefully, you know how to do that on your own. If we have to pay someone else to do that, we're out of luck, 'cause that was all my pocket change for the week.

[ ....okay maybe he's not the best at managing his personal finances HE'S THIRTEEN. ]

[fun_police]

[.... Bear witness to the longest robot sigh ever.]

[Welp. Time to start up a tab. He's going to end up stuck with you against his will, isn't he?]

If you return the battery packs, it should be enough to buy some equipment.

[Math! He'd been browsing the market for that very reason, actually, so he has an idea of what he'll need.]

[tradecraftdude]

[ hey marco never ask to be repaid. except for how he's broke now so he's going to have to bum a quarter soon. ]

Okay, but I'm not going to be able to show my face down here for like a week at this rate. Go pick out something pretty for yourself and I'll be with you in a flash.

[ He sighs and runs off with the battery packs; it takes significantly more discussion with the baffled and annoyed merchant before he can return, but with not quite as much credits back in his account as what he paid for them to begin with. ]

Restocking fee my ass! I even put them back on the stupid shelf for him. Where's the BBB when you need them?