Jazz skipped along the sidewalk of Iacon City, holding his femme creator's hand. She was taking him to a youngling day care, like she'd been doing for the past orn. Jazz didn't like the idea at first, and argued all the way that he was too old to be watched over like a sparkling. Though Jazz was young, his femme creator had to admit, one of his excuses actually made sense. On one particular day while Jazz was being dragged to the day care center, Jazz made a very convincing argument that he was being left with strangers for the whole day. Jazz's mother had to give her youngling credit for cleverness. But she knew most of the femme caretakers there and trusted them all. So she continued to take Jazz.
After an orn, Jazz's mother was glad to see that Jazz actually seemed happy to be going to the day care. She assumed Jazz made a new friend at day care, or found something there he was interested in. But she soon learned that wasn't the case. When they stood at the doorway to the day care center, Jazz suddenly let go of his femme creator's hand and ran through the slide doors.
"Jazz? What are you up to?" His femme creator laughed. She entered through the doors after her silver youngling. Surprisingly, Jazz was no where to be found. The lobby was empty except for a couple femmes exchanging datapads. Then Jazz came running through the play room door, into the lobby, and wrapped his arms around his mother's leg.
"How was your day, Mama? Ah missed ya sooooo much!" Jazz hummed. His smile was growing bigger than his face plate. Jazz's femme creator sighed. 'So that was your plan.' she thought.
"I haven't left yet, Jazz." She knelt down in front of Jazz and held his shoulders. "You still have to stay here, and I still have to work." She tried to hide a sad smile when she mentioned her work.
"I wanna go with ya. Ah could be 'n Autobot too." Jazz whined. Jazz's femme creator stood up and patted him on his head.
"You'll make a great Autobot someday. Just not now. You're still growing little one. One day you'll get to wear this." She smiled, pointing at the red Autobot insignia on her chest plate. Jazz smiled back, when he got an idea.
"We could be partners!" He exclaimed. His femme creator giggled.
"We'll see." Jazz and his mother noticed the play room's door had opened again. Standing in the door way, was a mint green femme. She motioned for Jazz to come back in with the other younglings. Jazz's mother smiled at her and then gave her attention to Jazz again. She spoke in a rush. "Okay sweetspark. I'll pick you up the same time as usual. Be good while I'm gone. And try to make some friends today." Jazz pouted at that last part, but nodded anyway. He turned around and let his femme creator leave again. As he walked into the play room, he dragged his peds, and hung his head low. 'Sure I'll make friends.' Jazz thought sarcastically. 'No one likes me here anyway. How hard can it be?'
The play room was overcrowded and way too loud for Jazz as usual. If he'd been with his old friends, he'd probably be the loudest youngling of them all, and he'd be having a great time playing with the other younglings. But he felt shy around all of the new faces, and wanted his old friends back. So he didn't bother trying to make new friends. He went outside where it was quieter, and he made it out quickly so no caretakers would make him go play Glitch Mouse and Cybercat with the others. Jazz walked aimlessly around the playground. Toys were scattered everywhere. Jazz felt like he was tip-toeing through a scrap yard. Jazz picked up a light up bouncy ball. He threw it at the day care center's wall. But the ball only plummeted on the ground a short distance away from the wall. Jazz squinted through his visor and decided he should get closer. The next time he threw the ball at the wall, it bounced back like he had planned. Unfortunately, Jazz couldn't see well enough to dodge the ball as it bounced into his face. He stumbled back and gave a startled yelp. 'Stupid optics.' Jazz thought. Out of frustration, Jazz threw the ball again in a random direction. He was surprised when he heard a pained shriek come from his right.
"You okay over there?" Jazz hollered immediately. He couldn't see who the ball hit, but he trusted his instincts, and started running in the general direction he heard the voice. Soon he could see the shape of a youngling crouched over and leaning up against the building. He was rubbing his helm. Jazz knelt beside him, and immediately started apologizing. "Sorry! Ah didn' see ya there! Are ya hurt?" The other youngling continued to rub his head.
"A little." He groaned. "What were you doing with that ball, anyway?"
"I'm just tryin' to do somethin' to pass time. I didn' mean to hit you, really!" Jazz continued extending his apology.
"That's okay. Hey, can you do me a favor? Carry me inside, please?" Jazz couldn't believe his audio receptors. 'Carry you?'
"What now?" Jazz asked in surprise. "Why don'tcha walk in there yourself?"
"I can't walk." the youngling said quietly. Jazz curiously felt down towards the youngling's legs. "Go ahead. I can't feel it." the youngling added. Jazz nodded and felt the youngling's ankle. He moved it a bit and couldn't believe how loose it was. Jazz could almost twist the youngling's ankle two hundred and seventy degrees in both directions. He was amazed that it didn't cause the youngling any pain. Jazz concluded that he wasn't fibbing when he said he couldn't walk. So Jazz smiled at the youngling and put his ankle back into place.
"Alright. I'll help ya out. B'sides, I owe ya. Sorry again for hittin' ya with the ball." Jazz said as he stood up.
"No problem." the youngling said. Jazz squatted down in front of the youngling with his back to him. The youngling leaned as far forward as he could, and Jazz reached back and helped the youngling up his back. As soon as he had a grip on Jazz's neck and shoulders, Jazz stood up, and leaned forward. Once the youngling was situated right on Jazz's back, Jazz started back inside the day care center. When the youngling's arms were wrapped around Jazz's neck, he was close enough for Jazz to take in the details. Jazz noticed that the youngling was spark blue with a white stripe running down one arm.
"Can ah ask for yo designation?" Jazz asked, while staying close to the guiding wall.
"I'm Bluenote." the youngling said into Jazz's audio receptor.
"That's a cool name. Call me Jazz."
"Thanks. I like yours too." Jazz grinned at the enthusiasm and energy radiating from Bluenote's voice. 'Shame ya can't run around w' the rest of us.' Jazz thought. Jazz carefully nudged up against the door to make sure it was there. (He didn't want to look glitched in the processor, by reaching out for nothing.) Jazz tapped on the doors for them to slide open. While he tapped on the doors, he had to have one hand free from holding Bluenote. Bluenote panicked and constricted his arms around Jazz's neck.
"Easy, easy! I'm not gonna let'cha fall." Jazz gasped. The doors opened and Jazz put his hand back behind his back. Bluenote relaxed. Jazz smirked. 'Good grip.' He had to admit. As soon as they stepped inside, Jazz's audio receptors were overpowered with noise and his optics were working double time to focus of so many moving objects. He grimaced.
"What's wrong?" Bluenote asked.
"Ah can't see very well. My visor helps, but not much. Mind if we go somewhere less crowded?" Jazz explained.
"Sure! Just off to your left there's a door that goes to my secret hide out." Bluenote chirped.
"An' you'd show me this secret hide out?" Jazz asked suspiciously.
"Nah. Then it wouldn't be a secret." Bluenote teased. Jazz laughed.
"C'mon Bluenote! Ahm carryin' ya, fo Primus sake." Jazz shook Bluenote a little on his back.
"Okay, okay. But ya gotta promise not to tell anyone. If my creators found out what I've been doing, they'd overload! They don't let me do anything fun because they're always worried about me getting broken." Bluenote whined.
"No problem. Yo secret's safe w' me. Ya won' ever get broken while ahm around anyway." Jazz promised. Little did the younglings know how much that promise would affect them in the future.
