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Chapter 10 : Plans
It is a bad plan that admits of no modification. ~ Publius Syrus
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When Nell woke up that morning, she didn't remember how she got in her bed. She knew very well that she was not a sleepwalker. She was expecting grass and maybe a bug or two, but not her bed. She stared at the rafters for a moment, before rolling over. She jumped when she found Prowl not far away. He looked at her, visor narrow. Ninja... she forgot about the ninja. Now that she remembered, the woman smiled sheepishly at him.
"Hi there." Nell said, blinking.
"Good morning, Nell." Prowl said, smiling faintly. "How did you recharge?"
"I did good... you?" This was strange. She wasn't used to someone being there in the morning.
"The same." He said quietly.
Nell sat up, looking at him with half open eyes. "Do you... recharge sitting up?"
"Yes, I do." He said, smiling at her.
"Is... that even remotely comfy?" The woman said, fluffing her hair.
He nodded. "It's as natural for me as sleeping laying down is for you."
The woman blinked, smiling. "Huh..." She placed her feet on the floor, blinking at him when he stood up. "...I need my coffee." The woman said, walking to the coffee machine. She picked up a tin, and pulled out a filter packet. "I need to buy more coffee. I'm running low. I'll handle it later." She turned the coffee maker on, it already gargling away. "This could take a f-"
There was a sudden loud song behind him, and Prowl turned slowly to look at a thin, green cellphone, vibrating on the night stand. "Are those... bagpipes?" He asked, visor wide. Nell laughed nervously, scooping up the phone. She flipped it open.
"Helenearth." The woman said. Prowl cocked his head with a whirring chirrup, earning a stifled giggle from Nell. She covered her mouth with her free hand, sitting on the bed. She lowered her hand and sighed, bitting he lower lip for a moment. "Hey, Phil." She said, biting back disdain. She rolled her amber eyes, looking at the ninja bot, pointing at her phone helplessly. "Yeah? What about it?"
Prowl stood still, then decided to sit. Nell spoke again a moment later, frustrated with the person on the phone.
"D- no. No, I told you this... no! Look I told you-...We have discussed this before, I said I didn't do Rodeos!" By now, Nell was yelling into her cell phone. Her voice seemed to get a little deeper as she yelled. Prowl cocked his head, whirring again. "And you think doing that will make me come out there sooner?" A pause. Nell crossed her legs, smirking. "That's better. Now... you know I don't do Rodeos. So, why not tell me why you're asking me for help, hmm?"
Prowl made a coughing sound, and Nell held up her free hand, index finger up. "Okay then. What's my pay for the day?" Prowl tried again, opening his mouth. Nell wiggled her finger, and made a face. "Dude, I can't by gas with that... You want me out there, or what?" Prowl got closer, and Nell held all of her fingers up. He frowned.
"Ne-" He tried.
She opened and closed her hand like a warning, giving a slightly annoyed grin."You gonna negotiate, or go out a hand short?" Nell said, licking her lips. A pause. "Oh really? Talk to me, then..." Nell frowned, blinking. "Uhuh... uhuh... I see... really? What's the catch?" She looked at the rafters, giving a quiet sigh. "Yeah... she bites, doesn't she? Thought so. What... a Mustang? Pff, what next, a zebra?" Her eyebrows raised. "Hmm, a Spanish Mustang. Not so far fetched, but she still bites."
"Nell, th-"
Nell, giving a faint glare and wide grin, closed the gap between the ninja bots face and her hand, letting her fingers rest over his mouth. "Gimme age, color, gender, temper..." Prowl froze. He wasn't used to such a close touch. He didn't like it, and he was tempted to pull back, but it might offend Nell. "Okay, okay, oh yeah? Ooh, challenge. Alright, deal." Suddenly, the hand was gone, and Nell hung up her phone. "Butt wipe." She grumbled under her breath. She set down the phone, and smirked at Prowl. "Sorry, but that guy gets real nasty if he hears other people talking on the phone."
"Uh... understood, Nell." Prowl said, standing. His faceplate was hot, and he hoped he wasn't blushing. "The, uh, the coffee is done." He mentioned, looking around.
"Whee..." Nell said, heading over to the coffee pot. She blinked, and poured into her large, dark blue mug. "This'll sound random..." She set the coffee pot back in the holder, and continued. "...but ...do I snore?" She blinked, and took a sip of her coffee. "Too hot.."
"I wouldn't say snore, Nell. It's... more of a buzzing, really." The ninja bot cocked his head, giving that same whirring chirrup. Nell giggled, turning a bit to hide her grin. "Alright, just what is so funny?" Prowl said, hands on his hips. The woman only giggled harder, setting down her coffee.
"That." She said, smiling widely.
He cocked his head again, making the sound again. "What?"
"That noise." She said, smiling. He frowned. "You can hear it, right?" If he couldn't hear his own sounds, she'd keel over right there.
"My... voice? Is... that what's so funny?" He asked, pointing to his mouth. He didn't sound funny to himself...
Nell blinked, waving her free hand. His voice was serious and deep, in pitch and feeling, but in no way was it funny. "No, no, your voice isn't what's making me laugh. It's this... sound you make when you cock your head." His face didn't change. Maybe she was hearing things. She tried again. "You...make this noise when you cock your head. Go on, cock it." She said, waving her hand at him to try it.
Prowl did as she said, and smiled faintly. He heard it that time. "Hmm, I hear it now." He cocked it the other way, visor shifting. "But I still don't see why my noises are funny."
"Well, it's just..." The woman smiled, fluffing her hair a bit. "You're so serious, and that sound is a funny sound to me..." She smiled a bit wider, looking around a bit. "It's... it's cute, really."
"As your buzzing is to me." He smirked at her.
"What?" She asked, mouth small.
"It's a funny sound to hear from you. It's a strange noise. It's the same as whirring is to you."
"So..." Nell cocked her head, giving him a strange, but not unhappy, look. "My buzzing... is cute?"
"Yes." Prowl smiled lopsidedly at the woman. "It's very cute."
Nell turned her back on him, trying to hide a blush. "Now... uh... about that phone call."
"Yes, that was... interesting." Interesting was an understatement.
Nell grabbed her coffee, sitting on the bed. "Well, the man who called me, Phil, he's hired me to train horses before. We actually met because he wanted me to train a bull for a rodeo a few years ago. Now, I don't do bulls, I do horses. But, anyway," She took a sip, and set it down. "Still too hot. Anyway, he thought he could get me out to the rodeo about an hour from here for a hundred bucks. He wants my help getting the broncos ready."
"That seems unfair." From the limited knowledge he had of human currency and labor, what Nell was being asked to do and the pay that was being offered seemed off by a lot.
"Yeah, not to brag, Prowl, but I'm damn good at my job. Phil knows that. I'm awful at math, as you know. Phil knows that, too. Now, I'm bad at math, but I'm not stupid." She smirked.
"Clearly. I've seen you work, Nell. You're an amazing trainer." He wasn't trying to flatter her, he was being honest. He was no good with flattery, be he giving it or receiving it.
Nell blushed again, coughing a bit. "Uh... thank you. So, after 'negotiating' with Mr. Happy..." She said, picking up her coffee again. "He told me about a filly he bought. About a year and a half old, Spanish Mustang, dappled black, spitfire temper. Said he can't train her, but he handles Cuban fighting bulls like they're puppies. You know what the real thing is?"
"...she bites?" He 'guessed'.
Nell giggled. "Bingo. He hates biters." Prowl smiled. "He's giving me the filly and two hundred bucks for my work. That's a steal. Spanish Mustangs are hard to come by in these times."
"Sounds like you'll have a busy day then." He mumbled.
"Yeah. It's not for another week, though."
Prowl's visor shifted. "...when?"
"Weekend after the upcoming one. Why? Interested in going?" She got the feeling she was forgetting something, but she wasn't sure what.
The dark bot whirred. "Nell, you're supposed to come out to the warehouse that weekend." Prowl said, frowning. He watched Nell's eyes go wide, face turning into a scowl.
"Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have answered the phone." She said, grumbling to herself. "See, this is what happens when I don't get my coffee."
"You had no idea that would happen when you answered." But Nell wasn't really paying attention.
"Aw, shit, what am I gonna do now?" Nell smacked herself on the forehead with a light smack, eyes closed. "Ugh... there any way I can visit in three weeks?" She muttered, cracking an eye at him. She seemed irritated with herself.
"We're flexible, but I think it should be sooner." Prowl said, visor going up a bit in the center. A stressed out Nell was not something he liked seeing.
"When? I get that you guys can adjust, but... um..." She wasn't sure what to say. There was no chance of Pat being able to watch her horses. Pat was a very busy person, and the woman was just thankful that she had zir as a friend. Prowl's mouth became a flat line.
"I can call Optimus and ask." He stood, hand to the side of his head. Nell blinked at the ninja bot, mouth crooked.
"Prowl, i-" The woman began, starting to stand up. Prowl moved his free hand to Nell's face, holding two fingers close to her mouth. She blinked, sighed, and sat down, half glaring at the smirking ninja. "Ninjas." She muttered, only for the fingers to get closer, just hovering near her top lip. She decided she'd shut it for now. She sure wasn't going to lighten up her glare, though. She'd let him figure out the time for himself.
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"Prime, this is Prowl."
Optimus awoke with a jolt, staring at the ceiling. The Prime shook his head a bit, trying to wake up. He groaned lowly, answering after a moment. "This is Prime. Ugh... What is it, Prowl?" He was still tired. Did Prowl know what time it was? Actually, he wasn't sure himself. He did know it was too early to be calling him.
"There has been a scheduling conflict with Nell. Would it be possible to have her at the warehouse this weekend instead of next?" Prowl said. He sounded like he was smiling.
"Uh..." He yawned, rolling on his side. "Yeah, sure..." He closed his optics, frowning. He heard a strange noise on the other side. That got his attention, optics open and confused. "Uh... Prowl... did you... did you just giggle?" That was weird.
The bot on the other end chuckled."No, that was Nell. She's... just being silly. Nothing to be concerned about."
Optimus blinked with a quiet beep. "Um... alright then. You're sure she's okay? "
"Yes, I am sure." The ninja bot said. He blinked again, and looked up the time. He grumbled.
"Prowl... do you know what time it is?" Optimus asked, mouth small. There was a pause.
"...not when I called... Sorry about that, Prime." He sounded somewhat embarrassed.
"...Nell woke you up, didn't she?"
"Actually, I woke her... I think."
Optimus yawned, silencing the other bot. "Know what? Just... just tell me later."
"Alright, Prowl out." The ninja bot cut the call.
The red and blue bot rolled his shoulders, moaning at the oncoming processor ache. He felt like someone was watching him, and he opened an optic to look at a very familiar techno-organic. "Sari? ...uh ...wh-what are you doing?"
She blinked at him, smiling at his confusion. Sari giggled sleepily at him. He was so cute when he was confused. "I was sleeping, big guy." She blinked. "...what the heck was that about, anyway?"
He blinked at her. "Nothing."
"...it sure didn't sound like 'nothing', big guy." She said, blinking at him. He smiled at the sleepy teen.
"Just go back to sleep, Sari. It's not important." He said, smiling at the disheveled looking techno-teen. Her hair was a mess of reddish fluff, ice blue eyes squinting. He was glad he didn't look any different when he woke up. Not if he could help it, anyway.
The girl rolled back over, mumbling at him. "Yeah... okay..." After a few seconds of wondering why Sari was on his recharge berth, Optimus fell back into recharge. The arm he wasn't lying on slid down to somewhat cover Sari, somewhat like a shield. The teen smiled in her sleep, scooting closer to her robotic friend. Sari really liked the warmth, but who wouldn't?
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Cole stared up at the empty rafters, unable to sleep. He was on a cot, in the yellow bot, Bumblebee's room. He wasn't too used to being so welcomed, especially by strangers. The fact that these strangers were robots and what seemed to be a half robot just confused him. He knew that Sarah was accepting of his homosexuality, but he had no idea how others would handle it. A homophobic robot seemed far fetched, but still... "...I gotta leave." His skin crawled. Cole didn't know why, but he didn't feel safe here anymore.
He rolled over, sliding onto the floor. He pulled on his shoes, ruffled his hair, and slipped out of the doorway. Now, he just had to find the exit, and he'd be home free. He just wished he could remember where it was.
A low, rumbling cough stopped him, and the young teen turned to see the red and white medical bot looking down at him. What was his name again? Hammer... Socket... Wrench... damn. He couldn't remember. He blinked, and lifted a hand to wave. "...Hi there." The bot's dark blue optics glowed in the darkness, seeming to narrow.
"You turn your aft around right now, youngling. I'm not letting you go without giving you at least a basic check over." The old medic frowned, arms crossed. " And you're not getting past this old bot. I've dealt with younglings before." He pointed back to Bumblebee's room, giving a warning glare. "Get a move on, kid. I ain't joking."
Cole, shrinking a little, turned around. So much for plan 'A'. At least he could think up a plan 'B'...and maybe a plan 'C' and 'D' while he was at it...
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Prowl looked down at Nell, frowning lopsidedly at her. "Why didn't you tell me it was five-thirty-four?" He asked.
Nell pointed at the fingers covering her mouth, eyebrow raised. He beeped, and pulled them away. "Those, for one." She said, smiling. She didn't think he'd do that to her. His fingers were warm, and felt like highly polished metal. "That was what I was trying to tell you."
"Ah." It was quiet for a while. Nell finished her coffee after a few minutes, and set the mug down by the coffee maker. She reached her hand out to pour more of the black substance, but changed her mind.
"So," The woman said, walking to her side table. "What now? Is there anything you need to do at the warehouse? Because-" She pulled her shirt over her head, back to the ninja bot. "-I'm pretty busy today. I need to work Lil some. She's fast enough to outrun Shylock, which is saying something, seeing that she has well over two hundred pounds on him." She grinned at his backside. "All muscle, of course." She took out a white and blue tie dye tank top, slipping it over her shoulders.
Prowl smiled. "Yes, Lil is a very fit creature." He thought about it. "I've never seen you work Lil before. I'd like to watch, if it's alright." The ninja bot would have looked at her when he said it, but he was fairly certain she didn't have a shirt on.
The woman grinned wide. "Well then, lets go." Nell said, climbing down the ladder. Prowl jumped off the loft, smiling at her as she walked to Lil's stall. She liked the fact that Prowl had interest in her work. It was more than she could say for some people. He liked horses, which made her happy. A robot who like horses and could handle her for more than three seconds was great in her book.
It was official. For Nell, ninjas were awesome.
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Whew, serious writers block in this chapter. Sorry for the wait!