The Diego Diaries: Ho-Ho-Hi (dd6 568)
=0=Delivering the goods
"How many more?" Partition asked as he mounted up.
Lancer hopped on behind him as Chromia and Maelstrom climbed on board their horses. They were riding with Ironhide, Sun and Blackjack. The trip through Sparkling Day had been hilarious …
"SANTA! YOU COMED TO ME, ORION!?" a shorty had bellowed with astonishment at the sight of Santa who looked just like his old dad sitting on a nice chair with a Santa hat on his helm. Behind him with their own hats, Sun and Blackjack watched and took videos of the kids as they came in.
Praxus stood next to Orion frozen in place, the look of astonishment on HIS face so complete it was fortunate for his protoform creators that it was still attached to his head. The other babies had stared at Ironhide with gaping expressions of wonder, then the entire lot of them charged him. They reached him, clambered around his peds, then were lead off with great resistance to their places again by the staff and teachers who were laughing as loudly as the adults and family who were there to watch and record this singular event.
They gathered into their lines again, then it was silent. Both sides stared at each other. Then Praxus walked slightly forward. "Santa?" he whispered almost delicately as he stared at Ironhide.
"THAT'S ME!" Ironhide said with a grin.
"Why you look like my atar?" Praxus asked as some of the other kids nodded.
The room nearly swooned from the sweetness as Praxus stared at Ironhide with rapturous optics. Nearby, Partition and Lancer stood by the box watching with incredible pleasure. Chromia was beside them with a delighted Maelstrom.
It was silent a moment, then Ironhide leaned closer to the babies. "That's because Santa Prime is one handsome mech," Ironhide replied to laughter and applause.
Praxus looked around, then stared at Ironhide again. He tentatively walked closer, then held out a baby servo. Ironhide leaned in to let the baby touch his face. He touched it gingerly, staring at Ironhide with intensity. "You look like my atar."
"Do I look like him that much?" Ironhide asked with delight.
Praxus stared at him a moment, then stepped slightly back. "No," he said as the room erupted in laughter.
Ironhide laughed. "Someone said the same thing to me, infant, once before but they changed their mind in the end. They said Ironhide was way better looking than me."
Huge laughter.
Praxus stared at him, then smiled brightly. He walked back to his line and stood behind Orion who grinned at him happily as he waited. Life was much less complicated for him than his little brother.
"Well, infants … did you work hard?"
"YES!"
"Did you get along? All of you with everyone?"
"YES!"
"Did you tell your genitors and family you love them every night before you go to sleepy bed?"
"YES!"
"Then it looks like presents are good to go," Ironhide said as Lancer handed him one while Blackjack and Sun read the list to whom they belonged to. Ironhide said the name and a little mech walked up, smiled enormously, took the gift, leaned against Ironhide's leg so he could be petted, then walked back with delight. One by one they came, then his own walked up as well.
Praxus smiled up at Ironhide who handed him a gold gift back. "Happy Christmas Surprise, Praxus."
"YOU KNOW MY NAME!?" he asked with genuine surprise.
Ironhide laughed. "I KNOW EVERYONE'S NAME!"
Praxus stared at him with awe, then walked back. More came, then the last one, Old Foghorn Leghorn himself was next. He sauntered up, the image of delight, then paused before Ironhide with a certain Superman debonair coolness. He gave a billion watt smile to Santa Ironhide.
Santa Ironhide smiled back, then gave him a blue gift bag.
Orion hugged it, then grinned. "I, Orion gived this to Ha-Ho. She my she. She not get this here. I gived this to her."
Ironhide felt his optics mist. "You're helping your sister?"
He nodded with a grin. "I, Orion doing for the she. She not get one. I getted her this one." He held up the bag. He stepped closer. "You know my she? You know Ha-Ho?"
Given that she was sleeping in his carry hold, that was an easy one. He grinned at his son. "I know her. She's going to be happy you're sharing. I bet your old pa will be, too."
"My atar good him. Him good she. Him goed to doing. I comed here to him but him doing. Just a workin'," Orion said conversationally as he leaned against Ironhide's leg. He patted the big ped next to him. "You got this like Atar. Him big thing, too."
Huge laughter greeted that as he hugged Ironhide's leg. Ironhide petted him, then watched as he walked back to the line with his bag. They waved, then walked out heading for their room. The family present would get them shortly and keep them until everyone went to Prime's house for dinner and a present. All was well, especially for Santa Ironhide …
They walked the horses from the sidewalk to the street near the carriage where the elders were climbing to go. "We're going to Sparkling Day #2, then Circle Prep base school in The City for a short stop in. After that we're done," Chromia said as the four began to follow the carriage back to Autobot City. It would be a slagging jolly ride all the way back.
So would the cab ride with the kids for Ratchet's elders as they left school to go to the house.
=0=Level 1's
They came in, Level 1 kids of Intermediate School who were just beginning the long intense program that pre-sub adult and sub adult kids entered before graduation. They were the largest group in the school and would take a while.
"Well, you made it. What took you so long?" Springer asked the first three lines who faced him.
They laughed loudly, then grinned at him.
"So I'm here to ho-ho-ho with you. When we call you, come up and get something from the colony that shows you how much you're loved," he said as he took a gift. He called the names and the kids came, then finally Rambler and the big kids showed up with their classes.
"Rambler of the House of Prime?" Springer said as the sweet white and red mech walked to him. "I think it might be something for a train set," he stage whispered to the little mech.
He laughed. "That's so great. My atar and I have a great train set up. You can see it tonight, Springer."
"I plan to," Springer said with a grin.
Rambler walked back, then a procession of dread and titan kids walked up, got a present and a bit of razzing before rejoining their line. When they were all served, that group left and was replaced by more. It would take a while to greet all the Level 1's in the school. Then they would have to go to the other Intermediate Day School just opened, several floors of it, to meet the growing influx of refugee kids.
It would be great fun.
=0=Small religious group who home school in their building
"Rap, rap, rap."
The door opened slowly as a femme peered out fearfully. She stared at Turbine for a moment, then closed the door again. There was a soft conversation behind it, then the door opened again. Three nervous adults greeted him, bowing before him, then he walked in with his bag and a grin. With Turbine was Delphi who cut across town to join him when it was clear that he could be more helpful here.
Inside the room, a number of anxious adults and small solemn faced children watched the pair. The elders were sitting but they stood and bowed to Turbine. "Welcome, Maker. We are honored to have you here."
"I am honored to come. I've brought gifts for everyone, a moment of cheer for you on this, a holiday for families," Turbine said. "Why don't we sit down and have a moment of celebration?" he asked gently.
They did, waiting until Turbine and Delphi were seated before sitting themselves. They stared at the two silently a moment, then Turbine grinned. "I'm aware that its been hard to adjust to freedom and safety. I would like to offer my help to make your transition as happy and gentle as possible."
"We … its been hard. We were in bondage so long before we could escape," a big mech said. "It's going to take time to get better."
"Do you have Home Health Care and the Processor Outreach teams come?" Delphi asked gently.
They stared at him, then each other. "We … we can," an elder femme said. "There is no stigma to doing that," she said as she looked at the others. "We can do that."
"It will help you. I don't know if you want to keep your little school running or send them to the Temple. We have a small school there for religious children who've had tough times like this. We work with the School District for the religious children to meet all the needs of our students. I can help you get them placed there. We can work out your needs and meet them as well," Turbine said. "I sit on the Temple Board."
They stared at him, then held a conversation off line. The elder femme nodded. "We didn't know that. It might be the best way forward for our children. They had a terrible time. Maybe in the Temple, being there around the relics will help them. Maybe it will help all of us."
"I agree," Turbine said as he glanced at eleven small shy children clinging to their family members. He grinned. "I have gifts for you from the Prime himself."
The adults stared at him, then glanced at the elders. They nodded.
Turbine set the bag on the ground. "I think I might need help here."
The kids stared at him, the bag, then him again. One of them, a small mech with a sweet face and haunted optics edged slightly closer, then peered into the bag. "If you pull them out, the names for who get them are on the tags. I sort of hurt my servo. Maybe you infants can help an old mech out."
The kids stood up straighter, glanced at each other, then him. Cautiously, they walked forward, then peered inside. Gasping with surprise and delight, they stared at Turbine and Delphi. Then they grinned. Reaching inside, they pulled out beautiful bagged gifts, then began to show them to the adults. When they were finished, the children would be sitting on the floor playing with new toys and the elders would have candy and cakes in their own.
By the time Delphi and Turbine left to go onward they would have eleven new students for the Temple School and nearly two dozen adults who would be in counseling there also every orn for the foreseeable future.
Win-win.
Merry Christmas Surprise.
=0= 1-12-19 edited 1-22-19
ESL:
Razzing: teasing. If you razz someone you're teasing them. The teasing itself is razzing. It's not mean and is usually funny. American slag for teasing. :D
stage whisper: to pretend to whisper but to do it loudly so that people can hear while pretending that you don't want them to hear. :D
DreamChaser99 chapter 151 . 23h ago
Just so you known this chapter is 251 and jumps far ahead. And the name for Ratchet and Ironhide's new baby is so cute!
ME Thanks for the tip off! I wondered where that one went. I mixed it up with one in another book. Will fix. :D I like off beat off the trail names that have some kind of meaning to the story in a more subtle way. Thank you, darling!
leoness chapter 567 . Jan 11
aw, the tiny elders made me tear up. darn it, ya got me again.
your story about how cold it is where you are reminded me of today's amusement, as i outed myself as a northern transplant to south carolina, wearing a light jacket in sunny 30 degree weather while those around are bundled in coats, hats, gloves and scarves...
ME Heh-heh-heh … I love mixing the mood. I also like to show that not all that is glitter is gold. (*cough*) Showing the cost of what happened to them is important to me. I don't think even them can walk through this without feeling it and the most vulnerable the most. Nothing like someone's tiny grammy and grampy to drive home the point. :D
I love it when someone comes here and its 30-40 our and I'm wearing shorts and sleeveless and they're bundled. It makes me laugh. That is is does until my hands crack! LOL! You show them, Northern Tier Sister! HUGS!
Leoness chapter 565 . Jan 8
Speaking as the person who somehow (cough type a personality cough) wound up in charge of office parties, the amount of effort the bots and humans put into parties on Mars is astounding.
ME Gah. You and me both. Having debutantes pursuing inter habitat rivalries and being so far away sort of drives them. Having 17,000 over for a dance would kill me. LOL! HUGS!