Chapter 25 - Girl Talk

(APOV)

Arcee transformed and stretched, looking over at the human femme.

::. Gonna go talk to her?.:: Ironhide asked cheerfully.

::. I believe so.:: Arcee replied musingly.

::. Good, outside the fight, a femme needs other femmes around.:: Ironhide rumbled rather sagely, especially seeing as he was generally the bot that had his pedes in his vocal processors most of the time. Arcee looked at him in mild, self-admitted shock.

::. Am I wrong?.:: Ironhide asked curiously.

::. No, and I'm not sure which surprises me more.:: Arcee sent back to the gruff old warrior fondly. Ironhide snorted in amusement. Her sister Chromia was still in the plotting stages of catching the bot's optics, she'd made an excellent choice, in Arcee's mind.

::. Can I make a suggestion?.:: Ironhide rumbled curiously.

::. Always, old friend.:: Arcee stated in surprise.

::. Kae don't really play subtle.:: Ironhide sent musingly, turning to look at the femme. Arcee couldn't help but smile.

::. Neither do I.:: Arcee smiled.

::. Bull.::

Arcee glanced over at the weapons master and giggled slightly. It had been a long time since she'd done that. Arcee calmly shifted into her bipedal mode, striding to Mikaela and looking down at her.

Mikaela looked back up curiously.

"Arcee?" she asked calmly.

"May I join you?" Arcee asked the tiny femme calmly.

"Welcome to," Mikaela stated with surprise in her voice, gesturing to the space around her. "May I continue stripping this servo in your presence?"

Okay that was a surprise.

"Of course!" Arcee stated in surprise. "Why would I not?"

"Just observing the differences between our races and cultures," Mikaela shrugged calmly. "Some humans, although not all, find it... disorienting, disrespectful when a person they are speaking with is not focusing on them during their discourse."

"Hmn," Arcee hummed, winding herself around a rather comfortable bench. "I suppose I can see where they are coming from, are..." she trailed off somewhat, not wishing to give offence. Mikaela's hands barely stilled as she turned to look at Arcee with a smile.

"I don't really assimilate subtleties very well," she stated calmly. "However our non-verbal vocalizations are generally the same, you're worried about giving offence, stop worrying about it, it takes a lot to offend me."

Arcee couldn't help but smile.

"I like you," she smiled at Mikaela. "You are an excellent fighter and plainspoken, both of which I treasure in a companion."

Mikaela grinned at her.

"So back to the question you were going to ask?" Mikaela asked curiously.

"Does your race have difficulty multi-tasking?" Arcee asked curiously. Mikaela pursed her lips slightly.

"Some of them?" she answered unsurely, her hands slowed slightly. "I mean, to multi-task is not an instinctual trait, it's learned. I can work and talk at the same time. Keep track of a few subjects at once. Others' abilities to do the same? My father taught me how, he's as proficient as I am, but others that I've worked with are completely useless at it."

"I wonder why," Arcee stated musingly.

"I'm only running one processor," Mikaela shrugged. Arcee jumped in shock.

"You're what?" she asked in shock.

"One processor," Mikaela stated calmly, tapping her head. "Haven't got room for a second, so we make do with what we have."

"Astonishing," Arcee murmured, shaking her head. "You fought, used momentum and gravity to your greatest advantage going beneath Ironhide and you made those calculations with a single processor?"

"No, I didn't make any calculations," Mikaela smiled. "Not consciously, at any rate. Sliding beneath Ironhide is trained into me to the point that I simply don't think about it. The rest was a hope and a prayer." Mikaela shot Arcee a guilty look. "Praying mostly that I'd use enough of a shot to change Ironhide's vectors without hurting him."

"You can't hurt us with those shots," Arcee snorted. "At best you'd make him overload, he'd likely appreciate it."

Mikaela stared at her.

"You know, overload, critical mass?" Arcee stated curiously, looking at her. "Does your species not reach a point of ultimate pleasure?"

"Oh!" Mikaela stated with a surprised look in her eyes. "We do, but generally when we speak of overloading, or critical mass it's in the context of causing damage."

"Ah," Arcee nodded. "Well now you know."

"Indeed," Mikaela nodded cheerfully. She snorted. "Thank you." she stated with a twinkle in her eyes that could only be called wicked.

"Hmn?" Arcee asked curiously.

"That, makes me feel so much better about shooting at Ironhide," Mikaela laughed. "Total contradictory in terms, feel good about shooting at Ironhide."

Arcee didn't bother to bite down the chuckle of amusement at that thought.

The two of them glanced at each other and burst out laughing. Chromia and Flare onlined and looked over at them curiously, transforming into bipedal form and striding over.

"We get to gossip with Mikaela now?" Chromia asked cheerfully.

"Kae," Mikaela stated calmly.

The three of them looked at her curiously.

"You are friends," Mikaela stated with a smile. "Mikaela is my given name, my friends call me Kae."

"We would be honoured to call you friend, Kae," Arcee smiled at her. Kae beamed at them. "And that being the case-"

"Got your eye on anyone yet?" Chromia asked mischievously.

"I..." Kae started, her eyes flicking to Optimus before she visibly restrained herself. "No, human rules on base, it's better if I present myself as the soldiers' little sister." she shrugged.

"Where's the fun in that?" Flareup pouted.

"I never said it was fun," Mikaela snorted. "Simply necessary for keeping the peace."

"But doesn't your species at least..." Arcee started, she broke herself off. That wasn't a topic humans seemed to be comfortable with.

"Get urges?" Kae asked with a low laugh, looking at her.

"I apologize, we know humans-" Arcee started.

"Are uncomfortable speaking about it?" Mikaela asked cheerfully. "Of course, most of them are. I'm not most of them."

The femmes grinned at her.

"Alright, so who do you have your eye on then?" Chromia asked with a small smirk. "Don't lie, your eyes flickered."

Mikaela snorted.

"You rat me out and I'll kick your assplates," she murmured conspiratorially.

The femmes leaned in with grins.

Mikaela turned and looked at Optimus again.

"I know I have absolutely no chance to catch his optic," she murmured. "But at the same point, it doesn't hurt to look does it?"

Arcee smiled indulgently at the tiny femme.

"I wouldn't say you have no chance," she murmured with a smile.

"Perhaps," Mikaela shrugged. "He is an... incredible person. But if experience has taught me anything, advances like that tend to strain friendships, and his is a friendship that I would sorely regret losing."

Arcee reached over and gently laid her hand on Kae's back, touched by the simple statement. She noted what she was doing and made to pull back.

"I apologize-" she started.

"For what? Touching me?" Mikaela asked softly. "You go right ahead, Arcee, if the truth is to be known? That is the only thing I find lacking in this place." she looked around at the hangar, the base. "The lack of touch."

"You are a sister," Chromia murmured with a smile, reaching out and laying her hand over Kae's.

"As such, you are welcome to join us," Arcee continued with a smile, gently rubbing the femme's back.

"Anytime girl," Flare added with a smile.

"Thank you," Mikaela smiled at them. It was a different smile, one of contented relief.

"Come for a drive?" Arcee asked with a grin. "We are due to make a patrol, after all."

Mikaela grinned at them and rose. She looked over at Ratchet.

Arcee started worriedly, the old medic was humming in memories.

And by the sound, very few of them happy.

"Ratch?" Kae called out quietly. The medic looked up distractedly. Kae frowned somewhat. "Are you alright?" she asked gently.

"Hmn? Oh, right, go eat or... something..." Ratchet muttered.

Mikaela frowned slightly and walked toward him, climbing his leg to get onto his work table. Ratchet looked at her neutrally.

"Don't do that," Mikaela stated gently.

"Do what?" Ratchet asked flatly.

"You've shut your emotions down, don't do that, it's bad for you," Mikaela scolded him gently. Ratchet stared at her, and Arcee synced her processors in relief when the suppressors cut out from Ratchet's systems.

"You are an excellent assistant," Ratchet stated neutrally, looking at Kae. "As such, you should not have to bother with my moods."

"Ratch, don't you dare shut your emotions down believing that I shouldn't have to deal with them," Mikaela stated sternly. "Whatever has happened in your life, whatever the memories you access. You have a right to your grumps, your laughter and your grief."

Mikaela smiled at him gently, then.

"Besides, if you start shutting your emotions down so I don't have to deal with them, it means I'm going to have to do the same, and I don't have the run protocol for automatic suppression. I'd have to do it consciously."

"The suppression of emotions is detrimental to both human and Auto-bots," Ratchet stated sternly, glaring at her. "You are to do no such thing!"

"Then neither are you," Mikaela shot back at him calmly. "If you're going to yell at me, do it. I'm tiny, I'm squishy, I am not fragile."

Ratchet stared at her incredulously for a moment before the look turned wry.

"Alright Kae," he rumbled gently, reaching out and touching her hair with a gentle finger. Mikaela smiled and hugged his finger for a moment before she climbed down from his workbench.

"Do you mind if I roll with Arcee, Chromia and Flare?" she asked gently.

"No, go ahead," Ratchet shrugged with a half-smile. "Don't forget to eat."

"When I get back," Kae laughed softly, gently patting his leg before she trotted to her corner, quickly getting into her riding armour.

Arcee quickly transformed with her sisters and shot Kae a wry look as she fired up her own, non-sentient bike.

"You wanted me to ride with you?" Kae asked curiously, looking at her.

::. How do you know that I'm looking at you like that?.:: Arcee asked curiously.

::. I dunno, I just do.:: Kae sent back on her radio ::. I thought you'd prefer to stay free to transform though.::

::. mmn, good point.:: Arcee nodded thoughtfully.

The four of them rolled out of the hangar together.

::. Where do you want me in formation?.:: Kae asked curiously.

::. Standard narrow formation.:: Arcee commanded calmly. Kae fell in behind Flare with a smile.

::. Initiating Femme channel.:: Chromia called out calmly.

Arcee felt the switch and smiled.

::. So why are you so certain you would have no chance with Prime?.:: she asked curiously.

::. You mean besides the fact that he's Prime?.:: Mikaela asked in amusement.

::. That makes no difference.:: Chromia snorted.

::. Okay true, how about the fact that I'm tiny and squishy, and he's enormous and gorgeous?.:: Kae stated with a laugh. ::. No, he is a dear and incredible friend, I have no desire to lose that.::

::. I still don't understand that.:: Flare stated calmly.

::. That's a major difference between our cultures, I suppose.:: Mikaela stated musingly ::. Humans for some reason, have a great deal of difficulty maintaining platonic friendships between males and females. Don't ask me why, because I frankly have no idea. The biological imperative maybe.::

::. The need to propagate your species? How does that destroy friendships?.:: Arcee asked curiously.

::. I was raised in a patriarchal society. Males tend to view their mate having other male companions as competition, they take care of their mate for the sake of the continuation of their specific genetics. It's decreasing, sort of, but evolution is difficult to argue with, even if Mico tweaked it a couple of times.::

::. Mico created you as well?.:: Chromia asked in a shocked tone.

::. She created all of us, in a sense.:: Mikaela stated in a musing tone ::. Although more, she created the Cybertronian race directly, my race was slowly getting out of the trees when she arrived. She... helped our minds, the human brain to become greater, I suppose.::

::. Then we are sister races.:: Flare stated in surprise.

::. I suppose, your race is still cooler though.:: Mikaela snorted.

::. What do you mean?.:: Arcee asked with a laugh.

::. Well, I'll live approximately one vorn, as will my potential children, and their children. By comparison, you're practically eternal. You'll die when you choose to. I haven't got any choice in the matter, at best I'll live a vorn and die, because my body will be incapable of sufficiently repairing itself.::

::. So we live longer.:: Chromia snorted does that make us cooler?.::

::. How does it not?.:: Mikaela laughed ::. You have a far longer time to live, see the universe, meet people, fall in love...:: she trailed off softly.

::. Kae?.:: Flareup asked with gentle curiosity.

::. At the end of a human's life, very few of us say that we have lived a long life.:: Mikaela stated quietly ::. We look back at what we did, what we didn't do, and tell our children to do as much as they can, because our eighty years on this planet is far shorter than we can comprehend at a young age.::

::. That's one of the reasons you want Optimus to take you to Cybertron, isn't it?.:: Arcee asked softly.

::. Even though I will never see Cybertron, never walk upon her surface, I will be there.:: Mikaela stated with quiet dignity.

Arcee pulled up into the lookout and transformed with her sisters as Kae parked. She reached over and picked the tiny femme up.

"There's nothing that any of us can say that will change your mind, is there?" she asked gently. "Come ice tempest or Pitfire, Optimus will take you to Cybertron to heal our home."

Mikaela smiled somewhat.

"Well, one can hope, there's always the chance that he'll just have me live my life out, because once I die Mico will transform or pass to another form. If she knows that my remains will be taken to Cybertron, then she'll stay with them. Otherwise her wisdom and knowledge will pass to another." Mikaela stated calmly. The four of them looked at the water crashing against the shore.

"This planet is so very beautiful, in it's own way," Flareup stated quietly.

"She is," Mikaela murmured.

They stood in silence for some time.

"I still think you should hold up some hope of catching his optic," Chromia stated calmly, looking at Kae.

"But even if I were successful, Chromia," Kae stated flatly. "He would have a lover for a vorn, less than a vorn and I would be dead. He's lost enough, a lover for a vorn..." she trailed off bitterly. "I can't do that to him."

A small flash of pain tore at Arcee's spark. That was a harsh truth, Arcee held the tiny femme a bit closer. Kae looked up at her, and anyone could see the sharp pain in her eyes.

"No matter how much I adore him," she whispered in a choked voice.

The femmes gathered close to her, rocking somewhat. Arcee looked at the tiny femme closely, and felt her spark harden somewhat in resolve.

She would change, if she felt so strongly for the Prime, she would change, become one of their number.

Anything less would be unworthy of her spark.

(CPOV)

Chromia sat, rather bored actually.

Ironhide was so blasted quiet. He didn't even snore...

Okay, that was something of a lie, she'd seen him snore once, she'd liked that sound.

But that had been a long time ago.

Scrap, he'd been her third, and admitting that she'd found a mate so early into her life would cause no end of ribbing.

Not only the third comments, no, those were simple to deal with, she'd say yes, third, of thousands. Simple as that. No, the ribbing would be of lost time.

Chromia grimaced slightly and leaned back against the hangar wall.

Bored.

Hey, there was something new.

Sort of.

Kae was walking slowly toward the hangar on silent feet. She spotted Chromia about the same time she was spotted. Kae nodded to her, and her feet suddenly began to make a soft sound. The courtesy of announced presence.

"Evening," she murmured softly. "Quiet night?"

"Too quiet," Chromia grumbled softly.

"Mmnph, agreed," Kae nodded, glaring at the compound for a moment. Chromia jumped slightly, looking down at her.

"How so?"

"I've never slept when there isn't a bit of noise, crickets, snoring, something," Kae sighed. "And while I'm not sleeping I'm laying in the dark and bored out of my skull."

Chromia chuckled, and Kae looked at her.

"Welcome to the club, we have badges," Chromia snorted.

Kae began giggling.

"Do you mind if I join you? Guaranteed Ratchet did all the oil changes on me so that I'll theoretically go back to sleep."

Chromia grinned and patted the ground beside herself.

"You looked pensive while I was walking, penny for your process?" Kae asked curiously, settling down on the ground.

Chromia pursed her lips somewhat, then cycled her processors.

"Just how open is your mind at the moment?" she asked pensively.

"Quite," Kae stated calmly. Chromia nodded.

"May I put something forward as..." Chromia frowned. She knew the word in Cybertronian, across several of the frequencies even, she hadn't found an adequate translation for it though. Scanning a language was one thing, speaking it instantaneously, in the correct context, with the right word for the word was quite another.

"A situation that will be mutually accepted as not being about you even though ninety percent of the time it is about the person speaking the situation?" Mikaela supplied blandly.

"Yes," Chromia snorted. "What is the word for it?"

"Hypothetical," Mikaela stated with a smile. "Have at."

Chromia nodded. An outside observer was always handy.

"Alright, so say a person found the one they knew was the one, but only on the third try," Chromia began calmly. "Person has gone on to make several conquests since, but the third was the one."

"Okay," Kae nodded. "Three questions in clarification?"

"Shoot," Chromia nodded.

"Does said one know that they are the one?"

"I... don't... think so?" Chromia murmured.

"Is said one available?"

"Yes," Chromia smirked.

"Did said one enjoy the time spent with the knowing one?"

"I believe so," Chromia murmured unsurely.

"Then the one that knows should definitely, carefully go after said one, if initial, then secondary advances are not rejected, have at." Kae nodded firmly.

Chromia nodded.

"Nice to hear it from someone else," she snorted softly. "Now how does said person deal with the ribbing of finding the one third try?"

"Hmn?" Mikaela asked curiously.

"The third?" Chromia looked down at her.

"How does it work on Cybertron?" Kae asked curiously.

"Well, we have our first, learn from them, a second less so, then the third, on and on making conquests," Chromia shrugged.

"Huh," Kae nodded. "Well that's cool."

"For your race?"

"Well the males are semi-secretly vaunted for their number of conquests, women are scorned for it most of the time." Kae shrugged. "Doesn't stop us, but point stands."

"Ugh, weird," Chromia grimaced.

"I know right?" Kae snorted. "So what's wrong with the third?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Chromia almost exploded. "I keep trying to find things that I don't like about him, and there were several, but the more I'm near him the more I find that those things are what I cherish the most!"

"That, is love," Kae murmured softly. Chrome smiled and looked down at Kae, and was shocked to see the femme's optics looking a million miles away. But there was such longing there, Chromia couldn't help but reach for her.

But the second she touched the tiny human, her eyes sharpened.

"What's wrong with love?" she demanded softly.

"What?" Chromia demanded. "What do you mean what's wrong with love!? It is what binds us, makes us whole!"

"Then what is wrong with loving the third?" Kae shot back at her.

"The ribbing!" Chromia exploded.

Kae turned and looked at her incredulously.

"Really? The ribbing!?" she demanded. She looked about ready to blow a capacitor, and it sure as the pit burned wasn't in anger.

"They aren't going to bother me about him being the third!" Chromia grumped. "All I say to that is yes, the third, of thousands. It's done right! No! Then they're going to rib me about lost time!"

Kae snorted.

"You know what I say to that?" she smirked. Chromia stared at her.

A comeback against lost time?

The potential!

"What?" she demanded with a broad grin.

"Assuming that by then they're bugging you about lost time with 'Hide? In your place, I would walk right up to him, wind around him as seductively to him as you can and say: 'Precisely why we're making up for lost time'."

Chromia sat.

A backup processor noted that Kae was looking up at her worriedly.

No time to stay shocked that the tiny femme had just blown her processors.

But. It. Was. Brilliant!

Talk about a way to make a point!

Chromia immediately synced her processors, leaned down and picked the tiny femme up, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"I. Am using that." she stated flatly.

Kae dangled in her hands, looking as flabbergasted as Chromia had been a moment ago. That look was actually priceless. Chromia memorized it to use on her later.

"I. Would pay to see that." Mikaela stated flatly.

Chromia grinned. Then noted Mikaela's position.

"Oh! Sorry," she stated with a worried frown, setting the femme down.

"No worries, one question?"

"Yeah?" Chromia stated worriedly.

"You just photographed me looking absolutely shocked a moment ago. Didn't you?"

"I did," Chromia nodded seriously, fighting a smirk.

"And you're going to use it to blackmail me at some point, aren't you." Kae stated, Chromia looked at her a bit more closely. She was fighting to not laugh.

"A-yeah," Chromia nodded. Smirking.

"You're a horrible person, you know that right?" Mikaela stated.

"But that's why you love me!" Chromia stated innocently.

Mikaela froze, staring at her.

"That. Is the best use of that line I have ever heard," she stated seriously.

They stared at each other for a moment and died laughing.

Chromia slowly wound down to a soft, cheerful chuckle while the femme beside her breathed somewhat more heavily.

"Learn something new every day," Mikaela finally sighed between giggles.

"What?" Chromia asked curiously.

"Girl talk is universal," Kae grinned, leaning against her side.

"And thank Primus for it," Chromia smirked.