The Diego Diaries: Game! (dd8 453)

=0=Primal Box

"I hope that you note the skill that I bring to ignoring your psychosis. I, Prowl of Praxus do not see that you're wearing a giant taco costume thereby bringing shame and humiliation to your house." He stared at the game while declaring his independence, neither looking to the left or right. Inside, he wanted to guffaw to the heavens but he didn't because, Prowl.

Ratchet grinned at him as Prowl snarked like a priss. Prowl was a fraud. He was oozing battle lust even as he faked, rather poorly, nonchalance. It wouldn't take much to have him crack and then throw Ratchet over the side.

It was their little game.

Behind him there was a huge mix of laughter. The tut-tutting was missing because Ravel was doing it at another facility across the colony.

=0=In a cute little apartment-like room in a beautiful home-like facility at Central Point

"I tried my best. He's a flagrant exhibitionist and loves to prod at Prowl who is such a gentleman. They're good friends but grew up in different circumstances. Primus knows we did our best in our shortened condition but they're friends anyway. Prowl being the bond of the Prime, well, its just …"

Ravel tweeted onward with a slight low key burn of pride for his son's indifference to adulthood and sartorial flare hidden deep inside in the dungeon of his personal propriety.

Ratchet was his only child, after all.

Everyone else was too busy laughing and applauding loudly to add to the commentary.

=0=Up there

"Well, he finally showed up in his latest cheer gear," Jazz said around his guffaws. "I think I'll have tacos after this game."

"I can only imagine the demand this afternoon," Blaster said.

Revet was staring at the monitor with his arms crossed. He was grinning at Ratchet's audacity and the clear understanding that not only was he a typical Iacon nutjob, he was also getting Prowl's goat. "Nice tactic, Prowl, trying to ignore the lunacy. But you and I know that Ratchet will always triumph. Its his super power."

"No doubt," Jazz said.

=0=Game below

They lined up to go hard at it again. There was a lot of running around, bumping and knocking about until Raptor and a big mech from Simfur decided to halt the game with a haymaker exhibition. Back and forth they traded blows that would knock the foundations out of buildings, which at times both of them had to do. Everyone stopped where they were to watch.

Prime stood next to Ironhide and Sun watching Raptor laughing loudly give back as good as he got. The other mech was grinning at him, punching Raptor just as hard. Up and down the court they went trading blows and guffawing loudly. It was inspirational.

To the boys in Cell Block D.

Around the area …

-*The new soldier habitat

They watched the two behemoths trade blows with almost religious awe. Up and down the court they went, bouncing on their peds like athletes which they were, slamming each other with hard blows as well as deflecting and landing them with enormous skill. \

It was astonishing.

"We're supposed to defeat them alone," a female soldier said almost too softly to hear.

The others nodded.

"That would hurt," a soldier said.

Everyone nodded.

"I love this place," someone else said.

Everyone nodded.

-*E2

"Where's Barrett?" Willow asked as the cameras followed the two mechs and their slag fest which had turned the crowd into a carbon copy of the Roman Coliseum during a festival. "Can you see him?"

"There he is," Owen said as the cameras halted on the two fighting and highlighted the kids in the tunnel behind them.

-*Tunnel, there

The kids watched with fascination. The two battlers were across the floor from where they waited and there were three mechs moving closer to protect them. Each tunnel had mechs assigned to do this in case the game got out of hand. They were entranced as they huddled together.

Barrett huddled with them. He was in awe of them, these big mechs and almost inarticulate about how he felt being here.

It was awesome.

-*Up there

Prowl nearly leaned enough to fall over the balcony as he watched the two drift up and down the court. They were far enough from Optimus to make him feel better but the Taco beside him was cackling so loudly he wanted to punch him hard. He wouldn't. No, he, Prowl would defy his innate desires and walk out of this game with his dignity intact.

Maybe.

It continued onward.

-*In front of a tunnel with Pulley's team

Springer and Drift grinned as they critiqued the moves of both, the punches, their quality and quantity and how slagging glad they'd never have to be in a fight with either one.

Behind them, the kids watched with intensity. This might be part of their future careers as medics, Watchmen and femmes, and they were mentally taking notes for future reference. The cameras roved but landed on them lovingly before following the action. Some things were so cute they deserved airtime, fight be damned.

On road to conciliation …

They slagged hard, then halted. Both of them grinned at each other, booped fists, then walked back to their places in the game. Raptor guffawed, slammed his fists together, then raised them over his helm. He roared with delight and the crowd nearly lost its shit. The walls vibrated with their sound as he turned back to look at his grinning opponent, then bowed.

His opponent bowed himself, then the game began again. It was fast, furious and impactful.

Literally.

By the time Prime hit the wall and slid down it, Coros and his team were hoofing it out to help the Messiah of the People™ back to sentience. It would take a moment or two before The Team allowed that he'd been lucky, apparently the wall broke his fall and little else, and he was fit to return.

Infants patted him, 'helping' him as he rose to stand. Patting them back, he watched as they ripped back to their tunnel to the DELIGHT and APPROVAL of the crowd before joining the game again. He got two shots, put them through the hole, then halftime blared loudly with its sirens of doom.

Walking in their lines toward the tunnels, looking like gods and demons … cough … they made their way off court, patted kids along the way and headed for the locker rooms to relax and unbend things. The chat lines to Earth would open for the punters to talk to the commentator team up there and the highlight reel would run on the jumbotron.

So would Ratchet's latest ensemble.

It would receive rave reviews, Mexican food would soar after the game and all would be well.

Mostly.

=0=Inside the locker room

"Did you see Ratchet?" Delphi asked as he sat down on a bench.

"He's a giant taco," Smokey said with a chuckle. "A GIANT TACO!"

Everyone laughed then glanced at Ironhide.

"You're a slagging lucky slagger, Ironhide. First refusal when he comes to his senses and tosses ya," Hercy said.

Ironhide grinned. "Sure."

Huge laughter greeted that, then they got down to it as four little kids got them things. They were doing their coaching duty.

Brilliantly.

=0=Up there

"How many times do you intend to humiliate yourself?" Prowl asked as he grinned at Ratchet. He admired the detail. The big goofball looked delicious.

"How many games are left?" Ratchet asked. He glanced around the arena. "Look at all the great cheer gear."

"You can tell Iaconians. They're insane and it shows on them," Prowl sniffed.

"Prime is Iaconian," Ratchet said with his best giant smile.

Prowl flinched inwardly. "Shut up."

They both laughed, then shared a bucket of chocolate covered popcorn that Ratchet had his in his taco pouch, one covered in 'cheese'. It was delicious.

The popcorn. Not the cheese.

=0=E2

"I don't know why he didn't tell us. I'm a bit put out at him for not telling us, Clark," Willow Walters said. "I wonder if he told anyone."

Clark dialed his daughter. She answered. "Gina, are you watching the game?"

Gina who was sitting in a youth club down from the cafe glanced at the monitor where the game highlights were being shown. They just showed when Barrett and the bot kids were on the floor. "I am. What's Barrett doing?"

"I was asking you. Did Tyn know?" Clark asked.

Gina glanced at Tynsley. "Did you know about Barrett?"

"No," she said as she shook her head. "He just does what he wants."

"No, Dad. What's going on?" Gina asked.

"I don't know either but I'm sort of proud of him. Where are you two?" he asked, comforted once again that they were in a place they couldn't leave.

"At the club. Is dinner after the game?" Gina asked.

"It is. Meet us at 1500 and we'll eat dinner," Clark said, then they signed off. He sat back. "Barrett didn't tell anyone. He's sort of going his own way."

Willow stared at the screen then Clark. "Well, it is sort of a terrarium we have here. He's never been the same since that incident. I can't say I'm not pleased. His grades are good and he doesn't act the same. Maybe this is a good place for him. I don't know."

Clark sighed. "I hope so."

=0=In a tunnel

Coros with his girlfriend, Jessine, Pulley and the others gathered in a room near the medic station to 'debrief'. Among them was Barrett sitting on the floor next to Faun. Coros was leading the conversation getting impressions, observations and other data to 'improve their plans and response times. Its all about training at this stage'.

Sitting with them as an on-ground mentor for the game, Goldwing and Gullwing listened with great appreciation to the kids working through their process with precision. They were an asset at the hospital and he was aware that three of them were going to become full fledged doctors for their Watch role.

"You never know, Omi," one of them said to him.

You never did, he thought as he basked in the greatness of the group including a goggle eyed human kid who was really and truly enjoying being with them.

The time would fly to the second half.

=0=In the crowd

Ratchet waved and posed for pictures next to a frowning Prowl as catcalls reached him for requests. He smiled and posed, bringing forth familial catcalls and laughter in the box.

The food order arrived so everyone snacked and drank while they waited.

No one ate tacos.

=0=SIREN!

The teams jogged out of the tunnels to the howling wind of approval of the crowd. When the game recommenced it would be brutal. Mechs and femmes flew through the air, many were the fist fights and penalty throws.

Prime got into a brawl, Raptor egged him on, Hard Drive would slap his son on the butt for being a rabble-rouser, Raptor would hug his father off his peds, Magnus would be stoic and impressive as well as handsome and when he saw Ratchet out of the corner of his optics slightly boggled, Arcee would explain it to him later about Iacon fan fetishes, everyone would do their best and dinner would be had later at the Tower in the Sky.

When the siren sounded it would be an impressive Crater Comets 30 and the Simfur Templars 11.

=0=As an aside, some time later at E2

He burst into his family apartment, staring at the frozen tableau of about 30 people staring back at him including his siblings, all of whom were eating dinner together.

His mom arose. "Barrett, what's happening with you?" she asked as she felt relief fill her.

He stared at her, then grinned. "Everything, Mom. Just everything."

=0=TBC 6-9-2022

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad. :D:D:D

ESL

sartorial: (sar-tor-eee-ul) having to do with looking nice in clothes, to be a snappy dresser, someone who knows how to put together and wear clothes.

Get your goat: an expression meaning irritating someone to excess and making them react. If someone teases you to make you mad, then they're 'getting your goat'.

Haymaker: this is an expression meaning hitting someone with a blow that will lift them off their feet or put them down. You don't want to have this happen to you.

My, this is an old time expression fest. :D:D:D

conciliation: (kun-sil-eee-A-shun): The act of helping someone wind down their anger or emotions, helping someone to get it together.

Reconciliation: (reh-kun-sil-eee-A-shun): the final stages of conciliation when everyone is cool and calmed, things are ironed out and people can hug it out.

Or not. :D:D:D