The Diego Diaries: Home Time (dd7 120)
=0=Up there
He played the piano working through his exercises for Amma Alor and the school music instructor. He was playing a lot of instruments now having been taken under the wing of Amma Scout and Appa Trooper. He loved it. It also enhanced his mathematical reasoning and scientific abilities. He was flying through school and loving every minute of it.
Rambler concluded, then shut everything down. He unplugged his headphones, worn so that he could hear the music he played and allow others doing other things to continue without listening as well. He got down from the bench, then walked over to Optimus. Climbing up in his chair, he lay back against his father's broad chest. "What's on the teevee, Atar?"
"I am watching a documentary about farming in early human history at a place called Mesopotamia," Prime said as he hugged his son closer to himself. "It is rather fascinating. The more I learn about our allies, the better it is for all of us."
Rambler nodded as he watched the huge screen with his father. "I like those big animals."
"Those are buffaloes of some kind," Prime replied. He grinned slightly. "I like them, too."
A gaggle of infants ran into the room, laughed hysterically as they chased around one of the coffee tables, then ran for the hallway again.
Rambler watched them, then grinned. "They're so cute."
"They are," Optimus said. He leaned down and kissed Rambler on the top of his helm. "So are you."
Rambler grinned, then glanced upward at Prime. He settled in more as the two watched the program.
Sitting nearby catching up on their Books of Life, a Praxian custom that was 'required doing' among the high caste set of a certain persuasion in Praxus, Prowl was working away at the dinner table. He was nearly complete as he added more photos and a few art pieces to Solus's book.
She was excelling at school in various things and was bringing home creations she had made for both of them. A lot of their artwork was hanging on the children's berth room bulletin boards as well as the fridge. Prowl even had some in his office as did Optimus. It would shock Earth how much alike some things were here to what they knew there.
Infants ran out again and chased around the dining room table laughing madly as they did. Solus and Sojourner were being chased by Miracle. Lying on a blanket looking at light from the fire place play across the ceiling, Possibility was content. He was a bit of a way from being able to keep up with them so the light show was good enough.
"ADA!"
"What?" Prowl said as he peeked under the table. All of them were there and they howled. He grinned. "What, Sojie?"
"We can have cookies?" she asked almost 'breathless' with happiness.
"Can you have cookies?" Prowl corrected.
"We can have cookies?" she asked again as the others nodded in agreement with smiles.
Prowl grinned at them. "Say, 'can we have cookies?', Sojie."
Sojourner stared at him, then grinned. "We can have cookies?" she asked stressing the sound of the statement she had turned into a question.
Prowl grinned, then glanced at Rambler and Optimus who were watching the latest attempt by Prowl to get his daughter to ask questions properly. They both grinned.
"Ada?" Optimus asked.
Prowl looked at him with a slight smirk. "What?" he asked.
"We can have cookies, too?" Optimus asked.
Rambler laughed. The infants didn't laugh because they didn't have a clue but they smiled brilliantly. Prowl smirked. Hard.
Rising, he glanced down at the babies under the table then the two on the chair. "Sure. Sojie?"
"WHAT, ADA!?" she asked in breathless excitement.
"Go get T-Bar and Spirit. Then we can all have cookies," Prowl said.
"I WILL!" She turned around and bumped into Solus. "SOLUS! LET'S GET THEM!" she said, then began to run toward the hallway with Solus in tow.
It would take a while.
=-=Down there in The Bosom of Love™
"ADA!"
"What, Praxus?"
"Can I go to Owl's?"
"Nope."
[Silence]
[Puzzlement]
[Acceptance]
[Smile] "Okay." (Little infant runs toward the hallway and fun times with the imps in Hero's room)
"Little mech is a wonder. He takes disappointment well."
"He does, Ironhide. Sort of takes after you." [Grin}
"OH, HA-HA, RATCHET!" [Grin]
[Silence}
"Do you think there's any cake left from dinner?"
"In the fridge, Ironhide."
[Silence]
"Do you want some cake, too?"
"I do. You getting it?"
[Silence]
"Uh, I was hoping you would."
"I have a baby asleep on my chassis. How am I supposed to get you cake, Ironhide? You lazy aft slagger. Get up and get some. Bring me some, too. I have spoken."
[Big black mechanism rises with a smirk. Glances at bond with Halo who was dozing after running amok with the other imps right after dinner] "Halo is coming with me tomorrow. I saw that note. Frag the District."
"I'll remember that the next election. I'll run against you myself, Ironhide. You and me, mano-a-mechanico. I already have my campaign slogan made up."
[Big black hulk glances back at bond as he pulls giant box with half a Celebration cake inside. Takes a moment to savor the thing that he'd craved for millions of years of foxholes and starvation. His old ammas could make AMAZING versions of this just the way he liked it. Now if Old Mech- … he caught himself, then walked to the counter to put tire sized wedges on two plates] "What's your slagging slogan, slagger?"
Ratchet grinned at Ironhide as he admired his aft. "It's a good one. 'Vote for me, not the knot head'. How's that?"
Ironhide chuckled, then put the cake back into the fridge. "Sounds like a winner," he said as he got forks, then carried them back to the chairs. Handing one to Ratchet, he sat down and savored his own. "Love this cake."
"I sort of noticed. Your piece is bigger than mine," Ratchet said.
Ironhide glanced over to eyeball it, then grinned. "You noticed."
"I noticed, slagger," Ratchet replied. "Game tomorrow. What do you think? Do you slaggers need to have a practice?"
"We will. No one's to know," Ironhide said as Ratchet made a note to put a comment or two on Bullhorn, Bot Twit and the Autobot Underground later on the next orn.
It was a congenial group that ate their cake together. They would acquire infants as they came out to run and saw the plates.
=-=Elsewhere
On the trail to Bern, Drift and Springer plodded along with a few of the others in their group. "What do you think about football?"
Drift grinned. "I like watching it."
Springer snickered. "I do, too. This is going to be epic tomorrow with the basketball championship. Good thing football is back on. Weekend is going to be a drunken field day for us."
"Imagine the mini-cons. We better have the opening games planned every which way," Drift said as the call came in.
There was a bar fight in Retriarius between a gang of mini-cons touting Vos and another touting Uraya. It would be a gallop and a half to get there for the fun.
=-=In the Bosom™
"So then we get to go to the club and dance after we help you do the trick-or-treat with everyone," Genesis said as he sat on the couch chatting with the oldsters about the club party for Halloween and the next few orns. "The game tomorrow, Atar … what do you think?"
"A piece of cake," Ironhide said. He glanced at Ratchet. "Is there any more in there?"
"For their lunches tomorrow. They have to finish an astronomy project on Trypticon. Right?" Ratchet asked as he glanced at the three.
Three big handsome miniature versions of Metroplex nodded.
"Okay," Ratchet said. "I'll make most of it tonight, then we can stuff your lunch bags more tomorrow. When will you get back? In time for buses or what?"
"We're going to be getting home just after school's out. We thought we'd take a cab to Appa and Amma's house because you have to get things ready for the game. Do you need help?" Quasar asked.
"Nope," Ratchet said with a smile. "We've got it parted out. You can meet us there. Big families are a good thing."
The three grinned then nodded almost as one.
"I think so," Fireball said. He picked up Cousin who was sitting on the floor staring at him, tucking him into his lap where he began to purr contentedly.
Sunspot walked out with his data pad. "I got my story ready, Atar. Do you want to read it?"
"Sure," Ironhide said as he picked the infant up and sat him on his lap. He had Sunspot read it, they tweaked two things, then it was set. "Nice story."
"It was," Ratchet said. "Tomorrow is the game."
"I KNOW! I HAVE TWO TEAMS TO CHEER FOR!" Sunspot said with a dazzling smile.
"Speaking of cheer," Ironhide asked with a gimlet optic. "What madness have you got planned to shame everyone from here to the Rim?"
Ratchet smiled at him with a dazzler. "Why, Ironhide … I have a genius get up made just for this. I've saved it for the final game. I have a reputation as a Iaconian to protect and nurture. YEA! THESE TWO SERVOS … BLESSED BE THEM IN THE PURSUIT OF-"
"Madness?" Ironhide asked with a grin.
"Yep," Ratchet said. "Prowl has his girdle on too tightly. His primness is a burden. I'm going to lighten it with my winsome Iaconian ways."
"Winsome. That's you." Ironhide grinned. "Say what you will about Praxus … its not about being an exhibitionist."
"Too bad, so sad for you," Ratchet said with a smile as the kids laughed.
=-=Later that night
"The last one is in bed," Optimus said as he walked into the berth room suite. He walked to the berth then sat, moving to lay back and get comfortable.
Prowl who was shutting off the wash rack lights walked in, sat and lay back. He called down the lights and it was quiet.
"What do you think Ratchet's cheer gear is going to look like?"
Prime's words hung in the air like dark clouds. "Something intensely humiliating, I'm sure." Prowl frowned even as he craved to know what lower depths Ratchet could sink.
"For him or for you?" Optimus asked as he pulled Prowl closer.
Prowl rolled over and settled against Optimus, tracing his own name on the etchings that ran down Prime's arm that declared his bond with Prowl. "Both," Prowl said as he unsuccessfully suppressed a snicker.
=-=At a hoo-haw in Retriarius
The mini-cons were flying and so were bottles as they rushed in. From the sounds of the squeal it seemed like a couple of groups. There was no immediate information about the size of both sides when they were called. The situation was 'fluid'. The massive room seemed to boil with mini-cons.
"Frag," Springer said as he started to wade in.
A chair flew through the air with force and struck him full in the face. He staggered back, then dropped like a rock.
Drift who tried to catch him missed. Gripping Springer's arms, he dragged him out into the bar at this end of the business. It was worth their lives to be in the lounge, dance area and dining area at the moment. He settled Drift, then rose. "MEDIC!"
=-=Up there
He snored on. Ironhide snored on. The whole house snored on.
=-=At the scene
"I GOT HIM, DRIFT!" Partition said as he bent down over Springer with his med-kit.
Drift who was seething rushed forward to the door. It hadn't improved inside but rather seemed more violent now that security had arrived with even more backup coming. He moved forward to grab a pair fighting when someone behind him hit him with something hard. He staggered and tried to turn around. When he did, a broken seat bench hit him square in the face and down he went.
=-=Up there
Ratchet snoozed onward. Ironhide snoozed onward. Everyone in the house snoozed onward.
=-=At the scene
The fighting was intense. That is, it was until the sound of shots were heard. That's when the room began to stampede for safety anywhere they could find it.
=0=TBC 10-28-19