thisavrou | audio;

Entry tags:

tron: rinzler (crau)

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[No video this time, and Ratchet's voice sounds a little ragged over the feed.]

Public service announcement--if anyone knows, or knows of, the Cybertronian called Tarn, you might have heard about his ability to damage or even kill others with his voice. This is no longer an issue.

[He declines to give anything even vaguely resembling a detailed explanation as to why. He's also well aware that Tarn might be listening, but does not appear to care in the slightest.]

I don't know if it ever worked on organics, mostly because testing it might have involved the subjects being very dead even if Tarn had agreed, but I'd ask any engineers to kindly refrain from repairing his damaged vocalizer in the meantime. He can still communicate, it's not completely busted. If you feel like fixing any of his other injuries, fine, it's your funeral, but he's already committed murder once on this ship and the fewer weapons he has, the better.

...just wanted to let people know there's one less thing to worry about. It's not news we hear often around here, I'm finding.

Ratchet out.

(OOC: posted shortly after this)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A bit?

[Drift just sighs, taking a moment to calm himself down before he says anything else.]

I'm coming over.

Yeah, all right.

[And that would be Drift hangin on up. He gives himself a few minutes to chill before heading over, knocking before strolling his ass in.]

I still think you're out of your mind.

If you'll notice, I'm not exactly arguing with you.

[Ratchet sounds nettled as he limps back away from the door, his lips pressed into a thin line.]

What do you want from me?

I want you to sit down and take it easy.

[He holds a hand up hoping to cut Ratchet off before he has a chance to reply.]

And I want to apologize for snapping at you.

[Ratchet huffs and flops--carefully!--into a chair, shaking his helm and touching light clawtips to his shattered windscreen.]

Don't bother, I know I deserved it. I don't regret what I did, but I'm not stupid enough to think I shouldn't be yelled at over it.

I think I've done enough yelling. Any more isn't going to change what's already happened.

[Drift strolls his ass right on over and stands in front of Ratchet, pausing for a moment and biting at his lip while he decides what he wants to say next.

Actually he kind of stands there staring for probably a little too long and it might be awkwardish but hey.]

You defended my honor, and for that I thank you. That said, don't ever do anything like that again.

Oh please.

[Ratchet attempts to wave this off, looking awkward himself now.]

It wasn't about your honor or anything like that--you've been spending too much time with Wing. He just. [He looks briefly troubled, struggling to articulate what had made him so furiously angry despite how frightened he'd been.] He doesn't have any right to call you that. He has no right to rub that in anyone's face, not with what he is. He wasn't exactly sparked with the name 'Tarn,' obviously--the idiot isn't even from Tarn, for goodness' sake.

[He raises a claw to rub the bridge of his nose, a familiar gesture, almost identical to when he had hands.]

It just... bothered me. And, anyway, I wasn't going to let him undo all the hard work I'd just finished on Riptide regardless of how annoyed I was about anything else.

[This probably isn't something that Drift should be smiling at, but he can't really help himself.]

At the risk of sounding like a complete suck up, you're positively incredible. We are truly blessed to have you with us.

[He half means it and half is just saying it because he knows it'll annoy Ratchet, but shh.]

[Ratchet makes an outraged little noise and reaches up to plant one splayed claw against Drift's face and shove gently, but he doesn't bother to put enough effort into it to actually get up. He huffs and sinks back after a moment.]

It was dumb, not incredible, but it badly needed doing, so. [He half-shrugs.] I did it. Nothing more impressive or exciting than that.

[Drift snorts and just lets it happen. Yeah he deserved that.]

Oh, it was incredibly dumb, but the fact remains that you successfully defended your patient from the actual most terrifying person in the universe.

Mmmm.

[Ratchet settles back, looking thoughtful now.]

You know, I don't think he is. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's dangerous and that's frightening, but he wears this image he's built around himself like armor and it isn't actually made of anything. He's petty and lonely and angry with everyone but himself, and it would be sad if he wasn't so set on taking it out on everyone around him and making their lives just as miserable as his.

[He looks up at Drift, tilting his helm a little.]

I used to be just as frightened of Megatron, did you know that? I mean, terrified. But now... I don't know. He and Tarn, they're just--just people. No less, no more. People, I can deal with.

[Drift listens, frowning slightly while he thinks it all over. He ends up shifting to sit down on the floor in front of Ratchet, apparently having decided that he's totally going to hang out and chat for a while because this is getting Deep bro.]

See, I don't... know how I feel about all this. About any of this. I can't bring myself to feel pity for him, but at the same time I can understand for the most part why he is the way he is. Hell, I still don't know how I feel about Megatron yet, but at the very least he's shown a willingness to learn from his mistakes. With Tarn, I just don't see that happening, and I don't see anyone being willing try to help him change that.

...Except for Wing. He absolutely would, but if he tries to go anywhere near Tarn, I'll break his legs.

[That surprises a short, genuine laugh out of Ratchet and he grins, shaking his head.]

Oh, I don't pity him. I think he's vile and cowardly and selfish, and that he doesn't know how to change even if he wanted to. But he's still a person, not a force of nature, and I refuse to give him the satisfaction of being frightened of him, end of story.

[HAH he got Ratchet to laugh that counts as a win. Drift grins right back at him.]

Well said. I'm just hoping that after his last run in with you, he's decided to keep himself out of trouble.

It'd be a nice break, let me tell you.

[Ratchet sighs and sags back a little farther, his remaining optic dimming.]

Now I just have to wait to get chewed out by Magnus and I'll be done with all my dressings-down for this little escapade, hopefully.

Want me to stick around for moral support? I'm sure you don't need it, but I can always stand behind him and make faces or something. Might make it more entertaining at least.

I'll handle it. I know it's what I deserve.

Well, I don't know that you deserve a Magnus lecture. It's not like you don't know better.

I still did definitely get into a bare-knuckled fight with Tarn in the middle of the medical bay.

[Ratchet stops, looking down at his claws for a moment, running the tip of one down the edge of another in a slow, thoughtful motion.]

He'll tell me off because he's worried. ...same as you did. [He tilts a small, almost hesitant half-smile up at Drift.] I can take it.

You got into a bare-knuckled fight with Tarn in the middle of the medical bay and won. Don't forget that part.

[He reaches up and thumps Ratchet gently on the knee.]

How did you manage that, by the way?

Well, I've been dosing him with a chemosedative for the past several months, that might have had something to do with it.

[Ratchet shakes his head.]

Other than that, he was angry, and stupid, and I was too scared to afford to make any mistakes. Knowing what buttons to press to make him angrier and stupider helped.

Huh. I did not know this. I mean either way, you're a force to be reckoned with.

[Ratchet makes a rude sound.]

It's actual Fool's Energon, or whatever the hell you want to call it, not the face slag I'd been 'dosing' Megatron with. He was put on it after he killed Riptide, it was one of the conditions of him ever being let out of the brig ever again.

I'm honestly shocked that the captains let him stay here at all after that. You'd think that murdering someone would be enough to get him booted, I really don't get how things work around here.

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