ROTB Optimus Prime's Inbox

[incandescent_matrix]

"Let us not waste time better spent elsewhere. Leave your message and we will return to it."

voice | video | text | action

Comments

[incandescent_matrix]

[Hound is answered by a crack of Optimus' neck to one side, and then he blurs into motion. In a complex maneuver that looks far simpler than it truly is by ease of long practice, Optimus knocks Hound off balance by hooking one leg around Hound's, using the other autobot's larger size against him by yanking him forward and around so that Hound is already slamming into the floor before he has time to process that he'd been in the air at all. Optimus then bends down to peer at Hound with the beginnings of a smile quirking his lips]

If you insist.

[Straightening up, he steps directly on Hound's midsection and keeps right on going into the hab suite. He pulls up his wrist computer as he does, sorting through his to-do list for what needs repairing. He then pauses, and scoffs]

The door won't lock? Could've saved myself the trouble by doing it outside.

[Turning, he steps back on top of Hound and past him to examine the door lock mechanism]

[rootytootypointandshooty]

[he's cackling the second he goes down, popping back up quickly after optimus has gone past him.]

Well, god damn! Here I was always told you were some scientist in your youth, yet here before me is nothin' but a little fucker!

[this is said cheerfully, then he rubs his head.]

Yeah, kicked it a bit too hard. Sounded like somethin' came loose. Hey, you got any Autobots around here? You want one?

[jangles loyalty like a set of keys... not that he'd offer this if this little prime for ants didn't look so familiar. something deep in his coding is setting off his loyalty bells.]

audio, a truly indecent hour, un primetime

[emojibot]

[sometimes when people drink a lot, they have the decency to fall into recharge to sleep it off. optimus is not one of these people.]

Helloooo! I saw you almost come into the bar earlier! [like five hours ago at this point. he sounds, uh. jolly, to put it politely.] I think we would've made a really great team, it was a fun game! Was it because of that Megatron, though? I get it, he's so annoying and I'm not even allowed to put him on a shelf or something because that would probably start a fight...

You should definitely come if we play again, though, I think it's... uh... team work. Good to practice. Or some other equally Prime-y thing I'm supposed to say.

[incandescent_matrix]

[Optimus hadn't actually fallen into recharge yet, but it was a near thing. He gave a shake to rouse himself before making a short rasp of a laugh]

Hello, Optimus. Still having fun, are you?

[He decides to sidestep most of what was said, although he feels unexpectedly touched at the declarations]

Are you still there? I can make my way there to accompany you, if the others have left.

[Meaning Megatron. If Megatron had left. He gets a repeat of the sour twist of irritation that had made him leave in the first place, but it can be ignored for now.]

[emojibot]

[there is a pause, during which optimus is presumably looking around the bar. only a couple stragglers in here at this time-- he'll maybe feel mortified for disturbing his counterpart so late when he's sober.]

Ye-eees, just me and some Vehicons. Who are giving me the strangest look right now.

[the way he says this implies it's an attempted stage whisper, which is just said at the same volume as everything else he's saying.]

I thought I'd stay behind and do some work while I was comfortable here, but as it would turn out the drinks were quite a bit... more than what I expected them to be. Lovely, though!

[incandescent_matrix]

[Optimus laughs again, a much less restricted and much more amused sound. When he speaks, there's a smile in his voice]

I see. Best give them somebody else to give strange looks at, instead. I will be there shortly.

[He leaves his room with its broken light and heads to the bar, where he quickly spots the tower of inebriation. He makes his way over and slides into a seat beside his counterpart. His mask is firmly in place, but his finials twitch in the way that communicates a smile]

You decided to do work after all that? That sounds like some sort of idea. Although I cannot say it was a bad one, if it ended up this way.

[emojibot]

[when his counterpart enters, optimus looks down at his comm with a squint, then back up at him while he's moving into the seat. he looks slightly confused about how this conversation, which was on the screen a few seconds ago, is now in person. when he finally clocks what's going on, his own finials go bolt upright.]

I will always decide to do work, there's always something that needs doing. Oh, some of these reports are self-inflicted, but I like writing them. That is a "life hack" [he almost smacks himself in the face with his own hand as he does the bunny ears.] as some of the organics say. If you need something to do, there is a report to be written and about a thousand things you can look up to corroborate the information. It's useful.

[and he will die on this hill, sober, even when he's told again that they don't need to be several hundred pages long. he's not using them for any other reason other than to learn and research, thank you. he gives his smaller counterpart a pat on the shoulder (this time not almost hitting anyone in the face, as he concentrates on it greatly) with a hand that almost swamps the poor guy.]

Thank you.

what if i give you all my chars

[areaman]

I thought... think... ugh, thought Primes are 'posed to be good at stuff! Twice! Twice you end up face down! On something that could practically be diet energon!

[how convenient optimus wasn't present the one time megatron bottomed out... he says all this with the confidence of someone who hasn't spent the last few hours purging his tanks. he also thinks he is standing while he says all this. he is not.]

Utter nonsense. Primus, you're annoying. I will throw you out the airlock one day. You can tell Magnus, I don't care.

Re: what if i give you all my chars

[incandescent_matrix]

[Optimus groans loudly into the comm. Why couldn't he be irritating quietly?]

Why would I bother telling him anything? That... ugh... That would only be a threat if it came from someone who wasn't face down unconscious through our one battle together. What will you do, fall on me?

[To demonstrate, Optimus attempted to leverage himself upright off of his berth, which he didn't remember dragging himself to, and immediately gave up. He landed back on pillows he also didn't remember having put back on his berth with a heavy grunt]

If you were half as deadly as you are loud, I would consider being worried.

[incandescent_matrix]

[Optimus's optics narrow in another smile. He can certainly understand the impulse to distract yourself with busywork, if not the specifics. There are potential tripwires lying in the direction of that train of thought, which he easily parkours over with the ease of long practice. Not today, sad thoughts]

[He leans just a bit into the pat, even laughing a little at how much larger than his shoulder his counterpart's hand is]

Should I stand in for one of your friends and ask if you occasionally do other things you might enjoy more, as well? Or would it be better if we just agreed I said that and move on?

[emojibot]

Oh, friends! [he says in a tone and a bright laugh that makes him sound about seven million years younger, if optimus had any doubts on just how wrecked the guy is, despite him seemingly managing to keep it together relatively well. relatable, right?] I have do plenty on my own, like looking up hortichultural stuff for Megatron and putting together data packets for the Terrans and sometimes I wave to Velocity in the hallway.

[it's too bad he's twatted right now, or he might realise saying aloud he doesn't actually really ever do anything just for himself. if he was sober, he might have this grim realisation then do the rational thing and turn it around on his little counterpart, whom he would immediately know is likely doing the same thing.

anyway, seeing as this conversation is now in person, he can put his comm device away. let's just close this messaging app and shut it down...

the smaller optimus's comm starts buzzing with messages that were as of yet unsent, that on inspection are a result of his taller counterpart failing to switch messaging windows when he was typing away before he'd opted to call. he might want to read them, or he might want to pay attention to the fact optimus the larger has just thrown back a drink that was apparently one too many, as he shutters his optics a few times, finials moving up and down, then goes down face first on the table with a thump and scattering of glass.]

elita is going back to her room 🚪 now can you go and check-in on her and do not tell hashtagor twitch ❌❌🤖🤖

I havefound something that might interest of you 🪴🪴🪴 [attached to the message is an image of a poster that says "i don't have thyme for that"]

this one is for you megatron: you make my spark skip a beet 🫜🫜
likethe human vegetable 🫜 but also beat rotation 🌟🌟🌟

You CANNOT tell her I ate a couple of the ping pong balls 🏓 when she wasn't looking

it would be nice to have Fun™️ when i get back but unfortunately i think if i satnad up i am going to purge 🤢🤢🤢 so pass on that one. di dyou as i don't remember. either way

[and then finally, the most recent:]

i think the small one can tell report. outlier? 🚛❓

[areaman]

Oh, you have to bring that up! How convenient that's the one thing you remember, rather than your own sad performance. Didn't you get eaten by rats at one point, or something? Got your little processor gnawed out by little critters. Hah!

[megatron, fortunately, did not go with video for this one. probably for the best, because he does not look well.]

Listen, when I work out how to convince anyone who would inevitably get involved that it isn't a war thing, I will fight you. And I will win, because you Optimuses are too obsessed with honour and all that entails. No, down in the gladiator pits you fight to win! You'd be a terrible gladiator!

[a pause.]

...I suppose you'd put on an entertaining show before you got your head ripped off. I'd certainly buy tickets.

[wait what were they talking about again]

Duckstribution

[thelordofmisrule]

[ Sat on Optimus's bed is a large seemingly normal rubber duck. However this duck carries a terrifying secret. Optimus... has anger issues. Anger issues he might eventually think to temper by using a poor innocent rubber duck to squeeze like a stress ball.

However should he attempt it... it will let out the most TERRIBLE scream. ]

[incandescent_matrix]

[Optimus growled feebly into a pillow which he'd forgotten was in fact very comfortable indeed during the time he'd thrown it from his berth in a fit of pique and refused to use it again, and rubbed his face on it for a few seconds in genuine delight before he remembered he was talking to the idiot]

Go ahead and challenge me, you wagon. Fight me. I don't care. You'll lose, because you and every Megatron turn every argument into a- a grand thing when it can just be stupid! Let a stupid, dumb, idiotic fight be pointless, you- you-

[He trailed off for a few moments at the pillow again, finials twitching happily, before he once again remembered that this was a vitally important and grand thing. Probably]

Yes, well. I'd buy tickets to yours, I suppose. Couldn't have been that terrible at it since you only talk about it every time you open your mouth.

[areaman]

Won't lose, [he mutters, a lot of the wind suddenly going out of his sails as he feels very tired and ill and he can't tell if he has the worst hangover ever or if he has one of those and a migraine or they've mixed together and made a horrible lovechild. his processor also helpfully reminds him that most of what he's attempted to do in his life has been failure, which is quite pathetic at his age, and megatron doesn't appreciate it. this makes him angry, which makes his processor throb more.

he'd sat upright, but goes back down, curling feebly on his side and holding the comm device out to glare at it like it's at fault for all his ills.] and you'd get barred at the entrance. No Primes or senators allowed.

ya'll mind if i

[maximalize]

Just because Optimus and Primal are from the same reality (possibly) and forged a bond in battle, does not mean they are always in each other's company. Both of them have separate things to attend to, be it legitimate concerns or busy work they've given themselves. The type of mechs they are, they don't like to be idle. No matter what.

It's been a few weeks since Primal has been about, as especially after the Hunt, he's had a lot of both legitimate concerns and busy work. He's only been checking in every now and then, as he knows Optimus worries for any of his compatriots if it's been a while since their comm was active. Rightly so; he understands and buries the same feelings.

Now, though, he's in one of the rooms they usually go to when they meet up, for whatever reason. He mentally calls it their space, and has come here for comfort. ...To no success. It has not eased the issues in his mind or the ache in his chest both from the Matrix and from wanting Airazor around to seek comfort and advice from.

He's sitting on one of the tables, as he was finding the chairs too uncomfortable, idly flicking through a datapad. He can't concentrate on anything on it, or anything off it, and he's starting to get a little agitated about how he can't do the work he's trying to do because he keeps rereading the same sentences over and over and over and over again.