#time to refuel; queued

[multiverse-unlocked]

@samanthachan sent:

( muse I want to rp with is : hollyberry ) ( the muse I’m using : dark Angel cookie ) Dark Angel cookie would be practicing her skills and abilities on some plush dummy targets using her light magic on some

Hollyberry was watching over her, trying to remember how she got roped into babysitting the cookie, but she also didn't exactly want to leave the child alone. She was impressed by the light magic since she wasn't one to use magic herself, it still impressed her whenever she did see someone use it.

[multiverse-unlocked]

She smiled broadly as her friend agreed to the idea. "Hopefully he'll agree as well! If not, you know I can just carry him out of the library," she teased lightly as she stood up.

"The Beasts are probably making their plans or their next move, but we need to work on making sure we're all in tiptop shape before we even try tackling that can of worms," she said, offering a hand to her friend to help her up to her feet as well.

"Mmm.... I suppose it is." White Lily agreeing with Hollyberry's statement as the guardian could easily see Pure Vanilla saying he would lean on but not doing so because of his nature and his feeling of not wanting to be a burden on anyone..

Just like how she doesn't want to burdened anyone.

"Yes, he should be in the library right now and I think that would be a good idea, Hollyberry Cookie."

[noodleblade]

headcanon ask- simpatico + late nights

They never really plan for their work to extend late into the night cycle, but it does often enough that they have prepared for such occurrences (more often that advisable by some medics).

Perceptor is well aware of their need to refuel and how they both tend to forget when engrossed with a project. So he has stashed little energon reserves in his desk. He also makes sure there is enough for Brainstorm, who can be even worse about refueling when there is so much work to be done.

Brainstorm finds the night cycle too quiet and has music queued and at the ready. He needs background noise and Perceptor is horribly quiet already. Thankfully, most of the time, Perceptor doesn't mind the music. Internally, he might even admit he enjoys it. Especially because he knows Brainstorm has handcrafted each playlist for whatever project they are working on.

Perceptor is usually the one to make them take a break at some point but never to stop them from continuing to work later. Those breaks as usually filled with Brainstorm rambling about his progress while Perceptor nudges the energon cube closer until Brainstorm will finally grab it and refuel.

They both have spent nights just recharging in the lab. Its not good for either of their struts but sometimes its easier to curl up in a corner of the lab so they can pick up where they left off immediately upon waking up. They are not sleepovers....but they do sometimes play a movie while settling in for recharge.

[themascarasnakeuniverse]

A mission to Borderlands

There are two ways to get to where my father grew up in Wales. It is often said that it is easy to ascertain where the Romans did not want to go. Everywhere that they deemed important is nowadays accessible by pretty direct roads. My fathers former hometown was obviously of no interest to these invaders. There is no motorway. The two routes we commonly took where through Oswestry and Welshpool or via Bala. 

The latter is where we would meet his parents when they took us to their house for extended stays in the school holidays. I never wanted to go without my parents for reasons I will go into in a future post. It was with a heavy heart that I got out of the car in the lay-by just a short way past the town centre and transferred our belongings to their car.

My grandmother was never keen on us coming to her house the other way, via Welshpool. Now we visit that part of the world once, sometimes twice a year this route is my preferred journey. Maybe it is defiance. A pathetic rebellious stand against an old lady who died a number of years ago. Regardless it is the way I often take for the two hour plus journey.

Most times when I have driven this way I stop at The Old Station. However, I am always disappointed with the cafe. The choice of food is limited, the coffee is average and the toilets are quite a walk from every table in the place. It seems more like a place set up to sell clothes than to serve food. With this in mind I decided one day to take a journey to Welshpool and see what was on offer in the actual town, after all I was only really familiar with the bypass.

I managed to wake up in good time and eat a healthy breakfast. Despite my initial choice of podcast being “unavailable” I queued up some listening choices and began the journey after a short stop to refuel.

I reached Welshpool at 11.30 and parked my car behind a chapel type building that looked like it served as a market. I paid for two hours and walked around the town a little. The town centre seemed to be stretched along a main road which contained a few independent and the usual chain stores. Whilst I did find a pretty cool “witchy” store run by two middle aged pagan women there did not seem to be an awful lot here.

As it neared lunchtime and my belly started to rumble I went into what the outside signage told me was an “independent coffee shop and cafe.” When I went inside I saw the menu was limited and the interior looked like a glorified greasy spoon cafe. When my lunch arrived it struck me as overpriced and distinctly average. Although the coffee was nice I was beginning to realise why Welshpool was not better known. There was noting special about it. Despite this I went for another walk and saw a road sign for ���The Cockpit.” When I followed it the building itself was closed and it was unclear what its use was in the present day. I decided not to stick around as two drunk women where sitting on the edge of the car park rather loudly telling each other to “fuck off.”

When I got back to my car I realised I had time before the parking I paid for expired. I randomly walked along the road and found another cafe, this one looked nicer than the one I had just visited and I decided to make a note of it for my next trip. I had sussed out the parking after all.

A little further down the road I discovered a pretty eccentric bar consisting of different themed rooms. I ordered a cup of tea and the waitress kindly told me how to connect to the Wi-Fi. I took this time to reflect. Welshpool might be situated in some pretty countryside but had I grown up here I would have felt isolated. I would have wanted to get out like I was eager to get away from my home village. I finished my tea and thanked the waitress. It was barely 2pm and I felt I had seen all that I needed to see. Then I had a thought. When I felt stuck in my home village I used to value getting on the bus top the nearest city. A city where I went to school, where I went on nights out as a teen. A city that provided some respite until I got sick of it and moved to my current location.

I took out my phone and looked for directions to Shrewsbury. I was only twenty miles away.

This part of the mission was unplanned. I decided to embrace the chaos and set the map app on my phone to get me there as quickly as possible. I found a place to park my car near a shopping mall and decided to wonder wherever. Shrewsbury might not be a city technically but it is certainly of an equivalent size. And there where things here like good coffee shops, vegan cafes, other signs of life that where not ordinarily present in a small town. After all there was a university here.

Whilst randomly wandering I decided to come here for a more planned mission at a later date. Perhaps an overnight stay and a show at the Theatre Severn.

I ate my evening meal in a Pizza Express that used to be a cinema. They had just opened and I was their fist customer. On the way I passed day drinkers taking advantage of the good weather and popping out for a quick one after work. I watched from my usual neurodiverse position on the periphery. Not included but watching. A position I am used to. 

When I got back to my car I found that the podcast I could not access on the way here was now available. That would be all the company I needed for the drive home. 

[multiverse-unlocked]

Dark Choco felt his cheeks redden as he saw the playful wink. "I'm glad to hear that. That you're doing well also, I mean," he said, resting his head against his side. It was honestly pleasant knowing that he was with someone that he loved, even though he wasn't expecting to be dating a werehound of all desserts.

It was still...surprising that he could even find love after all of the things he's done and all of the desserts that he's hurt in the last several years.

He brought his paw to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. "I'm more than happy to be spending time with nae jeonsa gongju."

"What's the fun in that? This party could use a little chaos if you ask me." The werehound then sighed. "Fine! Fine! I'll behave! But, only for you!" If he had his way, he'd be bashing flatsters in and dunking them in the punch bowl to watch them squirm! Now THAT was a party! Red eyes glanced back to the prince, who was leading them away from their spot beneath the mistletoe. However, he couldn't help but stare longer than intended. Who would have ever thought he'd be with a cookie of all things! He really had grown soft for this guy. He couldn't help but smile, thinking of the kiss they just shared, and the fact that they were enjoying this nice party together! At times like this, it really felt like everything settled into place. It felt like he almost belonged there.

"I feel great! How can I not with you by my side!" He winked playfully. "What's a princess without her prince?"

[gladwin123]

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[multiverse-unlocked]

@cookieofearthbread sent: ✿ - happy memory. (Hollyberry)

I think one of her more recent happy memories is like....playing with the villager kids during the Odyssey Chapters when it was in the PVK. Made her briefly feel like the mom (or even grandma) that she could've been.

[multiverse-unlocked]

"You did and I will still prefer being stuck in the jello jail than being dismantled or whatever would happen if I did turn evil," he said grinning as he was poked in the forehead. "Good thing we aren't going to focus on anything involving babies then! If we did somehow get married or wanted kids, we can either adopt or just have a hundred Chao. It's like those weird human shows where there's that one crazy cat lady."

He finally stopped pacing, tapping his foot while trying to figure out what they should do at the moment. "Uh....ok, what are our options of what to do?"

"Hey, I totally remember apologizing for that!" The mouse pouted softly. "...But I would love to spend some quality time with you. I really did miss you while you were gone. I want to know everything! Unless there's like a secret mission I am not supposed to know about."

The albino gave it a thought. "In all honesty, I don't think I have ever met Mr. Chuck in person." She snorted poking Shard's forehead. "I mean, you don't have to know about it, as long as you aren't interested. I know much about anatomy, but I am not really interested in finding out in much details how babies are... Hm, formed and birthed. Saw it once and I would rather not witness it again." A visible shudder ran through the chemist at the memory.

[noodleblade]

Birds of a Feather, Part 2/?

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The first sensation to hit his processors upon coming out of recharge was warmth . Starscream’s chassis was pleasantly heated, despite the chill in the stale air of the Nemesis. His optics were slow to online, vision blurred for a moment as he spied a nestled bundle of sleek armor resting neatly on top of him.

His processor jump started, Starscream nearly flailing as he realized what or rather who was occupying his berth. Laserbeak was awake. Her red optics watched Starscream passively but made no move to leave her position atop the seeker. The minicon’s field was calm and comforting, not at all guilty or ashamed of invading Starscream’s personal space. If anything, the cassette looked content to stay there forever. Smug.

Starscream sneered, lip plates pulling up in distaste. What glitch in the little bitlet’s processor allowed her reasoning to mark this action as acceptable? Maybe it was with Soundwave , as host and symbiote their bond allowed for a removal of personal barriers. Starscream, however, was not her host nor her carrier. He barely even considered the minicon a colleague, let alone an acquaintance or friend . Starscream hadn’t even acknowledged the existence of the mini prior to the last solar cycle and now the little scraplet had worked her way into his berth. 

It was violating and invasive. Starscream hadn’t had another mech in his berth in vorns and certainly not to cuddle . The weight on his chassis was achingly familiar, the warm closeness of another painfully burning at his spark. He tried to push the sensation away, focusing on anger rather than the past. His processor was in two. The memories queued up during recharge of blue and purple and a warmth that was no longer there tempting to supersede everything else.

Maybe he too had a glitch in his logic core.

Laserbeak’s field pressed heavily over Starscream, blanketing his own anxiety riddled field with tranquil calm. It was enough to jar the seeker out of his downward spiraling thoughts and refocus on the true offender at hand, not his demons or his past but the little Pitspawn still sprawled over him.

Before Starscream could snarl at her, Laserbeak let out a small curious beep.

::Does Starscream experience nightmares often?:: the cassette comm’d with a small cock of her helm. 

Starscream didn’t deign that with a response, simply falling back into his berth. Any nasty retort he had ready turned to dust on his glossa. He didn’t even bother removing the cassette and not because the warmth was comforting through the dull pang in his spark. He didn’t want to talk about his grief and certainly not with Soundwave’s little minicon. The last thing he wanted was for his own weaknesses and faults on display, for anyone .

::Soundwave also has nightmares.::

At this, Starscream sat up once more, this time successfully dislodging Laserbeak who gave an annoyed series of beeps.

���I don’t think your carrier would approve of you talking behind his back. Especially to a mech he hates,” Starscream warned gravely.

::Soundwave does not hate Starscream.::

“Well, I find that very hard to believe.” Even if his whole trine was still alive, there wouldn’t be enough digits to count the amount of times Soundwave had retaliated against Starscream, deserved or not.

::Soundwave believes Starscream is essential to Decepticon cause.::

“Oh, does he now?” Starscream rolled his optics. “Glad I can provide value .” Sarcasm dripped off every word. 

Laserbeak gave an affirming chirp, not seeing the slight it provided, before taking flight and landing on his shoulders. Talons tapped insistently against the armored plating. 

::Time for refuel.::

Starscream swatted Laserbeak away and climbed from his berth. The minicon hovered beside him, buzzing around him like a worried carrier. Yes, his tanks were low but that didn’t mean he needed the drone to remind and pester him. He could take care of himself, had longer than Laserbeak had even been forged.

Still, he left his hab quickly and turned to walk to the nearest refuel station on the Nemesis. Laserbeak followed a nanokilk behind him.

::After, we will check on Soundwave.:: Laserbeak demanded insistently. 

Starscream raised an optic ridge. “We?”

Once again, the minicon was eager to replay his own voice to him. 

“We expect constant status updates.”

“Fine!” Starscream exvented with a huff. “You know, that little gimmick is more charming from Soundwave.”

A series of beeping trills came from Laserbeak in what Starscream could only imagine was laughter. He’d never heard so much as a burst of static from the minicon in the four million years they’ve operated on the same ship. Then again, if Laserbeak sought all her entertainment out of Soundwave, it could very well be the cassette’s first laugh ever.

Starscream let Laserbeak have her laugh as he stalked forward through the halls of the Nemesis. He wasn’t sure what was worse: the emotionally distraught and needy Laserbeak of yestercycle or the exuberant, clinging Laserbeak of now. Both, Starscream realized, had grown far too familiar with him in a very short period of time.

A coping mechanism. Probably. As a mech that was used to constant contact and a bond with her host, Laserbeak probably felt the need to attach herself to someone in Soundwave’s absence. The quiet, stillness in their bond must be uncomfortable and disorientating. If it were anything like a broken trine bond, pain and unfathomable loneliness must be consuming the cassette. Laserbeak needed grounding, someone to latch onto until Soundwave was back online and they could reunite. Starscream just happened to be the first mech to fit the loose specifications for a suitable stand in. 

When they finally approached the refuel station, Starscream was quick to enter. Laserbeak followed like a shadow, hovering just to his left and back. The duo made a beeline for the dispenser. Starscream ignored the mechs occupying the surrounding tables as they fell quiet and stared. No doubt, Laserbeak notated the ambivalent fields of the vehicons as Starscream stalked passed them. If she had an opinion on it, she kept it to herself, quietly following behind. There was a faint brush of curiosity in Laserbeak’s field, one Starscream decidedly ignored. He snatched two cubes of energon and just as quickly as they had entered, they left; the gentle buzz of the mess hall picked up as soon as they stepped past the threshold.

The walk from the refuel station to the medbay was a short one and Starscream was rather relieved to see Knock Out already at work with Breakdown by his side, the two grounders standing over Soundwave’s still prone frame. 

The medic was elbows deep in Soundwave’s chassis. The sight was grim but both mechs seemed calm and steady in their work so there was no immediate panic at the sight. If Laserbeak’s field fluttered anxiously a touch, Starscream was quick to brush his back in steady calm strokes. No need to disrupt Knock Out nor Breakdown while in the midst of their task. He didn’t need for Laserbeak to dive back into the berth and start the fiasco of yesterday all over again.

Starscream leaned against the wall and Laserbeak landed on his shoulder, both of them waiting for the medic to finish as they sipped on their energon. Starscream held one in each servo for them. He ignored the burst of gratitude from Laserbeak’s field at the gesture. There was no kindness in it; it was just practical . Knock Out would have a fit if Laserbeak used any of his sterile surfaces to refuel. They needed the medic focused on his patient and nothing else. 

A few kliks passed before Knock Out withdrew his servos from Soundwave’s chassis. The thin armor plating had been removed and stacked neatly on a nearby cart, exposing the sensitive panels and wiring around his spark chamber, a worrying crack at the bottom near where the hole in his chassis had been. 

Starscream had seen Soundwave injured before- granted the times far fewer than himself -but he’d never seen the other in such a vulnerable condition. It was unnerving being able to see so deep into Soundwave’s systems and his half-bare protoform open and exposed. He was used to the other mech being a strong, guarded, silent presence in his life. To have Soundwave reduced to a stasis’d, lifeless mech was disturbing . 

“You two…want an update I imagine?” Knock Out asked as he took a rag from Breakdown to wipe down his servos. 

“Obviously,” Starscream groused and Laserbeak screeched in agreement. “How long before he’s back up?”

The sigh Knock Out gave was anything but reassuring. 

“I don’t know. His damage was quite extensive. We are lucky his spark was unharmed with that hit. Everything around it is destroyed. Initially, I had hoped I could salvage about 65% of the preexisting parts from the damaged area. Now, I think I’ll be lucky if I’m able to scavenge anymore than 33%. I’ve already contacted Shockwave and sent him a list of parts I need. I know Lord Megatron has put Soundwave’s recovery as our highest priority and Shockwave has begun working on manufacturing the necessary components. I’ll know more once I get those from him and hopefully I can save some of his original hardware. We don’t have a supply for his… unique frame type so a lot of it needs to either be constructed from scratch which is a lengthy process or I have to modify parts from as similar frame types as I can. It’s messy work and it’ll take time.”

That was not good news. Not at all. Unsurprising from what he could see of Soundwave’s condition; Starscream just had been hoping for some better news than this. The longer this process dragged on, the worse it seemed to get. Starscream already felt the burden of shouldering his and Soundwave’s positions and didn’t relish having to do so for much longer. 

“How long can he remain in this stasis?” Starscream asked. It wasn’t uncommon for mech to be in stasis for long and Soundwave’s time was a drop in the bucket. However, the crack in his spark chamber was worrying. 

“For a while,” Knock Out reassured. “He is stable, and that’s the most important thing. His processors and neutral net were undamaged and his frame is mostly intact. It will just be a matter of time before I can get him back up and running. As soon as I have the parts, we should be good to go.”

“And his spark?” Starscream asked. Laserbeak beeped nervously, talons clenching and unclenching on his shoulder, tapping and scrapping. Both fliers' optics were locked on the cracked glass of his spark chamber.

“The crack needs to be sealed. There is no way for me to replace the entire chamber with our limited supplies. We just don’t have the material or the parts for it. But the crack isn’t deep, more superficial than anything else. Thankfully, no risk of contaminants. A seal will act as a reinforcement and it’ll be just as strong as it once was. When it is all dried and settled, you won’t even see the crack, not unless you are looking for it.”

The crack certainly looked deep but Starscream knew Knock Out at the very least was a competent medic. Distantly, he could feel Laserbeak’s field waiver in uncertainty. She did not hold the same assurances as him. Whether she trusted Knock Out or not didn’t really matter, so long as she did not interfere any further. Starscream would need to find a way to distract the cassette. 

“Thank you for the update. We’ll let you resume your work.” Energon done by both him and Laserbeak, Starscream pushed away from the wall and left. Knock Out barely bothered to wave them off, servos returning back to Soundwave’s chassis, Breakdown quietly at his side. 

As the door snicked shut, Starscream waved off Laserbeak. She squawked indignantly, hovering a few feet from Starscream with distrust in her optics. Evidently, she had not been expecting the cold treatment.

“I have work to do. Go disappear to wherever you went yesterday,” Starscream muttered, turning pede to stalk off. 

Hesitantly, Laserbeak’s field reached for him but Starscream rebuffed the gesture. 

He didn’t have time for sad little drones nor did he have the patience to extend any further kindness. The previous recharge cycle was an anomaly and should be flushed from both their respective processors.

The main command bridge was deathly silent, the absence of Soundwave a heavy, daunting weight. Never had it been so stilted, so hushed, even when it had been under Soundwave’s meticulous, imposing care. For such a still shadow, his lack of what had been near-constant presence was like a gaping hole, not too dissimilar to the one currently in his chassis.

The few vehicons stationed were bent over their respective monitors, optics low and fields held tight, as if they were hiding. The noise of doors shutting behind him caused them all to flinch, the silence piercing in its wake. Starscream narrowed his optics as he scanned the deck, immediately identifying the problem front and center.

Hunkered over the central console, Megatron loomed. The former gladiator stared at the screen with slitted optics and sharp digits aggressively stabbed the controls, each time carrying a bit more force than the last. Starscream could not remember the last time he’d witnessed Megatron actually working on the main console. They both preferred a more hands-on approach to work. Granted, Soundwave was more than happy to station himself to the console, practically welded to the thing. That was hardly the point; Starscream just had assumed for all these years Megatron only held a rudimentary knowledge of the console and its function.

Evidentially, his concerns were not too far off as a snarl ripped from clenched denta, Megatron’s fury echoing across the bridge. The vehicons flinched, curling up defensively as if awaiting a blow. Starscream himself felt the telltale worry grip his spark, fear seeping beneath his plating to flatten it to his frame. He held himself very still as the haunting, tense silence returned. 

Starscream cleared his intake softly. “Lord Megatron,” he called from a healthy distance, well outside of grabbing reach. Not that distance was truly an issue. If Megatron wished to act in aggression, the scant few meters between them were nothing.

Megatron snapped his helm up, dark red optics sharp as they pinned Starscream. “You better have an update from Knock Out.”

“I do,” Starscream said, trying desperately to keep the fear out of his voice. Megatron fed on the fear of others and showing it only granted him more power. “Unfortunately, the damage was worse than we expected.”

For the briefest of moments, concern flashed over Megatron’s field. Starscream blinked, unsure what to do with the softer emotion, unused to Megatron showing anything other than vitriolic rage. It hardly lasted more than a nanoklik before the familiar anger returned, bubbling across the bridge like molten ore. Starscream was quick to reassure, lest Megatron do anything drastic. 

“He’s safe and stable, but currently non-functioning and in stasis. Knock Out is certain Soundwave will recover, but he needs time to get the right parts and then there is a matter of integration-”

“We don’t have time,” Megatron snapped, turning back to the console. Palpable stress radiation off the warlord in conflicted waves, swapping between blistering rage and frigid worry. Starscream hadn’t expected to see such distress in Megatron at the loss of his Third; then again, Megatron always played favorites and no one had a chance of up seating Soundwave. “Every klik that passes is another klik Prime and his pathetic Autobots have to plan their next attack. We are no closer to getting their location, no closer to securing our operations, Soundwave is indisposed and Primus knows when he’ll be online again and-” with a violent stab of his clawed digit against the console “-we are no closer to Working. This. Damned. Console.” The final hit caused the screen to dim. A low snarl resonated from Megatron’s chassis as he took a step to the side and beckoned Starscream over. “Fix this. Now. ”

“Right away.”

Starscream darted forward and quickly booted the console back online. While he himself wasn’t unfamiliar with the console…like Megatron, the seeker had been more than happy to hand the reins to Soundwave’s capable and eager servos. He had always brushed off monitor duty, citing the more important responsibilities to attend to, more vital tasks that required his attention. In hindsight, booking a few cycles of desk duty might have proven prudent in this particular instance. 

“This is ridiculous,” Megatron vented beside Starscream. He peered over the seeker’s shoulder, the frustration almost a physical weight pressing into his frame. 

Starscream was waiting for the anger to reach its peak, for Megatron to take it out on his favorite punching bag. However, as Starscream struggled with the console and Megatron’s fury mounted, retaliation never came. He cast his optics suspiciously at his leader only to find Megatron’s optics furrowed as he too stared at the console in confusion. 

“Soundwave’s made so many updates to this thing I can hardly work it,” Starscream grumbled, desperately hoping to figure out where everything was. The HUD was minimalistic and empty, but Starscream knew it held an endless amount of applications if he could just find them. Not that he’d understand what he was looking at, each operating software he found just as unfamiliar and obtuse as the next. Judging by Megatron’s thundering silence, he was also unaware of just what they were looking at. If the circumstances weren’t so dire, their ignorance would have been borderline humiliating. “He was one to share .”

The slight towards Soundwave was left uncommented on, though the heavy servo dropped onto Starscream’s shoulder pauldron carried the message loud and clear. 

“We can’t leave all our operations unmonitored, ” Megatron said, sharp digits tensing against his plating. “This is the exact window Prime needs to strike and I will not grant him that pleasure. You are going to fix this. Is that clear?”

It was an order and a threat rolled in one and Starscream could only bite his glossa and nod. A long moment of consideration crossed Megatron’s face before he removed his servo from Starscream and walked off without another word.

He did not turn to watch as Megatron stalked out of the command bridge, only relaxing once the doors shut behind him. The air in the central command lightened considerably, almost immediately. A quick glance around showed the vehicons relieved and Starscream couldn’t help but feel the same. Yes, he still had this infuriating issue before him, but he couldn’t help marvel in quiet amazement; he went through the entire interaction without a single scratch to his plating. 

If anything, for the first time in a millenia, they actually worked together , without coming to blows. Starscream wasn’t naive enough to think Megatron had a change of spark; it was all purely circumstantial. With Soundwave down for the count and having no real timeline for his return, the Decepticon’s position as a whole was too vulnerable, too fragile. Losing anyone else would be a death knell to everything they had built and they were all hyper aware of that. As much as Megatron may wish to vent his anger on Starscream, he couldn’t. For once, Starscream was, in a sense, untouchable. Too valuable to lose in any capacity.

There was a thought to exploit this. A tempting one. And under any other circumstance, there’d be nothing stopping him from manipulating this situation to his favor. Unfortunately, it was hard to revel in his safety and security when it meant the rest of the cause was substantially at risk all because the one mech who knew how to use the main console was in disrepair. To think, four million years of hard work turned to dust because himself and Megatron couldn’t find the on switch-

A low beep sounded behind him.

Starscream flinched, whipping around to find Laserbeak hovering before him. He hadn’t heard the little bitlet enter. 

“Didn’t I tell you to stay out of my way?” Starscream hissed.

If Laserbeak was offended, she didn’t show it.

::Perhaps I can assist?:: The sub-glyphs were earnest, eager. Laserbeak’s optics were locked on the console with a slight tilt of her helm. 

He scoffed dismissively at the inquiry with a roll of his optics and an irritated flick of his wings. “ No . Unless you know how to operate this fragging console and take on Soundwave’s monitoring duties, otherwise I suggest you find a nice, quiet corner of the Nemesis and stay there. I don’t have time for cassette sitting.”

Laserbeak laughed, the shrill beeps taunting and sarcastic. ::And if I do know how to use the main console?::

Starscream froze. Without looking at the minicon, he asked, “ Do you?”

::Soundwave was worried should he ever become inoperable, there should be a contingency plan in place.::  

Starscream winced at the words. Soundwave had brought up the issue to him, multiple times . It had never been a priority, not with the usual chaos of the Nemesis. Starscream always pushed the matter aside, accusing the communications officer of laziness. 

It appeared that Soundwave had taken matters into his own servos. It should have been frustrating, Soundwave having the audacity of going over his helm, but all Starscream felt with an uncomfortable tinge of thankfulness in having proper forethought. He could already picture the stoic visor staring him down, the “I told you so” unsaid but ever-present. Irksome and terrible but desperately needed. 

Taking Starscream’s silence as acceptable, Laserbeak saddled up beside him and lightly nudged him to the side. ::You’re welcome.:: she said pointedly.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he warned, voice dripping with annoyance. He did still step aside to allow the cassette space. “We’ll do a test run and make sure you can actually do what you claim.” Handing the reins to Laserbeak entirely was out of the question, but if she could alleviate the pressure even just a little bit… “You are permitted to run and monitor the ship and mine operation surveillance.” All those had direct feeds to the main bridge. “That’s it . Nothing more. Am I clear?” Starscream allowed his wings to stretch out wide and imposing behind him. Perhaps it was a desperate attempt to display some control but Starscream would not have himself undermined by the drone, even if she was saving his aft.

Laserbeak’s field lacked any fear or intimidation at Starscream’s antics. If anything, the little mech seemed pleased with herself.

:Affirmative!:: she pinged, before quickly adding, ::Commander Starscream.::

Starscream smirked. He knew the drone was purposefully feeding his ego to remain on his good side, but Starscream was never going to turn down a little obedience and respect, even if given halfheartedly. Maybe if Laserbeak did a good enough job, there would be no need to bring back Soundwave.

As soon as the thought entered his helm, he dismissed it. Just because Laserbeak could run the console, didn’t mean she could replace every other crucial role Soundwave filled, nor would Megatron ever allow such a slight to his most loyal ally. Still, having Laserbeak on his side was not completely useless. Soundwave was quite partial to his little cassettes over the years, gaining the trust of his last and only one would not be in vain. If Laserbeak was so desperate to keep in his company, then Starscream would use the opportunity to his advantage. 

He watched as the minicon settled herself onto a small perch. Judging by the welding marks, it had been an addition to the original structure and no doubt done by the bitlet’s host. Starscream had never noticed it before now. He also noted the second set of marks beside the perch indicating what had once been a secondary perch. All that remained of that were the rusted weld patches, the structure long removed, probably when the other drone of Soundwave’s perished like the rest of his cassettes.

Starscream didn’t allow that thought to linger, more interested in watching as twin cables spooled out of Laserbeak’s chassis and plugged directly into the console. Again, another adaptation had been made to accommodate the smaller cable size, two twin ports next to the port he’d seen Soundwave connect to countless times. Immediately upon plugging in, the console monitor flickered through several HUD menus too quickly for Starscream to follow along. After a few nanokliks of shuffling windows, Laserbeak managed to pull up the surveillance feed for the Nemesis as well as mining sites Alpha through Iota. With relative ease, she had brought up the communication logs for each of the sites and was directing inquiries to the assisting vehicons on the bridge.

::Do you need anything else, Commander?:: Laserbeak asked, optics still locked to the console.

“No,” Starscream dismissed, taking a step away. “Continue to monitor and report to me immediately if anything arises.”

Laserbeak barely deigned him a response, tiny engine humming in an affirmative purr as she continued monitoring. Starscream didn’t stick around, apprehensive yet hopeful that maybe things were turning around in their luck.

For the first time since this whole debacle started, the bridge looked under control. Starscream’s optics swept the deck, looking for hidden cracks and mistakes that would shatter this image of calm and peace. But he found none. 

The vehicons stationed looked at ease as they continued their mine observation reports and once again, it looks like the Nemesis had moved locations, out of range of Autobot and human radar. The air around Laserbeak was proud as she remained docked at the central control, the HUD orderly and readings all within appropriate parameters. Upon seeing Starscream, the little drone let out a cheerful peep, beckoning him forward. 

::Are you finished with your shift?:: she asked, though Starscream had the distinct feeling she knew the answer. The ship’s roster with the crew's designated shifts were on display after all. 

“Yes,” he answered, peering over the cassette to see what she was working on. Immediately his optic ridges raised. “What is this?”

Laserbeak’s field erupted in delighted pride. ::As a side project, I’ve been triangulating Autobot communication frequencies.::

Starscream stared at the map bewildered. The slight of insubordination aside, the map had pinpointed a twenty mile radius of possible locations. While they had known for quite a while the Autobot’s headquarters were somewhere in the proximity of Jasper, Nevada, the specific coordinates of the base had always eluded them. Starscream knew Soundwave had been working on it privately, amidst all his other tasks and responsibilities but it looked like Laserbeak had been working on tightening the range. 

He couldn’t help it. He laughed, a victorious smile coming to his faceplates. “I see Soundwave taught you well. I think our luck is turning around.”

Laserbreak trilled happily. The screen flashed as a dozen markers popped over the map, most of them were in blue but five of them were highlighted in red. 

::Soundwave had marked possible locations. Based on his data, I’ve marked five of them as the more probable locations. I hope in the next cycles to narrow it down to one.::

“Excellent work,” Starscream praised. “Megatron will be pleased.”

In a matter of a single solar cycle, the cassette had solved several of their problems. Now he understood why Soundwave instilled so much trust into the cassette and had taken the time to make sure someone could effectively cover for them. It was starting to look like he may actually have to thank the TIC. 

Laserbeak let out a delighted chirp. She redirected the monitoring feeds across the stationed vehicons to continue the night shift surveillance. Disconnecting from the console, Laserbeak did a quick circle around Starscream before landing lightly on his shoulder.

The gesture was bold, overly familiar. He raised an optic ridge but Laserbeak simply sent him a ping on the interior map of the Nemesis, pinpointing the nearest refuel station. 

::We can discuss battle plans while we refuel then make sure the grounders are making progress.::

Starscream bit back the sneer threatening to pull at his lip plates. Frankly, the idea of being so buddy-buddy with the drone was grating. For so long, Starscream had aligned himself as a loner, no true ally in his corner.  The closest he came to it was having Knock Out’s occasion and self-interested support. Certainly not from Soundwave nor his cassettes.

However, Starscream could see the value in feeding into this friendship . Keeping Laserbeak happy and appreciated would only make her more loyal to him. He had no doubts he would ever be capable of prying the little drone from Soundwave, but having the respect and affection would go a long way.

With a gentle tap of his claw against the helm of Laserbeak, Starscream took off for the refuel station. The drone chirped happily, relaying an update of the mining operations in excitable chatter. She pressed close to his plating, comfortable and overly friendly. Naive and too trusting. Laserbeak’s field was entirely too fond for a mech like Starscream to not take and take and take.

[thesylverlining]

yooo i don't see u on my dash much and idk if its bc u don't post as much or if timezones are a bitch. ANYWAY, i was wondering if there was any news on stake sauce or a chameleon moon #3? its that time of the year where i reread chameleon moon and it got me thinking :D

1) Aww thank you <3 I’m so glad it still brings you joy

2) SORRY I’M MOSTLY ON TWITTER NOW but still remember to peek in here every once in a while, and refuel the queue (like all my posts are queued now)

3) I have gotten A BIT SIDETRACKED from both Chameleon Moon and Stake Sauce… because I’ve been contracted to write two videogames/interactive fiction for Choice of Games, and another one that is not quite finalized, so that’s taken all my braincells! THAT SAID, Stake Sauce Book 2 is about 2/3 done, it’s in the quick draft edit hell stage! Chameleon Moon Book 3 is in the outline stage, haven’t started a draft yet but I know BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENS (except for that hole in the middle there).

thanks again for asking!

[timlane1978]

COMING TO AMERICA.

We had a surprisingly smooth journey. We were expecting problems as we knew there was a strike of the refueling staff at Heathrow and also a rolling roadblock on the M4 in protest at petrol prices. Seriously it's like living in the seventies at the moment, the country badly needs competent leadership and if I were in charge...

But I digress.  We got to Heathrow in plenty of time and queued for check-in, then for passport control and then for security. The girls were surprisingly well behaved throughout all this. Freya set of the alarms and had stand in a booth to be scanned, she quite enjoyed it. We had time to sit and eat our sandwiches before heading to the gate where Orsi got randomly selected for a security check.

The plane was full but boarding was well organised and was called in stages. Our 767 was operated by Delta  and had entertainment screens in the backs of the headrests.  I watched Morbius and Ghost Busters Afterlife while Freya beside me watched 101 Dalmations for probably the 101st time.

Between snacks and entertainment the girls were well distracted on the flight and the eight hours passed quite easily,  a glass or two of wine helped it along (for me).

The biggest queue of the day was for US border control at JFK. The line was long but kept moving. It took nearly an hour to get through.  An Australian couple in front of us praised the girls patience, we were all a bit tired by this point and they did really well. 

When it was our turn we had our pictures taken and our fingerprints scanned and answered questions about our trip and all the terrorism and drugs we are not planning on doing. Orsi had printed a whole dossier of vaccine certificates, Estas etc which was very handy.  Then someone said they needed to take our passports and that we should collect our luggage and go to another desk across the room.  We were a bit surprised and panicked by this but when we got there it turned out to be because Orsi had told them she had bananas with her. We handed them over and were free to go. 

We emerged blinking into the hot sun of a  New York afternoon. Aunty Amy and Emily met us and we all piled into their minivan.  An hour or so later we ended our very long day with a dip in the hot tub at their house

[multiverse-unlocked]

"Oh, uh, no, I'm Shard. I'm...a friendly Metal Sonic?" he said, sounding unsure of himself. Sure he was friendly but he was also aware that one of the last times he tried to explain it, he still got into a fight?

"It's a long story," he said, remembering the fact that he was sorta here as a...probation? That was probably the right word at least. Might as well try and get the citizens used to the idea that he was a nice guy. ...also weird multiverse shenanigans or whatever.

"Anyways, hi, I'm....I guess a helper here?"

@multiverse-unlocked sent:

Shard might just…awkwardly wave from his spot. It absolutely doesn’t help that he has like…three Chao on him, holding on to different parts of him. “Hi, how’s it going, Shadow?” he asked, trying to keep the one on his head from slipping off.

The sight of Shard had Shadow coming to a halt. The newborn Chao he had nestled in his arms looked up, confused as to why they'd suddenly stopped, and reached a squishy little "hand" up to nudge at the bottom of his muzzle. He didn't react.

Shadow had no idea what to make of the metallic hedgehog in front of him. Red eyes darted up and down his form. Maybe he would've assumed Sonic had gotten some fancy paint job, but the gem embedded into the armor's chest in lieu of the usual concave immediately poked a gaping hole in that theory.

He couldn't imagine Sonic in anything other than blue, anyway.

But none of that changed that this was a Chao Garden, or that Chao tended to be an extremely good judge of character. Shadow stepped closer, leaning to retrieve a fruit from the ground. The little one in his other arm cooed in delight at the treat and turned a few shades lighter.

"...Sonic?" Shadow eventually tried despite the obvious. The friendly tone was wildly throwing him off; who else would be so casual with him if not Sonic?

[multiverse-unlocked]

He took the card and smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate this," he nodded. He'll have to talk to Pomegranate about this and hopefully it'll help with any future songs that they had lined up.

Dulce, on the other hand, was just going to plop herself on the guitar case. Her spot now. "Arf!"

"Dulce..." Red Velvet sighed and scratched her ears. "I want to say that I think she's just curious about the case since our band never used instruments? But I also think she's bored."

The Strawberry Cake gave a bark as if to confirm that Red Velvet was correct. She was indeed bored, but the guitar smelled really interesting.

He stood up and gently picked up the pup. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen you in the Cookie Kingdom before. Perhaps we can go on a little tour so we don't end our conversation so soon?"

multiverse-unlocked​:

“You’re welcome, Black Lemonade,” he smiled. “And I appreciate hearing that people like our work. Though I’ll admit that I’m sure there were some cookies who aren’t big fans of us since we disrupted the BTS concert the way that we did. It’s nice to know can see the hard work we put in.”

He scratched his cheek with one of his claws, debating if he should say that even he had doubts on the idea. Yeah the results were great, but he wasn’t exactly thinking he would be a great…dancer. Or singer.

“…I’ll admit that I don’t…listen to that much music, even before the band was formed,” Red Velvet said. “I have…sensitive hearing, I guess you can say.”

“Sensitive hearing, huh…? Pretty impressive you manage to make a hit despite that.”

Considering his current appearance of having cake hound like features, that no surprise there. As a musician herself, that was pretty common issue for their line of work. With loud crowds and massive speakers blasting at concert venues and studios…. Black Lemonade could only imagine him during B.A.D 4′s debut.

A hand goes into one of the guitar case’s pockets, and she pulls out her wallet.

“I can give you my guy who supplies me my ear plugs and specialized headphones– Practically have a pair for any audio need… I need.” Opening up the said wallet, she takes out a business card with her audio supplier. 

“Anything to help out a fellow performer.” And bias!

[multiverse-unlocked]

@samanthachan sent: ( can I rp with red velvet cookie ) A small cookie she had black hair and black eyes as well as black feathered wings she returns one of your lost cake hounds to you “ I found this guy lost are they yours by any chance ? “

Red Velvet blinked as he picked up the lost Cake Hound. "......Sprinkle, I thought I told you to stay with Chiffon today," he said as he gave them a poke on the snout before setting them down. "Go on, go back with Ganache and Chiffon. We'll talk later."

Turning his attention to the small cookie, he crossed his arms. "Thank you returning them. Though, I'm not...sure how you would know to ask me since there are other cookies that have taken up adopting cakehounds as well from what I've gathered."

[tigerkirby215]

NEW UA FUCKERS

https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/subclasses_part3

I know I’m a bit late to this but I already had a post queued so this is going before that one.

Anyways we get... an Artificer subclass?! Woah great to see that they’re throwing Artificer into the mix with these UAs now... oh my god. Oh my god it’s Iron Man.

Armorer Artificer

...It’s literally fucking Iron Man. That’s literally all I can say. Power Armor is conceptually AWESOME though I worry that removing the Strength requirement from Platemail is a bit OP. Armor Model essentially lets you choose between melee (Guardian) or ranged (Infiltrator.) The fact that you can use Intelligence to attack (much like Battle Smith) makes this subclass feel like a good alternative to Battle Smith for those who don’t want the dog.

Guardian’s Thunder Gauntlets are kinda meh for damage but the fact that you essentially replicate the Cavalier's Unwavering Mark feature is really cool, and will probably have some interesting synergies with Fighter subclasses. (My immediate thought is mixing this subclass with Battlemaster Fighter to create Mecha Kingdom Sett, though chances are if I make a Sett build I’m not going to give him big brain energy lol.) The Defensive Field ability however gives you some massive self-sustain and makes this as viable if not arguably stronger than a Barbarian. A 20 HP buffer every turn? That’s nuts! (Hm: maybe I should make a Sett build with this?)

Infiltrator’s Lightning Launcher... bro it’s literally fucking Iron Man. That being said it does a lot more damage than the Thunder Gauntlets overall (2d6 vs 1d8) and has the plus side of being ranged. Powered Steps and Second Skin are rather negligible by comparison honestly.

You get an Extra Attack at level 5 which sort of further solidifies that this is the dogless version of Battle Smith.

Level 9 you get Armor Modifications which... what the fuck? You get TWO extra Infusions for yourself?! Are they insane?! There aren’t many Bracer infusions to choose from but you can get some good value for the armor and weapon, and there are several boots that you don’t normally make as Artificer which you may as well make when you have two extra infusions. Even just the ability to get Winged Boots in your extra infusion slot is amazing.

Perfected Armor... ｏｈ　ｏｋａｙ．So you either get a gravity gun (Guardian) or the ability to generate free advantage 24/7. (Infiltrator)

Armorer Artificer is a 10/10. 11/10 honestly. Super flavorful and ridiculously strong; honestly needs some heavy nerfs. The heavy armor should still have a Strength requirement, the weapons don’t need bonus effects, Armor Modifications in general is fucking bonkers, and Perfected Armor for the Infiltrator armor needs to be limited by Intelligence akin to its Guardian counterpart.

After reading this over I’m very tempted to try to make a build for Elliana from Rivals of Aether. It would be a unique opportunity to try to make a Yuan-Ti Pureblood character.

(Artwork by Rivals of Aether)

Artificer Infusions

We also get some more infusions which is cool.

Armor of Magical Strength - Seems to have been designed specifically for the Armorer subclass or at least for specifically the Artificer. (Can be good to give to your Wizard though.) It makes Strength even more redundant than it already is, and Artificer can already make Gauntlets of Strength / Belt of Strength to make Strength redundant as is. The ability to resist being knocked prone is kinda useless and honestly you’re far better off just taking the +1 Armor Infusion and Belt / Gauntlets of Strength instead. 3/10

Armor of Tools - Really cute but feels like something you use specifically for down time. Again feels like it’s based too much around the Artificer and not their team. I really don’t understand the 8 hour limit on the integrated tool. 4/10

Helm of Awareness - Alert on a stick. Pretty balanced honestly since it takes an Attunement slot. 7/10

Mind Sharpener - ...this has no level limit? This also has no use limit (beyond your reaction.) The actual fuck? This is stupidly OP. 10/10 needs nerfs.

Spell-Refueling Ring - This is worded extremely poorly and (like a lot of the other new infusions) seems to have been specifically designed to buff the Artificer. The problem is that (as written) you can literally recover 2 level 5 spell slots, 3 level 4 spell slots, and a level 3 spell slot once per day. This item needs major limitations akin to the Pearl of Power and it also needs to be more useful for classes other than Artificer. I think the number of spell slots restored should be based on the Artificer’s Intelligence mod instead of the number of magic items. 2/10

The only infusion which I consider remotely balanced on this list is the Helm of Awareness. Armor of Tools is cute but it has too many limitations for something that’s already worse than the +1 armor, and all the other infusions seem based too heavily around buffing the Artificer instead of their teammates. All these items have the potential to be balanced (SR Ring and Armor oMS need a lot of work) but as they are currently they’re way too strong.

Circle of the Stars

Already looking at it the subclass certainly seems interesting. Star Map gives your Druid more flavor and also lets you cast two very strong spells for free. (Guiding Bolt in particular is very useful.)

Starry Form is interesting for a Druid that doesn’t want to Wildshape but feels inherently worse than Spores Druid or the other UA Wildfire Druid. Chalice is meh though it’s good for sustain (Life Cleric is better), Archer seems like it’s the best overall, and Dragon seems good for out-of-combat utility as well as keeping Concentration on important spells.

Cosmic Omen is very strong and reliable, and gives you a lot of support utility and Full of Stars should be part of Starry Form’s baseline feature to make it worth turning into a star form over an animal form.

Star Flare really feels like it should be a spell but it would be way too strong as a spell. The ability to instantly reposition allies and also do damage to enemies can’t be understated.

Overall I’d give this class maybe a 7/10? 8/10 because of the flavor which I think is really cool. It has some nice offensive abilities and well as defensive, but some of the features feel too weak. For some reason my immediate thought when I saw this subclass was Hilda Berg from Cuphead but lol I’m not about to make a freaking Cuphead Boss build.

(Artwork by Studio MDHR)

Fey Wanderer

Wizards of the Coast really seems to like their “defender of (x) plane” archetypes, don’t they? We have two defenders from extraplanar threats (Horizon Walker and UA Paladin) and now we have a defender of the Faewild. Bet Davvy Chappy is going to love this subclass.

Cunning Will feels kinda tacted on for the sake of it, and Dreadful Strikes feels inherently worse than Horizon Walker. It has some interesting synergies with multiple attacks but it still doesn’t do much overall. Blessings of the Courts similarly feels underwhelming though I find it interesting that we now have ranged Smites on Ranger. Beguiling Twist has the same issues that the UA Paladin has. Misty Presence is honestly the only feature that feels strong with this class and I struggle to see why you’d put 15 levels into Ranger when you can just put a few levels into Rogue for Expertise in Stealth and the ability to hide as a Bonus Action.

I give this subclass about a 2/10 - it really needs some work. Looking it over I feel like a Vayne build for League of Legends could be possible with this build but I still feel like Rogue + Fighter would be stronger.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

Artificer really stole the show with this UA and the others honestly feel like afterthoughts to me. This might be because Artificer is by far my favorite class in 5e but I really think that the Ranger needs a complete revision, which is a shame because I thought Swarmkeeper was pretty good. The Druid subclass is unique but has its faults and could use some time to be ironed out.

I really do expect the Artificer subclass to be published because the “Iron Man” aesthetic was something that Wizards of the Coast was going for with the Artificer UAs for a long time but could never really perfect. I hope we’ll get a lot more Artificer UA subclasses to supplement the fact that the class is new.

[multiverse-unlocked]

mixed-up-multiverse​:

@multiverse-unlocked liked for Snaps!

As of recent, Unca Pitaya had been teaching them how to properly ‘dragon’. And that included hunting. Hunting for food, like berries, small animals and cakes…

Unsuspecting mortals n’ cookies.

Snaps was in the right position in the bush. They’d been hidden perfectly well in this nice-smelling shrubbery– which was literally just a rose bush– within the palace walls. How did they get there? Well, let’s just say that Pitaya had taught them a few things about sneaking around, too. Being so small compared to the other dragons, that would be a good skill to have.

At last, here she came. Snaps readied themself and got down.. ready to pounce… necessary pre-pounce catlike butt wiggle in the process… and…

“BAH!”

They suddenly pop out of the bush, akin to a child suddenly jumping out from somewhere and going “Boo!” or something else.

Obviously they were only here to show how much progress they were making on their 'how to dragon’ lessons, and were showing this by suddenly surprising Holly with their sneaking.

Hollyberry was certainly was surprised, even jumping a little at the sudden appearance of the dragon. “Oh my!” she yelped, only to calm down a bit when she recognized the newcomer. “Oh, it’s just you, Snapdragon,” she said, crouching down to their height.

“My, you definitely snuck in here without anyone noticing, now didn’t you?” the Ancient Cookie smiled. Sure the dragon was more...friendly than she was used to, but this was still a newborn in any case. They’re probably learning all sorts of things about the world and given how the cookies had treated the newborn, they probably had a high opinion of them. Well, she hoped that they did.

She reached down and gave them a pat on the head. “I’m guessing Pitaya’s been teaching you all sorts of things, now haven’t they?”

@multiverse-unlocked liked for Snaps!

As of recent, Unca Pitaya had been teaching them how to properly 'dragon'. And that included hunting. Hunting for food, like berries, small animals and cakes...

Unsuspecting mortals n' cookies.

Snaps was in the right position in the bush. They'd been hidden perfectly well in this nice-smelling shrubbery-- which was literally just a rose bush-- within the palace walls. How did they get there? Well, let's just say that Pitaya had taught them a few things about sneaking around, too. Being so small compared to the other dragons, that would be a good skill to have.

At last, here she came. Snaps readied themself and got down.. ready to pounce... necessary pre-pounce catlike butt wiggle in the process... and...

"BAH!"

They suddenly pop out of the bush, akin to a child suddenly jumping out from somewhere and going "Boo!" or something else.

Obviously they were only here to show how much progress they were making on their 'how to dragon' lessons, and were showing this by suddenly surprising Holly with their sneaking.