DON'T COUNT MISTAKES I LOST TRACK OF THEM

[tilallisoverused]

( He's in trouble. He's Rodimus, the younger of Nova's two candidates for Prime, and he is absolutely in trouble. It's not his fault. He just happened to be somewhere where trouble results, although okay - that part isn't new.

And he knows exactly how he got here in the first place, it's the same as it always is.

Orion frowns at him every time he leaves the Primal Basilica dressed in a cloak - knowing full well that he's going to go to those places that Nova finds unlawful and unruly. Sure, the other Prime in training had attempted to stop him before, to no avail. That makes something twinge in Rodimus because he likes Orion, he really does.

Then again, most people like Orion 'Super Cop, Future Prime' Pax. Because apparently some people like having a career that's pointless once you know you'll carry the Matrix. He guesses that has to do with Orion having spent some of his life from out of Nova's influence - maybe that made you like police work.

Not that Rodimus would know what that's like - Nova snatched him up two days after he was forged, as if he knew exactly where to find him. Must be a 'wisdom of the Matrix' thing. Find your replacements before someone else does and what not. But it boiled down to the fact that he'd never really got to know or experience life outside the basilica walls and for every time Nova told him he shouldn't or couldn't go out - he did.

Which is how he ends up standing over someone he punched into a wall - thanks Galvatron and Cyclonus for teaching him that one - inadvertently starting a bar fight that he is determined to win. Rodimus is pretty sure that as a mysterious cloaked and hooded figure, he definitely looks awesome which negates the trouble.

Mostly. )

Comments

i'll make a minimus account eventually

[matryoshkabot]

[ Minimus likes his job. There's a deep, personal satisfaction in upholding the law, despite being a bot his size and especially in the district he elected to take responsibility for. Dominus would frown and say he's going to get himself killed trying to prove himself, that Minimus didn't need to prove himself to anyone. He was part of the .1%, he could be so much more than a no name lawman in some rough backwater outpost upholding the laws of an overbearing government.

It was an old fight. One he tried not to put too much stock in when Dominus was off world. It wasn't necessarily that he liked it there, it's that there was a job to do and none of the other peace keepers would take it. Someone had to do it. And he had achieved quite a bit. Not total peace, but the locals knew him and respected him, when they didn't outright hate him for his strict abidance to the law. He was still the first one they called when trouble broke out, especially with outsiders.

So it really wasn't long before there was a green and white figure, barely taller than an average minibot, wading into the fight. The ones who saw him in time had the sense enough to scatter. The ones who didn't or just didn't know better would find themselves at the receiving end of a powerful punch and strong, small hands lifting them up and tossing them away from whatever bot they were pounding on, as a voice that seemed much too big for the little body boomed: ]

That is enough.

i'm actually surprised you haven't already

[tilallisoverused]

( He doesn't notice Minimus at first, too busy ducking a punch and landing another one on someone else and getting an elbow joint into the side of his helm for his trouble. Rodimus does notice when someone goes flying past him, head whipping around to find the bot who managed to do that. Which means looking up, then at eye level, before his optics drop down and he finally catches a glimpse of the white and green bot with exceptional strength.

Oh.

Well he'll just be leaving, then. There's no point in getting caught in the middle of trouble that he'll only get himself out of later. Why bother with a minute or two of explanations when he can just leave now and save everyone the trouble? )

Slacking a little tbh

[matryoshkabot]

[ Oh no, you don't, stranger. Minimus knows better than to try and grab for the cloak so he drops and sweeps the boy's legs out from under him instead, following it with an elbow to his back.

Once he gets the bot on the ground, he can twist his arm up behind his back enough to immobilize him. ]

I don't think so. You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and destruction of property.

srsly get on that

[tilallisoverused]

( Landing on the ground face down was bad enough, but the arm twisting and the arresting only makes it worse. Is he serious? He can't be serious, there's no way he's getting arrested. )

Hey! ( He struggles for a moment or two, hoping that he can at least throw the other bot off and get free. But - even though the officer is tiny - he's certainly not going anywhere. ) You can't arrest me - why don't we go somewhere else and talk this ov-- ( There's a split second before he realizes that his hood is definitely slipping down from his helm, and instead of finishing his sentence just groans.

Well, at least he's definitely not going to get arrested. )

shall after this tag

[matryoshkabot]

[ There is a notable pause when the hood of the cloak slips away and Minimus actually sees who it is he's arresting. His frown deepens and he shifts slightly. ]

Two choices: you can walk or I can drag you to the station. No negotiations.

GOOD

[tilallisoverused]

Seriously?

( None of those sound remotely like things he wants to do. At all, preferably ever. Because he knows whoever it is recognizes him - it's hard not to when his face is plastered across broadcasts on a regular basis. Standing behind Orion who's standing behind Nova - the great Primal legacy. )

You can't!

( He's a Prime! Sort of, but it still counts. )

tadaaah

[thesurpriseinside]

[ The hard way it is then. ]

Watch me.

[ And without much further ado, Minimus stands and lifts the second heir to the Prime lineage up onto his shoulder. ]

LAUGHING SO HARD what a beautiful username

[tilallisoverused]

( What's going on. What is this. What is happening to him why is he being carried over the shoulder of a bot shorter than him. )

Hey. Hey!

( Yes that's all he can manage. )

Unhand me!

( Does that sound properly Prime-like? He assumes it does, because it's probably something Nova has said to someone at some point in time. Probably to Cyclonus if the bodyguard stepped out of line or away from Galvatron. )

thenk yew thenk yew

[thesurpriseinside]

[ Minimus knows how to use that confusion to his advantage and starts striding out of the bar. While he has a good deal of strength and skill working to his advantage, he is still significantly shorter than most bots. Rodimus could still cause him trouble if he decided to struggle. ]

Not a chance.

[ He doesn't trust Rodimius not to bolt. Just go limp and enjoy the ride, please. He doesn't want to deal with the grief he'll get if he dents Rodimus Primeling. ]

[tilallisoverused]

( He's too shell-shocked at a. being arrested and b. being carried out of the bar over someone's shoulder to put up too much of a fight at the moment. Instead Rodimus falls back on complaining and trying to bargain his way out of this. Nova isn't going to be pleased, he knows that much. But he can't tell if his displeasure is going to be limited to Rodimus or spread to the almost-mini bot. )

This is-- you can't. ( He's already said that already. ) Don't you know who I am?

( Last ditch attempts are go, even though when he says that his voice is tinged with arrogance. He's proud of his status, alright. )

[thesurpriseinside]

I can and I will. [ Watch him, he's doing it right now. He will however shift Rodimus just enough so that he can actually see the incredulous look Minimus is giving him. ]

Of course, I do. I also know you punched a bot through a wall and nearly tore apart Jetlag's bar with that fight you started.

[tilallisoverused]

Okay, but technically we both sort of agreed to start it at the same time. And he didn't go through it. Just bounced off after making an impact crater. _{Galvatron would have appreciated it.}

( He sees that look and he is unfazed. Which means he's still equally incredulous that this is happening to him. )

[thesurpriseinside]

Technicalities don't change the results of your actions. [ Which might be the opening to the Responsibility Lecture Minimus keeps on hand for drunk, belligerent miners and Dominus. ]

And your friend is going to spend a night in the cell next to you. You two will have plenty of time to sort out the technicalities.

[tilallisoverused]

A nig-- No. There's no way I'm spending a night in jail.

( Rodimus is definitely not here for any lecturing at all ever and will continue to ignore it if whoever this is is trying to give him a lecture. Please, he's Rodimus. )

Nova won't let it happen.

( The jail thing, although he'll probably repay the owner of whatever bar it was if he has to. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ Minimus suspects that's true. Likewise the grim acceptance that if anyone is going to suffer for Rodimus' choices tonight, it will be him. Well, it won't be the first time he's felt the wrath of larger bots.

With that in mind, he turns the corner to the station, shouldering the door open. ]

Your bail will be posted within the hour. You get one outgoing call.

[ He does the official spiel quickly and efficiently, opening the holding cell nearest and dropping Rodimus inside. ] If you know who you want to call I suggest you make it quick, I've got a long night ahead of me thanks to you.

[tilallisoverused]

Yeah, I do.

( Rodimus ignores the fleeting temptation to call Nova directly, scowling at the other's back when he makes the call - to Orion. Who is disapproving and everything Rodimus has come to expect from the other Primeling. But also less likely to tell Nova and get, well, everyone in trouble.

And once the call is over and he only has to wait, it means staring at the bot who dared to arrest him. Staring intensely because he's still not certain how this all happened. )

So do I get a name or something? We've got time to kill, might as well know who to avoid next time.

[thesurpriseinside]

[ Minimus almost pointedly ignores Rodimus while he makes his call. Minimus has his own calls to place to his deputies, the few that operate in the area and aren't in the middle of their recharge cycle.

Under staffing means long hours and the necessity for rotating shifts that allow enough time for at least one full recharge cycle a week for each of them. Minimus knows he's due, but after this, Primus knows when he'll have the chance. He debriefs his deputies and returns to his desk to continue the paper work he had been working on before the call from Jetlag.

He glances over at Rodimus' cell at the sound of his voice. ]

Minimus Ambus. Duly Appointed Peace Keeper under the Tyrest Manifest and elected sheriff of the Clamptrad District.

[tilallisoverused]

( Which means he gets a glimpse of Rodimus reclining the best he can, legs stretched out in front of him and arms behind his head. If he's going to have to sit in a cell he's at least going to be comfortable while doing it. )

Didn't take you for one of Tyrest's. ( He's only passingly familiar with the bot and how he went from an engineer to a lawmaker. Nova seemed to tolerate him, which wasn't exactly saying much because those that he didn't tolerate ended up disappearing if they kept it up. ) They're, you know, normally bigger.

( And you, Minimus, are just as small as your name suggests. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ Minimus' stern expression turns several degrees colder. ]

So I've been told. [ Multiple times and with what seems to him an unsurprising frequency. He turns back to his paperwork, but can't helping adding. ]

A peace keeper is measured in his effectiveness, not his height.

[tilallisoverused]

( Rodimus doesn't notice, but there might be a snort of amusement at the second sentence. )

I gotta hand it to you, the rest of them probably wouldn't have arrested me.

( He's still sore about that, but he's adopting a brighter outlook on the entire situation. Like how Orion won't rat him out and he can settle the debts and his rank means it won't even show up on his record. If he has a record - he's pretty sure he doesn't.

Damn, it's good to be a Prime. Sort of. )

Has anyone accused you of compensating for something?

[thesurpriseinside]

[ He stills. Of course, it had occurred to him that his brothers-in-arms (reluctant tho some of them might be to share that title with him) might show leniency to a future Prime, but Rodimus' tone, his easy confidence, brings a grave reality to the situation.

He can almost hear Dominus disapproving tone. ]

I have been accused of worse by bots I have the highest regard for and by bots I have put in that cell. [ He carefully puts down the datapad he had been working on and turns to study Rodimus, utterly somber. ]

I don't typically pay much attention to what the latter has to say.

[tilallisoverused]

But I'm the only one you've put in here that's going to be Prime. ( Just going to point that out as he catches and holds the look Minimus is giving him - smile turning that much more irritatingly smug. ) That's got to count for something.

( After all, it's this asshole who's going to be leading their race in a few million years, give or take. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ It's almost terrifying to think that. ]

Your status does not make you above the law. If anything, you should be ashamed. How could you ask your followers to abide the laws that you yourself won't even acknowledge?

[tilallisoverused]

( His smile vanishes as quickly as it came, arms dropping down from behind his head to cross over his chest in a very defensive pose. )

Seriously? It was just a bar fight, it's not like I'm out there committing hate crimes against anyone who's been constructed cold! Or anything that's actually a crime instead of getting into a fight like every other bot who's had too much to drink.

( He hates it when people get anywhere near the idea of responsibility and his part to play in it when it comes to being Prime. )

[thesurpriseinside]

[ He doesn't really smile, despite his satisfaction at wiping that smug smile off Rodimus' face. It's a hollow, petty victory. ]

And you were arrested like every other bot who makes trouble when he's had too much to drink. The fact that are worse crimes you could have been committing instead doesn't change anything; your actions still have consequences.

[ He turns back to his datapads. ]