A day off

[vandalization]

WHO: Drift and Vandal
WHERE: The lake out near... somewhere. I forget where, but I know it's there.
WHEN Monday to Wednesday
WHAT: Camping! And drinking. Vandal and Drift go on a vacation.
WARNINGS: Vandal's mouth.



"So it should be a ways ahead."

Maybe she'd over-packed, but it's easy when you have a holo-inventory. So they had firewood, food, even high-grade for Drift, and whiskey for her. They were going to have a hell of a time, damn it. If she has anything to do with it. Drift needs it, and so does she. After everything that had happened?

A little R&R will do them both good. So she sinks back into Drift's passenger seat and chews on a piece of very dry jerky.

"Are you excited? I'm excited. We're gonna drunk. And maybe hang out and it's gonna be fuckin' great. I've never been camping. Have you? I've read about it. I always wanted to when I was a kid but. Space. Kinda lacks proper forests and wilderness."

Comments

[sword_redemption]

He needed this more than he wanted to admit. Just time to let things settle in his mind. And a good time. It had been a long time since he'd had fun.

"I can get us there faster if you want." But...you might want to put on the seat belt. And say your prayers.

"Never been camping like this, no. Military encampments, yes. This is--I hope--different." And the gutters, but he doesn't want to go there. Too many very ugly memories.

[vandalization]

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh is this the part where you promised you'd scare me?" She grins, "Bring it on, big guy."

She braces her hand against his dash and huffs a laugh.

"Yeah, this is different. You get to relax and do whatever you want. It's supposed to be one of the most fun activities you could do on earth."

[sword_redemption]

"We'll find out. I want it to be...pretty up there." Just because they could both use a change of scene and a little beauty.

"Oh? You're asking for it."

He's laughing, the sound a sort of side-rumble to his engine. Right before he accelerates, that is, tires screeching on the uneven pavement. He corners, hard, rear tires swinging wide to one side.

[vandalization]

"It will be. I think you'll like it."

It's weird being inside him when he laughs like that, like she can feel the mirth all around her. It's nice.

"Yeah, in fact I am as-" And then she makes a very undignified sound that may or may not have been a scream.

"Do over! Do over I wasn't ready!" Definitely bracing herself, but she can't keep the smile from her face.

[sword_redemption]

"I'll like anything as long as I'm, you know...me." As in not a tiny human thing.

He slows, with less force than he could have. Because it's fun to play at scaring at her: not fun to actually scare her. "You want a countdown this time?"

[vandalization]

"No worries there."

Well that certainly woke her up. She grins wickedly.

"Nah. I'm ready for it this time. Bring it, bunnybot."

That is a challenge, Drift. That is a line drawn in the sand, right there. Also she's totally putting on her seat belt but yeah. Totally.

[sword_redemption]

"Let's hope not." He did develop a new respect about what human was like. He'd lived on Earth but it had never really considered what it was like.

"..bunnybot." Oh. He sees how it is. "It. Is." He floors the accelerator, the rear end fishtailing over the junk, as he aims for a low berm. He's about to take you flying, Vandal.

"Brought."

[vandalization]

She's about to snark back at him, but her hands brace against the ceiling and the next sound is a scream, but one that is distinctly delighted and peters out into laughter.

"That all you got?!" Yeah even if she's goading him on, she's totally having a blast, and it's certainly got the adrenaline going.

[sword_redemption]

That's a good sound, he thinks, as it echoes around his cabin. "Haven't landed yet."

He launches into the air, in classic Badass Car Chase style, landing heavily on his front tires, shocks taking most of the impact, his frame already slewing hard to the right.

[vandalization]

Well. This is by far. The most awesome thing to date.

"FUCK YEAH!" And it's only a minimal jostling. Nothing painful. He really is a good a driver as he claims to be. Not that she expected otherwise, when he's... you know. A car.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Faster!"

[sword_redemption]

Oh it's probably a bad idea to encourage him, Vandal. Especially where there's technically no road, and he can swerve all over everything.

Which he decides to do.

In reverse.

All right. Maybe he's showing off a bit. But she's laughing, so that's good, right?

[vandalization]

He is being a big showoff, but she's loving every second of it. She'll admit to herself later, yeah, a bit scary. But in the way that a ride is scary or an adventure movie. She knows she's safe, in the long run.

Drift wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

Well. Maybe let her sides get sore from laughing too much, but that's hardly a bad thing.

[sword_redemption]

He never gets to drive like this, not really, just for fun. He'd escaped the Swarm, when he'd gotten cut off from the others, by this kind of thing, but it's different to do it without someone trying to kill you as motivation.

Someone laughing is a much better motivation.

But she's in the safest place right now, and he hopes she realizes that.

"Had enough?"

[vandalization]

"I need- just a moment to catch my breath. That's all," She wheezes, leaning on his door, still grinning like a maniac.

It's fun when he's playful like this. Lately he's been through so much shit. She missed doing stupid pointless shit with him. Though she wonders how pointless it really was after all? Because these are the moments that make her glad she's here.

Alive, despite everything.

"Fuck, Drift! Where did you learn that? Someone call the galactic police or whatever. We've got a crazy bot on the loose!"

[sword_redemption]

"Right. That's your excuse." It's fine with him: if he tries anything more dangerous, he might risk hurting her. And that's a great big No.

He lets his engines rev down to a slightly more sedate speed. Slightly.

"Running from the police." Truth, but his engines are still rumbling with laughter. It's the first time he's thought of that period of his life, with a laugh.

[vandalization]

"Not an excuse! I've just gotta... catch a second wind here..." Totally. Absolutely!

Not.

"Seriously? God. You are such a fucking badass, Drift. Can I have some of your badass? I'm at a critical low."

A ponderous pause.

"And yet you're a giant dork, too. How do you balance it?" She can't help it. Teasing him is a favorite hobby.

[sword_redemption]

He's not going to call her on how obvious a lie that is. Not when he could preen about his driving prowess.

"You were plenty badass back there with--" Right. Maybe not a good thing to talk about. "--all the time. But I could take over for a bit."

...ouch. Way to deplete his awesome-bubble, Vandal.

"...hey."

[vandalization]

She nestles deeper into his seat.

"I think I'll let you handle the badass." There's a soft chuckle.

"Aww, come on. I'm teasing you. Dorkiness is a good quality, anyways. Or at least one I value. You're still a big badass who drives like a bat outta' hell and you have this whole. Knightly, samurai thing going on."

She rubs a hand over his dash. Yeah. She definitely adores him.

"Drift, if I were a rob-... a Cybertronian, do you think I'd be as cool?"

See? She's learning.

[sword_redemption]

"I've had more practice." By a few million years.

At being badass, that is. Though also obviously at being a dork.

"I don't know how to be anything else." Truth, embarrassingly so.

"Vandal." He slows, to a careful speed. They're nearing the site she'd given him coordinates for, anyway. "You're always 'cool'. You should know that."

[vandalization]

"Drift..."

A more subdued smile, something quiet and genuine. She looks out the window and watches as they approach the lake.

"You're really sweet." She wont play the 'no you're wrong' game. Spoil that moment that she carefully stows away with all the rest for when she's alone and waking from nightmares.

She's never had a friend quite like him before, and that's the giant alien robot car thing aside, too.

[sword_redemption]

"I'm not. Really." But he's not going to argue too much. Especially not when he rolls over another hill, the light glinting off the dappled surface of the lake like silver.

"Beautiful," he says, and then adds, a moment later, "Don't you think?"

[vandalization]

"Yeah, it is."

A moment of comfortable silence passes.

"Drift...?" Maybe she should tell him how much she appreciates him. What he does for her... who he is.

"Where do you see from when you're a car?" Because this isn't something she'd covered with Ratchet yet. Altmodes were their own lesson. And yeah, she's totally ruining the moment, but it just kind of dawned on her. And she chickened out on the first part.

*sob* I HAVE NO IDEA

[sword_redemption]

"Yes?" He circles part of the lakeshore, trying to scout the perfect campsite. Which is a bit difficult, since he has no idea what a campsite should look like.

Uh. Wow. That wasn't what he was expecting.

"Headlamps?" Because that's a weird question, don't you think?

I'm so sorry /gently ruins everything

[vandalization]

"Ohhh... I guess that makes sense." She's about to ask him if he sees out of his tail lights too, and if that was like seeing out of your own butt, however she's distracted abruptly.

"Oh, oh, oh! Stop! Right over there! That is the perfect spot! We'll camp there."

Well. Maybe she'll get another chance to have that meaningful conversation with him. Maybe later. When he's drunk and he'll forget.

She's honestly starting to question herself, though. She's never been this close to someone.

you have no idea how much I need fluff right now ;-;

[sword_redemption]

....don't ask that, Vandal. Drift likes to keep a little mystery.

He's glad when she indicates a spot, letting his tires slowly roll to a stop where she indicated, trying to figure what she's seeing, for future reference.

"Here? So what do we do to set up?" He pops the locks, but doesn't open the door. He'd be okay with just sitting here for a while.