A Picture of Innocence

"Who's next?"

The human-sized Transformer who's strayed into the Nexus today has visited a scant handful of times before. She stares at the ground, orange visor dimmed, shoulders hunched below the rust-coloured mass of the turret on her back, deep in uneasy thought. After a minute or so, she realises she's procrastinating and gives an irritable beep at herself. She still checks that none of her own crew are around before she asks. A Minicon learns some caution. Even if they're Ironhide.

"Suppose there's... someone you care about. A good friend, even if you haven't known them long. What would count as betraying them?"

Another scan of the area. "And how do you ask someone for information after you've, uh, condemned them in public? And you meant it."

Perceptor appears in the Nexus with the swish and slight flash of a PINpoint, and then immediately looks down at the two tiny beings in his arms, who are responding to the teleport with a flurry of excited cheeping and limb flailing.

The ten foot tall red mech chuckles softly and offers the two infant Meredronians fingers to grasp. "Well, here we are, Shiloh and Priyasha. There is the sign that I mentioned, and as you can see the sky gives no sign of any celestial bodies, which suggests that the Nexus has no planetary basis. My heavens, are you hungry again already, Priyasha?"

The wide-eyed silvery baby looks up from testing his finger for flavor, her tiny wings flaring with interest as she peeps and bobbles her head. Beside her, the much smaller penny-coloured Shiloh seems to be talking earnestly to his tail, which he's holding in one hand as he gazes around with an interest much larger than he is.

Perceptor smiles at the churr from his adopted daughter and gives his finger a very gentle twitch, which makes her wriggle with excitement.

Then he looks up. "Denizens of the Nexus, I have come here today to expose my wards to as many other friendly individuals as is possible before their next nap. Would anyone care to come and speak to them?"

Faye's back in the Nexus, this time hogging one of the various terminal placed handily around. Apparently, she's looking up infomation on the game "The World."

"Huh. Why do role-playing games seem so... involved?

"What's the worst you've ever had a plan backfire?"

Bumblebee to one side of him and Jazz to the other. That massive head turns slowly as he takes in the insanity that is the Nexus.

"Yeah... so this's it, Bossmech," says Jazz quietly, his manner awkward and a little guilty. "The motherlode of data."

"If someone actually answers," says Bumblebee, her soft voice and attitude speaking of sadness. "They don't sometimes, or the people that do are only trying to be funny."

"I see." Optimus looks down at his friends with concern, but then glances at the sign and addresses the Nexus.

"Will anyone here tell me about the Fallen? Or... offer suggestions for a good source of high quality electronics and metals?"

He pauses to watch Jazz and Bumblebee walk away toward the errands they had to run, and then looks up again and adds very quietly, "Or a way to handle waking up and finding that your... intended is now... married... to your best friend?"

Today Jubilee sits on one of the Nexus chairs, with a cup of tea on her hands and a reflective look on her face.

"I have come to figure, that in a person's life there will always be people will eventually take a different path, and you do not get to see them much anymore. Or at all. Especially considering the changing effects of the Nexus on other dimension, considered to your own."

"In your own life, who have you met that isn't around anymore, and that you miss seeing the most?"
"And if that is a little too... depressing to think about. Who would you love to meet in the Nexus?"

River's sitting on the back of a couch with a frown on her face as she absently pulls on Dog's ear. After awhile the reason for the frown comes out in a question.

"Is it cowardly ta walk away when someone starts abusing you?"

Harvey isn't hiding his bad side today. He needs to show it, so that people will understand his question.

"For those who come from magic or high-tech worlds--is there any way to create a prosthetic for things like eyes and faces? Something you can put on and take off?

"And for the rest of us--what's the worst scar you have?"

Haseo is in your Nexus, curiousfacing your locals.

"Your thoughts on kicking things to activate, open, or otherwise utilize them?"

They don't really crack jokes at homicide scenes, do they? I'm going to have to investigate this.

Maya walks into the Nexus and looks terribly depressed, seating herself near the Sign.

"I don't have a question today, but I do have something important to tell the muns. Some of you already know this, but I mun Lien Eternelir (also known as someday_divine). Despite not having access to the game from which she comes for months now, I've tried my best to continue playing her, but it's going to have to come to an end now.

I have to quit the game completely.

With no way to know how her story is going to continue, or how it's going to end, I've got to stop playing her. I've already run out of ways to bullshit long enough to keep her story going. I don't want to do this, I loved playing her and she was involved in so many things here, but it's impossible to continue onward now. I'm sorry, and I hope you understand."

She's crying by the end, and dabs at her eyes with a somewhat-fuzzy purple handkerchief before moving to trudge back out of the Nexus.

Harvey is once again sitting in a corner. And once again, he doesn't turn his head when he speaks.

"It seems like I'm going to be living here, and I'll need a job.

"So, does the Nexus need lawyers? I was a prosecuter, but I'm flexible about that. And I'm open-minded--even the weirdest crimes and clients don't bother me."

There's a Quick in the Nexus, for those who might actually recognize him out of armor. For everyone else, there's a very hyperactive and fidgety blond fellow - who has a teeny, newly hatched bronze fire lizard using his fingers for a jungle gym as he feeds it bits of raw fish.

"Suggestions for The Best Mini-Dragon Name Ever?" Hey, more options are always good.

"And how do squishies ever stand being hungry, even for a little bit, if that's what it feels like?"

Swindle is in the Nexus, a bit in thought. He watches the people for a few minutes before asking his question, "What would you sacrifice to pursue your dreams?"

Of all the Die Hard movies which was your favorite and why?

To put it another way, in case this ain't exactly your series, which one did you hate the least?

Keyaki's curled up in the corner of a couch, looking absolutely miserable and rubbing his eyes halfheartedly every so often. He's obviously been crying, which is alarming - anything that could have shaken him up that bad has to be something pretty big.

"...What are you supposed to do when everything goes wrong and no one will let you take the blame, even though you know you could have stopped it if you'd just done something sooner?" he asks tremulously after a while, before breaking down into tears again.

Alternatively, does anyone want to give him a hug and let him cry a bit?