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[tenthtimeisthecharm]

There is a brief pause filled with audible clicks and thuds, followed by the slightly echoey acoustics that come from someone recording audio in a large room. "Hello hello! You've reached Dr. Velocity! Feel free to leave a message or a video or whatever here, and I'll do my very best to respond promptly! And if it this is about the stickers, Ratchet, I didn't do it! Love and love and love!"

text | voice | video | action

Comments

[tenthtimeisthecharm]

[Velocity has returned to hiding in her hab suite and mostly letting her messages go unanswered, but this one she can't ignore (or try to). She tugs her datapad closer and dictates her reply into it]

Hello, Optimus. I'm, um. [Her voxcoder clicks and clicks for a few seconds as she struggles with keeping her voice level] I'm fine, it's fine. I don't need anything. You don't need to worry. Day or two, and I'll be right as acid rain.

[emojibot]

[he frowns at the answer. it's not entirely not what he expected.]

Ah... well, I simply wanted to see how you were doing. Donnie's words seemed to harm you deeper than you were willing to let on.

[tenthtimeisthecharm]

[This is answered by silence at first, before the audio picks up the quiet shift of metal against metal]

He- he wasn't being mean on purpose, I think. He didn't know. So it's okay. I'll get over it. But thank you for checking in on me.

[emojibot]

Well, problems in communication famously never go away if you leave them and assume what the other meant, so I would recommend speaking with him to get you both on the same page.

[he says this very cheerfully, like the strong implication is go and do that immediately.]

[tenthtimeisthecharm]

[Velocity winces, then crosses her arms and averts her gaze from somebody who isn't even there]

I know I should. I will. Just, um. Just not right now. I think I upset him, and he should be able to decompress from that for um. For a while. A nonspecific span of time.

[emojibot]

It's already been a couple of days! There's no time like the present. [somehow he sounds even more cheerful. this is not sounding all that optional anymore.] If you leave it too long, then it would be awkward to bring up, wouldn't it?

[tenthtimeisthecharm]

[Oh. Oh, was Optimus implying that this was in fact kind of an order? Velocity squirms, then again at the idea of it being even more awkward to do. Oh no]

...Would it be really horrendously awkward if it was tomorrow? Or- or maybe I can write up a text that's timed to go off randomly and I don't have to think about it, it'll just happen. Like acid rain.

[emojibot]

[well, no one can say he didn't try to be subtle.]

Go and do it now, Velocity.

[tenthtimeisthecharm]

But-!

[A short silence, as Velocity stands with a reluctant sigh]

...All right. Composing a message to let him know I'd like to meet.

[emojibot]

Excellent! I'm very proud of you, Velocity. Taking the first step is always the hardest. I'll be here if you need me.

[that might've sounded completely condescending from anyone else, but as usual, this optimus and his ability to be so spark-rendingly sincere and hopeful about everything doesn't fully give it that angle.]