Jealousy

"Doncha worry, I'll still keep lookin' fer th'feller wot boosted my CTD," Swivel calls over her shoulder as she stands in the doorway of Steamcore's Courier Agency. The place had been a bit disorganized since getting ready to relocate, but it still had not outright shut down for that endeavor. Swivel closes the door behind her as she steps out into the street.

And lo' and behold but who should be in the street but a very familiar, rather short little racing bot?

Backdrop stands there, stopped mid-step on his way to the agency, as Swivel steps out. He pauses for a moment.

Then, a rather grumpy expression crosses his face as he keeps on walking. He passes right by Swivel, giving her a stink eye along the way.

Swivel smiles and is about to wave and greet, but is silenced by that expression. And then she watches in dull surprise as he waks right past her with such an expression. She blinks a few times seemingly confused, but then concludes this with a shrug and continues on her way.

Later that cycle...

At the end of a long day of deliveries and running about, Backdrop ends his last run with a small wave tot he receptionist and a continued frown.

He's been pretty grumpy all day. Since just passing by Swivel. He still has the scowl on his face as he stomps about Nyon. Stomp stomp stomp. Grr.

Spying the stomping mech with the sour face, Swivel walks out from a cross street just as he is nearing the junction and stands square in his path with her arms crossed over her chest and her optic ridges raised. And also on her face, a sickeningly sweet smile. And one less lead patch.

Probably not the best thing to do to someone who's both grumpy face and pouting; Backdrop is actually looking at the floor when Swivel steps out to the sidewalk.

He smacks right in to her. Doesn't even look where he's going. "Ack!"

Upon impact, Swivel takes a step back to steady herself. However, she was standing closer to the curb that she had realised and where expected there to be more sidewalk, there wasn't. The femme lets out a small cry of surprise and begins milling her arms as she teeters bck, eventually falling flat on her tire-riddled back.

Backdrop actually falls right on top of Swivel. It's incredibly awkward, particularly as he isn't aware of who he bumped in to at first. "Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't -- I wasn't paying attention and --" Oh, now he looks. "...SWIVEL."

He jumps back, getting back to his feet and looking rather stunned.

Indeed it is awkward, but rather fortuitous that Backdrop and Swivel are roughly the same size, so as not to result in Swivel being completely squished. However, she kicks her legs in the air with the same amount of grace as an over-turned beetle. She hears a vehicle approaching and heaves her weight as far back as she can, and then uses the pendulum momentum to roll forward onto her feet, ending in a squatting position. She then scrambles on her hands and knees back onto the walkway and out of incoming traffic.

Swivel then looks up at Backdrop and smiles genuinely. "Well, fancy bumpin' inta you."

There's still a somewhat stunned look on Backdrop's face for a second. Then, his expression shifts to that grumpy look again. "What do YOU want?" Ooh, he's laying it on thick.

"Mmmmm, a big bottle' o' 'igh grade, world peace, a room t'call m'own, oh, an' th'reason why yer bein' so grumpy," Swivel responds, seeming unabashed or unbothered by the tone in Backdrop's voice. She slowly rises to her feet, patting off some dust and dirt in various spots.

"Why I'm grumpy?!" Backdrop actually looks like he's pouting; his fists are clenched at his sides, but considering how dainty he is, it probably doesn't come off as threatening. "Oh, maybe because you ran off to make kissing faces at Blurr?!"

"Woah, slow down there! I dinna run off t'make kissy faces at Blurr. I dun think 'e iffin knows.... oy, wait, 'ow d'ya know I went t'Ibex? Oh... eh... prolly the gossip 'mong the couriers." Swivel glances beyond Backdrop towards the office he just came from for a moment. She then looks back to Backdrop. "I'm not gunner make kissy faces at Blurr. 'E's gotter conjux 'n I ent gunna iffin try ta get in th'middle o' that sorter thin'. 'Sides, I ent a kissy-facer!"

"He has a conjux?" Backdrop looks shocked for all of a moment. Then, he looks a little sickened. "Swivel! You're flirting with a crazy psychopath that ALREADY HAS A CONJUX?"

Well, he took that to most inappropriate extreme possible.

It isn't often that she does it, but Swivel does it. She covers her face with her hand and just shakes her head. "Spritz... Spritz... Oh Spritz..." swivel lifts her head and parts her fingers to peek through the gap at Backdrop. Slowly, her hand drops away. "Din I jus' say I dun do that sorter thin'? When 'ave y'ever known me t'be a flirt enyhoo?" Swivel looks imploringly at Backdrop.

"But... You... You said you liked him!" Backdrop sputters. "You told me you genuinely liked him! And then you just run off and join the race people and I bet you met Blurr and got all close and everything! Why else would you decide to go off to Ibex and just dump me here?!"

"I loik Blurr, but I love you, eesh! Yer kinner loik a brother t'me. I know it ent th'same as th'other units ya spent yer loif with... but yer th'closest thing ta family I's ever 'ad... which ent that odd since Cybertronians dun really 'ave families... but they're a nice concept." Swivel shakes her head. "An' I went there 'coz I knew I woona b'able ta talk you outter goin' there, so's I figured I best get m'foot in'the door so's I kin try 'n save you from doin' somethin' you'll regret. An' I also tryna see thin's from Blurr's view to try 'n reach out t'im and get 'im to be un-crazy."

For a few seconds, Backdrop just stands there. His expression is wobbling between the grumpiness and a sadness. Leaning towards the latter as Swivel talks about family. So wobbly. "Amica stay together. That's how it's supposed to be. But... But you didn't even tell me what was going on. You just LEFT. I had to find things out from gossip. GOSSIP, Swivel!"

"Well... um..." Swivel glances about looking suddenly kind of embarrassed. "It's... uh... I dinna think I'd make it... so I dinna wanner make a big speech 'bout 'ow I was gunna get in there and keep you safe while neutralizing Blurr as a threat through peaceful means... and then get rejected." Swivel idly presses her two index fingers together, flexing and contracting them and looks down. "I came to the office to tell you, but you weren't in yet. Then when I stepped out you were giving me the cold shoulder... and I dinna know 'ow to react so I jus' walked away and figgered, mebbe, you was jus' over worked or sumthin... so I gave ya time an' came ta tell ya the news an you already knew... and had time to jump to yer own conclusions... an I'm sad you think so little of me that I would DO something like that rather than give me the benefit of the doubt after all we've been through..."

"You should've told me and we should've gone together!" Backdrop doesn't look any calmer. "If that's REALLY what you were planning, we could've gone together! But you just... Run off, and it's because you like Blurr, isn't it? 'Cause you only feel bad for me, but you LIKE him, right?!"

"If it makes ya 'appy t'believe that, I'm not gonna argue with ya enmore." Swivel shrugs her shoulders. "Least not til ya've camed down a bit." Swivel crosses her arms over her chest and just STARES at Backdrop.

For a few seconds, there's a bit of a standoff. Backdrop stares right back, looking affronted and still quite grouchy.

"...We could've gone TOGETHER." He repeats, folds his arms, and pouts. Still in a standoff.

Swivel lets out a long sigh and then digs out a datapad. She then holds it out to Backdrop. "I'd never make it as a racer, Backdrop. I went for the Vehicular Gymnastics division, and their try-outs were only a cycle or two away from when I inquired about it. But the racer try-outs were later on. I was going to tell you and give this to you - all the information you need to register and audition."

"Wh-what?" Why does Backdrop look so SUSPICIOUS? He takes the datapad, though, and looks at it. "...I don't think I'd make it as a racer, either." His shoulders slump. "Why did you have to LEAVE, though? We were just starting..."

Swivel shakes her head. "I'm 'ere now, ent I? I've never 'ad a 'ome, so's I just go where I need ta be. I honestly woona done this if my job weren't already bein' threatened... so's quittin' fore I kin be fired was..." She tilts her head to the side, casting a side glance. "...jus' an itty-bitty speck of ego." Swivel glances about herself. "I dun plan on stayin'. I jus' need ta 'elp Blurr be less crazy... because killin' 'im ent fixin' anything. They'll jus' do the same thing ta summun else. I need ta know peeps loik Blurr kin be saved... because I never know if me or you will be next."

Backdrop shakes his head at the continued mention of Blurr. "Why does everything have to be about HIM? Even everyone else dying was about him. Everything we DO, it's about Blurr." He hisses. "...I don't want to lose you, Swivel. I don't have anyone else."

Swivel's stare turns intense. "Because Blurr is an example of wot's wrong with our world... if... if.... if 'e kin be fixed, maybe there's ope!"

Backdrop only seems to deflate more. He's still looking at the datapad, but is it even on? "And... And what if he CAN'T be fixed and he kills you TOO?"

This gets a smile from Swivel. She puts her hand out to try and put a hand on Backdrops arm. "Now you know 'ow I felt when ya kept talkin' 'bout going' off to Ibex to get revenge. You're obsession with killing Blurr, and the very real danger you were putting yourself in. My feelings exactly. What if he or someone connected with him kills you. I'd be shattered."

Big ol' optics look up at Swivel, but doesn't pull away from the hand. "That's why we should've gone TOGETHER. We should've both gone in. Not just... You and I'm just... Left behind."

A wounded expression crosses Backdrop's face. "Couldn't you even just... Talk to me? Why couldn't you talk to me?"

"I tried talkin' t'ya twice, Backdrop," Swivel reminds him. "Once before your got yer new frame, once after."

"What are you talking about?" Backdrop frowns. "We went to play card games and we were together a LOT, you didn't mention anything about running off to try out for a... Race... Thing." A pause. "...I forgot what you actually joined."

Swivel facepalms. "Oh, I thought ya meant talkin' t'ya 'bout my feelings 'bout YOU running off. Because I'm willin t'go there and tell 'em being' an athlete might not be fer me affer all. I just wanted ya to see things from my point of view."

"I... I can't stop you if you really wanna do this." Backdrop shifts in place. "...Swivel, do you WANT to be this... I really did forget what you signed up for. Do you WANT to race, Swivel? If you do, I'll... I'll follow. I'll do what you did, I'll quit and follow."

Swivel stares at Backdrop for a long time. "It was never my intention t'jus leave ya b'ind." Swivel glances about herself. "I know I'm repeatin' myself, I jus' needed ya ta see 'ow foolish you was bein' by doing somethin' Incredibly Stupid myself." Swivel puts her hands out, palms up. "Still friends?"

"...Still friends." Backdrop takes the hands, but still looks hurt. "I was hoping we'd work together and... Every time things start making sense, something happens."

He looks at the datapad with the tryout appointments again. He frowns. Frowns SUPER STRONGLY.

"But tell me... were you gunna bring me with you when YOU were gunna go to Ibex?" Swivel sways her hips to one side.

There's a pause from Backdrop. "...Maybe. You don't know." It's both mumbled and defensive. "...I might've."

Swivel puts her hands to her side. "There it is. I jus... I jus think ya need ta think on that fer a while." Swivel rolls her shoulders and glances about. "An' I need ta think 'bout where ta go from 'ere as well."

Backdrop is still pouting a little. "What do you mean? You joined the racing people. You just told me what you want to do, so I guess you go off and make friends with Blurr."

He's STILL grumpy, apparently.

Swivel chuckles and shakes her head, patting Backdrop on the shoulder. "Kay, I'll do just that. Yer adorable." She releases his arm and turns to head off somewhere. Without turning around, Swivel says, "I'll see ya later."