if you pray to god for rain, don't you complain about the lightning

[asafepairofhands]

Who: Ratchet and YOU and also whoever else wants to set up threads in here
What: Ratchet's limping around on crutches, feel free to put yourself in the line of fire
Where: Red Alert's clinic
When: A little while after Drift is conscious
Warnings: YELLING? yelling probably


Well, it had been a few days and nobody had nearly died again so Ratchet starts to let himself relax a little.

Not much, mind--Drift and Nautica are still bedridden, if not critical, and there are people in and out all the time. This is completely ignoring the fact that Pharma and Tarn are wandering around out there somewhere, probably terrorizing the general populace or maiming things or doing whatever else psychotic killers do in their clearly abundant free time. Ratchet has no such luxury, and he works, maintaining the patients he already has on top of trying to handle anyone else who comes in the door. He's just not necessarily pleasant about it.

Comments

[tomemyoutliers]

A wave of his hand, dismissing the title. "Shockwave, please. There's no point to a title here is there?" On account of there being no Senate to speak of. But he smiles - the reaction not going unnoticed. But if Ratchet won't bring up the fate he's been so recently informed about, then Shockwave won't either.

Or at least until he sees the missing limb and his own eyes go wide. "What happened?" And why haven't you been working on getting it replaced?

[asafepairofhands]

Ratchet's lips thin.

"His name is Tarn," he says dryly. "He tried to force me to do surgery on him. We had a disagreement. I'd recommend avoiding him, if possible. He's not a great conversationalist."

[tomemyoutliers]

"Tarn-- as in the city?" Yeah, you're going to have to explain a bit more, Ratchet. Shockwave makes a contemplative sound, optics narrowing. "It's a clean cut - you either tidied up the wound or this 'Tarn' knows what he's doing."

Hence the whole.... 'avoiding him' thing. Shockwave straightens out from the crouch he'd gone into without realizing it, hands on his hips. "If you need anything I'll do my best to see that you get it."

Ending up on a ruined Cybertron won't stop him from being him. It's a curse.

[stubbornandfrustrating]

"He took the name of the city because it's where Megatron was originally from," Ratchet says, shaking his helm. "And, it had better be clean. He used one of my saws. I don't keep substandard equipment lying around."

He snorts, shaking his head, and firms his grip on his crutches to limp mostly steadily past Shockwave, going back to sorting usable parts.

"I'm managing. We have more critical patients, the leg is unsalvageable, and it's already been partly recycled for repairs. It's not a top priority right now."

[tomemyoutliers]

"I've become aware of the Decepticon slide away from political activism towards-- mmm, full scale violent revolution, yes." Which is a shame because he'd enjoyed his debate with the Megatron he'd run across on his first day here. He's wrong, of course, but it had been nice to not want to flip a table or two.

Shockwave steps aside for Ratchet, mindful of his size and area he's taking up. It's not easy being tall with wings on his arm, alright.

"You'll be no use to anyone if you work yourself into exhaustion," he says casually, still trying to make this Ratchet meld with the one he knew by reputation. It's hard, but not impossible - as if he's not used to doing the same thing with everyone he's met here.

[asafepairofhands]

Ratchet goes still and very carefully sets the part he was inspecting down before he turns his head slowly to look over at Shockwave with glittering optics.

"I appreciate your clearly very incisive assessment of my usefulness," he says, his voice just shy of frigid. "I've been the Chief Medical Officer of an army in a shooting war for four million years. I apologize if this shocks you unduly but I do, in fact, know what I'm doing."

[tomemyoutliers]

Ah, yes, this is exactly what he was talking about.

Shockwave's good natured expression vanishes, replaced by one that's sympathetic but concerned. "You've been Chief Medical Officer long before we met. You should know I wasn't questing your skill or ability to do your job." Seriously, Ratchet.

He was trying to look out for you, on account of the missing leg and the high chance of overwork.

[asafepairofhands]

Ratchet sucks in another long vent of cool air... before his shoulders relax slightly and he looks away, shuttering his optics and bringing a hand up to pinch hard at the bridge of his nose.

"He destroyed the leg with his bare hands before he cut it off. It's hard not to think about it," he says shortly, rubbing a rough hand over his face before he drops it back to the handle of his crutch and looks back at Shockwave, tired but no longer angry. "When I'm not busy, I mean. Makes breaks slightly less appealing. But I know my limits. And I don't want anybody forcing me out of here in some misguided attempt to make me lay around on a berth instead of being useful, because it won't actually help."

[tomemyoutliers]

"I see," is all Shockwave says for the moment, face sympathetic. One hand goes to briefly grasp Ratchet's shoulder in a gesture of concern and trust that he knows what is best for him, although Shockwave sincerely doubts he would keep himself from overworking.

He'll have to find a way to deal with that. Somehow.

"It shouldn't be difficult to fabricate a replacement - when we've found the materials required." He dislikes the fact he does not have ridiculous amounts of money to buy whatever he wants and needs anymore. It's been a cruel and difficult adjustment period, what can he say?

[asafepairofhands]

Ratchet stares briefly down at the hand on his shoulder, then back up at Shockwave, his face softening very, very slightly.

"You're not used to working with resource shortages either," he says, faintly wry. "No fun, is it?"

[tomemyoutliers]

It is the worst. He cannot work like this, Ratchet, his creativity and helpfulness is stunted and he is so very frustrated with his inability to do practically anything of value or of use so he spends his days coming up with bigger and better plans to do to make this place livable and that's a bad idea as far as anyone else should be concerned.

It is the worst, and it's very clear on his face.

"No, I'd never recommend it."

THE. WORST.