These Paths We Tread (Autobot x OC)

XXXIII. Points of Authority

He balked for a few seconds before shouting, "Are... Are you serious?! That's—that's great! God! I can't wait! Oh, it's going to be so great, Catherine! I've got a surprise for you, too!"

"Whoa—a surprise? Like what kind?" she grinned, but got a "nah-ah-ah" from the young man right away.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise! You'll have to wait and see!" he laughed, and she laughed with him again.

"Alright, alright," she said once she'd settled down once more. "I'll wait. It's going to be great to see you again."

"Yeah. Definitely," he replied back softly, and she smiled warmly. "Just make sure you don't shoot yourself tomorrow."

With a groan and succeeding laugh from the young man, Catherine rolled onto her stomach and began to gripe about the insufferable man.

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-O-

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Catherine sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror. She wasn't one to take the time for such vanities, but today seemed like it was necessary. Today was, after all, the day she met with Galloway in person, and, although she would have loved nothing more than to tell the man he could "suck it", she had to make a good impression. The first step? Dressing the part of a proper liaison.

She wouldn't and couldn't lie—all her stay here she had essentially worn the same gear as every other soldier; loose shirt and pants that were easy to move in. For working out, training, and just moseying about the base, that was fine. However, for a political meeting with the person you were going to have to get along with or when she needed to communicate with the major country funding the project, something with a bit more etiquette and finesse was required. For that reason, she had turned to Marissa to get her latest attire: A fine-pressed, black official's top coat, settled over a white shirt tucked neatly into her same-shade-of-blue pants—she refused to wear a long skirt—shiny, black shoes, and an adorably annoying little army hat that didn't want to fit comfortably over her bun.

She personally didn't want to have to wear the clothes. She felt stiff and like something might rip if she bent over, but it was a must for this event. She was mostly just glad she wasn't forced to wear the skirt, and the small bit of metal on her shoulders and chest were kind of nice. She particularly liked the NEST symbol pinned to her hat, and the Autobot one on her sleeve. None of the others apparently had the red, robotic face, so she felt some pride in that. The colors were nice, too; she was particularly fond of blue. Her face felt like it was going to peel apart, though, with how tight Marissa had made her bun.

All in all, it was uncomfortable, but she'd only have to wear it for a few hours, apparently. After that, she could put on chicken suit for all anyone cared, but for now, she had to go meet up with Lennox, the General, and Marissa to greet her new coworker.

"Well, here we go," she said at last, turning to her three creations. "Wish me luck guys, and please behave. Steeljaw's not off duty, so he's not here to look after you, which means you're on your own. Be. Good. I don't want to find claw marks on the walls again!"

All three made some kind of confirmation sound while looking perfectly innocent, though they couldn't be any farther from the truth except maybe for Teletraan who only had a small record of mischievousness. She nodded, accepting it, and strolled out the door, attempting to walk the way her commander and her liaison teacher had instructed. She had to pause, though, as she nearly ran into a wheel attached to a silver-armored foot. She blinked once, not having expected it, but then slowly closed the door behind her and looked up a raised brow at the goofy-looking grin on Sideswipe's face.