Ghosts of the Present (Rescue Bots AU)

28. Parts of a Hidden Truth

Dinner that night was far less stressful than it had been the night before. Priscilla was coherent again and appeared to have mostly recovered from her episode, but was still very tight-lipped as to how she got that way. Chief Burns' guess was that all she needed to come out of it was to know she was in a safe place where she could relax and was not in constant danger, and her rapid recovery seemed to support that. Just seeing her back up and moving was enough to calm Slipchain's mind, and she had returned to her own refuge, though promising to check in on her in a few days as long as nothing else happened.

Dani had left later on the afternoon for a test pilot job that would be going over the mainland, and the newcomer and Blades had spent most of the afternoon watching television. Even so, she seemed incredibly interested in the bots and their kind. Question after question, about how they worked, what they did for fun, how long they could live. Blades was delighted to tell her everything, not having the chance to explain all of this in a while.

It continued even when they all headed upstairs for dinner, waiting for Chief Burns to finish the food.

Priscilla sat down at the table, swinging her legs back and forth under the chair. "Do you eat at home often?" She asked.

"Most of the time, yeah." Graham answered, "Saves money."

"Hmm... Maybe she didn't know how to cook... Or maybe she just didn't care."

Chief had noticed something about Priscilla's conversations that day; not once had she referred to Madeline as 'Mother', or even really 'Madeline.' It was like she was trying to distance herself from the woman, and if she'd been abused by her, he didn't blame her.

"Well, it's not Lobster Thermador..." Chief Burns joked, "But I hope you like it."

Priscilla shrugged as he placed the plate of spaghetti in front of her. "I never really liked lobster anyway... She never let me eat poor person food- I mean-"

She shrunk back in her chair, "Sorry..."

"It takes some getting used to, no worries." Cody encouraged, "Is there anything most people eat that you haven't ever been able to try?"

Priscilla twirled her fork in the noodles, "...She never let me try fried chicken."

"Blasphemy!" Kade announced in horror, "Dad, I know what we're having tomorrow night!"

The bots were settled on the couch behind them, not eating of course, but seemed to be in a silent conversation through their internal comms. Chief Burns remembered how they'd disappeared briefly the night before and then came back wanting to tell them something. Was that what they were discussing now? He figured they'd decided to wait until Priscilla's situation was secured better, but he worried about what it could be, especially since it seemed to have shaken Heatwave of all bots.

The family and their guest started their meal in relative silence, other than Graham giving soft tips to Priscilla on how to keep her noodles on the fork. She finally got it, taking a few bites before grinning and letting Chief know it was good. It was almost entertaining, watching someone be so intrigued and curious about something as simple as spaghetti.

They were almost finished when there was a knock on the door. "Is that Dani already?" Kade wondered.

Cody was still for a moment, and then facepalmed. "I forgot...!"

He got up from the table and went to the door, "Hey, Frankie."

"Don't look so grumpy, Cody. Did you seriously forget we were studying tonight?" Frankie asked as she stepped inside. "I told you I'd be here at six."

"I-I know, and I didn't forget! We've all just been a little-"

"Hello, Francine."

The pair turned as Priscilla waved to the other teenage girl, "I didn't know you had an appointment here tonight."