Sam Meets Pong

Barracks Hall  A room ready for people's cubicles for those who need a place to stay while off duty. Used for private matters, this large room can hold many smaller private rooms for those who work for the EDC or guests. Windows along the top of the room show light during the day, as well as the stars and moon at night. They say California's smog is what gives them such beautiful sunsets... Also, you can see the EDC landing field through the window, watching shuttles, jets, and aerospace fighters land and take off. Fortunately, the windows are very sound proof, so the noise caused by all of that is barely heard. Objects: Aya's Quarters           Cafe EDC                  Gabriel's Quarters  Ion's Quarters       Mechanical Ghosts' Barrac Pool Table Sam's Quarters       The Wolfe's Den  Obvious exits: Northeast  leads to Main Complex .

Pong(#3572TOp) An inquisitive nose, little round ears, a dark purple body with fairly short legs, and the biggest tail ever. Pong is quite small even by Cassette standards (approximately three feet high), given that most of his physical mass consists of his voluminous tail. Pong has a white stripe that starts at his nose and travels all the way along his back and along the top of said tail. He nearly always positions his tail in a slight S-shape wave over his back, so it's unlikely to knock into things. While reassembling a cross between a cassette tape, a cat and a squirrel, Pong is definitely *not* a cat, in spite of lazy episodes. His scampery nature has not entirely ruled out his being a squirrel, although it is unlikely. Pong wears a small Hawaiian garland with pink, blue and white flowers around his neck, like a collar.

Pong knocks upon the door to Sam's Quarters . Sam opens the door.

Sam's Quarters  EDC barracks rooms are uniform affairs, their dimensions having all the charm and warmth of a flattened cube with beige walls, stark fluorescent lighting, and a grey, polished concrete floor. The occupant of such a room has two real options. He might leave it alone, and consign himself to living in a dull, featureless box for his tenure with the military (or at least until he moves into his own off-base apartment). Alternately he might completely personalise it, changing the space as much as possible in order to differentiate it from all the other dull, featureless boxes down the hall. A third, less-exercised option is to do both. This room is the latter. The room is separated into three 'islands' marked by blue area rugs, none of which overlap. One such island in the back corner contains a bed. In the middle of the adjacent wall is an island containing a glass-top desk and a bookshelf. The third and largest island is adjacent to the wall with the door, containing a two-level glass-top coffee table and seating. All of the furniture is highly modern, constructed out of greening copper, stone, and glass, and courtesy of Sheng's artistic talents. There are two exceptions to the theme of modernity, in the form of soft, inviting two-seat couches positioned to form a barrier between the sitting area and the rest of the room. 

Contents: Sam

Pong sits on his back legs and looks at Sam closely.

Sam looks down at the large animal cassette. "Hm. Hello," he greets, angling his neck forward to peer down at Pong.

Pong sits up. And peers back, very closely indeed.

Sam kind of just stares, looking contemplative.

Pong *LICKLICKLICKLICK*

Pong gives Sam a facewash.

Sam draws back. "Er...?"

Pong sits down again. "squeak!"

Pong bows his head down, then lifts it up. He holds the handle of a covered wicker basket in his mouth.

Sam looks at this oddly. "Something is required?"

Pong sits up like before, basket in his mouth. He nudges the basket towards Sam.

Sam reaches forward tentatively to take the basket. "Hrm."

Pong opens his mouth to release the handle. "squeak!"

Pong look up at Sam, to see what he does next.

Sam continues to look thoughtful, then motions for Pong to come inside, himself moving out of the doorway.

Pong rises off his back paws and pads into the apartment obediently. His metal tail is held high slightly over his back, and fails to hit anything as he enters.

Sam sets the basket down on the coffee table, then slowly peeks under the covering.

Under the cover is what might be described as Experiments Seven and Ten. Cold, but far from inedible, are some home made mince pies and a couple of Cornish-style 'pasties' - steak mince and winter vegetable turnovers with typically crimped edges. There are also a couple of cans of steam beer of a particular type...

The tape-Junk noses about, head down, sniffing and poking around inquisitively.

Pong makes his way to the coffee table as well, and gives Sam a good sniffing all over, too.

Sam picks up one of the pies and looks at it. Another thoughtful expression. If they were labelled as such, he would perhaps wonder what Experiments Eight and Nine were. A look to Pong. "Dee-Kal sent?"

Pong seems far more interested in inhaling Sam, however. Sitting up on his back paws, the little tape whiffles and tickles at Sam's ear and neck as he sniffs.

Sam puts a hand in the way of Pong's face. "Erm... can understand, yes?"

Pong churrs and rubs his muzzle under Sam's hand, tail waving lazily.

Sam frowns a bit. "No?"

Pong purrs contentedly, slitting his blue optics and uttering little animal squeaks and sounds.

Sam says, apparently to himself, "Very strange." He takes one of the pies and nibbles at the edge, then offers one of the others to Pong by holding it out in his hand.

Pong sits up, ears perked, optics focused on Sam. He opens his mouth. "..."

Pong appears quite uninterested in the pies, however.

Sam slowly puts the pies back in the basket, and then looks in Pong's mouth. "Hm?"

Pong shifts his forepaws a bit, tail swishing from side to side on the carpeted floor. He opens his mouth again, closes it as if reconsidering. Then opens it again. "..."

Sam frowns a little and mimics the action, opening his own mouth and then closing it.

Pong says, "crisumasu-omedetou-sameyaru-san..."

Sam ahs! Rather excitedly. "Can speak, yes, good!"

Pong settles back down again, blink-blinking, looking pleased. Well, for a tape-critter, anyhow.

Pong looks up at Sam and churrs contentedly. The human is pleased, too. Good!

Sam errrs, trying to puzzle out the meaning of the words. He's only read through a bit of a Japanese phrasebook, really. "Er... sameyaru-san.. Sam. Crisumasu.. Christmas?"

He pushes his head under Sam's hand again. "squeak! ... ii yo..!"

Sam pats Pong lightly on the top of the head. "Omedetou.. ah.. unknown?"

Pong rests his head on Sam's lap. "..ureshii yo..."

The tape opens his optics and glances around a bit. Even for a new tape-bot, he notices something - the room lacks sparkly things. Deeky has *lots* of sparkly things in her room. Maybe it's a femme thing. Or a big robot thing. He stays put, lazy thing.

The tape-Junk shuts his optics and purrs loudly. Like a cat. A very contented one.

Pong is in a state of happiness.

Pong snores.

Pong snorts.

Sam looks *really* terrified. Not. He just looks strangely at the large animal-bot that's walked into his room and fallen asleep. "Hm." He wonders if he should get a blanket or something.

Pong has Sam on the road to permanent mental scarring, all right. He'll be traumatised for *years*...

Pong snores...

Do robots get cold? Sam doesn't really know. He walks over to the closet and returns with a largish spare blanket, which he lays over Pong.

Pong lifts his head, blinks his optics lazily and makes out Sam, just about. *LICKLICKLICK*

Pong gives Sam another, smaller face wash.

Sam makes a little 'ack' noise, and drops part of the blanket over Pong's head.

Pong flops, relaxed, and snores on.

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: Aloha, Sam-u-el..?

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''Hello! Thank you for er.. things!''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''(puzzled) What things..? I have not ... ... Err, not... um. Okay... you have a basket with food, ne..?''

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''Yes, food. Thank you for basket with food.''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''Well, I am pleased that you have your basket. I have no idea who delivered it, but it is good to know it arrived safely. There should be a Christmas card inside? I am sorry that I was not with you for Christmas itself. I visited Junk, to see Maw and Pa.''

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''This is okay. Er.. will check for card, one moment please.''

Sam roots around for the card.

The card depicts a red 'postbox' covered in snow, with pine forest in the background. A small bird perches onthe top of the mail box. Glitter emphasises the sparkly nature of sunlit snow. In gold print the card reads "Merry Christmas" on the front, and inside, "To Samuel, with lots of well-wishes for the season, Love Deeky XxXx"

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''Maw is fine and so is Pa. They are exactly the same as when I left Junk for Earth... which was a while ago, now. They still watch the same old black and white re-runs from the 1960s that they did when I was a gadget. I do not think they will ever change their life style...''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''I have two other things for you, that are for smurfing... err, for keeping, not eating. ''

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: Found card!

Pong looks up sleepily. Blinks. Tail stirs. Head lowers. Snores.

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''What... what is that noise..? Are you cutting things with a saw..?''

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''Erm.. large robot animal.''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: (pause)

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: You are safe..?

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''Yes. Is.. ah.. asleep. On floor.''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: Where are you..?

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: Quarters in EDC barracks.

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: You are at home and there is a Transformer in your room..?

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''Yes. Brought basket.''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''(exclaims) Ah! I see! Your face is wet?''

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''Erm. Yes.''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''(chuckles) Aw, that is Pong! He is my new friend! Mom made him for my birthday! Well, remade him. A little like when Master Perceptor made like Solstice. Only he is a Junkion.''

Sam looks over at Pong. "Pong?" he asks, curiously.

Pong looks up, but his head remains on the floor, lazily. His nose twitches. "squeak!"

Sam asks, "This is correct?"

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''He must have taken the basket to you. Aw... (coos happily) He is very good, really. He likes to help and smurf new friends...''

Pong licks his own nose.

The tape-Junk sits up and *YAWNS*...''

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: Er.. asked. Made high-pitched noise and licked his nose.''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''He is lazy most of the time. But sometimes he gets spurts of activity... we are not sure why he is like that.''

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''Hrm. Perhaps requires energy regulation modification?''

Pong flops again.

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''(chuckles) Perhaps. Or maybe he is just a lazy smurf! But he likes you. In a way, he is like Laserbeak, or Ravage. He is one of Mom's tapes.''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: (hastily) I should say, he is like Steeljaw or Ramhorn, gomen nasai.

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: Understand, is okay.

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''Please do not be afraid of him. He is a perfect pet. He loves tickles and to have a fuss made of him... hee! He is a lot like me, ne?''

Pong yawns.

Pong wanders up to Sam, fluffy blanket over his back, and gives his cheek a little wash. *Lick lick*

Sam scrunches up his face a little at the licking. "Pong," he says, considering the strange-looking robot.

Pong snuffles and nuzzles, his tail waving slightly over his back.

Pong says, "Sameyaru-san."

Sam tilts his head. "Sam."

Pong says, "Samu-san."

Pong nuzzles Sam's hand.

Pong says, "squeak!"

Pong says, "Tamodachi."

Sam hrms. "T.. hrm..?"

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''That means 'friend'. He smurfs Japanese. He understands English, but does not speak it.''

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: I could hear him.

Dee-Kal receives a radio message from Sam: ''Understands but does not... this seems odd?''

Sam reaches out to tap on Pong's head.

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''He likes his nose and ears rubbed. The more you do, the more he purrs. And the more sleepy he gets.''

Pong purrs and pushes his head into Sam's palm.

Sam pats Pong behind the ears.

Pong wiggles his ears and churrs contentedly.

Dee-Kal sends a radio message to Sam: ''It is a useful trick when he is a nuisance. Stroke him and he gets sleepy. Most of the time. Sometimes he wants to play.''

Sam is extremely puzzled by all this.