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Sari loaded the last of her camping gear in Jazz’s trunk and dusted her hands triumphantly. “Okay! Let’s get out of here!”
Jazz chuckled and closed up the trunk. “You sure we’re ready? You didn’t forget anything important?”
“Nope, I got it all! Solar charger for my phone, just in case,” She ticked off items on her fingers. “Air pump and extra batteries for the mattress, the air mattress, clothes, extra socks, boots, food in a security box and energon treats for the Dinobots if they get rowdy. Oh! And the tent and space heater if it gets colder than expected.”
“Uh huh.” The black and white ninja rocked thoughtfully on his wheels. “Sleeping bag and pillow?”
“Got ‘em.”
“Cash, if we need to go into town for something?”
“Yep.”
“Emergency beacon in case we’re both hurt?”
“I thought that was built into you!”
“It is,” Jazz replied. “But it only works if I’m still alive.”
“Oh.” Sari frowned. “Okay. I’ll go get it.”
The guardsmech waited patiently as the girl ran back into the base to retrieve her emergency beacon. She returned quickly, almost sprinting back to his side.
“All right. Now we’re ready.”
“Seems like!” Jazz opened his driver’s side door and Sari climbed in. Once she had the emergency beacon secured in his passenger seat, Jazz pulled out into Detroit’s traffic. “So, Sari. Tell me about that last camping trip you were on. Prowl won’t tell me a thing about it.”
“Oh man, Jazz! It was crazy. There were space barnacles!”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Jazz watched, curious, as Sari dug through the supply box. “You all right there, sweetspark?”
“No! I can’t find them!”
“Can’t find what?” The ninja turned on his headlights and leaned over the food crate so that the girl could see more clearly.
“The marshmallows! I know I bought them, and I know I got them out to pack them, but they aren’t here!”
“Sorry, sweetspark.” He didn’t know what marshmallows were, but from Sari’s reaction they were important. “Is there anything you can use instead?”
“No.” She dropped the lid of the crate back down in disappointment. “You can’t roast marshmallows without the marshmallows.”
“Oh. Well, we’ll run up to the camp store tomorrow.” He rubbed a finger along her back consolingly. “I know it doesn’t make up for tonight, but it’s better than nothing, right?”
“Yeah.” She leaned against his hand and sighed. “Thanks. It’s my own fault, but i’m glad you’re willing to take me.”
“Anytime, Sari. How bout we spend the night telling stories instead? I bet you’ve got some great ones about Earth.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Sari lay on her air mattress, grinning as she told Jazz a story. “And then Optimus asked me where babies came from. You should have seen his face when I told him! I didn’t think optics could bug out like that.”
She giggled and the ninja laughed out loud. “I think I’m sorry I missed that. That sounds better than the time Sentinel got the anatomy lesson from the natives of the Silica cluster. Seems they reproduce internally, with internal micro-construction protocols and nano-technology. Their frames expand just like a human’s, until the newspark is completely constructed.”
“I bet Sentinel freaked out.” Sari launched into another fit of giggles.
“Completely.” Jazz grinned widely. “He hid inside the Steelhaven for days. Red Alert had to come out from Cybertron just to explain that it was biologically impossible for our type of mechanical life to reproduce that way. And even the he--”
The ninja paused. “Did you hear that?”
Sari sat up and frowned. “Yeah. What was that?”
“Sorry.” Bulkhead shuffled out of the trees at the edge of the clearing. “That was me. You sounded like you were having fun, so I was trying not to bother you.”
"Aw, you wouldn't have botered us," Jazz assured him with a smile. "What brings you out here?"
"Sari forgot her sugar things." The large mech extended a delicately held bag toward the girl. "Bumblebee said there were important for camping, so I thought I should bring them out."
"My marshmallows!" Sari sqealed with delight as she bounced across her mattress to Bulkhead. "Thank you!"
"Glad I could help." Bulkhead grinned at her. "I hope you didn't forget anything else important. I'm pretty sure that was the last ship of the night."
"Nope!" Sari grinned back. "We have everything else."
"You should come sit though," Jazz waved the technician toward the cheerfully crackling campfire. "We've got rust sticks and oil cakes."
"I should head back," the green mech shook his head. "You guys came out here to spend time together and it's not just you if I'm here."
"No way," the ninja replied, standing up and moving to Bulkhead's side. Gently, he pushed the larger mech toward the fire. "We came out here to experience an Earth tradition while we had some time. Anyone could have come, if they wanted. Prowl's just got this gig at the library in the morning, Ratchet says he hates nature and Bumblebee went all white in the optics when I suggested it."
"He's still afraid of space barnacles," Sari added.
"And Optimus is so worried about Megatron that he can't let himself take a break." Jazz frowned. "I guess after that string of rejections we just assumed you'd say no too."
“Are you kidding?!” Bulkhead allowed himself to be pushed into the circle of firelight. “I love this kind of stuff! Getting away from the energon farm and just living off what was around me for a few days was one of my favorite things before I went to boot camp.”
“Great!” Jazz’s smile returned as the green mech settled onto the ground. “We were just telling stories, but I bet Sari wants to roast her marshmallows now.”
“It’s okay, if Bulkhead has a story.” Sari crossed her legs and looked at Bulkhead expectantly.
“You probably told the best ones already,” Bulkhead replied. “And I want to see what these marshmallows are for.”
“Okay!” Both mechs watched as the techno-organic slid off her air mattress and moved closer to the fire. She pulled the bag open carefully. Then Sari picked up the skewer she’d abandoned near the fire when she realized the marshmallows had been left at home. “You take a marshmallow, you put it on the stick and then hold it over the fire.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Jazz asked, watching as she speared the white puff with the stick. “I mean, organics are pretty sensitive to heat.”
“It’ll be fine. The handle is insulated, see?” She held the skewer up so that Jazz could see the silicone handle. “And I’m just supposed to turn it brown on the outside, not light it on fire. Watch.”
The Autobots watched as she extended the marshmallow toward the heat, grinning widely. Sari watched with them, rotating the skewer for even roasting and waiting for the marshmallow to turn that perfect shade of bubbly brown before pulling the sweet back toward her. When it was just right, she pulled the skewer back, grabbed the marshmallow between two fingers and pulled it off the skewer.
She smiled as she popped the gooey mess into her mouth, then panted to pull in a bit of cool air as she realized how hot it still was. She chewed and swallowed as quickly as she could, before putting another marshmallow on the skewer. “And that’s how you do it.”
“Doesn’t seem like there’s much there, Sari.” Jazz looked perplexed.
“Well, it’s more fun in a group, with everyone roasting marshmallows and getting sticky. It’s fun.” She put the second marshmallow over the fire. “It’s a tradition!”
That was something both Autobots understood. Jazz nodded and Bulkhead hunkered down to watch the second marshmallow cook.
He jumped when Sari shrieked in dismay as the marshmallow caught fire. She blew it out quickly, but the outer layer of sugar was blackened. “What’s wrong?”
“I hate them when they’re burned. They taste bad.”
“But... but that’s just carbon.” Bulkhead’s optics whirred as they zoomed in, analyzing the the candy. “Carbon tastes great!”
“Maybe to you.” Sullenly, she put the marshmallow back into the fire to burn off the ruined candy and try again.
“Exactly!” Bulkhead lit up with a happy grin. “Carbon tastes great and your marshmallow things turn to carbon when you get them hot!”
“Hey!” Sari squawked as he grabbed the skewer between the tips of his claws and pulled it out of the fire and her hand.
“Oh, I get it!” Jazz grinned as the big mech put the skewer into his mouth and scraped the carbon off the tip. “Since they turn into carbon, we can roast marshmallows with you, Sari! Bulkhead and I won’t get sticky, but you won’t be doing it on your own.”
“Exactly!” Bulkhead extended the skewer back toward her and Sari took it carefully. “But we probably need our own metal sticks. That way we can all roast them at the same time.”
“I have extras in the food crate!” Sari jumped up and ran to the crate. “Next time we’ll have to bring bigger ones, though. And maybe those gigantic marshmallows I saw at the store!”
“That sounds just perfect, sweetspark.” Jazz smiled at both of them. “And maybe Prowl and Optimus can come out with us, too.”
“Or we could take the marshmallows back to base and roast them at home.” Bulkhead took the skewer Sari extended toward him. “I bet Bee would love this!”