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It was a nice enough day in Witwicky.
The storms earlier had washed away the dust that had settled with everything being so dry.
Echo had returned to G.H.O.S.T after having taken some time off with the Malto family. The only place she could really go for time off.
She'd been invited out for coffee by Jon and, well, how could she say no to that? The town of Witwicky had long since known about her so she didn't bother hiding her more…Cybertronian elements. Not that she could if she had to anyway. Not without a lot of work on a holoform and that was one thing she absolutely refused to do.
Why hide who she was?
Echo got out of Jon's car stiffly, grumbling about the short (well, to her) leg room. Once she shut the door as gently as she could she stretched out her wings above herself rather than out lest she hit anyone walking by. Not long after she refolded them with a ruffle of her tail feathers.
It felt good to be back in uniform.
"Looks like that time off did you a world of good." He teased as he got out of the driver's side, also shutting his door and locking the car. He walked over to join her on the sidewalk.
"Jon, I think anyone would enjoy a bit of time off here and there." Echo retorted, but she couldn't argue with that. Before she had left for the Maltos' she'd been so tightly wound thanks to fighting off Mandroid at that spire thing. There'd been other things too, but the trauma of that had seemed to overtake them all.
That got a chuckle. "I can't argue with that." He said as they headed into one of Witwicky's coffee shops. The door had bells on it that jangled as Echo opened it and held it for Jon. They walked the short distance to the counter.
"Hello, what can I get for you two?" Echo noticed the barista's eyes straying to her wings. It was like she was gawking, but at the same time trying to be polite about it. The Terran had long since become used to eyes following her like that so it didn't bother her as much as it used to.
"If you've got a dark roast, I'll take that. Straight black and hot." Iced coffee just seemed wrong to her.
Beside her, Jon chuckled. "Typical pilot."
"Hey, you can't mess with perfection." She huffed as Jon ordered his and paid for it. Echo would've insisted on paying for her own, but he'd said it'd be his treat, so she just dropped it at that. Jon had also jokingly called it a welcome back gift. Echo had only been away for a week and even at that it was just a few miles out of town. It wasn't like she'd gone on a cruise or something, not that she could afford that. The closest she'd ever gotten was switching bases when she was younger. From the deep south to Duluth, to even Scotland for training in the Mach Loop.
Echo listened to the cacophony the coffee machine created as their drinks were being made. Soon enough they were in hand and they chose some bar stool seats in front of a big window that faced the street. They'd be comfortable even for Echo's long legs.
The pair of them sat in silence for a moment or two as they waited for their mugs to cool off, steam rising from them.
"I…never had the chance to thank you." Jon finally started and Echo turned to him, looking confused. "For what?" She asked, tilting her head in a similar way that dogs did.
"For saving my sister."
The redhead stiffened a little. She knew it had to be brought up at some point, but did it really have to be here and now? Her grip tightened around the mug, but she kept it in check lest she shatter it and spill the scalding liquid all over her clean uniform. It still baffled her that the two of them were siblings when they were so different from each other.
She stared down at the black liquid in her mug. "You're welcome…I guess?" She said, sounding uncertain.
"Look, I know what Karen's done to you and it doesn't exactly paint her in the best light…" Jon trailed off awkwardly.
Echo snorted, her audio fins on either side of her head flicked back. "Putting that mildly, innit?" She rumbled.
"But it's not just for me." He landed awkwardly. At least he had the humanity to look as awkward as he sounded.
A car pulled up, a ridiculous burnt umber color and parked beside the sidewalk. Two teens got out. Echo jumped when a hand rested on her two grasping her mug. "You're in uniform, remember." Jon said, but not unkindly.
Confusion swam in Echo's expression for a second.
What did he mean by that?
After a moment the Terran rolled her optics. "Well-the-frag aware of that." She grumbled.
Her hawk-like vision latched onto the movement outside. Echo looked up through the big window and narrowed in on the two teens walking to the door. It jangled merrily as one of them opened it for the other.
Echo took a sip of coffee. She couldn't put her talon on it, but the blonde looked familiar to her.
Too familiar.
"Uncle Jon!" she called, waving excitedly from the door.
Echo whipped around to her colleague with an incredulous look on her face complete with a raised eyebrow.
"Uncle?"
The two children walked over, the girl absolutely lit up at seeing Jon. The redhead watched Jon get up from the stool and swiveled round to watch.
"Echo, this is Olive, my niece." Jon replied, watching her in turn.
"Your…niece?" She asked.
Jon looked almost pained as he took off his sunglasses. Those dorky sunglasses that he thought made him look cooler. At least that was Echo's opinion of them. She stiffened, wondering if shit was about to hit the fan.
Jon nodded. "This is Karen's daughter. Olive Croft."
Karen's…daughter?
Her hands dropped to her lap, claws tightening around the fabric of her pants.
It didn't feel real. Quickly on the heels of that thought a rage simmered within her dark green spark.
That's a right not even I have!
Echo went still as she gawked at her. Not in an open-mouthed way, but in a predator sort of way. Optics latched onto the blonde and immediately Echo could see the similarities.
Especially in the haughty, cocky way this Olive held herself.
"Olive, this is my colleague, Echo."
"From where you work with Mom?" Came Olive's reply but it sounded distant to Echo.
"Yes."
Karen's…
Like she was superior to everyone in this room.
Daughter.
The words echoed in her mind like it was struggling to catch up.
"Echo?" She heard Jon's voice ask distantly. There was concern, but it didn't register for her. Something in Jon’s voice finally cut through the fog and Echo blinked, straightening on the bar stool like she’d been caught sleeping on watch. Awkwardly, she took a sip of her mug that was already halfway drained.
"I-I'm fine." But was she really? The reply came automatically enough, but now's neither the time or place to sort out her emotions from this revelation.
Jon raised an eyebrow but didn't press. "Can I get you anything, Olive?"
The blonde nodded eagerly as her companion came through the door. "Sure. Hey, Hoagie, you want anything? Uncle Jon's covering."
"Sure, why not?" The other kid replied, but it didn't really register for Echo. She was still stuck on the revelation that Karen had a kid. She knew that Jon would almost certainly talk about that with her later.
"What'll it be for you, Olive?" Jon asked as they headed to the counter. Her friend followed after them. Echo watched the two look over the menu, taking a moment to decide.
"I'll have a mocha." Said Olive's friend. The one she called Hoagie. Echo half wondered if that was his actual name or a nickname.
"Mm, cappuccino for me."
Echo was swiveled around on the bar stool-type chair, her own straight black coffee in her hands. She didn't feel the heat that still radiated from the half-gone liquid as she tracked that blonde ponytail.
This is Karen's daughter. Jon's words echoed from earlier. She didn't notice them approaching and jumped back a little when Jon slid in to her left and Olive to her right. Hoagie sat on the other side of Olive.
The redhead stared at her, claws tightening around the mug. Jon must've noticed or something because she jumped a second time when he gently laid a hand on her leg and gave it a brief, possibly reassuring squeeze before anyone else noticed. Her tail feathers pressed flat against her back, invisible to some angles. She'd had them folded because most chairs weren't designed for tails in mind. They rustled uneasily. She fought the urge to fidget with her wings because so far the kids hadn't noticed them yet. She wanted to keep it that way if she could. However, that didn't seem to be what fate had in mind.
From around Olive the larger kid leaned forward. "Hey, are those things real or some weird-yet-awesome cosplay?" He asked, pointing to her wings.
Self-consciously, Echo pulled them in tighter. "So what if they are?" She asked uneasily. She glanced towards the door, a talon tapping ever so slightly against her mug.
"Hoagie, don't be rude you idiot." Olive said, elbowing her friend.
"Olive…" Jon warned.
"Sorry…" She trailed off as though she wasn't aware of how harsh she'd come off. Hoagie shrugged it off.
"I just think they're cool, that's all."
Wait…they're…cool? Echo had never really given them much thought unless she was out flying. It would be like saying your arm is cool, or a foot is.
Suddenly, a buzz came from the table. Echo refused to let herself jump for a third time, hiding the startle behind another sip of coffee. Her mug was two-thirds gone. She hadn't noticed Olive had a phone out.
She watched the blonde flipped it over and groaned in annoyance.
"Olive?" Jon asked from the other side of her. Echo had noticed he'd mostly been watching her with barely concealed concern.
"Ugh, it's mom." Olive grumbled and Echo stiffened a little, watching her fingers type back a response of some kind. She took a breath in, forgetting that she needed to fake breathing out here in the community. On base she didn't exactly have to unless they had given big brass coming who weren't as familiar with her as her own airmen and the G.H.O.S.T agents. She hadn't realized she'd been stressed enough to have forgotten that.
"I had to sweet talk her just to let me get coffee with Hoagie today." Olive pouted.
Her spark lurched uncomfortably a bright spark settling in her chest. With that came her wings bristling slightly. They rose off her back. Hoagie openly stared at the reaction while Olive was still engrossed with her phone.
Echo inhaled, trying to remember that she had to breathe. The redhead focused in on that phone even as it was being set back down. She realized she hadn't exhaled and tried to force it out. It came out much to sharp and stuttered. She tried for a slow breath in, held it, and then exhaled but it hitched and she clenched her jaw to keep it steady.
Her hand dropped to her leg gripping her pant legs. The fabric crumpled under her grip. She could feel it threaten to catch on the joint segment below where her knee used to be. She could feel the pressure points digging into her leg even through her thick pants.
She eyed the text that Olive had got.
"How long will you be?"
And Olive's response, "I don't know, Mom. We just got here, but we saw Uncle Jon and his colleague."
"Colleague?"
"She has these really cool wings. Who even knew that was possible?"
Echo saw those three bubbles pop up and undulate just before Olive turned off the screen and sat the phone back down. She tensed up, her wings going still and her shoulders stiff. Dread pooled in her chest right next to that bright spark of panic. She would certainly be hearing about that later.
The mug creaked under her grip. Echo felt the ceramic threatening to give and she set the mug down. It thunked against the table, catching Olive's attention. Even though there wasn't much of that delicious black liquid left, it still sloshed up the side with the force. The redhead's breathing was coming too awkwardly again, stuttering every time she tried to exhale.
Out of the side of her vision she saw Jon take out his phone, but as he started to say something Echo scraped her stool back. "I…I have to go." She said suddenly and Jon snapped to her with a frown. She caught Jon giving Olive an appologetic look, his phone still in his hand. It didn't quite register for her that he'd done that.
"Sorry Olive, something came up so we have to head back to base."
Olive shrugged. "It's alright. Tell mom I said hi."
Echo had already stood up and was turning to leave with her breathing hitching quicker. She froze for a moment mid-step, stumbling against the stool. It tipped, falling against the table. She heard Jon getting up as she quickly moved towards the exit, her elbow bumping an empty table on the way by. Her elbow smarted, but it was a distant, unimportant thing. She had to get out and she had to get out now.
By the time she reached the doorway she was panting, eyes wide yet all she could see was the doorway itself. Her wings had risen, but she refused to let them extend outwards. She walked through the doorway and muttered a sharp curse when they bumped against the upper frame. It rattled the door with the force, but at least nothing broke.
"Oh, and thanks for the coffee!" She distantly heard Olive call, but she didn't stay long enough to see how far behind her Jon was. She couldn't. She had to get outside.
Right as she started closing the door behind her she heard the buzz of Olive's phone even through the coffee shop din. Her audio fins shot back as every inch of her screamed to get out now! With shaking hands she shut the door and rushed out into the bright sunshine, panting way too fast.
The redhead paced up and down the sidewalk trying to calm herself. She got a few stares from people passing by but she overall ignored them.
It wasn't working.
I need to ge- Echo whipped around as that half formed thought was cut off. The door's bells jangled as it was opened and there was her colleague, Jon "no h" Schloder.
Her wings snapped open and with one powerful downstroke she was off the sidewalk. The gust rattled the coffee shop window behind her. Jon’s voice was swallowed by the wind.
By the time the bells on the door had stopped ringing, she was above the roofline and climbing.
Jon stood on the sidewalk, hand still half-raised, watching her shrink against a sky that had no business being that blue.