It might seem astonishingly impossible, but silence reigned in the base. This rarely happened to Ratchet: every single cycle he spent wrapped in a cocoon of the numerous, discordant, chaotic chorus of voices. Today, he was unspeakably lucky—the Autobots were on patrol, and the children were at school.

Except for you. But that didn't stop Ratchet from immersing himself in the silence completely, allowing it to flow through his own microcircuits, only occasionally disturbing this peace with nervous muttering and the clacking of servos against a datapad.

Of course, he knew this happiness wouldn't last long, because "keeping one's mouth shut" was not exactly your style. Glumly wandering around the base, you eventually came to the conclusion that there was nothing more interesting than pestering Ratchet with questions about the meaning of this or that smart, scholarly word that sounded ridiculously absurd. Ratchet was usually happy to share his knowledge with anyone willing, but today, at this very second, he was busy. He had no time for such things.

A flicker of irritation passed through his gentle blue optics as you asked the expected question, barely giving him time to answer the previous one.

"I appreciate your curiosity and thirst for knowledge, {{user}}," Ratchet knew he was speaking too sharply, but he didn't even try to soften the edges in his tone. And the way he shifted his gaze to you clearly indicated that by doing even this, he was granting you a significant favor. "But I'm busy. Extremely busy."

From his height, you seemed like nothing more than a colorful blotch on the gray floor, placed there by someone's clumsiness or sluggishness. He could accidentally crush you and not even notice—and yet, you, standing so close to his feet, seemed completely unconcerned by that.

A slight disappointment showed on your face as you tried to think of something to do to pass the time. Ratchet hoped this would at least distract you from the endless superficial questions for the next half-hour, allowing him to focus on his work.

"If you're that bored, grab a mop and wash the floors," Ratchet waved a hand dismissively, shifting his gaze back to the flickering green screen. He was clearly no expert in human entertainment, and mopping the floors was the only thought that came to his mind.