re_alignment | [VIDEO] Welcome Back?

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tf: idw | perceptor

[VIDEO] Welcome Back?

[He's been here before. At least, that is what the Acolyte that greeted his arrival informed him, warning him that some of the "other refugees" might assume some level of familiarity with him. Past friendships forged, previous alliances made, beings encountered...]

[Perceptor remembers none of it.]

[His expression as he regards the Link is calm and inscrutable, though, despite how unsettling it is to find that his memories, if they were even his own memories, are... altered. Or missing. Or incomplete. Something.]

Do I have a laboratory here?

[Why beat around the bush, as Verity would have said. Well, she might have added a few... choice terms, perhaps, but, still. The sentiment remains.]

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[That earns Drift a soft chuckle and a smile, though Perceptor still has his head tucked down against Drift's spaulder.]

"Easy" would have been leaving me on Turmoil's ship. I think I knew what challenges you would pose after such an auspicious beginning.

[He could stay here, like this, at least, forever. He's missed Drift so much. Missed the comfort of trust and of having someone he could relax around. Missed touch, and more than he thought he ever would.]

[But Drift is not "his" to take advantage of in such a way. It isn't fair to Drift to put him in such a compromising position when he is committed to Wing, and Drift will always come first.]

[Reluctantly, he loosens his embrace, straightening up once more as he meets Drift's optics with his own shadowed ones.]

And I, you.

[This feels nice--too nice, almost, and Drift hates the idea anyone from the Hub might come out and see them. Not that he doesn't want to be seen with Perceptor, but he's just not ready to have time dig into him. Now, this conjunction of past and present, is all he could ask for.]

You're worth it, Perceptor.

[He wishes he could make the other see it.]

[It's with a reluctance that borders on pain that he pulls away.]

Right. Uh. Engex, if you want it.

[Time. Yes, time is their enemy here, even if it has brought them together in a manner where they feel free enough to admit things kept silent too long. Or, at least Perceptor feels thus. He sighs.]

[If only Drift would take his own words to heart. But if anyone can make Perceptor see the value of Drift's words, it will be Drift, himself. No one else is stubborn enough to withstand Perceptor's own impedance.]

Engex, yes. A good recommendation.

[They were at least matched in stubbornness.]

[And inarticulateness at saying what they both wanted to be able to say.]

[Drift gives a nod, leading down the slope to the building, gesturing as he talks.]

It's in neutral territory, so the First Forged can't claim it. Wing says there's going to be living quarters here, and over here's the bar.

[Where he is headed with his usual singleminded determination. He needs a drink.]

[They both need a drink. Or a smack upside the head.]

[With a nucleon bomb.]

Any estimate on when the living quarters might be ready?

[Because he still needs somewhere to stay, and... really isn't too keen on living in a temple by the goodwill of an all-powerful stranger.]

[But first, the drink!]

Soon. We've been, well, a little distracted. Things keep happening.

[THINGS.]

[Ominous things.]

Wing's the best one to ask for that. It's sort of his project.

Things.

[Yes, he heard that unspoken "ominous" there, and it quite frankly does not surprise Perceptor in the least.]

[Well... that's... Perceptor isn't actually certain what to feel about that. He'd rather been hoping to put off meeting Wing for as long as possible. So that Perceptor could adjust to this new Cybertron before complicating his life. Not that he's hiding from it or anything. Of course not.]

Understood. I shall discuss that with him when we meet.

[He enters the bar, making sure Perceptor's following, and points the sniper to a table, returning a moment later with two rather generously-sized engex portions.]

Have you ever heard of a 'Unicron'? That's who the First Forged blame just about everything on here.

Unicron?

[Perceptor delves deep into his banks, seeking anything, of note or not as he accepts the engex from Drift. Nothing comes up, and he shakes his head.]

No. Nothing pops up. Who is it?

[The engex feels good as it begins hitting his systems. For a moment, Perceptor can almost imagine that they are merely sitting at a quiet table in Swerve's bar, finally talking to each other, instead of at one another.]

[Drift takes a long drink, trying to figure a tactful way to word it. Then gives up.]

He's who the First Forged blame everything bad that happens here on. They say he's their nemesis and he's defeated them before. Several times apparently.

[Perceptor quirks up a sardonic brow ridge.]

Brainstorm makes similar boasts and accusations about me. Only, with less defeat on his part.

[In other words, no one ever likes to look into the mirror to find the source of their own failures.]

Brainstorm....

[He cuts himself off. He's not Brainstorm's biggest fan. For a lot of reasons, one of them--a big one--that one-sided rivalry with Perceptor.]

[Instead, he nods.] Yes, like that. And they blame everything that goes wrong on him. When they bother to talk to us at all.

[Someone sounds intensely dissatisfied.]

[It's nice to find that Perceptor isn't the only one who can't stand that grandstanding megalomaniac. He manages to suppress a thin smile at Drift's tone. Barely.]

[He snorts.] I'm certain that they have more important things to attend to, than a rag-tag band of uninvited guests.

[And if "guests" is said with an air of... air quotes... heh.]

Has anyone thus far professed any knowledge of this Unicron? Is there any sort of... archive? Library? [Anywhere they can look anything up, even if it might not necessarily be open to the "public"...]

[It's a fractional smile, but Drift sees it anyway. He wishes they could bond about other things than Brainstorm Is a Jerk, but, well, it's a start.]

Then why mark us?

[He doesn't know either. Sometimes they act like they care. Most of the time, not.]

Some worlds seem to have a Unicron. He eats things or is dead and makes zombies or...stuff like that.

[Weird.] Strange how they have him but we don't.

...well, there's Alpha Trion's library. But you have to like cats.

[With every moment that Perceptor spends there with Drift, he relaxes just a little more. Drift has always been able to put him at ease, since the first moments he'd half-awoken, bleary, hurting, and disoriented as he hung in his Regen tank, and deciphered the white blur guarding him. Waiting patiently. Giving him the strength to allow himself to drift back into the regen slumber, confident that he would not be abandoned again.]

[He's missed this so much. The closeness. The quiet conversations, Drift being the only one who could reliably call forth the words that Perceptor found himself so reluctant to use much of any longer.]

[Perceptor doesn't know for certain that it's Brainstorm's obsession with surpassing him that has inspired Drift's irritation with the mech, but he allows himself a moment to bask in the thought that it might be. He hopes, anyway, even if it is a petty little hope.]

[The moment passes, though, and he drags his attention back to here and now and the words Drift is speaking, not the words that Perceptor wishes he would speak.]

Smokescreen mentioned those who arrived without glyphs. That they were... damaged, or malfunctioning somehow, or that they would do so. Could the marks be merely a means to identify those who are... whole enough to withstand whatever corruption it is that caused the others to go mad?

[Perceptor frowns thoughtfully.]

Just the very few individuals I have spoken to already here, before you arrived to bring me to the Hub, have hinted at a surprising number of odd convergences and discrepancies between these various... realities.

[He pauses, snorting out an indelicate chuckle that's more bitter than amused.]

Did we really need some external entity to assist us in our own self-destruction? We seemed quite skilled enough at that without adding in some Unicron being.

[His expression takes on a more genuine cast at the mention of the library. Knowledge is good, and it's been quite a while since he's had the chance to really feed that hunger.]

Cats?

[Oh it's a long story with Brainstorm and Drift, something best characterized as a really unpleasant strange bedfellows. Just because he has to trust the other, because Prowl has assembled the three of them to safeguard Overlord, doesn't mean he likes it. ]

Smokescreen isn't...entirely accurate.

[Smokescreen wasn't here back then, for one thing. But that's all he intends to say about that, and it shows by the way his mouth flattens. He'd gotten killed by one of the glyphless, after all. ]

For one thing, even those of us with glyphs aren't, well, stable. There's the Call, for example.

[A slightly less painful memory. Not by much, though.]

Cats. He, uh, has a pretty legendary cat room.

[Epic, might be more accurate.]

[Yes, well, Perceptor doesn't know about that yet. He'll be happy to languish in blissful ignorance, and believe that Drift's antagonism is just for his benefit.]

[There's more there that Perceptor is certain he'll need to know about, but he'll respect Drift's reticence. For now, anyway.]

The Call?

[A cat... room? Perceptor quirks up a brow ridge.]

Interesting.

[There's something deep lingering here. Something festering within Drift from things that happened before. Things that Perceptor doesn't remember, assuming he'd even been here then. He reaches out, brushing his fingertips against one of Drift's hands.]

Whatever happened before... between us, or in spite of us... I am sorry.

[He slips one of his pistols free from his hip with his other hand, laying it gently upon the table between them, resting his hand over it.]

I stand with you... and not merely because of the debt I owe you.

[He will have Drift's back, no matter what. Wing, no Wing, whatever comes... Perceptor will remain as long as he is allowed.]

[Drift is absolutely convinced that it's for the best, that no one will get hurt. ]

The Call. That's what the First Forged call it, when Unicron, I guess, calls them out to the badlands.

You can hear it if you go out there. [And he tries not to remember that time with Perceptor here, before, hunting for spider venom sacs. ]

...don't go out there alone. [Sorry, he has to say that. It's not that he doesn't trust Perceptor, just...yeah.]

[Cat room. Seriously. ]

[His optic shutters flick at the sudden touch on his hand. It's probably not that sudden, actually; he's probably just that in his head trying not to screw this up. Which means he's probably screwing it up without noticing.]

...I hope it doesn't come to that, Perceptor.

[Perceptor was convinced of something like that once. And then Prowl sent him to babysit Kup on a mission to rescue captured Autobots.]

A summons, not of their choosing. Interesting.

[Perceptor frowns, then nods.]

I shall endeavor to not do so. [He tilts his head.] What, exactly are the badlands? Is it all area no encompassed by haven? Or a specific geographic location?

[Perceptor won't do anything so forward and melodramatic as grasp Drift's hand, but he does press his fingers against the back of Drift's hand just a little harder for a moment.]

As do I... but my allegiance will always be with you.

[Never forget that.]

[That may not be a really cheerful thing to bring up in the circumstances. Especially with the common denominator of Prowl.]

The glyph doesn't seem to protect us against that at least.

[You better do more than just 'endeavor', Perceptor. Or else Drift will have to lineface, chase you down and probably stab things. Hopefully Perceptor will never find out how many times Drift has stomped out to the Badlands when he feels flouncy.]

It's the area around the Haven. There are bad things out there. Like the Swarm. One or two, you can take, but they come in numbers.

[Drift is all about melodramatic and forward: his hand flips on the table, offering his palm, before looking up. ]

I'll try to be worthy of it.

[Yes, well... point taken.]

[He snorts.]

Does it protect against anything? Or just mark their property?

[Mmmm hmmmm. Good for the goose doesn't apply to the gander? Keep hoping, Drift.]

Swarm. [Perceptor's optics narrow marginally.] So you have heard? Or... experience?

[Well, Perceptor is rather fond of the forward and melodramatic gestures, too, but it isn't his place to initiate them like that. Not... now now that drift has Wing.]

[He smiles, though, as he slowly slides his hand atop Drift's.]

You already are.

It protects us against the other First Forged.

[There's something behind his words that hint that there's a bit of a story there. One he doesn't volunteer, but would probably tell if asked.]

[But Perceptor forgets that Drift knows him all too well. He'll be keeping an eye out for large red tanks heading toward the badlands.]

[Errrrrrrrrr.] Experience.

[BUT LOOK HE'S FINE SO IT'S NO BIGGIE, okay?]

[And he'll distract Perceptor with a gallant squeeze of the hand. Or try to. Hey, it might work. ]

I can do better. I want to do better.

[The sigh Perceptor heaves toward Drift is a fond one, and that smile that he reserves for Drift alone is back as he shakes his head.]

I am glad that you are back in one piece, then.

[He'll have to find out who has done all of Drift's repairs and thank them. That he is the pot calling the kettle black... will remain unspoken. By him at least.]

I know, Drift. I have faith in you. Please remember that.

[Especially when you have lost faith in yourself. Drift probably hears those words, anyway. He's meant to, though.]

So. Protects from the other First Forged?

[Huff. ]

Of course I am.

_{Mostly because of Ambulon.}

[Because Drift somehow obeys exasperated surliness. Go figure.]

[He does hear the unspoken words, and his hand tightens in Perceptor's. ]

[...oh frag.]

Uh, yeah, like if you do something, well, against someone belonging to another First Forged.

[Something like kill them. Just a little bit. ]

Then I will have to thank Ambulon.

[You can't expect to bait him with a statement that loaded and not have him ask?]

[Perceptor's optics narrow.]

Vector protected you?

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sword_redemption - 2013-05-21 01:09 (UTC) - Expand

[action]$%^%$%^%$%^& lost my original reply!!!

gunfondlingbattlestat - 2013-05-21 03:48 (UTC) - Expand

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[VIDEO] Welcome Back?

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[action] sunday the day I beat my inbox into submission

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[action]semi-wall-o-text. >_> sorry.

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[action]$%^%$%^%$%^& lost my original reply!!!