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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[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?

You could just. Like. Send him a card or something.

[Something that doesn't involve talking to him, because if Perceptor started talking to Ambulon and got the whole list, and heard about that whole Tarn thing.....it would be bad. ]

He, uh, he took over for the punishment Megatronus wanted to give me.

At least I lived, right?

[:DDD?]

[Perceptor quirks up a brow ridge as he notes that rather obvious ploy. He makes a note to speak with Ambulon sometime.]

[...and then suddenly realizes how... stalker-ish that seems. He frowns at himself as he considers Drift, considers himself, and that frown only deepens as he listens to Drift's explanation. He can't help himself; the sudden morbid curiosity and worry for what Drift went through here, reinforces his want to protect the white mech. Protection that Drift is perfectly capable of providing for himself.]

[He leans forward suddenly, and if Drift will allow it, he reaches over to cup his hand behind Drift's head, pulling him close until their forehelms touch.]

I'm sorry for not having your back, then. I'm sorry for always assuming that you need someone to have your back. You are a skilled and capable mech, Drift, and can take care of yourself... I...

I just worry.

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[VIDEO] Welcome Back?

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

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