☼ Wing ☼ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
winged_knight) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
re_alignment2013-05-03 05:42 pm
winged_knight) wrote in re_alignment2013-05-03 05:42 pm
Entry tags:
[Video]
[ Here's a face that's been gone from the network for over a month. Wing looks a touch weary, his pinions lax, even though physically he seems in good health]
Hello Haven. I'm back now. I apologize for my absence, it was not intentional.
Sorry to ask this but, would anyone care to update me on recent events? Particularly from the Law Committee? I would appreciate it greatly.
[ He knows about Vandal, and a few of the others that have gone missing, which likely accounts for his glum mood.]
Also, committee members, I think we should put serious consideration into mapping not just the Haven but the surrounds. And clearly mark hazardous areas.
To everyone else... Please, if you're considering going exploring alone, regardless of skill level, do reconsider. Everyday we discover new hazards that persist on this world.
[ Wing might have taken down six reanimated mech frames on his own, maybe. But with the energy drain? There was no chance. ]
And well, I have a bunch of books, mostly human ones, that I don't need anymore. [ More specifically he needs to make room in his...room for someone else's stuff. ] Would anyone like them? I don't want them thrown away.
[Private to Barricade]
You're the one that told me about--what did you call them?--zombies?
Yeah. I have experience in that area now that I do not wish to repeat. [ o_o;; ]
[Private to Perceptor and Captain Marvelous]
Thank you, both of you, for coming to my aid.
I'm sorry to have put you in danger in the process of my rescue. If there's anything I can do to return the boon, please do tell me. I am in your debt.
Hello Haven. I'm back now. I apologize for my absence, it was not intentional.
Sorry to ask this but, would anyone care to update me on recent events? Particularly from the Law Committee? I would appreciate it greatly.
[ He knows about Vandal, and a few of the others that have gone missing, which likely accounts for his glum mood.]
Also, committee members, I think we should put serious consideration into mapping not just the Haven but the surrounds. And clearly mark hazardous areas.
To everyone else... Please, if you're considering going exploring alone, regardless of skill level, do reconsider. Everyday we discover new hazards that persist on this world.
[ Wing might have taken down six reanimated mech frames on his own, maybe. But with the energy drain? There was no chance. ]
And well, I have a bunch of books, mostly human ones, that I don't need anymore. [ More specifically he needs to make room in his...room for someone else's stuff. ] Would anyone like them? I don't want them thrown away.
[Private to Barricade]
You're the one that told me about--what did you call them?--zombies?
Yeah. I have experience in that area now that I do not wish to repeat. [ o_o;; ]
[Private to Perceptor and Captain Marvelous]
Thank you, both of you, for coming to my aid.
I'm sorry to have put you in danger in the process of my rescue. If there's anything I can do to return the boon, please do tell me. I am in your debt.
[action] /retroactively insert bad tandem bicycle shipping pun here
[Wing does take some extended pleasure and comfort in the craft of the drinks. It's working with his hands, but to create, not damage or destroy. And in the end, the product is something enjoyable he can share.]
It is. I can't even tell you when the last time was I had energon from a pure source before I got here. I'd forgotten what it even tasted like! [There's a moment, a split second of something bordering on glee that flashes over his face.] They even have flight grade!
[Wing has his doubts, but he's keeping the faith in the First Forged because they are the best allies they have. Some of them though...]
AH. I see. [His tone goes flat, a stark contrast to a moment before.] I don't blame you. Liege...concerns me. [He's being polite.]
Well, the majority of the habitation wing here at the Hub is human scale housing since they have none, but there is a hostel room with bunks and several private garages for mechs. We do have a few who prefer to recharge in alt.
[He sips his own drink, slowing, letting the layers mingle again in his mouth: sweet, very sweet, but with a tangy bite under it all. It's probably one of this favorites; he very much enjoys the bittersweet contrast.]
Would you like to claim a table? Or I can show you around the Hub?
Re: [action] /retroactively insert bad tandem bicycle shipping pun here
[Wing's excitement is amusing; it actually drags a slow smile from Perceptor.]
I saw you flying earlier. From a distance. [Wing looks so free and... nice in flight. Perceptor averts his gaze before he gives that thought away, though.]
[He glances back up, tilting his head as he looks at Wing consideringly. The lack of private quarters as he'd hoped is disappointing, but not unexpected. He'll find somewhere to go eventually. It's just unsettling to be at loose ends like he is now. He misses his lab. He doesn't miss Brainstorm, though.]
[Wing's concern about Liege, however, is much more interesting than Perceptor's childish internal whining. He nods toward the tables.]
I have not met Liege yet. [Provided that Wing follows, Perceptor takes a seat in a quiet, secluded corner.] You... don't like him.
[action]
That's another benefit of this place. Open skies. [He can't keep the thread of giddiness down, it's almost embarrassing really, and Wing finds himself grinning down into his drink.] We didn't even have that before the war. Not with the flight path and trafficking restrictions.
[It had been in the specs--more private quarters--but things had been reprioritized when more organics arrived.]
Well the garages are pretty nice, just lacking a typical recharge berth. But you can stay in any of the temples. Drift and I are at Vector's. [It's a thought, if Perceptor wants to be near friends. Wing knows plenty of mechs enjoy their privacy though so it's only gently suggested.]
I haven't spoken with him in-depth. [Wing tidies up what little mess he made, takes his drink in hand and joins Perceptor in the corner booth.] But I get the general impression he's the most...ethically challenged of the First Forged. Honestly I'm more comfortable with Megatronus, who makes no secret of his intentions.
[action]
[Perceptor recalls how he'd felt upon his first brush with the wide open fields of academia in the academies. How everything had seemed so possible and attainable. Wondrous. He imagines that Wing feels very much now what Perceptor had felt then - Freedom. Perfect freedom and unfettered joy.]
[He misses feeling that.]
What were you, before?
[Before the war. Before the destruction and the killing and the chaos. Perceptor had been fortunate enough to be able to maintain his general function and field of study, even if his researches had been directed into much more militant applications than he would have chosen for himself. At least his beloved Sciences hadn't been completely forbidden him. Wing, however, seems like he would have been far more content as a SkyPainter, rather than a warrior. Surely Wing hasn't been a fighter all his function.]
[Perceptor shakes his head, though, and waves the question off with quick flick of his hand.] I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry.
[The smile has faded back to his habitual stoic mask by the time Perceptor's gaze washes over Wing's frame, seeking the jet's Glyph.]
It's logical, though. You're both Vector's. [He twitches his own Glyph-emblazoned shoulder - Liege's - with resignation. Not that he knows any more about Vector than he does Liege, but the thought of being closer to someone he actually knows well does hold a certain appeal. Except...]
Any temple? Vector Prime would allow one that he hasn't... [branded...] selected to take up residence in his temple? [It sounds too good to be true.]
[Perceptor manages to barely suppress the flinch at Wing's description of Liege. Verity had essentially railed about Perceptor's own ethical challenges, and she hadn't even been privy to his deals with Prowl. Liege as his "patron" begins to make more sense to him.]
[action]
No it's fine. I want to know you Perceptor, it's only fair you know me in turn. [He smiles, because its true, he wants very much to know this mech who's earned such a firm place in Drift's esteem. But his expression grows a touch serious: the quiet solemnity of old joys and pains faded with time.]
Before I became a knight? Nothing too grand. A courier. Small frame, agile VTOL capabilities, easy to navigate dense urban areas but fast enough to cover the large open distances in between. [He shrugs.] So the Functionalists said.
[He doesn't sound that excited about it. Flying was the one benefit. But so much structure and very little choice.]
[Wing looks at the bright gold of his glyph.] Others have done it. First Aid shared a room with Blurr in Vector's tower and he bears Megatronus's glyph. I also know that glyphs can change entirely. Ah...[ His lip plates purse with amusement.] Ironhide arrived with Alpha Trion's glyph. First thing he did was bunch the Prime in the face? [Yes, really.] He wore Megatronus's glyph shortly thereafter.
[A smirk, because though he was quite appalled at the time he finds it amusing now.]
[action] sorry. life ate me.
[Suddenly, he finds himself recalling Blaster's words, that he'd "defiled" himself. Perhaps the Functionalists were not so gone as he'd once thought.]
The skies are open to you here, though. [It's a pittance, but it's something, isn't it?]
[Perceptor sips deeply of his drink, sorry now that he'd asked, and stirred up potentially bad memories. The past... is past. And the now... is a mystery that i not guaranteed. Better to simply enjoy what one has, rather than dwell on old pains.]
[Ironhide... did what? Perceptor's brow ridges nearly leap upward in a flicker of surprise before his expression smooths out again. He ponders the idea for a long, quiet moment, and then nods once. Just a slow dip of his chin as he studies the layers of his drink.]
If you and Drift would not mind my presence there... [Because a having a third wheel around is always so much fun. Perceptor has gotten quite adept at playing that part.] Perhaps I should ask Vector or one of his acolytes for a room in his temple.
[He cycles a slow vent, darting a glance up at Wing from under his brow for just a moment.]
What is it that you wish to know?
[He's never really spoken much about himself, even when he had still been rather... verbose. It's a little... intimidating to open himself up like this, even if it is to someone that Drift trusts with more than his life.]
[action] no worries, RL comes first!
They are, yes. A fact I am thankful for daily. And it was not so bad a function to have, others fared worse certainly. And it did lead me to the Circle eventually.
[And even if that is the most painful part, it's also the most important. He takes another long draw from his drink, a salve to counter old lingering aches.]
[Wing sees the humble way Perceptor asks, as if it's an imposition to speak the words. It makes him want to reach out and offer something in the way of reassurance, though perhaps it's not proper yet. His words though, hold all the same warmth his arms would.]
Not at all. Not for my part, anyway. It'd be a pleasure. [ He lowers his helm as a sheepish smile plays over his lip plates.] If anything you may have to forgive me. With all the disappearances of late, I've taken to wanting to keep those who matter close. [Wing's hording mechs Perceptor, keeping a tighter watch on his flock. And yes that's going to mean you too.] Asking Vector is probably not necessary but would make a positive impression to be sure.
[Oh, Wing sees the hesitation there too.]
Whatever you feel comfortable sharing Perceptor. On your own time. I've no wish to press. [He knows the sharing of one's life experiences are like laying the paving stones on a new path towards friendship, each one an offering to the other to come a little closer, step by step. But once those steps are paved there's no retracting them; and being certain of that sharing, that path, is not always easy. Wing won't force Perceptor into that, not with Drift as leverage; he'd rather earn each step on his own.]
[action]
[The cynical part of him tries to assert that, of course he would matter, because he'd helped to save Wing's life. Perceptor, though, has the odd feeling that it's much more than that with Wing, and he ignores the cynical whisper.]
Very well. [He nods, studying his drink.] I will ask. [A pause. He almost asks Wing if he knows if there is a room available near he and Drift, but then swallows he question, afraid to expose himself any more than he already has. He hates wanting things; such wants are merely weaknesses to be exploited. He should trust Wing more - after all, Drift does - but it's hard. Perceptor had trusted others who he'd known far longer, and far better, and it had never served him well.]
[He realizes suddenly that he's been silent too long, and darts a glance up at Wing to gauge the jet's reaction. He should say something. Share something. A token, at least, of this beginning between them.]
[He shifts a little uncomfortably. He doesn't know where to start. He doesn't know if he can start. Finally, he shrugs.]
I am a scientist. I met Drift when he was attempting to rescue the same group of Autobot prisoners that the unit I had been placed with were attempting to rescue. His appearance surprised me; it was obvious that his upgrades were recent, but the style hearkened to a much older time.
[Perceptor glances up at Wing, optics tracing the paths of the decorative scrolls and panels of Wing's form.]
I understood why much later.
[After he'd come out of the regen tank, and after he'd started his own upgrades. After he'd come to terms, as best he could, with his true worth to Kup and the others.]
[Or, rather, his lack thereof.]
[action]
Good. Let us know once that's done, we can help you get settled. [He beams a little: it's good to be issuing welcomes rather than saying goodbyes.] You'll probably have your pick of the rooms, unless you really want to be near the ground floor. I, well, I did not. [He grins.] The view from upper tiers is quite majestic, if you don't mind the lift ride. But I have a thing for sunrises.
[There's another grin, and a slightly...mischievous tilt if Perceptor is keen enough to catch it. One of the benefits of being higher in the tower was the privacy. Few wanted to add extra levels onto their trek home but Wing uses the balcony more than he uses the door. Though that's changed some since Drift joined him.]
[He doesn't mind the silence: he has his own pensive moments and he's certain Perceptor has plenty to think about. He's dealt with greater challenges to his patience before. Besides, the drink is making for a pleasant fuzz over his systems and it's hard to be troubled by small things now. There's a congenial look on Wing's face as he draws another sip, reminding himself to take it slow. The last thing they needed was for him to get overcharged and make a mess of things. He's pretty sure Perceptor doesn't want an excessively friendly jet in his lap touching that curious scope of his.]
[AT ANYRATE.]
I suppose our deco is fairly uncommon now. And our technological advances did take a slightly different direction. [Wing likes hearing that story from the other side. Drift is far too humble sometimes. And hearing about Drift being the rescuer always swells his spark.] Is that when Drift told you his story?
[action]
[Especially if it puts him nearer...]
[He takes another draught of his drink, distracting himself from that train of thought before he betrays himself.]
A slightly different direction? [Perceptor snorts softly. That's like saying that Megatron took a "slightly different direction" than Orion Pax had.]
[He shakes his head.]
No. That came later. I was... indisposed for a time after we first met.
[action]
[Yeah staying down the hall from your ex and his current. That'd be weird if you weren't included. Though, hopefully...]
Well. Okay, I'm being modest I suppose. We did leave Cybertron with a lot of scientists, scholars and other great minds. And we had an entirely different set of circumstances to adapt to. [He's hoping that's not a point of contention. He knows many who still look down on those who fled the war and Cybertron. He's been called a coward more than once.]
Oh. [OH. RIGHT.] Ah. Beg pardon. Of course you were. I'm happy you recovered and made a friend in him.
[He really wants to ask more. To beg for the pieces of Drift's life that he's missed, maybe live them vicariously through someone else. But it feels selfish, and like he's prying too much into business that is not his.]
[action]
If you would not mind...
[He sighs then, feeling just fuzzy enough that he does not censor himself as he normally would.]
I envy you... the scientists who were selected....
[How much he could have learned, how much he could have accomplished if he'd been allowed to study what he'd wished, rather than adapting to the needs of war. It's hard to imagine not having been there to do what he could for his friends... but he isn't entirely certain any longer who really had been his friends.]
[He still has not looked up as he shrugs.]
I owed him. I was different before. Weak and useless. I owed him for not leaving me behind.
[....he.... hadn't meant to say all that. He stares stiffly at his drink. wondering how potent it is.]
[action]
No I certainly would not. I want you to be welcome. With us. I know Drift would enjoy your company.
[The jet relaxes into the high-backed booth, nacelles tilting to make space and his smile turns rueful.]
We tried to save as many as we could. As many as wanted to come. But the number of ships we had, which were fewer even still that successfully reached the stars... [He shakes his helm. It's still a point of sorrow, that they couldn't have saved more.] Don't be fooled though. It was a difficult trek. And harder still when we found a place to settle. There were not many builders or manual laborers, most of us were challenged with learning new functions just to survive and build a new home.
[But those next words strike him with an intense sadness. There's a time for words and a time to listen. Wing thinks maybe this is the latter. He leans forward, one hand reaching over the table to touch the back of Perceptor's as it curls around his glass.]
Why would you think that?
[action]
Because it was true.
[Kup had made that quite clear, not only in actions, but in his words later. After Perceptor had begun his metamorphosis. All those countless hours, sleepless cycles of working and worrying over the problems of repairing Kup's frame, of mitigating the addiction to the deadly crystal radiation, and it had just been Perceptor "doin' his job". Nothing more. Nothing. Certainly nothing worth making sure that Perceptor made it out alive.]
[His fuel pump is hammering hard as he affects a sigh.]
Please don't think that I viewed our friendship as an obligation. The obligation I had was to repay Drift for saving my life. Friendship came... [He shrugs again.] Because he is Drift.
[Because Drift had cared. Because Drift had reached out for him. Because... Because he's Drift.]
[He turns his attention back down toward his drink, focusing on the fingertips touching the back of his hand.]
When I awoke from regen, I remembered... [Lying on the floor, watching his vision slowly grey out, feeling his fluids pooling under his cooling frame, feeling the agony of being shattered and abandoned. It hadn't been hard to remember that; his unconscious moments had been filled with reliving that eternity, again and again. Filled with watching the Autobots fleeing. Leaving. Leaving him. Only one blur of white dashing toward him, before being forced back.]
I remembered being the weak link in the mission.
[Just a scientist, sent along to babysit Kup. Not a soldier. Not a skirmisher. Not even a scout. Just a scientist. Collateral damages.]
I decided to never be the weak link again.
[action]
[He smiles, broadly, at mention of the obligation and friendship involving Drift being separate. He knows all to well how muddying those waters can be. There's always a thread of concern that Drift will do things out of obligation when all Wing wants is his love and happiness.]
[The knight listens, intently and patiently through it all, taking small sips from his drink, his hand never leaving Perceptor's.
His fingers venture forward at the end, the warmth of his palm cupping the back of the other's hand.]
Your trials have been great, you are strong for overcoming them.
[That's how Wing sees it, at least. Simply because he chose not to participate in the war does not mean he can't respect some of the effort others took in doing so.]
We cannot have strengths in all areas. A tool is not considered lesser simply because it does not suit a particular function, does it?
No one is ever useless, least of all you Perceptor.
Sometimes we have to be challenged to expand beyond ourselves, to grow and adapt. That's where the functionalists were wrong and it left us stagnant. [His own optics consider the two hands, both dark like char, both used for so many functions.] Sometimes it takes something massive to provoke change. A paradigm shift. It happened to you, to Drift, and to me. It's part of our evolution as people, complex beings with so much potential. It's the universe, Adaptus if you will, trying to get us to see it.
[action]
[To not be left behind again.]
I just wanted to be useful enough.
[action] Lalalalala~ posting from my phone DERP
[]Because Wing can't imagine someone as bright as Perceptor not having something to contribute.[]
But here, there is plenty of need. It's good to have you.
[action] no worries!
[Then again, Wing cannot truly understand, because Perceptor has not fully detailed what he'd gone through that horrid day. Nor is he certain just exactly what Drift may have told him. He doesn't want to know. He doesn't want to see the pity in Wing's expression that would surely come from such a revelation. Perceptor pities himself enough without that.]
I hope... [that Wing doesn't learn to regret those words. He shakes his head.]
Thank you.
[Wing will probably feel how Perceptor's fingers tremble faintly as he slowly turns his hand against Wing's. As he hesitantly opens his hand to offer to Wing, to wrap around Wing's hand. It takes more courage than Perceptor ever thought he had to do it, to open more than his hand with that deceptively simple motion.]
Please do not allow me to ruin this, Wing.
Re: [action] no worries!
And hope is where we start. It's what keeps us when we're trapped in the dark. We can find it in each other and hold strong.
[There's a poignancy in the moment, Wing can feel it, not just in the tremble of Perceptor's hand but the sincerity of his voice. The jet's own hand is steady as he turns it to meet Perceptor's, fingers curling into the other's palm to hold tight, a message in itself, but his EM field is aflutter with emotions, and at the forefront: hope and an intense willingness to make good things a reality. ]
Perceptor. [His tone takes a more weighty edge, but it's one that begs something in kind, because he worries himself. Not just because of Perceptor, but because he's made his own share of mistakes.]
[He shakes his helm.] If we, all of us, act with integrity and honesty, compassion and respect... I think we manage anything.
[action]
I hope.
[He drops his gaze to the table again for a moment.]
Promise me... if ever a choice must be made...
[Now he spears Wing with a deep, intense look.]
That you will ensure that Drift is happy.
[action]
It's worth it, to try. He's worth it. As are you.
[The look does it's work, and Wing draws up, pinions lowering. His face is solemn, slightly pained at the necessity of it, but in no less agreement. A slow nod as he squeezes Perceptor's hand.]
If you will do the same.
[action]
[He gives Wing's hand a faint squeeze. A promise. A start.]
[He... doesn't know where to go from there, though.]
Now what?
[action]
Well, first you should probably finish that. [He nods at the drink, taking another sip of his own. And then he reconsiders...] Or not, whichever suits. I'll take no offense.
But then I think you should go see him.
[action]
No. It's good. Thank y--
Wait. Now?
[action]
Well you're perfectly welcome to stay and keep me company if you wish.
But, yes now. Why not?
[If there's one lesson the universe seems to want to beat into him, it's 'Don't wait.']
[action]
[action]
[action]
[action]
[action]
[action]