[Video - Evening] Lights amongst the dark

[solianpolarity]

[The camera clicks on, and two very different Primes appear. Solus Prime is kneeling down, examining what appears to be a large, metal container as she speaks with Liege, who watches on. A moment goes by before she gives the comm, held in unmoving acolyte hands, a glance.]

-Prima's Touch was a clever addition. It will be interesting to see if his boon will help them survive the wilds more readily- Ah, very good.

[She stands, dusting off her hands with the faintest of pleased smirks.]

In the interests of continuing our work, we have elected to make this next experimental addition for improving Cybertron a bit more...visible.

[She turns a bit somber, optics softening.]

It also happens that it has been an entire solar cycle since you all have started arriving here once more. Roughly. Perhaps that is not a cause for celebration for many of you, but it is still a significant occasion to be honored.

[She gestures to her brother, who rises the lid so she can reach into the container and pulls out...what seems to be a handful of light. In actuality, it is what appears to be little glowing robobugs. They skitter across her plating, varied in design quirks but largely resembling a cross between rotor-laden dragonflies and moths with delicate metallic wiring.]

[Liege reaches out, picking one up in-between his claws and examining it closely--it might be obvious to all who were present for it that these definitely have a relationship to Jetfire's glowbugs.]

It would be best if you left them alone to do their job. They are perfectly harmless. However, they are designed to seek out raw resources and other sources of energy, so following their glow could be quite...lucrative. Consider it something of a treasure hunt, if you will.

Among a plethora of other functions. They should also be able to give us more information about the boundaries and composition of the badlands, once they depart the Haven. Until then...perhaps some enjoyment can be found in their display.

[Solus shrugs faintly, before lifting the lid holding back the swarm and vanishes in the midst of the glowing rush of tiny wings.]


...

[For those not watching the communicators or happen to be outside...from the top of Prima's glowing tower, a different sort of light slowly emerges, and seems to balloon out. The cloud gets larger and larger, like glowing smoke, before breaking up and fanning out in all directions and lighting up the sky.

For the next week, the swarm of Pixels will flock around the Haven, highlighting various, previously unknown energon pools, crystals, and even some nice finds in the junkyard. Solus Prime will be releasing a new batch each night, adding to the swarm until they eventually depart, en mass, for parts unknown.]



[Note: Those who reply to this message with an in-character action of following the pixels will be rewarded with a small item! Be creative in specifying where and how, and see what treasure awaits...]

Comments

[action]

[re_alignedmods]

[The pixels weave a path around boulders and metal slabs, a few constantly dropping off to explore the ground even as more and more join the main swarm as it flies on.

They are going in the opposite direction of the pools, away from the beaten path, but not by far. Their glow seems to vanish on the far side of a large, roundish boulder that is practically crawling with the things.

Should Drift continue on to the other side, he'll find a crevasse that is something of a tight fit for a mech, but glows brightly from within. Does he continue?]

[action]

[sword_redemption]

[It's almost frustrating, the way they seem to dart ahead when he gets close to them, almost as if they're fleeing from him. So he slows his pace, not trying to chase them or lean in too close to the stragglers, paying more attention to them than where, exactly, he's going.

[The rock they zip around nearly glows in the darkness, their massed lights adding up to a light that almost seems to shimmer in his vision.

[He hesitates for a moment, tilting his helm, peering into the gap in the stone. He's--momentarily--grateful for the fact his newest frame doesn't have the bulky spaulders as he presses into the stone, slowly.]

Hey. I won't hurt you.

[You know, despite the three swords and all that. He's totally harmless, see?]

[action]

[re_alignedmods]

[The pixels show no fear of Drift, a number flitting from the rock to the white mech when he ducks inside. But currently, for most of the pixels the allure of whatever is inside the rock is greater than their attraction to living beings.

And it may not be hard to see why.

The normal looking boulder is actually an giant geode on the inside. Blueish-white crystals jut out from all directions, forming a completely crystalline enclosure. What's more, the crystals seem to glow with their own internal light, in addition to the light of the pixels; the light only brightens when a pixel lands, or when Drift brushes up against any, brilliantly responding to their electrical signatures.

There is maybe room for four or five bots of Drift's size inside the geode, the bottom of which is filled with gravel and dirt to create a flat surface. And while it is clear no one has been here for a very long time, Drift is not the only one to have ever found this place. The ashy remains of a tiny, human-scaled fire are deep in one corner, while cracked energon glasses and an old, unreadable book disintegrate in another.

Essentially, it is a perfect little hideaway.]

[action]

[sword_redemption]

[There's no way he could turn back now, even though he's close to when he should be meeting Wing. But this is too, well, beautiful, for someone who hasn't had a lot of beautiful things in his life, and he follows, almost as if bewitched.

[He raises a hand as he steps fully inside the nearly spherical space, fingertips brushing the geometric points of crystal, watching the glow. There seems to be no shadow here, too many light sources from all directions. It almost blinds him, for a moment, before his optics cycle down, and he notices the objects.]

[Drift brushes the book, with one finger, wincing as it nearly crumbles under his touch.He looks up, as though the lighted bugs could answer.]

Where did they go, these people?

[action]

[re_alignedmods]

[Sadly, the book is too deteriorated to give any clues, at least not without any specialized handling, and the remaining items have no personalization.

For now, the tiny hideaway is Drift's, and his alone.]