re_alignment | VIDEO

Entry tags:

tf: idw | perceptor

VIDEO | JUNK PILE

[ Guess who's back to shooting things in the junk pile?

This guy.

Hopefully he's being more careful, seeing as he's narrating this entry while staring down the scope of... Something. It looks like a fusion of his usual sniper rifle and a certain someone's plasma weaponry. ]

I'm rather fascinated with the abilities of those pages to create a working item from admittedly sparse notes. This particular weapon functions far better than I could have hoped, considering I did little more than jot down a few rough concept sketches. The accuracy is a little off at the moment, but with a few adjustments I feel it could be quite formidable in combat scenarios.

[ He pauses to line up a shot, humming thoughtfully as a bright blue blast obliterates something (that looks uncannily like a toaster) in the distance. ]

Hm, perhaps if I modified the scope...

Ah, Vandal, could you spare a moment or two? Seeing as the conceptual basis of this gun originates in your technology, I would appreciate your input on modifying it further.

To everyone else... Has anyone had any items or effects linger from the, mm, outbreak of oddities we experienced recently?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Drift didn't make untangling from the kiss very easy, leaning in before he lets Perceptor pull away.]

It wasn't.

[At all.]

[He gives a pleased little purr at the light touches on his waist, not needing much more invitation to let his own hands land on Perceptor's shoulders, rising up with a throaty purr toward another one, just in case Perceptor had any doubt.]

Good.

[ Only habit keeps him from dropping his rifle, holding it awkwardly at his side as he presses into the kiss, encouraged by Drift's reaction. It's almost pathetic how much he wants this, hand slipping around to the small of Drift's back, tugging him in close.

The logical part of him views this as a success, something he wants. The other part of him, the part tied directly to his self-esteem, worries. Always worries.

Right now, though, he stubbornly ignores that creeping little voice telling him he isn't good enough, that Drift is only acting out of pity. Right now there's just Drift, and he's going to enjoy this victory no matter how small or silly it might seem. ]

[They should have done this before, instead of that halting, clumsy conversation they'd kept trying. ]

[He lets himself get pulled closer, feeling the smooth planes of Perceptor's chassis against his, his mouth stretching into a smile under the kiss. This is not pity, not at all, and the way his hands--unlike Perceptor's, unencumbered--wrap around Perceptor's waist hopefully deliver that message.]

[ The smile is felt, if not seen, and it, along with the hands on him, help soothe his fears to some degree. He allows himself to linger in the kiss for a few more moments, not quite brave enough to take it deeper but still enjoying it all the same, until he finally pulls back again. ]

I...

[ Wanted this. Hope he hasn't stepped over any boundaries. Don't know what to say.

He settles for a tiny, self-deprecating laugh, lightly leaning his helm against Drift's. ]

I'm terrible at the conversational end of this. Sorry.

[ He doesn't know how to voice how much he wants this, wants Drift, wants something between them. At least not without sounding absolutely pathetic. ]

[Sometimes it's better not to push things deeper. Sometimes it's best to just enjoy them as they are, without complication, without turning them into a step in some goal. Drift gives a soft sigh as Perceptor pulls away, just enough to signal that he could have stayed in that kiss for a while with no regrets.]

So am I. [Drift laughs.] We can be terrible at it together.

[He bumps his helm against Perceptor's. ] Good to hear you laugh.

Good company will make it more tolerable.

[ A rather pathetic attempt at humor, but he's feeling a little too on edge to be funny. It's an odd mix of giddy and worried. ]

I don't do it very often, do I? [ Hardly ever, honestly. ] I should change that, I think.

[ And this is probably the part where he should step back and resume observing personal space, but he's hesitant to pull away. ]

Hope we can do better than tolerable.

[Ooops. He failed at keeping that a joke.]

I don't think you 'should' change anything about what you are, Perceptor.

[He can't resist rising on his toes to nuzzle the other's helm, before he steps away, hands still lingering around Perceptor's waist.]

But, uh, we should...you said Vandal's around here. [Because frag if she caught sight of this? Teased. Forever.]

Mm, but it would do me good to lighten up. I know I'm hardly the most... exuberant of mechs.

[ For good or ill, he's not what you'd call a super perk individual. It would probably be a good thing if he relaxed once in a while. ]

Ah. Yes. Vandal. [ He clears his throat a tad awkwardly, stepping back like he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. ]

She, ah, should be joining us soon.

[ Lo and behold, speak of the devil. Vandal comes tromping up, carrying a box of supplies she'd been digging up for Percy's gun.]

Oh uh... hey guys!

[Wow she feels like she just walked into something. She eyes them both awkwardly as she takes a few more steps.]

Uh. Should I. Go home?

[Drift takes a sudden, fast stumbling step backward.]

Vandal. It's not what-- [NO, it's exactly what it looked like.] Uh. Hi.

....ready to go shooting? [Nothing happening here. Nope. Not a thing.]

[ Oh Perceptor feels bad now. He's not exactly the most comfortable with... Well. Being caught. ]

No. No it's. Ah. [ It would be wonderful if the ground could open up and swallow him now hhhh.

Quick, change of subject please. ]

Did you find any of the parts we need?

[ Well. That's two people she has weird, vague feelings for definitely... yeah. She plops the box down, looking between them. She's been pretty supportive thus far but she can't help but feel just. A tad bit bitter. And useless. And intrusive.]

Yeah. They're right here.

Look if you guys want some privacy? I can just.

Go.

[On goes the helmet.]

No! No. Please. Vandal. We were just talking about you, actually.

[Frag. He's useless at these sorts of talks. No, no not the helmet!!]

Karrie. Come on. Shoot with us.

...uh, just don't bet against Perceptor. [It's an attempt at a joke, a try to salvage the good part of this. He hopes it works.]

[ Ah. That's. Not good. Of course it would be something Perceptor did that upset her. ]

Weren't we going to work more on the rifle? I'm relying on your knowledge of the technology...

[ A rather desperate attempt to latch on to something positive they'd done together, now. ]

[Sigh. She shouldn't take it out on them. Definitely drives home the loneliness, though. So she hefts the box up and walks on ahead.]

Fine, okay, sure.

[It's not like she has the right to be upset. Though she does wonder how Wing would feel. Not that it's her business.

She finds a good spot to hunker down, toss the box aside and start adjusting her plasma cutter.]

Vandal. Karrie. [Drift squats down next to her, disturbed by the fact she's still got her helmet on.]

Please. Talk to me. Us. Or... I could go.

[He stands, wringing his hands. ] Yeah, I should go. Probably.

[ Oh this has become a bad situation rather quickly. ]

I don't think anyone should go. If there's anything to be said, it should be said now.

[ Or. Something. When in doubt, revert to logic. ]

Look I just. It's fine. Seriously. I just got a little bit-

[ Lonely? Lonely. Awkward. Jealous? Maybe. None of the above are viable answers. Because she said it herself, she's crazy. It's not like she has remotely any right to inflict herself (or wish she could inflict herself) on any of these guys. ]

Let's just shoot shit, okay? I'm fine. Really.

[ Not really. She just wants someone to hug her every once in a while, but it's not like she really makes that clear. ]

Vandal. [He makes a helpless gesture with his hands. And then he straightens up, shooting a look at Perceptor. Help!]

All right. Let's shoot. [He's all for it, but the look he gives her is a little worried.]

[ Perceptor returns the look with one that, hopefully, says 'we'll talk about this later.' Hhh, interpersonal drama. Not Perceptor's favorite thing in the world. ]

Alright, but first... [ He lowers the rifle down to Vandal's level on the ground. ]

Vandal, did you want to make the adjustment to the plasma feed we discussed earlier?

[ Among the other 20 tweaks they decided it needed. ]

[There's a breathy sigh through her helmet voice filter.]

Sure. But I dunno if Drift wants to sit through that.

[She looks up at Drift, kind of hoping he'll say he'd rather just shoot things because right now she'd rather just shoot things.]

Why wouldn't I? I used to be pretty good with a gun, myself.

[He's trying to keep the tone light, to move past the awkward moment.]

What adjustment?

We were discussing increasing the plasma flow within the weapon so that it, ah, 'packs more of a punch' as Vandal put it.

[ Unless tinkering is not a thing Vandal wants to do right now, which Perceptor is slowly getting the impression of. ]

However, if you would prefer to defer modifications until a later time, I would not be adverse to some target practice.

[She rubs the side of her helm and shrugs faintly.]

I suppose we can look at it now, if you're into that Drift. Shouldn't take too long.

[Perhaps doing something like this will help.]

Stopping power is important. Especially with, well...size. [Vandal, he thinks, and, no disrespect or anything, is a lot smaller than a Cybertronian. The thing with Wing showing up at her trailer, menacing them, had proven that. She needed a weapon to be able to stop someone who, well, wasn't Wing.]

I don't mind. [He settles himself on an outcrop of metal and sediment, where he can watch. ]

VIDEO | JUNK PILE

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[ action ] blaugh sorry for being slow as balls

[ action ] /pets it's k bby

[ action ] np!!

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