The Start of Something Interesting...

[lastonepercent]

The day was calm, with no recent Decepticon attacks, and none suspected to be incoming for some time.  The cons were too busy licking their wounds from the last battle, one that the Autobots had decidedly come out ahead on.  The celebrations had gone on long into the night and the recreation room was already a mess.

Thus, it was the perfect chance for a lone Autobot to slip casually outside.

Mirage had no shift currently scheduled, so he was free to spend his time as he pleased.  He certainly made no move to hide his departure, greeting his comrades in the halls on the way out, but the box in his hands remained unopened despite any passing curiosity.  It was quietly shifted into subspace before long, and  the former noble shifted into alt mode just as smoothly when he reached the doors.  Despite the completely inappropriate earthen race car mode, the mech had little trouble self-adjusting before driving off into the forest covering the mountain, for business unknown...

Comments

[lastonepercent]

The outburst was unexpected, and Mirage reset his optics in confusion, processor fuzzy and sluggish with lingering static.

"...N-no, I'd say you were. Affected. Unexpectedly so." Mirage attempted to explain, vocalizer crackling. Behind his back, Tracks rolled his optics, ignoring the way his own wings continued to tremble.

"Clearly undeservingly so, given the unending lack of proper respect." Tracks huffed pointedly.

[cliffjumper]

Snarling fit to break his vocaliser - or at least it sounded like that - Cliffjumper crossed his arms over his chestplates and glared at Tracks. he was avoiding looking at Mirage, because the clearly wiped out, tremblingly vulnerability the mech was currently caught in made him uncomfortable.

It didn't seem right.

"If that... that thing is supposed to happen, why'd no one say so?! 'Cause I wasn't fragging expecting all the rustin' lights and---" Cliffjumper cut himself off mid-jumbled-rant, unwilling to admit, at least in front of Tracks, that he hadn't been able to move.

Further, he had no idea how to describe the state he'd just been in, and he wasn't sure he wanted to say anymore with Tracks present anyway. And if the ritual took so much out of Mirage, or affected him so much, even with the clear result, why would he do it?

Cliffjumper angled a glance at the reclining mech from under his crest, scowling and still uncomfortable. There was too many things that had just happened, and the fact that he'd just... sat there and let Mirage be in pain, even if he'd wanted it and done it for a reason, didn't feel right.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage sighed, not even bothering to shift himself into a less wrecked-looking position. He was simply too tired.

"It was supposed to happen - to me, and potentially my assistant." He gestured weakly back toward Tracks, confusion obvious across his face.

"You say saw something-"

"But you were also not supposed to be so close and in contact with the priest at the time." Tracks cut in with hiss.

[cliffjumper]

"Shut the frag up," Cliffjumper right out hissed right back at Tracks, hands flexing into fists and then relaxing a few times as he continued to speak.

"'Sides it wasn't the slaggin'..." Trailing off, his optics brightened and he shrugged, facing the reality that Mirage had petted him and he'd let him and... and that was probably as (intimately) close as he'd ever be to the mech again.

"It was the rustin' singing and there wasn't just that lightshow at the end it was longer than that!" Throwing his hands up and then crossing them over his chestplates, Cliffjumper briefly glanced up at Mirage and then glowered down at the floor again.

He didn't want to talk about this with that fragging glitch here - he'd be... somewhat more comfortable with just Mirage around. But that was probably not going to happen.

"... At least it wasn't all for nothin'," Cliffjumper muttered as his scowl at the floor deepened. It still didn't make it right in his opinion.

[lastonepercent]

"Both of you shut up." Mirage finally snapped, vents hissing with the effort it took to lift his head.

"The ritual may be done, but you have both thoroughly ruined the afterglow. You both are free to leave."

Tracks made to object, but Mirage waved a hand over his head, optics already dimming with the urge to recharge.

"Shoo. Cliffjumper, if you have questions or concerns, you can ask them or you can leave. Your obligation here has been satisfied."

[cliffjumper]

After... glow..?

The word got stuck, that, along with 'ruined' and then Cliffjumper realised that yes, Mirage did mean it exactly like that and how the slag had he missed that?!

Not that he wanted to see it! In fact, now he was just even more uncomfortable with the whole thing. He'd probably missed it because it probably happened while that lightshow had been going down...

"Wh--What?" Optics flickering, flaring even brighter than their blush-bright intensity and then fading a little, Cliffjumper shook his helm and reviewed what Mirage had said and then shook his helm sharply.

"I'm fraggin' leavin'. Can ask things later!" That was a completely flustered admission of retreat, and Cliffjumper whirled around on his feet and quickly walked away, though he carefully walked around the altar and stopped in the doorway, throwing a glance back at Mirage.

::You okay, though? I mean, all that...:: Another shake of his helm and he dipped it, glaring at the floor and stormed out of the room. If Mirage answered, it wasn't as if the comm. wouldn't reach him, and Cliffjumper mostly wanted to be sure to ask.

Even if a slagging overload would imply that Mirage was perfectly okay, yes.

[lastonepercent]

Startled by the response, Mirage almost laughed at the minibot's obvious fluster. How did he not notice? His distraction must have been...far more intense than it should have been.

Which only piqued Mirage's curiosity, but Cliffjumper was already out the door. The red mech probably caught a look of wide-optic'd confusion before he fled out of sight, the comm-ping drawing that chuckle from the priest at last.

::...I'm fine, Cliffjumper. As I hope you are as well. Do return later when you feel up to your questions.::

Amused, Mirage shooed off an apologetic Tracks, systems already falling toward recharge before he even laid his helm back down on the berth.