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...

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[lastonepercent]

Mirage chuckled softly at Cliffjumper's reaction, hand resting briefly on a red shoulder before he pulled away.

"It does not matter. Big or small, I'm still grateful you thought of me."

Really, he hadn't expected it - and it was very, very telling, for Cliffjumper to do such a thing.

Perhaps he needed to rethink a few things.

[cliffjumper]

He was as aware of that hand on his shoulder as he'd been of the light, nearly non-existent kiss, and only barely managed to rein in his EM field before his blush registered in it as well (again).

"Yeah, well--- I'm---" Cliffjumper muttered, gritting his teeth and feeling not just flustered, but utterly embarrassed.

Even if Mirage had clearly liked the gift and that had been the fragging point... Unable to take it any more, Cliffjumper whirled around, intent on escaping and locking himself in one of the other rooms they had available when the door chime sounded and shortly after two people entered.

"Uh...?" Frozen between one step and the next, Cliffjumper scowled, his embarrassment doused cold in surprise.

"Honoured," the taller, slender one that shared some interesting similarities in look to Mirage, murmured, bowing briefly and shooting her companion a thinly veiled frown, "we wanted to make sure you arrived back safe, and it seems that was the case. Though, perhaps, you would allow yourself a guide next time? We could even arrange a tour, since with local knowledge interesting places to visits could be arranged as well."

Cliffjumper huffed and shrugged, glancing over to Mirage's gift where it was on the table, to Mirage, very, very quickly, and then back to the two by the doors.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

Not the most diplomatic response, really, but he was too frazzled for anything else.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage reset his optics in surprise, faintly irritated by the sudden arrival- and very nearly late ping they had sent.

Cliffjumper had really worried someone, for them to rush up here like this and barely skirt the edges of formality.

"A pleasure," Mirage said, sweeping over in apparent welcome, sadly leaving Cliffjumper and their lack of discussion until later. Golden optics glancing between the two arrivals, Mirage bobbed his head at the polite offer.

"So good of you to come. I know it may may a bit alarming, but Cliffjumper's free to come and go as far a I am concerned." He clucked lightly, fingers lacing together as he took a polite- but firm- stance on the subject.

If Cliffjumper needed his few freedoms in the place to keep the peace between them, Mirage could hold on to that for him at least.

"A tour, though. I'm sure that will be lovely, the next time my dear Cliffjumper is feeling up to a day trip." He grinned, glancing back over his shoulder toward the frazzled minibot.

[cliffjumper]

Frazzled didn't even begin to describe it, and it didn't get any better when Mirage called him that.

It was just for show. For what they were doing, for what they were pretending to be. Nothing else. The litany sounded flat in Cliffjumper's processor, which wasn't helping. It was true, after all.

He manages a shrug at the ambassador, who nods, smiling faintly.

"Of course. Could we beg a warning off you, next time, however?" A slight little bow as it's spoken slowly and with understanding. Completely ignoring the increasingly annoyed-looking mech beside her.

[lastonepercent]

"We can certainly try," Mirage said with a teasing lilt to his voice, glancing back toward Cliffjumper for a moment.

"I can always give the guards a ping, if that would reassure you?" He glanced between the two Paradronians, noting the annoyance of the second.

"Is there anything else we can help you with at the moment?"

[cliffjumper]

"That would certainly suffice, honoured," the ambassador said with another bow, then sorted softly and straightened up. Cliffjumper need she was doing a very good job not glowering at the mech beside her.

"For my sake? No, certainly not, but I imagine Crushlight here had something he wishes to relay. Good day, honoured." She bowed again and left, leaving the messenger to straighten up, with a very quick glance at the door before he turned back to Cliffjumper and Mirage.

"The esteemed Highvolt has an invite for what she hopes would be a most delightful evening, if it pleases you, honoured."

Cliffjumper was barely able to hide his grimace at that. What 'pleased' him would be to say no, but he was sure Mirage world say yes

[lastonepercent]

Mirage returned the bow as the departing Paradronian turned to go- before facing the impatient messenger.

"Ah, thank you. Crushlight, is it?" Mirage gave them a polite bob of the head, though he didn't go quite as deeply as he could have, given their obvious impatience.

"Highvolt, you say?" He asked, rapidly doing a search on the name- it was familiar, but not enough to know well without more information.

"An honor, to be sure. When is the invitation for?"

[cliffjumper]

'An honour'. Cliffjumper could barely keep from rolling his optics. Was Mirage doing the necessary 'diplomatic' slagdripping, or did he actually know who this Highvolt was? Cliffjumper wasn't sure - either was probable, since if Highvolt was important enough she'd probably have been at least present and introduced, probably after he'd left.

"Tomorrow evening, honoured."

Cliffjumper had a feeling that that was a barely polite stretch of time to extend an invitation, probably too close to the event. But there was probably one million different reasons for why said invitation had been given now and not a little earlier, somehow.

Still, Cliffjumper glanced to Mirage to try and gauge his reaction, even if the mech was good at controlling himself when he really had to.

[lastonepercent]

Cliffjumper would be correct, if Mirage knew. It was polite by only the thinnest of margins. The priest raised a brow ridge, but nodded slowly.

"Hm. I should be able to attend, though my cohort may already have plans for the evening...?"

Mirage turned to glance over at Cliffjumper, seemingly in casual askance.

::It's your call. They aren't an ambassador, so you can blow it off if you feel the need.::

Giving Cliffjumper an out for a unimportant event and saving the minibot's patience for something that was actually crucial seemed a bit more wise.

[cliffjumper]

::What if you need backup?:: Cliffjumper didn't like the thought of having to attend anything, didn't like that he'd left Mirage earlier, but his patience had been out - but at least he'd been there for most of it.

Leaving Mirage with no 'back-up' for a whole evening, Cliffjumper didn't know if he liked that at all. On the other hand, Mirage was more than capable and would probably be in his element. Irritated, but in his element.

Cliffjumper briefly wondered how Mirage would handle that, but then huffed mentally at himself; he probably wouldn't recognise or notice even half the things Mirage would do.

"I'd have to... uh, check," Cliffjumper finally said, the words feeling clumsy and inadequate to the turns of phrase having been used so far, by basically everyone that had been in the room in the last breem.

[lastonepercent]

::I should be fine even if everything does go to the pit, you know. Which is unlikely. But I'm not completely helpless.:: Mirage almost snickered.

::Just decide quick.::

"Please do, my dear," Mirage added out loud, giving Crushlight a charming , if very fake, grin.

[cliffjumper]

He shouldn't - he hoped he wasn't - blush at the way Mirage used that nickname, Cliffjumper told himself, dimming his optics partway to give the most-used signal for a comm that was actually being politely advertised as happening.

Even if in this case, it absolutely wasn't, just a way to give Cliffjumper a few more moments to struggle with himself. Mirage could handle himself, and surely he wouldn't be expected to go on all of these invitations that would undoubtedly happen, but...

"... Fine." The word slid out before he thought about it, and Cliffjumper barely kept from grimacing, because that was surely not the right way to respond, but too late for anything else.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage couldn't help but blink his optics in surprise- but the expression was quickly morphed into a pleased one, of the sake of their audience.

"Well, there you are then. We shall both be quite pleased to attend." If Crushlight heard the falseness in their enthusiasm, well...

They were already pushing it.

::Well. Alright then.:: He added privately, unsure of what else to say for the moment.

[cliffjumper]

Noticing or not, Crushlight gave them some enthusiastic gratitude and acknowledgement before he left. Not until the door was closed Did Cliffjumper slump back against the window and groan, scrubbing his faceplates.

"Why the frag did I just do that?"

Now that he'd done that, it seemed utterly stupid and like it'd grate on his every last coupling, if not end in disaster.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage vented a sigh of relief when Crushlight finally departed, turning to face Cliffjumper with a inquiring stare.

"...That is exactly what I was about to ask, myself," he said dryly, hands falling to his hips.

He would have said more, but...he really didn't know what to think about this.

[cliffjumper]

"I don't know," Cliffjumper outright groaned, and loudly, hands still over his faceplates, "clearly this place is messin' with me."

That was the only explanation, because it wasn't like Mirage wasn't fragging capable of taking care of himself and would probably, in some weird, roundabout way, enjoy such an event. And he'd handle it far better than he would.

Peering up at Mirage across the room, without doing more than parting his fingers, Cliffjumper sighed.

"I'll pretend I got sick or something." Probably not, but he felt like he needed to say something.

[lastonepercent]

"Or something like that," Mirage agreed blandly, stepping across the room to stand over Cliffjumper hesitantly, before giving the smaller mech a pat on the shoulder.

"Probably best to come up with a better excuse than that, if you do. Letting it get out that you're 'sick' would send help up here faster than lighting the place on fire, I would think."

[cliffjumper]

Cliffjumper twitched a little at the pat - all too aware of the weight, the sun-warmed metal and slight charged tension that clung there - otherwise he just scrubbed his faceplates again and then dropped his hands to look up at Mirage, swearing.

"Slag. I didn't think about that," shaking his head, Cliffjumper grimaced, "so don't use that unless it's actually true, since they'll find out out it's not." Unless he just locked himself up somewhere and refused to be seen, but even Cliffjumper could tell that was a bad idea.

"Not that I've got another idea...." So maybe he'd just have to suck it up, even when he'd normally wouldn't have had to do this if he hadn't opened his giant, dumb mouth.

[lastonepercent]

"Exactly," Mirage said, hand slowly pulling away from warm, red metal.

"That's why I'm here, after all. To think about things like that." He said with a wry grin. "But unfortunately, this time I can honestly say you volunteered for this one. At least they were rude - if you end up being just as rude in return, it would hardly be held against you."

[cliffjumper]

Despite his conflict over the hand having been on his shoulder at all, Cliffjumper was distinctly disappointed when it was completely removed. On some level it was probably a good thing he knew about his crush on Mirage, because otherwise he'd have been frustrated over feeling like this and not understanding why.

Which was a whole other level of humiliating, really.

"Yeah, I guess so," Cliffjumper muttered, optics flickering in a roll - a human gesture basically the whole Ark had adopted rather soon into their stay. Then he glanced up at Mirage and smirked.

"Did you just give me permission to be rude to these people?"

[lastonepercent]

Mirage leaned away with a low laugh, pressing a long-fingered hand against his own chest over his spark, optics alight with mirth.

"Me? I would neverrr," he chuckled, all faux-denial.

"Of course, given the nature of the 'invitation'...should they continue this rude behavior, it would hardly harm our cause to be rude in turn."

[cliffjumper]

Looking up at Mirage, Cliffjumper looked away almost immediately, swallowing a curse. Why did the fragging mech have to look... well, like that? He hoped he hadn't been blushing, and if he had, that he'd turned away in time.

It was so much easier on the Ark, since aside from when he'd followed Mirage, or having to make up for interrupting the ceremony, it wasn't as if he ended up in Mirage's company a lot. Now, though...

"Uh-huh," Cliffjumper said, still drawn into a smirk despite feeling flustered. "You think whoever this..." a pause and embarrassingly enough he'd already forgotten the name, "whatever, y'think they'd actually risk continuing to be 'rude' now that they've gotten what they wanted?"

Cliffjumper just couldn't see what was rude in the way this has happened, despite Mirage's comments that it had been. Nobles were weird.

[lastonepercent]

"If they want to try and get us in their good graces, yes," Mirage said immediately. He gestured with a hand as he spoke.

"If they are desperate enough to try and blunder their way into such an invitation, they will be desperate enough to try and keep us pleased at this 'event'. It would be social suicide to have ambassadors come from there with poor reviews of their gala."

[cliffjumper]

"I don't get all of this fraggin' maneuvering you're used to, but that's simple enough," snorting, Cliffjumper shook his helm and glanced up at Mirage, "well, the washrack's free, if ya want it."

Obviously it was free, since Cliffjumper was sitting right here, but he had no idea what else to say and making more incredulous noises as he found out more about the ins and outs of the social life of nobles, here or on Cybertron, wasn't very conductive.

[lastonepercent]

"'Maneuvering' is part of my job," Mirage said, amused. "But when little is at stake, it is much more enjoyable. And if we're going to this party, I intend to enjoy it."

He stood up, giving Cliffjumper a nod, before striding toward the washracks.

"Thank you. I might as well take advantage of it."