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

[cliffjumper]

Getting out from under the spray and turning it off, Cliffjumper huffed and stomped over to the drying area.

"If I'm clean, then I'm fraggin' well presentable. Anything else is just unnecessary... extra." Not that he wasn't aware that a nice polish and buffing did add something to one's look, but it had never really mattered much. Before he war, he'd only done what was minimum necessity because it was easier like that... During the war, being clean had been good enough, but Bumblebee had always badgered him into looking nice for any ceremonies that happened earlier on.

Nowadays (even before their long "nap"), ceremonies weren't really a thing that happened much anymore.

"I'm pretty sure vanity ain't looked down on," Cliffjumper paused and rolled his optics, because maybe it should be, but religious-wise, he was pretty sure it wasn't. "But ain't it like... I dunno, makin' yourself look better than you are or something?" He actually hesistated for a good few moments before saying that, and wasn't looking at Mirage as he said it, feeling somewhat embarrassed over having said anything of that at all.

Mostly because Mirage was a priest (which was still odd to think on), but partly because he didn't really reveal his own thoughts on matters like these.

[lastonepercent]

"Hardly. Looking your best is not looking better than you are, because it is you."

Mirage scoffed, giving Cliffjumper a completely perplexed glance.

"Rites are about being the best you can be, in body and spark. Showing your full potential. And you may not be aware, but most rites are generally preformed in the open, in front of a gathering. One should look their full-best."

[cliffjumper]

If Cliffjumper had caught that glance, he'd probably have made a rude and huffy noise in reaction, so it was probably just as well that he was still turned away. It didn't stop him from grimacing, however.

"Yeah, well, most of us don't got the fraggin' time to look our best all the time! And if I can't be at my best without all this slaggin' stuff..." Trailing off, Cliffjumper shrugged and reluctantly picked up a polishing cloth before he frowned and cast a glance up at Mirage.

"In front of people? Not all og 'em, right?" Because that didn't seem... right. Or comfortable. Especially not in situations like... whatever this thing would be.

[lastonepercent]

"I never said one must be polished all of the time. And as for rites, most are public, yes. All? Of course not."

Mirage scoffed, but otherwise seemed to be taking the discussion very seriously now. Somehow, it had become a teaching situation, and that was half of the point they were trying to achieve today. Teaching the other mech to respect their Rites and behaviors, and that meant that he should at least have a basic understanding of it.

"The one we will be preforming tonight is not meant to be public, no. Which is in part, why your intrusion was so disruptive."

He raises an optic ridge in Cliffjumper's direction, arm raising up over his head to polish as much of his back as he can manage.

[cliffjumper]

The only thing Mirage got for his pointed stare and comment was a stubborn glare right back and a huff - there was some tension in his shoulders which angled the wheels there slightly oddly because yes, he was sort of feeling guilty.

But.

"... I ain't apologisin' for that," Cliffjumper muttered, optics dropping with a scowl to the floor as he with a certain lacking enthusiasm worked the polish in. Well, he'd already partly apologised, but what he would continue to not apologise for as interrupting what he'd thought was a bad situation.

So there.

"So what's usually... uh, public and not?" He wasn't precisely interested, but at the same time he did want to know. Whatever else happened, to actually have some insight into Mirage wasn't something the minibot would say no to.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage merely raises an optic brow at Cliffjumper's declaration, before shrugging and continuing his polishing.

They would be seeing about that.

"Oh, the Prime-coronation rituals are public, of course. Standard holiday-blessing days, event blessings, spark-rituals..."

Mirage twisted in his seat, giving the minibot another incredulous stare.

"Have you really never seen any of these?"

[cliffjumper]

"Uhh..." Screwing his faceplates up in a frown as he thought, Cliffjumper tugged on the cloth. It was harder than it probably should be to think of specific things like that, but the war had required some rearranging and re-prioritizing in what was easily available in his memory banks.

"... The holiday stuff, I guess?" Rubbing the back of his helm (accidentally with the cloth), the minibot shrugged. "Only ever saw less than a handful by bein' present though. Might've caught some more on vidscrees..."

Then, optics narrowed not in suspicion or annoyance, but rather just honest confusion, he looked up at Mirage.

"Spark rituals, though?" That couldn't be what it sounded like, right?

[lastonepercent]

"Well good," Mirage vented a heavy sigh of relief. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't even seen the New-Vorn celebrations or the Thirteen Days broadcast over vidscreen at least."

Everyone celebrated those, even the mechs who didn't believe in the first Thirteen Primes, given that it was a planet-wide holiday.

"Not a single spark ritual, though?"

He seemed a little confused by the lack of recognition, but he shunted it aside in favor a slight, growing smirk.

Probably exactly what it sounded like, Cliffjumper.

[cliffjumper]

Now that Mirage actually had brought them up, he could think of any number of times he'd caught a recording of the holiday blessing events - they were everywhere during the mentioned holidays, after all.

That was, though, partly what made them so easy to forget as "background noise" and while he did have a particularly fond memory for one of the few he'd seen in person, it'd been easy not to connect them to what Mirage was talking about.

"Think I mostly forgot... 'bout 'em..." Shrugging, Cliffjumper trailed off as he noticed Mirage's growning smirk and shifted on his feet.

"... What? No, I haven't. Don't think so anyway." By now, he was scowling, suspiciously staring up at Mirage.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage groaned.

"Forgot about them?" His jaw dropped, vaguely offended by the very idea. He shook his head, rubbing his towel vigorously over his helm as he did so.

This mech. The most infuriating minibot!

He tossed the towel over into the cleaning pile, blue and white frame somehow already gleaming as he turned to face the red mech once more.

"If you had seen a spark ritual, I guarantee you wouldn't have forgotten it. Do you even know what it is?"

He doesn't sound very confident about Cliffjumper knowing at this point.

[cliffjumper]

Grimacing at Mirage's tone, Cliffjumper huffed.

"Meant the holiday stuff. It's everywhere, ya stop payin' attention after a while unless you seek it out, ya know?" Though Mirage probably didn't know since, if he understood this right with the revelation of what Mirage had been, he'd basically lived immersed in all the religious stuff.

"So, slag no I don't have a single fraggin' clue what a spark ritual is." Chin jutting out, Cliffjumper was by now distracted enough to not be polishing himself as he should be, and instead crossed his arms over his chestplates.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Hardly. It was not some meaningless drivel to tone out. Not to me."

It was always disheartening to find out how little some of 'the masses' actually cared about the significance of their holidays.

"But at least I can see why you don't know what a spark ritual is. Which, appropriately enough, involves sparks."

The noblemech waved a hand, idly gesturing down to his own chest.

"It is a public joining of sparks, of course. Usually between priests, but it can also involve a Chosen commoner or even the Prime."

[cliffjumper]

Cliffjumper shrugged at that, but he could understand Mirage's disappointment - if only by thinking that it must be pretty slagging important to him, otherwise he wouldn't have been a priest.

Snorting a little at the comment that it inolved sparks, Cliffjumper had figured that. Now, the question was more if it was literal sparks or a more metaphoric one, because he did know at least some of the holiday stuff included metaphorical stand-in stuff like... that...

"What?!" Optics widening, Cliffjumper stared up at Mirage and felt sort of... tricked that it actually was literal. How could it be? That was just---

"It's... why? And in public?" That might have been a squeak as Cliffjumper tossed his arms out, nearly flailing, because how could anyone do something like that in public, even if they were priests? He could, maybe, see it being done in the privacy of a closed ceremony or something, but... public?

Cliffjumper didn't at all understand the sudden little twisting burn somewhere along his wiring and circuits at the mention of the other possible participants, and just attributed it to the already present incredulity and surprise.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage couldn't help but snicker a bit at Cliffjumper's reaction.

"Of course, in public! That is the entire point!"

He laughed, annoyed sadness at the disregard for their holidays momentarily forgotten.

"To join sparks in a public ritual is to share the joy and power of the joining with all who watch it. It is a holy ritual for that very reason."

He gestured outward, still amused though his words grew heavy; he truly did seem to believe in his teachings, and it showed in his tone.

"An especially powerful or pure union, like that of Emirate Lightstriker and her consort Centurion, has been known to bring the Watchers-of-the-Rite to their knees."

[cliffjumper]

"But..." Gesticulating vaguely around him again, Cliffjumper then not so much crossed his arms as just pulled them over his front, in a not-entirely-intentional move to "protect" his spark. There was no way to hide the reaction of his field flickering when Mirage mentioned it could bring people to their knees and he took a step back.

"See, that's what I mean, why would--- Shouldn't somethin' like that be private?" Optics narrowing, Cliffjumper shook his helm. There was no hiding the rather plaintive tone and Mirage had explained it yes, and in a way it made sense, but it just seemed so... wrong. Or at the least strange.

Showing your sparks... even just reflected sparklight, in public and being present when a spark merge overload happened? There was no way to even be offended or get frustrated, Cliffjumper was just utterly surprised.

[lastonepercent]

"For some, it is private, and that is their choice."

He waved a hand toward Cliffjumper's protective gesture pointedly, raising a wry optic ridge.

"But our sparks are a reflection; a part of Primus. 'Until All Are One' and all that philosophy - a joining of sparks is a representation of the very core of our beliefs, in brief miniature. Why shouldn't it be shared by those who are willing to do so?"

[cliffjumper]

Atcually noticing he'd pulled his arms around/against himself, Cliffjumper huffed and straightened his arms out, shifting on his feet. He wanted to just dismiss what Mirage was saying, because it shouldn't be something public but at the same time...

"Uh... I... s'pose so, yeah," Cliffjumper muttered, rubbing the side of his helm as he frowned at the floor. The thought, still, to be that... exposed, to be the center of attention of something like that was just...

Kind of incomprehensible.

Another twisting flicker, like one from earlier, scored down his circuits and Cliffjumper shifted on his feet again.

"... Don't get it though, how can somethin' like that bring other people who ain't even involved, just lookin', to their knees?"

[lastonepercent]

Mirage nodded, pleased that the minibot was a least trying to understand.

"Because it is a powerful sight, for one. Watching a Sparkmerge between a devoted pair - or even a trine - is something that can effect even the most hard-sparked of souls."

A flicker of his teasing grin returned, and he leaned down slightly to continue in a mock-whisper:

"Not only that, but getting caught in their field surge probably helped!"

[cliffjumper]

He'd never seen a sparkmerge second hand, but that didn't mean he couldn't understand that it probably was a pretty impressive sight. The comment about it touching even the most 'hard-sparked' got a little snort though. He wasn't really sure about that.

And then Mirage bent down slightly and Cliffjumper knew something was coming and that grin just cemented it, but it still didn't make it easier to field what Mirage said anyway.

"Mirage!" Sputtering, Cliffjumper's optics flared and his field wobbled a little in a blush, and he couldn't believe the stupid fragging noble had said that! "Are we done here?" Hissing, flustered and annoyed over being flustered, Cliffjumper knew he hadn't done a very proper job of polishing up, but slag that.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage laughed out loud, voice ringing with amusement at the minibot's reaction. Even so, he reached around himself to grab another mesh and dumped it unceremoniously over Cliffjumper's still-scuffed shoulder.

"Yes, yes. Redo that shoulder and we're done in here. We should head over before I embarrass you too much and you try to bolt on me."

He waved a hand over his face, trying and failing to calm his giggles as his optics flared brightly with mirth.

[cliffjumper]

Torn between embarrassed anger at the laughter - he was being laughed at, slag it all, and just staring up at Mirage for a moment or two because he hadn't ever been this close to Mirage when he reacted like this and laughed openly.

Even the more usually, more restrained chuckling he'd only caught from across the rec room or stuff like that.

"Fine!" Cliffjumper snapped as he grabbed the cloth and vigorously scrubbed it to smooth out the scuffs and bring out the natural shine he'd polished up elsewhere, still grappling with embarrassment.

After a moment or two of basically assaulting his shoulder, Cliffjumper hadn't just polished it up, but calmed down again, even if he still felt annoyed at it all.

"There. You satisfied now?" Cliffjumper muttered as he briefly held his arms out and then grimaced at pulled them in, putting the cloth back where it belonged.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage blinked at the shoulder-assault, laughter subsiding into a quietly hidden grin, but simply shrugged at question.

"As well as one can be, I suppose."

Not giving Cliffjumper a moment to puzzle out the meaning, Mirage gestured toward the door.

"Come then. Let us get started."

He stepped out into the hall, turning toward the makeshift 'temple' room from before.

[cliffjumper]

Cliffjumper huffed at the comment, ready to mutter something about it, before Mirage had said that. While he'd eagerly stepped away from the polishing area and been about to blow ahead, Mirage's comment reasserted reality as to the reason they were even here.

He'd forgotten it in the whirl of curiosity, incredulity and flustered surprise as Mirage explained things around their mostly put-aside religious practices. War did things like that, regardless of if any given mech had been practicing or not.

Cliffjumper trundled after Mirage, lagging quite a few steps behind which couldn't be explained by the different length of steps that they could take.

He really didn't want to do this, because despite the explanation, when he thought back on what he'd stormed in on... All it did was make his engine rumble out of cycle, a sense of uncomfortable.... something, settling around his spark chamber.

"Really don't see why I couldn't have done something else..." Cliffjumper muttered, snapping his mouth shut and vocaliser into neutral as he trailed in after Mirage and spotted Tracks.

[lastonepercent]

"I would agree," said the dour voice inside the room. Tracks was waiting and glared down at the minibot when he entered, arms crossed over his chest.

"I would much prefer him elsewhere."

Mirage sighed as he swept past the sulking aristocrat. The room was practically glowing despite the dim overhead light settings; running lights and the blue and pink glows of precious energon adding to the brilliant decor.

Too bad he didn't get to savor it just yet. He spun on a tire-heel to glare at them both.

"Well that is just too bad for you both. You are going to have to strut-it-up and deal."

[cliffjumper]

Glaring, Cliffjumper had stopped a few steps inside the door, crossing his arms. He should probably have expected Tracks to be here - when he thought about it, it was obvious Mirage wouldn't be able to do what he'd caught a glimpse of before alone.

He'd need help and for whatever reason he'd chosen the insufferable, gold-plated glitch that Tracks was for this.

"And I'd rather prefer y---" Swallowing the rest of the insult as Mirage whirled so he could stare at them both, Cliffjumper growled and gave Tracks a last glare before he glanced around the room. He had no idea where would be best, since at least he wasn't supposed to do anything but watch.

... But even that simple thought made something turn over within, between spark chamber and fuel processing system.

"So, uh. Where am I supposed to... er. Be?" He did not want to be here, and despite the rather soothing lighting the room was swathed in from the running lights and the energon, Cliffjumper felt twitchy.

Hopefully neither of them, but especially Tracks, wouldn't notice.