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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[cliffjumper]

Thundercracker stared blankly back, then focused on the ceremony with the pinched concentration of someone who wouldn't be messing up, but who also was very, very uncomfortable.

Cliffjumper could've sympathised, if he was laid towards sympathy for a Decepticon. Which he most definitely wasn't. But it was frankly circuit-tangling to wait as the chalice was lit, passed to Thundercracker, who made the show of 'drinking' from the chalice, then it was passed back, handed to him---

There was a critical, joint-locking moment where Cliffjumper just... froze, optics wide - and then he handed the thing over to Mirage.

[lastonepercent]

There was a tense moment were Mirage's optics widened fractionally at Cliffjumper's shock, though his fixed smile never wavered. After a lingering, outwardly calm moment, Mirage gently plucked the chalice from Cliffjumper's fingers.

Natural confidence returning, Mirage turned to face the crowd. Claiming the head of the podium, he launched into a brief chanting prayer of welcome and thanks, before drinking from the chalice.

Or at least, making it really, really look like he somehow managed to drink flame.

The runes still carved into his frame even seemed to effect a mild glow, dramatizing the event to new heights. The moment Mirage placed the chalice down on the podium, the crowd burst into highly-ritualized applause.

[cliffjumper]

Glancing at Mirage, mostly because of the suddenly glowing - or at least they seemed to glow - runes, and how did he do that, Cliffjumper resisted the urge to cross his arms. That would probably not be taken very well at all, being in full view of the whole crowd as they still were.

The ambassador, having taken Thundercracker's hand in one of hers, came around the altar and held out her hand for Mirage in clear offer. Cliffjumper took half a step back, relieved he'd probably be following a little behind them for whatever was supposed to happen next.

He was short enough that even a little was enough to nearly hide him, especially next to these taller mechs when no one else seemed to be as short as he was.

[lastonepercent]

Still glowing faintly, Mirage accepted the ambassador's offered hand - and implied balance with Thundercracker - readily enough. Helm inclining formally to the crowd in time with their little group, he allowed the ambassador to lead them all off stage.

::Stay close,:: He pinged Cliffjumper quietly, ::keep to my right, just behind us.::

[cliffjumper]

::I can do that,:: Cliffjumper muttered, and if there was a pause somewhere there, well, he'd just ignore that.

Walking down the steps was the most awkward, but, honestly, also the most easy. From there they circled the altar, and Cliffjumper was glad they were walking slowly. Otherwise he would never have been able to keep up, nevermind keep the spot Mirage wanted him to.

Three times, and Cliffjumper almost had enough time to descend into a sulk again and forget about the crowd, about doing this properly, but then they suddenly veered off at the end of the third pass, walking down a path in the hall that neither he and Mirage nor Thundercracker had come into the room through.

At the end, Cliffjumper thought, looked to be an energon pool.

::What now?:: he hissed, and tried to look like he wasn't almost stumbling as he settled himself back properly at the spot Mirage had indicated earlier.

ENERGON MOONWELL

[lastonepercent]

Thankfully, the ambassador was considering all the members of their party...or the walk was just naturally supposed to be slow. But anything that allowed Cliffjumper to keep his dignity was a plus in Mirage's book.

::Hmm. Wait,:: Mirage said, taking a moment to project calm and definitely not let anyone know he was frantically checking additional Paradronian ceremonial videos.

This part had not been in the earlier vidfiles, and he wasn't sure which one of two rites it would be-

Mirage carefully held back his vent of relief as the ambassador lead them straight into the shallow end of the pool, stopping when the glowing energon lapped at their ankle joints. His hand was released right on cue.

::Step in behind us, just stay a few paces back,:: Mirage sent quietly, as he knelt down in the energon, rite already singing forth.

Whether through the words - or a little static trickery - Mirage's palms flashed as the brushed the surface of the liquid. The energon lit up in a wave across the surface, sending up motes of light as the top layer of the pool discharged it's energy all at once.

:D

[cliffjumper]

Cliffjumper wasn't sure whether his annoyed - nervous - assent was a very quiet verbal noise, or only over the comm. He couldn't tell. Maybe it was both. If it was the latter, it was at least quiet enough no one ought to have heard, especially as the path given to them now was wide enough there were several meters on each side of them to the crowd.

Cliffjumper stepped in and then stopped, the energon just barely wetting the underside of his feet and his wheels. Which made him very aware of the fact that he (and Mirage) both sported Earth altmodes.

Nothing bad with that, but they stood out badly - though Thundercracker did as well.

Glancing up, Cliffjumper bit the inside of his cheek not to smirk at the Seeker's stiff back. He could easily imagine the uncomfortable, stiff look on Thundercracker's face... which wouldn't be that different from his usual expression, just dialled up---

And then Mirage knelt, a rite humming already over his lips, and Cliffjumper frowned.

The flash of motes turned into glittering lightning in Cliffjumper's senses, and he could see... frowning, he wasn't much aware of tilting his head and raising one hand, and as if in answer a couple of the motes slowly drew together and fell down into the palm of the minibot's open hand.

Something which, of course, wouldn't normally have happened, even to charged energon which had been pumped full enough with an extra charge to discharge it as flashily as Mirage had induced it to.

[lastonepercent]

Still kneeling in the now-glowing energon, it was too bad Mirage's back was turned toward Cliffjumper. He missed the unexpected - highly unusual - display entirely. But his field twitched the slightest bit; he could feel the faint whisper of something happening behind him, but was helpless to turn and check, bond to hold fast until the end of the rite.

Indeed, Mirage did not make to move again until after the floating motes dissipated, voice falling silent, and leaving a peaceful, ringing silence in the air after them.

Then he slowly spun around and bowed to the ambassador and the crowd in turn- and reached back, bowing to Cliffjumper as well, with a hand held out in offering.

[cliffjumper]

Cliffjumper was startled out of his stunned pose when Mirage turned around and ended up cursing quietly. Hopefully silently enough no one else heard. Hopefully it didn't matter that he was too distracted - too unsettled, it'd happened again - for bowing, and only took Mirage's hand after a moment of staring at it in empty confusion.

At least the other time this had happened there'd only been Mirage and Tracks, and Tracks hadn't even noticed what was going on. Now there was a whole rusting crowd behind him, and Cliffjumper didn't like this at all.

[lastonepercent]

Mirage clasped Cliffjumper's (finally) offered hand tightly without giving any outward sign of the brief, hesitant flub. He stared down at the shorter mech, calm smile firmly in place.

::I warned you about the kiss, did I not? Brace yourself - it's coming momentarily.::

He placed his other hand over their joined pair, reciting a few brief sentences in Primal toward the crowd. His hand seemed to grow warm between their joined palms. If he stretched out the rite just slightly, to give Cliffjumper time to react appropriately, no one had to know.

[cliffjumper]

He would not blush.

Cliffjumper ended up glancing away, and barely kept from grimacing (better than blushing), at the mention of the kiss.

::Great. Exactly what I've always wanted,:: he muttered and was glad (not relieved) that it came across biting enough it didn't reveal the sudden nervous flick of energy through his circuits.

It was nothing. It would just be a polite little brush and it didn't even mean anything. Cliffjumper didn't care if he looked far too steely for what was supposed to be a rite, when he looked back up again, but better that than he ended up looking like a soppy fool.

[lastonepercent]

Echoing voice falling silent, the priest glanced back down at the minibot who was 'supposedly' his partner.

::I'm sure,:: Mirage laughed over the comm line, a faint smile gracing his features outside it. Lifting challenging eyebrow, he could no longer delay- and stooped down, catching Cliffjumper's lips with his own in a brief, but solid kiss.

The small jolt of static at the contact was completely unintentional.

[cliffjumper]

If he hadn't been prepared, Cliffjumper might have pushed Mirage away out of pure reaction and surprise, regardless of the situation and his actual feelings. Since he was prepared, all he did was freeze.

Static brushed against his lips, and Cliffjumper cut off the little squeak that wanted to escape by resetting his vocaliser. Tightened the grip on Mirage's hand, and knew he was blushing.

Which, hopefully, wouldn't reveal that something was off to anyone, but why would a blush do that?

Cliffjumper clung to that thought and managed to not tilt into the brief kiss, or move at all when Mirage straightened back up again and the ambassador stepped forward, arms flung out.

"To a prosperous negotiation!"

The crowd, silent until now, cheered.

[lastonepercent]

Smiling to the crowd, Mirage tilted his helm humbly among the cheers.

::Good job. Don't let go yet - we depart hand-in-hand.::

Giving Cliffjumper's hand a return squeeze in attempted reassurance, he vented a silent but deep sigh of relief. They'd made it through.

He bowed to the ambassador - and then to Thundercracker, though it made his spinal struts itch to do so - before following the Paradronian slowly out of the energon pool. Now he only had to guide Cliffjumper back out through the rest of the temple, and they could go on to other, less formal activities.

[cliffjumper]

::Fine.:: Cliffjumper resisted the urge to grimace and shake his head, though it was even harder when Mirage had to bow to Thundercracker - even if the Seeker made a shallow bow back, unable to hide his sour expression as he did so.

And Cliffjumper really hoped he wasn't blushing just from holding fragging hands with Mirage - that wasn't just embarrassing, it was pathetic, and... might get people suspicious.

He probably wasn't, but he worried that he was.

And what was worse was that the evening wasn't, of course, over. The huge hall they stepped into after leaving the temple made Cliffjumper want to groan in frustration. Some sort of more-or-less formal dinner.

::How long do ya think before this is over?:: Cliffjumper hissed as he glanced around, once again feeling very much out of place in these extravagant surroundings.

[lastonepercent]

Blushing might not be as damning as Cliffjumper feared. Mirage couldn't help but find it rather adorable - and if he looked upon it fondly, it could only help rather than hurt the impression that they were besotted with one another.

So as long as he could keep the minibot from getting fed up...

::Oh, it will be some time yet,:: Mirage said, already resigned as he bowed and made pleasant introductions to the elite Paradronians that were beginning to approach.

::You'll probably be able to bow out gracefully earlier than the actual conclusion, if you need to. But the actual gala will last well into the night.::

[cliffjumper]

::Thank Primus for that,:: he muttered, but that still meant he had, what... a few hours to go, at least? A few hours Cliffjumper was not looking forward to or feeling pleased about.

Or, maybe worse, ready for. But as long as no one talked to him, maybe it'd be all right.

::How the frag do ya even stand things like this?:: Because it wasn't hard to tell that Mirage was an old hand at this; his motions were well-oiled and the phrases used clearly familiar, even if there was some differences between how Mirage expressed himself and how the Paradronians did so.

[lastonepercent]

::Oh, I am quite used to it,:: Mirage said with a silent laugh, simultaneously starting a conversation with an approaching Paradronian noble.

::I first onlined to these sorts of things, after all. It can be quite enjoyable, in the right circumstances.::

He paused briefly, distracted by the flutter of people swarming them as politely as he could manage.

::Do be sure to greet this next mech politely. I believe he is an ambassador from a different province of Paradron, if I recall correctly.Then I think we can take our seats.::

[cliffjumper]

'Quite enjoyable'. Cliffjumper would've shot Mirage an incredulous and dirty look if he could, because he couldn't see how a thing like this could be enjoyable in any circumstance.

And politely? Cliffjumper huffed silently as he hoped he managed some minimum standard of politeness, rattling off the phrase Mirage had told him to use. Because what would be polite was if these fragging tall slaggers would sit down so he didn't have to strain his neckcables and bend his back-strut out of alignment.

Frowning at the way two fingers lingered against the gap between his hand and the armour of his forearm, Cliffjumper said and did nothing except to narrow his eyes a little, but the mech stepped back in the next moment.

::So, sitting down?:: Hopefully the seats were adjustable.

[lastonepercent]

:Well done, Cliffjumper,::

Mirage's grin briefly turned up at the corners, and his other palm found it's way to the minibot's shoulder as a sign of pleasure and to serve as a guiding hand.

::And of course. This way,:: using that hand to guide him, Mirage led Cliffjumper directly to their seats of honor at the high table. Thankfully, the seats were indeed adjustable - the finest Paradronian society could offer, in fact. Surely he would be able to find a comfortable setting.

[cliffjumper]

::If you say so,:: Cliffjumper muttered, unable not to duck his head away from that grin less he started blushing, which was just awful. Why was he getting so bad at pretending everything Mirage did affected him!?

... Probably because, thanks to their supposed relationship, Mirage wasn't just paying attention to him, but positive such. Inside his own processor, Cliffjumper sneered at himself.

Utterly, fraggin' pathetic. Particularly since Mirage did not care. He was doing this for the mission, nothing else.

::Everyone's gonna be seeing us!:: At least the seats were adjustable, Cliffjumper found, no matter how reluctant he was at getting up there, and it was only the fact that they were in a highly public place that made sure Cliffjumper didn't play with all the settings available and simply found something so he didn't look ridiculous.

Even if his feet were quite far off the floor.

[lastonepercent]

::I do believe that is the point.:: Mirage's grin only widened when Cliffjumper ducked his helm.

How oddly adorable.

::We are the guests of honor, after all.::

Shoving Cliffjumper in a situation where he had to be civil was working oddly well. Good thing his feet were hidden from view by the table. He didn't think the minibot would tolerate the indignity of it all.

::Once everyone is settled we should be starting. We'll only be the focus for the beginning, and then we can refuel. I assure you, it will be quite nice.::

[cliffjumper]

::I'm not made for stuff like this,:: Cliffjumper complained, wishing the chair had somewhere he could put his feet - as it was, they were left dangling. It was a good thing the table hid his feet.

He wouldn't have been able not to scowl if he'd caught someone staring and then smiling, or something. He still was somewhat uncomfortable with the last mech... he pushed that thought away at Mirage's explanation and frowned, then smoothed his expression out again.

::What, there's gonna be more stuff? What can we even do at a table aside from refuel?:: It wasn't even that Cliffjumper was particularly hungry or anything, just confused and now annoyed.

[lastonepercent]

::Perhaps not. But you are handling it very well,:: Mirage said graciously.

::And of course. But just at the beginning,:: He hid a laugh behind his hand. Unlike Cliffjumper, Mirage was well aware of the subtle looks they had been getting, and was so far pleased by the reaction.

::Once everyone is seated they will open with a toast to the proceedings, announce us - and Thundercracker, unfortunately - as the guests of honor. Then we refuel, and make casual conversation.::

[cliffjumper]

Well, at least that was something. Cliffjumper was rather sure he could trust Mirage to tell the truth in this, if only because Mirage had so far been pretty viciously insistent on this not failing because of any mess-ups from the minibot.

As annoying as that was.

::'Of course',:: Cliffjumper repeated and then was caught between slumping over the table and groaning - he resisted the urge - and to stiffen a little in alarm, because while that sounded simple, he wasn't sure it could necessarily be.

Casual conversation? He was absolutely going to say the wrong thing.

::Right, so do my best not to look murderous when they mention him,:: he managed to say nonchalantly, instead of hissing something at Mirage that he couldn't do something like casual conversation.

What did these stuck up frags even count as casual conversation anyway?