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Post by Mirage on Mar 21, 2008 22:17:01 GMT -5
Mirage inclines his head toward the Emirate, "Still, it was rude of me."
He catches sight of Kup, Swerve, and Botancia shifting placement. A thought occurs to him. "You said you would talk to Kup. Would you want Swerve present, or no?"
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Mar 22, 2008 9:55:23 GMT -5
Of course, rudeness in and of itself is inexcusable, isn't it? In the abstract, one should be as courteous to a beggar on the street as one is to a dignitary. This isn't the abstract.
He considers and replies, "I would not want Swerve present."
Swerve knows most of it, and he'd be better off with all of it, but if these Autobots press Emirate Xaaron, he simply does not want Swerve to hear what he has to say. Swerve will take it as a personal failing, which he really shouldn't.
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Post by Mirage on Mar 22, 2008 14:10:56 GMT -5
Mirage nods, "Very well. You are comfortable enough with Kup to speak to him alone?"
The music has changed again, and Mirage glides to a stop. "Perhaps a break for refreshment? If I heard correctly, there is no high grade left, but the there is still plenty of the standard fare, as well as that bubbly concoction."
Kup asked Mirage to keep the Emirate occupied while Kup talked to Swerve. However, you can only dance and small talk for so long. If Xaaron agrees to a drink, at least it might lead to other conversation.
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Mar 22, 2008 15:52:46 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron looks incredulous and answers, "Of course not. I am not comfortable with anyone or anything. I think I can manage speaking with Kup alone and not screaming, flailing, or falling catatonic, however."
After all, he can always radio Swerve. If they put him in a radio dead zone, as would be sensible for an interrogation, then they might see some flailing.
He willingly allows the conversation to be changed, and he agrees, "A drink would be a nice change."
It'll get Mirage's hands off him, anyway, and it'll assist him in getting Overcharged Enough For This, whatever this might happen to be.
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Post by Mirage on Mar 22, 2008 16:39:58 GMT -5
Well, perhaps changing activities won't get Mirage's hands immediately off the Emirate. Mirage automatically attempts to tuck Xaaron's arm in his own as he leads Xaaron toward the refreshment table. Once there, Mirage makes a point of taking cups from as far away from the evidence of Tiny's indulgence as possible, filling them, then offering one to Emirate Xaaron.
The spy shakes his head, "I truly can't imagine going through life as you seem to do, and that is not just because I come from a different background than the average mech." Mirage takes a sip of his drink, "Do you not ever aspire to something more?"
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Mar 22, 2008 17:58:33 GMT -5
Emiate Xaaron gets to play arm candy to Mirage. One may imagine just how thrilled he is. With his free hand, he takes a cup, says, "Thank you," and sips at the drink delicately. Is it politeness or is just because the drink isn't Swerve-tested?
He shoots a hard look at Mirage over his drink and shifts his posture a bit. He replies, "I did. I was something more, once. It seems unreal to me now, but I was in a position to change things not just for myself but for nations."
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Post by Mirage on Mar 22, 2008 18:48:29 GMT -5
Mirage's look changes not one whit at Emirate Xaaron's glare. Now. isn't this interesting. Perhaps there is something more there than fear after all, if a wound so old is still so raw.
There are a few crates for seating near the table, and Mirage leads Xaaron to them. Once the Emirate is seated (which will also mean Mirage is no longer touching him), Mirage will also sit, one ankle propped on the other knee. And somehow, he manages to recline while seated on a crate.
He gives Xaaron a considering look, "And what happened to the person you were?"
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Mar 22, 2008 18:58:59 GMT -5
"I let my fear show, and that was the end of him," Emirate Xaaron says quietly.
He sits, and he sips at his drink. His demeanour is more sombre but also a little less tense than it was when he was dancing, as if a burden has been taken away. He does rather appreciate the lack of physical contact.
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Post by Mirage on Mar 22, 2008 20:03:49 GMT -5
Mirage sips his own drink, musing over the Emirate's words. It is not a courtier's look he turns on Xaaron, now, though the look is no less polite or inviting. It is a thoughtful look, one that might remind Xaaron a bit too much of that other Mirage, for they are both more intelligent than some might think.
"If it were truly the end of him, you would not be worried over Swerve, I think. Why care for another's well-being in such a situation? Doing so would be just another sign of weakness, and would limit your options." Another sip, and it is worth mentioning that they really are sips.
"If he is worthy of the pedestal upon which you have placed him, he has within him the potential to effect positive change. Would you have gravitated toward him if that part of you were truly dead?"
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Mar 22, 2008 20:54:33 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron is indeed put off by that look. People really don't need to be thinking about him, and thinking can lead to thinking about what he'd look like in pieces.
Emirate Xaaron, however, smiles crookedly, and he asks, "What makes you think I made changes for good? Or at least the general societal well-being? I am an Autobot, Mirage, and it does not mean to me what it means to you."
He straightens out a bit, and his constant twitching ceases. He looks calm and relaxed, with perhaps just a bit of cruel haughtiness. He twirls his glass with his fingertips speculatively. However, he can't maintain it, and a twitch takes him, bringing back the haunted look in his optics, the cringing slouch to his posture.
"Perhaps I was better than the rest, but that's really not saying much. I did want change - I still do, but I played the game. To get two steps forward, I might have to take three steps back. He definitely wouldn't have been worried about Swerve."
Emirate Xaaron sometimes berates himself for doing so, even now.
He concludes, "I've let too many things get to him. Swerve - I don't mind. He's worth it. My fears? Those are another story."
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Post by Mirage on Mar 22, 2008 22:15:32 GMT -5
Mirage watches the changes in Emirate Xaaron with an interest he does not bother hiding. Fascinating, really, that glimpse of what the fallen one once was. That touch of cruelty in Xaaron's demeanor might worry some, but cruelty and violence were not exactly taboo things in Mirage's reality. Not qualities he found particularly attractive, but nonetheless, he had to admit, "That demeanor suits you."
He looks into his cup as he idly swirls the energon within, "Point made and taken. I could argue that you don't truly know what the designation Autobot means to me, but that is neither here nor there."
"I did not say a force for good. I said 'positive change,' and concepts of negative and positive are relative terms. Your former self might have used Swerve and discarded him, but I doubt he would have ignored such a potentially valuable tool. That you can see him as more than a tool could be interpreted as a positive change, though from what I've surmised of your world you might disagree."
Mirage looks back up at Emirate Xaaron, and says softly, "And what is the story of your fears, Emirate Xaaron? What brought that confident, cruel individual I just glimpsed so low?"
He takes a drink, "If, that is, you are willing to tell such a story."
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Mar 22, 2008 22:29:57 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron would have been devoured alive if he could not at least fake callousness, however much he might be crying inside. He looks over at the other Emirate Xaaron, now leaving, and he asks absently, "He has it, doesn't he? But it's not a mask."
The other Emirate Xaaron doesn't need to fake haughtiness - he has confidence, real confidence, to judge by the fact that the boy Prime defers to him, to judge by how he approached Pee-Dee and seems entirely pleased to cart her off.
Emirate Xaaron quibbles, "I don't know what it means to you, but I know it doesn't mean to you what it means to me."
His optics narrow, and he drums his fingers on his knee thoughtfully. Finally, he points out, "Is the knowledge of how to break a soul so useful to you? Information may be your trade, but I fail to see what you would be getting out of it, aside from some lurid pieces for the gossip market, quite beneath you, and," his expression turns shrewd, "I rather fail to see what I would be getting out of it."
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Post by Mirage on Mar 23, 2008 2:39:23 GMT -5
Mirage follows Xaaron's gaze, "His confidence is true and sure, though I might argue the point that he does not wear a mask."
One corner of Mirage's lips quirk up at Xaaron's answer, and the questions within the answer. "A politician's trick that is, answering questions with questions. Though I've no intention of forcing the issue if you are not willing."
"However, I will answer your questions."
Mirage sets his drink down, shifting positions so that he's leaning back on his hands. "Breaking a soul holds no interest for me, but I can't imagine that it is something done in the space of a few moments. What can happen to one can happen to another, and I prefer to learn of any and all pitfalls that I might encounter. I keep my own council; while I will not withhold any information you relay that involves your Prime and his group from my superiors, I'll not be sharing your personal demons. You can choose to do that, or no, when you talk to Kup later."
That slight smile is back, "As for what you get out of such a bargain- I doubt I can actually offer you anything of consequence, other than an attentive audial and my discretion. Though you may ask, if you like."
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Emirate Xaaron-3
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Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Mar 23, 2008 10:48:51 GMT -5
The confidence isn't bluster and bravado, then? Of course the other Emirate Xaaron wears a mask, but being self-assured isn't something he has to fake.
Emirate Xaaron isn't sure if he envies his alternate, or if he thinks he's an idiot. The world is terrifying and full of doubts. How can any sane person be confident in the face of reality?
He looks innocent for a moment and observes, "I was a politician. Are such tricks so unexpected? Your offer of answering, however, is."
Emirate Xaaron notes, "There are many things of great consequence that might be asked of one such as yourself." Mirage simply cannot offer those things, not for the price of a dismal little story. "I will tell you what I know of the strengths and weaknesses of my Autobots, to better prepare you and yours for the coming combat. It is reasonable for you to know that the Prime has a fondness for brutality and causing pain, so that you can avoid engaging him in single combat and to avoid capture." He leans in and concludes, "It is not reasonable for you to know how he's torn me apart, how he's drawn and quartered me, and how those are the least of the things he has done."
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Post by Mirage on Mar 23, 2008 12:36:34 GMT -5
Mirage inclines his head slightly toward Xaaron, "As you like, then."
That thoughtful look settles on Mirage's face again, "So it was not till you were displaced in time that you lost yourself? Interesting. And answer enough, whether you intended it to be so or no. Especially when coupled with your earlier comments regarding Perceptor."
Mirage leans forward as well, mirroring the Emirate's movement. Mirage is fighting the urge to offer comfort through touch, for he is a a tactile mech, and such is his way. Instead, he settles for lacing his fingers in his lap, thumb idly stroking his index finger. "Your pain is your own. I'll not force you to share it to satisfy my own curiosity."
He smiles at Emirate Xaaron, "Perhaps you would like to suggest another topic of conversation?"
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