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Post by Mirage on Nov 14, 2010 22:22:09 GMT -5
Day 19, Event Horizon, semi-private, please ask before posting in.
It takes several hours for the issues with Ultra Magnus and the DOA Hound to fully hit Mirage. He did almost too good a job of detaching himself after the rock watch debacle; he felt nothing for a good while. He wanted to feel nothing.
It hits him, finally, while he is drinking his energon ration in the mess. It hits suddenly. He starts to shake, small tremors in his hands at first, then harder ones, until finally he is shaking so badly the cube was sloshing in his hand.
Abruptly, the cube hits the table, and Mirage stands, rushing, but not quite running out of the room. His feet bring him to one of the Event Horizon's fan rooms. The spy jerks open the door, steps in, and then slams the door shut behind him before slumping down to the floor next to the door.
Mirage, scion of one of the most noble of Cybertron's houses, the cold and aloof aristocratic jackaft, tucks his knees up to his chest, buries his head in his arms and begins to sob like a child.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Nov 14, 2010 22:47:09 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime's on a foot patrol of the Event Horizon, looking for anything suspicious or out of place. As duties goes, this is really rather one of his favourites! He's always been watchful, even if he's also been oblivious, not noticing what he was seeing.
So, while Sentinel Prime definitely enjoys foot patrol, making sure that everything is in its place, that doesn't mean he's actually any good at it.
It's at least a good way to clear out his head, after arguing with the plant abomination and the other abomination, the zombie. The condescending buzzard didn't help matters, with those snide, too-knowing comments about reformatting whole planets.
Sentinel Prime doesn't bother to knock on the fan room door. No one should be in there, anyway, and if he didn't barge in heedlessly, people would start worrying there was something wrong with Sentinel Prime. That is, if anyone worried about him at all, aside from crazy she-bots like Elita-1 and too-nice scientists like Perceptor and maybe the Twins, they did go find him and stay with him in the asylum... hrn.
He just pops open the door, looks around quickly once, and hey wait, is that sobbing? Sentinel Prime looks again.
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Post by Mirage on Nov 15, 2010 20:53:33 GMT -5
It certainly is sobbing.
Mirage hears the door open and stiffens, but he doesn't look up. He doesn't particularly want to see who has walked in on his shame. He can't even choke back the sobs. He's been holding them back too long. Some of this pain has been building in him since the day he woke up on that cursed planet.
He could turn invisible, but what good would that do, now?
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Nov 15, 2010 21:06:32 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime just stares for a good long moment, as his mental gears try to figure out what under the stars he should do here. If Mirage is on break time, and Sentinel Prime doesn't know Mirage's schedule, so Mirage might well be, there's nothing per se wrong with Mirage sniffling in the fan room. By the rules, he can just back out and call this room 'clear'. It's not Sentinel Prime's job to make sure that Mirage is wherever Mirage is supposed to be.
Except that it is entirely possible that Mirage either a murderer, harbours Decepticon sympathies, or both, but still, that's not something Sentinel Prime needs to be messing with, especially not alone.
Except that a proper Autobot, by the standards of this universe, would probably have some corny aphorism and give Mirage a big hug, crack an inane joke, and they'd all laugh.
What would Sentinel Prime do, he wonders? Probably harangue Mirage for sobbing and treat him with contempt and disgust, Sentinel Prime suspects, but are any of these really the optimal course of action for an opportunist like him?
Sentinel Prime takes one step back, and he admits, "I think you have the right idea there, so I'll just let you continue."
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Nov 16, 2010 18:18:52 GMT -5
That is an odd saying from Sentinel Prime, to go with the sound Oracle is hearing as she wanders down the hallway lost in thought, and it makes her even more curious to find out what's going on in the fan room.
Poking her head around the door frame and into the room before looking around, she finds herself both rather surprised and distressed at the source of the sound. Though, maybe not as surprised as she should be, all things considered. "Mirage?" Sentinel gets mostly ignored as she attempts to wriggle past him into the fan room, without knocking him out with a wing. The doors aren't small, and she's flexible, it should work!
Oracle isn't about to go cracking any jokes and making Mirage laugh, but she's not going to leave him crying either.
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Post by Mirage on Nov 18, 2010 23:31:02 GMT -5
Mirage's sobs are quieting to a small degree, mainly because he is trying to force them to do so. He's still shaking terribly though, indication that the sobs still continue.
Oracle. Why her, one of the ones who actually cares? Mirage doubts that those who saw what happened on rock watch yesterday are the type to carry tales, so hopefully, the incident with the dead Hound isn't known to her.
"Please," he murmurs, still not looking up, "can't you just let me be?"
At least Sentinel seems to understand the concept of saving pride.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Nov 18, 2010 23:56:33 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime is just thankful that Oracle's too focused on Mirage and Mirage seem too emotionally overwrought to understand that Sentinel Prime just admitted that he thinks curling up somewhere lonely and weeping seems like a great plan. He wonders, if he let himself falter, would he even have any tears to cry? Would he just be faking even the breakdown?
Oracle slips past him, and his optics narrow as Mirage rejects her presence. This isn't his affair; he doesn't know what he's getting into.
On the other hand, Mirage could flip out and kill them all, if he feels rejected enough. Who knows, maybe Mirage and Megatron are secret best pals? Maybe Mirage isn't loyal to ideals; maybe he's loyal to certain people. Maybe he's loyal to the almighty credit chip, though if that was so, Swindle could have bought Mirage already.
Stiffly, Sentinel Prime cautions Oracle, "You seem like a really nice girl," not the kind who poisons and drugs a bot or re-arranges his processes tree, "and I'm sure Mirage is lucky to have your concern, but I think, if he wanted you right now, he'd have found you. I'm sure, when he's ready, you'll be there for him."
There, reinforce that Mirage has people who care about him, lucky devil, but give Mirage his space. That's the best Sentinel Prime can do, and hopefully, he can escape from this horribly awkward situation soon. He has a patrol to finish.
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Nov 29, 2010 20:31:44 GMT -5
Oracle...would probably not really be phased by what happened with the dead Hound, except for the fact that it seems to have greatly bothered Mirage. But she's a little odd like that sometimes.
On the other hand she does seem a little phased she's being asked to leave one of the few people she actually cares about, rather than cares about because she's supposed to, on the ship alone in apparent misery. She looks vaguely nonplussed for a moment before continuing her path around Mirage and crouching next to him on the side away from the door. She doesn't reach out to touch him though, no matter if she might wish to. If it were here like this...that would probably make her skewer the person encroaching so she'll refrain from contact for the moment.
Sentinel's 'nice girl' comment has Oracle suddenly look up at him with another odd expression on her face. Nice girl? Um...huh. Well she does act pleasant enough when not fighting, that makes her a nice girl? Still the comment almost makes her laugh, but other than the initial odd look, none of her thoughts cross her face. She does have something to say about the rest of his statement though. "Would he Sentinel?" It's not a question, the tone makes it a rhetorical statement as she turns her attention back to Mirage.
She opens up a radio channel to talk to him though, she's not sure what she wants to say to him is something she wishes Sentinel to overhear. //I could let you be, but as I'm sure you know I'm not socially the brightest at times. I think maybe, that alone wouldn't be very good for you, even if that sounds rather presumptuous on my part. But I highly doubt whatever has you so upset is going to change my opinion of you, though it may make me wish to take action against whatever caused it.// The concept of saving pride has indeed gone right over Oracle's head. She would see being in Mirage's position as a weakness, but she doesn't really think he needs to worry about that around her. Sentinel maybe, but...Oracle would rather Mirage alive, she's gotten over her debate about if she should kill him or not already.
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Post by Mirage on Dec 1, 2010 0:42:12 GMT -5
The answer to that rhetorical question is a resounding "No," by the way.
Mirage stiffens again at Sentinel's comments, then even more as he feels Oracle settling herself down so close. Her radio entreaty makes Mirage whimper a bit internally. He wants only to be allowed his pride, to have this breakdown in peace. How can he throw her concern back in her face now, though, after such words?
He slowly lifts his head to look up at Oracle. Mirage's expression is raw, pained. He looks now as young as he (comparatively) is, young and broken and drained.
The words he speaks are directed to Sentinel, however.
"Sentinel-," Mirage starts. The spy's voice is ragged, but even a mental breakdown can't rob Mirage of his aristocratic inflections. "Sentinel, I do appreciate your discretion, both now and earlier, and hope I can continue to appreciate it in the future." In other words, please to not be telling everyone that the Autobot's most arrogant jackaft was crying his optics out in the fan room. In return- "If you ever have need of me, do please call."
One corner of Mirage's lips twitch up in a pale shadow of his normal smirk.
"Lovers can be terribly stubborn, you know. She'll not leave me be until she's had it out of me." It doesn't matter that he and Oracle aren't quite to that stage yet. People don't have to be physically intimate in order to be lovers, a distinction most people don't understand.
He doesn't actually answer Oracle. Then again, maybe he did.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on Dec 1, 2010 10:54:34 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime looks gobsmacked for a moment, optics wide. He already knew he didn't know what he was stepping into, but he didn't know just how much he didn't know what he was stepping into. He exclaims, "Oh! You two are," and then he looks off to the side and touches his index fingers together in front of his chest, which is, of course, Intergalactic Sign Language for 'dating'. Good thing Oracle's not his type; he'd hate to have accidentally hit on her and then find himself tied up and slowly being lowered into an acid vat if Mirage was the jealous kind. Yeah, okay, Sentinel Prime has enough problems with his own love polygons. He's just going to let these two lovebirds sort out their problems on their own. Sentinel Prime gives Mirage a strained smile, and he replies, "Oh, that's me, you know. Discretion's my middle name. Sentinel Discretion Prime." He learned enough about that working under Ultra Magnus, all those dirty secrets. "It's nothing really, and if you want to continue that talk we were having earlier," the one about Quintessons that was interrupted by accusations of Mirage being a murderer, "give me a ring," he taps the side of his helmet, just under his antennae. Then he tries to back out and beat feet back to his patrol. - - - OOC: Out of thread unless stopped.
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Dec 2, 2010 19:18:02 GMT -5
Mirage gets a brilliant smile for a moment when he refers to Oracle as his lover when talking to Sentinel. While he's not been hiding that they were involved that's not quite the same thing as stating it openly like that and Oracle is certainly not immune to the little rush of happiness that brings. She would also quite agree with him on his definition of lovers, and the sentiment there.
It is also answer enough for her to dare to try and rest light fingers on Mirage's upper arm as Sentinel makes strange gestures at them. Whatever that means, she doesn't get it, but the context means she hope it isn't rude. As he's leaving, her attention focuses back on the one still there, and the center of her current concern. She hadn't missed that raw expression, and while she had known how young he is in comparison, the broken and hurt aspects didn't belong there at all. It made her want to rend apart whatever had put that expression there, though she didn't think that would be productive at the moment.
But...she didn't know what would be. Comforting others wasn't something she had a lot of practice in and she felt rather helpless at that fact. But at the least she could wait quietly for Mirage to speak, and try to anticipate anything else he might want.
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Post by Mirage on Dec 4, 2010 16:49:48 GMT -5
Mirage nods his head distractedly at Sentinel as the Prime leaves. Yes, Mirage will talk to you later Sentinel, when he isn't having a nervous breakdown.
His gaze falls on the fingertips so gently resting on his arm. Mirage's optic shutters slide closed and he sighs, his chin falling back down to his chest. He can't bring his mask back up, so the safest thing is simple avoidance.
"Why are you here? he asks Oracle at length.
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 11, 2011 19:18:53 GMT -5
Oracle has no reason to think long about her answer, though it doesn't come out rushed either. "I am here because you needed me."
For her, the answer really is that simple. The how of her ending up there was a slightly longer story of a vague sensing that something was wrong and following her feet, but it pretty much boiled down to just what she had said. Mirage needed her, so she came.
Leaning into him a bit more, her free hand came up and the tips of her fingers ghosted above the surface of his cheek without touching. "I have never seen you so shattered. What has struck you so to the core, to sunder you like this?" She wondered if he would even tell her. Mirage kept his secrets well, and this was obviously a painful one.
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Post by Mirage on Aug 14, 2011 9:22:27 GMT -5
Mirage doesn't move to close the distance between Oracle's fingers and his cheek, an uncharacteristic non-move that likely speaks volumes. It isn't that he can't sense the movement, because he can. Mirage is simply still trying to maintain some separation. His optics stay shuttered. Eventually, he speaks, voice more broken and pained than he had allowed when Sentinel was present. "So many things..." Mirage then quietly begins to explain the incident with Hound, giving Oracle a brief recap of the happenings of Echoes of Butterfly Dreams. "Before that the debacle with Ultra Magnus- and everything on that damned planet. My very self violated and broken and no matter how much or how little, so many are determined to think the worst of me...." "It is too much."
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Oracle
Minor
The future is always in motion.
Posts: 426
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Post by Oracle on Aug 14, 2011 20:38:57 GMT -5
As she listens to Mirage speak, giving words to his pain, Oracle says nothing and tries only to provide the comfort of a caring presence. It is obvious even to her that he may be holding himself together on will alone and she would not ever wish to see him with mental scars like hers, even if she could do little to shield the blows and only tend the wounds after.
When he finishes, at first she does nothing, but it isn't the silence of rejection, more one of consideration. Soon, shifting around and going to her knees in front of him, Oracle reaches out with both hands after a further moment of silence and gently captures Mirage's face between her hands, thumbs stroking across his cheeks. There was another pause before she slowly leaned in with a soft kiss, then only pulling back from him enough to lean her helm against his.
When she spoke, the words brushed over him, from her lips to his. "I do not know if I can give you of myself what you might wish, for I do not know how, but I would give you all that I can. Is that, in the end, enough?" Her voice, though it started out quietly enough already, ended at barely above a murmur. In her own way it was less of a question, than an answer to Mirage. As others seemed determined to see the worst of him and fear betrayal at his hands, she made promises instead. Unspoken, but as ever between them more was said that way then was aloud. She demands nothing of him, asks nothing that he does not already give her, and she will never ask him to be anything but what he already is.
OOC: Touch okayed with Mirage's player.
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