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Post by Phobia/Pierce Fobster on Mar 6, 2012 19:25:45 GMT -5
Pierce stares, wordless. This wasn’t something he’s supposed to know. He remembers the warped chaos that resides in Rampage; he remembers the feeling of the other’s mind all too well, an accursed photographic clarity that made his empathy useful. He’d simply repressed the memories, tried to forget the experience. Rampage’s phantom presence still haunts him, unerasable and terrifying, waking him up in the depths of the night.
He remembers though, the chilling loneliness and pain that’d resided inside of the Predacon.
“There is a lot about your past that I don’t know,” he says, carefully. “And I suspect that who you had been didn’t particularly desire to divulge it for a very good reason. Before the change, I have been in contact with you for only a few months.” He hesitates and then adds, “Our relationship was... not particularly good.”
“As to what we were before the change... the alien machines that have been on the news,” Pierce pauses and realises for the first time that what he was about to say was probably going to sound very strange to an amnesiac who believed himself to be a human. After a moment of gesticulating uselessly, he decides to be blunt.
“We are them. We are Cybertronians.”
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Post by Rampage/Xavier Goodkind on Mar 6, 2012 19:39:50 GMT -5
Xavier only gets progressively more confused with each word Pierce speaks. Change? Known him for a few months? Not particularly good relationship?
We are Cybertronians?
Wait, what? The look he gives Pierce is utterly bewildered. Alien machines? This has nothing to do with everything he thought he'd figured out! Just... just... "What?"
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Post by Phobia/Pierce Fobster on Mar 6, 2012 19:57:00 GMT -5
“Okay so this sounds really, really crazy,” Pierce mutters, crossing his arms. “But yes. We are cybertronians. Decepticons, or Predacon specifically for you. Your name was Rampage and I am Phobia, we first met aboard the Decepticon ship... The Ship.” He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a moment to hate Hook for the ridiculous ship name. “Beyond that, I am not particularly familiar with you.”
“Something happened when we came to earth. I have no idea what it is and my resources to find out have been limited. I have not been able to contact anyone who might not be changed and... until the magnitude of the problem is known, I don’t particularly want to risk coming into contact with others of our faction who are unchanged. I only know of one other who has been changed like us, but I only saw them briefly in the meta-fight. I suspect that the problem is bigger than the three of us, however.”
Hello Xavier, welcome to what looks suspiciously like conspiracy nutbag central.
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Post by Rampage/Xavier Goodkind on Mar 6, 2012 20:11:12 GMT -5
"...What?"
Xavier really can't manage anything much more eloquent than that at the moment. He thought he finally understood everything, and now Pierce is going and talking about aliens and throwing around a bunch of words that don't feel in the least bit familiar, and... and... saying they didn't really know each other...
Finally, he gets out, "You're right. It does sound really, really crazy. Why would you even-" Make something that crazy up? Good question. But what kind of rationale is 'this is so crazy it just has to be true'?
Befuddled, so very, very befuddled, and increasingly grumpy, because anger is how Xavier deals with a lot of emotions.
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Post by Phobia/Pierce Fobster on Mar 7, 2012 1:26:28 GMT -5
“I cannot ask you to believe me,” Pierce says softly, sighing tiredly. “But it is my duty as a Decepticon soldier to ensure your safety- or at the very least, your ability to stay in contact with us and be informed should the situation change. Regardless of any personal... problems we may have had before.” And regardless of any personal selfish desires to protect Xavier from becoming what he had been.
Any other Decepticon would have probably taken advantage. Here was a blank slate, one who trusted him far too much and could so easily be manipulated into something else. But Phobia was Phobia and the bike had no agenda- not to mention the countless problems that would arise should he ever try. Ironic that Rampage would be safest in the hands of the terrified, resentful play-thing.
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Post by Rampage/Xavier Goodkind on Mar 7, 2012 6:21:23 GMT -5
Xavier lets out a frustrated puff of air, blowing up his bangs. He's not certain he believes Pierce or not, because the explanation is certainly far out there and doesn't knock any memories loose. But the man seems sincere enough, and what would he gain from lying?
Frowning, he reaches up to try and brush his fingers over Pierce's forehead, and mumbles, "I wish I could see inside your head." So much easier to trust someone's words when you know they aren't lying. Why does Xavier feel so deaf when he can't be sure what someone's feeling?
Dropping his hand, his frown deepens and he asks, "Personal problems?"
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Post by Phobia/Pierce Fobster on Mar 7, 2012 12:31:11 GMT -5
“Well, you used to be able to do that...” Pierce mutters, fidgeting slightly when Xavier touches his forehead. “The change seems to affect abilities, either enhancing them or dulling them. Or perhaps it could give us new powers entirely...” he murmurs ponderously as he recalled Mordred. He’s not sure he’s seen anyone make glowy glyphs around them to blow stuff up amongst the Decepticons at least.
“As comrades, we didn’t particularly get along,” he shrugs by way of explanation. Understatement of the century, sure, but it was better than admitting what Rampage had done and his own weaknesses on the matter.
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Post by Rampage/Xavier Goodkind on Mar 7, 2012 16:33:52 GMT -5
"Really?" Xavier says, blinking in surprise. Honestly, that's the first part of Pierce's weird story that really makes sense! It would explain why he feels like he's missing a sense most of the time. "I can feel people sometimes, when the emotion is strong enough..." New powers, huh? He wonders if he could always heal rapidly, or if that was new.
He gives Pierce a lopsided grin. "How could I ever not get along with you? You're so..." He waves a hand around vaguely, and steps closer to Pierce, invading his personal space. "...Pleasant to be around." There's not even a hint of sarcasm this time.
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Post by Phobia/Pierce Fobster on Mar 7, 2012 17:18:31 GMT -5
Strong emotions? Well, that explained the euphoric high at the meta-fight. It also explained the lack of face melting emotional echoes whenever he touched the man. That... was somewhat calming.
“Exactly,” Pierce answers, hunching defensively when Xavier steps closer. He sincerely hopes that he’s not exhibiting any strong emotions right about now because that was not a level of embarrassment he was ready to deal with. Looking and sounding like a nut-bag was already enough humiliation in one day.
“Regardless, you can see, of course” he starts awkwardly, stepping slightly back, “where the problem with the formation of any friendly relationship might begin. While we are amiable, Rampage and I are not. And frankly, I have a preference for not being killed horribly for overstepping any boundaries.”
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Post by Rampage/Xavier Goodkind on Mar 7, 2012 21:32:06 GMT -5
Something clenches painfully in Xavier's chest, and his face falls, threatening to shift into a scowl. New suspicions come swirling back in, much less threatening than fears of capture, but significantly more painful.
"Oh, of course, wouldn't want to make... 'Rampage' angry," Xavier says, bitterness creeping into his voice. Turning away, he does his best to boot a rusted can into orbit. Glaring at the ground, he adds, "You know, most people just tell someone they're not interested in them, instead of coming up with elaborate excuses."
What could Pierce gain from lying? An attempt to get rid of him, maybe. He wants to trust Pierce at his word, he really, desperately does. But it's so much easier for Xavier to believe that Pierce just wants to be rid of him. He'd been so sure that Pierce liked him, but-
Why would anyone like you? a dark voice in his head hisses. You're an abomination.
His back to Pierce, Xavier hunches up, curling in on himself.
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Post by Phobia/Pierce Fobster on Mar 8, 2012 11:58:56 GMT -5
“Oh, please, I am not a decade old.” Well, asides from how well he’s handling becoming attached to an amnesiac version of Rampage, he likes to think he doesn’t act like he’s a decade old at least. Pierce facepalms quietly but continues, “If I didn’t want to be around you, you wouldn’t have seen me half as much, I assure you.” Phobia was on a planet now and there are thousands of places he could disappear to. While he had made a pact with Rampage about... meeting more often, he was not similarly obligated with Xavier.
Unfortunate really; he thinks he was wouldn’t have minded as much if Xavier had wanted that. He watches as the younger man kicks the can away, feeling a spark of amusement through his exhaustion. Such a juvenile thing to do. The amusement fizzles out quickly afterwards however; he remembers how frighteningly young Rampage had been too.
“Anyways, I think you’re overlooking something rather important,” Pierce says quietly, tilting his head to one side. “And I think you’d have thought to ask too if you weren’t too busy sulking, Xavier.”
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Post by Rampage/Xavier Goodkind on Mar 8, 2012 16:23:08 GMT -5
"Sulking?!" Xavier spins back around to face Pierce, eyes wild and angry. "I'm not sulking!"
He may be having a tantrum, though, not that he'd admit it. It's not fair! He's all confused and hurt and frustrated and wanting and Pierce is so... so infuriatingly calm! He hates it! It's all unbalanced and does any of this even matter as much to Pierce as it does to him?
"What's so important, huh?!" he shouts throwing up his arms, before beginning to pace restlessly.
He wants to kill someone. Not Pierce, never Pierce. Someone. He hasn't killed anybody in weeks. Not since Elly Winston. Pierce has been so distracting, and now he has all this emotional turmoil from the past few days and no way to release it and he really wants to kill someone.
Emotionally stable, Xavier is not.
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Post by Phobia/Pierce Fobster on Mar 9, 2012 10:08:11 GMT -5
Pierce would be much, much less calm if he hadn’t missed three days of sleep topped off with a night of too little sleep. As is, he’s caught between exhaustion and trying not to feel the pit in his stomach opening up in despair whenever he thought about Xavier becoming Rampage. Really, it’s a wonder he’s not a sobbing, panicking mess by now.
“Well, for example,” he says as he watches Xavier pace before quietly stepping into the path of his pacing and lifting a hand, offering it palm up to the red head. “How do you think I know?”
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Post by Rampage/Xavier Goodkind on Mar 9, 2012 16:04:00 GMT -5
If only he could feel how on edge Pierce is, Xavier might not have gotten quite so wound up. Then again, it's been a rocky past few days and he's not known for his even temper.
Xavier jerks to a halt as Pierce blocks his path. For a moment he considers pushing past Pierce, or just turning to continue his pacing, but instead he stands his ground, shifting restlessly with pent-up frustration.
"I don't-!" he starts, continuing to yell. Stopping, he takes a deep breath. He has to admit, that is kind of an interesting question, though he's not sure he really cares about the answer right now. Quieter, he finishes, "I don't know. How?"
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Post by Phobia/Pierce Fobster on Mar 9, 2012 16:50:07 GMT -5
“I am an empath through touch,” Pierce says. It was better to get it out now than worry about Xavier having a paranoid fit over it later. “The reason why Rampage took an... interest in me is due to our similar abilities. And a rather unfortunate incident regarding it, but that is besides the point.”
“Every time we touch, I will privy to the entirety of your emotional state,” he continues, closing the palm and sliding the hand safely back into the pocket. “It also for the benefit of both of us that... I propose we try and avoid as much touching as possible. I don’t really desire to violate your privacy.”
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