I felt like destroying something beautiful

[sword_redemption]

Who: Drift and open
What: Catharsis
When Nowish
Where Outside Vector's place
Warnings Damage to harmless innocent geology and if you look slantwise, suicidal tendencies maybe?

It's morning--or what passes for it here. And there's a sharp, ringing sound, of metal on stone, and then another. They keep coming, sometimes a quick flurry, sometimes one, or two at a time, like the blows are calculated.

Drift's standing in a rough circle, blades drawn, in a loose version of an old Decepticon training ring. On the main vectors of the circle, at the perimeter stand rough pillars of stone: crystal and schist, nodules of manganese and pyrite.

Fool's gold. It's fitting.

There are sparks, as the metal of Drift's blades strike flint in the sedimentary stones, or larger sparks, as he slices into the strange quartz of this place. His style isn't like Wing's--Wing's bladework is elegant, almost dancer-like: Drift's is sharp and explosive, honed less on a pretty, underground practice floor than in the thick of combat.

He's fighting something here. Not enemies, but himself.

After a moment, he throws the two short blades aside, their blades ringing on the stone, and draws the Great Sword. There's a blaze of light, like sunlight or flame, from the golden gem in its hilt, and bright energy skitters down the blade, filling the glyphs like liquid light, as he moves to attack one of the mindless chunks of stone again, his face set and resolute.

Comments

[sword_redemption]

"Good." A relieved sound. He ducks his head, trying to hide his reaction, because the finial touch...kind of tickles.

Right. She was making fun of him. "Well. I mean, I just don't think it would work for me. That's all." That's totally what he meant. Shush.

[vandalization]

For once, tickling wasn't what she was going for, but she'll take it.

"Don't think you could puppy-face your way out of something?" He probably could with her, honestly.

[sword_redemption]

Well, it 'kind of' tickled. Not entirely.

"No. Uh. Pretty sure that wouldn't work." He shrugs. "But you could."

[vandalization]

"Ehhhhhhhhh. I dunno. I think I get by on pity more than anything else," She laughs, continuing her idle petting over his helm.

"But nice of you to have that much faith in me."

[sword_redemption]

"Pity?" He frowns. "I don't pity you, Vandal. I don't think anyone does."

But right now, he's just going to tilt his head down into the touch.

[vandalization]

"Thank you."

She grins and keeps rubbing and scratching.

"Damn why are you so cute..."

[sword_redemption]

"I'm....not?" But she might want to give him a bit of a scritch break because he is trying to carry her and that's getting distracting.

[vandalization]

"Ehh it's not up for debate."

She pauses to wag her finger at him.

"It's gotta be the ears. They channel it."

[sword_redemption]

"Ears?" He moves the hand that's not holding her to rub his helm. "I think they're just, you know, decoration. Or something."

He turns the last corner, and enters the keycode to his room. "Do you, uh, need anything while we're here?"

[vandalization]

"Nah. They're your secret weapon," She decides plainly with a nod.

"Just you." She'll be damned if they aren't going to cuddle.

[sword_redemption]

"So secret I don't know about them." Lame joke time.

He looks a little startled. He's not quite sure what good he can do, but, whatever. "You want, uh, the window or the berth or...where?"

[vandalization]

Lame or not, Vandal laughs and pats him.

"Your best weapons I think." Aside from the three swords.

"Wherever you're most comfortable. I just want to sit with you a while."

[sword_redemption]

It's still good to hear her laugh, even more than it feels good not to be shut down when he tries to talk.

"I guess they are kind of sharp?"

He nods, and then moves her to the berth, lowering her carefully down before moving to take the Great Sword off his back. "I like the view but you can see it from here, too." Best of both things or something.

[vandalization]

"Thank you." She sits back, watching him unclip the sword.

"Now... did you want to talk? Or would you rather just relax or play a game or something?"

She'll leave this choice for him.

[sword_redemption]

He turns the Great Sword over in his hands, as though the weight comforts him.

"I, uh, do you want to talk?" He has no idea what they'd talk about.

[vandalization]

She waves a finger at him.

"I'm here for you. That's all. Whatever you need, Drift. Just name it, alright?"

She's not usually the very patient, emotionally open person, but she's trying.

[sword_redemption]

"I just, but I don't know what I need. I just want everything to be good and everyone to be happy."

So simple, right? Why is it so damn hard?

[vandalization]

"Yeah... I think we all want that. I know it's been hard. I'm really sorry, Drift."

She agrees, it has been nearly impossible to keep things peaceful.

She looks up, if he wants to go on. She'll listen.

[sword_redemption]

"Don't apologize. You were trying to do something nice." And he messed it up. And then it got worse.

"It's, uh, I really, well, Wing." Maybe she can make sense of that?

[vandalization]

The engineer leans against the siding of his berth, looking around the room before his voice draws her attention again.

"I take it you two are having some issues?" Her fingers knit together.

"If you want to tell me you can, and I can either give you my best advice or I can just listen and hear you out. Whatever you need right at this moment."

[sword_redemption]

"Yeah. You could say that." In fact, she just did.

"It's not, it's just." He scrubs a hand over his face. He doesn't know how much he can tell her, that's his business to tell. "He, uh, he did something and didn't tell me and it hurts."

[vandalization]

Hmm. Vandal rubs her slightly dirty chin. She's been slightly dirty since the day she arrived. There's usually some layer of grossness. It comes with the work she does here.

"Well, it's definitely okay to be hurt." She;s not sure if he wants any advice, so she keeps it to herself unless requested.

"Did he apologize?"

[sword_redemption]

"No. He, uh, he thought I'd be happy. And I guess that means I should be." Because Wing is always right. "But I'm jealous. I can't help it. And that's wrong."

[vandalization]

"Mmm. Nah, you can feel how you feel, not based off assumptions," She says gently, reaching out to touch his hip, which is the only thing she can reach right about now.

"It's not wrong to have feelings, Drift. It's what you do with 'em I guess. And that's only for you to decide. But what I'm saying is... basically. It's okay to feel that way. It's a natural reaction. I mean, at least by human standards."

[sword_redemption]

"But. I mean, he told it me like I should be happy." That's how Drift knows his response is wrong.

"And I should be happy for him, you know? That he's happy. That's what should matter, right?" He realizes that he's been standing, like an idiot, folding to sit on the berth, staring at his hands.