re_alignment_logs | Gotta get clean every now and then... [closed]

She was quite visible in the corridor, given not just colour, but the lines and angles, and she turned away from where she'd been frowning at one of the lights and using various focuses to look beyond the covering... But really engineering wasn't her thing.

"I don't mind. At least there's not been any aftershakes yet, and the pools are fine. Solus Prime thought it'd be a good idea to check them, given the situation." She trailed off with a shrug, pausing in the doorway for Ambulon to come closer.

"We've got time, after all. You coming?" She doesn't bite, Ambulon, and he wasn't going to sit in another pool entirely, now was he?

Ambulon snorted. "Right." He made his way down to Elita's side. "The heat shouldn't affect the pools, right? Since the tunnels are apparently in the safe zone." He looked ahead and gestured her forward. Lady-like 'bots first. "I haven't had a good soak in... Primus, I can't even remember. The wash racks at the temple certainly don't count."

"I checked, and no, it looks like everything's intact luckily. Probably because it was built at the same level as a tunnel, though if the quake had disrupted one of them it might have been an issue." Elita shook her helm as she went through the doorway first, quite used to going in first given her occupation normally and thus didn't think anything of the gesture.

She laughed at Ambulon's comment and slowed down a little as the well-lit corridor and entrance ended in the unfinished lighting of the inside of the large washracks "complex". Neither of them had headlights, after all. It wasn't something that had come up in the schematics Solus had made, and since she'd made do without them as a speedboat, she'd not thought about it.

"Before I found this place... Well, I had washes on the Graviton, and before that of course, but a complete soak?" She pauses, both verbally and at the edge of a pool, the bluish light casting her frame as slightly violet instead of pink in the softly lit darkness.

"Millions of years." Another shake of her helm before she tosses Ambulon a smile and gestures to the pool.

Ambulon smirked, went to speak, but fell quiet again at the sight of the pools. Lord, and he felt his spark flutter, because they looked so inviting. "They look nice," he said, even though he felt they looked perfectly superb.

He went ahead of Elita then, squatting at the edge of the pool. Carefully swished a few fingers into the liquid. Half-smiled. "The temperature is good." Oh, yes, this was going to be perfect, because dammit, he needed the break.

"They feel even better," Elita said with a chuckle, but it wasn't until Ambulon commented about the temperature that she realised the probable reason for why they might be heated...

Sticking the end of her foot in, Elita's optics narrowed thoughtfully.

"It is. And if the earthquake earlier had anything to do with magma chambers, it... suddenly doesn't surprise me that Solus Prime asked me to go check on the pools, as well as why they're heated. I thought they might be heated via mechanics at first, but if that's the case, any of the other locations with washracks could obviously have energon pools."

Especially with the abundance of raw, liquid energon available, and the best place to have these sort of pools might even be in Megatronus' quadrant, given the fire...

"Since I've already been here before..." She trailed off and nodded, clearly waiting for Ambulon to get in first. Seemed polite.

"I guess we can be thankful for something in this entire mess?" Ambulon helped and smirked. He raked his fingers through the liquid another second or two before pausing. He looked back at Elita. As if he expected her to go first.

For a moment, he just... stared. Right, okay, now he was just embarrassing himself. "Right," Ambulon mumbled, clearing his vocalizer. He slipped one leg in first, then the second, body adjusting to the temperature. Hands pressed to the edge of the pool, he slowly pushed forward until he was in past his waist.

And, well-- Might as! Ambulon disappeared beneath the liquid, rising a second later, completely soaked. "Yup," he chuckled, wiping his optics dry, "very nice indeed."

Sitting down on the edge while Ambulon worked down to getting himself submerged, Elita stuck her legs in and grinned, especially when the medic came back up again.

"I thought so. I admit, I almost kept these to myself for longer than I did," she said with laughter threading her voice and slowly lifted a leg out of the energon and watched the liquid slide down the metal. "Should've thought about natural heating, that would, of course, be more practical than building these in a place that does have it."

Letting her leg submerge again, Elita followed herself, sliding off the edge, optics flickering briefly at the feeling of warm liquid embracing her.

"So, would you actually need more paint to get the colours vivid again, or is it just a matter of time now that you're not painting over that?" It was pure curiosity that made her ask, helm tilting with the question.

Ambulon smirked. "I can't blame you," he said, and reclined his head against the side of the pool a moment. "I would be hesitant to tell the others about this place, too. Would sort of want to hoard it for myself as well." He hummed and stretched and oh, wow, this was doing wonders for his stiff knee joints.

He looked to Elita, and his smile widened just a fraction. Though he then realized - wow, he must be looking pretty silly right now. Smiling like a dope. He sat up a little and cleared his vocalizer, face blank again.

"The, uh... No, I'll need a couple more coats for it to be any brighter," Ambulon answered. He glanced down at his chest, now purple instead of an orange-red blend. "I'm afraid all the repainting has made my original coat rather lackluster. I guess I just need to find the right colors of paint now."

He went quiet as he rubbed wet circles into seams along his shoulder. Looked to Elita again. "You manage to keep yours nice and glossed quite well, in fact. Should probably start taking tips," he chortled.

Oh, she saw that blanking out and shook her head. Smile if you want to, Ambulon!

"So it is actual paint, then..." Trailing off briefly, Elita grinned and brushed a hand down an arm. "Well, it hasn't looked this nice in a while. The baths in these pools help quite a lot, but I don't have to keep up any coats of paint, since this isn't actual paint." She tapped a finger against the upper curve of her chestplate in illustration.

It was curious to think that what gave Ambulon his colour was actual paint, things which were, at the most, used as temporary extra decoration or disguise as far as she knew.

"But, faded paint or not, you've got a nice smile, Ambulon." Even as she said that, Elita glanced up and gave Ambulon a smile of her own. Nothing wrong with relaxing and all that.

Ambulon smirked. He knew about these pain nanites, but... "Those would come in handy," he said. "A lot easier to maintain, I imagine. But I guess I never really put much effort into repainting myself. I could have done a much better job, but..." He shrugged. "I felt it was enough. No one was complaining, so..."

Ambulon's optics brightened at her comment on his smile. He couldn't help but smile, though his optics grew brighter. "W-Well... Thank you," he tittered, rubbing a wet hand against the side of his neck. His glowing optics moved to the liquid pooling around him. "I... Well, that's a first, actually. I'm not one for flattery, to be honest, but it's very rare anyone comments on my physical appearance beyond my horrendous paint job."

He chuckled and finally got the nerve to look back at Elita. "For what it's worth, you've got a very lovely smile as well," Ambulon said. "Your frame is also really beautiful; the curves are very nice." He paused then quickly went to scrub his face of the liquid. GOD NOW HE FELT LIKE A PERVERT.

"If nothing else, you only need a respectable amount of some sort of energon to keep everything looking acceptable." She grinned briefly. "Buffing and waxing extra. And as long as you're satisfied with it..." Shrugging, Elita nodded and then smiled again at the response.

Of course it was easy to see why people would notice the flaking paint job first, but well... Details were important, so that's what she picked up on.

"I'm supposed to pick up details as part of my job." The tilt of her helm and the arch angle of the corner of her optics lets the matter-of-fact tone of voice reveal that she's both serious and joking. Angling herself so she could lean, sort of half-reclining with one elbow up on the edge of the pool and still face Ambulon, Elita smiled.

"Thank you. And at least you're one of the few to point out something real as to what's supposedly so 'different' with my frame." She huffed, shaking her helm and casting a glance downwards. Mostly amused exasperation, but also a tiny bit of annoyance. "I do like my curves... Though I've seen mechs with larger and just as curvy chestplates as I've got," Elita said with a grin, flicking at the energon and watching the drops scatter and create rings on the surface.

Ambulon continued to wet his neck with more of the liquid. "Mm. I think it's fine how it is. I mean, it may not be very attractive, but it doesn't have to be." He reclined his head, stretching neck cords. "I guess I only re-painted myself so I could fit in with the other doctors. I don't know anymore. It's been a while." He pressed dripping fingers to his yellow crest, massaging the center seam. "Though it's silly, I know, but the fact my paint job upsets and bothers Knock Out so much is kind of amusing."

He couldn't help but laugh and shrug, rivets of the liquid cutting down his arms. "I imagine being more slim would have its advantages. Instead of being so... blocky?" Ambulon eyed his chest. "But, then again, I could use a complete redesign of my entire frame myself."

"While I admit to being surprised you're actually not some variation of white and red underneath since that's what I've always seen medics have, even if that would be silly because that's what you repainted yourself into..." Trailing off, Elita chuckled and shrugged.

"And I don't know, if you keep it for only that reason, seems like a worthy enough reason." Tilting her helm, Elita grinned and then lifted a leg out of the energon, looking it over with a shrug before it disappeared beneath the surface again.

"Don't know about blocky though. Sturdy?" She shrugged. "A lot more what I'm used to, besides being used to myself of course. "Well, we'll see later if Solus Prime can help, and if she's willing." No, she hasn't forgotten that.

"The past for me is a bit..." Ambulon trailed off, squeezing liquid between his hands until it released a small squirt with a very tiny squeak between thumb and finger. Yeah, uh, ANYWAY. He looked away a moment. "Older models were a bit more blocky, but now designs have become more sleek. Though I've seen some very interesting builds here. Such as Barricade's, and even Ratchet's, to an--" He then saw her leg rise from the pool, rivets of liquid pouring down its length and--

Ambulon looked back down, optics bright like stars going supernova. "B-But yeah," he stammered, cleared his vocalizer, "I think Solus will be inclined to help a leg--a mech--a mech out. Perhaps. Hopefully."

Chuckling and following the arc of the squirt until it hit the energon, nodding thoughtfully. Yes, the difference in aesthetic design between realities was rather... interesting...

Looking up in time to see Ambulon look down and catch the flare of those optics, Elita hadn't thought that maybe doing that would... ah, affect the poor mech.

"I don't see why not. Shouldn't be too different compared to what she did for me, though I suppose that depends on how altmode aquisition works for you." Crossing her legs so she could lean forward, resting her elbows on her knees, Elita hummed softly.

Let's just let that slip about leg/mech slide, she had a pretty good understanding now, though while that wasn't a very... practical altmode, locomotion-wise (as ironic as that may be), she wasn't sure why he was so very... ashamed? of it.

"I think it's interesting, the differences in designs between some realities, and how some others, we're close enough it's hard to tell if the individual comes from the same reality as us or not..."

"True," Ambulon said. He started to relax again. Get a hold of yourself, you dumb, stupid man. He glanced back to Elita. "I wish I could study the more intricate designs. Barricade's, for one, is rather interesting. It's almost insectoid; well, in my opinion." He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, giving it a snap-crick to the side.

"Right, I think I asked you this before--I'm sure I have--but there is no one from your reality here aside from yourself?" he asked. "How's it like seeing the multiverse counterparts of your companions?" Ambulon smirked, rubbing wet fingers into a shoulder seam. "There appears to be many people from my universe here. People I apparently met in a different timeline, even."

"It does sort of look somewhat insectiod, doesn't it?" She hasn't thought about it before, but the observation has her frowning slightly and then nodding in agreement.

Leaning back against the edge of the pool, Elita shook her helm. The question made her realise the people she were missing... It's enough to make someone a bit lonely.

"Briefly. The Ultra Magnus here is the only alternate present of someone I know." Folding her arms over her chestplates, Elita looked back at Ambulon. "I think that the Cliffjumper present might be from my reality, but I don't know him."

"I'm not sure if I told you this, but Cybertron was once overrun by a horde of Insecticons for a while," Ambulon explained. "It was... pretty nightmarish, from the reports I've read."

Ambulon chortled. "Your Ultra Magnus much like the Magnus here?" Not that he thought Magnus was too serious or too strict, but being so high strung... Even Ambulon kind of thought he should lighten up. He looked to Elita. "You ought to sit down and chat with Cliffjumper sometime. Connect. It's good to have someone who has experienced what you have." He shrugged. "Well, you know what I mean."

Ambulon... paused. He blinked, looked away, then back to Elita. "Speaking of tension... How are you?" He meant that both physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Grimacing at that, she can easily imagine it.

"Around and after Unicron attacked, there twisted mutants and something we simply called demons coming from the center of the planet, up to the surface... Not a horde by any means, but unpleasant enough. And I might talk to him."

She shook her helm slowly, tucking the suggestion into a queue; there wasn't much reason to go talk to him, she thought, since while they came from the same reality, they didn't know each other... and didn't even really know the same mechs at all, except for Huffer and the Dinobots.

"Ultra Magnus is... not very similar," Elita said with a little smile. "The Magnus I know isn't as... bound." It seemed like the simplest way of phrasing it, and then she had to look up at Ambulon, helm tilting.

"I'm... fine." A shrug. "I miss the bots I know, and my teacher, but I'm also used to being separated from the main force, so to speak." And being alone, even if that wasn't what she might prefer.

"Still, probably wasn't too easy an adjustment here at first," Ambulon said. He'd been panicked out of his medical mind when he arrived. Probably missed most of what the Acolytes told him; thank God for the nice people of Haven to fill him in with what his shock muted.

However... Ambulon continued rubbing at his neck. "You know, though," he said, "it's... I mean, it's not my strongest suit, and it's all rather basic stuff I picked up during research and a few test runs, but I... I can help with any. Tension. Physically speaking." He patted his shoulder for emphasis. "You know, basic... basic stuff."

Somehow it felt weird? offering Elita a massage. Especially when the execution had been as smooth as sand paper.

"It wasn't. But at least you got an explanation immediately and woke up somewhere instead of out in the junk," huffed Elita, a faint fuzz of static along the words and shook her helm.

It'd taken a few cycles before they'd had explanations, those first of them who'd had to wake up in the Junk Pile. But then, they'd also got to talk to the Firstforged.

"Ah... I wouldn't mind that." She smiled easily, the back pounted, wing-like panels shifting automatically at the suggestion. It sounded rather nice, in fact.

"It was different for you?" Ambulon asked, blinking. "I thought everyone woke up in the temple of their aligned Firstforged." He tilted his head. "Huh."

Ambulon hesitated a few seconds, cheekplates heating up just a little. He... really didn't get this apprehension. Elita was no different from anyone else; her frame was unique, but... Well, she was smart, witty, pretty funny--

Ambulon cleared his vocalizer. "I--" He cleared it again when the word came out in a small static glitch. Oops. "I," and his tone was normal again, "hope it will help, at least."

He turned to face her, getting close; once he had access to her back, his wet hands carefully touched her shoulders. Took a moment before Ambulon started working in simple effleurage circles and strokes. "You'll tell me if there's any pain, all right? There may be some initial tension, but that is normal."

"Everyone after us, yes," said Elita, nodding as she turned around to present her back to Ambulon after he actually got moving.

She had to tuck her back-mounted panels slightly forward and to her sides, but they were flexible and made for that, and with the change in her altmode, she carried a lot less kibble on her back where the panels joined up.

"Apparently we, the very first group, weren't expected. There's been one group of refugees here before us, long gone before we arrived... and the First Forged were apparently not expecting any new arrivals."

Humming, her helm tilting forwards and optics flickering and then dimming as Ambulon started to work. His hands were warm and strong and yes... that was definitely nice.

"Anyone after the group I arrived with have been moved to and woken up in the temples." Her engine idling slightly louder the longer he worked, Elita did catch the tension, tight and angry, but it was slowly being worked out, so why would she complain?

Fingers caressed along seams, up and down dermal plating and armor. "The refugees here before us... Anyone know anything about them?" he asked. His thumbs pushed against the edges of one shoulder seam, drawing down two identical lines with easy pressure. "And... The first of you to arrive - are you all that's left? Or are there still members of your party here?"

In terms to the first group that fell from the Lambda. He worked the heel of his palms into her back, scooting forward, just a little. Either it was the pool or something else, but he was feeling a little warm. "How does it feel?" Ambulon asked, suddenly, clearing his vocalizer. He thread fingers into the back of her neck, careful of the pumps and more tender plating.

Her optics now a muted cerulean, glow nearly non-existent as the warm friction from Ambulon's hands worked itself outwards, Elita carefully shook her helm.

"It's... rather amazing. If you could... concentrate on the neck and the seams? And no, I'm not the only one from those of us first to arrive." Lacing her fingers together and resting them against her abdomen to feel the low thrumming of her idling engine in conjunction with Ambulon's hands that were, actually, loosing tension she hadn't been aware of, Elita frowned toughtfully.

"Starscream, Jetfire, Optimus... Hmm, some of the human children, Wing and Drift. The Shockwave from Barricade's reality. Blurr. I might be forgetting some, but that's a few that are still here."

Humming as she thought, Elita twitched her back-mounted panels instead of her shoulders in a shrug.

"And the only ones who'd know about the earlier refugees would be the Firstforged. I don't think anyone's actually asked. The buildings around the Haven that aren't the temples were made by said refugees, though." She waved a hand around them to indicate and include the washrack they were sitting in with its energon pools as an example.

Ambulon nodded, turning his attention back on her neck. He worked a few effleurage circles and kneading petrissage along and around the seams before settling into harder pressure. Nothing too painful, however.

"Sounds like we gained more than we lost," he said. "Those you mentioned are still here." Ambulon pressed his thumbs to the base of her cranial chamber, working them down the nape, toward the center of her back, repeating the process in reverse. "Do you think there's a reason the Firstforged have remained so quiet about the original refugees?" he asked. "Or do you think, since no one's asked, they don't think it's important."

Ambulon scooped the warm liquid in both hands, poured it down Elita's neck before returning to work. "I guess we could ask Solus when we visit her?" he suggested. "Though I wonder if that'd be too pressing and demanding, considering what I'm going to ask her."

"Maybe, yes... I do know there were more at the beginning of us than what are left now of the first wave, so to speak, but all of us haven't disappeared either," Elita said, the words breathed out and a slight static underlaying them as she relaxed.

"I'd guess it could be a bit of both, truly. No one's really asked, and well. Given the Badlands and what's responsible, they might prefer not to say much, but there ought to be no harm in asking, I don't think."

She'd have to come up with something to give back, for this. Because this was rather fantastic.

"Maybe they're worried we wouldn't be able to handle the truth," Ambulon suggested, only half-serious. He knead the edges of his palms into her lower back, and back up. Resting on her neck again, repeating the process.

"But, well... We'll see, I guess." He smirked. "Maybe we can ask a question each?" He drew his hands back, dipping them in the pool. "How do you feel?" Ambulon inquired. "There's going to be some initial soreness for a bit and a little tomorrow, but all and all, should have helped loosen up any actuators and joint-cramps."

Elita chuckled, taking it mostly for the part-joke it was even as she dipped her helm in a brief acknowledgement. It was possible, after all, if only because of the reasons they might have disappeared.

Unicron, the Badlands and the Lambda.

"I doubt she'd mind that," Elita said with a laugh and then gently shifted her shoulders and neck. Letting out a vent that was as much waste heat as it was relief, Elita stood up with a bright smile and tugged Ambulon up with her.

"It feels great, thank you."

Before she stepped away, Elita got close and tugged Ambulon towards her, hugging him for a few moments.

Ambulon went to respond but then--oh. Oh. His optics widened, glowing brightly. This was... unusual? Not the fact it was Elita - well, just a little - but... He'd never been an affectionate person. Not one for touching. For a moment, Ambulon debated what to do. What did-- Oh, right! Feeling slightly stupid, Ambulon slowly raised his arms and hugged her back. Very, very lightly and loosely, not knowing if she'd appreciate it or--or whatever.

Ambulon gently pulled back, hands floating nervously at her elbows. "It was..." he swallowed, and smiled, optics still a little too-bright. "The pleasure was all mine."

He looked to the exit. "I guess it's back to the real world then."

The fact that she hadn't completely misjudged and that he was hugging back was enough for her, however hesitantly he was doing it.

Meeting his smile with one of her own, Elita nodded as she turned and got out of the pool.

"This was just as real as anything, but yes, I suppose you're right," she said, laughing briefly, optics bright. "Ready, then?"

Ambulon chortled. "Off we go, then." He gestured forward, as if to say "ladies first". Except, well, he really didn't know that term. Still, manners, he supposed.

Gotta get clean every now and then... [closed]

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dw if you eat this again stg

/om nomnom ;v

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OKAY SEE NOW I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO USE THIS ICON

WELL THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE CUTE

ROLLS INTO BALL