[ti]Flashback[/ti]Nothing Louder Than Silence [Closed: SteelStrike ]

[Deleted]

At Meister's first admission, Steelstrike's wings hiked in a slight 'negative' gesture, as if Meister's unconcern over his words had transmitted to the flyer and caused him to dismiss the idea himself. If it didn't matter to the grounder (and in all honesty, had no real benefit to Steelstrike himself) then he would cease to care himself. The matter was promptly pushed to the back of Steelstrike's processor and forgotten.

That done, he then turned his attention back to Meister, field lightening slightly at the mention of flight, of using his wings to soar through the sky, of *knowing* just how to turn or duck or weave. "Yes." he agreed. And in truth- that was another reason he'd agreed, albeit grudgingly, to let Meister play. And his song- simple melody though it had been, *had* held the faintest echo of that wind-borne joy.

"And that's what's missing from when you play for Cress." It was intended a statement, but there was a hint of a question in the end of his sentence. Then he tilted his helm up, slightly, to eye the gathering dark. "I really should get you back before Cress blows another gasket."

At the last statement, he re-focused, field shifting back it's more usual bored disdain before again being drawn back in. "All shinyplates're corrupt, or stupid, or both. Doesn't mean their credits are bad."

While he would avoid any 'illegal' activity, or turn a blind eye to it, if it happened while he was in the perpetrator's employ, it was only because credits meant more- and he was expecting that sort of behavior anyways, from the Towerlings.

Any mech who lived in luxury while others starved or went Empty was something to be scorned. Especially if they deigned to sneer at 'lesser' mecha.

[Jazz]

     "To me, their credits are just as bad to me either way if it's passed through their servos. It's hard to look past the stains..." Meister shrugged some. "But it's all the same to you. You're just makin' a livin'. Survivin'. Can't fault ya for that. We all are I guess." Meister was starting to figure that Steel was like the rest- he pretended to get it, but he didn't really understand. There were only so many times the wall could be hit before somemech had to give up.

     That said, it was time for the begging to commence.

     "Do we really gotta go back this soon? If Cress is angry enough to send ya after me and threaten them pretty little wings of yours, then he's already got himself pushed to the point of a system restart. Don't matter then if we go back now or next cycle, really. His energon is still gonna be boilin' either way." He looked at Steel and smiled. "Can we stay out for jus' a lil' longer? Pleeeease? I'm tired of bein' locked in that Tower all the time!" Which was a mix of a lie and not. Cress attempted to keep him locked away in the Tower, but Meister? He didn't stay there, hence why the Towerling had to hire all this extra help to keep their optics on him. The moment he turned his back Meister had figured a way to sneak out and was off! So yeah, that statement had definitely only been half true.

     "I just wanna enjoy freedom for a lil while longer. I know ya understand what it's like to be cooped up when all ya wanna do is feel the breeze around ya." Meister playfully reached up and flicked one of his wings- not really to do any damage as much as it was to bring attention to what he was talking about. He then looked down at the small trinket he removed from his subspace, moving it around in his digits before passing it between his servos. He had the perfect place for this, but it would require Steel's agreement first. A place he wanted to that he never got the chance to visit.

     "Hey, Steel? There's... well. There's one place I would like ta drop by, since we're out. It's just on the outskirts of the city. We could walk there and be back at the Towers in a couple groons. It's... uh... really important to me and I never get the chance to go visit."

[Deleted]

"Credits are credits." was Steelstrike's rather unimpressed response. "What does it matter to you, anyway, on how many credits I've got? At least if I'm paid, that's a few less for that slagged Cress." At least, that was the logic he'd applied... 

His wings twitched in fresh irritation. Of course his slack in allowing Meister to wander the festival, and shop, and play a song, hadn't been enough. He ex- vented. "I already let you have an extra two joors. You're done." Steelstrike began, reaching to lay a firm servo on Meister's shoulder pauldron. 

And then Meister was turning to flick his wing with a servo, and the Seeker's irritation soured to one rather close to actual dislike, his optics narrowing and moving his wings away with a pointed flick, his grip on Meister's shoulder pauldron if achieved tightening warningly. 

Even the playful tone and reference to sky freedom didn't win him back over. "We're going back. And don't ever touch my wings."

[Jazz]

     "Unless ya do some diggin', Steel, ya ain't never gonna know why it matters so much to me. Just know that it does. Oh, and that's if ya get paid."

     Meister wasn't happy to being told that he was done with his outing. He really should have expected that, considering that Steel had given him a little wiggle room by letting him explore the market and having a little fun. Didn't mean that he wouldn't try for more, but he knew for sure that luck had run out the moment Steel gripped his shoulder. Even more when said grip tightened.

     In reaction, Meister flinched some and reached up to pry himself loose. "Ow! Ow ow! Okay, you win! Leggo!" It didn't really hurt as much as he made it seem- actually, it didn't hurt at all but he wasn't going to let Steel know that- but he put on at least good enough of a show to get some attention from some of those around them. He leaned over in favor of the shoulder that was being held onto as though the pressure from it was weakening that side of his frame. The action would have brought the two closer a bit, considering the angle he was tilting in.

     A smirk came across his faceplate, though it wasn't one given out of amusement. There was a hint of anger with his expression, told by the sensation his field was putting out. The situation had gotten really serious really fast. "You're makin' a spectacle of yourself, Steel," he said under his breath. "No point in attractin' unwanted attention, right? Though I could scream louder if you'd rather. Now let me go, 'cause ya really don't wanna have me freakin' out right here in the middle of the marketplace."

[Deleted]

Any response Steelstrike may have made about being paid, or not, was immediately cycled to the back of his processor, the moment Meister began to protest- loudly. His wings canted uneasily, and the flyer's grip loosened almost without conscious direction. He knew in this situation, being the larger bot, and a flyer, he would likely be viewed as the aggressor. And the bystanders would be right.

His field met Meister's, filled with half-ashamed embarrassed resentment. Slag. Why was he always winding up the center of attention?

He didn't release Meister, but his grip did ease until his servo simply rested on Meister's shoulder. "You need to go back." was all he muttered. "I'm not the only one Cress sent out."

There was a long moment of silence. Then he inclined his helm to look away. "...Sorry." He muttered, the glyphs layered with reluctance.

[Jazz]

     Meister had won out that little battle of wills. Having come to the conclusion that Steel didn't like to be watched had worked out for him by making a scene. The fact that the Seeker was much larger than him and the position Meister had been in? That would have worked even further in his favor. Surely a tiny little grounder wouldn't be able to match the sheer strength of the big bad Seeker! Sure, he may have ended up being forced to return to the Tower once this was all said and done, but at least he could boast that he had gained a tally on his side. 

     The touch on the shoulder didn't last long, the smaller mech recoiling from it as though repulsed by the very gesture. It really wasn't the mech himself as much as it was the contact. "Sorry," he said finally, rubbing the spot once he had spun himself free from the other. "It's nothin' against ya. I just really hate bein' touched." It wasn't a lie. Just something he hadn't gotten over yet. Another thing he would have to thank Cress for. 

     "I figured ya wouldn't be the only one sent after me. Cress always makes a big deal outta nothin'." He vented some and dropped his servo. "But hey, your wings are important an' all, so we outta head back before ya end up gettin' em clipped, right? First things first." The way he said that hinted to something else, but it wasn't something that he would dove into further. He just turned and started walking, aiming to leave the marketplace so they could get to the path to lead back to the Towers.

[Deleted]

"Don't touch my wings again." Steelstrike muttered, one last time, though the anger had leached just as quickly away from his field and expression. "Then I won't grab you."

Fair was fair after all- right? 

He let out another vent- a quick chuff of air to finalize the cooling down period of flight engines that had revved just slightly at the scene of a few more moments past. "And I didn't hurt you. I hardly grabbed you. How was I supposed to know you wouldn't run off again?" 

Still, the flightframe seemed calmer now- possibly subdued due to the nature of their almost-scuffle. He followed Meister, now, just close enough to make a grab for him if need be. "Besides, I did let you linger, didn't I?" 

At the thought of losing said wings, said wings flicked. Just a little, before he reined his uneasy field back in. "This extra jaunt stays between us."

Let it never be said he didn't keep his word. 

[Jazz]

     "Don't touch me and I won't make a fool outta you. Simple." Meister turned around to grin at him, servos behind his back as he walked backwards along the walkway. "Ya didn't grab me hard, but ya squeezed. Ya could have broken my shoulder if ya weren't payin' attention! After all, you're a much tougher mech than poor lil' me." A small chuckle came from him then he turned right away round again to continue on his way. "Ya let me stay for some fun. For that? I thank ya. This other thing? It's not really fun as much as it's just business. Reminiscing if ya will. But that's okay. I can check that place out later. Just figured I would try to get there while we were out and about and I had such an able Seeker bodyguard at my side."

     Meister tucked the little trinket back into his subspace as he went along, not looking at Steel anymore as they went along. He wasn't too pleased with having to return to the towers, but at least Steel would receive all the praise needed for returning Meister to where he belonged- right?

     Wrong.

     When the two would return, Cress was just as Meister had predicted. He was fuming- mostly at Meister, but at Steel as well for not being fast enough with bringing him back. There would be much yelling and the grounder ended up on the floor several times after a few good strikes from the Towerling, but never once did he really react to them. He was used to this by now, and that was most of the reason why a lot of what should have caused some other mech pain really didn't even phase him. Once the physical attacks on Meister were done he was escorted to his quarters... and then Cress turned his attention on Steel.

     "YOU! You FAILED to bring him back in a timely manner! I do NOT pay you to TAKE YOUR TIME. When I say to bring him BACK I mean JUST THAT. Do I make myself PERFECTLY clear?!" Cress raised a servo, as though to strike the Seeker... but then rethought his actions and lowered it. He paced around a few times before ordering one of his servants to bring him some high grade, then snatched it up and continued with his pacing. "You will have one more chance to keep your wings, Seeker. You will check on him every groon, make sure he's in his quarters? Then I withhold your pay. Then I will deduct credits from the other cycles based on how long it takes for you to return him. Now, if he stays put? Double your pay for the cycle."

     He sat down in his 'throne' of sorts, staring at the Seeker with a spiteful glare in his optics. "If this is not good enough for you? Then please, see yourself out of the door so I can hire someone much more capable of the job."

[Deleted]

While Steelstrike had been in Cress's employ for some time, he was still the newest guard employed- and he as such, had never actually *seen* Meister's treatment at Cress's servos. He watched, uneasy once more, though he remained mainly expressionless, as the small (to him) grounder was struck several times.

He felt a vague pang of guilt in his spark.

And then Meister was being led away- and Steelstrike's wings hiked up in fresh irritation at the noble's decibel count as the mech rounded on *him*. His shoulders tensed slightly- but then Cress's servo fell back to his side without striking him, and Steelstrike's wings flared in belated defensiveness. "I wasn't aware there was a time limit." he said, flatly, optics narrowing.

As the threats continued, however, his wings canted progressively back, until they were almost as flat as they could go. His field roiled with uneasy disgust, before sharpening into a resentful determination. Meister would *pay* for what had been threatened him. Not to mention.... double credits weren't dismissed out of servo. "Understood, sir."

[Jazz]

     Cress dismissed him, too irritated to deal with he situation further. He turned his attention to his other servants who were tending to his need of more high grade, in which the first glass he received didn't suit his standard and was thrown across the room. The second one was of better luck and he drank that one down and walked away while the mess from the first was cleaned up. This was all just a result of his frustration with what Meister had pulled, but really? He was a ticking time bomb anyway so it was nothing new. The only thing different from one deca-cycle to the next was who he decided to take it out on. It was always those under him, especially when he was stressing out over holding one of his get togethers.

     Which there was one that next cycle, so of course all the stress levels were as high as they could possibly go.

     As usual Meister was meant to perform that night for his guests and as everyone started to arrive they settle into their places for grouped conversations that varied from one to the other. Nerves were on edge the entire while, many knowing that some of their activities were getting out to Authorities, and that was simply attention that no one wanted. The leak was someone among them and that was enough to bring a level of distrust to many and make everyone just that much less accepting of stupidity.

     Though it was to be eased by Meister's music, which they expected to be playing the moment they arrived, which it wasn't, and after some time Cress was sought after and asked about the lack of musical entertainment. Cress had already been well aware of the situation, and it made him none too pleased.

     Meister was missing... again.

[Deleted]

Steelstrike hadn't been intending to be on the 'evening' shift- but another of the guards had been fired earlier that same cycle, and as one of the only few guards with both stated night-flying capabilities (and the fact that he could *fly* and be much faster than any grounder guard) he had instead been assigned a double shift, taking the other unfortunate mech's place.

His wings, currently, were held in a carefully neutral postion, field drawn in. Inside, however, the aerial was rapidly losing all respect (well, what little of it there remained) for Cress. He'd insisted on payment as soon as possible, but even that was likely not to hold him at his post for much longer. Once his ornly contract was up- he was going to be *gone*. And about time, too. He was tired of Cress's threats, and even felt a grudging respect toward the grounder that Cress had assigned him to watch- the same grounder that the noble treated like slag.

In all honesty- when he found out Meister had vanished, the dusky blue mech was not surprised. Disentangling himself from his post- and the guard he was with- Steelstrike made a vague comment about the night sky and went in search of his errant charge.

[Jazz]

     It wouldn't have been as easy to find Meister the second time. Somehow the grounder had gained quite a bit of distance between himself and the Towers in spite of having his ability to change into his alt mode disabled after a few too many attempts to flee ( though he was still doing quite well. ) He was far on the outer rims of Iacon, still within the City-state's boundaries to call it as such, but in a desolate and otherwise long-abandoned section that had been tossed to the wayside some time ago.

     Meister was sitting on a beam that lay beside what looked to be a collapsed mine of sorts that led to the Undergrid, a portion that had been disregarded now that it clearly no longer had any use. The power that had once flowed through it was merely rerouted instead of having to go through wasted effort clearing out the debris that was most likely unstable anyway due to the volatile nature of the situation below. A collapse only would have made it even worse.

     Beside him was a fully filled glass of energon, while he held another in a servo and kept his bent leg to his chest with the other arm wrapped around it. The little trinket was there, sitting among a group of several others arranged in some sort of odd makeshift shrine. He was quiet, though not a fool by any means. He knew that he would have been found eventually by his guard and had merely waited for him to show up.

      "Took ya long enough," he would say once the other had located him and approached within audial range, though he didn't pull his gaze from the shrine a few paces away.

[Deleted]

When Steelstrike finally *did* locate Meister- after only a few clicks of searching- the flier circled the area, once, before landing and transforming to root. He paused a moment, gauging the area around him, before he finally approached Meister, wings canted back, though there was no real irritation ot his field- just a sort of resignment. Meister was an odd mech- but Steel was in a better mood than he'd been last time, and was just a little more inclined to be non abrasive.

"What'd Cress do now?" he asked, his tone casual, almost bored, though he stopped a few paces away from Meister. The other's greeting was echoed in a wing-flick and curt nod of his own. "Besides, it isn't like *I* have a tracker on you- or that you wouldn't pull it out if there was." he added.

Then his gaze fell to the trinkets and odd shrine with Meister. Recognition lit his optics. "Hey. That one's from the other cycle- isn't it?"

He wasn't accusing- even sounded vaguely interested. But just vaguely.

[Jazz]

     "Cress is Cress. This ain't got nothin' to do with'im." Meister motioned to the drink at his side. "Saved that for ya. Plop down. Ain't like I got anywhere to be in a hurry." He wasn't short with Steel as much as he was just... less energetic than he usually was. Being here usually made him this way- when he would just be oddly quiet and still as though he could just sit for hours and stare without any life about him at all.

     Meister was silent, even though he had been asked about the trinket. That had been what started this weird mood but not Steel's question, per say. Rather it was just what this little shrine meant to him. It was several more moments before Meister would finally move, placing the pede to the leg previously against his chassis to the ground and leaning forward so he could rest his elbows on his knees.

     "Yeah, same one. This is where I wanted to bring it to the last time. Ya remember, right? When ya told me no and made me go back home to Sire." The tone alone would have been enough to have an optic roll, but it was only applied to 'sire' instead of the entire statement. In this case it had been used to address Cress. 

[Deleted]

"...For me?" Steelstrike echoed, giving Meister a swift evaluating look, before he stepped forward, extending an imperious servo to scoop up the offering. He remained standing, however, allowing his helm to lower slightly, to regard the seated mech. His field registered a casual surprise for a moment, before he drank part of it, before subspacing the rest.

"And isn't it *always* about Cress? If you were happy- which you *clearly* aren't- you wouldn't always be running off somewhere." he pointed out, dryly. "Besides... you were to perform. He's not going to be happy." With a flick of his wings, he dismissed the last statement, having really no vested interest in Cress being happy. Not since his wings had been threatened. He liked his frame how it was. He appreciated threats even less.

There was a pause, before he returned his attention to their surroundings. "Don't start complaining at me- I had a job. Which *wasn't* to let you go running all over Iacon. I did what I could." he added, pointedly. "You aren't the only one Cress can threaten."