We are a literate, intermediate to advanced AU Transformers RPG Based off of the first season of TFP with dashes of other incarnations sprinkled here or there. Characters from any continuity are welcome however must be restyled to match the TFPrime universe.
Active, with ongoing plotlines, we are always willing to integrate new characters into storylines once incorporated into the setting.
Rain knew this moment was coming, but now she was more ready to deal with it. She had more time to trust her instincts about her flying partner and was more steady about opening up a little more. But this was going to be a deep answer and while she couldn't do it face to face right now, she wanted to at least get closer. She was already pushing herself to match Cloudcompass' pace, but now she pushed a little more to gain some altitude and close the gap between them.
Her voice over the comms was slightly strained from her exertion. ::There's a long complicated answer that's a lot to take in, or there's a short answer that leaves more questions really.:: She paused to weigh her next words. ::This really kind of strays into personal territory, like quite a lot actually, but I want to be able to trust you, and have you trust me back so...I'm going to burden you with my story. Just so you know, some parts are actually on record, but would only be accessible if you were an autobot, so it's not some big secret.::
There were a few moments of silence while she gathered herself, and equally continued to push her engines. ::Just so I can shape my answer as best for you, I'm hoping you can first tell me two little things, when did you last alight your wings on Cybertron, ahh, going by the Auric Calendar.:: It was the calendar in use when the great space bridges were still operational. ::And have you ever heard the term, Empurata?::
Something in the atmosphere changed, sombered up perhaps- and the moment the jet realized Rain had sped up to match him- he slowed. A thread of apprehension tensed the cables along his wings, and a little bit of self-reproach. Of course- he’d stumbled on perhaps the most personal subject of the morning with all the grace of a rhinocircuit.
He let her speak, half-about ready to poke in and suggest they drop it- but she continued after a moment and the words fell away. She seemed resolved, and he couldn’t deny that it was intriguing. In the name of politeness however-
::This can be revisited, Rain, later::
He deliberated his next words, partly to try and safeguard against any further blunders, partly to give Rain some time. Truthfully, it could also have something to do with CC himself. Should he continue with this conversation? Cloudcompass’ tanks were beginning to crawl with the first flutters of unease, and he knew he’d be exhausted by the end of it. He could just insist on continuing another day- or never- and fly away.
He considered it, but had to fight a cringe at the prospect of any future meeting thereafter. He was here to build bridges, not burn them, afterall. It would be spark-crushingly awkward. So that was that decision made-
::It’s hard to pinpoint an exact date, our last tour was brief. We were given our mission and told to leave post-haste::
He adjusted his speed and altitude further, still keeping a more-than respectful distance to Rain’s side, but now nosecone-level with his wing-partner. Any slower and I’ll be hovering. Alas.
::I’d say the Space Bridges shut down completely about 4 or 5 vorns after we left. As for… empurata?::
The name rang a bell, possibly it had been mentioned by someone of the Strathcona’s crew once or twice.
::It is familiar?:: His tone suggested he knew nothing further of the term, nor its context or meaning.
Rain's previous thoughts and assumptions solidified in their places with this new information. Cloudcompass was indeed of the exploration age, though certainly at the end of it. he had not been witness to the decline of their once great civilization, and was very far removed from it.
That might also explain why he had never shown any revulsion towards her appearance, she was merely different with no further connotations. The truth might change that but that was just one more risk in an endless storm throughout her life.
Rain briefly considered how to tell her story of her multiple hands and the entire background and fall of society that led to it happening. Eventually she decided to skim over political details and her commentary for now and spare Cloudcompass and any innocence he may still have regarding the decline.
::Empurata is a medical procedure, almost ritualistic in its purpose. It involves the removal of the subjects hands and their replacement with simple pincers, and the removal of the subjects face and majority of the cranial plating and replacement with a simple geometric head and singular optic.:: Rain paused for a moment to let some of the implications sink in to Cloud's processor.
::Empurata is done to those who were convicted of such crimes that relied in part upon a public appearance. I had my pincers replaced with my current hands early on during the war after the fall of the Functionalist Council.:: Rain paused her story there, to let Cloudcompass think and react. And if he just lit his afterburners and folded his wings, she wouldn't blame him.
It could be counted on the digits of one hand the number of times Cloudcompass had been stricken into silence. It fell and stung like leaden hail upon his wings, the sheer incomprehensibility of what Rain was telling him. It repulsed him utterly, for not even in his darkest musings of his species’ unending war did he imagine something so cruel in its simplicity. It felt too big for him to manage- what did you say to that?? And suddenly the lift seemingly left his wings. Before he could truly think it over and decide it wise- CC headed for the ground. He checked it over for signs of life almost as an afterthought, and could only hope Rain would follow him down.
It didn’t feel right to answer such a thing through comms.
Not that doing so face to face would be any better!
What do you even say to that??
Cloudcompass was at a complete loss- scrambling for something to say, clawing together the composure that Rain had shattered by her revelation, berating himself like the utter, sheer, supreme dumbaft of the Nine Bitching Maestonian realms- Because of course! He’d touched on THE most Personal Thing he could’ve! Only he! And his truly legendary social ineptitude- His plating was drawn in so tightly to his frame that pain sensors started pinging, while his wings that folded up and back were actually painfully tense.
He brought himself short however, stilling with a subtle bounce on his pedes- processor catching up to his spark. Rain could easily mistake this as revulsion towards her- she’d clearly undergone this horrific mangling, for one reason or another (based on what she had mentioned in her explanation, and previously that morning, he had an idea or two as to why), but that was truly not the case.
CC’s bewilderment, horror, and anger was purely directed towards the people who thought stripping one of their entire identity was a reasonable course of punishment.
He drew in a deep, rattling vent to try and cool his temper, and wondered idly how Rain must feel. Her voice, while moderated by the comms, had nonetheless been strained- but he didn’t try to think about it too deeply, it would be impossible to know just how she felt about it truly. With a little bit of a clearer processor now, he managed to at least parse out the most- well, what he thought was the most- vital thing to clear right away.
If Rain had joined him on the ground atop the little wooded hill he’d picked by then, Cloudcompass would chuff his vents with a small shake of the head, mouth set in a tense grimace.
“Are you telling me, that for animal rights activism, the Functionalist Council shredded your very physical identity?”
It was the most emotion Rain would have seen from her flying buddy, and would probably likely see for another while- the words were all but growled out, as CC schooled his features but couldn’t keep his roiling contempt from the spoken word.
“What in the pits, Rain.”
And just when he thought this conversation wasn’t going to be too draining today. He would be apologizing for ultimately causing later.
"There is no way in Mae's nine realms of hell you were deserving of that."
Nothing living deserved that treatment- not the scummiest of cons, not Rain. Unicron himself would only qualify on the technicality that he couldn't exactly be called living now could he?
Rain had expected one or two different reactions, but had had no real time to think much further ahead. Even if she had had the time, she still would have failed to guess Cloudcompass' next move. She just wouldn't have guessed that he would dive, transform and land.
The location, though not exactly random, was not chosen with hiding a giant alien robot from human view in mind. After a moment of hesitation, Rain followed. She tried to be as quick as the other much more powerful flier, but ultimately held back some. She was far from fully healed and high gee braking would be uncomfortable at the least. Should her forewing fail or internal shoulder joint supporting her main wing, well then, she may have caught up to Cloud lethally quick.
Far more gently than her partner and quite a few seconds behind, Rain joined Cloud on the ground. She landed behind him, slightly off to the side. As she walked to stand beside him, she looked around. There was no human habitation or activity in sight, thank the Triptych Mask she thought. Cloudcompass may not have to deal with the immediate fallout of being seen, but she would most certainly catch flak from her superiors. She didn't need more of that.
The femme stood next to the mech, side by side, about a shoulder width between them. She was uncertain if he would meet her face again and so she did not force it. Rain was however surprised at the vehemence in Coud's tone, but also glad that he cared. She was also sad however that she had rocked his world in such a fashion and stolen his innocence.
It was true then she thought, his first impression of her, as far as she had read him, was indeed of simple acceptance and not revulsion or pity as everyone else gave her. She wanted more of that simple acceptance, from herself. What she did or didn't deserve was largely irrelevant, the universe simply could not care, unlike those trapped within. Yes her physical identity had very much shaped her mental one, especially in her case since her sparking, but change had brought an evolution. Rain most days considered the change to be good. But such philosophy was perhaps better left for another day.
"Cloudcompass, I am sorry If I have ruined this day, and even more sorry for stealing away your innocence. And thank you so much for caring, but my past has passed, I have evolved and well, those who hurt me are now dust." Her voice was sincere and as gentle as the breeze flickering by. "I have my wings and my voice and my freedom." And good company she added silently.
Cloudcompass didn’t even try to hide the scoff that curled his lip at her words. Ruined the day? Well, it was worse than expected, sure but not exactly ruined- and as for his innocence! The jet shook his head, stepping to the side to give himself some breathing room. Something needed to exist to be tarnished. This was the second time she’d touched on the subject, and his plating prickled with the discomfort. Loathe as he was to do it, he had to nip this idea in the bud. His thoughts whirled with uncertainty and worry, even as he still reeled from the Rain’s revelation, and he had to take another minute to set the priorities straight. First thing’s first, at least that was fairly clear-
“That you’ve made it through such an experience is testament to your will, Rain.” His words took on the same polite respect as before- and as before, they were utterly sincere. The femme had earned some of his reluctant respect, in any case. Cloudcompass regarded her now with new optics- or rather, informed optics. He didn’t pity her, but he didn’t quite know how else to feel about it- nothing had changed, per say. And yet something had. He now knew her current features had been imposed, rather than natural as first he’d assumed- that was a change. He couldn’t imagine viewing her as any different for it though. It reflected more upon the state of the Functionalist Council than it did Rain, afterall. Which brought him to next point-
“However-” and something in his tone steeled, the occasional twitch of his wings the only indicator to his discomfort.“This idea of my ‘innocence’ is unfounded and ridiculous. I do not know what has led you to perceive me as such.” There was much he could add, but they were assumptions as to why she seemed so insistent on this- fairly useless all things considered. Therefore, there was no point in continuing, and he fell silent. Despite that, Rain couldn't be lead to believe that he hadn't known the state of Cybertron before the war- perhaps he hadn't seen it, per say, and news travelled as slow as cold oil through space- but he wasn't ignorant.
Cloudcompass’ sentiment was welcome, and in her estimation, fairly accurate. But willful was only half of her survival story, desperate and passionate filled in the rest. She had tried so many things to keep from nihilistic despair, some stuck, some didn't, and even less followed the plan. But above all, she would never ever go down without a fight, she chose life.
At the mechs’s insistence of his own lack of innocence, Rain steepled her hands and tapped finger tips together and felt rather stupid. “Well I um, that is to say...I may have made some calculated assumptions...and apparently I'm bad at maths. Look, you obviously have a very good spark, and in no way at all were you there for the decline of our society, I mean empurata wasnt even the worst, and then civil war turned into self genocide…” She tapped a foot nervously trying to find a path out of her mess of conjecture.
“And you and any others trapped on the farside of the space bridges were exploring the galaxy and surviving out in the unknown fighting to just stay alive...like in the holovids…” Rain could see where she had gone wrong now. All those appealing adventure movies from before the war had obviously skewed her expectations of living beyond Cybertron.
“I can't imagine what difficulties you faced out there, or what you had to do, and I guess I don't know what news ever reached you, but…” She trailed off. She really didn't know what Cloudcompass had had to do to survive for the last ten million years at all, but whatever it was, whoever he really was, she knew he was good.
“Oh by the Triptych Mask I am a glitch. By Mae’s nine hells, we are both glitches aren't we?” Rain tried to stifle a nervous giggle and only half succeeded. She turned her head to face Cloud. “So who is Mae?”
The snowy mech scrutinized Rain for a long, drawn out moment. Was that it? Was it that simple? From so somber to chuckling- it almost gave Cloudcompass second-hand emotional whiplash. He wasn’t exactly going to question her change of mood however- he wasn’t eager to dwell on her revelation, and he could easily imagine that she wasn’t keen either. But… CC tried and failed to parse out her words, to read any kind of possible annoyance- but really she just seemed overwhelmingly nervous- taken aback if anything. Talk about his innocence. He gave a small shake of the helm as he relaxed a little on his heels, wings’ flicking to rebalance as he leaned back. It was an abrupt change of subject, but his question *had been answered, so now came his turn. He wasn’t going to be the one to say otherwise.
However.
His gaze flicked around their little barren hilltop, the forest valley surrounding them and the mountains beyond. This wasn’t the best choice of landing spot, and it definitely was not going to suffice if they were to continue conversing. Nor did he feel up to flying again- this was starting to drag on him now, especially after... that. He wouldn’t be up to it for much longer. With a low hum and chuff of his vents, Cloudcompass glanced back to Rain- pushing any lingering shock or horror or whatever that mess of feelings was away for now (and honestly probably forever). Focus on what’s on-hand.
“We should find cover, and I can explain as we go.” He motioned with a nod towards a dip in the woods at the bottom of the hill to their left, where a gully created a path that should be large enough for mecha their size to walk down. The trees on either side would provide cover, and there didn’t seem to be any of the locals around for now. They’d have to be careful and keep their optics sharp, but it was better than standing out in the open as they were. As such, CC took the first couple of steps around Rain to start down towards the gully, pausing with a small bounce on his pedes to see if the idea was agreeable to his current companion.
Rain was rather excited with this plan, as long as the trees weren't too dense, exploring them even a little would be delightful to the faux faun. “A most excellent plan in the circumstances.” Rain nodded her approval and followed closely.
Cloudcompass gave a nod of acknowledgment as he went, keeping his stride a bit longer then he normally would, gait more noticeably lopsided now that Rain was seeing him walk properly for the first time- all so that he could keep a comfortable distance away. Once again, he ignored the creak in his knee and started to work on his answer-
“As for Mae- well.” There was much he could say there, and he had to make a conscious effort to keep twitching fingers from absentmindedly rubbing at the plating over his spark. “Pragmatically speaking, Mae is the planet I considered home.” He was quite glad she hadn’t specifically asked about that, and had lent more towards his adopted idioms in her teasing (he would not deign the title of glitch however, it needn’t be said really).
“More...ah. Spiritually? I suppose.” There was a word for it, and he paused momentarily at the foot of the hill in thought. “Perhaps theologically- Mae was believed to be the founder of the planet’s pantheon. ‘From one life flows, to one it falls’.” The saying sounded awkwardly stilted as Cloudcompass spoke, in large part due to a quick translation job. It wasn’t exactly right, but the gist was there- as was often the case with his expressions.
“Their exact role in the planet’s development changes somewhat between beliefs, but they are almost unanimously considered the first and progenitor of the deities.” Cloudcompass had to duck under most of the tree cover as they walked into the gully, and he kept Rain somewhere to his side within his peripheral. Somewhat wryly he added; “We’d once found evidence to suggest that Mae had existed and that they’d actually traveled from a separate system, but that’s for another time.” That had been quite the occasion. Too bad they’d never gotten the chance to share.
Now then- that pretty much covered the basics of Mae- and once again the jet was drawing blanks when it came to his own questions. Even if he did find something, he was hesitant after last time’s disaster. “I must admit,” He started after another moment’s reflection, “that I have nothing further to ask.”
“However, since I gave my word on the bargain, I feel as if I should answer some more questions at your discretion.”
It was an open ended offer with a carefully schooled tone- he was running out of that special energy one required to interact socially and somewhat hoped she’d keep her questions short if she decided to continue. It helped somewhat that they were out in the solace of nature, as CC doubted he would’ve survived this long if they were anywhere else- but even that had its limits. His word was what kept him, and would keep him tolerant for another little while yet. Not to mention, this was the most he'd spoken in one sitting in centuries.
[Lil Rain appearance brought to you by River for the sake of the conversation]
Rain followed Cloud, only half paying attention to the mech’s movements and her own foot falls, her visual attention was mostly on the trees and surrounds. She did see enough of Cloudcompass to notice his limp and vowed to ask about it later, it could wait a minute. Though she was far from her native home, she earnestly felt in her element here in the untouched wild. There was life here, around her and even underneath, she believed she could feel it in her spark. Rain’s dithering with nature would allow the ailing mech to slow his pace, she was no longer hot on his heels anymore
Under the cover of the trees, the femme paused and lifted her head, entranced with the notion that she had to be careful not to hook her lonely antler. Never had it been an issue. She placed her open hand upon the trunk of the tree, it felt weirdly rough, and slightly cool to touch, the smell of pollen in the air distinct and refreshing.
Her attention was only fully drawn back to the mech at the conclusion of his tale, and she found herself delightfully shaken. She turned to face him squarely and leaned against the tree, but not too much. “Now that is a revelation, an actual deity and pantheon..” Her voice trailed off wistfully. “It’s like Primus and our thirteen.” They had never found absolute proof, but circumstantial evidence was stronger than for any other creation theory. The thought that other planets and systems had their own celestial creators expanded on certain theories.
She was not so introverted in her thoughts as to fail to notice Cloudcompass seemed to be near his end of social enthusiasm, and he never seemed to have much to begin with. She put up a hand to signal peace. “No more questions from me. I think this is as beautiful a place as any to just pause.” She tilted her head to one side “If you wish to go, I will not chase.” She offered. She hoped he would stay but she would not force the issue even remotely. Today was just the first wisp afterall.
Their evidence had pointed across the stars, where Mae had traveled and by all accounts continued to do so- quite the feat for a supposedly organic being. But that was for another day.
He turned instead to face Rain fully once more, considering her offer with one arched optic-ridge. Cloudcompass didn’t believe her for a second- if anything, she'd proven herself to be quite resourceful in their little game, and hadn’t been at a loss for questions. He wasn’t one to argue another’s choices usually, but he doubted that Rain knew exactly how willing he was to take that offer as it was given and leave. With a measure of politeness, of course, but right now he felt like he’d been run over by a transport and needed to recharge for another moon to fully recover. He could just feel the processor ache coming on.
“Are you sure?”
Out of the sun and under the dabbled canopy of trees, the air was cooler and the wind less biting. Creatures in the undergrowth and the creaking of tree trunks echoed along their gully- proving well and truly that this place was alive, and provided the space traveler with some comfort. Forests across the galaxy usually had these things in common- though they varied wildly in composition. In any other set of circumstances, namely if he was alone, he could probably find it within himself to relax for an hour or two. As Rain said, it was beautiful.
That level of comfort just couldn’t exist with Rain present however, and so the snowy jet remained tense even as he rested back on his heels temporarily. Even that felt bizarre- and he could easily go further as to say this whole conversation had been… weird. So far out of his comfort zone, so much had been exchanged- ah. There had been a time in the past where these types of things had been the norm. He’d have to get himself used to it all over again, if he was to succeed. On the flip side- he actually found himself glad that it was Rain, and not some other mecha right at this moment. She seemed decent- considerate company at least. Kind. Only time would tell if they were to even meet again. Mae only knew what the future held and all that nonsense.
This time around though, he'd have to do it without Flicker… and he didn’t know if it was right to think that that was for the better.
"It is as you please Rain, but think well. You've an opportunity few have had." There was that wry twist of the lips again, a twitch of a wing as it twanged in pain. It only just occurred to him he could've lied about any and all of his answers thus far... and that was somewhat surprising. Rain, whether she knew it or not had gotten truths- some fragments thereof, but not really lies. He had to wonder if she'd believed it all- that was certainly his current impression.
"Moreover, do you feel the bargain's been carried?" While he may still regret it- especially by the soreness of his voicebox- he had offered an open-ended deal and he fully intended to follow through.
Rain mentally tucked away the note to delve more into this Mae legend with Cloudcompass at some later date. She was certainly intrigued and it might give her some insight into her own pantheon. The whole created by a god like entity vs completely natural evolution was an interesting topic she would like to bring up with anyone inclined at some point too.
“I am rarely absolutely sure of anything, wonder does the spark good. But I hold to my word. I do not desire to unduly bother.” She had had a good time honestly, despite some awkwardness, and the forest was helping her to relax further. She was quite ready to embrace her own silence and listen to the life all around her. There was so much she was ready to explore, and the temptation of the forest and all its secrets was a near match for the temptation of the mech in front of her. She was still eager to learn more about Cloud but not so eager to push him further away. Time, they really had so much of it and rushing anything was quite irrational.
“I'm satisfied with the bargain. You have been generous, thank you. But since you've twisted my wing, what’s your favorite color?” The question was out before she had much time to reconsider and she was already betting herself the answer was orange. But did he even have an aesthetic preference? He had seen so much more of the universe than she, he might have actually evolved past such trivial things. In theory she should have too, but she had accepted that some aesthetic drive was simply part of her spark. She proudly wore antlers for Onyx’s sake. That fact that she was still vain was absurdly ironic.
Trying to be casual about everything, Rain casually flexed her right hand, trying to ease out the gentle ache and very stiff joints. It would still be a month before it was fully healed. She was quite lucky there really.
Cloudcompass leveled Rain with an almost comically flat look, one optic-ridged crooked over squinted orange optics. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t expected something of this sort to occur. He could say much about how little he had actually ‘twisted her wing’, but decided against it- he got snappy when tired, and if he started now their meeting would likely not end on a pleasant note. Clipped politeness it was, for another few minutes at least. He shifted weight off his wounded leg with a creak and a chuff of the vents, keeping his arms awkwardly at his sides- at a loss with what to do with them like at the beginning of their little chat.
“I owe you thanks, for your datapad. As for my favourite colour- uh.” He hadn’t thought of this in a while- when would it ever come up when you’re scrapping a living from planet to planet, after all? Did he even have a favourite colour? It dawned on him then just how long it had been since he’d had such a… normal conversation- talked about random, trivial matters. It hadn’t been unpleasant either- though granted it had had its bumps and could’ve gone better. He would be flying away tired, as usual… but not necessarily in a bad mood- just a little bit flummoxed, still. Scales tipped a little further in favour of this move to Earth, just the tiniest bit.
“....Orange, probably? It’s not something I give much thought to."
Not that he was naive enough to believe all would go so well moving forward. He’d planned for the worse, because he knew better. He glanced over Rain again, thoughtful, and hoping she didn’t expect him to return the question. Which led to a somewhat… awkward silence, for once. An inner dilemma rose in Cloudcompass- to duck out now or wait until something else was said. Either way he had no idea how to do it gracefully, especially right at this moment. The snowy mech shifted back onto his toes and opened his wings just enough to switch their tightly folded positions, hiding a wince in the movement as pain sensors twanged in protest. Might as well get it over with.
“...It’s been an… interesting meeting, Rain.”
He took a few steps back towards the hill, still turned to face his companion.
Orange, Ha!, I was right! Rain thought to herself, some mechs were easy to read in that small game she liked to play.
Still somewhat leaning against the tree, she tilted her head a little at the slowly, awkwardly retreating Cloudcompass. She didn't really want him to go just yet, but knew the limit had already been pushed. But now was still a good time, and the morning was still fresh. She had further things to explore than the personality of one mech, even one this interesting .
Instead she waved her left hand in a shooing motion. “Go! Be free and enjoy your personal space. I’ll find a good place here to mediate, and maybe look for a rock or two for Skystone’s collection. I’ve really enjoyed this morning, so thank you for that.” She’d probably call him again in a week or two, unless he broke silence first, though that would really surprise her.
Rain decided she’d probably look for a nice rock first, and then meditate for a bit. Replay the morning’s conversation and see if anything could be deduced or contemplated. She femme was also curious to see how the forest’s resident would respond to her company. Her own smell would be highly alien, and she hoped it wouldn't trigger their flight response too much. She really was not eager at all to return to base, but she was only ever a radio call away. Instead she gracefully waited for Cloudcompass to make his final goodbye, she was sure it was coming, before heading deeper into the forest.
“Ah then, I-I’ll go. Uh, it was good to properly get acquainted, and I thank you again for your datapad.” Cloudcompass dipped his helm in farewell, paused a moment, then awkwardly side-stepped away a few more paces. Once he was satisfied with the distance he half-turned and briskly marched (as much as his lopsided leg would allow) back up the hill.
Once there he cast a quick glance behind, observed Rain’s dabble-blue form in shadow of the gully for a ponderous moment, and as a somewhat awkward effort lifted a hand in final adieu. He was quick to leave after that, taking a running leap off the ground to try and get airborn before possibly cutting the tops off the trees lining the hill’s opposite embankment. Because wouldn’t that be a great way to make a clumsy parting even worse!
As the jet veered off and tipped up to gain altitude, sparring no speed for now he had no companion with which to match pace, he tried his very best to not think of what had just occurred. It was hard and at the same time it really wasn’t, to shove his feelings on the matter aside for never. The main thing to focus on was what he’d learned, and what he’d gained. The datapad would be invaluable…. And maybe a friendly contact was just as worth it. Nevertheless though, he was exhausted. Both mentally and well… he’d wince if he could at the weightlessness of his tanks. Soon his HUD would start with those pesky warnings, he just knew. But that was a problem for the next cycle- for now he’d return to his little valley and research. Energon would be tomorrow’s problem- and the next cycles' if it didn’t get resolved.
With that in mind, Cloudcompass pulled higher and hit the throttle, not quite breaking the sound barrier but coming in close well above the mountains, valleys and wide-open plains of the Earth below- his new home.
Rain gave Cloudcompass an easy salute sending him on his way. There was no face to wear a smile but there was a smile nonetheless. Rain paid attention to the way he walked. His unique leg structure, strange to most, was intriguing to Rain, but mostly she was watching his limp. She was memorising his motion and judging the extent of the injury. If or when they met next, she wanted to see if he was getting better. The sweep of his wings, almost regal, was also pleasant watching she'd admit to herself. And then he transformed and ignited his jets.
That was impressive, she thought. His size change, from slightly taller than herself, to a huge-aft jet, was indicative of massive parts displacement and mass shifting. Such a transition was always mesmerizing. The raw power of his engines was equally impressive and Rain felt just a tiny touch of envy. She was more worried however at his energon consumption. Out on his own, he may have trouble even finding enough to survive. His alt did appear to have additional sensors, so she wasn't too worried. And then he was gone, the sound of his jets fading away.
Rain sighed. She leant against the tree for a few long minutes, just basking in the warmth of nature all round. She let her thoughts of Cloudcompass linger a little as she replayed their conversations. There was stuff there, like Mae, that she would one day like to explore more, but all that would wait awhile. Picking a direction based on the easiest path for something of her size, Rain began to navigate her way through the thinnest parts of the forest, heading in deeper.
As the trees grew taller and their shadows darkened, Rain eventually found herself a spot under a huge pine that felt just right to her spark. She sat down with her back to the tree, leaning against its mighty strength. She stretched her legs out in front of her and closed her optic with her hand resting in her lap. Slowly she let her thought still and quiet and began to meditate. Though she was not of this planet, she could feel the energy of the forest embracing her and partook of the serenity. Though she looked asleep, or even unpowered and though her mind was empty, she still listened to the rustle of leaves and felt the gentle breeze over her wings. Her senses were alive and for a time, her spark was at peace.
A curious mammalian nose sniffed at Rain's metallic odor carried on the wisps of wind, it was different, alien and yet safe. It was not the smell of any predator that instincts scurried away from. Even listening as she was, Rain didn't hear the shy approach until the creature was very close. With delicate slowness, Rain opened her optic to see what had caught her attention. She didn't risk turning her head, and so from the corner of her vision, the creature could only be described as some small tawny feline. It approached Rain, sniffing around her hips and then the gap between the small of her back and the tree. She felt the feline rub against her for a moment, before it hurried off in search of something that had caught its own attention.
Some hours later, she would radio back her Autobot comrades and see if anyone was patrolling anywhere nearby. Rain didn't exactly relish returning to the fold this day, but she had in the end before she left the forest, managed to find a rock for her friend Skystone's collection.