Head high

Shoulder pad's back

Chest out.

"Wait, why should I stuck out my chest plate?" Acrion asked herself, practicing her positions. "I guess it's not impressive enough. And here I go again; head high, shoulder pads back-"

HONK

Acrion yelped, nearly falling backwards at the sounds of constant honks and beeps. Waiting for her spark to ease, she stared out the window, trying to think of what could be causing that commotion.

"Oh wait, I remember. Here comes the sparkling swarm."

Acrion had hoped she would have had time to run outside that morning, frolic around in the oil pits, have some fun before she was forced into a social gathering. The sun was rising into light blue sky, the air wasn't too humid or too cold, even her creature friends appeared to be begging her to come outside. Instead, her carrier forced her to take two oil bath's, not sure why, then Rimma made her clean the house, made the front look perfect and then spend search for the best accessories she owned. When she finally had a moment to herself, she stood in her room, watching out her window at the 'relatives' as they arrived one by one to her home. Of course, she only saw femme's and sparklings since their mates and creator's were at war. Each femme was a bit more like conventional high societal bot than the other. Most of them wore expensive, overly extravagant accessories. She was pleased to see some who appeared normal with just a few minor accessories just to add to their sense of style. Acrion smirked when she saw smaller vehicles driving alongside one of the bigger vehicles. When they transformed, the sparklings clung to their carriers tightly, watching the outer perimeter of the house like something was going to jump out and get them. Their carriers expressions matched their sparklings, their optics scanned the area around them before they would proceed to the house. Seeing this sparked curiosity in Acrion's processor. She knew the Crystal Woods inside and out, she knew all the hiding places and what creatures resided in there. She couldn't understand why everyone was on pins and needles.

"Bunch of snobs." Acrion stated in a heavy grump, stomping away from the window and plopped down onto her berth. Sighing, she placed her faceplate into her serovs, dreading the evening events of supposed family gathering. This would be her fourth or fifth time meeting them, none of their previous visit's have been exactly memorable, and it didn't win her any favorites or words of encouragement. If anything, it was the exact opposite. Rimma scolded her over the smallest thing, the relatives replied to her with condescending tones and pointed out her flaws. No where was safe from their dagger like glares and treacherous words.

She sat up right when a knock came at her door. The door slid open and Rimma entered, wearing her elaborate accessories and jewelry which made Acrion shake her head.

"I see you are making an effort to looking presentable. Have you not chosen what to wear, yet?" Rimma asked with a bitter voice print, hiding her displeasure in Acrion's sleazy attire. She wore no accessories and was still covered in faint dirt lines and grease streaks despite taking two oil baths.

"You know, this is your house." Acrion mentioned, hoping her mother would get the hint. She pointed at the window as more relatives arrived. "You can tell them to leave, I'm pretty sure it won't kill you to say no for once. They only show up to gripe about their work and what such failures their kids are, and the kids are no better. We can tell them to take a hike, we don't want to hear it. A little unexpected change in plans might be the highlight of their day."

"Now Acrion-"

"Come on, mom. Please? For me? I swear, I won't ask for anything for a real long time." Acrion began to beg, which both femme's knew was rare. She stood up and continued, feeling slightly embarrassed, and hoped it would be worth it. "I'll even wear the jewelry if it means I don't have to deal with them-"

"My dear-"

"Do you even know half of them? I don't recognize any of them from the last time."

"That is because-"

"And I don't want to linger around with strangers, I already had to do that at school-"

"ENOUGH!"

Acrion gasped, clearly taken aback by her carrier's sudden out burst. Even Rimma was surprised at herself, it was even a more rare occasion Rimma would lose her composure and raise her volume. For a few nano-seconds, mother and daughter stared at each other uncertain what to do. Suddenly, Rimma closed her optics and cleared her pipes. Acrion waited anxiously. At times, as odd as it seemed, Rimma was unpredictable. Under extreme stress, Rimma can either be calm and collected, and Acrion's punishment would not be as lengthy or enduring. Other times, Rimma would go to almost any lengths to prove to Acrion she was the mother, the one who was in control and Acrion would have no idea what kind of punishment she was in until the next day.

"Now Acrion, this is our family." Rimma scolded, placing her servos on her hip pads, a heavy glare showed in her optics. Acrion sighed quietly, relieved to hear tranquility in her carrier's voice print. But that didn't ease her disappointment. "We must count ourself's fortunate to have such a large family still alive in these dark times. Not so many other bots your age have families."

"Due to this Primas forsaken civil war." Acrion mumbled, her spark growing heavy and gloomy.

"I know you miss him, my daughter." Rimma said with pity, but it also warmed her spark to see how close Acrion and Skreen were, and how strong their bond was. "He would want us to be with our family, spend as much time as we can with them before it is too late."

He's family, too, Acrion mentioned in her processor. She wanted to say it out loud to further the argument, but thought better of it.

"I just don't understand why we had to spend the resources we don't have on such moronic things." Acrion explained in her normal tone, gesturing to the drawers filled with brand new gold and silver accessories every femme screamed over at the store.

"You deem such accessories to be senseless to own?" Rimma asked, tilting her head curiously. She realized Acrion had much different views than most other femme's her age group. Actually, it was much similar to her Skreen's when it came to such luxury things like highly expensive and yet beautiful jewelry. Rimma fell in love with them and thought they would be perfect for her daughter. Acrion, on the other hand, didn't see the point in having them. In fact, she preferred simplicity, something that would enhance her natural beauty.

'If anyone is going to like me, they should see my 'ugly' side first.' She would always say.

"When we trade our highly needed resources for those useless things, yes. What's wrong with being natural?"

Rimma stiffened, swallowing down words she wanted to say. With her family just down the stairs, she knew better than to argue with a stubborn femme. Rimma crossed her arms firmly across her chest plate, glaring intensely at Acrion. Acrion knew she should've felt intimidated, coerced into wearing the gold extensions and small silver rims. Instead, she up, returning a challenging glare to Rimma.

"Rimma? Rimma, where are you?" A voice shouted from down stairs, sending an icey chill through Rimma's system.

There is no time for this, Rimma thought to herself, still angered by Acrion's words.

"Acrion, I suggest you fix this rude attitude of yours while our relatives are visiting. I will not have you embarrassing us with your snide remarks and comments." With that, Rimma slowly turned and walked out of the room.

Acrion waited for her mother to leave the room and the door had slid shut before she could release her anger. Growling and snarling, she marched over to a picture she had painted when she was younger and roughly took it off the wall. She dropped it onto the floor and stared at the large, cracked hole in the wall where she had punched countless times. She stood quietly for a few moments until she heard more noises downstairs before she slammed her fist through the metal.

"Whatever."