Transformers belongs to Hasbro
He sits in his office, putting the last few finishing touches on it. He couldn't put it all together at his place, since he had to stop by a supply shop to buy the mix for the energon. It is sitting off to the side, since the directions say that the closer to the time it is fueled on, the more effective it will be. He doesn't want to give her something that hurts her. That would ruin the entire reason he's even doing this.
There's a knock on the door, and it opens without him saying they can enter. He doesn't look up as Optimus, and it can only be Optimus, steps in. He continues to carefully decorate the plate so that the crystals stand up and look like natural clusters. "Did you need something, Optimus Magnus, sir?"
Optimus looks enraged. Sentinel briefly wonders if the Magnus has finally gone off the deep-end, and then remembers all the mediabots watching them last night. Ah. It must have been on the news this morning.
"I know you were warned away from Sari, Sentinel," Optimus says softly, dangerously. "Would you care to explain why you took her out anyways? There's no way she would have agreed to go with you. What did you blackmail her with?"
He frowns at him, looking up briefly before returning to work on the crystal plate, "Why would you automatically think that I blackmailed her to get her to date me?"
The datapad is dropped next to him, jarring the crystals and making a few fall over. He sighs, placing them back upright, and then looks at the datapad. It is predominately showing a picture of him holding her. He looks rather stern, and she looks wide opticked and innocent. He's glad there isn't a picture of her getting into his cab, at least.
He looks up at Optimus, "And how does this show that I blackmailed her?"
"I know you, Sentinel. You're dating her because you want something. Just tell me what it is. You don't need to go through her to get it." Optimus crosses his arms over his chest. "If you have a fetish, there are plenty of prostibots willing to indulge you for the right amount of credits. I know several of our officers who can direct you to a brothel that will suit your needs.
Sentinel shudders. A Decepticon brothel? He hopes to Primus there aren't any on Cybertron. "No. That is not why I am in a relationship with Sari."
Optimus crosses his arms, "And why, exactly, are you trying to date her, then?"
He focuses on the crystals, not wanting to show the blush high on his cheek arches to Optimus, "She... intrigues me. She is small and lovely, and had managed to elude me for so long. I... I... I don't mind that she's a Decepticon." he looks the Magnus straight in the face, "I figured out what she was, and it... it is something I can live with. She is clearly trying not to be a Decepticon any longer, the lack of faction symbol shows that, and I am more than willing to try to be with her."
"You-" the Magnus makes a choked sound. "No. Just . . . no. She's not . . You stay away from her." He turns, and Sentinel coughs politely, drawing his attention again.
"Would you mind giving this to her?" He holds the tray aloft. "I know she must have an energon allergy. I got this for her to fuel on. To show that I understand. I even found a cafe that sells this blend on the menu, so we can go there together next time."
The Magnus glares at him, "You aren't going to be going out with her again. Do you understand? You are not to ask her again or try to find-"
He looks at the bot, then interrupts quietly, "Even when I was Magnus, I never ordered a bot not to be with someone they liked. If the bot they liked was a Decepticon, they were allowed to either leave or have the Decepticon change factions under a probationary period."
The Magnus's servos clench into fists, and the bot hisses at him, "You . . . if she wants to see you, she can. But . . I doubt she'll want that, you aft. We'll be making sure you didn't blackmail her into this. And you . . really don't know the extent of her secrets. I can't trust you with her." The bot gives him the coldest look he's ever seen from Optimus. "If you hurt her, I will personally destroy you, Sentinel. It will be the only time I take advantage of my rank. You will be exiled to the furthest reaches of space."
Since he has no interest in hurting her at all, but that talk of secrets he doesn't know unsettles him. He doesn't want her to have had done something terrible, or have had something terrible done to her. Maybe she got shoved into Blackarachnia's experiments and got forced into a single altmode, having been reprototyped with one of those... humans. It would explain how she is so tiny and things like that.
The very idea makes him shudder.
He steels himself, and pushes the tray to Optimus, "Still, give this to her? I want her to have it, and let her know I found an energon shop that she could possibly fuel at."
Optimus takes the tray, frowning at him, "I doubt it." The Magnus blinks at the cube of energon, "Is... is this Voxian high grade?"
He blushes, looking down, "Well, I just.. If I'm going to get her something, she may as well have something good. The package for what is mixed in is right there, and she's so tiny, I don't mind getting her something extra delicious. She just... won't fuel for the rest of the sol so she doesn't get overcharged."
"She's not going to fuel on this," Optimus frowns at it. "I'm not sure why she would want to either, this brand makes your glossa feel . . . strange."
That was because Optimus was a giant virgin and had no idea about spark licking. "I think she'll enjoy it. Have her at least try a sip, please. I doubt she gets much fuel otherwise, and I want her healthy. Is that so much to ask, Optimus?" Sentinel gives him a pleading look, feeling shame all the way down to his spark. He hates having to beg like this.
The Magnus gives him a dirty look. "Fine, but don't expect her to like it." The bot turns around, muttering something about Sari not being able to eat crystals before the door shutting.
He sighs softly, feeling a little depressed. It seems that nothing he does will be good enough for her. If she can't eat that, he is running out of options. He would have to try to get her a cora blend or something like that. Nothing like red, which would make her inclined to interface. As... as much as he'd like her to, he will not drug a bot into joining his berth.
He's not a monster.
He isn't.
Even if Optimus and his team seem to think he is.
Sentinel works on his datapads, and eventually has to give up and go into the offices for the lower ranked officers again.
He stands in front of them, and the dozen bots there all stare at him with wide, frightened optics, like petrorabbits caught in a laserhawk's sight. "This is not acceptable," he waves a datapad at them. "I have told you a hundred times that this is not acceptable. I don't want long, rambling stories. I want you to make a list of the things you've accomplished. That is all. It should take you a klik tops."
They all give him terrified looks, and one says cautiously, "But, sir, you want to know what we're doing, and we have-"
He points at the meeting room, "Everyone in! Go! I will explain exactly what we are doing, since the last few times just didn't stick. We'll even use this one here as an example!"
They all hurry in, not wanting to fan the fire of his ire, and he follows them in. he watches as they all crowd in, and he walks over to the console, connecting it to the datapad, setting up his fragging presentation. There's a bot from the crowd saying, "Is... is that my report?"
He makes sure that everyone can see it, "I don't know, is it? It doesn't matter for this, since I'm just going to show all of you exactly what I need." He points to one of the paragraphs, "This right here, when you ramble on about deciding if you need to go out to lunch last sol? It is not needed. No one needs to send me these sorts of things." He crosses it all out decisively. "This bit, right here," he points about three paragraphs down, "where it says that you did the start of the expense report, and are waiting on more information? That, right there, this is what I need."
He goes through the rest of it, circling about four more points, and crossing everything out. He points at it all meaningfully, servos on his hips.
"There are five things that I needed in this entire fifteen page report. Fifteen pages, and I only need five sentences. It does not matter that you look at the datapad and think, 'I need to fill this out, or it looks like I'm not doing work.' All I need is the information about what you actually did. I don't care if you only have one sentence to give me. Or no sentences. Since that no sentence shows that you didn't even work, and just goofed off on the com'net all sol. You should have done something, even if that was written as gathering information."
One of the bots raises a servo, "If we chat on the com'net with suspected Decepticons, can we list that as gathering Decepticon intel?"
Primus save them all. "Depends. Are you actually gathering intel, or are you asking them for filthy spark pictures to self-service to?" The bot stays silent and looks away. "I'd like to remind you that your monitor and com'net use is monitored while you are at Autobot Command. If you are using our servers for filth, we will catch you, and you will end up with the janitorial staff cleaning the public washracks with very small brushes for the next stellar cycle."
Another bot asks, "Is there anything else we need to know, sir?"
He sighs softly, "No. You all go back to work. Remember what I said here. If any of you bring me another report that is long and rambling, you will be reprimanded for it. You all know how to do it, now, and I won't accept you say you forgot. I saved you time and effort just doing this."
They all mumble their agreement, and walk out of the room. He sighs, and starts to shut down the console he was working on. He's interrupted by a tiny servo on his leg, and he blinks in surprise to see Sari. She smiles up at him, "I liked your presentation. Not that I really should have been here, but I got tugged in. You did well."
He feels his cheeks flush with pride, "Of course I did well. I tutor classes over at the Academy once a decacycle. I don't know how the cadets can be better at writing reports than our actual employees and officers are."
Sari giggles, "Maybe if you started grading their reports, they'd give you better ones?"
Sentinel snorts, "Only if those grades affected their pay rates." He pauses, intrigued by the idea, and then slumps. "But half of the councilbots write worse reports than this bunch does. It'd never get approved."
She pats his leg, and reaches up for him, wanting to be held. He obliges her, leaning against the desk and holding her so they are more optic to optic. She touches his chin, optics moving in the way showing a smile behind her facemask -which may be the secret Optimus is talking about. Maybe her face is infected with some sort of horrible rust?
She says softly, "Maybe. They all are pretty terrible at writing. Optimus complains about that a lot when I have to run his datapads." She touches him again, giving him a shy look, "I... I got the crystals you got me. I can't eat them. I really can't."
That's disappointing, but nothing too terrible. "And the energon? Could you drink that?"
She sighs sadly, "Optimus said that Ratchet saw the tray before me, and took off with the energon. Ratchet said it was inappropriate for me to have or something. I'm not really sure what he's talking about."
Sentinel flushes. Fantastic. They're going to assume he got her that high grade as a come-on, when really, he just loves the way it tastes and wants to share it with her. Yes. It makes the glossa tingle like you've been licking a spark if there's rust flake added to it. Hers didn't have that. It would have had a mild tingle, but nothing inappropriate.
He was a gentlemech.
"I can get you another cube if you like. There's a shop," he can't leave work in the middle of the sol, but . . . "We could go grab a cube at this shop. It has energon that you should be able to fuel on."
She looks away, "I don't... I don't fuel... I..."
He gives her a pleading look, "I know it is expensive, but I just want you to be able to fuel and not have to go off planet to get it. I am more than willing to get you what you want."
She looks up at him, then touches his chin, "I... yes. Okay. I don't think that it matters much. It will still not do very well with me, but... I'm willing to try since you want me to. If it doesn't work, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing."
He nods, smiling brightly, "I'm glad you're willing." He sets her down carefully, "I... I can even get us a private spot in there, where no one will see you. I won't look while you fuel, so you can hide your face." He blanches, worrying that he's insulted her, "If you have a mouth. I didn't mean to just assume you did. I know plenty of bots don't. Do you use some other method of fuel intake? I don't mind." He bites his lip, "Not that it matters if I did mind. It's natural for bots to have different ways to fuel." He's really fragging it up now.
Her optics glow, "I have a mouth. It's . . a weird mouth, but it's not missing."
He gives her a nervous look, "So you can fuel normally, and I wasn't insulting you by trying to give you crystals?"
She puts a servo to her facemask, giggling softly, "Not really, you're fine." She touches his leg, "It is just that the crystals are too hard for me to even try to eat. I'd break my dente, even if Ratchet says they are meant specifically for crushing crystals. I tried to before, and I had to replace several of the gears."
He winces at that. Replacing a gear in the mouth means that she was really hurt because of it. "I won't get you any more crystals, then."
She smiles up at him, "I liked them, though. They're really pretty."
He wonders if she's the type of femme who likes to decorate herself. "I'll get you decorative crystals, then. Fuel-grade ones are never as nice." He knows a gardener near the docks who has a collection of truly beautiful crystals. The mech is reluctant to part with them, but Sentinel can get a few if he agrees to a bit of hard labor and maintenance. Crystal work is easy, but labor-intensive.
She tilts her head, optics glowing happily, "I'd like that." She glance at the door, "I should get back to work, though. Optimus and Bumblebee will be looking for me. I can't just stay hidden forever."
He nods, waving at her, "You go ahead." He smiles, watching her go. She has a lovely walk, even if it is a flat footed one that most femmes never have. It is... nice to have a bot with him that walks in a practical way.
He sighs, and settles down at his desk, waiting eagerly for the end of his shift, and his next date with the femme.
She's beautiful, sitting across from him at the table at the Wire and Widgets cafe, waiting for their energon. He's ordered for her, but she doesn't seem to mind. She's polished up nicely, and he swears she must have rubbed metal flake on her tiny sparkplates, because the blue emblem is practically glittering.
He's incredibly glad that they are in a private room, or he would feel slightly compelled to block her from everyone's view. She is too beautiful to just let anyone see.
She looks up at him shyly from under her helmet as he gives her the tray of various energon cubes he ordered for her. "Are you sure I should? I mean, I know that this one," she points at the cube to her right, but not to the far right, "is one of the higher quality plain energon blends. I can't afford this, but you have all of these lined up from cheapest type to most expensive. Are you sure? I won't be able to drink them."
He smiles at her, "Sometimes, a bot with an energon allergy can have some of the very high quality ones. You are... small enough that it will be easy to get you the more expensive types."
She blinks at him and says quietly, "I don't have an energon allergy." She takes the first cube and sips from it, blinking with shock. "This is . . . this actually tastes right. Good." She takes another sip and places the cube down. "But the texture's not quite right."
If she's not allergic to energon, he doesn't know why she can't fuel on normal energon. "Go on. try the others. They're better grades. They'll taste better."
She works her way through the cubes and Sentinel sips from his own middle-grade, watching her, taking delight in each and every smile she gives him. He is glad that she doesn't have some horrible disfiguration or... tentacles on her face. She just has a black expanse that opens up revealing the oddest dente he's ever seen. Her smile is filled with gears and other crushing things. No wonder Ratchet said they were built for crushing crystals. The poor femme most likely onlined with her creators nowhere to teach her what to do.
He hates the idea that they would abandon her just because she is small. She is lovely how she is, even if she seems to be built to fuel on crystals.
He'll . . teach her. He takes a small crystal from the tray and snaps it in half, offering part of it to her. "You probably broke your denta because you tried to take too much at once. Your mouth is very small. You should put this in and let your gears crush it thoroughly before trying to swallow it."
Sari stares at it, and then takes it from him, popping it into her mouth. He can hear her gears start slowly, and then speed up to normal after the crystal doesn't break any of them. He feels . . . awful that no bot had ever taught her how to do this. How to fuel herself.
She makes this tiny little happy sound, her optics flickering in pleasure. "Oh... it is so good."
He can almost feel his spark break at that. How the pit didn't Optimus know to do this? How has she been surviving when she doesn't like energon and had no clue how to properly break crystals apart?
He reaches over, another broken crystal in his servo, "Want some more? I can start to get you crushed crystals. I'm sure that would be better than the whole ones I gave you earlier."
She shakes her head, "I think I can break them. I mean, I have energy blades I can use to do that now. It would work."
"You should just take them in small pieces. Your mouth isn't big enough to take full crystals." Sentinel wants to reach over and cup her cheek with his servo, even though it'd really be more like her entire helm, because she's so fragging tiny. He wants to tug her onto his lap and kiss her, and see if he can fit his glossa in her mouth. Bots with gear mouths are supposed to be very pleasant to kiss.
She nuzzles his servo, blushing adorably, "You're being so nice to me."
He smiles at her, "Why wouldn't I be?"
She bites her bottom lip, gear dente pressing against it to show them off unconsciously, "Well, you said you know my secret, but you really don't. Optimus said you thought I was a Decepticon, but I'm really not." She pulls away, "You... you won't like me if you find out."
"You have no secrets that would upset me." He takes her servo and kisses it. "You can tell me whatever it is. Or you can keep it a secret. As long as . . as long as you are not actively working for the Decepticons, I will accept it. I promise."
She shakes her head, "I'm not working for them, and you'll be upset when you find out." She reaches up and touches his cheek. "But it's fun being with you. If I have to hide it a bit longer, I guess I can."
He touches her side gently, taking care not to brush any seams to make her think he is only after her spark. That may be part of why he wants her, but likes how she speaks, what she does. "You don't have to hide anything. I am willing to-"
She moves away, looking down, "No. You really will freak out. You really don't... You just..." She moves from his attempt to touch her again. "You don't want me. I already told you that bots here don't want me."
"You worry too much." He swirls a crystal in one of the high grade cubes and offers it to her. "Just fuel up. It'll be alright." He smiles at her, and wishes briefly that she had tires. He loves having something soft and squishy to pet. He loves the way tire rubber yields to his touch, and how delicate he has to be with the smaller models.
She delicately takes the crystal, placing it in her mouth and gasping softly as she eats it. She looks lovely as she chews the crystals, little gears working in her closed mouth. He wants to pull her onto his lap, rubbing her as he feeds her a little bit at a time.
"Would you like to do something after this? Another play, or-"
She looks up at him, then shakes her head, "No. Not another play. I wouldn't say no to... going for a walk or something like that."
"There's a garden nearby with a crystal maze. I've wanted to visit it for a while, but it's for . . couples only." He flushes, "I would be honored to go with you, Sari."
She stares at him, and slowly nods, "Alright. We can go to that. Together. But . . don't get any funny ideas. I don't put out on the second date."
He flushes up with indignation now, "I would never expect you to do that."
She smiles at him, dente flashing, "Good." She moves over to him, climbing into his lap. "But... I won't mind getting a kiss." Her fingers run right across one of his transformation seams, lighting up all the pleasure nodes there, "More than one."
His spark pulses in his chest, glad that she made this move on her own. Now he won't be constantly tempted to have her there when she already is. "I'd like that." His fingers run along her frame, and she wiggles in his lap, blushing prettily. "Would you like me to feed you your energon and crystals?"
She moves him a bit, and then kisses him, a soft press of the lips that she doesn't deepen just yet. "Yes. I'd like that."
He's suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that they're in a cafe. A cafe that he knows keeps a camera focused on them at all times, to provide 'better service.' He'll just have to keep the kisses . . relatively chaste. When her mouth brushes his again, and her teensy glossa flick out against it, painting a tiny stripe of wet heat against his lips, he realizes how hard that is going to be.
At least they're discreet here, and would never think to sell any vids they collect. Not after that debacle a few decavorns back, where they had their afts handed to them in court. Sentinel lets his servo slide down her back until he's cupping her aft, and he gives it the gentlest of squeezes.
She bites her lower lip, then looks away, blushing a bit. "We... really shouldn't do this. You're going to hate me when you find out what I am."
He brushes her sides, using his other servo to press a tiny broken piece of crystal to her mouth. "I already told you, no matter what, I am fine with it."
She sucks on the crystal, tiny dente grinding it up before she talks again. "You really don't want me. You don't. You got so ... disgusted about it, and you'll just end up hating me and yourself if we continue."
He leans down, kissing her with a tiny flick of the glossa that she opens to. He wishes that he could fit more in, since it is one of the most unique experiences he's ever had. The little gears move and twitch against him as she makes these little happy sounds, pushing into him. When he pulls away, she is flushed and even prettier. "I can't imagine hating you." He touches her seams, "You can tell me." He pauses, glancing up at the ceilings where he knows the cameras are, "Possibly in a more... private place?" She's perfect in his arms-even if he wishes she was a bit softer in places. Elita-1 had such soft, squishy tires on her waist. It had been delicious to get his servos on them, and she'd always moaned so prettily when he'd worked on them, rubbing the soft material until she was limp and melting against him.
Sari has no tires. If she is a scooterbot, she's a hover scooter, or one with such tiny tires that they fold up and hide in her altmode. He can't see a place for them to hide. If he did, he would tease that spot until she let them out, so he could play with them. Perhaps, some sol in the future, she'll be amenable to getting some modded on, so he can squeeze them.
She lays in his lap, pushing into his servos, optics glowing with a soft lust. "I... I don't.." She rubs her seams against his fingers, demanding he keep going. He obliges her easily, loving how she responds, and she continues, "I don't know. I would... I'd like to talk to Optimus and the team before I say yes or no."
He kisses her again, glossa flicking against her mouth, and she opens for him eagerly. He touches her frame, and only moves away when she is overheating enough for her fans to start to turn on low. "If that is what you want. I will not stop you." They will convince her it is a terrible idea, and then try to scare him away, but he can not tell her no. This is her choice to make. She came back to him a second time after being warned away, he knows that she will return again.
He's quite a catch, and she knows it.
Anyone would long to have him as their lover. But he has high standards. Not just any femme will do. They have to be attractive. Smart. A bot that he can take pride in having beside him. They would have to make an acceptable consort to a Magnus, because he will end up as Magnus some sol. There's no way Optimus will last, and Ultra Magnus is still on spark support, barely conscious at any time.
Sentinel gives her another kiss, and watches her with dimmed optics. "If they warn you off, will you at least agree to keep dating me?"
She looks away, "Maybe."
He touches her side, rubbing her seams lovingly, "I told you that I will make sure you aren't hurt. I will keep you safe. You will not have to worry about anything they warn about me. I will not do anything to you."
She blushes prettily, "I... Maybe. I can't tell you yes or no. I don't know. If I tell you, I will likely have them with me. They will be there to help out. You..." She trails off, "I just don't think you will like me after this. I really don't."
He flicks his glossa against her mouth, pulling away before they can deepen it again. "If that's what you want." He doesn't like it. He really really doesn't like it. They will corner him again, and do lasting damage this time. Medics are vicious, the minibot has modified stingers, the green one knows everything there is about spacebridges, and Optimus is the current Magnus.
They could kill him and get rid of his body in a way no one will ever know.
He... he just has to trust her that they won't do that.
If her secret is so awful that is does disgust him, which he cannot imagine, he will have to hide his disgust and slowly break up with her. Slowly. So as not to upset her friends too much. Sentinel has spent a lifetime dating femmes. He knows how to slowly detach himself without them realizing he's doing it, so they have an amicable break up where no feelings are hurt.
But he can't imagine anything that would make him want to do that to her. She's a beautiful femme with a dark, mysterious past.
He feels a bit of worry. Was she one of the less . . . stable Decepticons? Perhaps her secret is that she did awful things?
Optimus said she isn't a Decepticon, but... Well, that could just mean she isn't one now. That she is just a neutral. That she-
She kisses him, licking his mouth and rubbing against him. "You think too much." She rubs a delicate servo over his face, moving up to brush his headfin and shooting electric shocks of pleasure through him. "I would like to go for that walk through the crystal garden with you now. What about you?"
He glances at the energon cubes, which are all pretty much empty, then at the small crumbs of the crystals, "I... yes. I'd love to, Sari. Is there anything specific you'd like to have before we head off? They serve ruststicks with crystals on them."
She shakes her head, "No. I want to go walking in the moonlight with you in the crystal garden."
Sentinel rubs her servo, giving it a soft squeeze, which she returns. He swipes his credit pad over the little box to pay for their energon and carries her outside. Even though he could transform, he doesn't want to. The garden is a breem's walk away, and he likes having her in his arms. She's so small and lightweight. So fragile. He likes having her against his chestplates, resting peacefully there.
"It's so pretty on Cybertron at night," she says quietly, looking up above them at the stars and Cybertron's two moon bases. "I love the night sky."
He smiles, rubbing her headfins, "It is rather lovely, isn't it?" He loves how responsive she is to touch, like no one did this to her, and suddenly he's there to make her happy. "It used to be harder to see the sky, but then we changed how much lighting we do at night, and now there's no longer so much light pollution." He smiles, "So no matter how your optics are, we can still see the stars."
She cuddles against him, giggling happily, "I like it."
He wishes her mask wasn't back up. She looks so lovely without it, and he wants to prove to her that gear dente aren't odd looking. They're just dente. Ones specialized for crystals, granted, but still dente. Decepticon dente, really. Only Decepticons have them. They look terrifying wiht red optics. But her's are blue. Lovely Autobot blue.
They finally reach the garden, and it's beautiful at night. Some of the crystals glow with their own internal light, while others have lights angled up at their bases to help them glow and shine in the darkness. Sari gasps, her optics going wide. Sentinel swipes his credit pad near the gate, and she frowns, "You have to pay to get in?"
He shakes his helm, "No. The gardens are funded with public tax credits, but I like to make a small donation when I visit to help." He supports the things he enjoys.
She presses a servo to her facemask, then to his mouth - an approximation to a kiss, he supposes, not that it is better than the facemask kiss he got when he dropped her off at the ninjabot neighborhood the sol before - and she gives him a pleased look. "I'm glad. This is the sort of thing that should be done."
He didn't do it just because he thought she'd like it. It is just... something he likes to do. "I'm happy you think the same."
She cuddles against him, "So... this is couples only?"
He shakes his head, "No, that's a little further in. It has more couple oriented things." Nice and private with no way to record areas. Not good for 'facing - which is more than okay for him - but they can kiss and talk without anyone listening in.
The crystals interfere with recording devices.
He'd hated that when he was a Magnus, sure that bots were using these gardens for illicit purposes, but . . now that he has Sari with him, he can understand that maybe . . just maybe . . it isn't so bad. They walk through the more public areas, admiring the crystals here, and Sari slips out of his arms to walk beside him, wanting to get a better look at some of the crystals on display. None of them are priceless things, or even very rare, which is good. This area is frequented by bots with sparklings, and putting rare, fragile crystals out would lead to disasters of all sorts. In fact, they have a large patch of stardyne right near the entrance, and another patch near some benches, designed for small servos to pluck at and munch on. It's a fast growing, very sweet crystal.
He plucks a tiny bit, and gives it to her, "You should try this when you put your facemask down again. I think you'll like it."
She takes it cautiously, placing it in her subspace, "I will."
He kisses her head, walking to the couple's area, able to since there are two of them, and moves to an area he thinks she'll like. "This is a patch of glosslace. Named because it is so shiny and delicate looking. It... it matches your yellow."
She laughs in delight, "It is lovely." She reaches out a servo, only to freeze just above it. "Can I touch it, or will it crumple like how lacewing would?"
He touches it, "It is perfectly safe. It is more of a decorative one than food grade. It won't just fall apart in your fingers."
She slides her servos along it, feeling the sharp edges and blunt tips of the crystals. "They're interesting. I like the way they feel." She steps back and tips her helm to one side, admiring them. "I think maybe I'll start growing some crystals here."
A smile tugs at his lips. Crystals are a time-consuming commitment. It means she's sure that she'll be staying on Cybertron. Sure of her commitment to the Autobot cause. He is very happy about that. It makes his spark feel lighter than air. "I can recommend a few shops for you to visit if you want to grow crystals."
She leans against him, "I'd like that." Her little fingers rub in his seams, lighting up sensitive sensor nodes with pleasure, "I'd like that a lot." She looks like she's going to say something else, but fall silent, leaning against him with dim optics.
He touches her frame, "Would you like to go into the more... private areas?" He would like to return to kissing her, showing her how much he cares for her.
She looks up at him from the corner of her optics, "I... It is a very... public... place here."
He smiles, "Not where we'd be going. You can't record anything here, but ... no one can see us unless they look to where I am planning."
"Oh." A pretty blush lights her cheeks, just above her mask. "Um. Okay. Let's go, then?"
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