Viewpoint
…
Two weeks later, it was finally time for Aria's first official Opera rehearsal. Maybe it was because her mother talked her into it, or maybe because she did way better at the auditions than she thought, but either way, she had accepted the small role they offered her.
It was a lazy Sunday. Rehearsals weren't until later that afternoon, and she did most of the cleaning after she woke up. The autumn weather forced her to dress warm to go out and check on the horses.
Sirius sniffed around as he followed her to the barn. The hay her parents had ordered arrived. She shoved the pitchfork in the bale and threw a chunk of it in a heap on the other side of the fence where Azimuth and Zenith were eagerly waiting. No amount of food could satiate the beasts.
She patted them as they stuck their noses into the hay.
Since Ironhide's last visit, only Sideswipe showed up. It was last weekend when the Corvette rolled into the driveway. He transformed and was quick to check his paint for rock chips while he complained about dust in his interior.
He was mostly curious of her place thanks to Ironhide telling the Autobots about her offer. He had said that Ironhide wasn't one to seek out human company so her place must have been something special.
The visit didn't last, since Sideswipe's break time was up or something. He said he'd be back though, so he must have liked it too, despite the dust and gravel. It was the price to pay to live in a place like this, unfortunately for him.
At least Ironhide didn't seem to mind, despite having black paint which dirt always showed up the worst on. Something told her he didn't mind a bit of dirt though, even if he was usually pristine.
She took her work boots off at the back porch door and hung up her worn coat. The porch was dedicated work clothes storage. All her going out clothing was reserved for the front door.
Grabbing a cup of coffee from the coffee machine, she sat at the table. The remote was already sitting in front of her, so she turned on the TV and changed the channel until something entertaining popped up.
Chores where done, house was clean, and she practiced singing earlier in the morning. There was nothing to do except wait for rehearsals.
Well, there were things to do, but the biting anxiety in the pit of her stomach prevented it. She could go grocery shopping, or read a book, or put on a movie.
She could figure out what to wear. Maybe it was an excuse to put on that dress, and do her hair. Maybe put on some red lipstick. Or was that too much?
She chugged the last of the coffee and headed upstairs. May as well practice more singing too.
Grey light streamed into her room through the sheer curtains over her windows and balcony doors. It was supposed to get a bit warmer by late afternoon, but still no sign of the sun.
After putting on a CD, she shifted through the clothes in her closet, at least one of the closet walls was entirely dresses. Everyone had a weakness, right?
She pulled out a beige sweater dress, slim fitting, ending just above her knees. She spun in front of the mirror, singing along to the music.
Next, she brushed her hair. The phantom pain of all the matts at the nape of her neck from Egypt still haunted her. Now it was back to usual, ready to be curled, or maybe put into a bun. So many options.
After deciding to leave her curled hair down, she put on some makeup, not too much, but enough to go with red lipstick.
She was just putting on some mascara when she heard the sound of an engine and crunching gravel over the music.
It sounded…familiar?
The noise rumbled around the house to the back. Aria jumped up from her vanity, hitting her knee on the bottom.
"Ouch!"
No! No knee bruises!
She rubbed the spot then ran down the stairs, using the railing at the bottom as a pivot to sling shot herself through the kitchen and into the porch. Throwing on a semi clean jacket and work boots, she exited the house.
Sure enough, it was a black Chevy parked in the middle of the grassy area behind the house.
She stood at the top of the porch steps. "Hey Ironhide," she called.
Not a moment later, he transformed, growing taller and taller until a Cybertonian stood where a truck once was.
"Punk," he greeted with a terse nod and crossed his arms over his massive torso.
"Awe, did you forget my name all ready?" It was only half teasing. He wouldn't actually forget her name, would he?
"Aria Lucia Normandy. Age: twenty four. Height: one hundred and sixty eight centimeters. Eye color: hazel. Hair color: brown. Date of birth—"
"Okay, okay, stop! What do you look up my file or something? Is that even allowed?"
"Ratchet did. He does with most humans we interact with."
"With permission?"
Ironhide hummed. "That's classified," he declared.
Aria sat down on the top step, wrapping her jacket around herself tighter to keep out the nip in the air. "Uh huh."
"Another type of footwear?" he asked after a moment.
Was he trying to change the subject, or was he just fascinated by shoes for some reason?
"They're good for chores. Keeps my feet warm and dry."
"But you were bare foot two weeks ago."
"It was warmer two weeks ago."
Ironhide muttered something about not understanding human behaviour.
"Were there more problems at the base?"
Ironhide's gaze that had focused on the trees returned to her. "No. Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering. That's why you came over last time."
"I've recently learned that you humans operate extra curricular activities on a weekly basis. I assumed you would need a ride to yours since it is Sunday."
Aria blinked. He…came to give her a ride to rehearsals? She may not have known Ironhide that well, but offering free rides did not seem like something he would do. Maybe he was joking? Did Ironhide joke?
"Was I wrong?" his voice broke through the relative silence between them.
"I—no you're right. I just wasn't expecting you to offer. It's not for a while yet, though."
Ironhide let out a low electronic hum. "I'm curious to survey more of the city. Do you know of any interesting places?"
Of course she did! "Yeah, let me just finish getting ready and I'll meet you out front."
She stood and went back inside. Sirius was sitting just behind the door, looking alert. At least he wasn't barking. She scratched him under the ear as she passed. What a good boy.
Disregarding her shoes and jacket, she walked through the house to the front door. There she put on a black coat and ankle boots and slung her purse over her shoulder. She locked the door behind her, fixed her glasses, and turned to face the truck that waited for her in the driveway.
Going sight seeing with an Autobot. How strange.
But nice.
…
Rehearsal went well if she excluded her horrible French. It was amazing to hear other men and women sing with such strong voices. It went to show how much improving she had to do.
She had Ironhide make one last stop along the way back home, a quiet river viewpoint out of town. It was a lesser known one that definitely wouldn't be busy this time of evening.
Ironhide filled the silence of the ride with another old war story.
"Three Decepticons had us surrounded. Sideswipe was severely damaged and my cannons were malfunctioning," he said as they pulled up to the viewpoint.
No one was there as the last bits of sunlight peeked out through the trees on the far side of the river.
Even as he parked, he continued without missing a beat. "Just as I took out the last Decepticon, more arrived—the Constructicons."
"Constructicons?" Aria asked as she slid out of the truck onto the gravel.
Ironhide barely let her gain any distance before transforming.
"What are you doing?" Aria's head whipped side to side for any people pulling onto the lot. Sure the road was up a steep hill above them, but that wasn't much cover.
"My scanners will alert me before anyone gets within line of sight." He nodded down to her before facing the water. "So this is what you wished to show me?"
"Uh, yeah," Aria said, still checking over her shoulder. Scanners her ass. "You've been around the ocean a far bit, so I thought you might want to check out some freshwater."
A Virginia rose bush caught her eye. She wandered to it, where the last roses of the year remained.
"There is a difference?" Ironhide asked, looking sightly closer.
"Yeah, we can drink this stuff. Well, after it's been cleaned a bit more."
"All life on this planet depends on water, isn't that right?"
"Yeah, not only do we depend on it, its the origin of life too. Every living organism here started as a single cell under the water."
While Ironhide's gaze remained on the water, Aria leaned in to smell one of the roses. The subtle fragrance was fresh like early summer, before everything happened.
"Everyone except for us, you mean."
"I—didn't mean to exclude you." Aria turned back towards the river. Though, it would be interesting to know how the Transformers came into being, what they were made of. But was it rude ask about a planet lost to war? Wait, his story!
"Oh, I interrupted your story, sorry!" Her eyes met his.
Instead of continuing, he stared back at her, then down to the rose lingering between her fingers. Something changed in his expression, despite his metallic features.
"We are made of Energon. From what I know of human physiology, it would be closest to blood. It circulates through our bodies until it eventually evaporates."
Energon, that sounded familiar. Like fuel for cars, minus the engine…so nothing like a car. But, Energon didn't exist on Earth, as far as she knew.
"How do you get Energon now?"
"We've created a synthetic version using earth's resources. Not as good, but there isn't much choice." Ironhide turned back to the river.
"Ratchet? He's the scientist of the group, isn't he?"
"All Autobots were scientists before the war."
"You're a scientist? Do you specialize in anything?"
Ironhide crossed his arms and looked out across the river. "No, I'm not a scientist, nor was I ever."
Aria's head tilted. Was he not an Autobot?
"I was created for combat," he answered her question before she could ask.
And he was good at it, judging by his war stories. But living an entire life fighting was enough to make any being irritable.
Something about picturing the Earth disintegrating before her eyes made Ironhide's attitude towards humans more understandable. If she were him, she would even be jealous.
Aria stepped away from the rose bush and towards Ironhide. "I'm sorry. About your planet, I mean."
Ironhide's eyes flickered, or perhaps it was the last sliver of sunlight.
"I can't even begin to imagine what you guys went through."
His gaze fell and his posture shifted ever so slightly. "I would not wish it upon my greatest foe, let alone you."
She took a few more steps towards him. "If you ever want to talk, I'm happy to listen. War stories or otherwise."
Ironhide finally looked down at her, his mismatched eyes bright in the darkness. He nodded. "I will consider it."