A Talk And A Lesson

August 16, 2011, 9:54 PM
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Groove Protofire 
(Residental Suburbs, Crystal City)
Groove wanders through the residential suburbs of Crystal City, no real destination in mind. It's quieter here than Iacon, and he's actually kind of surprised how big the difference is. He normally doesn't leave the monastery much, but the recent events have left him rather restless, and it's not like Crystal City isn't safe overall.
"Good afternoon, Groove." notes a voice. It was Protofire, seen a few times before at the Monastery as the General continues his pathway towards the youth, having not been seen since they smuggled Groove back to Crystal City
Groove starts a little, having been lost in the sights around him, before bowing out of respect to the elder mech. "Good afternoon, Protofire." He returns the greeting warmly, smiling to the other mech. He hasn't seen him for a little while, but he supposes that's for a good reason. "Pleasure to see you."
Protofire smiles back and stops, nodding. "And you too. How are you feeling today? Sorry I could not see you off directly to the Monastery."
"It's alright. Haven't gotten lost getting there yet." Groove answer cheerfully, "I'm doing alright. And yourself?" He's careful not to mention the weird pulses of emotion he's been getting lately. After all, that's nothing new.
Protofire chuckles a little bit. "I'm glad to know you're doing fine. I'm glad to be home. How was Iacon? I didn’t get a chance to visit much of it. Are you catching up on your lessons?"
Groove considers the questions, tilting his head slightly. "Iacon was interesting. It was a lot louder than here, though I guess I didn't mind it much. There were a lot of areas I wasn't allowed in, though. I've started up my studies again, yes, though I'm not doing any better than usual." He laughs, tone a little self-deprecating.
"They have a lot more people in a slightly smaller city, and because of this, they are much more careful." Protofire chuckles. "You are not doing WORSE at least, so you cannot be doing that badly. What do you think of what you are told?"
"...It's interesting." Groove decides on finally, looking up thoughtfully. "I understand that Primus doesn't want us to take the lives of anyone- and I don't want to personally- but... I suppose I can also understand where the Autobots are coming from."
Protofire replies, "He prefers us not to, but on the other hand we must defend ourselves, and others, against selfishness and evil. If we could without taking lives, then I assure you we would. The Autobots' cause is very noble and true, and they have a hard battle ahead of them. I wish I could do more."
Groove nods mildly, still staring upwards in thought. "I do too." He says, voice quiet. "Maybe we can, eventually. I guess we'll just have to find out." Whatever's come over him, he shakes it off, smiling again. "Anyways. Yeah, I'm managing not to do any worse so far. Of course, watch that change now that I said that!"
"Aye. Sadly the City Council will not let us ally entirely, so we must help subtly. Find sneaky ways of doing it." Protofire explains to the student patiently. Then he nods, and chortles. "We'll try not to be too hard on you if you do." he promises.
Groove chuckles himself, looking back at Protofire finally. "Well, I suppose I better get good at being sneaky anyways." He admits, "And thanks for that. I'll try not to do /too/ horribly."
Protofire nods "It's good to have some sneaky plans, even if you hope they never come into play." he notes "Subtlety is a great thing used in politics within and without the city. Not everything is as is it seems."
"Politics give me a processor ache. Nobody ever seems to say what they mean." Groove says with a small laugh, shrugging. "I know. Sometimes I hate how much people decide to hide, but... I guess I get it. Especially with some things."
"It's not so much hiding but playing like... laser chess." explains Protofire "You speak double-sided, so that proper courtesy is kept but also, you can convey what you REALLY want, and intend, to your discussant, and vice versa."
Groove chuckles again, rubbing the back of his neck. "It'd still be a lot easier if they'd just come out and /say/ things instead of all the double meanings and subtle hints." He pauses for a moment, "Guess I shouldn't go into politics, huh?"
"Yes, it would." admits Protofire, "But that is the way things are. And no, at least not yet. If you ever want to practice negotiation come see me - it could save someone's life sometime." He notes.
"Maybe we could have avoided this entire war if we were all capable of just /speaking/ to each other." Groove sighs, rolling his shoulders slightly and letting the moment of melancholy go. "I just might do that. Better to talk your way out of a situation than fight your way out."
Protofire nods. "Sadly, no matter how many times you ask Megatron to get along nicely, he does not want to." admits Protofire. "We are but machines after all." he puts a hand on Grooves' shoulder
Groove laughs at the thought of anyone walking up to Megatron and asking him to do just that. "I guess I'm just an optimist. Can't hurt to hope, y'know?" He'd shrug, but doesn't want to be rude by knocking Protofire's hand off his shoulder.
"Never hurts to. Keep your head in the clouds, but your feet on the ground." he lifted his hand once more "Let's walk."
Groove nods, trailing a little after Protofire as they walk, looking around them with renewed interest. In all his time here, he hasn't really bothered to leave the monastery for more than errands, so a surprising amount of the city is still new to him.
Protofire points out various old structures that still survived to this day. At one house, he paused, staring at it. It was newer, and his face fell momentarily.
"...Protofire?" Groove tilts his head slightly as they stop, looking between the general and the house with confusion. He doesn't say anything else, though. He doesn't really feel like it's his place.
Protofire shifts a little, and sighs. "Sorry. Sad memories coming up." He starts along again. "This is my favorite park in the city," He notes, "It's very quiet."
Groove follows, frowning for a few moments before shrugging it off. If Protofire doesn't want to talk about it, he won't press. "It's very peaceful." He agrees, looking over the quiet scenery.
Protofire smiles. "Yes. I spent a good time of my youth here when I wasn't at the Monastery. Did you ever play Laserball?"
Groove tilts his head before shrugging. "I don't remember if I did." He said, grinning a little sheepishly.
Protofire smirks. "Perhaps I should arrange a game or two then. It's fun and a good way to let off energy. Keeps you out of trouble." He winks.
Groove laughs at that. "When have I been in trouble?" He replies, "Because obviously, if I don't remember it, the punishment wasn't very effective."
"Well you've caused a bit of a stir, but you haven't been any trouble. A model student."
Groove shifts a little at that, startled by the flattery. "Well, I really don't want to cause anyone trouble." He admits, rubbing the back of his neck again. "I'm sorry I am anyways."
"Sometimes, trouble just happens. You have no need to be sorry for being built how you are." reassures Protofire, "And do not let anyone convince you otherwise!"
Groove shrugs again. "I guess. Just worries me, y'know? That's there's so much going on and we don't even understand..." He trails off, shaking his head. "I shouldn't let it get to me, sorry."
Protofire nods. "Yes. But worrying about it will not cause you to understand it more. You should not forget about it entirely, but at least, remember to focus on the things that you DO understand, and WILL understand. The rest will happen as it does. We are not built without a purpose."
"And that purpose will be revealed to us in time." Groove agrees, tilting his head again. "I know. I don't worry for myself, though. But I guess that will do even less, huh."
"Ah, you know that saying." chortled the General. "You worry for your brothers?"
Groove nods to both the question and the statement. "I can't help it- I know they're all safe but it doesn't really change anything."
"And if you cannot change it, then you should not worry about it TOO much. A question: how is armor made? not the nitty gritty, but the basic process?" Protofire challenges.
Groove stops to think, frowning a bit in concentration. "...Metal gets melted down and shaped, then attached to the one who it was made for?" He guesses. He's never been very good with that sort of stuff.
"Yes, but metal taken out of the ground is not concentrated enough. Other things are mixed into it."
Groove tilts his head slightly. He's not really sure where this is going, but... "I suppose. I've never been very good with things like this, honestly." He admits.
"So what do they do with it? " presses Protofire patiently. "You should know this."
"...they mix the other materials needed into it?" Groove isn't quite getting what he's supposed to be learning from this, but it's never been like him to give up.
"No. The metals are impure. " Protofire states, "You have to remove the impurities."
Oh. Oh, okay. This, Groove can understand. "To ensure the strength and integrity of the metal, so that it doesn't crack or buckle when the person needs it most."
"Yes. Do you know how they remove it? " Protofire lifts a hand. "They melt it. They break it down, and then beat the impurities out of it. To make it stronger, they must damage it, basically."
"...Hurt it to help it, break it to fix it." Groove mumbles more to himself than Protofire, turning the thought over in his processor. "I think I understand."
Protofire nods. "Indeed. Do not worry over every minor thing basically. Take it, and learn from it, and you come stronger." He explains.
Groove nods, tilting his head again. "I don't know if this counts as 'minor', but I understand." There's still a small, niggling feeling of worry he hasn't managed to shake in some time, but he's probably just being paranoid.
"Minor depends on what you consider to be the worse and best case scenarios." Protofire smiles. "Just relax, and trust in Primus.”
"I know Primus will do what's best for us. Doesn't quite stop me from worrying, though." Groove chuckles a little, rubbing the back of his neck again.
"Worrying is fine. It means you care." responds Protofire, "Shall we return to the monastery now?"
Groove nods again, smiling at the older mech. "After you, Protofire." He agrees warmly, motioning with his hand in the general direction of the monastery.
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