Idealism and Pragmatism

-Prowl is in his office at the Decagon this particulcar cycle, going through the results of the inspections of Moonlight's possessions. She sure had a lot of random stuff. Well it seems that most of it is fairly harmless aside from the weapons she didn't try to hide, so he isn't too concerned. Yet, anyway.
      He checks through the inventory lists. Fabrics, textiles, and media from all around the galaxy. Eh, he supposes they can just be handed back to her to do with as she pleases.
-The smuggler femme had been careful not to step on too many official toes, other than just generally grumbling about the system. But, hey, she's from off-planet, so of course she'd need a certain amount of time to integrate, right? Right? Either way, she's heard some pretty bad things about the planet, and who better than Mr. Stuffy himself to answer. He might be uptight and boring, but he didn't 'smell' corrupt to her. And she knows about corrupt officials. So, here she is, back in Prowl's office.
-Funny that she should walk in right as Prowl is finishing up approving the return of most of her goods. He looks up at the newcomer. "Moonlight," he greets, his tone flat as usual. "Is there something I can do for you?"
-"Well, that depends really. You strike me as a really honest sort of fellow. Do you consider yourself one?" Okay, so maybe calling the esteemed officer 'fellow' isn't the best way to start off, but Moonlight isn't one for formalities. She leans comfortably against a wall and folds her arms over her chest, peering at Prowl from under that strange hat of hers.
-Prowl arches an optic ridge at her. Oh, it's going to be one of -those- conversations. Sigh. He prefers straightforward things like 'my recharge slab is broken' or 'a wall light is out'. Nonetheless, he nods slightly. "Well, yes. I suppose I do." he answers, his tone again lacking any kind of real expression.
-"Well, I'm not," Moonlight says with a smile. "Anyhow, I'll get to the point. I've visited a bar in the city, Nyon. Lovely little spot, by the way. Right, I'm getting off track again." She sighs. "Mechs talk, and while talk is cheep, I tend to listen to what's going on. Sounds like there's some serious hate on for your government here. And, as a representative of the law, well, I figure it's only fair to bring these things up and see what you have to say." She tilts her hat back to show her optic ridges are raised. "You got time for that?"
-Prowl sighs again, this time more audibly. Oh and it's even going one of -those- conversations. He rubs his head. "Alright, alright...what did you want to ask about, specifically? Not that I have -time- for anything, but some things are important."
-"Alright. Is it actually illegal for the little cleaning crew people to have names? They seem to think it is, being 'disposable' or some unflattering term like that. Seems like a pretty silly law to tell people they can't have a name." Moonlight will start with something simple for now.
-Ugh. What kind of a question was that? Prowl shrugs. "It's not 'illegal' in the sense that someone would be punished for giving one a name aside from their official designation; they just aren't legally given names." He clarifies. "Does that answer your question?"
-Moonlight nods her head. "Yeah, I can see the fine line there. So, these 'disposables' they have no protection according to the law? Have you ever actually talked to one of them?" she wants to know.
-"They do." Prowl answers. Yeah, 'protection' from being removed from their assigned jobs by anyone--even themselves. "And yes, I have."
-"Now, you've got to realize, this wasn't the way of things where I'm from." Which is nowhere in particular. "So I just don't see things that way. But we can get to the serious things, if you prefer. Not that this isn't serious to the 'disposable' types, since I guess everyting is serious when you have a planet assuming they can throw you away like garbage." She shrugs easily from where she stands. "So, are these people any less deserving of /your/ protection than, say, some high class yet somewhat useless mech?"
-"Oh, and how were they where you were from, then?" Prowl inquires, folding his arms. "Look, I'm not claiming that this system is perfect, or that it's even close. It's not about who deserves what, that's -always- debatable depending on who you are. It's my job to prevent chaos from erupting by making sure regulations are followed as precisely as possible, not to question whether it should be in place or not, or what it -should- say according to me, or to anyone else."
-Moonlight nods her head to this, narrowing her optics just a triffle. "So, you don't care if the system is good just as long as it IS a system?" she challenges. "Well, I'm from so many places that it's hard to say, to be honest, but a person earns their reputation and their place; it isn't simply given to them. Work and ingenuity can get a person far. Here people seem stuck and set in their place."
-"Well," Prowl begins, his arms still crossed. "What would you propose I do? No system will ever be perfect, so should I oppose it simply because it isn't? What would -you- do, Moonlight, if you were in my place? If you were chief of security?"
      "Besides, that's not entirely true. In many cases, hard work can get someone placed in a higher position. After all, -I- certainly wasn't just thrust into -this- position immediately after coming into existence."
-"I would admit that it's pretty crappy, but that you're trying to do the best you can," Moonlight says. "Which can go a long way. Thing is, I'm not you. I'm me. We're like two sides to the same coin. I've disrupted good and bad laws. You're upholding good and bad laws." She crosses over to his desk, plants her hands on it, and leans forward. She's not quite in his personal space, but she is being rather direct. "You might not have been put in this 'position' right from being a little spark, but were you put into law enforcement as your assessment?" she asks. "Had you ever thought whether it was what you wanted or not?" She gives him a slow smile. "Now, if that was just the issue, I would grumble and adapt...eventually. But some of the stuff I've heard is downright disturbing."
-"No," Prowl replies obstinately to the question of whether he'd considered if he actually wanted to be in law enforcement or not. "Because it isn't relevant." To him, there's just no point in thinking about what-ifs and could-have-beens. So what if they could have been? They -weren't-.
      He doesn't argue with her former statement, however. "So you and I are similar, in that way." The officer glances absently at some of the documents on his workstation, flipping through some of them. "Pfft. Of course you've heard disturbing things, everyone wants you to believe that there are all these crazy conspiracy theories, because they're -exciting-. But really they're nothing more than that, just conspiracy theories. Someone has a mental illness? Well then the government must have inflicted it upon them somehow." He shakes his head, looking exasperated.
-Moonlight smiles faintly. "Look, there's a lot of systems out there that work just fine without stuffing everyone into holes, even if they don't fit." Square peg in a round hole? Ever heard of that on Cybertron? Maybe not. "So it might not have been relevant /here/ but it's not irrelevant to life in general," she protests. "So, are you saying that there AREN'T spies everywhere, and that people are NOT abducted and programmed to turn against their friends?" she asks with a smile that doesn't reach her optics. "And the government never HAS punished people by taking away their hands and faces?"
-"Exactly, it's not relevant here. Therefore, it is not relevant." Prowl insists. He sighs. This conversation is tiring. "I won't deny that there are spies, however, I don't know about -everywhere-. Nor will I make a claim that no one has ever been abducted or reprogrammed, or had their hands and faces removed by people within the government. That being said, as far as I know, that is not a common occurrence and if anyone -is- caught doing something like that without proper authorization, they will be apprehended."
-"Hey, I get where you're coming from, in a way. You have to be trusted to do what your job is, whether you like it or not, right?" Moonlight says, still leaning on her hands on the desk. "But if someone took you out into space, beyond the planet, where you had no jurisdiction, and you looked back, do you think your opinion would remain so unscathed?" she is curious to know. "In my line of work, folks have to be able to trust me as well, trust in my discretion. I didn't like all the jobs I had to do, but I still did them. Doesn't mean I wouldn't have gladly seen some of the people I worked for go down, as long as I wasn't the one to do it."
-Ugh, again with the what if situations. Prowl doesn't do those. They're pointless, in his mind. He sighs again. "As I said, that doesn't matter because that is not the case and it is not likely to occur in the near future. Sentinel Prime trusts me to do my job, but I can't expect -everyone- to agree with me. There are some who never will, no matter what I do or say." Like Hot Rod. Ugh, that guy. "Would you rather the system fell, and chaos reigned? Would anarchy be better, where -anyone- is allowed to whatever their spark desires, including -dangerous- bots? I doubt it, especially since you seemed fairly intent on staying -alive-."
-"No, I would rather see that people can look at the faults and do something about them through proper channels so everyone doesn't end up like me," Moonlight says with a grin. "But people seem pretty scared and angry, which is more of a threat to your system than if people had the confidence to complain about it openly." She shrugs. "Look, I'm not going to fault you for doing your job. It's good that you do it. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I would be any good at doing something similar."
-"Yes, yes." Prowl waves a dismissive hand with a sigh. "Of course, we would all prefer that, but as I said no system is perfect. If people are afraid to complain openly, then that isn't any of my problem." He grumps. "Certainly, some of them might even have good reason to afraid, but in most circumstances it's due to their own poor decisions. Personally, I value preserving -lives- over anything else. Better to stay alive with an imperfect system, than die trying to change it."
-Moonlight turns away for a few moments, hands clasped behind her back. Then she faces the lawmech again. "But why protect those lives at all if you really don't care? Because saying it's not your problem sounds like a 'not caring' statement to me. Why only go half way?"
-Prowl stares incredulously at her. Um, -what-? "I -do- care. That's why I do what I do. That's why keeping chaos from overtaking everything is of utmost importance, Moonlight. It's just not my problem if they're too arrogant and cowardly to use the proper -channels- for their complaints."
-Moonlight ahhhhhs. "I misunderstood then," she says. Which is probably not something people will say to Prowl often. Either they're on his side or they WON'T see his side. Her expression is oddly thoughtful for a few moments as she considers this. "So, when people bring legitimate complaints to you, you listen then, and if the law gives you a way to help, you do so?"
-"Yes, of course." Prowl says, an air of exasperation in his voice. Because, duh. "That is part of my job." He sighs, shaking his head. "I don't know who you were talking to, but you'd best avoid them. They're likely nothing but trouble, trust me."
-Moonlight laughs softly. "But, I /am/ trouble," she says. "You've got your own idealistic streak. People don't think in calm, logical, well-ordered lines. They have feelings that get in the way. Now, I'm sure you've got them too, and I have no clue how old you are. Maybe you've just had a lot of time to get them in order. Or maybe your passion for your job," yeah, someone just said Prowl has passion; the world will end soon, "is stronger than your other feelings. If so, power to you. But somehow you don't seem to really get what makes a lot of folks tick."
-"Never claimed I did." Prowl replies. "Nor do I need to. They're expected to abide by the laws of this planet. As everyone is."
-Moonlight presses her lips in a line. "Okay, I can't argue that one." She wanted to, but she realized she didn't have a leg to stand on. The mech is an infuriating mix of pragmatism and idealism that she can't fight. But his ideal world is more well ordered than any world will ever be, or even SHOULD be. She wonders how someone gets into that head space. Then again, she hadn't dreamed of breaking the law before Swipe swept her off her feet...literally. Finally she throws her hands up in the air. "Well if that don't beat all. If I had met you ages ago you might have actually made me an honest person." And she laughs.
-"Well, no one is keeping you from making that a reality right -now-." Prowl points out. "Except, that is, yourself." Yes, he is definitely a pragmatist. If anyone overdoes practical, it's Prowl. Idealistic, not really. But he was supposed to come across as such, anyway. At least this time around. "But again, no use dwelling on what could have been."
-Idealism takes many forms, and with Prowl, it is born of that pragmatism. Or something like that. "I'd still have to watch more. Don't really want to support people getting mindwiped or anything because I brought them in for speeding or something," she says, her tone light but with some seriousness underneath it. After all, he didn't deny such things. He said they were rare, but she gets the impression that this rather upstanding individual is probably not TOLD each shady thing that happens. No, they would need him to stay pristine.
-"I already told you, that would only be appropriate and authorized in certain circumstances that would warrant it, such as psychopathic individuals for whom all other therapeutic attempts have been ineffective. It would certainly not be appropriate for any petty offense." Prowl protests, sounding somewhat frustrated. "And if by some off chance, someone did get away with it temporarily, rest assured they would be brought to justice."
-Oh, but the world LIVES to frustrate Prowl. And Moonlight's pretty tame compared to, say, Hot Rod (whom she thinks has his own charm, incidentaly). "Well, that might stop the people doing it, but it's still kinda rough on the person they do it to," she muses. "Still, I see your point." She pulls a bit of a long face.
-"Look," Prowl says, sounding a bit fed up. "You want to go right back to being a criminal like you were? Okay, but don't expect me to make any exceptions for you if you end up finding yourself on the wrong side of the law. You want to run around with criminals and crazy people, fine. But don't be surprised if you end up getting killed even though you came here to -avoid- that. It's your life, after all, and -you- were the one most concerned about keeping it. What puzzles me, however, is if that is truly your priority at the moment, why would you even hesitate to choose the option that's less of a gamble and more likely to guarantee your survival? You know it is possible that you'll be assigned to manual labor at a factory or refinery, both of which can be quite dangerous."
-Moonlight bows. "I would expect no less of you," she says, and though her optics twinkle, she tone is dead serious. "Now, I never said I'd go back to doing criminal things, but there's a difference between upholding the law as a citizen and joining law enforcement," she says. "It would feel awfully strange to run around telling people not to do what I spent most of my life doing. That would be like you running around and encouraging people to be criminals." She chuckles softly. "Jumping into law enforcement doesn't sound terribly safe either."
-"It's safer than manual labor, and safer than running with the wrong crowd. And you know there is such thing as reform, and not wanting others to make the same mistakes you did." Prowl insists. "But whatever, it's your life."
-"I never said I made a mistake," Moonlight objects. "Sure, I don't always make the wisest choices, but I can't really say I regret them either," she says. "But, I'll get out of your face for now. I get the impression you've gotten your fill of me for one cycle." She tips her hat. "I'll be seeing ya."