August 18th, 2002 ~Whiplash(D), Ghost(D) Gates of Crystal City As you move off the main thoroughfare towards the Crystal City, you behold the massive chrome arches that form the singularly impressive gates to the city. The elaborately ornate spires that top the arches reach high into the sky as if to proclaim their immortality to the universe. The highly polished metal structure twinkles what light there is back at you, as if focusing a spotlight on all who enter the great city. The Guardian robot sized gates show few signs of any damage from the current conflict--a testimony to the dedication and vigilance of Omega Supreme. The gates stand open, but are well guarded by members of the Crystal City Militia. Beyond the troops, the bustling and lively main street beckons you inside... Whiplash [MedusaSaur] [D] Crystal City City Map Harmless Hermit Obvious Exits: -U- Up leads to Sky Above Crystal City -NE- Northeast leads to Old Cybertronia -E- East leads to Old Cybertronia -W- West leads to Guardian Pass -Whiplash has found a place in the shadow of the gates, and is watching the passers-by. -Moonlight walks towards the gates of Crystal City, hat strangely absent from her head. Her optics are downcast despite the fact that there is nothing on the ground worth looking at. Her movements are rather slow and she is unusually silent. -Whiplash is watching with her usual calm alertness, her optics drawn to movement, but she at first almost doesn't catch Moonlight, as the familiar silhouette is wrong without the hat. A moment later, though, she recognizes the other femme, and tilts her head. Something very different about the usually so cheerful Decepticon. She watches quietly for a bit longer, then gets up silently to trail after her, keeping unseen. -Moonlight stumbles rather ungracefully on something lying on the ground, which means she obviously isn't even paying attention to what she is looking at. Flailing a bit, she recovers, but doesn't bother to kick the annoying obstacle out of the way. -Whiplash scowls faintly. Something's really wrong now. Is she drunk? Injured? She looks Moonlight over surreptitiously for damage. Whiplash casts a quick glance around, making sure no others in the area are of a mind to take advantage of the distracted femme. She herself keeps out of sight and continues to follow, to see where she ends up. -Moonlight doesn't look at all damaged...in a physical sort of sense. But her optics lack the mischievious glimmer that they usually poses and her lips are certainly not smiling either. She heads into the city, ignoring anyone around her that calls to her. -Whiplash trails along, keeping watch for a less public place in which to approach Moonlight. Crystal City - Gardens Not a garden in the traditional, organic sense, this region of the city is an exquisite celebration of textural art. Much of the art representing Crystal City is its namesake mineral, crystals of all sizes, shapes, and tints arranged in brilliantly faceted sculptures, intricate mosaics that form landscapes and portraits of people and times past, or zenlike arrangements of both rough and faceted crystals in soothing and harmonic patterns. The centerpiece of this display is a miniature version of the projected Crystal City of the future, made entirely of sparkling crystal. Miniature, but not necessarily small, the glittering facsimile towers rise to twice the height of an ordinary Cybertronian, seeming almost like a forest of crystal trees. Amphitheater Memorial Obvious Exits: -S- South leads to Crystal City - Residential Sector -W- West leads to Crystal City - Main Street -Moonlight wanders into the 'Garden'. Being largely unfamiliar with this area, she does raise her head a little to get a better view, more to avoid tripping again than to do any sight-seeing. -Whiplash skulks along after Moonlight as she enters the Gardens. Much of the damage from the battle that claimed the city, has been repaired by now, by those who apparently appreciated the aesthetics of this section, though there are still some glittering shards of crystal and crystal dust underfoot from damaged sculptures. Whiplash for a moment is a black silhouette against a shining-white abstract work. -Moonlight finds a neat little corner to sit down in, somewhere mostly obstructed by art to give her a sense of being out of the public view. She passes a hand over her head and sighs. -Whiplash slips around the corner and materializes in Moonlight's veiw, inadvertently blocking her into her self-chosen corner. "Well," she says, not really intending to startle the other femme, though her sudden appearance is likely unexpected. "Didn't figure you for the solitary brooding type." -Moonlight glances up, not exactly startled, but quite surprised. She smiles slightly despite herself. "Neither did I. But I guess nothing is carved in metal." -Whiplash seats herself, and and attempts casually, "So ... where's the hat? Almost didn't recognize you without it." Let's see if this leads into some explanation of what has Moonlight so bummed. -Moonlight shrugs. "I left it at home...it stopped amusing me." -Whiplash rumbles a soft growl. Her attempt at sublety isn't exactly bringing results, so she plows ahead with the direct approach. "What's wrong?" she asks straight out. -Moonlight sighs again. "It's complicated. Not sure I understand it myself. Especially since it's so uncharacteristic of me to be so glum." She leans back slightly. "I guess being stubborn doesn't always pay out in the end." -Whiplash says, "Yeah, I'll say it's uncharacteristic of you. You were a walking target back there at the gates, you realize. Not paying attention to your surroundings. You slouch around like that in Dead End City, and you got a 'mug me, please' sign in flashing neon painted on your back." -Moonlight makes a small sound of amusement, which would seem like an improvement if she wasn't so well known for laughing loud and outright. "I could handle a mugging. I've been mugged enough times that's for certain." She looks sideways at Whiplash. "But because this little problem of mine involves Psykeout, I think I'll get less than sympathy from anyone because of it." -Whiplash's optics narrow a little and her tentacles pick up their pace of undulation a little. "What'd he do this time?" -Moonlight arches an optic ridge. "According to him he was just 'being a Decepticon'. Though I'm beginning to think that everyone has a different idea of what that means." -Whiplash snickers. "He's gotta learn to fight first." She sobers again. "Okay, *what* did he do?" -Moonlight looks rather uncomfortable. "It has to do with a Bot named Swivel. He was going to attack her, and I know this sounds bad, but I was trying to stop him. Not because I wanted to protect the Bot, but we both know that Psykeout isn't very good at the fighting...and I didn't want him to get himself captured again...or worse. Besides, even though he /claimed/ he was fighting her for the Decepticon cause, I didn't believe him. He seemed more wild than sane, and that's no way to pick a fight." -Whiplash frowns a bit, trying to place the name. "Swivel... Oh! That little fluff-piece? Heh, you know what? I think even Psyke coulda handled her. But I've seen him go off the deep end a couple of times, myself, and that's no way to fight, I'll agree." -Moonlight nods her head. "Perhaps if there was another Con around that was good at fighting, it might have been different, but I didn't know how close the other Bots were, and I had no intentions of getting captured myself. So I tried to convince him to stop...but he was beyond talking to." Moonlight looks at her feet. "The other disturbing thinhg was the Bot's reaction to Psykeout in the first place." -Whiplash waits for a moment to see if Moonlight will go on of her own accord, but she's not the most patient of beings. She nudges, "Which was?" -Moonlight sighs. "She knew who he was...and it wasn't in a bad way." She looks directly at Whiplash to see if the other femme understands the implications. -Whiplash's optics flicker a little as she mulls this over, then comes out with, "You're not telling me Psyke's having some kinda filthy little fling with a 'Bot female, are you?" -Moonlight brings her optic ridges together. "Not a fling. But she definiately didn't expect him to attack her. She even requested of him not to tell anyone she was there...now, if she had been worried about him in the first place, she certainly wouldn't have made that sort of request." -Whiplash relaxes a little, seems relieved to hear that much, anyway. "Okay. You figure he's trying to sweet-talk that naive little fluff-piece to lure secrets outta her?" -Moonlight laughs a real laugh this time. "Psykeout couldn't sweet talk you into hitting a Bot. He might be a psychologist, but he's not exactly pleasant." She sighs again. "But that didn't stop me from being an idiot." She shakes her head. "Anyhow, he 'told' on the Bot, which obviously made her upset. She was hiding from some guy named Venture trying to join the Cons. That part didn't make any sense, but she was afraid of this mech coming to kill her and Psykeout alerted everyone to her prescence, which I didn't really care about. It was the insane gleam in his optics that worried me. I wanted to get him back to base or something fast. He didn't cooperate." -Whiplash says, "Sounds like he was trying to do her in by less direct means." Her tentacles make a shrugging motion. "I can't figure that guy out sometimes. But, don't let him mess with your mind because you can't figure him out."" -Moonlight shrugs. "But it got me thinking about a few things. He wasnt' attacking her for the Decepticons at all. He was doing it because he wasn't clear in the head. And if he is that messed up, then can we really say we're safe. It was disturbing because I spend a lot of time around him, and even though he's never been all nice and friendly, he wasn't so unstable." -Whiplash tilts her head a bit. "You're thinking he's a danger to his own side?" -Moonlight seems to consider this. "I'm not really sure...that's why I'm a little blue. If he's not considered dangerous, then I've gotten myself into more than I can handle...if you catch my drift." -Whiplash says, "Hmm. Not sure. You're setting yourself up to keep him outta trouble?" -Moonlight shrugs. "I /was/. Not sure if he's worth it anymore." She frowns. "I don't like being threatened." -Whiplash says, "You know how long it took me before he'd agree to let me teach him to fight? By the time I wrote him off in disgust, he changed his mind. Maybe that's what it takes for some people. The realization that they're on their own if they don't act like part of a team." -Moonlight shakes her head. "It was beyond that I think. Obviously this femme and opened up to him, and he had done likewise, or at least that's what I assume when she says that she doesnt' want to have to bring up things they had talked about in the past. I had also talked quite a bit to Psykeout, but then suddenly he seemed to want us both gone..." -Whiplash sighs. "You know what I'm starting to figure out, Moonlight? You an only help someone that wants to be helped. we all got our responsibilities, and I figure we all look after each other when it comes down to it - but there's only so much we can do. You try, but don't drive yourself crazy. It's not worth it." -Moonlight gives a little half smile. "Not that I did it on purpose or anything." -Whiplash says, "So then. How about you go find your hat so you look like yourself, and don't worry too much about Pskeout. He'll either make his way, or he won't. Not saying we should leave him by the wayside or anything, but he's got a responsibility to the faction too." -Moonlight just shakes her head. "If that were the only contents of the tale, then maybe I could do that so quickly." -Whiplash says, "What, there's more?" -Moonlight nods her head. "A bit of a scuffle happened, mostly me trying to stop him from bringing down the wrath of the Bots...again. LIke I said, I didn't know if some large fella like Magnus would be around, and I didn't want us to be walking into a trap. I must admit I got out of hand at that point. I'm not used to having my feeling trod on...and this is mostly because I usually don't have a whole lot of feeling other than contentment." -Whiplash says, "So you and Psyke got an enmity going now?" -Moonlight presses her lips into a straight line. "Not really sure. I haven't seen him since." She pauses. "We had a bit of a screaming match. I told him that I was there to support him, that the Decepticons didn't hate him, and that you all wanted to make him feel welcome. He said back at me that he wanted to belong but that you and Ghost showed no sign of welcome and that you showed nothing but bitterness and hate. That's when I told him it was his own fault that he wasn't happy, especially since I always made a point to try to cheer him up, the ungrateful wretch." She looks at the floor, her face going decidedly sad. "Then he dropped his weapon and fell to his knees...seemed very upset, he was even crying." Moonlight almost looks like she's about to do the same. -Whiplash says, "*I* was hostile??" She looks indignant now. "Talk about ungrateful. And yeah, I've had my screaming matches with him too. I'm starting to think that's just part of his nature." Whiplash growls. "And after we all came to drag his sorry hide outta the Autobot base, too. I'd like to know what more proof he wants." -Moonlight nods her head contemplatively. "This is true. What happened next went so fast, that I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. He had been very hostile, then he seemed to break down. In the middle of being broken down he turned hostile again, hit the Bot a good one, then seemed to break down once again, apologizing for hitting her and expecting me to tend to her safety! I couldn't believe it. I completely ignored the Bot, she didn't matter to me, but Psykeout seemed like he was in bad shape. He complained about being old and forgetting his purpose and such. I tried to console him, tried to ease his mind. I told him I was never his enemy, that I was there for him. I even...but that's not important. I said he was a Decepticon and he was the one who needed help..." -Whiplash's tentacles pick up their pace a little and her irritation fades into an expression more of concern. "Alright ... I'm no medic, but it sure sounds like he's really losing his grip." -Moonlight nods her head, a little more aggresively now. "I was all ready and willing to help him out, be his friend and all. He really had me convinceds with all his sobbing and apologizes and stuff. I really thought he might finally trust me. I certainly wasn't prepared for what happened next." -Whiplash almost doesn't want to voice the thought, but, "He attacked you?" -Moonlight shakes her head. "Worse...well, depending upon how you look at it." She clasps her hands together. "I tried to convince him to go home. At that point Solar started yapping commands at us, wanting to know the situation. I wasn't in a good frame of mind so I'm afraid he didn't like the tone I took with him. He had heard about the Bot's prescence, but not any of the aftermath, and I figured having him barrel down on Psykeout at that point in time would be a disasster. After I cleared that up I asked Psykeout where he wanted to go. All he said was that he wanted to die. I told him I wouldn't let him get out so easily...and he said he'd find someone who /would/ let him............." -Whiplash bares her fangs now in a rumbling growl. "I'll thrash him within a micron of his life if he really wants me to!" *This* news seems really to anger her. -Moonlight sighs and seems like a deflated form of herself. "I was really concerned." She looks at Whiplash's optics and her face reflects the sentiments of her words. "To be honest, all thoughts of 'Presevering the Empire's people' wasn't on my mind. It was saving someone I knew. Psykeout ran away and I followed...the stupid Bot femme followed as well, followed us RIGHT TO CRYSTAL CITY. She seemed as dead set against Psykeout's idea as I was." -Whiplash says, "Well. Maybe he just needs to be talked out of it in a more *direct* way. I usually find that when someone's got a blade to the throat, they change their minds about wanting to die, *real* quick." Whiplash says, "What an idiotic thing to say, anyway." Whiplash says, "Any idea where he scurried off to? Where I might find him?" -Moonlight fidgets, looking a little more angry now. "When I tried to stop him, he threatened to kill me. I ignored this and kept following him. We followed him to his lair under Crystal City. He locked himself in his office and had that bodyguard of his stand watch. At that point he seemed to 'recover'. No more sobbing, wanted to die Psykeout. He called the rest of the Cons on the Bot, who I had forgotten about completely. She isn't too bright. The all jumped on the chance like Cyber-Vultures, which is okay, but I got mad at them anyhow. I told them they would rather kill an enemy than save an ally. But that's just my opinion of course." She spits on the ground. "Then, when he finally came out, he basically implied I was a fool to believe him and that I was amusing." At this point Moonlight bounces off her seat. "AMUSING! After all I tried to do, and it was just AMUSING!" She kicks the bench she was sitting on. -Calenture saunters into the garden, visor a bright shade of golden crimson as he stops to admire the unique beauty present in this location of the city. -Whiplash growls softly. "Wait till I get my claws into him." She's standing near Moonlight in a somewhat out-of-the-way corner of the garden, not paying too much attention to those who are wandering around the perimeter - though by nature she keeps watch for movement from anyone getting too close. -Moonlight kicks the bench a few more times for good measure. "I don't know where he is. I just don't appreciate giving up so much for nothing...for someone who wasn't even going to /try/ to use it in the first place." She shakes her head. "I'm not much of a person for hate though...so once I realized what a fool I made of myself, I sort of shut down. Dirge and Blitzwing showed up to take the Bot prize. But Blitzwing decided there was no 'honor' in killing someone who won't fight back. Then the Bot said something about not wanting to have anything to do with factions, either faction. Blitzwing then told Psykeout to leave her alone because she denounced the Bots, and that he would take her into Shockwave for questioning or something." She sits back down again, looking rather young and lost for a moment. "After that I don't remember much else except being taken back to my room by Blitzwing." -Calenture's footsteps simply take him meandering about as if this is one of the first times he has had to actually enjoy the garden itself. Stopping to peer at a facet of crystal carved to reflect and refract rainbows, a lance of light from the art reflects off of his rather.. shiney self as well and an amused chuckle comes from the strange mech. -Whiplash is about to reply to Moonlight, when the soft chuckle catches her attention. Her head snaps around to seek out the source of the sound. -Moonlight knows well Whiplash's instincts, and turns her head to see what Whiplash is looking at. -Calenture turns to look over the garden, visor still gold hued red, focusing on the little details. With that sinuous grace, he paces over to stop and look at the minature of the city as it was dreampt to be. -Whiplash peers over at the unknown individual, someone she does not recognize. Not seeing any obvious symbols of allegiance on his body, she assumes him to be one of the Crystal City citizens who have remained or returned. -Moonlight shrugs and watches to see what Whiplash does. She doesn't feel like engaging in idle chit chat today...or at least, she won't start it. -Whiplash lowers her voice and comments to Moonlight, "Well, look, don't let it upset you too much. I've been kinda where you are, pretty outraged by this guy's responses, but I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it." -Moonlight spreads out her hands, palms up. "Who knows? But I'm stubborn to a fault." -Calenture's attention is focused on the miniature city, not the possibility of others in the area. -Whiplash nods to Moonlight, though her own interest remains on the individual studying the city in such detail. She finally takes a few steps forward to approach the other. "Pretty intersting model?" she querries. -Calenture turns his head slowly towards the sound of the voice, not at all seeming onguard or nervous. A pause as he studies Whiplash before he sketches a polite bow. Straightening, he replies, voice a silken middle tenor, a hint of amusement to it, "That it is, Ma'am." Calenture takes a deeeeeeeep mental breath as she/he speaks. the whole mental crossing of the figners going into play. -Moonlight just nods to the strange mech. -Whiplash says, "You from around here?" -Calenture nods once, waveing a hand vaguly, "Generaly speaking, yes." -Moonlight can't help but speak up...it's her nature after all. "And do you have a name, or are you just going to be the mystery mech of the day?" -Calenture turns his head to give Moonlight what seems to be his full attention for a moment. A shrug, and he answers, "You havent asked nor offered your own so I simply assumed this was a simpl emeeting of beings, not an interrogation." -Moonlight arches an optic ridge. "It's not an interrogation. Just wondering if you had a name." She extends a hand, which is shaking a little, "My name is Moonlight." -Calenture ahems, and takes the offered hand, bowing over it to rest his mask on the back for a brief moment before he straightens. "Very pleased to meet your aquiantence, Moonlight." The name is given a slight lilt to it as if its being tasted. -Whiplash doesn't yet offer her own name, merely comments with a nod toward the miniature CC model, "Under new management these days." A quick, pleased grin punctuates the information. -Moonlight just looks pointedly expectant at the mystery mech. -Calenture releases Moonlights hand, dusting at himself and coming up with a passcard from a side compartment, brandishing it between index and middle finger like a playing card. "As I am well aware. All the proper formalities have been made." Again, a tracing of velvet amusement in his voice. -Whiplash doesn't seem hugely intent on getting a name out of the mysterious mech, especially since he's got his ID and everything. Just that his intensity in studying the city caught her attention. -Moonlight leans slightly to take a look at the card, just to see if it looks...normal. If she sees the name then that's all good too. -Calenture lets the card be inspected without any shenanigans or attempts to hide any of the information on there. He peers at Whiplash a moment, a gleam creasing his visor for a brief nanoclick before he speaks, "The city seems to be prospering well underneath the new management, miss..." The passcard has all pertinant information, Name, rank if applicable, entrydate ect ect. -Whiplash says, "I kinda think so. Lot of the inhabitants left, but some of 'em stayed, too. Now I suppose they're under our protection." -Moonlight goes back to her former position and seems content to listen again for the time being. -Calenture peers off at one of the sculptures before he looks back at the duo that he has chanced upon. "These things take time. A period of readjustment." He shrugs. -Whiplash is no longer that interested in the neutral, though she keeps him in sight out of the corner of her optic just out of habit, as she would anyone hanging about nearby. She returns to her old topic of conversation with Moonlight. "So Psyke ran down to his hideout, hm?" -Moonlight nods again to the Neutral in agreement then turns back to Whiplash. "Yeah, but he came out again when the other Cons found Swivel. When Blitzwing took her back to base, he told Psykeout he could walk." She shrug. "I guess he doesn't like him much." -Whiplash says, "Hmph. Who does, if he's acting like this?" Whiplash apparently doesn't find this topic to be one of incredible secrecy, as she doesn't mind that Calenture is nearby. -Moonlight looks down. "Me...I guess," she answers in a rather small voice. -Whiplash sighs. "Okay. And just because he's a jerk doesn't mean I wouldn't defend him in a fight. But he's gotta get some sense knocked into him again." -Moonlight nods her head. "That is most likely true. Though I'm not sure why he said that about you and Ghost. I mean, I know you like to fight Whiplash, but I wouldn't call you bitter or overly hateful." -Whiplash grins, showing her serrated fangs. "Who, me? Nahh." -Moonlight glances at the fangs. "That's not bitter 'Lash...that's just scary." -Whiplash's grin shades into a genuine, pleased smile. "Thanks!" -Moonlight nods her head. "Er...you're welcome I guess. Makes me glad I'm on your side of the fighting line." -Whiplash inclines her head, accepting this as a matter of course. She glances over at Calenture again briefly, then emphasizes to Moonlight, "We defend our own. That's just the way of things." -Moonlight nods her head slowly. "Remember when there was a bunch of us at the Blaster and I brought up Psykeout and told everyone how he felt that no one made him feel like he belonged? And then you guys all thought he had no reason to feel that way?" -Whiplash nods. "I can't figure it, anyway." -Moonlight sighs. "I think it has something to do with a failure to communicate. I guess those of us who were neutrals once upon a time see things differently...and those who have been Cons for a longer time can't see us seeing things differently...if that makes any sense." -Whiplash tilts her head a little in thought, mentally running over a list of several individuals. Then she says, "You mean you guys always doubt yourselves just a little, wondering if you're really accepted as real 'Cons?" -Moonlight shrugs. "Maybe that's it. I don't really doubt that much on my own...but everyone always asks me why I'm a Con...some people have even accused me of being a traitor." -Calenture seems content to wander around the gardens, watching with hidden amusement as his brightly shaded form picks up and reflects the rainbow hues with a dcidedly vibrant violet shade -Whiplash says, "To who? You weren't a 'Bot beforehand, were you?" Her tone makes clear that she's kidding with that last statement. -Moonlight shakes her head and laughs. "Hell no. Dirge started spouting some babble that I could betray the Cons at any moment. Seemed really upset about something...not sure what though." -Whiplash rumbles a growl as her tentacles bristle. "Hey, I may not like the fence-sitters-" a quick, cautious glance around, realizing there may still be some CC citizens wandering about enjoying the view - "but I figure, once you swear loyalty to the Empire, you're a 'Con. No questions asked." -Moonlight smiles slightly. "I guess it was confusing to him because I'm not really a warrior type, and in his mind, the /only/ Cons are warriors. I guess the other part is that being a smuggler doesn't exactly invite the whole trust thing either." -Whiplash shrugs her tentacles. "Need medics and suppliers and spies too." -Moonlight nods. "I know. Of course, it could have been that I was talking to some Bot in the bar...but I figure that no one is going to give me information if I bully them...I'm not tough enough. So I have to do it the hard way." -Whiplash says, "Hmm. I guess that's one way to get info. Seem like you're all non-threatening and chat 'em up when they're drunk. That's why Solar's got his place out in Dead End City, after all...." *Now* they're getting into more "state secret" stuff, and Whiplash abruptly lowers her voice. Whiplash says, "Now me, I'd rather rip the info out of 'em with my teeth, but that's not everyone's style." -Calenture seems off in his own tourists world, so to speak, just outside of the 'normal' range of hearing that is ascribed to mechanisms of his form and general design. -Moonlight lowers her voice as well...just because she usually isn't quiet doesn't mean she can't be. "Espeically since most of us don't /have/ teeth like yours." -Whiplash chuckles. "We all got our specialties, that's for sure. We'd be in trouble without the intel unit, even if I can't keep up with you lot and your convolutions sometimes." -Moonlight puts a hand to her chest in mock offense. "I'm not convoluted...not at all. Actually, as far as the division goes, I think I'm pretty straight forward." -Whiplash says, "Hey, if you can chat all nice with a 'Bot at the bar, that's more than I could handle in the name of gathering info." -Moonlight nods her head. "That's because I know that most Bots could kick my aft and hand it to me...helps me keep all sweet." She pauses. "Well, maybe not sweet. I've never been sweet exactly. Monacus doesn't really breed that type." She looks around. "But I guess Cybertron usually doesn't either." -Whiplash says, "But you can fake it, see. I don't think I cold pull that off." -Moonlight chuckles. "I've been faking it because I have been my whole life. But unfortunately, once I know someone, I don't do it so well. In other words, I don't cheat on or steal from my friends." -Calenture's footfalls carry him in an arc towards a section of images from people of times past. He stares upwards, seemingly lost in his own little world. -Whiplash says, "And that's why you're a Decepticon. Makes sense to me." -Moonlight thinks for a moment. "You know, for a group that strives to be all militant and fighty...the name Decepticon seems a little odd." -Whiplash starts out into the garden to look around herself, glancing back toward Moonlight to invite her to follow. She's never really looked around here in detail, truth be told. "Never really thought about it, actually. Got all that duty and honor and loyalty stuff going. Guess you're right, it seems kinda odd if you think about it. But then, we also got people like you, that use deception to get what we need." -Moonlight nods and makes an odd face. "But I get the impression that I'm the minority here." She looks down then looks back at Whiplash. "Thanks for listening...I think I feel much better now. In fact, I feel kinda naked without my hat. I'm going to go find it now." -Whiplash smiles, and looks after Moonlight for a moment as the other femme heads off. -Calenture turns himself to take a surreptious glance over at the two femmes, contemplating events and actions... -Whiplash wanders on by herself, looking over the artwork, noticing that unknown mech again, who also seems to be enjoying the cultural enrichment of the city.