OCTOBER + NOVEMBER TDM.

[ximilian]

● ● ● T D M . 0 4

// PART I. a crimson dream  

… What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?

These are the words that ring in your ears, as a slowly growing red glow surrounds you in this dreamspace, filling you with an acute sense of dread — and whatever it is that you’ve just agreed to might have changed everything forever.

It is this sense of dream that startles you awake, and as it fades, and your heart begins to slow into something resembling your normal tempo, you'll notice something you should have picked up on immediately: you are not in your bed.

1.0   White walls, clinical yet clean, sparsely-furnished rooms. You may wake in one of three rooms: a room with only one bed, a room with two beds, or a room with four beds. Those waking up in rooms with more than one bed notice that they are not alone. Perhaps the other occupants of the room are still sleeping, dreaming the same dream as you just did, or a regular one after returning to the station just barely a week ago … or perhaps you wake up to the other person in the room watching you.

What you do is entirely up to you: yelping in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you is always an option. Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone notices you...

2.0   Those with life-threatening injuries will find themselves waking up in the infirmary, in a regular hospital bed. Most of their injuries have been treated, and any lingering illnesses or conditions will have designated medicine bottles on the table next to the bed.

White curtains surround the bed on both sides, providing an illusion of privacy. But is that a rustling sound you hear? A set of footsteps? Perhaps you’re not the only one in need of some medical attention.

In fact if you’re very badly off, you might want to hold out hope for some company - you can’t stay in the infirmary forever. You'll have to make your way through the hallways of the station to the living quarters, and claim a room and a bed there.

Once upright, you might notice something in your ear: an earpiece that, when you become aware of it, quickly runs you through the instructions for how to use the network, a recorded message by a female voice that explains exactly why you’re here… and leaves you with a map of the station.

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// PART II. hotel spacefornia  

So what else is there to do but to explore, right? Best get to know your way around your new home.

3.0   When trying to decide where you go, you might find your way to the armory, where you can make attempts to work the machine and create a weapon for yourself — maybe replace the one that didn’t come with you to the station ... or maybe you decide to prepare something for the future. Any recently-returned team members will surely recommend having a functional weapon with you.

And speaking of weapons: why not put them to the test and head over to the training room, where the entire purpose of this space is to provide you with opportunities to spar and train to your heart’s content!

4.0   After you’ve exhausted yourself from training, your stomach will prompt you for something to eat. For that you should head to the kitchens and the mess hall, which is equipped with all the basic appliances you might need, along with some more unusual ones (including an ... interesting-looking waffle maker and popcorn machine), as well as ingredients for most generic Earth-based dishes. For some reason, there are also some bags of now-cold popcorn left abandoned over the counters.

5.0   A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds you can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion builds up around anyone who steps inside the room: you can hear the trilling of birds, feel a light breeze caress your skin as you walk through a grass field. The illusion has been programmed to reflect the seasons — the leaves in the trees are currently bright with all the colours of autumn: orange and red and yellow; and the air is crisp and clean. If you follow the path, you'll be led to a bridge rising over a sparkling, babbling brook, a few fallen leaves floating on the water and falling around you like very bright raindrops.

Here, it's easy to forget (for a moment, anyway) that you are in space at all. Maybe that gives you comfort, or maybe it just makes you miss the real thing all that much more.

6.0   If you’d rather choose tinkering with objects over wandering through nature, the lab is guaranteed to provide you with some entertainment. Glass vials and jars of chemicals sit on shelves in a surprisingly beautiful display of colour on one side of the room, while the other side of the room contains stacks of boxes filled with assorted equipment: cords, bolts, panels, buttons, gears, gadgets, gizmos, and thingamabobs. The downside is that the parts available seem to have no apparent method to their sorting. So get digging and you may just find exactly what you need to make what you’ve always wanted to!

7.0   Some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message. If it’s items you’re lacking, you may just be in luck.

// VIVECA.AI

Hi again, everyone. Those who’ve been here for longer know the deal, but to those new here: there’s a new supply drop. Hopefully you’ll find useful things there. If you made any requests for items, before, you should find them in a separate pile near the platform.

Indeed, the platform located near the personal quarters is still whirring with power, and new items form neat piles on top of it. There are clothes, shoes, dishware, skincare, books ... and in one pile, a varied collection of what seems to be Halloween decorations and costumes. So, sort through the piles and grab what you want before someone else does! (But don't forget: sharing is caring.)

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// PART III. trick or treat  

Whether you’re a quick study and you’ve become settled into life on the station, or you want to get the full lay of the land (in a manner of speaking) first, if you decide to explore the hall past the control room, you’ll eventually come across the simulation room. It’s been equipped with a new simulation to show you the drill where the missions are concerned, so step in and see what it has in store for you!

8.0   The moment the doors slide shut behind you, the space goes dark and then quickly lights up again, but instead of the blank empty walls you initially walked into, you’re surrounded by colour and lights, the sound of music and chatter, and the smells of deep-fried foods and overly sweet beverages. Someone calls, ‘Step right up, step right up!’ while another voice from somewhere starts to cheer as an electrical sound of a buzzer goes off, announcing its winner for prizes.

It seems that you’ve entered the Carnival simulation, so come on in and have a little fun.

There are booths spread out across these simulated grounds, each one offering food, drink or games. As you wander past you’ll notice that there is a touch of macabre to everything — the colours are black and orange and violet and red, the drinks offered have strange names, some you recognize like ‘Witch’s Brew’ and ‘Eye of Newt’, and some you might not, like ‘Viole(n)t Breeze’ and ‘Undead Essence’. It’s as though all of the things strange and wonderful find themselves spread across the entire universe to unite here.

Once you’ve had your fill of food and games, you can make your way past the little market area to a brightly glittering ferris wheel with carts rotating in a cycle, enticing you to try it out. Or if you’d rather be spooked, there is a hokey little ‘haunted mansion’ to your left that won’t take more than a handful of minutes to move through. Creatures and ghosts will pop out at you when you least expect it, their masked faces exaggerated with paint and some fairly realistic prosthetics to get the adrenaline pumping. Take a friend with you, or go it alone — just try to keep your cool through it all.

9.0   Eventually, once you’ve had your fill of the festivities, you may notice a wooden sign pointing you past the haunted mansion. Pressed on it is a round mark, and you remember that this is simulating a mission — you’re not here to just have fun, but to try and retrieve a simulated orb.

As you follow the path, you’ll find the hustle and bustle of the carnival growing quieter. All around you, there is nothing but woods — and hold on, where did all that mist come from? It surrounds you slowly, the ground seeming slightly damp as you keep walking… and arrive at a graveyard.

So the orb… it’s there, hidden in one of the graves? There’s nothing else to do but to start walking and looking at the gravestones — but when you do, you’ll be shocked to find some of the names are terribly, terribly familiar.

They might be names of your loved ones, people who were still in perfect health back home; and yet here those stones bear their names, along with an epitaph that brings tears to your eyes. And if you move closer… you may experience a flash of colour and light, and a memory suddenly plays out in front of you: the death of your loved one, whoever that may be.

Or perhaps the name you see on a gravestone is something else even more familiar to you: your own. But ... how, right? Reluctantly, your heart pounding, you approach with tentative steps, and yes — the name does not change. It's yours right there ... and it's your own death that you witness when the grave’s spell binds you.

● ● ●

N O T E:   The deaths witnessed are intended to be non-canon deaths, so feel free to go wild inventing them -- this also goes for characters who are canonically dead. These are “alternate universe deaths”, not canon.

Additionally, there are three personal tasks provided to each character as they enter the simulation. In-game, each character will be given one task. For the purposes of the test drive, we’re leaving it to players to pick a task for their character and run with it.

A   Find the grave of a teammate and witness their death.

B   Team up with a fellow Orber win in one of the Carnival games.

C   Scare a teammate in the haunted house.

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F Y I

• TDM threads can be considered game canon so long as all parties involved agree to it.
• This TDM covers both October and November, so there will be no new TDM for November.
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open!
• Apps open October 27 and will remain open until November 30.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.

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FOR SOME FUN:

Have a clue for your upcoming mission:
“I’m going to bed, where I may die.”

▶ NAV

Comments

[chevroned]

Good thing it's not my infirmary, then, isn't it, brat? [ he shoots back with a familiar huff. the truth is, though, there are some things that are just more important, and this here right now is one of them. it's pretty clear drift needs some time for the two of them to just.. be together again, and even if ratchet doesn't quite understand how hard it's been for drift, he has an idea of it, at least. it had felt wrong when drift had been sent away from the lost light, and that feeling had grown more and more insistent as time passed.

there's a brief, faintly embarrassed moment that lingers at the thought of what bunking close means for the two of them, but it fades almost as soon as it's arrived. it's.. right, it's how it should be. ] Speak for yourself, you recharge hot. [ but he doesn't mean it, which is quickly apparent as he grips drift's chin and pulls him in for a quick, almost matter-of-fact kiss.

he releases him again a moment later, nodding toward the door. ] Well? Don't leave me in suspense.

[aurable]

We should count ourselves lucky to be back in your skilled, not tender, but capable hands, doc. [ The kiss had been the anticipated outcome, but when it happened, every circuit in Drift's body fired off with a sudden charge. Ratchet tried to keep things brief, but Drift chased the kiss before the other could pull away. His finials perked and twitched upright, and if he were able, Drift would be purring like a turbofox right then and there.

A mild frown is the only protest when Ratchet pulls away, but Drift beams once more at Ratchet's mutual enthusiasm to get out of here. The pile of equipment lays forgotten as they sidestep it, and Drift leads them out of the infirmary. ]

Ratty, my love, I'll do more than just recharge hot. [ And without warning, Drift bent just at the right angle to sweep one arm under the medic's legs, catching his back with the other. Hoisting Ratchet into his arms to literally sweep him off his feet. ]

[chevroned]

[ drift's enthusiasm, as usual, makes some instinctive part of ratchet want to be even grouchier to offset it, but these days, it's also stupidly endearing. he kind of wants to kiss him again, but that can wait until they're behind closed doors and not in full sight of whoever decides to wander through the door looking for a weld or a bandage.

they're out in the corridor and ratchet's minding his own damn feet when said feet are abruptly swept out from under him, startling him so badly his ambulance lights go off for several seconds before he can switch them forcefully off. he's left gaping in drift's arms, eyes wide and expression stunned. ]

What-- [ ratchet is not a small mech. sure, drift usually has a little height on him, but ratchet's sturdy, built to transport patients if he needs to. the fact that drift so easily picks him up is both strangely attractive and incredibly embarrassing. they're in public around a bunch of organics, for crying out loud. ] Drift, you-- put me down, you grinning menace, I can walk.

[aurable]

I'm aware you can walk, I've just chosen to momentarily clear that inconvenient reality from my mind. [ The grinning menance in question responds airly. As though explaining some obscure tenant of Spectralism that likewise irritated Ratchet to no end. ]

Now stop moving, I'd be spark broken to drop you and dent anything.

[ It took a little trial and error with some dicey weight adjustment before Drift found his footing. With an armful of crotchety conjux Drift confidentially marched through the halls to the living quarters wing. Sparring what was left of Ratchet's dignity as he let the other mech down outside the door. ]

Try not to have any high expectations. [ Drift warns before leading Ratchet inside.

The room itself was spartan with only a double bed converted to a recharge berth against the back wall, a rack for Drift's swords, and a desk with an eclectic collection of various crystals and a weapon cleaning kit. ]

I've been meaning to redecorate.

[chevroned]

[ he vents a startled breath as drift chooses not to put him down, and instead starts moving, hooking his arms over the other mech's shoulders to keep himself steady. this is embarrassing, which he lets drift know in no uncertain terms, muttered under his breath as his partner carries him the entire way to their berthroom.

when he's finally set down on his own two feet again, he promptly jabs drift in the arm, faceplates still burning faintly. ] Ridiculous. Carrying around an old mech like me like I'm some delicate newspark--

[ but he steps into the room and pauses in the middle of it, taking in the sparse look of it, snorting at the sight of the crystals. he steps to the desk and nudges some items aside, promptly removing a datapad from his subspace and setting it down. .. there, that'll do for now. he didn't really come with much else, but he's sure the longer they're here, the more they'll make it their space.

he turns back to drift again and spreads his hands. ] Well, come here, then.

[aurable]

If you're so terribly old then all the more reason for me to be your personal chauffeur. [ Drift winks impishly and conveniencely pretended that cracks at Ratchet's age didn't make his spark twist with a sting that lingered.

That pain abated when Ratchet gave an invitation about as tantilizing as if Drift had offered to punch him in the face. All Drift could do was huff with feigned indignance and roll his eyes hard enough to fall out of his helm ]

First you bring negative energy into our space by looking at my crystal collection like they personally insulted you, then you make the sweeping romantic gesture of waving me over with all the excitement of a wet rag.

[ A broad smile brightened across Drift's face as he moved into Ratchet's arms. ] I love you so much, it's not even funny.

[ Then he kissed Ratchet deeply like he should have done the moment he saw him. ]

[chevroned]

'Negative energy' my aft, you're still just as ridi-- [ then drift is kissing him, cutting off what was bound to be a sarcastic commentary about crystals and new age spiritual nonsense. it goes right out of his head the moment his partner's mouth is on his, and his hands lift, cupping the sides of drift's helm to keep him right where he is.

this is-- this is good, this is perfect. it feels like they've done this a million times before, and maybe for drift, it has been that often. a kiss for every year they wasted apart, on opposite sides of the war and then in denial of what they could have been.

when ratchet pulls back from the kiss at last, he doesn't go far, thumbs against drift's cheeks, frame warm against the other mech's. ] One of us has to be the practical one in the relationship, [ he points out with a huff. ] I love you, too.

[aurable]

[ Drift learned this trick in the earliest days of their relationship. Back when they were still clumsily falling in and out of each other's orbit while tracking the Lost Light. Tempers were bound to flare, being boxed in together on a tiny shuttle for the long haul. Drift discovered he could smother those fires (most of the time) with a sudden kiss if he put everything behind it.

Sometimes Ratchet would forget what he had been angry about, only to turn right around be incensed that Drift stopped him from being angry. Ah, love. ]

Lucky for us both that someone happens to be me. [ Drift teased as he nosed against the palm of those incredible, gentle hands. His hand fell over Ratchet's while the other stayed firm around the mech's stocky middle.]

How are you feeling? It's just like you to throw yourself right into work after getting ripped sideways through the multiverse, but you're not indestructible, Ratty.

[chevroned]

[ he huffs, fingers spreading to allow drift's to slip between them. ] Those slagging crystals say otherwise. [ it doesn't matter how long he's with drift, he's pretty sure he's never going to find his religion anything but ridiculous. but.. as much as it makes ratchet roll his optics, it also gives drift some measure of peace, so.. he puts up with it the same way drift puts up with his more annoying traits.

the concern in drift's tone is telling, in a way, confirming something ratchet had already suspected from his partner's emotional response to his arrival. ratchet is almost definitely dead at drift's point in the timeline, and drift is struggling to cope with it. ]

I'm fine, [ he assures him impatiently, his free hand falling to the other mech's shoulder and squeezing gently despite the brusqueness of his voice. ] I'm not injured, and I'd barely gotten started there.

[aurable]

Says the 'bot letting 'slagging crystals' get under his plating. [ Ratchet was the only one who could harp on Drift's chosen spiritual path without the latter getting irritated or defensive. And of course, it was because that despite Ratchet's staunch atheism, he never let that stop him from being a loving partner to 'this galaxy's most credulous hippie into all sorts of claptrap.'

Drift eases into Ratchet's touch only to stiffen, his contented smile faltering under those scrutinizing optics and gruff tone of voice. Sure, Ratchet was always gruff. Only this had a warning edge to it. ]

I know that, [ Was Drift's almost timid reply ] but I just want you to be careful. You can't help anyone if you don't take care of yourself.

[ I need you to be okay, is what he didn't say. ]

[chevroned]

[ the meek response earns a heaved sigh, and ratchet tugs him closer to kiss him again, firm and certain. when he breaks it, he pulls away from drift, fingers tightening on the younger mech's hand as he sits down on the berth and tugs him down next to him. ]

Listen. We haven't been through all the scrap we've been through for me to not fight to be with you for the rest of my damn life.

[ he draws their laced fingers down to the top of his thigh, his other hand lifting to brush one of drift's finials, cup the base of his helm, gentle and protective. ] .. I need you to be honest with me, though, so we can figure it out. Together. I'm really gone for you, aren't I? Something happened.

[aurable]

[ There was something all too like a push behind that kiss and a push towards something Drift had been desperate to avoid. His limbs felt numb and heavy as Drift was guided to sit beside Ratchet. His head fell downcast the moment they settled in.

When Ratchet finally asked the million shanix question, Drift nearly shattered. The sound he let out was a low keen not uncommon of trapped animals who had given up on trying to gnaw their own leg out of a trap. ]

Yes [ The words is so infinitesimal it was small enough to slip right between his plating and twist right into his spark. Honesty was steadily bleeding him dry and having to re-live that sharp pang of loss, leaving Drift wavering until he was weak and frayed. ] Burnout.

[ No longer able to take feeling like he was now in the frame of that doctor who had delivered that prognosis not too long ago, Drift shuddered and collapsed against Ratchet. Helm pressed into the safe haven of Ratchet's neck cables, and that soft whine escaped him once more. ]

[chevroned]

[ the way drift just breaks is one of the most painful things ratchet's experienced in a long time, but he can't dwell on it. not with the revelation of what he already suspected. ratchet's an old 'bot, and his workaholic habits had begun long before the war. he's going to die, and it's not going to be particularly quick or pleasant, and he's going to leave drift alone. again.

he wishes he still had the strength to push his own drift away again, to force him to find someone younger, to just be his friend.. but he can't, even knowing what he knows now.

the whine makes his spark clench painfully, and he turns on the berth, hauling himself up further onto it and pulling drift closer, folding him in against his chest. ] Okay, [ he says once he's settled his partner where he wants him, hands cradling him close. ] Well, we have some time to figure some things out, then, right? [ he pets the other mech's backstrut, trying to be soothing while also trying to just.. deal with this information. ] We're here to undo regrets. So. Let's figure out how to keep me around a little while longer. Don't give up on me yet, dumbaft.

[aurable]

[ Drained from the unexpected catharsis of the grief that had been clawing him apart from the inside all these months, Drift goes limp in the other's arms. His head coming to fall against Ratchet's shoulder and the perfect view for staring into some empty middle distance beyond the walls of their room. Not making a sound or even twitching with the slightest movement as Ratchet spoke. Trying to tell himself that the cavernous ache yawing open in his chest was a feeling of relief and not guilt that he needed to be comforted by someone processing their own death.

Because this is what Drift always did when the fight was beaten out of him: Break off and shut down. Even Ratchet wasn't spared the thick, melancholic curtain that fell over Drift in moments like these.

Ratchet sounded miles off, but when he heard Don't give up on me yet, Drift was suddenly yanked back to the here and now. Twisting in Ratchet's arms, Drift craned his neck back and looked at him with a flash of something unyielding burning with wild energy behind his eyes. ]

I could never give up on you. [ There was a flinty edge to Drift's voice that cut through the hoarseness of his earlier keening. ]

You never gave up on me, not even when I had given you every reason to since the day you scrapped me off the streets. I'm not here because I've given up on you. I'm here because you're all I have.

[chevroned]

[ he lets drift twist in his arms, a little startled by the sudden burst of energy, but the hard stare up and the edge in drift's voice makes him vent once, sharp and stunned. that's not-- he's never wanted to be drift's reason for living. his partner, his conjunx, and a major part of his world, yes, but he still wants him to have a life after ratchet is gone. he wants him to grieve and then move on and find happiness again.

and he knows this is probably grief speaking now, that drift hasn't processed any of it, that he feels like there is no future for him anymore, but it's still painful and infuriating to hear it.

he grips his partner's helm between his palms, staring down into blazing optics with a calm he doesn't really feel. ] Listen to me, you stupid fragger. I love you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and it would be really nice if we could make it a little longer, but I don't want you to stop living after I'm gone, either.

[ he rubs his thumbs over drift's finials, shifting to tighten his knees around the body between them, not letting him slip away whether he likes it or not. ]

I don't want to leave you. [ he sighs shakily, curling over drift, shuttering his optics. ] Damn. Damn.

[aurable]

[ Reading between the lines, Drift could see what Ratchet wanted to say. The thought of Ratchet conjuring images of Drift moving on, finding someone else, and seeing that as a mercy—some logical conclusion Ratchet intended for him. Just the idea of it made his tanks churn, and his fuel lines reach a boiling point. Even if the loss wasn't this new, with the wounds still fresh and vulnerable to Drift picking at them just to feel a damn thing. ]

I've already been with you for the rest of your life! [ Drift snaps out like the cornered animal he is before he can stop himself. The hard look on his face shatters into something stricken as regret strikes back in an instant. Vents shuttering, he murmurs a broke and stubborn, ] And it wasn't even an iota of what we deserve.

[ White finials flatten and Drift turns to press his mouth into the palm of Ratchet's hand as every touch coaxes him down from his fit. ] You're here now.

[chevroned]

Yeah, kid, I'm here now, [ he croaks, shivering once at the familiar mouth against his sensitive palm. both of them are a mess, and ratchet needs to keep himself together. for both their sakes. ] I'm going to be here as long as I can be.

[ there's no way to fix his diagnosis. there's no magic cure, there's not going to be an eleventh hour miracle. he is going to die; he's already died, as far as drift is concerned. all they can do is delay the inevitable for a little while longer. and if that's the case, then.. he doesn't want to waste any more of their time together.

he straightens again, leaning back against the wall, thumb stroking drift's cheekbone. ] Hey, come up here and kiss me again.

[aurable]

You said those words to me then, too. [ Drift whispers, thinking out loud as so many bittersweet memories this Ratchet had yet to share with him—might never if it all worked out.

He doesn't believe he has the strength to lose Ratchet again. In his darkest moments, he found himself wishing the death had been sudden. At least then, he would have had the numbing shock to soften the blow. Instead, death had been a long shadow over both of them for more than either of their sparks could take. From the diagnosis and later the palliative care that had caused more fights than Drift was prepared to admit to. He wants to say they spent every last waking moment together in poignant bliss, but that would have been a lie. It wouldn't have been them and all their combined stubbornness.

At Ratchet's request, Drift rose on his knees, regaining the height he typically had over him. Drift canted his head to relish the touch against his face a moment longer before pulling away, holding Ratchet's chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting his face to meet his gaze. He holds Ratchet like that for a long moment. Not saying a word, staring intently and taking in a sight he never thought he'd be lucky enough to have again. ]

And I'll do everything I can to see that we have that time. [ Drift intones before drawing Ratchet in close and kissing him deeply. ]

[chevroned]

[ he doesn't know why he isn't expecting it, given everything he knows of drift, but when the younger mech rises up over him, it sends a bolt of heat right down his spinal strut. he knows drift's still in shock, and honestly, they probably both need time to figure out what this means for the two of them here, now, in this place together. he doesn't resist the fingers against his chin, though, meeting his partner's gaze steadily.

there are going to be fights, he already knows. they're already brewing there, set aside for the moment to be taken out in the days and weeks to come. for now, though, he's happy to lean up into the tug, arms curling around drift as he returns the kiss. his hands flatten against the other mech's back, holding him as close to his body as he can, lips parting beneath drift's as his plating warms beneath familiar weight.

just like that, he doesn't need to say, his body doing it for him. his fingers curl, dragging down drift's back, thighs spreading wider to get drift between them again. ]

[aurable]

[ It was a comfort to fall into familiar patterns as though they had only been apart for mere days. Drift could feel where Ratchet didn't slide so easily into place as he did, but that little resistance could be an adjustment. Or the fact Ratchet was from when their relationship was still just a nascent thing they were navigating together. A thrill of anticipation at the thought of rediscovering each other like new lovers sent shivers through his sensory suite. ]

There's my Ratty. [ Drift sighed between kisses as he slid a hand between Ratchet's back and the berth. He was gingerly unlatching the bulkier, removable parts of the other's armor plating and his own and deftly moving the excess kibble off to the side without once turning his attention away from the mech beneath him. The expression on Drift's face as he stared down at Ratchet could only be described as beatific. ]

Let me have a moment—I just want to look at you.