It is starting the week with Art
Title: The Art of Deception. (12/??)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: A bit of violence, minor implications of sex, drugs, self flagelation. Eventual slash.
Characters: Prowl, Jazz, Smokscreen, Drift, Lockdown.
Setting: G1 AU. Borrows shamelessly from IDW and DW elements as necessary.
Summary: He had been unwanted but he willed himself to survive and old tricks are hard to leave behind.
Notes: This is an AU bunny that I had been keeping under the bunny pile, I don't think it'll be nearly as long as Paint Streaks and Sparkless, but you know how these bunnies tend to be. Several concepts seen through the duration of this fic are inspired by or belong to snugsbunny and used with permission. Glitchbuzzard is courtesy of nkfloofiepoof
Many thanks to mmouse15 for kindly beta reading this for me and wicked3659 for her input. I apologize for the lack of updates, a lot of real life and failures in the power supply made getting some ficcage done a true challenge. But here's again, Art of Deception.
Smokescreen re-read through the information displaying on his terminal's screen, having read this same piece of information at least ten times by now as a frown marred his features. Things were just not adding up to him and it was becoming an object of concern for him, given that he'd never encountered a situation such as this.
Smokescreen was one of the most privileged teachers currently belonging to the academic body in Iacon's prestigious academy, and he held no false modesty about just how good and very sought after a teacher he was. Iacon had to make many concessions in his favor to keep his interest in teaching for the institution as many of Praxus' institutes kept trying to gain his services; it was only through the benefits he was given at Iacon that he didn't return to his beloved home city.
He was so sought after in Praxus that a couple of times the schools had considered changing their entire academic schedule just to fit time for Smokescreen to work at Iacon and Praxus but the move proved to be unpopular amongst the highest ranking families that did not want to have their entire plans to go askew for one teacher alone; and instead the best that could be achieved was for Smokescreen to give a series of lectures on select occasions, and always to a lecture room filled to max capacity.
Amongst the demands he made to the staff in order to remain a member of their academic body, Smokescreen requested that every single prospective student of Praxian origin that applied for the entrance exams would be sent to him for their examination. His request had been granted but was warned that if a student did not want to present the entrance exams with him, the student's wishes would be honored before his own. Smokescreen understood a few students could find themselves nervous to be tested by a fellow Praxian and others might think being tested by him would grant them an unfair advantage even if Smokescreen prided himself on being impartial and fair in his testing.
He tried to keep that possibility in mind and keep an open mind about what the records were showing to him, but ultimately, it was a very, very strange situation and he suspected it was only going to get worse before it got any better.
"Just who are you, Prowl?" Smokescreen muttered as he looked through what records were available in the Academy's network over and over again, getting the distinctive feeling he was opening a proverbial can of worms.
During the following weeks he kept an optic on Prowl during class and after class as much as he could get away with but made a point to publicly show the least interest as possible for the time being, studying how Prowl responded to his gradual lack of interest. Against his original expectations, Smokescreen took notice that Prowl seemed to thrive on being left alone. He had good grades in all his classes, a few less spectacularly so than others, but he was overall one of the best students of his grade, but now that Smokescreen had seemingly backed down on his interest and exaltation of his student, Prowl seemed to truly shine. He was just a little more social and seemed to be particularly adept at helping other students out. And more often than not he spent some of his free time with the teachers Drift and Lockdown to work on his close combat skills.
Smokescreen felt a little disappointed that Prowl would find interest in hand to hand combat when Praxians were well known for being exceptional shooters. However he considered that Prowl would likely find more interest on firearms once he took that class.
It was then, too when Smokescreen took notice of another development that he wasn't particularly approving of either. He was aware Prowl had a closer friendship with Jazz, they seemed to know each other from some other place and thus stuck together more often than not, but for the most part it seemed just a common friendship. But lately that friendship seemed to be developing into something more and while Smokescreen didn't have anything personal against Jazz, he wasn't someone Smokescreen considered proper dating material for a Praxian.
It wasn't uncommon that Praxians dated mechs from other cities and builds, but they rarely were more than just some flirting or casual relationships. The higher the rank of a Praxian, the more unlikely it was they would seek the company of a non-Praxian or at least a mech of a different origin that was of a very good standing. Something he was sure Jazz wasn't just yet. Smokescreen knew Jazz was a good enough student and had his spark in the right place, he was just not in league for someone of the status he was sure Prowl had or would be if he had grown in Praxus. But there was little he could do about that development without directly interfering and he was sure Prowl would not take to that intervention kindly.
Still, just the fact Prowl seemed to be disregarding all that a Praxian mech was, and the pride of their elite city and customs baffled and worried Smokescreen. Many of his colleagues didn't understand why Smokescreen was so concerned for the youths of his own city, but Smokescreen was a traditionalist as were the majority of Praxians. Teachers and tutors were considered almost as important in the formation of a young Praxian as were their progenitors, and it was their duty to exalt the virtues of being created a Praxian, and induce them to feel pride for their origins and how far their city had come from its more humble origins many generations ago.
It was thus why Prowl's attitude towards his Praxian heritage bothered and concerned him, and he suspected there was more to it than just being raised outside of Praxus. He had tried to find what information he could about Prowl's family, but the school registries tended to lack information about the family, focusing the data solely on the applicant and its academic history. The access from Iacon to Kaon's census and registered citizens' data was limited, and it was well known that Kaon's offices were rather lax in their upkeep and update of the information, so it wouldn't be surprising if he couldn't find much more than maybe their names or an address, but did not find even that. Smokescreen wondered at first if Prowl's creators were just Praxians that left the city due to commitments somewhere else, but found nothing at all that could link Prowl to any family of Praxian origin. It was almost as if Prowl did not exist at all.
That brought up the possibility that Prowl had been given away in adoption, it wasn't unheard of that some newly sparked would be placed under the care of adoptive families. Sometimes families of Praxian mechs, in other opportunities it was under the care of mechs that had no relation to Praxus whatsoever. It was more than likely Prowl was raised by mechs not of Praxian origin and not versed enough in the customs to pass down the knowledge to Prowl. There were still things about Prowl's presence in the Academy that were bothersome and were just not adding up, and he couldn't help suspicions arising for every unanswered question that Prowl's enigma posed to him.
Smokescreen wasn't the only mech that observed Prowl, and that also observed Smokescreen for that matter.
Drift smirked at Lockdown while they engaged in a mock combat, a dance that was as dangerous as it was beautiful. "That fraggin' Praxian's watchin' the kid again." Lockdown muttered between swipes of his large fists gracing the air next to Drift's slimmer form. "Tempted t'just go there an' lay the smack down on him."
Drift laughed softly, blocking every punch and kick swiftly and precisely. "Are we fond and protective of our student?"
Lockdown snorted. "Not interested on his aft, plus I got a nicer one within my reach." Drift laughed again and blocked yet another kick, taking on the offence now and sending Lockdown a couple of steps back to duck and block Drift's speedy barrage of kicks and punches.
"While the compliments are appreciated, I suggest we reserve the lewd commentary for a more private setting. Now," Drift barely spared a glance to where he could see Smokescreen's form retreating. "What bothers you about Smokescreen?"
"He's stickin' th'olfactory sensors too deep in business that ain't his own. He's trackin' down on the kid, he thinks he's been all inconspicuous, but I can read the signs."
Drift made a non-committal sound, back flipping and rushing forward for another series of kicks as soon as one foot found support on the ground. "Why do you think he is investigating Prowl? It does seem like an inordinate amount of effort being spent on an ordinary enough student."
Lockdown snorted again. "Oh, knock it off. Ya know as well as I do that Prowl ain't an ordinary student. That kid's not from the same walk of life as th'rest of the brats here."
"There's more to him than he lets others see."
"Don't care how th'kid got in. Jus' care that he's good an' that glitchbuzzard Praxian is sniffin' things he shouldn't." Lockdown grunted as Drift got him into a lock he was having difficulty getting off of.
"You're worried Smokescreen might uncover something that could have Prowl expelled." Drift smiled as he managed to submit Lockdown in what the other instructor had affectionately referred to as 'deathlock'. "I find that highly unlikely, but I am sure it is going to set Prowl on edge. Things might get rocky." Drift's grip tightened. "So, yield?"
"S'one way to put it." Lockdown grunted and nodded, accepting his defeat.
Drift smirked. "Ah-ah. Say it."
"Yer a fraggin' sadist."
Drift leaned closer to Lockdown's helm. "You know you like it."
Lockdown sighed and acquiesced "I yield." Just like that, Drift let him go and helped him up. "Hope ya don't teach that one t'Jazz."
"Why is that?" Drift touched over Lockdown's joint to make sure he hadn't damaged it involuntarily.
"I kinda like th'idea of Prowl doin' the domination there."
Drift sputtered. "You do not know the meaning of the word shame, do you?"
"Shame? Not in my personal dictionary." There were some times when Drift wished he could really wipe that smug slag-eating grin off Lockdown's face.
"Yes, well. You might be jumping to conclusions about them. After all, they're just friends." The two mechs left the open training grounds and headed for the cafeteria to refuel and cool down after their work out. "Close friends I'll admit, but still...it's all they are for now."
Lockdown walked alongside Drift, rubbing his slightly sore joint "Might be th'case, but I know a mech in love when I see it, an' I tell ya, Drift...This ain't just friendship anymore."
"Admittedly, I think it might mean more to Prowl than it could to other mechs. He seems quite guarded."
Lockdown sighed; he was familiar with the kind of personality he found in the young Kaon-raised mech. "I toldja he ain't from the same walk of life as th'kids here, this is big for him. Real big."
"Well then," Drift sighed, patting Lockdown's back sympathetically. "I hope that Jazz does understand what Prowl is lying in his hands, and thinks it through before he involves himself with someone as complicated as Prowl."
Lockdown grunted and nodded. "They'll deal. It's that Praxian glitch I'm more concerned about."
"Don't do anything brash, Lockdown. Remember that Smokescreen does have a better standing in this institution than the majority of us."
"I know."
----------------------------
"...Then, you multiply these digits and divide by this here. That's how you solve this problem." Prowl explained patiently as Jazz solved the problems with his help. "The method your teacher gave you is a little too contrived, I'm not sure why he wasn't just straightforward."
"He kinda likes t'complicate things. S'his way, I suppose." Jazz grinned and finished his homework. "All done now! Thank ya, Prowl. I'd be up with this until recharge time an' still not be done."
"You're welcome, Jazz." Prowl smiled a little, which was a common occurrence when he was hanging with Jazz. "We don't want you missing on the party, do we?"
Jazz ginned and nodded enthusiastically, then sobered a little. "No chance to convince ya t'come over with us?"
Prowl shook his head. A party had been planned for that night by one of Jazz's friends and would be held in the mech's family's home that wasn't too far from the Academy. "I'm sorry but I have other commitments."
Jazz didn't bother to hide his disappointment but accepted it "Anythin' fun, I hope?"
"Depends on your definition of fun." Prowl smiled a little, and took Jazz's hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry to miss out, I'll make it up to you later on, but another student recommended me to his creators to tutor his younger sibling. I agreed to it before I was told about the party."
Jazz chuckled and squeezed Prowl's hand back. "Yeah, that sounds like loads o' fun."
"I'll treat you to a shake with the fruits of my boredom and hard labor?" Prowl looked at Jazz hopeful, barely holding back the laughter his own words instilled on him.
Jazz, though, did not restrain himself and laughed unbidden at the deadpan delivery of Prowl's self inflicted mocking. "A shake will do." Jazz managed between juvenile giggles.
"It's a deal then. I should get going now I need to wash up before I go." Prowl didn't really want to part with Jazz's company but he knew he had to. "I'll see you later. Have fun, Jazz"
"Yeah, I will. Don't work yourself too hard." Jazz escorted Prowl to the door and waved him off, sighing a little when Prowl was out of sight. He really would have liked to go to that party with Prowl but knew Prowl always honored his commitments whether for fun or for more serious reasons, and Jazz wouldn't want him any other way.
What Jazz did not know was that Prowl had less than honorable intentions when he accepted to tutor for the struggling sibling of a fellow student. The mech came from a very wealthy family that was known for sponsoring the Academy with generous donations in funds and materials, and the hopes were set on Prowl to help their struggling youngest to be up to form for the admission exams to another prestigious middle school that would be the pit stop before the Iacon Academy that would no doubt accept the young one but whether he would graduate or not was up in the air.
The mechling would be left alone at home in their impressive state and the opportunity and challenge that presented itself were far too tempting for the thrill seeking Prowl that was more than eager to take on the posed opportunity. Whatever misdemeanor was being concocted by his processors had the chevroned mechlet smirking to himself as he headed for the wash racks.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: A bit of violence, minor implications of sex, drugs, self flagelation. Eventual slash.
Characters: Prowl, Jazz, Smokscreen, Drift, Lockdown.
Setting: G1 AU. Borrows shamelessly from IDW and DW elements as necessary.
Summary: He had been unwanted but he willed himself to survive and old tricks are hard to leave behind.
Notes: This is an AU bunny that I had been keeping under the bunny pile, I don't think it'll be nearly as long as Paint Streaks and Sparkless, but you know how these bunnies tend to be. Several concepts seen through the duration of this fic are inspired by or belong to snugsbunny and used with permission. Glitchbuzzard is courtesy of nkfloofiepoof
Many thanks to mmouse15 for kindly beta reading this for me and wicked3659 for her input. I apologize for the lack of updates, a lot of real life and failures in the power supply made getting some ficcage done a true challenge. But here's again, Art of Deception.
Smokescreen re-read through the information displaying on his terminal's screen, having read this same piece of information at least ten times by now as a frown marred his features. Things were just not adding up to him and it was becoming an object of concern for him, given that he'd never encountered a situation such as this.
Smokescreen was one of the most privileged teachers currently belonging to the academic body in Iacon's prestigious academy, and he held no false modesty about just how good and very sought after a teacher he was. Iacon had to make many concessions in his favor to keep his interest in teaching for the institution as many of Praxus' institutes kept trying to gain his services; it was only through the benefits he was given at Iacon that he didn't return to his beloved home city.
He was so sought after in Praxus that a couple of times the schools had considered changing their entire academic schedule just to fit time for Smokescreen to work at Iacon and Praxus but the move proved to be unpopular amongst the highest ranking families that did not want to have their entire plans to go askew for one teacher alone; and instead the best that could be achieved was for Smokescreen to give a series of lectures on select occasions, and always to a lecture room filled to max capacity.
Amongst the demands he made to the staff in order to remain a member of their academic body, Smokescreen requested that every single prospective student of Praxian origin that applied for the entrance exams would be sent to him for their examination. His request had been granted but was warned that if a student did not want to present the entrance exams with him, the student's wishes would be honored before his own. Smokescreen understood a few students could find themselves nervous to be tested by a fellow Praxian and others might think being tested by him would grant them an unfair advantage even if Smokescreen prided himself on being impartial and fair in his testing.
He tried to keep that possibility in mind and keep an open mind about what the records were showing to him, but ultimately, it was a very, very strange situation and he suspected it was only going to get worse before it got any better.
"Just who are you, Prowl?" Smokescreen muttered as he looked through what records were available in the Academy's network over and over again, getting the distinctive feeling he was opening a proverbial can of worms.
During the following weeks he kept an optic on Prowl during class and after class as much as he could get away with but made a point to publicly show the least interest as possible for the time being, studying how Prowl responded to his gradual lack of interest. Against his original expectations, Smokescreen took notice that Prowl seemed to thrive on being left alone. He had good grades in all his classes, a few less spectacularly so than others, but he was overall one of the best students of his grade, but now that Smokescreen had seemingly backed down on his interest and exaltation of his student, Prowl seemed to truly shine. He was just a little more social and seemed to be particularly adept at helping other students out. And more often than not he spent some of his free time with the teachers Drift and Lockdown to work on his close combat skills.
Smokescreen felt a little disappointed that Prowl would find interest in hand to hand combat when Praxians were well known for being exceptional shooters. However he considered that Prowl would likely find more interest on firearms once he took that class.
It was then, too when Smokescreen took notice of another development that he wasn't particularly approving of either. He was aware Prowl had a closer friendship with Jazz, they seemed to know each other from some other place and thus stuck together more often than not, but for the most part it seemed just a common friendship. But lately that friendship seemed to be developing into something more and while Smokescreen didn't have anything personal against Jazz, he wasn't someone Smokescreen considered proper dating material for a Praxian.
It wasn't uncommon that Praxians dated mechs from other cities and builds, but they rarely were more than just some flirting or casual relationships. The higher the rank of a Praxian, the more unlikely it was they would seek the company of a non-Praxian or at least a mech of a different origin that was of a very good standing. Something he was sure Jazz wasn't just yet. Smokescreen knew Jazz was a good enough student and had his spark in the right place, he was just not in league for someone of the status he was sure Prowl had or would be if he had grown in Praxus. But there was little he could do about that development without directly interfering and he was sure Prowl would not take to that intervention kindly.
Still, just the fact Prowl seemed to be disregarding all that a Praxian mech was, and the pride of their elite city and customs baffled and worried Smokescreen. Many of his colleagues didn't understand why Smokescreen was so concerned for the youths of his own city, but Smokescreen was a traditionalist as were the majority of Praxians. Teachers and tutors were considered almost as important in the formation of a young Praxian as were their progenitors, and it was their duty to exalt the virtues of being created a Praxian, and induce them to feel pride for their origins and how far their city had come from its more humble origins many generations ago.
It was thus why Prowl's attitude towards his Praxian heritage bothered and concerned him, and he suspected there was more to it than just being raised outside of Praxus. He had tried to find what information he could about Prowl's family, but the school registries tended to lack information about the family, focusing the data solely on the applicant and its academic history. The access from Iacon to Kaon's census and registered citizens' data was limited, and it was well known that Kaon's offices were rather lax in their upkeep and update of the information, so it wouldn't be surprising if he couldn't find much more than maybe their names or an address, but did not find even that. Smokescreen wondered at first if Prowl's creators were just Praxians that left the city due to commitments somewhere else, but found nothing at all that could link Prowl to any family of Praxian origin. It was almost as if Prowl did not exist at all.
That brought up the possibility that Prowl had been given away in adoption, it wasn't unheard of that some newly sparked would be placed under the care of adoptive families. Sometimes families of Praxian mechs, in other opportunities it was under the care of mechs that had no relation to Praxus whatsoever. It was more than likely Prowl was raised by mechs not of Praxian origin and not versed enough in the customs to pass down the knowledge to Prowl. There were still things about Prowl's presence in the Academy that were bothersome and were just not adding up, and he couldn't help suspicions arising for every unanswered question that Prowl's enigma posed to him.
Smokescreen wasn't the only mech that observed Prowl, and that also observed Smokescreen for that matter.
Drift smirked at Lockdown while they engaged in a mock combat, a dance that was as dangerous as it was beautiful. "That fraggin' Praxian's watchin' the kid again." Lockdown muttered between swipes of his large fists gracing the air next to Drift's slimmer form. "Tempted t'just go there an' lay the smack down on him."
Drift laughed softly, blocking every punch and kick swiftly and precisely. "Are we fond and protective of our student?"
Lockdown snorted. "Not interested on his aft, plus I got a nicer one within my reach." Drift laughed again and blocked yet another kick, taking on the offence now and sending Lockdown a couple of steps back to duck and block Drift's speedy barrage of kicks and punches.
"While the compliments are appreciated, I suggest we reserve the lewd commentary for a more private setting. Now," Drift barely spared a glance to where he could see Smokescreen's form retreating. "What bothers you about Smokescreen?"
"He's stickin' th'olfactory sensors too deep in business that ain't his own. He's trackin' down on the kid, he thinks he's been all inconspicuous, but I can read the signs."
Drift made a non-committal sound, back flipping and rushing forward for another series of kicks as soon as one foot found support on the ground. "Why do you think he is investigating Prowl? It does seem like an inordinate amount of effort being spent on an ordinary enough student."
Lockdown snorted again. "Oh, knock it off. Ya know as well as I do that Prowl ain't an ordinary student. That kid's not from the same walk of life as th'rest of the brats here."
"There's more to him than he lets others see."
"Don't care how th'kid got in. Jus' care that he's good an' that glitchbuzzard Praxian is sniffin' things he shouldn't." Lockdown grunted as Drift got him into a lock he was having difficulty getting off of.
"You're worried Smokescreen might uncover something that could have Prowl expelled." Drift smiled as he managed to submit Lockdown in what the other instructor had affectionately referred to as 'deathlock'. "I find that highly unlikely, but I am sure it is going to set Prowl on edge. Things might get rocky." Drift's grip tightened. "So, yield?"
"S'one way to put it." Lockdown grunted and nodded, accepting his defeat.
Drift smirked. "Ah-ah. Say it."
"Yer a fraggin' sadist."
Drift leaned closer to Lockdown's helm. "You know you like it."
Lockdown sighed and acquiesced "I yield." Just like that, Drift let him go and helped him up. "Hope ya don't teach that one t'Jazz."
"Why is that?" Drift touched over Lockdown's joint to make sure he hadn't damaged it involuntarily.
"I kinda like th'idea of Prowl doin' the domination there."
Drift sputtered. "You do not know the meaning of the word shame, do you?"
"Shame? Not in my personal dictionary." There were some times when Drift wished he could really wipe that smug slag-eating grin off Lockdown's face.
"Yes, well. You might be jumping to conclusions about them. After all, they're just friends." The two mechs left the open training grounds and headed for the cafeteria to refuel and cool down after their work out. "Close friends I'll admit, but still...it's all they are for now."
Lockdown walked alongside Drift, rubbing his slightly sore joint "Might be th'case, but I know a mech in love when I see it, an' I tell ya, Drift...This ain't just friendship anymore."
"Admittedly, I think it might mean more to Prowl than it could to other mechs. He seems quite guarded."
Lockdown sighed; he was familiar with the kind of personality he found in the young Kaon-raised mech. "I toldja he ain't from the same walk of life as th'kids here, this is big for him. Real big."
"Well then," Drift sighed, patting Lockdown's back sympathetically. "I hope that Jazz does understand what Prowl is lying in his hands, and thinks it through before he involves himself with someone as complicated as Prowl."
Lockdown grunted and nodded. "They'll deal. It's that Praxian glitch I'm more concerned about."
"Don't do anything brash, Lockdown. Remember that Smokescreen does have a better standing in this institution than the majority of us."
"I know."
----------------------------
"...Then, you multiply these digits and divide by this here. That's how you solve this problem." Prowl explained patiently as Jazz solved the problems with his help. "The method your teacher gave you is a little too contrived, I'm not sure why he wasn't just straightforward."
"He kinda likes t'complicate things. S'his way, I suppose." Jazz grinned and finished his homework. "All done now! Thank ya, Prowl. I'd be up with this until recharge time an' still not be done."
"You're welcome, Jazz." Prowl smiled a little, which was a common occurrence when he was hanging with Jazz. "We don't want you missing on the party, do we?"
Jazz ginned and nodded enthusiastically, then sobered a little. "No chance to convince ya t'come over with us?"
Prowl shook his head. A party had been planned for that night by one of Jazz's friends and would be held in the mech's family's home that wasn't too far from the Academy. "I'm sorry but I have other commitments."
Jazz didn't bother to hide his disappointment but accepted it "Anythin' fun, I hope?"
"Depends on your definition of fun." Prowl smiled a little, and took Jazz's hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry to miss out, I'll make it up to you later on, but another student recommended me to his creators to tutor his younger sibling. I agreed to it before I was told about the party."
Jazz chuckled and squeezed Prowl's hand back. "Yeah, that sounds like loads o' fun."
"I'll treat you to a shake with the fruits of my boredom and hard labor?" Prowl looked at Jazz hopeful, barely holding back the laughter his own words instilled on him.
Jazz, though, did not restrain himself and laughed unbidden at the deadpan delivery of Prowl's self inflicted mocking. "A shake will do." Jazz managed between juvenile giggles.
"It's a deal then. I should get going now I need to wash up before I go." Prowl didn't really want to part with Jazz's company but he knew he had to. "I'll see you later. Have fun, Jazz"
"Yeah, I will. Don't work yourself too hard." Jazz escorted Prowl to the door and waved him off, sighing a little when Prowl was out of sight. He really would have liked to go to that party with Prowl but knew Prowl always honored his commitments whether for fun or for more serious reasons, and Jazz wouldn't want him any other way.
What Jazz did not know was that Prowl had less than honorable intentions when he accepted to tutor for the struggling sibling of a fellow student. The mech came from a very wealthy family that was known for sponsoring the Academy with generous donations in funds and materials, and the hopes were set on Prowl to help their struggling youngest to be up to form for the admission exams to another prestigious middle school that would be the pit stop before the Iacon Academy that would no doubt accept the young one but whether he would graduate or not was up in the air.
The mechling would be left alone at home in their impressive state and the opportunity and challenge that presented itself were far too tempting for the thrill seeking Prowl that was more than eager to take on the posed opportunity. Whatever misdemeanor was being concocted by his processors had the chevroned mechlet smirking to himself as he headed for the wash racks.