When All Lights Go Out I (TFP)

After they had returned to the base, Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee left to pick Jack, Miko and Raf up from school. Azura was feeling rather happy, and she had told Arcee that she wanted to do something with her when she would get back. Arcee was pleased to hear that. Sure, they collected some pretty stone that could be turned into jewelry, but Azura wanted to do something else now. So she went back to her room to entertain herself while she waited. And the way she did that was simple. With Optimus not watching her, Azura walks over to an exposed rocky wall and concentrates. It took a moment before she formed some large clay clusters directly from the rock itself. She was extremely pleased with herself with that achievement too. She had asked for clay, but she has yet to receive it. But as clay came from the ground, she had decided to make it herself.

Mostly because she figured Arcee would enjoy modelling something with the clay. She was aware she might get questioned by Arcee on how she got the clay, but she doubted she would get in trouble. She didn't take from the foundation of the large rock they were under, she merely used the rock itself as a means to help create the clay. And she was very happy she did so because now Jack didn't have to spend any kind of money on clay for her to enjoy.

She did make sure that there was enough clay for Arcee to use as well. And while she waited, Azura could not help but start molding things out of the clay. She was sitting on the floor in front of the couch with the pile of clay beside her and on the table. She had decided to model some animals, starting with a rabbit. She knew it was a simple choice, but it still took patience to model something out of clay. After all, if she had a pottery wheel, she could show that it wasn't exactly easy to model clay all the time.

As she was shaping the animal, Azura looked towards the door as it opened, and she smiled when she saw Optimus walking into the room. When he looked over to her, he was immediately surprised to see what she had with her. He stared at the clay for a moment, and he realized that she must have somehow formed it. He could not help but frown slightly as he began to think that she might have done something that could have caused damage to the silo.

He approached Azura as he glanced around before stopping and kneeling down, looking at the clay curiously. "Azura..." She looked up at him with a smile. "I trust you did not get that..." He frowned for a moment as he did not really know what it is. "It kind of looks like mud..."

Azura giggled and she shook her head. "No, no. It is clay! Mud is...just sloppy, wet dirt. Clay is a little harder to explain. But you will find clay deeper than the surface of the earth, and it can be used to make things." Optimus frowned as he listened to her as he definitely began suspecting she got the clay from somewhere she shouldn't. "Humans have been using clay for years. Some used clay to build houses, while clay was often using for things like pottery, plates, cups and so on. It is a natural thing."

Optimus hummed softly as he pondered on her response. "With that explanation, does that mean you retrieved the clay from some part of the base?" She looked at him in surprise and shook her head. "I hope you are not lying to me, Azura. I do not appreciate deception, and I will deliver consequences for it."

"I promise that the clay is not from the rock of this base. I did...use the exposed wall over there..." She points towards to the wall she got the clay from. "To form clay clusters on the wall without taking away any of the rock itself." Optimus seemed surprised as he looked back at Saphira curiously. "I know it looks like I took the clay from the rock itself, but I promise I did not. If I can form fire in my hand, or water, or snow...I can do the same for earth and rock. And this also saves Jack from having to go out and buy the clay for me. This is what I plan to do with Arcee, if she wants."

Optimus rubbed his chin as he observed Azura. He did not see any kind of body language from her that would suggest she was lying, so he intakes heavily and accepts that she had been telling the truth. "Very well, Azura. I trust that you are telling the truth." She smiled as she was happy to hear that. Optimus leaned down a little to get a closer look at the clay. He picked up some of the clay that Azura had not touched. "Hmm...interesting texture. How were humans able to use this for buildings and tools?"