Nexus. The Black Dog bar. Alive again, or newly alive.

[random_xtras]

She sits at the bar, idly dabbling a finger in her cube of mid-grade blue as she listens to the comings and goings and the talk and laughter all around her. She can make sense of what she hears now, since Scattor gave her a little of his own programming... an 'operating system', he'd called it. So she knows what's going on here, and she knows how to use this body she's found herself in.

She still doesn't know what she was created for.

Nothing is random. Scattor says this, and she finds that she strongly believes it herself now that she's capable of believing anything. Yet here she is with a superbly equipped body and a functioning processor inhabited by the memories and personality of a dead organic femme and the quirky jokes of a former Decepticon turned Guardian Fae.

Her ears quiver softly in a smile as she thinks of her mentor. She still hasn't figured him out, but she thinks she likes him. As much as she likes anything yet.

There's a whimper and a little yip from her left, and her hand goes out unerringly to scratch the ears of the hybrid Maximal sparklet that the bar is named for. "Ach, Pooka, is everyvone ignoring you again?"

There's a good-natured snort from Nemesis, and Liedherz's ears move with amusement as she lowers her head to nuzzle the fuzzy youngster.

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[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

The door rattles behind him as the newest arrival strides through it and pauses just inside. He stands tall, sweeping the room with an unreadable gaze, big enough not to heed any hapless bot trying to pass him. Mega-Octane is in the Nexus… and there are no Commandos at his side.

And one might wonder what he’s doing in a bar. But he certainly doesn’t look confused about it.

Satisfied there’s no-one at the booths or tables he’s interested in, he heads for the bar itself, glancing along it at the other patrons as he approaches.

[random_xtras]

"Thhpphth." Liedherz straightens and wipes her muzzle. "Danke for ze lovely kisses, kind. Thhpphth. But I don't think ve know vone another vell enough yet to be kissing like zat yet."

"Huh?" Pooka tilts his head at her, then gives her a little nose bump and goes to check out what that Bumblebee's doing at the other end of the bar.

Liedherz chuckles, her ears twitching and her wings resettling around her shoulders as she lifts her cube for a drink.

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

Mega-Octane pauses for a second, gaze snapping in the direction of that voice. He recognises her, of course, with the information he took from Movor before he came. His visor narrows for just a moment…

And then the expression is gone and the only sign he’s noted the ex-organic’s presence is the shift in his course towards her part of the counter.

He settles himself comfortably on the stool between Liedherz and the door, radiating hard-edged purpose. He knows things in this place have changed since any of his Commandos were here last, but as he glances at the blackboard he’s not interested in how.

[random_xtras]

There are Scorponok chew marks on the edge of the bar here and there. And the dark green femme who walks over to look at him with optics the colour of dried blood could nearly be a shorter version of Blackout.

"What's yours?" she asks him mildly, then calls to Pooka to stop eating all the energon pellets, she just fed him.

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

He notes that as he looks her over briefly, and isn't particularly surprised. "Green mid-grade," he says, not knowing why that comes to mind so readily. He assumes it's his team's doing, like the way he recognises most of the drinks on the list.

Though he doesn't look round, he's far more interested in whether Liedherz will react to his voice.

[random_xtras]

Liedherz is listening, as she has been since she first detected those footsteps. Except for that single ear pointing his way there's no sign she's aware of the combiner captain, though.

Nemesis, meanwhile, fills a cube at the tap and sets it down in front of Mega-Octane as she gives him the standard n00b lecture. "This is neutral ground. Disturb the peace and drink elsewhere. And the fuzzy black guy's off limits. He's also the only one that gets to sit on the bar without a chair."

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

"I know the rules," he responds gruffly, though everything from 'fuzzy black' is new and he glances down the way at Pooka. Bars aren't for sitting on, anyway: he can't imagine why anyone would want to...

There's a flicker of memory that's echoed in his visor, and if he could he'd smile. Maybe he can.

[random_xtras]

She accepts the cube that Nemesis hands to her, one ear slanted toward Mega-Octane in what would be a faintly puzzled frown in most beings. The ear, and her body language say that she has no idea what he's talking about, and that she's not particularly interested in finding out. She takes a sip of her energon and then speaks, her voice cool and noncommittal as she says, "Oh. Vreally?"

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

"You're audio-dependent," he says, turning back to the bar and leaning his elbow on it. "It's about as to figure out as why Ro-tor likes a clear line of sight so much."

[random_xtras]

"Vhatever." Both ears go back as she drinks deeply and then sets the cube down, noting to herself that it smells and tastes just a bit cleaner. Nemesis gave her a better vintage the second time around. "Vhat do you vant?"

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

"Everything you know about our future," Mega-Octane replies bluntly, before he takes a first slug of his drink. He's unhurried in getting there, but he's direct in his path.

[random_xtras]

She gives a snort of contemptuous laughter. "I vread minds und valk through shadows. I don't see ze future."

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

He makes a dismissive noise. I didn't come all this way to buy that slag. "You think I'm that much of a fool, do you? This is the Nexus, Liedherz. When you eavesdrop here mere time is irrelevant."

[random_xtras]

Aaaand she's ignoring him again, her ears going forward and then flicking as she watches what's going on around her. Pooka gets 'looked' at. That noisy cobalt blue Autobot gets 'looked' at. Her drink gets looked at before she takes a long swig. But by her attitude it seems like there's no Mega-Octane in the room anymore.

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

Try to out-stubborn him? He's a Decepticon, the dominant mind of his gestalt, and a mech stubborn enough to plough through Autobot 'tests' to boot. He can do this all day.

Although it occurs to him that that would be such a waste of time, if they can avoid it. So lay it out straight, if she'll listen.

"Liedherz." He doesn't quite bark it. He wants her attention, not the bartender's. And he knows she'll take forcefulness from him as an excuse to tune him out further.

Although it's really very tempting to take advantage of that audile sensitivity to sonics.

[random_xtras]

And now she's reaching over the bar to get a bowl of energon pellets while Nemesis' back is turned, her optics narrowing at the mech over at the other end of the bar that's sniggering about it.

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

Mega-Octane barely glances at the sniggering mech, reaching out to bat Liedherz's hand away from the bar.

Being ignored really doesn't sit well with him.

[random_xtras]

She promptly reaches with the other hand and secures the booty, then settles back on her stool.

And how well she knows that.

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

He turns back to his drink, peripheral sensors still on her, still waiting.

[random_xtras]

"Try me." Despite the impassivity of her face she manages to give him a smirk that is Decepticon in its mocking coldness.

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

"As I said," he says, the words falling like slabs of paving stone, "you don't leave us a choice." Backing down is not an option; any notion of grovelling for the information is so far out of range it hasn't even occurred to him.

[random_xtras]

"Und you're too crippled to just go und search the Multinets yourself."

If he did grovel, it would probably break her processor.

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

He resists the urge to lecture her on the folly that plan would be. "We both know I won't find a useful answer there."

More accurately, even if by chance he stumbled on the part that would tell him what he needs to know, he wouldn't know it. The Multinet will tell you everything: that's the problem. It will tell you anything. And while there are ways to extract the worthwhile sections, cross-reference for the most common events... why wait for Movor to report on that? Liedherz is right here.

[random_xtras]

She stares at him, both her useless silver optics and her small perked ears focused upon him intently as she inwardly acknowledges a message she just received.

She'd rather let these guys rust in the pit. But she owes Scattor her life. She'll honor his request, but she doesn't have to make it pleasant.

Optics narrowing, she gives the tall mech a good solid poke in the processor, demanding permission to download data there.

[voice-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

His visor doesn't so much as flicker, though he gives a loud 'hrmph' of satisfaction. Permission is granted, even if he is going to be watching very closely what she sends him. Don't measure your energon until you're home...