September 30th, 2001
~Whiplash (D), Lunar (U), Arcane (U)

The Wild Surge - Bar

     Dimly lit and noisy, Dead End's only bar is never lacking in patrons. While the energon isn't of the best quality, many of the chemical additives are unique to the place, and so highly prized by those who can afford them, even outside of the city. For those less affluent, the wall behind the bar still offers old, contaminated energon and various forms of crude-grade fuel as well as the more acceptable low and high grade energon, plus some interesting compounds that are better left to the imagination.


Solar [Robot] [D] 
Whiplash [Robot] [D]

-Moonlight is lying across the bar top, proping her elbow on the surface and resting her head in her hand.
-Whiplash comes in and makes for the booth in the farthest corner, casting only a cursory glance around the room. With a sort of disgusted and fatalistic manner, she takes out the MedusaSaur label bottle and pours herself a nice tall glass full of high-grade energon.
-Moonlight nods to Whiplash as she enters, checking to see if she's calmed down yet or not.
-Whiplash no longer seems angry, looks more ... well, almost depressed, even.  But definitely not in the mood for company. She glowers at her drink, as though trying to decide whether to guzzle it down like Enfilade, or not.
-Moonlight decides to leave Whiplash alone...she seems to be a rather anger-prone individual, and smugglers who make people angry too often don't stay in the business for long.
-Whiplash flickers a glance sideways out of sheer habit at the motion in the door, but even her normal surprise at seeing Lunar in here, is muted by her own swirling thoughts. He stays at *that* dark table and she'll stay at *this* dark table, and she'll be fine with that. She nips at her drink, making an almost disgusted face at the attempt to swallow more than she normally likes.
-Lunar almost moves to *that* dark table just to annoy her, but instead decides to sit at his own. The one he used to sit at when he worked for the Syndicate. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.
-Moonlight notes the 'shadow' that her fellow Cons had been talking to earlier and wanders over to investigate...not being one to be scared off by shadowy booths.
-Whiplash sips at her drink some more, finally putting the glass down half-full still, and stares at the MedusaSaur label at the bottle. "Now this is stupid," she mutters to herself. How *does* one allow oneself to let one's guard down enough to overenergize into a pleasant haze of forgetfulness? She'll have to ask Enfilade about that, because she certainly can't seem to manage it.
-Lunar says quietly as she approaches, "I value my privacy. Violate it if you will, but be aware that I do not play well with others. Especially not Cons, at the moment."
-Whiplash carefully pours the rest of the high-grade energon back into the bottle to save it for later, and decides she'd best keep a surreptitious optic on that *other* dark table across the room.
-Moonlight doesn't sit down, but doesn't leave either. "Ah, but violate is such a harsh word."
-Lunar shrugs. "It's a harsh life. It's a harsh planet. And you're in the harshist city. You don't want harsh, go back to your base."
-Moonlight shakes her head and sits down this time. "Naw. I prefer seedy bars to militant structures."
-Lunar smiles slightly. Somehow, the smile is scarier than his usual scowl. "Bad things happen to good girls in seedy bars."
-Moonlight makes a big show of looking around the bar. "What good girls? I don't see any."
-Lunar makes a noncommital sound. "You talk tough. Normally I find only fools do that. Those deserving of such an attitude are few and far between."
-Moonlight looks at herself this time and shrugs easily. "Naw. I'm not tough. Maybe a fool, but not tough. Desensitized is more like it. You don't have to be tough to know the ups, downs, and sideways of a bar like this."
-Lunar laughs softly. "Not like I care if you stay."
-Whiplash tilts the bottle back and forth a bit, running a finger over the mysterious label. But she keeps glancing over to what's going on across the room, being as unobtrusive as possible.
-You say, "And why should you care?"
-Arcane enters the area, using a cane for support.
-Whiplash looks up from her dark booth to see who came in. That old guy again. Funny, she's been seeing him a lot of late.
-Moonlight is too busy looking at the mech across the booth's table to notice Arcane walk into the bar.
-Lunar is sitting at a dark table far in the back, with Moonlight. He glares at her. "Because you're sitting at my table, attempting to divert me with conversation. That's why."
-Moonlight takes off her hat and places it on the table in front of her. "Divert you from what? I don't even know you. I like to know the people who come to the bar. It's smart to know the customers...good business sense and all."
-Lunar smiles slightly. "All right then. I'm Lunar. I was cast out of the Decepticons for murder, assault, and insubordination. I was imprisoned in CC for the same crimes, then I broke out. I enjoy hurting people, it gives me pleasure. Are you beginning to get to know me now?"
-Moonlight considers this for a moment. "Doesn't seem like drinking can help you much then..."
-Whiplash's optics flash slightly as she almost wants to jump in and call something from across the room, but restrains herself at the last moment.
-Arcane begins to walk over to where Lunar and Moonlight are sitting, however catching brief snippets of their conversation tends to make him think otherwise. Instead, he looks around, and spots Whiplash sitting by herself in the shadows. He walks over to her table and asks "Seat taken?"
-Whiplash's reply is a baring of serrated fangs.
-Lunar shakes his head. "I don't drink. I come here to . . . see others."
-Whiplash recalls something from earlier in the evening, though, and as though with a conscious effort settles her trashing tentacles and says, "Sit if you want."
-Moonlight shrugs. "Okay. Anyone in particular? Maybe I know them."
-Arcane pulls out a chair and has a seat.
-Lunar shakes his head. "No one in particular." He glances sharply towards Whiplash. She was acting out of character again. Things like that disturbed him.
-Whiplash acts even more out of character as she forces a bit of a smile and brandishes her black bottle with the MedusaSaur label. "Drink?" she offers the old fellow.
-Arcane looks at the label on the bottle and says to Whiplash "Have your own brand of energon now? I didn't know Decepticons got endorsement deals..." he motions for one of the waitresses to come over, and orders a simple enerbeer.
-Moonlight rubs a finger along her cheek in a musing gesture. "Ah. I see. Are you always this difficult? This is a bar, people come here to enjoy themselves, swallow missery, or complete shady deals...you're just sitting there."
-Lunar blinks. "Hmm," he murmurs.
-Whiplash offers a sharp-fanged smirk. "Hardly. Friend of mine gave me this. Doesn't matter where it came from." She keeps the bottle to herself, then, though notably she's not pouring herself another drink from it. "You know, you cost me a kill today," she muses almost conversationally. "In a way, you understand."
-Arcane raises an optic ridge as he asks "How so?"
-Lunar glares slightly at Moonlight. "Yes. I'm just sitting here."
-Moonlight nods. "And you don't dance either I suppose. I know, it's a dumb question...you don't look like a dancer. Though it might lighten your mood a little."
-Lunar laughs bitterly. "You could not fathom what I could or could not do to lighten my mood."
-Whiplash says, "You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You and a comrade of mine. Climbing up that ravine, toward an enemy lurking in wait for you. If the two of you had been outta the firing line, I could've taken her out. Rid the planet of the problem once and for all. Now, admittedly you led me there to start with, 'cause I hear all kinds of things lurking around in the dark."
-Moonlight traces the rim of her hat with a finger. "I never said I knew anything about you, I only said it was a possibility. But you didn't really answer my question you know. I can speculate all I want, but you're the one who knows the truth."
-Whiplash watches Arcane carefully for any reaction.
-Lunar says, "The truth? My mood does not lighten."
-Moonlight smiles slightly. "I meant, do you dance? Or is that beyond your ability?"
-Arcane frowns as he says "I told Elita it is rude to eavesdrop, and I say the same to you. And as for me costing you a kill... well, you said it yourself, you'd have never found her had you not been following us. Be thankful you were able to root out an Autobot on surveillance."
-Lunar says, "My legs are functional. My skill at dancing is irrelevant."
-Moonlight shakes her head. "Perhaps...but maybe not. If you don't know how well you dance, it means you haven't tried. Maybe you'll find you like it."
-Whiplash says, "Sometimes you hear exactly what's needed when you eavesdrop. I can't worry about rude. Still, I'm not happy about loosing that piece of pink fluff. I want her head on the gates of Tarn next to the TransOrg. Now-" she leans a little closer, her optics gleaming brilliant purple in the dimness, "what do you know about Autobot territory?" Something else, apparently, that she overheard.
-Arcane smirks ever so slightly and says "I know a few things. What is it you wish to know?"
-Whiplash says, "Oh, such as-" she tries to keep the tone casual still - "what rock they're hiding under right now?"
-Lunar says, "I do know how good I am. But it is not important."
-Arcane shakes his head "I may know many things, that however I do not. I do know a few things about their movements as of late..."
-Moonlight is quiet for a few moments. "So, you've told me a little about yourself...but you don't seem at all curious about me."
-Whiplash says, "Such as?"  A good intel operative, Whiplash would never make. She's far too direct.
-Arcane says, "Such as their plans for this city. Twice I've had to parlay with those folks at the gates of this city to prevent them from going in here guns blazing... And then while wandering we encounter Elita One just outside the city performing surveillance...""
-Lunar shakes his head. "I'm not at all curious."
-Whiplash's fingertips drum against her black bottle. "They want to level the place? Raid this establishment and help themselves to the energon?"
-Moonlight pouts slightly. "I didn't think I was that dull. I guess I'll have to try harder in the future."
-Arcane shakes his head "No, that is not their intent. They are aware of the... unique status of your forces within this city. They see it as a serious threat and intend to root it out. I don't want to see an armed conflict, and on a few occasions I've diffused that from happening, however I feel they may resort to what they do best, guerilla warfare and sneak attacks."
-Lunar growls softly, "Right now, I don't care. But if you become an annoyance, I will remove the annoyance."
-You say, "I'm not trying to be annoying, I'm trying to be friendly. It's business you know. Besides, people are less likely to kill someone who is friendly than someone who runs around screaming and pointing guns at others."
-Whiplash on her side of the room growls as well, picturing for a moment the most horrid retribution against the Autobot forces and their leader. "And why do they listen to you, old-timer? What's your connection in all this?"
-Lunar smiles slightly. "No. I'm more likely to kill the friendly ones."
-Whiplash shoots another look over toward the other table, just to assure herself that Moonlight isn't getting into trouble.
-You say, "So, would it make you more comfortable if I screamed at you and pushed my gun into your face?"
-Arcane says "It is not so much that they listen to me or obey me... I simply delay them from doing anything rash by asking them to think rationally. Cooler heads prevail. They simply respect my words for they know they ring true."  Arcane sips his enerbeer, the first time he's touched the drink since ordering it.
-Whiplash says, "And you want them outta here? Nothing but trouble? I don't know how long you've been around this town, but I can tell you, it's been better off since we've been here."
-Lunar says, "Yes. Then I could kill you, be done with it, and no one would ask questions."
-Arcane says flatly "All I know is, and all I need to know is, the strangle-hold you Decepticons have on this city, no matter how vile that may be, is a lesser evil to the war the Autobots would bring upon this place."
-Moonlight shivers a little. "Ooooo, that's rather cold. I'm surprised you're not in the merc business. You'd make a good paid killer."
-Whiplash says, "Strangle-hold? That's a funny way of putting it-" she breaks off and finally does interject something into the conversation at the other table, calling, "You mess over one of our warriors, Lunar, and you'll wish you hadn't!""
-Lunar laughs softly. "I've been messing with you warriors since Onslaught betrayed me, Whiplash. Or have you forgotten the . . . modifications I made to Brawl's personality matrix?"
-Whiplash says, "Funny, I didn't notice a difference."
-Whiplash shoots him a warning glare.
-Lunar says, "Well, frankly, I couldn't have made him much worse than he already was."
-Whiplash says, "And you're the last guy that oughtta talk about betrayal-!" She stops herself and shakes her head. They've been over this before."
-Arcane looks back at Lunar and Moonlight's table, and then back to Whiplash. "That.." he says "...is exactly the kind of thing I refer to. The, how do you say... "business", you and individuals like Lunar attend to, at least that violence happens in shadows, to a select few, rather than open killing of innocents on the streets. It's the lesser of two evils, quite frankly."
-Whiplash growls, "I could've taken out a whole lotta evil off the face of the planet tonight."
-Moonlight turns away from Lunar only long enough to give Whiplash a grateful wave. "At least someone around here is sort of on my side. So, Mr. Lunar, what /do/ you do?"
-Lunar laughs softly. "Whatever I have to." He stands up. "Do yourself a favor. Don't contact me again. Whiplash, a pleasure as always." With that he leaves the Wild Surge.
-Arcane takes another draw of his drink and says to Whiplash "You're bitter about not getting that kill, and I'm telling you if the Autobots keep doing what they are doing, you'll likely get another chance and I can't say I feel truly sorry for them. I warned them a few times about this place.
-Whiplash gives Lunar a glare for good measure as he leaves.
-Moonlight shakes her head as she watches Lunar leave. She gets up and walks over to where Arcane and Whiplash are sitting. "Any objections to my company?"
-Arcane says, "None."
-Whiplash's reply is to motion her to another seat at the table.  Whiplash offers the black MedusaSaur-label bottle again, with a questioning look at Moonlight.
-Moonlight lazily slouches into one of the empty seats. "That mech seems like one messed up customer..."
-Arcane looks at Moonlight "A nasty fellow that one was, eh?"
-Whiplash says, "You can say that again."
-Arcane says to Whiplash "Oh, how did Aviator fair in his combat against Freefall earlier?"
- Moonlight nods to the offer of the bottle. "He's got some story behind him, eh? Seems like the type. I've been in enough bars to know the difference between your plain, ordinary aft-head and someone who's got back ground..."
-Whiplash pours some of the high-grade energon into a glass for Moonlight. She pours a small amount for herself as well, and takes a tiny sip of it.
-Whiplash answers with another question. "Aviator? How do you know him?"
-Arcane takes a draw of his enerbeer and says nonchalantly "He's my son..."
-Whiplash's optics flicker in a "blink."
-Whiplash says, "Er ... I know his creator. And it's not you."
-Arcane frowns "You'd be referring to Eclipse, I presume?"
-Whiplash says, "Yeah." Her optics narrow a little. "And how do you know him?"
-Moonlight listens quietly to the conversation, sipping occassionaly at her drink.
-Arcane places his enerbeer on the table and says in a quiet voice "Eclipse was my pupil. And he betrayed me, disembodied me, and warped my son's mind. I shall hardly miss that manipulative soul-less monster..."  Arcane takes another drink of his enerbeer.
-Whiplash tries to make some sense of that. "You mean Eclipse - brought Aviator to us? *That's* what you're out of sorts about?"
-Arcane nods slowly "You people have my son. And then there is scrap-all I can do about it. And it's quite frustrating to me."
-Moonlight realizes that the conversation is a little too serious for her tastes, and quietly leaves the two to their talking.
-Whiplash's tentacles bristle. "You say that like it's a bad thing. Like he doesn't have opportunities with us that he'd *never* have anywhere else."
-Whiplash notices Moonlight leave. For a moment she almost calls her back, still wanted to warn her about Lunar - but there's time for that yet, she supposes.