April 22nd, 2005 ~Venture(U), Thunderstrike(A), Firestarter(D), Herald(U), Vortex(D), Dead End - South Strip This area serves as Dead End's commercial district, as indicated by the number of shops, offices, theatres and other such establishments. Cybertronians of all professions line the street, calling out to the various passers by; merchants not rich enough to own their own store, or who are simply passing through trying to sell their wares; beggers ask for a handout for the repairs many of them need, or more likely for a drink at the bar; and others offering their services as laborours of all types. Much like the architecture in the rest of the city, the buildings here are low to the ground, and very few rise beyond three or four levels... but the bustling street stretches on far into the distance, growing out as opposed to up. As with all other areas in Dead End, this area is lit by artificial lighting, though a number of burnt out and flickering streetlights leave the road dim and with many a shadow to hide in. Stratus [Robot] [U] Firestarter [Robot] [D] Thunderstrike [Robot] [A] Herald [Robot] [U] Venture [Robot] [U] Lost Numbers Casino Mercy Hospice Obvious Exits: -N- North leads to Dead End - Central Strip -All at odds with whatever might be happening here comes the 'oh so shiny' Moonlight, her armor shimmering with its most reccent coat of polish. Her hat seems more jauntily tilted than usual and a big grin is on her face as she wends her way through the populace of this area of Dead End. She hands out a few bits here and there to the odd begger, and sometimes her handout is a slightly more substantial bottle of her own brew. Oh how this femme loves her Dead End...pardon the possesive pronoun. -Venture glances towards the alleyway, and then... something changes. He starts laughing, hard. So hard he almost loses his balance, literally staggering back a step and having to catch himself by resting his hands on his knees,"Not going to stand for the murder of a Decepticon! /That/... that is priceless. When I rule the world, you'll get to live a WHOLE extra ten minutes." That just sets him off into a whole fresh set of giggles,"Rule the world. Right. No, seriously..." And he tries to catch his breath,"/Do/ try not to bleed too much fluid out onto the streets, would you dear boy? Someone might slip and hurt themselves." A glance to make sure the merchant is gone, and he turns an amused look back on Thunderstrike,"Perhaps you should wonder what that Decepticon will do when he realizes an Autobot was protecting him... and when he gets his gun back." With that, he holsters both of his guns. -Thunderstrike screams at Firestarter "He wants to kill you, you are too drunk to even know whose talking or shooting at you, get the frag out of here." Strikes then moves directly into Venture's path, arms at held back, almost knowing what's coming. -Firestarter watches Venture holster his weapons and turns to Thunderstrike. "Kill me, yeah right. If he had the circuitry for that he woulda done it already. Dumb 'Bot." Firestarter begins to poke around the remains of the late booth, once proud display of Dead End goods, and now scrap. -Herald rummages through his (now-crowded) subspace compartment and, finding a lighter, burns a small hole through one of the boxes. The hole is large enough to let Herald see what is happening, but not so large that it is conspicious - besides, the boxes are so battered that one extra hole is easily missed. He glances through the hole now and again, hoping no-one would come towards his position. He is disturbed by Venture's words, and decides he needs a leveller. Rummaging through his subspace compartment again, he takes out his flask and has several generous gulps of energhol. -Thunderstrike walks over to Venture, and puts his fluid soaked hand on the mechs, then steps back. "That, and much more will be on your hands. Hope you can live with that." -Firestarter begins kicking pieces of the shredded booth, to see if somehow his flame cannon got under the wreckage. It wouldn't make much sense, but he's drunk and getting irritable. It doesn't have to. -Venture raises an optic ridge, chortling at Thunderstrike's action, and fakes up a menacing look, very different from his real, strangely uncontrolled rage of moments ago... he raises his hands and lets fluid drip from them,"My dear, dear child... you still fail to grasp the situation quite completely." He playfully flicks a few droplets into Thunderstrike's face,"What I'll do, and what I can live with... well, you'll just have to wait and see. A book is so /boring/ if you read the last pages first, no?" -Moonlight finally makes her way over to the crowd. She leans to the side, optics scanning over everyone present from under the brim of her distinctive hat. Finally her gaze seems to rest and linger on Thunderstrike. "So, you causing trouble again?" she asks casually. She then flicks a glance at Firestarter, who doesn't seem quite sober.\ -Herald watches as pieces of the booth flies into the alleyway. He glances behind, to see if if there was more room, then shuffles back. Herald notices a gap between the boxes and mentally calculates if the exit route was acceptable. He comes to the conclusion that he could creep out without disturbing the boxes, and nods to himself. Herald drops the cannon, giving up on figuring its operation, then shuffles forward again to observe the action through a peep-hole. -Thunderstrike shakes his head. "I'll see my part through. You don't kill off the star until the climax at the very least. I mean, that's no way to build a compelling story." -Vortex flies into the area on patrol when he spies something interesting, a lone Autobot, who he easilly recognizes, surrounded by both a neutral mech and 2 other Decepticons. He radioes ahead to the other Decepticons, "What is going on here?" -Venture smiles faintly,"And the plot thickens. But we'll see how well this part rests on your shoulders. I'm willing to shed blood, take and give lives in pursuit of my goals... are you?" A sudden grin, and then he about faces,"You want responsibility for the Decepticon, he's yours, Autobot. Any damage he does, I hold you as responsible him... and the Autobots by proxy. Congratulations, hero. The day is certainly, in a sense, yours." Chuckling he just... walks off. Lance Corporal Moonlight says, "Don't ask me; /I/ just got here." Lt. Colonel Vortex says, "Firestarter?" -Firestarter stops for a moment, putting his hands together and raising them, ready to hit the remains with a violent axe handle. But he stops and lowers his hands as he hears Vortex's voice. He taps his arm and activates his communicator and begins talking into the radio. Firestarter replies, his voice somewhat slurred. "Yes?" Lt. Colonel Vortex says, "Status report? What is going on here?" -Thunderstrike spins around, nearly into Moonlight. "Woah there. Don'tcha go sneaking up on somebody. please get Firestarter out o' here, he's drunk off his aft, and nearly got himself killed by /that/." He points to the fading Venture in the distance. Lance Corporal Moonlight says, "I'd say trouble, but it's kinda hard to tell." -Firestarter stops in the middle of a conversation on the radio, turning to face Thunderstrike. Angry, he takes several steps forward. "This is the third time I've said it - I'm not going anywhere without my weapon. If you tell me to go one more time, I'm going to knock you on your aft." -Moonlight gives Thunderstrike a long look. "You know, I'd almost think you were concerned for a Decepticon. Be careful, that might be catching," she says, her tone teasing. She looks over at Firestarter, "Hey, don't make promise with your mouth that the rest of you can't pay for," she says. "You have a classic case of hitting the bottle too hard, and that means you're going to end up on your own aft." She takes two steps towards him. "Why don't we get you someplace where you can work that out of your systems, eh?" Then she looks around for the weapon. -Herald takes his optics off Firestarter for a moment and glances at Venture's back. From behind, Venture looks like a bizzare gargoyle to Herald, and Herald has to remind himself that this was the same mech who had once befriended him. He would like to follow Venture now, but there are too many factionals nearby for his comfort. Herald notes Venture's direction and decides he will track him down later - if only to keep an optic out. -Vortex finally flies into the area and transforms, dropping the last few feet onto the ground. He walked over to the two Decepticons and looks at Firestarter, and then at Moonlight. "Let me guess, he was hitting the enerhol hard again?" -Firestarter waves at the female Decepticon dismissively. "I may be a little drunk, but not so drunk I can't knock down some pacifist kidlet." -Thunderstrike scoffs at Firestar, "You missed whilst Sobber." he nods to the femme, and states " I only like a fair fight, no need to beat up a drunkard. I bid thee farewell for this cycle." -Moonlight nods once to Vortex. "Sure seems that way to me. I've been there enough times myself to know." She shakes her head at Firstarter. "Don't fool yourself; I could probably take you at how drunk you are. And last time I checked the kid was tryin' to save you." She grins at Thunderstrike. "And to think I thought you were a lost cause. Better be careful though; showing any merit is danger around here. How do I think I got to live so long." She tips her hat to him then turns back to Vortex. -Firestarter shakes his head at the other two Decepticons and mutters to himself as he begins examining the wreckage of the merchant's stand, kicking things here and there, wondering where his cannon got to. -Vortex nods, as he ignores the Autobot for this cycle, there will be plenty of times to get him back from before as this is a small planet after all, and they got all the time in the world. "Let's just find his cannon and get back to Darkmount where he can sober up." Wow Vortex agreeing with an Autobot, will wonders never cease. -Thunderstrike roars off into the night, confident for once, he did the right thing. -Herald starts shuffling back again. If he could, he would shoo the Decepticons away...but that would look ridiculous for a mech his size. He glances at the gap between the boxes again, then at the cannon, and starts preparing his escape. Herald notes the cannon is heavy, so he will have to time his escape well. -Moonlight grins at Firestarter. "I think you should listen to this guy here," she says with a point towards Vortex, "he's got the rank that says he's a listen-to kind of mech." She gets down on her hands and knees to start rifling through the debris; she's not afraid of menial tasks. "Where'd you last see your weapon?" -Firestarter grumbles in frustration. "I don't know, that damn kidlet jumped me and I dropped it. When I got him off me it seemed to just disappear." -Herald glances at the gap between the boxes again, then back at the Decepticons, and decides it might be time to prepare his leave. He carefully moves the cannon towards the hole, then slowly crawls out. -Vortex sighs and guesses they won't be getting out of here any time soo, so he goes on a search himself, but not rifling through debris, just hoping he can find the cannon and get out here before Firestarter blows up, so to speak. -Firestarter takes a step back, trying to calm down and think. Where would the cannon be? He dropped it, he didn't throw it. It should be just a few feet away. It doesn't make sense. Or is his inebriation clouding his mind? "No," he mutters, "it doesn't make sense." -Moonlight is poking around in the mess and then makes a sound of exclaimation. "Ooooo, there's a hole in here. Wonder if there's a turbo-rat or something in here. I had a turbo-rat friend once...sort of. Well, actually those rats were a menace, but they helped me out of prison indirectly." She doesn't seem at all put out at the situation. -Vortex says, "If we can't find your cannon Firestarter you're in a world of trouble. I just thought you might want to know that. Think of it as a little motivation to speed things up a little bit." -Firestarter looks back to Vortex with an expression that suggests Firestarter thinks Vortex is a moron. "Why do you think I keep saying I'm not leaving until I find it?" he shakes his head at the interruption and continue sto think. -Moonlight doesn't look up as she responds to Vortex's words aimed at Firestarter. "Okay what kind of super hotshot are you that you've never made a mistake," she retorts. She shakes her had as she keeps looking. "Nice determination Firestarter. So if I find it I expect a 'thank you' or something." -Herald is just about to exit through the hole when he suddenly finds himself almost bumping into Moonlight. Herald quickly shuffles away, just in time to avoid detection, shocked and not happy that his exit has been blocked. Herald glances around again, hoping to find another way out. -Vortex just ignores the other two Decepticons and resumes his searching as well. -Firestarter frowns. "Mistake? The little kidlet jumped me from behind. A shot in the back, sure, I was expecting. Thunderstrike wanting to play piggyback? No. Then Venture gunned him down, kind of kept my attention from my cannon for a second or two..." -Moonlight isn't a terribly /big/ blockage, but she is sentient, which makes her much more threatening than a crate might have been. Slowly she turns her head this way and that, one hand reaching forward to feel around in this part of the mess where the lost cannon might be. She shrugs, "Mistake, mishap, misfortune...whatever. You might not have noticed it already, but us 'Cons aren't exactly all forgivey and understandy. Well, except yours truly of course." Her grin is hidden by her back and the debris as she searches, but you can /hear/ it in her voice. "Come out come out wherever you are little cannon." -Firestarter shakes his head. "I'm not looking for forgiveness or understanding. Just my weapon, so I can find the merchant who started this and shoot him like I planned on doing before I got jumped." Despite that, he isn't doing much moving. He's angry, frustrated, and confused. He's got no clue where the weapon is, but he's stubbornly unwilling to call it a night and go back to Darkmount. -Herald frantically searches the area again, trying to find another exit. Unfortunately, the other options are not viable, and besides, with Moonlight so close, it would be very difficult to leave discreetly. Herald considers the cannon again, and briefly wonders if he should simply leave it. Is the risk worth it? Then again, with violence on the rise again, mechs at Dead End have been keen to arm themselves to the optics, and a Decepticon-issue cannon would certainly fetch a decent price on the black market. Before Herald could consider any longer, Moonlight's voice reaches his audio receptors - and it is far too close for comfort. Without any hesitation, Herald ditches most of the contents of his subspace compartment and just manages to squash the cannon inside. Herald is horridly overburdened, but a few gulps of energhol should make the task easier. In a casually confident voice, he calls out, "Who is it?" -Moonlight pfts at Firestarter. "You've got a one track mind there buddy. I'd offer you a drink to settle yourself, but I don't think that'll help." She seems about to say more, when she hears a voice off to the side. "Ah, so the turbo-rat squeaks," she says. "I'm Moonlight and I'm looking for something. Maybe you might have seen it. And if you have, I suggest you just tell me where it is so that you don't have a whole swarm of Decepticons chasing your aft for something you might or might not have," she says. She doesn't know if the hidden speaker has it or not, but she might as well start playing hardball. It's not like she doesn't have the backup at the moment. -Firestarter regards the voice with suspicion. As Moonlight takes a more diplomatic approach, a small panel on the Decepitcon's wrist slides back and a barrel protrudes. Diplomacy is not Firestarter's strong point, and he isn't a big fan of patience either. -Vortex turns to Moonlight, "I hope you found the cannon so we can get our overly energized friend back to his quarters." -With an effort, Herald crawls towards the hole. As he emerges, Herald quickly masks the strain and it appears he is easily climbing out. Herald smiles at Moonlight and replies in a good-humoured voice, "A charming description, Moonlight. Does it sound like I'm squeaking?" He glances around at the other Decepticons, his optics glowing a warm lavender. "There was some...shall we say, chaos here previously." Herald nods to the destroyed booth, then continues, "Several mechs were hiding in here with me. They have all gone now. In the confusion, I honestly can't tell you who took what, or where they are." -Vortex says, "Like who, Autobots?" -Moonlight hmmms. Hiding mech, each with the ability to get themselves some good firepower. Now, isn't /that/ convienient. Moonlight isn't a smuggler for nothing. "Well, as you said, there was a lot of confusion, and since you're being so honest, I suppose you wouldn't mind if we searched you," she says smoothly. "Because as soon as we clear you, we can go looking for these other mechs." Does she believe him...or doesn't she? It's kinda hard to tell since her voice is so bland. "And I'm sure that we'd be more than happy to recompense you for your troubles if you helped us locate the missing object." She glances at the other two Cons. "Or I would at least." -Firestarter nods. "Of course." -Vortex says, "Of course we would. If you cooperate, you get to remain functional and walk out of here in one piece." Vortex says, "And if you actually found the cannon for us, we might be able to offer some energon I suppose as well." -Moonlight waves a hand dismissively towards her fellow Cons. "Really you guys; don't be so grudging. Do you really not know about Dead End. Most people here don't value their life a whole lot; they want something to give it value, even if only for a day." She shakes her head. "Or am I wrong?" she asks of Herald, waiting for the mech's response to her earlier offer and her more reccent question. -Herald glances straight at Firestarter as he steps out and takes a seat on a nearby crate. "Yes. They left a mess behind too. If you may, have a look." Herald points at the hole - and Herald is telling the truth here, as there /is/ a mess. Glancing back at Moonlight, Herald smiles again and shakes his head. "I would love to allow you, but I can't." Herald spreads his hands out apologetically. "I don't know how the cannon looks, and I don't know if you'll take something else from me." To Vortex, Herald offers a shake of the head. "I'm not interested in energon, I'm afraid. With all respect, sir, I'm not a scavenger." Herald tilts his head at Moonlight. "An interesting generalization, Moonlight. You may be correct, or you may not. I cannot speak for the populace, can I?" -Vortex tilts his head at the odd mech before him and looks over at Moonlight as well. "Suppose I don't after all." he looks back at Herald, "Well then, if your not a scanger, what would be interested in if you found the cannon for us." Vortex looks intently at Herald, as perhaps his experience as an interrogator is paying off here. You wonder perhaps if he knows Herals is hiding something. He gets a glint in his optics as he grins behind his faceplate. -Moonlight points a long finger at Herald. "Now, is there something terribly wrong with letting a harmless little femme like me give you a good look over? I wouldn't take anything from you," she holds up two fingers, "Smuggler's honor." She grins impishly at him, raising her pointing finger to tilt back her hat enough so he can see her glinting green optics. "And if you can't speak for the populace, what do you say for yourself Sir Not-a-Rat?" She glances over at Vortex, wondering what /he/ has in mind. But since she doesn't know him personally, she can't really guess except that it will probably be meaner than any of her own methods. -Herald looks straight into Vortex's optics, his own optics not giving anything away. "Again, with due respect sir, I have more pressing concerns than helping you retrieve a weapon." Glancing back at Moonlight, Herald replies in a light-hearted voice, "Are you interrogating me on my personal philosophy, my lady? Anyways, seeing that you are so knowledgeable about the general philosophy of Dead End inhabitants, you do know that distrust is the foundation belief?" He tilts his head and gives her an amused glance, then addresses both Cons. "The Decepticon army must be very hard-pressed for arms if they are frantic with their search for a single cannon." -Vortex leans back against some of the nearby wreckage, seemingly not taking any more interest in these proceedings and letting Moonlight handle everything.If she can get the cannon back, so much the better. However, he secretly is watching and is ready to apply his own unique methods if need me. -Moonlight arches an optic ridge at Herald. "Oh, I do. And stop with the 'lady' stuff; I ain't a lady...I'm just a femme looking out for herself. As I said, I know the Dead End. I also know how much a gun like that would be worth, and I doubt anyone here who saw it would have forgotten about it. Things haven't been easy here for as long as I can remember and longer, so you don't have to tell me twice. And since I know so much, can you really expect me to believe that you would tell us even if you /did/ know something?" she asks. She gives Vortex a grin and tips her hat to him for his silence...no one ever lets her handle things, and she appreciates it. -Vortex nods slightly at Moonlight in return. After all, she was the one who got the turbo rat out of his hole, who knows, she might be able to get more out of him. There's only one way to find out. He of all mechs knows that there is more than one way to skin a turbo rat. Sometimes a good cop bad cop routine works just as well, and he wants to see just how well a softer approach will work. -Herald offers Moonlight a slight bow in apology. "Apologies, Moonlight." There is a twinkle in his optics. "I don't know if you can recall our previous meetings, but there are times when I still cling to pre-war mannerisms." After a brief glance at Vortex, Herald returns his attention to Moonlight. "Well, I've said so before - there was a great deal of confusion, so I would be hard-pressed to tell you anything." A small smile also emerges on his face. -Vortex gets up and nods to Moonlight and Herald. "Well, I will leave you two alone now." With that he walks off in the distance. Lt. Colonel Vortex says, "I have faith in you Moonlight. I am sure you will be able to get Firestarters cannon back. I am returning to Darkmount now." -Moonlight nods to Vortex. "Thanks," she says oddly enough. Then she turns her full attention back to Herald. She watches him for a while, but really she's waiting for Vortex to leave. "So, do you remember the faces of the people that were hiding with you?" she asks. Lance Corporal Moonlight says, "Sure. Might take some time though." Lt. Colonel Vortex says, "Take all the time you need" -Herald also nods to the departing Vortex. "Happy travelling," he calls out cheerily, then glances back at Moonlight. He offers Moonlight a helpless shrug and a shake of the head. "It's rather dark between those boxes. Also, I'm not very big, so it was easy for others to push me around." He laughs and adds, "In panic situations, being in a confined area with a bunch of others is like being in a washing machine." -Moonlight sits down comfortably on the crate. "Now, let's say you /had/ found this charming little cannon. Personally, I could care less about it, but someone gets the blame, and I don't want them riding up my aft cause I couldn't find it. So, what would you do with it? Theoretically of course." -Herald gives Moonlight a devilish smile. "Clever, Moonlight! Very clever. How can I answer such a loaded question without unintentionally implicating myself?" He looks straight into Moonlight's optics, searching for some hidden malice, then decides to play her game. "Well, I would probably leave it. I'm not very big, unless the cannon was quite small. Then again, /if/ it was small, it wouldn't be a cannon, would it?" -Moonlight smiles, not deterred by Herald's response at all. "Well, I guess you're just too slippery for me to catch," she says, almost as if giving up. "But again, there's the whole idea of Darkmount riding on my aft that makes me want to stick things out here. And since you're sure that you don't have it, why don't you help me look?" she asks. "After all, this place looks like a mess and it's kind of an optic-sore." -Herald looks into Moonlight's optics again, not completely trusting her initial words. She /almost/ seemed trustworthy, but Herald reminds himself she is a Con, and therefore must be kept at a distance. His mind ticks over his various options: a) make a run for it in car mode - it is quite possible he can break free, but he would have a swarm of Decepticons searching for me. Or, he could force his over-burdened chassis to "help" Moonlight. Either seemed risky, but Herald decides the latter was slightly more beneficial. "Well, I suppose I could crawl into the boxes again? It looks like bedlam. Besides, I'm smaller." -Moonlight blinks her optics. "That doesn't sound really helpful. Well, how about you find any empty boxes and put them in one pile while I sort through anything that looks full. Then we'll start putting some of the junk in crates to get carted away. Just think, you'll be doing a public service. And if that doesn't move you, I'll get you a drink after. Hard work needs rewards, don't you think." The funny thing about Moonlight, she actually does want to help more often than not. -Inwardly, Herald groans, wondering how much strain he could tolerate. Outwardly, he appears as though he could care less. He takes another sip of energhol, which makes a satisfyingly firey descent into his systems (plus gives him an energy boost), and says, "Well, that can work." Herald stands up, and picks up a nearby empty box. "Where shall I put it?" -Moonlight looks around. "Just over there, where there's a bit of empty space," she says as she starts digging through some stuff. "Whose junk is this anyhow?" she asks. "And what started all the confusion? I missed that part," she asks conversationally. -Herald glances at where Moonlight gestures, and tries not to stagger as he places the box down. He thinks of the money as he makes his way to another empty box. As he picks up the box, his internal computer flashes a warning, letting him know he is being dangerously overburdened. Herald overrides the warning and walks back to the space. "Well..." he began, keeping his vocalizers even, then suddenly, Herald's systems short-circuits and he falls to the ground, unconscious. -To Moonlight's credit, she doesn't jump for joy or start pillaging Herald. Instead she goes over to him and checks his vitals. She /has/ had a little medical training after all, so she knows a few things. Like she'd know if he's 'playing possum' or not. And maybe she'll be able to figure out what's wrong. -After a moment, Herald's systems slowly flash online. Herald's optics flash once, then blinks as he notices he is sprawled on the ground, on top of a crushed box. Herald is confused by what had happened - wasn't he talking to Moonlight before? Herald would like to move, but his systems are still recovering and he finds he has barely enough enough to move his head. -Moonlight takes Herald's hand. There's something comforting in the motion, yet something steel in it as well. "Careful there little guy. You just collapsed," she says. "How are you feeling?" The femme actually sounds concerned. -Herald moves his head towards Moonlight, his optics flashing intermittently. His systems have been almost completely drained by his attempt to carry Firestarter's cannon, and Herald feels light-headed and exhausted. He can barely organize his thoughts, let alone outside conversation, and it takes a while to process Moonlight's words. "Great", he replies in a faded voice, a small smile on his face. -Moonlight shakes her head, still holding onto the hand gently, but firmly. "You don't look or sound fine. Maybe I should get you someplace safe. Or at least, out of the way. I can always look for the gun later, but I don't want some unaffil passing out on my watch." She shrugs. "I was a free person longer than I've been a 'Con," she points out. -Herald is still determined to hold onto the cannon, despite what has happened. Call it reckless courage, mixed with stubborness. He opens his mouth to reply to Moonlight, but nothing comes out. Herald frowns and tries again, and this time he is successful. "I'm fine...need some more energon...that's all..." Herald /really/ would prefer not to go anywhere with Moonlight. -Moonlight shakes her head. "No, I've had some medic training, and you don't look at all well. You should come with me; I promise I don't bite, and I usually don't shoot people either," she says with a wink. She gets into a crouched position, still holding tightly to Herald's hand. -There is another long pause, as Herald's cerebral circuits slowly processes Moonlight's words. His internal systems again warn of an imminent shutdown due to lack of energy, and the last thing Herald wants is another collapse. "I'm going to collapse again...if I don't have any energon." He glances at his flask, tantalizingly close to his fingertips. "Even that would do." -Moonlight shrugs and reaches for the flask with her free hand, passing it to Herald. Still she doesn't let go. Guess she either really doesn't trust him or really wants to help. Or maybe it's even both. "You seemed fine not that long ago. Guess I shouldn't have asked you to help." -Herald gulps all the energhol down. Both the harsh taste and the energy boost kick-starts his systems, and Herald finally has enough to move and speak properly. He carefully moves into a sitting position, then, noticing Moonlight is holding his hand, says with a gentle smile, "You can let go now. Thank you, by the way." -Moonlight shakes her head slightly. "Hmmmm, I don't think so. Not yet anyhow. I mean, if you're that worn out, I don't think a little boost is going to get you out of the street. Where do you stay? I could walk ya there," she offers. -With his free hand, Herald brushes off the remnants of the box off his chest. "Thank you for the kind offer, but I really am fine. I guess I was lower on energy than I had expected." He offers Moonlight a goofy grin. "Sometimes it is easy to lose track. Especially nowadays, when there is so much happening." Mentally, Herald is trying to shoo Moonlight away, but he doesn't let that show. -Moonlight looks doubtful. "Well, call me a Con with a conscicence case and humor me then," she says with a bit of a chuckle. "I'd feel better helping you to someplace safe." Then she shrugs. "It's fine if you don't trust me. I'm used to it. But I'm really not all that bad. Just compare me to some of my allies and it's not that hard to see." -Herald attempts to extricate his hand from Moonlight's grasp. The contact is not uncomfortable, but he would hate to encourage Moonlight from staying longer. "With due respect, it is not simply you I don't trust. It's very hard to trust anyone nowadays. We have become a cynical generation of Transformers. Whenever someone is altruistic, we wonder about their ulterior motives." Herald finds the little speech surprisingly exhausting, and his optics dim. -Moonlight sighs and shakes her head. "Okay. I know, but I still like to have a little faith in people. Probably just cause I don't want this war to wear me down. Moonlight always has a way of landing on her feet, and I trust in that." She shrugs. "Yeah, I think you have something to do with that gun going missing. I also think you won't fess up. But trust me in this at least: if you do have it someone will figure it out. Better that I figure it out because I don't want your chassis as a trophy. I know what something like that is worth, so if it's creds or weaponry you're after, I'm sure I can find something suitable for you that won't embarass me or end up getting you in more trouble." She grins. "You like the 'honest' version better?" she asks, finally letting go of the hand. -Despite his exhaustion, Herald still has enough energy to think. Just enough. He considers his options again, then, optics brightening again, he looks straight at Moonlight. "I don't have the weapon." His optics are unwavering in their conviction. "I really don't. The only thing I have to do with it is I was around the vicinity when it was lost." -Moonlight looks back at Herald, right in the optics, and says nothing for a while. "You do know that if you actually have it and don't say that you do by the time I get back to DM...and if I ever discover it later, I will make it my personal mission to make you miserable. I don't offer help just for kicks you know, I do it cause I figure it will do some good, not to have it thrown back in your face. If you want to end up facing legions of Decepticons, then be my guest. I'll just wash my hands of it and hope I'm wrong. And if I end up being wrong, I'll come back and buy you a few drinks." She actually sounds dead serious, and there's something in her optics that says this is the last life line she's giving him and hopes that if he does have the gun that he takes it. -Herald does not avert his gaze, while he mentally calculates again. There is silence for a moment, then Herald asks, "What are you offering, supposing I knew where the cannon was?" To clarify, Herald adds, "In terms of exchange value, I mean. I'm talking theoretically." Herald finds his vocalizers are waning and frowns again. Perhaps it /might/ be time to give the cannon back...but that depends on Moonlight's offer. -Moonlight gestures to a crate for Herald to sit down and puts her own aft on a crate close to it. "Well, I don't want to start blurting out raw numbers so that I get ambused later but," and she pulls out a datapad and inputs in a range of numbers that seem quite reasonable, though not extravagant yet, considering everything. It seems she's a femme of some small means then. "Or, if you want something less portable and easy to steal, there's also a share in my business," she points out. "Kinda hard to take that away from a body." -Herald slowly sits on the crate, then cradles his head in his hands. The minor movement of elevating, then sitting on the crate made his head spin, and he needs a few moments to recover. Eventually, his vision clears and he is able to focus again. He nods once in acknowledgement to Moonlight, then, with a sombre face, glances at the datapad. Herald notes the offer is decent, but perhaps a little low for him. At the mention of Moonlight's business, Herald glances at the numbers, and again figures that while it is decent, it is too low for his liking - Herald already has a lucrative stake with one of the bars in Dead End. Besides, this /is/ a Con he is dealing with, after all. Who knows if she would backtrack? Herald shakes his head and says, "It is a decent offer, Mer Moonlight, but perhaps not to my liking." -Moonlight shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. But again, it's just a gun. A gun that can be identified eventually. But what's more costly is insulting a Decepticon by taking it. I mean, most of us are violence nuts, and our guns are like limbs or friends. Not for me really, except my whip of course. But that's because a dear friend gave it to me. And I'm always willing to go up a price. Think of it as backwards haggling. Makes the other person feel better I guess." She shrugs again. -Herald offers Moonlight an indulgent smile. "That is indeed true. However, you shall have to offer a significant compensation for a cannon. You seem knowledgeable about Dead End. A Decepticon cannon is worth far more than you have offered." Herald then makes a parting gesture. "My apologies, Mer Moonlight, but I am tired and would like to rest." Inwardly, Herald prays to Primus he still has enough energy to walk. -Moonlight shrugs. "Hey, your loss at a chance to squeeze a 'Con dry. But just to show there's no hard feelings," she pulls out a bottle of her own brew and hands it to the underenergized mech, "here you go. And by the way, I was bluffing about making your life miserable. That's just not my style," she says with a large grin. "I'm not always honest after all, and I'm certainly no paragon of virtue. But if some other 'Con tracks you down and takes the incident out of your chassis, don't say I didn't try to help you out a little. Have a good cycle." -Herald offers Moonlight a genuinely appreciative smile. "Thank you!" he exclaims as he eagerly reaches for the bottle, then finishes the drink in one go. Herald's optics are visibly brighter, and his voice clearer as he asks, while looking at the bottle, looking impressed at the taste, "What is the name of this energhol?" -Moonlight shrugs. "I don't really name them, but thanks for the compliment. If you turn it slightly, you'll see my trademark." The trademark is a hat like hers perched on a crescent moon, which shows up nicely on the pale blue bottle. "I'm rather proud of my business myself; it's more about good drinks than making money...though I do like the money part too." She tips her hat. "Well, I should be getting back. Take care." She turns, but doesn't start to go yet. -Herald holds the bottle to the light and glances at the trademark. He nods, agreeing with Moonlight - it does indeed look good. "Very classy energhol, both in its presentation and taste." He smiles, then offers a slight bow to the departing Moonlight. Herald waits for Moonlight to leave, and when she doesn't, he offers a subtle nudge. "I'll wait a moment to let my systems recover more. Thank you again for the energhol and the concern." -Moonlight glances over her shoulder. "Thanks. I do try," she says. Then she heads back towards Darkmount. Can't say she didn't try. In some ways she's rather level headed, but there's a stubborn streak of idealism in her that prompts her to try and solve things without violence. Poor Moonlight. Poor Cybertron. -Herald waits until Moonlight is completely out of sight, then lets out a huge sigh of relief. What a close call! He takes out the cannon from his subspace compartment, then takes out his omnibeam pistol. With any luck, he might be able to drag this money-maker back to the nearby Cheers Bar, where he can store it in the office room. Herald slowly drags the weapon into a small alleyway and disappears into the shadows.