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Radio video always the same

WHO: Alastair and Skyfire
WHERE: Dancitron bar
WHEN: Monday night
WARNINGS: namuch
SUMMARY: Alastair needs a drink after a weekend dealing with Kaiba, and a chat with somebody about giant space robots.
FORMAT: actionspam

[it's a little early for heavy clubbing and heavy drinking, especially on a Monday, but Alastair's not here for fun. He needs to get away for a night, and the slightly-quieter atmosphere of Dancitron on an off night is just right for relaxing. Here he is, sliding up the bar without even pausing to notice which bartender is on tonight]

...gimme a beer. Something imported.

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Of course, Alastair. On the house.

[The club isn't too busy on a Monday night, so Skyfire's soft voice carries a little better over the buzz.

He grabs something with a long German name from the shelf and pops the cap, pouring it into a cold glass and sliding it over.]

Long day?

Oh...hey! [perking up a bit] How's it going, man? Thanks...sweet.

[a sip and a sigh] Nah, just got a lot on my mind. Nothing huge. What's up, how's the bartending going?

It's alright. [A nice white lie.]

Well, as I have read, a bartenders second job is listening, if you'd like to vent.

It's okay. I'm not good at drinks, really. Or dancing.

Well, you're not supposed to dance. [snerk] This isn't that kind of club. At least you can open a beer, that's good enough for me.

I don't know if you really wanna hear about my feud with Kaiba, though.

S'not what everyone else told me.

[He offers a not-very enthused look.]

I don't mind listening if you want to talk. I wouldn't mind thinking about someone else's problems for once.

[it occurs to him, then...] Feeling any better? No more drunken baking binges I hope, not that I mind batches of cookies at random. With Bakura gone... [sadness] ...nobody bakes or cooks at our place anymore.

Ahah...ha. Kind of. Bit by bit. You just have to carry on, even when things are tough.

[He smiles patiently and grabs a rag to wipe down the counter with.]

I could cook for you. I'd be happy to. Just name the time and place and I'll be there.

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

[perking up] Really? That'd be sweet. You know, actually, the Mancave has a full kitchen if you wanted to. Kyosuke and I could probably use something that isn't takeout once in a while. Oh - that's what we call the lounge Hiruma put into Hell Towers. It's pretty awesome, you should see it.

M... Mancave.

[He mostly just looks amused.]

Yeah, I'd really love to.

[laughs] Yeah, that's what Hiruma called it. He knocked out a few walls and turned it into a lounge, with a huge TV and arcade games and a kitchen.

[sipping from his beer, he's relaxing at last] Come see Hell Towers then, sometime. It's in Brooklyn, I can text you the address and stuff.

Sounds like fun.

[Not his kind of place, but he's more into quiet and plant samples.]

I'd appreciate it. Any food you'd like me to make in particular?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe something that's not Asian. We kinda survive on Thai takeout and sushi these days.

[curious headtilt] For a giant robot in disguise, you've really taken to food pretty well.

Got it. Not sushi or Thai.

[He grins proudly.]

It is my hobby as a human. I found that it was greatly fulfilling to fix food for other people and have them enjoy it.

And there are so many different ways you can make it!

[you are so amusing, Skyfire]

Yeah, there really is. Hell, I'd be cool if you wanted to try something new. Nothing like having a couple of taste-testers to eat the profits, so to speak.

Oh! You would do that for me? I'd be so grateful to have some brave folks to taste my practice-dishes.

[Looks like you made his day.]

Yeah, sure, why not? Saves me from having to learn to do more than just run the coffee-maker.

[sipping happily at his beer, feeling much better now]

You know, there's something I was wondering but didn't have a chance to ask, before. I mean, hanging out here and knowing Shockwave and Soundwave, I know a little about Cybertron and all that. But I'm still not totally up on why there's Decepticons and...shit, what's the other one? Autobots? Why they're fighting each other and all that.

[The question flattens him a little and he seems mildly unnerved.]

The war?

Well. It started mostly due to political unrest. The Decepticons were more of a revolutionary group to start. I used to be aligned with them and associate with them on larger scale but. That was before they let their ideals get ahead of their morals.

They, over the course of what eventually escalated into a war, became more brutal and warped and eventually lost sight of their original intent.

The Autobots tried to stop them... I became an Autobot after I woke from my sleep. They agreed more with my morals.

Oh...so you're not one. I had thought...well, with Starscream and all...

[wait no that's going to go somewhere even more awkward. Backtracking!]

What do they want, though? Or at least, what do they say they want?

I was before. I am neutral now, as I have friends in both factions.

It is not my war.

[He shakes his head slowly.]

Various things. First they wanted economic change. Then rights. Then power... and more power. Then leadership. The planet. The galaxy. The universe.

I was... not around for most of that.

Oh...wow. [he digests that for a moment, over some beer, and then shrugs a little awkwardly]

Neutral's cool, though. I mean, it's hard, but it means you don't have to automatically hate someone just for being part of a faction. Where I grew up...I mean, before I came to the States. It was more like that. The war was about...I don't even know anymore, but the factions split our country, and hated us just for living where we did and being of a certain religion. You're better off not belonging to a side, in that case.

That's the way I see it.

[Skyfire sighs.]

Many of the Decepticons that have come here have... mellowed. That was the only way I was able to-

I mean. With Starscream. And Soundwave.

Mellowed, huh? [a dry little chuckle] Guess it's not such a bad thing. I don't think the locals would be real happy if they were continuing their war on our turf.

Guess that explains why it was easy for me to get to be a Decepticon...

Soundwave and Starscream still counted me as one as well. I think was more an honorary thing for them since the truce here in the city.

Definitely nice not to get shot at every time I saw them.

Yeah I figured. Even after Shockwave took me on he never really asked me to do anything. It must just be honorary for everybody at the moment.

[which is a relief for him because what happens if there really is a chain of command and an order to follow?]

Probably for the better.

[Shockwave is an afthat. He doesn't express that as a follow-up though.]

You'd probably find the kind of work unsavory.

[SNORT!] ...you don't know what I used to do, do you?

Not at all.

Tried to destroy the world once. [followed by a casual sip of his beer. Yeah I'm cool]

I'm not some naive kid - or a superhero. I still hack into high-security websites for fun. So, really, as long as nobody's gonna try to turn all the people into robots again, I'm not afraid of 'unsavory.'

[Have an entirely unimpressed bot. He just sighs. Oh, one of these types.]

Mmmm. You seem nice enough to me.

Yeah, well...things changed a few years ago, before I came here. I'm not into world destruction anymore. I guess I've settled down, so to speak.

Then you fit in with the Decepticons here quite well I'd like to think.

I guess I do. [with a tip of his glass toward Skyfire]

All of you guys are pretty cool, though. Well... mostly.

Mostly?

[He sounds amused.]

Yeah, well... [derp] I'm still not too happy with Starscream even if he doesn't remember doing the shit he did to make me pissed at him. Not a lot I can do about that, though, I guess.

It's a different Starscream.

Believe me, I was pretty eager to give him the what-for, but... it's really not him. He's different.

Damn. [that calls for a drink] I hate when that happens. It happens a lot, around here, more than I'd really like.

Not much you can do except just shrug and move on, I guess. Grudges or not.

Yeah. Too late for that. I yelled at him without even knowing it wasn't the right guy.

I feel a bit terrible.

Aw, man, that sucks. [and he means it, with all the sympathy he can imply] Talk about burning bridges. Think he's gonna hold it against you?

Probably.

[He sounds as frank as ever.]

He's the kind of guy to do that. Megatron, etc etc...

...oh. Right. I mean, not that I know a lot about that, but...I remember catching snatches of it here and there. Years ago now.

You're pretty cool in my book, though, Skyfire. The factions don't mean a lot to me, I'm more interested in certain people.

I appreciate it.

Yeah, the whole faction thing was never really my personal favorite either.

I much prefer the way things were here with no war.

Well, lucky thing there still isn't really much of a war, here. I haven't even really done anything 'Decepticony' since taking up Shockwave's offer, and that was like...a year ago, now?

Yeah. That's probably for the best, anyway. If I wasn't suck as a human, I'd say I liked it here.

It's not bad for an alternate dimension, eh? [sure, he can grin and sip his beer all happy-like now. Things will change]

For now? I can't complain too much.

Well, then. To life not sucking that much. [he raises his glass, which definitely by now looks like it might need a refill. A sip or two is enough for a toast, right?]

[He grabs a fresh one and opens it, raising it in a toast.]

I suppose, yes.

[A smile and he sets it down in front of Alastair. Drink up.]

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Radio video always the same

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