red_diode_district | Everybody learns from *somebody*

Passing the doors into the library, Megatron was pleased he had gotten the schedule correct as he saw who was sitting at the desk. If it had been completely necessary due to his own schedule, he'd have come here when he could. But since he didn't have to...

Ignoring the faint itch interfacing hadn't properly gotten rid off, Megatron approached the librarian at a lazy, casual walk. It was a pity he hadn't seen any signs at all that the surprisingly fine-lined truck-alted mech had the inclination he was looking for. Things would have been a lot easier (and, really, pleasing) if he had.

As it was, since there was no one left in the current arena circuit that he trusted with what he had to hand over, perhaps he would have to avail himself of one of the clubs. It made an irritable twitch slither down the treads on his shoulders, the thought that he'd have to do that.

It was ages since he'd had to go to an open venue like that to simply get his needs properly taken care of.

And he really would have preferred the librarian. Orion Pax - it hadn't taken anything to find out the designation when to found the schedule - was witty, somehow diplomatically argumentative and didn't give in if he knew he was right or wanted to stand for his opinion, actually had some smarts to go with said use of words and Megatron wanted to know more.

More, and more personally (most of the earlier he'd simply learned over the few times he'd been in the library when the mech was, but hadn't actually approached him). So this time, he decided to actually use the librarian's assistance in what he was looking for... and perhaps get something more out of it.

"Excuse me?"

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"No, it's not," Megatron agreed, soberly, but there was a smirk behind the seriousness. Then he shook his helm. "If you do have one that you trust, I'll consider it. But only if something actually happens."

Not before that, and only if Megatron was sure the issue wasn't something else... in which case he would of course go, since if it was just a regular medical issue and nothing that would leave him with needing to bare the spark chamber, going to a medic wouldn't matter.

"Let's check the last ones and then move on," Megatron said, gesturing to the rest of the room. He was rather convinced that they wouldn't actually get into any of the other force fields, but he refused to not try.

"Ratchet is a friend of mine," Orion said slowly, honestly giving the idea proper consideration. "And he isn't one to trust in authority much, either. I don't think he would turn anyone in. Think about it."

He shrugged and nodded, moving on to the next relic.

"Though I hope we don't get any more surprises like the last one. 'Mod factory', remember?"

"Perhaps," was Megatron's non-committal response, before he snorted, brushing his hand over the force-field of the next artifact with absolutely no hint of wariness or caution, "and in that case, I am one ahead of you."

Of course, that force-field didn't react, and he moved onwards, starting to feel impatient - and perhaps a bit agitated from what seemed like a very real weight from the key settled underneath his spark chamber.

"For some reason, though, I doubt any of the others will react. Want to bet?" He smirked at Orion, paused over one of the other force-fields that neither of them had yet to touch.

"I-" Orion paused after brushing his hand over the field, slowly glancing between Megatron's smirk and the remaining protective fields.

"...No bet. Not at all."

He wasn't sure if it was Megatron's slag-eating expression, or a lack of any mysterious 'draw' to the others, but- Megatron's slag-eating grin was never to be trusted.

Laughing, he shook his head.

"No sport in you, Orion."

But he didn't say any more about that and went around the room, checking the others and stopped in the doorway to wait for Orion to do the same. He was rather sure that Orion didn't feel anything from the rest either.

And Megatron was absolutely sure that, for both of the two - four, in total - force fields they'd breached and picked an artefact from, there had been a sort of... pull. And there was none such present in the room now.

It was merely a room.

Megatron still ended up eyeing the force field that protected the data repository, once again contemplating the risk of attempting to attack the force field with his new mace.

Probably not worth it.

"Nope," Orion grinned, shameless. "I don't want to be subject to whatever penalty you'd demand of me."

Even with his sudden certainty that taking Megatron's bet was a stupid move, Orion carefully continued taking his readings, scans, and notes as he passed up each relic. No additional shields vanished under his hand, and that strange, half-recognised pull from the weapon case never returned for any of them.

He glanced toward the larger mech when he finished; silently forced to admit that Megatron clearly had a 'feel' for this room, and the items inside.

Nodding to Orion, Megatron was glad the mech was around, for several reasons of course, but the fact that he had been able to catalogue their jaunt so far and they could check the names of the other artifacts when they were out of here was a good thing.

While he could certainly have brought a scanner and take readings and notes on any of his own explorations, it'd have taken him far longer to get anything useful out of it, compared to Orion's relatively easy translations.

"I think it's time to leave," pausing, Megatron frowned, checking the chrono, "and, unless we find something else in this corridor that seem worth immediately checking out, probably time to get back up top."

It would take a while, after all.

"I suppose..." Orion reluctantly agreed, finding himself oddly reluctant to go. Despite all his readings and the absolute ease in which they had found the place, Orion was suddenly struck with a foreboding sense that he might not ever see the place and it's priceless treasures again.

Ridiculous, of course, unless someone sealed the place up tight. But even then, it would always be there, as it had for countless vorns before them.

But still...

He lingered in the doorway, gaze falling on the ancient relics with a strange, almost foreign longing that was not greed or knowledge based.

Megatron waited a few steps out the door, not saying anything, because while he wasn't feeling any particular urge or desire to stay, it was clear (and curiously so) that Orion was.

"If you actually are having trouble leaving and need to me do something about that, tell me and I will simply haul you off," he said after several minutes, though he didn't immediately stomp over and, say, lift Orion up.

Not that that was such a bad idea, actually...

The smaller mech lingered for several more long moments, half-turned in the doorway.

"...Hm. Depends on how you cart me off," Orion sighed, amusement warring with a sudden melancholy in his field. He glanced over his shoulder at Megatron, smiling faintly- before giving the room one last, lingering glance- and resolutely turning and walking away.

Everybody learns from somebody

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