Everybody learns from *somebody*

[lordmegatron]

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?"

Comments

[lordmegatron]

Concentrating as he was, Megatron didn't notice when Orion stepped away, though he was aware of a greater distance to the nearest EM field and took out his movements accordingly. He was using the music he could hear as much as the exercise he was planning on next to decide what he'd do next, a slight frown on his faceplates as he swung and twirled around.

As such, optics dim and wholly concentrating on what he was doing, the gladiator missed when a mech came into the clearing as well, eyeing them both before he started to sidle up to Orion.

"I don't see what you see in a brute like that, honestly. He looks quite nice, yes, but even making something beautiful he has to use methods tied to destruction," said the mech, a tall, slender thing in gold and green, with a bike alt.

[ichooseboth]

The stranger managed to slip up to Orion unnoticed as well; he was too busy staring at Megatron to register the sounds of approach, or even sense the new EM field until it pressed cloyingly up against his own. He snapped out of his trance with a head shake, not bothering to keep his frown from showing. How rude.

The mech's words only made it worse, and Orion found it hard to keep his tone polite.

"...Pardon? I don't believe I understand the point of your criticism." Unwanted and unsolicited criticism, Orion refrained from pointing out, even if his tone had gone icy.

[lordmegatron]

While the mech had approached and his and Orion's exchange was going on, Megatron had been slowing down, performing the movements with increasingly less speed. The sword was visibly vibrating even so, while it sliced through the air.

There was a slight frown on his faceplates, however, and it was definitely different from the concentration from earlier; Megatron was picking up that something wasn't exactly right.

"Ah, well..." Glancing between Orion and Megatron again, the mech tilted his helm, his expression hovering between concerned and sly. "Whatever he's offered you, I'm sure you could get the Shaw... if not better, elsewhere. Others can give you mental stimulation as well as something more..." Trailing off, the mech chuckled and despite the roundabout words, it was suddenly obvious he didn't mean his concern in a purely rhetorical manner; one hand trailed down Orion's back all the way to his aft, one finger sliding along the gap between hip-joint and crotch.

[ichooseboth]

Orion really had no idea what the rude mech wanted; he couldn't focus on Megatron, irritation rising as the stranger...tried to sell him something?

He sounded like some sort of classist, frame-typist aft of a used oil salesman- who had his hand on his aft.

"Excuse you," Orion snapped, optics going wide with shock. He immediately jerked out of hand-range as his field flared, heavy and waspish with indignation.

"I don't know what the pit you're offering, but I want no part in it!"

[lordmegatron]

"Look, I know it can be hard to leave a bad relationship---" the handy stranger still sounded earnestly concerned, his hands going up, plans out, even if he clearly so seemed rather annoyed at having had his advances rebuffed.

Now, though, with Orion's field suddenly flaring in such a way, Megatron could hardly remain oblivious to the fact that something was going on. Optics turning back on to full strength and outwards focus again, he frowned at what he saw when he turned around to where Orin was.

"What is going on here?" He walked up to the two slowly, sword still out.

[ichooseboth]

"Nothing." Orion snapped, bristling and suddenly angry that this- this glitch of a mech had caused Megatron to stop his wonderful display. Engine rumbling up to a low growl, the librarian somehow managed to glare down at the intruder, despite being a full helm-length shorter than the bike-mech.

"Because this mech was just leaving." Orion's tone left no room for argument, and his field flared again, powerfully, just as demanding as his tone, and much larger than a mech of his size should have been able to produce.

[lordmegatron]

Red and blue optics flared in response to Orion's annoyance. But where the rude intruder shifted on his feet, optics wide and mouth slightly slack add he held up his hands, field receding, Megatron...

Came to a stop a few feet behind Orion, the formerly harsh glow softening. The sword was lowered as well, tip resting into the ground as the gladiator stopped, helm dipping to stare intently at the back of Orion's helm.

That wasn't just a mech annoyed and showing it, or nothing so simple anyway, and Megatron suddenly felt no need to help chase the harasser away. Of course, even with his field suddenly smooth and tucked neatly against his frame, completely unassuming, he was rather intimidating.

"I... ah. Yes. Of course. Nothing. As you say." The mech seemed unable to decide if he should pay more attention to the gladiator lurking behind the librarian a good head and a half over the bike-alted mech, or the object of his earlier attentions, but in the end he nodded, optics locked on Orion's nasal ridge before he backed up and then fairly ran away.

At least his exit was very musical.

[ichooseboth]

Orion's aggressive stance did not even begin to ease until the bike-mech was out of sight, but once he began, Orion's field and armor smoothed out rapidly with the ease of long-practice. The irritation-born dominance vanished as though it never was, gone almost completely before the music from the interloper's exit faded.

Orion sighed, slowly turning to face Megatron, expression gone sheepish; embarrassment coloring his field and making his audial nubs twitch back.

"...I apologize for that. Especially for snapping at you. I'm afraid I have something of temper, at least when my friends are concerned." He gave Megatron a somewhat lopsided smile, hopeful.

[lordmegatron]

As Orion's whole demeanour changed like dispersed gas, Megatron felt something twist around his spark chamber - an out-of-place, sudden surge of charge that scratched over the ciruitry there and then flickered out, gone.

When Orion had turned around, Megatron's expression was quite normal, even if his optics might be glowing at a slightly deeper colour still.

"If you hadn't reacted somehow I'd have been... concerned." And would have set about teaching the librarian to assert himself, regardless of anything else. No one should have to take being harrassed. "So no need to aplogise, you handled that rather spectacularly," said Megatron, lifting one hand off the hilt of the sword to wave the concern away.

Then, however, he looked down at Orion, look turning slightly arhced and inquiring.

"It seems to me, however, that you were the only target..?" It was sort of embarrassing to admit he hadn't actually heard precisely what the mech had said. He'd noticed his arrival in the back of his processor, but he hadn't pinged as a threat... not until Orion's presence had sort of exploded.

And most delightfully so, as well.

[ichooseboth]

"I do prefer not to sink to their level, if I can avoid it," Orion said with a relieved smile. "But I certainly won't sit there and tolerate it."

Not that it lasted very long; Megatron's question set his audials to twitching once more.

"Well...physically, I suppose he was just, er, 'after me'. But the words he had for you...they were somewhat more infuriating. I would prefer not to repeat them."

His engine rumbled faintly at the memory, still insulted on Megatron's behalf. A oddly protective, not that the huge mech needed the protection of a librarian...

[lordmegatron]

Megatron chuckled as he heard Orion's confession, and not needing said protection or not, it was rather pleasant to see he was willing to stand up for him. The first urge, though, was to show his appreciation of that in a way Orion would doubtfully understand, so he shook his helm and smiled instead.

"I won't ask you to repeat them then. I believe I can figure out the gist of it." Waving that away with a hand, Megatron put it aside. He could well imagine what was said, if the mech had been revving for Orion and thinking Megatron was putting his hands where he shouldn't... so to speak.

He'd heard it all before at least once. Especially those three decivorns after his second championship win, when he'd had a noble of all things approach him... He'd accepted, if only because he was curious.

And while it had started out relatively simple, the mech had had some delightful inclinations. Not that Megatron would indulge most of them - he preferred to keep both his sadism and masochism firmly connected to the arena and not out of it.

"And I hardly think rebuffing someone's advances with any level of ire you choose to use is sinking to their level, Orion. Whatever you need to use to get rid of them, use it, and without shame." Frivolous thoughts over, Megatron caught Orion's optics quite seriously. If nothing else, if he could give the mech the ability to loosen up his control in set circumstances, he'd say they'd both come out of their burgeouning friendhsip better off than they started, whether ot not it led to more or not.

[ichooseboth]

Orion nodded awkwardly. He didn't doubt that Megatron could guess the words, most unfortunately. Such biased sentiments against gladiator mechs were all too common, no matter how Orion's spark rallied against the idea that an entire class could be treated so. Everything else he said was reasonable as well, much to the smaller mech's chagrin.

"I'm certainly not going to tolerate such liberties with my frame and field-space, but I can still wish being so aggressive wasn't necessary. His words spurred me on more than anything else," he admired with a sigh, glancing up at Megatron.

"And the fact that he interrupted your wonderful sword-dance there. Will you be continuing?" His optics brighten, encouraging and pleading gently.

[lordmegatron]

"Aggressiveness well-used and spent. Sometimes that's the only way to deal with things and there's no inherent failing in that." Obviously Megatron thought there was no issue with it as he was quite used to judicious and situational uses of various form of aggressiveness in his daily life... But besides that, he was also a forceful mech, outside of a few circumstances.

The bright-opticed pleading has him chuckling, amused and indulgent - had the tone, the flavour of the request been stated differently, he'd have been continuing for another reason entirely.

As it was...

"If you want. I was about half-way through the set, so if there's time, I wouldn't be averse to finishing it," said Megatron, voice deepening with his pleasure that he hadn't been wrong in his assumption that Orion might realise he'd enjoy watching something like that.

Which, actually, made him think of a setting or two where he could show Orion what he did, without stirring an immediate conflict in the rather gentle mech's sensibilities.

Ease him into what Megatron did, as it were.

[ichooseboth]

"Perhaps," Orion said simply, unwilling to focus on the unpleasant mech or the circumstances around him any longer. No matter how much he might have enjoyed putting the unpleasant intruder in his place, deep down.

"But yes, I would like to see the rest, if you are amenable." Orion grinned in return. He gestured out to the open space Megatron had been using previously.

"Would you like to continue here or elsewhere? I have no preference."

[lordmegatron]

"Here works as much as anywhere else, especially as there's space and a backdrop to enhance it." The musical metal flagstones. Megatron paused, looking at the center circle of stones, and then back to Orion.

"If you enjoyed this, I believe I have a type of match you'd have no issues with being a spectator for... They'll be held for a deca-cycle starting one mega-cycle from now, if you have the time..?" said Megatron, trailing off as he pulled out and held a circuit chit out to Orion. It wasn't the traditional ticket into the arenas, but that wasn't so strange considering it was the type gladiators got every now and then to invite who they wished... sort of promotional.

The gladiator also knew that while Orion wouldn't be able to make all of the matches, or even all of his own, there were definitely enough open spots in Orion's schedule that matched well enough with at least a few of his matches.

And since this type of "tournament" relied on cumulative results of the individually judges matches, it didn't matter if you lost all of your scheduled matches; you'd fight through them anyway, so there was no risk of Orion not being able of seeing one of them.

Not that Megatron intended to lose any of them.

[ichooseboth]

"A match?" Orion repeated doubtfully, even as he accepted the chit.

"I assume it isn't the usual type, then? Some sort of display-fight? Like this one here?" He knew Megatron was aware of his discomfort with the more...violent matches, so it was his best guess, and one that excited him more than he expected.

[lordmegatron]

Megatron smiled, and it was hard to say if it was because of the doubt or the fact that Orion still accepted it was hard to tell (it was both) and he nodded as he walked back to the center of the clearing.

"It's not, no. Neither is it exactly a display fight, as it builds on very real skills, but I think you'll like it either way." He smirked to himself as he nearly sashayed back into the flagstone circle, because since Orion had liked this, he was absolutely sure he would like the tournament...

And he wasn't going to tell Orion what it was. Of course, that wouldn't stop the little librarian from looking up information if he wished, but the name of the style of the tournament would tell him nothing, and he'd have to go looking in specific places to find out more than that.

[ichooseboth]

"Is it a surprise, then?" Orion asked with a resigned chuckle.

"I suppose I should have expected that." Even with the friendly irritation, Orion couldn't help but notice Megatron's little strut - and kept his optics glued to the gladiator's frame the entire time. He smiled expectantly, eager for the fascinating display to continue.

[lordmegatron]

"You could go look for information, but I'm not going to tell you, so something of a surprise, yes." Taking up his stance precisely as it had been when he got interrupted, Megatron hefted his sword again and turned off his optics, shifting his stance a little, listening to the tones from the metal as his weight shifted and pressed down.

"Consider it a gift," said Megatron, his voice no more than a soft hum, underscoring the music created by his movements as he slid through the exercises slowly. Not that this was any less of a gift than the pass to the tournament would be.

Arguably it was more of a one, or perhaps at least more personal, and he was certainly pleased Optimus liked it. Pleased enough he extended his originally-planned set a little, adding in a flourish of an exercise from a completely different blade-fighting style before he came to a twirling stop, ending up half kneeling on the flagstones, one leg bent, the other out straight and blade horizontally held with his helm dipped down over it, his feet pressing down on one stone each to weave a ringing two-tone infinite end to the set.

[ichooseboth]

He probably would look it up. Orion was honest enough to admit that to himself, but he simply smiled at Megatron.

"I think I can accept that," Orion said pleasantly, quickly falling silent to both watch and listen to the attractive display. He couldn't help but hum at each impressive motion, engine purring quietly with appreciation for Megatron's skills.

Really, he couldn't tear his optics away - though this time at least, he kept a small portion of his processor on watching for any further interruptions.

[lordmegatron]

Luckily, there were none, and Megatron got to finish his set in peace, well-pleased with the weight of Orion's gaze on his frame, even more pleased since he knew the librarian was enjoying not just his looks, but the skill he was displaying.

It was sort of annoying that there wasn't much time afterwards for a proper conversation - both of them had places to be, Orion's shift ending and Megatron needing to keep a medical check and tune-up appointment.

"If we don't have the time before the tournament, I'll look forward to see you in the stands... and I'll expect you backstage after," said Megatron with a smirk and a tilt of his helm, tossing his friend a wave and leaving him at the doors to the library because by now he was really cutting it close and it wouldn't do to be late.

Or annoy the medic.

[ichooseboth]

The arena was everything Orion had thought (and feared) it might be, at least in first outward appearances. The arena itself was ancient, in a rather distressing area of the city, and far from being in the best of repair. Orion was distinctly smaller and far less armored than the majority of the attendees, and the guard who scanned his chit for admittance seemed darkly amused.

The thunderous applause was the first thing he could hear, even from a distance, reverberating through the ground and up his legs. He wasn't sure if they were only running Megatronus' 'special', more artistic sort of shows today or not, but even then the stench of old energon and various spilt bodily fluids was immediately noticeable, even if the sources were not obvious.

The crowds in both the line and in the stands were...not the most reputable sort. Though Orion did not wish to judge solely on looks, the sort of looks he was getting proved he was being judged even more readily. He straightened his spinal struts, flared his field, and pressed on without acknowledging them. It probably made him look like a stuck-up, priss-mech, but it had always served him well when passing through less protected areas before. Thankfully, the looks (and testing shoves) faded the closer Orion got to his seat; he was pleasantly surprised to find the area in a noticeably better area, with better lighting and a far better view of the arena floor.

The other spectators seated in the same zone gave Orion some odd looks as well, but for now they refrained from commenting. The librarian vented a sigh and privately hoped he wouldn't have to sit through any actual arena fights before Megatron's display was scheduled.

[lordmegatron]

Orion hadn't needed to worry about what sort of matches were being fought and displayed, because despite the audience's enthusiastic responses, what was on the floor of the arena...

The two mechs, one a heavily armoured hover bike and the other possibly a construction vehicle of some sort, were locked in a most... curious sort of combat, every move performed as slowly as possible, whether it was the weapons themselves or the combatants moving. And, curiously, the audience, even the rougher sorry, wasn't displaying their roaring approval for the wounds inflicted, but rather the parries and smart avoidances.

At the opposite end of the arena, on the state podium, the overseer stood beneath the display of a clock counting down. When it reached zero, the overseer sharply lowered his arms and a klaxon blared out a long, slow tone that had the gladiators separating and trooping out.

The next two who came in were one of who Orion was here to see, his opponent sporting a tank altmode as well. But whereas Megatron was gleaming ivory and dashes of red, his treads contained on arms and legs, his opponent had them trailing from his shoulders and down his back and was matte black and blue.

Some might wonder if the selection had been from chance or due to aesthetics.

[ichooseboth]

Orion immediately perked at Megatron's entrance, examining both him and his battle 'partner' with curiosity. They both looked quite attractive, well-polished for the match, though Orion personally found Megatron far more striking. He clapped when the rest of the arena did, making no move to divert Megatron's attention to him; he wasn't sure how much focus this sort of match required, and distracting him now seemed quite foolish.

He settled for a simple greeting-ping, one that would probably be caught up easily in the queue formed by various fans also in attendance, and settled in to watch.

[lordmegatron]

The ping was, indeed, caught up among others, but Megatron didn't use the ping to notice Orion. Instead, as he swept around to face his opponent after the both of them had faced the overseer and saluted, he cast his optics towards the area where Orion would be seated if...

Ah.

With a small smile pulling at his lips as he caught sight of that deceptively small-framed mech in blue and white, Megatron bowed to his opponent twirling his sword around at the same time.

Most would completely miss the fact that Megatron's sword pointed at a particular mech in the audience as he and his opponent faced each other.

Most, but not the mech right next to Orion, who leaned in as the combatants' sword and lance arced slowly towards each other.

"So, how did you catch the interest of a six-time champion of the Kaon arena, four times champion of a handful of other city-states arenas and, so far, a one-time champion of the state games?" Idle, polite curiosity in his voice, it was hard to tell if he meant any more than he had said, or what his motivations for asking were.

Down on the arena floor, Megatron twirled around in a controlled slow-motion, managing to parry the lance by sliding the sword diagonally behind him. The noise as metal and energy met was a vibrating sort of static clang.