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]

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.

[ichooseboth]

It took Orion a moment to even register the fact that the other mech was talking to him, he was so focused on the slow but intense battle on the arena floor. Megatron make it look easy as he dodged and parried the equally-huge tank's blows. Even then, he hesitated in glancing away, giving the stranger only a questioning glance.

"...Pardon?"

He thought Megatron might have spotted him at the beginning of the match, but the meaning of the sword gesture, and even the idea that it might actually mean something completely escaped his notice.

[lordmegatron]

There was a low chuckle from the mech, his optics pulsing briefly as he shrugged, keeping his focus on the combatants as well.

"You were the focus of an honour greeting, not something given just to a pretty face... And, since you're sitting here that means you either have the funds and interest," the mech paused, glancing over at Orion with what seemed to be genuine amusement while the black mech dodged a swing from Megatron by angling backwards, his treads trailing on the floor.

"Which, if you'll excuse me, it seems you have neither, so what is next is that you were invited." A searching look at Orion while Megatron just barley slid around and out of the way from an attempted tackle; that they managed what was essentially a proper match in slow motion told of incredible control, something their widely flared EM fields and tightly held armour testified too.

"So, how did you catch his optics?"

[ichooseboth]

"...'Honor greeting'?" Orion repeated, giving the other mech a somewhat startled look. He realized, distantly, that he was only making his ignorance more obvious, but the idea that Megatron might have somehow singled him out for some sort of honor...

He huffed out an embarrassed sigh, turning a more studious gaze back onto the fight. He watched the battle silently for a moment, barely hiding a wince when Megatron nearly took a blow to the helm - only to come back and return the move, clearly scoring a point with the judge.

"I was invited. We met in a...professional capacity." Which was entirely true, of course. But he hardly wanted to go into further details with yet another overtly-interested stranger.

There had been an awful lot of those, lately.

[lordmegatron]

"The flourish he did with the sword when he paid respect to his opponent. It pointed at you if you missed it." Chuckling, the mech gave Orion an amused smile.

For a brief moment right after Megatron managed to cuff his opponent Stoke avoiding being hit himself, the black mech student lunged forward before he caught himself and attempted to save himself by slowing down.

Megatron smirked, the twitch of his lips caught by cameras as the audiences boo'ed the loss of control on the black mech's side.

"Professional, hmm? You don't really look like..." The mech caught himself and shrugged, somewhat self-consciously as he'd thought Orion meant 'professional' as in prostitute professional wasn't something he wanted to claim.

The two gladiators' combat had gone back to being a stately came off coolly controlled movements, swords sliding fleetingly against each other, every manoeuvre precise and calculated.

[ichooseboth]

"...Oh." Startled, Orion reset his optics, trying to recall. The tip of his sword did seem to point directly at him for all of a moment...

Orion gave the mech another questioning glance, even as he caught sight of Megatron's smirk being broadcast on the massive stadium screen over the stranger's shoulder.

"Look like...? We met in a library." He frowned, unsure if he even wanted to know.

[lordmegatron]

"You... Ah." The overly-curious mech's vocaliser shorted out in static as he nodded, optics widening in a guilty flash. "Of course. That, err. Makes sense."

On the arena floor, sword and lance arced slowly through the air and met in a crackling flare between the two combatants, where they locked together.

"I didn't expect a cargo hauler to, err, work in a library." The mech seemed to speak almost against his own processor, slowly and each word dragged out, practically digging a new home with trying to avoid his initial assumption.

Megaton and his opponent leaned closer to each other, the sword angling and forcing it's wielder to lean backwards... And then Megatron's foot curled around the black tank-mech's lower leg, and he fell just as the time for the match was over, Megatron's sword burying itself in the ground beside the mech's helm.

[ichooseboth]

Orion spared the mech another wry glance, before turning his optics back onto the fight, unwilling to miss any more of Megatron's display. Luckily, he didn't miss the ending, and cheered with the rest of the crowd when the other mech went down. He was honestly impressed by how deftly the huge mech was able to end the battle, and all without bloodshed...

He wished more arena fights were like this one.

"You might be surprised by how much heavy lifting a librarian has to do." Orion remarked blandly, optics glued on the triumphant mech as the judge announced his victory.

[lordmegatron]

The poor mech should obviously not have taken that the way his processor did, due to his earlier assumptions, but he said nothing besides sputtering.

Meanwhile, Megatron and his opponent saluted the overseer again and started to leave the arena. Orion would find he got a brief little ping just as Megatron passed through the doors to the back areas of the attend, making space for the new set of combatants.

:: Meet me backstage, Orion. I believe you have the time for that?:: Despite the shortness of the message, Megatron managed to convey pleased warmth in his tone.

[ichooseboth]

Orion's lips twitched, despite his mounting embarrassment; even as sheltered as he was, he could hazard a guess as to where the mech's processor was wandering off to.

::Of course. That is why I came here, after all.::

The slight librarian stood, giving the sputtering mech a parting nod.

"If you'll excuse me." He turned away and climbed down the stands, confidently making his away toward the backstage entrance, flashing his chit at the bouncer holding the fans and groupies at bay. His confidence was not misplaced, and he found himself let inside with nothing more than a smirk from the huge mech.

[lordmegatron]

Said mech had enough of his processor with him to nod at Orion when the librarian left, but he was one again left staring as Orion left for backstage.

The backstage was similar to the front in its decidedly run-down state, but was surprisingly clean otherwise. Probably because this was a reasonable reputable arena, and the medics wouldn't stand for less... Or the higher-standing gladiators for that matter.

There were gladiators milling about the rooms and corridors to the wash racks, but nine of them did more than give Orion a glance... Until he went towards where Megatron had said he would be.

"I'd wait, if I were you. Megatron's probably busy right now." The rangy-looking gladiator had a neon yellow colour scheme and looked like he might break at first touch, but it was obvious he wasn't new at the arena from his scars.

[ichooseboth]

Orion entered backstage slowly, wary of getting into any of the large gladiator's way. It was still...interesting to see this side of the ring; the side most people didn't get to see, and the side that Megatron dealt with every day.

He stopped short in following Megatron's directions, glancing back at the yellow mech.

"Busy?" Orion frowned. Megatron hadn't mentioned there would be any reason he might need to wait.

"I hope it's not a problem that I'm back here?"

[lordmegatron]

The gladiator shook his helm, rubbing a broken-off audial protrusion as he glanced away.

"Imagine he wouldn't, but no, it's not a... problem. You were invited, but given what, ah, might be going on, you could get a tour of the place and then come back?" He sounded distinctly hopeful, but it wasn't just or really, at the prospect of spending time with the well-kept and shorter visitor... The gladiator kept glancing off down the corridor and shifting on his strange, arced lower legs.

"Gladiators can need to burn off energy after a match. An... ah, old acquaintance of Megatron's decided to lend his... assistance." There were other gladiators nearby, and they were giving tall and slender sympathetic looks, then glancing down the corridor and then at Orion.

The atmosphere was charged and sort of tense. Perhaps awkward.

[ichooseboth]

The small-framed librarian glanced between the various gladiators, down the corridor, and back at the yellow mech once more with a bemused frown.

"I think Megatron wanted to give me that tour himself, honestly. If he's, ah, changed his mind..." He glanced down the corridor once more, his own audial nubs twitching with indecisiveness, before he turned to head down the hall despite the odd atmosphere.

"Perhaps you can show me around." It was merely a polite admittance, and Orion nodded at the yellow mech before pressing on with stubborn resolve.

::Megatron?:: He commed privately; despite his determination, he didn't want to interrupt anything important...

[lordmegatron]

"You might just feel more... comfortable, if you let me do it." The gladiator's vocaliser wavered on empty static for a moment before he shrugged, clearly not about to stop Orion from going to Megatron's room.

::Orion.:: There was a tense sort of softness in Megatron's voice even over the comm, and privately he swore for having been unable to kick his unwelcome "visitor" out soon enough. ::I apologise for the delay. I should be out briefly.::

Which might or might not be a lie at the moment, despite his burgeoning annoyance; Maul knew how to push his buttons, after all.

[ichooseboth]

::Megatron, are you...alright?:: Orion tensed in the hall, palm against the gladiator's marked door.

He frowned, wondering if he should take up the unknown mech on his offer to stall for time, only to start back a step when the door opened automatically; it obviously hadn't been locked, at least.

Curious but wary, he stuck his head inside.

[lordmegatron]

::... Yes, I'm fine.:: There was a momentary hesitation right before he replied, which was annoying; normally need have been able to state with no hesitation that he was all right, but at this moment... well, Orion was worth a truthful reply, wasn't he?

Which well, Yes, but Megatron wasn't going to give it to him. Not precisely anyway, because he was hardly in danger or injured.

"For the last time, get out." Despite the way it was worded, it wasn't really a demand. Megatron, Orion would find, was down on the floor, kneeling while a large black and red mech with a curiously asymmetrical helm stood over him, one hand around the smaller of the two shoulder cannons.

"I have... prior engagements, and I hardly need your assistance---" Annoyance was thick in Megatron's voice, even as the pitch itself was soft, and he broke off when the mech squeezed the barrel.

"Don't lie to me. You haven't taken care of yourself so clearly you do." The warning rumble was surprisingly deep, even for a mech of his size, and while Megatron's optics narrowed, he stayed where he was, hands neatly folded on top of his knees.

"That is my decision, Maul." He might have said more, Maul's name little more than a grunt, but his chin was yanked up, and that, instead of fanning his building ire seemed to bank it, and the glow from his optics went soft.