SUPER BARBECUE SUPER BARBECUE SUPER BARBECUE [open as heck]

[hugling]

Who: SUPER HEROES!!!!!
Where: Ernest E. Debs Regional Park!
When: Sunday!
What: SUPER BARBECUE
Warnings: Superheroes...



It's a pleasant evening at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, just a couple miles from downtown LA, which can be seen through the haze. Late March means spring is just arriving in LA and the trees are just starting to bud. Unfortunately, the grass is still kind of dead and dry.

The barbecue and picnic area isn't too busy, though the park does have the usual assortment of joggers, dog walkers, and cyclists. There are some balloons tied to picnic tables, and strung between two trees is a very homemade "SUPER BBQ" banner, courtesy of Hulkling and Starbreaker. There's still glitter glue on Milly's apartment floor. There's another posterboard with the rules written on it in big bold sharpie letters nearby, just in case anyone forgets:

• Don't be a jerk!!!
• Keep your weapons holstered please.
• Do not trash the park!
• ABSOLUTELY NO FIGHTING
• Anyone caught fighting will be asked to leave!
• Really don't be a jerk!

[OKAY GUYS!!! mingle! have fun! maybe some THINGS WILL HAPPEN, whoooo knows!]

Comments

[scribes]

Di keeps looking between Orion and the the person who caught his attention.

"Are they Cybertronian?" Perhaps another avatar? It really was impossible to tell unless you were close enough to notice the lack of scent.

[thanksoptimus]

He pauses for a moment, and then nods.

"...Yes," he finally says. "I believe I told you about Megatron...at great length."

[scribes]

Oh.

Di resisted the urge to take another look at Megatron. No wonder Orion had become so distracted and tense. If Signless showed up here she would probably have been on the receiving end of a frisbee to the head.

"Do you want to talk to him?" She asked quietly.

[starscheme]

"You're joking, right?" he drawls, and the placid smile turns wry. "I've had more than my fair share of poor encounters with humans, but they pale in comparison to... That AI was certainly of human make, that's more than enough for me."

[bigfuckinggun]

"Make no mistake," Megatron replies, "I am no less displeased with the choices you have made. However..." He glances over his shoulder, at the gathering of Earth heroes. "...This is far from the appropriate venue for the airing of such grievances."

He might have gotten just a little carried away over the last couple of hours. He has spent a while talking himself up to real humans as an intimidating and dark arbiter of justice in his fabricated Earth city of origin and their reactions have on the whole been pleasing. He has been... enjoying himself. He may have allowed an interested child to touch one of his arm spikes. Objectively the whole thing would be kind of embarrassing and generally unacceptable, but the individual he is presenting himself as here is not Megatron, and therefore it is not his own reputation that's at stake here.

[thanksoptimus]

"I am considering it," he says, frowning wistfully. "However, our last parting was not on good terms."

[thanksoptimus]

Orion stares at him for a moment - things here are playing out differently than he had been anticipating they would in the days proceeding. Having officially declared himself aligned with the Autobots since their conversation, he had somehow felt that whatever guise Megatron had been using since their reunion would have been discarded in favour of whatever malice was secretly lurking.

The lack of confirmation that way makes things far more difficult. His face is still flushed with jade, though now it's at least partially out of emotional constipation.

"Then what use is there to speaking with me?" he says, with just the slightest air of petulance. A rare showing for Orion Pax indeed.

[scribes]

She could easily see why a conversation between them might not go well. With so many emotions invested on both sides, no matter what the truth, it could easily happen.

"I could bail you out if it becomes unpleasant."

[thanksoptimus]

He pauses for a moment as he parses that English phrases's meaning. He frowns at the concept, though the expression is at least a bit thankful for the offer.

"Since I have been told to anticipate that he may be intending to murder me, I fear that may not be enough," he says.

[bigfuckinggun]

Megatron raises his eyebrows. Underneath the helmet mask dealy. "It seemed to me that you were waiting to draw my attention. Was I wrong?"

[thanksoptimus]

"Having had more intimate interactions with the creature, of that I am not entirely certain," Orion says earnestly, though he has no specific proof of it. No one even really knows what happened to the thing afterwards, which is frightening to say the least. "I take it you have had your alterations removed, at least?"

[thanksoptimus]

"Yes, it would appear that I am just poor at hiding," Orion says uncomfortably.

[scribes]

Yeesh. She grimaced a little.

"Do you think he would try that here?" Both factions of Cybertronians seemed to be walking a tightrope with their presence, according to Legion. A place like this would be a terrible place to start any sort of fight.

[thanksoptimus]

"I would hope that he would be unable to given my avatar form," he says, warily. "My actual body is...elsewhere."

But close enough to be under threat he supposes.

[bigfuckinggun]

The camera just sort of lingers on Megatron's face for a few seconds.

"Yes," he says at last.

[starscheme]

Starscream's expression turns sullen, not exactly keen to dredge up even more of those memories. "As swiftly as I was able, yes. But enough about that..." he brightens back up a bit. "How have you been since you departed from the Decepticon fold. Getting enough Energon? You haven't run into any trouble, I hope." All casual harmless questions, but he delivers them in such a way that he's waiting for Orion to ask something more direct so that he doesn't have to be the one to do so.

[thanksoptimus]

Prolonged staring occurs.

Somehow he can't seem to look away.




"...I've been told that you intend to kill me," he says abruptly.

[bigfuckinggun]

Megatron's eyes narrow.

"Yes, I imagine the Autobots would tell you that," he replies disdainfully. "Believe me, Orion Pax, I would far prefer that you continue living. However... if you truly intend to align yourself with the Autobots..." He frowns, his mouth a thin line. "Stand against me and you will give me no choice. This is a war, Orion."

[thanksoptimus]

"I stand against this war first and foremost, Megatron," he says, carefully. "There are other ways to end a war."

[bigfuckinggun]

"And yet you side with the Autobots. They are soldiers, Orion, just as my Decepticons are. They would not offer us the mercy you beg me to give them."

[thanksoptimus]

"They are good bots, Megatron, I swear it to you," Orion urges, some of his desperation from previous conversations coming back to him. "I have spoken to each of them, and I am certain that a peace could be attained, were you both to divert your efforts towards making one."

[deadpartners]

"She seems like a good friend." Arcee means that, too. She's a little suspicious of things on this planet, honestly, after what the last month has turned out like, but Magdal really seems like she means well. Like she cares. Arcee trusts her, to a point.

But it's hard not to notice the way his face almost falls. She steps in a little closer to his avatar, though her hands are resting reticently in her jeans pockets. "Is there anything I can do?"

[thelittlemerman]

If there were something more interesting to be doing, Finnick would just walk away from Jon now, but sadly there is nothing. So he just rolls his eyes.

"Are you always this personable?"

[bigfuckinggun]

Megatron scoffs, but he's getting more visibly angry. "Have you spoken to them of your ideas of peace and compromise? Trust me, Orion, it would sit no easier with them than it does with me."

[thanksoptimus]

Orion watches him carefully for a moment. He doesn't really want this to turn into an argument like it did before. But at the same time, he isn't a coward.

"Would it make a difference to you?" he asks. "If I had spoke to them of it? If they had agreed?"