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

[bigfuckinggun]

Fortunately Megatron has no idea what blushing is either. He has never seen an organic life form blush before, ever. Pretty much nobody in the universe blushes when confronted with Megatron. Perhaps this is some kind of fear response? Hmm.

"Oh, but I insist." He grins. There are no fangs involved at all. It is sort of uncanny. "I recognise a fan when I see one."

[thanksoptimus]

At that, Orion can't help but pause and stare for a few more moments, marveling over how strange a world where Megatron has normal teeth is. Also, where he's human in general, he supposes.

After a bit too much gazing, his eyes rise to meet Megatron's. His lips form a thin line. He must know. Does he?

"I am sorry, but you are mistaken," he says. "I am no 'fan' of yours."

[bigfuckinggun]

His smile stills; his joke suddenly slightly less funny.

"No," he says, rather more soberly. "No, I suppose you are not." He straightens up, his eyes a little narrower behind the mask as he looks contemplatively down at Orion. "A shame. But I had not expected to find you here – in this or any guise."

[thanksoptimus]

Megatron may have sobered, but Orion is still coasting on his own flash of anger at that mocking attitude. He had expected anger, perhaps, or aggression - but not this casual teasing, like this is supposed to be some kind of game between them.

"I hadn't known you had such an interest in toying with me," he says rigidly, his stare sharpening. "Though I suppose you must have developed one by now."

[bigfuckinggun]

Megatron frowns, his voice clipped: "I had no intention of toying with you. It was merely a joke. I had anticipated you might find it entertaining – clearly I was wrong."

[thanksoptimus]

Well MISTAKE NUMBER ONE, Megatron...

But Megatron speaking to him in that tone instantly derails the more stern approach Orion has been taking. He honestly hadn't expected the bot to sound upset...based on their previous conversation he had assumed that he would be angry at him, not trying to make weird jokes.

"...I thought you would be angry with me, given our last conversation," he says. "...Not trying to poke fun."

He's eyeing Megatron cautiously, but his tone is a little bit warmer now. He is confused on several levels.

[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]

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.

[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]

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

[bigfuckinggun]

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

"Yes," he says at last.

[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."

[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?"

[bigfuckinggun]

"If I truly believed I could trust in such a proclamation," Megatron replies, his scornful sneer slightly less effective without the ridiculous metal fangs; "if I could be sure it was not a trap. Perhaps."

Of course, the difference it would actually make is that it would make a great opportunity to lure the Autobots into his own trap and annihilate them all, but, well, you know,

[thanksoptimus]

Orion's face falls. He's not sure what it would take to prove this to Megatron, or to the Autobots. He wasn't built to be a negotiator any more than he had been built to be a warrior.

"If it was Optimus Prime who led them astray...their leader is gone. They need not be your enemy."

[bigfuckinggun]

"Really – is that what you believe? That their leader was the only one at fault; that without him, after so long, they will simply abandon ages-old feuds?"

[thanksoptimus]

"I believe there is a chance," he says. "The loss of such a long lived leader would be a time of upheaval for any army."

[bigfuckinggun]

Megatron begins to pace, his own avatar starting to circle Orion's.

"And you do not imagine, in this situation, that their resentment of those who took that leader from them might perhaps get in the way of any desire for peace? Orion – whatever are you attempting to lure me into?"

[thanksoptimus]

That intimidates him for obvious reaons, but Orion just clenches his fist and tries to steel himself in response. Megatron had always had a threatening air to him, though previously Orion had felt it was almost alluring. Perhaps, sexy dangerous.

"I am not trying to lure you into anything!" he cries, genuine distress coming through. "I am trying to...to show you...!"

He cuts off his own words in frustration.

[bigfuckinggun]

"To show me what?" Megatron replies, with a flash of anger. "How little you understand?"