The Art of Seduction

Dusk is falling in Iacon, painting the sky in warm hues of red, purple and orange. The work cycle has just ended, and mechs and fems are roaming the streets idly, either looking for a joint to spend a relaxing evening at or heading back to their hab suites. 
However, one individual leaning gently against the wall of an alleyway close to a crowded and popular joint not far from the Decagon doesn't fit stereotypical Iaconian citizen meandering the streets leisurely. Helm tipped downward so as to shadow his face, the seeker stands out of the way of passerbys, arms folded. He watches the crowds rather passively as they move into the dive he's situated himself in front of. A devious smirk starts to grow on Starscream's features, and he lets out a small scoff.
Arcee arrives near the establishment in vehicular mode, not at top speed but obviously returning from a stressful situation, somewhere else. Once she rolls to a stop, she transforms, and stands there frowning. She really needed to get her most recent encounter with Quickswitch out of her mind. She was definitely not working well with him. At all. And knowing he was close with Rung just annoyed her even more. These and other thoughts work their way through her mind as she heads up the walk.
The seeker doesn't move to intercede her immediately, but his gaze follows her as she heads for the joint. "Heh," he says, his wicked smile growing a little. He shifts ever so slightly, causing the motion sensitive street lamp to illuminate just as Arcee arrives. "Long time no see," Starscream says, just loud enough for her to hear, yet still quiet so as not to draw any attention to himself.
Arcee looks over in surprise. Now THERE'S someone she hasn't seen in a little while. Takes her back to her Senate days. "Air Commander Starscream," she addresses him politely, the way she was taught. "What are you doing here?" Very rarely had she seen him outside of Vos, or 'official' circles, for that matter.
The seeker steps forward, his half smile even more evident now that he's out in the open. "Save the title," Starscream says a bit derisively, "I quit my day job." 
And he's not kidding. 
She'll notice too, he's got a bit more of an edge to him. The seeker looks like he probably walked out of a repair shop not too long ago and a little bit of rust has started to gather around the edges of his wingtips. There's a jagged scar on his left leg that's still in the process of fading. "That's a good question," he says, "have you missed me?" He laughs. "Heh, who am I kidding, of course you have." But that last bit doesn't sound sincere. "I trust you're doing... well."
"Oh, okay!" Arcee's never felt particularly *easy* around Starscream, and it isn't like they've ever been *friends*, but technically, they WERE co-workers in the largest 'company' on Cybertron. So she was very familiar with all the gossip surrounding him. Now that she was out of that Senate 'loop' though, she had no idea what he had been up to. For some reason, seeing the rust spots on him made her especially nervous, as she knew he was someone who took extreme pride in his appearence. What could this mean?? "Yeah, I...got a new job, too," she admits. "It's definitely better than the old one."
And the way he's smiling will probably make her even more uneasy. He scoffs a little, and lifts his helm, so that his burning red optics can pierce her with a fixating gaze. "You didn't answer my question," Starscream says, "and so I heard." He walks towards her slowly, the scar on his leg becoming more apparent as the lighting changes. The seeker circles her, his hand slowly extending as he touches her arm and runs his palm down it softly. 
"Didn't you know? Prowl and I have been in contact well, since day one. He keeps me in the loop."
Arcee has every reason to be creeped out...and she IS, in fact....but so far, she doesn't really have any reason to be afraid of Starscream. And after everything she was through with Drift, she's just a tough one to scare anymore. She laughs a genuine chuckle, under the impression that the former air commander of Vos is putting her on, because she can't even picture Prowl having idle chat with him. "Really?" she asks skeptically. She's still watching him, although her gaze does keep going to that scar on his leg. "And why would it matter if I missed you or not, hm? I never 'ranked' up there with the big shots.”
"Oh, why does that matter? Since when did I care about your 'status' Arcee?" Starscream says, smirking. "I'm very surprised Prowl hasn't told you anything." He looks over at her again. "About me, that is. After all, you'd think the old bastard would like to say everything rotten about me." He turns to face her. "Well, I suppose you deserve to know the truth." He opens his subspace compartment, revealing a Decepticon badge that glints briefly in the light from the streetlamp. He quickly closes it, however, being seen with a badge like that in Iacon would definitely get him in trouble. "Now, before you make any assumptions. I'm on your side."
Arcee reacts with some mild surprise when Starscream reveals the Decepticon badge. She really hadn't expected him to join up with Megatron. In fact, she can't even see him cooperating with Megatron. The two mechs are very different. Staring at him with wide optics, Arcee tries to come up with the best possible way to phrase all of the questions she suddenly has. "OK, what's going on??" she asks, sounding confused. (Unless he's calling his own shots, there's no way he'd be doing this...unless Megatron gave him a way to do that. Gave him some sort of power, some kind of responsibility,) she thinks.
"Why, I'm Prowl's faithful slave," Starscream muses, gesturing grandiosely as he brushes his hand under Arcee's chin briefly. "I know what you're thinking. Megatron is a fool. And you're absolutely right. He is. I've been infiltrating the Decepticon rank for quite some time now. Didn't you /know/?" he says, his grin broadening once more. "I'm sorry Prowl has kept you in the dark. I thought he'd tell you more." 
He pauses. "I'd love to tell you something useful," he glances around. "But this isn't exactly a secure location. The Decagon, perhaps? Somewhere not too obvious. I'd assume there's a training facility there--perhaps I could /show/ you something, if we went there.”
    As the two of them are walking down the street, they happen to pass a large videopane mounted on the side of a building, upon which a series of news clips are playing. The present one has a headline that reads: 
    "FAMED PHYSICIAN PHARMA FOUND COMATOSE AT RESEARCH FACILITY"
    "Earlier this decacycle, one of the Deltaran's best physicians Pharma was found in a comatose state at a research facility in Altihex with a blast wound through his chest. Fortunately, DMF staff were able to get him back to Iacon for treatment quickly enough. The doctor has been revived and is currently in recovery Deltaran's Iacon facility. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident, although Pharma himself has declined to comment on the matter thus far. More as this story develops."
Arcee is still under the impression that Starscream's telling her a pretty big whopper of a fib, although his delivery is fairly spot-on, enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Okay, if you've been doing some fairly impressive double-agent work," she tells him once she's sure they're in a less populated area, "Then how come I never see you at the Decagon? Never at the training center? Or the weapons range? Or...well, anywhere, hm?" She isn't being accusatory, just asking him with a slight smile.
And yes, she does notice that story about Pharma. Who could have done such an awful thing? Who, indeed...
"I don't know," Starscream says blandly, "I've been there before, just not too often. You know Prowl. He doesn't trust anyone who isn't an Autobot," he says, glancing over at Arcee again. "You can think whatever you like, Arcee. But if you don't believe me, ask Blurr. Ask Prowl. I /do/ work for him." He smirks. 
Starscream notices the videopane recounting the news about Pharma. He freezes, and his expression darkens significantly. His fists clench, and his thrusters activate, leaving a blackened impression of his anger on the ground beneath him. But now isn't a good time to lose his cool. 
"..." A pause. "Come now. I will tell you about the many weaknesses of the Decepticons. You want to hear it? Let's go inside the Decagon. A training facility is an innocent location.."
Arcee hmms. (Well. If he's talking out his aftplate, the security will kick him straight out before we even get that far -- but if he DOES work for Prowl and I just don't know about it...then I guess I'll find out in short order,) she thinks. (And if he's just trying to throw me off and jump me? He's in for a surprise.)
"OK, you've talked me into it, let's go," Arcee says with a good-natured smile. If she noticed his reaction to the news about Pharma, she's being enough of a sport to pretend like she didn't even see it.
Starscream smiles, looking smug and pleased. "I knew you would say yes," the seeker says, following Arcee as she heads for the Decagon. "You know, you remind me so much of Prowl," the seeker says silkily, "minus the prick part."
"I don't really know how to take that," Arcee laughs. "Maybe it's a good thing, probably it isn't? Am I close?" Inwardly, she was no dope; she knew Starscream was up to *something*, but what it was she couldn't quite define. If he REALLY thought he was going to just stroll into the Decagon without proper clearence, he had...MASSIVE cogs. No way could he be that crazy. If he wasn't supposed to be there, it would be like suicide. She knew Starscream was notorious for a lot of things, but being outright stupid wasn't one of those things. So she really had to wonder what this was about.
"No," Starscream says smoothly, "it's a definitely a good thing, don't you admire him? I mean, I do. Not in the way you might I think I do, though," the seeker continues with a smirk. His optics gleam. He's fascinated. It will become clear to Arcee that Starscream knows he can't just waltz into the Decagon, but he wants to see what it is she is actually going to do.
"I do admire him, I think he's an extremely wise and intelligent mech," Arcee admits. "And I also understand why he is the way he is. It's okay if you don't like him, I won't take any offense to that...in fact, I don't think I know anyone outside of myself who has any sort of appreciation for him," she says. Right now, she's going along as if she really bought Starscream's entire story, and they're just going to walk straight into the Decagon, because she wants to actually see if he's going to go through with it. "Not everyone can have a winning personality, don't you agree?"
"..." Starscream watches her carefully, his crimson optics glowing pensively. "Who said I didn't like him?" Starscream says, "I certainly didn't. You know he and I aren't all that different," he says, "so you can't really blame me for saying that I admire him to some extent, at least," the seeker says with a dramatic sigh. "I suppose you and I are the only ones, then," he says, smirking. "and unfortunately, that's rather true. Not everyone can."
(...Wait, he just said...didn't he just say Prowl was 'kind of a prick'? Just a little while ago. I thought I heard that! Didn't I hear that?) Arcee wears a slightly baffled expression for a moment, then she nods. "He has his own methods about things," she mentions, continuing on toward the Decagon. "They just...don't involve emotion, that's all. Some mechs think it's a bad thing, but you have to admit -- it seems to work well for him."
"Look," the seeker continues with a sigh, "society paints lack of emotion, callousness, insincerity and manipulation as 'problems,' if you will, but really, who gets to be the judge of whether they're actually bad or good? It all depends on your situation." Starscream smirks, following Arcee towards the Decagon.
"*EXACTLY.* Yes. You get it," Arcee exclaims. "What makes them worth something? *Context*. Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do, and it's nothing personal. It just needs to get done." Somewhere along the way, Starscream's struck a chord with her.
Starscream laughs a little, his optics narrowing cleverly. "Oh my, you are starting to remind me more and more of Prowl," he says smoothly, increasing the speed of his pace so that his stride matches hers. "Funny what spending just a little time with him can /do/ to you."
Arcee smiles very slightly. "...Well, his methods do seem to work," she says. "Back when I lived with my spark out for everyone to see, I got hurt...a lot. What he's taught me is that if you cover it up, you're the one holding the cards. You're the one in control, you see? It seems very obvious *now*, but...as I've heard it said, youngsters can make a few mistakes. What's important is to *learn* from those mistakes, and not to make them anymore."
The seeker is smiling in a mysterious fashion, watching Arcee in a way not unlike the way a tiger watches a lone antelope. He doesn't say anything for the time being. 
They're arriving in front of the Decagon now. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to see how this goes?" Starscream says, arms folded neatly across his chest. He smirks.
"And, why wouldn't it go perfectly well?" Arcee asks, turning toward him in amusement. She may be a little 'green', but she definitely knows a number of ways this might not go well. But they've made it this far. Time to just head inside.
Annnnd....no alarms, no guard patrols going berserk, just peace and quiet as they head right through the checkpoints. Was she expecting anything different? Arcee has NO idea what a wild card Starscream actually is. She just knows his reputation. It's...intriguing, to say the least. Of course, she could do without that sort of hot mess in her life right now, as she has more than enough to deal with. "Sure, it's down this way," she says, taking the former air commander down a long corridor to a big room. 
Starscream's expression flickers suspicious for the briefest nano-klik, while Arcee isn't looking. He knows better than to simply accept whatever good comes his way--he's prepared to be on the defensive if Arcee tries to pull a fast one on him. 
Nonetheless, he follows her without hesitation into the training facility, then takes a good look around, digitally documenting his surroundings and the various training gear and equipment surrounding him. 
So this is how and where the Autobots train. Hm. Good to know. 
He turns to Arcee. "Ah well, I suppose you were anticipating this moment." He laughs quietly, in his devious manner.
"Naturally," Arcee says, and without hesitation, she instantly draws her dual laser-pistols out of subspace...
....and points them downrange, of course. Anything else wouldn't be proper protocol. "I've spent a lot of hours in here," she tells Starscream pensively. "I mean, even if I didn't tell you, you'd probably figure it out by yourself because you're smart like that."
The seeker's optics light up and he grins, excited by the challenge. But instead of drawing his own weapons, he darts around behind and reaches forwards to quickly snatch her weapons. 
"....what if," Starscream says silkily, "I have something else in mind?"
-Combat- You hit Arcee with your melee attack!
"........."
Arcee couldn't be more stunned by the sudden pilfering of her beloved weapons. She just stands there, gaping in surprise. "Uh!! Hey, you could have just *asked* if you wanted to have a hand-to-hand bout, you know!" she exclaims.
The seeker laughs heartily, flying to the other end of the room to where the lighting controls are. All of the sudden, most of the lighting is killed. 
Now she won't be able to see Starscream, though she will definitely be able to hear the thrum of his engines and briefly glimpse him as he passes through the few beams of light that have remained on. 
Then, the soft hiss of his boosters as they deactivate and the click of his heels on the hard, clean floor of the training facility can be heard. 
A low laugh. 
"Everyone is born with skills. We all each have our own individual talent sets. Some, however, are blessed with a little more than just... skills and intellect. People like me, and people like... you. What I'm saying, is that though everyone possesses this.. mannerism, if you will, not all will be able to utilize it to its full potential, for a number of reasons. You, however, are not among those who will not." 
The seeker then steps forward, allowing light to shed on half of him. "You speak about manipulation as if it were useful, so if you want your guns back--there's actually no need for violence. /Seduce/ me, instead."
When the lights click off, Arcee suddenly fears the worst. (OK, I've heard terrible things about him, but even he wouldn't go so low as to take my guns and then murder me in the dark. In a TRAINING ROOM. Not even a primordial beast would do something like that.) Despite her disbelief, she preps for the worst by automatically moving to take cover -- she ISN'T going to make this massacre *easy* for him. OK, so he took her guns, who would have seen that coming??
Wait. He's saying...what is he saying?? Arcee is still going through the proper police protocol to 'evade air bombardment', right from the manual in fact. But then she stops and actually listens to what he's saying.
"Wait. Wait just a...!" Arcee slowly gets back up, and stares at the self-absorbed Seeker in utter disbelief. "Are you serious??”
"I'm serious as hell, Arcee," The seeker says, his tone sultry. He seems amused. "Don't be so naive. You brought me here so I could tell you something useful, that's what I'm doing. Mechs are protopigs. Eventually they all cave to their own desires, and what mech doesn't want a prepossessing female to desire him, even at the shallowest level? You didn't think this would be a common weakness among even the Decepticons? Take for example someone like Blast Off. Play this card with him and he's aluminum foil in your hands." Starscream laughs, gesturing grandiosely. "/Come on/. You want manipulation at it's finest, well here it is.”
Arcee is flustered to say the very least. She was hoping that it wasn't too terribly obvious that she found him attractive, but she hardly expected this sort of response from it. After all, attractive mechs DID get plenty of attention; it's just the way things worked, that unwritten law of attraction. What annoyed her the most was, of course, the lengths she WOULD go to in order to get her guns back...and a close second on that list of annoying things was that he wasn't even at the top of her 'list'. Damn it, why didn't he just want to brawl?? At least she was trained in THAT. As it was, she'd never even been kissed. What a predicament.
She approaches him uncertainly, apparently still weighing the options. Make out in here? Orrrr...just clock him really hard and start a huge fight? Which would be LESS risky?
His expression becomes momentarily dissatisfied. She really didn't know anything about the art of seduction, did she? He sighs, sounding slightly annoyed. "Well, then," he says, smirking and watching Arcee carefully. 
Starscream laughs, turning around and taking a few steps away from her. "I take it you've never endeavored this kind of manipulation before." He then spins on heel to face her. "I suppose I'll just have to enlighten you," he says with a grin. 
"Seduction is simple. In fact, touching isn't always necessary. Only sometimes." He gives her a brazen grin. "When I look at you, the first thing my gaze falls on is your upper chassis. Then, your waist and continuing downward to about mid-thigh, and then lastly," he says, articulating his gaze so that she will notice where he's looking, "your face." 
"And of course, your demeanor is extremely key. You /must/ be confident, and bold, yet appear innocent. Make optic contact and don't break it. Act like you know I want to touch you, look at me as if you own me." He makes a beckoning motion, a smirk growing on his features.
"Really. Okay, yes. Explain this to me, I'm a good study," Arcee insists boldly, once Starscream gets the general idea that she knows exactly nothing about seducing anyone. She dutifully watches him, nodding. "Okay...right." She smiles and nods, her optics sparkling with confidence as she's just been instructed how to do something new and useful! "I've got this," she says boldly.
And it's an act, but it's a very, very good act. It's one of those roles she can ease right into once she gets the feel for it. Arcee's never really thought about it before this moment, but...she has a lot going for her. Starscream may be playing dirty pool with her, but he's right about one thing -- she's a pretty femme, AND, she can make that work *for* her. She gives him a sidelong glance, and something in that expression is positively sizzling as she gives him the once-over.
"Oh," he says slowly and smoothly, "you /are/ a good study," Starscream says coyly. He starts to walk in a slow circle around her. "Do go on," he encourages, maintaining optic contact with her, "and remember, I'm /your/ slave." He laughs a little, further amused and definitely aroused. 
He's stepped into a more well lit area now, and she can see that he's toying casually with her weapons.
Arcee has this feeling in her spark that this lesson will not end well. And for her, 'well' would mean her getting her guns back. But in the meantime, she'll have to admit, she IS having more fun than she has in a while. Two can play this. Two can *definitely* play.
"You know...the least you can do if you're going to teach me how to be a flirt," Arcee murmurs as she slinks closer to him and invades his personal space, "Is to show me how to master the skill. Because so far, I would say you're the biggest flirt I've ever seen." She's *almost* pressed up against him, but, not quite. She hasn't even laid a finger on him.
"If I am, then haven't you learned any thing from observation?" Starscream says watching as she draws nearer to him. "Mm, besides, who said anything about flirting? No, this isn't flirting, this is /better/ than flirting.." 
"Open your ventilation shafts... it's getting a little bit hot in here, I could use some air," he says, in a sultry fashion. 
As soon as she invades his personal space, his hand reaches out instinctively and lands on her waist. He pulls her near so that she /is/ pressing up against him. "See what I mean?" he says softly, "that was almost reflexive." 
"However, the main purpose of this exercise isn't to learn how to make my engines sing," (though, Arcee may notice that they are, quite loudly too) "the idea is to get what you want." A pause as he leans closer to whisper in her audio receptor. "Now push me away. Hard."
Arcee gasps, venting with a surprised sigh and is even trembling just a little bit. Those tremors aren't from fear, however, and Starscream would most certainly recognize that.
She gets a strange glint in her optic when he instructs her to push him away -- but she complies, and with considerable force, as well. She gives him one hell of a shove.
Starscream chuckles quietly in a devious fashion, his smirk growing. "Remember, confidence is key," he says, as he feels her trembling slightly underneath his grasp. 
When she shoves him backwards, his boosters activate quickly so as to keep him from bowling over. He grins wildly, his ventilation shafts open as well and his boosters thrum passionately. A sexy smile graces his features. 
He continues toying with her weapons, approaching her once more. This time, he reaches for her thigh. "You own me," he says, his tone of voice dropping half an octave, "so slap me like you mean it."
There's a hesitation again, as Arcee waits and watches his every move intently. Now, she really does seem to be 'owning' this role. It doesn't seem as much of an experiment anymore, but she's actually *becoming* this seductive-yet-tauntingly-unavailable femme. For the briefest of moments, she allows him to touch her. Then, she smacks him about as hard as she possibly can without actually closing her fist.
Starscream jerks his hand away, drawing backwards suddenly, surprised by the force of the blow. "Ow," he murmurs, shaking his hand a little to release the sting of the strike she just dealt him. 
His engines are purring, and his boosters activate slightly so that he's hovering a few inches off the ground. He approaches her once more, enthralled. The seeker then reaches forwards and takes her wrist and lifts it upward, making her hand rest lightly under his chin. 
And if Arcee is keen, she'll notice the grip his other hand has on her weapons has loosened significantly and he isn't paying them any mind whatsoever...
Arcee does, in fact, notice that her weapons are within easy grabbing distance. But, she's actually beginning to enjoy this little lesson, in some strange, twisted way. What DID she learn today, exactly? She may never really understand the answer until much later in life.
But for now, she decides to take her OWN 'trophy' of sorts...
She leans in to claim her kiss boldly, much like an athelete would claim their winning title. She's WON this moment, far as she's concerned. And it's far from being a timid, shy, faltering first kiss, that's for sure. It's...pretty much the exact opposite of all of those things.
Right as she breaks off the kiss, *that's* when she grabs her guns back.
Wow, he didn't see that one coming, but the seeker is oh-so-perfect at playing everything unexpected off like it wasn't. Starscream doesn't resist her advances, instead, he dips her when she leans into him, pressing hard into the kiss. 
As for the guns, he practically drops them into her hands. Afterwards, he steps back, wearing that same devious, sexy smile he'd given her the first time they'd met. "Not bad," he says, his crimson optics still simmering with wild lust. "I hope this has all been very.. informational for you," he says.
"Very," Arcee admits, feeling...triumphant. Triumphant, and perhaps just a little bit unwholesome. But that hardly mattered, when it certainly ended up being fun for both of them. He now had some knowledge of the Decagon's layout, and she...? Well, she knew how to rev Starscream's engines. That might come in handy someday. She can't help but smile...he really was a strange one, in more ways than she could count. "I'd love to know how long that's been in your playbook, but I suppose that's a trade secret," she remarks.
"Why does it matter?" the seeker says with a smirk. "I've imparted some of my wisdom to you, you should be thankful," Starscream says, waving a hand dismissively at her. "You've definitely caught on," he says, "but you know what they all say, practice makes perfect." 
"It's been a pleasure," he says smoothly, "I trust I'll be seeing you?" He leans towards her and presses a kiss onto the side of her faceplate, albeit hauntingly close to her lips. Then he turns to leave, chuckling darkly.
"...Maybe," Arcee murmurs with a coy smile. If he was going to tease her while leaving, then she was going to draw from that same arsenal. (Right back at you,) she thinks.
As he slinks out, it begins to dawn on her what just happened. She tries to find some moral outrage, but just can't seem to find any.
Looking up at the surveillance camera a while later, she grins. "Say what you will. But -- I got my guns back!" she exclaims.
Category:Kaon Uprising
Category:Cross My Double-Crossing Spark