1077/To Optimus

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp is off finally. He had pulled a double shift, one of several as punishment over mishandling a patrol a few cycles earlier. Why was everyone making such a big deal over what it anyway? He was still trying to figure out what happened that cycle at the dead end. But anyway, the black seeker decided to head to macs for some energon and to

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
kick back and relax for a while. flinging the door open, Skywarp looked around then took a seat at the bar, ordered something potent and waited, listening fir anything in conversations around him to strike his interest

**Blurr has posed:**
    Blurr also comes in to Maccaddam's tonight on a casual basis, heading up toward the bar to order up some Nightmare Fuel. It's not too busy tonight, which is nice because that means he's not getting mobbed by fans and admirers from his racing days. Well there are also not too many of them left alive on the planet any more, either. So there's that.

    He notices Skywarp, and shoots him a dirty look because he's a Decepticon, okay? But other than that, he doesn't try to provoke anything.

**Hot Rod has posed:**
Hot Rod is here tonight as well, probably trying to decide if there's something to drink to. Maybe not, but he's going to get a glass anyway.

 He meanders over to the counter and notices Blurr. Frowning, he squints at the speedster. "Mech, don't you know the damn ruckus you've caused over the past decacycle?"

 He notices Skywarp, but other than warning the seeker, "You better not try anything on my watch," the former Nyonian rebel leaves him alone.

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp gets his mug if something frothy looking and gives Blurr some half sneer in return for the dirty look then glances over at Hot Rod. "Your watch? This us neutral territory, get over it." he takes a long pull from his drink and twitches his wings as if to say hes not impressed.

**Blurr has posed:**
    Blurr peers at Hot Rod as he waits for his drink to be served up. "Oh yeah?" he asks, looking interested. "What kind of ruckus? Sounds like a good story."

    Glancing over at Skywarp when the seeker makes the quip, he chuckles. "Everything that happens into his optical field is his watch."

**Hot Rod has posed:**
Hot Rod gives Blurr a flat look. "Ugh, I didn't come here to tell Zippy's melodramatic saga," he says, "I came here to drink."

 He waves the bartender over. "All I currently care about is whether or not you're going to make a toast, because last time you /so/ didn't and it was embarrassing." A pause. "For you, I mean."

 "Get over yourself! You're just still sore over the fact that Quickswitch swatted you like a scrap gnat," he chastises the purple seeker.

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp gives a nod at Blurr's comment and says to neither of them in particular, "Who stuffed Cosmos in box anyway?" Then he looks at Hot Rod, "And what makes you think that wackychanger beat me?" he flexes his wings slightly to make himself look more intimidating. Who actually won that confrontation he's not going to admit.

**Blurr has posed:**
    Blurr shrugs. "Fine, I wasn't going to force you or anything, Primus." he says, shaking his head. The bartender comes over with Blurr's drink and then waits on Hot Rod.

    "I have no idea what you're talking about, Rod." the speedster scoffs. "Besides, getting embarrassed is just not something I do. But fine, if you want a toast, then let's do it. Let's toast to, uh--the recent victory at Tyger Pax." he says, smirking in Skywarp's direction. "I mean, Hot Rod and I. You don't have to, if you don't want."

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar makes his way into Maccadamn's Oil House ready for a nice stiff drinks. The Decepticon had just finished back to back patrols, and was again being taxed to his limits... But unlike his time in the Primal Vanguard, as a member of the Decepticon Elite he actually managed to be stationed somewhere that allowed for a little R&R from time to time. The tall, sleek, and sturdy 'badbot' sauntered right over to the bar with e-cig clamped between his denta trailing a cloud of white smoke.

**Hot Rod has posed:**
"Yeah, we're not going to discuss that incident," Hot Rod continues, "for your sake, of course." Right.

"Uh, fine, but don't you think we should be toasting to Optimus' return? Like, the victory at Tyger Pax was all great and stuff but I kinda wasn't there? So. To Optimus' return!" he holds up his glass and gives Skywarp a derisive look. "What's it to you? I don't think it, buddy. I /know/ it." He grins obnoxiously at the seeker.

Then he notices Darkstar. "Hey look, it's slowpoke! Wanna join our toast to Optimus' return?" He smirks.

**Blurr has posed:**
    Blurr just smirks at Hot Rod. "Okay, sure whatever you say, flameo." he teases. Then he shrugs again at the suggestion. "Right, sure. To Optimus' return." He holds up his glass as well.

    Then Hot Rod points out Darkstar's presence, following his gaze. "Slowpoke? Oh, nice name." he says wryly. "Yeah, sure why don't you join in the toast?"

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp gives Hot Rod a cold look, "Someone needs to toast your tin aft over a smelting pot, you know that?" it is then he catches the whiff of an e cig and looks over to see Darkstar walking up. "Give me one, I'm out." he bums and then gives some poor neutral a mean look so they leave their seat, "Seat open here." he suggests to the fellow con.

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar chortles as he hears a familiar voice from behind him, his optics remaining straight ahead as he looks to the barmech. "Yeah, I'll toast to that!" he boomed, actually rather pleased to have been made aware of the return of Optimus Prime. He had been wanting to do battle with the Autobot leader for quite some time, and it seemed that he would finally be presented with an abundance of opportunity to do just that. "Engex, and enertea," Darkstar ordered his drinks before turning around to lean casually against the bar, his elbows resting on the countertop as he looked across to the gathering of Autobots and lone Decepticon Seeker. "Hot Mess! Haven't seen you in awhile. Hiding didn't \*seem\* like it'd be your thing," the spacer muses with a grin as he vented another cloud of enersmoke.

    The drinks arrived, and Darkstar shifts slightly to pick up the engex before raising the booze cube. "To the return of Optimus Prime... A hopefully worthy Aftobot foe." Optics flashed, and Darkstar waited for the others to raise cubes in turn while his free hand fished around his subspace pocket for another e-cig. "Knock yer'self out, 'Warp," he'd say before flicking the enercig at the Seeker.

**Hot Rod has posed:**
Hot Rod nods in approval, and clinks his glass neatly against Blurr's. "To Optimus, and the eventual peace he'll bring Cybertron," he says with a wistful smile, looking just like a child who daydreams about the exaggerated valor of his father.

"Ha!" Hot Rod retorts. "I'd like to see that someone /try/." Then he chuckles. "Besides, it's not like my aft hasn't been lit on fire before. Clearly, I survived and it still looks /amazing/." Suuuure.

 Hot Rod frowns. "Uh, okay, not if you're gonna toast like that," he says disdainfully, and pushes Darkstar's cup aside.

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp catches the e cig, lights it and takes a draw. Then he kicks the stool he had vacated for Darkstar, "Sit down and think long and hard about the nonsense you just toasted too- well that was until hot aft over there said you couldn't."

**Blurr has posed:**
    "Uh-huh, to Optimus." Blurr repeats as he toasts with Hot Rod, then just watches with an amused expression as the flame-painted Bot keeps taunting and bragging at Skywarp.

    He takes a swig of his drink and sets it down, his gaze then turning toward Darkstar. Who exactly is he talking to? Because he doesn't remember meeting him before. As soon as the spacer calls Optimus an 'Aftobot' though, he suddenly draws his TechVolt and shoots a bolt of electricity at the Decepticon, still smirking.

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar smirks as Hot Rod pushes his cube aside, though fortunately for him he'd already gotten his own. It isn't that he wouldn't accept a drink from an Autobot, as he'd accepted plenty from First Aid in the past! But he also hadn't been paying enough attention to realize that he'd actually been purchased one by present company. How sweet of them, really. "Oh... I was under the impression that he was an Aftobot, sorry. Well, I stand corrected then! To the return of Optimus Prime... A mech with sense enough to pick a better team, \*allegedly\*," the spacer chortles before downing the contents of his cube.

    To Skywarp, Darkstar shrugged his pauldrons but remained standing despite the offered seat. "Oh, I thought about it... Is Optimus Prime not a worthy foe? I have heard so much to the contrary. Been waiting a long time to meet 'im on the field of battle, and his return is \*most\* welcome." It's true, Darkstar wasn't like most of the Decepticons. He was certainly in it for The Cause that Megatron espoused so eloquently during the early days of the war, but his love first and foremost was that of a good challenge and the achievments brought about by consistently reaching higher and higher standards of glory. "If we don't have tough opponents to fight... What's the fraggin' point?"

    That's when a sudden shot rings out and electicity crawls its way throughout Darkstar's chassis, and the Decepticon's denta chatter uncontrollably as he grunts. "Y-y-y-y-you piece o' s-s-s-slag..." If he didn't enjoy drinking here so much Darkstar would certainly start blowing up half of Mac's, but fortunately for the appropriately dubbed 'Aftobots' he knew better than to press his luck.

**Quickswitch has posed:**
A large beast prowls soundlessly into the bar. Through green optics, Quickswitch looks around. Seeing some familiar faces, the sixchanger contemplates going to greet them, but in the end, decides to sit atop the piano in one corner of the room, reaches down with a massive paw and lazily taps at the keys.

**Hot Rod has posed:**
"What's so funny?" Hot Rod asks, frowning at Blurr. "It's not like what I'm saying isn't true."

 And then Blurr just straight up electrocutes Darkstar for trash talking Prime.

 "Heh, karma's a bastard - too bad you didn't get the memo," the former Nyonian rebel scoffs at Darkstar.

 The bouncers don't look pleased, though. "Alright, put it away! I know you used to be a big deal and it's just a Tech Volt, but this is neutral grounds and Mac has zero tolerance for anyone interested in starting bar brawls," he barks at Blurr. To Darkstar, he says, "Watch your mouth." Then he retreats to the back of the joint, keeping an optic on both Darkstar and Blurr.

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp gives Blurr a what the slag I'm sort off impressed look then looks at Darkstar. "That will teach you to toast and Autobut...Next time I offer you a seat, take it moron."

**Quickswitch has posed:**
\*tink\*tunk\*tink\* Quickswitch pushes the keys, bored, and rapidly growing restless. A long, meandering growl slowly escapes the beast as Quickswitch watches Darkstar get zapped by Blurr. He gives a beastly, approving chuckle.

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar shakes off the last of the effects of the stun blast, and then takes a sip of enertea as if nothing had even happened. At Maccadam's Oil House Darkstar was still the same spacer he always was, but with a bit of extra common sense that paid close attention to the rules of the neutral bar. Besides... He'd blasted the frag out of the Blue Comet in battle not too long ago, so kudos to the celebrity for having the bearrings to get even! Laughing as the bouncer scolds the once great racer, the spacer nods to the staff member. "Of course. I'm a \*real\* mech, so you don't have to worry about me gettin' emotionally triggered an' opening fire on anyone."

    "Only thing it taught me is that their processors are too weak to keep their cool... Intel gatherin' at Mac's is one of the best reasons ta' come down here, Swarp," the Decepticon spacer notes to his comrade with a smirk before taking another sip.

**Blurr has posed:**
    As Darkstar is zapped and his body convulses out of control, Blurr just sniggers in amusement at the sight and suddenly flits in front of the spacer, getting up in his face. An arm raises, a photon blaster emerging to press against his head. "Look who's laughing now, scrapheap. Not feeling so bold any more are you?" the speedster taunts, his tone threatening.

    But then the bouncers start scolding him, and he pulls away, the weapons going back into their respective compartments obediently. "Hey, who said anything about starting a brawl?" he asks, smirking at them. "Oh, right--that was -you-." He finishes his drink and flicks the empty cube at Darkstar as soon as the Decepticon has recovered.

    "Well I was about to leave, anyway." He shrugs and slides off of the barstool he was seated on, then makes his way out of the joint.

**Quickswitch has posed:**
Quickswitch hops off of the piano and transforms to his towering robot mode. He catches a server and hands them a considerable sum of shanix, "Another two rounds for those tables there," he indicates where the assorted familiar faces are seated. And two more for the flamin Hot Rod who just headed to the back." Quickswitch takes a seat, "How're things, everyone?" he asks, ordering a drink of his own.

**Hot Rod has posed:**
"Okay, don't actually shoot him," Hot Rod tells Blurr, "I mean, he totally deserved it, but I don't want to get kicked permanently out of Mac's for being associated with you," the young flameo grumbles, folding his arms.

 He then looks up, noticing Quickswitch move from his lounge spot on the piano, to the bar. "Oh hey! Looks like you better watch out, unless you'd like to end up a cyber fly on the wall," Hot Rod snickers at Skywarp.

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar didn't seem to be bothered by the weapon against his helm, his smirk still ever present at the smaller mech's grandstanding. A hand rises to his mouth and the spacer actually...yawns. The hand moves away from his mouth just in time to catch the empty cube before it is tossed into the air several times going forward, as if Blurr had just given him a new plaything. Darkstar hadn't said anything about starting a brawl, so all the Decepticon could do was chalk the comment up to Blurr's rather clear case of emotional instability.

    "Honestly don't think it gets any more pathetic than that," the space-alt laughs without sparing a glance in the direction of the Blue Comet, though he was quite sure that the motor-mouth was leaving if his peripheral vision was good for anything. Then another Autobot enters the bar, and Darkstar takes another puff of e-cig. "Place is bumpin' tonight. Seems like they must be havin' a mixer or somethin'."

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp gives Hot Rod a look then glances over toward Quickswitch. "Right, you see me shaking? Not." he replies toward the flamer though not looking away from the 6 changer.

**Hot Rod has posed:**
"Haha!" Hot Rod says, "but you haven't taken your optics off of him this whole time." He chuckles.

 "If I were you," he says to Darkstar. "I'd stop talking. You seem to be really good at hyping yourself up, but you don't deliver. Like that one time I beat you racing. Pft!"

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar looks Hot Rod in the optics and barks another laugh. "Yeah, tell that to Sky Lynx... You'll be rememberin' that I spared his aft in deep space for vorns to come," the spacer replies to Hot Rod with a nonchalant shrug of his pauldrons.

**Quickswitch has posed:**
Quickswitch hasn't gotten involved in their pithy drama. After that idiocy with the empurata, he needed to wind down. So he came here, of all places. The tight expression on his features doesn't lessen, even as a drink is placed before him. He grows more annoyed knowing optics are on him this /very/ moment. The tight expression turns into a tight scowl.

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp sees the expression change and though his new parts are still under warranty, he decides not to push it. He slowly looks away and to Darkstar. "So where did you get these?" he takes a pull on the near spent ecig, "They are good."

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Well, that certainly was a very big and bad looking Autobot there... Darkstar was distracted as he watched Quickswitch with his impressive clawed feet and large, serrated maw. "Ho-ho-ho... Don't \*you\* look like a fun one," the spacer mused as he reached back and placed the two empty drink cubes onto the bar, while still pulling at his e-cig hands free. White smoke vented into the air, and he nodded toward the scowling beast of an Autobot. "Long day...?" he asked, on the verge of more laughter.

    Skywarp seemed to have jumped in just in time, and while Darkstar wanted to continue to pester the six-changer he'd concede his time to the fellow Decepticon after just another moment of staring. "Got 'em from a mech in Dead End. He sells 'em on the super cheap... Pretty sure they're stolen, but..." A shrug, and the spacer takes another puff. "Best prices in Rodion!"

**Hot Rod has posed:**
Hot Rod scoffs. "Okay, whatever. No one even hardly remembers that. I certainly don't, and Sky Lynx doesn't either. It was such a pointless event in like what, ancient history? Yeah, so. I just remember he totally leveled the Deception brig. Now, that was important."

 Hot Rod snickers. "Your staring is annoying him," he says, "and to be honest, I don't blame him."

 The speedster then gets up, and starts heading for the exit. "Eh, I better make sure Blurr doesn't go trying anything else too big for his tiny subspace compartment." He transforms, and calls back to the group as he leaves. "Don't make the feline mad, and you'll leave with your afts intact." Then, with a loud laugh, he exits the premises.

**Quickswitch has posed:**
Quickswitch sighs heavily through his vents as Darkstar talks toward him. He places one arm over the other on the bar and rests his head there. But not before taking a drink of engex. He runs an internal diagnostic, and really, just needs to get a sense of his mood. And he's /not/ in the mood.

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar smirks as Hot Rod goes on about something... He wasn't paying much attention. No, the most important or rather the ONLY important Autobot to Darkstar at this very moment was very clearly Quickswitch. So big, so freakish looking, so very deadly... If he could get goosebumps he would, as this wild looking mech would certainly be a challenge on the field of battle. "Hey... Hey... Hey," Darkstar began, trying to get Quickswitch's attention. "Hey..."

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp cringes inwardly. This is not going to end well, he knows from direct experience. But a fight is a fight unless its in Macs. "Not gere, Dark, not here, this is Macs, remember?"

**Quickswitch has posed:**
Quickswitch doesn't appear to hear Darkstar. For a very long moment, Quickswitch is bantering with his own thoughts, some of it vocalized, lending weight he's a freak in more ways than one, "...It is not to remain undecided..." "..I don't--" "spending time with idiots". He lapses into silence, and then, after another long moment, helifts his head and looks over at Darkstar, "What the Pit do you want?!"

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar grows exceedingly giddy on the inside, his own self control just barely enough to keep himself from giggling madly as Skywarp tries to keep him from pushing the Autobot's buttons. "I know where we are," he'd reply simply enough, his focus still fixed onto the six-changer.

    Then Quickswitch booms at him, and Darkstar actually jumps a bit at the mech's explosive temper though the brief startling is followed by booming laughter. "I ain't jumped like that in a long...\*long\* time, mech!" Grinning from audial to audial, the Decepticon spacer cants his head silghtly to the left and leans a bit closer to the massive, beastly Autobot. "I just want...to know...why you're talkin' to yourself. It's kinda annoying, and makin' me want to punch you. Ain't sayin' I will, but... I dunno how long I can hold back with you prattlin' on," he offers with a sinister chortle.

**Quickswitch has posed:**
With what looks like a cold and wordless calm, Quickswitch reaches for Darkstar to grab him by the throat and tug him closer, "..I'm not talking to myself..?" he sounds genuinely confused. So he's not aware of it.

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp pivots on his barstool to watch this unfolding. He doesn't say a word, just chews on the enercig hanging from the corner of his mouth lit and smoking.

**Darkstar has posed:**
    An optic ridge lifts slightly as Darkstar looks to Quickswitch, clearly confused. "Uh... Yeah you were," he points out directly. "You were just mumblin' something about--" Sudenly the space-alt is grabbed by the large predatory looking Autobot, his blaster pistol quickly retrieved some from subspace and pressed the weapon barrel into the underarm of the Autobot beastformer. "Hey, hey, hey... Calm it down now, Beastly. You don't wanna go startin' somethin' you can't finish in one piece..." While Blurr was a teeny tiny little blue bot, this was a whole different story. Quickswitch was huge, and quite intimidating! Though all things considered Darkstar appeared as if he was having a good time, as usual. On second thought, maybe he'd be better off using Starkiller Rockets on this one...

    The whirr and click of his rockets set them into prime firing position just as both Darkstar and Quickswitch were approached by the Macadam's bouncers.

    "Hey you two, knock it off! Haven't had an incident in here in I dunno \*how\* fragging long... Now two back to back? You want to get kicked outta here forever, or what?" shouted one of the big, burly bouncer-bots.

**Quickswitch has posed:**
Irritated, rather than afraid, Quickswitch releases Darkstar from his grasp and shoves him away. He turns back to his drink, silent and thoughtful.

**Darkstar has posed:**
    Darkstar brushes himself off, starting with his pauldrons and finishing at his forearms before he throws a mock salute Quickswitch's way. "Healthy choices... Smart mech," he offers before returning to his seat at the bar where he picks up his enertea once more. Amazing that it hadn't spilled by now! "So... What was I saying?"

**Skywarp (65) has posed:**
Skywarp finishes his ecig with a huff of smoke, "you were talking about how stupid it was to toast optimus prime." he smirks a bit cause he knows hes yanking darks chain