Marry or Murder

The Jump Joint <JJ>

Blast Off sits in a dark (Ok, much of this place IS dark anyway) corner of the Jump Joint, sipping some cheap engex because that's all that's available and all he can afford. He HAS had a taste of the sweet, sweet nectar that is enerwine not TOO long ago, but isn't quite in the position to afford it...not yet. But he's getting there. In the menatime, he'll just have to keep making due with seedier, rougher places- and fuel- like this.

Lifting the glass up, he stares at it a bit doubtfully, then takes another swig. The shuttle has recently replaced feet, too, thanks to a little help from Harbinger. Which he needed NO thanks to Bombshell, who mind-controlled him into shooting his feet off and thus required him to need to get those very specialized rocket feet replaced. He doesn't remember much about that experience, but he remembers a fear...of Insecticons. And he STILL needs some real shuttle boosters for replacements, but that might take awhile. What he's got now at least works in the meantime.

A group of fifteen some ragtag miners who just got off work. They gather around the bar, each of them ordering large mugs of whatever's on the house. None of them notice Blast Off being sulky in the corner. Well, except for one.

The green opticked miner makes optic contact with the Combaticon, giving him a small smile. He politely excuses himself from his group of friends and heads over to where the shuttle former is sitting by himself. "Hey. How've you been?"

omit the period and they

Blast Off looks up to see...oh great, it's THAT guy again. The shuttle's violet optics narrow and he hunches around his drink a little more. "I was fine... up until you showed up." Yeah, the Combatiocn shuttle once again demonstrates his expert mastery over how to win friends and influence people (not).

Exodus is unruffled. He just laughs a little. "I had to ask," he says, his optics twinkling. "But if you prefer I leave you be.." he shakes his helm. "I'll let you have the space you need," he turns and starts walking away, back towards his group of friends.

Blast Off looks a bit relieved as Exodus turns around and starts to leave. FINALLY. Thank Primus. The shuttle brings his engex up for another swig, then suddenly realizes something. His optic ridges furrow down and he stares at his drink before finally speaking. "....Wait." He looks up towards the other mech. "Do you... know where someone can get... spare parts?"

Today is not Blast Off's lucky day. Does the shuttleformer ever have lucky days any more anyway? For in the reflection of his drink, he spots someone familiar. Someone he probably wished he'd never see again....

Yep, that sure is Quantum, the assassin who keeps trying to kill him. And has come pretty close, too. It looks like he's sulking at the bar, his back turned.

Exodus glances back at Blast Off. "Sure, I know a scrounge-n-sell mech in the southern part of Kaon. He makes a half-decent living cleaning up the parts he finds laying around in the scrapyards and other places. If you tell him you know me, he can give you a discount. Or, if you're in desperate need, he'll give it to you for free."

And surprise, surprise, looks like Exodus knows Quantum too. He smiles warmly at him and offers to buy him a drink.

Blast Off stiffens the moment he realizes Quantum is there. How the slag did he miss THAT guy? Must have been the self-pitying. Also the fact that he's been feeling a bit out of sorts lately. His trigger finger is instantly itchy, and he ponders pulling out his ionic blaster right then and there. However- it's a bit crowded in here, and Quantum hasn't spotted him yet. Still- given what he knows of the mech, once he DOES spot Blast Off, he'll be all murdrous rampage. It would only make sense to try and be one step ahead.... so the shuttle slowly moves a hand down, in the shadows of his seat, and pulls his ionic blaster from subspace while trying not to let anyone notice.

He nods almost absent-mindedly at Exodus now, up until.... wait, what? Exodus is going to talk to him? That means... Slag. The Combaticon points his weapon at Quantum under the table. Quantum so much as looks at him cross-opticed and he's going to fire. UNLESS, by some miracle, Quantum's feeling oddly reasonable today.

Quantum looks up from his sulking to find Exodus offering him a free drink again. "You again?" he mutters. "You really are the charitable type." the mech comments, shrugging with a sigh. "I guess you can't go wrong with that." Blast Off seems to be off the hook for the time being...he hasn't noticed him yet.

"You sure now? I'm only offering it if you want it," Exodus says. "Feeling any better lately? Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. But the bartender asked me to play a tune or two for tonight, and I wanted to invite you to come listen if you're up for it." He notices Blast Off pointing his weapon at Quantum underneath the table and looks slightly concerned, but makes no comment on it.

Blast Off just watches Qunatum steadily, quietly, his aim never faltering. Waiting for the slightest \*twitch\*. If he was somewhere quieter, less crowded, he'd go ahead and shoot, but there are too many witnesses here. Plus, if they start shooting it'd be hard to get the distance he prefers in a fight. It's not the place or time. But Quantum's made it quite clear he intends to kill the shuttleformer- so Blast Off is determined to kill Quantum FIRST. He glances over at Exodus ...did he see the gun there? No, surely not....

"I didn't say I didn't want it." Quantum shrugs again. "I guess I'll listen to you play." He says with a nod. But when Exodus glances at Blast Off, that betrays him. The assassin's optics light upon the shuttle mech, but perhaps to Blast Off's surprise he doesn't make any hostile moves.

Instead, he smirks a little. "Blast Off," he greets. "Funny seeing you again, I would have thought you'd be doing your best to -avoid- me since our last encounter. Or have you decided that you're going to be a hunter too? Is that why you're pointing your weapon at me under the table? Hm?"

Exodus hands him the mug of engex. "If you say so," he says with small smile. "Thanks," he says to Quantum. "It means a lot to me.." Except he isn't sure he's going to get to play tonight, with the two of /them/ under the same roof.

He watches both of them with growing concern, but doesn't comment.

Blast Off doesn't look very amused, but then again he rarely does. "I'm simply taking precautions.... you make one move against me and it shall be your last." His gaze -and his aim- doesn't leave the other spacemech. "Act... reasonably, and I'm willing to act... reasonably as well. For now. But you should know by now that taking me on in a fight- taking a \*Combaticon\* on in a fight- is not the wisest, or most easy thing to do."

He speaks to Exodus without taking his gaze from Quantum. "You play something? I'd love to hear someone bringing a bit of culture and class into a place like this. Would break the tedium."

"'Precautions.' Hah." Quantum laughs derisively. There's a pause, with only the noise of the busy bar in the background. "You know what, I'm just gonna forget you. You're not worth my time, anyway." he says, waving a dismissive hand. "Not like it's going to change anything, killing you." The mech mutters.

Exodus looks relieved, although he's still afraid this might escalate. His brow ridges furrow, and he glances over at Quantum, giving him a small smile. Then he turns to Blast Off. "Oh? I didn't know you enjoyed music too," he says. He motions with his helm towards a stool on a small platform near the back of the Joint, pulling an instrument akin to a guitar from his subspace compartment.

Blast Off just keeps watching Quantum, but it's possible he IS smirking now under the faceplate. At least a little. "What... common sense, coming from you? Will wonders never cease..." He remains as is, but doesn't make any moves. "And no, it won't change anything." Except someone's lifespan, maybe. To Exodus he says, "Why yes, I consider myself a cultured mech. Some music would be a nice addition to a rough place such as this. They even say music soothes the savage spark..."

"Well look at you. All surprised and scrap. Clearly you don't know me very well." Quantum says evenly. He doesn't say anything more, for now, and simply watches Exodus as he gets his instrument out.

Exodus sits tentatively down on the stool, still keeping an optic on the two mechs. A few of the patrons are now paying attention to him, and the crowd quiets down a bit. "Hey everyone, thanks for having me," he says, as he starts playing a quiet, acoustic-like medley. A few bars in, he brings the lyrics in, his voice a deep, soulful sound.

I won't run, I will stay / I'm not leaving you / I know there's friction here / The struggle makes us new / I wish you never thought you had to go / Wish you never thought you had to leave / Together we can lift each other up / We can build a shelter for the weak / No man is an island, we can be found / No man is an island, let your guard down / You don't have to fight me, I am for you / We're not meant to live this life alone / I see fear in your eyes / Like, there's no safety here / Oh, my friend, let me in / I will share your tears...

Blast Off is smirking under the faceplate, but he's really not looking for a fight right now. He is perfectly fine waiting for a better moment to take this mech out once and for all. But why ruin a perfectly peaceful evening if he doesn't have to? But he simply lets it be with a small huff of air through his vents in response, then allows himself to briefly glance over at Exodus as he begins his performance.

The music is actually quite beautiful... and it makes him feel... a bit sad? There's a brief pang of loneliness before he shoves it down again. Don't want to acknowledge THOSE feelings at all. But... he does listen quietly, absorbing it all in. While still watching Quantum carefully.

Quantum isn't really listening to the lyrics. He's actually thinking about how he is going to perfect his plan to kill Blast Off right now. He's decided to take a different approach, because brute force has clearly failed multiple times. No, he needed a more -subtle- approach.

Fortunately as an assassin, he has many tools at his disposal, besides weapons that stab or fire. There are -other- weapons that don't do either, but can be just as effective. Perhaps even more so. Like...poison. Armor can protect against weapons fire or other physical attacks. But one little prick of a potent toxin, a few drops on the intake valves, and he's as good as dead...

As the song draws to an end, Exodus gets up and thanks the crowd for listening. Most mechs seemed to have enjoyed it, they applaud him as he walks over to Blast Off and sits quite close to him, directly between him and Quantum, so that if Quantum even attempts to try anything, he'll find he's entirely blocked by Exodus' massive form. Ah, the perks of being big and tall. "What did you think?" he asks Blast Off.

Blast Off hasn't stopped eying Quantum. He doesn't trust the mech at all. Though he has to shake the effects of the song first... yeah, that would help when he's trying to keep that razor combatant edge. He blinks and shifts away a bit as Exodus sits close by... the shuttle likes his space, after all. That breaks his concentration a bit, and he glances up at the musical mech.

The shuttle scoots away a bit, though still tries to keep an optic on Quantum. "Uh... quite nice. A welcome respite from the usual riffraff ...riffs I usually hear in here... when I hear anything musical at all, that is. Have you been playing music long?"

Quantum applauds idly when the song is over. "Yeah, that was nice." he compliments Exodus. "It kinda makes me feel calmer, you know? We're all in this dump together after all." he says with a sigh. "If we're all up in arms against each other--I mean that's what the state wants isn't it? So that we don't even notice how oppressive they are."

He glances at the bartender. "How about let's buy a bottle of Blast Off's favorite drink to share, to celebrate our...reconciliation?" Can't go wrong with that. "I mean I'm sure you've got a favorite drink, right?" he glances expectantly at Blast Off.

"Thanks... Exodus says, although he had already noticed that Quantum hadn't been listening during the song at all, instead he'd seemed pensive and self-absorbed.

He shrugs. "About a vorn? It's more a side hobby if anything at all. I usually only play on request. So if you want to hear music more often, just let me know. I'll play anything you like." He smiles at the Combaticon.

Exodus is skeptical, but he doesn't let it show. "I'll pick up the tab," he says slowly, "what do you want to drink?" he asks Blast Off.

Blast Off keeps calmly gazing at Quantum. His weapon finally lowers so it's not pointing at the mech anymore, but remains in his hand, ready for action if needed. "Indeed. Our true enemy is the state. Fighting each other is merely a distraction that benefits the wrong people." Not that Blast Off minds fighting certain people at the right time. His optics narrow at the offer of a drink. That seems a bit... odd, and he says so. "The last time I saw you you were doing your best to kill me. Now suddenly you want to buy me a drink?"

The shuttle glances at Exodus. "What I'd like to drink isn't even offered here. Expensive and fine engexes are rather scarce in these parts. I should know, I've looked around." Of course, Arcee did wise him up to the fact that there IS a place to find Orion Three Orchards here in Kaon...but he's not going to mention it. He doesn't really want Quantum knowing that anyway- the mech would probably just go out and buy or steal every bottle just to spite him. Not that the Combatiocn can afford any anyway- but hopefully he'll earn enough soon! He adds, "I see. Well, I am always partial to the classics. They have a certain sophistication I find lacking in most modern music."

"Change of spark." Quantum shrugs. "Can't a mech change his mind? Like I said, clearly you don't know me very well. The state -is- the real enemy, that I can agree with you on. And the more of us around who're actually -willing- recognize that reality, the better."

When Blast Off mentions that this place doesn't offer any of his favorites he glances at the menu up on a holopanel. "Really? Come on, they probably have some of the good stuff in the back, they always reserve it for special occasions but I'm sure we could...convince them to sell some of it to us. Right Exodus?"

"Sure.." Exodus says, glancing over at the holopanel menu as well. "But I know the bartender, he usually only gets out the really special drinks when two people want to celebrate becoming cojunx endura. He can be a little sappy at times--the special drinks /are/ quite expensive. So unless you two are willing to make a pledge right here and now to become cojunx endura, well, sorry, but I don't think the bartender is going to bend. I've tried on a number of occasions before."

Blast Off raises an optic ridge. "Mm-hmm." He doesn't sound entirely convinced... but better engex might be nice than the swill he usually has to ingest. "However, perhaps you've had a change of spark. I suppose it could happen. You have far more deserving enemies than I."

Exodus' comments get a nod, though the "conjunx endura" line gets a blink and a quick glance towards Quantum. Stare. "Uh...NO. I'm not THAT desperate." He waves a hand (the one not holding his weapon, which is still ready for action if needed. "I am fine... I've had to deal with this... cheap engex for awhile now; I'll continue to make due." Sigh. "...Somehow."

"Aww, I'm sure I can convince him." Quantum grins and gets up. "I'll convince him, I promise you." He leaves the table then, and moves over toward the bartender.

Exodus glances from Quantum back over to Blast Off. ".. good luck," he says very uncertainly. Then he chuckles at Blast Off's reaction. "I should hope not," he says good naturedly, "I'd question your better judgement if you decided to become conjunx endura with someone like.. Quantum." So apparently he's aware of Quantum's vendetta against Blast Off.

The bartender glances up at Quantum. "What can I do for you?" he asks.

Blast Off looks back at Exodus. "...I would too. Fortunately, my taste is \*impeccable\*. Which leaves HIM out." Shudder. No, someday he's going to meet a fine femme, maybe they'll hit it off and.... Ahem. Getting a bit ahead of hismelf. He glances back to Quantum, wondering just \*what\* that mech is up to.

Quantum's back is turned now. He leans in close to the bartender with an excited grin, lowering his voice to nearly a whisper. "So, me and my conjunx endura -just- made ourselves official, and I was hoping maybe you had a few specialty drinks I could buy for the occasion? But--! Shhh." he glances behind him briefly as if to make sure no one's listening in. "Keep quiet about it, it's supposed to be surprise!"

Exodus' brow ridges arch, he actually heard every word Quantum just said. He's very suspicious yet also highly amused by the comment. "Er.. I guess Quantum feels differently, " He says to Blast Off. He chuckles a little, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

The bartender looks like he might cry from all the feels suddenly welling up in him. "Say no more~" he says, and he disappears into the back.

Blast Off looks over at Quantum, optics narrowed suspiciously. "Just \*what\* IS he doing?" he mutters to Exodus. Quantum- and any sort of surprise or secretive... anything just does NOT rub him the right way at ALL. No, he wants that mech where he can see him- just not too close, thanks. Then he looks at Exodus, and really, really fails to see the humor in this situation. AT ALL. Any. He just looks at the mech with a slightly incredulous expression. "WHAT?" Then he looks back at Quantum. "WHAT?"

Ok, he may need a drink in very short order, actually. Maybe LOTS of them. He's just not sure he wants any drinks that have anything to do with THAT guy.

"Awesome, thanks mech!" Quantum says, and waits eagerly for the bartender to return. Unbeknownst to the others, he has something a bit more -sinister- in his subspace compartments...

Exodus is trying not to laugh. Really. But Blast Off's reaction is a little humorous. He just looks away so that Blast Off won't see the amused twinkle in his optics. "I don't know," he says, "I'd say that was a very fast turnaround and change of spark. Why are you asking me, anyway? I'm not Quantum."

Except the bartender might make things a little complicated for Quantum. He takes a very long time to return, and when he does, he strides right past Quantum, holding the expensive drink up like a trophy. And then suddenly, the beat up old boombox sitting on the counter unnoticed until now starts playing a sappy, romantic classic that Blast Off may recognize. "WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL CELEBRATION FOR A VERY SPECIAL TWOSOME TODAY!" The bartender cries, grabbing Quantum's hand and dragging him away from the counter. "I have the privilege to celebrate the joining of--of.." he glances over at Quantum. "Where's your special lady?!" By now, everyone in the joint is staring.

Blast Off doesn't like any of this. He doesn't trust Quantum at all, of course. "I don't like this..." he mutters again, mostly to himself. Then, suddenly- THAT happens. Blast Off \*stares\* along with the rest of the crowd. Optics flicker in confusion, look at Quantum - and then understanding hits him like a ton of bricks. "WHAT??!!" He half-rises in his seat, full of indignation.... then sits down again quickly.

No. wait. What if this a misunderstanding, or.... gah, blame Exodus, he put this "conjunx endura" idea in their heads. He shoots Exodus an especially \*venomous\* look before sitting \*really low\* in his seat, like he'd like to just slink away unnoticed now, thanks.... Maybe Quantum's proposing to Exodus. Who knows. Stranger things have happened, right?

"Wh--hey!" Quantum is a bit flustered at first when the bartender doesn't do what he expected. Maybe he'll have to tell him that the 'special lady' is not here but he was just picking up a special gift for her. But then he pauses, glancing at Blast Off. Hmm...this might actually work to his advantage anyway. Judging from the shuttle's reaction...yeah.

Still beaming happily, he follows the bartender back over to the table, and throws an arm around Blast Off's shoulders. "Right here, in the gorgeous brown and purple!" he announces to the entire bar. "And she just loooves fine engex, so nothing better than some specialty drinks to celebrate this occasion! Ain't enough love on this planet, mechs! So we better cherish what we have!"

He grins at the bartender and holds out a hand. "Here, let me pour the first drink for my love, so we can toast to love itself!"

He notices Blast Off's venomous gaze and shakes his helm. "It really is the only way and I didn't think..." And then Quantum makes a comment about Blast Off being female. Exodus' optics widen as he watches everything unfold. "...." He's not sure what to think. He's suspicious, incredulous, amused, but also worried--about both Blast Off and Quantum. Although at this point he's not entirely certain if he's more concerned about Blast Off's well being or Quantum's apparently unsound state of mind... Quantum is either crazy, desperate, or both. He sighs, trying not to laugh or even witness the events going on around him.

The bartender is practically in tears. "Oh how SWEET!" he coos, grabbing Blast Off by the faceplates and giving his cheeks a squeeze. "Yes, yes, of course," he says, handing Quantum the bottle.

Blast Off doesn't like this, nope, not one bit. He's liking it less every astro-second, too. He stares in dumbfounded silence as Quantum walks up, frozen by the stares of the crowd... but when Quantum throws his arms around the shuttleformer, and then the bartender comes in close and grabs his faceplates and "squeezes his cheeks" OH SLAG NO! NOPE NOPE whole lotta #NOPE all sorts of tags #NOPE #NADA, #DONOTWANT #OMPIHOPENOONEIKNOWISINHERE, that's it!

"/Get OFFA ME/!!" He bellows, springing up and flailing. "What the SLAG are you DOING???!!" If there weren't a whole sea of optics on him right now, he'd be bringing his weapon out and shooting. As it is, the poor shuttle's ventilation system is kicking in overdrive. Cycling heavily, he shouts, "And I am a HE, not a SHE! I'm a MECH, through and THROUGH!!!" He scrambles backwards, trying to get the slag out of here.

Quantum takes the bottle, and holds his hand over the top of it momentarily, clandestinely slipping the poison into the bottle as he does so. In all his travels about the galaxy before the Clampdown, he had managed to come across a dangerous lifeform or two. And given the circumstances, sometimes he needed special weapons to defend himself with, sometimes in the form of -death threats-. This particular substance was the venom of a reptilian organic that could be found roaming the wilds of Vargus IV. If even a small amount got into the systems of any mechanical being or entity, it would slowly contaminate the fuel supply, causing it to become thick and viscous--so much that it would clog the victim's lines up. By the time he realized anything was wrong, it would likely be too late--barring a massive energon transfusion. A slow, painful death, no doubt, and it would be perfect for Quantum's purposes.

Outwardly, though, Quantum looks alarmed. "Oh, darling," he grabs Blast Off by the shoulders. "I know you've had a bad cycle, but let's just relax for a while and forget our worries, hm?" He pours the drink into a small glass, though he keeps some of it in a syringe just in case the Combaticon doesn't take the bait. Though it -is- one of the finer engexes, the type that Blast Off rarely gets to enjoy these days.

Exodus has nothing to say. He's just.. incredulous. He's not really sure what to make of what's happening, seems like things are escalating but not in the way he'd expected. He simply watches dumbfounded as Blast Off desperately tries to make quick exit. "< I'm so sorry, Blast Off. It really is the only way to convince the bartender. I also thought it would deter him--what with him wanting to kill you and all. This was all just so.. unexpected..>"

Exodus is watching Quantum like a hawk. He notices him clamp his hand down over the top of the bottle momentarily, and frowns. "< I think he's trying to poison you>"

The bartender just stares in utter confusion, first at Blast Off, then at Quantum. "What a mechly sounding voice and physique for a fem," he says ignorantly. Then he clutches his own faceplates. "D'aw! she's embarrassed! How CUTE!"

Blast Off just... stares at Quantum. Okay, not only is the mech a murderous assassin with a personal vendetta against the shuttleformer (one which Blast Off has no reason to believe he's really forgotten about)... he might possibly be crazy, too. Again- Quantum gets too close, somehow, and Blast Off reacts as he usually does- a thousand times over. Again with the flailing and jumping back. He doesn;t like people he actually \*likes\* getting too close, and someone who's been trying to kill him? Slag no. "I SAID GET OFF!" Every system is just screaming that his enemy is TOO CLOSE. He's almost feeling claustrophobic now, what with Quantum still coming in and the crowd making escape difficult. He's \*this close\* to starting shooting. Things feel like they're closing in, and he must escape. Or fight.

He glances towards Exodus, emitting something as snarky as usual, but also much more-shorthand than usual in his state of agitation. << //Ya think?!?// >> Yes, none of this makes sense- unless his enemy is truly crazy, or, more likely, trying to get close enough to kill him- one way or another. His optics flash at the mech. "I said BACK OFF! You do that ONE MORE TIME and I start SHOOTING!" His optics narrow, and he asks pointedly, "You really expect me to believe you're over Sublight?!"

Then the bartender coos at him and he's half-tempted to start shooting at THAT guy, too. "I'm a MECH, you buffoon!" \*flail\* "Do I LOOK like a femme?" He glances down, suddenly wondering if something \*really wrong\* happened while he wasn't paying attention or something... then back up to stare at Qunatum... still backing away, and just about ready to bring his weapon back out again.

Quantum is quite enjoying this little masquerade. Blast Off is clearly humiliated. Laughing, he pats the bartender. "Don't worry mech, she's just a little grumpy today, sometimes when she gets grumpy, she drinks a lot but it doesn't really make her forget everything like it does for everyone else! But! There -is- one thing that might make her snap out of it!"

With that, he graps the bottle by the neck and swings it at the Combaticon's head, aiming to smash it on him. Not quite as quick and clean as he'd hoped, but it should do the trick. Enough of the contaminated drink would seep through.

[Combat:] Quantum misses Blast Off!

"NOOOOO!" the bartender screams girlishly, grabbing Quantum's wrist and twisting it aside so that the bottle smashes on the chair next Blast Off, instead of on his helm. "That stuff is EXPENSIVE!!!! Where's your sense of romance, you Drucillian Proto-Pig! Smashing a bottle of enerwine on your significant other's helm is NOT love!"

Just then, a burly looking mech stands up, optics blazing. "Hey, you slag licking drink server, I asked for that stuff last week and you said you didn't have it! Filthy rotten liar.." he sneers. The bartender huffs. "Well I didn't see any conjunx endura on your arm--and no surprise there, who'd want to be YOUR conjunx endura..!" The mech growls angrily. "That's it you, slimy slagtard..." He lunges at the bartender, perhaps sideswiping Quantum in the process.

" <Yeah.. you should probably get out of here>" Exodus radios Blast Off back. "<Looks like things are about to get really ugly in here...>"

Blast Off would indeed like to go crawl in a hole about now- or better yet, fly to space and not come back for a few vorns. But neither's an option. However, when Quantum swings the bottle at him... well now, \*this\* is something he DOES understand. Combat. He ducks, and his blaster is in hand, ready to shoot- he'll hit that bottle and try smashing the glass- and poison- all over Quantum instead. That'd be a nice bout of poetic justice... but Exodus manages the mayhem and foils that little plan, too.

Blast Off lets out an annoyed huff. But... Exodus does have a point- this place is getting even \*crazier\*, and he's still a wanted fugitive. Not that most of the mechs here would care, but it's not a great place for him now, nor is this enclosed kind of environment suited for his style of combat anyway. << ...Fine. this is too crazy for a civilized mech such as me.>> But he does pause to smirk at Quantum, even getting just a bit into the act as he continues moving back, "What's the matter, "dear"?! Need to relax a bit, ease your worries? Not a problem, I'll be happy to /relieve/ you of your burdens... permanently. Better done some other time, though. When we can be \*alone\*." He pats at his gun, then slips into the crowd, trying to get the slag out of there.

Quantum really couldn't care less about that bartender. Clearly he's a good-for-nothing sap. Plus he ruined his perfect plan to assassinate Blast Off. But it might be his last chance to make this work. He picks up the glass that he had poured earlier, and hurls it at the Combaticon's retreating form. It might hit an innocent bystander--not that it matters to the assassin. All he cares about is getting that shuttle DEAD.

[Combat:] Quantum partially hits Blast Off for minor damage!

Exodus gets up and separates the bartender from the angry mech looking for a fight, but the damage is already done. It doesn't take much to start a brawl in a place like the Jump Joint. Within a breem, everyone either at each other's necks or taking aim with a weapon at another mech across the room.

"Quantum!" Exodus shouts above all the noise. "Get going before you get caught in the cross fire. Please." As if on cue, a table comes flying in Quantum's direction. Exodus manages to deflect it, but he gives Quantum an urgent look.

Blast Off is still watching Quantum. So he spots the glass in time to raise his arm, complete with heat shields, and deflect the blow other than some scratches and dents. If any poison got in anywhere, it wouldn't be enough to make him really sick. He just gives Quantum another smirk (under the faceplate), but it's a mirthless one... mostly he knows it's just time to get out of here. Too many people in the way, too crowded, too enclosed. Blast Off is ready to fight this mech- but this isn't the time.

He just gives the other spacecraft a brief "see ya" wave and he slips into the chaotic crowd. His dark browns and purples blend well into the shadows and the grimy swarm of miners. As for Exodus... there he just... has no idea. NO idea. He can at least understand Quantum. Exodus, on the other hand, is still a complete mystery to him. But, at least, he doesn't \*appear\* to be trying to kill Blast Off. So that makes at least ONE mech around here who ISN'T.

Ha. Quantum just returns Blast Off's smug look with one of his own. He thinks he's off the hook? Oh, far from it. The slag-licker clearly has no idea what he's up against. No idea how potent the venom is. Therefore, instead of pursuing, the assassin just turns and walks away.