"A mirror. In the Nexus," Starscream repeats slowly. "All this--" he waves a hand at the scarred walls and still settling dust, "is because of some idiotic faerie prank?"
His voice rises, shrill and loud. "I TRIED TO KILL MY OWN FR--ALLIES BECAUSE OF THIS! I could have destroyed the Truce--the only thing keeping the Decepticons from oblivion! I said things..." Starscream looks at Skyfire again, and looks away quickly. "...I should not have said."
"You know the Nexus people better than I do. Is there any way of tracking down the idiot trickster who did this? I have a sudden urge to start sowing faerie mounds with powdered iron."
Well, at least his freakouts are reassuringly normal. Roddy tries to sit up again, stubborn patient that he is, and manages to prop himself up on his injured elbow. "Hey, take it easy. Everyone knows how powerful LOLs are, I doubt you would have broken the truce even if we hadn't gotten ahold of you. Anyway-" he smiles - "it's over now, and we won. Time for drinks!"
He doesn't think he has to add 'and be more careful next time you're in the Nexus.' Starscream, smart lad that he is, has probably learned his lesson. He hopes.
"Rodimus, thank you for warning us that you were moving suddenly. You almost got your spoiler welded to your helmet," Skyfire says drily. "Judging from the look on Frostbite's face, you are in genuine danger of getting welded to the floor until she's done patching you up. The ability to move around while wounded does not make it advisable to do so. My partner here persisted in trying to climb out of his repair berth to deal with Steadfast and Strata after we brought him back from the Yukon in much smaller pieces than when he left. The only thing stopping Ratchet from welding him to the berth was the fact that I could lean on Starscream and keep him from moving.."
Skyfire looks down at Rodimus. "I don't need to lean on you, do I?"
Starscream is pacing around; he stops abruptly to glare at Skyfire.
"Excuse me? Galvatron's designated Acting Air Commander was getting into a screaming catfight with a junior Autobot flyer over their ancestry, my murder of said AAC's lover, and my supposed sinister plans for said junior Autobot flyer, and I'm going to ignore this blatant breach of Decepticon discipline in front of half the Autobots, Neutrals and slagging humans in Autobot City? I don't care how many pieces I'm in, that was just... Not Done! Not by someone who's effectively a Sector Commander! Even I didn't do things like that!" Starscream looks very indignant.
It had been resolved by a mangled, gutted, should-have-been-dead Starscream lifting his head off the repair berth long enough to verbally tear both Strata and Steadfast new exhaust ports, in one of his occasional exhibitions of "Why yes, I really was Air Commander for a reason". After he'd been repairedrebuilt, Starscream sorted out things with Steadfast.
Starscream doesn't feel very Air-Commanderly right now. He's rather embarrassed by the things he's slowly remembering--and Frostbite is mad at him. He's sure of that. Or was. He's not sure what she is right now. She's a distractingly lovely silver jet now, too... but those Decepticon marks just don't look right on her.
Nor does Skyfire's lack of Autobot emblem look right on him.
"Sky, something happened to your paint job. It needs retouching."
"In a minute," Skyfire says. "I'm almost done with Prime's spoiler."
Skyfire is as good as his word, trimming off the flash from the last seam right afterwards. "Rodimus, I don't have your colors handy, so you'll have to get the paint touched up back home."
He puts his repair tools away and stands up, fishing around in his cabin for his painting supplies again. On finding them, he hands them to Starscream, who promptly begins air-brushing Skyfire's Autobot emblem back on.
Starscream re-paints it without a mask, and without flaw.
"Thank you," Skyfire tells Starscream quietly as Starscream steps back to examine his handiwork.
A ghost of a smirk. "Looks like I got it right. You've got the silver?" Starscream gestures for Skyfire to hand it over. When he does, Starscream turns toward Frostbite.
"If you can work and hold your wings flipped up without too much wiggling, I can repaint them now," Starscream says, looking hopefully at the Autobot lawyer-turned-Seeker. "I'm not doing anything else useful right now."
Something that might be relief flashes across Starscream's face at Frostbite's acquiescence, and he hurries around behind her and sets to work. This time he does use a mask, to make sure he gets the angle and placement right.
"Frostbite... Would you happen to know, from your various resources, just where Slog has gotten to? I have a commission for him." He glances at Skyfire over Frostbite's shoulder. "Conventional sculpture."
"Good, I should be able to track him down from there," Starscream says. He continued to work in silence.
The message he expected came; Skyfire radioed him on their private channel. // You plan to replace your shrine. // He sounds pleased.
// Yes. It's past time that was done. I-I don't know what I was thinking, leaving it ruined like that. I've got better things to do than mope about what a few bitter vandals did. // There's confidence in his reply, tinged with a hint of anger, though whether at himself or the 'bitter vandals' isn't clear.
Slag. Took longer than he'd expected, really. Ah well.
If Starscream's presence isn't overpowering everything else, Frostbite may feel Blackstar approach, though he stays out of sight to all save those who can See when they choose. He's still a little wary, having just been entrapped and constrained by an irate Air Commander, and hangs back just out of everyone's reach.
"A mirror. In the Nexus," Starscream repeats slowly. "All this--" he waves a hand at the scarred walls and still settling dust, "is because of some idiotic faerie prank?"
His voice rises, shrill and loud. "I TRIED TO KILL MY OWN FR--ALLIES BECAUSE OF THIS! I could have destroyed the Truce--the only thing keeping the Decepticons from oblivion! I said things..." Starscream looks at Skyfire again, and looks away quickly. "...I should not have said."
"You know the Nexus people better than I do. Is there any way of tracking down the idiot trickster who did this? I have a sudden urge to start sowing faerie mounds with powdered iron."
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He doesn't think he has to add 'and be more careful next time you're in the Nexus.' Starscream, smart lad that he is, has probably learned his lesson. He hopes.
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Skyfire looks down at Rodimus. "I don't need to lean on you, do I?"
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"I'll be good."
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"Excuse me? Galvatron's designated Acting Air Commander was getting into a screaming catfight with a junior Autobot flyer over their ancestry, my murder of said AAC's lover, and my supposed sinister plans for said junior Autobot flyer, and I'm going to ignore this blatant breach of Decepticon discipline in front of half the Autobots, Neutrals and slagging humans in Autobot City? I don't care how many pieces I'm in, that was just... Not Done! Not by someone who's effectively a Sector Commander! Even I didn't do things like that!" Starscream looks very indignant.
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Starscream doesn't feel very Air-Commanderly right now. He's rather embarrassed by the things he's slowly remembering--and Frostbite is mad at him. He's sure of that. Or was. He's not sure what she is right now. She's a distractingly lovely silver jet now, too... but those Decepticon marks just don't look right on her.
Nor does Skyfire's lack of Autobot emblem look right on him.
"Sky, something happened to your paint job. It needs retouching."
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Skyfire is as good as his word, trimming off the flash from the last seam right afterwards. "Rodimus, I don't have your colors handy, so you'll have to get the paint touched up back home."
He puts his repair tools away and stands up, fishing around in his cabin for his painting supplies again. On finding them, he hands them to Starscream, who promptly begins air-brushing Skyfire's Autobot emblem back on.
Starscream re-paints it without a mask, and without flaw.
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A ghost of a smirk. "Looks like I got it right. You've got the silver?" Starscream gestures for Skyfire to hand it over. When he does, Starscream turns toward Frostbite.
"If you can work and hold your wings flipped up without too much wiggling, I can repaint them now," Starscream says, looking hopefully at the Autobot lawyer-turned-Seeker. "I'm not doing anything else useful right now."
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(The comment has been removed)
"Frostbite... Would you happen to know, from your various resources, just where Slog has gotten to? I have a commission for him." He glances at Skyfire over Frostbite's shoulder. "Conventional sculpture."
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(The comment has been removed)
The message he expected came; Skyfire radioed him on their private channel. // You plan to replace your shrine. // He sounds pleased.
// Yes. It's past time that was done. I-I don't know what I was thinking, leaving it ruined like that. I've got better things to do than mope about what a few bitter vandals did. // There's confidence in his reply, tinged with a hint of anger, though whether at himself or the 'bitter vandals' isn't clear.
One more thing...
//BLACKSTAR! I have some questions for you...//
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If Starscream's presence isn't overpowering everything else, Frostbite may feel Blackstar approach, though he stays out of sight to all save those who can See when they choose. He's still a little wary, having just been entrapped and constrained by an irate Air Commander, and hangs back just out of everyone's reach.
// Yeah? //
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