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| - A bulky, olive-drab mech skirts his way out of the gates of Iacon. Goa's been more scarce than usual the past few cycles; when he hasn't been isolating himself in Iacon, he's taken to setting up camp out in the tunnels. He glances over his shoulder quickly as he picks up a normal stride away from the complex. Shark is walking toward the complex from one of his usual patrol missions. "Good cycle Goa." he calls out to the other mech before he can skate past him. +Roll: Goa rolls against his Agility Stat and fails by 4! The total roll was 18. Goa seems so preoccupied that he trips at the interruption -- he falls flat on his face. The dust puffs out from around his face with a sigh. "Hi, Shark." Shark grimaces a bit, moving toward you to offer a hand up. "A little bit in your own world?" is asked. Goa starts to heft himself up, glances at the hand, then pushes back onto his legs and stands. "You could say that." Dusting his chest off, he starts to step away, then seems to reconsider and rebalance himself. "Any more ... odd news?" +Roll: Shark rolls against his Awareness Stat and fails by 7! The total roll was 18. Shark shakes his head, "Nothing from the scientists as of yet, but they are working on it." he replies, "So let me guess, thinking about a certain 'Con seeker?" Goa looks first surprised, then affronted by the assumption. "No," he says, leaning back to look down the nose of his helmet at Shark. "... she's been on my mind, if that's what you're asking. But no. No, I was actually wondering when this whole thing is going to blow over." His optics narrow to a glare, but it's directed out at the wasteland before Iacon, not Shark. Shark hmms softly to that look combined with the reply, he nods a bit. "Hopefully soon. For now, it’s just getting used to the idea that things may change here." Goa softens his expression, laying his antennae back from their aggravated display. "Change how?" Shark frowns to the question, then relates. "There is some preliminary information the scientists gave me. They believe that things as they are now were created by accident or deliberately by forces unknown to us. So it is highly possible that things as they are now may have to cease all together if we act to fix the situation that caused this now to come into being. In other words, we will cease to exist as we are now." A single antenna raises slowly. "If you're getting that kind of data, maybe you're on the right track. What does that mean, though? Setting things like it was before this mess?" He shakes his head, smiling. "If that means I don't get glared at like I'm not supposed to be in the city," he thumbs back at Iacon, "I don't see anything bad about it." Shark nods in understanding to Goa's comment, "I know what you mean. Only thing bad about it, for me at least, is not being with Lifeline. Then there's the question of what other changes would happen." he just keeps frowning, "We may not even have to change it ourselves... but we'll see." Goa steps back a bit to lean his back against a lamppost. "How is Lifeline, anyway?" He crosses his arms. "I haven't seen her. Haven't seen much of anyone, really..." The mech's gaze hangs skyward. Shark cannot stop frowning, "She's different. That's why I know that I'm right about this things being off. That's why I hate it so much. If things could go back to the way they were, I'd be with her right now just enjoying her company." he sighs a little, "I just hope to Primus that if things as they are now do end, I'm at least friends with her afterward." Goa looks back down to the audibly distraught mech. "At least friends? Not sure I understand." With wider, more characteristically inquisitive optics, he inquires, "Does that mean that things would go back to ... some other point? Sometime before this started?" Shark takes a moment, then looking Goa in the optics he says with a clear conviction. "I love that femme with my entire spark, Goa. To give that up is not something I look forward to at all. As to your question, I wish I knew exactly what things would go back to... I won't know until the scientists figure it all out." Goa nods. "All in the data," he says, a finger tapping the side of his helmet. "I'd offer my help again, but I can guess why I haven't been invited to this cabal of scientists. How come you divulge this information to me, anyway?" Shark replies quickly, "Because you know I'm right and want answers as well to your situation, Goa. Something about that 'Con femme triggered something in you and her, a familiarity that goes beyond explanation." +Roll: Goa rolls against his Awareness Stat and fails by 5! The total roll was 15. Goa holds his arms up, waving his hands placatively. "No need to burst at me. If you need to go in for a nap, don't let me stop you." His gaze drops from the horizon for once to look at his feet -- he kicks a chunk of torn asphalt down the ramp. "She had a point, Shark." Goa freezes when he realizes what he's said, and snaps his eyes back to Shark's -- "Starscream is an incompetent leader. But I think you understand what I mean." He sounds like he's trying to choke something back down his vocal processor. "I hope you do, anyway." Shark wonders where the nap came in here, Goa is evidently confused. He nods a bit though to the mech, "He is at that, even more so than Magnus is on his worst day... so I get what you are trying to say." Goa's voice clears. "Good to hear... mmm. You think I'd get chased out if I went to tend the bar? Seems like I fumble all the drinks lately." Shark hears the concern, "They won't if I go with you, Goa." he assures, "You shouldn't have to feel that way until this all clears up." Goa looks up with a bit of an exhausted smile, then turns to walk -- there's a bit of sneaking, but not much -- back into Iacon. -- cut to inn -- Shark walks along with Goa, assuring that he won't get pestered or feel like some sort of interloper. "I'll buy." he offers. Goa starts stomping as soon as he gets in the bar door, letting himself around to man the drinks. "If I put a round down on myself, you think anyone'd get suspicious?" He chuckles, as he starts to measure out a blend. Shark hmms softly, "It's a quick trip to the showers if you do." he points out. Goa just shakes his head and clunks a cube down in front of Shark, then resumes busying himself with orders. Shark looks at the cube and examines it before taking a sip. Goa seems to have put the highest-quality stuff he could immediately locate in. The glow is "pretty slagging bright", as he might describe it... He also seems to quickly resign to getting himself a drink and shrinking by the other Autobot. Shark makes this face, then whistles softly, "Now /that/ is high grade." he flashes a toothy grin at the mech. "You trying to get me drunk?" Goa shrugs, not turning to look. "You seem like you could use it." Shark considers that, "Yeah, I suppose so. Nothing like getting totally blitzed so you forget things for a little while. But Primus... the cerebral ache afterward." Goa chortles. "Lightweight." His selection, which he's nearly finished already, appears to be significantly lower grade, but he did grab a much larger volume. "What do you think the Decepticons are doing about this whole thing? 'Specially that flier. Starscream'd probably have her slagged if he knew she'd been here and didn't raise the pit with her... Or maybe that was the idea." Shark sips down about a third of the high grade energon, then murmurs, "I'll have you know I can nearly drink Omega Supreme under a table... that is if he fit under one." he smirks a bit, then states, "From what I heard your 'Con femme didn't succeed in a surface raid." he pauses as he listens to his radio, "And succeeded in a underground raid. Got injured both times. She's a plucky one." Goa looks over with some surprise, "Nearly?" then nods slowly. "Ah... Do you know what they were raiding for?" He turns his head back to the now-empty cube. "Don't understand our policy... should've kept her in Iacon." Shark sips down a bit more of his energon, then responds, "Yes, nearly. That mech has a way bigger reserve tank mind you." then a pause before he continues, "Energon. It's always energon for them. As to not keeping her here, she wouldn't be accepted too readily... not trusted. And she'd have to deal with upset 'Cons gunning for her." Goa smiles, shaking his head. "Of course not. She's a Decepticon. A Decepticon that tries to manipulate Autobots into thinking they're on the wrong side." He looks over at another energon dispenser longingly. Shark hmms, "As I recall, Goa, she told you she felt you didn't belong with us. I said the same thing. So don't put it entirely upon her." he states, then sips down more energon. Goa just holds himself away from the bar at arm's-length. "I know, Shark," he says, antennae laid back unreadably again, "But you don't have anything to gain from that, mind." Shark considers that then nods, "I know. Just saying is all." he explains, "I dunno, maybe she's like your destiny... think about it." Goa chortles a halting, ha-ha type laugh. "Destiny? What was that you were saying about Omega Supreme and tables?" Shark smiles a bit at the laugh. "Okay maybe I'm a little buzzed, but I mean it. Perhaps if things were different you two were meant to be together... like me and Lifeline...” Goa nods, smiling, and waves his hand. "A little. Apparently I haven't lost my ability to mix shots," he says, moving to stand. "You got any more duties coming up, or just recharge?" Shark replies, "Going to recharge. Hopefully the buzz will have worn off and I won't have a whopper ache in my cerebral unit." Goa says nothing, then laughs to himself, apparently having been mulling over the conversation. "You do that. Maybe I'll get enough of my gear set back up to distill the real good stuff by then. That usually helps with the ache, in my experience," he says, looking more morosely to the door. "I'm gonna head out. Bump into you later." Shark nods his head to Goa, "Sure thing, take care." is offered back.
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