Embassy Ball: Captain Can-Do Presents…

[Holi]

Once the stage has cleared from the first award of the evening and all the fuss attached to it, Holi, datastick in hand, wends his way up. He takes a moment to double check his information, then he bows to the assembled.

"Honoured guests," he begins, ever the picture of politeness. And boy, can the kid project that little voice of his. "I'm up here this evening to present the award for the Best Fight Scene we've seen so far in our time here. Which combat thrilled our voters the most?" A grin splits his face. "Let's count the nominees!

"First up! Cannonball versus Hook, during the Decepticons' Capture the Flag exercises!" Surely the young captain isn't warily eyeing the pirate. Surely. "A dramatic encounter from the first shot to the last!

"Our second nominee is also from the Capture the Flag exercises – Hellbender Invades Cannonball's Area, where we learned that death and destruction don't always rain down from above!

"Third on the board tonight is a race that had our fuel pumps pounding a mile a minute from start to finish: Dead End versus Swerve in the opening volley of the Mesa Battle! Maybe there'll be a rematch sometime?" All innocence and sweetness here.

"No small scuffle to be ignored, our next nominee is the Mesa Battle as a whole! Truly a grand mêlée and the first great clash of the factions, this day saw heroes and villains take the spotlight in their own turns and no-one walked away the same!

"Last, but not least, our final nominee for Best Fight Scene: Rodimus Prime versus Scourge – the big black tanker truck, that is – in Worlds Apart, Colliding! It was a clash of titans in the barren wastelands that only Heaven itself could bring to a close!"

Now that everyone has been listed, Holi tucks his datastick into one pocket of his jacket, then folds his hands behind his back, puffs out his chest, and rocks back and forth on his feet for a few seconds. It's his turn to wait and let the crowd mull over the nominees and stew a little bit while he has the stage. What's a big awards show, after all, without suspenseful pauses (or a thread to talk about the awards without chances for others to drop comments)?

[Sable Conolly]

Scourge, in his pretty rose and buttercup rhinestone cowgirl outfit, perks up at this award. He rubs his chin and mutters to himself, "You can get nominated for awards for brawling with Primes now?"

For actually killing a Prime? He could see that.

As for the rest of the nominees... uh... go Dead End? Scourge is kind of confused, here.

[Rodimus Prime]

Rodimus scowls as he leans back in his seat. No, he's wearing no snappy outfit. Sorry. So, this little circus is being run by some mysterious group of observers that gets some sort of sick thrill from watching other people fighting for their lives, huh? And now, their clashes have been rated.

Oddly, Hot Rod probably wouldn't have minded it so much, but Rodimus just finds the whole affair disturbing.

[Thundercracker]

Thundercracker, for his part, is just relieved that the little scuffle between himself and Firebolt didn't make the nominees. He didn't want more attention drawn to that than absolutely necessary, especially if Starscream happened to be anywhere in attendance...

"Get on with it, groundpounding little runt!" he shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth to let his voice carry. Only then does it occur to him that he's wearing white gloves. Okay, someone had a weird sense of humor...

[Dead End]

"Perhaps he's waiting for the nominees to acknowledge their pointless existence," Dead End offered. He waved languidly at Holi.

[Cannonball]

Cannonball stops in mid-stride, having since got himself a large mug of the good energon, cocking an optic.

Isn't that the little brat he kidnapped? And he's been nominated for an award for an attempted suicide-frag on Hook?

Sweet.

Cannonball takes a long drag, then holds his mug up. "Oi! Make sure y' read my name, kid! Unless y' wanna go on a joyride all over again, ehehehehehe!"

[Perceptor]

There is a very, very brief flash, hardly even noticable amidst the glitter and glitz present throughout the room. Immediately afterward, however, Cannonball's mug springs a rather annoying leak at the base of the container, one that immediately begins emptying the contents of said mug all over Cannonball in a steady little stream.

And somewhere not terribly far behind the pirate, a certain red scientist watches with a certain smug satisfaction as the capacitors in his light cannon dump the remaining charge back into his systems.

[Holi]

Wow. Some people just have no patience whatsoever, do they? Holi fixes a disgruntled frown on Thundercracker and starts to admonish the Seeker – risk assessment? What risk assessment? – only to stop when Cannonball pipes up. And then the Micromaster just gives him a look.

Then Cannonball's drink spills and Holi muffles a snicker.

"Maybe you should do something about that first," he advises all too brightly. Then he mimics clearing his throat and stands a little straighter. "All right then. The winner is… winners are…?" He pauses and nibbles thoughtfully on the tip of one thumb for a moment before continuing. "Er. The winning scene is…." Double check the info one more time. "…Worlds Apart, Colliding!" Oh, but the stage is about to get a little more crowded, isn't it?

[Rodimus Prime]

So not only is Rodimus being graded in combat, he apparently scores well.

A scowl flickers over the Prime's face and is gone again as he makes his way to the base of the stairs to wait for Scourge. His mood brightens momentarily when he sees the absurd little outfit that Scourge is wearing, but he manages to keep a straight face, anyway.

One thing's for certain, though: he's not offering Scourge his arm when they walk up to the stage together.

[Sable Conolly]

Some people just don't know how to be professional... says the man in a rhinestone cowgirl outfit. Shut up.

He moves over to Rodimus Prime's side and briefly considers shoving Rodimus Prime over and just claiming all the glory for himself.

Then he realises that there is no glory to be had while he is wearing such a stupid outfit. Sigh.

[Rodimus Prime]

Rodimus Prime does, at least, offer Scourge a brief nod of acknowledgement when the other approaches the stage. Then he climbs up the stairs, offers a faint smile to the crowd, and approaches the presenter.

The Micromaster presenter.

The Prime gamely crouches down to one knee in order to accept the prize.

[Sky-byte]

The snickers near the front of the theatre are likely audible. Honestly though, how does anyone keep a straight face with something like Scourge prancing around in front of them? Prancing may be stretching it....

[Holi]

For what it's worth, Holi's stretching as best he can to present both Prime and not-Prime their tokens. Spartan in design but ornate in composition, the awards, smallish – well, smallish for their recipients, but something of an armful for their presenter – statuettes carved from heavy, colourless crystal with almost laser-like precision. On the square base stand two opposing swords, crossed and blade against blade, held in what look like frosted, gauntleted hands. Cliché, maybe, and clearly designed by someone without a care for the potential misuse of a sharp, pointy, breakable object in all this mixed company. But Holi has to hand over one each all the same.

Naturally, he offers one to Rodimus Prime first. Biased little Micromaster is biased. Scourge will receive his with the same courtesy, if not the same warmth, once the first is securely in Rodimus Prime's hands and Holi can heft up the second.

[Rodimus Prime]

Rodimus beams pleasantly at the eager Micromaster. He accepts his award and then reaches over to shake the smaller-sized hand as gently as he can. "Thank you, Holi," he says as he starts to stand back up.

Then he glances at Scourge. "Your turn, Annie Oakley."

[Sable Conolly]

Scourge, very deliberately, reaches over and attempt to drop the cowboy hat on Rodimus Prime's head before the other one can straighten out. He hisses, low enough that only the Prime and perhaps the Micromaster ought to be privy, "It would look better on you."

Then, with a brutal efficiency, he tears off his vest and blouse. The skirt soon follows suit. He wings the boots out at the crowd, and if one of them seems to be deliberately aimed at Sky-Byte, it is surely an accident.

Scourge refuses to bend over for some Micromaster. Instead, he drops to kneel on one knee, a knight in tarnished armour. He holds out a hand to accept not the favour of his liege but some weird award from a midget Autobot, even by Spychanger standards.