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Post by Lynn Deanna Payne on Aug 3, 2010 20:56:47 GMT -5
"500,000," counters that 'gentleman', staring back at Vy'lien with a rather blank stare.
Is someone trying to get in Vy'lien's way? Yeah. Seems he wants to be dead meat. However, is Dr. Perspicax not the spitting image of a long dead killer? Those around the Grail Project sometimes have a habit of not staying dead.
C'mon, if someone was auctioning the Matrix, Rodimus Prime would just throw his voice and then steal it.
Bambi, however, has left her seat, subspaced her clothes, and transformed. She's stalking quietly under the seats. This won't end well.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 3, 2010 22:39:19 GMT -5
Actually, that's right. Rodimus Prime would probably just steal it. He's just pondering if he'd be willing to spend this much on the item if it was necessary. And if he had it. Which he did back on Cybertron, at least when he ruled it, but at the lasted bid, his optics widen slightly.
Actually, strike that. He's starting to doubt there was that much shanix available on Cybertron at all.
Rodimus looks around, realizing that the seat next to his is now empty. He glances at Botanica, optics questioning.
How did they misplace their dinosaur?
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Aug 3, 2010 23:39:15 GMT -5
Wow, people are really serious about this Egg. A clever robot with a valuable item like that and a warship full of armed-to-the-teeth Decepticons to hide in while he negotiated could really turn a profit. If he could afford to buy said Egg.
So, more wireless computing. Sell this property, mortgage this lot he'd been speculating on, liquidate that portfolio, take up the offer on that one piece of merchandise. If Swindle could sweat, he would. He could be costing himself a lot of money here. But you have to play big to win big.
He raises his bidding paddle. "One million shanix," he says coolly.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Aug 4, 2010 11:21:18 GMT -5
Botanica frowns and spreads her hands as Rodimus looks over at her. She missed Bambi's exit as well. Hopefully, the little Dinobot won't cause trouble.
Vy'lien turns to stare at Swindle even as the old nun adds two hundred thousand to the new bid. A new player, one who apparently wishes to run with the big dogs. It will be his own fault when he gets bitten, the older robot supposes.
Noah lounges in his seat behind Swindle, smiling and shaking his head a bit as the bidding climbs higher. The amount of people willing to throw away money without guarantee of authenticity amuses him greatly.
"Wouldn't break the bank, if I were you," he murmurs.
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Post by Lynn Deanna Payne on Aug 4, 2010 20:20:16 GMT -5
Oh look, there's Bambi!
Standing on the stage.
On the table with the egg.
With her hammer out.
Smashing the Egg.
The combat androids swivel on her, but she shouts, "It faaaake!" and then dives into the crowd, evidently intent on an escape.
She doesn't get far, snagged by the rather large, imposing fellow who is with Dr. Perspicax. He smiles thinly, gazes out at the others in the crowd, and murmurs, "The rest of you are all sheep. Perspicax, get me Soul Eater."
Dr. Perspicax visibly blanches and backpedals in her seat.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 4, 2010 21:55:47 GMT -5
Rodimus's optics open so wide they look to be in danger of falling out of his head. "BAMBI!?!" he roars, shocked. He starts towards the stage. "What the hell are yo-" and it's broken. And she's running. And she's grabbed. Rodimus spins on her captor. "'Soul Eater?'" He strides towards the person holding onto her. "What do you intend to do with her?!" he demands.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Aug 4, 2010 23:50:17 GMT -5
"Why not? Something wrong with the merchandise?" Swindle whispers back to Be'net, leaning back in his seat to better carry on the conversation.
Then the little Dinobot charges the stage and all hell breaks loose. How dare she bring violence into an auction house! Against the merchandise, anyway. This is different than when the porcupine guy got killed. This is interrupting a holy ceremony sacred to The Almighty Dollar!
Swindle stands up. "What the scrap is going on here?!"
//Soundwave, if you aren't recording Rodimus Prime up there defending that little robot that just smashed tonight's big attraction, you need to be.//
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Aug 5, 2010 11:25:25 GMT -5
Botanica is on her metaphorical feet as well a look of sheer dismay upon her face. It's covered quickly by calm determination, however, and she floats over to stand next to Rodimus. She tries to put a calming hand on the Prime's arm. He is known to be brash, after all.
"Sheep are they? You sound as if you knew it to be fake," she says, tone neutral, "Obviously there will be reparations to me made, but to the auction house, not to you." Her voice raises slightly to carry over the crowd, "Or to anyone else who was bidding. The final hammer had not yet come down, and it was still the house's property at the time of the breaking."
The old robot drawls out from his seat, a most curious smile on his face, "That's all well and good for you to say, lovely flower, but most won't see it that way. Fake or not, it gave the illusion of hope, and a chance at renewal. They won't be so forgiving as I." Vy'lein chuckles, "Of course, I was just going to smash it as well. I must thank the girl for saving me the money."
Noah just shakes his head at Swindle. "All it takes is a bit of proper research. The child obviously did hers. Most of these other fools are too eager to grasp at any sliver of light in the darkness."
In the back, the nun is having a rather animated and whispered conversation with her attendants.
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Post by Lynn Deanna Payne on Aug 5, 2010 18:19:18 GMT -5
"N-no, the procedure you are colloquially referring to as 'Soul Eater' is solely to be attempted as a last resort at compassionate release in fully consenting, mentally capable, terminally ill patients," Dr. Perspicax stammers, trying to tug her hand out of the handcuff to the briefcase and rather failing.
"I think girlie here just made it plenty clear that she wants to die!" her partner replies, looking darkly amused, and he snatches the handgun from the holster in her hip, spinning the cylinders around and then clicking them into place. He presses the gun to Bambi's side, her optics wide and wild with fear, and then fires. She jerks and yelps in pain, and then he drops her on the floor, announcing, "She has 48 hours to find the real egg and bring it back here, since she so kindly voiced what we were all thinking, I'm sure."
Dr. Perspicax sits in her seat, blinking several times, nictating lids and covering lids alike. She looks frankly horrified and more than a little panicked.
The auctioneer peeks around from behind the block and seems literally tongue-tied for a moment, long tongue wrapped around his beak.
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 5, 2010 20:42:11 GMT -5
Rodimus... is completely ignored. Woah. He's not used to that! Breaking away from Botanica's attempt to calm him, he rushes towards the man, demanding, again, "What did you to her!? Explain yourself, now!" He makes a grab for the man, trying to lift him by the lapels, furious.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Aug 5, 2010 23:25:08 GMT -5
"Forget hope and renewal, that Egg represented a lot of money! And another thing! Am I meant to believe this establishment was knowingly selling fake goods? What kind of operation is this?"
Swindle deploys his scatter blaster from his arm as one of his fellow auction patrons shoots another. "I'm feeling like my personal safety is threatened here," he says, optics narrowed. "A bad review is going to be the least of anyone's problems if this situation isn't brought under control now."
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on Aug 6, 2010 9:42:03 GMT -5
"Bambi!" Botanica cries out when the little Dinobot is shot. That is quickly followed by a cry of "Rodimus!" when the Prime pounces upon the man who shot Bambi.
"Do you people not understand the concept of civilized discourse?" she almost screeches, moving forward to kneel beside Bambi and examine her wound. Based on the man's pronouncement, the wound itself shouldn't be fatal. However....
"Bambi, could you not have chosen a less spectacular way of proving your point?" Botanica murmurs as she works on the girl.
The old nun has been wheeled up to the front of the house, and now she speaks up addressing the large man with Perspicax (who may or may not be in Rodimus's grasp). Hard black eyes glint with malice as she speaks, "You're a big coward you are, doing that to the child, when you've got resources and networks of your own." She tilts her head, glare falling on the doctor, "Your mama had more backbone."
Noah tries to put a hand on Swindle's shoulder, preceding it with words, "Best to let it lie, you know. Those groups have been at each other's throats for years. Get in the middle, and they'll eat you for breakfast."
Then the man smiles thinly, "But if you're thinking of following along and stealing the real egg if they find it, I can promise you that one of them would back the endeavor."
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Post by Lynn Deanna Payne on Aug 6, 2010 11:28:38 GMT -5
Dr. Perspicax knits her fingers together and dithers, "Montaigne just injected a distributed nanite-based ectoplasmic containment system, designed to record and store energetic wave patterns, but-"
"Shut up, you ditzy dame," Montaigne snarls and backhands Dr. Perspicax, who covers her face. He looks over at Rodimus and spreads his hands, as if he's trying to be reasonable, "Just think of it as a 48 hour poison that there's no law against, because as far as anyone knows, it doesn't exist. If there was a cure - and you wouldn't need a cure for something that doesn't exist - you'd be able to get it here." He pulls out a business card.
Dr. Perspicax fixes her face into a frown and starts to rise out of her seat, protesting, "Ectoplasmic containment was never designed to be used as a death sentence-"
"And you'd know a lot about death sentences, huh?" Montaigne replies, eyes narrowed, and shoves the scientist back in her seat.
The auctioneer's pretty assistant assures Swindle, "Oh, no, sir. Dr. Brigadoon delivered the piece himself personally and assured us - but oh, he did seem in such a rush. Perhaps we should have kept him longer."
Bambi's injury is very neat, little more than hollow needle inserted into her side. What the needle was holding, however... She grumbles, "It needed be said. No one saying it. Feel fine."
Dr Perspicax sounds rather defeated as she replies weakly, "I am not a facsimile of my genetic donor, whatever you may have heard."
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Post by Rodimus Prime on Aug 6, 2010 22:08:44 GMT -5
Rodimus Prime snatches the business card out of Montaigne's hand, releasing the man - just what can he do here, anyway? - and then demands, "How do we know you'd cure her once you have what you want?" His lips pull back into a partial, angry sneer. "How do we know you even did what you claimed, anyway? And what the blazes would you do with the thing, anyway?"
"For gods' sakes, your world is rotting from the inside, and all you can do when you think you've found a piece of its soul is try to sell it? Or to tuck it away in some damned collection somewhere? Poison outsiders into dragging it to you?" He clenches his fists furiously, but mostly...
...mostly he's frustrated, because he doesn't see an out here. And they need an out. They can't just bend to demands like this! If this god-egg exists, one thing Rodimus is sure about: it should not be in the hands of the person in front of him.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Aug 7, 2010 20:34:29 GMT -5
Swindle agrees with Rodimus completely. The Egg shouldn't be in the hands of the man in front of Rodimus. It should be in Swindle's hands.
Swindle turns to face Be'net, shrugging off the hand on his shoulder, "I happen to make a living off playing both sides against the middle, thank you very much." Then he retracts his blaster with a sigh. "But, you're probably right. This isn't the time or the place." The merchant grins. "So who needs a backer? I've got heavily-armed friends of my own."
Dr. Brigadoon, huh? Sounds like a good place to start.
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