In Shades of Greyscale

[Ultra Magnus]

Magnus shrugs, but the gaze he keeps on Oracle is rather sharp.

"You asked if I worked closely with him," he murmurs. "I refuted that. I can tell you that if he's interested in you, stay away from him. However you can." His bland tone masks the alarm and the anger she's set off by dropping that titbit. It isn't enough to toy with Magnus; the cyclops has to dig his – Magnus hopes – proverbial needles into other Autobots. "Shockwave," he continues, voice growing colder by the word, "is a powerhouse unto himself. I've never personally seen him stop to rest. He has heavy armour and enough firepower to take out two Omega Sentinels with one shot. He isn't sentimental and mercy isn't in his vocabulary. He is an unfeeling, ruthless machine," and Magnus grinds out machine in a way that makes it clear he considers the Decepticon no more than he does the automated fuel dispenser, "who uses his subordinates and those around him like tools instead of people." Magnus abruptly finishes his rations in one gulp and sets the empty cube down with a loud crack against the tabletop.

[Oracle]

One hand sneaks up under her visor to rub at her optics as Magnus speaks, and while Oracle doesn't miss the sharp look it takes a bit of a secondary importance to what he's saying. "That is...not comforting. I dislike having no options but run and hide, even if I'm practiced at it." She uses her free hand to gesture at the places where guns would normally be mounted. "Firepower is not my strong suit after all, and it sounds like overwhelming force is about the only thing you're suggesting other than that."

The rest of what he said, she's not going to dwell on for too long. If she does, she might go find a hidey hole and not come out for a while. As it is her attempt to remain nonchalant is probably spoiled by the fact her winglets are refusing to stop trembling. The soft rasp against her wings is getting annoying and not helping her nerves. Then again, that crack when Magnus' empty cube hit the table isn't helping much either, but at least she managed not to jump. Clearly this is no more a pleasing topic for him than for her, and it sounds rather personal as well.

Both arms cross over her chassis defensively as Oracle stops for a moment to try and put correctly what she wants to say. "I apologize for bringing up a sore subject. I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do against Shockwave. It," she hesitates before continuing, "it frightens me that he's interested in what I can do. No good ever comes of a scientist being curious about that, one of his sort least of all." Not that she likes admitting that, but she's smart enough to realize she's tread on territory she maybe shouldn't have with Magnus and if the truth will smooth things over, she can handle it.

[Ultra Magnus]

Having said most of what he can say about Shockwave without straying into virulent self-recriminations, Magnus is silent for a moment or two. He watches Oracle's reactions instead of carrying on; she has the presence of mind to be uneasy, at least. It's a better response than cocky self-assurance.

"Frankly," he says, "I don't think Optimus Prime could take on Shockwave alone and live." Which was why, half-dead, he still forced himself down that corridor. "And just what is it you do that has him so interested?" he wonders, taking the opening provided.

[Oracle]

This just gets better and better doesn't it. She's not going to ask who could possibly take Shockwave down alone then, she's not sure she would want to meet them. Frightening thought.

Magnus' question gets a brief flicker on and off of optics in a blink behind her visor. He didn't know? Interesting. Though Oracle supposed it wasn't exactly something that came up in casual conversation. "I'm a seer, of sorts. I see the future moments before it happens, among other things it tends to make me something of a scientific curiosity. I see further out as well sometimes, but that's uncommon enough to not even be considered very useful." She could seriously have lived without the multiple occurrences of seeing Unicron for instance. The Gillinan recording had been an unpleasant third time.

Her voice goes flat as she continues. "It's a curiosity enough he's never going to leave me alone, anyway." Oracle ought to know, he told her as much after all.

Shaking herself briefly, as though to physically clear the heavy thoughts weighing her down, her next comment is in a more cheerful tone. "More practically it makes me rather hard to hit in combat. And on a similar note, I know you offered lessons, are you willing to take on more advanced students as well as beginners?" Because Oracle is always willing to learn more. Eager to in fact.

[Ultra Magnus]

Magnus is all too willing to take the change in topic; much more discussion of the cyclops will leave him with a powerful and perhaps misplaced urge to break things. He gets angry too easily these days, but he attributes it to what he went through simply to get here. He has ample reason to feel bitter, he thinks.

"I don't see why I shouldn't," he answers her question. "It might even be well-suited to you if you can see your opponent's moves an instant before he makes them. Diffusion is primarily reactive." Though it most certainly can be – and has been – used more proactively. "Do you have a time in mind, then? I have watch duty shortly, but I'm free after that for…." He pauses to check his files, head tilted slightly to one side and optics dim. "…A few, er. Hours after that."

[Oracle]

The change of subject, while not graceful was very deliberate. Less of Magnus' peace of mind than her own though, anything he told her was just more and more discouraging.

"It sounds like it might suit me well indeed, and I'm glad you're willing to teach me." Especially since he didn't really seem all that comfortable with her, though at least it had gotten better. "I didn't have any particular time in mind, but if you're free for a while after your watch, that should work just fine! Did you want me to meet you in the sim room if it's not being used, or one of the smaller practice rooms?" After all, the sim room did mostly remove the possibility of 'accidents', if that would help remove any remaining stress for him.

Spinning her cube between her fingers, Oracle grinning slightly at Magnus and shrugged. "Thanks for talking with me by the way. Even if it probably wasn't your first choice of things to occupy your time until watch with."

[Ultra Magnus]

"I've been using training room C," says Magnus as he stands, scooping up his empty cube. "But if you'd prefer the sim room, that will do. I'll see you after watch, then?" But he doesn't wait for an answer; he'd rather not be abrupt, but he also wants to be on time for his watch rotation, so he makes his exit and lobs the empty cube into the nearest receptacle on his way out.

---

OOC: Timeskip?

[Oracle]

As Magnus throws the decision back in her lap, Oracle shakes her head and calls after him. "Meet me at the sim room then, I'm going to be practicing on my own until you get there." She doesn't find the exit either rude or abrupt, since she doesn't much like being late herself and it is coming up on watch change. There's no real point in lingering herself then, and polishing it off she drops it in a receptacle on her own way out the door. She has a few things she wants to check on before she does head to the sim room, she's got a bit of stress to blow off.


It's probably almost time for Magnus to meet her by now, but Oracle isn't paying that much attention to her chronometer as she bounces around the sim room. She's a bit preoccupied dodging fire from different colored drones and angling for a way to take them down. For her it's a combination exercise at dealing with large groups and practicing the kill strikes she managed to identify with her reality list. She's starting to wrap up, but the last two drones are still holding her attention as she takes another run at one out of cover. The simulation of part of her Cybertron she pulled up isn't very elaborate, but one thing it has is lots of cover.

---

OOC: Timeskip is go!

[Ultra Magnus]

For his part, Magnus isn't really watching the clock either. He's watching the pile of rocks instead, as he should be, but it has been an uneventful watch, giving him little to do other than occasionally nudge the computer to compile sensor readings. It has given him the chance to calm down and stop dwelling on his discussion with Oracle – good for both of them in the long run.

By the time his watch is over and relief has arrived, Magnus is back to his bland, quiet self. He trades off duty with a brief report – nothing changed or of note – before exiting. Life on the Event Horizon is peculiar to say the very least, but in many ways, he could learn to enjoy it as much as he did Cybertron. Ah, and he stifles a sigh as he makes his way toward the sim room, but that's still resentment of his leadership role talking, isn't it? Here, he's simply another Autobot. That in and of itself is strange after so long in unwanted command; he still catches himself occasionally trying to give orders.

"Old habits, I suppose," he says quietly and shakes his head at himself as he comes to a stop at the sim room doors. There's an active simulation running… but is it Oracle in there? He can't rule out that someone might have beaten her to it and she has gone elsewhere to pass the time. It does seem to be a rather popular commodity. Rather than barge in, he tries the intercom. "Ultra Magnus here," he announces while holding down the button. "Am I interrupting Oracle or someone else?"

[Oracle]

There's a thunk and clash of metal on metal before the reply comes back. "It's Oracle, though," this time the sound is more the scream of metal being rent and she pauses long enough to let the noise fade before continuing, "you aren't interrupting. I seem to have taken longer than I thought."

In the sim room, Oracle drops the drone she just 'killed' and cartwheels away from the shots the final remaining one sends her way. "You can either come in or just give me a moment! Either way I shouldn't be long, sorry about running late, I must have lost track of time." She should have this last opponent down before too much longer and then she can reset the room to something a bit more lesson-friendly. Her current surroundings aren't exactly a prime place for the sort of things that a martial arts lesson involved. Getting flung onto a sharp piece of building is rather painful after all.

"If you do come in, mind the weapons fire." A dart between two bits of cover brings her close enough to the drone to attack when she sees a good opening. "I still have one opponent left and it's a bit free with fire control."

[Ultra Magnus]

Oracle can't see the wry smile that tilts Magnus's optics, but it's there all the same. A little firefight won't bother him.

"Appreciate the warning," he says, "but I think I'll be fine." He lets go the button and keys the doors open, eyeing the area he can see. Ruins for the most part, nothing hostile in immediate view. He edges forward, hauling out his rifle as he makes his way into the simulation, and watches his surroundings warily. Oracle may be taking on the last opponent – Magnus can hear the gunfire now – but he doesn't know her location or whether or not he might end up running into the opponent before she does.

[Oracle]

Magnus has very little worry about running into the drone before Oracle deals with it, considering she's pouncing it as she replies to him. "Still polite to warn you you're walking into a free-fire zone."

Ducking under another shot and dropping to her hands, the Seeker scissors her legs up and catches the drone on either side of it's head with the ends of her pedes. Normally that would be painful enough, but the drone crackles and sparks before going limp. The why of it's abrupt demise is revealed as Oracle coils her legs back under her, the blades on the end of each pede pulling free of the drone's processor as she does so.

"It's clear now, unless I lost count." Not likely, that. "I can change the sim room to something more suitable now, or you're welcome to do it if you like." Magnus may find other downed opponents of hers as he makes his way toward where she's standing, but there's nothing else moving in the room now but him and her.

[Ultra Magnus]

Magnus lowers his rifle, pointing it to the ground, as he crests a hill and takes in the sight of Oracle and the downed drone. He has to wonder – if she did indeed take out this one and the other two he passed along the way in hand-to-hand combat – just why she wants lessons in a form that doesn't kill nearly as cleanly when it does at all.

"Knowing how to fight in more than just a sterile training room is more important than having a tidy place to work," he says. "This is fine."

[Oracle]

Oracle would happily answer if Magnus asks! In her opinion there is no wasted learning, even if she doesn't directly use what she learns from him, she can (and probably will) incorporate pieces of it into her own style.

Standing and stretching lithely, she nods at his request to keep the room the same. "As you like." After a moment she grins slightly and picks her way around deactivated drones and rubble over to him. "I imagine that might not work as well for a beginner, but it should just present an interesting additional bit of difficulty." Looking up slightly at Magnus as she stands in front of him, her grin tilts a bit into a quirky expression of challenge. "So then, what's first?"

[Ultra Magnus]

"Neither of is is a beginner," Magnus murmurs, "so I see no problem with a challenge. Or with a brief overview of the basics." He shunts his rifle into subspace and follows the hill line, testing the ground for rubble that's somewhat more stable – as a starting point, at least. "I take it you'd rather play this as a spar than as a straightforward training session?" He glances back toward Oracle.