The Diego Diaries: Clubbin' (dd8 361)
=0=Moving around
They walked from the Metro toward The Strip as the club and restaurant district was called in Retriades. The Seekers were tearing up the town with their first win in forever. It was certain that Aerie Hill would be rocking all night long. Reaching a bar, they entered the packed premises, took in the sights, then walked back out.
"That's shoulder to shoulder in there," Edict said.
Madura nodded. "I know. What about the Crystal Ball?"
"The last time we were there someone shot up the place. Perfection," Ratchet said as he began to weave down the street.
After they retrieved them for going the wrong way, all of them hiked it up to the huge dance hall, bar and restaurant where if you wanted to hook up, you could. The only thing that wasn't guaranteed was the quality of your partner. They entered, then disappeared into the madly dancing, madly drinking and madly eating mob of happiness inside.
=0=Hotel
"You cheat."
"You're a sore loser."
Ironhide eyeballed his grandpa as Raptor smirked at him.
Raking in the Oreos, Raptor of Praxus made a point of eating all of Ironhide's that were in the pot. "There's nothing like being so rich you can eat your own coins."
"More beer?" Sideswipe said as he rose to get another.
It would be unanimous. More beer.
=0=Clubbing
They found a bench along the wall and sat to watch the floor show and drink beer. Kestrel and Corsair who had come along were talking as they sipped a cold one. They were staying sober but the taste of a good cold beer was nothing to turn down once or so. Joon and Miler who were getting lit laughed together as they slugged down another one. Ravel, Chan and Bron-E talked about children and work as they sipped a non-high grade drink that looked pretty in their glasses.
Down the row, Ratchet watched the squad and considered the diverse personalities who made it up. Some weren't here, newbies who were busy with family obligations to their comical despair. "IF YOU GET ARRESTED CALL ME AND I'LL BREAK SOMETHING TO JOIN YOU IN JAIL!"
Prowl and Bluestreak were helm to helm in discussion. The others were drinking, laughing and talking happily. It felt good to relax after the month they'd just had.
Nearby dancing madly were mechs and the odd femme that they knew. Most of this crowd was young, single and on the prowl. The energy was high octane, the music loud and the food and drink first class. The family that owned this place loved it, dreamed all their life to have it and made it a landmark for the young up and coming crowd and the odd elder like the squad who came in to tear up the place.
Ratchet relaxed against the wall and watched Mistermaster make his moves on a couple of amused youngsters nearby who were leaning against one of the three bars that were placed around the huge space. It was hilarious to watch him give his amore to mechs who were passing through to the races from the brief bits of commentary he could pick up. As he drank his beer and glanced around the room watching the funny folk a large group of mini-con mechs walked in, paused in the doorway nearby to check out the room, then cut a wide swath to the bar.
Ratchet nudged Prowl. "Hey, Granny. Look what swaggered in."
Prowl stared at the group milling at the bar for a drink, then frowned. "Maybe those little munchkins are the ones the Watch is looking for."
"You aren't profiling are ya? Seeing every mini-con around as that group?" Ratchet asked.
"As if," Prowl sniffed, then rose unsteadily. "I'll go find out." He set out for the bar before Ratchet could grab him.
"Oh, oh," Ratchet said as he rose unsteadily to follow.
=0=Party, Hotel
Food was everywhere and all of it was good. The kitchenette of the apartment-style hotel room was a godsend for trays, pots and other items that Ratchet had set in. Pizza delivered was a nice unexpected surprise and they were taking a break to nosh.
"This is the life," Sun said as he relaxed on a chair. "Win a game before billions of individuals, get a chat on the news show afterward, then this. The Matrix should be this good."
Jack snickered, then turned on the television with the sound down. It was halfway through the replay of the Vos v Polyhex game. "Look at that. Those slaggers have a better offense now."
Everyone did, look that is and it was quiet a moment as they sipped, ate and watched the game.
"Starscream pulled the team together. He got some of his sharpshooters to be on the offense. Apparently Rainmaker finds his zeal to win hilarious," Hard Drive said. "Don't misunderstand me. They want to win but Rainmaker finds Starscream hilarious. I do, too. Now."
Everyone agreed with that as they watched a good organized and precise offense tear down the hopes and dreams of Polyhex. They were fast, passed well, looked to have plays and appeared to have more practice.
"We might have some competition," Optimus said with a grin as he sat in the big chair by the fireplace. "We must not let that happen."
Huge laughter greeted that, then the news came on at a break in the game. Raptor turned up the sound.
"And in the latest news available, small gangs of mini-con mechs who were part of the altercation at the Crater Comet-Kaon Kavalier game at the Sports Arena in Retriades are said to be causing disturbances in bars in that district including the Crystal Ball."
Ironhide smirked. "Good for Drift and Springer. I wonder who's going at it with them."
"I imagine that's its just about everybody over three feet tall," Sun said with a chuckle.
"HEY!" Bumblebee said as he rose to his peds to hop around throwing punches in the air, the cutie pie.
"That's my mech you're talking about," First Aid said. "Mini-cons forever."
"Who's going to Magistrate's Court tomorrow?" Hardie asked.
Everyone was including Bee and Aid.
=0=Bar, Mini-cons, Drunk Prowl, Mistermaster
Prowl tottered over to the bar, then leaned on it. "Hey," he said.
The entire group turned around to look at him including the mini-cons, Mistermaster, the two guys he was flirting with, a bartender reaching for his iron billy club under the counter just in case and Ratchet.
"Did any of you attend the Crater-Kaon game?"Prowl asked.
All of them nodded yes.
"I'm Prowl and I was a police officer," Prowl began.
"He was. The best detective that ever lived anywhere," Ratchet said, then he smiled his best and most dazzling smile.
Everyone took it in for a moment, then turned toward Prowl.
"I want to know if any of you mini-cons were part of the group that made a spectacle of themselves on camera to about a zillion different planets," Prowl asked as he frowned at them.
The mini-cons stared at Prowl, then a tipsy Ratchet who dazzled them with a smile, then Prowl again.
"No," they said as one.
Given that Prowl's police radar was bent under the weight of his intoxication, he nodded. "Okay." With that, he began to weave his way back to the squad.
Ratchet watched him go, then looked at the mini-cons. He smiled. "You're lying. Right?" he asked through his smile.
They grinned at him, then nodded yes.
"Good to know. See ya," Ratchet said as he turned around and bobbled off toward the general direction of the squad.
"Nice smile, that one," a mini-con said.
"Nice everything," another said as everyone of the little slaggers laughed.
They got their beer, walked to another bench just down from the squad, then sat.
Mistermaster watched them go, then turned back to the two mechs he was flirting with. They were already gone. He sighed, ordered another beer, then glanced around to avoid his nephew who would bounce him out of here for his eclectic tastes in pursuing mechs of any caste without distinction.
Yes, his nephew was still an asshole.
=0=Hotel, News, Beer
They listened to the update which told of fights from all points of the compass in the big sprawling metropolis of the Autobots. Mini-con bands were hitting the hot spots to have fun, get into fights and live by the Mini-Con Code. It was summed up in just a few words: FRAG THE TALL SLAGGERS! FRAG THEM ALL!
That one.
The scene on the screen showed a bar in Pax being emptied out as Watchmen and a femme officer of the Watch dragged out three mini-cons cuffed up the wazoo. The crowd shouted as much abuse at them as they did toward the rubberneckers. Stuffing them into a paddy wagon, they transformed and drove off to answer another call. They were followed by the van filled with howling munchkins.
The call was to the Crystal Ball in Retriades.
=0=IntraCom, a roving news team, a bar fight, chaos
The group arrived in their van and hopped out to get the story that was underway inside one of the most popular night spots in the colony, the Crystal Ball. This bar, restaurant and dance club was huge, had wall to wall mirrors on the ceiling and walls as well as crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. It was a beautiful place with a specially designed lighting system to make the place sparkle. It was said if you were drunk enough you could even get seizures from the refraction.
Inside the place which was about five businesses down from the Sports Arena of Retriades, the club was having a brawl. Inside, nice kids and their dates were trying to get out of the way of a howling mob of mini-cons, a few soldiers trying to undo the chaos and a bunch of kids who were as a drunk as the mini-cons but found their company 'common'.
Yes, the plague of the System of Exception was still here especially among the newer arrivals through the Port.
Bartenders and security from the club had the brawl cornered in a lounge room where the damage would be minimal in this beautiful place. Outside, they could hear sirens heading their way even as a number of horse patrolmen pulled up to run inside. Among them were Drift and Springer.
It would be a really rocking night.
=0=Hotel, News, Games, Booze
They were knocking them back good, all present when the news began to display an onsite scenario from Retriades, breathless reporters included. Someone turned up the sound and everyone paused their games but not their beer to watch.
"The call came just a moment ago concerning a fight going on inside. The in-house security team won't allow us in but told us that they contained the altercation in one of the many lounges this place provides for parties and small group gatherings. No one can say what's happening inside but that the fight was between mini-cons and a number of youths that may or not have arisen out of sentiment involving the System of Exception," the reporter said as a mech flew through the doors to roll in the street before colliding with a paddy wagon.
"Oh slag," Blackjack said. "I wonder if Alie is involved. He'd punch someone for that." He took it off line. :Alor. Where are you?:
After a beat Alor answered. :I'm kind of busy here, 'Jack. Call me later."
"Oh frag," Blackjack said before laughing loudly and long.
=0=TBC 02-06-2022
ESL ...
rubberneck, rubberneckers, rubbernecking: a rubbernecker is someone who is watching an event, crime, or happening of some kind, turning their head this way and that to see. To rubberneck is to do that, gawk at the scene of an event without entering it. Rubbernecking is to do it. There. That's more than you ever wanted or needed to know. Its a sort of 1940's sort of thing to say.
gawk, gawking: to stare at something without participating but just busybody yourself.
busybody: someone who sticks their nose into something (usually to gossip later) by rubbernecking while they gawk.
