Caw-Caw

[predaconchow]

Who: Starscream and YOU
What: Shistscram is freed from one kind of bird jail, but is still just as trapped as ever in the other. Er. He's out of his cage, but he's still trapped inside a tiny feathery body.
Where: Here, there and everywhere around the carnival grounds.
When: After the Matrix
Warnings: Nothing worse than a Rude Nasty Bird.


First the Ringmaster turns him into a crow, then he gets shoved into solitary for an extended period of time. Truly, the cruelty of the tyrants that run this place knows no bounds.
At least, that’s how Starscream sees it. Anyone sensible who actually has the full story would unanimously agree that he deserved it for being a wad, but, Starscream isn’t a Cybertronian known for taking responsibility for his actions.

Regardless, he’s back now. Free, in a sense… or as free as he can get when he’s bound to the carnival grounds. As soon as he’d been turned loose from the Ringmaster’s tent he’d taken wing and flown as high as he could get, circling several times around the carnival grounds before settling atop the peak of the Big Top. He’s been out of action for a while… the first thing he should probably do is get the lay of the land.


A. Somebody’s watching you…

Relative newcomers to the carnival scene may find themselves suffering under the uncanny sense that they’re being watched. That feeling can be traced back to a singular source: A large, black and grey crow that has been skulking around the fairgrounds, watching workers and guests alike with its beady little eyes. It doesn’t seem to be particularly malevolent, nor does it seem to want anything. It’s just watching you, far more closely than any regular crow should be. In fact there’s something unsettlingly intelligent about its gaze, even by corvid standards. Like it knows and understands far more than it should, or that maybe it’s capable of speaking to you, and just hasn’t spoken up yet.

Wherever you are, if Starscream doesn’t recognize you, he’s going to be watching you. Trying to size you up, and figure out if you’re the type of person who might be useful to know…


Bad Blood (closed to Veterans)

Likewise, veterans of the carnival who have been around since before the vampires attacked may also get that same feeling of being watched, but Starscream is being far more furtive about it with you. In some cases, depending on past interactions, he may even be avoiding you, cawing and flying away at first eye contact.

Basically this is a sort of vague prompt for establishing old CR and playing out reactions to seeing a known traitor and troublemaker out and about on the grounds once more. Starscream used to work as a scout before he hecked up and got a one-way ticket to crow town, so veterans from that area will likely know him as a former 30 ft. tall robot with a nasty attitude. He’s kind of a negative CR machine. Message me at awkwardpossum if you want to set up anything concrete for this.

Comments

[otoko]

[Well, if it's veterans he's spying on...

Carly, scout as she was, is predictable enough. Starscream might not have even NEEDED to spy on that one. If anything she was probably as awkwardly accepting of everything as always, and unintentionally taunting with her ability to Stop Being A Bird. Avoid At All Costs

Gongenzaka, however...well, first he'll have to recognize the kid. Man. Man-kid-doghorsewhat-. His face was certainly not this beast-like before the war, and during the war itself?

He sort of died. And even if Starscream wasn't aware of that initially...he probably became aware of it SOMEHOW. It's hard to miss someone being dead for that long. But hey, when it comes to those who know their way around Giant Robots...]

Hmmmnnn...

[The 'thing' sniffs. Why does it feel he is being watched...] ...Who goes there..?

[predaconchow]

"Just an innocent bystander," comes a silky voice. The crow flutters and lands in view at last, peering closely at Gongenzaka. He gets the unsettling sense that he knows this person, but...

[betheman]

[.............Oh. Oh he knows that voice. The details are probably going to take a minute or two (or three), but Starscream's voice is a VERY memorable sort of silky.

It's the kind that makes one pause and double check the 'hand wash only' label. To throw in the machine or not, hmmmm...

As it is.

He is squinting even harder now, if that were possible.] ....I, the man Gongenzaka, do not believe you...

[Well if Starscream didn't know who this was BEFORE...]

[predaconchow]

[Primus. It's the high and mighty honorable one. He's made a terrible mistake.

Starscream drops the whole 'sweet and pleasant' act and growls, shuffling his wings and settling back a bit.]

Mmmm. I see you haven't changed a bit.

[He can't help but sound a little bit derisive.]

Well... aside from physically, of course.

a

[atouts]

It's only just outside of trailer #19 — home, for the time being — that Childermass picks up on being watched. He really isn't more than five steps out the door before he pauses, frowning thoughtfully as he tries to decide if he's imagining things or not. As he doesn't often imagine things, well, he'll settle on 'yes, I'm being watched'.

He'll reach into one pocket as he looks around, though for what, it doesn't quite matter. He won't get as far as to pull anything out, since looking around ends with him spotting the crow. So, just a bird... or is it?

"You're a big one..."

For now, let's assume this is actually a crow, so he'll talk to it as casually as one might a dog. This time, when he searches his pockets, it's for something else entirely. He doesn't have any food, but he did manage to get a few of the bigger sequins from wardrobe caught on himself the last time he visited. They're still in his pocket, his other pocket, so he'll fish out one of those. Usually, a bird will be more interested in food, but shiny things for crows works on occasion.

He'll hold up one of those, turning it in the sunlight to try and coax the bird down.

"You're too fat to be wild, so why don't you come down here? I have something for you."

[predaconchow]

He's likely never seen a crow look more offended. Starscream's feathers are, quite literally, ruffled. Weight is a non-issue when you're a robot, but he's figured out from context at this point that generally, people only ever say someone is 'fat' as an insult.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's generally considered rude to provide unsolicited commentary on another person's appearance?" the crow growls, lowering his head and swaying irritably.

[atouts]

"Ah. Of course. You're a magical talking crow," is Childermass's first response after a moment of simply staring at Starscream. Yes. A talking crow. That makes about as much sense in this place as anything else, he supposes. "But no, it would seem I missed that day in school."

And any day in school, actually, but that's not the point. In any case, he's still holding the big gold-colored sequin aloft and he'll continue on like he hadn't just offended a chatty bird.

"So is that a no on wanting this?"

Bad Blood?

[dorkypantsuit]

It's not a feeling he gets very often, but when he does it's impossible to ignore. He looks around, over his shoulders and back in front of him again, but sees no one. He's not looking for a bird, and even if he saw it, his mind would probably have skipped right over it. After all, it wasn't like a bird could actually spy on someone. Right?

So he decides to ignore the feeling and go back to his work, but the more he works the more annoying it gets. He knows this can't just be his imagination.

"Is someone there?" he calls out, looking around a second time.

[predaconchow]

"Did you seriously not see me standing here this entire time?" Starscream says from where he's perched, oozing malicious amusement. There he is. Just a crow. He doesn't make any kind of showy entrance, he's just. There. staring down at Psii with his beady little eyes.

"Then again, you are quite the busy bee at the moment, aren't you?" he observes, cocking his head. If he and Psii had ever exchanged words at all before, it shouldn't be too hard to pinpoint the identity of the feathery little fiend.

[dorkypantsuit]

His expression drops as he realizes just who it is he's speaking to. He's clearly irritated at making the connection between crow and shitty ass robot douchebag.

"Yeah, considering I have arms and legs and can generally be of use to people I am pretty busy. So maybe you can just fuck off."

A.

[fragileandsoft]

It's not too terribly long after Starscream's begun watching that Greg catches notice of him. Not because Greg's particularly observant, mind you. Rather, Greg is a largely ordinary and unremarkable addition to the carnival, and easy to write off for anyone trying to size up people worth knowing.

In the middle of working Greg takes a brief break for a handful of chips and a swig from a water bottle, and notices his observer. Maybe the bird is intelligent, maybe it's just a bird, he can't fathom to guess, but it IS watching him. Either way, he has to assume it's interested in one particular thing.

"Hey. You want some?" He holds out a chip towards Starscream. Everybody loves chips.

[predaconchow]

Indeed, Starscream has written Greg off as being of little use to him, by this point. He had just been gearing up to take off and direct his attention elsewhere in the carnival, when the human actually addresses him, pulling him back.

Is that... food...?

The crow cocks its head, sizing up the offering. Gone are the days of consuming nothing but Energon; Starscream actually has to eat on a regular basis now, much to his chagrin, and that chip is far more tempting than he'd like to admit.

"...Whatever that is, it doesn't exactly seem like the sort of substance that one can partake in very easily when one is in possession of a beak," he says aloud suddenly, eyes narrowed.

[fragileandsoft]

In turn, Greg's head tilts ever so slightly. Maybe he's spent too much around seagulls, but he thought beaks were pretty well suited for anything. Maybe it's different for crows. Or maybe just talking crows?

He looks at the offered snack in his hand a moment, before crunching it in his fist. He holds out the handful of crumbs.

"That better?"

A! (I hope this works asdhask)

[musicinmotion]

Yuuri had been trying his best to get use to the layout of the grounds, exploring when he had the time and just trying to make sense of things still. After two days of being here it was starting to set in just how permanent and real this was and needless to say he was a little out of sorts because of it.

But hey, he was trying his best to stay calm and figure out how to survive in this place!

Which is why he's currently on his way to track down Joker with the intent of talking to him about the whole ice skating thing when he can't help but shiver slightly at the feeling of someone watching. His steps slow until he comes to a complete stop, looking around before finally spotting the crow.

Alright. That's not..unsettling or anything. Not at all.

"It's just a bird, that's all," he muttered to himself, staring at the creature for a moment longer before he cleared his throat and turned to start off again. Just a normal, strangely intelligent looking bird. Nothing strange at all.

[predaconchow]

Having already sized Yuuri up as fresh meat, Starscream, being the brilliant and vengeful tactician that he is, sees a potential opportunity here. Newbies are easy to manipulate, in theory, and it never hurts to have a few pawns in reserve. He'll need all the resources he can get, after all, if he's going to have any hope of outfoxing the Ringmaster one day.

One thing at a time, though. First he needs to find out more about this human. Test the waters. If he's an unwilling addition to the Carnival's ranks, he could prove to be a useful ally.

"Assuming things like that is a habit that's likely to get you injured or worse, around here," Starscream purrs, watching eagerly for the reaction he's certain he's going to get out of this nervous looking guy.

[musicinmotion]

Yuuri froze.

Who was...where was...

Slowly he turns back around, glancing over at the bird and staring at it for a long quiet moment. There was no way. This place was weird, sure, but there was no way that bird had just said all of that.

"...I'm not sure what kind of magic trick this is but it's--it's a good one! You should use it in the show!" he said with a weak start of a smile, looking around now to try and find whoever was actually responsible for the voice.

Because it wasn't the bird. There was no way.

Bad Blood

[dontpokethat]

...How long has that crow been here?

Ginko frowns, pausing in his work and leaning up against a nearby fence for a few moments. "Where'd you come from, huh?"

Really, it's not like him randomly talking to the animals is anything new.

[predaconchow]

"Well now that's an interesting question, would you prefer the long answer, or the short?" says the bird, with all the weighty smugness of a person expecting to get the drop on someone. 'Sup, Ginko.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko blinks and straightens up, his ears flicking. Then his mouth twists into something that's trying very hard not to become a full-on scowl.

"...Starscream? It's, uh. Been a while."

A 8>

[pullingamiko]

Okay, Miko has seen some weird crap since getting here, so... getting watched by this bird doesn't really compare.

But it is kind of creepy.

So obviously the thing to do is just stare at him right back - then prod at him with the handle of her broom. "Hey, what're you looking at?"

[predaconchow]

Honestly, the only reason Starscream had dared to get this close to Miko in the first place was under the assumption that he, being a self-proclaimed master of subterfuge and stealth, could keep his cover long enough to get good idea of just what the hell she's doing here.

Already, she's making doing so a challenge.

"Don't you poke me with that cleaning implement," the Decepticon snarls, half fluttering to the side to avoid contact. Humans.

[pullingamiko]

When the bird talks, Miko yanks the broom back, holding it up like she's ready to smack at him. That was not regular talking-bird kind of speech?? And also it kind of sounded... really. Really. Familiar.

"...No way." She frowns and leans forward, squinting at him as if she's expecting to notice some previously unseen proof of identity. Like tiny metal bird eyebrows, or weird heel-feet. "There is no way. Hey, just what is your deal?"

/finally gets here, Bad Blood

[pipers_son]

Joker had asked, ages ago, what the Ringmaster had done with the troublemaker that had cost so many lives and harmed so many others. The vampires had been one thing; it'd been another for one of their own to turn on them especially when it reminds him of too many unpleasant memories. Getting an actual answer had been both a relief and a disappointment.

He's just saying. Crows don't deserve a scumbag like that counting amongst their number.

So when he first sees the crow hanging around, he almost doesn't think anything of it... until it bolts the second it looks back at him. Well then. Easy enough after that to remember that there shouldn't be any crows in the carnival, not considering their last stop, and Joker immediately, uncharacteristically, puts off his work to hunt down the feathery pest.

He's actually quite good at sneaking around, a fact that might surprise people considering his loud presence and tendency towards flash. But he does sneak, keeping an eye on the crow and making sure it's distracted by something else as he carefully, carefully makes his way over...

Starscream will realize his presence when he suddenly flaps up right behind him with a loud, "Cheers, mate!"

There may or may not be a little bit of venom in those two words.

[predaconchow]

Joker if you thought Starscream was going to do anything other than scream and bolt the second you did that, you're way off base. Although in this case, it's more like he caws and bolts. In all the thousands of years he's been alive, too many people have wanted him dead or captured for him to have developed anything less than a hair-trigger reaction to being creeped up on.

...Granted, as a crow, he's not exactly as fast as he could be. A person with quick reflexes could grab him quite easily, if they so chose. Otherwise that crow is going to the top of the nearest game stall, where he can face his presumed attacker from a safe distance.

[pipers_son]

Honestly, that’s exactly what he was hoping for, and Joker is so pleased that he doesn’t even try to catch him. Instead, the stage manager settles on the spot Starscream has just recently vacated, chin balanced on the back of his hand as he leers at the former robot.

“Now is that any way ta greet an old coworker?”