[IDW] Rumor Has It
a/n: Update. Now with Swindle! (And no Starscream, sadly)
Title: Rumor Has It
Universe: RID, Truth in Advertising
Characters: Blurr, Swindle
Rating: K+
Warning: None
Description: Swindle fishes for information and Blurr comes out feeling a bit cheated. All in a day's work.
For ladydragon76's flash fiction prompt, TIA, Star/Blurr, mystery wrapped in an enigma and it's giving me a fragging headache
Blurr knew, by the grin on Swindle's face, that he wasn't going to walk out of here without a helmache.
“Blurr!” Swindle greeted, throwing his arms out wide. “A pleasure to see you, my fine racing friend. Here for the usual?”
“I am,” Blurr replied, leaning against the counter. “I'm low on magnesium, too.”
Swindle winked his visor. “Whatever you say. Coming right up!” He turned away from Blurr and stepped into the room behind him, though his voice was still audible. “Speed and quality, that's the name of the game.”
“Uh-huh.” Blurr drummed his fingers on the counter, looking around the little space Swindle had carved out for himself.
Compared to what he'd had before the riots and Megatron, this was pathetic, but that particular building had been burned and smashed beyond all hopes of rebuilding, taking a good portion of Swindle's stock with it. Luckily, Swindle had been in business long enough to know better than to keep all of his goods in one location.
“How's business?” Swindle asked.
“As busy as ever. Mechs gotta drink no matter what's going on in the rest of the world.”
Swindle's helm popped into view, but only his helm. It was a somewhat disconcerting effect. “It helps that you're something of a Neutral party, yes?”
Blurr tilted his helm. “Yes.” He narrowed his optics but Swindle vanished out of view again, the noise of rummaging following his disappearance. “And you?”
“You know me. I bounce back.” Swindle chuckled. “Everyone needs something. They know if they want the best, they come to me.”
Blurr made a noncommittal noise. It was that very monopoly which made Swindle capable of charging whatever he frag well pleased. Though he'd given Blurr something of a discount as of late - for Swindle.
“What about the black outs?” Swindle asked, his vocals floating out to Blurr. “They haven't been upsetting your business.”
“Most mechs have running lights, headlights, or biolights.”
“Yes, but it's still inconvenient.” Swindle - full frame this time - walked back into view, arms laden with a box that he set on the counter in front of Blurr. He leaned an elbow atop said box. “So I heard a rumor.”
Blurr put a hand on the container, attempting to pull it toward him, but it wouldn't budge.
“A rumor,” Blurr repeated.
Swindle grinned. “Well, less a rumor and more a truth considering it was splashed over the news feed. What's this about you and Starscream?”
And there it was.
Blurr braced his elbows on the counter. There'd be no leaving out of here without a conversation. He should have guessed Swindle was working up toward it.
“Not that it's a bad deal or anything,” Swindle continued, still with that damnable smile. “It's good for business. For me anyway. Got the strangest uptick in requests for vids of your races.”
“Huh,” Blurr said.
Swindle's visor brightened. “Huh. That's all you have to say.”
Blurr rolled his shoulders in a shrug. It was going to come out anyway. Might as well control the distribution. “Huh. As in, yeah, we're fragging. So what?”
“Ever heard of the phrase not mixing business with pleasure?”
“With Starscream, they're kind of the same thing.”
Swindle burst into laughter. Strut-shaking, vent-heaving laughter. It had the effect of loosening his grip on the box though so Blurr took the opportunity to drag his supplies closer and poke through them. Swindle was the best of the best, but you couldn't trust him. Sometimes, he miscounted. On purpose.
“Aren't they though?” Swindle's shoulder shook as he chuckled and pretend-wiped at the corners of his purple optics. “So tell me, Blurr my friend buddy and pal, inquiring minds have to know. What's it like?”
“A helmache,” Blurr said flatly, and he rummaged through the packets of magnesium. “Where's my silicate?”
“At the bottom,” Swindle said, without breaking stride. “I'm not talking about his voice, Blurr. What's he like in the berth?”
“No difference. I don't see it, Swindle.”
Swindle rolled his optics and leaned over the counter, adding his own hand to help the search. “That's because it's, uh hm, not here.”
“Right. So go get it.” Blurr shooed him back toward the storage room.
Swindle didn't argue, at least, and disappeared into the back. “So this alliance,” he called out, voice almost lost to a rather sudden amount of banging, “what's in it for you?”
That's what Blurr was still trying to figure out. Other than the fantastic interfacing, Starscream was already proving to be a lot of trouble. And getting a straight answer out of that mech was the largest challenge.
“A stable Cybertron,” Blurr answered, because it was the answer he was going to give anyone who asked. Jazz might know better but who cared?
“Right,” Swindle drawled as he strolled back into view, tossing the packet of silicate toward Blurr. “Because you're just that selfless.”
“Maybe I am.”
Swindle crossed his arms on the counter and stared at Blurr. “I don't believe you. He's a fine piece of Seeker aft, but you have to know how often he lies.”
Blurr arched an orbital ridge. “Like you're one to talk.”
“Yeah, but when I do it, it's business.” Swindle waved a hand. “Isn't a mech on this planet right now who knows Starscream's true motives. The only one that might come close is stuck in prison with a bonafide Wheeljack device strapped around his waist.”
Megatron. Ugh. Blurr shuddered. He hadn't touched that particular relationship yet and frankly, he didn't want to. There had been a lot of speculation. He didn't believe any of it especially since half contradicted the other half.
“You almost sound concerned,” Blurr said, tossing the silicate into his box. He lifted it off the counter, setting it against his hip.
Swindle grinned. “What would I do without my favorite customer?” he asked, a purr in his vocals.
Not this time, Swin. Not this time.
“Find another one, I'm sure.” Blurr moved to turn away, only to pause, tilting his helm to the side. “You'll let me know if you hear anything useful, right?”
Swindle wriggled his jaw. “Useful, how?”
“Useful to me.” Blurr flattened his orbital ridge and swept a hand over his helm. “About Starscream. About the blackouts. About anything.”
“Ahhh.” A dawning understanding lit Swindle's face and he leaned back upon the counter, offering Blurr a conspiratorial wink. “What's in it for me?”
“My gratitude.”
“Pfft. Stingy.” Swindle flicked his hand in a wave. “Fine, fine. I'll keep my audials open. But I get free drinks whenever I'm at your bar.”
Blurr's vents blasted. “You're there every night!”
Swindle shrugged. “The price you pay for doing business.”
Argh. “Fine,” Blurr ground out. “But not until you bring me something of worth.”
“Deal.” They didn't have to shake on it. “Always a pleasure, Blurr.”
He wasn't sure he could say the same. So he huffed his vents again and whirled on a heel, stalking out of Swindle's Shop. Somehow, he still felt he'd come out holding the short stick.
Fragging Swindle.
This was all Starscream's fault.
****
a/n: And what did we learn with this chapter? Absolutely nothing, except that Swindle is a cheat and a liar but he's so adorable we just don't care. I had too much fun writing him.
I also promise that I will be updating War Without End this weekend with Sideswipe's part.
This entry was originally posted at http://dracoqueen22.dreamwidth.org/283836.html. Feel free to comment wherever you find most convenient.
Title: Rumor Has It
Universe: RID, Truth in Advertising
Characters: Blurr, Swindle
Rating: K+
Warning: None
Description: Swindle fishes for information and Blurr comes out feeling a bit cheated. All in a day's work.
For ladydragon76's flash fiction prompt, TIA, Star/Blurr, mystery wrapped in an enigma and it's giving me a fragging headache
Blurr knew, by the grin on Swindle's face, that he wasn't going to walk out of here without a helmache.
“Blurr!” Swindle greeted, throwing his arms out wide. “A pleasure to see you, my fine racing friend. Here for the usual?”
“I am,” Blurr replied, leaning against the counter. “I'm low on magnesium, too.”
Swindle winked his visor. “Whatever you say. Coming right up!” He turned away from Blurr and stepped into the room behind him, though his voice was still audible. “Speed and quality, that's the name of the game.”
“Uh-huh.” Blurr drummed his fingers on the counter, looking around the little space Swindle had carved out for himself.
Compared to what he'd had before the riots and Megatron, this was pathetic, but that particular building had been burned and smashed beyond all hopes of rebuilding, taking a good portion of Swindle's stock with it. Luckily, Swindle had been in business long enough to know better than to keep all of his goods in one location.
“How's business?” Swindle asked.
“As busy as ever. Mechs gotta drink no matter what's going on in the rest of the world.”
Swindle's helm popped into view, but only his helm. It was a somewhat disconcerting effect. “It helps that you're something of a Neutral party, yes?”
Blurr tilted his helm. “Yes.” He narrowed his optics but Swindle vanished out of view again, the noise of rummaging following his disappearance. “And you?”
“You know me. I bounce back.” Swindle chuckled. “Everyone needs something. They know if they want the best, they come to me.”
Blurr made a noncommittal noise. It was that very monopoly which made Swindle capable of charging whatever he frag well pleased. Though he'd given Blurr something of a discount as of late - for Swindle.
“What about the black outs?” Swindle asked, his vocals floating out to Blurr. “They haven't been upsetting your business.”
“Most mechs have running lights, headlights, or biolights.”
“Yes, but it's still inconvenient.” Swindle - full frame this time - walked back into view, arms laden with a box that he set on the counter in front of Blurr. He leaned an elbow atop said box. “So I heard a rumor.”
Blurr put a hand on the container, attempting to pull it toward him, but it wouldn't budge.
“A rumor,” Blurr repeated.
Swindle grinned. “Well, less a rumor and more a truth considering it was splashed over the news feed. What's this about you and Starscream?”
And there it was.
Blurr braced his elbows on the counter. There'd be no leaving out of here without a conversation. He should have guessed Swindle was working up toward it.
“Not that it's a bad deal or anything,” Swindle continued, still with that damnable smile. “It's good for business. For me anyway. Got the strangest uptick in requests for vids of your races.”
“Huh,” Blurr said.
Swindle's visor brightened. “Huh. That's all you have to say.”
Blurr rolled his shoulders in a shrug. It was going to come out anyway. Might as well control the distribution. “Huh. As in, yeah, we're fragging. So what?”
“Ever heard of the phrase not mixing business with pleasure?”
“With Starscream, they're kind of the same thing.”
Swindle burst into laughter. Strut-shaking, vent-heaving laughter. It had the effect of loosening his grip on the box though so Blurr took the opportunity to drag his supplies closer and poke through them. Swindle was the best of the best, but you couldn't trust him. Sometimes, he miscounted. On purpose.
“Aren't they though?” Swindle's shoulder shook as he chuckled and pretend-wiped at the corners of his purple optics. “So tell me, Blurr my friend buddy and pal, inquiring minds have to know. What's it like?”
“A helmache,” Blurr said flatly, and he rummaged through the packets of magnesium. “Where's my silicate?”
“At the bottom,” Swindle said, without breaking stride. “I'm not talking about his voice, Blurr. What's he like in the berth?”
“No difference. I don't see it, Swindle.”
Swindle rolled his optics and leaned over the counter, adding his own hand to help the search. “That's because it's, uh hm, not here.”
“Right. So go get it.” Blurr shooed him back toward the storage room.
Swindle didn't argue, at least, and disappeared into the back. “So this alliance,” he called out, voice almost lost to a rather sudden amount of banging, “what's in it for you?”
That's what Blurr was still trying to figure out. Other than the fantastic interfacing, Starscream was already proving to be a lot of trouble. And getting a straight answer out of that mech was the largest challenge.
“A stable Cybertron,” Blurr answered, because it was the answer he was going to give anyone who asked. Jazz might know better but who cared?
“Right,” Swindle drawled as he strolled back into view, tossing the packet of silicate toward Blurr. “Because you're just that selfless.”
“Maybe I am.”
Swindle crossed his arms on the counter and stared at Blurr. “I don't believe you. He's a fine piece of Seeker aft, but you have to know how often he lies.”
Blurr arched an orbital ridge. “Like you're one to talk.”
“Yeah, but when I do it, it's business.” Swindle waved a hand. “Isn't a mech on this planet right now who knows Starscream's true motives. The only one that might come close is stuck in prison with a bonafide Wheeljack device strapped around his waist.”
Megatron. Ugh. Blurr shuddered. He hadn't touched that particular relationship yet and frankly, he didn't want to. There had been a lot of speculation. He didn't believe any of it especially since half contradicted the other half.
“You almost sound concerned,” Blurr said, tossing the silicate into his box. He lifted it off the counter, setting it against his hip.
Swindle grinned. “What would I do without my favorite customer?” he asked, a purr in his vocals.
Not this time, Swin. Not this time.
“Find another one, I'm sure.” Blurr moved to turn away, only to pause, tilting his helm to the side. “You'll let me know if you hear anything useful, right?”
Swindle wriggled his jaw. “Useful, how?”
“Useful to me.” Blurr flattened his orbital ridge and swept a hand over his helm. “About Starscream. About the blackouts. About anything.”
“Ahhh.” A dawning understanding lit Swindle's face and he leaned back upon the counter, offering Blurr a conspiratorial wink. “What's in it for me?”
“My gratitude.”
“Pfft. Stingy.” Swindle flicked his hand in a wave. “Fine, fine. I'll keep my audials open. But I get free drinks whenever I'm at your bar.”
Blurr's vents blasted. “You're there every night!”
Swindle shrugged. “The price you pay for doing business.”
Argh. “Fine,” Blurr ground out. “But not until you bring me something of worth.”
“Deal.” They didn't have to shake on it. “Always a pleasure, Blurr.”
He wasn't sure he could say the same. So he huffed his vents again and whirled on a heel, stalking out of Swindle's Shop. Somehow, he still felt he'd come out holding the short stick.
Fragging Swindle.
This was all Starscream's fault.
****
a/n: And what did we learn with this chapter? Absolutely nothing, except that Swindle is a cheat and a liar but he's so adorable we just don't care. I had too much fun writing him.
I also promise that I will be updating War Without End this weekend with Sideswipe's part.
This entry was originally posted at http://dracoqueen22.dreamwidth.org/283836.html. Feel free to comment wherever you find most convenient.