[intro] it is time for a large, screaming distraction

[heelstruts]

There's an aeroplane cringing in the aviary.

...Look, close enough. A castle can't be expected to go through every little detail with a fine-toothed comb. A loud thing with wings probably belongs in the aviary and that's all that matters.

For a long, awkward moment, Starscream seems frozen where he is. There are birds perched on his pauldrons, wings, and upheld claws, many of them singing jubiously (about murder).

He opens an eye and peers around as if he were expecting something else. He lifts a claw and stares a songbird right in the eyes.

Starscream flails violently and the flock dissipates, and his next indignant screech is loud enough to echo.

"Who dares?"

Comments

[dustless]

That...was loud.

Frisk was already heading towards the bird tower on their own, but that shriek has them picking up the pace from nearly two halls away, though it's still at least a minute before they actually make it to the door and crack it open.

And pause.

...It's a robot.

It's the biggest robot they've ever seen.

Frisk pushes the door open a little wider, craning their neck. "Um," they say, almost definitely too quiet to hear over the startled screaming of birds. And the...other one.

[heelstruts]

Frisk was very quiet, and Starscream is very distracted, so right now he doesn't seem to have noticed. He turns this way and that, looking for what or who could possibly have teleported him into an aviary. But he's looking for other giant robots, not tiny human children, and so that's a spot check doomed to fail.

Satisfied that he's alone, he begins talking to himself. "...Well. Certainly not Cybertron. Earth, perhaps. But why...?" A pause, and he brightens a bit, beginning to pace slowly around the aviary as he takes stock of his surroundings. "No, no! Don't look a gift Predacon in the mouth, Starscream. This is preferable to the alternative..." A bird recovers from the initial fright, and flits over to perch on his antenna while he's distracted. This whole thing sure would be embarrassing if anyone else was here, which they're not! He checked. "Perhaps this was a freak groundbridge accident. Yes... A miscalculated rescue. Or... was this on purpose?"

Mutter, mutter, stalk, stalk. He's heading towards the door. Frisk might be in a little danger of getting stepped on.

[dustless]

There's a lot to take in here, and for whatever reason, the fact the doorway--which was already big in the first place--is a lot bigger than it used to be is what they start thinking about first. Probably big enough to fit this giant robot, if there's a little ducking, though that bird on top might be in for a rough time. (Another point in their private tally of the castle does know what it's doing, that it can think.)

'Earth' and 'rescue' just about the only word they get from there properly. Those're some loud, giant footsteps, and there's feathers all over the floor rustling 'cause of them. Someone coming from somewhere troubling, again, and Frisk presses their lips into a line.

Their throat's bad enough they probably can't yell loud enough to be heard. There's already a tightness there, but they're still able to cut it down to a small rumble instead of gross coughing, and they try catching attention by clapping their hands. They can probably dodge if he tries stomping them on purpose, those're heels even more dramatic than a Mettaton's, so lots of space to duck into the arch if they gotta. Hopefully not. They're trying not to assume about new people so much lately.

[heelstruts]

The clapping gets his attention, alright. Just as he's about to bring his foot down dangerously close to where Frisk is standing, Starscream freezes, lifting his foot away and peering down.

Ugh, he almost stepped in people! He scowls, flares his wings, and jabs an accusing finger in Frisk's direction.

"You! Human. Where are we?"

He'll deal with the seen-by-people thing later. The jig is obviously already up.

you don't have to stick 2 prose if you'd rather not tbh :V

[dustless]

They sort of twitch, but a giant robot wouldn't be the worst way to go out, but it'd be bad to get people mad at him already.

Frisk takes a few steps back anyway, so they don't mess up their neck so badly trying to look him in the eye.

...Red eyes.

"Castle." Their eyes roam over him, checking out the wings mostly. They don't look like they should work, but they probably do. Super tech or magic or something. "In the sky. If you didn't see," they add, guessing he crashed through the roof, just that he's sort of in the way of any holes they can see.

but CONSISTENCY

[heelstruts]

Starscream rolls his eyes indignantly, as if he already knew this, and gives a subtle glance around. It may be unfamiliar in that it's made of materials you don't find in Cybertronian engineering, but he recognises architecture meant to impress when he sees it. Castle, then. But in the sky? Warships hang in the sky. Castles... Perhaps there's some kind of engine, somewhere, but he doesn't feel any vibrations.

"Of... course." That's the only response that warrants, anyway. "Well, aren't you the helpful tour guide. You will take me to the-" bridge? Command deck? All wrong. "...Outside. Show me outside." Starscream folds his claws at his back and stands up taller.

He's obviously got nothing to fear here. This human isn't even one of the cunning little brats that hangs around with the Autobots, so it seems unlikely there's anyone nearby who poses a threat.

Things Starscream hasn't noticed (yet): the castle reshaping itself to fit him, the fact his T-cog has suddenly stopped functioning, and the bird still hanging out on his antenna. No doubt all three will cause varying degrees of surprise later.

WHO CARE do what's comfortable

[dustless]

"Yeah, am," they agree easily, pretending the sarcasm flew over their head. Like that bird over his. If this robot had hair, it'd look sort of like a cute feathery hair pin.

Outside of the initial screeching and wrecking of the giant tree (which might've been an accident), he's being pretty okay for someone new so far. And they've got a weakness for red eyes. More specifically, people being nasty to anyone who has them. So, despite the hugeness and the claws and the...maybe-a-missile wait what the hell okay maybe that's a little worrying--he's not seen as a particularly high threat. Not to Frisk, anyway.

There's time to keep an eye and explain things. So with a nod and a toothy (fangy) grin, they start heading back the way they came and wave at him to follow.

"Outside! Gardens or Edge?"

[heelstruts]

Oh, that's a good question. Starscream ponders this for a moment, frowning. Then he gives a short hm, lets Frisk get a little bit further away, and strides slowly after them. (Why did he think following a creature this small was a good thing to suggest?)

"Take me to this... edge."

Maybe it's the kind of edge he can take a leap off of and fly out of this ridiculous place. He has a lot of things to do, like track down who brought him here and give them an aloof cold shoulder by ignoring them completely. And then there's the matter of Megatron. Yes, he'll be very busy figuring out what, by the Allspark, he is supposed to do with himself now.

Edge sounds much more interesting than a garden, anyway.

"...And move faster."

[dustless]

They don't move faster. For one, it would make them cough. For another, while they can tolerate rudeness, they don't see the need to right yet. The Edge is where it is, and they'll make it eventually. Not like he can't run off if he wants, and they can just find him again later.

"Sorry. You're too tall."

Barely tilting their head, Frisk can see his shape over their shoulder. Those wing-things jut out pretty far--far enough they should scrape the edges of the doorway, and the hallway, but they don't. That's...neat. And sort of unsettling. Makes them a tiny bit dizzy.

Anyway. Wing-things that aren't being used, and this robot obviously fell in the bird tower. It feels like an easy puzzle. "You hurt anything?"

[heelstruts]

Starscream makes a displeased noise at their response. He's not too tall. They're too small. Little tiny humans did not come first!

...He finds himself flagging his wings down slightly, testing his ailerons, sending a couple of queries here and there. All green - at least, as green as it ever gets. He's not the most smoothly-running giant robot in the universe.

"No," he says sharply, even though something does feel wrong and he can't quite put his finger on it.

Then the question re-registers. He double-takes and stares down at Frisk, deeply suspicious.

"Why?" Was this a set-up? Was he supposed to be injured? Is Frisk the mastermind all along? Oh no???

[dustless]

Kinda looks like he's a giant butterfly. Or a fairy, complete with magic animal-summoning powers. Frisk looks forward quickly before their grin shows too obviously.

They plant their feet over a crack in the stones and balance right on it, sticking their arms out, 'cause they can.

"You...crashed, didn't you?" Or so they assumed. Maybe the amount of foliage scattered on the bottom of the tower was the usual amount. "You screamed pretty loud," they add.

well i think theyll have the screaming in common

[seditixn]

Hmmm. Seems like fuckery is afoot. Sed was just chilling in his block and minding his own business, but someone hollering like a grub's cartoon villain somewhere down the hall is always a call for attention. He still has the book he was reading open in his hands when he reaches the aviary, for all that it's forgotten when he finally gets there and sees.

"Holy shit," he says. That sure is a robot! Big robot. Good robot. "You good?" he asks, because why not.

SORRY THIS IS LATE but yes. best shoutfriends forever

[heelstruts]

Fuckery is the only good term for it. Starscream whirls around, claws flexing like he's about to rugby tackle whoever just spoke. But the voice is coming from very far down, and he double-takes before sagging a bit. It just won't do to show surprise in front of such a small creature. That would be humiliating! He straightens up and pretends to be very interested in dusting off his chest plating.

"What. Yes. I'm fine."

The suddenly-very-aloof act would be way more convincing if he didn't have a songbird still hanging out on his wing.

"Someone brought me here against my will. Surely not you," he says accusingly, and raises an eyebrow. "No. Too primitive... You will answer my questions, whoever you are - and then perhaps I will spare my ammunition."