Predatory

Trust Issues

I stared at Tarn for a few moments, unsure of how to feel about this. "I thought the DJD was strictly five members?"

He shrugged, "I always had five because I only needed five. However, now I need someone to fill a sixth purpose. Besides, the more the merrier in my opinion." He twirled the energon in his glass. "Number two that we need to discuss, is your trust issues." He gave me a very pointed look. I shrank lower into my seat. "This isn't the seeker armada, I have completely built my team on trust, and now you're a member. This means you are going to have to figure out how to trust everyone, and how to care about them, and how to work with them. I understand the trust thing isn't going to be very easy, so I'm going to work on that most. After all you can only work well with someone after you trust them. That means you must especially trust me as the leader. Which is not at all going to be quick from what I've seen so far from you. So, I make myself available if you ever want to ask a question or rant and rave for over five hours about how Overlord is the worst thing in the world and he deserves what he got and how you just wish you could pulverized his spark but he's just too damn useful." Tarn glared at the table. I could tell this hatred ran deep. This wasn't just rivalry, this was personal.

"So I can ask....anything?"I tentatively prodded. Tarn dipped his helm. "Why did you want to know which Opera I worked for?"

He raised an optic ridge in surprise, "You don't want to know how I narrowed it down? It seems like an invasion of privacy most people would be surprised about."

"There were a total of three opera houses in the Capital city. I know ballet, yet I'm seeking justice. Something only a poor person would crave. And ballet was taught either in an opera house or by a tutor, and tutors are expensive. Not that hard to figure out. But why would you care?" I narrowed my optics.

Tarn smirked as if he had expected this. "Because one of those opera houses was famed for doubling as a small army of elite trained dancers who ran a mafia out of the back of their building. And who apparently had it out for the Autobots after one of their own to a false trial and rigged execution by their servo. And I was obviously curious if I had one of them in my team."

I looked down, wondering just how much he knew. He had to know of the Four Blades, but did he suspect me? I decided to only tell him enough to make him think I was a normal ballerina, not one of the Primas. That would still make me special, just not as much of a target.

"So you're into Earth musicals?" He asked innocently, watching my expression.

"Yeah..." I looked down in shame. Tarn chuckled.

"I suppose that makes two of us." He commented, his glass was empty and he was twirling it in his digits. I coughed.

"Wait, you like human Broadway music?" I cried in disbelief.

He gave me a disapproving look.

"Who wouldn't like human Broadway music? It's fantastic. It's also still being made and has new stuff coming out all the time. Something cybertron hasn't really done since before the war! How could I not like it! Although it would appear my team disagrees. Kaon in particularly loathes it, though I can't imagine why." He poured himself another glass thoughtfully. "I mean, a few are definitely....colorful, to say the least. But how someone can fail to appreciate the sheer musical genius of "The Phantom of the Opera" is beyond me. Shame we never found out what happened to poor Erik." He shook his helm sadly.

"Or Gustave." I added in agreement. Tarn's optics narrowed.

"He died....? That's why Christine lived in the Opera house to begin with...?" He gave me a very confused expression.

"Have you not seen the sequel?" I asked, careful not to reveal anything about the plot.

"THERE'S A SEQUEL?!" Tarn practically shrieked. His expression somewhere in-between horror, excitement, and disbelief.

I nodded slowly, remembering the stark contrast between the two works. "Yeah, there is. It's called "Love Never Dies" it's....interesting. I'd keep an open mind about it."

Tarn considered this thoughtfully. At length he remarked, "I think I have some catching up to do. I have to know what happens to Erik, he has to find love! He simply has to! He's too tragic of a character otherwise!" He apparently took this news personally.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Tarn. The leader of the DJD, and most feared 'con on Cybertron by Autobots and Decepticons alike, and he is upset by the idea of a fictitious, melodramatic, singing sewer goblin never finding love. The idea itself was hysterical, but the fact that it really was the case was even funnier. Tarn shook his helm again, then he stared at me, deep in thought. I shrank back into my seat, unsettled by his gaze.

"I have a proposition, Dreadflight," He finally muttered, after several minutes of tense silence. I squirmed a bit under his intense stare. "I have to work on your trust, and you need to learn more about the team and my expectations. So let's kill two traitors with one bullet. My proposition, is a simple game. We each get twenty questions to ask the other person. And they are obligated to answer, regardless of how personal the question may be."

"But-" I interrupted, but Tarn cut me off by raising his servo.

"I know that sounds horrid, but let me continue. You get to ask me anything you want. Anything. No matter how personal." Something in Tarn's tone told me that this information was something others would kill for. This was not information to trifle with. And his optics told me he actually meant what he said, with no limits. And something about that responsibility must have scared me into accepting, because under no other circumstances would I have replied with the answer I did. Because only a tick later did I reply with.

"I accept."

******************************************************************************

Hey guys! I am so so so so so so so so soooooooo sorry about the weird update! I published the chapter on my phone in an area with sketchy service. Apparently it didn't save the second half of the chapter, and I didn't notice until today. *facepalm* Truly my sincerest apologies! Ugh. Anyway, I rewrote it and am presently working on the next chapter! I hope you all have wonderful days! *takes a giant sip of coffee* looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me! Well, gotta get to work on your new chapter!

~swordsandroses