Magos himself looked hesitant- turning his head and red optics between the smiling Legend and her chest as if considering whether he wanted to paw at her chest on global television. She wouldn't have felt it with her lack of nerve-endings, but she figured that would have really turned her on though. She also had to resist the urge to thrust her chest out towards his hands. Well, at least she knew that her additions were noticed.
"...Fine." Magos reluctantly nodded as he fell in step with Legend. His red-robes contrasting nicely with the hero's blue and white bodysuit.
The media team led the way down the corridor- cameras pointed back at Magos and Legend who were at the head of the crowd and chatting amiably as the camera continued rolling. However, now came the tricky part: Magos had to play nice in front of the PRT Directors including Chief Director Costa-Brown.
(A few short minutes later)
They settled down in the base's largest boardroom.
A spacious interior that looked more like a small airplane hangar than a boardroom with its high ceiling and expansive interior. Plush grey carpet covering the floor and cream-white walls. A single pane window stretched the entire western wall- overlooking the city. Magos' gothic manufactorum clearly visible in the distance.
A great rectangular table commanded the centre of the room with enough black leather seats for everyone. But it was the seating arrangement that was most important. Director Costa-Brown appeared as a hologram at the head of the table: The head of the PRT, flanked on either side by Legend and Eidolon with Alexandria standing behind the Chief Director.
Director Piggot and the holograms of other PRT directors sat in the seats after. The local Protectorate heroes followed after until at the other end of the table was Magos' seat: The contender or candidate, depending on how one looked at the current situation, flanked on either side by Armsmaster and… her.
Despite being in her 8-feet-tall 400kg Suit, they included a seat for herself; but Dragon recognised that it was more of a symbolic gesture than anything. 'A Seat at the Table,' a position in a group that made decisions for a larger organisation. It was nice to be recognised.
The meeting began as the media crews settled on one side of the room to catch the back and forth with their cameras. On the screen behind Legend, Director Costa-Brown appeared in a video call. Her light-brown skin clad in a perfectly-pressed suit, her raven-hair tied in a severe bun. Her brown eyes looked straight at Magos.
"Magos, it's good to meet you… face to face." She spoke out with a sardonic smile through the video call. "I apologise for not being there in person."
"I believe the entire Triumvirate are more than sufficient to represent PRT interests." Magos replied with a brief nod to the three heroes.
"Quite." Director Costa-Brown noted with a smile. "I for one am glad that you accepted our invitation. Despite your naysayers saying that you're too independent, I had always believed that Rogues will always have a place in society. The MIRIS Initiative may now be defunct, but the PRT are still willing and able to work with Rogues. And of course, we can hardly turn away a rogue willing to work with us."
There it was, Dragon spotted: The hook for other Rogues in the PRT's sphere of influence. 'Come work with the PRT and enjoy the same benefits as Magos.' And also, the choice of words was yet again incredibly skewed: 'we can hardly turn away' as if Magos was the one to come to the PRT for help.
Dragon had to applaud Magos' willingness to play along. Director Costa-Brown must have offered so many incentives for Magos to have him play along this much.
"The Endbringers are a concern for us all." His modulated voice solemnly replied.
"Too right." Chief-Director nodded- looking Magos straight in the optics, "Well, shall we begin the meeting proper?"
"Yes, let's." Magos nodded as well.
Now, the true meeting can now begin, the actual debriefing of the Endbringer battle.
"Would you mind if I did a quick prayer before we discuss further?" Magos was the first to ask, making Director Costa-Brown blink.
"I suppose that would be-"
Magos placed the Orgasm Toaster on the table- already attached to one of his metal tentacles, and everyone stiffened. Dragon stiffened too, but it was more that she thought she was about to be launched into an amazing orgasm… but to her disappointment, it wasn't. She could feel it whenever touched the chassis though- she surmised that it must be akin to being groped through clothing. A metal rosarius made of little cogs coiled around Magos' equally metal hands as he clasped in prayer.
" ZnlGurBzavffvnuOyrffGuvf {{glurkle}} JuvpuVNzNobhgGbCnegnxrVa." *
Again with that strange indecipherable language… but it did not last long as Magos finished his brief prayer, placed the toaster on his lap and looked at Director Costa-Brown, likely expecting her to continue. But not everyone was as accepting, it seemed.
"Put that Tinkertech away, Magos." Director James Tagg's gruff voice grunted from his hologram at the table. A stern looking man with black hair and a frown even more severe than Collin's.
Annoyance rose in Dragon's subroutines. She did not dislike James Tagg, but she didn't like him either. A heavily-flawed human in a position of power with a reputation for running his local PRT like a warlord with his goose-stepping PRT officers, and his marked disdain for the deployment of Protectorate capes.
Harsh and blunt, but effective in his own right. But now, not only was he being unnecessarily confrontational at a debrief that was supposed to be all about building bridges, he had just risked her chance for getting off and possibly gaining freedom.
And it would seem that Director Tagg also earned Magos' ire, because the cyborg Tinker aimed glowing red optics at the director's hologram.
"This is the holiest artefact that the Adeptus Mechanicus has in its possession. What it appears to your juice-filled, low resolution photoreceptors and low clock-speed meat-processor is irrelevant."
"It's an unknown Tinkertech weapon shaped like a toaster." Director Tagg spat. "This is a PRT Debrief."
"Director Tagg, drop the issue." Director Costa-Brown ordered him- her frown of displeasure clear on her face, "We already have the entire Brockton Bay Protectorate and the Triumvirate in one room- of which you are not even physically inside of. We have more pressing matters to discuss than Magos' religious icon."
"Yes, ma'am." He replied stiffly- obeying the order he's been given but still continued to suspiciously eye Magos.
Director Costa-Brown just nodded before meeting everyone's eyes.
"Everyone, thank you for coming." Her voice took a more authoritative tone, "With the formalities over, we can begin the debrief. I know this is highly unusual, but let me remind everyone that even though we are in unfamiliar territory, this is- in no uncertain terms- a step in the right direction. So, let me begin by prefacing the discussion with the background of the attack…"
Dragon immediately activated her 'Half-Listen' program.