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beatupgrass) wrote2017-07-02 05:08 am
beatupgrass) wrote2017-07-02 05:08 am
[Once things have settled down and Rocket has built what amounts to a prototype he can tinker with once everyone's asleep, then Rocket finally goes and hunts down Quill, after spending the better part of the day staying out of his way. He's pretty sure if they share so much as a glance in the other's direction everything he knows they're both thinking is just going to get spilled in front of all these idiots who don't need to know their business.]
Yo, Quill. I wanna do some scouting and some of these assholes are a little too trigger happy. I don't wanna get shot at, 'cause then I'll shoot back, and then this trip'll be a whole lot less fun for everybody.
Yo, Quill. I wanna do some scouting and some of these assholes are a little too trigger happy. I don't wanna get shot at, 'cause then I'll shoot back, and then this trip'll be a whole lot less fun for everybody.
[Here's some little known facts about Rocket:
He was born in a cage. His mother, bless her, was not exceptionally bright because sometimes mutagens do the exact opposite of what they were meant to do. The scientists on Half-World were never particularly concerned with things like "how is 89P13 going to fare in the wild," because the answer to that, Doc, is that he wasn't.
Rocket lucked out that he got the urban sprawl and all the stores he could ever steal food from until he started making a semi-honest living. Unfortunately, it means he is extremely ill-prepared for wilderness life. The last time he went "camping," he spent the entire time building traps (which he has been doing here) and stealing everyone's leftover snacks they didn't bring to Ego's planet with them.
There are no snacks to steal here, and everything feels like a handout when people are looking at you like "dude why don't you get your own." And after that, it becomes a matter of pride.
And, to make a long story short, Rocket is now over at the lagoon, on the edge of the shore, trying to catch a goddamned fish.
And he fucking sucks at it.
It's especially funny because he hates water and looks like the very act of being in the water is making him miserable on top of his fishing failings.
After the third one has slipped from his grasp and he's ended up pitched face first into the water, he scrambles back to the shore, dripping wet, and lets out one long frustrated growl, followed by an even louder, more frustrated.] SONUVABITCH.
[That was subtle.]
He was born in a cage. His mother, bless her, was not exceptionally bright because sometimes mutagens do the exact opposite of what they were meant to do. The scientists on Half-World were never particularly concerned with things like "how is 89P13 going to fare in the wild," because the answer to that, Doc, is that he wasn't.
Rocket lucked out that he got the urban sprawl and all the stores he could ever steal food from until he started making a semi-honest living. Unfortunately, it means he is extremely ill-prepared for wilderness life. The last time he went "camping," he spent the entire time building traps (which he has been doing here) and stealing everyone's leftover snacks they didn't bring to Ego's planet with them.
There are no snacks to steal here, and everything feels like a handout when people are looking at you like "dude why don't you get your own." And after that, it becomes a matter of pride.
And, to make a long story short, Rocket is now over at the lagoon, on the edge of the shore, trying to catch a goddamned fish.
And he fucking sucks at it.
It's especially funny because he hates water and looks like the very act of being in the water is making him miserable on top of his fishing failings.
After the third one has slipped from his grasp and he's ended up pitched face first into the water, he scrambles back to the shore, dripping wet, and lets out one long frustrated growl, followed by an even louder, more frustrated.] SONUVABITCH.
[That was subtle.]
[When everything else in Rocket's life is a clusterfuck of epic proportions, tech is always there for him. Maybe it's because he, himself, is a nice little hodgepodge of cybernetic parts and the act of tinkering and repairing and rebuilding things gives him some sense of control over things. Or maybe he just likes to keep his hands busy. It doesn't have to be that deep. God.
He's been at this sporadically all afternoon and as everyone begins to head to bed, he's gained an additional set of hands in the form of Angel who seems to know her own way around these things, he's learning.]
I mean we didn't all freakin' die when we landed, so that's a point in their favor, but there ain't a whole lot to these things.
He's been at this sporadically all afternoon and as everyone begins to head to bed, he's gained an additional set of hands in the form of Angel who seems to know her own way around these things, he's learning.]
I mean we didn't all freakin' die when we landed, so that's a point in their favor, but there ain't a whole lot to these things.
[Seeing the little furry bastard alive and scrabbling around actually gives him fuzzy feelings. There's tripping over him in the Milano and finding his shed fur in new, exciting places and then there's thinking he might've turned into a red paste on the landing.
He gets up when Rocket motions that he wants to talk - private-like]
I get you.
[As much as he gets there's some capable people here, people with legit skills and abilities, the kinds he wouldn't have minded on a heist watching his back, he also doesn't know them. Doesn't know the borderline civilians they got in the last wave, doesn't know what what stress will do to them. Rocket's a known quantity. Sure, he's an asshole three times bigger than his body, but at least he knows where his head's at.
Grabbing his quad blaster, automatically checking the settings with a flick of his wrist that's pure muscle memory, he picks up the flashlight someone, somewhere, scavenged, heads with Rocket away from the main camp. The buzz of conversation dies down after awhile]
You see anyone else? I saw Mantis but Groot, Drax and Gamora are still MIA.
...Ego too.
He gets up when Rocket motions that he wants to talk - private-like]
I get you.
[As much as he gets there's some capable people here, people with legit skills and abilities, the kinds he wouldn't have minded on a heist watching his back, he also doesn't know them. Doesn't know the borderline civilians they got in the last wave, doesn't know what what stress will do to them. Rocket's a known quantity. Sure, he's an asshole three times bigger than his body, but at least he knows where his head's at.
Grabbing his quad blaster, automatically checking the settings with a flick of his wrist that's pure muscle memory, he picks up the flashlight someone, somewhere, scavenged, heads with Rocket away from the main camp. The buzz of conversation dies down after awhile]
You see anyone else? I saw Mantis but Groot, Drax and Gamora are still MIA.
...Ego too.
[ The group is hunting for food. She takes no handouts, does not offer the labour of her own hands. Fair's fair, though — if someone presses it into her hands she presses something into theirs. The open sky and fresh air are more of a relief than she'll ever admit. ]
[ — as are the fish. She hears him cursing through the trees, and so is already smiling when she emerges. ]
You should sing to the fish, they may be moved.
[ B) B) B) ]
[ — as are the fish. She hears him cursing through the trees, and so is already smiling when she emerges. ]
You should sing to the fish, they may be moved.
[ B) B) B) ]
[Rocket's cursing up a storm turns into an agonized grown mid-swear and he drags his hands over his damp ears. Dammit.
Double dammit.] That's real cute. [He throws his arms out.] Well, get a big eyeful of the loser who can't catch a damn fish.
Double dammit.] That's real cute. [He throws his arms out.] Well, get a big eyeful of the loser who can't catch a damn fish.
Groot's in a pod back on the station. That wolf chick helped me find him. [What are their lives right now that he can say "that wolf chick" with a straight face and be too worn down to even bitch about the fact that he got led around by the hand by a very maternal animal with a weirdly ethereal vibe.] So I figure Gamora and Drax are still sleeping this shit off, too. Lucky bastards.
[Even as he says it, he cringes. Yeah, lucky. The station is under attack and he doesn't accept promises on faith alone. People have made him a lot of promises- hell he's done the same- and they haven't come to anything.
He's willing to work for the incentives he was promised, because he can't lose Groot again, and, as hard as he tries to push everyone away, he doesn't want to lose any of them. (Except maybe Nebula. She can take a walk.) That doesn't mean he can't be wary of how infallible their plans are.]
Not gonna lie, Quill, when Darma and her boytoy started talkin' about some other Celestial, I got a real bad feelin' it had somethin' to do with your old man.
[Even as he says it, he cringes. Yeah, lucky. The station is under attack and he doesn't accept promises on faith alone. People have made him a lot of promises- hell he's done the same- and they haven't come to anything.
He's willing to work for the incentives he was promised, because he can't lose Groot again, and, as hard as he tries to push everyone away, he doesn't want to lose any of them. (Except maybe Nebula. She can take a walk.) That doesn't mean he can't be wary of how infallible their plans are.]
Not gonna lie, Quill, when Darma and her boytoy started talkin' about some other Celestial, I got a real bad feelin' it had somethin' to do with your old man.
Edited 2017-07-17 18:54 (UTC)
[ Lucky for him, Angel is both tech savvy and not much of a sleeper, so she'll be here for a while. She picks through the pile of scavenged tech, picking up and turning an unusual looking circuit board over in her hands, trying to get a good look at the pathways in the dimming light. ]
I suppose, but I would have preferred to remain on the station. At least there things were somewhat familiar in nature, unlike...nature.
I suppose, but I would have preferred to remain on the station. At least there things were somewhat familiar in nature, unlike...nature.
[ She has two short spears with her: wooden sticks, the ends sharpened by her axe. But Asha was catching fish with her fingers since she was very young, perched far more precariously on the rocks of Pyke. ]
Watch me.
[ Two minutes later, out comes one, she tosses it on the bank. ]
Watch me.
[ Two minutes later, out comes one, she tosses it on the bank. ]
[Lucky, maybe. Except for the part where they're still in cryo or whatever they call it here and they can't do a damn thing to defend themselves like that. He can make a guess what happens if something breaks into the pods without the awakening procedures doing their thing]
He isn't my old man.
[Peter's already scowling in a kneejerk reaction, embarrassed that he'd even believed for a second that Ego could've been anything but a galactically huge asshole. He must have "gullible" written all over his forehead that everyone can see now]
I didn't see him with the others today. Could be he's in cryo and from what it sounded like, he hadn't run into any other Celestials while he was sleeping his way around the universe.
[Which might be good news. At least he thinks - hopes; crosses his fingers - that Ego won't have any of immortal buddies swinging by to check up on him.]
He isn't my old man.
[Peter's already scowling in a kneejerk reaction, embarrassed that he'd even believed for a second that Ego could've been anything but a galactically huge asshole. He must have "gullible" written all over his forehead that everyone can see now]
I didn't see him with the others today. Could be he's in cryo and from what it sounded like, he hadn't run into any other Celestials while he was sleeping his way around the universe.
[Which might be good news. At least he thinks - hopes; crosses his fingers - that Ego won't have any of immortal buddies swinging by to check up on him.]
Right? I had a tree for a friend back home, and that was as close to nature as I ever wanna get.
[He's an urban creature, first and foremost. Half-World's labs may have been in a lush tropical area, but he didn't stay there long enough to master the untamed wilds.] I would've had this place nailed down if they'd dropped us near a city.
[He's an urban creature, first and foremost. Half-World's labs may have been in a lush tropical area, but he didn't stay there long enough to master the untamed wilds.] I would've had this place nailed down if they'd dropped us near a city.
[He observes and, quite unaccustomed to being out of his element, looks upon her victory with sullen dissatisfaction. But for all that he is a bit annoyed with how easy this comes to her and how difficult it comes to him- and it shouldn't, because he is a highly evolved creature who was uplifted beyond the need to hunt and gather or so he'll keep telling himself.
Failure is just not a master he willingly accepts.
Rather than just wade back in, however, he picks up one of her spears, which are far longer than he is tall. That doesn't bother him- most weapons he picks up are significantly bigger than he is.]
What about these?
Failure is just not a master he willingly accepts.
Rather than just wade back in, however, he picks up one of her spears, which are far longer than he is tall. That doesn't bother him- most weapons he picks up are significantly bigger than he is.]
What about these?
Sorry. My mistake. Shitbag of a sperm-doner. [There's a time and a place for Rocket to be a prick about sensitive subjects- this is not the time, nor the place, and that subject is a gaping maw of a raw wound. Yondu already called him out on wanting to lord coming to their rescue over Quill's head, and he's not going to start it just because Yondu isn't here to smack him about it.]
Yeah. [Rocket exhales in relief.] Kinda wish he'd heard about the one they made Knowhere out of. That would've knocked him down a peg.
[Maybe. It's the little things. Right now, they're all knocked down a peg, as evidenced by the fact that Rocket almost trips over an exposed branch while snickering about imagining Ego's face when he saw that hollowed out severed skull floating in space.
He staggers as he corrects himself, swearing at the offending root.] Sonuva-
Yeah. [Rocket exhales in relief.] Kinda wish he'd heard about the one they made Knowhere out of. That would've knocked him down a peg.
[Maybe. It's the little things. Right now, they're all knocked down a peg, as evidenced by the fact that Rocket almost trips over an exposed branch while snickering about imagining Ego's face when he saw that hollowed out severed skull floating in space.
He staggers as he corrects himself, swearing at the offending root.] Sonuva-
....A tree.
[ It's not even said as a question, because she doesn't know where to start asking (and considering who she's talking to, it might just be easier to accept such a statement.) It does sound like something only those very into nature would say though, you know the ones.
She's still trying to get a good look at the piece in her hands, to make out what the markings at the connecting points say but it's gotten too dim to read clearly. ]
Even in a city, I'm not sure how well I would have fared. I don't remember the last time I set foot in one.
Do we have a light available to use?
[ It's not even said as a question, because she doesn't know where to start asking (and considering who she's talking to, it might just be easier to accept such a statement.) It does sound like something only those very into nature would say though, you know the ones.
She's still trying to get a good look at the piece in her hands, to make out what the markings at the connecting points say but it's gotten too dim to read clearly. ]
Even in a city, I'm not sure how well I would have fared. I don't remember the last time I set foot in one.
Do we have a light available to use?
Better.
[And Peter actually has it in him to grin a little at that, because that's all Ego was, in the end. Some douchebag who apparently had an immortal's stamina to go with his dick.]
You good?
[It's rhetorical, Peter's hand freezing just before he makes the mistake of instinctively reaching down to catch Rocket by his skinny arm. Spend a few months bumming around the galaxy cleaning up other people's messes and you tend to pick a few things up about your new crew. Rocket, he's learned, is real big on the no-touching. Groot's about the only one he's seen who can - who's allowed - to slide up into Rocket's personal space, a bubble that's surprisingly bigger than a human's. Peter used to think his was huge compared to the rest of the galaxy...until he met Rocket.]
Man, now I wish I'd asked him about that. Grilled him on Celestials while we had the window. [What if there's more out there? What if (and this is the part that has Peter quietly shitting his pants) what if Ego not even the worst one?]
[And Peter actually has it in him to grin a little at that, because that's all Ego was, in the end. Some douchebag who apparently had an immortal's stamina to go with his dick.]
You good?
[It's rhetorical, Peter's hand freezing just before he makes the mistake of instinctively reaching down to catch Rocket by his skinny arm. Spend a few months bumming around the galaxy cleaning up other people's messes and you tend to pick a few things up about your new crew. Rocket, he's learned, is real big on the no-touching. Groot's about the only one he's seen who can - who's allowed - to slide up into Rocket's personal space, a bubble that's surprisingly bigger than a human's. Peter used to think his was huge compared to the rest of the galaxy...until he met Rocket.]
Man, now I wish I'd asked him about that. Grilled him on Celestials while we had the window. [What if there's more out there? What if (and this is the part that has Peter quietly shitting his pants) what if Ego not even the worst one?]
[Accustomed to large weapons as he is, a spear is a much more difficult weapon to wield than a gun. He adjusts it a few times in his hands before he gets a grip on it that doesn't cause it to drag and gets closer to the edge. This seems a better alternative, because he doesn't have to wade into the water.
As the fish begin to panic from Asha's intervention, Rocket waits. This is a simple tactic- one he's applied on much larger enemies. It shouldn't be hard to wait until they're clustered in a panicked circle and then- THERE. He slams the spear at an angle into what he hopes is the tasty body of a fish.]
I got it! I got it! [Unfortunately, being thirty pounds soaking wet (which he is) means that there's some unfortunate physics at work here. As the spear sticks, it springs upwards, carrying Rocket with it, until there is now a spear stuck in the muddy lake bottom with a very confused raccoonoid clinging to it.]
Don't say a word...
As the fish begin to panic from Asha's intervention, Rocket waits. This is a simple tactic- one he's applied on much larger enemies. It shouldn't be hard to wait until they're clustered in a panicked circle and then- THERE. He slams the spear at an angle into what he hopes is the tasty body of a fish.]
I got it! I got it! [Unfortunately, being thirty pounds soaking wet (which he is) means that there's some unfortunate physics at work here. As the spear sticks, it springs upwards, carrying Rocket with it, until there is now a spear stuck in the muddy lake bottom with a very confused raccoonoid clinging to it.]
Don't say a word...
[Rocket shrugs. Yeah. A tree. Which is a little bit weirder than an uplifted animal, because Groot is from a race of sentient tree people that live out on some distant planet somewhere.
He eyes her, about to make some dry comment about being a shut-in, but given what she's already told him and what he can discern, he deigns not to. He remembers a time when he was a "shut in" as in "shut in a cage."]
I guess Legion fucked off somewhere. I was usin' him earlier. Here. [He rifles through the pouches around his waist and produces a small flashlight.] That oughta do it. I'm trying to figure out the components that cushioned the impact. The problem is the landing was so rough, most of 'em fried.
He eyes her, about to make some dry comment about being a shut-in, but given what she's already told him and what he can discern, he deigns not to. He remembers a time when he was a "shut in" as in "shut in a cage."]
I guess Legion fucked off somewhere. I was usin' him earlier. Here. [He rifles through the pouches around his waist and produces a small flashlight.] That oughta do it. I'm trying to figure out the components that cushioned the impact. The problem is the landing was so rough, most of 'em fried.
Thank you.
[ She takes the small light from him, clicking the button at its base to turn it on and holding it to the board in her hands...only to see that the circuits are fried beyond use. She sighs and sets it aside, picking up a strange spherical piece in its stead. ]
What do you plan to do with them?
[ She takes the small light from him, clicking the button at its base to turn it on and holding it to the board in her hands...only to see that the circuits are fried beyond use. She sighs and sets it aside, picking up a strange spherical piece in its stead. ]
What do you plan to do with them?
Edited 2017-07-20 20:41 (UTC)
I'm good, I'm good. There's a root there, in case you were wonderin'.
[Classic Rocket- just hide the embarrassment with sarcasm and humor when anger isn't appropriate. Not that anger isn't usually appropriate where he's concerned, but this is a quiet moment.
Those are... very rare, especially where it concerns him and Quill. Honestly, given the fight they had before they reunited in the middle of Ego's attempt at universal conquest, it's kind of nice. In a way Rocket won't cop to. No one really needs to know that he genuinely wants to impress Quill like an extremely belligerent little brother might, and lacks the social skills to do it like a person who doesn't panic at the first sign of genuine affection. Sure, Quill is extremely lame and most of his bullshit consists of things that Rocket would never want the charisma to pull off (all things related to "pelvic sorcery," for example, make him want to gag), but everything he does, he makes it look effortless.
He could do just about anything and it would just work somehow.
...On second thought, he doesn't want anymore quiet moments. They give him too much time to think. In fact, he looks like he's been mulling over this Ego matter for longer than it really deserved.]
Well, I uh... I only knew the guy for five minutes, but he didn't strike me as the kinda guy who goes to all the fancy Celestial gatherings and shoots the shit. And I definitely don't think he picked that name 'cause it sounded ironic.
[It really was a day for dumbass names.]
[Classic Rocket- just hide the embarrassment with sarcasm and humor when anger isn't appropriate. Not that anger isn't usually appropriate where he's concerned, but this is a quiet moment.
Those are... very rare, especially where it concerns him and Quill. Honestly, given the fight they had before they reunited in the middle of Ego's attempt at universal conquest, it's kind of nice. In a way Rocket won't cop to. No one really needs to know that he genuinely wants to impress Quill like an extremely belligerent little brother might, and lacks the social skills to do it like a person who doesn't panic at the first sign of genuine affection. Sure, Quill is extremely lame and most of his bullshit consists of things that Rocket would never want the charisma to pull off (all things related to "pelvic sorcery," for example, make him want to gag), but everything he does, he makes it look effortless.
He could do just about anything and it would just work somehow.
...On second thought, he doesn't want anymore quiet moments. They give him too much time to think. In fact, he looks like he's been mulling over this Ego matter for longer than it really deserved.]
Well, I uh... I only knew the guy for five minutes, but he didn't strike me as the kinda guy who goes to all the fancy Celestial gatherings and shoots the shit. And I definitely don't think he picked that name 'cause it sounded ironic.
[It really was a day for dumbass names.]
Anti-grav mines if nothin' else. I thought maybe I could make a small forcefield around the camp, but it's too much of a pain to put up and take down. Mines travel, and they don't blow up so I can keep usin' 'em. It's just a matter of making them react on their own or else I'm gonna be stayin' up all night with the controls.
I see...So you think the landing may have been assisted by an anti-grav component? I've heard people speak of the road from here to the city being a dangerous one, so any weaponry will likely benefit us.
[ As she speaks, she's trying to unlock the piece in her hands. It seems like it's made of two parts that can separate so she tries twisting the ends in opposite directions- only to get a bit of a shock, thing must have been storing some charge. ]
BBDZTTtshi-!! shoot. ow.
[ As she speaks, she's trying to unlock the piece in her hands. It seems like it's made of two parts that can separate so she tries twisting the ends in opposite directions- only to get a bit of a shock, thing must have been storing some charge. ]
BBDZTTtshi-!! shoot. ow.
[ It is a strategy that works regardless of his skill with a spear — Asha's spotted at least three fish she can catch by hand. ]
[ She laughs, a clear, bright sound. Hey, he didn't say she couldn't do that. She walks over to pry it off the lake bed, and waits for him to steady himself on the shore. Curiously, ]
How is it you cannot hunt?
[ She laughs, a clear, bright sound. Hey, he didn't say she couldn't do that. She walks over to pry it off the lake bed, and waits for him to steady himself on the shore. Curiously, ]
How is it you cannot hunt?
Here. [He takes it out of her hand while she's recovering from the shock and carefully twists in a slightly different way and then hands the two pieces back.] Electrical shocks throw some of my wiring off-kilter, so I figured out how to avoid it pretty damn fast.
[ Angel blinks a bit at that. There's so much strangeness in this place, the types of magic you'd only read about in Bunkers and Badasses- Angel hadn't really questioned Rocket's ability to talk or act somewhat human. So the mention of wiring catches her attention.
She wants to ask...but she doesn't want to be insensitive. You can't just ask someone, raccoon or no, if they're a robot. Especially with how she feels about her own modifications.
Even now she gets a little self conscious, worried at the thought that the shock could have done something to her ports and touching them gingerly. ]
I have a lot of knowledge with regards to technology and its inner workings, but admittedly I was hardly ever hands-on about it.
[ She passes the piece over to him with some care, opting to hold the flashlight on it instead so he can see it clearly. ]
She wants to ask...but she doesn't want to be insensitive. You can't just ask someone, raccoon or no, if they're a robot. Especially with how she feels about her own modifications.
Even now she gets a little self conscious, worried at the thought that the shock could have done something to her ports and touching them gingerly. ]
I have a lot of knowledge with regards to technology and its inner workings, but admittedly I was hardly ever hands-on about it.
[ She passes the piece over to him with some care, opting to hold the flashlight on it instead so he can see it clearly. ]
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