[It's probably tamer than some of the other assumptions he's heard made about him, which gives her some credit even if he looks annoyed. It's his default face, and it's less at her, then at the situation. It's not even remotely fair to hear about worlds where beings like him are normalized or even considered an equal species, whereas in his, he will always be third class, barely considered a person.]
I ain't. There ain't nobody that looks like me where I come from.
[She might not know anything about his life and what he's gone through, but she doesn't miss the key implications of that sentence. Being vastly different from everyone else seldom does anything for someone socially. Even just being a timid person from a warrior race that prized strength involved a certain amount of bullying and being looked down upon, so she can only imagine what it would mean for him, to be vastly different from everyone else.
But given his hard edged personality, she can't imagine that he appreciates pity. Pity is isolating in and of itself. So she moves on, focusing the task at hand, clearing more rocks away.]
[Of course there's no vid. Rocket is so trusting right now, because the music and the joy and the everything are so overwhelming, why wouldn't everything be perfectly fine?
And, more importantly, why would he yell that he barely knows what a moonwalk is or that he's only watched Quill do it a dozen times and still has no idea what the logic behind it is? It's all in good fun.
So Rocket pauses, considers his feet, and then tries to move them into position. The result is a very awkward backward shuffle, because while the scientists that made him were very detailed, they never considered that a raccoon should be able to imitate Michael Jackson.
If Rocket's resulting moonfail wasn't enough, his attempt causes him to hit someone right in the back of their legs, causing him to jump back in surprise and tripping the man in the process as he tries to disentangle himself. Someone else in trying to stop the man from falling steps on Rocket's tail, which ends his good mood in a hurry.
The rest is a domino effect of toppling people and Rocket in the middle of it with bristling fur, looking all the world like he might turn this into a lot more than a minor kerfuffle if he gets stepped on one more time.]
[ Eventually when Peter plays back the recording that absolutely does not and will never exist, the video will end with the camera jerking to one side as Peter breathes out, “Oh, shit—” and stuffs the comm back into his pocket.
He isn’t as deep into the drinks as Rocket is – or, in fact, half of the party-goers by this point – which means Peter manages to avoid the worst of the chaos. He gets jostled a bit, but he does, at least, manage to catch one lady by the elbow before she twists her ankle on those unreasonably high heels. She casts him a grateful look, but a glance at Peter’s Wyver pin has her storming off in a huff.
(Later in the night, he will definitely steal her Olympia pin as a petty sort of revenge.
... And maybe her bracelet.)
So there’s Rocket at the eye of the storm. By Peter’s memory, the two of them have known each other for, like, a couple months, but even that is enough to know that Rocket’s probably two blinks away from sinking his teeth into someone’s calf. Which is why Peter quickly wades into the mess, hip-checking some clumsy lady who nearly steps on Rocket’s tail, catching another dude as he’s about to fall face first to the floor.
Aaand the third guy, whose trip and consequent fall onto his back is about to land him on top of Rocket, is too far away for Peter to catch. So instead, Peter grabs Rocket by the back of his shirt and yanks him out of the guy’s path.
[Rocket scratches his chin thoughtfully. Now there's the kind of talk he comes to places like this for. Who cares about smalltalk and chitchat when you can talk ~business~]
Yeah, Rhys and I have gone over the particulars a bit. My bein' in Wyver's gonna be pretty convenient, all things considered.
[He steeples his fingers. Even non-disconcertingly human-like raccoon hands were good for steepling, and it always looks diabolical.] What's on your mind, Ros?
[It absolutely looks diabolical, and for a moment Rosalind once again reflects on the fact she's having this conversation with a bloody raccoon. A profiteering, abrasive, oddly endearing raccoon.]
I'd like you to take a look at a few bullets I've made. I've worked with metals before, but never like this-- and if we're going to make ones filled with acid, I'd like to get the base correct before we add on special effects.
Uh... Yeah, sure. Let's go with that. [He scratches his neck, trying to figure out if that's actually ridiculous or... not a bad take on an old idea. It could be funny, actually, and god knows he has run every iteration of every one of his plans and schemes so many times there's a lot less joy in them.]
Point is, I've got a million variants on gettin' in and out of wherever I want.
A million variants. Meaning that wasn't the one you'd go with.
[ Cain can read between the lines well enough, even with his head a little fuzzy. Maybe more than a little fuzzy. But it's fine. This drink is dangerous, but he's going to prove he's a match for it. ]
You're speaking of more of a sneak attack, I take it? So lay it out for me.
That frickin' dragon. [Rocket growls into his cup and takes another sip.] And I bet the Natha'll just "put it to rest" or whatever and we'll have to keep pickin' up the pieces. Well, where's my satisfaction? It's crap is what it is.
Anything I have to hide, I assume they already know or could find out easy. [Hell, if Cree and Evras can figure shit out, then of course the Natha can. He doesn't like it, but until they do something with the information, he's inclined to let them be. Perhaps not the best tactic for someone who can be quite paranoid when inclined, but there's functionally paranoid and then there's locking yourself in some desolate bunker and smearing the walls with your own shit.]
But that is the reason I don't trust his judgment. [He plops back down in front of his work and begins wrapping the wires around a power source very carefully.] He's been out here too long wanting revenge or whatever, and it made him stupid.
[Rocket's ears flick upwards and all of that laser focus on his current task lights on a new objective entirely.] You think it has one? [There's this very delighted edge creeping into his tone that sounds like he's trying to hold back his enthusiasm.]
I mean... It's probably nothing compared to the station, but there's probably a good chance... [He clears his throat, stands up, and begins shoving some of the essential bits of his project into his belt pouches.] Definitely worth lookin' into, though.
[ In that dithering sort of way that somehow manages to be both certain and uncertain. ]
This place looks a lot like the station up top, right? When I was running around I found the sleeping quarters and a simulation room, except it was all, like, clunky and crappy.
And if this place is, like, the first draft of Thesa, there's gotta be a mecha station, right?
[ ... is Peter hoping they're getting out of this shithole with a salvageable mech?
Peter is absolutely hoping they're getting out of this shithole with a salvageable mech. ]
[He kinds has to roll his eyes just a bit at that rapt attention in the face of dragons. People are so predictable sometimes.] They got like stables full of 'em or something. I generally avoid 'em, 'cause I ain't so great with reptiles.
[It's a furry mammal thing.] I feel like that's the only reason anybody favors Wyver over Olympia except for the fact that they're less stuffy over there. Every idiot in the world wants to ride a dragon.
[Some people would probably be bothered by the "every idiot in the world" comment, but Ren certainly isn't, possibly because he clearly got extremely distracted by the last three words of that sentence instead of the first few.]
Of course they do, because dragons are huge and amazing and breathe fire and look really pretty... [He sounds like he could keep going for a good while there, but apparently has some self-awareness left in him to stop before he just goes on a five minute tirade about Why Dragons Are Great, Definitely Not Coloured By My Best Friend's Thing For Possessing Dragons.]
Though if the one with the dragons is also the less stuffy one, I think it's only natural that most people would want to go there. Nobody likes stuffy people ruining everything.
[Well, the killing her part has at least subsided so long as she doesn't try to bite his head off. He tears his eyes away from his work to quirk the fuzzy approximation of an eyebrow.]
Acid, huh? Not bad. Pretty easy to screw up too, but unless those bandages are coverin' up some nasty scarring, you don't look like you're an amateur.
[In a roundabout way, he is acknowledging her intelligence.]
Exactly! I mean, I ain't exactly hurting, but if I'm gonna be stuck making an honest living doing something, it might as well be something I'm awesome at.
[He's so prideful.] And it means I can turn down some of those stupid quests.
[Which he does because he loves money. And also because sometimes they have other perks, but mostly it's money and mostly something terrible happens.]
Exactly! [Rocket waves his arms in a sort of "this guy gets it" gesture.] I hate the cold, but I already feel better not having to look at that stupid overcrowded station. Imagine what another planet might do for my mood.
[Spoilers: He will always be rude and grumpy until he isn't, but he'd also be happy.]
[Law pauses, giving Rocket a once over.] I'd have thought you'd be more capable of dealing with the cold than most of us, honestly, though the place I'm from is cold so maybe it just doesn't seem that bad to me. . [you know, because of all the fur... Either way, he pauses again, before holding out a hand. It may be overdue, but he's recalled his manners.] Trafalgar Law. If you ever get your hands on a ship, I'd like to come along as well.
[Which, for the moment, more or less goes over Roxas' head.]
Sounds good. I used to—wait, no. I didn't. [Uh, sorry, just give him a second. He shakes his head.] I'm pretty good at getting things done. And I want to contribute, so my best friend doesn't have to pay for everything for me.
[That shuts him up. The number of people who go back to sleep is almost equal to the amount that end up waking up. For a moment, he tries to count how many people he knows that were here when he first arrived who are here now.
The numbers are not great.] Sonuvabitch. You're right. They could keep the equilibrium forever if they wanted to.
[Hold on, he has to process this. He's really been fixated on this for awhile as an excuse to find another planet, and it's kind of falling apart.]
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Steve | Gala
Deal. [He waves over someone carrying drinks.] Give us a few rounds, dude. We're goin' all in.
Kale | Fetch Quest
[It's probably tamer than some of the other assumptions he's heard made about him, which gives her some credit even if he looks annoyed. It's his default face, and it's less at her, then at the situation. It's not even remotely fair to hear about worlds where beings like him are normalized or even considered an equal species, whereas in his, he will always be third class, barely considered a person.]
I ain't. There ain't nobody that looks like me where I come from.
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[She might not know anything about his life and what he's gone through, but she doesn't miss the key implications of that sentence. Being vastly different from everyone else seldom does anything for someone socially. Even just being a timid person from a warrior race that prized strength involved a certain amount of bullying and being looked down upon, so she can only imagine what it would mean for him, to be vastly different from everyone else.
But given his hard edged personality, she can't imagine that he appreciates pity. Pity is isolating in and of itself. So she moves on, focusing the task at hand, clearing more rocks away.]
Have you gone on a lot of jobs like this here?
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Tracer | Gala
Eh, Quill's always dancin' around the ship. I picked up a few things.
[He lowers his voice conspiratorially without missing a step.] Don't tell him I said that.
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Or, does he just get a bigger ego? [ it's one of the two. ]
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Randel | Gala
[Drunken eye narrow]
Heh. And they don't mind their own business over there?
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[ He's answering the question intellectually. ]
Usually. It's worth your life if you're not careful. Or if you don't.
[ Then, just to make it clear- ]
You spoke to me first.
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Gamora | Gala
[He snorts.] That's what I got you and Quill for. It'll be the one time I won't get pissed for havin' to be carried to something.
[Rocket no.]
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[ Because. You know. Tons of free booze. ]
And I don’t want to carry all of you back.
[ Just in case Mantis is also going to get completely trashed. Why are her friends like this. ]
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Peter | Gala
[Of course there's no vid. Rocket is so trusting right now, because the music and the joy and the everything are so overwhelming, why wouldn't everything be perfectly fine?
And, more importantly, why would he yell that he barely knows what a moonwalk is or that he's only watched Quill do it a dozen times and still has no idea what the logic behind it is? It's all in good fun.
So Rocket pauses, considers his feet, and then tries to move them into position. The result is a very awkward backward shuffle, because while the scientists that made him were very detailed, they never considered that a raccoon should be able to imitate Michael Jackson.
If Rocket's resulting moonfail wasn't enough, his attempt causes him to hit someone right in the back of their legs, causing him to jump back in surprise and tripping the man in the process as he tries to disentangle himself. Someone else in trying to stop the man from falling steps on Rocket's tail, which ends his good mood in a hurry.
The rest is a domino effect of toppling people and Rocket in the middle of it with bristling fur, looking all the world like he might turn this into a lot more than a minor kerfuffle if he gets stepped on one more time.]
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He isn’t as deep into the drinks as Rocket is – or, in fact, half of the party-goers by this point – which means Peter manages to avoid the worst of the chaos. He gets jostled a bit, but he does, at least, manage to catch one lady by the elbow before she twists her ankle on those unreasonably high heels. She casts him a grateful look, but a glance at Peter’s Wyver pin has her storming off in a huff.
(Later in the night, he will definitely steal her Olympia pin as a petty sort of revenge.
... And maybe her bracelet.)
So there’s Rocket at the eye of the storm. By Peter’s memory, the two of them have known each other for, like, a couple months, but even that is enough to know that Rocket’s probably two blinks away from sinking his teeth into someone’s calf. Which is why Peter quickly wades into the mess, hip-checking some clumsy lady who nearly steps on Rocket’s tail, catching another dude as he’s about to fall face first to the floor.
Aaand the third guy, whose trip and consequent fall onto his back is about to land him on top of Rocket, is too far away for Peter to catch. So instead, Peter grabs Rocket by the back of his shirt and yanks him out of the guy’s path.
Sorry, Rocket. ]
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X'rhun | Fetch Quest
[Rocket shudders]
It ain't every day I say "no money is worth that," but no money was worth that.
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[ Entertain him, Rocket!! ]
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Rosalind | Gala
[Rocket scratches his chin thoughtfully. Now there's the kind of talk he comes to places like this for. Who cares about smalltalk and chitchat when you can talk ~business~]
Yeah, Rhys and I have gone over the particulars a bit. My bein' in Wyver's gonna be pretty convenient, all things considered.
[He steeples his fingers. Even non-disconcertingly human-like raccoon hands were good for steepling, and it always looks diabolical.] What's on your mind, Ros?
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I'd like you to take a look at a few bullets I've made. I've worked with metals before, but never like this-- and if we're going to make ones filled with acid, I'd like to get the base correct before we add on special effects.
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Lance | Gala
[He's even bad at lying sober. He had no chance while he's drunk.]
No, no... I definitely said "suit." As in there's, uh... a lot of people wearin' 'em. Fancy idiots. Heh. [He hiccups.]
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[ rocket pls... ]
There's nothing to be ashamed of, man. We've all got our reasons for being here.
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Dutch } Nadril
I'll figure something out. Or I'll find some schmuck willin' to do it for me. [Don't worry, Dutch. He has this completely under control.]
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[ that's not an offer!! ]
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Cain } Nadril
[That's... one interpretation, anyway.]
Uh... Yeah, sure. Let's go with that. [He scratches his neck, trying to figure out if that's actually ridiculous or... not a bad take on an old idea. It could be funny, actually, and god knows he has run every iteration of every one of his plans and schemes so many times there's a lot less joy in them.]
Point is, I've got a million variants on gettin' in and out of wherever I want.
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[ Cain can read between the lines well enough, even with his head a little fuzzy. Maybe more than a little fuzzy. But it's fine. This drink is dangerous, but he's going to prove he's a match for it. ]
You're speaking of more of a sneak attack, I take it? So lay it out for me.
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Ren } Nadril
That frickin' dragon. [Rocket growls into his cup and takes another sip.] And I bet the Natha'll just "put it to rest" or whatever and we'll have to keep pickin' up the pieces. Well, where's my satisfaction? It's crap is what it is.
Oh Rocket
[You know. Other than the time stoppage.]
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Ocelot } Nadril
Anything I have to hide, I assume they already know or could find out easy. [Hell, if Cree and Evras can figure shit out, then of course the Natha can. He doesn't like it, but until they do something with the information, he's inclined to let them be. Perhaps not the best tactic for someone who can be quite paranoid when inclined, but there's functionally paranoid and then there's locking yourself in some desolate bunker and smearing the walls with your own shit.]
But that is the reason I don't trust his judgment. [He plops back down in front of his work and begins wrapping the wires around a power source very carefully.] He's been out here too long wanting revenge or whatever, and it made him stupid.
Quill } Nadril
[Rocket's ears flick upwards and all of that laser focus on his current task lights on a new objective entirely.] You think it has one? [There's this very delighted edge creeping into his tone that sounds like he's trying to hold back his enthusiasm.]
I mean... It's probably nothing compared to the station, but there's probably a good chance... [He clears his throat, stands up, and begins shoving some of the essential bits of his project into his belt pouches.] Definitely worth lookin' into, though.
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[ In that dithering sort of way that somehow manages to be both certain and uncertain. ]
This place looks a lot like the station up top, right? When I was running around I found the sleeping quarters and a simulation room, except it was all, like, clunky and crappy.
And if this place is, like, the first draft of Thesa, there's gotta be a mecha station, right?
[ ... is Peter hoping they're getting out of this shithole with a salvageable mech?
Peter is absolutely hoping they're getting out of this shithole with a salvageable mech. ]
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Ren } Nadril
[He kinds has to roll his eyes just a bit at that rapt attention in the face of dragons. People are so predictable sometimes.] They got like stables full of 'em or something. I generally avoid 'em, 'cause I ain't so great with reptiles.
[It's a furry mammal thing.] I feel like that's the only reason anybody favors Wyver over Olympia except for the fact that they're less stuffy over there. Every idiot in the world wants to ride a dragon.
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Of course they do, because dragons are huge and amazing and breathe fire and look really pretty... [He sounds like he could keep going for a good while there, but apparently has some self-awareness left in him to stop before he just goes on a five minute tirade about Why Dragons Are Great, Definitely Not Coloured By My Best Friend's Thing For Possessing Dragons.]
Though if the one with the dragons is also the less stuffy one, I think it's only natural that most people would want to go there. Nobody likes stuffy people ruining everything.
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Ardyn } Nadril
[Rocket raises what approximates an eyebrow on his furry face.]
Nobody like you offers themselves up like that unless they know it ain't gonna work. You're too smug to be suicidal.
[Or so goes his logic.] I don't take sucker's bets.
wow how dare you imply that captcha is more villainous than he
But ah, he just drops his arms to his side, since Rocket won't rise to the bait. He's right; physical injury means very little to him.]
But I thought I'd only offer to ease a bit of that frustration rumbling under your fur.
gotta work harder ardyn
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Nott } Nadril
[Well, the killing her part has at least subsided so long as she doesn't try to bite his head off. He tears his eyes away from his work to quirk the fuzzy approximation of an eyebrow.]
Acid, huh? Not bad. Pretty easy to screw up too, but unless those bandages are coverin' up some nasty scarring, you don't look like you're an amateur.
[In a roundabout way, he is acknowledging her intelligence.]
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[She's got some pretty nasty scars from like, getting eaten by an alligator for example, but that's not why the bandages are there.
She can't help but smile a bit. He's complimenting her! That's unexpected enough to catch her by surprise.]
Keep building. I want to see what you do.
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im so very glad nott ended up teaching herself explosives in canon now..... bless
we are the best
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Clarke } Nadril
Exactly! I mean, I ain't exactly hurting, but if I'm gonna be stuck making an honest living doing something, it might as well be something I'm awesome at.
[He's so prideful.] And it means I can turn down some of those stupid quests.
[Which he does because he loves money. And also because sometimes they have other perks, but mostly it's money and mostly something terrible happens.]
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Diana } Nadril
[He takes a pointed sip with narrowed eyes.] There's a lot of chemistry involved in that.
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Or use trial and error. Unless you succeeded on your very first try?
[She's going to take a sip of water.]
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Law } Nadril
Exactly! [Rocket waves his arms in a sort of "this guy gets it" gesture.] I hate the cold, but I already feel better not having to look at that stupid overcrowded station. Imagine what another planet might do for my mood.
[Spoilers: He will always be rude and grumpy until he isn't, but he'd also be happy.]
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I'd have thought you'd be more capable of dealing with the cold than most of us, honestly, though the place I'm from is cold so maybe it just doesn't seem that bad to me.
.
[you know, because of all the fur... Either way, he pauses again, before holding out a hand. It may be overdue, but he's recalled his manners.]
Trafalgar Law. If you ever get your hands on a ship, I'd like to come along as well.
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Roxas } Nadril
[Rocket gives him a pat on the leg that is maybe just a bit too insincere and condescending.]
I think we can work something out, kid. You help me out, I help you out.
[This is fine.]
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Sounds good. I used to—wait, no. I didn't. [Uh, sorry, just give him a second. He shakes his head.] I'm pretty good at getting things done. And I want to contribute, so my best friend doesn't have to pay for everything for me.
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Riku } Nadril
[That shuts him up. The number of people who go back to sleep is almost equal to the amount that end up waking up. For a moment, he tries to count how many people he knows that were here when he first arrived who are here now.
The numbers are not great.] Sonuvabitch. You're right. They could keep the equilibrium forever if they wanted to.
[Hold on, he has to process this. He's really been fixated on this for awhile as an excuse to find another planet, and it's kind of falling apart.]
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He tilts his head, a faintly concerned frown tugging on his lips when he asks after a moment:]
…You all right?
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Kagari } Nadril
Assholes. That's all you need to know.
[Assholes he may not have to fear or work for if all goes well. He squints up at Kagari.] That depends. What can you bring to the table?
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