[closed-ish] an' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation

[beatupgrass]

Who: Rocket (beatupgrass) & various quest-goers, etc.
What: A catch-all for quests, etc.
When: September through October-ish??
Where: Various places.
Warning(s): Rocket's mouth, mostly.



[A catch-all for any quest logs I've made plans with. If I made plans with you during the CR meme for quests when they go up (or if you just want a thread), and I don't have you on plurk, PLEASE do not hesitate to PM me to do a starter for you. I would absolutely love to.]

Comments

[tellmehowthisfeels]

A mandrake?

[If that is true then it's intriguing to her that this place would have plants of Earth. Of course the more folklore origin of the plant but one of Earth all the same. That could man interesting possibilities for experiments. Something she mentally takes note of as she looks at the plants around her with a little more interest.

Already she's looking forward to getting another sample of this plant they've come to collect.]

[beatupgrass]

You really overestimate my ability to pay attention to botany. It ain't my thing, but for whatever reason, the people around here are very leery about going into the big dark scary jungle to find their own d'ast plants.

[He stops short, ears swiveling suddenly to catch a sound he thought he heard in the distance.] Did you hear that?

[tellmehowthisfeels]

It seems most of the people who live here are not as trained to survive the big dark scary jungle.

[She's noticed that much rather quickly. And she certainly has been taking note of the fact that it means they run the errands instead. Still, it does allow her the chance to do some research on the matter so she can hardly complain about it.

As for the noise, she decides to not point out that he is an animal with better hearing than she does.]

I did not. What did you hear?

[beatupgrass]

[He gives the air a good sniff and gets treated to the overwhelming smell of jungle that makes him briefly paw at his nose. As an urban creature, he can sort out the smells of a city with no problem. Jungles and forests? That's just irritating.

The sound gets louder, a low gurgling, though Rocket's more sensitive ears pick up the sound of something slithering along the underbrush and his hackles raise, fur bristling. He pulls the gun off his back, baring his teeth.

Another gurgle, and then something the size of a horse leaps into the clearing with a louder, gurgling roar, issued from a frog-like sac under its neck. It's a horrifying combination of things that should not be combined, and its long tail lashes out towards them. Rocket swears a blue streak as he dives to the left and narrowly misses the creature's reaching claws, as well. For something so bulky, it has reach on its side.]

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[Before the tail can hit her, she fades out of view and reappears behind the creature. It means being closer to that tail but she takes advantage of the moment to throw out a purple orb that starts to drain life from the creature. It's clear that there is some pain involved with how the creature reacts to it but she lets that be an advantage as she holds out her right hand.

Purple plasma energy attaches to the creature and seems to pull its life towards her.

If it's going to attach then clearly Moira plans to put an end to that as soon as possible. It's a slower process for her to do this but she's certainly trying her best.]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket's up and aiming his gun by the time she starts acting and he doesn't shoot- not because she's in the way or because the beast is making it difficult to aim, but because he's never seen anything like that. The creature writhes and thrashes and tries to turn on her, ignoring the tasty little morsel in favor of the person actively sucking it dry.

Rocket shakes his head to break out of his stupor and fires his gun at the creature's lashing tail, severing it and leaving it sans one of its weapons. The tail falls limp and the sac under the creature's neck expands as it bellows a war cry of pain and rage. It lurches forward and tries to take a swipe at her while Rocket tries to circle around for better aim.]

Hey, hey! Lady! Watch the claws.

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[Moira fades from sight again and this time reappears behind Rocket. It allows the creature to turn towards the pair. Something that she feels should give him a better shot since this now means the head is right there.]

Focus on the shot. I can handle keeping you healed.

[Easily in fact. With how small he is, he requires less of her energy to expend.]

It should be a great deal weaker now.

[beatupgrass]

I'm not even- [Or at least that's how he starts before the creature bellows another roar, close enough that it blows back Rocket's fur. He shoulders the gun and aims, clipping it on the shoulder instead of the head. He wasn't fast enough.] Shit.

[He aims again, but the creature's predicted his movements- god, he hates it when they're clever- and swats him out of the way, sending him tumbling. Had to say he wasn't injured, didn't he. Rocket pushes himself to his feet, holding his side where the thing's claws dug in a bit. It's not great, and now there's blood in the air, which makes the creature's feline eyes narrow to frenzied slits.] What was that about healing again?

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[Before he can even finish the question a golden orb is bouncing off trees. A string of energy attaches to him and all wounds heal completely. Not a trace is left behind.

Moira is then drawing the attention of the creature but actually rushing forward and smacking it in the face before fading to the side to draw it there. Which means that Rocket has an orb to heal him and the attention drawn away from him.

If it's going to be clever then she's decided to outsmart it.]

[beatupgrass]

[Well.

Now he knows that can happen.

Having never experienced a healer in his life, Rocket is more dumbfounded by that than he is about her leeching life force from the creature... and her bopping around. This is the weirdest fight he's ever been in and he's absolutely positive he looks like a giant incompetent right now.

Which kinda pisses him off.

He bares his teeth and snarls, knowing to stay close to the orb just by sheer instinct and starts firing off shots at the creature's back, catching it in the shoulder with a precise laser blast that the entire arm goes limp and it's left dragging itself around by one muscly clawed arm and no tail. Rocket aims another shot at the spine and with a wheeze that inflates the sac one last time, it falls to the ground at Moira's feet.

Rocket gives its severed tail a good kick.]

I hate this frickin' jungle.

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[The creature drops at her feet and she actually takes the time to kneel down and inspect it. Largely so she can remember what it looks like for later when she comes across it again.

Rising to her feet, Moira steps around it and over to her current companion. Who has finally shown he's not completely useless at least. That's a relief.]

And yet you returned. Clearly you felt something about this quest was worth coming back here.

[beatupgrass]

Yeah, it's called money. [Rocket rubs his thumb and forefinger together.] There are very few things I won't do for money when I'm hard-pressed.

[He considers collapsing his gun and then decides to hell with it, just in case something else happens.] I got a business to start up. I need all the crap jobs I can take 'til it's moving.

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[Ah greed. A powerful motivator for humans and apparently raccoons as well.]

And what might this business be?

[She's curious. To say the least.]

[beatupgrass]

Weapons, tech... Repair and design. I'm gonna call it the Killbox, so only people who're really serious about what they want end up there.

[He looks so proud of that stupid name.]

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[While she listens, she continues onward with where they're walking. Though she does lift a brow at the name. Killbox? Really?]

You design weapons then?

[beatupgrass]

It's kind of my thing. [He flicks his wrist dismissively, a movement made all the more surreal by how disturbingly human-like his tiny little hands are.] With the right materials and a strong need, I could blow up a planet.

[tellmehowthisfeels]

Impressive.

[She's not impressed. She sure sounds like she is though.]

You are able to design a wide variety of weaponry then. Not many can make such a claim.

[beatupgrass]

It's a bit limited here, but basically. Nadril opened up a hell of a lot of opportunities to get better scrap to work with.

[Rocket sniffs the air, stopping suddenly as a particular scent catches his nose and makes him sneeze.] Hang on. I think I got something.

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[She considers asking another question. However, his nose finds something and she decides instead to see if that nose of his is worth something. Perhaps he can be more useful to her than that pathetic ape in the end.

It's for that reason she remains silent while she waits to see what he's found.]

[beatupgrass]

[He drops down on all fours- as natural as being on two legs- and creeps close to the ground. It's a bit too canine for his liking and definitely taps into something in his animal hindbrain, but it's less about the smell and more about the feel of the ground underneath his sensitive hands. The smell is one thing, but the earth here feels particularly rich which is better for certain plants, and he steps ahead a few paces until he comes around the base of a giant, curved tree... And there are a couple of the blooms, sprouting in the shade, concealed by the knotted trunk.

He breathes a sigh of relief.] Found 'em!

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[And she's officially decided that this raccoon is worth something. She will have to keep that in mind for the future as she walks up closer and crouches down to inspect the plants as well. Apparently she doesn't mind getting dirty with how she gets down on the ground with him rather than simply waiting for him to bring the flowers to her.]

Good. They appear to be healthy as well so as long as they are transported safely they'll be of use.

[She's sure that Rocket will appreciate being able to get out of the forest as well.]

[beatupgrass]

Yeah, just let me dig out the roots.

[Rocket's no botanist and has said as much, but he did raise a baby tree from a sapling and had to repot him a few times before he was able to walk. When you're in that kind of situation, you develop a green thumb my necessity. Between that and his tiny and sensitive hands, he can two of the bulbs out with little issue, dirt still clinging the spindly pale roots.]

Just goes to show you that if fetching this crap for people were easy, they'd do it themselves. Honestly. [and then he grumbles:] But I appreciate the healing trick you did. That might've gotten bad if you hadn't been there.

[Wow gratitude burns.]

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[She finds it a shame there aren't more than the pair. She would have liked to see about taking one back for herself to study. Perhaps she'll just have to come back out here to find another later then.]

Oh? I never would have expected you to show gratitude towards a geneticist like myself.

[She seems mildly amused as she watches him take the bulbs out, offering her hands so he can place them there.]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket goes rigid briefly just at hearing the word, even if he knows she's meant to be better than the people on Half-World if she can be believed. She hasn't given him the Eye yet, anyway. The look that says she's waiting for an opportunity to cut him open and see how he works.

He swallows and shoves the plant into her hands before taking the other for himself.] Don't get used to it. You haven't done anything to personally offend my delicate sensibilities yet.

[tellmehowthisfeels]

[Yet. She has a small feeling her very presence would if he knew what she was willing to do for science. The experiments she'd run on lab rabbits. Ah but he doesn't have to know that just now. Not when he's proven to be useful to her.]

I am decidedly less used to receiving gratitude than not. I can assure you I won't get used to it.