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

[ It's hardly the first time that someone who's essentially a gang leader has yelled out "GET HIM" in reference to 76, and he's already spinning around searching out heat signatures with his visor. The good news is that there's only one other person hiding above them, while the rest are coming in from the back door of the warehouse.

Rocket's got Tesak to deal with, so 76 leaves that to him, diving back behind cover so that he can shoot at the reinforcements as they bottleneck through the door. He keeps a careful eye on the other sniper, but it takes a while for there to actually be any clear sight lines between them, and as soon as she shows herself 76 squeezes off another perfectly-aimed shot.

It's around then that he hears Tesak screech in agony, and it's enough to distract him until Rocket offers an explanation. Shooting off a hand isn't something to shrug off, but it's probable that he's maimed a few of his targets too.

Kind of hard to feel bad about it when all of these people are accessories to kidnapping and black-market arms dealing, so he won't lose much sleep over this.

After taking a few more shots, everyone who's left decides to get the hell out of there, realizing that they picked the wrong fight. That leaves a few people writhing on the floor with their various wounds.

76 comes out from cover and walks over to Rocket, still catching his breath. ]

All right, let's take him in. Don't know if anyone else here is on the list, but I think this might make them think twice about throwing in with a criminal.

[Tesak is on his knees swearing a heated blue streak, clutching his stump of a hand, his eyes rolling around in his head like a madman as he just seems to be instinctively looking for his own missing appendage, like that will somehow comfort him. Rocket could tell him that the remains of it are a gory mess on the crate to his left, but he's too busy counting his own breaths and coaxing himself to pull his finger away from the trigger.

Even when 76 approaches, his spindly, weirdly human fingers are still positioned on the trigger and his eyes are locked on Tesak's head like he has a mental crosshair going. Quill said, Quill said, is the mantra with every breath. But Quill isn't here and what's he gonna know? He doesn't get a say in this, does he? He left him here.

And then 76 is speaking and Rocket removes his finger from the trigger, reality slamming down on him as he remembers that he isn't alone here and there are other people who need him to stay grounded and not driven by rage and spite.]

Uh-huh. [He collapses the gun to remove the temptation and slides it back against its holster.] Look at us, regular heroes. Bringing in the bad guys instead of brutally torturing 'em, unlike what you do, Tesak. [Rocket does allow himself one bit of pettiness as he passes by Tesak, since he's physically incapable of holding up the man, and that's to flick the raw cauterized bit of meat on his stump, sending another shriek of pain echoing through the warehouse.] Okay, now I'm done.

[ That kind of blind rage, that need for revenge, it's something that 76 recognizes all too well. Is it a little strange to see something like that mirrored in a sentient raccoon of all things? Maybe, but he and Rocket have spent enough time together that 76 barely blinks at it. He mainly wants to make sure that Rocket doesn't blow this guy's head off.

Would Tesak deserve it? There's no denying that he would, but 76 has made a point of drawing a line for himself. There are times when he's crossed it, but he has to continually remind himself that sometimes that line is the only difference between them and people like Tesak.

Ultimately, he doesn't need to say anything. Rocket reins himself in, and also makes a point of distinguishing them from their mark. It's worth doing, so that both of them can keep their heads on straight in a moment like this. That flick against Tesak's stump isn't strictly necessary, but 76 isn't going to hold it against Rocket.

With no further ado, 76 steps forward and swings the butt of his very large pulse rifle against Tesak's temple. He collapses like a sack of potatoes, and then 76 lifts him up like one, laying him over his shoulder.

He turns back to Rocket and nods. ] Good work.

Yeah. You too.

[Rocket scratches under his chin awkwardly, feeling like maybe he should say something here. There was a lot going on under the surface and he's well aware that it made him something of a wildcard, which isn't a good thing in a partner.

However, he's also absolutely shit at talking about his feelings, so he fumbles for a moment, heaves an irritated sigh, and just shakes his head. He can't fucking get it out, so what's the point in trying?] Let's get him to the Ryders before I change my mind.

[ There's a pause while 76 looks over the rest of the injured people in the warehouse, but they weren't on their list, so he decides to leave them. Again, he can hope that this will be the moment when they realize they need to turn over a new leaf, even if he's not nearly optimistic enough for that kind of thinking anymore.

As they walk, the tension that should have left after the firefight is still there, and 76 knows that it's because Rocket's bottling something up. That's a pressure he feels more keenly than Tesak's dead weight on his shoulder.

Neither of them are good at this, but somehow, 76 feels like he has to try. ]

Something on your mind?

[ It's something he used to ask his agents back in the day, when he could sense something was wrong. Usually it led to a trip to psych for them to get evaluated, not that he can offer anything like that to Rocket now. ]

What? No! I'm fine. It went well. What's there to be fucked up about? [He's not very convincing, and he's caught so off-guard by the question that his lies tumble out on sheer force of will, then anything calculated. He tenses a bit and then glances upwards like he expects that 76 can see right through him with that visor.

Immediately, he faces forward again, and sighs. Fine. Be emotionally vulnerable It isn't as if he hasn't made an ass of himself already today by being too fixated on some stupid revenge quest like it'll make him feel better. It sure as hell didn't.] A lot of people have been going back into stasis is all.

[ That's the thing about revenge quests, isn't it? They fixate and fixate, they don't know what else to do with themselves, and then when all is said and done there's nothing to show for it. Not that 76 ever actually accomplished his goals before Earth got swallowed up by the storm, but he's got enough distance from it now to have an idea of how it would have gone.

At least Rocket can tell that he's being as transparent as a glass window, and cops to what's bothering him. The reasoning is a pretty common one when it comes to the refugees. There's still no rhyme or reason to why people go back into stasis, which makes it that much worse.

Jack's quiet for a few seconds, nodding to himself before he asks: ] Who?

[He scratches at the fur on his arm idly, just to keep his hands moving. If they weren't walking he'd find something to take apart and focus on it. Breaking things down to simple components is easy and relaxing. You can find any problem if you take something apart and put it back together and make it better next time. People aren't like that, including him. He's been ripped apart and stitched back together so many times that he's an expert on how much it doesn't work.]

Quill, Gamora, Mantis... The mansion's basically empty now. I really gotta rent those rooms out just for the hell of it. [He mutters the last bit, trying to find practicality in his despair so he doesn't sound whiny and miserable. That's why he focused on revenge- it's productive. It's not mopey.] Prompto. The list got kinda long after awhile, so I had to stop keeping track.

[ That's a long list already, and apparently it doesn't end there. 76 recognizes the names, had even gotten to know three of them, but they had been acquaintances or allies, not friends. With how easily someone can be whisked back into one of those pods, it's practical to not get too close.

Still, he can make a guess at how Rocket's feeling right now. Jack has considered the possibility that Ana might return to stasis. They've been in this together from the beginning, but he realizes that doesn't make them to immune to it, and it's not a pleasant thought. ]

Hmm. Might be better if you moved, at this point. You could rent out the rooms, sure, but those memories are gonna linger. Makes it hard to move past it.

[ Or you could fake your death, change your name, and start committing crimes to cope. Granted, Rocket's already got part of that down. ]

Screw that. I paid good money for that place and all my stuff's there. [Rocket huffs indignantly, though 76 is right. It's empty and quiet and full of memories, but he feels like he kinda needs them. Going somewhere else just means giving up.] Plus they've woken back up before- well, Quill has, anyway. It'd be stupid to ditch it and start over again when any of 'em could come back at any moment.

[But it doesn't soften the blow. There's plenty who sure as fuck haven't come back over the course of the year and change they've been here.] I just needed to get rid of a loose end. I figured Raysc's scattered goons gettin' jacked up would close the chapter on that and let me move on to the next.

[ It's true that Rocket's companions could come out of stasis again, but it's just as likely that they won't. The uncertainty of it is what drives 76 up the wall, but he isn't going to press the issue. If Rocket wants to stay put, that's his decision, but at least 76 has given him another option to think about.

He shifts Tesak's body on his shoulders when he threatens to slide off for a moment, but otherwise doesn't seem at all slowed down by the extra weight. ]

Closure's better than nothing, sure. [ He could ask what the next chapter will be, but he doesn't want to put Rocket on the spot. Instead, he poses a much simpler question: ] Wanna get a drink after this? [ They'll have some extra silver to burn. ]

[And Rocket barely knows what that next chapter is. A chapter where he accepts that nothing will ever be like it was before the Storm, probably. What a miserable book he's writing here.

He swipes his arm over his nose. Trying to hold back every single one of his emotions makes his stupid nose a little sniffly, but if it means not showing any weakness or having a breakdown, he'll take a little bit of snot.] Yeah, that'd be great. It's probably a healthier alternative to busting heads, anyway.

[ The sniffling makes Jack double-take for a second, but he isn't going to ponder whether or not a raccoon can cry when chances are that Rocket would rather not have attention drawn to that.

They've reached Ryder HQ, which means that all they need to do now is turn in their mark. ]

Let me take care of this. Wait here, I'll be right back.

[ With their silver in hand, if all goes well. Without another word, 76 presses forward, still carrying Tesak like a sack of potatoes. At least he'll be able to unload this burden soon. ]

[Unload the burden is a good phrase for what's going on here. Rocket stands outside and waits, but already he feels a bit lighter. He's argued that talking about things only makes it worse and he still maintains he's right about that, but it's less the talking and more the awareness. He hasn't lost everyone. There's still people here he can lean on, and if it comes down to it... weirdly, he's better at making friends now than he's ever been. There'll be others. It's not a great trade-off, losing the people he actually got close to only to have to do it all again with the next batch, but it's something.

Once 76 returns, there's a little bit of damp fur underneath Rocket's eyes, but not much. He had 12% of an emotion out here and he had to take care of it while no one was looking. He's fine now. Fine and ready to drink and celebrate a well-earned victory.]

[ Damp fur might not be as noticeable as tear streaks on a human's skin, but 76 is a pretty perceptive guy. That answers the question about whether or not a genetically enhanced raccoon can cry, then. The Bro Code dictates that he doesn't draw attention to it.

Either way, he's back, one body lighter and a good chunk of silver richer. He tosses Rocket his share in a small pouch, then leads them away from HQ in quick order. ]

Any preference on where we go?

[ They have any number of taverns to choose from. ]

[Rocket catches the pouch and checks the contents, and instantly he is lighter- even moreso than he was when he unpacked some of that, and definitely more than when he let that aforementioned 12% of an emotion slip through. Money has that kind of power and Rocket is, ultimately, a creature of intense greed.

He pockets the pouch and his tail swishes a bit, a sign of better moods prevailing.] The loudest, meanest place we can find. I wanna watch someone get smashed through a table.

[ There's nothing wrong with enjoying the feeling of your pockets being lined with some more silver. 76 isn't nearly as interested in money, but there are times where it's needed, and going out for a drink (or two, or three) is one of those moments.

At Rocket's description, Jack feels his mouth tug in a smirk beneath his visor, and it might even be audible in his voice. ]

I know just the place.

[ He turns on his heel to lead the way. ]

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

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wanna end this here?