[OPEN] so he replies, "then how do you manage?"

[beatupgrass]

Who: Rocket (beatupgrass) & various others MAYBE EVEN YOU
What: Catch-all for January- quests and other things.
When: ...January.
Where: Wyver, mostly. But with some stuff in the surrounding areas.
Warning(s): None.




𝐚. 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 (𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩)

[Rocket lives in Wyver. He doesn't owe it any loyalty, so naturally when he hears an Olympian is a little bit greedy and fond of paying exorbitant prices for shiny things, his own greed leads him. The crystal drops weren't something he went in on when that creepy shopkeeper because he hates water, but if this dude is gonna pay triple... Well, discomfort only lasts a few seconds.

Rocket is on one of the banks of the streams, suddenly reminded of his horrible fishing excursion when he first arrived on El Nysa. This is easier than fish, though. He has keen eyes and crystals don't move. He just has to wade in and hope he doesn't get all weird from the water on top of getting wet.

Sigh. No time like the present. He huffs an aggravated sigh and wades in, leaning down so his sensitive hands can pad along the stream bed. Weird how this actually feels... pretty normal. Like it's what he's supposed to be doing with his life.

Coming up on him will find a raccoonoid half-submerged in water, feeling along the bottom of the clear streams with his head tilted up with a very focused, intense stare like he's keeping watch for predators. Amazing what some enchanted water will do to your animal hindbrain.]


𝐛. 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 (𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐬)

[The ruins aren't fucking enchanted or full of water, so Rocket is more eager to deal with the caves than he was with the streams. Though considering his last cave adventures led to getting trapped, he's still hesitant.

The good news is he's an experienced climber, so getting up into places where normal people might not be able to reach and avoiding detection from slumbering creatures is a cakewalk for him. The problem is he's not the only person exploring these caves and hunting for quartz.

Walking deep into the creepy tunnels, you might hear the sound of something moving in the shadows, scratching and hacking at the walls, but there's no human-sized figure to accompany it. That's fine. That's not creepy at all. Don't worry about it.

Or maybe worry about it when a few tiny rocks roll into your path, proving that all that hacking and muttering isn't just your imagination.]


𝐜. 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲

[Rocket's not picky about getting people together for a good old-fashioned weapon heist. In fact, he probably assembled people based entirely on false pretenses because he thought they'd either be good at heavy lifting or an excellent distraction or both. There's a fifty-fifty chance that the person he's dragged out to intercept these shipments has no idea what he's up to, and that's true in Wyver and Olympia (though in Olympia you got approached by a tiny figure in a cloak- he's not taking chances).

Either way you're here now, in a hiding spot, overlooking weapons being sorted and prepared to be sent out, and Rocket has this greedy look in his eyes that definitely spells nothing good. He's got a plan, and you're a key player, whether intentionally or unwittingly.


𝐝. 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝

[So many of these quests involve stealing and things Rocket is particularly adept at, so he's been working overtime making sure he gets ALL THE SILVER. He's gonna be rich. This particular mission from Cree sounds as easy as anything- he doesn't believe in ghosts and traps are nothing for him. He builds traps. He can disable them easily.

So he's an asset to have around as you head into the unknown. He's also a skeptic, and will tell you as much whenever something spooky happens.] Seriously, though? Ghosts. C'mon, man. The traps are bad enough. They don't have to add ghosts to it.


𝐞. 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝

[Rocket stays primarily in Wyver, but occasionally ventures into Olympia because he has people he does business with there (he always wears a cloak to cover his face). If you would like a more "day to day" thread with him or need to meet up to discuss things, ask him for a favor, etc. and so forth, you can make your own starter or contact me via PM or over Plurk, and I'll make you something custom.]

Comments

BLINDED WITH SCIENCE [CLOSED]

[beatupgrass]

[It's been well over two months and the Guardians have yet to really pull a proper mission. Sure it feels weird without Drax and Groot there, but they have the addition of Mantis to sort of fill out the team. When he heard from Cree about Evras doing some shady business, he jumped at the chance to do some digging.

And the only people he trusts to help him with this are his friends. Everyone else would need context for his hatred of the bastard.

He's gathered them all together in an alley in Olympia, a makeshift table made out of an old crate in the middle of them and on it are several photographs of the inside of the Institute.] These are archaic as hell, but it's better than nothin'. I had Prompto take 'em when I first heard that Evras was a giant douchebag. I had to make sure my bases were covered.

Good thing too- robotics and animal experimentation? Bastard might as well have been from Half-World. [He grits his teeth and shuffles the photos around.]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ It's almost a relief when Rocket digs up the job, gives Peter something to do. Wandering around Wyver is all well and good, taking in the sights, meeting new folks – it's fine.

But work is work, and Rocket clearly has a personal stake in this, so why wouldn't Peter help? Plus, putting his shady skills to the test will always be more fun than playing tourist.

As far as mission briefings go? Huddled around a crate in an alleyway isn't even the weirdest place he's done this. (That particular honor goes to a bathroom stall at some alien fast food joint, all because Kraglin was having a giant craving for a burger.) And in all likelihood, this is Peter's first time in Olympia, as far as he remembers. He picks up one of the photographs – something that looks like a nondescript sort of hallway – but he lets out a low whistle. ]

Swanky.

[ Peter drops the photo back on the crate. ]

We know anything about security in there?

[godslay]

[ Of all the things for Rocket to bring forward, this particular job is... not terribly unexpected. Just having a basic concept of the Institute's foul play – in terms of animal experimentation or otherwise – explains a lot about why Rocket's interest.

She doesn't need to pry.

But since he'd given them a heads-up, she'd gone ahead and gleaned what she could about the Institute beforehand, including their protective measures.

(What else is she going to do with her time?)

She looks up from a photograph, vaguely pleased by Prompto's work (as rudimentary as something as printed pictures happens to be). ]

Guard patrols near our areas of interest. Apparently, magical means elsewhere.

[ If they're lucky, that shouldn't be an issue. ]

The Guards should be easy enough to deal with.

[beatupgrass]

I hate magic. [Rocket gives a derisive snort.] If we can just avoid that, then we'll be golden.

[It'll be a good deterrent to keeping him from doing more damage- it's easy to tell that he wants to, because he's a "blow it to hell" kind of guy, but he's already been accused of terrorism in Olympia once. It's probably the only thing that's keeping him from just setting charges in the place after they get their information.

That and Prompto's girlfriend works there. But so what? He doesn't care. Really. What is being nice to your friends?]

Gamora and Mantis can handle the guards, and Quill and me'll get the intel. [He gestures to Mantis who is over there with her listening ears on.] Sound fair?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter glances over at Mantis, uncertainty in his gaze. Yeah, okay, he’s seen that she can hold her own while the world practically exploded around them, but introducing her to shady shit kind of feels like... Like starting a banana by taking a chunk out of the middle, instead of the end. Like dumping red wine on a brand new shirt. Like trying to tear paper out of a notebook, only for an unruly corner to stay stuck in the metal spiral.

It feels kinda wrong, is what he’s getting at.

Which is why he clears his throat, glancing between Rocket and Gamora. ]

Are we, uh. Are we sure about this? [ And he tilts his head toward Mantis with as much subtlety as he can muster.

(Sorry, Mantis.) ]

[godslay]

[ ... Gamora also looks vaguely skeptical about this arrangement. Not that she doesn't trust Mantis, but she hasn't seen too much of her in action to be completely certain of what she can take on.

Mantis hasn't been neck-deep in this life like the three of them have, but...

Her eyes flicker to Mantis, then back to Peter and Rocket. ]

This shouldn't be too intensive.

[ So maybe... it's a better option than others? ]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket, on the other hand... Lets a baby tree handle dangerous explosives and commit murder on his watch. He is baffled by this.]

Whaaat? It's fine. She can just put the guards to sleep or something.

[And he breezes past that, eager to show off his planning skills.] Look. Never mind that. [He points to a few of the photos, each one showing a hall from different angles.] There's a side door that leads into here for his assistants and whoever to come and go without havin' to go through the front door. We can sneak in through there.

d

[exaomori]

[Shura too was a skeptic. Except she was the sort of skeptic who actually did see ghosts and the supernatural, she just knew better than to put her faith in gods. Gods tended to be more of a pain then they were worth.

She's not going to point out that her new companion just happened to walk through a rather sleepy looking ghost as he spoke. Really, this place was nasty. Ghosts tended to be relatively harmless, but there were just so many of them bottled up in this crypt. It was creepy even to Shura.]

Y'know, you almost sound a little spooked when you say that.

[Maybe goading a raccoon that she somehow ended up teaming up with wasn't wise, but hey, better than getting stared at by that white face coming up to the left of them.]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket gives a sudden shudder as he passes through the ghost without even realizing what he's done, feeling all of his fur start to bristle instinctively. He wasn't spooked... Until just then, and that irks him.

Darkvision might be good for caves like this, but it does nothing to help him see what's threatening to come and creak spookily at them.]

I'm not spooked. If anything I'm sick of havin' to traipse around friggin' caves all the d'ast time. [He holds out a hand to stop her.] Shit. There's another one. Hang on.

["Another one" being a trap. The trip wire is almost invisible, but that's... where the darkvision and the keen eye for traps comes in handy. Rocket scales the side of the tunnel to look for the mechanism controlling the trap so he can disable it.]

[exaomori]

[Should she tell him? Nah, he's already set in his ways. None of the ghosts they've come across so far have been strong enough to try possession a living object yet, so they should be fine.]

Yeah, yeah, say what you want, but it's worth a some quick silver--

[Shura comes to an immediate stop when he holds his hand up up--she can take a hint. Her eyes might be sharp, but it's not any better than the next human's vision in a place like this. Teaming up with this guy was turning out to be a better idea than she had hoped.

The ghost Rocket walked through stares at him, broken jaw gaping as Rocket climbs, but then moves further. Was he staring at something important?]

Hey, try a few inches six o'clock of you.

[Well, maybe it was a hint. It probably wasn't a friendly ghost, but it might be dumb enough to inadvertently help them.]

[beatupgrass]

I didn't ask for a backseat trap disabler. [And yet he still considers her words and... finds the peg that'll tear apart the whole mechanism. Hnngh. That was a lucky guess.] ...I would've found that eventually. Watch your feet.

[He yanks the peg free and a blade drops haphazardly out of its hiding place to land in a pile on the cave floor, no longer spring-loaded and ready to be tripped.]

[exaomori]

Mm, I just saw something glintin', that's all~

[That's a lie, there wasn't anything to really reflect the little light in there. But it seems easier than explaining that the was a spirit hoping that he'd have some company soon.

But boy howdy, that blade coming down on them would have been a pain! No wonder that ghost's face looks like it was broken in half! She holds back a smirk, kneeling down to carefully move the blade out of the way while she waits for Rocket to make his way back down. No reason to leave it out and risk tripping on it on their way back out!]

You got it down a lot easier than I coulda. It was good that I ran into you, wasn't it ♥!

[Darkvision and crawling up walls?? Be still, her heart!]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket climbs down enough that it's safe to jump and lands where the blade once was, brushing his hands off and looking a little smug. Compliments on how great he is- he's only weakness.]

I'm one of the few people around here with any d'ast sense, so yeah. I think it was. [He waves her on.] Now as a guy who also stored loot in my share of rigged hidey-holes, I think I know about where we might find the stuff.

[exaomori]

[Men were all the same, regardless what shape they took.]

You must had an exciting life before now.

[A burglar, of course. But who is Shura to judge when she was currently grave robbing herself?

The ghost from before stays put as they move forward, unwilling to move too far from where his grave would be. But this place reeks of something unhuman, and not in a benign way. Sure, she had her sword, but that wasn't going to be of much use. Too bad most of her sutras seemed to be ineffective now.]

Is the path splittin' up ahead? Shoulda brought a better flashlight.

c

[punshots]

[ He should really know better by now than to agree to do, well, anything that Rocket asks him to, but here they are.

The only reason Prompto is in the know on this mission is because he saw the job posting himself. While he's not really into, you know, theft, he's with Cree on this one. The more Olympia and Wyver arm themselves, the sooner a real conflict will begin, and he wants to do whatever he can to prevent that.

But even if his motivations are moral, he's still a bit uncertain about taking this particular job on with Rocket, of all people. He's not going to ask him to do anything too illegal, is he?

He tosses a look over towards where wagons are being loaded up with weapons, careful to keep himself out of the line of sight of the nearest guard, before looking sharply back to Rocket. ]

- Okay, dude, lay down your cards. Are you gonna tell me what your plan is now, or are you just gonna rope me into somethin' illegal later?

[ He's gotten wise! ...ish. ]

[beatupgrass]

Hey, you're the one who's all buddy-buddy with Cree. [That is not even remotely true nor the point of what he's saying, but Rocket is in Heist Brain right now. There is nothing but the heist.]

I figure the best bet is to steal one of the full wagons. They're loadin' 'em up and sendin' 'em out, so if someone were to say distract them then somebody else could slip in and take one of the wagons, and it'll just look like standard procedure.

[punshots]

[ Never mind that comment about Cree - even though Prompto does find him strangely fascinating? In a creepy, stay-away-from-me kind of way, anyway. Prompto's expression tenses as Rocket relays his plan, as he has a sinking suspicion about where he might fit into it. ]

Aaaaand I'm goin' to be the guy causin' the distraction, aren't I.

[ That is the case, like, 99% of the time he's involved in things like this, anyway. ]

[beatupgrass]

Oh no, you get a free pass this time. I can't drive those things.

[It's the first time anyone will ever hear Rocket admit he can't do something, but in his defense... Those wagons are primitive and he is not wasting his talent on trying to control something piloted by dumb animals.

But that's pretty much why he couldn't do this alone- and Prompto has the benefit of looking like someone who is supposed to be there, even if he might have to hide his face.] 'Sides, I ain't heartless. If anyone sees you, you might be in trouble.

[punshots]

[ That would come as something of a relief were the alternative not driving a wagon. He has a hard enough time driving a car, and he doubts he's going to be any better at a wagon. Buuuut at the same time, there's kind of an allure to it. Grand theft wagon...it's sorta exciting. ]

Okay, but won't it still be a problem if they see you?

[ Prompto might have a forgettable face, but Rocket...well. There's probably only one of him around. ]

[beatupgrass]

But are they gonna see me or are they gonna see a random animal causin' a fuss?

[He looks and sounds smug, but it's not a plan without its tribulations. He sure as hell doesn't like playing the part of a dumb animal.]

[punshots]

[ Yeah, it doesn't sound like the kind of plan he'd be thrilled with, but if he's willing, Prompto won't argue. Rocket's the better strategist, and he's clearly given this some thought. ]

Alright. Are you gonna give me some kinda sign, or do I just wait until they're all...good and distracted?

(d)

[beknight]

[ It's a clear asset to have something small along when sneaking around in a booby-trapped building. Bruce has fond memories of testing both his sons, and some of the cases they tackled could have been described as fun. This isn't, not strictly, but there's nothing quite like the thrill. ]

[ Crypts don't scare him. They're like any other haunted place — they welcome someone like him. ]

It may not entirely be superstitious, [ he says, flat and matter of fact. ] keep your ears peeled just in case.

[beatupgrass]

My ears are always peeled. This is the kinda thing I was made for- well, not the freaky crypt part. That's new. But booby traps and skulking around in the dark before anyone knows I'm there? Well, let's just say I got a decent set of skills for dealin' with all that.

[Starting with his keen eyes and disconcertingly human-like hands- one of which he holds up to stop Bruce from moving forward.] Keep close to the wall. There's something up with the rocks here.

[It would be impossible to see if you weren't low to the ground and had night vision, but when you look closely, there's a faint outline that looks like the rocks have been carved out and replaced.]

[beknight]

So I'm noticing.

[ He doesn't have his night vision goggles — doesn't particularly need them to see properly in the dark, but in this case, it would have taken a longer time to inspect — and it's low on the ground. ]

[ It's good to have someone competent around. ]

Are you leading the way?

[beatupgrass]

It sure looks like it, don't it?

[Snarky, thy name is Rocket. He hops over the trip rock and keeps looking for anything else that might be a trap.]

All these traps, we better find somethin' awesome at the end of this.