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

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

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.]

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[ Well, that little growl is concerning, and Peter casts Rocket a wary little glance – though it soon turns into a flat, unimpressed glare for that frankly patronizing assessment.

He's not just good at it. He's fucking awesome at it, and he would thank you all to recognize that, guys.

But soon enough he clicks back into work mode, examining the Institute's entrance then looking back to the others. ]

We'll go two and two. Me and Rocket first, then you two.

[ A pause, then he looks to Mantis. ] Just pretend like you own the place, and act like you're in a hurry. It's easy.

[ And then to Gamora, ] Wait, like, twenty seconds, then head in after us.

[ And with those stellar bits of advice doled out, he nods Rocket toward the building. He straightens, shoulders back and chin up, and moves out of the alleyway they had paused in. Chipperly, ] C'mon, kiddo.

[ Gamora's nod of acknowledgement is short, and she rocks back on her heel, crossing her arms over her chest as she watches Peter and Rocket approach the building – though she does have to resist the urge to press a hand over her eyes when Peter calls Rocket "kiddo." She understands it for practical reasons, but... it also seems provoking in and of itself.

Oh well.

She waits until Peter and Rocket are just about inside, then glances over to Mantis. ]

Let's go.

[ Obviously, she expects Mantis to follow as she trails after the other two. ]

[And Mantis does follow, with only the slightest bit of hesitation. She waits a few beats before speaking.]

Do you want me to try to convince the guards that we are harmless first, or wait to see how they react?

[ A moment of careful consideration, if only because she sees the benefit of both options. ]

If they notice us, convince them. If they make no move at all to approach, leave them be.

[ Because there's no need to interact with the guards if they don't even care about their presence. ]

I will be ready. [She says it quietly.]

[Mantis is more than willing to just take orders and do what she's told this time. She walks just slightly behind Gamora. (Mantis is not a natural born leader.) It seems to be going well enough so far, with the guards noticing them but not actively approaching, much less stopping them.]

[ Mantis may be new, but at least she's handling this well. Gamora can appreciate that.

Once they're inside, she keeps an eye on Peter and Rocket, but more distantly, not focusing on them enough to make it obvious that they're being watched. She only pauses at the sound of another door opening, a woman stepping out to approach the other two. ]

... Watch her.

[ Quiet, murmured only to Mantis.

She's not certain if this woman will need some "convincing," but an ounce of concern finally leaves her when Peter makes himself useful, chatting the woman up and giving Rocket the diversion he needs.

Skills put to good use, she notes, and she nods vaguely to Mantis, a reassurance that they shouldn't need to step in. ]

Of course. [Her reply is just as quiet and she shifts just a little, so that she isn't quite hiding behind Gamora anymore.

Rocket and Peter are handling it, though, and Mantis breathes a small sigh of relief.

... She might not be so good at anything covert.]

Kids still bite, jackass. [Rocket mutters under his breath. He does not deserve this patronizing!! Even if he just patronized Peter first. That is different. Or something.

Either way, as soon as they get in through the unlocked and unchecked back door, Rocket's own posture goes from "usual air of tension and annoyance" to full blown on alert. Not being able to see his fur underneath that stupid cloak means no one can see how bristly he's getting. Which is good- he doesn't want Quill getting all... emotional about it.

It's a significantly different view from where he's standing than it was when he was peeking out of that backpack he convinced Prompto to carry him in. The pictures help, though. Already he can see familiar bits and pieces, allowing him to make a mental map. There are people milling about, but no one seems to notice that two people have just walked in.]

This way. [He inclines his head in a direction, keeping his voice low. No child in the world speaks in a rough baritone.]

[ It takes one to know one!!

Entering the facility is every bit as uneventful as Peter expected, and— yeah, he’s becoming more and more disappointed with how this job is shaping up. It’s not that he likes getting shot at (or yelled at or stabbed at or just generally threatened with grievous bodily harm), but bringing in four folks on a job like this? It seems like there should be more going on, right? Like, there should at least be a guy the size of Andre the Giant somewhere in here, dual-wielding clubs or and roaring about impending doom or whatever.

But, okay, just because it seems easy doesn’t mean it’ll be easy, and Peter takes a breath as they cross the threshold. He glances around, orienting himself based on the mental map he had created on the few pictures they had examined in the alleyway. Rocket seems to go about it quicker, though, and at his direction, Peter dutifully falls into step beside him, keeping up that air of purpose with just a dash of impatience.

He waits until they’re out of earshot of anyone before he mutters, ]

You should really work on your little kid voice. You’re not convincing anyone with that.

Gosh. I'm so sorry, mister. [He puts on an affected high pitched voice that isn't much better and keeps moving, turning down a hall that seems promising.

It's not one he recognizes and that gives him pause- more than that, right in the entranceway there's a large display case holding a huge furry object labeled as "lucky rabbit's foot."] See what I mean? [Rocket hisses, pointing at it.] This is what we're dealing with here.

Yep. [ And he says it lightly, in a long-suffering tone that says, Should’ve seen that coming. ] Getting colder.

[ But they haven’t been accosted yet, and anyone they do pass only offers them a quick glance before going about their business. So far, so good, Peter figures.

When they turn down the hallway, it takes him a handful of steps to realize this place doesn’t match up with his mental map from the earlier pictures – but, then again, those were just pictures. There was every possibility that they just didn’t get snapshots of this corridor during their earlier excursion.

The display case that Rocket points out gives Peter pause, and he examines it for a second.

Then a second longer.

Then, ]

... What am I supposed to be looking at?

[ it, uh. It just looks like an oversized, novelty rabbit’s foot. ]

You've seen the animals around here. You think that's fake?

[Rocket's never seen a novelty rabbit's foot. The reference is lost on him.] And what's so frickin' lucky about it?

[Any further attempts to educate Rocket on that subject are interrupted- which is for the best as it would only serve to piss him off- by a door shutting at the other end of the hall and a stern-looking woman walking briskly towards them. Her eyes zero in on Peter.

"Can I help you find something, sir?"]

[ Peter has the sudden, stomach-dropping realization that he's going to have to explain how, on Earth at least, folks used to carry around rabbit's feet on keychains as lucky charms, and that Rocket isn't likely to take that bit of information very well.

The sudden appearance of the woman almost – almost – makes Peter mumble, "Oh, thank god," in relief, but instead he straightens, subtly stepping between Rocket and the woman to better shield the guy. Peter puts on his usual polite smile – something crooked and a little charming – and holds up a hand, almost apologetically. ]

No, no, we're fine. We were just passing by, and this— [ He nods to the display case. ] —caught my son's attention.

[ A plausible enough cover, he figures, what with the case being right there. ]

We've just never seen a rabbit's foot that big. We were trying to figure out if it was real.

[The woman looks hesitantly between it and Peter, caught off-guard and not looking as if she should chastize them or educate them. Or perhaps trying to prepare her lie. "It was donated," she says, fumbling, and Rocket sees his opportunity. Using the fact that she has her full attention on Peter, he sneaks away, moving towards the door she just came out of.

She doesn't notice. "The, ah, details were a bit before my time, but it is real. Very much so."

From behind her, Rocket makes a series of hand gestures roughly translated as "KEEP HER TALKING."]

[ Peter catches Rocket's movement from the corner of his eye, but he's done this often enough that he keeps himself focused on the woman, only tracking Rocket through his peripheral vision. At Rocket's silent command, Peter gives only a bare twitch of his hand – an impatient little thing that says, I've done this before, dude. I'm a goddamn professional.

On the surface, though, Peter puts on his impressed, interested face, shifting his weight as if to settle in. ]

May I ask if you know what sort of breed it was? I can't imagine any of the domestic or wild rabbits I know of getting to that size.

["Well, it... wasn't a domestic breed at all." She's struggling to put this delicately. They must have drawn a real winner in the local scientist population. "There's a species- well, we don't have a name for them yet, but there's a certain amount of sentience associated to them."

Rocket sneaks in through the door, which she must have left ajar when she came to investigate the noise. Inside, it's a disaster which he never would have expected from someone that looks so put together. Her desk is littered with papers and doodles (the doodle of Evras he shoves in his pouch, along with a bottle on the corner that he doesn't pay attention to, assuming it might be liquor of some kind). The rest of it is just junk except the one dark corner he almost missed as he headed out, where a bunch of haphazard machine parts are strewn every which way. Rocket's eyes light up, immediately.]

I see.

[ Oh, that's creepy, though Peter doesn't let much show beyond a vague interest. Who just chucks up parts of sapient species and labels it with shit like "lucky rabbit's foot"? It'd be like displaying someone's skull and putting up a little plaque that says, "look like someone lost their head."

... which, actually, might be kind of funny. But, okay, focus up, Quill. He doesn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary from the office Rocket just stepped into, so he has to figure the guy is doing alright. Which means he just has to keep this lady distracted for a little while longer. ]

I know you're probably super busy, and I'd hate to take up any more of your valuable time, but would you mind telling me a little bit about this species? I'd love to learn more.

["I said it was donated. I don't- I don't know anything about them, myself, actually. I've never even seen one alive, so they could be just as extinct as the old dragons."

Her flustering seems to take on an edge of annoyance, as if she's found her resolve and seen through what she believed to just be a handsome stranger taking interest. "You aren't from the Sanctuary, are you? That's the exact kind of question that Lysa's daughters would ask."

Meanwhile, back in the office, Rocket is pocketing every machine part he can shove inside his pockets. He's almost ready to leave when he finds what looks like a mechanical leg. He can't leave that there. He shoves it up underneath his arm, adjusts his cloak and begins to sidle out of the office along the wall, hoping to avoid the woman's peripheral vision.]

Edited 2018-01-29 18:56 (UTC)

[ Well, that’s a sensitive topic, clearly. Peter holds up a hand again in a placating gesture. ]

Listen— I’m not from anywhere, I promise.

[ And he puts on a look of hurt, like the accusation actually means something to him.

It super doesn’t, though. Like, at all. She might as well be insulting him in Klingon. Peter knows fuck-all about Olympia, much less about the clinic in question, but with the way the woman namedrops Lysa and the Sanctuary like her mouth is full of poison, he has to figure it’s not a great thing.

He spots Rocket creeping back out of the room, and while he doesn’t betray his relief – again – he does put on an apologetic look, the corners of his mouth turning down, eyebrows knitting together. ]

I just get curious sometimes, you know? [ And he rubs at the back of his neck, almost sheepish. ] Like, when I find something that fascinates me, I just pick at it and pick at it to try and learn everything I can. And you just had this air of authority? So I thought you’d be the perfect person to ask, but I can see I’m just bothering you.

[ The good: Rocket is out of the office, presumably with whatever they came here for.

The bad: the previously flustered woman seems to be seeing through Peter's charming smile, and she's starting to get belligerent. The last thing they need is for her to turn around and see Rocket creeping about before they can hightail it out of this place, so—

She turns to Mantis, nodding towards Peter. ]

Take care of her so we can get out of here.

[ Of course, Gamora will be prepared if, for some reason, Mantis can't banish this woman's aggression, but if the more peacefully they can do this, the better. ]

[Mantis had already been watching the situation, so Gamora asking her to go do something about it doesn't surprise her.

There's no way to surreptitiously grab someone's hand, but it's a little less conspicuous than reaching up to brush the woman's cheek. (Damn her for wearing sleeves.)

Before the woman can pull her hand away, Mantis is speaking to her, antennae glowing.] You are a very calm person. Would you mind if I spoke to you for a moment?

[Please work, please work, please work]

[There's a lot to unpack for this woman- Peter's attempt at an apology keeps her from noticing the arrival of someone else to the point where she startles when he hand is grabbed, cutting off the argument she's about to make about sending him off the premises.

She's about to turn that vitriol to this strange girl, instead, but instantly she feels... calmed. Like suddenly it's occurred to her that none of this matters. Her furrowed brow softens.

"Yes... Yes, I am," she murmurs. "Of course, dear. What do you need?" Instantly, Peter is forgotten, just like that.

On the wall, Rocket has frozen, uncertain of where this was about to go, but Mantis has wrenched control over the situation and he breathes a sigh of relief before scooting his way around the corner to meet up with Gamora while Peter extricates himself and Mantis sends the lady on her way.

That's some frickin' teamwork right there.]

[ Peter cages in his own sigh of relief, once Mantis steps in – even if a small, petty part of him wants to insist that he had that handled, that he was definitely going to find a way out of that.

Probably for the best that he didn’t have to try, though, considering his next step was doing something dumb, like asking the lady out to dinner or some shit.

(She is pretty, though, he thinks. If it hadn’t been for the attitude she had copped with him earlier, he probably wouldn’t have minded a quick date.)

How ever it is that Mantis’ powers work, he doubts it extends as far as, like, actual memory erasure – which is why he doesn’t track Rocket’s progress around the corner, in case the woman notices. Instead, he keeps his focus on her and Mantis, and he frowns a little. ]

We probably shouldn’t bother her. I mean, she looks a little exhausted, don’t you think? We should let her take a break.

[Peter gives her the perfect out and Mantis is grateful. For some reason, it had not occurred to her to send the woman off on her own; she nods at Peter's suggestion and smiles at the woman.]

You do look tired. [Just a little nudge there, a suggestion of weariness.] Surely you can take a few moments to regroup? There is a cafe not far from here. They make such good sandwiches...

[And she steps aside, still hanging onto the woman's hand and lightly nudges her toward the door -- and away from Rocket.]

[Rocket grabs a hold of Gamora's shirt and tugs, pointing at the scene unfolding beyond where they're tucked like LOOK AT THIS CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? Which is just as annoying as it sounds.

The woman shakes her head and lifts a hand to her brow.] You're right. It's just occurred to me that I skipped lunch. Thank you so much.

[She hurries away, clearly buying into Mantis's empathy completely, and now eager to rest. She works hard. And Evras does keep changing that stupid code all the time.]

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