Sardonia Online - Character

Name: Whiplash Decree

Race: Human

Alignment: Lawful Good

Class: Warlock (Undying)

Clan: Original: Unknown, Current: Snow Shepards

Background: Crinimal (sp)

Str: 12 +1

Dex: 13 +1

Con: 15 +2

Int: 10

Wis: 8 -1

Char: 16 +3

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Feat: Prodigy

Skills: Stealth (Criminal), Deception (Criminal),  Intimidation (Warlock), Investigation (Warlock), Sleight of Hand (Prodigy)

Tools: Thieves Tools (Expert/Prodigy, Criminal), Forgery Kit (Prodigy), Cards (Criminal)

HP 10

Cantrips: Spare the Undying, Eldritch Blast, Minor Illusion

Spells: Charm Person, Puppet, False Life, Ray of Sickness

Desired Uncommon Magic Item: Bag of Holding

Background: Whiplash was born on the first tier with early memories of ties to another clan but no idea which.  His earliest memory was being buried alive in a tomb by his mother, Iladria, and spared by a ghostly spectral light that promised great things for him as he scrambled out into daylight.  He spent his formative years acting as a Champion for weaker children in the warrens of the first tier.  He used his gifts from the unknown patron to equalize the bigger bullies who used physical force having acquired such warlock powers at an extremely young age.  

His gifts caught the notice of the authorities, who formally adopted him into the clan and he was reborn in the third tier.  However, what he thought was supposed to be an education was nothing of the kind.  He was put to work immediately acting as a liaison for the school with the criminal elements of the first and second tier to smuggle contraband in and out.  He grew to hate the life forced upon him as a criminal, but he felt he was under the thumb of Korlash, procurer for the school.

Over time, he became very good at his job, making contacts all over the first three tiers and learning how to forge documents to go wherever and whenever he was needed.  As he grew in proficiency, offers to join other organizations grew until finally he took one up on their offer and left the Academy.  Korlash wasn't happy but with the protection of the Amber Knives, there was little he could do.   Things worked out well at first.

However, the Amber Knives were a little too dark for Whiplash's taste.  At first, he tried to look the other way but then they kept asking him to do things he simply found unacceptable.   As it was, he arranged for all of them to end up caught and imprisoned by the watch.  Word got around.  On the one hand, he has a reputation of someone not to be messed with; on the other, many suspect he was responsible somehow for their incarceration since he is the only member of the gang that got away.  Either way, he is now a free agent, but in need of resources in a harsh world.

[LARP] Barony of the Winds - Session 0

 Pericuolo Narr writes a provisional charter for the Barony 

[Online LARP for Baronies of Daytona on Discord]

TLDR If Not in the Mood to Read: These are the rules we, the Anarchs of Daytona agree to for the Federated Baronies of Daytona.

Fancier Preamble: We the Anarchs of Daytona hereby commit the charter document of the Parliament of Daytona.  By our liberty do we remain free; by our union do we the movement remain strong.  We as free thinking individuals demand our rights and are prepared to defend them by force of arms in sacred union that the Fires of Revolution never rescind from our collective memory.  

Article 1 - Baronies

1. It is the fundamental right of Anarchs to establish Baronies as they see fit, when they see fit how they see fit.  This charter supercedes none of their rights as such; with certain caveats (See below)

2. The Baronies of Daytona will be Federated and work jointly for the greater purpose of the cause at large.

3. The office of Baron shall be exclusive to the territory of each component barony.

4. The offices of Constable, Architect and Ambassador shall be reserved for the federation at large (Reference Article 3)

5. Each Baron shall have all rights and responsibilities pertaining to their office not the least of which shall include the right of Mandate and Authority as understood write large by the Movement on a global basis; to whit the Baron shall enforce justice, territorial integrity and the rights of the members of each barony within the movement or federation.

6. Any anarch may only be considered a resident or voting member of one barony in the Federation.

7. Charter members of the Federation consist of the Barony of the Winds and the Barony of Halifax.

8. Additional Baronies may be added per majority vote of the Assembly (See Below.)

9. Baronies may retain their own charters and laws but while members of the Daytona Federation rules and regs listed by this charter supersede all Barony laws except the authority of the Baron to execute their Mandate and Authority as duly elected by their office.

Article 2 - The Assembly

1. The Assembly is to consist of all members of the Baronies of the Federation.

2. The Assembly is understood to be the supreme body of the federation since the Federation exists by the free will and power of all anarchs and may amend this charter by majority vote at any time except as agreed to by the federation.

3. Residency requirements for a Barony are to be decided by each individual barony.

4. The assembly shall meet no less than once every ninety days.  No necessity of war or officers may deny the right of the assembly to assemble.

5. Outside of barony borders as enforced by elected Barons, members of the Assembly have the following rights

-The Right to Speech-Any time, anywhere except by Rules of Order constituted by this Charter.

-The Right to free movement to anywhere but the borders of Baronies as dictated by said Barony.

-The Right to free movement outside of Daytona or within Daytona except as dictated by Ratified treaty.

-The Right to Bear Arms anywhere they damn well please except in the havens of others or Free Zones dictated by this Charter or Local Barony.

6. The Assembly is to elect a speaker who maintains the rules and order of the Assembly following rational debate and timely motion of the order of the day since we all have better things to do than just sit around talking.

7. If the Assembly does not elect a Speaker, the Speaker shall default to the Senior Baron (one with the most elected time) in the Federation.  The Assembly is encouraged to elect a speaker that is one an existing Federation officer.

Article 3 - The Parliament

1. The Parliament shall consist of the following

-All Barons of the Federation

-All Officers of the Federation As Designated by the Assembly including:

-Architect at Large (or as subdivided)

-Constable of Defense

-Constable of Offense

-Ambassador At Large (or as subdivided)

-Speaker of the Assembly

2. It is the purview of the Parliament to perform the following

-Ratify plans of War that involve more than the routine actions of the Constable of Offense.

-Ratify Treaties by majority before put at large before the Assembly

-Ratify changes to the Charter as ratified by the Assembly (A change ratified by the Assembly not ratified by the Parliament will not be enacted unless Ratified by the Assembly for 3 sessions no less than 30 days apart)

-Resolve disputes between Baronies as the highest court of the Federation (Barons in such a dispute do not get a vote)

-Conduct initial negotiations for the admissions of new baronies to the federation (but may NOT determine additions of Baronies to the federation which is for the assembly alone)

-Veto the election of officer candidates by the Assembly by Majority (ties always go to the assembly)

-Vote proposals by the Assembly (ties always go to the Assembly)

-Have the right to Declare war by Majority (Ties go to the Assembly at large for vote)

-Have the right to end a Declaration of War (ties go to the Assembly at large for a vote)

3. The Office of the Architect at Large shall

-Provide for the well being of the Federation at large

-Have the ability to leverage a tax of time, resources or other activities as deemed needful and ratified by the Parliament for a duration of less than 30 days and the Assembly if longer than 30 days

-Provide for the spirit of Libertas for the Federation at large

-Provide for the sanctity and preservation of Mortals in the Federation at large and determine violations by Assembly Members of the same

-Facility the economy of the movement within the Federation

-Provide materials for the sustainment of the war effort such as required

-Shall be elected at large by the Assembly, whose term shall not exceed two years on election without confirmation by the Assembly.

-May be put up for election or confirmation by the majority of Parliament for the consideration of the Assembly at any time.

4. The Office of the Constable of Offense shall

-Be in charge of prosecution of war against the Sabbat or other enemies of the movement in times of war.

-Be the supreme commander in the field outside of Baronies (or as delegated by Barons within their territories) in times of war.

-Be allowed to designate special squads for the purpose of war and to create sub ranks that are to be obeyed by participants so long as the rank shall not exceed the length of the 30 days.

-Be allowed to propose sub ranks as needed to the Parliament who must ratify their nomination for any period longer than 30 days.

-Shall be elected at large by the Assembly, whose term shall not exceed two years on election without confirmation by the Assembly.

-May be put up for election or confirmation by the majority of Parliament for the consideration of the Assembly at any time.

5. The Office of the Constable of the Defense shall

-Be in charge of preservation of the peace and goodwill of Anarchy in the Federation writ large.

-May not be banished or subjected to a Call to Arms by the Barons of the Federation without the confirmation by the Assembly 

-Is supreme commander in the field within the baronies unless unusual circumstances force a Baron within their own Barony to take charge.  The default is always to the Constable of the defense.

-Be in charge of preserving the Masquerade

-Be allowed to designate special squads for purpose of war and to create sub ranks that are to obeyed by participants so long as the rank shall not exceed the length of the 30 days.

-Be allowed to propose sub ranks as needed to the Parliament who must ratify their nomination for any period longer than 30 days.

-Shall be elected at large by the Assembly, whose term shall not exceed two years on election without confirmation by the Assembly.

-May be put up for election or confirmation by the majority of Parliament for the consideration of the Assembly at any time.

6. The Office of the Ambassador

--Shall be elected at large by the Assembly, whose term shall not exceed two years on election without confirmation by the Assembly.

-May be put up for election or confirmation by the majority of Parliament for the consideration of the Assembly at any time.

-May be appointed by the Parliament for periods of less than 30 days if unfilled.

-Should not be a joint office held by any Baron or other Parliament officer.  

-Has full negotiating power for treaties and represents the interests of the Federation outside of the Federation.

-Must have decorum, sanity and moral character and wisdom more outstanding any other officer of the federation; suicidal militarism, fanaticism to their private dogma independent of the welfare of the federation, reckless or emberrasing behavior of office will not be tolerated and charges of such can be brought up by the assembly for the dismissal of this office at any time since the Ambassador is the voice and the image of the Federation outside of the Federation.

Article 4

1. The Federation may create other offices or amend this charter by majority vote at any time.  Ratification of such changes must take place in three successive meetings of the assembly or by 2/3rds of the assembly to be considered binding.

2. This Charter is considered ratified if everyone present in the Initial assembly agrees to by majority.

3. A barony may leave at any time by majority vote of the assembly members of its inhabitants but a BARON may not unilaterally do so.  If done in time of war, the remainder of the assembly may decide at will if this action constitutes a declaration of war on the rest of the Federation.

 

[Heroes Assembled] Groot Fan Fiction - The Lost Branch World - Part 2

 

Groot has posed:
(Radio Announcer Voice) When last we left the Guardians of the Galaxy, they had agreed to perform a dastardly deed on Thoote, a snooty galoot whose ideas would not take root on The Lost Branch world. This world, moved from Planet X's orbit centuries ago by a powerful alien force stopped being an aristocracy and became the Republic of Branches; and they get along with their local mammelian helpers. Both ideas are total anathema to Planet X, so Groot knew if Thoote returned, Planet X wouldn't give a hoot; and would send an armada to kill them all to boot. The only question is; how dastardly will the deed be, and can the group keep Peter occupied while they blow a bad guy up for great Justice!

Rocket has posed:
(Previously)

"If I told any of you what I was gonna do, you'd either wanna help me or try to stop me, so I ain't telling you a thing 'cept to say I can be discreet when I need to be, and I ain't doing nothin' that'll get back to the rest of you," Rocket says, keeping his voice low so only those in his circle, namely the other Guardians, can hear. "And if he objects," he adds, noting Peter, "tie him down, knock him out, get him drunk, all of that in whatever order it takes. But I'm doing a good thing here and you're just gonna have to trust me."

He walks past Groot, patting him on the leg. "Don't worry. I got this. The rest of you just enjoy yourselves. I ain't afraid of getting my hands dirty. Just remembered something back on the ship I need. In fact, keep that guy busy a while." He indicates Thoote. Like a generic mechanic's jumpsuit. And a bomb. And something to do a little rewiring with. It will be grand, and nobody will know any better.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora leans back into her seat very slowly. "... My concerns have not abated." She states plainly, then looks over her shoulder at Throote thoughtfully "... How does one distract a tree man whose language you do not speak?" She ponders. "Without violence, I mean." Gamora looks forward again and wrings her gloved hands on top of the table, brow furrowed with thought. "... Who among us is the most seductive?"

    Eject! Eject!

Nebula has posed:
    That she is starting to realised she can understand a bit of what Groot and Thoote are saying is besides the point. The point is Gamora just gave her the easiest win of the trip so far. "Then it's settled. I will distract Quill while you distract Thoote," she says. Check and mate. Of course, that does mean getting very drunk. The sacrifices she makes for Gamora's little spaceship adventure time.

    Nebula's demeanour changes and she pats Peter on the shoulder, "The next round is on me.. Captain." She lifts up two fingers for the orange stuff since he's decided to get in to it even though he clearly doesn't like it. It must be a human trait to drink terrible things. She lifts up a class and *tinks* it to his, "To Groot finding his lost planet." Even when she's trying to be nice there's a dark edginess to her voice like she's hiding something. Which she is.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter clinks glasses with Nebula but only makes a show of drinking the foul orange liquid in his glass. "To Groot," he agrees but looks back at Rocket. "Yeah, gotta agree with Gamora, my concerns are not abated or whatever, seriously Rocket, what gives?" he asks brows raising as he looks back at him from the bar.

Groot has posed:
Groot raises his glass and blinks in confusion but in the interest in going along with the flow he says, "I am Groot!" It has the distinct tone of 'sure sure of course sure' He drinks some but there is some genuineness to it as well.

Rocket has posed:
"Don't /worry/ about it, Quill. Just sit back and take a load off. Stay." Rocket points. It works on earth canines, he's found. In some cases.

As he approaches Thoote on the way out, he stops and sizes the thing up before saying, "Hey, big guy. Why don't you take a load off and go hang out with my pals over there? Drinks and snacks are on them. Knock yourself out. They'll cover it. It's our way of sayin' we're all friends here."

Then, he leaves while muttering under his breath, "Gotta do this all myself, otherwise at least one of them would try to stop me. But it's for everyone's own good." It's a fortunate thing that most of the ships are docked in the vicinity of each other, and Rocket ducks into the Milano to collect a few things and swap out his more familiar jumpsuit for one he keeps for special occasions like this, one that's much more basic and unassuming. There are a lot of mechanics and ship repair types that look abnormal in space. What's one more?

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora nods her head firmly as Nebula speaks. "Yes. Make sure that Quill does not..." Gamora looks confused. She tilts her head. She looks at Quill. She looks at Nebula! She looks at the orange substance she has imbibed. She looks at Nebula again.

    She squints. She keeps on squinting as she clinks her glass with everyone else's.

    "Very well, then." Gamora says, and stands up, leaving her cloak behind and moving towards Thoote.

    Gamora stands next to Thoote, facing the bar.

    She turns and props one elbow on the bar.

    She turns her back to it and puts both elbows on the bar.

    She removes her elbows from the bar.

    She frowns.

    How does this work? How does she start? What part of the standard bipedal mammal formation would a tree find attractive? ... What part of that does ANYTHING traditionally find attractive?! It's never really come up! One time one guy told her her hands were pretty, right before she plucked his eyeball out! That was just bad timing, but...

    Gamora takes off her gloves, and frowns.

    Just do what comes naturally, Gamora.

    Gamora pounds her fist on the bar and demands, "How often do you come to this place?!"

Nebula has posed:
    "Ignore the small fur monster. He is harmless today. We must talk about your choice of music. I am concerned for you Quill," she says in tones never before heard from her by the crew of the Milano. "You have been repeating your favourite songs more than usual. It's like you're stuck in a loop ever since the Kryptonians left," a small head tilt. She learnt how to ingratiate herself with her target just like Gamora did.

    Gamora did it 'naturally' (ahem *cough* ahem). Nebula.. has analytical software, which is currently working hard trying to second guess Peter's next moves and emotions. It's hard because he's human. She'd been saving this for a special occasion, a time when she really needed to flaw Peter, to take him off of his game and confuse him. This is not that time but it's a great play and she is curious to see how he'll react.

    She takes out a small disc and places it on the bar in front of him. "While on Earth, I hacked in to their planetary music repository titled 'Pandora'. I opened this box and copied all of their tonal constructs. This is all of Earth's most recent music. For you."

    She stares at Groot for a long moment and says, "This will only end in strong negative emotions Groot." Her look darkens as she considers the last time she ran in to people from her home planet and how badly that went for her.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter looks at Nebula then looks at his drink. "Is this stronger than I thought it was or are you being nice to me?" he asks her brow furrowed deep with confusion. That confusion doesn not preclude him from quickly grabbing the offered disk. "Wait, you;re saying this has ./all/ recent Earth music?" he asks her. "How recent are we talking here?" he asks.

Rocket? Who's Rocket? There's only Peter and the disc right now.

Groot has posed:
Groot says, "I am Groot," he nods to Nebula, he raises his glass to Peter and says, "I am Groot" holding up his finger. One could IMAGINE it said something like "I will be right back." Maybe?

"I am Thoote." Thoote looks with disdaine at Rocket and only seems to have more disdaine for Gamora as Groot slides up as casual as you please, deftly placing a flower in Gamora's hair. Suddenly, the attitude of all of the individuals at the table except one of them who looks at Groot with a look of utter shock and a little bit of disgust. At that point, Thoote crosses his arms and then opens them wide, speaking just like every two bit aliens with gold chains on their chest in every space bar the Guardians have ever been to, as he says, "I am Thoote."

Rocket has posed:
While the party is going on, Rocket gets to work doing the dirty work. Once the jumpsuit is swapped out for a basic dirty green, complete with authentic oil spots and other stains, he tucks a cloth into the back pocket that trails behind him much like a second tail. "A little of that, and a little of this..." he hums to himself, slipping on a pair of thick glasses that serve no purpose whatsoever, yet oddly enough they fit and cause his eyes to seem like they're bugging out. A worn baseball cap is added, turned backwards.

Grabbing a tool bag, he stuffs various and sundry items in it, the purposes of which will soon become clear - but not too soon - and he surveys the mental checklist in his mind. "Feels like I'm forgettin' someth...ahh, right." Trotting back to his quarters, he finds and affixes a fake mustache at his nose. "Perfect."

Off he goes, acting like he's having some trouble seeing where he's going, which is partly true as he calls out to another mechanic-looking being, "Yo! Which one'a these heaps is Thoote's? They sent me out here fer some tune-ups! Said somethin' was goin' 'whrrrr' when it should be goin' 'wheee' an' another thing was goin' 'ah-wooooga' when it was s'posed to be goin' 'beep-beep!' So whatcha got fer me?"

The poor guy looks utterly clueless as he merely points. "Uh..that one over there."

Rocket squints again. "Dat hunk of junk? Well, sheeeeeit, I better roll these sleeves up an' get crack-a-lackin'!"

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora's eyes peer up and to the side in the general direction of her new ornament, one eye narrowing with confusion, before the entire atmosphere of the bar appears to change.

    ... Oh! Okay...!

    This seduction crack's easy!

    "Yes, well. Hmm." Gamora leans against the bar, hesitates for a moment, and then flips her long nearly-black-dark-green hair back over her shoulder. "... I am Gamora."

Nebula has posed:
    She has him. It was easy. She could stab him in the spleen right now. She also downloaded wikipedia pages about the anatomy of humans because learning to kill different species isn't just a hobby, it's her profession.

    There is a nod and she says, "Yes Peter. Including what are referred to as 'mashups' of popular Earth noise and a significant number of what are termed 'remix' which I believe is a polite way of saying 'stolen'. Next time Rocket steals from the collector, we can simply claim it is a remix."

    Being conspiratorial with Nebula is not the usual kind of interaction one gets unless their name starts with a G and ends with amora. "Most human music appears to be small variations on similar themes, their primitive compression algorithms were easily optimised by our superior technology," she explains, "But I have kept it in its original format so your machines can play it." Yep she just called human music 'basic'.

    "I took the liberty of arranging the music based on organ fixation as most modern Earth music seems to describe wealth and body parts. You might find the section on the rear end of particular interest. It seems to be of interest to Terrans as that contains the most music."

Peter Quill has posed:
Yep. Totally won over, even if he can detect a hint of shade being thrown. Okay more than a hint, but ALL THE MUSIC. It was more than enough to let that slide and Peter's expression doesn't shift for but a moment from his wide-eyed appreciation for the gift. "Wow Nebula this is really amazing," a beat. "And it's butts right?" he asks about the body part before getting back on track. Especially for you, no offense. I didn't think you did gifts..." a frown forms on his lips. "Wait a minute, who did you kill I'm going to be mad about?" that had to be the reason right?

Groot has posed:
The small beaver creature is easily fooled by Rocket's disguise and is guileless. Indeed, were the guardians to stay here TOO long, the explotation potential might be frightening on at least half the population. The ship is mostly unlocked though there is a security system. For Rocket, of course, this is merely chuckle worthy to bypass.

Thoote is all eyes on Gamora and smiles, "I am Thoote."

The one who say Groot do what he did said, "I am Berry!" She looks disgusted.

"I am Spatula!" The person right next to her says and stands between Berry and Gamora, several others declare their names and Thoote looks at Berry, his eyes cold and hard, "I am Thoote."

Groot, looking worried looks back and forth and steps back, raising his hand, "I am Groot."

"I am Berry."

Thoote takes off a glove and slaps Berry acroos the face, "I am Thoote."

Rocket has posed:
Such a shame Rocket is missing the shenanigans in the bar, but he has a higher calling, which comes in the form of lyrics he begins to sing to himself, from a song he heard while on Earth:

I can't stand it, I know you planned it
I'm gonna set it straight, this Watergate
I can't stand rocking when I'm in here
'Cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear
So while you sit back and wonder why
I got this fucking thorn in my side
Oh my God, it's a mirage
I'm tellin' y'all, it's a sabotage

So, so, so, so listen up 'cause you can't say nothin'
You'll shut me down with a push of your button?
But you, I'm out and I'm gone
I'll tell you now, I keep it on and on

'Cause what you see you might not get
And we can bet, so don't you get souped yet
You're scheming on a thing that's a mirage
I'm trying to tell you now, it's sabotage

What kind of sabotage? For starters, poking the smallest of holes into parts of the fuel lines once he's disabled the ship's security through a little hacking tool of his. Nothing that would cause an immediate problem, but once the ship's taken off and the fuel is circulating...

Fraying a few wires near some of those openings he created ought to help with sparks to set off an explosion. It pays to have a backup plan.

Yet another backup plan comes in the form of a small bomb he affixes to the ship's engine core once he's inside. It's set to start its countdown in tandem with the engine firing up, so it won't blow prematurely if Thoote is enjoying himself too much with the Guardians.

Last, but certainly not least, he fiddles with the lines that circulate whatever Thoote breathes in here, carbon dioxide perhaps, and replaces it with some herbicides. And more fuel. And more spots that could spark and touch off a conflagration.

Because you can never really have too much fire, can you?

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora's eyes bounce around the room from one declaration of a tree person's name to another, back and forth as the repeated introductions grow more and more agitated, and she winces as one of them strikes the other.

    Maybe she should try to stop this.

    She crosses her arms and stays silent.

    ... Is it weird that having men fight over her is kind of exhilarating?

Nebula has posed:
    "Yes Peter. All the songs about Terran butts ordered by popularity. The top two songs about rear ends are Baby got back, and Fat Bottomed girls," she says but then starts to notice his suspicions rising. Possibly, her software suggests, due to the tensions being created by her sister.

    With a tsk of annoyance, blaming Gamora for ruining her perfect manipulation of Peter, she says to him. "There is no one you would care that much about that I would _apologise_ to _you_ for killing them Quill," she snaps back and then glances past him at the confused mess Gamora has managed to generate.. by slamming a fist down and demanding to know if they come here often.

    Her eyes narrow in annoyance at how easy it is for her to do _everything_. "Ridiculous," is her description of what she's seeing to Peter. Then again, she can probably keep Peter occupied if he's vying for Gamora's attentions, "Soon she will mate with one of them." There, that should do it.

Peter Quill has posed:
Yep. Nebula's not wrong. At her words he turns to the various tree people around Gamora and lets out a whistle as he gets up on the bar both blasters in hand. "Nice of you all to introduce yourselves like a million times over, so let me get my turn. I am Star Lord, and these are my quadblasters, and you see these fingers here," he wiggles his index fingers where they hover over the main trigger of his guns. "Are not on the stun triggers, so how about you guys move it on down the road before you need to call Smokey the bear to put your asses out."

Groot has posed:
Groot holds up his hands calmly, "I am Groot"

Thoote looks at Groot and sneers, "I am THOOTE."

A large (the largest local yet seen) with some kind of armor and a large wide brimmed hat and two blasters comes in and says, "I am Avarite."

Thoote sneers wider, "I am Thoote."

Berry looks from Starlord to Gamora to Groote and then Nebula and says, sighing, "I am Berry."

"I am Avarite." He snaps his fingers and suddenly lots of people in the bar, including Thoote and Berry start filing out with purpose.

The Mischief on Thoote's Ship is most thoroughly managed.

Rocket has posed:
Blissfully unaware of what's taking place back at the bar, Rocket checks and double-checks his arrangement inside the ship, then he runs a line from a datapad he's got in his possession, hooking it up to a universal port on the side of the cockpit's main display. "Just a little something extra.."

Tapping his screen, he watches as a cartoonish headshot 'logo' of himself materializes and makes a show of chortling laughter. It's silent, but it's animated. Then it flashes a message a few times: 'BLAM! MURDERED YA! KABLOOEY IN YER FACE!'

It's not something he really says that much, but special occasions call for a little extra effort. It'll probably be the last thing Thoote sees, as it's set to display just as the ship's integrity begins to fail.

"What else.." he wonders, the mustache having fallen off and become forgotten along the way. He heads over to the area Thoote keeps his food, to see /what/ he considers edible.

Gamora has posed:
    Blushing very slightly, Gamora gently says, "Peter, I have this under control." Only to immediately watch as the gathered crowd shuffles out of the bar with a confused look on her face. She's left standing somewhat awkwardly for a long moment before she retrieves her gloves. "... I must learn their language posthaste, to have better context for how fearsome they find you." she says to Quill.

    It could be important!

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula watches with amusement as Peter gets guns out and is ready to throw down with the plant people. This would be most amusing to watch.. if the sheriff didn't just waltz in and break it all up. Too bad. They could have ended Thoote right here and now in a duel with none the wiser.

    <Rocket, you have run out of time> she says in to her comms quietly and slips off the stool. It only cost her the ultimate 'distract Peter' trick she had up her sleeve though. She doubts Rocket will appreciate her efforts.

    Nebula approaches and folds her arms glaring at Gamora. "As I said. Ridiculous. Even in a bar full of foliage..." she shakes her head and turns to the bartender, "Your drink is atrocious and you should feel ashamed for serving it."

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter puts away his blasters as the sheriff comes into the bar. "I have no idea if you're Ava dude," he replies to the introduction hearing as I am Ava right? "But not going to start any trouble here." His weapons are secured and he holds up his hands. "See, nothing to worry about."

Groot has posed:
The Barkeep, one of the beaver people grunts and says, "What's wrong with it?" He looks at it and sips, "It tastes great, and we even made it less filling. It's the holy grail ale! Less great and more...I mean tastes great and more filling..is that it?"

All the plant people (except Groot) and a lot of the beaver people and some aliens file out, but if not followed by the Guardians, no one bothers them.

From the ship, Rocket would see a bizarre procession from one side of the station (the food court) while people were going to the far end, which looked like some kind of a large...park?

The message is set without problem.

Rocket has posed:
<Ain't no such thing as out of time, sweetcheeks, just less time than before> is Rocket's reply to Nebula over their comms. Did he just call her..? Yep. <But, good lookin' out. I just left a little personal touch, something to remember us by> he adds, before closing up shop, resetting the security systems, and bailing out. After finding the fake mustache during his final sweep.

Just in case, he takes a side route back to the Milano to ensure his path doesn't cross Thoote's, and the glasses are stuffed back in his tool kit. That act is over. Time to change back on the Milano. <There still a party goin' on back there for me to get into, or you wanna bring me something for later? Gonna be some fireworks at some point. I saw a bunch of the not-Groots headed to a big park-type place.>

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora furrows her brow at Nebula's comment, but then, somewhat uncharacteristically, shrugs her shoulders with a dismissive "Hmph." as she grabs her cloak from the back of her chair and slings it over her shoulder, holding onto it with one hand as she says, "Jealousy does not become you, Sister." With absolutely zero irony. "Perhaps you would fare better with sugar, rather than salt."

    Oh dear god, she's proud of herself.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula cuts off her communications and forms a fist in both hands. "I'm going to kill that stupid rodent," she says with violence in her voice. She draws her blaster instead and starts storming out of the space tree tavern with intention to maim or possibly kill Rocket.

    She spins the gun in her hand in agitation, "I'll show you a _personal_ touch." The posture and set shoulders of Nebula and the way she tilts her neck to crack it is all common visuals for Gamora. She knows when her sister is out for blood. It might also be the slightly twitching eye or the fact that she didn't respond to Gamora's jab back at her.

    She peers out the windows and gets an infrared overlay to track his movements.. back the Milano. Good, she can murder him there and not get in too much trouble with the local authorities. The hanger door to the Milano snaps open and she lifts up her gun, "Rocket! NO body calls me 'sweetcheeks'."

Groot has posed:
Elsewhere in the station, the tree people move to the dueling ground. They take positions where Thoote chuckles. He is master of the Flame Wand and will burn...

"I AM THOOTE!" . o O "What is this?"

He looks down at the boffer larper weapon in his hand.

The Sherrif looks at him, "I am Avarite." . o O ("You didnt think we still used the ancient barbaric ways did you?"

"Barbarian!" Thoote reaches out and strangles the sherrif right in front of him, causing him to shrivel up and die.

The locals all frown at him, and Thoote backs away in fear, running back to his ship.

Groot puts his hand on Gamora's shoulder, casually hiding what, among his people is considered Not Good and reabsorbing the bloom into himself.

Rocket has posed:
When Nebula comes in all anger and aggression, she finds Rocket turning toward her with a sizable gun of his own pointed her way. "I'd think twice about that, Nebula. If you want to play the 'call someone names they ain't gonna like' game, I've heard it all. If I went off an' blasted someone every time they called me a rodent or a rat or a trash panda or vermin, there wouldn't be a lot of you left."

He's got her completely lined up in his sights, too. "Thing is, an' I kinda hate to admit it, I'm seein' a little bit of you in me an' I dunno if I like that or if it weirds me out a little. We all got some fucked up stuff in our pasts we gotta deal with, an' I'm actually starting to like most of you in a tiny way. I just set that idiot's ship to blow after he takes off because I didn't want to get the rest of you in the middle of a bigger mess by killing him in front of everybody else. I know what he was gonna come back to do here. I'd hate to see that all fall apart over stupid shit like this. Right?"

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora's air of pride diminishes when she notices the flower disappear, casting a confused look at Groot, before Nebula's reaction causes her some alarm. "NebulaaaaaaaAAAAA!" She calls, her voice rising in a warning tone as she quickly follows after the blue woman. "There is no outcome to this that favors us! Consider a minimal beating! Or perhaps a flesh wound!"

    Talking it out still doesn't occur to her as an option very often.

    Gamora is given tremendous pause when Rocket points a gun at her sister.

    "... Rocket..." Gamora begins to speak tersely, "Nebula is not stupid enough to actually attack you..." at least she doesn't think so, "... and you will not benefit from pointing that gun at her very much longer. I have NOT been trained to fight non-lethally, and there are *limits* to what I will endure for peace on this ship. So everyone would do well to calm down very quickly."

Nebula has posed:
    The look of desire to pull the trigger on Nebula's face is evident. The anger is palpable. But he's making sense and the truth is.. she kinda sees it too. They are more similar than the others on the ship in some very specific and scary ways.

    "I used my best Quill distraction today.. for you," she sneers as if somehow he had betrayed her by calling her sweetcheeks. In a way. Then again, learning she was a daughter of Thanos was perhaps a worse betrayal from her.

    She lowers her weapon and puts it back in on to her belt and stares at him. "I call you Rocket and you call me Nebula and we figure the rest out later. Deal?" she frowns deeply and says, "Also.. I know where Halfworld is. I stumbled across it in the computers on Oa. If you want to go there." There, olive branch. There's time enough to murder them all later when it matters.

    Her angry look turns on Gamora as somehow she gets her way.. Gamora always wins. "I'm going to enjoy dragging your lifeless body across the floors of the Milano, sister," she says with an oddly specific threat.

Groot has posed:
Groot follows the others to the ship. Peter follows as well.

He looks at the others and says, "I am Groot." He looks at Rocket and smiles, "I am Groot."

Speaking of Stupid, Thoote runs into his ship with a mob of locals after him, shots firing in the hanger with local mammals scrambling around trying to put it out. He enters his ship and guns the engines, trying to leave in a hurry.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket explains to Gamora, after she shows up on Nebula's heels, "We're havin' a moment here." Those beady raccoon eyes flit her way just enough to note everything about her in an instant, then they return to Nebula herself.

"Did you? What was it? A knee between the legs? Tell me you got a recording of it. I wanna see," he says, his tail briefly dancing with interest and anticipation before they both start to put their weapons away from each other at roughly the same time. "I like being called Rocket," he affirms.

However, the mention of Halfworld turns his expression to a more troubled one. "I know where Halfworld is. There's a reason I ain't told you guys about it, because there's a bunch of stuff I don't remember and I didn't want to go back there." The fact Nebula knows about it and where it is...he takes in a deep breath and lets it back out, looking away from them all of a sudden as if he's trying to hide a sort of vulnerability from them.

To Groot, he merely adds quietly, "Yeah, yeah. You're welcome." It's all he can bring himself to say.

That is, until a beeping sound emanates from that personal device of his. He didn't even get the chance to swap out of the generic jumpsuit before Nebula came seeking him out. "Who wants to see a show? Follow me to the cockpit, fast."

Gamora has posed:
    As Rocket walks away, Gamora releases a heavy breath she didn't realize she'd been holding in a sigh of relief. That worked out about as well as could be hoped for. Threat of murder aside. She glares at Nebula out of the corner of her eye, "... Not if you get yourself shot with a temper tantrum first." Says Gamora icily; the lady who has eviscerated men for even implying her strength was lacking. But there are different rules out here; and sometimes they even sort of make sense to Gamora.

    Without further word, Gamora silently follows Rocket, to watch.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula has a recording alright. But Rocket wouldn't appreciate it. Not enough physical violence. Still seething that Rocket managed to push one of her buttons. Usually it's Gamora doing that. The worst part about it is.. she almost did it. She almost pulled the trigger.

    Rocket is not the mission. Gamora is. She has to stay focused. She has to stay -plausible-. Though, she caught that strange little expression after she mentioned Halfworld. A weakness, a real one, not just the usual weaknesses that sentient men have.

    A small shrug is given to Groot in response to his tree-language which it is evident she seems to understand some of now. She moves in to the cockpit to watch what she hopes will be a glorious explosion. "This better be good," she warns. It might be the only thing that'll salvage the day for her.

Groot has posed:
Thoote flies his ship out of the hanger at maximum speed. Planet X's tech is MUCH more advanced than the locals or most galactic standard, and gets out rather fast, its shields making short work of the tractor beams that try to latch on to the ship but slide off it like oil.

Thoote mocks the station, "I am Thoote" it is oiled and arrogant and extremely noble" and then, he calls back in a panic, "I am Thoote!" There are unusual sensor readings on the ship which then lights up like a candle and the death star explosion.

Inside Thoote's ship, he is briefly helped by a surge of carbon dioxide, except that Rocket actually KNOWS what Groot breathes and so the oxygen count goes way up, which incidently helps the ship go boom even MORE as the last thing he sees is Rocket's chuckling face, "I am Thoote" . o O "No, not a MAMMAL!!!!!"

"I am Groot." Groot crosses his arms and shakes his head, and looks at Gamora, "I am Groot.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket leads the way, getting to the cockpit before anyone else so he can set up a couple things, which includes one-way visual and audio feeds he established, tapping into the ship's controls in order to allow the Guardians to see that much. "Show's just getting started."

They can see smoke beginning to form in the cockpit of the other ship, and a fire suppression system kicks in. Meant to spray water everywhere, instead it showers Thoote with a mixture of the herbicides and fuel. So /that's/ what Rocket was doing there. Or did he just add more as a backup to the other lines? He's nothing if not thorough.

They can see another bit from the outside as the ship soars away. Sparks are visible there as exposed wiring touches, causing some power fluctuations in other systems. The fuel lines that run nearby begin to leak more fluid as the holes expand.

Suddenly, the grand finale. Thoote flailing inside, the toonish Rocket on the screen, and from within and without a massive fireball lights up the screens before they all see beyond the cockpit windows the explosion of Thoote's ship, followed a split second later by an even bigger one. The bomb, Rocket's final touch.

"Oh, what a shame," Rocket lies. "Guess he ain't coming back to destroy everyone after all. And Gamora, I ain't repeating the last part Groot just said." He looks pleased enough with himself for the big boom, but the Halfworld part has him...quieter.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora crosses her arms as the light show takes place in front of her. "... Well." She says softly, and smiles just a little. "... That wasn't so bad." She looks at Groot sidelong as she's addressed, and ventures a guess at his intentions and says, "... Thanks." And just has to hope for the best that that was an appropriate response.

    Gamora looks at Rocket for a moment, and nods her head. Then a moment later she looks at him again, "Wait, why not?"

    Several silent seconds pass in peace.

    "... Why not?"

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula folds her arms and watches with a slightly tilted head at Rocket's master piece of death. Truly monsterous. She nods in approval and says, "Most satisfying." She narrows her eyes a little and sniffs the air roughly in Gamora's direction, then shrugs.

[Heroes Assembled] Groot Fan Fiction - Lost Branch World

 

Groot has posed:
Groot has convinced the Milano to investigate a series of coordinates that he got from Oa and the Maze of Klabaru. It is a legend of his people of a Branch world that was stolen by a powerful alien race and moved far away from the rest of the Branch worlds. Rumor has long said that they were out there, contact from traders etc, and as the Milano approaches the system Groot is clearly nervous.

Long range scans do indicate some technological presence in the system, 4 worlds, one Earth type, 2 gas giants and a hell world. There are two orbital energy platforms and a very small trading station. There are no broadcasts like entertainment or business traffic that are typical of such a world. If asked what to expect, Groot will say he has no idea. They've been cut off from his people for two centuries so he is expecting nearly anything.

Gamora has posed:
    "This is strange." Gamora notes with a troubled tone, seated in her normal position in the cockpit. "I don't think I've ever been to a viable system that was this quiet. Even Earth was trying to sell vehicle insurance to the stars."

Nebula has posed:
    It's a contrast, moving from the lower decks where the temperature is lower and the lights are dimmer in to the upper decks and common areas where the temperature is set roughly to what Peter likes and the lights are set to roughly what Peter likes. May be other species prefer it that way too but Nebula likes the gloom. May be it's a personal preference.

    Stepping in to the cockpit Nebula peers out at the otherwise seemingly quiet planet and folds her arms. Space is a lonely place and even for loners like Nebula you sometimes need contact with other people. A trading port is a welcome sight. Likely one where she has no reputation. A chance to screw it all up on her own.

    Botany isn't exactly her strong suit nor an interest of hers. Talking and walking trees - she's only recently gained an appreciation for Groot. Ever the perplexingly mysterious creature and strangely loyal to Rocket. A begrudging respect for Groot had formed in her mind - so when he proposed this trip she figured: why not.

Peter Quill has posed:
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szm_SbNmK6s

Peter's playing a track from his Kryprton Road Trip mix hoping this time what they find at the end of their journey will be a whole lot happier for all involved. Plus, 'Shambala' was just a fun travelling song, so there was that if nothing else.

He's at his usual station, checking out the sensor readings as they close in on the system. "Well, I'm not seeing much in the way of signals from the worlds buuut, there's definitely a station and some satellites in orbit so I'll take that as a good sign. You want to try hailing them Groot?" he asks handing back an old CB radio mic he'd rigged into the comms system on the panel for moments like this.

He does look back at Gamora's words. "Yeah, pretty proud of my people for that," he says of the insurance ads. "But who knows what sort of tech they might have maybe they're talking their heads off and we're not tuned in to their message."

Rocket has posed:
Rocket runs a variety of scans from the pilot's seat he's in. For most of the last few days, he's been quieter than normal. It's almost a blessing in disguise for some on the crew, if not most, if not all. He merely answers Gamora with a shrug, verifying, "I ain't seein' much." Peter's song of choice barely gets an ear-twitch out of him, as he looks rather sullen. Whether he's flying or Quill is, he remains focused on what's ahead - and what's not.

Groot has posed:
Groot gives Rocket his space while still checking in on him periodically. He knows that the nightmares are troubling to him and is concerned, but also knows Rocket will share when he's good and ready. He doesnt hover, but he is obviously worried. When asked to hail them, he considers this. Given the scent element of his language, a lot of radio communication is lost, but who knows?

He opens hailing frequencies and says, "I am Groot."

There is a silence and then there is an audio static and finally says, "I am Qaru."

"I am Groot."

"I am Qaru!" There is an audible excitement to the voice but it is hard to tell if it is positive or negative.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora arches an eyebrow at Peter. "That's..." Gamora suddenly looks puzzled, "... oddly astute. Hmm." Gamora fiddles with a knob or button or two to open communications, and links her fingers together while Groot calls out, and actually gets a response. "Oh. That's good. Is that good?"

    Nebula's arrival earns a wary but relatively welcoming look from Gamora; which is to say, she doesn't punch her or grimace.

Nebula has posed:
    Arms fold tighter as Nebula hears the response. So the trip wasn't a waste after all. That's good, she supposes. But it does mean Groot is going to get all excited.. "How does that.. nevermind," she says wondering how they could possibly be communicating like that over the comms.

    "Are we landing on the trading station or on the planet?," she asks pondering just how committed to this she needs to prepare her mind. Doing good things for Thanos's minions was never a 'thing'.. they curried his favour, not him currying theirs. Doing something for others.. she's only ever done that for Thanos and Gamora. Everyone else was immaterial. This giving of her time and skills is still a new and challenging concept.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter looks to Rocket when Groot gets a reply. "You understand what the other guy said?" he asks not sure if Rocket's skills were focused on understanding Groot or all of Groot's people. "And thanks," he says glancing back to smile at Gamora. "I have my moments."

As to where to land he leaves that in the hands of Groot and Rocket. "Kinda hoping the trading post, could definitely use a drink right now." Not that they didn't have stuff on the ship but drinking at a bar was just /better/, he was pretty sure it was science or something.

Rocket has posed:
"The station," Rocket conveys, gesturing toward Groot. "He was askin'. Got a couple of..ones like him down there, sounds like." No, he doesn't elaborate. Chances are if he caught anything potentially dangerous in what he was able to make of the conversation back and forth, he would have shared it. "One's Qaru. The other's Thoote. Yeah, I know it sounds a lot like Groot. I got most of it, Quill." As such, he takes the Milano in toward their destination, still staring straight ahead.

Groot has posed:
The ship is able to approach and dock with the station. A few more quick exchanges with Qaru gives them what they need. Groot is both excited and a little nervous but it seems self exlplantory (or at least approaching it). A docking port slides out to the Milano and they are approaching. He whispers to Rocket as the door is sliding open, "I am Groot" and then a short while later, Qaru, who looks..KIND OF like Groot but is much shorter and has flowering berries and is surrounded by what looks like a dozen tiny beaver like creatures, small and furry that chitter enthusiastically at everyone.

"I am Qaru" and he gestures for them to follow into a wide area that looks like a food court with some aliens of various species, a tall plant like individual who who looks at Groot very...judgementally, and lots and lots of the small fuzzy creatures. There is clearly a 'bar' of some kind and two over the counter restaurants.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora isn't the most emotionally intelligent person in the world, having grown up in a world of both hiding and shaming weakness, and some accompanying back stabbing, but Rocket's lack of energy or rudeness is starting to catch her notice finally, though for now the Zen-Whoberian can only give him a quizzical look without distracting from their purpose with a tangent.

    She eyes Qaru wearily at the docking port, and softly notes, in earshot of her crewmates, "... I suspect we will not be driving the conversation today."

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula can't stop staring at the beaver creature.. creatures. There's so many of them. So many fuzzy creatures. She peers at Rocket and then back to the beaver, then back to Rocket, then back to the beaver. Yep. Rocket is totally a pet. She smirks just a touch at her own thoughts, amusing herself.

    She walks deeper in to the station and observes the creatures going about their business, then looks over to Gamora and shrugs a little. It's a sisterly thing, it means she has no idea what she's meant to be doing. Usually by now she's plotting, shooting, or stabbing something.

    With a motion to the one giving Groot a disapproving look she says, "This must be Thoote then." There's a raised eyebrow. But also a slightly confused look as she realises this wasn't just a process of elimination.

Peter Quill has posed:
Star Lord looks around the station with an amused expression. He loved finding new places like this full of strange new aliens. "Right on," he says mostly to himself.

Then seeing the beaver creatures surrounding Quaru, he can't help but aside to Gamora. "Weird, isn't that like having a school of piranha following someone?" he asks without thinking if she knew what piranha were or well pretty much any of what he was talking about.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket shares that, at least, there is a concern on Groot's part about how trustworthy Thoote may be, but he's eyeing Qaru and his..beaver attendants, doing so with a distasteful expression on his face as his ears draw back briefly. Probably a good thing he doesn't know what Nebula is thinking right now. Shaking his head, he starts off toward the nearest bar, whether others decide to join him or not.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora only shakes her head and asides to Peter, "I have never been to Piranha, or its schools."

Groot has posed:
Those looking at the area would find that one of the restaurants has food that smells very VERY good, one smells like a garden and flower shop. The beavers and aliens frequent the first, the plant based folks the other; both frequent the bar. Thoote has a small ring of the locals around him and is stink eyeing groot but the more observant folks would ALSO know he is looking judgementally at the other plant folk NOT around him since they are chattering quite amicably and equitiably with the beaver folk who chitter in a super fast local dialect though the translators can actually make SOME sense of it and understanding them might be possible in time.

There is a conversation between Groot and Qaru. It is, of course, quite boring to those who can't understand it since it is an ongoing series of greetings. More interesting, is the minstril that starts to sing in the corner with a band full of the beaver things and the shorter plant people that is theramins and bagpipes. "I am Bloom! I am Bloom!" It's clearly a balad but the words are ...only three.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula pinches the bridge of her nose and and glances down at the ground with a sigh. "This...." she begins to say but seems lost for words. Then Rocket walks past toward the bar and she realises the usually loudest of the crew has the right idea.

    Turning, Nebula follows after him with slightly defeated slumped shoulders too. There's a distinct desire in her blood to burn this place to the ground and she's not quite sure why. At least father seemed to have a rhyme and reason about his massacres. She sits down at the bar and gets a cup of.. something orange. It tastes good and has alcohol in it so she's fine with this.

    A look is given to Rocket. On the one hand he seems to be in some kind of emotional distress.. on the other hand if she asks and he actually tells her, she might be compelled to listen. Then again, he is great in the field when he's on his game and he's clearly not on his game. But, also, she doesn't want to give the impression she cares... and she doesn't care.. does she? A look of confusion sweeps over her face again and she yanks up her hood to hide it.

Peter Quill has posed:
"It's not a planet-" Peter begins before shaking his head. "Sure, it's well known for it's schools," he remarks just going with it. "Still this may be a much weirder place," he says looking around before spotting Rocket and Nebula heading for the bar. "Want to come with?" he asks offering Gamora an arm as he turns in that direction.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket may look like he's off, but that doesn't mean he is. He's still got weaponry on him, and his eyes, ears, and nose continue to take close note of what's around. In fact, he may be even more focused on their surroundings than usual. Something about this leaves him suspicious, and through snippets of Branch creature conversation he watches Thoote the most. "Yeah, so those things are Elori and that one," he indicates Thoote, "thinks they shouldn't be treated as equals. I say fuck that guy, but I'm also thirsty."

Groot has posed:
Groot seems...unusually cheerful. The crew would notice something off about him though. He immediately says, "I am Groot" and excuses himself to join the group. As he looks around, he mutters low enough for the group to hear (mainly rocket) obviously, "I am Groot." The look on his face is...complex, to say the least. It is pleasant, but inwardly suffering, more than they have ever seen but there is also a murderous gleam in his eye.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora's eyes follow the departure of their two most (outwardly) troubled crew mates with some concern, before she notices Peter's offered arm with some surprise.

    Such gestures are *also* a bit rare in her life.

    "Oh. I..." Gamora seems to struggle to find a 'Gamora' way to convey her answer, so for possibly just the second time her demeanor cracks a bit and she simply says, "... sssssSure." before taking Peter's arm.

    Inside, Gamora arches an eyebrow, "I would have thought *trees* to be above class division." Gamora gives a small 'hmph" and shakes her head. Perhaps a culling would do this civilization some good.

    Huh. Where did that come from?

    "Perhaps our martial prowess will be called for after all." She notes, trying not to sound too eager, and then squints at the bar. "... Would their spirits be... compatable?" she asks with some concern. What even IS tree booze?!

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula looks up somewhat suddenly and peers at Groot. Her eyes slide past him to Thoote once more and then back to Groot. "What in the Hel," she says and smirks. "You only have to ask..." she says with dark conspiratorial eyes as she looks at Groot levelly, then tips back some of the orange drink in to her mouth. A new found respect for Groot is growing within her. Gamora is yet to learn just how right she is.

    What does she care if she is considered a monster on yet another world in yet another star system. At least this'd be in her wheel house. Gamora's too. She pulls back her hood and gives Groot a very 'put me in coach' look that Gamora has no doubt only ever seen before when Nebula's desires had aligned with fathers.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter grins as Gamora agrees to take his arm and join him for a drink. "Not terribly surprised, people all over the galaxy find reasons to be jerks to each other, why should tree people be any different?"

As for their booze? Peter's willing to try. "I'll have whatever she's having," he says to the bartender nodding to the orange drink Nebula is currently imbibing.

Seeing the look in Groot's eyes he leans over to Rocket. "Is Groot okay?" he asks before really taking a moment to notice how Rocket seems. "And you too, buddy. What's going on?"

Rocket has posed:
Rocket frowns openly at Groot, but as he looks over the woody face of his..friend..his ears lay back again and a scowl sets in. "Is that so? Want me to do somethin' about it? I already got an idea or two formin' in the ol' head." He does not provide the rest of the Guardians with a translation to what Groot had said. It may be for the best. That's about the time he raises a brow in Nebula's direction. Thoughts of a drink fade. "Nothin' you gotta concern yourself with, Quill. You just sit here and enjoy yourself."

Groot has posed:
"I am Groot." It is deadly, it is final, and it is ....odd in tone coming from him. He looks at Thoote, who is talking with the plants around him in a series of declarives. "I am Berry." "I am Thoote." "I am Spatula" (laughter)

Gamora has posed:
    "Rocket." Gamora begins to speak in a firm tone, "Though I do not often wish to mirror my sister's... enthusiasm... I believe we are well beyond protecting each others... 'rap sheets' from growing." Is Gamora just itching to kill something? Maybe a little. Being the responsible one has been a vexing experience, her tendancy to cling to composure aside. "I only urge discretion." She ponders for a moment, and adds, "... if that is something we are capable of." Signs point to 'no' so far in their adventures.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula warns Peter, "It's disgusting and probably toxic." It seems from the expressions and tones that everybody is on board now. Everybody, perhaps except Peter, is down for some tree murder. Her eyes slide back over to Thoote and she says, "I expect someone has a plan I won't like."

Peter Quill has posed:
Despite the warning Peter does take a sip of the orange stuff when delivered. "Oookay, you might be right Nebula," he says. Rocket's words though get a frown. "Sure," he says of sitting there and having a good time. "And I'm with Gamora if we need to back Groot up, he can count on us." Shifts his coat a little to make sure he's got a clear line to draw his blasters. "But let's hope we can just sit here and," he glances at the orange stuff in his glass. "Enjoy our drinks instead."