[IC] Gaurdians of the Galaxy; An Old Friend |Jones Sparrow & EasilyAmused|

[EasilyAmused]

Did Nikki really think Quill would sell her to some crazy collector guy? Honestly she was torn. He seemed to enjoy his time with her… and if he didn’t he was a damn good actor. But money walked, and talked loudly for those who listened; and bounty hunters listened closely to the call of money… if they didn’t she wouldn’t be in the situation she was and she never would have met Quill in the first place but mistakes are mistakes and her target just blew up so she was a bit out of options at this point.

Her attention moved from Drax to Quill as she whipped off her face with her already dirty hand; it was rather pointless to say the least but it was how she could keep herself from punching him right in the face. Or stabbing him, but that didn’t quite work to her advantage the last time with the big guy picking her up and nearly choking her to death. Her eyes flicked back to Drax who said that they had blown up the Collector’s house as well, this made her smirk before she moved her harden glare back to Quill. She took in a deep breath and started a sentence with, “Listen here you d…” But she was cut off by the sound of a speeder flying towards the four and halting at them.

Nikki’s chocolate colored eyes moved in the direction of the noise before landing on something she thought she’d never see again. “Oh my god…” She said sounding in complete shock as Rocket walked to her and spoke. Her hand cupped over her mouth as her eyes watered with tears. Even as Rocket and Groot argued back and forth and Peter informed her that they were the Guardians of the Galaxy she looked more awe-struck by the presence of Rocket than anything else. “I can’t believe it.” Inherently she dropped to her knees in front of Rocket getting to his eye level. “I never thought in a million years I’d see another one of your kind… and you can talk… Oh if my people were alive to see this… there… there would be rejoicing in the streets, if we had streets.” She waved her hands slightly, mainly to fan off her face to keep the tears from falling. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Your kind was considered wise, intelligent and, and…” She sniffled again, before continuing. “very important to my culture as the representation of our people. Never in my dreams did I think I could run into one that would talk!” She waved her hands once again against her face to calm down her eyes before offering him her hand. “Please, forgive my over-reaction; I don’t have much to remind me of my people so seeing you, especially talking, is rather overwhelming to me. I’m Nikki, Nikki Ivy.”

“I am Groot.” Groot said looking down at her.

As you can imagine, Gamora and Drax were rather surprised to see someone react to something they used to consider a vermin and the two exchanged looks before looking at Quill. Gamora leaned over and whispered, “Your friend is weird.”

[Jones Sparrow]

Not only were Gamora, Drax, and Quill surprised by her sudden praise of Rocket, but even he was too! His ears twitched a bit, his face full of confusion, and when Groot said his lines, he looked over at him. "Really?" He looked back at Nikki. "Don't look like to me... except beautiful..."

Gamora's voice awoken Quill. "She's not really a friend..." He muttered. He walked in between her and Rocket, looking at him. "Speeder's good to go?" He asked, looking at the barely usable vehicle. Rocket looked up at him. "Hm? Oh, yeah, its fine." "I am Groot." "You don't do anything except try to eat a fusion cable." Rocket then looked at Nikki in between Quill's legs. "So, are there mighty stories of my kind? With big big guns? And explosion?" Rocket asked with a smile.

"We're getting off topic--" Quill started.

"Look, Quill. I'm trying to have a nice conversation with someone you clearly upset--"

"You don't even know the sto--"

"And as such an important figure to her culture, I think I have more authority than you." Rocket said. Quill opened his mouth in shock. "Hey, remember that time I grabbed the infinity stone? Remember when I am the captain of the ship? Remember who saved your furry butt so many times from loan sharks on Nowhere--"

"We agreed that we would never speak of that."

"I am Groot."

"I agree! Totally breaking friendship codes!"

"Can we get off this planet before we get killed by these robots?" Gamora shouted angrily, obviously tired of the bickering. "I agree. There is more robotic blood to be shed." Drax said, pulling out his blades. Quill nodded, then looked back at Rocket. "Come on, your grace." He said sarcastically, grabbing him by the neck and tossing him in the speeder. He jumped in the driver's seat, pushing the button to put his helmet on. "You coming, your highness? Or are you afraid I might sell you to those robots over there for a couple cans of motor oil?"

[EasilyAmused]

Of course, to Nikki, her expression of surprise and speaking to Rocket was nothing abnormal, yet the group around her seemed shocked expect for Groot who seemed to just be looking at her with a sense of calm; almost an understanding way upon his face that caused Nikki’s gaze to flick back and forth between Rocket and Groot. Groot seemed to understand something and the look on his face was a sorrow-filled understanding of loss. Was he… was he the last of his kind too?

She was shaking out of her thoughts by the bickering between Quill and Rocket before Rocket mentioned at Quill upset her, she couldn’t help but smirk but she did her best not to turn her attention upwards, as to find herself face to face with his rear-end if she did. Though… well it was hard not to steal glances before turning her attention completely away. The sudden shout by Gamora seemed to pull everyone’s attention and while the muscle head showed enthusiasm, the green woman had a point. Her attention moved to the glider before looking back at the house, than back to Quill who called for her, only to ironically call her a ‘highness’. She didn’t say much but gave him the ‘one moment’ finger before dashing back into the building and within the moment she came back out; changed into a pair of dark brown pants and a black shirt with her leather jacket over her arms. Her bag on her back, the same bag Quill had seen her with so long ago and her father’s blade strapped to her back. Climbing onto the scooter she took the seat furthest away from Quill obviously not enjoying the idea of having to be in the same area with him and are these guys really the Guardians of the Galaxy? What a joke!

“Where am I supposed to sit?” Rocket complained as everyone took their seats but with a new person, there was less seating available.

“Allow me.” Nikki said brightly plucking Rocket from the ground and placing him upon her lap. Before he could argue she began to scratch behind his ears and he seemed to mellow, almost melt in her lap. As the guilder took off she shared the stories of his kind. She shared that they were masters of stealth and her people would observe them in the wild and learn from their actions in order to be masters of stealth when it comes to battle and that they have used that to their advantage for many many years. Her regaling of tales took them long enough to get back to the ship and as it should have been predicted the breaks were extra hard causing the group to fling forward… except for Quill for some strange reason.

It seemed like Nikki wasn’t the only one who was unhappy of her arrival onboard the ship. Upon her walk back to the sleeping quarters she was cornered by Gamora. “Who are you?” Gamora asked questioningly leaning up against the wall of the small hallway.

“Someone you don’t need to know that much about. I’ll be gone by the next planet stop don’t worry about it.” As Nikki attempted to walk away Gamora cut her off.

“Quill and all of us are friends, if you have a problem with him, you have a problem with us.”

This caused Nikki to turn to her. “Oh I have a problem with Quill, he had a chance to sell me to The Collector and probably would have for the amount of money that was being offered. And I don’t have an issue with you Gamora; yes I know who you are. I have an issue with your sister.” To that Gamora jumped, sliding a blade against Nikki’s throat, only to feel something gabbing against a vital organ in her stomach, Nikki had moved a dagger from her wrist and met Gamora’s threat with one of her own. “Oh did I strike a nerve there? Your sister led the assault that killed my people; genocide on a massive scream of billions but me,” Her eyes began to water, “I lost everything, everyone I’ve ever loved; so excuse me for holding a grudge against her. Understand this, my blood is not yours to shed, if will be it, it shall be hers… if she can.” There was silence in the hallway before Nikki spoke again. “If you truly are a Guardian of the Galaxy like Quill claims, than you must be looking for some form of redemption for what you have done in your past. Letting me live to defend my people’s honor is a good addition to what you’ve already done… or you’ll have to deal with Quill bitching about blood all over his ship. I know the stories of what you guys have done, if you truly are who you claim to be, but anyone who knows your history knows that you’ve got a lot to make up for, but are also aware that you possess the talent to do so.”

Weighing her options, Gamora’s fingers danced against the handle of the blade. It bothered her to see that Nikki showed no fear of the situation but merely wanted revenge. Gamora wanted revenge on her so-called-father so she could understand the want and need for revenge. After making her choice, the green skinned woman moved back from the blue haired woman and the silent stare-down of mutual understanding filled the hallway before they simply nodded and parted ways.

Nikki retreated into one of the spare rooms to find that no one else’s stuff had claimed it. She threw her bag onto her bed and sat down on the corner of it, her elbows against her knees and her fingers in her blue locks. Water droplets hit the floor between her feet. Yes she was crying, reliving that horrible day of the death of her people was hard, she had some of the best bounty hunters on her tail for the reward on her head placed by The Collector and now she was stuck on a ship with a large tree who seemed to only speak one line, a creature that reminds her way too much of her home planet, the sibling of the woman that killed her people, a man with no idea of sarcasm and Quill because he’s just plain Quill. The man who almost sold her before and now, everything weighing on her shoulders was because of her presences with Quill in front of The Collector; as you can imagine, it made for a lot of running and she was tired.

[Jones Sparrow]

Peter Quill was a changed man. He no longer searched for money, or women. He didn't run from things that scared him, he didn't block out the thoughts of his dying mother. He was a hero! A true legend! He liked being defender of people who need help much more than a sleezy womanizer who wanted nothing but money. He slammed on the brakes of the speeder, everyone lurching forward but he was prepared for it! He jumped out, taking his pistols out as he squeezed off a few shots at some robots that still followed. Everyone climbed in, even Nikki. He ran to the cock pit, pushing buttons, pulling levers, and soon the doors closed, and the Milano rose, the ship shaking a bit as weapons were being fired at it... But that soon didn't matter, as they were going out of the orbit.

"We didn't get proof that he died, we won't get the money..." Drax said, looking at Quill walking out of the cockpit, and in to the large kitchen. "Oh we got proof. A few witnesses, a couple of robot scrap, and a video recording." Quill said with a nod, walking past Groot Rocket and Drax, looking for Nikki. It didn't take long before Gamora stormed down the hall. "I don't like her." She said simply, continuing down the hall. Peter made his way to the room she positioned herself in. He leaned on the door frame, looking at the woman crying for a few seconds before speaking.

"I thought about it." Peter said in a "matter of fact" tone. "I thought about it for a second. One million dollars for someone who I barely knew who wanted to split my profit in half... It only took one second for me though, to know that that wasn't going to happen." Quill said with a nod. "I was many things... I probably still am some of those things today... But a slave trader was never one of them." He had his arms crossed, looking at the blue haired woman that he hadn't seen in years. She was still beautiful, but she looked exhausted, stressed, angry... While Peter felt like the opposite now adays.

"I'm sorry if I ever gave the vibe of wanting to trade you for money... I'm sorry for... well, trying to trick you in to joining me on a vacation so that we could part ways right after. And I'm sorry for all the lies I told earlier about the infamous Star-Lord. Although he is handsome and brave... he wasn't all that special until just recently." Peter said softly. he was humiliating himself in front of her, hopefully to prove the point that he's a changed man. "We'll drop you off the next stop we make so you don't have to deal with any of us for too long."

[EasilyAmused]

The matter of fact tone that came out of Quill’s mouth shot Nikki’s head up and she quickly washed away the tears from her cheeks and composed herself. Sure, she wasn’t aware how long he had been standing there but there was no way she’d want to admit to anyone, including him that she had been crying. Crying was a sign of weakness and right now, she couldn’t afford to display weakness in front of someone. No matter whom that someone is.

Listening to him speak was rather surprising, her face would react to the things he said. From dropped eyebrows to raised; small curls of a smile to drops of a frown and everything in between. At this moment, she didn’t feel the need to mask any other emotion aside from sadness. When he apologized for ever giving off the vibe that he would trade her for money, she sat upright, placing her small tan hands on each side of her listening closely to what he had to say. ‘Tricking’ her to go on vacation with him caused her to give him a small smile; her gaze moving down to the ground and once he finished speaking she gave a small nod. “It’s too bad you had intended on ditching me after that vacation; admittedly, I was looking forward to the idea.”

Sighing softly she continued, “I’ve lived in fear since my planet was destroyed of being sold off to some rich bastard as a display because I am the last of my people… at least that originated from the planet. So having that happened just made me witness one of the worst fears I have, so I ran. And you can’t blame me, in our line of work; money’s money no matter how you earn it. So naturally I assumed you’d do it, be the easiest money you could ever make; which is why I ran.” A small shrug lifted her shoulders, “But, I wouldn’t call you talking about being the Star-Lord as a lie, you lived up to the reputation you set for yourself.” A small smile curled her lips as she looked up at him with those chocolate brown eyes of hers. “You saved the galaxy, though, I didn’t honestly believe it when everyone told me it the was ‘The Star-Lord’ who did it, because of who I knew before.” Her eyes dropped slightly looking down at her feet as she kicked the toe of her shoe against the floor. “I owe you an apology too. I’m sorry I misjudged you at the Collectors. But I’m glad that our paths crossed again.”

“Quill! Are you upsetting her again!?” Rocket shouted as he hurried down the hall, Groot following behind him with long strides.

“It’s just a pleasant conversation Sir Rocket, I assure you.” Nikki said to him, addressing him by a title she had seemed to pull out of thin air… which was probably not the best idea with Rocket’s already huge echo.

“Sir Rocket.” He repeated with a grin sliding in the room as if wanting to create a barrier between Quill and Nikki. “I like that. You will address me as Sir Rocket from now on.” Rocket said before looking at Nikki, realizing the redness in her eyes before turning to Quill and pointing at her. “You made her cry?! Why the hell did you make her cry?!”

“No, please.” Nikki said quickly, jumping to Quill’s defense which caused Rocket’s ears to twitch before he turned to her direction. “I was crying over something else. Quill had nothing to do with it.”

“I am Groot.” Groot said, his large head picking through the doorway as his body bent forward.

“Nah, I don’t think she was crying about that; it had to be something Quill had done.”

Groot’s attention turned to Nikki as he repeated his sentence. “I am Groot.”

“Yes… you are…” She said in a slight confusion as a response, her eyebrows pressing together and her head jerking back slightly in a state of confusion.

“No,” Rocket began before stopping, “Well, yes he is Groot. But he said he can relate to your loss. He is the last of his kind as well.”

“Oh,” Nikki said in a bit of a surprised tone as he looked up at Groot. His face seemed almost calm, peaceful like as he looked down at her through the doorway; a gentle understanding of what she was going through. A smile crept across her lips as she nodded to him. “Thank you.”

“So anyway,” Rocket said jumping into the conversation and turning to Quill. “did I hear you say something about her leaving? Because that’s not going to happen, Sir Rocket forbids it.”

[Jones Sparrow]

Quill very much enjoyed being honest now adays. A lot less to remember, it takes less effort, and it usually lead to good things... Like Nikki saying how she was looking forward to their little vacation. He was too, don't get him wrong.... and he probably still was right now. She started to apologize, and she even said that she was glad their paths crossed again? He was about to reply until Rocket and Groot, the dynamic duo came walking in, as if they had authority because someone on the ship gave him a bit more respect than he deserved.

When she said "Sir Rocket" Quill made a head shake, moving his hands horizontally to tell her to "STOP TALKING" But Rocket already had it in his big head of his. Rocket was soon giving harsh words to Quill, but being nice to Nikki, and all he could do was roll his eyes. Groot started to talk as well. No one really understands him besides Rocket, but after spending a lot of time with him, the team seemed to understand his many "I Am Groots" Again, not as well as Rocket, but you know. Nikki wasn't getting at it though, which made Peter smirk a bit.

Then the focus was back on Quill. He gave a glare to Rocket. "Well, Captain Quill outranks 'Sir' Rocket. It isn't even my call anyway."

"The hell it isn't! We should have a vote! democracy!" Rocket said, raising his hand, Groot mindlessly mimicked him with a smile. "We aren't going to force her to stay. If she wants to go, which I won't blame her for, she can go. Not everyone has the will to deal with you guys all the time." Peter said. Rocket tilted his head. "What are you talking about? I'm great! the life of the Party! And quite the romantic..." He said the last part towards Nikki, raising his furry eyebrows.

[EasilyAmused]

There was a small signal from Quill out of the corner of her eye that said she shouldn’t be addressing Rocket by a title but, it was too late and it already had gone to the little guy’s head before long. Especially when he turned his attention to Quill and began barking orders at him; this was something that Nikki had to cover her mouth in order to attempt not to laugh at the situation. She obviously didn’t realize how big of head it would have given Rocket to be called Sir Rocket; then again someone in that very room got a big head when Star-Lord was ever said aloud.

It was rather amusing to see Quill stand up for her, that was something she didn’t expect. He was unintentionally offering for her to stay aboard the ship with the very odd mixture of individuals who were the working for of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The raising of hands to show that Rocket wanted her to stay and the mimicking response from Groot with that smile was reassuring, maybe; for the first time in a long time, she was finally safe somewhere… ironically. And the romantic comment from Rocket which was obviously shot her way made her smile as she averted her gaze from him in embarrassment. She would have never pictured in a million years to see one of the famed creatures from her planet talking, much less hitting on her.

“Well,” She began softly shifting slightly where she sat, “I don’t know how your partner Gamora would feel about me staying. She… well we kind of got off on the wrong foot.”

“The wrong foot?” Rocket repeated as Nikki’s attention turned back to them.

“Yeah… I want to kill her sister; her sister led the assault and completed genocide of my people. So as you can imagine, bringing that up bothered me and me threatening her sister bothered her.”

“Nah!” Rocket said waving his paw which caused her to raise an eyebrow at him, “I’m sure she’s fine with it. Hell I’ll go ask her myself. Sir Rocket will take care of this!” With that he marched with way more confidence than he should have to get Gamora’s vote on Nikki staying or leaving. Groot gave her a final smile before following after Rocket.

“Quill there is a problem though…” She said softly, her hands pulling from the bed and sitting on her lap. Her thumbs began to dance together in a nervous fashion. “The Collector still has a bounty out for me. He’s offering 500,000 units for me; alive only. The bounty isn’t well known but the people who do know are some of the best in the galaxy. I… I don’t know where I would be safe.”

[Jones Sparrow]

Quill wasn't sure if she really wanted to say. A raccoon was hitting on her, Gamora and her hated each other, and she and Quill have had some rough experiences in the past.... Then Rocket was going to try and negotiate with her, which probably wont end well. Either with Rocket screaming with his infamous explosives, or Gamora with a knife at Rocket's throat, and Groot attacking Gamora. He was about to walk out as well to check on the ship until Nikki started to talk again. She was still very much wanted. Bounty hunters that were very skilled are still looking and hunting for the prized possession to make them filthy rich. He was surprised Rocket had never heard of her before that. He was a bounty hunter before all of this.

Quill walked over to her, giving a shrug. "The Milano is the safest thing in the galaxy. We haven't had anyone dare to fight the Guardians of the Galaxy... And I think this will be my official apology. I won't let anyone come here to take you." He knelt down to her, giving a nod of reassurance. "I'd be pretty bad at my job if I did... Oh, and Gamora isn't going to stay mad for long. We kinda blew her sister up in that whole battle we had... Haven't seen her since. So its safe to say they aren't getting Christmas cards from each other... Christmas if a terran holiday where you get gifts from a big guy in red, and its supposed to do with God... The point is, is that she'll warm up to you."

[EasilyAmused]

Nikki’s chocolate colored eyes stayed locked on the floor beneath her feet. The idea of being left behind somewhere wasn’t exactly profitable, the idea of getting dropped off with the galaxy police wasn’t exactly her idea of fun. In her mind, she’d probably end up in the same place she was in with The Collector, except she’d have to play some form of diplomatic roll and put into the lime light. Her father did a lot of work with the galaxy organization to try and bring peace. She got dragged to one of those things before and it was so boring; but right now, boring seemed nice.

At the words of his official apology, her gaze flicked upwards to him, blue eyebrows raised slightly in confusion and surprise. When he was done she couldn’t help but laugh, a tear falling from her right eye and travel down her tan cheek as she looked at him in almost disbelief. Did she ever think they’d cross paths again? No way, did she expect to find a helping hand? Yeah right! She expected to introduce her fist to his face; she really should be mad at him for even thinking about trying to sell her but he seemed apologetic and it was meaningful for her. A small sigh left her as her attention turned to the ground, her hand quickly raising up and wiping away the fallen tear. Sitting up in a much more straight fashion she let out a small sigh and gave him a tender smile that moved across her full lips, the first time she had smiled since they had ‘reunited’. “Thanks Peter, I’ll try not to be a burden.”

[Jones Sparrow]

"Don't thank me just yet. you still owe me some potato fries." Peter said jokingly with a nod, getting up, and making his way for the door yet again. "Feel free to explore the ship... just, be careful where you walk. Drax is kinda paranoid about new people..." Quill said, leaving Nikki to her thoughts. He was surprised that went as well as it did! He was sure that if they were alone he would have had his head on the floor, looking up at his decapitated body... Now that was a thought... bleh. He was now in the main "living room" as he liked to call it. It was the large circular room with the kitchen, and table inside it, with the ladder to the cock pit, and halls leading to different places of the ship such as the engine room, bathrooms, everyone else's rooms, weapons room, stuff like that.

Drax was sitting at the table, cleaning his blades as he always did. He was intimidating and terrifying, but Quill no longer feared him... well, not as much as before. Drax would easily follow Quill in to any battle, and trust his word, but wasn't afraid to be blunt of how stupid of an idea he had, which was very often. "Are we trusting that woman? Or are we going to throw her out of the ship now?" Drax asked casually, as if that was a normal question.

"Nope, no killing today. She's staying for a while until we hunt down some clowns hunting her." Quill said, walking over to the wall where the cassette player was, and pressing play on "Awesome Mix Vol. II" where Let's Groove started to play. Drax wasn't a man of music, but everyone else (especially Groot) seemed to enjoy it. Peter slid to the music as always, bobbing his head as he went to the kitchen. Most people would think the Guardians were ruthless, heroic characters who were specifically trained to do this... But in all reality they were just people who worked well together. A bunch of losers according to the average people of the galaxy, but now they were the best hope the galaxy got... And they took turns cooking dinner, and it was "Star-Lord Night" here on the Milano!

[EasilyAmused]

Nikki returned his smile with one of her own, a simple closed lip smile as she watched Quill walk out the door leaving her alone with her thoughts. It was surprising to see him being so nice to her. Especially after she was such a grouchy to him before; but if you were in her shoes could you blame her? No, no you can’t. If you were being hunted by people, trusting anyone was hard. Probably the only people that she could trust would be the police but then she’d have to do all those things that are supposed to come with her title of Princess, but The Guardians of the Galaxy were kind of police… but wouldn’t force her to play the royal role… at least she hoped not, if they found out that is.

It took a while for Nikki to gather up the courage to leave the room she had found and venture out into the unknown-yet-known people who are now the Guardians of the Galaxy. Taking her sword with her, she walked down the small hallway and into the kitchen/dining room area. The ship bounced with music and she found herself bobbing her head along much like she had done the first time that she had ever stepped foot on Quill’s ship. The large man sat at the table cleaning blades with a calm manner but still looked intense.

Nikki took a seat at the table, watching the large man for a moment before he finally looked at her. “May I use some of your cleaner and sharpener?” There was a simple gesture from large man set Nikki to work.

What Drax wasn’t expecting was just how man how many blades Nikki began to put upon the table. He had seen her sword and assumed she’d have one or two but by the end of her unloading she was at about twelve blades upon herself. His eyes expanded just slightly before going back to his own work. The surprise was just enough to make Nikki smile. Most people never thought she could have as much on her as she did but boy did she prove them wrong!

[Jones Sparrow]

Drax inspected the woman, and the more she pulled out, the more his eyes grew in interest. He looked over at Quill. "I like this woman." He said, turning back to her. "Tell me. How many have fallen victim to your blades?" He asked, moving closer, his stare looking at the amount of weapons. "yeah, she'll grow on you..." Peter said with a shrug, still making his food. Groot made his way in to the kitchen, eating a tree branch growing on his shoulder. "I am Groot." The large creature said to Nikki, it was a soft one, as if greeting her politely. He took a seat as well, obviously waiting for dinner.

"Where's Gamora and Rocket?" Quill asked to Groot. "I am Groot." He said, shrugging a bit. He didn't sound to happy. They still must be arguing about the whole Nikki thing. Peter didn't bring it back up, he didn't want it to be any more awkward. Soon Groot was swaying to the music as well as Quill and Nikki, even when she was cleaning her guns. And then Rocket came in muttering something about Gamora being something that Quill didn't make out just there. "Hope you guys and gals are hungry, because you got the Quill Special! Now with no food poisoning!" He said proudly, placing the food on the table.

He planned on asking Nikki just who exactly she was most concerned with her. If she was hanging with them, he didn't want some bounty hunter coming to attack them while they were attacking someone else!

[EasilyAmused]

Nikki’s delicate hands worked like with expert skills to clean the throwing knives as she heard the large man said he liked her. A smirk moved across her full lips while the cloth danced across the blade, giving it a glossy look to the silver. Her hand movements would delicately clean on blade and slide it back into place before beginning to wash another. His question made her smirk. She couldn’t believe that someone was asking her about her kill count. “That’s a good question.” She said with a grin. “I’ve taken many lives; verging in the three hundreds but my job doesn’t quite allow me to kill as many people as I want to. You’d be surprised at how many people want their captures alive.”

A shrug lifted her small shoulders before she put away the final blade, her father’s sword. She unsheathed it with ease and grace before gently rubbing it down with the rag. “This, this blade has seen many thousands of deaths. It’s been passed down through my family generations. Unfortunately I’m the last of my family so the line ends with me.” A shrug lifted her shoulders again before finished off her final blade and throw it over her shoulder and back into the sheath as Peter presented his food.

Smiling slightly, she picked up her food and was about to eat before she noticed Gamora coming in, the tension in the room rose even with the relaxation of the music when the two women sat across from each other doing their best to ignore one another. So far so good…

[Jones Sparrow]

Most people would think the thought of the Guardians of the Galaxy having a sit down dinner like a weird mixed family. Rocket and Groot started to slurp down their food, Drax ate stiffly as if he had a gun to his head, and the girls kept on taking quick glares at each other. Clearly whatever Rocket said to Gamora wasn't that pleasant to her. Peter kept to himself, poking at the food, the music softly playing.... Then Peter coughed, looking up. "Alright, so we turn in this bounty for the money for supplies. Next course of action will be to find the crooks who are also hunting our new friend here. So you know any of the guys?" Quill asked her, looking at Gamora when he said "friend" as if saying "Yes, she is. Get used to it."

"This isn't our main priority. If she's dumb enough to make herself noticed she deserves to fight by herself. We need to make sure we keep Thanos and his men contained--"

"We've been doing that forever, sweetheart! And he ain't doing anything suspicious! Hell, we can't even find him! I'm going with Quill on this one, we can help this beauty fight off the guys hunting her down!"

"I am Groot."

"Good point! And we can't leave her defenseless without a ship!" Rocket said, nodding to Groot who smiled. Gamora rolled her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me..." She muttered, crossing her arms. "We shall help the woman. Someone who can wield such a bloody blade should be given respect." Drax concluded. It was decided, they all looked over at her, ready to hear a name, or clue of where they should go to start their hunt for the hunters.

[EasilyAmused]

This was an interesting group that Quill had found himself in. Two known murderers, a creature her culture praised and a talking tree with a gentle look on his face… almost a look of understanding. Then there was Quill, the self-proclaimed Star-Lord. After their parting, Nikki did continue to ask around; wondering if anyone knew of this ‘Star-Lord’, only to find that no one did. That was, until the Guardians of the Galaxy risked their lives to save the universe from total destruction. Then everyone knew who Star-Lord was. But there was no way it could have been the same Star-Lord she knew… but it was.

Well, in a sense it was, he seemed the same, yet different somehow. He seemed like less of an arrogant prick and more humble in a manner. Still arrogant, but humble at the same time. He even went far enough to apologize to her for his actions and the fact that he had instilled the idea in her mind that he could have possibly given off the impression that he was going to sell her to The Collector. It was nice to see a different between who he was and who he had become.

Nikki’s attention was more on Quill than anything else before she realized that she was getting spoken about and talked to. Her mind jumped back to the realization that she was actually getting asked a question. “Oh Um…” She began quickly as she pushed away her empty plate. The Racoon stared up at her, ears twitching in anticipation. The large man next to her seemed to have stopped eating and stared at her with a blank gaze wondering exactly what was happening. The other female at the table wanted nothing to do with her and just continued to glare at her plate. The tree continued to sway with the music and Quill just watched her as he ate.

“Well I’ve seen a couple but if they’re the ones with my name than there’s much more and more dangerous people coming. The first that came after me were the Astar Hunters, those friends that decided to take up bounty hunting, Gorganol Mesicoor and…” Her voice trailed off and she swallowed slightly, showing the first sign of worry since she got onto the ship. “Zero has been tracking me recently.” Zero was well known through the bounty hunting community so it shouldn’t be surprised that the name would strike fear into anyone who crosses his path.

[Jones Sparrow]

Peter tilted his head at the sight of her lost in thought as the rest of them bickered. She then snapped back to it, and began to spoke. Quill kept eating but still paying attention, even with Groot dancing along to the music that was softly playing in the background. She started to list off a few of these people after her, and listening to the list, it was quite impressive. All of them looked at each other, obviously shocked at the people who were going after the blue haired beauty. The one that got them the most though, was Zero. "WHAT?! That psycho is after you?!" Rocket exclaimed, his hands on the table and him leaping out of his seat. "Groot and I ran in to him a few times on some bounties... Let's just say he got away just in time..."

"I am Groot." He said with a shrug. "Don't tell them that! Makin' us look like armatures!" Rocket muttered. Gamora looked over at Nikki now, leaning forward with her brows together. "Zero is a very dangerous man... I heard stories of him, but never saw him. Has he found you before?" She asked.

"Whoever this Zero is, we will kill him. It has been a while since I have killed a worthy foe." Drax said. Quill was still a bit silent. he remembered when working for Yandu that whenever they were on a bounty themselves and heard that Zero was on it, they fled. He never knew why. he heard stories, but he tended to not listen to the crazy things that came out of Yandu's men's mouths. But if Rocket, and Gamora were concerned about this character, this wasn't good. Especially for Nikki!

The more he looked at Nikki, the more he realized just how much crap she's been through. She must be terrified, and not so easy to trust... If that's the case, how is she so willing to trust him? Did she have long lost feelings that she kept buried under her hatred for him? Did she fantasize about that little vacation that could have happened where they might have fallen hopelessly in love and made a new life together? B... Because Quill didn't... psh....

"This Zero guy sounds like a real character... we can start asking around for him, seeing who knows him, and sending the word that the Guardians are in town!" Quill said with a nod. "This man isn't easy to find. And once he knows that we are after him, we will be his main target." Rocket said.

Quill raised his eyebrows, a smile on his face. "is THE Lord Rocket scared of a sleezy bounty hunter?" Star-Lord asked with an astonished tone, his hand going to his chest and giving a large gasp. "I never thought i'd see the day... Oh wait, I do! Whenever you get sprayed with water!"

"You know I have higher sensitivity on my fur! I can't help it if it creeps me out!" Rocket yelled.

"yeah, whatever. The point is, is that if we can take out a man who planned on mass genocide by using an ultimate weapon of genocide, then we can take on this clown!" Peter said with confidence.... The rest of the group wasn't so ready about this except for Drax... which didn't really count because if Quill asked him to kill a star he wouldn't hesitate to try.

[EasilyAmused]

As the mood shifted, Nikki’s body moved lightly in her seat in discomfort. It was obvious she didn’t like talking about the situation since she was dealing with it. It had been a long time since someone other than herself was looking out for her. This would qualify as a weird situation that people were now willing to after those were where tracking her. The caramel gaze of the blue haired girl flicked over to Gamora, even the green skinned woman leaned forward in asked her about Zero.

“The last time I saw Zero I was on Habbed dropping off some cargo and he found me. Had the streets not been crowded I probably would have died. But instead, I just have a large healed scar on my side; if I wasn’t so close to my ship I probably would have died.” A shrug lifted her shoulders but a hand slid off the table to go to her right side just under her ribcage as she thought about that terrifying day. The look on her face changed to one of reliving the event before she was pulled back out of her moment to realize there was more talking. Drax’s comment made her smile and the grip on her side lessened. She didn’t like the idea of dragging people into her own person mess but something told her she wasn’t exactly going to be able to talk her way out of it.

Her caramel gaze flicked from one person to another as they all talked. Although the tree kept saying the same thing, it apparently means more than just he was Groot because the group, Rocket especially understood more than Nikki ever thought she’d be able to understand. When Quill called Zero a clown, that pulled her from her thoughts and she placed both hands on the table, leaning forward slightly towards Quill. “You shouldn’t take this lightly Quill.” She said, “You’d be walking into your own death if you don’t take this more seriously.” A nod left her as she let out a small sigh. “If you all insist on helping me with this and Zero’s going to be our first worry, we need to approach this as secretly as we can. He’s not someone to be messed with or we will die… or in my case I’ll be captured and thrown into a glass cage for the rest of my life…” Her body shivered at the thought.

“I appreciate all your help but I don’t want to endanger anyone’s lives any more than I already have. But the ‘safety’ place for me could be as bad as sitting in a glass case…”

[Jones Sparrow]

The fact that Quill was the only one who seemed to not know who this infamous Zero was, and that the most badass people ever are afraid to go toe to toe with him. made Quill feel at ease. There was a time that he would agree with them. Probably ask for money or some sort of reward for him to even consider this... Well, to be honest... He was hoping for at least a kiss on the cheek when all of this is done. "Well, with the title of 'Guardians of the Galaxy', our lives aren't necessarily safely secure." Peter said, looking around at the group of the table. Groot shrugged in agreement, and Rocket muttered something about his career choices.

"Gamora, don't give me that look. The second we met it was always 'you will never have honor!' or 'wow, you're so self centered!' now its time for me to say that.to you!" Peter said, Gamora looking down at her food.

"Well, I mean we still do some pretty messed up things, but if you want to exclude those things for a second..." Rocket said with a shrug.

"We can discuss all the rights and wrongs we've done, or we can find this guy, and take him out! One less murderer/bounty hunter in the galaxy!" The group all shifted a bit uncomfortable (except Drax, but then again, he would attack a whole army if Peter asked him to), but no more protested. "Alright, that's settled. Rocket, why don't you check the Nova databases for some more info on this guy, maybe they have his last known location. Gamora, you can check our weapon supplies, if this guy is as bad as you say he is, tell we'll need our firepower, and i'll set a course to Nowhere and see if some of our people in our debt know a thing or two..." Peter hesitated a second, taking one more glance before getting up quickly. "Drax is on dishwashing duty!" He yelled before going up to the cockpit.

---

They were now on a course to Nowhere. It'll take a little while before they get to the giant celestial head, so there was a bit of free time... Peter was up in the cockpit, his Walkman on his side as he bobbed his head to the music, watching the view of space. He didn't want to venture out and deal with Gamora's sass, Rocket's ego, and the unsettling feeling of Drax polishing his weapons while staring at you... That, and he wasn't sure he could keep his cool any longer around Nikki at this moment. here she was, back in his life, where she actually now needs his help yet again. This time though, Peter could easily do just that! No cheating her out of money, no fake backstabbing, and no Collector to answer to! just a psychotic murder hungry bounty hunter hunting down a very attractive and deadly woman...

He was sure Rocket was telling her all these made up stories about his people, trying to pull a fast one on her, promising her things... sounds exactly like him, but Peter wasn't a weird Racoon thing...It was true that the Guardians were protectors of the galaxy, but it was also true that they did not only good things, but bad ones from time to time... It wasn't ideal, but a teams gotta do what a teams gotta do. He just hoped that everything he's been doing is for the greater good.