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

[Jones Sparrow]

Peter watched as she closed her eyes in thought, and then opening them when she said her only qualification at the moment. So far, Peter was in, Rocket... not so much. That also meant Groot was in the competition, you know, like a wild card. He smiled at her answer and nodded. "Good choice, although that leaves you with a very wide range of people..." Then his question backfired on him, with her asking him what his type was. Over the years he really didn't have one. He just kinda flirted with any female, and that was his way of coping... and feeling like one of those space outlaws in the movies he watched. But now thinking about it, and looking at Nikki looking so calm with her eyes closed her hands over his, he now had a pretty good idea on what they had to be. "For a while, I pretended to be something I really wasn't... I like to think i'm not a complete bad guy. No comments." He added teasingly. Peter then put his lips back against her neck, giving it a soft kiss. "I want someone who's real. Someone who Fights for what they believe in, and not for just what's good or bad." He said against her skin. "They also have to be shorter than me, no tentacles... And i'm a sucker for a girl with brown eyes." He said with a smile against her neck, and then kissing it softly again.

[EasilyAmused]

“I figured keeping my options open wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing for me.” Nikki said with a small nod as he said that she was making a good choice by only wanting someone taller than her. There’s no point at being super picky when you have the whole universe to look through in order to find someone you’d enjoy to be with. Though… she was enjoying who she was with right now; could you blame her? She was comfortable, at peace and relaxed for the first time in a long time. Of course she was happy where she was right now. Her gaze flickered open once again as she attempted to look at him. A smile moved across her full lips showing her bright white teeth as he made a comment about not commenting about him being a bad guy. She couldn’t help but gasp in surprise when his lips hit her neck again, her body shivering gently in his arms. This was… different, but a good different; a different she could get used to… maybe, down the line. It’s going to take a while but there’s a chance. A small sigh left her as his lips released from her neck. “Well if you find any more specifics please be sure to let me know.”

[Jones Sparrow]

Peter Quill could very easily tell her more things about what he was looking for. He could say he was looking for a tan skinned, blue haired, half terran beauty that he was hopelessly falling for. Star-Lord never had second thoughts about the girls he was with, but Nikki was proving to be an exception. Her body felt amazing next to his, she smelled amazing, and Peter could kiss her neck for quite a long time. "Maybe on your next bandage change I'll reveal a bit more." Peter said slyly against her skin. "Hey Quill! We found some stuff on the guy!" Rocket yelled from below. Peter gave a small sigh, angry that he now had to let go of Nikki to help try and find the guy out to kill her. Well, that part was good. But he had no idea when the next time he will hold her will be. He wasn't sure she was going to be in his bed just for removing a bandage. And to be fair, he couldn't blame her for that. He pulled back to look at her beautiful face again, giving a faint smile. "Star-Lord is needed elsewhere... unfortunately." Peter said the last part bitterly, and slowly let her go. He walked below deck and back to the table where the large screen was. "Alright show me what you got." Peter said to Rocket. "So after doing a lot of digging, we figured out that there are a lot of little moles for our terrifying friend. A closer look and a few chats with our friends in low places, we found one of his sneakiest and trusted rat. Goes by the witty name of 'Grip'." A photo of a gross looking bald man appeared on the screen. He had two different colored eyes, his skin looked raw and red, large eyebrows... and two tongues. He looked like a totally trustworthy guy. "So we find him, convince him to help us, and he'll tell us where he's hiding." Peter said with a nod. "Eh... There's also two more options. We can hold him hostage and say that the Guardians are looking for him-- It'll make us look badass and hardcore, right?" "What's the other option?" "We give him some bait. We let our blue haired beauty walk around the bars for a bit, looking carefree and alone, Grip finds her, informs Zero. Lures her out." Rocket said with a shrug. "It's our best bet of trying to find the guy." "That's not going to happen. I think beating the guy and convincing him to tell us is much better. Makes us look badass too, right?" He just said to Nikki that he was going to protect her, and keep her safe. Letting her walk around completely vulnerable would not make Peter look like a man of his word. Rocket shook his head. "Maybe we should discuss our options before hitting the hay?" Peter was silent for a second, then sighed. "Fine.. Everyone! Mission Briefing!" Quill called out, looking up at the picture of Grip again, and then frowning as he was lost in thought about the options.

[EasilyAmused]

Nikki didn’t want to leave Quill go as he said that he was needed elsewhere. But at least Rocket didn’t come up; not really sure if she could talk her way out of this one with Quill. Upon his leaving, she tilted her head after him before finding herself leaning against the nearest wall. The sensation from his lips tingling against her neck; what a feeling! That was a first, a first for her to experience something that made her so weak-kneed. You learn something new every day and right now, she was learning she was falling for a Star-Lord. It took a bit for her to regain herself, which was a bit embarrassing because she’s never been like this before. But she was thankful that no one was around in order to see her being so… relaxed. They might think she’s gone soft and weak in a bad sense. Sighing softly she pulled herself upright as she heard Quill’s howler. “I like the idea of beating him to near death.” Drax said sitting straight and serious in the chair. “I think bait is the best bet.” Gamora said, her crossed arms in the corner say that she enjoyed the idea of throwing Nikki into a pit of fire like making her bait but at the same time she didn’t want to lose he possibility to bring in such a large catch. “I am Groot.” Groot said sitting in a chair while Nikki stood near him, her arms crossed under her chest as she looked around the group. “I understand that, but it’s our safer bet to get Zero out in the open to have her pay the part.” “I am Groot.” He said a bit more insistently. “I know it’s dangerous but we’re rather limited on the things we can do at this point.” Rocket said insistently. The group began to speak up, shouting soon occurred. Half wanting to use her as bait and the other half would rather pull Grip and beat him senseless. Nikki’s chocolate eyes flicked back and forth between everyone. They were getting frustrated with one another and unable to come to a discussion…. THUD! A dagger hit the center of the table, drawing attention to it than its thrower. “Seeing as it’s my problem and you guys are helping me. I think I should be my job to choose the solution.” Nikki said sharply, willing to make the choice that the group was arguing about. “The idea of being bait isn’t my favorite but it makes it the best bet to lure him into a trap. He won’t attack me until he feels I’m completely alone. If we can lure him into a false sense of security, we can catch him. But he won’t make a move until he’s completely certain I’m alone, that would have to be the deciding factor. Can we come up with a plan that can give off that false sense of security than let’s chance that route first; using the beating tactic as a second choice.”

[Jones Sparrow]

Peter wasn't a fan of letting her go out walk around without some sort of protection. Sure, they would be watching her at all times, but if someone didn't see Zero in time, or got caught in the middle of something, there wouldn't be much room to save her. When she made her decision, Peter crossed his arms and nodded. "Its settled." He said rather coldly, although he didn't mean it to sound that way. "We'll lay back, hang out at a bar, pretend to make conversation, go about our errands. We don't let her leave our sight, and once the guy shows himself, we'll stop him." Quill said. "We still have a bit of a way until we reach Nowhere. Get some rest, gear up, and be ready." And with that, Peter left the table, not really wanting to hear Rocket try to flirt with Nikki, not wanting to hear Gamora saying how bad of an idea this was, and Drax asking a million questions but all coming down to "why can't we just kill this guy?" He also didn't want to just stare at Nikki and wish that he could have her in his arms again. He hated this idea, but it was the only way it would work. He was falling for this woman. He was so used to forgetting the girls he's been with the minute he leaves the bed. But every time he closed his eyes he saw her face smiling up at him as she rested her head on his shoulder. He sat in the cockpit for a while, staring at the large and colorful clouds of gas, and stars as they flew by. But after a while he figured he should try to get some sleep. He made his way back to his room, and after trying to get some rest after a while of trying not to think of everyone's words on this Zero guy, and not trying to think about Nikki. --- Peter woke up to shouting. It was completely normal way to wake up on the Milano, but now that Nikki was here, he made sure he was out and ready to stop a fight. "We are not bringing a grenade launcher in to a crowded city!" "But Zero is the big deal! you should know that!" "We would be worse than he is if we start firing away without a care!" Rocket and Gamora were at it, Rocket holding a very large explosive gun. His favorite type. "Whoah whoah whoah! Rocket put that thing away!" "But--" "I don't care if this guy is god, we aren't just going to fire explosives in a crowd and hope for the best! You can bring anything else that doesn't explode." Peter said, taking the grenade launcher away. "Everyone gear up, we're here. Rocket make sure Nikki is good to go for being live bait. Give her anything that could help strengthen those odds." "On it, Quill."

[EasilyAmused]

Sure, as soon as Peter left Rocket began to hit on her; sharing with her a large amount of unexpected stories about his time around the universe and how many things he had accomplished. But Nikki’s mind was far from close to listening to Rocket. She was staring after Quill, he didn’t seem too happy of her choice but they were helping her and the last thing she wanted to do was set them all up for failure. That and something deep down inside of her told her that she wouldn’t be able to stand seeing something happen too Quill… for some reason… Sleeping aboard the Milano was a different feeling all together. Maybe it had to do with more than one other person aboard… maybe it has to do with the assassin aboard… or the creature her culture valued… or it might be because she was, maybe-possibly, developing feelings for? Nikki tossed and turned in her bad; knowing full well that tomorrow would be the end-all-be-all of her life… -------- The morning exploded with a loud fight and the blue haired girl shot up from her bed and jumped up. Her natural reaction was to pull the sword from the sheath and stand ready to attack someone who came in through her door. Which would probably be a large surprise seeing the girl in her tank top and underwear ready to cut someone in half. The argument grew louder before she realized exactly what was going on. Gamora and Rocket were arguing; and it wasn’t until Quill jumped in that Nikki’s shoulders fell with a bit of ease. Sighing she rubbed her eyes and began to rustle around in her room. Knock knock knock, “Hey beautiful. We need to talk about a game plan for how today’s going to work.” Rocket called out, a hint of excitement in his voice. Obviously he was hoping that he’d get to set up the girl with a bunch of explosives and things she could use. What he wasn’t expecting was for her to crack open the door to explain why she wasn’t coming out or letting him in instantly. What Rocket caught a glimpse of was a bare leg before Nikki hid herself behind the door but kept her face out to talk to him. “I’ve got some great things to give you…” He said in a bit of a daze with a grin across his muzzle. “Okay I will be out shortly.” She said with a smile as she shut the door. The argument rose between her and Gamora as soon as the girls were in the room together because of the visibility of her weapons. “Listen!” Gamora said slamming her fist against the table top, “Running around with the weapons won’t make it seem like you’re at ease.” “Oh yes because I’m going to run around in a skimpy dress, he’s not the only one I have to worry about. I have to be prepared all the time. What do you not understand about that?” “I like the idea of the dress…” Rocket said allowed standing up on the chair with a grin. “No dress. If I get too casual, he won’t believe it. I can be care-free and feel comfortable but to be so causal that I don’t have anything on me that’s just too suspicious.” She said with a nod . “Listen, I have an idea, Sir Rocket showed me what’s available and if I wear my jacket I could hide tranquilizers up the sleeves. If he gets too close and no one can come to my aid, I’ll knock him out. I just need the strongest stuff you have that won’t kill him.”

[Jones Sparrow]

Although the dress idea wasn't bad for other reasons, it wouldn't get the job done for trying to catch a very dangerous bounty hunter. "It's Nowhere. It would be strange for people not to carry weapons around. Especially after the little Ronin incident." Peter finally said, walking in with his element blasters (two guns that only fired with his finger prints, and could shoot fire, ice, and electricity). and setting them on the table. Peter's nerves were on edge, suddenly this "clown" was a bit intimidating. When he couldn't sleep during the trip, he read the files on Zero. Just looking at the guy made Peter uncomfortable, but if he learned anything from being with these group of people, its that they were really good at accidentally winning. Peter also tossed Nikki a few vials of tranquilizer. "Strongest things we got." Peter said, giving her a nod. "It can take down a celestial with just one injection." Rocket grinned. He liked powerful items, even the non lethal kind. The ship made a small bell tone, and Peter picked up his blasters, and put them in his holsters. "We're here. Get Drax and Groot." ---------------- The Milano landed in the docking bays. Already the atmosphere changed when they saw just who exactly that ship belonged to. The group was gathered near the exit of the ship. "Alright. We won't be too far behind. You leave first, then the rest of us will split up and cover the zones we talked about. If you see Grip, let us know, and if you see Zero, wait until he's most vulnerable, and take him down." "He's worth a pretty penny. If we can keep him alive, the better!" Rocket said. Gamora rolled her eyes. She was never in this for the money, mostly for protecting people after all the bad she's done... And Drax couldn't seem to understand why we were going to let this guy live. he also didn't care about money. Just about his deep hatred for Thanos, the most powerful person in the galaxy. Peter turned to Nikki, giving her a confident smile. "Good luck. We won't be far." He was keeping his promise of protecting her. No matter what.

[EasilyAmused]

The blue haired girl in a dress… well that would be a first in quite a long time for her. Since she was about 13 and presented to her culture at ‘marrying age’ and the courting could begin. As you can imagine, it was horribly awkward to stand in front of 4,000 plus people and have your dad say ‘Come get her and win her heart’ but no one was strong enough to keep her in place. No one was willing to try to handle her temper and no one was able to sweep her off of her feet… then there was… Quill walked in, only to have Nikki’s chocolate brown gaze turn to the Star-Lord as he walked in and mentioned that her walking around without weapons would only draw bad attention and would speak that something was obviously wrong. She caught the vials and slid them inside the needles, latching them into place and giving a nod. “So two will slow him down, hopefully drop him. Fingers crossed.” She said softly, quoting what her mom used to say when she needed some luck. ‘Fingers crossed’ as a common earth phrase that her mom loved to use. It’s the little things, right? ---- Nikki was soon wondering the streets and entering a few pubs before she settled into one. It was a busy one but not too heavy traffic. She had a plate of potato fingers sent over to Quill’s table along with a beer, showing him that she was a woman of her word and paid him back for the potato fingers she owned him… or was it a small way to show him she cared; your call. It didn’t take long before Grip found her; in fact he was bold enough to come up and start to talk to her. His words were sticky and gross; obviously a flirting tactic that he only assumed would work. Nikki swallowed so much throw up in her mouth that she downed two beers just talking to the man for the small amount of time he was with her. She had to use the excuse to go to the bathroom just to get away from him. Soon she was out and he was gone. Probably going to report to Zero that he found Nikki; she was quite a gold mine of money for someone and being on the best side of Zero is where anyone would really want to be. Taking a seat back at the bar, she felt her heart beat pick up and slam against her chest. She needed to leave, she needed to get fresh air and she needed to keep herself away from crowds of people to draw out Zero. Out along the streets, she kept her walk at a steady pace until she turned off into an alley; she had faith that the Guardians would be close buy considering Zero was now a high target on their radar but that didn’t stop her from being nervous. The blue haired girl got only a small bit farther before she was finally jumped. Zero was even worse in person. His skin was a pale green, his facial hair was scruffy and filled with… something. This pitch black hair long and greasy, the pits of red eyes staring into your soul, yellow teeth sharp and dangerous, and the hook on a chain wrapped around his wrist. A single hand forced the small girl against the wall with a single thrust. The hook placed against her throat. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time…” The man said, his voice even more terrifying than his appearance, his breath being something that could knock someone out as he got close to her, his hook threatening to cut her throat. “But you can’t hide from me.” Nikki shook her right wrist, the needle sliding into her hand and she stabbed him in gut; injecting the first vial into him. He didn’t even flinch as the stuff went in before he grabbed her left wrist with his hand holding the hook and gave it a shake, the other vial falling out and rolling away. He then grabbed both of her wrists to prevent her from using her powers and pinning her legs against the wall with his large right one. Nikki coughed and gasped for air under his grip on her throat; “Sleeping will be best for you princess.” The words caused a facial reaction of Nikki to one of shock, it wasn’t common knowledge that she was a princess but his eyes twinkled like he had information that not everyone else did. His grip tightened and her world began to spin, he was going to choke her out and the tranquilizer hadn’t shown any signs of the stuff kicking in… great…

[Jones Sparrow]

Everyone was in position at the bar Nikki chose. Gamora was at the other end of the bar, leaning on the table as she took a small sip of her drink. Rocket was hustling some thieves with Groot by his side. Drax was standing outside on lookout, and Peter Quill sat at a booth, tapping his fingers and every once in a while glancing over at Nikki to keep an eye on her. Quill was surprised to see an order of potato fries and beer being brought to his table, but when he figured it out, he gave a small smirk and laugh, taking a sip of the beer and eating a bit to ease his nerves. It was only a matter of time before the weird creature known as "Grip" appeared. He almost immediately saw Nikki, and made his way toward her. "Alright, everyone. Be ready..." Quill said quietly, the rest of the team being able to hear him because of their communication system. The conversation didn't last long, and for a little bit Nikki made her leave to the bathroom. Gamora stared at Grip, then at Peter. "Drax, the pig is coming out. Follow him." She said quietly. Peter kept drinking and eating, giving smiles and nods to some of the women who passed, not because he was flirting, but it was his character. He had to act natural. And now they were on the move. Peter had to literally drag Rocket out of the bar because he got caught in the middle of a card game he was "absolutely going to win." "Look, I'm worried about her too, but this place is so crowded, there's no way he could get her alone in the time I could have made it big! And if she did, you gave her those tranqs that could take out a whole army." Rocket said as he walked by Peter's side. "We're not here to get money, we're here to get this guy off the street... which will give up a pretty penny." "You guys have you're moments, but all in all you're despicable." Gamora said through their earpiece. "Don't be too gentle, toots." Rocket said jokingly. Nikki was easy to spot in this crowd, even with all the diverse species around her. They kept their distance, following, snaking through the crowds, trying to act casual. "Quill, I lost sight of the swine. He went in to a guarded house, and never came out." Nikki turned in to a corner in the alley way. "Alright, well come back to our position. We're still following the Prin--" There he was, a vial sticking out of his arm, choking Nikki, staring at her with amusement. He was one of the ugliest things Peter had ever seen, and he lived with the Ravagers for quite some time. Peter pressed the device behind his ear, his signature mask forming on to his face. He pulled out his guns. "We got him! Everyone at my location!" Peter said. Rocket pulled out his large automatic grenade launcher, and Groot went to action. "I Am Groot!" he yelled, swiping a long branch arm in the gut of Zero. He flew down the alley, hitting a pile of garbage, but he quickly got up and glared at them with a smile. "Ah... The infamous 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'" He looked at Nikki who was gasping for air. "You hired them to help you? You seem desperate." Zero was kicked in the face by the side. Gamora came from the other alleyway that joined this one. Gamora had the reputation for being the deadliest assassin in the galaxy. This guy wasn't going to take away her reputation. Drax also appeared next to Rocket and Peter, his iconic swords drawn, his face smiling. "Finally. A battle." He said. Peter raised his blasters. "You want to make this easy, tough guy? Or do you want to try and take us?" Quill called out. Zero smiled, and pointed his hook at them. "Big talk from a Terran, Not many live long enough to threaten me. Let's see if your actions are louder than your words." The team went to action. Peter threw a few metal spheres at Zero as he charged, the balls turning to electric wires meant to tie down a person. He easily sliced them in mid air and made for Rocket. Groot intercepted him and kicked him away, but Zero held on using the hook. He swung off him, and went to take on Drax in a very fast and very awesome looking sword-hook fight... But Peter was making his way towards Nikki. "You alright?" He asked, helping her up, hearing Rocket scream and his gun firing behind him.

[EasilyAmused]

The worry pulled through Nikki as she attempted to get out of the grasp. Her small body began to shake as the life slowly drained from her as her vision began to fade. Oh god she was going to wake up in a glass box or blocked into Zero’s ship. Darkness slowly set in and her eyes began to drop until… “I am Groot!” Her ability to breath returned to her as she coughed and gasped for air tumbling to the ground. Body shaking she put her hand over her throat, the red handprint visual on her throat and throbbing. The pounding of her head echoed in her ears and her vision returned to see the battling ahead of her. Wow they were actually watching her. And even with Zero’s snide comment about her hiring them, she was more than grateful to have them with her at this moment. Through the pounding, she heard a voice; a voice that she could have recognized in a soft version or a version of panic and worry. She couldn’t really speak, her voice sounding more like a squeak with the tightening of her vocal cords. Her body shivered as she turned her attention forward. Zero broke free from the sword fight with Drax to swing the hook on a chin in the direction of Quill. Reaching up, she grabbed onto Quill’s collar and pulled; forcing him down and out of harms away. Regaining her strength after the adrenilane rush of pulling Quill down, she jumped up to her feet and unsheathed her sword from her back. Diving nearly head first into the fight, it wasn’t long before Zero had thrown everyone off; shoving Gamora and Nikki off to the same direction. Her chocolate brown eyes found the vile off in the corner which she used a hand jester to make it fly to… Gamora; who proceeded to look at her in shock, the green skinned stared at her with surprise in her eyes before the two nodded and in they went. Zero jumped into Drax giving him a firm kick to the chest, Groot swung his large arm again yelling something about being Groot while the girls charged inward. Ducking and dodging the ever-swinging hook on the chain, Nikki slid under while Gamora went over. Jumping up, Nikki swung her sword causing Zero to duck. Gamora went with an uppercut and shoved the needle into his throat, injecting the final bottle of tranquilizer into the man’s throat. Zero spun, and began to tumble, losing his balance before falling to the ground… it was done.

[Jones Sparrow]

Quill would have definitely been more focused on the large, ugly bounty hunter trying to kill them. He would have tried to save his neck more than trying to save someone else. But right now his focus was on the blue haired woman gasping for air. It wasn't until Nikki pulled him down by his shirt that he just realized how close Zero was to slicing his head off. Nikki leapt in to action almost immediately after that, leaving Quill right there. He found that Zero was swinging at him again, and he quickly activated his rockets on his shoes to shoot him away from his range. He hit the alley way wall, but got up quickly. Everyone was on him, Rocket screaming and shooting, Groot also screaming, Drax laughing, and Nikki and Gamora screaming with rage. Quill couldn't go up against that guy. He was a good brawler, but when it came to actual hand-to-hand combat with a professional, it wasn't going to happen. What he did have were his blasters, and gadgets in his satchel. Peter rushed towards Zero, using his rockets to give him a small boost when he jumped on the large bounty hunter's back, and planted a device on the square of his back. Peter was swatted off, but Almost immediately two wires exploded from it, grabbing his arms by the wrist and pulling them back. Confused, Zero howled in rage, and in seconds he tore the wires apart. Soon everyone was thrown far away from him. Peter still had his blasters though! But he didn't need to use them. Instead Nikki and Gamora worked together (weird I know) to inject the last of the tranquilizer in to the large man's throat. After a few seconds, the man fell to the floor. The whole crowd was breathing heavily, Peter pressed the button to get rid of his helmet. "Holy shit..." Rocket muttered. A crowd had formed to see what the whole fight was about. Everyone seemed just as shocked. "Yeah, that's right! The Guardians just took out ZERO! We can take on anything the galaxy throws at us!" Rocket yelled to the crowd. Quill pulled out from his bag a metallic sphere, and he lightly tossed it at Zero. a dozen cables sprang out, and wrapped themselves around the unconscious killer. If he showed any sign of restraint the cables were packed with enough electricity to power a small colony. Peter looked at Nikki, giving a nod to her. He was a man of his word. --------- "Throw him in the hostile room. We'll make a quick trip to Xandar to turn this clown in to Nova Corps." Quill said, walking up the ramp of the Milano as Groot carried Zero in to the ship. He stood at the entrance, waiting for the rest of the team to get in. "Told you we'd get the guy, Princess." Quill said to Nikki as she walked by, a smug smile on his face. He was happy that they were true to their word, happy to be getting money out of this, and more importantly to him, making sure that Nikki was safe after being on the run for so many years.