（ she is not quite certain what to do with the egg.
she is sitting cross-legged on her bedroll, in the tent they have been sharing as they explore the country. it is... pleasant. nice, to be out among nature, to smell clean air and see clear skies. even the little creatures are cute, and they have collected a gaggle of them that seem to be drawn to peter's music as much as the safety and shelter they provide.
but she had come across this little egg in the grass, and with no parent around to care for it (that she could find, anyway —) she had finally opted to take it along. the issue, primarily, is that she has no idea how one cares for it.
she gives peter a nudge with one elbow to get his attention. ）
[ He'd been reorganizing the crap in his bag, after he'd picked up one or two of each kind of item: potions, sprays, some berries, some extra and empty Cubitiles, and some miscellaneous other bits. So he'd gone a little overboard — maybe a part of him just wanted to see what each of these things were.
When Gamora nudges him, he puts his stuff down to glance back at the egg.
His expression softens a little but he tries not to look too obvious about it. ]
I think most eggs do, yeah. [ At least they do on Earth? Which may not actually apply here, but it's all he's got so he'll make his best educated guess. ] Give it another blanket, maybe. Worse comes to worst, one of us can always sit on it.
（ she does not quite roll her eyes. but she does give him a playful little swat to the arm as she pushes him over to grab one of his blankets that's sitting (poorly) folded just past him. she hesitates briefly as she hovers above him — studies his eyes, and then briefly his mouth. perhaps it would have become a kiss, if not for the inquisitive sound of one of her cubits that's made it into their tent. ）
You are welcome to do all the sitting you wish. I'm sure it will need a mother.
（ the blanket is sculpted carefully into something that almost resembles a mountain, twisted up on itself. the egg is slipped carefully into the hollow space, and the blanket then tucked around it carefully. ）
It seems strange that one can store a cubit in one of the boxes, but not an egg. This world is — unusual.
[ Oh, come on, little cubit dude. Way to ruin the moment. Peter gives the creature the barest of looks, but it's there. Oh, it's there.
Nevertheless, he adjusts his posture and gets into a more composed, upright position, watching Gamora turn the blanket into a comfortable, customized little nest perfectly sized to swaddle the egg. Man, how is she so good at that? (How is she so good at everything?)
He chuckles softly. ]
We can both be its mother. [ And yeah, if he needs to do the sitting, he will. He's got no problems with that, certainly no insecurities about his current fitness level or weight or anything. Nope. ] Groot turned out okay, didn't he?
[ He unbuckles his utility belt where he keeps the Cubitiles for his little gang of creatures — all of them currently hanging out somewhere outside of their tent, free to roam (but still be closeby) where they wish — and sets that aside with his other belongings. ]
This world definitely has its quirks. [ He grabs another one of their blankets and balls it up into a makeshift pillow with which he can use to lean back against. ] But I dunno, I kinda dig it, you know? No one's shot at us or chased us down to steal from us.
（ it's said softly. there is a wistfulness to it that settles into the lee of an otherwise steady voice. but perhaps that's how it should be. perhaps leaving behind a memory can be enough.
(there are things she holds onto, from her home. her mother's voice. her father's smile. but she has forgotten more of them, of her world, than she ever had.
peter will not let her be forgotten, that much she knows. it is a dead certainty, like the love she carries for him and he for her.)
she leans back against him without quite thinking about it. they have been... cautious, around one another, but not avoidant. he smells like she remembers, and somehow that is a comfort of its own. ）
It is... （ she searches for a word. then: ） peaceful. I also like it. Though I feel badly for these poor little creatures being forced to fight.
（ the little wooskull, perhaps feeling jealous, goes out of its way to try and wriggle in between them. she shushes it with a soft pat to its head. ）
[ Being in her presence is never gonna get old. If anything, he'd made some kind of internal promise with himself to treasure every single second that he gets with her until they complete their contracts and head back home. He hasn't rushed it, and she hasn't either, and honestly after everything they'd both been through ... he likes the pace of it.
He puts an arm around her when she leans into him, keeps her close so he can bask in the solidity of her weight and the warmth of her skin through the thin material of his t-shirt.
It feels safe to work their way through all of this together, the safest he's ever felt since he'd met her. And it's solid and steady in a way that he's always fruitlessly searched for and could really only find with Gamora.
And maybe it isn't right to rely so heavily on the way he feels about her, but they deserve a little bit of an indulgence, don't they? After everything? ]
If it helps, I think some of them want to fight. [ He knows Freddie Mercury and Bruce Springsteen do, especially. Yes, those are the names of his Mewther and Omaem, what of it. ] And a good deal of them ... just wanna help their trainer. I'd never force them though.
（ it's said with a (not entirely unkind) nudge to his ribs with her elbow. is the unspoken phrase there that she knows him better than that, or that she'd murder him if he did? hard to say. maybe it's a little of column b for both. ）
But there are certainly people in this world that don't share your ideals.
[Ziggy had mostly been keeping to herself, outside of the Spice Girls. Spice Trainers? She's not sure the final name they all agreed on — don't worry about it, okay, forget it was mentioned. Point is, outside of her little team of teens, she hasn't really gotten into the spirit of battle as much as others. It's kind of fun sometimes, maybe, but her Seaquaza has Anxiety and her Glooish sleeps through most situations, so really, her Flarig's the only Cubit that seems to have any kind of common sense or chemical balance —
Ugh!]
Come on, Glooish. Get back in the cube-thing.
[So Gloosih, round little gremlin that it is, has decided to sleep in the middle of the trainer-frequented trail. Ziggy is really doing her best to wake it up, but to no avail. This is the scene Peter gets to walk in on; some teenager in a spiffy red leather jacket and an axe holstered on her shorts as she snaps her fingers in front of Glooish's face.]
[ Well, it certainly is some kinda scene. She's familiar inasmuch as any orber from the station might be, but Peter hasn't really made it a point (just yet) to memorize all of the names and the faces that go along with them.
It's actually the sight of his red jacket on her that snags his attention first, setting off the immature, Ravager part of him that gets just a little bit possessive over his belongings because if he didn't take care of 'em, someone else on the team would gladly step in, steal his shit off of him, and then sell it to the highest bidder.
Ah, space pirates. You gotta love 'em.
(He decidedly does not. Not for half of the time anyway.)
But! — before he can really think about it, before he can take even two seconds to realize that he's also wearing the same freakin' jacket right now, he's making a beeline for her and her lazy Cubit, calling out: ]
Hey! You! That jacket? That's mine —
[ And then being reminded that she's just a kid.
Aaaand he's acting like a total weirdo right now. ]
[Is what she says when she whips her head around, accidentally getting her red hair in her face before she just as grumpily shoves it back. But the voice and appearance catches up with her, and she immediately freezes at the sight of him; sure, she'd known about his arrival. But... what was she gonna do? Fake being some stranger? Try not to get sappy at someone who doesn't know her? She thins her lips and turns around, showing off the STARDUST in big letters.]
It's my jacket, for the record.
With my codename. Proof's in the pudding.
[... Ugh. She's not trying to be mean. She's just flustered. Looking at him is way more sentimental than she wants it to be, so overcompensating seems like the thing to do... 'til it's not. Folding her arms, she motionsat the jacket he's in, using the hand at her elbow.]
... Besides, yours is on your back, space cadet.
[(Glooish is snoozing, he does not give a flying fuck about this conversation.)]
There are so many things Peter wants to say right now, his mouth opening and closing with each insult she lobs at him, chipping away at his already woeful insecurities, but he doesn't. Look, he might claim to have his shit together, and to always be the Mature One (okay that's false, that's definitely Gamora), but the truth of the matter is: he's anything but.
He's learning, he's growing, but he's still got a lot of work to do. And if he gets a little bent out of shape for being called a 'nerd' and then a 'space cadet' ... well, that's not on him, okay? That's on his myriad of issues! (It's on him. It's definitely on him.)
Okay. You're a freakin' adult, Quill. Maybe try and not? Be such a childish a-hole to the actual person allowed to be childish here? ]
How's your codename almost the same as mine?
[ His voice is a little less accusatory; more mystified. ]
Okay. [ He scrubs at his face, but he's taking a moment. ] This is another one of those alternate-universe-me things, right?
[She offers a small shrug, seeming a little closed-off. Like maybe she's nervous to continue this conversation — or at least battles herself on it. It's hard to consider the fact that she'd be starting from zero with Peter; she'd cared about him a lot. And he cared about her. At least, enough that he'd give her a collapsible space mask like his — and leave her a jetpack before he went. One she's got even now, carefully tucked away in her qiankun bag.]
It's like Ziggy Stardust.
I mean, my nickname's Ziggy. Stardust came naturally.
[She drops her arms at her sides. Relenting, a little.]
Would that bother you? What if I was an alternate-universe-you?
I mean, no. If you were an alternate-universe me, that'd be awesome.
[ He doesn't even know her, but look at her! She's small and feisty and she actually does make his jacket (or a version of his jacket) look cool.
And don't even get him started on the name. Ziggy Stardust? Like Bowie? ]
I meant more like — [ Here we go ] — okay, so when I first got here a couple of people were looking at me weird, like they'd seen a ghost. Turns out a version of me was here before, and then he left, and now I'm here but I'm a different version of that guy so I don't have any of his memories.
I don't even know if we're really the same person.
[ Timeline shenanigans are seriously so messed up. ]
[Ziggy bites her lip, glancing away and offering the most casual nod of the head, as if this is all just totally not a big deal. She could imagine how weird it is... to just... show up somewhere and people just know you. Off-putting, unsettling, all those words. And it makes her utterly anxious to add onto that feeling. After all, it might scare him off; her dad watching her shrink in his rearview mirror was plenty enough abandonment, thanks.
But, ugh. Peter doesn't owe her anything. Truthfully, she owes him more.
Reaching into the small bag hanging off her belt, she retrieves something to place behind her ear — and then taps there with a begrudging sigh, so that a very, very, very, very accurate replica of Peter's mask grows over her face. In fact, it's so accurate, you'd think it wasn't a replica at all. (It's not.)]
Yeah, well. You've probably got a lot in common, at the least.
For the record, though... I'm not a Guardian of any Galaxy, or a Star-Lord, or... anything.
I'm just Ziggy.
[She likes wearing the mask currently. He can't see how she's actually freaking nervous about admitting any of this to someone who rightfully sees her as some random kid. Tapping her finger on the mask, she adds:]
You show up with one of these?
Could always give it back to you if you're missing it. I've got back-ups.
Uh. Okay, sure. How about ... [ Hmm. He's really digging into his old pirate tales stories from childhood here. ] The Great Gamora? Or Gamora the Silverblade? Or just Silverblade?
[ Is he better at this? She might be putting too much confidence in him. ]
（ 'it's fine', she does not say. but the truth is, that name is a precious thing to him — she would never discourage its use, for all that she thinks it's a bit silly. ）
Yeah, but it's different somehow. You know? This whole place is different.
[ Like, she's got a point, and maybe it's just 'cause he's known the Ravagers since he was a kid so they'd all been familiar with it for pretty much ever ... but meeting all of these new guys for the first time as an adult ... it's a little weird. And yeah, sure, he feels a little self-conscious, maybe.
wait, really? Who is this then? Ah, I'm so sorry! This really doesn't seem so complicated but I keep messing it up! Where I'm from we use passwords for this sort of thing.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action; (ankata mission)
Date: 2023-07-15 04:59 pm (UTC)she is sitting cross-legged on her bedroll, in the tent they have been sharing as they explore the country. it is... pleasant. nice, to be out among nature, to smell clean air and see clear skies. even the little creatures are cute, and they have collected a gaggle of them that seem to be drawn to peter's music as much as the safety and shelter they provide.
but she had come across this little egg in the grass, and with no parent around to care for it (that she could find, anyway —) she had finally opted to take it along. the issue, primarily, is that she has no idea how one cares for it.
she gives peter a nudge with one elbow to get his attention. ）
Do you think it requires warmth?
（ what are they doing. send help. ）
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Date: 2023-07-18 04:37 am (UTC)[ He'd been reorganizing the crap in his bag, after he'd picked up one or two of each kind of item: potions, sprays, some berries, some extra and empty Cubitiles, and some miscellaneous other bits. So he'd gone a little overboard — maybe a part of him just wanted to see what each of these things were.
When Gamora nudges him, he puts his stuff down to glance back at the egg.
His expression softens a little but he tries not to look too obvious about it. ]
I think most eggs do, yeah. [ At least they do on Earth? Which may not actually apply here, but it's all he's got so he'll make his best educated guess. ] Give it another blanket, maybe. Worse comes to worst, one of us can always sit on it.
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Date: 2023-07-23 11:00 pm (UTC)You are welcome to do all the sitting you wish. I'm sure it will need a mother.
（ the blanket is sculpted carefully into something that almost resembles a mountain, twisted up on itself. the egg is slipped carefully into the hollow space, and the blanket then tucked around it carefully. ）
It seems strange that one can store a cubit in one of the boxes, but not an egg. This world is — unusual.
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Date: 2023-07-26 02:25 am (UTC)Nevertheless, he adjusts his posture and gets into a more composed, upright position, watching Gamora turn the blanket into a comfortable, customized little nest perfectly sized to swaddle the egg. Man, how is she so good at that? (How is she so good at everything?)
He chuckles softly. ]
We can both be its mother. [ And yeah, if he needs to do the sitting, he will. He's got no problems with that, certainly no insecurities about his current fitness level or weight or anything. Nope. ] Groot turned out okay, didn't he?
[ He unbuckles his utility belt where he keeps the Cubitiles for his little gang of creatures — all of them currently hanging out somewhere outside of their tent, free to roam (but still be closeby) where they wish — and sets that aside with his other belongings. ]
This world definitely has its quirks. [ He grabs another one of their blankets and balls it up into a makeshift pillow with which he can use to lean back against. ] But I dunno, I kinda dig it, you know? No one's shot at us or chased us down to steal from us.
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Date: 2023-07-26 02:35 am (UTC)（ it's said softly. there is a wistfulness to it that settles into the lee of an otherwise steady voice. but perhaps that's how it should be. perhaps leaving behind a memory can be enough.
(there are things she holds onto, from her home. her mother's voice. her father's smile. but she has forgotten more of them, of her world, than she ever had.
peter will not let her be forgotten, that much she knows. it is a dead certainty, like the love she carries for him and he for her.)
she leans back against him without quite thinking about it. they have been... cautious, around one another, but not avoidant. he smells like she remembers, and somehow that is a comfort of its own. ）
It is... （ she searches for a word. then: ） peaceful. I also like it. Though I feel badly for these poor little creatures being forced to fight.
（ the little wooskull, perhaps feeling jealous, goes out of its way to try and wriggle in between them. she shushes it with a soft pat to its head. ）
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Date: 2023-07-26 02:56 am (UTC)He puts an arm around her when she leans into him, keeps her close so he can bask in the solidity of her weight and the warmth of her skin through the thin material of his t-shirt.
It feels safe to work their way through all of this together, the safest he's ever felt since he'd met her. And it's solid and steady in a way that he's always fruitlessly searched for and could really only find with Gamora.
And maybe it isn't right to rely so heavily on the way he feels about her, but they deserve a little bit of an indulgence, don't they? After everything? ]
If it helps, I think some of them want to fight. [ He knows Freddie Mercury and Bruce Springsteen do, especially. Yes, those are the names of his Mewther and Omaem, what of it. ] And a good deal of them ... just wanna help their trainer. I'd never force them though.
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Date: 2023-07-26 03:07 am (UTC)I know you wouldn't.
（ it's said with a (not entirely unkind) nudge to his ribs with her elbow. is the unspoken phrase there that she knows him better than that, or that she'd murder him if he did? hard to say. maybe it's a little of column b for both. ）
But there are certainly people in this world that don't share your ideals.
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From:[ankata mission] there you go 😂
Date: 2023-07-18 08:17 pm (UTC)Ugh!]
Come on, Glooish. Get back in the cube-thing.
[So Gloosih, round little gremlin that it is, has decided to sleep in the middle of the trainer-frequented trail. Ziggy is really doing her best to wake it up, but to no avail. This is the scene Peter gets to walk in on; some teenager in a spiffy red leather jacket and an axe holstered on her shorts as she snaps her fingers in front of Glooish's face.]
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Date: 2023-07-21 03:36 am (UTC)It's actually the sight of his red jacket on her that snags his attention first, setting off the immature, Ravager part of him that gets just a little bit possessive over his belongings because if he didn't take care of 'em, someone else on the team would gladly step in, steal his shit off of him, and then sell it to the highest bidder.
Ah, space pirates. You gotta love 'em.
(He decidedly does not. Not for half of the time anyway.)
But! — before he can really think about it, before he can take even two seconds to realize that he's also wearing the same freakin' jacket right now, he's making a beeline for her and her lazy Cubit, calling out: ]
Hey! You! That jacket? That's mine —
[ And then being reminded that she's just a kid.
Aaaand he's acting like a total weirdo right now. ]
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Date: 2023-07-21 04:03 am (UTC)[Is what she says when she whips her head around, accidentally getting her red hair in her face before she just as grumpily shoves it back. But the voice and appearance catches up with her, and she immediately freezes at the sight of him; sure, she'd known about his arrival. But... what was she gonna do? Fake being some stranger? Try not to get sappy at someone who doesn't know her? She thins her lips and turns around, showing off the STARDUST in big letters.]
It's my jacket, for the record.
With my codename. Proof's in the pudding.
[... Ugh. She's not trying to be mean. She's just flustered. Looking at him is way more sentimental than she wants it to be, so overcompensating seems like the thing to do... 'til it's not. Folding her arms, she motionsat the jacket he's in, using the hand at her elbow.]
... Besides, yours is on your back, space cadet.
[(Glooish is snoozing, he does not give a flying fuck about this conversation.)]
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Date: 2023-07-21 04:25 am (UTC)There are so many things Peter wants to say right now, his mouth opening and closing with each insult she lobs at him, chipping away at his already woeful insecurities, but he doesn't. Look, he might claim to have his shit together, and to always be the Mature One (okay that's false, that's definitely Gamora), but the truth of the matter is: he's anything but.
He's learning, he's growing, but he's still got a lot of work to do. And if he gets a little bent out of shape for being called a 'nerd' and then a 'space cadet' ... well, that's not on him, okay? That's on his myriad of issues! (It's on him. It's definitely on him.)
Okay. You're a freakin' adult, Quill. Maybe try and not? Be such a childish a-hole to the actual person allowed to be childish here? ]
How's your codename almost the same as mine?
[ His voice is a little less accusatory; more mystified. ]
Okay. [ He scrubs at his face, but he's taking a moment. ] This is another one of those alternate-universe-me things, right?
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Date: 2023-07-27 07:19 pm (UTC)It's like Ziggy Stardust.
I mean, my nickname's Ziggy. Stardust came naturally.
[She drops her arms at her sides. Relenting, a little.]
Would that bother you? What if I was an alternate-universe-you?
[Sure, she isn't. But it's a thought.]
cries i'm sorry this is so late
Date: 2023-08-08 05:13 pm (UTC)[ He doesn't even know her, but look at her! She's small and feisty and she actually does make his jacket (or a version of his jacket) look cool.
And don't even get him started on the name. Ziggy Stardust? Like Bowie? ]
I meant more like — [ Here we go ] — okay, so when I first got here a couple of people were looking at me weird, like they'd seen a ghost. Turns out a version of me was here before, and then he left, and now I'm here but I'm a different version of that guy so I don't have any of his memories.
I don't even know if we're really the same person.
[ Timeline shenanigans are seriously so messed up. ]
nonsense, you know that i thrive on older tags
Date: 2023-08-09 12:49 am (UTC)But, ugh. Peter doesn't owe her anything. Truthfully, she owes him more.
Reaching into the small bag hanging off her belt, she retrieves something to place behind her ear — and then taps there with a begrudging sigh, so that a very, very, very, very accurate replica of Peter's mask grows over her face. In fact, it's so accurate, you'd think it wasn't a replica at all. (It's not.)]
Yeah, well. You've probably got a lot in common, at the least.
For the record, though... I'm not a Guardian of any Galaxy, or a Star-Lord, or... anything.
I'm just Ziggy.
[She likes wearing the mask currently. He can't see how she's actually freaking nervous about admitting any of this to someone who rightfully sees her as some random kid. Tapping her finger on the mask, she adds:]
You show up with one of these?
Could always give it back to you if you're missing it. I've got back-ups.
voice ↪ un: gamora (pre- gold sails/red skies)
Date: 2023-08-09 03:22 am (UTC)Help me choose a pirate name.
（ look, he's much better at this part of the job than she is, okay? ）
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Date: 2023-08-11 02:34 am (UTC)[ He's honoured, honestly. ]
Uh. Okay, sure. How about ... [ Hmm. He's really digging into his old pirate tales stories from childhood here. ] The Great Gamora? Or Gamora the Silverblade? Or just Silverblade?
[ Is he better at this? She might be putting too much confidence in him. ]
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Date: 2023-08-12 05:39 pm (UTC)Will you be going by Starlord?
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Date: 2023-08-19 06:18 am (UTC)She didn't outright reject the possibilities, so that's a good thing, right??? ]
Yeah, I think so. You don't think it's too much for a pirate ship, is it?
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Date: 2023-08-30 06:20 pm (UTC)（ 'it's fine', she does not say. but the truth is, that name is a precious thing to him — she would never discourage its use, for all that she thinks it's a bit silly. ）
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Date: 2023-09-04 05:08 am (UTC)[ Like, she's got a point, and maybe it's just 'cause he's known the Ravagers since he was a kid so they'd all been familiar with it for pretty much ever ... but meeting all of these new guys for the first time as an adult ... it's a little weird. And yeah, sure, he feels a little self-conscious, maybe.
Still.
The name does mean everything to him. ]
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Date: 2023-09-12 12:16 am (UTC)（ there is a long, considering pause. then: ）
We will be separated for some time.
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From:text; UN: Ol' Feng
Date: 2023-10-08 06:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-15 04:53 am (UTC)cool congrats
also uh
maybe you didn't figure the whole thing out 'cause i think you got the wrong person, man
sorry
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Date: 2023-10-15 08:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-23 01:31 am (UTC)i'm peter so i guess the names sound kind of similar
[ As he offers the barest of bones ... ]
pretty easy mistake to make
passwords or not