snowblindrpg | [log] Here's the story of a Librarian and three Guardians [closed]

Peter's doing his best hiding the annoying little cold he's picked up--real annoying since he usually doesn't get sick, can't really remember the last time he's gotten a regular old cold besides the generally awful symptoms that come and go whenever a glitch happens in this town. He coughs into his jacket as he stomps through the snow, making sure he doesn't lose sight of Gamora before making it indoors. The travel hasn't been that far or strenuous, but feeling icky made it seem that much more...blah.

At least he can see just fine, which he's come to completely and utterly love and appreciate. He opens the door and kicks it the rest of the way open, getting snow everywhere, unsure if they're the first to arrive or if there's anyone else inside.

"Hi honey, I'm home!"

He's been looking forward to this.

A genuine sparring match was always fun, and he's heard a lot about Nicole and wanted to see what she could do. If she was anything like Gamora, he was...slightly...nervous that this fight would end fairly quickly with him flat on his back, but then again, if she was anything like Gamora, maybe his life was in...danger? Nah.

He hops up and down, practicing jabbing punches in midair, cracking his neck as he tilts his head from side to side, loosening up. He's shed his jacket and is down to his shirt, but it's still chillier than he'd like it to be.

"Gotta go the distance. Gotta go the distance..." Was he pretending to be Rocky? Probably.

"You're still coughing," Gamora says, hot on his heels and looking incredibly concerned. Sickness does not bode well in this place. She's worried. She's beyond worried. "And who are you talking to? Who's honey?" That's not jealousy. Not at all. Nope. It's not like she has any claim or expectation, not really. She's the one who's been rebuffing his clumsy attempts to get into her pants since they met. So, no, not jealous at all. Not in the slightest.

Looks like nobody else made it here yet. When he arrives Flynn inspects the kitchen, stops at the bathroom to get freshened up and scouts the building for a fireplace. He really hopes there is a fireplace. Or at least a stove. He'd love to get a fire going once everybody's here.

Everybody.

The word comes with a mild, diffuse sense of unease that he can't quite place. He's looking forward to seeing them, all of them, very much so, but there is also a part of him that feels apprehensive about meeting them all at the same time. Four people in this house seems like a ridiculously large group for some reason and he rubs the back of his neck, trying to shake the feeling. It's gonna be fine. It's gonna be great.

Flynn sets down his bag eventually, pausing, when a small, stabbing pain shoots up his arms and into his neck. It's been with him for a while now, constant and irritating, and if he didn't know better he'd say he caught rheumatism or some weird form of full-body arthritis. Given the climate conditions it's probably luck that this hasn't started sooner but with medication suspended he really hopes it doesn't get worse.

He fishes out his crowbar, powering through the pain and goes through a set of fencing moves to pass the time and warm up his muscles. Maybe that will bring some relief.

Currently battling with his frying pan and trying to make some hot water Flynn looks up at the sound of the door opening and closing and new voices filling the house. He leans back to look through the open door into the hallway at the newly arrived and his face lights up.

And of course Peter needs to make a big, ridiculous entrance like that. It's great to see; Flynn is really happy that he seems to get his spirit back.

"Hey, abominable snowman, manners!" he calls over. "Will you wipe your feet?"

He chuckles, shaking his head as he moves over to pull Peter into a quick hug.

"Hey Gamora. You guys got here alright? Would you like some tea?"

Edited 2018-07-08 13:46 (UTC)

Nicole comes in slightly after everyone else, tired and cold and ready to just rest for a little while. Honestly, this place is starting to wear on her, as she's certain it is for everyone else. But for reasons she's not certain of, she's starting to feel decidedly under the weather, sporting a nagging cough and muscle aches that feel like they're more than the result of moving around every few days.

Still, she's inside now, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, rest and recovery can happen, at least for a little while. She's quick to pull up a bit of wall, putting down her bag and fishing out her tablet so she can properly peruse the network. When she's not doing that, she's organizing said bag or taking a quick walk around the house to see what there might be to see.

Nicole's settled in and gotten warmed up as much as it's possible to be, and now she's ready and raring to take on Peter. It's just a little sparring match between friends, but she really is curious to see how they match up.

Going easy on him isn't in her wheelhouse, but competitive nature or not, she's not planning to be too rough. It's possible to have a friendly spar and test each other's skills without taking things too far.

"You look like you're ready." She can't help but smile at his warm-up antics. "I've been looking forward to this for some time now."

The date night she shared with Flynn was fun, but reality quickly settled back in, and they were both on the move again before too long. Still, they're in the same place again, and they also have the addition of Peter and Gamora, which is actually something Nicole's happy about. Crossing paths with the others who are stuck here is a nice change of pace.

She's quick to go check in on Flynn, though, because there's no shaking that protective instinct of hers. "Nice crowbar. Nice moves, too." She can't resist complimenting him even as she gives him a good once-over as if to assess his condition. "How are you doing?" It's possibly her imagination, but she thinks she spotted him rubbing his arms as if they were sore. It's cause enough for concern.

Gamora hears the noise, but doesn't think to bother Peter and Flynn with it. They're... is nesting the word? Rather, she just gets up and heads for the door, intent on checking. It's not as though the house is so large that they won't be able to reach her quickly if she calls for help.

When she sees Nicole crouched over her bag, looking through the contents, she runs her appearance against Flynn's description. She fits. More or less.

"Hello. You must be Nicole."

"It's just a cold, I'm fine," he says, hoping that would placate Gamora, and pretty sure it wouldn't.

And was that jealousy he detects on your voice? He grins.

"Honey..." he draws out. "Okay, so Hi Honey, I'm home is something sitcom dads say when they come home. It's supposed to be funny." Probably wasn't that funny in retrospect, but it's funny to him.

"Too late, there's snow everywhere!"

And hey, Flynn's here! Peter lights up and hugs him back in a bear-like fashion, but no matter how long it's been he's always delighted to see you, bro.

"How you been doin'? Me and Gamora have been doing great!" Peter says, coughing between every third word.

Edited 2018-07-12 03:47 (UTC)

"I am so ready," he continues his hopping to warm-up, because that's what boxers did, right? Or maybe he was remembering the various Rocky movies wrong. Either way, he figured it made him look professional.

"Me too. I promise I won't go easy on you." A grin. He finally stops his bouncing, and motions a hand towards a cleared-away space in the middle of the room.

"Shall we?"

Nicole looks up, a momentary bit of tension in her features, but it quickly relaxes when she realizes who this must be.

"I am Nicole, and that must mean you're Gamora." It makes logical sense, given that she knows where Flynn and Peter are, and everything she's heard suggests that Gamora's been traveling with Peter.

"Nice to meet you. I've heard about you from Peter."

"Excellent," she replies, trying to keep her amused smile from growing into full blown laughter. It wouldn't be mean-spirited, of course, just fond amusement.

"And I promise the same." This is meant to be a test of both of their skills, and she has no intention of just handing him a win. If he manages to do so, however, that'll just increase the admiration she has for him. Thus far, that's just been based on word of mouth, so it'll be nice to have that confirmed one way or another.

"No time like the present." She moves over towards the designated space, and falls into a defensive stance.

"All right, let's do this!"

Oh man, she looks so professional already. He gets into a stance as well, mildly self-consciously, as he's continuing to give himself pep talks under his breath.

"You can do this, you got this, you're the best!"

Sufficiently motivated, he grins and lashes out with a low kick towards her feet, in an attempt to knock her down.

At the sight of Nicole Flynn's face lights up, the corners of his mouth lifting into a warm smile. He's been missing her every since their last meeting, that wonderful night that had almost felt like a day off, a holiday, a much-needed break. He really wouldn't mind a repeat experience.

"You'd be surprised," he chuckles, preening a bit at her compliment. "I've actually gotten pretty good? Cal's been pushing me relentlessly, I think Judson put him up to it."

He lowers the crowbar, giving it a lazy spin. "I'm okay. A little sore, I think I'm finally officially under the weather."

Perhaps one of these nights, they'll get to have that repeat experience. As long as they're still alive and not caught up in whatever nonsense is going on with artificial intelligence and consciousnesses and things that are quite a bit above Nicole's head.

Still, she manages to greet him with a wide smile of her own. He still manages to leave her rather weak at the knees, which is quite the feat. "Perhaps I should be sparring you instead of Peter. Or perhaps I should spar both of you. Maybe even at the same time." She's halfway kidding, but there's that competitive side of her that is completely serious.

"I suppose that makes two of us, then." Although she won't be letting on about it, because there's no reason for him to be worried as well. "It seems to be something of an inevitability, what with all the traveling about outside." That, and the added threat of anomalies and other dangers. It's really not good for the health.

"I'm ready if you are!"

This is absolutely her cup of tea; being active, challenging and being challenged by others is her favorite thing to do.

"Nice move!" She exclaims as she narrowly dodges the kick, retaliating with a mid-range kick of her own. "Who taught you to fight?" It's out of genuine curiosity, because based on first impressions alone, his moves seem like more than just bar-room brawl material.

Peter's still too low from his kick--he throws himself to the side at the last second, her kick scarcely missing his chest, before jumping back up into a proper stance.

"Not so bad yourself," he grins, pleased with the compliment, jabbing out with his right arm in a punch towards her stomach.

"Well, Yondu, my--" A pause. "--the guy who raised me after I left earth, and the Ravagers. Space pirates. You learn real quick how to fight after that."

"I've heard about you from Flynn. He tells very involved and complicated stories of your adventures. I don't understand a lot of what he says, but Peter seems very impressed by them, and he's only impressed by very amazing or very stupid things. You don't look stupid." It's-- blunt, yes, and kind of foot-in-mouth-y. Gamora does not have the best people skills. "The boys are in the kitchen area. Flynn is trying to make tea. He won't let Peter help, so I think we're safe. There's plenty of water for washing, though it probably isn't that warm any more."

"Nice reflexes!" She calls out in appreciation. "Not to say bad things about Flynn, but he could use some work in that area. Perhaps the idea of training him isn't such a bad one after all."

He's alluded to doing training of his own, at least back at home, so it isn't as though he's not training at all, however.

"Did I ever tell you I can kill a man 57 different ways?" She can't resist making that little retort by way of response. She takes a quick side-step in an effort to dodge his punch, but it's a near miss, and she feels the whoosh of air as his fist grazes her.

"Close call there." Nicole comments, while listening to Peter's explanation. "Space pirates? You're kidding." Granted, she knows he's from a different world, but space pirates? "I imagine you would have to learn very quickly, in that case," she remarks while she comes back with a roundhouse kick.

"Yes, well, from what I understand, Flynn wasn't living a very adventurous life before the Library intersected things. Adventures such as jumping out of planes and following clues to find rare artifacts must be quite exciting when the only life you've known is taking classes to further educate yourself." Not that there's anything wrong with education; but from what she's heard, Flynn was doing so to excess.

"I would hope I'm not stupid, however," she replies, although her mouth is twitching as if she wants to smile. "Peter seems like quite the character, from the conversations we've had. It must be a wild ride being around him."

And Gamora isn't alone in the lacking people skills area. Nicole's learned a bit since picking up with Flynn, but still, she can be overly blunt and plain spoken at times too. "Ah, is Peter a bit uncoordinated when it comes to kitchen skills?" In her opinion, Flynn can be a bit that way himself, but he tries.

"Thanks!" He's genuinely delighted by the praise, and even more so by her next idea. "I would love to train with Flynn? Like, I think he probably thinks I'm gonna make him lift weights but it would only be part of that..."

"That is both terrifying and awesome. Like even just twenty would be enough? But you went all the way to 57." He grins but her roundhouse kick catches him squarely in the jaw and he goes flying to the ground.

"Oof!" He's flat on his back, the room spinning slightly, but he quickly rolls back over to get back on his feet. "Yeah--the--uh, space pirates, bad bunch, learned how to fly a ship and fight, steal, the whole criminal thing, it was fun."

"I'm sure that between the two of us, we could persuade him. I think he respects your opinion, and, well- He does listen to me sometimes." That's not meant to put Flynn down; it's simply an admission that both of them are rather stubborn individuals with their own opinions and wants.

"Well, yes, of course. I do enjoy a challenge, so why stop at just twenty?" She tips a wink even as he goes tumbling to the ground. Pausing until he's back on his feet (she doesn't believe in hitting someone when they're already down), she stops to consider everything Peter's saying, as well as to envision him in the pilot's seat of a ship.

She can't quite picture it, although she imagines he cuts a rather dashing figure. The criminal element of it isn't really to her taste, but she understands that different people do different things. "What is it like to fly a ship?"

"Tag-team. Got it!" Sorry, Flynn.

"But 57, though? Didn't round it up to 60?" He rubs his jaw and hops up and down, before sending a fist towards her left side. He appreciates her giving him a chance to get up, however.

"Oh man, it's amazing!" You've said the magic words, Nicole. "I miss it so much, there's nothin' like it. Just cruising through space, past glowing clouds of gas and stars and planets, it's...beautiful. And then there's just the coolness factor, you feel like Han Solo and Captain Kirk and Luke Skywalker all rolled into one, because you're zooming past bad guys tryin' to shoot at you and you gotta out-fly and out-shoot them at the same time, and it's like a legit space battle and it's...it's better than any movie." There's something incredibly wistful in his excited tone. He clearly misses it a lot.

"Exactly. Oh, I'm so glad you and I understand each other." She's going to wink at him a second time, as if the two of them are co-conspirators. "Sorry, Flynn", indeed.

"Well, you know, now that I'm here, I suppose I could manage to bring up that number a bit. Although I don't suppose killing anomalies counts, because they'd most likely kill me first. And no, I don't have a problem admitting that." From what she's heard, anomalies are terrifying.

She's not going to say she's distracted by the turn this conversation has taken, but his fist connects, and while she doesn't stumble, it's a near miss, and one that she blames on the constant tiresome treks through deep snow and the lack of reliable sources of food.

"Good one. You know, it's not every day that someone manages to land a punch with me." Lana did, several times over, in fact; Nicole considers her one of the best, though, and clearly Peter is no pushover to have done the same.

"So that must mean you're good at multi-tasking. Impressive." She doesn't bother hiding the note of admiration and respect in her voice. It's only right to give credit where it seems to be due.

"Maybe you should." He smirks playfully, giving the crowbar another spin. "I'm not bad, you know. You remember Mason? That British jerk who would always go to auctions and try to buy artifacts? Beat him in a duel not too long ago."

But the bragging sobers somewhat when she admits to being sore as well. "You too, huh?"

That has him worried by default but then again, like she says, it's probably to be expected. "Guess we have to power through it and dream of a nice sauna. Or hot springs. Why did we never go to a place with hot springs?"

"Well, I think Peter would be interested in that. I could be wrong, but he seems like the sort of person who's always up for a challenge." Referring to her sparring both of them. "I wouldn't be against trying you in a fight, though," she adds, eyeing that crowbar. "Is that your weapon of choice?" In the absence of swords and the like, of course. "You won a duel? I'm impressed." That is a genuine note of admiration in her voice.

"Only a little. Nothing I can't handle, not to worry."

She nods and smiles as she pictures a sauna. "A sauna would be nice. I'd even settle for a hot shower." And she'd convince him to join her in said shower, if it wouldn't scandalize him too much. "We should have made that a priority." In between all the chasing artifacts and getting into dangerous situations.

Edited 2018-07-27 02:19 (UTC)

"Yes, we do." He grins. This is a victory, fellow co-conspirator!

"That sounds like a terrifying goal. But man, anomalies are a cheat. It's not fair they've got monsters here you can't fight. And I've fought monsters before? I'm guessing that's a hazard you guys gotta deal with on your world too. Monsters, I mean, not anomalies."

"Hey, I'm just that awesome at fighting." A grin, even though he's pretty sure that was sheer luck.

"Yeah, it's one of the few times I can really focus. I love everything about it, y'know?" He seems quite pleased with the compliment, though.

Still grinning, he sweeps his leg down towards her feet, feeling (probably dangerously) brave after that last punch.

"Now, the thing to do is convincing him. But with both of us doing our best, he doesn't stand a chance. Still, he can be stubborn, so we'd both have to be at the top of our respective games." Which is something she thinks won't be a problem for either of them.

"And that depends on how you define monster. A person can be every bit of a monster, too; although I'd say we encounter just as many animals as we do people." Especially in jungle settings. "Although, it's rarely the animal's fault. They're just trying to defend themselves and their territory."

"I don't doubt that. You're giving me a good show, and a workout here." She sees no reason to discount luck, especially when there's skill behind it.

"So you mean to say that the rest of the time, you have a problem focusing. Got it," she replies with a chuckle, intending that as a light tease.

"Not so fast!" Still, the sweep he does with his leg is fast, and it's a narrower miss than she'd like. It seems to her that they're fairly evenly matched. She counters with a punch of her own, aiming for his right side this time.

"Well, it's the closest thing I have to Excalibur." He looks down at the crowbar. "It kind of works for me? At least it's not an umbrella with a piece of rubble tied to the tip, how ridiculous would that be?"

Suck it, Mycroft, wherever you are.

"... A hot shower would be great. You know, we really should try to make it over to that clinic at some point." And either pretend to be scandalized before joining her or just skip straight to the thirst phase and let the bad flirting take over. "... You know, for the sore muscles."

"Oh, I see. I'm sure it's not nearly as helpful as Excalibur, though, unless that crowbar knows how to float around and challenge you to duels. Still, we can't always have magical swords. That, I think, shows you know how to be resourceful." Which isn't a surprise, but she's all about giving him credit when and where she can.

"And yes, an umbrella with rubble at the tip is completely rubbish. There's being resourceful, and then there's being ridiculous."

Yeah, Mycroft, suck it.

"Oh, right. There are showers there, aren't there? I'd love that." And she'll ramp up the teasing and really scandalize him. Or she might cut to the chase and just kiss him until her lips are sore. "For the sore muscles. Of course." Not for anything else at all.

"I know, right? Who even thinks of that!"

He spreads his arms wide. Finally! He so appreciates you understanding, Nicole.

"Yeah, of course." What else would they be for, really? "For all the sore muscles."

All of them.

"Someone who's not very well versed in weapons, I'd say. But perhaps that's being unfair to whoever it was that's using such a crude weapon."

Or perhaps it's not. She's not as familiar with Mycroft as Flynn seems to be, so she's not really the best person to be making judgments.

"You know what else is good for sore muscles? A good massage."

She's deliberately leaving it ambiguous as to who would be on the receiving end of that. Although, she likes to imagine that they could take turns.

"No. No it's not. They stabbed me in the shoulder with it? ... Well, in an alternate timeline, but still."

Forever salty about that. There's just something particularly insulting about getting stabbed by a rubblebrella?

"I won, though."

But he lights up at her mentioning massages. "That is definitely good for sore muscles! ... Did you know that massage therapy history dates back thousands of years to ancient cultures? The first written records of massage therapy are found in China and Egypt and the earliest date of origin for massage therapy was back in 2700 B.C., about 4700 years ago..."

Gamora makes a thoughtful humming sound. That makes a certain amount of sense, Flynn being brand new to the concept of fighting for survival and being... well, being someone who doesn't die just because they fell over in the snow and couldn't get up. "Peter's life was very adventurous before I met him. I suppose our life is still very adventurous, but it's slightly less stupid." Only slightly. They're not the best at life decisions, any of them. "And he can't cook, no. He's usually smart enough not to try, but he's also very taken with Flynn. He wants to make a good impression. Just keep an ear out." She doesn't quite grasp that the expression only works with eyes, and doesn't apply to the other senses.

Gamora's frown deepens, and she puts her hand high on Peter's back, a steady pressure. She hasn't said a word about her headaches, and she's not about to pile on now. It's just... she's had worse. She'll deal with it. "I can mop up the water if it bothers you, and tea sounds very nice." She doesn't even know what tea is, but why not?

The first thing she fusses with is helping Peter to shed the weight of his belongings. Hopefully she won't have to bully him into sitting down and making an honest effort at warming himself up. She's worried. Of course she is. He keeps on dying on her.

"So basically, we won already." Celebrate the victory!

"That actually sounds just as terrifying and please don't tell me you guys got chased by like a crocodile or a lion or something?" This is 0% reassuring for his worry about Flynn's safety!

That never-ending smirk, and then he shrugs. "I can't lie about it, I'm sure everybody who knows me will tell you the same thing."

He's off-balance enough with his leg and he can't dodge her punch, it's enough to send him flat on his back again. "Oof!"

"Well, that's not acceptable. Alternate timeline or not, I'd still like to stab them in the shoulder and see how much they like it."

Too vengeful? Not as far as she's concerned. Anyone who messes with her Librarian should not be allowed to get away with it.

"Good. I'm proud of you, Flynn."

And then she listens intently to his info-dump about massages. She might not always understand everything he talks about, but it's all fascinating to her anyway. Either that or she just likes the sound of his voice. "They actually had massage therapists back then? The more you know."

If any of them were the best at life decisions, they probably wouldn't be in the roles they're in. Granted, Nicole can't speak for Peter and Gamora, but just speaking for herself, being a Guardian probably isn't the safest life decision either. It's highly thrilling and exciting, but again, with that comes an element of danger. "I've heard bits and pieces of your adventures from Peter, and also from Flynn, but I wouldn't say no to hearing more." Assuming Gamora's the sharing type. Nicole would understand if she isn't, because she's the same way at times.

"Peter's taken with Flynn?" Nicole laughs. "I think, and I could be wrong, that Flynn is very taken with Peter."

"Basically, yes, we have." A celebration is definitely warranted.

"If I told you we didn't, that wouldn't be the whole truth. We've been chased by animals before. It's an occupational hazard of traveling through the jungle." Sorry, Peter. Their life is dangerous, and Nicole won't sugarcoat the truth for anyone.

"Well, you know what they say. No one's perfect. Not even galaxy-saving Guardians."

In the interest of good sportsmanship, Nicole pauses and extends her hand to help him back up. Perhaps it's not conventional in a test of strength, but she's not conventional herself. "You doing all right? We can take a pause for a moment." She might be able to kill a man 57 different ways, but that doesn't mean she can't be nice when the situation calls for it.

Her offer isn't meant to be condescending either; she hopes he won't take it that way.

"They did! Incredible, isn't it?" Like every information he has stored away in his head he can immediately get enthused about this new subject.

He puts the crowbar away and steps behind her, hands coming down to rest on her shoulders. "They had manuals for how to do it, too. I remember reading that... let me see if I can remember the steps, too..."

"It's a-- it's a man crush, right?" That's the thing. That starry-eyed almost fervent friendship between them. It's sweet. Or maybe sweet isn't the right word. Gamora honestly isn't sure any more. Normal has become quite violently skewed in this place. It's nice, and it makes them happy, and maybe that's all that counts.

"I'm not sure what Peter has told you. He has a tendency to exaggerate sometimes. I assume he told you about how we met, about breaking out of prison. I know he told you that he once saved a planet with a dance off. He tells everyone. That's not the whole story. And... killing a god? Did he get around to that one?"

[log] Here's the story of a Librarian and three Guardians [closed]

Arrival -- OTA!

Battle -- For Nicole, OTA!

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Arrival – for Nicole/OTA

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Arrival - OTA

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