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Space's Eleven; PRP - Chish (Peter)|Agatha (Ryori)
Topic Started: Oct 9 2016, 12:55 PM (87 Views)
Agatha Jo
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The White Mage
Arlia had been rough for Peter Quill -- but he was slowly recovering. Of course his version of slowly was still ten times faster than other people’s. He had always been a bounce back kind of guy; able to recover from some of the more embarrassing things that could happen to a person with a grin and a quick joke. It had been a bit harder with what happened with Raven but he had managed just the same. He was a bit careful with the way he worded things after that confrontation…

Though that didn’t exactly put a lid on his charm either.

After all, that was one of his strongest weapons. His ability to dazzle the weaker minded and easily malleable was one of his best suits to bear. Of course with Raven, it felt like throwing eggs in an attempt to knock down a brick wall. But that didn’t deter him any which way, mostly because she never stopped him. Sure, she would just ignore it just like she had his entire first conversation with her but what of that?

Point was, he was getting more comfortable with her. He had shaken off the shame that had come from his accidental words and was communicating on a normal basis -- which, once again, was far more than normal people. It was almost better to say that Peter was incapable of not talking; he loathed silences that didn’t serve a purpose and would rather spend them talking incoherently than zipping his mouth. But he did force himself to find some new ways of shutting his trap, if only out of respect for Raven. He busied himself with working on Clarabelle, hoping he could further repair the technical damage done to her from before. And when he wasn’t doing that, he was messing around with the barrel and aiming reticules on his new weapon; the hand cannon he had nicknamed Hobo. It wasn’t quite an honor to his former captain, H’bao but it was close enough that at least he would know. He just made sure not to say the name out loud too much, not wanting to deal with the strange and often quizzical looks.

And it was doing just that that had taken Peter to the outer deck of their current vessel, sitting in a corner that was fairly covered and shadowed by the architecture of the ship. There was a small lip that stuck out from the wall, providing the perfect seat for him to rest on and put his feet up against the thick glass window. He held the large gun up to his face, lining the dashes on its top with his eye so he could stare down its barrel. The treatment and respect that had been given this weapon had been lacking and it showed. He had done his best to shine and appropriately clean the blaster but there was only so much he could do. He frowned heavily as he noticed more grime between the dashes and groaned. As he brought the weapon down again, he brought up the filing tool he had brought with him and placed it down on the smooth-ish surface. Slowly he dragged it back and forth, carving off the rust and weapon tarter build up as delicately and carefully as possible.

It was a painstaking process but it didn’t require a whole hell of a lot of effort or energy to do; just the concentration and the patience. Those were two things that Peter didn’t claim to have mastered but he did his best nonetheless. Sighing through his nostrils, he kept at the silent and boring job until he felt he had done enough.


Arlia had been rough for Ryori, as well. Arguably more than it should have been. The dimensional traveler had kicked herself for a bit afterward over the stupidity of not researching deeper into the history of the tournament before joining it. What were the odds? She could hardly fathom that it had happened, but it had. The Slayer was just thankful that it hadn’t been worse. She’d gotten away without being identified by this universe’s version of herself, and that was the most important thing.

But, now she also had company, and that was… strange. Admittedly, it was a bit infuriating at times. Peter was a regular Chatty Cathy, and her stony silences did little -- if anything at all -- to abate him. It was clear he hated silences, which was a damn shame because Raven absolutely loved them. For the most part, she almost always kept to herself, though she never actively shooed Peter away or did anything to try to make him stop talking. It was almost impossible to tell if she was annoyed, blatantly ignoring him, or actually listening.

That didn’t mean that she didn’t talk to him at all. Quite the opposite, actually. Though the stoic woman was much more prone to keeping quiet, she did engage in conversation when it suited her. Generally, if Peter was paying attention -- which she knew he was, because she didn’t believe for one second that he was ignorant to how she responded to his mannerisms -- she was most talkative when he asked her straightforward questions or treated the conversation more seriously. Not to say that she seemed to have any issues with him being silly or trying to lay charm on whomever he felt like -- herself included; she simply didn’t acknowledge those behaviors most of the time, being more responsive when he was less flirty and more upfront.

Of course, she still didn’t speak too much about herself. In fact, she seemed prone to avoiding herself as the subject of conversation, which was likely exceptionally frustrating to a man like Peter that was chock full of curiosity about her and her obviously lengthy history. Once a conversation ever started to get too close to something she didn’t wish to discuss, he’d find she was quick the practiced expert at changing the subject. Not always tactfully, of course, but she was effective at it nonetheless.

Either way, she didn’t seem bothered by what had happened between them on Arlia. Despite how angry she had been with him at the time, Raven had gotten over it remarkably fast. That, or she was very good at hiding her resentment toward him -- which, to be fair, was entirely within the realm of possibility and likelihood.

Currently, she was standing on the outer deck of their current public transport, speaking on her communicator with on of her many contacts. There were times when Ryori was rather private about her calls, and other times where she didn’t really seem to care who heard the conversations. This appeared to be one of the latter moments, though it was entirely possible she simply didn’t realize she wasn’t alone. The rest of the transport’s passengers had long since gone to bed, leaving the outer deck all but deserted.

”She’s more dangerous than she looks,” Ryori told the person on the other side of the communicator. Her voice was a bit idle as she browsed through her tablet, looking through different information pertaining to the topic at hand. There was a slight pause as the other person talked. ”No, she’s not particularly powerful, but she’s smart and she has dangerous allies that are dedicated to helping her with her cause. That alone should be enough to worry you. It was good that Persei tasked someone to spy on her.”

There was another pause, her brows furrowing a bit as she read some information, the man’s voice chattering in her ear as she did. ”Kelioux, huh? Very interesting. Don’t worry about sending any of your men to check on him. I’ll handle him personally once I get to Juno and get my own ship so I can quit bothering with public transportation. … I know you don’t want me getting involved, but to be perfectly honest I don’t give a fuck. I’m not one of your lackeys, Cygni. I don’t answer to you, and without me this whole venture of yours becomes a bust. I have personal reasons to want to be involved in this. That’s all you need to know.”

She flipped through a couple more screens before sighing a little. ”Yes, I know you keep offering to let me have a ship but frankly I can’t have anyone tracing me back to you. And frankly, I don’t trust you enough to give me something that’s not bugged or rigged. I’m perfectly capable of getting my own ship without your handouts. … No, I won’t steal one. That’s too high profile, and too easily traced. I have some earnings. Not enough for a ship, but I’ll get the rest. Maybe hit a casino or something on Cactaylisma; been a while since I swindled some money. I’m probably due. … Yeah, well, fortunately for me I don’t hold your opinion in very high regard. I’ll let you know what I find out when I check in on your new general.”

And like that, the conversation was over. Ryori hit the button to end the call without even saying goodbye, and likely cutting off whatever the guy on the other side was trying to retort or argue with. Her eyes were still glued to her tablet, which was currently showcasing a list of the casinos in the area they’d be landing soon, trying to determine if any of them might suit her monetary needs.


Ah Peter Quill. He always had this tendency to be in the right places at the right time. Either that or it was the right places at the wrong time. His placement was fatefully impeccable but his timing was always awash in an ocean of chance and luck. There was really no telling what he would fish from the deep until it was already at his feet. And even then, he couldn’t properly work out if it had been altogether good or bad until it was several steps afterward.


Usually. Sometimes, in the case of his mistaken words on Arlia, he could recognize the mistake he had made and could attempt to rectify it. Normally his wit and swiftness at adjusting was on point but there was no denying just how insulted he had rendered Raven. Even before the words could fully form in his throat, she had been on him and torn his spirit asunder. Rightfully, of course and he didn’t blame her for being as cruel and harsh as she had been. He faulted himself for his presumptuousness but not her. Yet he never brought it up after the fact. It wasn’t because he wanted to forget it. But it was more he felt that both he, and Raven to a point, needed to move forward without constantly referencing the mistake that had, by some fortune’s fate, brought them together.

She was a different kind of traveling companion. Not that Peter was used to traveling companions nowadays either; it was easier to travel alone. But he would never turn down good assistance and partnership when it came up and despite her aloofness, he felt connected to Raven. Why he couldn’t put to words or thoughts so rather than burning the midnight oil by pondering over such things, he chose to just roll with the punches. It was easier – and more fun – that way.

She still had a lot of secrets and, to be fair, she was certainly allowed to have them. As much as he was a Nosy Nancy, Peter had already picked up that Raven had a lot more hidden than revealed and there had to be reasons for that. She was a puzzle asking to be solved, that much he had compared her to before. But unlike some Rubix Cube, she was a puzzle that was perfectly capable of disemboweling him if he pressed too hard. And Teras Prime was adaptable; someone in his line of work had to be. So he went about his business as usual; played up his charm, sharpened his wit on the grindstone of situations and all around kept his mannerisms the same. Sure she chose to ignore most of his antics, as he suspected, but there were moments when Peter would step back and talk with her a bit more seriously and he would find himself in an actual conversation with the woman.

She was careful with what she revealed; cleverly and tactically avoiding deep, delving questions about herself. It got on his nerves, admittedly, but he also understood and never pressed. It felt like rubbing knots out of someone’s stressed and tightened muscle; one had to take time and be patient with their work. If he proved himself trustworthy, maybe she would reveal more as time went on. She was good at dodging questions and topics that were too tender and he understood, never circling the conversation back and rather following right after her.

He didn’t worry too much about whether she had gotten over Arlia or simply was suppressing her annoyance with him. It didn’t matter; she’d already shown that if pressed, she had no problem voicing her opinions and thoughts. So he’d cross that bridge if they ever came to it.

He was a bit surprised when he heard her voice just down the way on the deck. The file stopped mid-stroke and he stared out the window, turning an ear to her conversation. There was no other voice responding back to her so he could only assume she was on some kind of call. Interesting; based on what she had said, he hadn’t even thought that she had any kind of connections in this timeline. Then again, she had known the slaver on the transport ship. Maybe she knew more people than he had assumed. He stayed in his position, still cloaked by the shadows of the corner, and continued to listen as she spoke to her source.

She spoke of some woman that was dangerous and his narrowed slightly. Raven never mentioned the name of the connected woman but did mention another person, Persei. He had put a tail on the mysterious, dangerous lady. Odd and curious. There was a short pause as her contact spoke to her. He mentioned Kelioux, apparently, for Raven paused at it to bring it up and mention she would handle ‘him’ when she got her own ship. Could be the god she was hunting or someone connected to him. Everything was possible up to that point. She named her source; Cygni. A name he didn’t rightfully know either. Man, what kind of pirate and smuggler was he that he didn’t have these underworld connections like her. Then again, there was a chance they weren’t as ‘underworld’ as he thought they were.

He knew she needed a ship and that topic was next to be brought up, as Cygni seemed to be offering use of one of his vessels. She didn’t want to steal one which was smart; taking a vessel in this day and age was nearly impossible without sending out alerts all over the system. He’d learned that the hard way during his time in the South Galaxy. She seemed to have some money but not enough for a ship. Truthfully, he still had all the zeni he’d won from her taking part in the tournament that he intended on lending her. But still; they needed a lot to get something that wasn’t a crusty, beat-up junker. And when she mentioning hitting a casino, why, the bells in his head went off like mad.

He didn’t hear the call get rudely shut off but her silence seemed to tell that she was finished. Pulling the file back and pocketing it, he shoved the hand cannon back into his holster and got to his feet. He cleared his throat first to announce his being there before he turned out from the corner. “You know, I honestly didn’t mean to overhear your call. I just came down here to do some work on my blaster. And I know I’ve been trying to steer clear of anything personal.”

Oh but he couldn’t help the small grin that pulled on his face. “But if you’re looking for more zeni and you want to hit a casino, I may have just the place in mind. It’s been a few years since I’ve been on old Cactaylisma but there ain’t no bigger money pit than the Privateer’s Gambit. It’s run by a fat little alien named Aprico. Ugly guy, round as a ball with spikes poking out all over his body. He used to be part of the Planetary Trade but when they found out about his budding criminal empire, they tried to assume control of it – for a hefty price. Aprico bailed and took his money and his new mafia to Cacta. He’s got a pretty sweet set-up but he’s got too many places now. He personally runs the Gambit but he’s gotten lazy in his old age and basically lets his underbosses handle the everyday business. Luckily for us, these thugs are used to the unintelligent, quick to fold scammers that live on Cacta. They’re out of practice handling real threats to their wealth. I had a plan set a few years back to knock over the Gambit but my team bailed on me at the last moment, terrified of what could happen if they got caught. That’s what happens when you hire local. But I still have a contact there that could get us the building plans and honestly, a two-man job may be better than a full crew.”

Peter shrugged, though he was still smiling. “It’s an option at least. I know it rakes in hundreds of thousands of zeni each day. With change like that, we could get you quite the ship when we get to Juno.”


She didn’t seem particularly surprised when Peter emerged from his corner and greeted her, leading into the conversation by admitting straight up that he’d overheard her call. Ryori didn’t look up from her tablet right away, but she was listening to him. He went on about a casino he knew about called the Privateer’s Gambit, explaining the owner and the potential profit for her. He even told her that he’d tried hitting it once but his group bailed on him, and that he still had a contact that could get them the layout.

”Sometimes a larger crew is too conspicuous. Too many elements that need accounting for. I don’t think I ever ran a heist with more than four people,” she told him idly, rather casually admitting that she wasn’t a stranger or novice to such work. It was a tidbit that may or may not be surprising to Peter at that point. He didn’t know really anything about her, though he likely had his assumptions. Still, most of his assumptions likely revolved around her being an assassin or mercenary of some kind that focused on fighting and killing rather than having any decent experience with professional thieving. More pieces to the ever expanding puzzle that was Raven.

Finally, she leaned back a bit and looked up at him with a pensive expression, and it was obvious she was mulling his idea over in her head. ”I don’t want anything elaborate or flashy,” Ryori informed him in regards to the type of ship she had in mind. ”Something on the smaller side that’s an older model and won’t draw too much attention. I’d rather get a used junker that I can fix up than something new.”

Raven sighed a little and rubbed her forehead. That would take time, of course, but she was on a slow path anyway. The Slayer had already waited this long, after all. ”This would have been so much easier if I could have crossed universes with one of my ships...” The comment was muttered more to herself than to Peter, though he’d certainly be able to hear it. Ryori had a number of perfectly capable vessels collecting rust and dust back in her universe that would have been perfect for what she needed, and were already fixed up and modified exactly how she needed them. But alas, it was no use mourning over them, not when she couldn’t do anything about it. The best she could hope for would be to find something similar to one of the ships she used to own and fix it up proper.

”Still, would need some decent change either way. Getting a ship would cut down on lodging costs, but it would cost more in fuel. I’d rather not have to keep hitting random places just to pay to keep the ship running, so the more we can net at once the better. But it’s got to be cash, no credit chips or anything wired.” Raven nodded to Peter. ”See if you can contact your friend and set up a meet. We should be getting planetside in a couple hours.”

And just like that, she was on board. Raven trusted Peter enough at this point to believe that he wouldn’t throw them on a wild or impossible goose chase. The former pirate knew what she was in this universe for, and he understood how important it was, and he wasn’t going to suggest anything that would put them in jeopardy. He was an obnoxious jokester at times, but his word was good -- and that was something that Raven could believe about very, very few people.

A couple hours later found them disembarking their current vessel and making their way through the streets in search of a hotel to hole up at for a couple days. It would take them some time to go over the blueprints if they got their hands on them, as well as to scope out the place, before they actually tried pulling a heist. Both of them were pretty good at improvising and acting on the fly, but that didn’t mean they should approach this without any sort of plan. Eventually, they found a place somewhat near the casino in question.

As always, Cactaylisma was bright with the daylight from its two suns, though the massive trees provided ample shading. One could easily see the glittering horizon that was the colorful rock formations that made up the planet’s surface. Truthfully, it was quite beautiful. Raven leaned against the railing of the small balcony on one of the two rooms they’d gotten, both appreciating the view as well as observing the patterns of the locals that scurried about their days down below. She sipped idly on a hot cup of peppermint tea, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight as she waited for it to be time to go see Peter’s contact.

”So. This casino,” Ryori said, turning to look back inside the room at Peter. ”What kind of establishment are we looking at? Seedy atmosphere with low standard patrons gambling away money they can’t afford to lose, or is this more high profile? Entitled snobs showing off their wealth kind of thing?”


If Peter was surprised by her admitting she had run heists before, he didn’t show it. Well, maybe a little; his smile widened just a tad bit as she told him, rather mundanely, that she had taken part in crime before. “Normally I’d agree. I’ve only run ops that were a small crew, even as little as two people. Less numbers, less chance to get caught. But I got a little foolhardy and thought it better to have more in case things with awry. You know, have some local scapegoats while I got away. I know, not exactly nice or anything but it would be worth it to screw Aprico over. But unfortunately, cowards will be cowards.”

He met her gaze as she finally gave him the time of day, something he had quickly grown accustomed to. Still smiling, he leaned against the glass window as she thought about his suggestion, commenting that she didn’t want anything grand. He shrugged. “C’mon, nothing like a big badass carrier to mow down your enemies,” he said teasingly before he nodded. “I’m kidding; I think a small, unimportant looking ship will be better. And Juno has plenty of junk ships; the graveyard is practically littered with them. It’s just about finding one that isn’t a minute away from going critical. I trust your expertise in engineerics will be able to determine that.” Peter wasn’t assuming that he would be continuing on with her once she got her ship but he was going to take this path as far as it could go. If it meant that parted ways on Juno, then that’s what it meant. But he intended on helping her as much as he could and this scheme of his was only the first step in proving how dedicated he was to giving her assistance.

One of your ships?” He questioned, his smile wavering for only a second as his brow furrowed. “You mean you have more than one? Hot damn…I’ve only been lucky enough to have two to myself, three if you count the one I was raised on. You make it sound like you had a whole fleet.” He said with a short laugh, shaking his head. It was a ridiculous thought of course; no one person could have that many vessels under their control, no matter how strong they were.

She continued to think out loud over his suggestion and he continued to nod softly along with her thoughts. “That was the whole reason I wanted to hit it. It takes in pure zeni notes, no credit or other foreign currency. Aprico rather strict about it; so much so that he has an exchanging machine for those that try to bring in their own cash. Either that or he kicks them out. I’m not sure what the full rake in will be but it’ll be hefty. Enough that we shouldn’t have to worry about any costs, especially if you buy extra fuel.”

Suggestions taken or not, she seemed to be at least interested enough to set up a meet. She suggested he arrange a meeting with his contact and he grinned, shooting her a thumbs up. “You got it. I should still have her contact information somewhere.” Mumbling to himself, Peter turned away from Raven and brought up his arm, bringing up his digital display from his wristband and scrolling through the glowing information. He got lost in his own thoughts, his own actions; focusing on finding something he could use to track down his contact. Once he had found it, he retreated to his corner once more and began chattering away as his old, charming self.

Time seemed to fly by after that, with a goal and a short-term mission suddenly in front of them. Before he knew it, they had made landfall and were walking the streets, looking for a home base. The hotel they happened to come upon served perfectly; it was close enough to the casino that they could easily travel back and forth but seedy enough that they wouldn’t exactly be looked at strangely. As per usual, he booked them two rooms; not because he planned on staying in a separate room from her but simply because if things went south, they should have two different places that they could retreat to. That and if they were followed back, this allowed them the opportunity to track and follow their hunters.

Peter made himself more than comfortable in the room, throwing his duster off onto the bed and setting up shop. Of course shop for him was pretty much checking on the details in his armband for the current mission. He was sitting on the edge of the mattress as Raven went about her own business, almost ignoring her as much as she did him. It wasn’t until she spoke up that he finally looked away from the screen, glancing up to see her holding a cup of tea. When had she gotten that? Not important.

“That’s the beauty of it. Aprico has tendered this specific casino to appeal to both the high profile members as well as those seedier individuals you would find on Cacta normally. Lower level is for general population, the rats that crawl out and try to win a quick and big buck with their little earnings. For those that are gifted with a bit more green, there are other levels above it that offer more exclusive games and opportunities – obviously for more cash considerations. I never managed to get above the lower level but then again, I wasn’t trying very hard either.” Peter explained with a small grin as he flipped off his screen and turned to face her. “There is no worry from Aprico about taking money for anyone; rich, poor, important or nobody. He likes zeni and he’ll grab at it without pause.”

His armband hummed and he opened up the screen once more, looking over the message that appeared before it. “Alright, Umbr’l is moving to the position now. There’s a small bar two streets down where she wants to meet. This’ll be fun; I’ve never been in this particular bar.” He said with a small laugh as he reached over and pulled his jacket on. He didn’t wave after her to follow him, assuming she would do so anyways.

Two blocks down, the small doorway sticking out from the alleyway was a testament to just how unknown the bar was. There was no bouncer, no guard and clearly didn’t see them very often – if the bloodstains on the wall were any indication. He pushed through the door and into the low-ceiling room, surprised just how close he came to knocking his head against the course material. There were very few patrons; understandably, given that it was still fairly early in the day. Then again, with two suns, it became harder to determine when night or day was. Peter spotted Umbr’l, sitting in the corner and looking sketchy as all hell.

She was a thin little thing, practically malnourished. Her skin was the same as sea-foam, soft and calm despite the bruises and cuts along her flesh. Two long tentacles ran down from the back of her head and dangled over her shoulder blades, patterned with brown spots. She was also dressed in what could only be described as a skimpy outfit, which told of just what profession she probably held in the casino they were planning on hitting.

“Umbr’l baby, you look good.” Peter said, sliding over to the booth and sitting himself down across from her. He pushed in to give Raven room to sit next to him.

“Peter Quill. Here I thought I’d never see you again.” The woman said, her eyes trailing over him with a certain level of disdain. “Scratch that; I hoped I would never see you again.”

“Hey, we didn’t end last time that badly, did we?” He asked, cocking a brow and grinning.

Umbr’l glanced at Raven for a moment, considering her, before she turned back to the former pirate. “What is it you two want?”


As usual, the former pirate’s jokes received little more than a slight twitch in her eyebrow that was difficult to decipher. Could have been amusement, could have been annoyance. It never seemed to face Peter, and if Ryori was annoyed, she never spoke up and said as much. She did, however, nod at his statement of trusting that she’d be able to pick out something worth fixing up that wouldn’t just die on them in the middle of space. Ryori certainly had a lifetime’s experience with ships, though she didn’t say as much out loud given that she wasn’t really much for talking up her own skills. Or, well, talking about really anything about herself.

Usually.

”I never really thought about it that way, but I suppose I did have my own fleet.” She frowned a bit thoughtfully, clearly thinking back to try and recount. ”I had… Five. No, six. It’s been so long I don’t even remember anymore, but I think six is the right number. For ones I owned personally, at least.” Mentally shrugging a bit, she went on to listen to Peter detail that Aprico only dealt in pure cash, which certainly made her life easier. Ryori gave him the green light to set something up and soon he was turning away from her and doing just that, while she went back to her own personal research as they waited for their transport to get to Cactaylisma.

Before she knew it, a few hours later found her in the hotel room with him, sipping her tea on the balcony while she listened to him answer her questions. He described the casino as being set up with a more low profile first floor, with a second floor that was reserved for the higher class that presumably had higher standards and more cash to blow. Presumably most of the money they could pull would be there, and presumably that was where their vault was since traffic wasn’t as free on that level, but she’d have to wait to see the blueprints to know for sure.

”Well, let’s see what the place looks like. Even with the layout, we’ll have to study the place a bit. Both floors, probably -- though I’ll have to go shopping before trying for the second floor. I don’t really own anything to wear to blend in with that kind of crowd.” She took a sip of her tea and meandered back inside. ”We’ll want to spend a day or two studying the streets and the people in the area, too. Look for good escape routes, figure out where any guards patrol and if they keep regular beats. I imagine we’re going to be here for at least a week, if not more.” Probably more, at least if they wanted to have better odds at succeeding.

His arm band lit up, indicating that he had a message, and Peter confirmed that his contact was moving toward the rendezvous point. Ryori nodded and downed the rest of her tea, setting it in the sink and rinsing it out with water before setting it aside to wash later. Then, she grabbed her dark grey leather jacket and put it on over the rest of her ensemble -- a pair of low cut khaki cargo pants and a black tank top. The jacket easily covered up the tattoos on her arms.

When they arrived at the bar she didn’t say so out loud, but Raven knew immediately that it was her type of joint. One of the first things she saw, outside of a lack of security, was blood stains. It was cramped, without a ton of patrons, and had that particular smell in the air that typically lingered in seedy joints. Peter spotted his contact and made his way toward her. Ryori observed the woman and committed her appearance to memory even as her eyes casually moved around the room and took in the rest of their surroundings.

Before she slid into the booth next to Peter, Raven caught the bartender’s attention and ordered a bottle of whiskey from one of the upper middle shelves and three cups.Typically Ryori didn’t just randomly order drinks for strangers, but she’d been through enough runs with criminals to know proper etiquette when it came to doing business. She didn’t know what the woman preferred to drink, but it was always better to offer something than nothing at all. Once the barkeep was set to bringing them the order, Ryori sat down next to the former pirate and silently listened to the exchange.

Of course, it was a woman that wasn’t terribly thrilled to see Peter. Wasn’t that usually how these things went? Ryori wasn’t particularly worried about it. Criminals couldn’t always be picky about who they chose to work with, and sometimes the people who were best at what they did weren’t necessarily the ones that were most desireable to work with. Such was the life. Ryori remembered it well.

The neutrality with which Raven reacted to Peter casually flirting with Umbr’l -- which really made it more a lack of reaction than anything else -- would be enough to indicate to the other woman that Ryori and Peter were about as close as Peter and Umbr’l. Business partners at most, and someone who clearly wasn’t suckered by Peter’s charms either. The alien observed Ryori quietly for a moment, and the Slayer returned the gesture just as casually. Umbr’l turned back to Peter to ask what they want, and given that this heist was being pulled for Ryori’s benefit primarily, she went ahead and drew the attention back to her by speaking.

”Prime advised me that you might be able to help us acquire the schematics and layout for the location he mentioned to you earlier,” Raven told the woman plainly, speaking with vague words just in case anyone was eavesdropping. It was clear this truly wasn’t her first rodeo. The bartender came by at that time with the bottle and empty glasses, setting them all down on the table along with a bowl of peanuts that had already been removed from their shells. Ryori nodded to the man and waited patiently for him to move out of earshot before speaking again.

”What I need is confirmation as to whether or not this is true, what the cost will be if it is, and how quickly we can expect them to be delivered.” Ryori picked up the bottle and peeled off the seal. In truth the three of them were unlikely to drink the entire bottle right there and then but it was always a show of both professionalism and respect to order an unopened bottle that clearly had not been tampered with in any fashion. Earning a reputation as a respectable and trustworthy criminal in the underground took a certain amount of finesse and attention to detail, both of which Ryori had acquired a ways back. Not exactly by choice, of course, but knowledge was knowledge.

She popped the cork out of the bottle and filled one of the three glasses with an appropriate amount, offering the first glass to Umbr’l. If the woman took it, then she would pour the other two glasses for herself and Peter. Otherwise, if the alien chose not to take it, then Raven would slide the glass toward Peter and pour one for herself before putting the cork back in. Then, she took a sip of the amber liquid, letting it burn her throat pleasantly as she awaited a response, her pale eyes settled easily and unwaveringly on the woman before her.


Because of course she had a fleet.

Peter didn’t take the time to comment on it, though his jaw drop would tell more than any words could do justice. He took the information at face value and stored it, knowing he would find some way to bring it up again in the future. It was something she surely would be willing to talk about; given that she had revealed it so candidly. He didn’t know a terrible amount about ships but he was always willing to talk about them – or anything really – if it helped him understand and know a person better. He wouldn’t push the matter, as doing so was bound to come back and bite him in the ass, but he could at least bring it up.

Peter couldn’t really remember the schematics to the casino – it had been a few years ago at that point. He knew that the vault was in one of the higher floors, at least on the third or fourth. But he needed the visual proof that came from seeing the blueprints right in front of him. He always did better with something solid and thought out right before his eyes. Acting on a whim was easy if one had an idea of where they had to drive towards.

“Plenty of shops around here, though if we’re looking for the fancy stuff we might need to go a town over or so. But yeah, we’re going to need to scope out each level of the casino itself so we understand the setup, the patrols, stuff like that. And I agree; a day or two to check the streets. I know I had a few routes picked out years ago but who knows if any of those are good now.” He sighed a bit, leaning back. “A week at minimum but probably two. Just so we are entirely sure we’re prepared for this. We don’t want to rush into this half-assed. That’s how heads get blasted and I happen to like my handsome head.”

So far, they had both been in agreement of how they would have to handle this. She was seeing a different side to Peter; one that showed just how long he had been in the business of stealing and pirating. He had his wiles and his charm but he was perfectly capable of shifting his attitude when he needed to make a proper plan. Even as they moved through the streets towards the bar, he seemed completely focused and attuned to the goal at hand. His mind was racing, putting together pieces he had once shoved to the side when the job had fallen to pieces. He was fairly quiet until they got into the bar and he spotted Umbr’l sitting down. Then out came the pirate charm.

And of course she wasn’t happy to see him. After the job had gone south, he had basically left her out to dry. She was banking on the payday and had urged him to try and find a new group to try and get the score. But he had told her trying to find a crew in such a short amount of time would result in catastrophe. He had been right of course and she understood that but it didn’t make her any less bitter.

But Raven drew the attention to her, getting right to the point about why they were there. Umbr’l’s gaze turned back to Raven as she vaguely explained why they had come. Of course the alien knew why Peter had contacted her again; what other use did she serve to him? But still, she studied his new partner carefully as the bartender came over with a bottle and a handful of glasses. Apparently this woman had placed an order for them, understanding how to show respect to those of the criminal underbelly.

This was respected and noticed by Umbr’l, even if she wasn’t exactly part of it. She was a slave, an entertainer, a stripper and someone who could get information by using her skills and occupation to get close to important people. She continued to study Raven even as the glass was filled with the alcohol. She eyed it carefully, more out of curiosity than wariness, before she took the glass and nodded carefully, showing her appreciation. She pulled the glass between her hands and held it there even as the rest of the glasses were filled and handed out.

“Yeah, I still got your prints.” She said, nodding gently enough that it almost looked like she hadn’t. “Ain’t changed much since you tried to do your thing before so should be up to code.” She brought the glass up to her lips and took a small sip of it before she placed it back on the table. “My price is still the same as it was; enough to pay for my freedom. That price has…made its way onto a higher level now.”

“Aw jeez, Umbr’l. Have you been causing trouble again?” Peter said, leaning back and shaking his head.

“Ain’t easy, Quill. Sometimes you just get fed up.” She said softly, not meeting his gaze.

He sniffed gently and nodded. “I get it.” It was all he said as he brought his own glass up and took a healthy sip from him his drink.

“I can get you it tonight, after my shift. I have a half an hour of roaming time and I’m allowed to come here.” She finally lifted her gaze to stare at the former pirate. “Don’t bug out on me this time, Quill. I need this.”


Ryori hadn’t known Peter for longer than a couple days, but she had already lost count of the number of times she’d had to resist rolling her eyes at some of the man’s comments. The urge was there, deep seeded out of habit from her husband and one of her sons who had held very similar mannerisms. But, the Slayer resisted. This was Peter, not Noxu or Callum. It wasn’t the same. Thus, his words about wanting to do the job right if only to keep his handsome head earned him just as much response as any of his other such jokes. Which was to say, no response at all. No snorts, no shaking of her head or looks of derision. She just ignored the comment, as per usual.

Her mind was more focused on the important things, such as observing that he truly was not a novice to this work, either. Which was good, otherwise his reputation as a pirate would falter. He had enough experience to know where to stick his nose and what needed to be done to cover all the bases. Not that she’d ever admit it out loud, but it was nice to be working with a professional again. At the very least Ryori could be assured that she wouldn’t have to be constantly monitoring the man to make sure he wasn’t going to overlook basic things, or hound him to catch him before he accidentally did something stupid. No, he knew what he was doing, which meant she could trust him to do his job and focus on her own.

It became quickly apparent, however, that Umbr’l was not someone who was actually accustomed to doing this kind of work. The alien was a woman who was in a place she didn’t want to be, and would simply do what it took to get out. There was no missing the fact that she was a slave. Most people were pretty sympathizing when it came to running into other who shared similar experiences or problems, at least pausing enough to acknowledge that and form some kind of connection, however vague it might be. Hell, even Peter had done that with Ryori the day they met after he got the chance to learn at least a little about her. It garnered a certain degree of respect and understanding.

However, it seemed that when faced with another slave Ryori hardly even batted an eye. There was no pause, no frown, no indication that she heard or even cared that the other woman was doing this to free herself from the types of tyranny that had once plagued Raven herself. It was like she didn’t care, and in truth that’s because she didn’t. But what was interesting was that it didn’t seem to stem from any drive to be merciless in order to further walk down her chosen path. Ryori was a bitch, but it was clear that screwing over singular individuals wasn’t really something she went out of her way to do.

To bring down Ramuh, she needed to stain her soul with bigger sins: mass murders and things on arguably larger immoral scales. Because of this, Ryori didn’t just go out of her way to be a dick to literally everyone and find ways to step on anyone she saw. It served her no purpose, and in truth that wasn’t the kind of person she was, suicide quest or no. What this meant was that her lack of care or interest in the woman’s state as a slave truly was a lack of care or interest, with no pity or sympathy. Instead, it was all business. The woman named her price, albeit vaguely, and that was what Ryori needed.

”If the freedom is what you’re truly looking for, then we’ll have to handle it a bit differently. We can’t just hand you cash and send you away to handle it. It won’t work. Instead of freedom, what you’ll find is your handlers simply taking your money and keeping you. Plus, you’ll have to explain where you got that kind of money. At best, they’ll assume you’ve been hoarding tips and stealing from profits they will see as their own. At worst, they’ll put together your sudden inheritance of funds with the other upcoming events and know that you had a hand in it, which puts all of us in a bind.”

Ryori paused there for a moment to let the truth of her words sink in. As she did, she lifted her glass to her lips and took a sip from the whiskey. Her sleeve pulled down enough from her wrist that Umbr’l might be able to catch the faint scarring on the Slayer’s wrists that indicated she, too, had once been a slave. This wasn’t purposeful on Raven’s part, merely a byproduct of raising her arm to her face. Still, it was enough of a clue that the strange woman with the eerily pale eyes was more than experienced with the workings of the slave world.

Setting the glass back down, she continued with a more specific proposal. ”Here is what I suggest. You bring us the schematics and one of us -- probably Peter -- will visit you while you’re working and offer to pay for the ownership of your papers there, dealing directly with whoever has the power to sign those over. Once we have those legal documents, then we can sign off on your freedom personally, since that is what you truly want over the money itself. We will make sure this happens before we continue with our own work, because it will not be a good idea for either of us to return there once we’ve handled our business.”

Going back into the casino after robbing it would solve nothing expect to potentially ruin Umbr’l’s shot at freedom if Raven or Peter were recognized in association with the heist. The slave would need to be freed before they did anything, which would also give her ample time to get the hell out of dodge if she so chose. But, there was more to the Slayer’s offer, and the ease with which she said it made it clear that this was something she had planned on offering from the beginning. ”Once you’re free, do as you wish. However, if you provide us any additional help then we’ll compensate you for that in cash. If you give us additional information that can’t be provided on the blueprints -- such as names, events, or other things that we should know about -- then we’ll give you five percent of the payoff. Give us a more active hand, such as helping us acquire uniforms or monitoring everything from afar, and we’ll give you ten percent.”

It was clear she didn’t intend on letting the slave get too heavily involved. After all, unlike Raven and Peter, Umbr’l didn’t have the experience necessary to handle herself in the thick of a heist. However, the slave had a lot of knowledge that could come in handy and if they could get her set up somewhere in one of the hotel rooms with access to the security feeds or something where she can help from afar, that was something they could work with. And while the percentages themselves didn’t necessarily sound too high, not only was it more than the woman currently had, but the more money she was able to help them successfully steal the bigger her own payoff would be.

And as she likely already knew from her previous time trying to help Peter, they intended on stealing a lot of money.


Peter Quill honestly didn’t know much about the slave trade. He’d been exposed to the world here and there but beyond that, he never tread much deeper. He’d handled plenty of slavers in his time – including the most recent time where he met Ryori. But as he had never experienced the life of a slave, there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot he could do to work out details of the life. So what Umbr’l was saying seemed to be the best advice, at least coming from someone that was an actual slave.

But at the same time, it didn’t feel right. Freeing her was the right thing to do and it wasn’t that part that concerned Peter. But the handing off the money to her and letting her run back to her slavers…call it pirate’s intuition but he didn’t see that netting her a slice of the free life. If it were him, and any other pirate worthy of his salt, he’d attempt to milk the surprising new find for all its worth. And slavers were more ruthless than run-of-the-mill space bandits. They would see that money, take it and probably raise her price more. At least, that’s what he believed.

Luckily Raven was a little more educated in terms of the life. She spoke up after Umbr’l had stated what she needed to free herself and was quick to nitpick right through the woman’s plan. Peter’s eyes flickered between the two of them as Raven proved that his way of thinking was more realistic than he had believed. He could see the slave’s chest deflate a little, her air of rebellion dashed by the reality that such a plan was not going to be her saving grace. In fact, it could put her – and them – in further danger if suspicions were aroused and connections were made between a heist and a sudden appearance of a fortune.

“Oh,” was all the alien woman said after Raven had broken down why her plan wouldn’t work. Her fingers continued to dance over the glass surface of her drink as her mind tried to formulate a new plan of attack. She hadn’t been prepared to have her strategy pulled apart easily like smoked pork. Now standing with nothing to show beyond the offer of her blueprints, she was having a hard time wrapping her head around how she benefitted in this. Peter felt her pain, though he didn’t quite show it. And before he could even put a thought to speaking about it, Raven had planted her glass back on the table and continued – offering a new plan that would suit them better.

Peter rolled his eyes a little as she suggested that he be the one to visit where she worked and offer to buy her papers, though he was smirking as he did so. He did look the part of a pirate and a slaver so that made sense; it just humored him to know Raven was more than comfortable to offer him out as needed. He spoke nothing of it and listened, his mouth wrapped around his glass, as Raven continued to explain that getting her free before the heist was the best option. An interesting strategy, one that caused Peter to eye Raven with a curious look. Umbr’l had been a slave for more years than he knew, forced to entertain for petty cash and a hope that a lashing wasn’t due to her. If they freed her before they even planned the heist, they were losing a valuable asset inside. Then again, she had only been a slave for years. This acquisition of the blueprints had been the most rebellion and out of character thing she had done in an age. She probably had a certain set of skills and not much else.

This made Raven’s offer even more interesting as she stated that Umbr’l was free to go after she was freed – but if she stayed, she would be rewarded with some of the money from the heist. Now that was how you earned connections, Peter thought to himself with a humored smile as he put the glass back onto the table. He knew sticking with Raven had been a good choice, despite all of the crap from Arlia. He could see the slave girl’s eyes light up over the prospect of more money; something that clearly hadn’t been discussed the previous time of planning.

Five percent sounded good to Peter and as if to show he was in agreement, he picked up his glass and nodded his head before taking another ship of the whiskey. When she jumped it up to ten percent though, he nearly choked on the liquor and had to quickly put the glass down, giving her a look. Ten percent wasn’t a lot but that was still a tenth of what they’d be getting. And they were planning on stealing a whole hell of a lot.

“Yes.” Peter said finally, clearing his throat and looking back to Umbr’l. “I think that’s a pretty fair offer considering. Definitely better than the one we gave you back in the day.”

Umbr’l nodded at Peter’s words, though she seemed entirely focused on Raven at the moment. “They are having an owner’s meeting within the next two weeks. We won’t really know until the day before because we’re told we have to come and look our best. Days like that, the security is more focused around the meeting room than anywhere else.” She reached up and scratched her cheek. “I can probably get you more information than that, guard’s names and such. One of them let me into the security room once hoping to get a free dance. He showed me a little on how they move the cameras and such. I could…maybe do that?”

Honestly the promise of more cash had intrigued Umbr’l more than she thought it would. With the chance of being free sooner rather than later, her mind had popped to the next series of questions – what did she do after that? Well if she wanted to do anything, that would require zeni…

And if this woman was offering that…well she had to take it.

To be continued...

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