10842/Rooftop Aliens

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Rooftop Aliens
Date of Scene: 21 April 2022
Location: Apartment Building Rooftop
Synopsis: Quill and Rocket argue. Groot gets a flying tour of the city from Starfire.
Cast of Characters: Groot, Peter Quill, Koriand'r, Rocket




Groot has posed:
    Rocket and Groot have left the Milano for a time. Rocket's gotten a high-rise apartment, meaning even though he shows up to do repairs, he's gone a lot more, so the repairs are a lot slower. The raccoon-like being has an apparent fondness for the Golden Girls, which takes up blocks of half an hour at a time unless there's a marathon going. It is during one of these marathons that Groot has climbed out onto the balcony before ascending the balconies above all the way to the rooftop. The flora colossus currently stands looking out over the city. While everything is very primitive, here, no sentient being would likely claim that the skyline at night was anything short of breathtaking.

Peter Quill has posed:
It's almost every day you see some hero flying around with a cape or something in NYC these days. Peter Quill remembers back when that WASN'T the case. When flying around was cool. And something that only occasionally happened. So rare some people thought a dude flying around on his own was a bird, or a plane, or..something. Not that that stops StarLord from flying himself. He's got rocket boots and he's going to use them, damnit!

The other thing that is far more rare to see, even in this bright future, is a giant walking tree. Sure. Rocket and Groot may have moved out, and not left a forwarding address, and told him in no uncertain terms to "stop chasing tail and get serious," and "don't call us, we'll call you," and "I am Groot," but StarLord has rarely been one to take a hint. So, when he spots Groot the giant walking tree, out on top of an apartment building's roof the human is quite excited and angles himself towards said tree. "GroooooooooooT!" he yells, as he tries to land gracefully on top of the building, which he does with moderate success.

Koriand'r has posed:
Technically Earth wasn't where Starfire came from, but it had very much became her home. She had friends, a team, even a modeling career! But that still didn't mean that she still didn't stick out all that much. With the whole glowing hair, orange skin and her usual choice of attire Koriand'r stood out...and that wasn't going to be any less of a thing when as her form swept across the sky trailed by bright green light. A patrol...or maybe a pizza run. It was hard to be sure, and yet suddenly spotting a flying man screaming 'Groot' rushing a rooftop?

Well that was going to grab her attention as she swept downwards towards the pair.

Groot has posed:
    Groot's peace and quiet was certainly in jeopardy with this kind of onslaught of flying peoples. The flora colossus sighed out a defeated, "I am Groot," before turning toward the Milano's captain. It only takes a few steps for the ten foot...well, colossus, to close the distance to a comfortable speaking range. "I am Groot?" he asks. His expression is expectant. Even without a translator, it's clear he's asking the flying space-terran what he wants.

Peter Quill has posed:
As he settles to the ground, well...flaming glowing hair. Orange skin. Minidress. Comes into his peripherial vision and just as he's about to answer Groot his head clearly turns to look at Koriand'r, "uh...one sec, Groot." He then turns fully towards Kori and says, slowly, "Greetings! I, am StarLord. I come in peace." Like, he's some bad 80's Star Trek ripoff making first contact. Of course, the attractive lady is going to take up most of his attention, but he says as an aside to Groot, "I'm here to talk, but, let's make sure this first contact thing that's going on doesn't go sideways, follow my lead."

Koriand'r has posed:
A foreign alien species she wasn't familier with...and a human being with space tech? Kori touches down with ease to the rooftop, tilting her head to the side. "I am Koriand'r of Tamaran...or Starfire of the Titans if you prefer," she greets before a glance moves towards the arboreal giant beside him before blinking lightly. "You are...making first contact with this 'Tree man'?"

Because apparently Starfire wasn't pondering the idea that a human in the area would be thinking -she- was the new arrival.

Groot has posed:
    Groot sighs, a sound of pure exasperation that comes out as an unvoiced, "I am Groot." Starfire's species is known to the relatively well traveled and comparatively ancient 'tree man', but the individual is not, and the whole situation is getting farther and farther from just some peace and quiet. He raises a hand and puts on a smile, though, greeting the unmet, orange lady with a friendly, weary, "I am Groot."

Peter Quill has posed:
"What? Tree man? No, that's...yeah he's Groot. Everyone knows him. You." StarLord says, "Lady Starfire, you...pick up languages really quickly. Do you have a translator device or is it just a natural ability you've got?" he asks as he continues to ogle -- that is the right word in this context, ogle -- the alien woman. He bows just a little. Seems like the right thing to do, maybe she's royalty? Who even knows these days. But bowing, yes that's a good move.

Koriand'r has posed:
"You do not need to bow," Kori offers, gesturing around them. "This is Earth, and I am not royalty here, simply one of its protectors." As far as the language thing? She actually shakes her head, a little quirk of her lips in amusement before she lifts her hand to return Groot's gesture of greeting before folding her arms.

"My species is able to absorb languages from others, which I did when I first arrived here. Although it does not help with the 'sayings' and 'Slang' that humans like to make use of."

Groot has posed:
    Groot looks briefly at Peter, shooting him a bit of a warning look, then moves forward, holding out a hand in the human shake-hands gesture. It's a calculated move, of course--someone this familiar with Earth should hopefully be able to recognize the gesture. She seems friendly enough, so a shaking of hands to a 'tree man' as she says will hopefully be something she's down for.

Peter Quill has posed:
"Oh? Yeah? You know I'm something of a...ack....cough...kaaahahk.." The pure smarm that was dripping off of Peter's face as he was about to land that joke seems to have attracted a bug, willing to sacrifice itself by diving down Peter's throat at the exact right moment. The man turns aside, hacking and coughing to get it out, the moment ruined. Stupid bugs. When he finally straightens up and turns back to the pair of Groot and Kori, and sees Groot reaching out to shake hands he asks, "What is this? E.T.?"

Koriand'r has posed:
The handshake itself is indeed taken, a friendly gesture of human greeting returned suggesting she did indeed recognize the gesture, but Kori pauses afterwards, tilting her head the other side and releasing the hand. She wasn't unintelligent, and his shifts of tone and changes when Groot had spoke his three words was enough for her to recognize as a language...even if she couldn't translate it. It did take touch to understand, but that wasn't touch through her hands.

"We absorb language through lip contact," Starfire offers, a point made as she floats the tiniest amount to make up the difference in height between them. "Something that...does mean different things to humans I have found but...if you don't mind?"

A little gesture, the question was indeed addressed to Groot...whom she'd promptly plant a kiss on if given approval to allow translation.

Definately not ET.

Groot has posed:
    Groot raises an eyebrow. It doesn't mean a lot to him, as his species definitely doesn't reproduce like humans--the whole pair-bonding experience being something unusual to him in general as a concept--but given Peter Quill's absolute and sometimes inappropriate drive to do it, especially with a person he was just getting to know and hoped to be friends with, Groot didn't have to ponder long. Bending down, the Groot-shaped Groot just hoped there would be no splinters--how embarrassing to even think about--as he kissed the alien woman, allowing the lip-to-lip contact she needed to understand his eloquent and beautiful language.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter Quill gapes at the pair for a moment, and then something seems to dawn on him, "Aw...maaan," he says under his breath. He then straightens up and says, "Look. Groot, Lady Starfire. That's...cute and all but...I gotta...Rocket's downstairs right?" And then he turns on a heel and starts towards the nearest door, pulling it open and clomping loudly down the stairs, calling, "ROCKET! ROCKET? WHERE ARE YOU YOU OVERGROWN RAT? WE GOTTA TALK!" He does know how to handle his complex emotions, that Quill.

Koriand'r has posed:
Thus comprehension, although thankfully Starfire doesn't immediately resort to saying 'I am Groot' herself, instead she simply turns where she was floating and touches down, blinking at little at Quill's hasty exit and glancing questioningly back towards Groot. "He is...a friend of yours then?" she asks lightly, "he seems...excitable."

Groot has posed:
    Groot rolls his eyes. He gestures toward the stairwell where Peter has gone looking for Rocket. "I am Groot," he explains. He quickly adds, "I am Groot," as a warning to the super-powered alien princess. Holding up a finger, he says, "I am Groot," then walks to where he'd climbed up, the sandwich of layers of balconies and calls down with a surprisingly loud bellow, "I AM GROOT!"

Rocket has posed:
"Jeez, what's a guy gotta do to get a little flarkin' sleep around here?" comes a voice from somewhere nearby. Moments later, a strange sight rises up from a nearby balcony, a small jetpack helping it rise up about ten feet above the rooftop. As if Groot himself wasn't already a strange sight.

Rocket, in the midst of a massive yawn, eases closer after spotting his bestest of friends. "What's up, Groot? Who's the lady friend? And you don't have to shout." Orange jumpsuit, raccoon appearance, yet short and somewhat humanoid? Yeah, this ain't a native.

Koriand'r has posed:
With Peter having stormed off and now having a little more comprehension of Groot's 'language', Koriand'r does give a soft musing non-verbal noise before blinking as Rocket arrives, jetpack in all. A blink, she bends down, hands to her knees and a tilt of her head as her green eyes look over the creature that looked like a talking version of a creature she'd encountered here on Earth before. "Hello. I am Koriand'r of Tamaran, better known on this planet as 'Starfire'."

Groot has posed:
    Groot greets Rocket with a quick half-wave and a succinct, "I am Groot." He lets Starfire introduce herself, of course, but once that's done, he explains, "I am Groot," as if that filled in enough of the holes in the narrative. "I am Groot," he then informs his partner.

Peter Quill has posed:
Rockets? On a raccoon? Peter knows that sound! And that voice! "ROCKET!" he yells as he barges back up the stairs, and slams the door to the stairwell shut behind him. "We gotta talk, but...not in front of...y'know...the...the..outsider." Yes, that's the polite way to handle this.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket crosses his arms, maintaining his elevation so he can place himself above everyone else. Then he rubs sleep crust out of his eyes, squinting from woody face to orange-tinted one. "Oh, she can, can she? Well, isn't that great?" There /might/ just be a hint of jealousy in his tone over some stranger being able to make out what Groot's saying. The ability to translate for him gives Rocket the ability to use that to his own benefit when he wants to, though the Guardians have finally been provided with a sort of universal translator to help. It took long enough.

He descends to land close by but far enough away so as to appear independent of them, squinting beady eyes up at the other alien. "Yeah, I can see why Quill is trying to introduce you to his bed. I'm Rocket, best pilot in the seven systems and beyond." The jetpack appears to be some sort of technological marvel, as it folds and retracts behind him before disappearing from view. Portability!

Only then does he grimace, adding, "Oh, he is, is he? Well, isn't that great too?" just as the man in question returns. "Oh. It's you, Quill. You got our ship fixed yet? I'm starting to run out of Humie shows to watch on their primitive screens. I see you're still chasing, well.." He indicates the Tamaranean. To Groot, moreso, "Some of us learn from our mistakes. Others are Peter Quill."

Koriand'r has posed:
Tension abounds, but Kori straightens up and glances between the group and their discussion. Rocket's comment and introductions taken in her stride (she was a Tamaranean after all). A little shift of her stance and a cross of her arms, Kori does however look towards Peter clear her throat. "I am not an -outsider- on this world," she points own, a little offence perhaps taken...or she was still dealing with the specifics of English. Trust humans to pick one of the strangest languages to be their most prolific.

"But it does not appear that you are here to cause harm. What has brought you all to Earth?"

Groot has posed:
    Groot considers the perpetual feud between Peter Quill and Rocket, Quill's perpetual 'chasing tail' or whatever he might call it, and Rocket's occasional misrepresentation of whatever he says to make Rocket look good. Rocket's never gone so far as to make Groot angry enough to get into a big fight about it, but it's all boiling up to the surface, now, and the flora colossus looks between the three, then settles on Starfire. "I am Groot," he says, calmly. He gestures to the open, empty city skyline beyond. "I am Groot?" he asks.

Peter Quill has posed:
"Of course the ship's not fixed." Peter says, before he reaches into the satchel he carries at his waist, and digs around, pulling out a....device of some sort. It's dripping some kind of coolant. Probably coolant. "What does this thing even do? The computers keep telling me its busted but I've plugged it into the charge configuration matrix and it says its fine. WHAT EVEN IS IT?" He drops it on the roof with a thud, "And, learn from mistakes, that wasn't a mistake! I mean, yeah, she abandoned me on an asteroid that I had to bargain with some people to get off of but...not a mistake. Worth it. By the way, we owe some money to some people, so we should probably get the ship fixed and then go do a job I've got lined up. Real lucrative. Real easy."

When Kori speaks, well, that reminds him that she's still here and he maybe shouldn't be yelling at the Raccoon creature so much, "I'm from here. These two are crewmembers aboard my ship, the Milano. I'm the Captain, you see." He smiles that smarmy smile again. A smile so smarmy that women he's inflicted his company upon, light years away, involuntarily shudder from. Like the force. But with smarm.

Rocket has posed:
"Princess, if we were here to cause harm, we'd have already done it," Rocket states, flatly. "In fact, we've been around this mudball before and helped a few people out. Any more of that and they should be building statues for us. Or at least giving us free food."

His attention shifts between all three, but particularly Groot and Peter for a few moments. "He wants to talk in private. I don't give a scut who we talk in front of. But if you want to go chat with her, be my guest. Just remember: whatever Quill would do, do the exact opposite and you'll be fine."

He rubs around where the temple would be on his head, trying to be patient with Quill when the device is pulled out, described, then dumped to the surface of the roof. "I swear, a captain who can't even fix his own ship. Where'd they find you, anyway? Oh, right. Here." He gestures all around him, heading over with short strides compared to the taller ones so he can scoop up the 'device' and start fiddling with it.

"Clearly, you're doing it wrong. It goes like this.." He turns it over, moving a tube around, reconfiguring another part while talking, "We owe, or you owe? Is this one of those things where you make promises the rest of us have to help you keep? And you don't have to lie to me, Quill. 'Real lucrative, real easy' usually means we'll be lucky to get our own expenses back, and I'll probably have to fly us out of trouble like usual. Once we're actually flying again."

Subtly, he peeks up toward Quill for any reactions he can draw. Those familiar with them see the game that is sometimes played.

Koriand'r has posed:
"A Captain?" she repeats before nodding her head, "That's impressive, although it sounds like you are having...difficulty?" Kori questions before Rocket puts it a little more directly and a little less politely.

Apparently unphased by the intergalactic smarm, Kori does look back to the living plant titan she could actually understand now, nodding her head with a soft 'Ohhhh' of understanding before shrugging her shoulders. "There are some very interesting places to find good food and some interesting sights around the city. Although you may find people are still unused to off-world visitors."

Back to Rocket and his words, Kori does actually blink a little, folding her hands. "I do not need titles used while on Earth, simply Koriand'r or Starfire is fine..." Because it would never occur to her that the title of royalty could be said as a negative. "And if what you say is true, than I am thankful for your aid. It is always wonderful to meet other defenders of this world."

Groot has posed:
    Groot looks at Quill and Rocket, then uses a very rarely-used ability he has and shrinks himself down, becoming quite tiny. Looking up at Starfire, the tiny Grootling raises his hands and says, "I am Groot!" in a higher tone than normal.

Peter Quill has posed:
"Oh boo hoo I'll have to show I'm a decent pilot so I can brag about it some more. Rough life." Quill says as he watches the half-worlder reconfigure the device he brought, "Where'd that hose come from? What? Wait slow down!" The comment about lying gets a snort of derision, "I'm NOT lying. Earth wants to build a star port. I figure we can supply them with weapons, and all the training they'll need, so this nice little pocket of paradise and old lady humor doesn't get overrun by...y'know, everyone that's out there. Figure we can find an old Kree or Skrull depot and raid that for some guns and missiles and the like, and bring them back to sell for a nice tidy one hundred percent profit. That I can then use to pay off Yondu for picking me up this last time." He interprets the peeking up from Rocket as anger at this suggestion, and holds up his hands pre-emptively defensively, "Out of my share only, of course!"

Koriand'r's words get him to turn back towards her, and he smiles, "I mean, yes? They disagree with some of my methods, but...that's just part of being a Captain you know. I'd love to talk more about it later, maybe, over dinner?" He asks, before he looks over at mini-Groot, and just stares.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket ever so helpfully goes into a little detail about what the device is for, while managing to sound haughty about it the whole way. "Slow down? You keep up!" he remarks, coming up with a multi-tool from a side pocket, sitting down with the thing in his lap for better ease of fixing before he ultimately tosses it back toward Quill and makes a show of wiping his hands in success. "Try not to drop it again. That is a delicate instrument."

Glancing back toward Kori, he uses the apparent codename. "Starfire? That sounds way more cool than Star-Lord. And of course it's true. Would I lie to you? Go ask the Titans." His grin always comes off looking less sincere than he means, but some things just can't be helped.

As for Quill, he considers the Earther Humie further. "This place wants a flarking starport? And you want to go digging around some abandoned and probably already scavenged dump that's just as likely to still have someone around as not, and.." He's just squinting, now. "Whatever. Fine. You're flarking right you're paying him back out of your cut. The rest of us didn't have a fragging thing to do with it, but we're paying the price."

Everything else is put on hold when Groot goes small and pines for attention from Starfire, particularly in the form of wanting a perch. The look of surprise on his face would be great to capture on a recording. "You fiend!" he accuses.

Koriand'r has posed:
Teeny, tiny, adorable! Kori was very much not immune to the cuteness of mini-Groot there. Bending down with a little 'Awwwww!" she does indeed reach down to pick up the small plant being. Holding him out like a child might appreciate a teddy-bear at arms length before letting him find suitable perch. Of course, riding on her shoulder while they were flying probably wouldn't work, but it would still manage for a moment before she makes to turn back to the furred angry rodent and the pouting smarm-wielding Earthling with a smile. "I will speak to them," she nods to the racoon before she stretches her arms lightly and slowly her form starts to float from the ground. "And I will leave you to your repairs while I find some suitable food to welcome new friends. If you find yourselves in need, please come speak with us at Titan Tower. I will return with your friend later."

Seems Kori was intending to fly away with the promise of snacks and a teeny Groot.

Peter Quill has posed:
"First, StarLord is a plenty cool name, you gotta admit." Peter says defensively, as he stuffs the device back into his satchel, "If this blows out all our capacitors I'm charging you for it." And it's then that he realizes that Groot is getting a free ride with Kori, and he says, "Yeah...I gotta get going too...some..real important things to do on the ship you know. But if you want, you can stop by. It's parked over by the docks. Invisible, but...if you're in the area...I could show you around?" he suggests to Kori, before he says to Rocket, "I'm gonna go stick this back in the ship, if you want to talk more, you know where to find me."

Groot has posed:
    Groot sends out a few thin vines to wrap around Starfire's body in various ways to keep him perched on her shoulder. He waves to Rocket. "I am Groot," he says. He'll be back, of course, but even a flora colossus needs a break once in a while to see the sights! And hey, at least he's wearing his seatbelt...sort of.

Rocket has posed:
"Yeah. Yeah, I do," Rocket grumps at Quill's last few words, ignoring the rest. He adds, just a little defensively, "I got places to be, too. So, there." Without any other warning, his jetpack activates again and he zips off until he's a speck on the skyline, which really doesn't take long.