ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍs

Peter doesn't hesitate to follow them, pretty confident they're not walking into a trap. He does throw a last glance to Gamora though just to make sure he's not reading something wrong. He takes in the space greedily as he walks in, soaking in the clean, white walls and big projector screens. It's like every Scifi movie he ever saw as a kid and he's clearly enjoying just looking around for a moment. It looks like Star Trek finally came to fruition. "Can I..." Touch everything? Good, because he's going to without waiting for an answer. The people and their stats flash across the screen as Steve describes them, clearly orchastrated by said genius dude. Tony Stark... Wasn't there a big tower in New York with his name on it? He wonders if there's any relation.

Steve's still going, and he's getting intrigued. The Guardians are just a few misfits, what he's describing is a real army, each one more impressive than the last. He listens with rapt attention, finally standing still in the middle of the room as Steve comes to describe himself. Peter remembers vividly how his grandfather would tell him about the veterans. That it wasn't their fault the way they were. The words come to his lips automatically, ingrained in him before he can stop them. "Thanks for your service." You can take the Midwestern boy out of the cornfield... and lightyears away, but he still respects what Steve is about. The guy is an American hero and icon. He's starting to get the picture finally. And he feels like they are seriously going to underwhelm these guys when they find out who the Guardians of the Galaxy really are.

He clears his throat, remembering himself. He's not from here, not anymore. He shouldn't have said that. "That's a lot of geniuses." They have... none. So there's that. Each of them is something of a specialist, but they range from the average-high intelligence of Rocket and Gamora to dumb as rocks like Drax and Mantis. He sighs at the mention of Spiderman, though he seems cool. There's no nifty image for him, probably because he's not one of the team officially. "We have a teenager too." He says it in the weary voice of a parent, still trying to absorb all of the information being flung at him.

"This is all... super radical, man. Honestly." He's having trouble finding fault with any of it. It's when his spirits finally start to elevate -- they might have a real change against Thanos. And to think, Nebula almost went out to get killed by herself. Now she can be part of this. They all can. He swallows.

"Everyone... all these people who work for you, they get the stakes, right?" At least some of them will die. They've accepted that, and Steve gave the speech! Peter knows. But he can only take fully informed, willing participants in this. It's not going to be pretty.

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favoredone

Gamora confirms he's correct with a glance, but keeps a hand on her sword all the same. She didn't make it this far by being willing to trust easily. The longer this presentation goes on, the clearer it is they are exactly what they say. This is a group of people who survived Thanos' attention and spent every day after preparing for his return. It is clear the intel the Asgardian prince gave Thanos was deeply biased to make them look like small and stupid creatures. Typical of Asgardians, she supposes. They never see past their own perceived greatness.

At least here the people of Terra seem fairly advanced. The sight of two beings able to wield the mind gem's powers make her eyes widen. It took four of them to use the power gem once. Here are two who use the mind gem with ease. It starting to fall into place how these people survived and how valuable they will be. In a way, it's a blessing that they know of the Guardians. It'd be difficult to sell them on their team by comparison.

She shoots a warning glance at Peter at the mention of service. She doesn't know for sure, but that sounds awful lot like a phrase particular to Terra. Now isn't the time to open that door. Gamora points to one of the images, hoping it will act as a distraction and as an honest question. It's still hard to believe such a being exists much less on Terra.

"This one, Vision, understands Thanos will be coming for him directly? His death is all, but guaranteed unless you've done something to prevent the removal of the mind gem from his body." Even if that didn't kill him, she suspects Thanos would do it simply because he could do such a thing. "The girl too. He will find her ability to draw on the power of the mind gem a great threat. Perhaps even greater than the one this Vision poses." Who knows what contact with the rest of the gems would do to her? It's fascinating to consider. Gamora almost wonders if the reason Peter held onto the power gem for so long was because of his Terran heritage and not celestial. They're clearly more than anyone could have bargained for.

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Tony watches them carefully, uncharacteristically silent as all of this is going down. He scrolls through images and statistics all for their benefit and sits on the backburner while Steve runs down the list. It really is impressive when it's said all at once that way, and Tony is grateful to him for saying it all -- especially the parts about himself, he knows that's the hardest part for Steve, seeing his own worth and defending it to others. He has to smile at the mention of teenagers, Peter Parker had proven himself a worthy recruit. But if he can keep him out of this... he'd rather. Maybe they should keep out the other kid, too. Little does he know he's a giant tree monster, but hey. He doesn't judge. Much.

He opens his mouth to answer Starlord's question when Gamora interrupts him. He wonders if they're together, he's getting vibes. His mouth clicks shut at the mention of Vision. It isn't something he likes talking about, but if they play their cards right Vision could mean the difference between losing and winning the battle ahead. It doesn't make it any easier. "Everyone's been sworn in. They know what's on the line." He meets Peter's eyes first and then Gamora's. There's something in them that's dangerous, but serene. "There are multiple fail-safes in place if Thanos should gain control of Vision. The infinity stone basically becomes a nuke at that point." Which he realizes isn't really any better than their first scenario, but he also can't be sure Vision won't unequip his protocols. He was very annoying that way. He's not about to say any of this to the Guardians of course.

"Scarlet Witch is our greatest asset. We'll protect her with everything we have." Even without their personal history... Tony would say it. He's not about to let anything happen to her, not after how far they've come.

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His brows lift in surprise. He knows that line delivery anywhere. This guy is from Earth. Maybe the son or grandson of a veteran or at least raised in a community where veterans were highly valued. He nods respectfully like all the soldiers from his generation do and leaves it there for now.

Steve has similar misgivings up the child on the other team. Given Peter's tone and the remorseful look his partner has at the mention of a teenager, it isn't hard to figure out who the parents are. If they feel their child can handle this, who is he to stop them? He nods to show he agrees with Tony's explanation on both counts.

"They both know the stakes. We're just as prepared to defend them as they are to use their power to fight for all of us." His gaze settles on Peter knowingly. He makes a point to ignore the way Gamora's eyes narrow in response. He's starting to get those couple vibes too. She'd probably cut him in half if she thought for one second he was a threat to this guy.

"You're from Earth, aren't you?"

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He had known the second it left his lips that it was wrong, and Gamora's look seals it. It was just automatic, and he thinks about his grandfather... knowing there's no chance he's alive but suddenly wanting to know anyway. They're probably not even close to wherever he's buried and it doesn't matter, he knows it shouldn't. But after burying the last family member he had (or shooting him out an airlock heroically, okay) it feels significant. The way Steve nods gracefully lets him know that even if he gave something of himself away, at least it was appreciated.

They really should talk about Groot -- and Rocket. They're asking all these questions when they're the ones carrying the real liabilities here. Everyone on their team seems cohesive. They're a bunch of rejects. He loves his mismatched family for that, but it makes them less than desireable on paper. Little does he know it's the same thing people once said about the Avengers. They're in good company really.

Peter's eyes flick over at the question, afraid to look at Gamora this time. He wants to tell him. He wants to trust all of them, and practically lay himself at their feet. He's so tired. It's so hard being the adult -- he never thought it would be this hard. "Missouri," he confirms after a long pause, it feels so strange to say out loud. He still doesn't feel like he's really back, mostly because everything is so... the same. Things are the same everywhere, really, and he knows that. But seeing it when half of him expected Earth to stay in some perfect stasis until he returned is hard to take. "I haven't been back since I left. 1989." This guy's been alive a long time, that at least he knows will mean something to him.

Edited (when you do math and then ignore your own math bc youre tired) Date: 2017-07-30 11:26 pm (UTC)

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favoredone

It is fair question to ask. Gamora still raises her guard up further. She can practically feel the vulnerability radiating from Peter. As usual, she tries to compensate for it while also fixing what caused it to begin with. Peter must be thinking of home; the one he shared with his mother. She knows she has to handle this if only for that fraction of a chance that these people will pounce now that there's blood in the water.

Her eyes settle on Tony. She already knows this man will have the means to give them what Peter needs. She makes sure to catch Steve's eyes as well. They both seem like men who don't obsess over formalities, but she still catches herself going out of her way to show proper respect when necessary. One doesn't abandon their survival skills so easily.

Gamora folds her arms behind her back and takes charge of the situation coolly. "We will work with you to defeat Thanos. I only ask that in return you give us every bit of information you have on those bearing the name Quill from Missouri, a means to contact them, and transportation. I assume these things are insignificant to you, but if it becomes a burden I will see to your compensation myself. Do we have a deal?" It's a clean and simple solution to the problem. If he wants to see his birthplace, she'll see to it happens. If he wants to know what became of the relations to his mother and himself, she can make that happen too. She can do it while not letting these people see just how fragile he really is when it comes to this subject.

Edited Date: 2017-07-31 01:34 am (UTC)

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Well, that took a turn. It makes a lot of sense, though. Maybe not the logistics of it, but Starlord's demeanor and all of that weird posturing at the start. Leave it to Steve to soften him up in no time at all. But then Gamora is demanding more stuff from him, and honestly... he's too tired to say no. At least they're simple asks.

"Anything you guys need while you're planetside, I've got you covered." He gives them a thumbs-up because that has to be universal, right??? He smiles sweetly at Gamora. "Are you from Missouri too?" God, she's scary. If he weren't nearly a married man this would be a much different conversation honestly.

He waves a hand to dismiss his own silliness and finally puts his phone away, pushing his sunglasses back into his hair to quit being the rude tech guy. "In all seriousness, when do we get to meet the rest of the crew?"

Edited (where the fuck did that apostrophe come from ) Date: 2017-07-31 01:47 am (UTC)

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Steve's gaze soften further. He's very sympathetic to Peter's situation to the surprise of no one who knows him. Judging by how quick his partner is to barter, she's pretty aware of how badly he needs to make the same connections that Steve once did. Honestly he would have offered if Gamora hadn't beaten him to the punch.

"Thank you for being willing to come back." He doesn't know what kept Peter away and he doesn't need to know. Steve can at least express his gratitude and try to make this a little easier on the other guy. "If you're ready to reconnect with someone, he'll make it happen. We can probably send you on your way in a half hour tops if that's what you want." Emphasis on want. He gets the hesitation. Maybe he'll explain it to Peter one day. This is still a formal meeting so he can't really get into his tragic backstory right about now.

Steve sighs, knowing it can't be helped. They have to get back to business. "But, we do need some more information on your people. It'd help if you let us meet them unless you have a tech guy with great presentation skills." He's thinking not though or else they'd already be here.

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He looks over his shoulder at Gamora, scared and grateful at once. She didn't have to do that for him, but she knows he wouldn't have asked himself. Peter wishes he could reach out for her now, but he reluctantly turns back to Steve when he's addressed again. "That's okay, this is more important." And it is. He could have come back to Earth any time, but he never did. He has to live with that, but now his planet needs him, and he's not going to turn his back on them anymore. "Besides, there's no one left for me to reconnect with." Which isn't to say he doesn't want to go back... but he doesn't trust himself now. He wants to show Gamora and the rest of the team his hometown. It can wait until they kick Thanos to the curb. He smiles at the thank you belatedly. "And you're welcome." Hopefully he can make a difference without any powers or enhancements like all these guys seem to have.

And here comes the hard part... trying to lay out their people in a way that doesn't seem completely insane. He takes a breath, trying to regroup and get his head to stop spinning. "I'm surprised they haven't ambushed us yet, honestly. They're probably casing the joint as we speak." Like, actually. Not a joke. Peter levels Tony with a look because that guy seems like he gets things like this. "Gamora can go get Drax and Rocket." He turns his gaze on her once more, nodding that she should probably track them down before actual bad shit starts happening. They listen to her better than him, usually. And God knows where Nebula is, he's trying to avoid having to explain that for as long as he possibly can.

From:

favoredone

She's honestly surprised it's this easy. They're really going to cave into her demands like this? Gamora knows better than to ask this aloud. Peter has been taken care of. That's really all that matters. (Tony's silliness gets ignored. She's not here for jokes.)

Now that the burden of proof is back on them, Gamora barely fights back the urge to sigh. It is about time for the children to get up to their usual tricks. She can only hope they haven't broken something yet. She nods in response. She'll handle the worst of the kids.

"I'll return shortly," is all she has to say for herself before turning on her heel to walk fairly quickly out. After all this she really doubts Peter will be in danger with these people. If she's wrong, Nebula is definitely hiding somewhere. She'll step in if only for the sake of her sister.

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Tony shrugs, not caring much either way if Peter takes a trip to Missouri or not. He can tell Steve feels for the guy, but they all have their origin stories, right? "If you change your mind, let us know." And yes, it really is that easy. He provides everything and anything whenever it's needed. "Just think of me as... the official waterboy of the Avengers." It's a lot more than that, but it suits him just the same. Between this facility, SI and all of his resources between, he's offering that to the Guardians along with this deal. That was always what he intended to do.

His eyebrows climb a little higher at the mention of two others, but not the rest. Maybe that's all they can do right now, though he thinks they've done their part in this whole diplomacy set. He throws a look Steve's way when Gamora goes to track down their friends. This is ridiculously entertaining, or is that just them. He looks back at Peter once she's out of eyeshot. "You guys need your own reality show. Stat."

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He nods to show he accepts Peter's decision. Does he agree with it? Obviously not. He lost out on valuable Peggy time because he assumed she was dead at first too. Steve knows this isn't the time or place for advice. It's better spent shooting Tony a look for undervaluing himself. He's telling Peggy later.

Then the show starts. Steve barely resists the urge to laugh. This is the early days of the Avengers all over again. He gives a little nod to say yes this is a little entertaining. Not helped by the fact one of them (Rocket) is clearly yelling about how he hasn't done anything yet. He's guessing that excuse isn't going well for him because it gets quiet after that for everyone who doesn't have enhanced hearing.

"They seem....fun." He informs Peter as he waits for them to come back. He's already making a mental note to keep Bruce and Thor away from these two at all costs.

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The waterboy... Peter doesn't get a chance to respond because Rocket is pitching a fit about not being included and being treated like a child... Why does Quill get all the facetime with humans? It doesn't matter that he's from Earth. On and on and on. Drax is just laughing. Peter hates when he laughs like that because once he gets started there's zero way to stop him... Unless they get Mantis. But that could just be adding fuel to the fire. He should have stun-gunned them all and been done with it, had a cool presentation like this Tony guy.

"They might seem... unruly, but they'll come through when it counts." He doesn't have any stats other than saving the world twice and he doesn't have anything fancier than his word. He has to grimace when the screaming starts up again. God, this is mortifying. "...Is there anything valuable and super easy to steal in this room? Hide it, if there is." He mimes zipping his lip and throwing away the key just as Gamora comes in with their charges. He said nothing!!

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favoredone

If Gamora comes back looking a very tired and angry mom with two misbehaving kids, can anyone really blame her? She's ten seconds away from knocking them both out and just throwing them at Thanos when the time comes. Let her pretend father deal with this nonsense.

Somehow she gets them over there without something ridiculous happening. To make up for the slight, Gamora does her best to mimic what Steve did earlier for his teammates. "This is Rocket. He's a brilliant engineer, pilot, and tactician. We've won many battles thanks to his quick thinking." She gives him a quick look. See? She does value you. Now onto her other headache.

"And this is Drax. He's excellent fighter. He's also one of the few beings in the galaxy successfully able to cause trouble for Thanos to the point where he's known as 'The Destroyer' for his actions." Now she'll just wait for them to ruin her kind words.

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Tony had no idea what to expect, honestly. A talking raccoon and a man who looks to be made of stone tattooed from head to toe was not even a consideration that had entered his mind. Peter's worry about theft is even more amusing on top of all the rest, but he knows he needs to not laugh right now despite his very real urge to do just that. He doesn't even bother looking around, there's nothing they could take in this room he couldn't replace. And he'd already offered his facility and everything he had to them. It's endearing honestly, even if he can't help but flashback on his own psych eval for the Avengers in the early days. Giving these guys the (bemused) benefit of the doubt seems key, especially when Gamora describes what they can do.

"I'm Tony," he says with a casual wave, then points to Steve. "That's Cap. I'm an engineer and he's a soldier so I think we'll get along fine." He nods, even more curious now about who else they're hiding away, but this seems an auspicious enough start. It doesn't take long for he and Rocket to spiral into a side conversation about micro-explosions because of course it doesn't. Xoxo besties already.

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He shakes his head at Peter's comment. Steve already knows that Tony would literally give someone the shirt off his back. You can't steal from a guy who will give you anything you ask for. "Just tell them they're welcome to whatever they want in here." He whispers back before they actually come on.

Okay he did not see the racoon coming. Gamora sells him on the little guy pretty quickly. They could use another one of him. The fact that he and Tony are already becoming engineer bffs pleases him.

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you." Especially Drax. Steve is pretty obviously scanning those symbols on his body. This is like the coolest thing he's ever seen. He catches himself a couple seconds into it and reddens. "Sorry, I used to be an artist before the war. Are those tattoos or natural part of your body? Is that rude to ask?" He's looking to Peter for that one as the other human. He doesn't know if that offends aliens or not!!!

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He blinks a little owlishly at the way he's dismissed for his concerns. They have cool stuff! If he were them he would be worried about people taking it. He'll have to tell Gamora about that later, he knows she'll be even more shocked by it than he is. Peter watches Rocket and Tony get acquainted, already talking about stuff he can't follow. That's a good sign. Especially since it seems to calm Rocket down overall.

Then Steve is addressing Drax and he nearly facepalms, not because anything Steve did was wrong but now Drax will never shut up. He starts describing his tattoos to the other man in way too much detail and how they each signify the best and the worst highlights of his life. He starts tuning it out at a certain point, shuffling over until he's shoulder to shoulder with Gamora. He offers up a cheesy little smile and a thumbs up to Steve as a wicked delayed response to his question. Hope he appreciates having Drax glued to his side for the rest of the afternoon.

"That went better than I expected," he admits to her under his breath so that hopefully only she can hear him.

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favoredone

Gamora is surprised by how well this is going. She expected them to make complete fools of themselves and the Guardians in general. Evidently, their interests overlap in several places. She watches at how 'Cap' seems to actually listen to Drax and value what he has to say. Rocket seems happy that someone is able to actually follow what he's saying fully.

She lets herself relax a little. They made the right decision coming here. "Nebula will still be difficult, but if they can get along with these two we should have nothing to worry about." She whispers back. Needless to say she will wish later she asked more about Steve's enhancements because he is definitely listening in.

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Everything follows a natural progression from there as the Avengers who are around come out to meet their new arrivals. Everyone moves through HQ, exploring and showing their new friends around respectively. Mantis and Kraglin even eventually come out of the ship to join the party and people flit in and out of the Milano to check it out and to see to Groot. It's all pretty smooth, things being what they are, and Tony finds himself relaxing into his familiar host role. He has fun showing Rocket the arc reactor technology and everything is about as peaceful as it can be -- considering there's still a member of the Guardians who has yet to make herself known. Oh yeah, Steve whispered that to him on one of their many pass-bys.

When things seemed to have calmed down a bit, he goes to single out Gamora. She is unquestionably fascinating and what little she's said about herself only intrigues him more. She also seems to mostly keep to herself while her partner flits around like the proverbial social butterfly. It's a dynamic he recognizes, but doesn't make it any less interesting for him.

"Hey," he greets softly, finding her in a corner by herself. "Penny for your thoughts?" It's an old line, but there's a lot riding on it. He knows she's the true hurdle they have to getting this all to work out.

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favoredone

Gamora watches over these affairs like a true guardian. She measures every threat carefully and only moves on when it's clear bonds are being forged. It is something to see how well they mix together. While it's true her family and these people are likely to die in the days ahead, she's heartened by the fact she'll bury less of them than she expected to. She really thinks they can win with these people.

She wonders if Nebula has realized it too. She has no doubt her sister is carefully measuring the strength and resources of these people right now.

Gamora doesn't stop her watch when Tony approaches. She does him the courtesy of responding. "I was thinking if you're not careful, Drax will declare himself that girl's guardian when this is over." She watches the way they interact with some pride. She knows it's hard for him to be reminded of his beloved Kamaria. He still talks eagerly with Wanda all the same. "Now I am thinking I don't know what a penny is."

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He sits down next to her at a (hopefully???) safe distance, not wanting to pause her watch honestly when he's been doing the same. Though he runs his mouth a lot more than she does, he gets this feeling like she has a similar role with the Guardians that he does for the Avengers. They both take everything in, damage control, assess every outcome. Sacrifice themselves when needed. Maybe that's why she intrigues him so much, or maybe it's simply that he has a hunch about her origin and the other woman still hidden from sight and he's rarely wrong.

"That was his... daughter, right?" Tony can't even imagine how it would be to have his own children, let alone lose one. It must be the most lonely feeling one can have, especially when coupled with the loss of his wife. Tony knows he couldn't smile as much as Drax does if he ever lost Pepper. Pulling a tiny coin from his pocket, he deposits it into Gamora's hand. That's a penny, he says without saying it. And now that one is hers.

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favoredone

She nods in response. Drax never did waste time explaining his motivations. Despite how difficult it must be, he never hesitates to talk about his wife and daughter. She admires him for that. "His people were fearsome warriors with the exception of his child as he tells it. Someone that innocent could never stand a chance against a pawn of Thanos." She informs him before accepting the penny. Gamora pauses her watch to study it curiously.

She pockets it and meets Tony's eyes. She's still sticking to business despite knowing eventually she will have to explain herself and Nebula. "If any member of the Quill family is alive, I trust you will tell me before we begin."

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