[ It had been difficult, Kasumi remembers, coming back to the Milano empty-handed, and having to explain to the Guardians that she couldn't get Peter. To at least one of them, it had been enough of a relief that he was alive, and to most of them, "outnumbered," and "if we take him and Yondu realizes, which he will, we're not going to get away with it" were reasonable enough explanations. To a certain raccoon, however, that wasn't quite enough, and an argument ensued. It was then that whatever composure Kasumi had managed to gather and keep during her conversation with Peter was lost.
"You think I'm okay with coming all this way, seeing him alive, and then not doing anything about it?"
It was a long, painful ride back to Illium after that, and then a long, painful two months of silence.
Kasumi dropped off the radar, herself, in that time. Apart from the occasional Cerberus raid, Kasumi was extra careful not to communicate with anyone she didn't have the utmost trust in. After all, the fact that Yondu found out even about her existence meant that she fucked up somewhere along the line, and she can't afford to make a mistake like that again. So when she receives Peter's next message, she feels a little weight off her shoulders, even allowing herself a little smile when she hears his voice again, but the twisting feeling in her heart remains and would be so long as he wasn't safe, or whatever the equivalent of that is for a man who's wanted in at least twelve systems, usually runs around with an assassin, two thugs, and a maniac, and whose girlfriend is someone who's similarly wanted and happens to be the galaxy's best thief.
She was on a job, taking a break from Cerberus raids in favor of gathering some highly classified data for the Shadow Broker. It was her way of repaying Liara for her help in finding Peter.
"Actually," Kasumi had already said her goodbye and turned on her heel to leave when Feron called out, causing her to stop in her tracks and glance at him over her shoulder, "the real reason we asked for your help on this? The Shadow Broker--Liara--asked me to let you know after we finished that the Ravagers are here."
She's frozen, then, because damn it, Liara, a little advanced warning would have been nice. But then there's an energy surging inside of her, telling her that this is your chance, and she gives Feron a thankful smile pretending to be a sly grin. ]
Then it looks like I've got some more work to do.
[ It doesn't take her very long at all to find them--really, she just had to go to the seediest bar she could find. She draws in another one of her sharp but silent breaths when she spots Peter at the bar, but decidedly avoids letting herself seen by him, if only because it would be dead giveaway in case Peter had a big reaction to seeing her all of a sudden.
She casually takes a seat at the bar a number of seats away from where Peter stands and is apparently being flirted with by a Krylorian woman--an exchange she watches from the corner of her eye with as amused of an expression as she can manage. She's still not happy, after all, about the way he looks like he's seen way better days, but hey, at least he's still alive and apparently not cheating on her? Small victories.
When the Krylorian woman finally leaves him alone, it's the bartender's turn to cajole Peter. He sets a drink down in front of him, preempting any questions with his monotonously-delivered statement: "From that lady over there." He jerks his head over in Kasumi's direction.
She's sitting with her legs crossed and an elbow on the bar counter so she can rest her chin on her hand, and just gives him a smile. Think you can play it cool, Peter Quill? ]
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"You think I'm okay with coming all this way, seeing him alive, and then not doing anything about it?"
It was a long, painful ride back to Illium after that, and then a long, painful two months of silence.
Kasumi dropped off the radar, herself, in that time. Apart from the occasional Cerberus raid, Kasumi was extra careful not to communicate with anyone she didn't have the utmost trust in. After all, the fact that Yondu found out even about her existence meant that she fucked up somewhere along the line, and she can't afford to make a mistake like that again. So when she receives Peter's next message, she feels a little weight off her shoulders, even allowing herself a little smile when she hears his voice again, but the twisting feeling in her heart remains and would be so long as he wasn't safe, or whatever the equivalent of that is for a man who's wanted in at least twelve systems, usually runs around with an assassin, two thugs, and a maniac, and whose girlfriend is someone who's similarly wanted and happens to be the galaxy's best thief.
She was on a job, taking a break from Cerberus raids in favor of gathering some highly classified data for the Shadow Broker. It was her way of repaying Liara for her help in finding Peter.
"Actually," Kasumi had already said her goodbye and turned on her heel to leave when Feron called out, causing her to stop in her tracks and glance at him over her shoulder, "the real reason we asked for your help on this? The Shadow Broker--Liara--asked me to let you know after we finished that the Ravagers are here."
She's frozen, then, because damn it, Liara, a little advanced warning would have been nice. But then there's an energy surging inside of her, telling her that this is your chance, and she gives Feron a thankful smile pretending to be a sly grin. ]
Then it looks like I've got some more work to do.
[ It doesn't take her very long at all to find them--really, she just had to go to the seediest bar she could find. She draws in another one of her sharp but silent breaths when she spots Peter at the bar, but decidedly avoids letting herself seen by him, if only because it would be dead giveaway in case Peter had a big reaction to seeing her all of a sudden.
She casually takes a seat at the bar a number of seats away from where Peter stands and is apparently being flirted with by a Krylorian woman--an exchange she watches from the corner of her eye with as amused of an expression as she can manage. She's still not happy, after all, about the way he looks like he's seen way better days, but hey, at least he's still alive and apparently not cheating on her? Small victories.
When the Krylorian woman finally leaves him alone, it's the bartender's turn to cajole Peter. He sets a drink down in front of him, preempting any questions with his monotonously-delivered statement: "From that lady over there." He jerks his head over in Kasumi's direction.
She's sitting with her legs crossed and an elbow on the bar counter so she can rest her chin on her hand, and just gives him a smile. Think you can play it cool, Peter Quill? ]