[ Peter turned when Dieguez did, startled by the sudden influx of noise. A sigh escaped his lips and the first thought to rise to the surface was, What the hell did we do now?
(It likely said a whole damn lot about Peter's relationship with this ragtag group that his first assumption was that one of his teammates were at fault. Whoops.)
His pistols sat in shoulder holsters tucked beneath his jacket, but he didn't reach for them just yet. Looking unarmed and vulnerable was the best way to catch anyone off-guard, in Peter's experience. When Dieguez moved, Peter followed after him, taking the other man's caution as a cue to move carefully himself, keeping a wary eye out and remaining alert. ]
Where the hell did that dog come from?
[ Because that was the important question to ask, here. ]
[TBF, Peter just narrowly prevented one of his team-members from metaphorically blowing their covers. Just sayin'.The canine licked its jowls, yipping as it approached a somewhat tall man in a very flamboyant outfit.
Ah. Right. Teran. The father of the bride. El Recaudador.] It looks like the dog is his. [The frown on Dieguez's face deepened, as he witnessed Teran's manners. This dog was incredibly affectionate, licking the man's fingertips and nuzzling its forehead against his master's palm. In return for its gestures, the dog did not even receive a glance.] What do you make of a man, who cannot return affection for someone that loves him terribly?
[ As a rule, Peter loved canines. Which was why he said, ]
Anyone who's a dick to their dogs deserves a punch to the mouth.
[ But Teran hadn't performed a punchable offense just yet, aside from not showering his pet with scritches, and only earned a slight narrowing of Peter's eyes. Looking around, back at the tent, Peter frowned. ]
The sociopath is speaking and making grandiose gestures. [Because in Arturo's book, only sociopaths treated such loving dogs so callously. Anyway, Teran was lifting his arms, in the grand manner of a Roman emperor, and directing everyone's attention to the side of his mansion. It appeared that a movie was being projected on this wall for all to see. Dieguez squinted, in disbelief at the film being shown.] This does not look like an appropriate film to show during a wedding.
[Instead of a slide-show of the couple, the images blown up and over the wall featured brightly colored rocks and people being eviscerated by larger, people-shaped blobs. It might have been the paint-job on the mansion, but the people appeared to have a very unusual coloration.
Some feet away from the mansion, a little past the shore and deeper in the ocean, a very large rectangle was rising. As the water sloshed, more and more of the box was revealed to be a large glass tank.
Contained within the cage, there appeared to be a live, sickly-looking whale. With a point of his knife, directed squarely in the middle of Teran's forehead,] He should not be allowed to make such terrible speeches at his own daughter's wedding. [Let alone, you know, anywhere.]
[ Peter watched Teran's presentation, growing more and more confused as the man spoke. He couldn't tell if this was just some weird, poorly planned and even more poorly timed screening of some amateur sci-fi film or what, but whatever the case, Peter nodded his agreement with Dieguez's assessment of the movie.
And he would have voiced his agreement, as well, except his gaze caught on the tank rising from the ocean's surface. His face went slack with surprise, and for a few seconds, he could only stare.
Then, when he finally found his voice, ]
What. The fuck.
[ If Dieguez's fight with Rocket and Gideon had forced this wedding reception off the rails, this presentation was most definitely driving it off a cliff. ]
I'm pretty sure a bad speech is the least of our worries, right now.
[With all of the visual stimuli running simultaneously, it had become too easy to lose track of the little dog. Not a moment after Teran pointed to the whale and proceeded to pontificate in the grandest manner, his dog returned to the scene with a wagging tail and something in his mouth. Eagerly, his master removed the object from his pet's mouth.
A ball?
Dieguez's eyes narrowed, curious.
The events in the next minute happened far too quickly in succession. The little doggy barked at the crowd, compelling them to step away. With a flourish, Teran tore the sphere's top off and aimed it in the direction of the whale.
The creature was consumed in a bright, purple flash, lasting only a few seconds. Only bits of glass and debris confirmed its existence.
Teran restored the orb's lid and began pointing to the crowd. Terrifyingly, they began to raise their hands and call out increasingly higher numbers.] He is auctioning that thing off to those murderers and terrorists! [Dieguez was uncertain why, but every instinct in him told him to run toward this group. Run and protect Peter. Run and find Galenia, Rocket, and Gideon. Run, before this sordid happening found a way to become even more incomprehensibly terrifying.]
[ The color drained from Peter's face after the demonstration, and an incredulous part of him still thought this might be a trick, thought it could be some sort of special effect. A magic trick, maybe.
But, no, Teran's audience seemed to believe him well enough, which was scary in itself, and Peter pulled himself together long enough to turn to Dieguez. ]
We find the others. We figure out what to do from there. [ Which might involve swiping the thing out from Teran's nose, but that was a risk they had to take. Peter might be a selfish person, but he wasn't selfish enough that he could ignore the disaster unfolding before his eyes.
[It wouldn't be too hard to find the others. Galenia stepped out of the crowd, raising a hand and calling out a very great number. And, just like that, Dieguez obeyed every burning impulse that flowed through his veins and ran toward the bunch, all while loudly muttering,] She can't be betraying us; she can't.
[And yet...there she was, bidding with the rest. A part of him was certain there had to be a good reason, even if such a thing eluded him at this time. Mere minutes ago, he'd trusted her. Sure, it wasn't to the greatest degree. But, it was there. Another part recalled the promise Quill had made, to placate him, weeks ago.
The last number that escaped her lips brought a hush to the party. A hush that hid daggers. Cautiously, the remaining pair from their group took their places next to Galenia. Rocket stood at her left, with his hands in his pockets. Gideon slouched at her right, with a very uncharacteristically hardened expression on his face.
When Dieguez arrived in their vicinity, would he take a place by her side as well?] Quill! Is she betraying us??! [Surely the Conman would have known; he should have predicted such a thing would take place, after getting to know her. His experience should have allowed him some insight into her personality that the rest were not privy to.
Unless, of course, his affection for her had blinded him.]
[ When Galenia's voice rang out, Peter blinked, stunned. For a moment, his thoughts mirrored Dieguez's words, and he felt that sting of betrayal in his gut.
As the bidding continued, though, his brain caught up with the situation, thoughts racing as he tried to make sense of this whole fucking mess. Galenia wouldn't do this. Not for nothing. The few moments they shared had shown him a side of Galenia he'd never seen before. Maybe the drink or the atmosphere had something to do with it, but for a second she seemed – vulnerable. Honest. It had to be a ruse. ]
No, this is perfect. [ He held out a hand without touching Dieguez, as if to keep the man in place. ] Whatever the hell that thing is, we don't want anyone else getting their hands on it. Galenia wins the bid, and we fucking book it, okay?
[Somehow, the message was received. Dieguez took one last step and, then, stopped; he tilted his head back, to look the Conman in the eyes, then turned back to watch Galenia.
As foolish as it sounded, this career shyster's word was one of the few that the former underground fighter trusted (and its contents featured something that he desperately wanted to believe). But, he did have to disagree about something:] We go to join them. Now. If she wins that bid, the three of them will be surrounded by some very powerful sore losers.
[The crowd wasn't so far. Slightly out of earshot. If they ran, now, the two of them would make it to the others within...maybe 5-8 minutes?
Yet, such horrible things had happened in even smaller increments of time. The scene before them gave off the dreaded feeling of a trap, about to spring. Dieguez focused his attention on Galenia, as he began to run.
Within half-a-minute, the bald, eye-patched bodyguard of the Accuser's had stepped out, looking directly at Galenia, and called out a large number of her own. The look she gave, for lack of a better word, was terribly inhuman.
A weapon like this in the hands of this woman and the Accuser seemed unbearable.]
Dieguez moved much faster than Peter expected, and when he darted off, Peter ended up a few strides behind. The other man reached the edges of the group far before Peter did, just as Galenia's si...ster(?) stepped forward and placed her bid.
In any other situation, Peter would've stepped back, let out a long, impressed whistle, and thought to himself, It must be nice to have that much money to throw around.
In the here and now, though, Peter simply balked, glancing over at Galenia, who seemed just as taken aback as he was – so much so that she had stopped bidding in favor of staring her sister down. With the two of them locked in whatever silent battle they were waging, and with Teran intoning, "Going once, going twice--" Peter did something incredibly stupid.
He forced himself to put on a calm facade and called out some ridiculous bid of his own. ]
[Almost as if in a cartoon, most of the wedding guests performed a double-take. The women were adopted daughters of a very influential man, and, with that influence, came certain monetary resources. Did Peter possess such funds to rival even that amount, or was this a lie?
Yeah, probably that.
"We can pay now, Teran," the bodyguard offered, with an odd rhythm to her words and an accent that warped her vowels. "In cash." And, with a snap of her fingers, the tall, rather thin Accuser apologized his way out of the crowd; as he struggled to carry a very hefty suitcase, the man gave his bodyguard a very dirty look that insisted he was supposed to be the boss.
Seeing that pathetic face brought back too many burning memories. Almost automatically, Dieguez lifted up his knife and threw it. The blade spun in the air for a half-second, before it landed in the dead-center of a palm, that had been placed before the Accuser's face at exactly the right time.
The Accuser's bodyguard winced, as she drew her pierced hand close to her face and pulled out the blade.] Shit.
And then Dieguez was throwing a knife, and that extra didn't work, a Peter watched with equal parts fascination and horror as Nevara, code name Nebula, wrenched the knife from her palm. (Two things crosses his mind, in that moment. The first was, Badass. The second one was, Oh. Shit.)
After that, Nevara launched the knife back in Dieguez's direction, but halfway through its flight, Galenia deflected it with her own blade. The knife buried itself blade first in the sand, and Galenia spared no time in turning, just as Nevara threw herself at her former sister.
The party, such as it was, fell into chaos, after that, with guards and lackeys moving in to protect their charges and make a giant mess of things. It reminded Peter more than a little of a bar fight, all directionless violence and chaos, but he ignored it as best he could, spotting Teran still standing on his little makeshift stage, surveying the brawl. The man seemed unperturbed by the turn of events – even looked slightly amused – and, most importantly, held the orb loosely at his side.
Welp, Peter thought. When opportunity knocks, right? ]
Dieguez! Rocket! [ He shouted it over the cacophony – the two closest team members he could see – unsure if his companions would be able to hear him. He hoped they would, and he added helpfully, as he started weaving his way through the throng, ] I'm gonna do something really stupid.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
(It likely said a whole damn lot about Peter's relationship with this ragtag group that his first assumption was that one of his teammates were at fault. Whoops.)
His pistols sat in shoulder holsters tucked beneath his jacket, but he didn't reach for them just yet. Looking unarmed and vulnerable was the best way to catch anyone off-guard, in Peter's experience. When Dieguez moved, Peter followed after him, taking the other man's caution as a cue to move carefully himself, keeping a wary eye out and remaining alert. ]
Where the hell did that dog come from?
[ Because that was the important question to ask, here. ]
no subject
TBF, Peter just narrowly prevented one of his team-members from metaphorically blowing their covers. Just sayin'.The canine licked its jowls, yipping as it approached a somewhat tall man in a very flamboyant outfit.Ah. Right. Teran. The father of the bride. El Recaudador.] It looks like the dog is his. [The frown on Dieguez's face deepened, as he witnessed Teran's manners. This dog was incredibly affectionate, licking the man's fingertips and nuzzling its forehead against his master's palm. In return for its gestures, the dog did not even receive a glance.] What do you make of a man, who cannot return affection for someone that loves him terribly?
no subject
Anyone who's a dick to their dogs deserves a punch to the mouth.
[ But Teran hadn't performed a punchable offense just yet, aside from not showering his pet with scritches, and only earned a slight narrowing of Peter's eyes. Looking around, back at the tent, Peter frowned. ]
You see what's going on?
no subject
[Instead of a slide-show of the couple, the images blown up and over the wall featured brightly colored rocks and people being eviscerated by larger, people-shaped blobs. It might have been the paint-job on the mansion, but the people appeared to have a very unusual coloration.
Some feet away from the mansion, a little past the shore and deeper in the ocean, a very large rectangle was rising. As the water sloshed, more and more of the box was revealed to be a large glass tank.
Contained within the cage, there appeared to be a live, sickly-looking whale. With a point of his knife, directed squarely in the middle of Teran's forehead,] He should not be allowed to make such terrible speeches at his own daughter's wedding. [Let alone, you know, anywhere.]
no subject
And he would have voiced his agreement, as well, except his gaze caught on the tank rising from the ocean's surface. His face went slack with surprise, and for a few seconds, he could only stare.
Then, when he finally found his voice, ]
What. The fuck.
[ If Dieguez's fight with Rocket and Gideon had forced this wedding reception off the rails, this presentation was most definitely driving it off a cliff. ]
I'm pretty sure a bad speech is the least of our worries, right now.
no subject
A ball?
Dieguez's eyes narrowed, curious.
The events in the next minute happened far too quickly in succession. The little doggy barked at the crowd, compelling them to step away. With a flourish, Teran tore the sphere's top off and aimed it in the direction of the whale.
The creature was consumed in a bright, purple flash, lasting only a few seconds. Only bits of glass and debris confirmed its existence.
Teran restored the orb's lid and began pointing to the crowd. Terrifyingly, they began to raise their hands and call out increasingly higher numbers.] He is auctioning that thing off to those murderers and terrorists! [Dieguez was uncertain why, but every instinct in him told him to run toward this group. Run and protect Peter. Run and find Galenia, Rocket, and Gideon. Run, before this sordid happening found a way to become even more incomprehensibly terrifying.]
no subject
But, no, Teran's audience seemed to believe him well enough, which was scary in itself, and Peter pulled himself together long enough to turn to Dieguez. ]
We find the others. We figure out what to do from there. [ Which might involve swiping the thing out from Teran's nose, but that was a risk they had to take. Peter might be a selfish person, but he wasn't selfish enough that he could ignore the disaster unfolding before his eyes.
Besides, stealing was kind of Peter's thing. ]
no subject
[And yet...there she was, bidding with the rest. A part of him was certain there had to be a good reason, even if such a thing eluded him at this time. Mere minutes ago, he'd trusted her. Sure, it wasn't to the greatest degree. But, it was there. Another part recalled the promise Quill had made, to placate him, weeks ago.
The last number that escaped her lips brought a hush to the party. A hush that hid daggers. Cautiously, the remaining pair from their group took their places next to Galenia. Rocket stood at her left, with his hands in his pockets. Gideon slouched at her right, with a very uncharacteristically hardened expression on his face.
When Dieguez arrived in their vicinity, would he take a place by her side as well?] Quill! Is she betraying us??! [Surely the Conman would have known; he should have predicted such a thing would take place, after getting to know her. His experience should have allowed him some insight into her personality that the rest were not privy to.
Unless, of course, his affection for her had blinded him.]
no subject
As the bidding continued, though, his brain caught up with the situation, thoughts racing as he tried to make sense of this whole fucking mess. Galenia wouldn't do this. Not for nothing. The few moments they shared had shown him a side of Galenia he'd never seen before. Maybe the drink or the atmosphere had something to do with it, but for a second she seemed – vulnerable. Honest. It had to be a ruse. ]
No, this is perfect. [ He held out a hand without touching Dieguez, as if to keep the man in place. ] Whatever the hell that thing is, we don't want anyone else getting their hands on it. Galenia wins the bid, and we fucking book it, okay?
no subject
As foolish as it sounded, this career shyster's word was one of the few that the former underground fighter trusted (and its contents featured something that he desperately wanted to believe). But, he did have to disagree about something:] We go to join them. Now. If she wins that bid, the three of them will be surrounded by some very powerful sore losers.
[The crowd wasn't so far. Slightly out of earshot. If they ran, now, the two of them would make it to the others within...maybe 5-8 minutes?
Yet, such horrible things had happened in even smaller increments of time. The scene before them gave off the dreaded feeling of a trap, about to spring. Dieguez focused his attention on Galenia, as he began to run.
Within half-a-minute, the bald, eye-patched bodyguard of the Accuser's had stepped out, looking directly at Galenia, and called out a large number of her own. The look she gave, for lack of a better word, was terribly inhuman.
A weapon like this in the hands of this woman and the Accuser seemed unbearable.]
no subject
Dieguez moved much faster than Peter expected, and when he darted off, Peter ended up a few strides behind. The other man reached the edges of the group far before Peter did, just as Galenia's si...ster(?) stepped forward and placed her bid.
In any other situation, Peter would've stepped back, let out a long, impressed whistle, and thought to himself, It must be nice to have that much money to throw around.
In the here and now, though, Peter simply balked, glancing over at Galenia, who seemed just as taken aback as he was – so much so that she had stopped bidding in favor of staring her sister down. With the two of them locked in whatever silent battle they were waging, and with Teran intoning, "Going once, going twice--" Peter did something incredibly stupid.
He forced himself to put on a calm facade and called out some ridiculous bid of his own. ]
no subject
Yeah, probably that.
"We can pay now, Teran," the bodyguard offered, with an odd rhythm to her words and an accent that warped her vowels. "In cash." And, with a snap of her fingers, the tall, rather thin Accuser apologized his way out of the crowd; as he struggled to carry a very hefty suitcase, the man gave his bodyguard a very dirty look that insisted he was supposed to be the boss.
Seeing that pathetic face brought back too many burning memories. Almost automatically, Dieguez lifted up his knife and threw it. The blade spun in the air for a half-second, before it landed in the dead-center of a palm, that had been placed before the Accuser's face at exactly the right time.
The Accuser's bodyguard winced, as she drew her pierced hand close to her face and pulled out the blade.] Shit.
no subject
And then Dieguez was throwing a knife, and that extra didn't work, a Peter watched with equal parts fascination and horror as Nevara, code name Nebula, wrenched the knife from her palm. (Two things crosses his mind, in that moment. The first was, Badass. The second one was, Oh. Shit.)
After that, Nevara launched the knife back in Dieguez's direction, but halfway through its flight, Galenia deflected it with her own blade. The knife buried itself blade first in the sand, and Galenia spared no time in turning, just as Nevara threw herself at her former sister.
The party, such as it was, fell into chaos, after that, with guards and lackeys moving in to protect their charges and make a giant mess of things. It reminded Peter more than a little of a bar fight, all directionless violence and chaos, but he ignored it as best he could, spotting Teran still standing on his little makeshift stage, surveying the brawl. The man seemed unperturbed by the turn of events – even looked slightly amused – and, most importantly, held the orb loosely at his side.
Welp, Peter thought. When opportunity knocks, right? ]
Dieguez! Rocket! [ He shouted it over the cacophony – the two closest team members he could see – unsure if his companions would be able to hear him. He hoped they would, and he added helpfully, as he started weaving his way through the throng, ] I'm gonna do something really stupid.