[ She shares a smirk and then reaches out for her glass as soon as it's set down before her. Peter Quill, man of little morals when it comes to the prospect of getting some. Good to know.
But Raina also makes it a bit of a point to look at him as though he's the only one who could capture her interest, to play to his ego. Because after all, she's here with him instead of home with her boyfriend. This is totally not some manipulative ploy to get closer to him and his precious information. No. Not at all. ]
I had no doubt. Just as I doubt this is your first time in this situation. You strike me as a man with many interesting stories.
[ She lifts her glass, taking a sip and making eye contact with Peter over the rim. ]
[ She was giving him the benefit of the doubt! ....but hey. Lack of morals? He's just become a hundred times sexier.
Raina taps her chin thoughtfully. ]
Hmm. Share a story. A conquest of the female variety. What would you say was your biggest conquest, Star-Lord? Either here or out there in the wide universe that you travel?
[ He shoots her a little smile when she rests her head on his shoulder, though he's not entirely sure if she sees it from that angle. Still, the gesture is-- well. Intimate, in a way. More than he's used to, and while it doesn't make him uncomfortable, he does tense slightly. ]
[ Because this is the whole point of this meeting. Stories. Information. Time to dive right into serious territory. ]
Can you tell me a little more about your victory against Ronan? I mean, it sounds like it's quite the story. One we never got to talk too much about since we got to talking about the Kree...
[ Oh, this is easier territory. He's given the story a million times as witness testimony or to reporters or to just curious Xandarians, so he relaxes.
When he speaks, it's with a sort of casual air -- because, you know. No big deal. ]
So you already know Ronan was a Kree -- his title was The Accuser, 'parently. Angry guy, really pissed that his people had signed a peace treaty with the Nova Empire. So he took it on himself to purge the world of dissenters and heathens, or whatever. He got his mitts on an Infinity Stone, which would destroy any organic matter it touched, put it into this big mallet of his and attacked the Nova Empire's capital planet, Xandar.
Long story short, my team and I managed to wrangle the Stone away from him, channeled the power between all four of us, and used it to kill Ronan.
[ Peter gives a shrug. Obviously he glossed over a lot, there -- the number of men lost that day, or how they reclaimed the Stone, or the unimaginable pain Peter experienced when he grabbed the stone.
He's told the story a lot, sure, but he also knows which parts to omit. ]
[ Long story short -- she doesn't want the shortened, abridged version, Peter! But the short, abridged version is a start. It lays the foundation, and Raina has to chose which path to pursue: the selfish path or the informative path.
She pulls back to look at him, and chooses the selfish path. She couldn't help her undying curiosity about the Kree. ]
And this Ronan the Accuser, he was angry about the peace treaty and went to all of these lengths to fight against it. But was he alone in his belief? Or did the rest of the Kree echo his sentiment but only left him to act?
[ Her gaze shifts to the side, downcast. Concerned. Wouldn't do to hold back this information at risk of upsetting the pretty little lady further, would it, Quill? ]
I only ask out of concern -- that maybe I'm a monster deep inside, too.
[ He's quick in his answer -- because it seems like she needs the reassurance. ]
I mean, not all of them thought that way. It's-- just like any group of people, right? I mean, there's no way everyone could possibly agree on the same thing, you know? So-- Ronan, I mean. He was seriously nuts. A zealot. Some people might have sided with him on bein' unhappy about the treaty, but I mean, hardly anyone agreed with his methods.
The war was a long one. [ Peter shrugs -- he had never been involved, skirting the edges of polite, civilized society, and by the time he had entered the scene, the war had been reaching a standstill. ] Everyone wanted it to end, anyway.
[ Raina looks back at him and smiles after his answer. ]
So Ronan wasn't idolized by his kind? He sounds...
[ Hot. Sexy. Like someone Raina would totally bang... ]
Awful. It sounds as though the universe benefitted greatly from what you and your team accomplished. Were you the leader? I bet you were the leader. You just strike me as a leader.
I-- [ Well, his little uncomfortable shift here, at least, is in earnest. It's hard to tell if he was the leader, despite his constant insistence. At length he says, ]
They follow my lead sometimes, I guess. [ It's a surprisingly modest answer from him, to be sure. ] I mean, honestly, it's like herding cats, so-- that's all I can really ask for.
No need to be modest, Star-Lord. You have all the makings of a natural born leader. Strength and charisma. And it doesn't hurt that you're incredibly attractive as well.
[ She picks up her glass and raises it as though proposing a toast to him and his hotness before taking a sip. ]
And I'm certain your team would say the same thing. But perhaps that modesty is really the glue that makes your position as leader stick. A very well-rounded individual. How did I get so lucky to gain even an inkling of your attention?
A story from me? Oh, I'm not all that interesting. Not enough to share stories. And certainly none of my stories would compare to your tale of heroics.
[ She smiles over at him. ]
The most interesting thing about me is what you already know. My bloodline was genetically altered by the Kree.
Many years ago, a rogue faction of the Kree came to the Earth. Their intentions were to use us humans as experiments -- to create genetically altered soldiers and tinker with our bloodlines. Many believe that was so they could plunge the Earth into chaos and war, but that isn't necessarily true. What this group hoped to accomplish was to build an earth for the worthy. They left behind cities and alien technology to allow us humans with Kree blood to awaken our truer selves. This same technology could destroy those it didn't deem worthy. I've seen it happen first hand. A man exposed to terrigen crystals turned to stone and crumbled into nothing right before my very eyes.
And-- what have you guys been doing with that tech? 'Cause to tell you the truth, it-- sort of sounds like a recipe for disaster.
[ He pauses, then quickly adds, ]
Not that I'm sayin' your intentions are bad, or anything. But-- tech that kills people without Kree blood in them. You know that at least sounds bad, right?
Trying to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. The diviner wasn't meant to destroy -- but give life. However, there was a group that tried to weaponize it. I managed to take advantage of their distractions and steal it from them, though.
[ Her shoulders lift absently -- as though the information is no big deal, as though she's still every bit as boring as she played herself off to be. ]
The diviner itself is something of a metal case. What it houses inside are the terrigen crystals I mentioned previously. These crystals, once activated, are what awakens the dormant DNA of my kind, allowing us to undergo a transformation of sorts.
[ She lifts her hand and before their eyes, it takes on the faintest blue sheen -- thorns protruding through her skin. But Raina doesn't allow the transformation to go any further than that. A sacrifice of truth for the larger picture. ]
I don't suppose you've heard about any of this in your time around the Kree?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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But Raina also makes it a bit of a point to look at him as though he's the only one who could capture her interest, to play to his ego. Because after all, she's here with him instead of home with her boyfriend. This is totally not some manipulative ploy to get closer to him and his precious information. No. Not at all. ]
I had no doubt. Just as I doubt this is your first time in this situation. You strike me as a man with many interesting stories.
[ She lifts her glass, taking a sip and making eye contact with Peter over the rim. ]
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His own bottle of beer is placed in front of him, and rather than drink, he merely picks it up by its neck, spinning it idly on the bar top. ]
I suppose I do. [ He gives a modest little shrug -- all for show, of course. ]
Anything in particular you wanna know? Can't promise I'll answer everything. A guy's gotta have some secrets.
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Raina taps her chin thoughtfully. ]
Hmm. Share a story. A conquest of the female variety. What would you say was your biggest conquest, Star-Lord? Either here or out there in the wide universe that you travel?
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A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell. [ where is this gentleman, Peter. is he hiding under the coaster? ] Gonna have to plead the fifth on that one.
'Sides, I'd hate to make you jealous.
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[ Raina turns toward him, giving him a look of disbelief. ]
I didn't agree to go out with a gentleman. I want a refund. This was false advertisement.
[ She meets his eyes, smiling into her glass as she takes a sip. ]
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Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on just a sec.
[ He raises an eyebrow at her. ]
Did you pay someone so you could go on this date? Man, I better see a cut of that.
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[ Her glass is set back down on the counter and she folds her arms in front of herself, leaning forward with a playful grin. ]
My matchmaker was only going to charge a dollar, but I assured him you're worth five, at least.
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A whole fiver-- I-- wow, I have no idea what to say.
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[ Raina flashes him a quick smirk before she scooted over and leaned her head on his shoulder. ]
But you don't have to thank me. Really.
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Do you, uh. Have any other requests, story-wise?
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[ Because this is the whole point of this meeting. Stories. Information. Time to dive right into serious territory. ]
Can you tell me a little more about your victory against Ronan? I mean, it sounds like it's quite the story. One we never got to talk too much about since we got to talking about the Kree...
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When he speaks, it's with a sort of casual air -- because, you know. No big deal. ]
So you already know Ronan was a Kree -- his title was The Accuser, 'parently. Angry guy, really pissed that his people had signed a peace treaty with the Nova Empire. So he took it on himself to purge the world of dissenters and heathens, or whatever. He got his mitts on an Infinity Stone, which would destroy any organic matter it touched, put it into this big mallet of his and attacked the Nova Empire's capital planet, Xandar.
Long story short, my team and I managed to wrangle the Stone away from him, channeled the power between all four of us, and used it to kill Ronan.
[ Peter gives a shrug. Obviously he glossed over a lot, there -- the number of men lost that day, or how they reclaimed the Stone, or the unimaginable pain Peter experienced when he grabbed the stone.
He's told the story a lot, sure, but he also knows which parts to omit. ]
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She pulls back to look at him, and chooses the selfish path. She couldn't help her undying curiosity about the Kree. ]
And this Ronan the Accuser, he was angry about the peace treaty and went to all of these lengths to fight against it. But was he alone in his belief? Or did the rest of the Kree echo his sentiment but only left him to act?
[ Her gaze shifts to the side, downcast. Concerned. Wouldn't do to hold back this information at risk of upsetting the pretty little lady further, would it, Quill? ]
I only ask out of concern -- that maybe I'm a monster deep inside, too.
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I mean, not all of them thought that way. It's-- just like any group of people, right? I mean, there's no way everyone could possibly agree on the same thing, you know? So-- Ronan, I mean. He was seriously nuts. A zealot. Some people might have sided with him on bein' unhappy about the treaty, but I mean, hardly anyone agreed with his methods.
The war was a long one. [ Peter shrugs -- he had never been involved, skirting the edges of polite, civilized society, and by the time he had entered the scene, the war had been reaching a standstill. ] Everyone wanted it to end, anyway.
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So Ronan wasn't idolized by his kind? He sounds...
[ Hot. Sexy. Like someone Raina would totally bang... ]
Awful. It sounds as though the universe benefitted greatly from what you and your team accomplished. Were you the leader? I bet you were the leader. You just strike me as a leader.
[ She smirks in Peter's direction. ]
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They follow my lead sometimes, I guess. [ It's a surprisingly modest answer from him, to be sure. ] I mean, honestly, it's like herding cats, so-- that's all I can really ask for.
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[ She picks up her glass and raises it as though proposing a toast to him and his hotness before taking a sip. ]
And I'm certain your team would say the same thing. But perhaps that modesty is really the glue that makes your position as leader stick. A very well-rounded individual. How did I get so lucky to gain even an inkling of your attention?
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So you got a story from me. Do I get a story from you?
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[ She smiles over at him. ]
The most interesting thing about me is what you already know. My bloodline was genetically altered by the Kree.
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And what do you mean by "altered"? That's what I don't really get.
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[ He pauses, then quickly adds, ]
Not that I'm sayin' your intentions are bad, or anything. But-- tech that kills people without Kree blood in them. You know that at least sounds bad, right?
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[ Raina answers honestly. ]
Trying to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. The diviner wasn't meant to destroy -- but give life. However, there was a group that tried to weaponize it. I managed to take advantage of their distractions and steal it from them, though.
[ Her shoulders lift absently -- as though the information is no big deal, as though she's still every bit as boring as she played herself off to be. ]
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I'm-- glad. That you did that. Kept it safe, I mean.
[ Eloquence isn't his strong suit. ]
This-- diviner. Thing. What's it do, other than apparently vaporize folks?
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[ She lifts her hand and before their eyes, it takes on the faintest blue sheen -- thorns protruding through her skin. But Raina doesn't allow the transformation to go any further than that. A sacrifice of truth for the larger picture. ]
I don't suppose you've heard about any of this in your time around the Kree?
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