[ Disappearing? Steve frowns at that, because while he'd known that there were some strange vanishings in Solvunn, he thought that had all been solved. At least to some degree. ]
Even now? I know that Josselyn's cult was behind some of those disappearances, but has it still been happening?
[ Or maybe Nebula means it a different way. Steve does know that there's a tertiary settlement where those who don't quite fit in with the commune's ways of life are sent. It hadn't surprised him to hear that Wanda had a soft spot for it, if it was a place for outcasts.
He does wonder at how Nebula intends to prepare when Solvunn has no real military force and is about to ask as much, but then she adds something, causing both his eyebrows to hike up. He takes a sip of his drink to process. ]
Didn't take you for the type. Did Rocket put you up to it? [ A beat, and then he adds: ] I've done it for the Free Cities Summoned before. It doesn't demand too much.
[ The cult, she means. Sure, there was a pamphlet, but it's not even things really spoken about. It was only recently that she had really begun to hear about it. Her mouth twitches in thought. ]
It might not be the same, but there's definitely a sense you do the wrong thing and you'll be sent away. They're not as friendly to their own as they'd want you to believe if you step off their path.
[ Which... She can get why Wanda spends time there as well. Even she prefers the other settlement, though it does not remind her of their home. Speaking of that, her brows narrow at the look he gives her. Like he's skeptical of her claim - or of why she would. She might laugh about it, if she tried, but instead she snorts with a roll of her eyes. ]
Rocket can't put me up to shit.
[ Yes he can, but not about this. ]
On Knowhere. [ A beat. Does he even know what Knowhere is? Probably not, but it doesn't matter. ] Back home, we'd just rescued several thousand creatures. Most of them were children.
[ She chews on it, before adding: ] You're right. I'm not - wasn't the type, but someone's got to make a home for those children.
Let's just call this practice.
[ Because, as her tone says, she won't rest until she gets back. And it's the first time she's uttered this particular conviction. Not to return, but to ensure she could do what she could for Knowhere. She didn't want to be a leader, but what she wanted to do was protect those children. ]
[ So it is the Tertiary Settlement that Nebula's referring to, then. Steve nods, understanding that it's proof that not everything is as perfect and peaceful in Solvunn as they want to make it seem at first glance. ]
Still gotta stay in line, huh. Guess every territory has its downsides.
[ He wonders if Nebula would have preferred the Cities, but she would have earned a lot more attention for her robotic form there, so maybe not.
He doesn't make a comment either way about the Rocket statement, just hides his smile behind another sip of his drink. Soon after that, though, Nebula starts to explain the state of things back home, prior to her unexpected summoning, and Steve lowers his drink, his expression sobering.
Several thousand kids? ]
Rescued from where? [ His shoulders tense and his back straightens. He doesn't like the sound of this at all, though there is some relief in knowing the Guardians got these kids to safety. ] Must have been frustrating, getting dragged here in the middle of that.
Not really a surprise. Not many planets are as picture perfect as they want others to believe.
[ Startling few. She would never admit it, but in this way her father could be right. Half of the Guardians job is intervening in forces that troubled whole planets. They'd destroy themselves and it'd be too late. She thinks Solvunn would destroy itself if their gods demanded it and that's not a statement she's going to say now - here. ]
[ She drinks absently before shrugging a shoulder. ]
The High Evolutionary's ship. [ She knows, this too, isn't a full answer and her breath is more of a sigh than it's not (not at Steve, but at the statement she'd make next - her mouth a scowl): ] A maniac who thought himself a god because he claimed the creation of multiple civilizations and planets throughout the universe. He destroyed Counter-Earth in a show of power, because he could. Because it displeased him.
The children were his latest venture.
[ If Steve wanted to ask about Counter-Earth he could, but she doesn't think the Earth clone is all that relevant... Probably because she's not from Earth, but those are the details. Now that she's said it, her concentration is elsewhere. At the reminder of what she should be doing versus being trapped in this godsforesaken place. She swallows, voice low and quiet: ]
The longer I'm here the longer those children are without the help they need.
[ And really that's all that matters to her. Her being stuck isn't a problem. She'd deal with this stupid body. What she doesn't want to think about - doesn't want to deal with - is not knowing what will happen to them. ]
[ "The High Evolutionary" is a title that doesn't mean much to Steve at all, but that isn't surprising when there's an entire galaxy out there of problems that have to be solved. While he trusts that people like the Guardians and Carol will do their best to keep an eye on things, he also worries that the galaxy is simply too big to be managed by such a small group.
Not that there's much he can do about that, either here or back home. He'd chosen a different path for himself, one that still doesn't sit right with him, but he doesn't need to get into all that now.
"A maniac who thought himself a god" is so typical to the same rants that Steve has heard time and time again (from Loki, from Ultron, from Thanos) that he can't help but make a face, his mouth twisting with disdain. It's just a different flavor of the same old thing, although the mention of "Counter-Earth" does draw a confused look out of him. He wants to ask, of course, but then Nebula admits to her concern about the kids she left behind and he has to address that first. ]
From everything we've been able to learn from people going home and coming back, you at least don't have to worry about them being without you. Time basically stops back home, and if you make it back there you should be able to pick up where you left off. So... there's that.
[ He's also concerned about what she means by "latest venture," but forcing her to recount whatever this High Evolutionary tried to do to these kids seemed unnecessary. What mattered is that they'd been rescued. ]
[ Really, it's so par for the course of all of their lives... It really is no wonder she wants so little to do with the gods here. She tries not to think on it and is successful when Steve continues. Her mouth twitches, like she's trying to assess what she wants to say. ]
Even if that's the case -
[ And in some ways it sounds way too convenient to be true. ] We both had the same visions.
I do not want to be trapped living my life here when there is something else I must be doing.
[ Because, she does not fault those who have no home to get back to for being attached. She blames her own soft heart for caring for a small number of people. She knows - has the feeling - that even Rocket has come to peace with being here. She can't, because there was one thing she'd promised Gamora. There was one task she had decided to do in her heart, had spoken now, and she doesn't want to accept a life where she can't do that. ]
[ It's true that the point Steve just made doesn't really apply if they end up staying here into eternity, for centuries upon centuries. He has no idea what that would mean for the timeline they came from, or how it might fracture with their absence.
And just thinking too hard on that is bound to break his brain a little. ]
I'm with you there, believe me.
[ He still has those memories, as much as he's tried to push them to the side. And while Nebula had become a more carefree person in her godhood, there's no changing the fact that it hadn't been her, not really. ]
If there's something that stopping Thanos taught us, it's that nothing is set in stone, right? [ Not even the present. He eyes Nebula across the table and nods firmly. ] So, let's agree here and now we're not going to let any of that happen.
[ WHAT DO YOU MEAN JUST A LITTLE - No. None of that. She can't relax, not really. She knows there are people who might want to live out their lives here. Who have their second chances - She'd found hers. She found a home she could do something for, wanted to do something for. She might not be able to turn her back on the people here as long as she was here - the children here - but that did not mean for a second she was letting herself relax, take it easy. ]
[ She twirls the dagger in hand and moves to replace it at her side - in her boot, really. For want of something to do to keep changed eyes away from him. A permanent change from what might as well feel like a permanent happening (no amount of confident words stop that dread). ]
[ She swallows something down. ]
We won't.
[ She agrees mildly, not lacking conviction, even if she adds: ] But I remember you being a hell of a lot better at speeches.
[ Steve's noted the change in Nebula's eyes, but he doesn't see a point in mentioning it and drawing attention to something that she finds uncomfortable. He's experienced a change too, though it's not something that's immediately obvious in most cases.
Her little tease does shock a laugh out of him, though. ]
Didn't think you'd be the kinda person who'd need a rousing speech, Nebula.
[ He smirks at her, then stands from the seat, sensing that it's time for them to move on. He does give her a pat on the shoulder as he stands, hopeful that little bit of camaraderie will be tolerated. ]
I'll try to make sure I have a good one prepped for next time.
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no subject
Even now? I know that Josselyn's cult was behind some of those disappearances, but has it still been happening?
[ Or maybe Nebula means it a different way. Steve does know that there's a tertiary settlement where those who don't quite fit in with the commune's ways of life are sent. It hadn't surprised him to hear that Wanda had a soft spot for it, if it was a place for outcasts.
He does wonder at how Nebula intends to prepare when Solvunn has no real military force and is about to ask as much, but then she adds something, causing both his eyebrows to hike up. He takes a sip of his drink to process. ]
Didn't take you for the type. Did Rocket put you up to it? [ A beat, and then he adds: ] I've done it for the Free Cities Summoned before. It doesn't demand too much.
no subject
[ The cult, she means. Sure, there was a pamphlet, but it's not even things really spoken about. It was only recently that she had really begun to hear about it. Her mouth twitches in thought. ]
It might not be the same, but there's definitely a sense you do the wrong thing and you'll be sent away. They're not as friendly to their own as they'd want you to believe if you step off their path.
[ Which... She can get why Wanda spends time there as well. Even she prefers the other settlement, though it does not remind her of their home. Speaking of that, her brows narrow at the look he gives her. Like he's skeptical of her claim - or of why she would. She might laugh about it, if she tried, but instead she snorts with a roll of her eyes. ]
Rocket can't put me up to shit.
[ Yes he can, but not about this. ]
On Knowhere. [ A beat. Does he even know what Knowhere is? Probably not, but it doesn't matter. ] Back home, we'd just rescued several thousand creatures. Most of them were children.
[ She chews on it, before adding: ] You're right. I'm not - wasn't the type, but someone's got to make a home for those children.
Let's just call this practice.
[ Because, as her tone says, she won't rest until she gets back. And it's the first time she's uttered this particular conviction. Not to return, but to ensure she could do what she could for Knowhere. She didn't want to be a leader, but what she wanted to do was protect those children. ]
no subject
Still gotta stay in line, huh. Guess every territory has its downsides.
[ He wonders if Nebula would have preferred the Cities, but she would have earned a lot more attention for her robotic form there, so maybe not.
He doesn't make a comment either way about the Rocket statement, just hides his smile behind another sip of his drink. Soon after that, though, Nebula starts to explain the state of things back home, prior to her unexpected summoning, and Steve lowers his drink, his expression sobering.
Several thousand kids? ]
Rescued from where? [ His shoulders tense and his back straightens. He doesn't like the sound of this at all, though there is some relief in knowing the Guardians got these kids to safety. ] Must have been frustrating, getting dragged here in the middle of that.
[ Not that there's ever a good time. ]
no subject
[ Startling few. She would never admit it, but in this way her father could be right. Half of the Guardians job is intervening in forces that troubled whole planets. They'd destroy themselves and it'd be too late. She thinks Solvunn would destroy itself if their gods demanded it and that's not a statement she's going to say now - here. ]
[ She drinks absently before shrugging a shoulder. ]
The High Evolutionary's ship. [ She knows, this too, isn't a full answer and her breath is more of a sigh than it's not (not at Steve, but at the statement she'd make next - her mouth a scowl): ] A maniac who thought himself a god because he claimed the creation of multiple civilizations and planets throughout the universe. He destroyed Counter-Earth in a show of power, because he could. Because it displeased him.
The children were his latest venture.
[ If Steve wanted to ask about Counter-Earth he could, but she doesn't think the Earth clone is all that relevant... Probably because she's not from Earth, but those are the details. Now that she's said it, her concentration is elsewhere. At the reminder of what she should be doing versus being trapped in this godsforesaken place. She swallows, voice low and quiet: ]
The longer I'm here the longer those children are without the help they need.
[ And really that's all that matters to her. Her being stuck isn't a problem. She'd deal with this stupid body. What she doesn't want to think about - doesn't want to deal with - is not knowing what will happen to them. ]
no subject
Not that there's much he can do about that, either here or back home. He'd chosen a different path for himself, one that still doesn't sit right with him, but he doesn't need to get into all that now.
"A maniac who thought himself a god" is so typical to the same rants that Steve has heard time and time again (from Loki, from Ultron, from Thanos) that he can't help but make a face, his mouth twisting with disdain. It's just a different flavor of the same old thing, although the mention of "Counter-Earth" does draw a confused look out of him. He wants to ask, of course, but then Nebula admits to her concern about the kids she left behind and he has to address that first. ]
From everything we've been able to learn from people going home and coming back, you at least don't have to worry about them being without you. Time basically stops back home, and if you make it back there you should be able to pick up where you left off. So... there's that.
[ He's also concerned about what she means by "latest venture," but forcing her to recount whatever this High Evolutionary tried to do to these kids seemed unnecessary. What mattered is that they'd been rescued. ]
no subject
Even if that's the case -
[ And in some ways it sounds way too convenient to be true. ] We both had the same visions.
I do not want to be trapped living my life here when there is something else I must be doing.
[ Because, she does not fault those who have no home to get back to for being attached. She blames her own soft heart for caring for a small number of people. She knows - has the feeling - that even Rocket has come to peace with being here. She can't, because there was one thing she'd promised Gamora. There was one task she had decided to do in her heart, had spoken now, and she doesn't want to accept a life where she can't do that. ]
I won't become the person they envisioned.
wrap this soon?
And just thinking too hard on that is bound to break his brain a little. ]
I'm with you there, believe me.
[ He still has those memories, as much as he's tried to push them to the side. And while Nebula had become a more carefree person in her godhood, there's no changing the fact that it hadn't been her, not really. ]
If there's something that stopping Thanos taught us, it's that nothing is set in stone, right? [ Not even the present. He eyes Nebula across the table and nods firmly. ] So, let's agree here and now we're not going to let any of that happen.
wrap it!!
[ She twirls the dagger in hand and moves to replace it at her side - in her boot, really. For want of something to do to keep changed eyes away from him. A permanent change from what might as well feel like a permanent happening (no amount of confident words stop that dread). ]
[ She swallows something down. ]
We won't.
[ She agrees mildly, not lacking conviction, even if she adds: ] But I remember you being a hell of a lot better at speeches.
[ (This is teasing) ]
🎀
Her little tease does shock a laugh out of him, though. ]
Didn't think you'd be the kinda person who'd need a rousing speech, Nebula.
[ He smirks at her, then stands from the seat, sensing that it's time for them to move on. He does give her a pat on the shoulder as he stands, hopeful that little bit of camaraderie will be tolerated. ]
I'll try to make sure I have a good one prepped for next time.