riverview | video; @star.lord

Entry tags:

video; @star.lord

[ INT. Shared Housing, Floor 13, Room 4 – Very Late Night.

We open on a shot of the living space in one of the many shared housing units. It's dark in the messy room, with a couple of red jackets tossed onto the backs of chairs. Nearby, soft snores are audible.

In frame is a small, wooden creature, his giant eyes squinting with concentration as he stares at the screen. An old, beat-up mp3 player and a Sony Walkman sit beside him on the coffee table. The little creature mumbles a tiny, irritated— ]

I am Groot?

[ —in the same tone of voice someone else might use to ask, “How the hell do you work this thing?” He pokes at the screen fruitlessly for a while, but soon enough, his eyes light up as he shoves his hand forward one last time.

Suddenly, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” by the illustrious AC/DC shrieks over stereo speakers.

DONE. DIRT. CHEAP.

Sorry about your beauty sleep, Floor 13. And probably Floors 12 and 14.

The sapling yelps, scrambling and panicking to figure out how to stop this crazy thing, just as a sleep-tousled Star-Lord stumbles into frame, flicking on a light. Barely audible over the music, ]

Groot, what are you—?

[ Busted.

Peter picks up the device, sees that it’s recording, and he grimaces. ]

Oh, son of a—

[ Which is when the feed and the music both cut out. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, uh.

[ He looks a little sheepish. ]

The "brand" thing was a joke.

[ ... kind of. He's seen a few stray pieces of merchandise. Photos and paraphernalia that absolutely were not approved, nor did the Guardians agree to having their likenesses sold on T-shirts or posters or what have you, but still. Kinda neat.

But explaining a joke makes is 100% not funny, which is why Peter moves on: ]

What happened to the ones in your world?

I mean, that's possible? But you probably wouldn't have heard of me back on Earth. [ She mentioned she was Russian, after all. ] New doesn't travel quite that far.

And— [ It pains him to admit this. ] —I've mostly been keepin' my head down around here, so.

[Normally, she would have a sense of humor, but Rey was taking the whole thing seriously.

Now it's her turn to look sheepish.]

...Sorry.

[She's more lively with enough sleep. Though, she wouldn't have known about his group being on t-shirts and other things.

As for the ones that happened in her world...there's a pause as she tries to sum it all up.]

They were all killed, and the last one died fighting against an enemy who wanted to take over the galaxy.

[ The camera flicks on, revealing Peter, sitting in front of the coffee table with a pouting Groot at his elbow, sitting with his arms crossed on the tabletop. ]

I mean, I have my songs sorted by artist, and AC/DC is, you know. Pretty high up there.

[ —that's probably not what she meant in the slightest, and Peter knows it. He makes a habit of being difficult. ]

[Poor little guy. Alexiel gives him a look of empathy before focusing on Peter.]

It is one of your songs, though. [Be difficult. She's still amused.] I haven't heard it since it came out in the seventies.

[ He hesitates for a second, but—

Yeah. He appreciates the offer. And he could use the distraction. ]

Are you working on something top secret? Or can I ask what it is?

Then— How do you know what you're supposed to do? Like, do they leave behind detailed instructions?

Oh, there's many millennia of literature on the subject, left behind by previous gods. In addition, records are kept on the Nexus, where we have traditionally lived once found. I happened to be born on the Nexus rather than another world, so I was learning and being trained in my role since birth.

Oh.

[ And the word is startled out of him, rather than purposely said, and he winces.

He wasn't sure what answer he was expecting — maybe early retirement? maybe that there wasn't a need for them, and they scattered to the winds? – but he really should've seen "killed in the line of duty" coming. ]

I'm... sorry to hear that.

[ Peter gives a quick shrug. ]

It's pretty much a classic, right? Withstands the test of time, stuff like that.

[ It's one of the songs that came along with his Zune, and, much like the stranger, Peter hadn't heard it in decades before it had come up on shuffle. ]

Groot has decent taste. I'll give him that much.

Uh... huh.

[ That's a lot of information to process, thanks!! ]

Explain to me again what tethering is? Like, you hold the worlds together, right? But, uh. What's that mean?

The whole album is a classic. [She agrees, but there is mischief sparkling in her eyes.] Your music list must be extremely long if you acknowledge every classic.

[Does he give love a bad name too?]

He looks like he belongs in a forest; not a music hall.

Not as long as I'd like, but about as long as I can handle.

[ Listen his Zune has 300 songs on it.

That's right. 300. Three-zero-zero. Triple digits!

Let that sink in.

And the comm device they had given him upon arriving on Riverview has a smattering of other songs suggested to him by others on the network. Plus, the portal had spit out his Walkman and his old tapes, so the way he sees it, he's sitting on a veritable treasure trove of songs.

His gaze flicks to Groot when she calls attention to him, and he presses his lips to a thin line. ]

I mean, you're not wrong, but the little guy's got some seriously sweet moves.

[There was a half shrug from her shoulders before she looked down again.]

It's...it's okay. There are other means to stop people from taking over--there's a Resistance that's formed. Balance needs to be brought back to the galaxy, and we'll figure out a way to do that.

[Even though two of the major players in that battle were already here: Kylo Ren and Hux. But no need to get into that...not yet.]

In my world they were called Jedi...and they were more of like a myth or legend, until I met the last one.

[Galadriel aims an encouraging little smile in Groot's direction. Come on, little guy. She'd really like to talk to you too.]

Perhaps. Not long ago, I would have thought it impossible, but before coming here I would have thought many things impossible which I now know to be truth.

Or I could be psychic.

[ A pause. ]

The truth is, I've been keeping my head down, too.

No real secret. Building a computer for someone.

[Well. Essentially a computer, anyway. He holds up the motherboard he's been working with, just in case Peter is actually curious.]

It's pretty easy work.

[ He quirks up an eyebrow – examining the motherboard by the small screen. A part of him wants to ask, "Your friend knows they sell those around here, right?" but— ]

I'm guessin' there's more to it than just a computer.

[ Groot is in the middle of Thinking About What He's Done, and fuming over the unfairness of it all, like you did as a child when you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar five minutes before dinner.

... give him, like, a minute, and he'll probably forget he's even in trouble. ]

Yeah. This place is just full of surprises.

[ He almost says it fondly. Despite the random kidnapping and the fact that they're basically stuck here until the portal decides their number is up, Peter kind of likes it here.

Sometimes. The random monster attacks and the strange disease floating around has tempered his affection for Riverview but it's not the worst place he's ever been. ]

[ He lets out a small, acknowledging sound, staring down at the device in his hand. His thumb runs over the edge of it, and he chews on the inside of his cheek for a second or two, then, ]

Have we met?

[ In that uncertain way that says he's not entirely sure if he wants to hear the answer.

He's heard about folks from parallel worlds? Alternate universes, he guesses? Places that were similar, but wildly different. Like Angela, a while ago, before she disappeared, who seemed to know exactly who he and Gamora were, even if they had no idea who she was. ]

[ He goes still, eyes widening for a second, expression freezing in something stunned and amused. He's expecting a joke, obviously, and he waits for her to say something like, "ha ha, just kidding, of course they weren't actually Jedi."

But she looks— totally earnest. And Peter thinks he's pretty decent at reading people, and he doesn't see the usual tells tat signal she's lying or joking.

... oh fuck is she serious.

... oh fuck is she from a world where Jedi are real. That's awesome. Well, maybe not awesome, considering there was apparently only one left, so—

Keep it cool, Star-Lord.

He clears his throat, looking a little sheepish. ]

Sorry. I, uh. I think I heard a similar myths, when I was a kid. I always thought they were just stories, you know? Fairy tales.

You met one, though?

[Nope. No jokes. No teasing. No nothing. The war of the stars is her life.

Rey doesn't initially pick up on his hesitance as him think it's a joke. Rather, she thinks he's trying to process because, its a different world and different culture and verbiage...

And she's also trying not to rub her eyes.]

You have? [Well, that's the first she's heard of it. People who aren't from her world don't believe in the Jedi, think they're long gone or....both? He's not from her world, she would've remembered hearing about the 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.]

Yes...met him... [And trained with him, but no need to go into that much detail yet.]

And...I wish I could've had more time to learn from him.

[Tony flashes a quick grin at him.]

Might be a little souped up. I admit to nothing.

[ ... oh, crap.

When she said "met the last Jedi," she really meant met, apparently. Because the look on her face doesn't seem like a, "Man, I could've talked all day with that guy," kind of look. It seems a lot more like a, "he was taken too soon," look.

Peter takes a quick breath (something almost like a hiss), and he winces a little, contrite. ]

I'm really sorry. [ Again. He just keeps bringing up the wrong topics, doesn't he? ]

Uh huh.

[ Flatly, though there's a smile curling the corner of his mouth. ]

What, is it gonna be able to slice and dice? Cut julienne fries?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 8 of 14

video; @star.lord

no subject

no subject

no subject

video; @star.lord

video;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

lmk if this is too fourth-wall-y and i can edit!

Nope it's fine!

no subject

no subject

no subject