10941/Surviving Infinity: On the Milano Again

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Surviving Infinity: On the Milano Again
Date of Scene: 31 January 2020
Location: Common Area - Milano
Synopsis: Avengers and Drax talk rescue and Thanos.
Cast of Characters: Iron Man, Captain America, Drax
Tinyplot: Surviving Infinity


Iron Man has posed:
"I've gotten some --- let's call it 'inspiration'--- for a project back at home," Tony observes as he maneuvers out of the bizarre place the crew refers to as the Crew quarters. He wanted laundry after they ate, but the laundry machines needed someone to work on it. He had borrowed some of Steve's soiled things, as well as some of his own, to run in it after he'd fixed it. Which left Steve with a weirdly smelling blanket, and Tony with a relatively clean toga he fashioned.

"Head's up," he says, tossing a bundle. Now, Tony's returning with a jumble of clothes, fully dressed again, including gauntlet. He's not taking it off while sticky-fingers Rocket is even remotely nearby. As for the clean laundry? No, Steve, it's not folded: Tony doesn't /fold/. He looks around, and without the crew obviously present, sinks down into a seat, and taps a few fingers on the table. "From what I can tell, they haven't lied to us at all."

Captain America has posed:
Seated with his waist down wrapped in his weirdly-smelling blanket on what he construed to be a relatively clean short-bench tucked to the wall, Steve glances up from checking something on his phone. It's still live, still running, and still without any signal from Earth at this distance. A hand rises to catch the bundle of clean clothing, still warmed from the drier, and his expression to follow?

Relieved as all hell, even if the hems of the dress-pants are shot and the white dress-shirt is still vaguely stained here and there where the Guardians' detergent just wasn't going to cut it with alien goop stains.

"Not that I can tell," the Captain agrees as he sets his phone aside and rises to his feet. "They might have questionable living habits, but I haven't caught anything off." He amends, with a wry little smirk, "Something's off in the fridge, but that's space-living, I'd guess."

With some deft wriggling and steps, the Captain pulls on the undergarments and dress-pants before tossing the blanket off to one side on the bench. "Figure they've got tech strong enough to send a signal to Earth, let folks know we're not in the gut of some alien creature or bones at the bottom of some spiked pit?"

Iron Man has posed:
"Maybe. Sounded like there'd be some travel first, or getting to a place called 'nowhere', which I hope is aptly misnamed," Tony answers. "We're traveling now, but I did not attempt to hack into our trip itinerary as might have if we were flying Delta. I chose to not piss off our hosts, at least yet, though if I thought we were really in danger, I would have. How's your Steve-radar treating this happy situation?" Tony inquires. "Speaking of happy situation," Tony says, getting back up to go find his mug where he left it. He returns shortly after, with his 'Happy Days' cup, to plop back down.

"Anyone that does a rescue while singing Whitney can't be /that/... antagonistic," Tony declares. "And while I said I didn't //hack//, I am keeping track. We're leaving Khund space, which is the race of alien that you decided to bite. Plus twenty points for that, by the way."

Captain America has posed:
"Only twenty points? Thing tasted like old rations mixed with tank tread oil, Tony." Inclined to argue just for the sake of arguing, Steve still glances up from threading each button of his dress-shirt with a smirk. He's clearly playing along. "Worth fifty at least."

Plucking his cell phone from the bench, he pockets it in the clean dress-pants and then sits down again in a semi-sprawl of legs. "'ppreciate the clothing wash, Tony. Been a while since 've had to ignore that amount of grime. Insofar as the whole situation..." His scruffy jawline gets an idle scratching before he shrugs and looks back at Tony again. "We're not on a planet eating slugs 'nd we're headed at least towards someplace that should have the ability to send a message if not frog-jump one across a few friendly ships. Carol might catch it even more it makes it to Earth if she's out patrolling," he notes before adding, eternally at least somewhat optismistic, "Nice turn of events as a whole."

Drax has posed:
A crunching sound comes from the doorway. Drax is standing there leaning against the opening. He's wearing the same pants as he did on the planet, or if not they look like they must be an identical pair. No shirt, the roided-out looking physique bared, his skin green with red markings etched into his body.

Drax is chewing on something as he stands, apparently just listening. He reaches down into a foil bag that bears a festive logo on the cover. Apparently marketing people are the same in every solar system. A small object is retrieved from the bag and brought to his mouth, where more of the loud crunching noise results as he eats it, otherwise quietly watching the two Terrans with a staid expression.

Iron Man has posed:
"You said he tasted like chicken," Tony points out to Steve over the mug. "You think I don't listen, but ...." Tony pauses, considering the rest of his answer. "well, often I don't," Tony admits, cheeky: but clearly the opposite is likely true, as he did remember.

At the crunching, Tony slants his eyes to the observing Drax, and sets his mug back, adjusting his seating position, to just sort of look thoughtfully and curiously at Drax for a few long moments. Tony is not just going to leave this alone, though, he's going to engage.

"'Drax', as that your name?" Tony asks. "Fan of Terran music?" he prompts. "Can you tell me a bit more about this Thanos character? What's he after? What's his MO?"

Captain America has posed:
"Tony, sarcasm is your birth language, you should have caught it. That Khund did not taste like chicken." Steve eyebrows. It is such an eyebrowing. Drax's crunching, however, brings the Captain to look over and find the snack-eating Guardian watching silently. His true-blues flick to Tony and back to Drax as he eases his expression into something benign and curious, all the better to entice polite answers.

"We can use any information you can give us, large or small. Trouble's brewing on Earth," adds the super-soldier on the tail-end of Tony's questioning.

Drax has posed:
Drax slowly eats another zarg nut as he listens to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Each chew is an almost thoughtful thing. Not one long series of crunches, but each separate. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Long pause. Crunch.

Drax lowers the bag slightly and confirms, "Yes, I am Drax. The Destroyer. And Terran battle hymns have grown on me of late." Drax adds a little nod of his head. "Though at first I had found Star-Lord's obsession with them to be irksome," Drax admits.

At the mention of Thanos, Drax straightens from his slight lean and the foil bag is crushed within one of his fists. Drax's red eyes blaze with emotion. "Thanos is a blight on the galaxy that I will eradicate," Drax says, the words delivered in a surprisingly even tone, though it has the feel of a dam holding back a torrential lake of anger. "He moves on one world after another. Leaving death and destruction behind. He killed my wife and daughter. I will have my vengeance on him," Drax says.

He looks from Tony to Steve and back. "You have a bounty on your heads for Slander. The one you slandered is one of his foul lieutenants. If your trouble on... Earth... includes Thanos, then it is large trouble indeed."

Drax looks to Steve Rogers to add, "And everything I give is large." He looks down at the foil bag, straightening it out and then checking the contents. Crushed, he brings the bag to his lips to pour some of the contents into his mouth.

Iron Man has posed:
"Slander on a lieutenant of a world-destroyer and family eradicator DOES sound like me," Tony comments to Steve, tapping a forefinger on the edge of the mug he's holding, as if considering the charges presented.

"I did tell her to get lost, she was demanding stones," Tony says, with some easy quality to his tone: he's fishing a little. "Does that mean something 'large' to you?"

"I believe I told her earth was closed." A sip follows. "She attacked our group, and Captain Steve and myself ended up out here when she tripped a portal trap. We eluded the trap and capture, but we need to get back, to fortify our planet."

Captain America has posed:
"Slander's probably your fourth language," hazards Captain Steve drolly and with a faint laugh. Still, he goes back to the far more serious track of conversation. His faint smile fades away back to the more solemn composure he tends to showcase in times of duress.

"We know there are more than one Stone, seen, what..." He glances at Tony. "At least one of 'em before, if not two of 'em. We know they're not little things. They've got some mind-bending abilities...'nd at least one of 'em does precisely that."

He scowls at memories of a particular stone and a particular wielder.

"Have the Guardians seen any Stone recently?"

Drax has posed:
Drax tries to chew the little crumbly bits of zarg nut that resulted from the bag being crushed so completely, but his disappointed look at the bag suggests the missing crunch was a large part of what he finds pleasing about the otherwise tasty snacks.

Drax considers Tony and Steve for a moment. "Others have been in search of these Stones. Infinity Stones. A renegade Kree set on destroying Xandar Prime recovered one. The Guardians defeated him and took it from him," Drax says. "It is in the hands of the Nova Empire for safe keeping now," the large green alien adds, his expression suggesting some discontent with this outcome. His own plan to swallow the Stone to keep it safe having been rejected.

Drax finishes off the contents of the bag and then says, "If Thanos is seeking Infinity Stones on Terra, then your planet is in great danger. And I will know where I can finally find him and have my revenge," Drax says, his hand tightening into a fist again.

He looks between the two Terrans. "Are you leaders of your world? Quill speaks of it often. Whether we wish to hear it or not."

Iron Man has posed:
"Yep," Tony answers about being leaders, without any sort of pause or question in it. Tony is fluent in the art of instant bullshit, but also, it isn't like it's entirely a lie, either. They are leaders in their world.

Tony's gaze moves to Steve, as he takes in the weight of all of that. He picks off items on his fingers. "We need to figure out what this minion of his knows, what she may have told this Thanos asshole, and where the stones are, exactly, that might be still with us. I think it might be one, or zero. He fiddles with his mug, turning it around. "That's a Sanctum visit. And the Asgardians. At least."

Tony's device chirps, and he draws it to check it. "We're changing course, great excuse to go up there. You got this?" Tony asks Steve, with a quick grin from Steve to Drax, before climbing to his feet to go intrude on the cockpit area.

Captain America has posed:
Steve nods at Tony and watches him depart, but not before commenting, "Roger that." Bah-dum-tsst.

"We've got our fingers in a few pies back on Earth -- Terra. 'm sorry to hear about your family." The wish is real as a weary sympathy flickers through Steve's eyes resting on Drax now. "Not gonna stop you if you want to lend us a hand when we get back. Keep hearing things about this Thanos 'nd the more I hear, the more it seems a good idea to start stockpiling munitions for the worst -- to call in all of the troops. Do you know any of the Asgardians? From Asgard?" Shifting on the bench, Steve lightly folds his arms and crosses his ankles now, as comfortable as he can manage to be.

Drax has posed:
Drax discards the foil wrapper and then crosses his arms across his chest. His anger over his family is a perpetual thing, always burning inside at some level. Even the expression of sympathy gets just the smallest nod in answer before Drax answers, "Many know of the Asgardians. They are rarely seen in this part of the Galaxy. Rumors circulated of their demise. I had thought it might be Thanos, but those with wagging tongues said otherwise. Lately there is talk of their return though I have paid little attention to it."

Drax steps further into the room, and glances over Steve's attire. "I will get clothing for you. You should have pants to shower in at the least," he comments as if this is only common sense. "If Thanos means to come for Terra, the Guardians will be there to meet him, the same as we defended Xandar," he says.

Drax glances towards the doorway which Tony left through. "You spoke of Avengers when we rescued you. It this part of your planet's military?"

Captain America has posed:
One of the Captain's hands shows and shakes palm-out towards the green-skinned man. "No worries about the clothing, Drax, but thank you. This's comfortable to wear 'nd Tony ran it through your washing machine and drier." The dress-clothing has definitely seen better days, but is still intact enough that no skin shows. "Might shower once Tony comes back. 'm curious about the trajectory of the ship as it stands."

A yawn is stifled by how it begins and then quickly stops in a roll of lips. Still, Steve continues, content to explain further: "The Avengers're the mightiest folks on Terra. We get together 'nd stop whatever's trying to give us trouble, no matter what it takes to get it done. Tony and I, we're the head of those folk. Thor's included, if you know him, Asgardian. His people have returned insofar as I know, back to Asgard, even -- something about his brother, Loki." By how blandly the super-soldier volunteers this information, it masks his true feelings on the matter of the Trickster God.

Drax has posed:
Drax seems to hrm quietly as he listens. He gestures as if he will be back, and then steps out of the crew quarters. He's only gone a few moments before he returns with a pair of some sort of plant. Bulging on one end and tapered at the other. Almost like some kind of gourd. Drax offers one to Steve Rogers. "Yaro Root. Just ripened," he says as he offers the food.

Drax takes a seat on one of the beds. Though he's only a half foot taller than Steve, there's likely a resemblance to Hulk in the way he seats himself, taking up even more space than his large body requires. "So you are guardians as well. Guardians... of a planet," Drax says. "It is not the Galaxy, but I am sure you should have pride in it," he adds, tone seeming to intend to be complimentary.

"We had hoped to get close to Mikonia through responding to the bounty on you. But it sounds like Terra is where Thanos will focus, so is the better choice of where I may finally confront him," Drax says.

Captain America has posed:
With the habits of an artist, Steve turns the gifted yaro root over and over in his hands. He feels at its skin, its contours, and sniffs at it as subtly as he can manage, trying not to incite insult by misjudged bad manners.

A glance up at Drax is followed by a nod. "Terra's home. Can't do anything else but defend it when somebody thinks they're gonna start trouble, no matter who steps up to the plate. Like I mentioned before, we'll take all the help we can get."

Finally though, he does frown a little at the yaro root. "...d'you just eat it skin and all or only the inside or....?" he asks of Drax.

Drax has posed:
Drax reaches over to give Steve a hard pound on the back. It's the kind of backslap Hulk might give as well, hard enough someone lesser than Steve would probably be bruised. "Then you are welcome to fight alongside the Guardians, Captain America," Drax says, having picked up on the name when Star-Lord used it back on the planet.

"Yes, the skin provides a small but satisfying crunch," Drax says. He takes a hefty bite of his. The inside is pinkish and looks very moist, with bits of pulpy juice. "Most races enjoy the yaro root. Even those that rarely can share each other's food," Drax comments. "But they must be ripe, and spoil a few days later no matter what you do to try to preserve them."

He takes another big bite. "We should have you somewhere you can contact your planet soon enough. It is best we leave Khundian and Dominion space before trying to do so. They are both aggressive races and the transmission might draw attention from here."

Captain America has posed:
Steve's back resounds with a hollow thump as he gets his friendly backslap. Thank god he is as sturdy as he is; he still blinks in mild surprise at the amount of strength shown. After seeing Drax take a bite of the yaro root, he does the same. It does have a mild fruity flavor and the Captain can tell that his body will make quick, grateful use of the entire root. He eats with the focused speed of someone long-used to shoving food into his face between engagements.

"'ppreciate this," he's sure to note after swallowing a huge bite of root. "'nd yes, no need to draw any more attention. We gotta get back home, folks are missing us. Got a girl who's probably out of her mind with worry by now." His expression pinches before he can catch himself and smooth it out.

Drax is still pinned by one of those keen Rogers looks, equal parts intensity and interest. "Getting this Thanos is worth more'n whatever bounty they put out for us slanderers, right...?"

Drax has posed:
Drax finishes off the yaro root, sucking his fingers clean of the juice and rising, having eaten it skin and all. "There is no price to compare with getting my revenge on Thanos," he says in a voice tinged with iron. "It is why I exist. Why I am the Destroyer. Not to just destroy. To destroy Thanos."

He walks towards the door and says, "There is more food in the next room. The green whore labels her food with notes. Which does not mean you should not take it, but be sure she is not around. Her blades are sharp," he says, for a moment looking rueful and rubbing at a spot on one of his arms. Drax nods to Steve Rogers then steps out.