nexus_crossings | Remembering the Dead

Kraglin wasn't well known, not compared to the fearsome visage of his Captain. He was unassuming and didn't look dangerous. But he lets her lift his chin and gives her a crooked grin. "And twice'a' sharp since I got the replacements. Cap'n even paid special for anaesthetic when they put'em in."

Allegedly, because he couldn't have a first mate with a gummy smile.

"Ain't got much hair left after gettin' that done." Despite his general level of grime, the wounds are clean and healing neatly, though he gives a shiver at the sensation. "Ooh, tingly. An' buyin' these ain't the way to get a million creds. Got it 'cause Cap'n wanted me to have his arrow. So, gotta get this to use it."

"He must have cared a great deal for you." Harley gives a playful little snap of her own pearly whites. She knew his smile would remind her of someone she had to leave behind. And her touch lingers just a little because of that.

"Is that how you are respecting his memory?"

"I wish I had something of my friend... to honor."

Kraglin's face makes an unpleasant expression, a twist of grief and guilt and a flash of fondness despite that. Losing Yondu is too raw to not pull everything forward at the mere mention.

"Yeah. Ain't nuthin' else to do but use his arrow t' protect Petey." Peter was worth dying for, so it's Kraglin's duty to keep him safe. For the Cap'n. "Most'a his stuff we put on the pyre to go with him. Or got blown up when he blew up the ship after the mut'ny."

Her snap makes him chuckles softly. His own bite can shear through most bones with relative ease, so he doesn't tend to play bite and snap because it's pretty threatening to anyone who knows his species. "You ain't gotta have a thing. Y' honour what they died for. Cap'n died for Petey, so I gotta keep protectin' his dumb ass."

"Petey." Harley repeats. She likes nicknames. And she likes Kraglin a little bit more, because he uses nicknames.

"Diablo died to protect us all." Harley leans into him a little bit more. She needs to be close to someone right now.

"And the Day of the Dead is coming up."

"Maybe I could find something to do... someone to protect, like what you are doing to honour your Captain."

Physical affection is pretty alien to Kraglin. It tends to come in the form of punching each other and not drawing blood and big hugs after a heist goes well. He does his best; he leans back into her a bit. He doesn't smell great, a lot of grease and oil and sweat.

"Yeah... your people have a day for the dead?" Hrax doesn't bother. The dead outnumber the living. "Tullk'd get ink for thin's that mattered. Diablo same species as you?"

Harley on the other hand smells like cotton candy, candied apples, and a vanilla-scented perfume.

And she is very comfortable with physical affection, judging by the way she just relaxes against him.

"We are both enhanced humans." She blinks at him for a moment. "From Earth. My world hasn't gotten too much into space travel yet. No other species to meet, or to interact with."

"Oh! That's where we got Petey, after his Momma died." That had been more incidental than planned. "You Terrans are kinda weird. We got a few out in Xandarian space, but most'a them got kidnapped or had accidents."

Accidents that ended with them in space. Clearly.

"How's you enhanced?"

"Maybe him and I could meet some day. If he ain't got other Terrans around." Harley grins. And she takes being called weird a compliment.

"Well, I can handle any kind of toxin or poison. I am super flexible and agile. And I think outside of the box... but not everyone handles that well."

She tilts her head again. "What kind of species are you?"

"Mabbe." Kraglin isn't planning on showing this place to anyone, but he also figures Peter's just as likely to find his own way in. Maybe by the same doorway.

It sounds a bit like Gamora. Like a less violent version of upgrades on Gamora.

"Xandarian. Though my da was Hraxian, hence the chompers. Where I grew up. S'all part'a the Nova Empire. Guess it ain't bad, compared t' most." He reaches up to poke at his head, which is distinctly hurting less.

Harley doesn't go into the details about how she got super-enhanced. But her own story was pretty violent, in her own way.

"So you get to explore space. That must be pretty exciting. An adventure."

She pauses a moment. Remembering what he told her before. And takes one of his hands in her own. "I'm sorry you have lost people during that adventure."

"... less explore an' more plunder, pirate and party."

Space isn't exploring to him, but he remembers the way Peter reacted and he thinks he can sort of get why it seems that way to a planetbound people. To someone who hasn't ever heard of anyone going off world.

She takes his hand and he looks... panicked? Confused? Lost? He has big hands, heavily calloused and scarred form decades of engineering and fighting. "S'okay. Was my fault. Di'n't mean ta, but I started the mut'ny."

"Nothin' like a good plundering party." Harley gets a happy look in her eyes. Like a shiny gleam of a child right before Christmas.

She keeps his hand in hers for a moment, tracing a finger over those callouses and scars. "I used to be at fault all the time. For bad things that happened."

"I know how that feels."

"Yeah. Last big hit we made, we must'a stole the income for a city for a year." Yondu had found a small, carved, black cat which had joined the ranks by the captain's chair. Kraglin had found a knife that was useless, but burst into rainbow light when exposed to sound.

"I challenged Cap'n. Weren't meant to be like that. Jus'... wanted him t' stop bein' soft on Quill. Puttin' him above all'a us. But Taserface took it t' mean mut'ny and... it all got fucked."

"You were a little jealous, maybe? That he was paying attention to someone else..." Harley also knows that feeling.

"For me... My ex-Pudding paid more attention to a vigilante, who went by the name of Batman. And they were both obsessed with each other."

"And poor Harley was just a play toy they forget about." She frowns for a moment. Then laughs. "Oh. That's me, by the way. Harley."

Ouch, Harley. Way to hit the nail on the head. Kraglin's startled look probably gives away that that is at least part of what was bugging him about it all.

"We pretty much raised Quill. Peter. Since we took 'im on Earth." Yondu was the closest to a dad, but Kraglin had been there the whole time, maybe like a... brother? Or something. Uncle?

"Kraglin. Kraglin Obfonteri, former First mate of the Eclector of the 99th Ravagers." He sighs. "Don't mean much now. Everyone's dead and the ship's gone. Good to meet'cha, Harley."

She might not have her shrink license anymore, but she still sees these things pretty clearly. Plus she had her 'love of her life', who didn't care about her.

"Kraglin." Harley repeats. Smiling. "The 99th Ravagers. Don't know what that means... but it sounds really cool."

"Ravagers. Mercs. Pirates. Both? Yeah. Both. Though I were always better at thievin' than blazin' blaster fights."

Or knifing people in the back. He was great at that, literally.

"Yondu got exiled 'n' I went with him. Bunch'a us did." He wrinkles his nose with distaste; being soft and talking about stupid, old stuff. "Who were y' puddin'? An' what you done time for?"

"Hey! I am a Mercenary too! Maybe I could teach you a few thievin' tricks."

She frowns slightly at his next question. "His name was Joker. And he sort of made me... who I am now. I lived for him. I died for him."

"He just used me up, until I couldn't do it anymore."

"A lot of different stuff. I was the Queen of Gotham once upon a time, until Batman thought me and Mistah J... Joker... were abusing our power. Batsy put me away into my gilded cage."

"Always up for learnin' more thievin'." Whatever might give him an edge and keep him alive a bit longer.

Joker. Not that odd a name in his world. But he sounds like bad people, not giving back for the loyalty given. Yondu could be a right asshole, but he looked after his people.

"... Batman? Ain't deposin' a Queen treason or sumthin'? Batman's nearly as dumb a name as Taserface."

Harley takes a careful look at him for a moment. Evaluating him quietly. "I don't think you would do good with any of my agility tricks. Ya' ain't got the body, no offense."

"But from the sounds of things, I think you would perfect with the 'make them underestimate you' gag."

Harley leaned into him again. "He liked to dress up like a big black Bat."

"And the Clown Prince loved getting under his skin. They deserve each other."

"Been told no one knows what I got the body for." Too tall, too thin, too bony... it doesn't bother him. His body does what he needs it to.

"An' I been makin' people underestimate me for decades. Don't look dangerous, not like most Ravagers." Despite the scars over his face and near his eye and the tattoos peeking out of the collar of his leathers.

A bat and a clown. "That's weird. Like, I seen some shit, and that's weird right there. Y'r better off well shot'a him."

Harley grins up at him. "Ya' missed a hella of an opportunity there, to make a flattering compliment about my body. Ya still must be hung up on your friend, huh?"

"Good. That is how you start. I can teach you how to use that to your advantage."

"Which one?" Harley smiles.

Kraglin blinks. "Ain't nice t' make comments like that." Kraglin is many things, but he wouldn't make the comment about someone male, or female, or both, or neither, or other. "I ain't a nice man, but my Mati raised us not bad."

Once he had the fin installed, it would be more difficult to be underestimated. Might get overestimated, because using the yaka arrow wasn't exactly natural to Xandarians, whatever their heritage.

"Both? Mostly y'r Joker."

It is a little surprising to hear that he wouldn't make comments about her, in that manner. And she smiles softly at him.

"Your Mati would be proud."

Harley bites her bottom lip. "One of Joker's bag of tricks is he heals pretty fast. He has been shot before. And claws his way back to get his revenge."

Kraglin laughs.

It's not a particularly pleasant laugh, but it's real. "No. No. Mati would not be proud of me bein' a Ravager. And even less proud'a me startin' a mut'ny after twenty sumthin' years."

He doesn't remember how long he was with the 99th. Doesn't much matter. Long enough that his hair has greyed and his scars gone numb.

Speaking of...

"My head's feelin' real better. This the same stuff as Joker uses t' get better?"

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i'm off for the night but will be back in m morning.

good good... I love this thread so much

it's pretty damn adorable

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surprise day out for me, but i will be back to this!

have fun!

Re: have fun!