knightsoflegend | LAS VEGAS ♔ DON'T THREATEN ME WITH A GOOD TIME

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LAS VEGAS ♔ DON'T THREATEN ME WITH A GOOD TIME

One of The Drunks - Panic! At The Disco

WHO || Kenzi, Paige, Bo, Groot, Rocket, You? ~~Gatecrashers~~ Others welcome.
WHAT || Vegas Baby!
WHERE || Pandora in Vegas, Nevada.
WHEN || March, 2018
HOW || Action Spam.

[ Kenzi had threatened Paige with a ladies night and of course, if anyone needed a night out it was Bo. The fact that there's also a talking Tree, a drinking Raccoon and... Drax? It's Kenzi. Why is anyone shocked by the people that she spends time with? She has ideas and they spin out of control and you just sort of hang on for the ride. It's her way. She may have casually mentioned they were coming here to a few other people, so if you happen to show up as well? The more the merrier.

The location itself isn't exactly filled with the garish glitz and glamor that a person generally associates with Vegas. Pandora has a British Pub meets modern day speakeasy feel to it. It's known for its signature cocktails with names like Panty Dropper and the Hot Little Mess and you can always count on live entertainment in the form of dancers, magicians, a band and of course, a DJ. It also happens to be one of the few clubs that has an open door policy where Shadowkind are concerned. Whether they'll be rethinking said policy after tonight? We just don't know. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's there, in that moment when they both fall over the edge. The inescapable truth of it all. That it's not just sex, not even just good sex but it's the fact that it's with him. That it could have been over too quickly and been half as physically memorable and yet it still would have been better than that first time in the training room because it wasn't just two people trying to get lost in each other. It was the first time where it felt like in being with him, she was actually trying to find something.

When she collapses against him, the breathlessness is from something far more than just the physical, Kenzi closing her eyes as a flood of emotions and endorphins threaten to wreck her as he holds her in his arms. She can still see it, forever burned into her memory. Every look he gave her, every tender touch. The way her name still echoes in her mind with an awe that makes her feel like somebody has cut every string that she'd used to tie her heart down and now it's somehow, just out of reach.

But then he speaks and she feels the rising panic ease, just a little. Just enough for her to submit to the gaze she can feel on her and she can read it in his eyes, in the way he's looking at her, even in the timber of his voice as he speaks. What it is he's feeling right now. (sense motive 46)

She lets out a shuddering breath and he'd be able to tell that she's just as thrown by that as he is. That she's clearly not used to giving that much of herself, or having that much given in return but he'd also see the slightest twitch of her lips. The tentative half smile that wants to push through her panic as her fingers graze his cheek with a featherlight touch, like she's not too sure about what she's doing but that she wants to do it anyway?

She is, however, still Kenzi and she never knows what to say when things get real and while she might like to pretend otherwise? That, was more real than she'd been with anyone in a long time and it's not something she can ignore. It's also... not something she wants to ignore if her now steady touch as she cups his face is anything to go by. ]

Morning?

[ his hands still at her hips as he lets himself just meet and hold her gaze, cautious emotions roiling behind those slightly widened green eyes of his. however, the smile that lights on his lips is composed of a mix of the very real warmth he feels at that shared recognition of a connection between them and a sense of attempting to offer her a bit of comfort and assurance in the moment.

he finally looks down, watching his hand as it trails over to her arm and up to hers, fingers dancing over the backs of her own before he twists her hand lightly into his and brings it down to his lips to gather it there and give it a very genuine and tender kiss. the heat of his breath caresses her skin as he draws his mouth away just slightly, eyes flicking back to hers as he says: ]

... Checkout time's tomorrow, right?

Edited 2019-04-21 06:18 (UTC)

[ She doesn't realize she's holding her breath until that smile touches his lips, her shoulders shuddering with the release of tension at the silent communication that passes between them. She doesn't need promises, probably wouldn't trust them even if he gave them but what he offers is something that eases the tightness in her chest. Some level of reassurance that she's not alone in this.

Her eyelids droop as he brushes his lips against her hand, the tentative smile from before finally making its way across her lips and he'd feel her physically let go of the anxiety that had spiked in the immediate emotional aftermath. ]

Would be a shame not to make the most of this view. [ Her fingers curving around his hand so that they're fully entwined. ]

We can tell them it was recon. Someone's gotta keep an eye on the city. Lotta a-holes out there. [ how he manages to say something like that and still fix her with this panty-melting look is ludicrous, but it's a 37 charm check so i guess he's just trying to make her heart pound out of her chest over here as he adds: ] Honestly, I'm pretty fond of this particular view.

[ ...

It stopped being funny about 6 Crit Fails ago and yet, here we are again, with yet another crit fail. Come on, die. She's already half in love with him already this is just getting ridiculous. Apparently sex makes her stupid. Or Quill makes her stupid. There's just... a whole lot of stupid going on here right now and he'd see, very clearly what he does to her as what she's been repeatedly referring to as her big stupid grin, returns full force.

He might be the cheesiest bitch to walk the earth but it works to his advantage because she is apparently very here for it. ]

I swear I'm going to start calling you Teflon.

[Before she can explain that one, she's dipping in to kiss him. Light, playful and repeatedly as her smile comes through with each press against his lips. When she pulls back it's just to rest her forehead against his, her hand still holding his as she tucks it to her chest. ]

You're so smooth crap slides right off.

[ there's an air of pleased smugness in his expression that greets her words, clearly happy with himself to have convinced her he's actually such a smooth mfer. Still, his head tilts to the side slightly against her own, as he remarks with amusement: ] I still think "Star-Lord"s better.

Edited 2019-04-21 13:08 (UTC)

Star-Lord?! [ She pulls back an inch or two, just enough to look at him now. Her smile still there but edged in confusion as she tries to read some meaning in his face as to... where in the hell that came from??? ]

Is this like a... Michael Flatley in space thing?

[ I mean. Lord of the Dance + Space = Star-Lord! ]

What? No. Do I look like I wear tights?

[ he straightens up the slightest bit, pride in his shoulders as he explains: ] That's me. It's my space outlaw name. That's how I'm known across the galaxy. [ yeah, let's ... go with that. IT'S NOT A BLUFF CHECK IF YOU FULLY BELIEVE IT'S TRUE ]

[ It's that pride she immediately picks up on with that stellar sense motive of 50 and it's enough to see the confusion melt away, a warmth taking its place as she immediately understands that while she might not understand the why of it? This really means something to him. ]

Star-Lord. [ Almost like she's testing it out, watching his eyes as it rolls from her tongue. ] I like it.

[ It's simply said, and while she could have lied to him very convincingly if that weren't the truth? It... actually is. ]

Like Batman only, in space. [ A beat. ] With less latex.

[ is this the part where he clarifies that he's less vigilante than thief? look, he said "outlaw", she can draw her own conclusions. and man, he really likes the sound of that ]

I mean...

Basically, yeah. Exactly like that. With a little Han Solo thrown in. [ aggressively ignores this fourth wall moment ]

[ I mean. He is talking to. A thief, who likens herself to Robin repeatedly, so... She knows exactly what she's saying here.

Besides, Jesse James wouldn't have had the same ring. ]

If the little stands for you have a Wookie BFF... Would you be offended if I wanted to leave the hotel to go hunt down that engine now?

[ Let's all take a moment to stare at the camera and think about Groot. YW.

Also. She is. A little bit excited about this conversation. And we all worried it was going to be terrible. ]

Do you have space warrants out for your arrest? [ Legit. Here for this. This is the person you're developing feels for, Peter. ]

None they know about on Terra. [ there's still a boastful edge to his voice as he implies that yes, yes he does. And notices the look that name probably evokes, adding: ] That's what most places call Earth.

[ There is no denying that light that dances in her eyes, more than just a genuine interest in this but something that borders on glee. ]

Knights perk. They take care of the ones from here. [ At least. She's assuming they do. If not? There are some places she should probably avoid.

Most of her warrants are from the other side of the veil at least??? ]

Terra. See! That's way cooler than Earth.

[ Her other hand trails down his arm until she finds his other hand, slipping her own much smaller one neatly into his as a million questions bubble to the surface and she has to fight for which one to ask first. ]

Are there people that look like us in Space or are you like... a Galactic Unicorn?

[ I mean... he is, but not in a way he quite understands ]

Remind me to ask about these cleared warrants of yours sometime.

[ because right now he's more than happy to cater to her joyful questions, his thumb brushing against the outside of their joined hands as he muses: ]

You'd be surprised, actually. Don't get me wrong: there's some really weird shit out there, but there's plenty of... humanoids, I guess, who hit the same basic outline. Two legs, two arms, one head, matching uh... parts. [ why would you say that peter ] More or less... Some of them are different colors or have things like ridges or scales or sharp pointy teeth.

But I mean, Xandarians look pretty much just like we do most of the time. But I never ran into another person from Earth out there.

Edited 2019-04-21 22:20 (UTC)

[ The matching parts bit gets him a raised eyebrow, but her look is one of mirth rather than irritation because how dumb do you have to be to say that when you're being straddled by a naked woman?

She is, far too interested in what he's saying to really care, however, and far too aware that she was in bed with a man with a history well before she'd ended up here to be bothered.

None of this seems to blow her mind though, as it's all very like the Fae. People who seem human but who have little things that make them anything but. Kenzi is probably one of the few people who could be super excited about this without having her poor mind blown. ]

Xandarians. [ Testing that word out as she idly moves their entwined hands. ] Xandar? Is that like, where you live when you're not hopping from planet to planet?

I didn't really have a... home on any planet.

[ hoo boy. this requires some explanation ] I was abducted off Earth by a bunch of space pirates when I was just a kid. I basically grew up on the Eclector, which was the Ravager ship. [ his expression twists a bit at that but he lights up again for the next bit ]

Really, my ship, the Milano, that was where I actually "lived". I'd travel all around the galaxy, having adventures, making trouble, seeing what was out there, running jobs for the Ravagers...

Plus, Xandar is where the Nova Corps are based and I really try to avoid those guys. They're like... basically space cops.

[ There's a flicker of recognition in her eyes at 'Ravager', one of those words he'd thrown out the night before that she'd quietly filed away but she doesn't interrupt. His story prompts a thousand questions in her mind but it's not the time to get too distracted by the many paths this new information could take her. Instead she appears completely taken in by his story, allowing his words to weave through her mind to create a richer picture of the man before her.

She may also be running with that Han Solo thing and now she's picturing Nova Corps as part of the Galactic Empire. You're welcome. ]

And I thought I had the record for long-range abductions.

[ Don't worry Kenzi, you still have the one for highest number. ]

What were they like? [ Her head cocking to one side as she traces every line of his face. ] The Ravagers. Were they... like family or did they nab you so you could be part of their pocket-picking orphan ring?

[ And now you're picturing Yondu as Fagan. Ya welcome. ]

I mean you said you could have done without them... [ See. She pays attention to the things you say Peter, even when she doesn't comment on them. ]

Honestly? They're a bunch of jerks, who used me to get into places they couldn't to steal stuff because I was little, and threatened to eat me if I didn't do what they asked. Their leader, Yondu? He's a real piece of work. I pretty much learned how to fight because he'd beat the snot out of me to force me to fight back.

I'd decided to finally cut ties and leave them behind once and for all when I accidentally crashed here.

I'm actually surprised Yondu never came looking for me to drag my ass back, but this is basically the last place he'd look.

Edited 2019-04-22 00:06 (UTC)

[ It probably says a lot about Kenzi that she doesn't appear shocked by his words, that there's no trace of pity in her eyes. Only understanding. The only real indication that she immediately comprehends the weight of what he's saying, is the increased pressure of her hands as she squeezes.

There's also a shift in the way she regards him, an elevation in how she sees him and while there are things she might want to know? These are questions she won't ask. Anything he has to say is his to say, not hers to pry from his lips. She doesn't need to ask why he didn't leave before. Doesn't need to ask how he survived all those years with them. She already knows, probably better than most people could.]

I mean, if he tried, we'd kick his ass.

[ Almost flippant but there's something a little more there, like the idea that she would be the first one to line up and do so and the smallest of half smiles touches her lips, a silent acknowledgment of the fact that she's probably let on that much. ]

Can I ask a question?

[ Almost cautious and not about to push ahead with it. Asking if she could is her way of warning him that he might not like where the question could lead but she can't hear all of that and not think about the sadness she'd seen in his eyes the night before. ]

[ he's not 100% sure he's okay with where this might go, but the way she reacts to his casual story of childhood abuse gets him to trust her enough to at least say: ] You can ask.

[ She allows her gaze to fall away, not because she can't look at him, but because she doesn't want to force him to look at her. Kenzi shifting their hands between them as her gaze darts from his face to the hollow of his throat. ]

Is that... why you're sad? [ Grimacing because she understands that she's calling him out, but she wants to understand him. ] Because... you finally managed to get away and now, you're stuck again?

[ wow ruDE

he thinks he's prepared for whatever she could say or ask, but nope, she still manages to basically smack him across the face with feelings. he looks almost struck for a second, his hand slackening in hers for a moment, before he slowly draws one hand away to run it through the back of his hair, trying to gather himself ]

Uh... Not entirely, no.

[ he inhales a breath that's a little shaky, brows furrowing as he looks down at his other hand in hers ] It's... my mom.

[ It's that look that makes her sway forward, Kenzi immediately wanting to shove the question back down. Wanting to offer him a distraction so he doesn't have to fall into whatever hole that has opened up beneath him, threatening to swallow him completely.

She's opened this door, however, for better or for worse and while she can't take back those words? She can try to be here.

He pulls his hand free and she doesn't try to stop him, hers coming to rest against his chest and rather than pierce him with her gaze, she simply allows it to wander over his features, the hand that still holds his gripping it tighter as if to offer him some measure of support, even if it's not enough. ]

Did... you want to tell me about her? [ Allowing it to be his choice. Always his choice. ]

[ now you're gone - allman brown

it takes a moment, his eyes remaining dropped as if he can't bear to look at her while he talks about this, or even while he decides if he wants to.

after a pause that's long enough to make her not sure which way it's going to go, he says: ] It was just us when I was a kid. Me and mom. I didn't really think that would ever change.

[ that furrowed brow seems to deepen, as though the line between them might never smooth out again ] I was eight when she got brain cancer. There was nothing anyone could do. And I was just a kid, who was losing his mom.

[ the words seem to start tumbling out in a torrent, as if he's been waiting for an excuse to unburden them ] I couldn't fight it, couldn't stop it. She was the strongest person I knew and it wasn't enough.

The last day, right before she died, she asked me to take her hand and I couldn't do it. I ran away. I ran away when she was dying. [ it's impossible to miss the weight of those words and the way they seem to come from some deep, dark place within his breast. whatever reasons he had had for denying her then, it has clearly haunted him in a visceral and obsessive way for all of these years and shaped a great deal of who he's become or wants to become.

he looks up at her then, and there's something in his eyes that makes her think she's literally looking at the same broken child he must have been then. the admission that falls from his lips seems to rise up unbidden, as if he feels compelled to give voice to it ]

Sometimes I'm still sure that's why I got taken the way I did. That that's what I deserved.

[ he at least doesn't let that moment linger on long, because there's further sadness to discuss with it to actually answer her question and his eyes tear off from hers again, which after what she just saw there, might feel like an honest to god relief ] Being trapped here? Is a reminder every single day of losing her like that. [ and obviously also of that final failure he's held onto so tightly ]

[ She doesn't interject, doesn't try to make him look at her but instead remains perfectly still. Her hand holding his as the other begins to slowly rub his chest, as if there were some slim possibility that perhaps it might soothe the ache that resides beneath. Something close to regret coils in her stomach, but it's not because she doesn't want to know. It's that she hates the fact that she's making him relive what is so clearly, the cause of so much pain. She can't entirely regret asking, however, because suddenly she understands him in a way she hadn't thought possible. (Wis Nat 20)

It's a lot to unpack, to process and she doesn't know that anything she says can help, not with something like this and she can't begin to comprehend a loss like this, a hurt of this magnitude because she can't honestly say that if her own mother were to die, that she would have any grief for the mother that she was, only for the one Kenzi wished she could have been.

She lifts his hands to her face, her lips pressing between each of his knuckles. Tender kisses as her lashes lower to caress the tops of her cheeks and her other shifts, now pressing to the center of his chest as she continues to try and rub the pain away. ]

You were a little boy. [ Now is the first time she looks at him, truly looks at him again. Her ice blue eyes filled with emotion as she pins him with her gaze. ] You were a little boy who loved his Mom and wasn't ready to let her go. You didn't run away you... You just weren't ready.

[ Because she understands now why the suggestion that he would run away the moment he got his ship back, had wounded him so deeply. It wasn't about the idea that he wasn't the kind of man who would stand up and fight when people needed it. It was about the little boy who couldn't take his mother's hand in those final moments.

She lowers her head towards his, forehead to forehead now as she drops her voice to a low whisper. Kenzi's eyes closing as she squeezes his hand, her other traveling up his chest until she's cupping his face. ]

You were just a little boy.

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