i am a master hunter | OPEN

[gamora]

Date & Time: October 7th, evening.
Location: The VR rooms.
Characters: Gamora & YOU
Summary: Wanting to punch some monsters, Gamora travels to the 90s. This time without broken spines.
Warnings: Standard comic book violence, will edit as needed.


( The scene that Gamora programs into the VR is surprisingly mundane at first glance - a jungle island complete with muggy heat and the sound of the ocean in the distance. Gamora herself looks different - dressed in a fishnet one piece with a V cut into the front down past her navel, black fur cape, and a surprising amount of gold jewelry. It's familiar to her, at least, drawn on what she remembers from her longest stay on Earth previous to her arrival in Exsilium. A castle - thin and almost pathetic looking rather than imposing - rises out of the jungle in the distance and completes the setting.

But Gamora isn't there to dwell on past memories, she's there to keep herself entertained. And what better way to do that than adjust the programming so her physical strength increased to the level it was on Godthrab and let herself loose on Monster Island?

Which is why she's grinning when the first giant creature crashes through the underbrush and she dodges a swipe of a gigantic clawed hand. Low key, good old fashioned physical combat - there really was nothing better. )

Comments

[getoffmyearth]

[ God, but he misses Mantis. Not for her unsettling and often deeply unhelpful premonitions and insinuations, or for the fact that sometimes she seemed to be one of the only Guardians still happy to see him no matter what happened., though both of these were endearing in their ways. But because without her, he has to go searching for the people he wants to find the hard way- namely, by walking around looking for them hoping to get lucky.

It takes him a long time to figure out whether or not this counts as his lucky break, though, what with the giant ass jungle and the oppressive heat and also the, oh, HUGE MONSTERS running around.

But of course, for Gamora, this is probably like a beach vacation.]

I probably do not want to hear the explanation for this...

[gamora]

( She doesn't answer right away, far too focused on the problem at hand - keeping out of range of the monster. Gamora knows that there's bound to be a fail-safe in the programming that prevents her from actually being harmed, which is a shame. She could use a bit of actual danger beyond her sparring matches with Clovis. )

It's called Monster Island. What did you expect, some sort of fuzzy mammal?

( There's the moloids, but they're not interesting enough for Gamora to want to include them in the simulation.

Gamora launches herself into an impressive backflip - landing a few feet in front of Quill, although she still has her back to him. Knees bent, it's only until the monster is withing striking distance that Gamora lands a solid punch on the snout of the thing, making it fly back a more than impressive amount.

Excellent. )

[getoffmyearth]

Yes? No? I don't know what I expected. Why the hell would anyone ever want to go someplace called Monster Island...?

[But of course, it's Gamora. The answer is kind of self-evident. If she was going to go anywhere on Earth, why wouldn't she go someplace called Monster Island? What would she do without a large conveniently supply of things to hit with a sword? Or really just hit in general.]

Is this what you plan on doing for fun around here?

[gamora]

No one did, that was kind of the point. Where else are you going to keep the infinity gems?

( Some stupid island where no one would come looking for them. It worked rather well, at least at first. But then everyone knew they had them, and things went from 'uneventful' to 'rapidly spiraling out of control and everyone makes stupid life choices'.

So nothing changed that much from then to now. )

Have a better idea?

( They're stuck on the moon, the missions are all to gather supplies and not fight anyone or anything. And Gamora's just fine without running to sign up to make a toilet paper run, thanks. )

[getoffmyearth]

[He's just going to plop down on the grass and watch her fight monsters, then. She can have all of them. He feels no need to take on any of them today, his life is hard enough without shooting a virtual monster in the face.]

I wish I did, Gamora, you'd be the first to hear about it. Well, you and Adam.

[though maybe he would tell her before, just to see if he would have an ally or not when he took it to Adam, if the idea was going to be particularly Adam-disapproved.]

I wish I had any ideas, period.

CLONES CLONES ERRWHERE

[variates]

[ they've really got to start putting up a schedule on these VR rooms so sarah doesn't end up finding herself wandering into already running simulations at inopportune moments. if she was really honest to herself, she'd realize the dependency that was starting to develop to the programming, but it also offered the kind of comfort she needed these days, knowing that with the press of a button she could pretend that none of this had happened and she could finally, finally go back to that happier life with kira.

it doesn't look like she'll get the chance to do any of that today, not when whoever's running the thing has got some kind of crazy jungle set up. even walking in felt uncomfortable, right down to the sweltering heat, and sarah's about ready to turn on her heel and leave when she hears the heavy foot steps approaching. ]

Shit.

[ and virtual reality or not, seeing a giant monster less than a few feet away is definitely cause for ducking and running towards the first cleared area that she can find.

what kind of strange person would create such a thing? ]

SO MANY CLONES

[gamora]

( Gamora catches a glimpse of someone else out of the corner of her eye - not someone she recognizes instantly and therefore doesn't feel the need to say anything. Not that she would anyway. But the program recognizes someone else, and as the fleeing individual is an easier target, sends the monster after Sarah and towards the beach.

Luckily for everyone involved the augmenting to her strength means Gamora can leap highr than normal, and it's a few well timed gymnastic displays before she lands on the head of the creature and finally getting a good look at the other. )

Decided blonde wasn't for you?

MORE CLONES THAN YOUR BODY HAS ROOM FOR

[variates]

[ so maybe running towards what essentially ends up being an open beach with little to no hiding options is a mistake, but she didn't design the layout of the place and it only adds to her frustration. she's trying to determine whether to go left or right when a woman - or at least it looks like one, albeit green - appears to jump onto the monster's head.

her initial startled look is soon replaced by a quickly rising anger. ]

Is this some kind of a joke?

[gamora]

And you ditched the accent for a new one.

( Not addressing the joke thing - mostly because Gamora doesn't care. Instead she opts for punching the head of the thing, knocking it unconscious.

Which means the remaining momentum continues to send it in Sarah's general direction. whoops, Gamora's bad. )

[duty]

[for as in the dark ages as she is about electricity and technology, Elika isn't stupid. she doesn't call the VR Room "magic", it's clearly scientific technology. ...albeit science far beyond her understanding, and it's still a dizzying thought at what this place is capable of doing and replicating. she can't even imagine how it's possible.

even if there weren't few places to go in this...Base, she would probably wander back here often anyway. her curiosity gets the better of her. she doesn't ask any of the rooms to make anything for her just yet, she just enjoys cycling through some of the presets and looking for a while before changing it.

she pokes her head into one, looking for something unoccupied, but the decor in this VR makes her stop.

she's never seen a jungle. read about them, heard about them, but never seen one. it's dense and humid (and the thought occurs to her that these things can replicate temperature and weather and that's mildly terrifying) and she squats down, about to gleefully examine a beautiful clump of flowers when something goes whizzing over her head.

some. thing had just jumped over her, heading for the woman in the. outfit. (what on earth is she wearing?) the woman is grinning, so she's probably not in danger.

Elika's going to watch for a while. less creepy, more curious. this woman is strong. Elika admires that.]

[gamora]

( Gamora tenses - doesn't even notice the other woman for the moment - before almost throwing herself to the ground. Or at least it looks like that, for then gamora uses her hands to ground her while kicking the underside of the beast's head twice in quick succession. it sufficiently knocks the creature unconscious.

It's then that Gamora catches sight of Elika, and her blank eyes narrow slightly. Someone she hasn't met, although it's not as if Gamora has attempted to be sociable once in her entire stay. )

What?

[duty]

[--well okay so maybe not saying something wasn't a good idea, but it wasn't like there was a good moment until now. Elika smiles and shrugs.]

Just admiring a good warrior. Sorry if that puts you off.

[Elika glances at the ground, hesitating, before:] Where did you learn to fight like that? Women don't usually get taught such things, where I'm from.

[gamora]

( It doesn't - mostly because Gamora enjoys having her skills recognized for what they are. )

I was raised to fight. ( A vast oversimplification of what Thanos wanted from her, but Gamora doesn't feel the need to go into the details. ) Gender never came into it.

( She was convenient, in the right place at the right time to be the beneficiary of Thanos' mercy. It could have been anyone, so long as they met his specifications.

It just happened to be her. )

[pixieboots]

[ It's definitely an accident that brought him in here to this room. He knows that pretty much as soon as he sees the woman and whatever... whatever that is that she's created for the sim. Now's the time to apologize and hot foot it out of here, before he really gets in the way of someone who'd almost definitely come here for some time to themselves. But once he's started looking at where he is now he can't quite make himself move again. The castle, the jungle, even her fighting the monsters. It's all breathtaking. ]

Wow...

[gamora]

( Gamora only looks at him once she's dropped the last monster she'd programmed for the first run - she recognizes him first as Jason who she absolutely doesn't want to think about and then as the one she'd met on the dead world. The kid who wouldn't kill.

Ha. )

What?

( Unimpressed, with one hand on her hip. She falls into the gesture out of habit - not a new one, but the ones she had when she wore this costume, here. Before. )

[pixieboots]

Nothing, just-

[ He doesn't have any an excuse ready, not for staring or for being here in the first place. ]

What kind of place is this?

[gamora]

It's your planet.

( Perhaps not his, but it's Earth all the same. And Gamora specializes in unhelpful. )

[boughtabookstore]

[ In retrospect, it was possibly not the smartest idea to go into a VR situation that Gamora had programmed without knowing ahead of time precisely what was in it, but Roslyn's somewhat tired and besides - she could use hitting things.

This is a rather big thing, and she merges into the VR scene just in time to roll back herself and start thinking herself up some kind of weapon. ]

Do you mind if I join in?

[gamora]

Be my guest.

( For someone who staunchly purports that she doesn't like people, Small comes close to the members of the Guardians if only for her ability not to ask too many questions and have the good sense to know what to talk about and what is off limits. Too few people Gamora's had the displeasure of interacting with could say the same.)

[boughtabookstore]

[ Roslyn's not entirely sure Gamora and she are friends in a classic estimation of the word. Or at least, she'd count Gamora among her friends but she's not sure Gamora counts people as friends.

But however it works exactly, she quite respects and likes Gamora, and a fight alongside her seems like something she'd enjoy. Ros is totally outmatched, but she's okay with that, and there's a wild sharp edge to her smile. ]

Thanks. [ She'll just have to move very, very fast. ]

[gamora]

( Gamora's own smile widens slightly in return - a flash before it's replaced by a look of total concentration. The air flickers around her hands, hardening into a halberd with an overly large head. The weight is familiar and she finds herself begrudgingly impressed with the VR's ability to bring in everything she associates with her time here.

Gamora doesn't move for a long second, tensing, before she strikes out - leaping into the air and bringing down the axe down upon the nearest monster. Messy? Absolutely. But Gamora doesn't particularly care, less so when it's simulated. )

[awarlock]

[He knows where and what this place is the moment he stepped in. VR or not, it's familiar. She has it down pretty close. "There's an old red cape laying against a log" close. On closer look, it's his - his old one cape, before this new cape-less incarnation. Nostalgia doesn't hit him often but when it does, it happens when he picks it up and feels the coarse material between his fingers. He almost smiles.

It's tucked on his arm when he flies out to find her, which isn't hard at all considering what she decided to preoccupy her time with. Fighting one of this island's namesakes, of course. He doesn't wait for her to finish to make his presence known; she's perfectly capable of multi-tasking or she wouldn't be who she is. He's standing a bit off from the fighting when he speaks out.]

They were never that hostile.

[gamora]

( Gamora doesn't indulge in nostalgia, knows if she does she'll just go back to wishing for things she can't have. But that doesn't help the momentary flash of remember this and everything associated with that time in their lives comes rushing back. It wasn't the best time, it wasn't the happiest time, but it was still something.

The feeling's not necessarily and unpleasant one, but it sours her expression for a moment or two before it passes.

She doesn't pause in her fighting, flipping out of the way of a particularly vicious attempt to swallow her whole. )

I like a challenge.

[awarlock]

[He just miss his cape. And looking back, splitting himself in parts to become a being of pure logic -- that was a bad idea but a good one in the moment. He can appreciate the follies of the past without being too consume with guilt, though it comes anyway. He steps out of the way from becoming the monster's footing. Despite the close call, he doesn't interrupt, only watching with vague interest. His fingers still feeling the material of that old cape.]

This is too familiar to you, isn't it? A challenge would be something unpredictable, or unknown.

[But what does he know about physical challenges.]

[gamora]

( Nothing, and Gamora might have spared the effort to roll her eyes at him if it would have actually been visible with her eyes. )

Drax had all the fun. I was too busy trying to stop everyone from making stupid decisions.

( He's included in that, although she didn't do a very good job of it - stupid decisions were definitely made. Gamora gives the jaw of one of the monsters a good kick, grinning at the simulated sounds of shattering bone. The programmed increase in strength was a good idea. )