Shenanigans!

[phaselocknroll]

Comments

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter's not accustomed to formal parties per se, but he's been to more than a few. Sometimes on the arm of someone who's hired him for protection (and he has such a pretty face, after all) or by crashing them just for fun.

This time around, the team's been hired to break into the vault, tucked beneath the mansion of a wealthy Krylorian -- and Peter thinks he ought to feel guilty about it, except that it's a well-known fact that this particular man made his fortune on slave trading and frequently pays off the authorities to turn a blind eye to his activities. That, and Peter ran into him once at one of the parties he was hired to attend, and he had watched as the man slapped the hell out of a servant who happened to drop a glass. It pissed Peter off at the time, but he was forced to keep his mouth shut and his fists to himself by his employer.

So he stole the Krylorian's wallet out of spite.

In any case, the Krylorian's party is the event of the season, and Peter is on infiltration duty, being the social chameleon of the group. And to avoid drawing attention, the team had decided to send only one other member into the fray. With Groot being a giant tree, Rocket being a raccoon, Drax being a literal maniac, and Gamora sticking out like a sore thumb (being possibly the last of her race), that left Maya as the only other feasible choice.

At the moment, the two of them are waiting to be allowed in; there's a thorough security check ahead of them, and knowing this ahead of time, the two of them were forced to come unarmed. Peter feels thoroughly naked without his quad blasters, and equally ridiculous in his suit, but it doesn't show.

In fact, a brief glance would show him to be the perfect image of an affluent, upstanding gentleman.

Listening to what he's whispering to Maya, however, is a totally different matter. ]

Ten credits says the fat guy in front of us has five guys on the side.

[phaselocknroll]

[ Maya has never had to dress formally for anything in her entire life. She'd sequestered herself away in her room days prior just so she could practice walking in heels without falling over.

Her dress is no less revealing than her combat suit, save for the fact that the sleeve is now on her left arm to cover her Siren tattoos, but she still feels naked. Maybe it's the lack of weaponry. It's only thanks to her training and mediation that she doesn't look as nervous as she feels.

She arches an eyebrow at Peter, though it's hidden behind her bangs. If nothing else, she has to admit, he cleans up nicely. ]

That's not a very gentlemanly thing to say.

[nostalgiabomb]

Ah, well, you might be right. [ When he speaks this time, there's a definite change there. A little more precision in his enunciation, just the slightest bit of drawling, but nothing over the top -- as it turns out, someone's passing behind him a bit too closely for him to say anything too lewd.

Once that person is gone, though, his voice goes back to normal. ]

You look amazing, by the way.

[phaselocknroll]

I'm always right.

[ she flashes him a small smile as she gives him an appreciative once-over ] So do you.

[nostalgiabomb]

What, in this old thing? [ He waves a hand dismissively. ] I just had it lying around.

[ Nevertheless, he smiles at the compliment and offers her his arm. They're getting pretty close to the security check -- two imaging technology machines, and two burly-looking Xandarians with manual scanners. He whispers, ] Now's the time to tell me if you tried to smuggle in a knife, 'cause that's not gonna go over too well here.

[phaselocknroll]

[ She takes that arm- in three inch heels they're about the same height ]

It was really tempting to bring my digistruct device- you have no idea- but unless that thing picks up my Siren abilities, I'm good.

[nostalgiabomb]

Nah, we should be fine. They're mostly looking for physical weapons. Guess someone tried to smuggle a bomb into the place once -- that's what prompted all the security.

[ There are only a couple of guests ahead of them, now, and Peter is really aching for a weapon. He's even had to leave behind his trusty mask, and he rubs the empty spot behind his ear where the trigger would be, managing to pass it off as an itch. ]

God, this feels weird.

[phaselocknroll]

Leave it to someone else to ruin it for us.

[ She gives his arm a little squeeze in an attempt to be reassuring. ] We'll be fine.

[nostalgiabomb]

Easy for you to say. You're a certified badass. All I've got right now are my roguish good looks and razor-sharp wit.

[ Despite it all, his smile is easy, confident as he hands over their invitations (purchased for them by their employer). He submits to the manual scan and enters the imaging machine. Nothing suspicious here, no siree. ]

[phaselocknroll]

[ she follows suit, and it's probably a good thing she's so zen all the time, because she's nervous as hell but it doesn't show.

Right. They can do this, it's fine. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He's waiting for her a little past the checkpoint, and he offers his arm again. He's still wearing that same smile -- confident, but just shy of cocky -- but he's whispering to her to avoid affecting his rich-boy-voice. ]

And I thought you said you weren't a good actor?

[phaselocknroll]

[ she laughs under her breath and whispers back ] I'm not. I'm just good at meditating.

[nostalgiabomb]

Fair enough. [ He nudges her playfully with his shoulder. ] You're doing beautifully, I might add. And have I already mentioned that you look seriously gorgeous? If we weren't on the clock, I'd take you into one of those hallways, shove you against a wall, and--

[ But then another couple of guests have just finished with the security check and are sweeping past to the main room, so Peter's voice changes, ] --look at this artwork. Awful. I would have expected so much more from our host.

[phaselocknroll]

[ she will never understand how he can go from talking about shoving her against a wall to falling into his rich boy act in the space of about a second, but he did once remarknon her ability to go from sweet to terrfying once. Maybe it's not so different.

She takes him by the arm again, doing her best to match his haughty tone. ]

If you're going to criticize the decor, can you at least do it from inside? I didn't come all this way to loiter at the door.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ That gets an encouraging smile from him. ] Absolutely, sweetheart.

[ As he leads them into the the ballroom (and earlier, when they had been poring over the mansion's blueprints, Peter had rolled his eyes at that -- who seriously needs a ballroom?), the party is already in full swing, it seems. Aliens of various types -- some looking entirely human, others looking as alien as a human might expect -- mill around and network. Peter could almost gag.

There's music playing softly from hidden speakers, though Peter can only hear snippets of it over the murmur of quiet conversation, and the center of the room holds what passes as the dance floor. Along the walls are tables with the victuals one might expect at a party, labeled appropriately as to avoid inadvertently poisoning certain species in attendance. The room itself is far from tastefully decorated. The floor is some sort of marble, deep blue, and the white walls are inlaid with swirling designs of some substance that looks silver and horribly expensive. Every gaudy ornament and piece of artwork screams wealth, and Peter can feel his fingers twitch at the opportunity to pilfer even one of those smaller statues.

He returns the nod of a man who passes by before he turns to Maya. ]

As I said. Awful.

[phaselocknroll]

[ The phrase no shit is on the tip of her tongue, but she bites it back. She thought she had seen indulgent- Opportunity, Handsome Jack's shining city and monument to himself, had been indulgent as fuck, but this outdid even that.

She would not even fault Peter for wanting to steal some this guy's stuff. He probably wouldn't even miss it. ]

I suppose you can't buy good taste. [ or subtlety ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ When he's sure no one's listening in--] Who needs taste when you can just have a shitton of stuff?

You're good, right? You remember our cover stories?

[phaselocknroll]

I should hope I do. I helped come up with them.

Why, do you need a refresher?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He just smiles at her at first -- god dammit, why do people keep passing by? -- and then gives her another playful nudge. ]

Indulge me, would you?

[phaselocknroll]

[ She gives a little roll of her eyes, and manages to sound like a child made to recite something for school when she says: ]

I'm Leia, and you are my associate, Han. [ Peter's idea (but at least now she gets the reference, and even kind of appreciates it a little) ] We're representatives of the Hyperion Corporation. [ Maya's idea, because once again, indulgent. That and after some checking, a lot of people knew the name Handsome Jack, but no one beyond the people of Pandora knew his ultimate fate. ] If anyone asks, we're here to do business, as multiple Vaults have been discovered outside of Pandora. Weapons, technology, whatever he needs in exchange for manpower. Those Vaults just don't uncover themselves.

Good?

[nostalgiabomb]

Excellent. [ A beat, then, ] Also, it is such a turn-on to see you role-playing.

[phaselocknroll]

[ She shoots him a brief Look, then turns up her nose and in her best spoiled Corporation girl voice goes, ] You, sir, are incorrigible.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He repeats insistently, ] Such a turn-on.

[phaselocknroll]

[ DON'T BE DISTRACTING PETER. ] We've got things to do here, remember? Or do I need to toss you in the fountain to cool you off?

[nostalgiabomb]

Sorry, sorry. Work mode now.

[ He glances around the room, and it's a little difficult to get a lay of the land from this vantage point. ]

Dance floor has the best view. [ It looks like the dance they're doing right now is a relatively simple one, and Peter thinks he could easily lead Maya through it. So he grins at her. ] Shall we?