#a whole lotta otter

[darknoverse]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY I LOVE LARRY SO MUCH he's so underrated istg but like at this point it's like, my thing to get very attracted to obscure characters lmao

also might just call my Sona Mocha , cuz it fits lol

Mocha the otter yea i'm still trying to find a story and all for her right now tho and i'd appreciate suggestions :3

on another note, MURAN MY BELOVED LIL GOOBY MY SON MY PATHETIC MEOW MEOW SON WITH LOTTA ISSUES

i love him and all of his eclipse connection and all he's so complex i wanna make a whole post about him eventually

Tag list:

@candyheartedchy @berryshipbasket @sportakisser

@tireddovahkiin @radaverse

@lficanthaveloveiwantpower @artcomestolife @bloodhoundini

@ree3942 @sunflawyer

[kitnita]

do you remember where you got robo sitting by otter to watch him be bad at cards? because that's hysterical and i would love to watch/read wherever it came from

yes!! he went on the 32 thoughts podcast in october 2022 after he & otter signed their new contracts and it came up in the very last segment. i transcribed that whole interview, so while i linked the podcast at the timestamp where that topic starts coming up i can also just drop what he said here!

‘ maybe some people aren’t built for fantasy football and that’s okay, you know — you can be a good golfer, be one of the best goalies in the nhl, but when it comes to fantasy football and managing a team, it’s just not his thing. and, uh, i sit behind him in the card table, in the card table on the plane, so i get a good view of it. i could tell you he plays very inconsistent. he’s not that consistent when it comes to his play. um, yeah, you know, sometimes i’ll try and help him on the plane, give him some pointers, but, uh, i’m really just watching out of pure entertainment to see what he does [laughs]. ’ " do you think any dallas stars players are taking oettinger’s money ‘cause they see the look on your face and they say, he’s got a terrible hand and robertson can’t believe it. " ‘ no, i mean, i respect the game too much, to do that. i couldn’t do that. and you, know, sometimes if they did look at me, throw a curveball … but i don’t think they really look at me, ‘cause, they know, uh, who knows. jake’s inconsistent, will he listen to me or not? so, but, i wouldn’t say he’s bad. just inconsistent. so, but i mean. ’ " i like how you tried to give him a soft landing. i really, really admire that. " ‘ no, no, i’m serious! he’s a good player, sometimes — you don’t know what he’s doing. but, uh, i’ll tell you what, it’s a long hockey season, lotta hours on the plane – dallas especially, it’s kinda far from some places – but, uh, you know, we’ll see what happens. we’ll see if he improves. ’

all bolding taken from when i inserted these quotes into the robotter primer, which is just where i copied & pasted this from because like 9.9 times out of 10 when i'm trying to find a source on robo and/or otter lore i have in my head, i have the source in the primer.

ANYWAY truly truly one of the peeks into their dynamic of all time ................... they love making fun of each other :) just as often as they hype each other up :) so much so that otter was singled out as one of the guys robo is a little shit to The Most when heika & razor talked about robo's unfortunately impeccable media training on the podcast last year

[cutestkilla]

Me, posting on a WIPsday twice in one week? Madness. Thank you for the tags today @artsyunderstudy @prettygoododds @shrekgogurt @martsonmars @wellbelesbian @j-nipper-95 @forabeatofadrum @nightimedreamersworld and @larkral.

I'm sitting on a whole lotta words for Chapter 3 of Hiding Out In The Open, but I'm not quite at the finish line. But you know, that means I have stuff to share, so that's good I guess. Anyway, some Simon POV. Where are they and what's happening? The spell might give you a hint… But yeah, no context:

I spin around, fist clenched and drawn back to strike, and— It’s Baz. “Enough, Snow.” He raises a judgmental eyebrow. (Because he’s never lured me into an ambush before.) “I’m not the Woodwose.” Could’ve fooled me, what with how he’s standing in the middle of a bush. Though I’m sure a wild man of this sorry excuse for a wood wouldn’t be caught dead in Baz’s stupidly snug designer jeans. He’s ridiculous. The only thing about him that looks like it belongs here is his shirt. (When did he start wearing all these flowers?) I lower my arm. “Then what the hell are you lurking in the bleeding undergrowth for?” He frowns. “I wasn’t lurking in the undergrowth. I was waiting in there”—he gestures behind him —“for that jogger to pass so I could bring you in.” I cock my head to the side, because where is there supposed to be? All I see is more overgrown shrubbery. He follows my gaze back over his shoulder and curses to himself. Then he turns, slides his wand out of his sleeve and casts a spell I’ve never heard before. “You ought to show me the door today!”

Tags and hiyas down below in the nether regions of this post.

@ivelovedhimthroughworse @iamamythologicalcreature @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch @whatevertheweather @hushed-chorus @fatalfangirl @creepyspice @captain-aralias @thewholelemon @raenestee @facewithoutheart @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @onepintobean @ileadacharmedlife @aristocratic-otter @rimeswithpurple @valeffelees @technetiumai @alexalexinii @blackberrysummerblog @orange-peony @alleycat0306 @youarenevertooold @shemakesmeforget @angelsfalling16 @cosmicalart @brilla-brilla-estrellita @confused-bi-queer @letraspal @stitchyqueer @theearlgreymage

<3

[double-t-mattboldy12]

The Stars owe Hintz and Otter a whole lotta pizza since they’re the only reason they’ve made it this far… Benn should pay and Suter’s not invited

[alphynix]

Island Weirdness #55 — Megalenhydris barbaricina

Along with its miniature mammoths, the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (and neighboring Corsica) had an unusually large amount of endemic mustelids during the Pleistocene and early Holocene. There were at least four different otters — probably all descended from a single species of Lutra — that occupyied various ecological niches in both the rivers and the coasts, and also an enigmatic grison-like terrestrial species.

Megalenhydris barbaricina was the largest of the Sardinian-Corsican otters, reaching lengths of over 2m (6'6"), slightly bigger than the modern South American giant river otter. Its crushing teeth indicate it specialized in crunching through hard-shelled invertebrates like molluscs and crustaceans, and its highly flexible backbone and flattened tail suggest it was a strong swimmer that may have been even more aquatic than most other otters.

It was possibly an equivalent of the modern sea otter, spending most of its time in the water, although it's not clear whether it was a river or marine species.

Dating on the one known partial skeleton of Megalenhydris is uncertain, but it may be late Pleistocene to early Holocene in age, between about about 70,000 and 10,000 years old. Unfortunately this puts it within the same age range as the arrival of humans on Sardinia and Corsica, and its extinction may have been a direct result of being hunted for its meat and pelt.

[thisisthepartwhereyou]

“Whole Lotta Otter Love” 2017. So things seemed all the more challenging when I drew this... Not just because the Ottertons were a little harder to translate to the 30's style, but also because it was difficult finding an appropriate story for the two. Anyway, I am pretty happy with the result, and as a bonus, I now know that otters look very good with hats.

[rentonotnerd]

Looool, I don't get why people are so obsessed with interrogating you on why you like Top!Anakin. Like, why do they keep expecting you to whip out a scientific study with a ten page thesis? It's fucking stupid, it's like asking someone why they prefer chocolate to vanilla. Anyway, your Otter-Wan is so dang cute! Disapproving High Councilor Obi, goofy upside down Obi, stretching big butt Obi! Love your attention to detail too, can def tell he's a sea otter (vs river) with his tiny ears and tail:)

haha well i’m not interested in writing any thesis that won’t get me a diploma🤣

i must admit that i binged a whole lotta see otter videos and had to correct some details every time i drew them, for example, the SIZE. these cuties are so much bigger than i firstly imagined

[thatoneuserwho]

Ok I’ve had these for like a month now and I think it’s time to dump a whole lotta doodles since I am thinking of outlining a fanfic

(Quick note: I didn’t know what Fizzy’s pronouns were so I just made a buff female Fizzy and thought she looks great. Also I thought Beaver was an Otter)

@watermelon--mineblr You’ve gotten me hooked

[talk-to-the-mercs]

Whats your favorite animals? Mine are monkeys! They're kinda like babies!

Engineer: Can ya get Spy’s cell?

Miss Pauling: I tried, but it always goes to voicemail!

Engineer: He probably just needs some time. Let’s answer this question, then maybe we can knock on his door again.

Miss Pauling: [takes a deep breath] Okay. You’re right. I just...never mind. I’ll go first. My favorite animal is an otter. I used to go to the zoo when I was a little girl, and I just wanted spend the whole day looking at the otters. I drew them in my notebook, read every otter book at the library - I don’t do that any more, but I still like them.

Scout: Tigers are the best. I mean, c’mon, look at ‘em! The stripes, the muscles, the teeth! Ya can’t get any cooler than a tiger.

Sniper: ‘awks. I used to see a lot of ‘em back ‘ome. They’ve got these huge wings, and this sharp beak - could tear somethin’ apart, that. Saw a lotta lizards go that way. They swoop down like a fighter jet, then wham-O!

Engineer: I like cows. I know that seems kinda on the nose, considerin’ where I’m from, but have you ever seen a calf? Lil��� spindly legs, big ol’ eyes, pink nose...they’ll even fall asleep on ya like a puppy. Long eyelashes, too. I think that’s what gets me. Those big ol’ eyes and those big ol’ eyelashes.

Heavy: Heavy like dog. Big one. With barrel around neck. Erm...big fur...drools...

Engineer: I think you might be talkin’ about a mastiff, pardner.

Heavy: Mhm. Ma-stiff.

Medic: I love my doves, of course, but crows are my bird of choice. Zhey are omens of death, signs of destruction, and great examples of intelligence. Crows and ravens are literally in zheir own intellectual group, because zhey are too smart to classify as a regular bird!

Demo: I used ta go to a pub that had this tabby...she was a beauty! Green eyes, stripes down tha’ back. I love me a good cat.

Soldier: EAGLES! They are freedom! They are the bedrock of our nation! No other pansy animal could get an eagle out of the sky!

Miss Pauling: Okay...Pyro is resting, but I can go ahead and tell you that he loves dragons and ants. He’s kind of coming down from his unicorn phase, but I’m sure he hasn’t lost interest completely-

[Alarm starts to blare]

Director: Intruder alert! A B.L.U Spy is in the base!

Miss Pauling: Oh god - sorry, we’ve got to go! Thank you for your question!

Engineer: Yeah, thank ya!

[END OF TRANSMISSION]

[quilloftheclouds]

Quill’s STS Catchup

I’m playing catchup with STS asks! Some of these are... from well over a year ago. Oops. ^^’

Thank you folks for all sending such marvelous asks, and I’m sorry it took me so long to get to answering them!!

@ettawritesnstudies asked:

Hello there! For STS: what is your favorite type of sea creature that you wanted to put in OSS but weren't able to? If this doesn't apply, what are your top 5 favorite sea creatures that did make it into OSS?

I have an absolute ton of cephalopods that I wanted to put in but wasn’t able to! Like the mimic octopus, or dumbo octopus, or cuttlefish? I love them all so much but I just couldn’t find a place for them. ALSO SEA OTTERS. I really wanted sea otters. :c That said, a few of my favourite sea creatures I was able to base sirens off of! Like the firefly squid, a speckled flying fish, a leafy sea dragon, several betta fish, and a sailfish!

@musicofglassandwords asked:

storyteller saturday!! who's your most secretive OC and why is this? Do you have any OP characters and if you do, how are they OP? Favorite snack/dessert of your favorite OC?

I think Dione fits both the first and second question! She definitely keeps a whole lotta secrets, and mostly because one: she’s scared of what will happen if the truth gets out, and two: she’s protecting others from the truth! The reason she’s OP? She’s just. A heckin’ powerful three centuries old sea witch.

And Xuân’s favourite snack is munching on dried nori! I personally love this salty snack so much and if I can get my hands on it, it’ll disappear in less than a minute.

@ccwritesstuff asked:

happy STS! If your characters had to choose, what would be their favorite games to play, be it board, card or video games! ive been playing a lot of three houses recently so... yah. kinda inspired or stm like that

I don’t really know many board games that existed during the time of OSS! I’ll tell you that Emery, from my new wip CIRCUIT, absolutely loves UNO. He wins every time.

@maxgraybooks asked:

Happy sts! Who are your most eccentric characters?

Oh my good stars. Pretty much EVERY one of my characters is super eccentric! That’s just the way I am. XD I think Captain Xuân would be my most eccentric, though? Based on the way they act, plus the way they dress... they love to act especially weird, since they love being the center of attention!

@geth-consensus asked:

Storyteller Saturday! What's the most ridiculous scene you've ever written? As in what's actually occurring in the scene itself.

Probably when my two characters who are over three centuries old stick their tongues out at each other.

@livvywrites asked:

STS!! Do you have strong associations with any of your characters? If so, what are they? | What are your mains favorite weather conditions? | What originally inspired you to write One Siren’s Soul?? | Do you have any other large projects planned for the future??

Ohh!! I have a bunch of strong associations but a lot of them are spoilers, because I LOVE foreshadowing through symbolism! Let’s just say... storms play an important role for Celestine~

Favourite weather conditions! Celestine: Dry as a desert - Dione: Gentle snow - Caelin: Light rain that he can run around in - Phoenix: Clear night, somewhat cool, perfect for a bonfire

And original inspiration? I mean... I was obsessed with pirate and adventure stories for a while there... PoTC, Our Bloody Pearl, Treasure Planet? Plus then there was all the ocean stuff I was doing in biology at the time. ^^

And I have CIRCUIT and The Mirror’s Rifts that I’m also working on!

@ditzysworld asked:

Storyteller saturdayyy!!!! what colours do you associate with your main OCs and why?-ditzysworld

OH STARS. I love colours so much!!! I won’t explain why because that tends to be spoilerish, or really obvious!

Celestine: Dark blue, celestine blue, maroon.

Dione: Inky black, deep brown, pale green, vivid leaf green.

Caelin: Browns, beiges, dark blue.

Phoenix: RED. BRILLIANT RED.

@evelyns-spilled-tea asked:

Oh shoot it's that time already; Happy Storyteller Saturday! What're the differences between your characters and the idealized versions of themselves they wish they could be?

Celestine wishes she could get rid of her stupid fear.

Dione wishes she could be less of a coward, and could make up for the mistakes she did in the past. Also, she wishes she could control her temper.

Caelin wishes he would be less useless and oblivious.

Phoenix wishes she could be less scary.

@lordkingsmith asked:

story teller saturday trying again lol: what symbolism shows up in your works and what's your favorite to write about?

SYMBOLISM IS A MAJOR THING IN OSS. Some main things to look out for: Storms, ice, colours, and flowers! My favourite thing to write about? Uhhh... I really heckin’ love writing about geology and gemstones. I’m a Rock Nerd~

@lottieiswriting asked:

Storyteller Saturday but a day late (is storyteller Sunday a thing?) What would you say is the biggest flaw of your main character, and who would you say out of all of your characters has the worst / biggest flaw that causes the most problems? Hope you don’t mind my late ask!

I’M PROLLY A NUMBER OF MONTHS LATE SO NO SWEAT, MATE.

Celestine’s major flaw is her inability to trust people! And Dione’s flaws, her selfishness, is the one that causes the most problems throughout the story!

@timefirewrites asked:

Happy Storyteller Saturday! I'm sure you know at least one scene where there's suddenly a clone/doppelgänger/etc. of a character and they have to convince their friends that they're the original. How would your ocs do that? Would they succeed? What's a dish related to your ocs? (Be it inspired by them, or relating to their story in some way or simply by being their favorite food)

alfkjsldgkjsdg I love this trope. I don’t think it pops up in OSS? But it does in CIRCUIT! But if Celestine had a doppelgänger: she would likely convince everyone it’s her by insulting people with the unique insult-nicknames she has for everyone. XD For example: she only ever calls Phoenix “idiot”! Poor Nixi. And Celestine’s favourite dish of all time is PANCAKES.

@ditzysworld asked:

happy storyteller saturday! do you have any WIP ideas that you never really ended up pursuing, and why didn't you? -ditzysworld

My first attempt at a major novel that actually got anywhere was Soul Tied! It was about shapeshifters and dragons and the chosen one trope, but with twins! Mainly, I never really had an idea of where the story was going to go, and my outlining skills sucked at that stage.

@aslanwrites asked:

STS!! Would you ever write a self insert? Which OC do you relate to the most?

I actually make a small cameo in OSS! The lighthouse keeper that tries to stop Phoenix from destroying their lighthouse is based almost completely on me~

And as for who I relate to the most: Caelin! Originally, Caelin’s character was a persona of mine!

@tragedyshow asked:

sts!! what would your MCs animgi forms be? Their patronus and boggarts?

I know next to nothing about Harry Potter, but let’s see! (I actually see their patronus and animgi forms being the same creature, so I’ll just be answering with two!)

Celestine: Magpie, a giant heckin’ tidal wave.

Dione: Stag, a giant fire creature.

Caelin: Puppy!! Pup!! He literally turns into a border collie in canon!! AND FREAKIN’ MANNEQUINS I HATE THEM.

Phoenix: Can I make it a phoenix? Is that allowed? And a zombie or other clearly undead thing!

@fair-folk-nonsense asked:

Happy STS! What are your character’s worst fears and how do they deal with them? ~fair-folk-nonsense

Celestine’s worst fear is water! Or getting close to someone only to lose them again. And they usually deal with it either by running away as fast as they can, or denying everything. :/

That’s 15 asks answered! Phew~ Tune in next time for even more. XD

[forasecondtherewedwon]

So it’s been like a month and a half since I buzzed my hair, right? I cannot overstate how thick it is. My hair’s never been this short before, but it’s also never been this dense because, normally, when I get it cut short, there’s a whole lotta thinning involved. You know about sea otter fur?

[manishadratnani]

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[spikerrox]

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[woozletania]

Sanctuary, part 4 (RR/Lylla)

Gamora learns that Lylla is tougher than she looks, and Rocket makes a worrying discovery while going over the scans he took of the otter.

*****

Gamora started out with a halfhearted punch. When Peter suggested she teach Lylla some hand to hand combat she'd thought he was joking, but he was dead serious for a change. Still, in the open area at the back of the Milano, only a few yards from the little round beds the Rocket and Lylla slept in, she found herself facing off against a three foot tall, maybe forty pound otter. She had to crouch down to throw a punch that would connect and she held back.

Which turned out to be a mistake. As her fist swept forward, slow by her standards and soft, Lylla dropped to all fours and darted forward. Before she knew what was happening the little otter ran right up her body and jammed its nose into the side of her neck. She felt only bristling ottery whiskers and a cold wet nose but as Lylla sprang off her to land neatly ten feet away she knew she escaped a serious, maybe even fatal bite only because the otter held back.

"Well," Gamora said, and took a step back. "I didn't expect that. I thought you said only had a little combat training.��

"None, really," Lylla chirped. "But I thought programming counted. They were going to train me, but I escaped first."

"Programming," Gamora said. The word left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Yes," the otter chirped. "Helmet on head, bolted on. 'Direct neural feed'. And then I know where to bite, and how to get in position to do it." She was wearing the green harness Rocket made for her, minus the clip-on armor segments. Several polished bolts protruded from her fur at the shoulders and spine, visible through gaps in her outfit.

"Let's try again," Gamora said. She resolved to not underestimate Lylla this time.

Very quickly she learned that skills borne of endless training against humanoids were nearly useless against an otter. Lylla was if anything more comfortable on four legs than two and unlike other vermin - other quadrupeds, Gamora corrected herself - was smart and well trained, or at least had an intuitive understanding of positioning and movement. She was also cybernetically enhanced, at least five times as strong as she had any right to be.

But she was still only a forty pound otter, and Gamora was cybernetically enhanced too. After twenty minutes of sparring Gamora owned up to three probable deaths or serious injuries due to neck bites that stopped just shy of fangs piercing her flesh, while she had gotten hold of Lylla twice that many times. And once she got hold, whether she was bitten or not, she could claim a win since she could just beat Lylla against the ground or hurl her full force at a wall. Not that the latter was a certain kill, as Lylla was as nimble as a cat and prone to bounce off surfaces like a rubber ball when thrown. Still, the otter admitted that if a bigger, stronger creature got hold of her she had real problems.

"All right," Gamora panted. "Whoever programmed in those reflexes did a good job. I'm not sure what the goal was, though. Sharp claws and a powerful bite only go so far against a creature four times your mass. You could probably kill a single human, maybe even a couple if they weren't augmented or well trained, but you'd have trouble with armed opponents or groups."

"That's all I have," Lylla chirped. "I am to get close and bite, by stealth or appearing harmless if possible, in a fight if necessary." There was a rote quality to her recitation, as though she'd been drilled – or programmed – over and over until it stuck. She probably had.

"And you're good at it," Gamora admitted. "But they put a lot of time and resources in to making you Uplifts. I can't imagine it's efficient to do that for a one-use assassin. Especially since you have all those diplomatic and linguist abilities. Why not just make you cute if the goal is to get you close to your target? How were you supposed to kill someone and then get away to do it again?"

“I don't know,” Lylla chirped.

At the other end of the Milano, someone else was, quite unintentionally, approaching the answer to that question.

"Whatcha doin', Rock?" Peter came up the stairs and flopped into his chair, noting the dozen screens Rocket had up in front of his furry face. The largest had a multicolored diagram and it took him a moment to realize he was looking at a deep scan of some heavily augmented creature.

The long, streamlined body and short legs gave it away. "Lylla?"

"Yeah. I'm going over the scans I took before sending them to Doc Foster. Most of this stuff is pretty obvious," the raccoon said. He pointed a stylus at the bone structure of an arm. "Servos for strength enhancement, skeletal reinforcement and modification to make her bipedal (sorta, she's good on four legs too, like me), some stuff around the brain that deals with Uplift. You don't make a little brain like mine or hers sapient without cheating with computational implants. Like I said, obvious." He sat back in his pilot's chair with a sigh. "But..."

"But?"

"But there's stuff here I don't understand. What's this?". The stylus extended a holographic pointer that he used to indicate a layer under the aquatic creature's pelt. "What is this? It's under her whole pelt. I don't have anything like that. Shallow scans say her fur is actually rooted in the stuff. And her fur...I think her whole pelt has been modified somehow."

"Dermal armor?"

"No, I'd a felt it when I touched her." There was something about the way Rocket spoke that Peter had never heard before. Almost...shyness? Not like the little raccoon's usual brash attitude at all.

"You and Lylla getting along all right, Rock? I thought you got over that problem with the surgical tools."

"Look, can we just focus for a second here Pete? I'm trying to think." Sharp teeth gnawed on the stylus and Peter pretended not to notice Rocket's now well established habit of getting angry when he felt defensive.

"And what is that?" The holo-stylus indicated a thumb-sized...something...at the back of the otter's jaws. "That's an implant. Organic, but an implant. Bio-engineered...gland? Some tech in there too. There's one on each side, like, like..." Rocket put down the stylus and zoomed in with a gesture, suddenly suspicious. "Aw man."

"What is it? Not a bomb or anything, I hope?" But Rocket wasn't listening. His clever little fingers were manipulating the scan, rotating, zooming, until even Peter saw the connections. At the back of the jaws the implanted gland, then a vein or tunnel from the glands though the upper mandible to the top canines. Canines that had a vein of their own, from root to tip.

"Is that -"

"Turn the music on, Pete."

Peter tapped a control on his console and smiled as Spirit In The Sky, an old favorite, began to play. The smile didn't last. "Louder," Rocket said, and he was manipulating the scan as he spoke. Eventually he was satisfied with the volume and the scan and leaned in close to Peter to speak. The implants at the back of Lylla's skull filled the whole screen now, internally complex, with dozens of sub-glands all feeding the vein that ran down to the canines.

"That is an organic factory," Rocket said. "We all got natural ones. Bile for digestion, that sort of thing. This one's engineered to build something Lylla's body wouldn't normally produce. Some compound. More likely a bunch of compounds. I'm not an expert, I can't be sure without more scans and maybe a sample, but they didn't put those glands in her head for nothing, Pete."

"Poison," Peter said, and Rocket shushed him despite the blaring music. Then the raccoon nodded.

"Yeah," he whispered, barely audible over Norman Greenbaum. "Poison."

At one end of the ship Gamora was watching Lylla, fast and supple on all fours, trying to predict her movements. If she had a weapon this would be easy, but even for her the little otter was a dangerous opponent. Much more so than Rocket, who while capable enough hand to hand was nowhere near as formidable as Lylla. They were of equal size and strength but Lylla had the skill to be genuinely dangerous and her musteline - and servo-augmented - jaws gave her a far more powerful bite than the raccoon. Luckily her small size meant her claws were relatively harmless, with Gamora's clothing protecting him from the worst of them. Gamora slipped forward, tried a kick, and wasn't surprised when the otter bent bonelessly to avoid it and very nearly ran up her leg before she pulled it back.

Lylla didn't want to hurt her. Lylla was doing her best not to hurt her. She wanted to be...what? Not an assassin, at any rate. Even so, her cybernetics and programmed-in skills made her dangerous. If she'd been the size of a human Gamora might actually have been afraid of the water-weasel. Still, she was bigger and stronger. If Lylla got in a bite and it wasn't to the neck, how much damage could it really do?

At the other end of the Milano were Rocket and Peter, leaned close together to hear over the music. "You gonna tell her, Rock?"

"I dunno," Rocket said, looking almost as scared as the time Peter had seen him wake from the night terrors. "I don't know if she'd want to know. And I think the glands are switched off somehow, she didn't poison me when she bit me and she was terrified.”

Rocket rubbed his cheek in one of those animalistic gestures Peter had gotten used to and never commented on, like the times he licked his little hands and used them to groom his face-fur. “She doesn't want to be a killer. But I told her I'd explain all the scans I took of her. And, um," he fumbled for words, "I think she kissed me yesterday."

"You think?"

"It was so fast!"

"Well, was it a kiss or not?"

“How would I know?! I don't have a lotta experience in that area. Not like you." Rocket waved at the interior of the cockpit. "Before Nova rebuilt this ship it stank, Pete. I could smell every woman you had in here."

"That was before," Star-Lord mumbled.

"Before Gamora? Yeah, well, you're shaped like just about every two legs in the galaxy, Pete. Who am I gonna kiss, anyway? Who's gonna wanna kiss a little monster?"

You aren't a monster, Peter didn't say. He'd tried it before. As much as Rocket had improved in just a year, only so much of the raccoon's deep emotional scars had healed. The horrible abuse that defined his entire life had left him with no sense of self worth at all. He was an emotional void wrapped in a tough, prickly defensive shell. Being the meanest thing in the room was all that had kept him alive and it was a hard habit to break.

"Lylla did," Peter said, and Rocket just stared through the cockpit glass, saying nothing. "Maybe she still does."

Tomorrow was Lylla's appointment with Rocket's doctor friend, the man who'd smuggled him painkillers when he was being torn apart and augmented. Just about the only man in the galaxy Rocket trusted to work on his cybernetics. Tomorrow they'd know more. The question was, should Rocket tell Lylla what he'd found or let the doctor do it?

“I don't know what to do, Pete,” Rocket said, so low it was hard to hear over the music. “I just don't.”