"Remember how quiet this ship used to be...?" says Rocket as Mantis skips by singing to herself.
"Barely" replies Nebula, never looking up from the machinery normally safely hidden underneath the metal plates of her left arm.
"Speaking of," he says, innocently enough. But something in his tone must give him away because she immediately looks up.
"Yes?"
"So I had this idea. Potentially a really bad idea," he admits. "What if..."
Nebula's expression settles on a just-spit-it-out kind of annoyance as she watches him. He sighs and tries again.
"So Thor was talking about maybe leaving Earth for a while..."
"And?" she frowns, clearly not seeing why did she need to know that.
"We have a spaceship," reminds Rocket. Spaceship that was feeling more than a little crowded with its current number of occupants - at least after the kind of peace and quiet they were used to after the years of there being just the two of them. Which is not the reason he thought he better checks with her before mentioning it to anyone else...
"Have you asked Quill?" she asks after considering the idea for a second.
"Why would I ask...? Oh, right. I keep forgetting we're letting him think he's the captain because he kinda needs that right now," grins Rocket. He turns serious again almost immediately, though, "No, I didn't ask Quill. I'm asking you."
She sighs, shaking her head as she gets the punchline.
"I'm asking you if it's okay to bring the guy who decapitated your abusive father in front of you along for the ride. And don't give me that," he says, gesturing at her neutral expression. "You should be angry about that. Don't take this the wrong way but that is your thing. You get angry."
"Not about this," she says simply.
Rocket makes a frustrated noise. "Why not? I know were too shaken at first but I was so sure you'll get angry later..."
"I remember," she says. And he can tell she does, what with her expression bordering on a amused.
Which is fair. He did offer to tie up the Asgardian and then keep a lookout to make sure no one interrupts her as she punches him until she feels better. She assured him that won't be necessary. Assured him she wasn't angry. Not for having the chance to kill Thanos taken away from her, not for not being allowed to hear the only apology she might have ever gotten... Even he was a little angry about that. But Nebula insisted she wasn't. And the fact she kept telling him so for years now meant it probably was true.
"He was apologizing," he finds himself saying, not for the first time. "You deserved..."
"Perhaps I was too harsh is not an apology, Rocket," she says. Calmly.
It was always a surprise - how calm she can be when talking about that day. They had many variations on this conversation and he never once managed to get a raise out of her. It was always him who ended up getting angry. And she would just look at him, like she knew something she didn't.
It doesn't take long for that expression to settle on her face now. But this time it's not where it ends. Instead of deciding the conversation is over and going back to whatever it was she was doing before it started she just holds his eyes for a moment longer, then takes a breath and says, "Do you really want to know? Why I'm not angry."
"Yes," he nods.
"If Gamora was there that day she would have had his head sooner. Just as soon as he dared to call me daughter. As soon as he dared to even look at me. She wouldn't have stood for that. And if he did actually apologize for what he did to me - if he was capable of meaning it," says Nebula, her voice trailing off, her expression growing distantly sad for just a moment. "She wouldn't have killed him anywhere near as painlessly."
Her words leave him speechless.
Because she's right. That's exactly what would have happened. Gamora would have known her sister was better off for not having to listen to that monster a moment longer...
"That's why I'm not angry," says Nebula. Looking down into the mechanisms hidden in her forearm before adding, almost as an afterthought, "Thor did me a favor."
He nods, letting her know he understands. Though it takes him a while to find his voice again.
"Okay," he says, nodding to himself. "I guess I'll call him then. Let him know we have space enough for one more."
"It can't make things that much worse," she comments, moving her legs out of the way so Groot, walking by with his face buried in a screen, doesn't stumble over them.
He gets up and starts for the adjoining room when Nebula stops him. "You should ask Quill first," she reminds. "He is the captain."
"I didn't forget," he replies. A little too quickly, making it painfully obvious that yes, yes he did.
Just one of the many things that will get some getting used to...
"On second thought," says Nebula, closing up the panel in her forearm. "I do want to see his face when you tell him."
"Of course you do," he grins. "Come along then..."
...
"Just pick a planet, Quill," says Nebula, making the terran actually jump. Not because he didn't expect to hear her voice, but because he wasn't used to it coming from this closeby. She never was the type to get anywhere near other people's personal space if it could be helped. Yet another thing she has presumably gotten over during the last five years.
"I'm trying," he says, looking back at the map to hide his unease.
"What's wrong with this one...?"
He frowns, never having considered the place she just pointed out. Five years, he reminds himself. "What am I missing now? Did you two made friends there while we were gone...?"
"No," she says simply. Taking a moment to pick up on the fact he would like to hear what her reasoning for choosing that particular world was then. "I just picked one at random," she explains. "Because we don't actually have anything on the agenda, do we? So any world will do."
"I... can't really argue with that," he admits.
"Good. I'll set the course."
"That's not what I... meant..." he finishes weakly, because she already left. He groans, then looks around, finding he's not surprised he's not the only person present. "Hey, Mantis? Can you go over there and explain to her who the captain is?"
"Of course," nods the girl. Going right back to humming to herself as she stays put, completely ignoring the order he just gave her. Which, in fairness, he should have expected...
Heading out to do something about the situation himself he almost collides with Rocket.
"Did you tell Nebula she can pick the destination?"
"I didn't tell her she couldn't fast enough," replies Quill.
"Rookie mistake," says Rocket, shaking his head as he heads for the front of the ship to remind Nebula that they talked about this...
Which is as much of their conversation as he gets to hear, what with the rest being spoken in low, almost conspiratorial voices. A few seconds later Nebula laughs - actually laughs - and gets out of the seat.
"Do you think you can settle on one before we reach Norway?" she asks as she walks by, her expression still vaguely amused. And all he can do is stare after her. Because it's one thing to know it's been five years - a very different thing seeing evidence of it in things like that. The seemingly endless list of things Gamora's perpetually angry sister can do now.
He does try to settle on a planet, just to spite her. He only fails because as it turns out Norway is a lot closer than he expected it to be. Which is not on him – his knowledge of terran geography being tenuous at best, what with how young he was when he was taken from this world.
"Sure Quill," grins Rocket on hearing that justification. "At least try to narrow it down a little while I go get him."
Which, again, he does. He tries. And fails. And before he knows it he has another thing to deal with...
"Asgardians of the Galaxy back together again..."