Peter Quill looked around expectantly, a broad smile of sunny optimism upon his face. He liked to think of himself as a positive person, someone who could make the best of any given situation and turn it to his advantage. The fact that his smile did not flicker for an instant as he surveyed the blank faces of his teammates amidst the awkward silence that was following his pitch was, he felt, a testament to this 'glass half full' attitude. Maybe they just needed a few moments to absorb the brilliance of his idea?

After a few more painful seconds, it was Gamora who spoke, mercy-killing the silence.

"That is the worst idea I have ever heard."

Quill's smile did falter at that. Ego somewhat dented, he looked around for some support.

"C'mon, it's not that bad..."

His gaze fell on Rocket, who scratched an ear while giving him a not entirely unsympathetic look of discomfort.

"She's got a point, Quill. It ain't exactly the most attractive option."

Quill opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off by a high pitched little voice from below the level of the table

"I am Groot!"

Rocket gave an exasperated sigh and made a shooing motion at the walking talking tree that had apparently snuck up on them. Once Groot had loomed over them all, but he currently stood no taller than the raccoon, recovering from being reduced to a pile of twigs in the process of saving them all.

"You're supposed to be in your greenhouse! How you gonna get tall again if you ain't gonna rest up?"

"I am Groot!"

The tree (although really, Quill thought, shrub would be a more accurate term for now) scowled in an adorably tiny approximation of annoyance and folded his arms, tapping a foot freshly coated in the soil of his pot. Rocket pinched the bridge of his muzzle in frustration.

"Oh for the love of... Fine! Just don't come crying to me when your leaves don't fricking sprout back right!"

Grumpily, Rocket shifted down the two piled ammo crates that served as his chair, allowing Groot the space to pull himself up. Once at table level, the tree placed his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers in his best approximation of serious business manner.

"I am... Groot."

"Ha!" Rocket barked a short laugh "At least we agree it's a stupid idea."

"Oh come on! He wasn't even in the room when I said it!" Quill protested.

"I am Groot."

"Vibrations through the metal flooring and up into his roots. Seriously, he hears things even better than I do."

"He doesn't even have any ears!"

"So?" queried Rocket, with the air of someone addressing a complete idiot. "You don't got a tail, and yet you somehow manage to not constantly fall on your ass."

Quill scowled at his furry compatriot, another silence descending, this time more tense than awkward. It was then that Drax spoke up for the first time.

"I have a question."

Thankful for interruption, Quill turned to look at the hulking tattooed warrior, whose brows were knitted in an expression of deep thought.

"Yes Drax?" Quill tried to hide the hope in his voice. Given the idea offered the possibility of a decent fight, surely Drax would be in favour of it. The question would simply be regarding some tactical issue...

"Why is it called a greenhouse when it is transparent?"

...that or his literal-mindedness had gotten stuck on the edge of someone's sentence yet again. Quill groaned, burying his face in his hands, trying to ignore Rocket's muffled sniggering. Gamora took it upon herself to try and steer the conversation back on course.

"Because it contains plants, Drax, which generally tend to be green." The green-skinned assassin felt some pride at the fact she'd managed to say that with a straight face.

"Ah. That makes sense. Thank you." Drax nodded, absorbing this information as though it were something truly profound. Quill removed his head from his hands, having now composed himself enough to trust that he wouldn't simply start screaming in frustration.

"And my idea?"

"I had dismissed that already. I do not see its usefulness." Drax replied offhandedly.

"GAH!" In fairness, Quill assured himself, that was less a scream of frustration and more a yelp. He ran a hand back through his hair, looking around at his nonplussed companions. "Sorry; I just don't get why you guys see this as such a bad idea?"

"Probably because the sum total of your idea was, to use your exact words, 'Guys, we're going to raid the central repository of Aarzan the Facilitator'." Gamora answered, topping her previous success in straight-facedness by keeping her tone even.

"Well obviously that was just the opening pitch." Quill scoffed "I have a plan for this."

He looked out at four sets of disbelieving eyes

"No, I'm serious! A 100% fully formed, breathing, walking, talking, plan. I've got maps and diagrams and everything!"

"Alright, alright." interjected Rocket, dismissing the Terran's protestations with a wave of a paw "Supposing you actually do have a plan, and supposing that it actually isn't completely idiotic, why the crap would we want to mess with the most well-connected crime boss in the whole sector!?"

"Because for one thing, we're pretty much broke." Quill paused for a moment to let that sink in "Seriously, anyone sitting on a stack of units that they didn't think to mention until now? No?" He looked about as no-one raised their hands. "Exactly. Saving the galaxy didn't do wonders for our pockets. The Nova Corps fixed up The Milano and gave her a full tank of gas but that was it. As grateful as everyone is, they aren't showering us in gifts..."

"I am Groot."

"Except for the year's supply of fertiliser from the forestry department for Groot." Quill acknowledged "Even with clean criminal records we're considered too dirty for legit work and the underworld thinks we're too clean. No-one's offering us jobs."

"There was that studio that wanted you for a film..." said Rocket, trying, and failing, to disguise a smirk.

Quill looked at him narrowly. "Yes, a porn film. With a Laskovarian."

"You have lain with a Laskovarian." Drax pointed out.

"Once! To get information! Which half the universe now knows because you told them in an INN interview!" Quill complained loudly.

"I felt it highlighted your bravery." Drax replied, unperturbed.

"My point" Quill sighed, attempting to stop the conversation derailing completely "is that we need to make money, and fast. Our skill sets aren't exactly set up for something legal, so why not be criminal to the criminals? We rob the rich to give to the poor; in this case us."

"You almost managed to make that sound altruistic." Gamora commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Thank you." Quill treated her to one of his infuriatingly charming smiles.

"I hate to break up the love in," Rocket said, in a tone that made a liar of him "but that still doesn't explain why Aarzan specifically? Since, again, most powerful criminal in the fricking sector!"

"Why not start at the top?" Quill turned the full force of the smile on Rocket "I mean, after stopping Ronan, anything less should be a cake walk."

"You do not walk on cake." Drax stated, brow furrowing "It is not firm enough and would be rendered inedible."

"Metaphor!" Quill inwardly marvelled at just how much like second nature saying that had become ever since he'd met Drax. "It means it'll be easy. Anyway, it also helps that I've been planning this since before we met. Been my passion project."

"Why?" queried Gamora, watching him carefully.

"Figured it'd be an impressive enough score to earn me some bonus points with Yondu." Quill replied offhandedly. A little too offhandedly for Gamora's taste. She said nothing, however.

"So, you guys want to hear the plan?" Quill looked around once again. Hearing no further objections, he fired up the holographic display and began...