Yay, dinner on the Milano! How could this ever go wrong?

Mikey: I'm glad you like it, so rest assured knowing the next chapter is up(i'm sure it'll be quite a relief for your poor hair) Iriomote Yamaneko Nokomis: I'm relieved you think I got his personality right XD I was worried that i'd go ooc on the existing characters. Guest 1: I think you might have mentioned that somewhere...maaaaybe ;) Guest 2: Yay for Rocket! He's one of my favorites :) And I just love Drax's character from the movie, so i'm hoping I can keep it up!

Enjoy the newest chapter :)

The second Cass's work boots hit the Milano's metal hull she was taken aback by the mess. No wonder they needed a live in maid, so to speak. Even the empty storage room that they offered her was caked with dirt and smelled of mold.

"You start tomorrow," Gamora informed her before leaving the thin doorway.

It wasn't much of a room. The door was a foot and a half wide so she had to turn sideways to fit into the area. A cot had been thrown in the corner for her, thankfully there was a blanket and thin pillow for her to use. Cass thought back to her own blanket that probably still lay in her old doorway. There wasn't anything else but the dark walls, and enough floor space for her to turn around in. The only fixture was a small bulb that was sunk into the wall. It provided enough light to make out the small space and that was it.

Cass tossed her bag into the corner by the head of bed and fell down into the cot. At least so far they seemed like a nice lot. Nobody had yelled at her or told her she was worthless, so it didn't really matter what the room looked like.

"I am Groot," the small tree peeked around the corner of her door and watched her when she sat up and looked at him. It was rude to think, but he un-nerved her a bit. As it were, Huran was a desert planet and there were scant few trees, so the sight of one was a bit new to her. The fact that this one could walk, and talk, and breath…and do who knows what else, was strange.

"Yes, you are," Cass smiled tensely. She had a sneaking suspicion that that line was the only one he could say. Groot easily walked through her door and glanced around. "Not much, but I think I'll like it." Cass said clearing her throat, she didn't know if he could understand her but talking made his presence a bit easier to deal with.

"I am Groot," Groot said, crawling up onto the bed with her and settled next to her. She wanted more than anything to ask what he was, or what Rocket was, but knew that was rude. Last thing she needed to be was nosy when she hoped they stayed out of her business. Groot nudged her arm and she jumped.

A small flower bloomed from his arm, simple and blue. "It's beautiful," Cass exclaimed, smiling wide. Then shut it down. A man wouldn't become excited over the sight of a flower, she reminded herself. Groot plucked it from his arm and Cass winced. "Doesn't that hurt?" Groot shook his head and handed the flower to her. Cass hesitated. Did he know she wasn't a man? He nudged her again and thrust the little blossom under her nose. Reluctantly she wrapped her fingers around it gently. "Thank you." It would be rude not to take it after all, right?

"Time to get strapped in for takeoff," Rocket interrupted from the door. Cass dropped her hand quickly to hide the flower but he seemed more interested in Groot. "Well come on you idiot."

"I am Groot!" Groot said before following Rocket out the door. Cass clamored to follow then grabbed her bag and ripped it open, pulling her story book out. Quickly she stashed the flower between the pages so she could save it. After all it was the first thing she'd gotten since her brother had last written her.

With her flower safely stashed Cass darted down the hall and nabbed a wall seat. She wasn't so sure what he meant by strap in. Clumsily she fumbled with the belts, unsure what they did or where they hooked. Looking up she realized the others weren't paying her any attention, she wanted to ask for help but the words stuck in her throat. She didn't want to bother them so she fiddled with the straps even more, trying to not be overt about it. There was like a central round thingy, and silver flat thingys…she was sure they connected somehow.

"Allow my assistance," Drax kneeled down in front of her and grabbed one. Then withdrew his hands, "know that this is not a sexual advance. We are both men." Drax added quietly, "you are also rather flabby and pale, did you know this?" Cass nodded dumbly and he acknowledged her, then she gasped when he grabbed the strap at her crotch.

Cass turned her face away and tried to hide the blush that began to creep up her neck. Even though her breasts were flattened by her vest she shied away from his hand when he pulled the strap across her chest. "Thank you." She said when he stood.

"Let's get the hell off this dust bucket," Rocket said from the front of the ship. Never more had she agreed with someone.

Anxiety knotted in Cass's throat when the engines began to power up. She was really doing this. Pressure built in the main room and she felt the ship rising. She was really really doing this. Cass squeezed her eyes closed when the ships legs whirred into place. This was real, Cass's heart pounded. Years of saying she would one day be free and this was finally a reality. They picked up speed but Cass didn't open her eyes, her body strained against the straps holding her in place. She always thought when her ship took off she'd feel nothing more than relief and happiness. Instead there was terror, anxiety, and a touch of excitement.

Grasping the shoulder straps with her hands she refused to open her eyes until the pressure stopped and they were out of the atmosphere. Partially because she wanted it to symbolize that she didn't want to look back, but mostly because she was sure any second her stomach would turn and she'd dry heave.

When they were free Cass let her head fall back against the chair back and she ran her hand though her hair. The feeling was relief. It was real now. She was officially free. Cass breathed out a laugh and fumbled with her straps, but her hands were shaking so much she couldn't grip them properly.

"That's a normal reaction," Quill snapped a hand across the button and all the straps fell in one go. "I'm surprised you didn't throw up your breakfast."

She hadn't had breakfast, Cass wanted to say, but held her words. "Thank you."

"No problem," Quill smiled. "Let's lay down some ground rules though. First, this is my ship and what I say is law. Second, since I'm the captain, you do what I say. Third, you don't ever touch the music." Cass nodded dutifully after each rule, even though two were basically the same thing. Quill leaned down and rested his hand on the wall over her seat and Cass pressed back and turned her face away. "Never, touch the music." He repeated.

Cass nodded again and breathed a sigh when he backed up. Basically he had two rules, listen to him, and don't touch the music. Should be pretty simple.

"Now who's hungry? Rocket, you set the course?" Quill slapped his hands together and rubbed them then pointed at Rocket.

"What do I look like, an amateur?" Rocket growled and stalked between the two following Gamora.

"He grows on you," Quill assured Cass before jogging over to join them. Cass waited till they had their backs turned before dropping her head into her hands. The joy was finally beginning to settle in. They could grumble all they wanted but she was free. They had no idea how happy she was at this moment, no idea how relieved she was. Her hands still shook as she rubbed her face, wincing again at her swollen temple, which helped rid herself of the girly smile. Men don't smile at nothing.

"I am Groot," the tree stood in front of her, smiling with his head cocked to one side.

"Just nervous," Cass said without much thought. Why did she feel the need to make an excuse, she didn't even know what he was actually saying? The smile widened on Groot's face and he grabbed her clammy hand and drug her out of her seat. For a three foot tree he was surprisingly strong, Cass realized.

He pushed her into her seat without much ceremony. Cass smoothed out her pants and watched his branchy head bob back to the other side next to Rocket. Her hand still tingled with the feeling of touching wood, it was strange that she assumed he wouldn't feel like a tree but he did. If he was a Huran she would think he was ten, just a sapling.

Cass caught Rocket glaring over the table at her and dropped her eyes. She got the feeling that Rocket and Groot were close, but while Groot seemed to like her Rocket wasn't as pleased that she was here. Cass ran her hand through her hair as Quill began passing plates around. They were the strangest members of this crew.

Beside her Drax reclined in his seat, the heat from his body spreading in warm tendrils over to Cass. She didn't know how he could stand to be there, in this cold ship, with no shirt on. Cass had a vest, shirt, and jacket and the cold still fingered its way through the fabric to brush cold bumps onto her skin. Cass's thoughts were cut short when Quill dropped her plate in front of her.

Slop. That was the first word that came to mind when she saw it. There was brown slop touching a tinged green slop, Cass hadn't eaten yet that day and felt like she wouldn't mind missing this meal either. Beside her Drax dug into his much larger portion, but no one matched Groot's enthusiasm. Rocket dumped nearly an entire shaker of salt on it and hesitantly tasted it.

"I may have overcooked it slightly, but it's a recipe I learned growing up." Quill shoveled a spoonful into his mouth and he chewed with a grin. "Perfect."

"Food is food Quill, but I'm not sure I'd take cooking lessons from a Ravager." Rocket shuddered after taking his first bite.

"What!? How dare you mock my culinary expertise in front of Caden," Quill shifted away from her side of the table so his back was to her and lowered his voice. "I'm trying to make a good impression for the rest of you."

"If this in an impression I want no part," Rocket picket up a spoonful of the slop and let it pour back onto his plate with a chunky splashing noise. Cass took her first bite tentatively. It tasted like cold pressed meat coated in thick jiggling ham juice gel. Trying to swallow only brought a heavy gag that she silenced, covering it by leaning against the table and pretending to examine her meal closer.

"The meal provided sustainable resources and energy, for that I am thankful," Drax boomed from beside her. She'd have tried to pay more attention but the mouthful of meat gel made her heave silently again. Closing her eyes she willed herself to swallow this one bite.

"Really, that's the best you can say? I slave over this meal, for like a whole…eight minutes-" Quill began.

"Eight minutes?" Drax interrupted. Cass tried not to let the gel touch her tongue.

"Yea, eight minutes, is that a problem?" Quill asked. Cass glanced up to see him standing now, looking intently at each one of them. Overtly she tried to look away but got caught, forcing her to smile while trying not to let the gel leak out from between her lips while keeping it off her tongue.

"It's just specific," Drax shrugged and settled back in his chair.

"Anyways…I slaved over this meal, for…a while…and all you can say is its sustainable?" Quill looked around as if someone might say something nicer. Finally Cass pushed the food down her throat, unable to help the shudder that shook her limbs. "Come on man, back me up here."

Cass looked up to see Quill widening his eyes in a silent plea for her support. "I'll no longer have to live my life wondering what a slug might taste like." The comparison left her lips before she could think of a fake compliment to bandage this meal with.

"Ew, you wanted to know what a slug tasted like?" Rocket asked from across the table, his lips curled up over sharp teeth in disgust and slight confusion.

"Come on Gamora, surely you don't hate it." Quill tried, talking over their heads.

"I hadn't wondered yet, and now I'll never have to," Cass lowered her voice a notch, hoping it sounded a bit more masculine.

"I'm sorry Quill," Gamora shrugged.

"I am Groot." Groot leaned over the table and slowly drug Rocket's plate over to him, his discreet measures dissolving when he spoke up.

"I didn't ask if you'd eaten a slu-hey! Get ur grubby hands off," Rocket snatched his plate back, partially spilling the jelly across the table.

"Really? You can't think of one nice thing to say? I risk my ass saving this galaxy and that's what I get?" Quill put his hands on his hips and looked around to each of the people sitting before him, apparently unaware that no one but Cass was really paying attention.

"There is something most vile under this bench," Drax muttered, wiping his hand on his napkin.

"What do you think it is?" Cass asked, wondering if she'd completely thought this through.

"You don't want to know," Rocket leaned his elbow on the table and Cass pretended like she didn't see Groot beginning to drag his plate away after licking the table surface clean. "Last week I spilt some PXH fluid I was mixing in the sink when I was trying to carry it to the toilet to flush it. Better hope tall, dark, and brainless over there doesn't fart."

"Was it flammable?" Cass asked, scooting a bit farther away from Drax.

"Oh extremely," Rocket said nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders and waving his spoon around.

"How flammable?" Gamora asked sternly, pushing back from the table to stand like Quill.

"What are we talking about? What's flammable?" Quill joined them finally.

"One spark and…" Rocket put his paws together and pulled them apart slowly, miming an explosion.

Oh dear sweet Sun! Cass darted off her place on the bench and caught her foot, stumbling back a step. Perhaps she'd jump ship before this thing was even remotely clean. Explosive liquid on the benches?

"You flushed the rest?" Cass gasped. Oh she needed a moment of quiet. Leaning against the wall for support she ran her hand through her hair, flattening the other palm against the hard surface.

"Great," Quill grabbed his plate and looked at Rocket sternly. "I hope it singes all your hair off." Then stalked into the kitchen with his still heaping plate.

"Hey, aren't you gonna finish that!?" Rocket called after and snickered. He obviously wasn't worried about the ship igniting the sky of which ever lucky planet they happened to be passing.

"Of course not," Quill snapped, wiping his hands on his pants as he walked through the room. "Ravager food tastes like shit."

Drax was not amused by Rocket's spilt fuel. There were few things that amused him in such a way. If they were to ride the flaming title wave of destruction and ruin from the remnants of this floating sticky heap, then he would find himself amused.

Instead he wiped his hand yet again on the cloth Quill used when he deemed the dinners worthy of a table coverage. He watched the vermin chuckle to himself as the new guy stumbled into the kitchen to clean the dishes.

"I do not understand what you find funny," Drax growled, resting back in his chair. He'd often used his size to intimidate others into doing as he said, but it was not the same with Rocket. Even with his size reduced to that of a small child, Rocket did not fear Drax as he was used to.

"Oh come on, lighten up, it was just a bit'a fun." Rocket rolled his eyes and nudged Groot. "Can you believe this guy thinks I'd actually spill fuel on the ship?"

"I am Groot," Groot chuckled back. When they'd first made acquaintance in the Kiln it had infuriated Drax that he had not understood the tree. He had been filled with fury for so long since his wife and daughter's death though, that he now realized perhaps it hadn't been the tree he hated.

"That was not fuel?" Drax asked cautiously, lowering his voice just enough for the pair to hear.

"Na man, I got no clue what you stuck your hand in," Rocket shrugged.

Vile repulsion rose in his throat, bringing the residual flavor of Quill's latest meal with it. The flesh on his hand crawled with the need to be clean.

"Um, goodnight," Caden said, skirting around the table. It did not pass Drax unnoticed how he attempted to keep an arms distance between them. Or the blooming dark splotches appearing along his neck and face.

"I shall have whatever night I wish, be it good or worse," Drax rejected his possible one outcome solution for the rest of the night. Unless the new cleaner could see the future he did not agree with that prediction to be made and bring his hopes up falsely.

"Yea whatever Colton," Rocket shuffled his elbows on the table and examined his claws with bored eyes.

"I am Groot."

"It's Caden," the new guy muttered before ducking off down the hallway.

Rocket sat before Drax. Drax waited for the furry rodent to stand and leave first, and was surprised when his attention snapped up to Drax.

"What do you think of the new guy?" Rocket asked, leaning in and lowering his voice.

"I think he is weak and strange." Drax responded.

"Strange how exactly?"

"A man should not be that thin," Drax said lowly.

"That's it…you're basing this off his size?" Rocket leaned back and cocked a furry brow.

Of course he was. The man was thin and fine, much unlike most men. Even his fingers were too slender and long, his eyes too large, and his jaw too slim. Unnerving really. "Yes."

"I don't know why I bother," Rocket huffed, dropping from his seat. He'd found Drax's answer unsatisfactory and left him alone. Perhaps it would be a good night.