WORLD ALONE
GIVE A SHIT

     "You called that figured out? We're gonna rob these guys who just beat us senseless."

"Oh, you want to talk about senseless? How about trying to save us by blowing us up?"

"We were only gonna blow you up if they didn't turn you over!"

Oribella rolled her eyes. Gamora moved so she could stand from her uncomfortable seat on the ground and stretch her legs. Oribella sat into her hip and pursed her lips, clearly annoyed.

"And how on earth were they gonna turn us over when you only gave them a count of five?"

"I can't believe I decided to associate myself with bickering five-year-old's," Oribella muttered under breath, loud enough so Gamora could audibly hear her.

"Neither can I," Gamora replied only loud enough so Ori could hear her. She grinned and suppressed a laugh.

"We didn't have time to work out the minutiae of the plan!" Rocket exaggerated, expressing his annoyance more clearly. "This is what we get for acting altruistically!" Rocket looked between Groot and Oribella, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I am Groot."

"They are ungrateful."

"To be quite fair, Peter, let's say you were in trouble. We didn't have to save you, ya know. We could've easily left," Oribella stated, causing Peter to turn his attention to the crossed girl.

"You're hot and all, Ori but I don't know if you'd be beneficial to this team, damn this is a tough decision," Peter candidly spoke.

"There's no decision, Rocket dragged me along!" Oribella protested.

"She's going no where, asshole!" Rocket fired back.

"What's important now is we get the Ravagers' army to help us save Xandar," Gamora interrupted, clearly annoyed with the constant bickering between the group.

Oribella sent a sour look towards Peter as she crossed her arms over her chest and bit the inside of her cheek.

"So we can give the stone to Yondu who's just gonna sell to somebody even worse?" Rocket added.

"I agree with Rocket on this, Yondu isn't known for being a great person. How do we know if he'll even handle the stone properly?" Oribella mentioned. She swayed back an forth on the balls of her feet, nerves building up inside her.

"We'll figure that part out later."

"So we can think of a last minute resort when time comes, right? Cause last minute resorts will work so well with this fucking death-trap shit," Oribella countered.

"We have to stop Ronan," Gamora reminded.

"How?" Rocket barked.

"I have a plan." Oribella rolled her eyes.

"You've got a plan?" Rocket sarcastically asked.

"Yes."

"First of all, you're copying me from when I said I had a plan."

"No, I'm not. People say that all the time. It's not that unique of a thing to say-"

"Secondly, I don't even believe you have a plan," Rocket admitted shamelessly.

"I have part of a plan!" Peter argued.

"Part of a plan? Ha!" Oribella mocked.

"What percentage of a plan do you have?" Drax asked.

"You don't get to ask questions after the nonsense you pulled on Knowhere," Gamora accused.

"He almost died on Knowhere after being dunked in a thing of spinal fluid, which right after Groot assisted him in breathing, he apologized by the way!" Oribella defended.

"I just saved Quill!" Drax attmepted to jusitfy his actions.

"We've already established that destroying the ship that I'm on is not saving me."

"Again, we didn't have to do that," Oribella mumbled under her breath.

"When did we establish it?"

"Like three seconds ago!"

"I wasn't listening, I was thinking of something else."

Gamora groaned and turned away, fed up with the whole situation. Oribella dragged both her palms down her face lazily. She honestly felt as though she could punch Peter right in the mouth.

"She's right, you don't get an opinion."

"Rocket!"

"What? He doesn't Ori!" Rocket shook his head before turning to Peter. "What percentage?" He asked, using Drax's question.

"I don't know. Twelve percent."

"Twelve percent?" Oribella and Rocket both simultaneously inquired. Rocket burst into laughing and Oribella felt like sitting down and resting her head on her knees which she hugged tightly to her chest.

"That's a fake laugh," Peter scoffed.

"Nope!" Oribella chimed, though it was muffled.

"It's real!" Rocket confirmed.

"Totally fake."

"That is the most real, authentic, hysterical laugh of my entire life because that is not a plan."

"It's barely a concept," Gamora agreed.

"I second that!" Oribella said as she lifted her head and rested her chin on her knees.

"You're taking their side?"

"I am Groot."

"So what if that's better than eleven percent? What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Rocket groaned.

"Thank you, Groot. Thank you." Peter clapped Groot on the shoulder before looking at the rest of the group. "See? Groot's the only one of you who has a clue." Peter shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as he witnesses Groot eating leaves off his body.

"Look, Peter," Oribella asserted from her position on the ground. "I would love to help, but I'm not an excellently trained assassin. If you don't have at least half a plan, I'm probably shit."

"No, no, no, you're probably great," Peter tried to persuade. He let his hand drop from pinching his nose and placed it on his hip.

"Guys," he mumbled. "Come on. Yondu is gonna be here in two seconds. He expects to hear this big plan of ours...I need your help. I look around at us. You know what I see? Losers."

The group perked up at the derogatory term. Oribella furrowed her brows together. Her glance flickered to Rocket, then to Gamora.

"I mean, like, folks who have lost stuff. And we have. Man, we have. All of us. Our homes, our families," Peter glanced at Drax, then to Oribella. His words hit her harder than she would've liked and she had to quickly look away from his intense gaze.

"Normal lives. And, usually, life takes more than it gives. But not today. Today it's given us something. It has given us a chance."

"To do what?" Drax asked, looking up towards Peter.

"To give a shit...for once. Not run away..." A silence fell upon the group, only lasting a few seconds. But Peter's words sank in, and boy did Oribella hear them.

"I, for one, am not gonna stand by and watch as Ronan wipes out billions of innocent lives."

"But, Quill, stopping Ronan, it's impossible," Rocket discouragingly brought to their attention. "You're asking us to die."

Peter thought for a moment about what he was going to say next. He looked away, focusing his gaze on the ground. Rocket was probably right. And asking a handful of people to willingly risk their lives is a lot to ask for.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Peter shook his head and turned his back to them for what seemed like the hundredth time that hour. With his head low, he walked a few paces away and stopped.

"Quill," Gamora waited for him to face her. "I have lived most of my life surrounded by my enemies," Gamora stood from her seat, "I will be grateful to die among my friends."

Oribella pulled herself off the floor and took a stand beside Gamora. She looked quill in the eyes, her gaze softening from her indifferent expression before.

"I have nothing to lose, no one back at home that I love. I've been here for like three hours, and my god, they have been the best three hours of my life. And I'm sorry for calling you a five-year-old," Oribella admitted and apologized.

"It's okay," Peter dismissed without thinking. "Wait, what?" He quickly realized what she was apologizing for, making Oribella laugh a little and put a smile on her face causing Peter to return a grin.

"You are an honorable man, Quill," Drax said, also taking a stand. "I will fight beside you. And in the end, I will see my wife and daughter again."

"I am Groot," Groot said while standing from his seat. Everyone was standing now, except for Rocket. Oribella slowly turned her head to the left, her eyes pleading for him to fight, though she couldn't force him. Rocket sighed and slouched slightly.

"Oh, what the hell. I don't got that long of a lifespan anyway." Rocket pressed his hands into the concrete block he was sitting on and stood up. "Now I'm standing. Y'all happy?"

Oribella's smile widened as she leaned over to press a chaste kissed to the top of his head.

"We're all standing up now. A bunch of jackasses standing in a circle, except you Ori, you're not a jackass."