𝑺𝑾𝑬𝑬𝑻 𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑫𝒀 || marvel

Ten.

"Dream On"

In the attack, Esme's house had been destroyed. She didn't mind so much, though. It wasn't like she would need that house anymore. The part she was more upset about was the loss of her extensive wardrobe. The Nova Corps had given them all new clothes, and though Esme did like the transparent skirt and blue shorts she had chosen, she would still miss wearing some of her favorite pieces. At least she still had her signature pink jacket. 

The Nova Corps had brought Gamora, Peter, and Esme to their main building to thank them for their help. For the first time in her life, Esme was speaking to a government leader without being arrested. 

She stood straight and poised with her hands clasped behind her back. Gamora did the same. Peter, however, didn't bother to present himself well in front of the important people. Esme sighed examining the pristine room, which was well lit due to the windows on every wall, including the ceiling. She then turned her attention back to Nova Prime and the holographs she was showing Peter. 

"Why would you even know this?" Peter asked as he stared at the outline of his body projected in front of them. 

When we arrested you, we noticed an anomaly in your nervous system so we had it checked out." Corpsman Dey explained joining in the conversation. 

"I'm not Terran?" He questioned in bewilderment.

"You are half Terran." Nova Prime responded. "Your mother was of Earth. Your father, well," She looked back at the hologram with amazement. "He's something very ancient we've never seen here before."

"That could be why you were able to hold the stone for as long as you did," Gamora added. 

"That's pretty incredible," Esme commented. 

"You're not fully Xandarian either, Miss Youth." Nova Prime spoke to the young woman and then swiped the hologram away to reveal one showing her body's anatomy. 

"What?" She raised her voice slightly, leaning forward and ditching her poised posture. "I mean, I'm not too surprised. I never knew my parents, but... what?" 

Nova Prime chuckled, shaking her head. "Our scans have shown that about fifty percent of your DNA is Asgardian."

"Hey, that's better than twelve percent." She elbowed Peter in the stomach, but he did not find the remark funny. Gamora on the other hand had to hide her laughter with her hand. A shocked and excited smile soon found its way across Esme's face as she placed her hands on her hips and realized what this meant. "Wait, so I'm a god?"

"Half god," Peter muttered. 

She smirked. "Again, better than twelve percent." 

"Oh, shut up, Barbie." He deadpanned, now completely annoyed with the joke. 

Esme started to walk to the door that had just opened to reveal Drax and Rocket. She turned around as she walked to reply to his insult. "Stop calling me Barbie. I don't know who that is." 

"You're friends have arrived."  Nova Prime notified them even though they could all clearly see Rocket and Drax being escorted into the room by Nova Corps members. 

The older woman took a few steps to the side so the whole room could see her before speaking again. "On behalf of Nova Corps, we'd like to express our profound gratitude for your hand in saving Xandar." She held out a graceful hand, motioning to the man behind them. "If you will follow Denarian Dey, he has something to show you." 

"Thank you, Nova Prime." He sent a salute to his leader. 

Esme followed the rest of the group towards the door. As she walked she felt Drax and Gamora come up beside her. "Your wife and child shall rest well knowing that you have avenged them," Gamora stated kindly keeping her gaze on the room around her and not making eye contact with Drax. 

"Yes." He replied simply looking down. "Of course, Ronan was just a puppet. It's really Thanos I need to kill." With that, he walked away leaving Esme and Gamora to stare at him in shock. The two shared a glance and broke out into laughter. 

When Esme stepped out into the warm sunlight, the first thing she noticed was the giant ship. It was an almost perfect replica of the Milano. It stood out against the mainly white landscape with its bright orange and blue colors. Everyone smiled at the sight of it. 

"We tried to keep it as close to the original as possible. Salvaged as much as we could." Dey said moving aside to let them gaze at it.

"Wow, I-" Peter became speechless, looking at the expensive gift. "Thank you." He said earnestly turning to Dey. 

"I have a family." He admitted. "They're alive because of you."

There was a short period of peaceful silence between them before Dey talked again. "All, your criminal records have also been expunged." He informed them, making Esme feel as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "However, I have to warn you against breaking any laws in the future."

"What if I don't get caught? Cause, like, I never get caught." Esme inquired with fake innocence. 

"No." Dey shook his head. "That's... still breaking the law." 

"Question," Rocket spoke up. "What if I see something I want to take and it belongs to someone else?" He readjusted his grip on the small pot containing Groot and looked up at Dey. 

"You will be arrested."

"But, what if I want it more than the person who has it?" He pressed. 

"Still illegal."

"That doesn't follow. No, I want it more, sir. Do you understand?" Rocket kept on the subject causing a small giggle to escape Esme's lips. "What are you laughing at?" He turned as Gamora ushered him away. "Why? I can't have a discussion with this gentleman?"

Drax then stepped up beside them and spoke darkly. "What if someone does something irksome and I decide to remove his spine?"

Esme scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brow, creating a disgusted face while Dey looked to Peter to see if Drax was actually serious. "That's... that's actually murder." The look on his face showed that he did not compute. "It's one of the worst crimes of all. So... also illegal." 

Drax shrugged and walked toward the ship. Esme followed, running to catch up with Gamora and Rocket. She found the ship to be much cleaner than the old one and after touring the whole thing she decided that she was more than happy with it. 

Once everyone had settled, they gathered at the front of the ship. Esme found her seat and strapped herself in, ready to take off. There was pop music playing faintly from the back of the ship. Gamora was the last to come to the front. She walked past both Esme and Drax and put a hand on the back of Peter's chair. 

"So, what should we do next?" Peter questioned. "Something good? Something bad? A little bit of both?"

The group shared glances waiting to see what the other's responses were. Gamora finally spoke. "We'll follow your lead, Star-Lord."

"A little bit of both."