Did she just call his highly advanced suit of state of the art tech, a thrift store ware....Underneath his helm he just blinked a few times, and then his mouth spoke before his brain could catch up.

"My mother helped me make this y'know." The words were gone before he could take them back. The child had unlocked his inner sarcasm in an instant, thankfully his robotic voice hid it from her. While it wasn't entirely untrue, it wasn't entirely true either, and he felt a bit bad about deceiving her if only partially. Kids were gonna kid, and he wasn't use to being around them very often. However he didn't want to backtrack either. So now he was just stuck with what he said, and so he got a move on letting her trail behind him as he lugged the chest of booty.

Was it practical? Probably not, but whether others agreed or not, it was more fun to do it this way, because who hadn't wanted to have a chest of treasure at least once? Was Amor using these Rocket missions, to cross things off his childish bucket list? Yes. Did he care? No. The fact that there was real danger only added to the atmosphere a bit.

"Y'know I have another chest? Having an actual chest makes the whole adventure feel a bit more authentic don't you think?" It was an odd thing for the adult to act like a child, and the child to act like an adult.

TLDR
Amor's sarcasm was unintentionally activated.
Aesthetics matter when you're getting treasure!

MP Total
IC Post x2 - 20

It was a fact no one knew, because Amor rarely talked about his past to anyone. He remembered he had been reading some comic book as a child, and there was a Superhero that had no special powers, just a mechanical suit that he had built with his own two hands, and he saved the world with just that. He constantly upgraded, and iterated on the suit making it better with each addition. As a child Amor had been so enamored with the thought that anyone could be a Superhero with just their intelligence, and he remembered drawing up a diagram of his own suits. It had been when he was going through a phase where he thought Ninja's were cool. He had shown it to his mother, and she just laughed, and for Halloween that year, she had made a cloth version of his design.

The same design that he wore now.

"She spent several months putting it together. I remember being very excited when she presented it to me." It was a half lie, and he stopped at her second question, a click of his tongue. "She passed away, so I like to think that where ever she is, she understands why I am doing what I am doing." He hoped both of his parents understood, Amor truly believed that Rocket was the only way to save this plane of existence, and for as horrible as they could be. With Rocket you understood what you were getting into. The League was just as bad, but they would stab you in the back while pretending to be your friend. There was no pretense in Rocket.

It was like some famous pirate had once said. You could always trust a liar to lie, it was the honest ones you needed to worry about.

"What about you? Do you think your mom understands why you are here, and doing this?" He could guess that she was similar to him in terms of her parentage. She was an orphan like he was, but far less fortunate. She didn't have a butler like Walter to guide her through life, or an extreme amount of money either. She was just surviving as best she could, and that deserved more respect in his opinion.

Eris Halla

MP Total
IC Post x2 - 20

Of course she was scared, who wouldn't be? She was a child no more the age than he was when he had lost his parents. It was like looking in a very short mirror when he glanced over at the girl. There were differences, but many similarities.

"It's hard being a kid, trying to survive isn't it?" He could sort of relate. After all he had gone on the run from his childhood home, and had to go on the run again after his broken wedding. "Everyone thinks they know what you want, or what is best for you. But none of them really seem to listen to what you say, despite saying that they do." It was probably worse for her being in Rocket, not that he knew for sure. After all he didn't know of her relationship to other rockets, or league members.

"I think it's okay to be scared, because that means you have courage." He stated as they walked at a leisurely pace. "My mother told me once, that courage isn't the absence the fear. It's being afraid, and still doing what you believe in." It was a good piece of advice, one that he kept near, and dear to his heart. "What do you want to do?" To him it was a simple question, but he wondered if it was the same for her.

Eris Halla

MP Total
IC Post x3 - 30

He didn't speak he just listened, sometimes all someone needed was just an ear to listen. Though he couldn't help, but feel a fresh wave of anger at the League when she spoke to him about how they had treated her. What did they know? What could they possibly know? They sheer audacity of their smug little faces as they probably lectured the girl next to him, made him want to punch them all in the face for a moment, but it wasn't his place to get mad for her. They were basically strangers, he had no right to fight on her behalf like some ancient champion of old. So instead he just listened to what she said, and he lightly tapped his forearm as he thought.

"Being weak is a matter of perspective, but if you mean physically, then yes. Unfortunately due to your age, and size that is true, and you can only overcome that with time as you grow up." It was a harsh reality, but he didn't need to say more than that, she had put a lot of thought into her situation, she understood it better than he could. "I wish I had better words to offer you, a way to level you up like some character out of a game, but I am at a loss." Even with all his genuis there were just things that not even he could fix, without Dialga not even he could bend time.

"However, you said your mom would want you to be happy, and healthy. I think that is a good starting point for your journey." There wasn't anything he felt that he could offer her that wouldn't feel like it was shallow, other than words. She could at least choose to ignore his words if she wanted, and no harm would be done. "You are alive which means you are at least somewhat healthy, yes? I don't know enough about you to know what makes you happy, except that you like to tinker with machines similar to me." He was trying to make the conversation much lighter on her, she had been through enough, there was no need to drag her down a road she had traveled down a thousand times before.

"Maybe others have said this before me, so it's probably something you have heard a hundred times before. But I know that feeling when the same words, and platitudes keep coming at you, and it feels like the entire world has rehearsed the same lines. They say sorry, use honey words to try, and lure you. Tell you that you don't know better because of your age." He remembered it all to well. "But if you ever do need a respite. I have a large enough home, you can just take a vacation there, my dragon army, and butler won't let anyone on the grounds without my say so. So you will have a place to think as long as you want."

It was the least he could offer considering her situation, it was the same offer that had been made to him many years ago. Kindness should be paid forward he felt.

"You can even help me upgrade my suit. You of course can say no. Like I said, I'm sure you've heard this same line a hundred times before." How could she not have heard it before, it was probably the first line in the book of things to say to someone you wanted to help.

Eris Halla

Total MP
IC Post x4 - 40

"As long as we are alive, we can move forward, toward something better. At least that is what I think." It was probably nonsense to most people, but he wanted to get better, so that he could protect those things that meant the world to him. "I won't pretend to know what your mother thinks, so I won't speak for her. All I'll say is that nothing is ever to clunky to improve. It may take time, and some patience, but I think if anyone can do it, it is you." There was sincerity in his words though he didn't know if she would believe him.

"I was around your age when my family was taken from me." These were things he rarely spoke to anyone about, so he tried to keep it short. "She died protecting me as well. I would like to think you are more resilient than I am." And there was a click, and his helm would vanish from his head, revealing his face to her, and the long silvery hair spilled out. How it was kept underneath that helm was a mystery better left unsolved.

"Never give up on improving the clunky bits. Sometimes those are the most important, and I am sure you have many people whom know you better than I do, who might agree." He didn't look down at her, or even in her direction as they walked, and talked. She would recognize him, and he felt they could talk better like this. "Or I could be talking out of my rear, and you think I am annoying. Both are valid." He smiled a little hoping to ease some of the tension.

Eris Halla

Total MP
IC Post x5 - 50

Again he just listened, and what she said was valid. While he didn't agree with it entirely it wasn't his place to lecture her, or correct her.

"I see that is a fair outlook to have on the world. You can't always plan for what comes after you, being able to improvise is a useful skill." He nodded as he looked around to make sure that no one nefarious was trying to creep upon them at this point. Thankfully it had been peaceful here in this moment with her, they were just two broken people, traveling together in a random dimension, delivering who knows what to a den of criminals.

It sounded like a comic book almost.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" It was something he was curious about, and who better to ask than someone who knew exactly what he had gone through himself. "You can say no, but I would like a strangers opinion."

Eris Halla

MP Total
IC Post x6 - 60