Darkest Before Breaking Of The Dawn

Abomination

"Rocket, careful!" Mantis warned instantly reaching for Rocket. Momentarily she didn't even care when he cried out an indignant 'hey!' quickly biting at her fingers just as he did some time before on Ego.

Her fingers possessed enough reflex to thankfully evade his teeth and grab hold of his armpits, swiftly, pulling him away from under the tumbling pot of boiling stew. Even as his eyes narrowed furiously, limbs flailing to find purchase at the now distant ground, she drew him closer.

Before the pot had even landed, boiling broth poured out in the exact spot Rocket had stood. Hearing the loud splash, Rocket's head lifted, spinning around to stare at the sizzling mess and nearly jumped out of his skin when the pot clanged loudly on the ground. They stared at the spot for a moment.

Rocket's ears fell and he shuddered before turning an uncertain look at Mantis who still had him in her grasp. For that moment that Mantis had been worried over Rocket, she lost the block on her empath abilities. And she felt him.

She felt his confusion become realization then shock over nearly being scalded alive. Then came horror–and with its familiarity he dreaded.

Something from his past came to mind–specifically having to do with being engulfed in boiling water. Then freezing water. Then tepid water–except he was drowned in it. Drowned and revived. Electrocuted and shocked.

Beaten and then surgically cut open–"Oh my." Mantis managed to breath out as his past trauma became hers, yet she never dropped him. She shuddered momentarily until she got a hold of herself. He let out a sigh, body untensing, letting go of the close call and allowing himself to feel relief over being in one piece. "(Sigh) thanks bug lady. You saved me skin–literally. I would have–"

But she supposed it must have still shown on her face, for he immediately tensed after meeting her gaze. A look of realization appeared on his face, and he began squirming to get loose. "Okay you can drop me now!" He grumbled.

Seeing as it was okay to put him down now she did so, lowering him instead of dropping him. He unruffled his suit looking displeased as he shuffled away from her to face down whoever had toppled the stew over.

On the opposite side of the table, Drax stood awkwardly scratching his head as he stared at the mess. "Whoops. My apologies." He calmly apologized, not seeming to register how he had nearly boiled Rocket alive moments ago.

"You clumsy idiot!" Rocket snarled out agitated while Drax simply shrugged.

"It's not that big of a loss. Whatever was cooking couldn't have been good if Mantis was making it." he looked apologetically at her. "No offense, Mantis."

She nodded out of instinct though she chose to accept the critique. Truthfully her last efforts of serving food to them all did involve insects, slugs and other boiled or mashed creepy crawlies she was used to eating back on Ego.

None were received well so now she used naturally harvested vegetables and edible meats. She couldn't be bothered to be offended right now though.

"Who cares about the spilled food!?" Rocket yelled in outrage. "I mean yeah we probably dodged a bullet having not to eat that now–but you nearly tipped that entire pot of soup over me you flarken idiot!"

"Oh!" Drax acknowledged then bobbing his head in understanding. "I'm sorry, did you get splashed by the broth? You don't appear to be covered in soup–haha!" He suddenly laughed with great humor. "It's a shame you weren't though! That would have been most hilarious! Haha!"

Rocket grit his teeth at him, eye twitching irritatedly. "No you imbecile, it wouldn't have been flarken funny! It's a pot with boiling soup even bigger than I am! If you had soaked me you would have cooked me alive!" he shuddered at the sentiment. Mantis could sympathize as to why, as it wasn't a foreign concept for him to be nearly scalded with boiling liquids just for the pain.