( you're not going to kill me, he'd said, and now he wonders why he'd let the words leave his mouth. in hindsight, there could only have been one outcome: gamora kills him and he doesn't really know why there had been even a part of him that'd expected otherwise. play stupid games, win stupid flarking prizes, quill.

this isn't what he'd expected would greet him when died, though now he takes the time to think about it, he doesn't know what he'd expected. there's a faint, small part of him that wonders if this is inside the soul stone, but the rest of him, the part that affirms that yes, he really is dead, says that no. it's not. this is a place all of its own.

he finds his door, his tethers, his clothes. the conspicuous lack of 'gaping hole' in the torso tells him that they're not the ones he'd been wearing when he'd died, but they're close enough that, aside from that one, admittedly large difference, he could have been convinced otherwise. once clothed, he heads back outside, back into the shadowlands. it's unpleasant and disconcerting but it's definitely not the worst place he's spent time, not by any stretch of the imagination.

the reaper that had greeted him had pointed out the dwelling in the distance: stygia. it seemed as good a place as any to head, but peter takes his time. if questioned, he'll argue that he's not deliberately eavesdropping, he's just, you know, turned about. trying to make head or tails of everything.

(it's a lie. he is eavesdropping.)

he overhears comparisons to purgatory which — okay. oddly faith-based, but at least it's not universal church of truth kind of faith based. at the same time, he overhears another conversation, one that does give him pause — given everything else, that is — and he stops short, attention shifting to the closest person nearby. they look as new as he does, but that doesn't stop him from shooting them a quizzical, almost disbelieving look, mouthing a word at them. )

—Soulmates? ( his lingering, pointed gaze says: you heard that too, right? )

( the jobs posted on the noticeboard range from an easy way to get a little money to more challenging, more in line with the type of work he's used to — by a definition of 'used to', at least. gathering star fragments isn't, strictly speaking, part of his usual wheelhouse, but it's not the weirdest thing he's ever done or even considered doing, and more than that, more than the payment (though it's definitely suitably convincing) is his own curiosity around the star fragments gets the better of him. none of the constellations are any he recognises, and whilst that's not exactly a shocker, it does mean he has capital-q questions about—

—well, everything, frankly.

thanks to items available within his door, he's dressed in for him usual attire: practical, comfortable, and (probably) ideal for exploring the wilderness (he's not sure, he wouldn't describe himself as 'at home' in a forest).

not naturally a loner, tramping through mud and grass and frankly questionable fauna alone gets tiring after not very long at all, and whilst the goatherder he'd spoken to had been more than helpful in ensuring he was heading in the right direction, he hadn't been otherwise very chatty, keen for peter to leave him alone and allow him to continue tending to his goats (or, like, whatever it is goatherders do).

which is to say, when he happens upon someone else, someone who looks as out of place out here as he does, he takes himself on a slight detour — the scenic route, if you will — to ensure he has both ground to spare if things go sideways and that he doesn't spring out of nowhere. surprise is great in very specific circumstances: making oneself appear friendly in potentially hostile territory is not one of them. )

Not to be flippant but this isn't the first time I've "died", so... Are we sure this is going to stick, or does it come with a series of Ts and Cs?
The amniotic fluid sacs, bloated corpses, soulmates and stairway to Heaven commentaries are giving very mixed messages.

( ooc: i totes dropped the ball on the first tdm — sorry! but i'm back and ready to rumble! open to wildcards + other prompts if none of the above take your fancy, but if you want to hash anything out, please send me a pm!!
aside: canon point is circa cates' run on GOTG, post duggan's infinity wars mess lmao )