[Video]

[padadin]

Who: Shiro and you
Broadcast: Fleet-wide
Action: SS Blameless
When: Saturday morning

[For the general public and the Blameless crew, this isn't going to be a surprise, but Shiro is awake pretty damn early. Well, at least for whatever counts as "early" in space. The feed starts at crazy o'clock with Shiro in the seating area, a warm cup of tea in his hands, an open crate next to him and a soft smile on his lips.

What is he smiling at? The plushies on the table. Five lions of different colors and sizes, standing in a very specific order, even if most people probably won't get it and will think the line should be organized by size. And next to the lions, two small plushies: the cutest mice.]

I kept hearing horror stories about these "drops", but this isn't so bad. I like them. Thanks to whoever send them. [Being nice to the public for the sake of his crew's ratings? You betcha. He takes a sip of his tea before asking to the camera.] Hey, Keith, how many red ones do you want?

[Yeah, it's not a matter of if, bro is getting at least one. An idea hits Shiro then and he puts his cup down to start moving the lions around to make a pile, and it will look even weirder this time, because the big black one doesn't go to the bottom. No, he puts the blue and the yellow ones next to each other, then the red one on top of the blue one, green goes on yellow, and on top goes black...

But Shiro pauses, frowning, when he notices a post-it note stuck to the lion's belly. He doesn't read it aloud, but text appears on the screen as his eyes skim it.]

Shiro gets nightmares if he doesn't sleep with his lion.

[Shiro tenses, obviously not liking the note at all, because yeah, half of it is true. And it's hitting him right now that some strangers out there know. Just like that, the feed is turned off - well, the video feed at least. Because Shiro keeps reading the messages afterwards, so of course they keep appearing on the screen, one for each plushie.]

Shiro isn't his real name.
Shiro burns water.
Shiro and Keith haven't reached third base.
Shiro sinks even in small lakes.
Shiro can't grow a worthy mustache.
Shiro's white bangs are a clip-in.

Comments

video - private

[tempredmental]

[Keith was going to answer when he heard Shiro's question, but the way Shiro disconnected the feed before he could concerned him a little.

Currently set up now on the Huntress, he called back on a private line. Or, as private as it could be on a reality show.]

Hey... you okay, Shiro?

[padadin]

Hey, buddy. I'm fine. [Look at this expert poker face! Totally fine, yes sir!] I see you got your ship assigned - where are you? I need to drop Red for you before she rages over being away from her pilot again.

[Poker face and dumb humor. Love your leader.]

[tempredmental]

I'm on the Huntress. [Keith gave a weak smile at the quip about Red, but his little mental alarm flags were still waving. Funny how they were both apparently really good at keeping things from one another lately.

Reeeaaaal funny.]

You're on the Blameless, right? How do we get between ships?

[padadin]

[The Huntress. Does he know anyone there? He doesn't think so.]

I am. You have many options - you're the pilot, Keith, you just can bring the Huntress closer and space walk. You can beam yourself in, too, or take a shuttle.

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[universal_charm]

_{[ Beep beep, Shiro. ]}

Just so you're prepared - rumors popped up even after you cut the feed, so expect some questions to come through on them.

And congrats on your first sponsor drop.

_{[ His tone is sarcastic, very sarcastic. ]}

[padadin]

[Shiro doesn't answer immediately, he first checks those extra rumors that showed up. And he can only sigh - at least they aren't as bad as the first one?]

Thanks, Jim. [His tone is very dry too. He likes the plushies, but these notes kinda ruin his mood.] If they hate my cooking so much, you'd think they'd give me the cook augment.

[Yeah, he's using his own (not really sarcastic but still kinda dry) humor to talk about this... and concentrate on the water burning note. It's the least dangerous one.]

[universal_charm]

It takes a certain unique set of skills to make water burn.

_{[ He's willing to play along for the moment. He has suspicions about the first one, given Shiro's reaction, but he isn't sure if that's something he should even broach, given they've only talked the once. But the others... well, there's definitely some there he could touch on in a minute. ]}

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[sylphid]

[Well, since they're somewhat acquainted, Fie's okay with showing herself. The broadcast opens to a familiar teenager drinking from a mug that says "Number One Sire." It's best just to let it go.]

I like how small lakes are specified. Do you float in medium sized bodies of water?

[padadin]

[He doesn't know if being amused or not. Because the rumors are dumb, but the sad part is, he kinda understands where they're coming from. So the question is actually pretty legit. A sigh.]

I do know how to swim and float, but I haven't tried in a long time. [And to make his point, he raises his right hand to show the metal - something she couldn't have seen the first day since he was wearing his paladin suit.]

[sylphid]

[She looks at it then makes a very helpful suggestion.]

You could tie a plastic bag over it?

[Well, maybe not helpful exactly...]

[ video ]

[evervigilante]

I hear cuddling fixes nightmares. Though I've never tried it with a lion.

[ Yuri's tone is perfectly casual. It's as if he completely glossed over Shiro's reaction. ]

Also you should learn how to swim if you want to get to third base.

[padadin]

[Good lord, every single comment by this guy just makes it worse. Shiro isn't amused.]

I do know how to swim. Don't believe everything those notes say.

[evervigilante]

Then don't get worked up about them. Otherwise you make them believable.

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[save_the_souls]

Lions stopping nightmares? No way that's true.

[Speaking as a guy who has basically a phobia of lions, he would like to say that seems like a bunch of rubbish. Lions CAUSE nightmares not the other way around, god ]

[padadin]

[Shiro can only blink for a second. Of all the things to comment on... this isn't the kind answer he'd expect. Then again, what can he expect from such dumb rumors?]

I haven't slept in her, but I find my lion's presence comforting. But she's not the actual animal, if that's what you mean.

[save_the_souls]

[Well no of course she's not an animal, lions are godless killing machines - is Allen's first impulse to say, but he abstains from it. ]

What do you mean she's not an actual animal?

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[continuousgroaning]

I wouldn't pay the notes too much mind. I got one that says I'm secretly vegan, which is pretty much impossible when your family cooks hamburgers for a living.

[padadin]

Sorry they got you too, Tina. These are only getting more and more ridiculous by the second. [A pause and he looks from her to the plushies.] Do you want a lion?

[continuousgroaning]

Yeah, but some of them are a little funny. One of them called me Tina Belcher, Warrior of Love.

[She brightens at that.]

I'd like one, please! They're really cute.

action »

[ladybro]

[ later that day, kate passes shiro in the kitchen while making a little something-something in a metal french press. coffee, of course. the old-fashioned way since their kitchen still lacked a more automatic method. ]

You alright?

[ brief, cool, but pointed. she eyes him carefully -- as though trying to assess whether he's upset or not after that earlier feed. ]

[padadin]

[He's refilling his cup of tea when Kate finds him, already having gotten rid the post-it notes by turning them in confetti and throwing them in the trash can. Her question is met with a little smile and a calm expression - the initial shock is long gone.]

I'm fine. The notes just took me by surprise. [He takes a sip of his tea, wondering how much his crew knows too. They probably have noticed he wakes up super early, but can they hear him turning and talking in his sleep too? Ugh, not even his fellow paladins know about that.] Someone from home arrived, instant mood improvement. I hope you don't mind a temperamental teenager visiting us often.

[ladybro]

-- I think I can handle it.

[ she pushes the brewing press aside and turns so she can lean on the counter -- and, of course, pay better attention to him. ] I'm pretty sure I, too, was once a temperamental teenager. Not so long ago.

video.

[brainiest]

[ She is actively trying her best to avoid all notice of the rumours, focussing instead on the lions. ]

I think this is the first drop I've seen that's actually been nice.

[padadin]

[And he's so, so thankful for that.]

Really? I've been lucky then. Do you want a lion? Or five. The crate is quite big.

[brainiest]

[ There's something about being offered a lion that makes her fight a laugh. ]

I think just one would suit me. I'm probably lion enough already.