[video] [action]

[the_tailor]

Who: Lance and you
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Blameless
When: Shortly post planet go boom


[Video]

[The vast majority of people here know Lance as constantly loud, boisterous, all smiles even in the face of bad news. Constantly flitting from person to person, acting as a sort of giant team cheerleader. But this Lance? He looks small and tired. If you squint, you can see a little tremble passing through his body. He can't even muster up one of his trademark smiles right now.]

So that's it, huh? That's...it. That's all we could do.


[Action - Blameless]

[Lance knows he can't just lay here in his room and mope. People need him, he could still help. It's his role to comfort people and to keep their spirits up. He should be doing that, and helping with first aid anyone who got injured. He should, but he can't move from his bed right now. All the fear of this situation is finally settling in--no, it's more like a truck hitting him at full speed.

He's spent all this time helping everyone he can, distracting them, in a way distracting himself, and it's only now after it's all over that he realizes how terrified he's been all along. And especially now, with the dead remains of a planet floating right outside his window... And Looma...

You're useless without your lion and Voltron. Part of him knows that it isn't true; he'd helped some others through the month and he evacuated as many people as he can, but his fear is leaving him hyperfocused on those he couldn't save.]

Comments

video;

[sylphid]

[Fie's face appears on the feed, very solemn and withdrawn, and her tone might be sharper than she intends it to be, but no one can be blamed for that right now.]

We did a ton. It was a lot more than most of us thought. Don't bring up wha didn't happen, it's not fair to anyone.

[the_tailor]

[He almost visibly winces. She does have a very good point.]

Sorry. I didn't mean it like that.

[sylphid]

[Lance gets a tight nod. She figured as much.]

Yeah. [Falling silent, Fie knows she should try to give him more than that.]

If you want to focus on something, go back to the ships. Organize people and help set things up there. It's not over just yet.

[the_tailor]

I know. There's still things I can do. It's just...

[Complicated. He's used to being the big damn hero by now, saving planets, and yes, he knows that's cocky of him. But without Voltron, he's just another pilot.]

Anyway, I'm going to go do that.

[sylphid]

[Fie knows that line, and she's heard it before. Gonna cut him off right there. Or... continue it for him. Whatever.]

It's never that complicated. Do what you can with what you have at the time.

[the_tailor]

I overthink things sometimes. Or don't think enough. I don't have much of a happy medium.

[He gives a tired smile.]

I will.

» video

[herosheroine]

We might not have been able to prevent what happened, but at least we prevented that world's people and culture from going with it.

[ She knows a little something about losing one's world and having to start new. She's seen first hand what sort of impact it can have on the survivor's if left unchecked. She's hopeful, though. ]

They'll have each other, and they can find another home together.

[the_tailor]

At least for that. I just...feel bad that there was nothing we could do to stop that thing, y'know? I guess there wasn't enough time, and we didn't have the resources, but it still sucks.

video

[tempredmental]

[Keith was exhausted, and it showed. He'd been running himself ragged since the evacuation procedures and had just held the Huntress steady through the shockwave as he'd been on the planet until literally the last possible minute for what the ship could handle for getting out of the atmosphere. Still, seeing Lance that shaken up bothered him. He felt like he had to say something, even if he was bad at coming up with things to say.]

Hey... it was better than nothing. We still saved a lot of people, right?

[the_tailor]

[He feels ya, buddy. Lance is about five seconds from keeling over of exhaustion himself.]

We did, but I keep thinking I could have done more, somehow. And if we had Voltron, maybe we could have stopped that meteor or...or some something, anything. But we don't. And I don't have Blue.

[tempredmental]

And I don't have Red. And none of us have our Lions. But we still did what we could. We don't have Voltron, but that doesn't mean we couldn't do anything. We have to work with what we have.

[Keith rubbed his face a bit.]

Are you going to be okay?

[the_tailor]

I know. And I feel like an idiot just sitting and moping like this when there's still things I can do, but I can't stop thinking. Even for a second.

[He groans, rubbing the back of his head.]

Duh. You know I'm always okay.

Video;

[alwayscomeback]

[Sokka's not doing well himself. Looma's death has been a harsh blow. There'll be no joking from either of them for a while, Fleet. ]

Doesn't feel like enough, does it?

[the_tailor]

[He's in the same boat re: Looma. It's gonna be hard to force a smile for more than a little at a time right now.]

I keep going back and thinking, what could I have done differently, you know? Even if I didn't have the resources to stop the meteor... Could I have done something more?

[Could he have saved Looma, somehow?]

[tempredmental]

[Keith narrowed his eyes a little.]

Are you?

[He remembered calibrations. He remembered that Lance wasn't always as 'okay' as he claimed.]

[the_tailor]

'course.

[He tries to put up a smile, though it's tight. Lance is a worse actor than usual right now.]

Besides, there's no reason for me to mope around when it wasn't even my planet that got destroyed. Those people lost everything.

[tempredmental]

We had losses, too.

[Look, he was trying to help here.]

If you... you know... if you need anything...

[After all, Lance had done him a good solid favor with getting him out of his own head for a while. And it had helped. And Lance deserved to have people looking after him, too. So, Keith was going to put it out there.]

[the_tailor]

[He hesitates for a little. On one hand, both of them could be putting themselves back to work. But on the other hand...]

I, um... Are you busy right now?

[tempredmental]

No... we just undocked from the station, so we're completely unloaded now. I was just putting the Huntress back on autopilot to stay with the Fleet.

[What's up, Lance?]

[the_tailor]

[Another hesitation. He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again, and finally forces himself to speak.]

Could you maybe come over here for a little bit? I'm back on the Blameless.

[tempredmental]

Yeah... Yeah, I can do that.

[He had done it for him, after all. Keith felt a little like he owed Lance. It wasn't like they were the best at getting along, so the fact that Lance had gone out of his way like that to make sure Keith was okay... Keith appreciated it.]

I'll be over in a bit.

[the_tailor]

Thanks. I'll make us some of whatever passes for tea on this ship.

[A gives a more genuine smile, though still tired, and shuts off the video. While Keith makes his way over, Lance goes to the kitchen, brewing the aforementioned beverages. Once that's done, he goes back to his room, sitting down on the bed and placing them on the bedside table.]

action

[tempredmental]

[Keith nodded and, once the he was sure the ship was settled in with the Fleet, he headed for the transporter and teleported over. It was easier that way. He was too tired, honestly, to deal with taking a shuttle. And he knew one of their engineers was going to want to look everything over anyway after that, so he decided to leave them all in place.

He saw movement, spotting Lance just as he headed into his room down the hall as he came out of the teleporter room, so he headed there. He gave a small knock once he got to the door.]

Hey.

[the_tailor]

Hey. Come in.

[Once Keith enters the room, Lance gives him another tired smile. He's a little banged up from barely escaping the explosion in a small shuttle, but the exhaustion is mental too, and it shows in his eyes. They're not as bright as they usually are.

He pats the bed next to him.]

There's tea over there, if you want.

[tempredmental]

[Keith looked at the cups.]

Did you claim one, yet?

[He settled on the bed.]