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Who: Shiro and you
Broadcast: Yes
Action: If you want, he's on the Blameless
When: Saturday evening

[Text closed to Keith - Friday night]

We've arrived to the new system. How are you feeling?

[He doesn't know about the planet bringing back the sensations of the dreams yet, but he worries.]

-----

[Video - Saturday evening]

[When the feed starts, an armor wearing Shiro is sitting down and taking off his helmet as the light blue lights of his suit go off.]

This is Shiro, co-captain of S.S. Blameless.

[His face is serious, and his tone of voice means business.]

Last month, certain members of the fleet had visions about the planet we were visiting and the incident that happened after. But there are certain dreams that didn't find their match there, and it seems this new system has brought those sensations back. So early today, I went down with a teammate that had those dreams to investigate. [He frowns a bit, obviously not pleased with the result.] There are some small towns, inhabited by the orange-skinned people we usually encounter. They're heavily armed, too, because of a group called the Vieziri. They're dangerous, deadly hunters that have made the locals live in constant fear.

[His hold on his helmet tightens - it's frustrating, not having his lion, being limited in what he can help with. But he continues, the natural leader in him shining through.]

I know we can't stay in our ships forever. So if you go down there, please, don't do it alone. The bigger the group, the better. Bring a weapon with you, if you aren't the powered or magical kind. The locals are willing to sell theirs, too. Keep your communicators safe and close at all times, check the GPS function that our fellow fleet members were offering some time ago. Captains, it would be wise of you to know where your crew is at all times.

[He pauses. There isn't much more he can say other than be careful. So how to end such a feed?]

If a situation like Lyuku's must happen again, I can only hope we're better prepared this time. [ #famouslastwords ]

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[Not just a few rooms apart, Shiro is actually on the pilot seat. It's a place whee he feels right, comfortable. They should be arriving to the new system soon, he knows, and that always makes him eager to see it. There's also the worry over the leftover dreams this time, but that flees his mind when he sees her text.]

Yes, of course. Where are you?

My room. Stop by?

I have an idea.

Sure, I'll be right there.

[And he is, he doesn't waste time. He sends the text and leaves for her room -the captain's room, luckily she accepted that- and knocks softly.]

Kate?

[ considering she knew already of his imminent arrival, it's no small thing to be at the door soon after the knock. she tugs the hatch open and steps backward to make room. her space is, as ever, a strange mix of cozy and spartan. the bed is decked in purple: sheets, quilt, pillow-cases. it even has a kind of gauzy fairy-tale netting that trails from the ceiling like faux-boho decor.

there's a chair, there's a rug, there's a closet that's full to bursting. but there are no pictures on the walls or knick-knacks strewn about. a dartboard hangs above her bed, the darts still stuck in it. in a short time, she's made the space as much her own as she'd had the previous room.

although today lucky's nowhere in sight. ]

C'mon in. Make yourself at home. I'm not, uhm, keeping you from anything. Am I?

[Hey, he says as he gets inside, looking around as he sits on the chair when Kate tells him to get comfortable. Shiro remembers her previous room, and recognizes most of her stuff from when he helped her to move. He's glad to see she's made this her space and she isn't sleeping here just to humor him.

Would seeing Lucky be great? Yes, but not necessary. Her presence is enough to make him smile like an idiot.]

You aren't. If I had been doing something important, I would've told you. And I always have time for a friend. [He always has time for her. Shiro has to admit though, the question surprises him a bit, and he raises an eyebrow. She usually isn't this hesitant is when it comes to just hanging out, as proven by breakfasts, yoga and stargazing.] Kate, is everything alright?

[ -- there's no easy way to ask hey, did you inadvertently let one of your teammates think we're dating? so kate puffs out a breath and offers up a nod before retreating back to her dresser. from its surface, she grabs a pair of small polish bottles. ]

Everything is fine. [ look! she even smiles -- bright and wide and earnest. because if she's honest with herself, everything is fine. this kind of romance bullshit has no place in a professional relationship. she'd learned that the first time around. ] But what I'm about to propose will take a while to do, so I gotta be certain you have the time for it.

[She sounds and looks honest, her smile bright as it can be. And while he does trust her, he can't help feeling that her initial reaction was a bit to awkward compared to her usual enthusiasm for laid back activities.

Maybe she's just having a bad day and needs a distraction. He wishes she would confide in him, but he isn't one to push.

An arched eyebrow, but obviously teasing.] I do, there's always time when we're drifting and a ship has three pilots. But that sounds terribly ominous.

[ the bottles clink together when she holds them in one hand. the other is free, so she gestures for him to come join her where she takes a seat on the edge of the bed. ]

I figured you were more than overdue for your next round of rehab. [ which is when she tosses a clear coat aside and waggles the second bottle -- a deep and royal purple -- in his direction. ]

[It says a lot about their relationship, he realizes, if he can just go and sit next to her on the bed, not feeling awkward or confused. And honestly, he isn't sure it's a realization he wants to have.

At least things are staying silly. Shiro blinks a couple of times at the waggling bottle. Really?]

You... want to paint my nails?

I do. [ smoothly, she pours all her nervous energy into this project. maybe it's the wrong call -- defusing romantic confusion by proposing something that could be misconstrued as intimate. but kate never really intended it as such. she's more than comfortable with this kinda thing. ]

It doesn't have to be your fingernails. If you're worried about that kinda thing. [ that is, being a guy and having polish on. what? she doesn't know whether the stigma would have dissipated by then. ] We could paint your toes.

[Indeed, it kinda worries him. Well, maybe worry isn't the right word. He doesn't care much about stigmas, but he does think it would look ridiculous. On his feet, too, even if he can cover them more easily.

And yet, he starts taking his boots and socks off, because they're in the captain's room and he remembers her saying he owns her one. Because girls do this kind of thing together all the time, and it shouldn't be a big deal. Because something it's obviously on her mind, and he wants to help.

Because he craves this intimacy, even the friendship kind, these little moments when he can feel he can truly relax and pretend he has a normal life.]

I think I've been giving you too much power in this rehab. Am I getting purple sparkles on my helmet next? [He shakes his head, a fond gesture, as he bends his knee and the first foot lands on the bed.]

[ kate leans back against the headboard. as ever, she's hardly shy. with a deft hand, she grabs for his ankle and tugs his foot snugly against her thigh -- just above her knee. and thus positioned, she rolls his trouser leg up just above his ankle.

and she offers his toes a cursory examination. ]

Why, would you like purple sparkles on your helmet? [ kate teases. ] Because that can be arranged.

[He can't help it, he tenses when she grabs him. It's a mix of many sensations clashing at once - he isn't a big fan of being grabbed, it brings back dark memories, but there's also the fact she's touching him and rolling his pants and oh quiznak, is she going to see the scar on his leg?

She doesn't. And once his leg is settled, her warmth against his skin, Shiro relaxes, letting go of the tight hold he has on the sheets. He didn't even noticed he did that.]

If you do mine, you'll have to do the whole team's. We are supposed to match.

Yeah. That's not happening.

[ -- her, doing theirs too. this is preferential treatment. kate both acknowledges that fact even as she tries to scurry it away, hide it under an affable tilt of her head. but her fingertips (done in the same purple) drum briefly on the top of his foot before she offers: ]

But if you'd rather we didn't...

[ because she'd felt that abrupt tension. she'd seen the way his hand balled in the bedclothes. kate chews her bottom lip for a moment. ] We can aim for something else. Get you a pair of purple socks, instead.

Smaller steps.

[ she knows it's not about the colour. not anymore. but it's an easy out to offer. ]

[Of course it's not happening, he's only kidding. But he still smiles, because it only confirms this is their thing, their little but still very special thing, and that means a lot to him.]

Huh? ...oh. [He shakes his head, looking away in shame. He's such a mess even such a simple activity.] It's fine. It just took me by surprise. It's not you or your ideas, I promise.

[He forces himself to look at her again then, because this is the kind of thing you say face to face, and his grey eyes are as honest as they can be.]

I trust you, co-captain.

Aces.

[ kate leans leftward -- stretching her arm until she can grab at a notebook kept beside her bed. it's nothing special, except that it's a flat surface that will more safely house the polish bottle once she has it cracked open. ]

You know, you should. [ trust me. ] I've done this hundreds of times before.

[ her own toes! friends' toes! maybe even lucky's claws, once. ]

[He waits patiently and without moving much like the good boy he is, only moving to rest his chin on his knee, his eyes following her hands with curiosity.]

I do. [And it's said with lots of conviction.] And I can easily believe that. Should I text Billy for advice or am I stealing his time?

[He knows he isn't, but it feels kinda good to be able to joke about it, it means he's confident of how this moment is his.]

[ -- oh, she smiles. bright and happy, as though shiro just went and brought up a favourite topic. in effect, he did.

although there's a pitter-patter of fear at the thought that any of this should make its way back to billy. ]

I kinda invited him to join the Blameless, actually. [ she admits as she paints the nail on his smallest toe. ] Mostly as a formality. I don't know if he ever will -- it's healthy to have a bit of space between friends.

[ she says as she paints her friend's toes while sitting on her bed. sure. space. ]

I wouldn't mind that. I liked talking to him. [A pause before he adds.] He made me fly.

[He's told Kate about his meeting Billy already, but he can go on about it over and over because he flied. Without a ship, defying gravity. Every time he remembers and mentions it, he's like a little kid again, thinking about the wonders of the universe.

And if he thinks about flying, he can avoid thinking about other things, like her definition of "space between friends". Because if she keeps it with Billy, then what does the current situation mean? It doesn't matter. He doesn't want to think about it, and bringing attention to it equals potential to lose it.

He'd rather keep this "space", thank you very much.]

Besides, it's the least I could do after I unleashed Lance on you.

Lance isn't so bad. I can handle Lance. [ perhaps now isn't the time to play one-ups with aggravating acquaintances. kate is in no mood to discuss tommy again -- and it's unlikely she'll ever try and broach the strange topic of working with loki of all sorts.

no, that didn't turn out well for them in the end.

she dips the brush in the bottle once more and moves on to the next toe. ] But -- Billy? Yeah, he's incredible. One of those friends that it doesn't matter how long you spend apart, finding them again always feels like you just saw each other the day before.

[When she moves her hand away to dip the brush again, Shiro wiggles his toes, watching the purple nail contrast against the others. It's... different, he supposes, it's not like he can feel the paint. And yet he knows that if he puts his socks and boots back on, he'll still feel the "presence" of the paint on his feet the whole day, just like he's aware of the weight of the watch on his wrist.]

That's how true friendship works. [He pauses before adding with a bit of guilt.] I'm glad you have someone like him here with you now, even if I know we shouldn't be wishing this place on anyone.

[He can't deny how comforting is to have his team here with him.]

Him and Clint. [ kate speaks with a kind of reverential awe. like she doesn't know what she's done to deserve two so important people (to her) joining the fleet. ] Within, like, days of each other.

[ and clint's better, despite the bad things that have happened. it buoys her. ]

[No need to explain that feeling - he agrees with it, feels it himself.]

Just like my team, everyone just started to show up. Even if Allura didn't stay for long. It's funny how we go from zero to numbers in the fleet, especially here in the Blameless.

[Now give him his lion, Atroma.]

Sometimes, I ask myself whether I'd feel better if there was a pattern to it. Y'know, some kinda rhyme or reason.

[ she hums a moment -- lost somewhere between the conversation and the activity. ]

Maybe there is and we just don't know it. Ratings sounds too simple and shallow, doesn't it?

[It is a relaxing activity, and the company helps too. Shiro wouldn't mind it if it only becomes her humming - it would be a comfortable silence, not an awkward one.]

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