broadcast + action

[princessences]

Who: Allura + You!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Relnyx (Hessia-Helix System), & Bloodsport
When: Now (Broadcast), Action (8/31-09/11)

[ broadcast ★ video ★ 09/11 ]

[ This time, Allura intends the broadcast. It's been something of a difficult time for her since her arrival, but she seems much more relaxed than most have seen her in person, as of late. She's rocking some new duds thanks to retail therapy, and addresses the screen as an experienced politician might, hands folded in front of her. ]

Hello, this is Princess Allura. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our viewers for their support. While I have my reservations about the nature of this place and our participation, it is, nonetheless, flattering to receive kind messages.

[ Of which she has several pulled up on a small tablet in front of her. She picks it up gingerly. ]

I admit that the number has been...alarming. I'm afraid I don't have the time to address each and every one, I've been advised it's recommended to respond to a few. So, let's begin.

[ She glances down to the tablet. ]

"How far did you throw him?" [ Awkward pause. ] ...Well, I--hadn't...paid that close attention--is this really something that we should be discussing?

[ Ahem. Next question. ]

"Princess Allura, please step on me."

[ She frowns, leaning into the screen, seemingly scrolling up and down on the tablet and...then straightens. ]

That's all it says. I'm not sure how to respond to this. Are you alright?

[ Moving on. ]

"Princess, how much can you bench press?" Ah! I've been using the gym available on the Iskaulit regularly, and I believe I'm at around 1100 pounds.

[ That one was easy. The next one... she squints. ]

"...Aw right, aw right, aw right. You get him girl. Go suplex his grape-flavored pretty b--"

[ She cuts herself off mid-sentence. Allura has never seen the office, but that is definitely an Office Look at the broadcast screen. ]

...

[ Wordlessly, she looks back down to her last letter. ]

"Princess Allura, I've never been a big fan of reboots...but I'm glad to see that you're back." [ She nods to the screen. ] Thank you. "And what an entrance! Your first week was crazy, wasn't it?" Ah-ha...yes, a lot happened in a short time. "I was all in it for the drama, but I'm still sorry that your boyfriend turned out to be a douche."

[ Wait a tick. ]

Wait--what?

[ Now this is awkward. ]

There are some very serious misunderstandings about the situation!!

[ ...And what is a douche?? ]


[ OPEN ★ action ★ relnyx shops (hessia-helix System) ★ 08/31-09/11 ]

[ To be quite honest, Allura was perfectly content with sulking in her own room on the Tourist for a while. Just when she thought she had come to understand the circumstances of their own universe and timeline, she's thrown back into doubt and confusion.

But she needs to get out, for better or for worse. And what can be a better incentive than shopping?

So she spend some time traveling planet side for some good, old fashioned retail therapy over the next week or so. She has likely gone with friends, although one might find her by herself. If they do, she's likely window-shopping and looking longingly at things she shouldn't splurge on.

Allura pouts a little as she looks at a display of some very sparkly, likely overpriced jewelry. ]

I...really shouldn't...


[ CLOSED to Kaname ★ action ★ bloodsport ★ 09/02ish ]

[ Allura needed someone who wasn't involved, who wasn't in the midst of all the chaos of her personal and professional lives. She has met so many kind people already, but Kaname had offered her advice early on and offered for Allura to visit. So, needing new surroundings to take her mind off of things, she decides to take up on that offer.

Thankfully, the Bloodsport isn't at all what it's namesake makes it sound like. When Allura arrives, she find neither blood nor sport. Probably for the best. ]

Comments

[broadcast for now]

[the_tailor]

[For the time being, he's just going to skip the whole...stuff that was obviously about Lotor. But he is glad to hear that even here, he's gotten some good air time, and he isn't just talking about how often the Fleet's show features him.]

I am so not surprised you get fanmail from people wanting you to step on them.

[princessences]

How is that not alarming? That's extremely alarming.

[ What has she come upon. ]

[the_tailor]

Look, some people...are just into...some things.

CLOSED ; action

[axi]

[Good timing on the princess' part, as Kaname's just exiting her office when she's wandering around. It takes her a moment to catch sight of her, but when she does, the singer backtracks just to make sure.]

Allura?

[princessences]

[ It's probably for the best, as Allura realizes that wandering around someone else's ship unannounced is very poor etiquette. ]

Kaname!

[ There's relief in her voice and on her face. ]

I'm sorry, I should have called first, shouldn't I have?

[axi]

No, it's fine! [Her own smile easily conveys as much to be true.]

I'm happy you decided to visit. Did you want anything to eat or drink? I'm heading to the kitchen to grab something myself.

[ video ]

[tempredmental]

[Keith vaguely remembered a message about fanmail from the hosts...]

Wait, so that thing actually works?

[Guess he should go look at the kiosk.]

[princessences]

It appears so.

[ Though now she's wondering if this was a good idea... ]

I hadn't given it a thought until I saw how much of the local currency I had suddenly accrued.

[tempredmental]

[Oh, right. The sponsors.]

Oh, yeah... you'll get a decent amount of credits every time the sponsors think you did something good for the ratings.

[Keith frowned a bit.]

Those questions were getting a little... weird. What, uh... what brought those on?

[Broadcast]

[sandywolf]

Wouldn't those comments be better addressed by answering each person individually, rather than on the network?

I also do believe you might do well to ignore them.

[You know, since some of them are obviously very vulgar in nature, and obviously not fit for a lady's eyes and ears.]

[princessences]

No names were attached, so I thought this might be the easiest way to respond. However, I am starting to regret that decision. I should have screened these...

[ She's not stepping on anyone. ]

[sandywolf]

I have to assume that these people lack proper education. That is not the sort of language you use to address a lady of your standing.

[She did say she was a Princess, right? How dare people talk to a princess like that?]

voice.

[airily]

Boy trouble, huh?

voice.

[princessences]

That doesn't even begin to explain the situation...

[ Yes, kind of.

If finding out the guy you kind of liked and trusted was using your people (whom you thought were dead thousands of years ago) as batteries counts as trouble. ]

voice.

[airily]

You wanna talk about it?

[Action]

[padadin]

[He does see her broadcast, but since they had already agreed to meet on the planet to do some shopping, he decides he can chat with her about it there instead of through the screen.

He is slowly leaving the Blameless more and more to get active again, so he needs this little trip. He arrives with the right sleeve of his black jacket tied in a knot (he'll have to shop for new clothes too, won't he?) and smiles when he finds Allura having doubts about the jewelry.]

Why not? Is money a problem? I'll pay. You deserve something sparkly after those letters.

[princessences]

[ She'd been too engrossed in her own internal dilemma--practicality or shiny--to pay the appropriate attention to his arrival. Allura straightens, turning to the sound of a familiar voice, falling into something of a guilty smile. ]

I cannot possibly ask for that. We should be shopping for supplies for your arm.

[padadin]

[Guilty over wanting something nice for herself? Especially after she lost the chances at home? Can't have that! It only makes Shiro more determined for it.]

You didn't ask, I offered. And nothing would stop us from getting both. Clothes too, if you need them, although I see you've taken care of that already.

Not Here

[violentroots]

[ There's the temptation to comment. He's been very good about giving her the distance she needs, despite how difficult it was for him.

When was the last time he cared enough about a person to have their rejection hurt so much?

Lotor drags his hand down his face, covering his mouth as he contemplates what he would say.

"I am pleased to see that something positive came from such unpleasantness, even if it is just an increase in your fanbase." She would be certain to take it as him making light of his crimes.
"I also commend you on your throw, it was quite skillful. I did not expect it in the least." Would that be taken as an invitation to fight again? Or just as sarcasm?
"It would be better to reconcile for the fans if not for anything else, is it not?" Definitely not.

"I care about you immensely Allura, and I am certain that you feel the same. Please do not let this be the end of it." Too close to home, for sure. He couldn't bear his heart any further knowing it would most likely be run though.

So instead he's simply quiet. ]

Aaaand totally here; ACTION!

[violentroots]

When was the last time he had been caught out of his armor? He can't quite remember.

Lotor has been on the run for so long, been so easily recognizable for even longer, that it's strange to walk this mall without a second glance pulled towards him. Strange, but almost welcome. He's an unknown here, unimportant. It's a kind of freedom he's never felt. To be unburdened by purpose.

Well he does have at least one purpose, which is to make use of his well filled bank account to pick up supplies for his how-ever-long stay in the Drift Fleet. His suit, for all it's technical advancements, lacked a reliable way to recharge it's systems (and it's a kind of irony to have this same issue, at such a smaller scale. Power. Energy. Freedom.) and he would have to find a way to reverse engineer the charging mechanism to interface with the ships here. Simple? Possibly. Unlikely.

But at least it would give him something to do.

Black isn't his favorite color per say (weeks ago he'd have made some thought of Allura's eyes, or the color of the marks on her cheeks, or the pale blue that her hair carries in the shade, but those were thoughts for lovesick fools, not rejected pre-lovers) but Lotor wears it well and it's easy enough to find. The fabric is durable enough to work in but not as heavy as his armor, and it's almost fun...thinking about looking for other colors of shirts vs. the fate of the entire universe.

He can't avoid his past for very long though. As usual. Though he had not considered the hallway towards the lavatories to become a battle ground.

Allura floats around the corner like a dream, all fabric and legs and hair (he's never seen it down before) and his chest seizes up at the sight of her.

He really should turn around and go the opposite direction. What will he gain from getting in another altercation here? If her recent broadcast had shed any light on her current mental state, it suggested she was not yet ready to forgive him.

Instead Lotor just stops dead in his tracks, eyebrows furrowing as he manages one strangled word.

"Allura."

[princessences]

To Allura's credit, neither had she. Retail therapy was really a dangerous path to go down, but with a considerable boost in her own funds and with the encouragement of her friends, she found that treating herself for a few luxuries amongst the necessities of her visit offered her something positive to concentrate on. Most of her childhood had been furnished by designers and stylists, so without the comforts of the Castle, Allura is truly left to her own devices.

It's a little exciting. And it's been going fairly well.

At least, until now.

She should have been on the lookout for him. It wasn't as if he couldn't make the same choice to leave the fleet and spend some time on planet until their departure. For someone who was so keen on exploring and experiencing other cultures, it should have been an obvious choice. But Allura hadn't considered it at all.

She's leaving the Ladies' room, settling something in a bag, so he sees her before she sees him. It's the sound of his voice that stops her immediately. She feels her stomach drop. Slowly, she shifts her gaze to face him.

He looks--rigid, but strangely comfortable without his armor. She hasn't seen him like that before, either.

The hallway to the restrooms suddenly seems impossibly small.

"Lotor." Her voice is even. Time away from him as helped Allura pull herself together, cooled some of the flames of her rage, though they still burned beneath the surface. She straightens, allowing her shopping bag to hang off of the bend in her arm.

The silence stretches. What is the point of engaging him, really? She knows the right option would be to walk past him. But after talking to the other Paladins, there's a part of her that feels things were left unfinished.

"I see you that made it off of the Fleet."

[violentroots]

"I have. Thank you for your concern Princess." The ice in her voice reminds him of when he was her prisoner, sitting as she stood across from him with that distant, walled off look in her eyes even as he handed her target after target in her favor. Had she ever truly trusted him? For all that he has done to benefit the universe, and her, and their people, it took so little to undo it all.

Lotor straightens more, trying to let his shoulders relax as he shifts the bag he carries from one hand to the other. Allura looks smaller in these clothes, so alien from anything he's seen her in before. He can see her knees. His eyebrows furrow. He should keep walking. "I see that our last interaction sufficiently filled your bank account. I am glad that something positive came from such unpleasant news."

video;

[oratorical]

[There's A Lot here, and a lot of alarming comments from viewers. Leia will get to those later. The first thing she needs to comment on is--]

1100 pounds? Truly?

[princessences]

[ Allura nods, looking pleased. ]

Yes. I believe I've been reading the weights correctly.

[ Atleans are really just secretly buff. ]

[oratorical]

[Leia just looks completely impressed. Allura's so near human that this strength disparity is one she wouldn't have guessed at all.]

That puts my best efforts to shame.

[Not that she lifts weights so much as she (probably in unsafe form) carries boxes that may be too heavy when they need to be moved.]