driftfleet | [ action ]

Who: Keith and everyone who comes across him
Broadcast: No
Action: Huntress, Iskaulit
When: From today until the end of the drift period (Sept 25)

=====

Sept 19 - 22

[SURPRISE... Keith was small again. Except... this time? He didn't remember the Fleet. He's not as young as last time, either. There was some panic and angry lashing out at a few people to start, but, once he settled down, he started to explore.

He stuck mostly to the Huntress and the Iskaulit. He'd look familiar to anyone who knew Keith, really, and especially to those who had seen him de-aged last time (though he was a bit older than before). However, be prepared for grumpy stares and lack of trust. Keith was not trusting by nature thanks to how things went for him after his dad died. Adults were especially the bane of his existence.

Care to meet a young emo teen? He might have just pick-pocketed you.]

=====

Sept 23 - 25

[Keith stalked along the corridor, his paws padding softly on the metal floor. He'd woken up as a panther, but he wasn't going to just stay put in his room until it wore off. It was annoying, because he didn't have hands and he couldn't speak to anyone. It also meant he couldn't do his assigned job, either.

So, he was trying to pass the time by strolling around the Iskaulit. He was relying on others to get him back and forth between ships, and had gotten Lance to help him over there that morning so he could jog around the ship with Shiro for their normal routine. Granted, a panther jogging with a man that had dog ears and a tail wasn't exactly normal, but here they were.

It was hard to resist the catlike traits and something at the edge of his peripheral vision shifted, getting his attention. He froze, his tail twitching sharply, before suddenly dashing off down the hall.

Look out, passerby! That panther is about to run you over!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why would I?

[Keith studied Shiro, the lack of trust obvious in his expression.]

You look like a cop.

[He knows that face, remembers it clearly, remembers how much work he put into changing it. Dammit, Atroma, this is no place for a Keith that is still feeling like that. Shiro's expression softens, showing even a bit of amusement when he's compared to a cop.]

Do I? That's new. I'm actually with Galaxy Garrison. [...technically. Look, gotta use something to express familiarity and pass the defensiveness.]

Oh.

[There was a spark of interest, but Keith didn't act on it. He was afraid to, in case it went bad like everything else. He was just another discipline case, after all.]

Are you like... an alien or something? Or is that just some weird costume?

Technically, we're all aliens here.

[Which is true, because they all come from other planets, but it's a bit of an in-joke on the fact mister half-Galra is making that comment. Because his dumb sense of humor always comes up at the best of times!]

But I know what you mean. No, I'm a human from Earth. Some aliens just thought it would be funny to give me dog parts for a while.

[Too bad Mr Half-Galra didn't get it at the moment. He just snorted a little. Sure... they were aliens to anyone not human.]

That's... creepy. How do they do that?

[He'll take that snort, better than Keith feeling lost or angry. Baby steps! He's considering actually explaining the augments, but he doesn't want to fill young Keith with paranoia, so he keeps it simple.]

I don't know the full extend of their abilities. Technological magic, I would say.

[Neither of those are really lies, to be fair.]

[Keith frowned in though, but sighed.]

Figures.

This whole place is like that... just weird.

[A chuckle, his tail moving with amusement too.] You don't know half of it. But it doesn't have to be. There's an arcade, and training grounds. There also are shuttles we can pilot if you feel like going out for a ride.

[Keith studied Shiro for a moment.]

You know what they teach kids like me about strange adults asking them to go for a ride, right?

[An amused huff.] You're right. Very responsible of you.

[He comes closer and offers his hand to shake, once in his life trying to use the popularity of his name on purpose to see if it can make an impact.]

I'm Takashi Shirogane. We're going to be good friends in the future.

[No way. Keith had read about him... about the Garrison... about the missions to space... anything he'd been able to get his hands on before the other kids in the home. He was here. Takashi Shirogane was here...

...and looking for a handshake...

...and saying they were going to be good friends in the future...

Keith's mind came to a screeching halt.]

[No. Way.

Deep down, Keith desperately wanted to believe that was true. He wanted to believe everything everyone had been telling him about being a top pilot in the Garrision, leading a group of Paladins in a special group of fighters saving the universe from evil...

But it sounded too fake. Robot lions? Aliens? Epic battles in space? It was like some Japanese cartoon. Even the stuff that didn't sound fake sounded out of reach. Why would the Garrison take him in? Keith frowned.]

Yeah, right.

[It wasn't that he didn't believe Shiro... but he didn't believe Shiro...]

[Shiro's ears lower in disappointment. This is to be expected, he remembers what Keith used to be like, but it doesn't mean he has to like it. He doesn't pull his hand back yet, though. He waits. Patience yields focus.]

I know you don't believe me right now. It's ok. I don't blame you. But we can start over, right? You don't have to be alone, Keith.

[Keith stared at the hand for a moment, and then back up at Shiro.]

Why do you care?

[He offers a soft smile and eyes that show care.]

Because you're the little brother I never had.

[Keith wasn't sure. He wanted to trust... wanted to believe that someone he'd seen around recruiting wouldn't betray him. He was just... scared.]

I guess.

[He hesitated and then cautiously shook Shiro's hand.]

We can try it out.

[Shiro's smile grows when his hand is taken, and he shakes it properly, because by now he's gotten good at doing stuff with the left.]

Great. I came here by beaming, but if we go back to my ship we can take a shuttle there. If you promise me to behave and not to try to race into asteroids-- [Because even if he had seen Keith fly at this age and he's good, better take precautions.] --then you can give me a hand.

[Pause for dorky effect.]

I don't know if you noticed, but I'm lacking my right. [Keith can be his right hand, GET IT.]

[That was a lot to take in with only a few sentences, and, for a second, Keith was a little excited by the idea of flying a shuttle himself... but, in some weird confirmation of "Shiro knows you" that Keith was a bit surprised to hear, he was already being told to behave. Well, fine... He grumped a little, making a face at the bad pun.]

Uh, yeah. I noticed.

[Guess who's sense of humor had also reverted along with his memories, mental state, and physical age.]

Good. Keep that in mind, then. You make a good right hand.

[Continuing with the pun there, even if Keith won't get it because of the lack of Voltron knowledge. Also seeing that grumping face... he can't help it, he ruffles Keith's hair. So young and inno-- ahaha yeah no.]

[Keith looked confused and then, what was that?! Keith glared at Shiro, reaching up to rub his own head. Seriously. He might not have the neatest hairstyle, but geeze! That didn't meant Shiro could just go fluffing his hair all over the place like that.]

Sure.

[He got up, moving to follow Shiro. He'd give this a shot for now. It wasn't like he couldn't defend himself against a one-armed man if he had to... even one with dog ears and a tail.]

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