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

[The expression went right over Keith's head in the moment. Welp.]

Oh.

[He looked a little relieved.]

Well... I mean... I can clean it up. No big deal. I was the one that spilled it.

[He got up and started to head out like he was going to go find some paper towels or something.]

Hey, no, you enjoy your milkshake.

[He gets up as well, beelining for where he knows there's a towel he can use. Returning, he mops up what's spilled on the table. There we go. Good as new.]

[Keith froze as Lance headed off to get the towel. He should be in trouble. Part of him wondered just how long this would last. Everyone always tried to be nice when they first met him, but it always happened eventually. Something would snap, and he'd lose control, and they'd give up... sending him away.

For a second, he felt overwhelmed, his breathing getting a bit faster as he tried to reconcile what was going through his head. Stop. Just stop. Just drink the shake. And then... what? He didn't know. When Lance came back, Keith had sat himself on the floor next to the low table, the shake in front of him and away from the small mess, and he had taken a few sips. He watched Lance clean up and then put his head down on his knees.

He felt like he wanted to burst, and he didn't know why. How long had it been since someone hadn't judged him on his history? Hadn't assumed he was just some screwed up kid with issues? It had been a long time...]

[If only Lance could know what was going through Keith's mind. If only he knew exactly how to help him. But all he can do is what he's been doing.

God, he'd give anything to see him smile.]

...Do you want me to go? Or stay? Or... It's your choice, I don't mind.

[Keith rubbed his face and shook his head.]

'm okay...

[He sniffed. He wasn't going to cry. That just meant more problems anyway.]

I just... I'm fine. You don't have to go.

[He reached out and picked up the shake again. That was easier to focus on.]

Where did you get a shake in outerspace anyway?

We have a cow, actually, on this ship. A little cow, but she gives enough milk to make shakes and stuff on a decent basis. I'll take you to meet her later, if you want?

[Maybe she'll make him smile. Kaltenecker definitely makes Lance smile.]

A cow. In space.

[Okay... so that brought Keith back to himself pretty quick.]

You know how like... b-rated science movie that is?

Trust me, I know. [He snorts.] But she's great. Really friendly.

Where's there room for a cow on a ship this size anyway? I've been around most of it by now. [Trying to avoid people he didn't know, honestly... and looking for a way out, but obviously that didn't happen beyond getting himself to teleport between ships using the transporter. Thanks, pilot augment!]

Not all of it, then. There's a farm area, and that's where she is. I'll show her to you later, and the rest of anything you might not have seen yet. I can even show you around the Iskaulit properly, if you'd like.

A farm area.

[DO YOU FEEL HIS SKEPTICISM? Keith was having a lot of trouble believing things right now.]

A farm area. I'm not lying, you'll see it yourself.

Okay.

[He'd hold back further judgement until he actually saw it.

Siiip.]

So... you know me, yeah? What uh... well, are we still rivals or something? Like... why am I so important to you?

[...Oh.

Uh. How to...delicately answer this.]

We're not rivals anymore in a serious way. We get competitive, but in a friendly way. And, um... Well. Uh.

[He looks very, very sheepish.]

Me and your older self are...close?

[That was really evasive. Keith looked unimpressed and unconvinced.]

How close?

Look, uh, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything...

I've been abducted by interdimensional space aliens to be put on some space reality show. I think we've passed the uncomfortable mark.

[Yup. Keith was snarky even before he got to the Garrison.]

[Sigh.]

When you're older, we're dating. That's why you woke up in the same bed as me. Don't worry, there is going to be absolutely no funny business while you're young like this, that is so not my thing. But... Yeah. That's, um, how it is.

[Blink.]

We went from rivals to dating?

We did. It took a while, and it only happened when we got here, but. That's the state of us. Me and older you.

...

[Keith made a face for a minute. He was still just shy of actually being into the idea of dating anyone.]

That's kinda weird.

[Though, if they were close, he supposed... it kind of explained some things.]

Life's weird.

[He sighs, rubbing at his face.]

[Keith frowned a bit at the response, watching Lance for a moment. He was really observant. He leaned forward on the table.]

You okay?

I'm alright. Things have just been a little rough lately. And I know even if you tell me you can handle yourself, I'm still worried about you. I guess I always am, with what you mean to me.

[He gives an odd smile.]

Sorry, I didn't mean to push that on you or anything. I don't ask for anything from you now except to just try to give us a chance.

Well, I'm not exactly a little kid, so yeah. I can handle myself.

[He sighed a little.]

But... thanks... I guess... it's been a while since I've had someone really concerned about me.

(no subject)

the_tailor - 2018-09-22 02:17 (UTC) - Expand

tempredmental - 2018-09-27 20:35 (UTC) - Expand

the_tailor - 2018-09-27 20:42 (UTC) - Expand

tempredmental - 2018-09-28 19:22 (UTC) - Expand