[ action ]

[tempredmental]

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!]

Comments

panther

[tiedonastring]

[Hux tried his best to dodge the panther that came running toward him. That's what it was? He wasn't too sure. There were similar creatures back in his world. For now he would stick with the term panther. It had been something he wasn't expecting.

Yet, there was something familiar about the panther at the same time. He didn't understand why, but he felt like he knew the creature. So last second he stayed where he was and allowed for the panther to tackle him. Maybe then he would get answers, despite his instinct to run from it.]

[tempredmental]

[The large cat dodged past Hux at the last second and skidded to a halt just short of hitting the wall behind him. There was a moment of complete stillness except for the agitated twitch of his tail before he turned, attempting to not look embarrassed for his actions. He sat, and then looked pointedly at Hux, that long tail flopping lightly on the floor with each twitch.

There was something in the animal's expression that indicated an intelligence a cat wouldn't normally have. Too bad Hux's unfamiliarity with Earth wildcats wouldn't clue him in to the eye color, because the deep cobalt blue matched the color of a particular pilot in the Fleet.]

[tiedonastring]

[Not used to interacting with animals at all, Hux wasn't unsure how to handle this. He did note that the panther had stopped short of hitting the wall as it made an attempt to dodge him. He knew most animals wouldn't have done that. Then the animal proceeded to look at him expectantly. This was too strange for him. And Hux had seen a lot especially upon arrival here.

He studied the animal more closely. Trying to look for more clues. The animal felt similar, but he couldn't pin point it.]

What do you want from me?

[He finally questioned, hoping to gain some kind of answers whether through the animal's actions or possibly it's thoughts.]

[tempredmental]

[The big cat gave a soft rumble in response, tail twitching again. He got up, and walked over to Hux, head lowered.

Keith wasn't telepathic, so he couldn't really convey his thoughts that way, but if Hux's telepathy glitch was still a thing at the moment, he might pick up on how frustrated the cat was that he couldn't talk. And the grumbling complaints running through his head might sound like Keith's voice.]

[tiedonastring]

[He got the fact that the panther was frustrated. He could tell by it's mannerisms and feel it's emotions as well. Yet, Hux felt he could hear Keith's voice. It was the most peculiar experience. In fact, the whole situation was.]

Keith?

[He spoke the name out loud wanting to get a confirmation from the panther.]

[tempredmental]

[The panther's ears perked forward suddenly, the animal sitting up a bit straighter at hearing his name spoken. Keith wondered how Hux had guessed it was him.]

[tiedonastring]

[Judging by the response he was given, Hux had to guess that he was correct. He still wasn't sure how to fully communicate with Keith at this point, but he was going to try.]

I don't understand how I figured this out...but it just felt like I could hear your talking only you weren't.

[tempredmental]

[Weird... Keith flicked his tail a little, still curious looking, and then focused a bit more. The jumble of thoughts he was broadcasting from his head suddenly became clearer as he tapped into the techniques he'd learned as a Paladin for focusing on being in sync with other people.]

Do you normally hear other people's thoughts?

[That was definitely Keith's voice and a clear thought, like Keith was trying to use this situation Hux was in to their advantage for being able to communicate.]

[tiedonastring]

No, I don't normally hear people's thoughts. This is foreign territory to me. I also don't pick up people's presence or emotions either.

[This was so strange to be holding a one sided conversation. He was thankful no one from home could see him doing this. Otherwise, they would think he was crazy and tell him he was unfit for his job.]

[tempredmental]

Then you're probably glitched, too.

[The tone was matter-of-fact... like this was just a thing that would happen.]

Are you hearing everyone's thoughts? Because that's gotta be annoying.

[tiedonastring]

Glitched what does that mean? Is that what made you into this animal?

[Unfortunate for Keith it seemed that he is always the main one explaining to Hux how things work here in the fleet. There are many things he doesn't understand and was learning as he came across them. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.]

And yes, it's extremely annoying. I haven't been able to sleep for a few days now. There are many thoughts I wish I never heard before.

[tempredmental]

Yeah. It is.

[Could panthers sigh? Because this one just did.]

Those augments we have stuck in our heads can sometimes do weird things, and there it is... a glitch. It usually goes away after a few days to a week.

[He tilted his head again, unable to actually frown because he currently lacked the facial muscles for it.]

That sounds rough. Too bad there isn't anywhere you can go to get away from it.

[tiedonastring]

Let's hope it ends soon. Has anyone tried to fix those glitches?

[Maybe later he would have to look into that. After he managed to get some rest and no longer have to deal with this annoyance. He couldn't help but frown at the thought, perhaps more so because Keith wanted to frown but couldn't.]

How were you able to communicate to your group? I doubt they were able to hear you like I can.

[tempredmental]

Not that I know of. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

[Of course, he couldn't right now, considering panthers lacked the muscle and jaw structure to speak in ways that humanoids would understand, hence why he couldn't frown...]

Lance was actually surprisingly good at reading my body language. Once he explained what was happening to the others, it was easy for them to pick up.

[tiedonastring]

I'll have to check into that. Is there anything I can help you with right now?

[He wanted to keep moving at this point as the whole one sided conversation felt awkward. While he knew it wasn't one sided, it would appear to be one to someone who was walking by.]

[tempredmental]

[The panther visibly seemed to consider that question, a slow twitch of his tail indicating he was thinking about it.]

Nah. I think I'm okay. It's just... getting used to it, and not scaring the daylights out of people because I'm some large feline predator.

[Yeah. Running loose as a panther hadn't been great for people not getting scared and running off.]

[tiedonastring]

[That comment earned a smirk from Hux.]

Well, you certainly caught me off guard. I'm not familiar with the animals from your world. At the most I can think of is you resemble a lolath cat.

[tempredmental]

Is that like a large wild cat predator thing?

[Keith tilted his head a little, the best he could do to project the idea that he had questions.]

[tiedonastring]

[He gave a nod.]

Something like that. Our creatures are so different from your Earth creatures.

[tempredmental]

That doesn't surprise me. I've seen some weird creatures on my travels around the universe.

[He sounded amused, and his tail curled a little in response.]

You should see a weblum.

[tiedonastring]

....A weblum??? Do I even want to know what it is? It sounds like some kind of insect to me.

[tempredmental]

[Keith tail twitched again, and he ducked his head a little. He wanted to laugh, but that was kind of hard at the moment.]

Well, it's a worm. But... really big... as in, it eats full planets.

[He wasn't sure if this was something he could share over this connection that seemed to be related to Hux's glitch, but leaning back on the focusing exercises that Coran had been teaching them to train when they first started piloting their Lions, Keith brought up the best image he could conjure in his head of the weblum he and Hunk had to deal with in order to gather scaultrite.]

[tiedonastring]

[Hux couldn't pick up the image as well. It came out more blurry in his mind. He shook his head in frustration.]

I'm afraid I cant see what you were trying to show me. But I suppose I have an understanding of what it could be like. Although, a creature that can eat planets is a news to me.

[tempredmental]

It was pretty new to me, too. We had no idea what we were going after.

[The panther shifted, stretching a bit and then giving himself a good shake.]

We got what we needed, but it wasn't easy.

[He flicked his tail.]

[tiedonastring]

You always have some interesting stories to tell...

[He simply shook his head still having a hard time accepting the concept.]

Is there anything that you need I can help you with?