[ action ]

[tempredmental]

Who: Keith, OPEN
Broadcast: No
Action: Huntress, Iskaulit, open to other ideas!
When: Kind of a system catch-all post-update, starting Nov 26

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[It took a moment for all his memories to mesh together again once he woke up, but Keith sat up slowly once they did. Okay, ha ha, Atroma... Garrison cadet uniforms sucked. He sighed and glanced back over his shoulder to see if Lance had made it back or stayed or just... whatever.

Judging by the uniform on him, too, Lance had gone back, too... or slept through it? Keith definitely felt like he'd slept through it.

And the graphitti on his face indicated-wait...

Keith's eyebrows went up... and he looked around the room. Pidge. Keith knew Lance was going to flip out when he woke up, but, for now, Keith wasn't going to leave Pidge just lying on the floor. He carefully picked her up and put her on the bed. There was a moment of concern at how passed out she was, especially when he noticed the signs of exhaustion in her features. What the heck happened?

Keith headed out to get some water only to notice his own new look in the bathroom mirror. Well then. He just hoped it wasn't permanent marker this time. He started washing, deciding that Pidge could get her own water when she woke up... or maybe just let her and Lance wake up together. That could be interesting...]

=====

[This is probably the only time Keith's come back from a trip home or a impromptu coma in a relatively good mood. Granted, he wasn't exactly bouncing around the Huntress or the Iskaulit like it was the BEST DAY EVER, but he didn't seem as 'emo' as usual.

He could be found at the gym, the obstacle course, getting food, in the Voltron team "Lion's Den", doing his turn at the helm on the Huntress... basically being himself, but less depressed and angsty.]

=====

[It took a few days to really catch on, but, eventually, Keith had to catch Lance and pull him aside. He'd been distant lately, and it was concerning. Ever since they got back, really. He knew it was hard on their relationship to keep getting new memories of them not being a couple back home, and Keith was a little worried that Lance might be considering that route for here in the Fleet, too.]

Hey... [He stopped Lance from leaving their room one morning.] Is everything okay? You seem kind of... distant.

=====

{OOC: Hit me up on plurk duches77 or PM my journal if you want to try something specific. I'm open! Also! This is now Keith post season 7, so poke me if you want me to avoid spoilers!}

Comments

Private Convo

[the_tailor]

[In general, Lance had come back in a decent enough mood. He was certainly less exhausted than the previous times, having since recovered from their battle against Sendak and the strange robeast back home. Being able to save Earth left him feeling accomplished even with the sense of deep guilt from being part of the cause of the invasion all along.

But he could deal with that later. Right now, they were victorious, and that was something to focus on.

The thing that was harder to deal with...well, that dealt with his boyfriend. It wasn't that he didn't love him as fiercely as always. That was a given, something he knew he'd never be able to just turn off, even if they weren't a couple yet back home. And yeah, that sucked, and it was weird to still have lingering romantic feelings for Allura back home when they'd faded long ago here.

More than not being a couple, his relationship with Keith back home had become more distant. Despite some efforts, it was difficult to catch Keith's attention. And yes, he knew that things had been crazy, and he couldn't blame the other paladin for being focused on other things. But Keith returning home had filled Lance with a hope that they could rekindle their friendship and become the duo that they'd been working to be before the whole Blades thing happened.

It didn't. And worst of all, not only did Keith not seem to care about rekindling that, he'd been downright hostile to Lance. Lance doesn't think he'll be able to forget what happened on that godforsaken game show for a long time. Constantly being called dumb and insulted, no one sticking up for him, and worst of all...Keith's words about him. When they'd been told to vote for someone to go home, Lance was happy to choose the new black paladin, putting any former rivalry and pride aside to explain that he thought Keith was important, that he was the future.

And Keith had chosen Lance simply because he didn't want to be stuck with him forever.

It hurt. Badly. And even now, he can't stop thinking about it. He lays in bed with Keith still, but watches him sleep, wondering if he'd still say the same. If deep down, he didn't really love him after all, but was trying to convince himself here that he did. And sooner or later, he'd realize that he was a fool for giving Lance any sort of chance to begin with.

Lance grows distant without fully realizing he's doing it. Maybe he's trying to put up some walls, fearing the inevitable heartbreak, especially with Keith having that dislike of Lance so fresh in his mind. When Keith approaches him, he's a little taken aback.]

Ah... No, just tired, I guess.

[tempredmental]

[Keith frowned a little, definitely concerned.]

Did something happen after we got back?

[Because, really... they'd just kicked an entire Galra army led by Sendak of all people off their planet. That was one heck of a feat to be proud of. And the subsequent robeast hadn't been a walk in the park, either. It had taken Keith a while to recover from that one. He'd tried to take most of the brunt of the explosion so the others wouldn't get as hurt. Voltron and the Lions themselves might be nearly indestructible, but the Paladins? Not so much.]

Talk to me.

[the_tailor]

Nah, nothing. It's been business as usual here. Just getting settled again, though the fact we come and go so much means it shouldn't take long.

[He gives a little shrug.]

[tempredmental]

Okay...

[Keith didn't look convinced.]

I know it's not easy. Going back... not being together... then coming back here... [Keith seemed to be steeling his nerves for something.] I mean, I understand. I noticed. [Those moments... between Lance and Allura.]

[the_tailor]

It's what it is.

[Lance chews on his lip for a little, confused by that last statement.]

Noticed what?

Now That We're All So WIDE AWAKE...

[pidge_out]

[Pidge is very passed out. She'd been keeping a close eye on her friends for a long time, sometimes with Allura or Veronica, other times on her own... It just made her feel helpful in a way that she couldn't generally be for everyone anymore. Though maybe she went overboard this time. Over the past several days she'd been operating on an average of an hour a night (not necessarily all at once), and without a Hunk or a Shiro to physically haul her to bed and force her to sleep in her own bed, she'd simply opted to take her naps in the same room as Lance and Keith.

And then she crashed way too hard. It was like her body had simply quit on her. So she misses the moment Keith finally wakes up, by just over an hour. She doesn't even stir when he picks her up and resettles her on the bed. Her breathing doesn't change, her eyelids barely flutter. It's only a few minutes later, around when Keith returns to the bedroom, that she starts sleep-talking, the words mumbled and voice hoarse.]

... Hey... felebra sakna oont, guys...

[Wake up soon. Even in her dreams she hopes her friends are okay.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith sighed a little. They were both still asleep. He was hoping Lance would wake up soon, honestly, and, well, Pidge was concerning. He sat on the edge of the bed and tried giving the Green Paladin a soft shake.]

Hey... Pidge?

[He had no idea what she was mumbling, but he wasn't going to try and figure it out.]

Hey... wake up.

[the_tailor]

[Lance's sleep is silent, but nonetheless, he's the first of the two still sleeping paladins to stir from his slumber. Even if he's not being the one shaken, the timing ends up being the same. With a loud yawn, he opens his eyes groggily, blinking several times as things start to come into focus.

And he bolts upward immediately, looking around, barely missing slamming his head into Keith's chin. He's not in the Red Lion. He's...

A fond smile grows on his face, and he looks about a bit, sees Keith, and-- Well, there's a brief flash of hurt in his expression, but it's quickly buried.]

Hey, babe. Guess it happened again, huh?

[Lance's voice is still rough from sleep, and he yawns again before glancing downwards.]

...Did she go home too? Wait, what's she doing in our bed?

[pidge_out]

[She's still pretty fast asleep, but the shoulder shaking and the voices are enough to at least filter into her dreams. With a mumble that's barely coherent she raises a hand to swat at all the disturbances. First at the hand that's shaking her, then at the voice that's closest to her.]

...nngh, I wasn't even in this class...

[Yep, still sleep-talking.]

[tempredmental]

[It was a good thing Keith's reflexes were sharp. He flinched back to avoid getting headbutted in the chin, watching Lance closely for a second.

Babe... right...

He smiled a little.]

Yeah... seems so. At least, to us. Not sure about anyone else. Pidge was sleeping in here, which... didn't make much sense. But, she's--

[Interrupting him with her sleep-talking... Keith sighed a bit.]

No. I think she's just asleep. I don't know what had her all strung out, but she did get a little creative with my markers. You might want to wash your face.

[There was still a slightly redder-than-usual tint to Keith's scar, and the ends of his hair were damp, like he'd been washing his own face, too.]

2

[padadin]

[And in the Lion's Den, Keith will find Shiro, sitting on the cushions while practicing with the Atlas. She's flying around the room while Procyon chases her, which means he doesn't look where he's going... and crashes against Keith's legs. Oops.

Shiro quickly approaches them with worry in his voice.]

I wasn't expecting you, Keith, sorry. We were distracted. You guys okay?

Re: 2

[tempredmental]

Woops... [Keith stumbled as Procyon bumped him, but managed to keep his feet.]

Oh, uh... yeah. I'm alright.

[He gave Shiro a small smile. Not so much because of Procyon, really, but because he'd been raising Cosmo for two years.]

It's fine. [He gave Procyon a strong rubbing before coming the rest of the way in.] What do you have? Is that a toy Atlas?

[padadin]

[It's true! He's fine too! Procyon shakes his body, as if shaking off the bump, and then sits to enjoy the rubbing. You've gotten better at this, Keith, he thinks.

Shiro lets out a huff, a mix of amusement and frustration, as he raises his hand for the Atlas to land on it.]

It's the actual Atlas. I can feel our connection. [And to prove his point, he makes her transform into her robot form.] The wishing tree gave it to me. It seems it comes with the same limitations that Atroma has.

[tempredmental]

[Keith stood there in shock for a second.]

Okay, so... you found this mythical tree everyone's talking about on the surface... and then it gave you Atlas? Well, tiny Atlas... or something. But, for real?

[He came over to get a closer look.]

Like... she's there... in your head like back home?

[padadin]

Correct. [He nods and brings the arm closer to Keith so he can look at his precious daughter all he wants. Nodnod!] In a way, yeah. I can feel the bond in my mind, although she doesn't communicate. The arm feels the pull to the stone too. I can control her flight and maker transform with my thoughts, but none of her weapons works. She only has some little lights.

[...]

Maybe you weren't that far off to call her a toy.

Wishing Tree w/ Pidge

[tempredmental]

[Keith was going through some of the stuff they had stashed in the Lion's Den. He'd been talking to Shiro and found out about the mini-Atlas, and found out about how Shiro had gotten it. He was curious, and was determined to find this tree, too. He wasn't even really sure what it was he wanted to wish for, but... well, he'd figure that out when he got there.

He looked up when he heard someone enter.]

Oh... hey, Pidge.

[Yes, he was wearing his Paladin armor. Now, why would he be wearing that unless he was planning on something?]

[pidge_out]

[Pidge had paused in the doorway, a little surprised to see him. He might be surprised to see that she's armored up too, helmet tucked under one arm just in case. She'd been planning on leaving a note on the whiteboard, just to let the others know that she'd gone down to look for Shiro's mysterious wishing tree and would be fine on her own. But since she's bumped into Keith, well...]

Hey... What're you doing in here?

[And all suited up. She doesn't say that part out loud, but it's there in the pinch between her eyebrows, the tilt of her head.]

[tempredmental]

[The whole situation felt awfully familiar... twice over. The first time, Allura caught him trying to leave the Castle when she'd been on her way out. The second time, the MFE cadets found him and Hunk trying to sneak out of the Garrison.]

I uh... [He sighed a little. No point in lying, really. He stood up.] I was grabbing a few things because I wanted to go find that tree thing. [He make a point of looking at her own Paladin armor.] What about you?

[pidge_out]

[Pidge blinks once. Twice. And then very nearly laughs out loud.] I was actually going to leave a note before doing the same thing.

[She settles into a sheepish smile, reaching up to rub at the back of her neck.] When I saw Shiro with that little Atlas ship, I started wondering what kinds of things we could wish over here.

[tempredmental]

[Keith actually looked amused for a second, and then nodded.]

Yeah. Same here.

[He considered it for a moment, and then shrugged a little.]

You want to go together?

[He hadn't really spent time with her in a while, and having found her sleeping in his room like that when he woke up had gotten him worried. Keith wanted to be sure Pidge was okay.]

[Gym?]

[tiedonastring]

[Upon hearing that the Voltron team had woken back up, Hux decided to pay a visit and check on Keith. He knew the last time had been rough on him. He hoped that this would be better results, but with them in the middle of a war it was hard to tell.

He spotted the paladin at the gym and gave a nod in direction.]

It is good to see that you are back. I hope that your visit home went better?

[Hux wasn't too sure how to go about asking such a question. It wasn't a situation he was used to dealing with or caring about. That was the best way to approach the subject?]

[tempredmental]

[Keith caught the punching bag when he spotted Hux acknowledging him from the door. He nodded back, offering something of a smile in return. At the question, well... he nodded a bit.]

Sort of. I think it's timing, really. This time, we weren't in a bad spot to be pulled back here from. We're coming off a pretty strong victory, and are in something of a reconstruction period at the moment.

[He still sounded a bit tired. There had been losses, of course, sacrifices that had to be made, and it hadn't been easy. Keith had only just been cleared back to active duty from his injuries. Hence why he was in the gym.

He turned and faced Hux fully, crossing his arms with a tiny sigh.]

It's weird. We haven't had much down time since this whole thing started. It's nice, but... I feel almost restless.

But, at the same time, I don't really feel like there's an urgent need to get back home right now.

[tiedonastring]

Downtime can be a hard adjustment especially for those used to going on adrenaline rushes from the constant fighting and reacting to tough situations. It's also a dangerous time for a lot of soldiers.

While it's good to have a break like this, it's best to formulate some kind of plan to keep yourself active and a way to adjust to civilian life. I take it from the way things are going the war is going in your favor and may be coming to an end?

[Hux replied as he stepped into the gym and headed toward Keith.]

[tempredmental]

We hope so. We still have things we need to do. There's a power void that needs to be figured out before the Galra tear themselves and the rest of the universe apart.

[There was a heavy tone of responsibility with that statement.]

We have to find a way to guide a race of people that are used to war and conquering to find a path to peace and coexistence. It's not going to be easy. The Galra have been conquering the universe for ten thousand years.

[tiedonastring]

....Is that even possible? How can you readjust a whole race that's only known one thing? They're going to need a sense of purpose.

I applaud you on the idea of such an attempt. My people had been left to flounder around with no purpose after the war had been lost. Those that won the war didn't even think to try to reach out to us.