Huntress Mingle!

[tempredmental]

Who: Huntress Crew and Visitors (so anyone)
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Around the Huntress
When: After Calibrations and Marsiva attack.

[GO FORTH AND MINGLE]

Comments

Keith

[tempredmental]

[After everything was settled, Keith had disappeared from the ship for a bit to visit the Blameless and confirm a hunch... and hopefully find something to bring back, but he was successful on the one he didn't want to be and unsuccessful on the one he did...

So, he was being quiet and moody again.

They were missing others, too, among their own crew, which had also left him feeling pretty down. It was a rough return from calibrations this time.

Keith could be found on the bridge, in the room he shared with Lance, or in the lounge or the kitchen, going over the notes he had taken while on the Marsiva.]

[itsyagirl]

[Veronica hasn't exactly been her normal self since the calibrations, and with the losses that came after that, she's grown even quieter. But she's finally decided to stop moping and do something.

Which leads her to plop down beside Keith where he's sitting in the lounge and sprawl out, propping her feet up onto his lap.]

What's that?

[tempredmental]

Some of the stuff I saw on the Marsiva, but don't remember. It happened during the last calibrations, too.

[He glanced at her.]

What augment do you have again?

[itsyagirl]

[She's a little surprised that he's so unphased by her using him as a footrest, but okay. Good. He's getting used to it.

she tilts her head to the side slightly.]

Huh.

[She peers over his shoulder to look at it, but it doesn't make much sense to her.]

Oh, I don't. I've only got a tactical support one. Civilian class, I think.

[tempredmental]

[It must run in the family. He was used to Lance hanging all over him.]

Hm.

[Keith looked thoughtful for a second.]

Did you notice anything weird about the Marsiva? Like, sometimes, people saw things that others with different augments didn't see. And then it would be gone the next day.

[itsyagirl]

[It happens when you have a lot of people in one house. You just end up getting cozy.

She frowns, thinking.]

No, I...don't think so. I heard other people talking about it, but I didn't see anything.

[tempredmental]

[He nodded.]

After the last calibrations, we tried to compile everything together that we saw... at least, as much as we could. So, I'm trying to do it again to see if there's anything new.

The problem is... I don't remember any of it directly. It's just what I wrote down. I know I wrote it. It's my handwriting. But I don't actually remember it.

[itsyagirl]

[She takes her feet off his lap and instead scoots in closer, looking over at the journal with a slight frown.]

I wish I could help, but this doesn't make much sense to me either. You don't remember doing it at all?

[tempredmental]

[Keith shook his head.]

No.

[He looked annoyed, for a second, and then snapped the small journal shut, tossing it on the table in front of him. He sighed heavily and leaned back on the couch.]

Not much I can do about that, though. We just have to hope people wrote down what they found in a way that didn't disappear each night.

[itsyagirl]

[She watches him for a few moments, quiet and contemplative.]

What were you hoping to find?

[tempredmental]

Right now? I'm just looking for differences. I want to see if there's more information than last time. Maybe, eventually, we'll get enough, you know? Enough that we can find a way out.

[Though, that last part was said with a little bit of trepidation. As important as it was to get home again, Keith was painfully aware of his situation with Lance... and Allura. It was a small point of contention that he kept worrying about, despite Lance's best efforts to live in the moment here in the Fleet. It just kept nagging at the back of Keith's mind.

Though, he was still doing his best to ignore it for Lance's sake.]

[itsyagirl]

[She nods quietly and lets out a soft sigh, rubbing at her face. Veronica leans back into the couch, thinking for a few moments.]

Yeah, maybe. Apparently it spits people back out though, so we might have to wait for that.

[tempredmental]

Yeah. We haven't been able to access the Marsiva at any other time other than that first bit after our arrival, and then during calibrations.

It's frustrating.

[He put the notebooks aside for now, also leaning back with a sigh.]

I don't know... maybe I should wait a bit and look at this after I've been away from it for a bit. It could be too fresh, you know?

[Sometimes, he could see things better if he walked away from something for a little while and came back to it later.]

[the_tailor]

[The mood aboard the Huntress was a somber one, for obvious reasons. They'd lost their own, lost those close to them, and Calibrations always did a number on the mind. The loss of Shiro and Pidge was still weighing heavily on Lance, but he knew it was even worse for Keith.

And so he decided to do everything he could to alleviate that pain.

After finding out what Keith had gone looking for in Shiro's room, he puts a little plan together. For an entire afternoon, Lance stands next to the printer aboard the Huntress, printing out picture after picture that Shiro had sent to them in the past. By the time he's done, he has a hefty package of photos. They'd been difficult to curate, but he remembers many of what were in Shiro's room, and...heck, he'd just ended up printing almost anything he didn't already have in his own room.

That evening, he finds Keith on the bridge of the ship. Coming up behind him, he places a kiss to his temple.]

Good evening, babe.

[tempredmental]

[Keith glanced up and gave Lance a weak smile.]

Hey.

[He was curled up sideways on the couch, his knees drawn up, and he had one of the sketchbooks that Shiro had given him tucked between them and his chest.]

How are you doing?

[Sure, he was really upset about Shiro, but he knew that didn't mean Lance wasn't also hurting with that loss and with losing Pidge.]

[the_tailor]

I'm alright.

[Honestly? He wasn't sure if he was. He probably wasn't. But none of them were at this point. Lance moves to take a seat next to his boyfriend, letting one hand stroke through Keith's hair briefly.]

I, um. I got you a little gift.

[tempredmental]

[Keith glanced at him for a second, somewhat surprised.]

You didn't have to. I told you that the flowers were enough.

[Because he was thinking that was what this was about.]

[the_tailor]

It's not about that. But you are still getting a proper Valentine's Day gift sometime soon, and I won't hear any protests about it.

[He drums his fingers on the box now on his lap.]

So, you... You mentioned going to Shiro's room. And that it was empty. That you couldn't find his things. Or his dog. Or all the photos he took. All of which, of course, massively sucks. And I... I can't bring him back, or any of it. But I tried to do what I can. Here, this is for you.

[And he holds out the box to him.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith huffed a small sigh, almost rolling his eyes as he shook his head a little. Okay, fine...

He listened, lowering his legs to sit properly as he set his sketchbook aside, and then carefully took the offered box. What did Lance do? He opened it up, then went through the first few pictures to confirm it was what he thought it was. The noise Keith made could easily have been somewhere between a short laugh and a choked sob. He smiled a bit, but it was a little sad.]

You printed them out.

[They all had the pictures, really, because Shiro had been the type to share them all through messages. But Shiro had also printed copies for himself and posted them on his walls. They had some of those in their own room... the ones Lance had wanted to post, mostly. Keith had started printing and posting some of his own over time as well, but there were quite a few that Shiro had printed that Keith hadn't, yet. He'd been hoping to just grab those.

But this was just as good for what he wanted. He closed his eyes and leaned to the side, resting against Lance's shoulder.]

Thanks.

[the_tailor]

[Lance had done his best to print out everything that wasn't already hanging in their shared room. Most everything, at least, not wanting to burn out the printer. Maybe after getting more ink he'd print out the last bits.

He puts an arm around Keith's shoulder, drawing him in.]

Yeah. I know that not everything might be there, 'cause I can't remember every single picture he used to have in his room, but I tried my best. We can put these wherever you want. In our room, in the Lion's Den, in an album, anywhere.

[tempredmental]

[Keith nodded.]

I think... for now? Maybe just our room.

[Sure, they still had several people from the group not on their ship, but it was hard to think of the Lion's Den right now without thinking about the people they were missing. Though... album or wall... that was still a decision to come later.]

Part of me feels like I'm being silly about this... it's not like Shiro's missing or something. He just... he's just not in the Fleet. If we go home, he'll be there. But, it still hurts.

[the_tailor]

Our room, then. I'll help you put them up however you want them.

[Part of him was afraid he'd just end up more reminded of the hurt, knowing that he won't be seeing Shiro and Pidge here, but that was something he'd slowly get through.]

You're not silly, babe. I feel the same way. And you're allowed to hurt, okay? Even if he's just back home doing his thing, it sucks that we won't get to see him here right now.

[And Pidge, of course. Lance never knew if he'd ever fully patched things up with her, and it hurts for that lingering thread to still just be there.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith nodded.

Honestly, this one had been the worst out losing the others. After all, Shiro had been the one and only other person when Keith first arrived in the Fleet. Plus, he'd always been closer to him than the others. But Allura had come back, even if she didn't remember. And they'd been home a few times since Hunk had left. Keith had a feeling it would be the same with Pidge. He knew he'd see all of them again. He knew he'd eventually stop feeling so hurt about losing them.

But it was really hard for him to think about things without Shiro. The only times he'd ever been without him hadn't exactly been easy. The main reason he'd gotten through those two years (few weeks?) in the Abyss was because he'd been with his mom, and they'd been able to focus on healing each other from their shared past. But, leaving the team before that? Leaving Shiro? It had been one of the hardest things he'd done in a long time. Feeling that attached to them as a group overall had snuck up on him... and walking away from his brother had hurt, especially after the other two times of losing him.

He sighed a little and nodded.]

I guess so.

[He rubbed his finger across the edge of the box for a moment, staring down at it.]

It could be worse, though... I could have lost all of you and ended up here alone. So, there's that.

[He brought his hand up to grab a hold of the one Lance had wrapped around his shoulder, and gave it a squeeze.]

I don't want to lose anyone... and I don't want to lose us. As much as I know that we have to go home at some point, I want to enjoy this while I can.

[the_tailor]

Don't wanna lose anyone either. And definitely don't wanna lose you.

[It was his greatest fear, bar none. Keith--this--was too important. Given a door back home, Lance doesn't think he would take it.]

Just...just wanna enjoy this too.

[tempredmental]

[Keith looked over at Lance and managed to give him a small smile.]

I do enjoy it. And thanks. This means a lot.

Also... Ulaz knows how to make dog treats. I have no idea how he does, but he does. He gave me the ones he had left over from Procyon so we could give them to Kosmo.