[If a giant flying moth was difficult to spot, imagine how much more difficult it is for him to figure out where Lance is being grabbed and what's got him when they're surrounded by darkness and wetstuff.
A single arm makes its way around Lance's middle, intent on lifting him out of the water to eliminate some of the threat...but Lance is wet, heavy and whatever that thing is, it's got him by a leg.
That, and they're in too deep to be picking each other up. What a shitshow.]
I'm not going to!
[And out comes the knife. A vibrant, circular purple grow emanates from the handle.]
Which leg is it?!
[Talk about wrong implications. At least he's got the location/body part right.
What if it's a shark tho....fucking marsh sharks.]
not really. all of this is actually pretty terrifying, but nothing quite as terrifying as seeing a weird glowing knife and then be asked about which leg it is that's causing all of this trouble.
by then, lance had made use of keith's attempt to hoist him up to scramble closer and wrap his arms around the other boy's shoulders, trying to use that leverage to try and drag as much of his body away from the demon swamp thing as possible—
but now his mind is looking at point a and point b and making the wildest connection, because that's just what panic does to you okay ]
—DON'T CUT OFF MY LEG!?
[ now lance is shoving at keith, because i guess being sucked up by a giant swamp mouth is a better fate than getting his leg chopped off... ]
[This must be what it's like to hug a giant bass. He's doing his best to hold Lance steady, but now he's being treated worse than the catfish demon from hell, unbirthed by cthulhu himself.]
I'm not! -- Hold still and I won't, just trust me!
[At least he knows his leg has been seized for sure...]
[ "shut up and trust me." the last time keith had told him that, they'd flown off a large cliff on the back of some rickety hoverbike...
while on the one hand lance realizes it had all turned out for the better, eventually, there is still a very visceral reaction in him that cannot help but respond instinctively to that.
but just as quickly as he seizes up in fear, he stills almost entirely, looking from the knife to keith himself and just. he'll nod. just once. HE'LL TRUST YOU JUST THIS ONCE (more time)... ]
[He'll take a breath, not because this involves a huge amount of concentration (meditation, thought...whatever) but because he's about to go under...so Lance attaching himself wasn't all a pointless meltdown for no reason. His knife grows, enlarges about three times its original size, resembling some kinda bullshit Aladdin sword almost.
Without another word -- they left off in a good place, he ducks underwater. The glow of his sword helps him to discern just what the fuckery's going on. The catfish demon looks about as terrifying as could be; alienlike of course. Even the Earth versions look bogus. It's gills are emphasized in a weird way, like an axolotl; the good news is that it doesn't...look like this thing even has teeth?
Alas, he's not here to study it. He's here to prevent it from swallowing Lance whole, which it's about 3% complete in doing. He can't muster a lot of momentum underwater, but he's not so useless he can't stab through a catfish brain just because he's submerged in swampass.
Which is precisely what he does. Fuck off, idiot cryptid monster.]
i can't believe you'd bring that up here... right in front of my salad
[ it's a lot to take in all in just a handful of seconds. keith looking like he's about to go do something stupid and reckless, that sword just randomly materializing out of nowhere, his one source of stability in this freaking marsh suddenly slipping out from his hold to go do aforementioned stupid and reckless thing—
he shouts for keith when all he can see is the boy's dark shadow against that eerie purple light underwater. he sees the slow jab of it towards the other dark shadow, and feels another sharp tug at his leg. it drags him down about foot, but just as he's about to suck in a deep breath, he feels it still, release his leg...
and then let out the worst, ear-piercing screech he's ever heard. he can actually feel its cry causing ripples in the marsh water, the sound sharp and loud enough to drown out his own shouts. his hands slam against his ears, but there's no drowning it out—
but just as it started to feel like his insides would fall out of his ass i mean ears a bright lime-green light suddenly flashes on overhead.
the marsh suddenly goes silent, the dying, thrashing alien catfish going still as if frozen...
squinting, lance glances up at the source of the light... finding a large, winged creature in the trees
and a tiny little firebug hovering right next to it. ]
[Keith thinks he's in for an underwater battle, which is something he's never prepared for in his life. Keeping his eyes open in the shit-stained lagoon is bad (irritating) enough, and he can barely push his sword in any further then he has...as a means of bringing it to a quicker end. To benefit the two of them, really.
Then it's screaming, which proves to be the worst thing of all. It looks like Lance has been released, so it's time for another haphazard retreat. Only, he's gotta get his knifesword back...which is a separate pain in the ass. It's jammed -- maybe in the thing's skull? He's gotta work it out, wiggle it -- there's plenty of lubricant as they're surrounded by slimy water.
Maybe he shouldn't have tried to jam it in so deep lol.
though lance has to realize, first, that keith's been under for too long, BUT ONCE HE DOES, he is quick to dive down and help the guy out... i mean he did sort of save his life and all, even if, in the end, it was billy and his wife (??) to actually get things stopped but whatever, whatever. details.
anyway, with both of them tugging on the blade (and lance shove his foot against the demon catfish to shove it away) they manage to work it free enough that breaths should be taken right when they're needed. once those breaths are taken, lance swims closer to keith, grasping the boy by his shoulders. ]
Keith!
[ there is an Intense look in his eyes...
no. nope. there's too much to process right now so he's just gonna shift to something harmless and points up to the big glowing moth creature in the trees. ]
[With Lance's help, everything proceeds better than expected. He's never been more excited to refill his lungs with oxygen, and, on the other hand, is 110% prepared for Lance to make a giant fuss over his knife, having never really explained what it was or meant to the group. His breaths are shallow, uneven when he's taken by the shoulders and--]
What?!
[He follows that indication, looking upward to the glowing creatures looking...not necessarily unimpressed, but he's not exactly moved.
Why did he almost have to drown if his wife was watching?! Why did she shove Lance into the water?!]
[ no omg it was the demon catfish that knocked them over... can't you see... all along billy and his wife were trying to warn them about staying in that part of the marsh for too long, and now look. this is their comeuppance.
anyway, there's time enough for lance to make a big deal out of everything, trust me he's gathering momentum as we speak, but they're also like neck-deep in gross marsh water with a half-frozen, half-dying demon catfish floating somewhere around their legs and lance just wants to Go Home. ]
Never mind, we gotta get outta here before that swamp thing unfreezes—
[ lance at least figures it out, but that's also because he's watched like ten billion movies with this exact plotline. his hands slip down to find keith's, turning to already start waddling their way out of this dumb swamp... marsh... wetlands... thing. ]
[IT WAS THE THING I LINKED THAT RUINED MY PERCEPTION OF EVERYTHING...I MEAN...THE DARKNESS...THAT MADE EVERYTHING MORE DIFFICULT TO MAKE SENSE OF.
He's returning the hold, fingers naturally bending against Lance's as they wade out of the cold, gross marshland. He's occasionally looking back at Billy and his Momthra, unsure what to make of the entire situation. There is a nagging impulse for him to apologize...y'know, for planting the idea in Lance's head that they should investigate this stupid spot at such a dangerous time.
On the other hand:]
....Thanks.
[For befriending that weird bug, helping him with his weapon...]
[ the quietly spoken word comes just as they reach the shore, so it almost gets lost in the sloshy-slosh sounds their boots make as they finally drag themselves out of all that swamp water. lance looks surprised by it, which seems to remind him of every other thing he's supposed to be surprised about, which entails him glancing down at their joined hands and his rather hasty retreat from it. ]
I should be saying that to you.
[ he was almost catfish food back there, after all...
he takes his hands and starts to wring out his soaked clothes because... it gives them something to do now. he glances down at the sword still in keith's hand, brow furrowing. ]
[Whatever dude...his hand coasts back to his side, not even in the mood to wring himself out. He looks like a drowned rat, the hair framing his face making him look especially unattractive.
Or super hot, whatever ur pref is.. ;)
He's also reluctant to clarify, or explain that he's thanking Lance for befriending awful alien bugs...and thensome. But mostly that. That's the weird part. His gaze drops down to his weapon, suddenly prompted to shake it off just a bit.]
Not really, I've had it for a while. As long as I can remember, actually.
[He knows that isn't quite what Lance means; he did mention his knife (or knives) earlier on. He's had it attached to his tailbone from e1s1. The weapon glows again -- Galran purple, shrinking down to its more recognizable size.]
[ lance's expression flattens. any uncertainty he might have had about bringing it up goes flying out the window the moment keith starts being coy about it. the more he wants to hide it, the more lance feels compelled to dig into it. it's not like the other boy's expressing any genuine discomfort about it either, which just makes lance annoyed. if he doesn't want to talk about it, then at least act like it! ]
I meant that.
[ he aims a well-arched brow at the waning sword, hands now working to wring out his shirt. his hair, short as it is, looks less like "drowned rat" and more like "unfortunate dog butt fur"... they make for an attractive pair right now for sure. ]
Since when did it do the magic sword thing?
no (i hope the moths are recurring friends in the future)
[Duh. He moves to step further from the marsh, eager to head home now that he's...dripped in place for a bit -- and now that his knife's back to being a knife. He'll slip it back into the little...place above his butt? On his belt? And as he progresses along, he moves to grab...Lance's...hand again...just on principle of it being dark and there being danger lurking about.]
When we all found out about me. I had to train with the Blade of Marmora, that's when it changed.
[Casually, while trying to tug him along...]
they'll visit keith as he's sleeping... glowing from the window
[ by then, the like green glow from the giant alien moth has disappeared, bathing them in shadows once more. there are sounds coming from the marsh they're walking away from, like something is sloshing around and, frankly, dying. lance casts both the trees and then the marsh, but once satisfied that their flying glowing friends are safe, he shifts his attention back to keith. he's dripping head to toe, and he feels like he's taking half the marsh with him in his boots. sorta like sand after a day at the beach, but like way less fun and ten times more smelly. ]
Yeah... [ about that, his tone implies. there's a pause there, allowing keith some time to steel himself before his inevitable question. ]
What happened back there anyway? You and Shiro didn't really say much... [ he'd come back all beat up, too. at the time, things seemed so tense, and with the revelation of his alien heritage and the urgency in working with the blade... there hadn't really seemed like a good time to ask. ]
[His boots are in similar state of Disgust, his gloves feel squelchy and nasty too. Can't get much worse than this, so it's...whatever. It'll be a cold, miserable walk home.
It's awkward -- thinking about getting into a spiraling conversation about this with Lance. He's got a giant family. Griping about the mysteries of his past won't be anything he can relate to; it'd be like an otaku trying to explain Gundam to a normie. It's not like he's particularly sad about his lack of a family either; it's just a matter of wanting to know.]
We went looking for allies. I thought I could find out a little more about myself while we were there.
[ there's not a lot of keith he can relate to — something lance has been aware of from day one, to be honest. but that doesn't make the desire to know any less intense... or sincere. for better or for worse (in sickness and in health, lol) they were teammates. and they were friends. lance wanting to know more about a friend was as instinctual as breathing at this point. ]
...Did you know already? [ he glances down at the knife behind keith. he definitely always kept it on him, even way before that time. ]
Did you already suspect you were Galra?
[ is that why he wanted to go? is that why shiro let him? ]
[ lance's eyes narrow at the grin, but it's more in a "how can you smile about this, isn't this pretty heavy stuff?" kind of way than anything suspicious. ]
So now you know you're half-Galra and you have a magical shape-shifting knife-sword.
[ god you're such an anime protag.
he looks down at their linked hands, his own fingers absently flexing. ]
...Did you really have no clue about your parents before that?
[ it's that thing again, the glaring difference between them. lance tries to imagine how he'd feel if he didn't have any clue about his family, where he came from... or to grow up without the kind of love and support he'd grown up with.
honestly he wonders if he'd grow up to be even half the man keith is. ]
[He kinda wishes he understood a bit more about his knife; it reacts well enough, but no one's really...explained why. Maybe there's no need for an intricate explanation -- like piloting the lions. Just one basic, all-encompassing thing.
He's half-Galran and the knife's his, that's why it works the way it does, and he can't deny it being a Magical Shape-shifting Knife Sword.]
I still don't know much about my mother.
[It's different for him, since that's how it's always been. Like people who're born blind, they don't necessarily know what they're missing. He's adapted well...enough...look how well he's getting along with Lance. All the paladins.
They're long out of the marsh by now, but his boots are still squelching with every step. There's a passageway separating the forest, which is what he'll take back to their house. Fuck the actual forest.]
[ once they're out of the forest, away from the shadows of the trees, there's enough light by the moon that there's really no need to keep holding onto each other like they do; certainly less of a chance of being separated and/or losing each other now that there's a clearer path home, but.
correcting that isn't really that high in lance's list of priorities at the moment.
instead he makes it a conscious effort not to stare, but cannot help the occasional glance towards the other, as if to gauge by expression alone.
his mother. the galra half of this equation, lance assumes. maybe even another blade member? but then they would have said something about that, wouldn't they? then again, it's not like there was all that much time to chat, as this belated conversation is proving...
he wonders if she's in one of those stasis pods... was she with the empire? did she know her son was still out there? or was she like his own mother, who wondered and worried about the possibility of his death?
he wonders, too, what he should say now. he can't exactly nope out of this conversation, since he's the one that started it. but he doesn't know if there's anything he could say that would.. make it better? did keith even want it made better? does it even need to be made better? keith's expression is unreadable, perhaps because of how little there is to be seen. he seems fine about it, as if he were merely stating a fact, and not some thing he's spent time agonizing over.
maybe... maybe the best thing he can say is nothing at all? ]
[It's much lighter once they've left the wilderness behind, but it isn't any warmer. If anything, it may be a bit chillier without any tree trunks to buffer the wind. There's his reasoning for leaving their hands linked -- not that he's particularly bothered by it at this point. If Lance happens to fuss, he'd just attribute it to his fingers being frozen in place.
The thought of his mother trying to find out more about him does, occasionally, cross his mind. He's doubtful, as they probably would have found eachother by now. Two people making a conscious effort toward the same goal and all...but the universe is enormous and there's no reason for him to build a preemptive grudge over something he doesn't have the full scoop on. All he really knows is that he's found a place to exist, more or less, among Paladins and Alteans, rebels and mice.
A lingering silence falls between them. Maybe he should call dibs on the shower, or just shut up and enjoy the chilly air. He did nearly drown for a second back there.
Not...nearly, actually, but the potential was there. Per protocol, Lance's life was way further at stake, but.]
It was part of the trial. [He heaves a sigh; talking at length isn't his forte. Talking at length about himself? Bad idea.] Ulaz had a dagger that looked like mine. That's why I wanted to learn more about mine. That's where the trial came in, I had to earn it.
[There's a slight pause; is he even painting a picture here?]
I kept having to fight more and more Blade of Marmora guys. [And girls.] It didn't really work out.
[ maybe if lance were a little nicer, he would have eased off at keith's obvious sign of discomfort. but he knows, too, (or at least he highly suspects) that for as much as keith might not like to talk or divulge information about himself, he kind of sort of needs to because of that. something something bottled up something. maybe it's why the guy's so dang explosive all the time.
in any case, there is a long, pregnant pause at keith's admission, in which lance seems to be waiting for some punchline that never really comes up.
honestly, he can't even say he's surprised... he pretty much predicted as much right before the missions, hadn't he? still... he's a little disappointed. ]
[That's the Whole Thing in simplest terms. It's a good thing he went with Shiro, who let him get his ass kicked, than Lance, who would've...overreacted, apparently. He can feel that judgy air -- something about phrasing.]
It wasn't Shiro's fault. [He's giving Lance's hand a brief squeeze, something to reinforce his words. They're already acting like they're on a honeymoon, ah.] It was something I had to do. He didn't even know it was gonna turn out like that.
[Like that, in the sense he kinda sprung the whole MUH KNIFE thing on him -- on everyone, out of the blue.]
I got to see my dad in the end. That's when Red went crazy.
[He was still out of it at the time, but that's how goes the story.]
I guess we really didn't mention much.
[None of it's really relevant to anyone anyway...]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
A single arm makes its way around Lance's middle, intent on lifting him out of the water to eliminate some of the threat...but Lance is wet, heavy and whatever that thing is, it's got him by a leg.
That, and they're in too deep to be picking each other up. What a shitshow.]
I'm not going to!
[And out comes the knife. A vibrant, circular purple grow emanates from the handle.]
Which leg is it?!
[Talk about wrong implications. At least he's got the location/body part right.
What if it's a shark tho....fucking marsh sharks.]
no subject
not really. all of this is actually pretty terrifying, but nothing quite as terrifying as seeing a weird glowing knife and then be asked about which leg it is that's causing all of this trouble.
by then, lance had made use of keith's attempt to hoist him up to scramble closer and wrap his arms around the other boy's shoulders, trying to use that leverage to try and drag as much of his body away from the demon swamp thing as possible—
but now his mind is looking at point a and point b and making the wildest connection, because that's just what panic does to you okay ]
—DON'T CUT OFF MY LEG!?
[ now lance is shoving at keith, because i guess being sucked up by a giant swamp mouth is a better fate than getting his leg chopped off... ]
no subject
I'm not! -- Hold still and I won't, just trust me!
[At least he knows his leg has been seized for sure...]
no subject
while on the one hand lance realizes it had all turned out for the better, eventually, there is still a very visceral reaction in him that cannot help but respond instinctively to that.
but just as quickly as he seizes up in fear, he stills almost entirely, looking from the knife to keith himself and just. he'll nod. just once. HE'LL TRUST YOU JUST THIS ONCE (more time)... ]
i keep dropping the f word cus of that link
Without another word -- they left off in a good place, he ducks underwater. The glow of his sword helps him to discern just what the fuckery's going on. The catfish demon looks about as terrifying as could be; alienlike of course. Even the Earth versions look bogus. It's gills are emphasized in a weird way, like an axolotl; the good news is that it doesn't...look like this thing even has teeth?
Alas, he's not here to study it. He's here to prevent it from swallowing Lance whole, which it's about 3% complete in doing. He can't muster a lot of momentum underwater, but he's not so useless he can't stab through a catfish brain just because he's submerged in swampass.
Which is precisely what he does. Fuck off, idiot cryptid monster.]
i can't believe you'd bring that up here... right in front of my salad
he shouts for keith when all he can see is the boy's dark shadow against that eerie purple light underwater. he sees the slow jab of it towards the other dark shadow, and feels another sharp tug at his leg. it drags him down about foot, but just as he's about to suck in a deep breath, he feels it still, release his leg...
and then let out the worst, ear-piercing screech he's ever heard. he can actually feel its cry causing ripples in the marsh water, the sound sharp and loud enough to drown out his own shouts. his hands slam against his ears, but there's no drowning it out—
but just as it started to feel like his insides would fall out of his ass i mean ears a bright lime-green light suddenly flashes on overhead.
the marsh suddenly goes silent, the dying, thrashing alien catfish going still as if frozen...
squinting, lance glances up at the source of the light... finding a large, winged creature in the trees
and a tiny little firebug hovering right next to it. ]
YOU LITERALLY MADE IT WORSE
Then it's screaming, which proves to be the worst thing of all. It looks like Lance has been released, so it's time for another haphazard retreat. Only, he's gotta get his knifesword back...which is a separate pain in the ass. It's jammed -- maybe in the thing's skull? He's gotta work it out, wiggle it -- there's plenty of lubricant as they're surrounded by slimy water.
Maybe he shouldn't have tried to jam it in so deep lol.
(insert elevator music)]
yes this is my revenge
though lance has to realize, first, that keith's been under for too long, BUT ONCE HE DOES, he is quick to dive down and help the guy out... i mean he did sort of save his life and all, even if, in the end, it was billy and his wife (??) to actually get things stopped but whatever, whatever. details.
anyway, with both of them tugging on the blade (and lance shove his foot against the demon catfish to shove it away) they manage to work it free enough that breaths should be taken right when they're needed. once those breaths are taken, lance swims closer to keith, grasping the boy by his shoulders. ]
Keith!
[ there is an Intense look in his eyes...
no. nope. there's too much to process right now so he's just gonna shift to something harmless and points up to the big glowing moth creature in the trees. ]
Billy's wife saved us!
youre a bad man
What?!
[He follows that indication, looking upward to the glowing creatures looking...not necessarily unimpressed, but he's not exactly moved.
Why did he almost have to drown if his wife was watching?! Why did she shove Lance into the water?!]
What-?
[Again. More perplexed this time.]
lock me up
anyway, there's time enough for lance to make a big deal out of everything, trust me he's gathering momentum as we speak, but they're also like neck-deep in gross marsh water with a half-frozen, half-dying demon catfish floating somewhere around their legs and lance just wants to Go Home. ]
Never mind, we gotta get outta here before that swamp thing unfreezes—
[ lance at least figures it out, but that's also because he's watched like ten billion movies with this exact plotline. his hands slip down to find keith's, turning to already start waddling their way out of this dumb swamp... marsh... wetlands... thing. ]
go away
He's returning the hold, fingers naturally bending against Lance's as they wade out of the cold, gross marshland. He's occasionally looking back at Billy and his Momthra, unsure what to make of the entire situation. There is a nagging impulse for him to apologize...y'know, for planting the idea in Lance's head that they should investigate this stupid spot at such a dangerous time.
On the other hand:]
....Thanks.
[For befriending that weird bug, helping him with his weapon...]
fine
I should be saying that to you.
[ he was almost catfish food back there, after all...
he takes his hands and starts to wring out his soaked clothes because... it gives them something to do now. he glances down at the sword still in keith's hand, brow furrowing. ]
That's new.
no
Or super hot, whatever ur pref is.. ;)
He's also reluctant to clarify, or explain that he's thanking Lance for befriending awful alien bugs...and thensome. But mostly that. That's the weird part. His gaze drops down to his weapon, suddenly prompted to shake it off just a bit.]
Not really, I've had it for a while. As long as I can remember, actually.
[He knows that isn't quite what Lance means; he did mention his knife (or knives) earlier on. He's had it attached to his tailbone from e1s1. The weapon glows again -- Galran purple, shrinking down to its more recognizable size.]
no????
I meant that.
[ he aims a well-arched brow at the waning sword, hands now working to wring out his shirt. his hair, short as it is, looks less like "drowned rat" and more like "unfortunate dog butt fur"... they make for an attractive pair right now for sure. ]
Since when did it do the magic sword thing?
no (i hope the moths are recurring friends in the future)
[Duh. He moves to step further from the marsh, eager to head home now that he's...dripped in place for a bit -- and now that his knife's back to being a knife. He'll slip it back into the little...place above his butt? On his belt? And as he progresses along, he moves to grab...Lance's...hand again...just on principle of it being dark and there being danger lurking about.]
When we all found out about me. I had to train with the Blade of Marmora, that's when it changed.
[Casually, while trying to tug him along...]
they'll visit keith as he's sleeping... glowing from the window
Yeah... [ about that, his tone implies. there's a pause there, allowing keith some time to steel himself before his inevitable question. ]
What happened back there anyway? You and Shiro didn't really say much... [ he'd come back all beat up, too. at the time, things seemed so tense, and with the revelation of his alien heritage and the urgency in working with the blade... there hadn't really seemed like a good time to ask. ]
no thank you
It's awkward -- thinking about getting into a spiraling conversation about this with Lance. He's got a giant family. Griping about the mysteries of his past won't be anything he can relate to; it'd be like an otaku trying to explain Gundam to a normie. It's not like he's particularly sad about his lack of a family either; it's just a matter of wanting to know.]
We went looking for allies. I thought I could find out a little more about myself while we were there.
[Another abridged version.]
too late
...Did you know already? [ he glances down at the knife behind keith. he definitely always kept it on him, even way before that time. ]
Did you already suspect you were Galra?
[ is that why he wanted to go? is that why shiro let him? ]
no, its not,
No, it was just a coincidence.
[He may've had a hunch pre-dating the mall escapade...]
They all thought I stole my knife from them when I got there.
[Just to eliminate any confusion about his weird origins...anyway, he's grinning just a bit, distantly, glad that shit's over.]
yes it's in the queue
So now you know you're half-Galra and you have a magical shape-shifting knife-sword.
[ god you're such an anime protag.
he looks down at their linked hands, his own fingers absently flexing. ]
...Did you really have no clue about your parents before that?
[ it's that thing again, the glaring difference between them. lance tries to imagine how he'd feel if he didn't have any clue about his family, where he came from... or to grow up without the kind of love and support he'd grown up with.
honestly he wonders if he'd grow up to be even half the man keith is. ]
i'll delete it
He's half-Galran and the knife's his, that's why it works the way it does, and he can't deny it being a Magical Shape-shifting Knife Sword.]
I still don't know much about my mother.
[It's different for him, since that's how it's always been. Like people who're born blind, they don't necessarily know what they're missing. He's adapted well...enough...look how well he's getting along with Lance. All the paladins.
They're long out of the marsh by now, but his boots are still squelching with every step. There's a passageway separating the forest, which is what he'll take back to their house. Fuck the actual forest.]
i'll delete you...
correcting that isn't really that high in lance's list of priorities at the moment.
instead he makes it a conscious effort not to stare, but cannot help the occasional glance towards the other, as if to gauge by expression alone.
his mother. the galra half of this equation, lance assumes. maybe even another blade member? but then they would have said something about that, wouldn't they? then again, it's not like there was all that much time to chat, as this belated conversation is proving...
he wonders if she's in one of those stasis pods... was she with the empire? did she know her son was still out there? or was she like his own mother, who wondered and worried about the possibility of his death?
he wonders, too, what he should say now. he can't exactly nope out of this conversation, since he's the one that started it. but he doesn't know if there's anything he could say that would.. make it better? did keith even want it made better? does it even need to be made better? keith's expression is unreadable, perhaps because of how little there is to be seen. he seems fine about it, as if he were merely stating a fact, and not some thing he's spent time agonizing over.
maybe... maybe the best thing he can say is nothing at all? ]
So...
Who beat you up?
try it
The thought of his mother trying to find out more about him does, occasionally, cross his mind. He's doubtful, as they probably would have found eachother by now. Two people making a conscious effort toward the same goal and all...but the universe is enormous and there's no reason for him to build a preemptive grudge over something he doesn't have the full scoop on. All he really knows is that he's found a place to exist, more or less, among Paladins and Alteans, rebels and mice.
A lingering silence falls between them. Maybe he should call dibs on the shower, or just shut up and enjoy the chilly air. He did nearly drown for a second back there.
Not...nearly, actually, but the potential was there. Per protocol, Lance's life was way further at stake, but.]
It was part of the trial. [He heaves a sigh; talking at length isn't his forte. Talking at length about himself? Bad idea.] Ulaz had a dagger that looked like mine. That's why I wanted to learn more about mine. That's where the trial came in, I had to earn it.
[There's a slight pause; is he even painting a picture here?]
I kept having to fight more and more Blade of Marmora guys. [And girls.] It didn't really work out.
right clicks you
in any case, there is a long, pregnant pause at keith's admission, in which lance seems to be waiting for some punchline that never really comes up.
honestly, he can't even say he's surprised... he pretty much predicted as much right before the missions, hadn't he? still... he's a little disappointed. ]
And... Shiro just. Let you?
[ he's not judging or anything but
he's totally judging. ]
delete your account
It wasn't Shiro's fault. [He's giving Lance's hand a brief squeeze, something to reinforce his words. They're already acting like they're on a honeymoon, ah.] It was something I had to do. He didn't even know it was gonna turn out like that.
[Like that, in the sense he kinda sprung the whole MUH KNIFE thing on him -- on everyone, out of the blue.]
I got to see my dad in the end. That's when Red went crazy.
[He was still out of it at the time, but that's how goes the story.]
I guess we really didn't mention much.
[None of it's really relevant to anyone anyway...]
puts in trash
watch out for raccoons
you're the only pest here...
8^<
gross get that out of here
thats my face uh
yeah go on
https://i.gyazo.com/4ed4f6b343c1ac1a87b2b8bc2e6de516.png
who's lena she sounds needy
shes the woist
cut her loose
i plan on it
✂
snip ya balls off
my blueballs
away they go
bye...
oyasumi
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