1. Has any one of you seen a white-haired man with a prosthetic arm? You'll know it when you see it. 2. Who dropped these scales? 3. Who owns the plot of crops?
[ Shiro's doing badly somewhere, delirious and infected with a virus, and this guy is asking him something like this at this time? But no, no. He's grown beyond the hot-headed young man he was before, and he takes a deep breath.
No, this guy is cautious, too (unless he's stalling for time), and he forces himself to calm down from that angry, frantic flare-up. No, okay. He has to respond. ]
He's my -- [ partner, brother, the single most important person in his universe, the man who had never given up on him, reached in and saved him when nobody cared -- ] -- friend. I'm a paladin of Voltron. [ most worlds know about them, right? And it's a statistical impossibility that this guy is in league with the Galran Empire. ] And who you have there is Takashi Shirogane, the previous paladin of the Black Lion.
[ Keith raises his brows at him; apparently it's his turn to be surprised. ]
The lions of Voltron. He was talking about that, right? You -- don't know about Voltron?
[ He's more curious than anything; there isn't a place he's ever seen so far who doesn't actually know. But no matter. He's moving on quickly, eyeing the giant bird -- it's kind of... cute. But anyway. ]
...Some things he didn't mean to say, I'm certain. In his delirium he assumed I was someone I'm not. I expect he confided things to me that...he wouldn't have, otherwise.
[And up he goes onto Aurorean, mounting easily with the benefit of experience.]
As to this business of Voltron, I'll confess that I don't. I'm not even familiar with what a lion is, much less a multiple of them.
[ Keith stares at him, then at the bird, perplexed. Is he supposed to get up there with him? ]
He thought you were Adam.
[ Because he kind of looks like him. And it makes Keith's heart ache for Shiro -- he's aware of what happened, peripherally, and he knows that Shiro had loved Adam, a lot. Whatever happened between them had been something Keith had never poked his nose into; it wasn't his business. ]
Can you tell what kind of virus it is? [ Pidge or Allura or Coran would be better at diagnosing, but in their absence he has to make do. Keith would've added on, but then there's a bark from a distance. A heartbeat and a flash of electric blue light later, a large blue-black teleporting wolf tackles Keith to the ground. ] -- Kosmo!
I'd gathered that, yes. I presume we look alike, or somesuch — enough so that he could make that mistake, while already disoriented.
[And he's about to get to the virus question when suddenly WHAT THE SHIT there's a bigass wolf there where there wasn't one before, and Aurorean doesn't like that one bit, nearly throwing him from his back in the process of recoiling away from the wolf.]
[ Keith doesn't offer more, because that's Shiro's story to tell, if he wants to tell at all. But he's playfully wrestling Kosmo and pushing him right back with a startled laugh before he realizes what's happening with Ignis and the giant bird. ]
Sorry -- Kosmo! Hey! Heel.
[ The wolf shakes himself off, panting excitedly as he backs away to a respectable distance, letting Keith pick himself off the ground. ]
Sorry. He's harmless. [ To non-hostiles, that is. He brushes himself off, wishing there was something else he could wear other than his flightsuit, but whatever. ]
[That SPONTANEOUS ANIMAL just appearing out of nowhere. It's something of a rhetorical question, because it's fairly obvious from the way that Keith treats it that yes, it's very much his.
But still.]
I'm not sure how well Aurorean would carry two, though I suppose he could manage if you're light enough. We're going to Bluo, the blue region of town.
It'll be the one with the chocobos in front of it.
[He gestures to the giant bird beneath him, with a sweep of his arm.]
It wasn't just for convenience that I rode him here. He also makes a fair landmark in his own right; I'm told most people find the sight of him a bit unusual. So head for the blue district, and look for the house with black and yellow birds in the front yard. That will be your destination.
[ Keith will be waiting for you right there, Ignis, because Kosmo makes a chuffing sound and they both disappear in a flash of blue.
He's apparently been at the house for awhile when Ignis rides up, and is tentatively patting the yellow chocobo's head while Spot abruptly pushes his head against his shoulder, apparently deciding that he needs some attention from Keith, too.
Keith looks over at Ignis when he turns up, Kosmo's bushy tail lazily swishing. It apparently takes all his willpower not to just barge into his house, because Keith's already looking to the house, then back at him. ]
Is Shiro in there?
[ He owes Ignis his thanks, he knows -- but only after he's sure Shiro will turn out fine. ]
[...UH. Okay, so apparently Shiro's random friend can teleport, that's new. But that's also something to file away and consider for later, because right now he's got more important things to do, like dismounting and returning Aurorean to the fold in preparation of heading inside.]
Wait here. I'll go and see if he's awake.
[And, because he's sort of getting a certain impression off of Keith by now, in terms of his priorities and his habits toward dealing with them, he plays it safe and adds: ]
You will not go running in there carelessly. Just be patient and wait a moment.
[He says, as he lets himself through the door to go find Shiro!]
[ Dozing in and out of consciousness, the sound of footsteps rouses him from half-dreamed memories; Shiro still wears his dirtied uniform under the blanket and could do with a bath, maybe another cool rag for the sweat beading down his face and sticking white bangs in his eyes, but he smiles weakly as the visage moves closer. ]
Keith makes an indignant sound of protest and half-makes like he's just going to completely disregard what is said and charge in anyway, because this is Shiro! Because he would! And he makes his way to the door and past it anyway, forcing himself not to run. He said not to run in, right? He didn't say not to walk in?
Because this is Keith following paces after him, Kosmo at his heels.
[He's almost to the point of saying "welcome back" to Shiro when he overhears the sound of footsteps on the floor behind him, and has to actively work not to roll his eyes so hard they literally fall out of his head.
Still, that's a problem for later. Right now, he keeps his attention on Shiro, expression soft and betraying none of his annoyance as once again he retrieves that clean cloth from before and dabs at Shiro's face, like it's just instinctual and automatic to do it.]
Your friend Keith is here. He's worried about you.
[ Leaning into Adam's gentle touch as the sweat is daubed away, his eyes widen at the mention of, ]
Keith? [ Even delirious and sick, his face still lights up as he struggles against the blanket. It had felt like this was some weird sort of purgatory with Adam, a sweet house where Shiro would slowly waste away and never know what became of his friends. Keith makes it all so much more real. ] Keith!
[ Shiro looks like shit. Shiro looks worse than when he'd been fighting for his life in the healing pod, and Keith swallows a soft sound of dismay, chokes it back as he grips the doorjamb. He releases it, coming up behind Ignis.
He doesn't miss the way he cares for him, how Ignis is most likely not the person who's done this to him, and he's making a beeline to his side without a word, concern and worry written all over his face. ]
Shiro. [ He's coming over on Shiro's other side, brows creased. ] It's me -- what happened to you? Who got you sick? Ignis, was anyone with him? Did you see anyone?
Don't thrash about. You'll waste your strength that way.
[Once a mom, always a mom. But at least that confirms that this Keith really is who he says he is; Shiro seems happy enough to see him, and the concern on Keith's part, while vaguely infuriating where it leads to disobedience, is at least reassuring.
(Well, of course it is. It's the sort of thing Noct would do, isn't it? And it occurs to him then, now that he's got the chance to really, properly look at Keith, just how much the two of them resemble each other, too.)
Still. He sets the cloth aside, leaving it out and balanced on the armrest of the couch rather than replacing it in the Armiger where it'd been.]
I didn't. He said he'd climbed out of the well and took ill soon after. He was still soaked through when he came across me, so the window of opportunity for it to have set in must have been short.
[ He has a chance to be of use, at last. Keith will know what he's saying, surely, so Shiro tries to prop up on an arm and get it all out in a rush. ]
Giving the world-address speech when I fell down, I landed in a well. You were all recovering in the garrison hospital, are you ... ? Are you okay? [ Keith took the worst of the fall in the Black Lion. He squints at him through a haze. ] The planet's gray, Keith, only a few ... colorful stones. [ Startled by his own forgetfulness, he rasps, ] Adam's here! Keith, isn't that ... isn't that great?
Shiro was -- he was all right before I ended up here.
[ As far as he remembers. Keith's gently brushing his hair back from his forehead, his gaze inexplicably soft and tender when he looks down at pale, sick Shiro. He can't shake his worry, and he's looking to Ignis, then Shiro, then back again. He frowns; the world address was a few weeks ago, they'd been discharged since, and he gives Ignis a frankly worried, near-frantic look, blue eyes wide.
Something's wrong. Ignis wouldn't know this, but Keith does. The memory loss, the mention of stones...? And then there's Adam, and Shiro sounds so happy his heart breaks for him.
He could be honest, he could tell him that Ignis isn't Adam, that he's seeing him wrongly, but what good would being honest do? It would break his heart all over again, and in his current state, Keith doesn't know how it'll turn out; if it'll make him worse.
Which means... ]
Y-yeah. It's... it's great, Shiro. [ He pats his hand, swallowing the lump in his throat. He's going to explain this to Ignis later, then. For better or worse; he needs this man's help. ] What -- did you do about these colorful stones?
[ His eyelashes flutter shut when his hair is gently stroked out of his eyes, sagging back into the couch with enough motion to make him dizzy, nodding absently when Adam murmurs he's leaving to look at something. Shiro's gaze slides back to Keith, a soft smile playing on his lips as the quiet of the domestic living room surrounds them. ]
Found me again, space ranger.
[ His prosthetic fingers twitch toward Keith where Shiro's arm rests over the blanket. ]
[ Keith tells him without thinking. In any world, at any time, he'll find him. As many times as it takes. Keith should pay more attention to the stones, he knows, but he's grateful for Ignis' concession. He doesn't owe Shiro or Keith anything, but here he is, caring for Shiro, gentle enough to let him carry on this masquerade for his sake.
He owes Ignis his thanks. But Keith is pressing his forehead to Shiro's clammy forehead as he draws closer to him, giving him a half-hug to reassure and soothe him. He's smiling down at Shiro, his hand coming to curl over Shiro's prosthetic one. He has to get Ignis' help to figure out a cure for Shiro, but until then... ]
[ Head tipping closer so that he leans into Keith instead of the couch, Shiro sighs and squeezes the hand in his. The exhaustion is fully permeating every limb except for the prosthetic so he's genuinely glad to have it for once. ]
I don't want to sleep while you're here. What ... What's going on, Keith? Where are the others?
[ Keith is shifting so that Shiro can rest on him instead. He's scooting close, reaching for the wet towel that Ignis has set aside so that he can tend to Shiro himself, if he needs it. ]
I'm trying to figure that out. We're in a different world, and it looks like the others aren't here. It's a town filled with people who come from different worlds, I think.
[ He's quiet for a moment, worried. ] Shiro, I'm not going anywhere, I promise. If you need rest, you should be resting.
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[ Shiro's doing badly somewhere, delirious and infected with a virus, and this guy is asking him something like this at this time? But no, no. He's grown beyond the hot-headed young man he was before, and he takes a deep breath.
No, this guy is cautious, too (unless he's stalling for time), and he forces himself to calm down from that angry, frantic flare-up. No, okay. He has to respond. ]
He's my -- [ partner, brother, the single most important person in his universe, the man who had never given up on him, reached in and saved him when nobody cared -- ] -- friend. I'm a paladin of Voltron. [ most worlds know about them, right? And it's a statistical impossibility that this guy is in league with the Galran Empire. ] And who you have there is Takashi Shirogane, the previous paladin of the Black Lion.
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[He pauses, turning back to look at Keith, eyebrows raised.]
He mentioned lions. Something about needing to find them. You know something about that?
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The lions of Voltron. He was talking about that, right? You -- don't know about Voltron?
[ He's more curious than anything; there isn't a place he's ever seen so far who doesn't actually know. But no matter. He's moving on quickly, eyeing the giant bird -- it's kind of... cute. But anyway. ]
What else did he tell you?
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[And up he goes onto Aurorean, mounting easily with the benefit of experience.]
As to this business of Voltron, I'll confess that I don't. I'm not even familiar with what a lion is, much less a multiple of them.
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He thought you were Adam.
[ Because he kind of looks like him. And it makes Keith's heart ache for Shiro -- he's aware of what happened, peripherally, and he knows that Shiro had loved Adam, a lot. Whatever happened between them had been something Keith had never poked his nose into; it wasn't his business. ]
Can you tell what kind of virus it is? [ Pidge or Allura or Coran would be better at diagnosing, but in their absence he has to make do. Keith would've added on, but then there's a bark from a distance. A heartbeat and a flash of electric blue light later, a large blue-black teleporting wolf tackles Keith to the ground. ] -- Kosmo!
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[And he's about to get to the virus question when suddenly WHAT THE SHIT there's a bigass wolf there where there wasn't one before, and Aurorean doesn't like that one bit, nearly throwing him from his back in the process of recoiling away from the wolf.]
Damn — !
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[ Keith doesn't offer more, because that's Shiro's story to tell, if he wants to tell at all. But he's playfully wrestling Kosmo and pushing him right back with a startled laugh before he realizes what's happening with Ignis and the giant bird. ]
Sorry -- Kosmo! Hey! Heel.
[ The wolf shakes himself off, panting excitedly as he backs away to a respectable distance, letting Keith pick himself off the ground. ]
Sorry. He's harmless. [ To non-hostiles, that is. He brushes himself off, wishing there was something else he could wear other than his flightsuit, but whatever. ]
Am I supposed to get on the... bird?
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[That SPONTANEOUS ANIMAL just appearing out of nowhere. It's something of a rhetorical question, because it's fairly obvious from the way that Keith treats it that yes, it's very much his.
But still.]
I'm not sure how well Aurorean would carry two, though I suppose he could manage if you're light enough. We're going to Bluo, the blue region of town.
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[ No point overloading an already skittish bird. Kosmo's cocking his head, apparently listening. ] Which house?
[ Not that he'd know, but he assumes Kosmo would -- the wolf has clearly been doing some reconnaissance of his own. ]
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[He gestures to the giant bird beneath him, with a sweep of his arm.]
It wasn't just for convenience that I rode him here. He also makes a fair landmark in his own right; I'm told most people find the sight of him a bit unusual. So head for the blue district, and look for the house with black and yellow birds in the front yard. That will be your destination.
[And off he goes.]
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He's apparently been at the house for awhile when Ignis rides up, and is tentatively patting the yellow chocobo's head while Spot abruptly pushes his head against his shoulder, apparently deciding that he needs some attention from Keith, too.
Keith looks over at Ignis when he turns up, Kosmo's bushy tail lazily swishing. It apparently takes all his willpower not to just barge into his house, because Keith's already looking to the house, then back at him. ]
Is Shiro in there?
[ He owes Ignis his thanks, he knows -- but only after he's sure Shiro will turn out fine. ]
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Wait here. I'll go and see if he's awake.
[And, because he's sort of getting a certain impression off of Keith by now, in terms of his priorities and his habits toward dealing with them, he plays it safe and adds: ]
You will not go running in there carelessly. Just be patient and wait a moment.
[He says, as he lets himself through the door to go find Shiro!]
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Adam ...
[ Has it been minutes or hours? ]
M'awake.
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Keith makes an indignant sound of protest and half-makes like he's just going to completely disregard what is said and charge in anyway, because this is Shiro! Because he would! And he makes his way to the door and past it anyway, forcing himself not to run. He said not to run in, right? He didn't say not to walk in?
Because this is Keith following paces after him, Kosmo at his heels.
:( Sorry, Ignis. ]
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Still, that's a problem for later. Right now, he keeps his attention on Shiro, expression soft and betraying none of his annoyance as once again he retrieves that clean cloth from before and dabs at Shiro's face, like it's just instinctual and automatic to do it.]
Your friend Keith is here. He's worried about you.
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Keith? [ Even delirious and sick, his face still lights up as he struggles against the blanket. It had felt like this was some weird sort of purgatory with Adam, a sweet house where Shiro would slowly waste away and never know what became of his friends. Keith makes it all so much more real. ] Keith!
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He doesn't miss the way he cares for him, how Ignis is most likely not the person who's done this to him, and he's making a beeline to his side without a word, concern and worry written all over his face. ]
Shiro. [ He's coming over on Shiro's other side, brows creased. ] It's me -- what happened to you? Who got you sick? Ignis, was anyone with him? Did you see anyone?
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[Once a mom, always a mom. But at least that confirms that this Keith really is who he says he is; Shiro seems happy enough to see him, and the concern on Keith's part, while vaguely infuriating where it leads to disobedience, is at least reassuring.
(Well, of course it is. It's the sort of thing Noct would do, isn't it? And it occurs to him then, now that he's got the chance to really, properly look at Keith, just how much the two of them resemble each other, too.)
Still. He sets the cloth aside, leaving it out and balanced on the armrest of the couch rather than replacing it in the Armiger where it'd been.]
I didn't. He said he'd climbed out of the well and took ill soon after. He was still soaked through when he came across me, so the window of opportunity for it to have set in must have been short.
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Giving the world-address speech when I fell down, I landed in a well. You were all recovering in the garrison hospital, are you ... ? Are you okay? [ Keith took the worst of the fall in the Black Lion. He squints at him through a haze. ] The planet's gray, Keith, only a few ... colorful stones. [ Startled by his own forgetfulness, he rasps, ] Adam's here! Keith, isn't that ... isn't that great?
[ Hard to keep his thoughts linear. ]
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[ As far as he remembers. Keith's gently brushing his hair back from his forehead, his gaze inexplicably soft and tender when he looks down at pale, sick Shiro. He can't shake his worry, and he's looking to Ignis, then Shiro, then back again. He frowns; the world address was a few weeks ago, they'd been discharged since, and he gives Ignis a frankly worried, near-frantic look, blue eyes wide.
Something's wrong. Ignis wouldn't know this, but Keith does. The memory loss, the mention of stones...? And then there's Adam, and Shiro sounds so happy his heart breaks for him.
He could be honest, he could tell him that Ignis isn't Adam, that he's seeing him wrongly, but what good would being honest do? It would break his heart all over again, and in his current state, Keith doesn't know how it'll turn out; if it'll make him worse.
Which means... ]
Y-yeah. It's... it's great, Shiro. [ He pats his hand, swallowing the lump in his throat. He's going to explain this to Ignis later, then. For better or worse; he needs this man's help. ] What -- did you do about these colorful stones?
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[Oh. Oh, boy, does he see where this is going. He gets up slowly, offering Shiro a light touch to the elbow in indication of the movement.]
I'm going to go have a closer look at those.
[And then, more quietly to Keith, his voice shot low enough that Shiro shouldn't be able to overhear: ]
I'm willing to maintain the ruse, for his sake. He seems to be taking strength from it.
[And off he goes to examine those oddly colored scales.]
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Found me again, space ranger.
[ His prosthetic fingers twitch toward Keith where Shiro's arm rests over the blanket. ]
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[ Keith tells him without thinking. In any world, at any time, he'll find him. As many times as it takes. Keith should pay more attention to the stones, he knows, but he's grateful for Ignis' concession. He doesn't owe Shiro or Keith anything, but here he is, caring for Shiro, gentle enough to let him carry on this masquerade for his sake.
He owes Ignis his thanks. But Keith is pressing his forehead to Shiro's clammy forehead as he draws closer to him, giving him a half-hug to reassure and soothe him. He's smiling down at Shiro, his hand coming to curl over Shiro's prosthetic one. He has to get Ignis' help to figure out a cure for Shiro, but until then... ]
You should be resting, Shiro.
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[ Head tipping closer so that he leans into Keith instead of the couch, Shiro sighs and squeezes the hand in his. The exhaustion is fully permeating every limb except for the prosthetic so he's genuinely glad to have it for once. ]
I don't want to sleep while you're here. What ... What's going on, Keith? Where are the others?
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I'm trying to figure that out. We're in a different world, and it looks like the others aren't here. It's a town filled with people who come from different worlds, I think.
[ He's quiet for a moment, worried. ] Shiro, I'm not going anywhere, I promise. If you need rest, you should be resting.
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