The craziest show in the galaxy, yup.

[balancingedge]

Who: Takashi Shirogane, Keith, Lance, Katie “Pidge” Holt, and whoever else gets dragged into this madness.
When: November 10th (with possible additions later for Curti Center run ins)
Where: the Dream Width, and see above
What: When all save the former Black Paladin get pulled into the Dream Width within the span of a morning, it becomes an Adventure retrieving them.
Warnings/Notes: Spoilers up to the end of Season 7 of Voltron: Legendary Defender. Also game shows. I’ll add more if anything shows up.

It’s shortly after midnight when all three signals are caught by the Curti Center’s radar. Prior to that, however, there is another sign: the barriers of both Red and Green go down as both mechanical lions stir, a low rumble of a growl echoing among the two of them. Black looks up and roars. They’re back, but in trouble. Yet like with the two disappearances among their team before, there is no sign whatsoever of what lies ahead.

Just a signal, and three lions that desperately want to get off the ground and fly to their paladins.

Comments

[promiselisting]

[ ... your offering will please Queen Futaba. And Futaba makes a mental note to check in on Lance next, definitely.

Ah... that.... ]

... you guys are my friends.

[ She wasn't just. Going to leave them out there. ]

[balancingedge]

[He's glad that she will. Especially since it's only a matter of time before a certain future captain will be walking over and likely helping him limp the rest of the way there. ...If not carry him, his mind supplies after recalling the ass-to-chair rebuttal. Thanks, brain. At least some color returns to him.]

All the more reason to. Outside the team, I- can count how many I have on one hand.

[He still! Appreciates!! Stop making this more awkward than it has to be.] So, get any photos of this one?

[promiselisting]

[ Even more same hat. Which she? Kind of wants to talk about? But it's really hard to tell when'll be a good time to bring it up. If now is anything of a good time at all.

Verbal shitposting is easier. ]

Oh you better believe it. Got some of everybody. Even Pidge tackling that Bob guy. I can send them all to you later.

[balancingedge]

[Well, if she wants to talk about it, he's not going to stop her. Except maybe to sit down. He's very close to just sitting here but then there's the problem of getting up.

He leans his back against the wall instead.]

Yeah. Apparently he's an all-knowing jerk who judges warriors, and considering we survived? [A shrug.] I'd appreciate it. ...Even the ones of me.

[He won't live it down. May as well own it.]

[spaceforged]

Then you'd miss this. [Shiro smiles quietly as he leans in and presses a kiss to his forehead.] We saved each other.

[He murmurs as the door to the lounge looms ever closer. He subtly adjusts his hold to allow his lover to learn more of his weight against his chest. He catches sight of the massive ship outside collected up in colors he never thought he'd see again.

There's no mistaking the Garrison's mark on a ship.] ...and maybe you can explain this 'Atlas' outside.

[The Center had let him know something was in the dream width that resonated with him. They'd found Keith, Lance, and Pidge....just before the vast shape of the ship. He can feel it just at the edge of his thoughts. Exactly like the Black Lion.]

[balancingedge]

I would. [A quiet smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he leans more against his chest.] Using my own words, Takashi?

[It's not wrong, though. They have a habit of watching each other's backs. One that probably makes even more sense now to the others than before. He traces Shiro's jaw with a finger before his hand falls back over his abdomen and he turns his head to take a look outside.

... Oh.] The IGF-Atlas is the answer the Garrison built from melding Earthling and Altean tech into one ship to act as a deep space base of operations. It can house all the personnel and equipment, and has hanger bays designed to charge both Lion and MFEs in seconds. They finished it not long before we returned to Earth, save the power source. [He looks back to meet Shiro's gaze.] You become it's captain and figure out how to turn it into a giant mech. Voltron's the size of it's lower leg.

[spaceforged]

[He stares at the Atlas again. He hasn’t been wrong, it’s an Earth ship but. Silence falls as he comes to a stop and stands there. He always knew his days as a Paladin were over. But the idea that he got his own ship and served as their commander instead. Not just their commander but the heavy fire power support...

His eyes are bright as he turns away from the view and steps into the lounge.] The size of its lower leg.

...MFEs?

[Combat fighters. MFs he can recall but MFEs sounds like a second fighting force and that takes him by surprise. He carries Keith over to the lounge couch and he smiles down at him.]

Let’s get you patched up. Shall we?

Timeskip time!

[promiselisting]

Heh, can do.

[ And heyyyyy there's Shiro. Plus Keith's probably gotten a good amount of healing for now. Enough to hold him off until he can get horizontal. ]

Gonna go check on the others for now. See you in a bit.

[ ... she may steal a few pictures first though. ]

[balancingedge]

[He watches Shiro's face. While he doesn't doubt that Shiro will love it, seeing his eyes brighten at the thought almost makes his heart skip a beat. It may take a little while for him to reach the point he was at where Keith last remembers, but he has faith in him.

...And he could make a compensation joke, but he already knows the truth about that one. So, instead:] Congratulations, Captain.

[Just- don't pick up Black like a misbehaving cub once they figure out how to do that here, if they do. Please.]

One of the projects Commander Holt started so earth would have a fighting chance, along with mimicking the Castle's defenses to shield the base. Short-range fighters modified with Altean tech piloted by four cadets: Kinkade, Leifsdottir, Rizavi, and their team leader, Griffin.

[Yes, that Griffin. He's still a little surprised how they haven't been at each other's throats, but then... he's changed a lot since leaving Earth. Sure, he still has a temper problem, but he's more sure of himself.

Well, so much for privacy later. He has a Feeling that Futaba at least is going to want to talk to him after what Pictation brought up.]

May as well while Futaba takes care of Lance. [...Why is he suddenly filled with an awful sense of foreboding?]

Yay timeskip!!

[balancingedge]

[Considering some color has come back to his face, it's probably a good sign. His head's still throbbing, but everything else is just an ache. So...yay? He's going to look at the positive, there.]

See you. [It's a promise.

In the end, he doesn't get to the makeshift infirmary. Instead Shiro placed him down on the couch. Which is good. The polyester is cool against the back of his head. Until it inevitably warms up thanks to his body heat, anyway. He hears familiar footsteps and opens his eyes. He'd been trying to avoid the inevitable screaming match with his second-in-command by pretending he fell asleep.]

Hey.

[promiselisting]

Hey.

[ Futaba... ends up flopping down on the floor instead, enough so she can rest her folded arms on the couch and rest her chin on them. For a minute or so she doesn't say anything. Not really sure how best to start. Then... ]

Let me know if you see Lance, okay? Shiro already knows most this stuff. Pidge too. It came up during...

[ She waves a hand vaguely, but given the two people in particular she mentioned, Keith'll probably be able to figure out that she's referring to a certain private conversation when Pidge started learning a certain custom job. Lance though... doesn't. And given a certain propensity for oversharing she noticed in the Red Paladin thus far....

There's... another long silence, and if Keith doesn't interrupt it himself, she'll begin, finally. ]

[balancingedge]

I'll hear before seeing him. [Lance isn't very subtle, and he knows how he gets when something's found out. Considering everyone saw which memories broke through in the one they were trapped in, well. He's going to be even less subtle. Considering they've known each other this long and he never...

He closes his eyes for a second, shifting slightly so it's easier to keep her in the periphery. He waits for her to talk.]

[promiselisting]

[ Deep breaths. This is... still so weird? How does she do this kind of thing, she honestly doesn't know. ]

I didn't really... talk to people for a long time. Nobody really liked 'the weird kid' who could do stuff like look at a shelf of books, and memorize all the titles. Or get perfect scores on her tests all the time. Then... stuff happened and...

[ She flinches a little. But that's what she's here to talk about. ]

I used to be Futaba Isshiki. Mom... died when I was thirteen. Never knew my dad. My bio dad, I mean. I've talked about my Dad before but that's Sojiro. Sojiro Sakura. He was Mom's best friend. Even he didn't... get me until a while after Mom died.

[balancingedge]

[If she's asking him, she's come to the wrong person to do so. He's just as bad at talking about himself. It took him years and coming here to admitting his own feelings to Shiro. tl;dr: Words are hard; he understands.

Halfway through the stumbling over said words, he turns his head to look at her. He's tired, but he listens carefully. It's important and he doesn't want to interrupt. If he does, she might stop.

'You're right, I don't. But sometimes we all need a hand.'

Maybe one day he'll talk about his time at the home, how he'd get into fights with the other kids both there and at school. Now wasn't the time.]

I'm sorry. Sounds like a good guy from what you've said, though. [Sometimes familial blood wasn't what mattered, but blood of the covenant, or however the saying goes.]

[promiselisting]

Yeah but-

[ She's not going to ever disagree about how good Sojiro is. She will defend her adoptive father to the death. But that wasn't what she was trying to go for here. ]

He, he saved me. He, and Ren and the others. Before, I... I didn't really have anybody. They... they're my family. More than my actual relatives.

[ She lifts a hand to fist it in her hair, feeling a bit frazzled. Probably looking it too. That's... more than she's admitted to most people, except Ren. And Sojiro. ]

And so I.... For a long time I just. I didn't talk to people. And I know there must've been other people out there who went through the same thing but it's still... I don't really know how to talk about it well. But... it's not the same but I get it. Nobody being there and you having nobody but yourself but feeling like you're not-

[ Not good enough. Not worth it. That kind of feeling. That kind of loneliness. And just. ]

I-If anybody tries to give you a hard time about it, I'll kick their ass.

[thegoofball]

[Lance...feels like shit. Everything aches, and...

Well.

That happened.

They're back in Vaikuntha, though, and Keith looks as ragged as Lance feels. There's a moment of hesitation, before Lance sighs and raises his bayard. It feels a little silly, but, well...No better time to test it than now, when he feels like he's been stretched apart like taffy.

Take your medicine, Keith.]

[balancingedge]

[Ah. That's what this is about. He had a feeling, but she had to figure out how to say it. He reaches over, resting a hand on her shoulder.]

It takes time. Don't beat yourself up for not knowing how yet. [Understanding shines behind tired eyes, gently squeezing her shoulder before letting go. This was going to be hard enough as it is, but he doesn't look away.] ...That you aren't good enough. That there's someone better at this whole talking to others and more capable because that's what the world's told you time and time again.

[A hint of anger sparks behind the understanding; not at Futaba, but for her. She doesn't have to say it, but he gets the feeling her blood relatives are the type of people he'd kick the asses of without even being asked.] I'll direct them to you then, if my own family doesn't get to them first.

[He glances over to where Takashi went, realizing he was probably giving them some space so Futaba could say what she wanted to.] ...Mom left before I could even recall her voice, to protect me from this war with our own people. My pop was a hero. They tried to keep him from going back into that burning building, but couldn't tell him anything. I was nine.

While I love my parents, the Paladins and Coran became my family. Even if I had to leave them for a while, I would and have done everything I can for them... and I know they'd do the same for me. Even if Pidge can be just as awkward, or Lance wanting to rekindle a rivalry he started. They all gave me a chance, even after seeing me at my worst.

[The way he says it, not even the Dream Width shared that part.]

[balancingedge]

[Keith hears footsteps, but doesn't turn around to see who it is. He can tell by the footfalls it's probably Lance and he's been trying very hard to pretend he's asleep. Despite staring at the back of the couch he's currently laying down on.

Well.

That is.

Until suddenly he hears the sound of a bayard shifting forms. He almost turns around when suddenly he feels a bullet hit him in his backside????

He practically jumps a six inches off said couch from a laying down position, and turns to glare back at Lance.] What the...? [He starts to ask, before realizing he... feels better?

???

Quiznack, he's not awake enough for this shit.]

[ladytakamaki]

[ keith's already got people helping him out, so ann's mostly just...watching, making sure that he and lance and pidge make it out safely.

sometime during keith's recovery--and when he's more awake--ann goes to check up on him. she has a container with her filled with more fruit salad. ]

Keith?

[balancingedge]

[Thankfully it's still a long trek back to Vaikuntha, so he's at least taken a nap. If only to keep some wounds from reopening that have been stitched up and healed with magic. After a few hours, he's finally sitting up and checking the list of messages on his phone when he hears someone call his name.

He turns off the screen before anything that was shared with him in confidance can be seen.] Hey, Ann.

[thegoofball]

Feeling better?

[He manages to sound impossibly smug as he says it, before turning his bayard down and shooting himself in the leg.

The healing magic is strange, but it's...Good. He feels less like he's gone through hell, now.]

Little trick I picked up a while back. Figured now was a good time to test it out.

[balancingedge]

[Keith sits up, as if to state the fact without saying a word. To be fair, they kind of did go through hell. Repeatedly. In a conga line that ends with an explosion and a crash. Fun times!

He also scoots over so Lance can sit down. He has a Feeling where this conversation will turn.]

Somehow not as weird as the healing heels. Useful, though.

[And right on par with Lance's brand of weirdness.]

[thegoofball]

[It's been a Lot.

Lance doesn't sit down so much as sink into the couch. He's feeling better now, physically, but there's a lot of questions he has left. He doesn't know if now is a good time, but...

No time like the present.]

The healing heels aren't weird! They're great.

[Being able to kick someone back into good health? That's worth every bit of study as a white mage.

Lance leans back, sighing.]

But how about with everything else? You okay?

[thegoofball]

I don't know! [Don't be rude, Pidge!] It's not my fault Keith is bad at drawing!

[balancingedge]

[It has, indeed, been a Lot. Lance will get no argument from him on that. He still leans back into the couch as he sighs.]

I'm still wrapping my mind around how you don't fall while spinning around in six inch heels.

[It boggles him, but it's impressive! Don't make this weirder, Lance!

But then he asks that, and he glances at him. He's had plenty of time to come to terms with what was shown and more. Lance didn't know that.]

Yeah. Saw most of that with Mom anyway.

[Most, just... not the...game show...]

How about you?