middaeg | Iuneril Catch all

Entry tags:

Iuneril Catch all

Who: Keith and YOU
When: Up through mid-June
Where: Aefenglom, the Wilde
What: Quest time: Berry Picking, Silent Forest, Outpost Progress
Warnings: Will add as necessary. some fighting, some inebriation

A. Berry Picking

[So Iuneril is off to a great start. All the chaos from people unexpectedly bursting out of mirrors and reflective surfaces may have disappeared overnight ... and really, that's for the best. No more middle school rivals showing up in the bathroom, no more so-called allies stealing his cat. Except that it also means that Shiro's disappeared on him for the second time Keith has been here. Of course, it's not anyone's fault in particular, but it still puts Keith in a bit of a stormy mood. Hard not to feel like the universe is out to mess with him in particular.

...which is probably why it ought to be strange that iunerberry picking is actually cheering him up. Keith hadn't exactly signed up for this expecting to have a good time, just that cunes are cunes. As he straightens up to move onto the next cluster of bushes, he wobbles.]

Woah... [Grabbing onto the nearest person, he starts laughing.] Sorry, just lost my balance there for a second. You doing okay?

B. Outpost Progress

[And after that bit of embarrassing overshare, it's time to never show his face around the house again. At least for the next couple of days anyway. Keith is well packed for the excursion to the outpost, with a large bag of camping supplies and two swords strapped to his back. He hasn't been near the settlement in a while, and it has developed a good deal more than he remembers it last.

It's around dusk that he makes his way to one of the camp's fires that have been set up for the evening. Now that the sun is starting to make him a litttle letharigc, it's easier on him to do the night shift. Technically being a vampire, he doesn't need to eat normal food either, but he plops himself down by the fire where a cut of meat is being roasted over a spit. He turns to ask the person next to him a question.]

Anything interesting happen yet?

C. Silent Forest

[And since he's now fully committed himself to staying busy instead of dwelling on all of his problems, Keith has agreed to show up for body guard duty for the witches who are casting purifying magic.

Maybe a particularly touchy witch told him they don't need protection, or maybe he just got distracted by something seeming to move in the shadows between the twisted trunks and branches of the Cwyld infected trees -- one way or another, he's wandered off on his own. Keith squints, drawing his sword to push aside some rotting foliage that's frosted over. Breath visible as he exhales, he turns sharply at the sound of someone approaching.]

Oh. [He doesn't lower the sword yet, but he nods in greeting.] Hey.

[But maybe there's a time and place for proper introductions later because something is definitely out there and whatever it is is getting closer.]

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[ He blinks, following her hand motions as he gets himself upright and more or less stable. ]

Does.. that mean you want to go for a walk? In a big circle?

[Or no, maybe it doesn't mean that. But he gives her an expectant look for clarification.]

[She shakes her head, which she does far more dramatically than normal conversation,]

No, it was just a turn of phrase because I was feeling silly. Although... a walk does sound nice. [Hm. Here she loops one arm into the crook of his elbow, like a proper gentleman, whether he's ready for it or not.

Affecting a (somehow) even more proper tone, she gestures to the side, her basket of iunerberries bouncing with the motion.] Keith, if you'll escort me over to that bushel, we can keep on with our task.

[ He glances down as she touches his elbow, then smiles as he stands a little straighter. ]

Guess I can't turn down a request like that from a princess.

[ Of course, he has to pick up his own basket of berries first which he's going to attempt to do without breaking formation. Yes, that's what he's calling this right now. He pitches a bit to the side, just barely managing to snag the handle of his basket with his fingers. Looking a little stupidly pleased with himself for pulling that off without falling over, he laughs. ]

And besides, it's cute when you're silly.

Edited 2020-06-06 23:08 (UTC)

[She looks suitably impressed too. Of course she helped balance him on the other side because this is teamwork here. Now they just have to walk. The next patch of berries seems much further away than it did only moments before.]

Cute? [Tittering, she makes the first hesitant step forward.] I don't believe I've ever heard you use that word before.

[Walking actually seems to be going well here,] Are you saying that I'm cute, or the situation at hand is cute?

[She needs to know, for personal reasons.]

[ Yes, easy does it with the walking. One wobbly step at a time.... ]

I think a lot of things are cute. You know. Like how the cat likes to nibble on Lance's fingers. And the way Red purrs when you fly at full speed. The Arusians were pretty cute, too... well. When they weren't trying to throw themselves into a sacrificial fire to appease you.

[ He smiles in earnest as the list goes on. ]

And it's real cute when you're happy. I just don't say things like that out loud.

[She just hums, giggling a little and smiling with each of the mental images that Keith brings up. Her eyes are on the ground (to focus extra hard on walking, one step at a time) but lifts them with the last point.]

You should say things like that out loud. It makes me happy to hear it and oh no-

[That’s all the warning he gets before she starts listing heavily to the side, leaning hard onto his arm. She has enough sense to keep her other arm high, keeping the basket from spilling, but boy she’s walking like a drunkard right now.]

Stars, I think that’s enough walking for me. [She laughs,] My legs feel like a flanfruit jelly, Keith.

... it does?

[ This is apparently a genuine revelation he's having here, but then Allura steers them both off the path. Though Keith stumbles, he doesn't lose his footing and fall. But then again, he might have, if there wasn't some hedge shrubbery in the way.

It isn't particularly comfortable to be getting poked by twigs and branches, but at least he didn't end up with leaves in his mouth? One way or another, he's laughing as he steps out of the now slightly dented hedge.]

Yep. No more walking. You're a menace.

Edited 2020-06-09 23:13 (UTC)

[She just nods in agreement with what she already said,] We can continue picking the berries once we have a little rest.

[And, oh look, there's a bright green spot of grass right under them. And if Keith doesn't want a break? Well that's too bad. Extracted from the hedge, she finds a good spot and plops down, her skirts fluffing up with the motion. Hand on his, she tugs him down to join her.]

And of course it makes me happy. I care a lot about what you think.

[Which might be too illuminating for her normally, but here she doesn't think twice about saying it.]

[ Well it's not like the effort of standing was worth it or anything, so of course when she tugs him down, he doesn't struggle. He ends up in a more splayed seiza pose and is in the process of awkwardly repositioning himself to sit on his butt when Allura speaks again. ]

You do? [ He blinks a lil owlishly. ] Not that I thought you didn't care, but....

[ But what? Where is this going? It feels dangerously like he's on the precipice of putting his foot in his mouth here, so he adds hurriedly. ]

Sorry, I didn't mean anything bad by that. You're just one of the most incredible people I know so I guess.. I just don't want to mess things up somehow. [ He laughs caught somewhere between awkward and embarrassed. ] ... basically it makes me happy when you're happy. That's probably not that profound because we're bonded and all, but it's nice having that as part of my day now.

[ oh god what is he saying help...]

....and this is why I don't say anything. This is so sappy, I'm sorry.

Edited 2020-06-14 16:41 (UTC)

[Despite how silly she's feeling, she's not nearly drunk enough to not feel a warm blush creeping up her cheeks and a strange, tight feeling in her chest when he calls her incredible. Her expression turns more serious, but she's still smiling when she reaches out to take one of his hands in hers.]

Why are you apologizing? [She looks down at their hands, suddenly wondering why she'd done that, but she doesn't want to stop doing it either, so she just lets it be, their hands resting on his knee between them.] I like it when you're happy. And sappy. [She laughs.] And I like being bonded with you too.

[She closes her eyes,] ...Can you feel what I'm feeling right now?

[It's just a simple, bubbling happiness. One she's opening up and mentally trying to siphon directly into him if she can.]

[ Keith glances down at their hands. What specifically prompted that may be a mystery, but it's the kind of mystery he thinks he could really grow to like. The giddiness from before is still present, but it takes on a different form when his heart does a small skip-flutter, bathing him in a gentle warmth as Allura speaks.]

If what you're feeling is anything like you're being hugged from the inside .... then yeah, I think so.

There's another laugh, this one more earnest and content as he gives her hand a gentle squeeze. ]

[If she had her wits about her, she'd consider the significance of what it meant to not only accept that they would have a window into each others feelings, but to actively seek it out and project them. Purposeful and wanted, like a hug.

Her face feels warm as she feels the same skip-flutter. She's not projecting it anymore, but the feeling simmers into something warm and comfortable and she settles more into the grass, releasing his hand, but sidling up next to him so that she can keep that contact, leaning shoulder-to-shoulder.]

I know we will have to go home eventually, but this is... [She hums, searching for words,] It has been a long time since I have felt so at ease.

[ Despite halfway wanting to tighten his grip when she pulls her hand free, he doesn't. Even if that point of contact between them was nice, Keith doesn't want to make a complete fool out of himself. It's a moment later that she's leaning against his shoulder and that's ... well that's more than alright, as well.]

It's been a really long time for me, too, Allura.

[ He closes his eyes, tipping his head back to look up at the sky. ]

I never told anyone this, but ... all those times Hunk, Pidge and Lance used to talk about family and being homesick. It was... really hard for me to relate to any of it. I don't really have anyone waiting for me back home or anywhere else. Having a home and people to come back home to is something I started understanding more after being part of Voltron.

[ A beat. ]

I don't know where I'm going with this. Guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you're here.

[She grows quiet, eyes turned up to the rustling trees above them. It’s the first time that Keith has really talked about home, she realizes, reflecting on all of the times that he never joined in with the other paladins. Lance and the others talked about their families so much that she sometimes she felt like she knew them from a distance, but that wasn’t the case for Keith.]

It was the same for me. [A confession she’s never made,] That is, I feel homesick, but it is for a place that no longer exists. You, and Lance and the others are my family now. And I hope more than anything that you all feel the same way.

[She bites her lip, even in her inebriated state, this is all a little too personal. She laughs, not looking in his direction. Sheepishly,]

I told this to Enkidu when I first arrived, but I made her swear to keep it to herself.

[ Though Keith keeps his face on the sky, his gaze shifts slightly to watch as Allura speaks. He doesn't interrupt and stays quiet for a short moment when she's finished. ]

Family, huh..

[ His tone is contemplative. Outside of his own dad, Shiro is the only other family he's registered as such. Knowing what Lance had said about Shiro's disappearance after their future fight with Zarkon, Keith can't help feeling a little tired, a little like the people he accepts as family are all somehow just cursed to vanish from his life. People who leave empty spaces behind.

Keith bites the inside of his lip. If the thought of Allura or Lance disappearing from Aefenglom the way Shiro has twice causes him as much dread as it does, then if nothing else he supposes Allura's word for their relationship is entirely applicable.

If he had more presence of mind, he'd have said something different, maybe something more flippant to gloss the moment over, but instead.....]

... I want you to stay though.

Edited 2020-06-16 00:17 (UTC)

[Hearing that makes something seize tight in her stomach, understanding the weight of it and all at once feeling the truth in his words. She didn't have the same experience as him, but she knew loneliness. She knew what it felt like to be surrounded by others and still feel like the only person in the room.]

Of course I'm not going anywhere. [Said with a small laugh, and maybe later she'd thank the berries, for making the words come easily in this moment,] There's no where else that I'd rather be right now.

[There was a war to get back to, she could never fully let go of that. But in this moment? She was happy to just be. But this is all a little too illuminating, and in a bid to change the topic, she fishes in the basket next to her, producing one of the berries and pops it into her mouth, sucking on the sweet juice.]

Have you tried one? They're very good.

[ Keith flushes slightly, pale skin making the pink dusting his cheeks too obvious for comfort. He's a little out of it to pinpoint why, but he quickly tucks his chin into his shoulder, though that doesn't do much to mask the contented thrum Allura might be able to pick up on from their bond. After a beat, Keith manages a soft laugh. ]

They are, yeah. Not as sweet as you though..

[ Which he means literally which is why it doesn't register immediately that this could be taken in an entirely different way. ]

[Heat burns all the way up to her ears and it's lucky that she has a mouthful of berry right now so she can't respond immedately. She does put a hand on her cheek, feeling her face grow warm under it. Of course she's not taking it literally.]

I think you may have had too much, you're beginning to talk like Lance. [Meant as a joke, but she's absolutely burning up,]

[ Happily oblivious to how that came across, Keith is busy popping a berry in his mouth ... and then promptly chokes. ]

I'm not -- [ COUGH. SPLUTTER. ] I don't!

[ Oh my god? He manages to turn a lovely shade of scarlet as he finally gets his breathing back under control. ]

Ugh.

[ Peak eloquence achieved. ]

I'm teasing.

[Oh dear. She pats him gently until he can get his breathing back under control. Then folds her hands in her lap, not making eye contact.]

Are you okay?

[ He coughs into his sleeve, putting just as much effort as she is into not making eye contact. ]

Embarrased but recovering. I think.

[ He clears his throat. ]

On the one hand, Lance is really good at talking to people so ... I guess that's a good thing? But on the other hand, I didn't mean to be a ham. I just think it's true and I ... [ Uh... where is this going again. ] ...I guess I thought you should know that. You know. Because you said knowing these things makes you happy.

Edited 2020-06-20 02:02 (UTC)

[She laces her fingers in her lap in front of her,] You're absolutely right, and I should not tease you for your honesty.

[Not after she'd encouraged it.]

I was just flustered. It seems that's a common symptom of our bond for me. [She certainly has spent more time flustered in the last handful of phoebes than most of the time that she's known them. She tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.] I feel like I've learned a lot about you since we did it.

[ He chances just a tiny peek in her direction before quickly looking away again. ]

You're flustered.... [ It's a half hearted bit of grumping at best, though he does visibly relax a little further. ]

I didn't think I could even have some of the feelings I've had.

[Oh? Boy, is it getting warm out here. If she wasn't under the effects of the berries she'd be worried about this conversation quickly swerving into too-personal territory, but as it is, she titters, resting her elbow on a bent knee, propping her cheek in her hand.]

I know what you mean. Bonding with you has been- [Hm.] Like a warm, wonderful feeling. It's not all of the time - sometimes it's quite embarrassing! Or frustrating.

[Emotional feedback loops being what they are.] But I enjoy it. It feels like always having you on my side, even when I am alone.

[ The berries are doing the lord's work here as Keith would have otherwise remembered a knife sharpening appointment a while ago. As it stands, the warmth feels less like a potential minefield and more like an invitation to bask. ]

That was true even before bonding.

[ He laughs a little sheepishly, still not meeting her eye, choosing instead to lie down on the grass. ]

I know we don't always agree on things and I know I'm not the easiest guy to get along with, but ... I don't mean to be. It's just hard for me to open up to others because people used to always assume the worst of me. [ A beat. ] And maybe that made me assume the worst in others, too.

[ Folding an arm behind his head, he stretches out more comfortably. ]

But having a bond with you made me do a lot of thinking. All those times back home when you were real courageous .... obviously that's part of who you are, but deep down maybe you were just as nervous and didn't really have anyone to talk to about it?

We said we were all friends and that we had to trust each other, but I guess ... being more aware of all the feelings you don't say anything about made me think .... well. You don't have to trust me with everything, but I want you to know that you can, if you want to.

Because you know... maybe neither of us actually have to be as lonely as we feel sometimes.

Iuneril Catch all

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I finally get to use a sleepy icon

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