(no subject)

[galrarm]

Who: Shiro and you
When: Juril
Where: All around!
What: Various, mostly quests
Warnings: Nothing just yet, will edit as necessary

blink and you'll miss 'em.

[ All things considered, this is definitely the kind of job he can get used to. It's true that Shiro's done his share of watching over cats, even here, but they're just so darn cute he can't help but offer his help more than once... So yeah, he's here several days during Juril, and he looks pretty at ease as he sits cross-legged on the floor. ]

Pretty adorable, aren't they? [ he says to his companion as a kitten disappears and reappears right on top of his head. Look, it's the floof. It's just begging to be played with. Regardless... he's more than happy to let the cats use him as a cat tower. It's calming, especially when they start purring up a storm. Shiro figures his life in Aefenglom probably won't be this lowkey and chill, but he's gonna enjoy it while he can. ]

cheerful buns.

[ Who let Shiro into the kitchen? Ah, well, he's not baking the bread itself, or even getting anywhere near the oven, so it's probably okay. Besides... compliments? Nice words? It's like this was made for Shiro. He might not know his companion, but he gives them a grin all the same. ]

Doing alright? It's hard work, but it's good to have an extra pair of hands. Seems like they knead [ and here he purposefully kneads the dough ] as much help as they can get here.

anything else?

[ Let me know (at sweetstacks) if there's something else you'd like to do, or drop a starter here! I'm pretty flexible; Shiro might be around for sparring too, if that's something that strikes your fancy. ]

Comments

keith;

[galrarm]

[ It's a few days into the month, into Shiro's being here, that he knocks on Keith's door. It's later in the evening, and Shiro... he looks a little troubled. It's the kind of expression he hasn't worn terribly often here, despite the fact that this is a fairly new place, and he's here with his friends. Something's on his mind, and he hopes it'll go well. If not, well... they'll cross that bridge.

But it's something he needs to tell Keith, so... here he is at Keith's room. ]

Hey. Are you busy? There's something we need to talk about. Or, something I need to tell you.

sylvia;

[galrarm]

[ Shiro gives it a couple of days (actually, it's more like a whole single day) before he texts Sylvia again. See... Shiro had taken Sylvia's recommendations to heart, but not for himself. ... Maybe a little for himself, but mostly? For her. Except he has a problem. ]

Hey, Sylvia?
Are you at home?

[ He actually has no idea where she lives.... ]

allura;

[galrarm]

[ A princess and a leader walk into a pet shop...

Well, they've been here a while, anyway! Shiro can't keep away from these little guys, it seems, and he's invited Allura to come along with him! He figures she'll enjoy playing with some kittens. It's a far cry from their responsibilities back home, but you know, he's fine with that. Nevermind that the war is looming at the back of his mind-- Nope. Nevermind all that.

He chuckles, scooping up a kitten who's particularly squirmy. ]

Pretty mischievous, right? At least they don't have any extra teeth or claws.

Probably.

[stardustish]

[ it's been two days since The Incident, and sylvia can't say she's entirely recovered from it. far from it, actually. but she feels a little better about stepping outside of her room and not keeping herself locked in it all day, at least.

though...why does shiro sound like he wants to visit? ]

yep.
why, what's up?

[galrarm]

I've been thinking about dropping by to check on you--if you're alright with that, that is.
If it's not okay, then no worries.

[ He'd understand, after all; he knows he's had days where he'd rather lock himself away (not that he really... had, what with his circumstances being what they are) so... he definitely gets it. ]

[stardustish]

[ as much as she wants to tell him to stay away and effectively sabotage herself, she longs for some sense of normalcy. it'd be the best comfort that anyone could give her right now.

still, she wants to throw it out there that he doesn't have to do this. she doesn't think she deserves it. ]

oh...
i mean...i won't say no, but you really don't have to, shiro.

[galrarm]

[ The reply comes almost immediately... once he's had time to type it out. But it doesn't take him long. ]

The offer's not out of any sense of obligation, I can promise you that.

[marmoron]

[ The door to Keith's room is open -- mostly for his cat's sake, and it's organized but slightly chaotic. A tank containing his red wormipede is settled on a desk, two black and red paired swords rest by the windowsill and lots of little sketches of creatures and plants that Keith has encountered in the Wilde and in the Underground are pinned up around the walls. Judging from the fact that it looks like a third grader drew them, you know it's Keith who did the artwork.

He'd been sharpening a knife on his bed when Shiro speaks. He only pauses at first, then upon seeing the look on Shiro's face stops altogether and gets to his feet. ]

Is something wrong? Everything okay?

[stardustish]

i'll forward you the address.

[ and so she does. sylvia hurries out of bed and makes an effort to get out of her sleep clothes and into something more presentable. ]

[galrarm]

[ It's definitely different from his room aboard the Castle of Lions... but really, that's not a bad thing. It's good to see. Keith's changed a bit since he's been here; Shiro hasn't been here long, but he can tell that much. It makes him smile to think about... but a part of him wishes he'd been here to see it.

Ah, well. What good does dwelling on the past do? Nothing Shiro would know about, not at all. There are more pressing matters to attend to.

Vaguely, Shiro wonders what his expression must look like... but he nods slightly. Just a tiny one. He steps inside, then gestures to the door. ]

Mind if I close that? It's... kind of a private thing.

[galrarm]

I'll be over soon.

[ After the box of pastries is all packed up, and he's got coffees in hand, Shiro heads on over. Somehow, he manages to balance the cups on top of the box, and he knocks at the door of Sylvia's place! ]

[marmoron]

[ Oh. Whatever this is, it's not good, is it? Apprehension growing, Keith straightens up, giving Shiro a careful look. ]

Yeah, of course. I don't mind at all.

[ Then vaguely gesturing towards his bed and the desk chair: ]

Make yourself at home.

[galrarm]

[ Mostly, he doesn't want anyone else to overhear this if Keith would rather not... then again, it's only Allura and Keith himself who are in the dark about this, huh? ]

Thanks. [ He closes the door, then takes a seat on the desk chair. He runs a hand through his hair, the short-shorn sides of it, hair that's just barely started to grow back. ] So...

[ Man. Where to start? It's not like Shiro has run through this over and over again in his head. Nope. ]

I should ask what the exact last thing you remember from home is.

[stardustish]

[ she still feels pretty terrible, but when she opens the door and sees those coffees...her eyes widen a little. then, she looks up at him. (at least the walk wasn't too far, given that they're both in fancy housing!) ]

Hey...come in.

[ she steps off to the side and holds the door open for him. she sounds tired, but she's not about to push him away. ]

[marmoron]

[ Keith himself takes a cautious seat back down on his bed. On the one hand, if this is about home, then it's not necessarily an immediate, pressing concern. On the other hand, any issue relating to home is always going to be greater than any issue related to Aefenglom, isn't it? Brow furrowing, he tries not to think too hard about it for now. Shiro's going to tell him whatever it is, and whatever it is they're going to figure something out. ]

You remember Taujeer? [ Translation: Remember how Allura and I basically RAN AWAY and gave everyone a heart attack? ] We were trying to get back to the Castleship.

[galrarm]

[ Yeah... he can hear how tired she is. He doesn't blame her. She's been through something.... incredibly difficult, horrible really. Shiro just hopes he can help in some way, even if it's just a little. ]

Thanks, Sylvia. This is a pretty nice place.

Here. [ He holds out one of the coffees for her. ] For you. There's just some cream and sugar in there; I didn't know what you liked.

[galrarm]

[ BOY... HE REMEMBERS.

But Shiro nods. Keith and Allura running away--it'd worked out in the end, right? Even though Shiro had been beyond worried. That's not his concern, though. Shiro's quiet for a moment, placing Keith's trial and Taujeer on a sort of mental timeline.... ]

You already know what point in time I'm from. But something else happened between Taujeer and facing Zarkon. Something... involving your past.

[ He pauses and leans forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. He fixes Keith with a look; at first it's serious. Then, he softens his expression a bit. ]

Something about your family. [ Another pause. ] ... Do you want me to go on?

[stardustish]

[ she closes the door behind him, and then she moves to step in front to lead him to the dining room. might as well sit in there. before she starts heading there though, she looks at the coffee and takes it into her hand gently. cream and sugar...she normally drinks her coffee black (surprisingly), but he went out of his way to do this for her. she won't protest. ]

Thanks. ... Really. I'm sorry, I'm very thankful, I promise -- I know it's hard to tell.

[ she sighs softly. ] Well, c'mon. This way.

[galrarm]

It's alright. It's been rough for you.

[ He doesn't doubt the sincerity... he just knows she must still be tired, bogged down with the memories. It's only been two days, after all. And she had watched her friend die.

He follows her, pastry box and his coffee in hand, glancing around. ]

Thanks for letting me on over, by the way.

[stardustish]

Yeah, it's no problem. We're pretty good about letting guests over -- we just got the place a few days ago.

[ before, you know. everything went to shit. when they're in the dining room, she pulls up a seat at the head of one of the tables and sits. ]

Didn't think I'd be talking to a friend again so soon, heh.

[marmoron]

[ There's a lot that's happened that he can't quite slot into the timeline just yet. Kolivan apparently being their "friend" according to Lance at least makes it clear that they must've found the Blade of Marmora like Ulaz had instructed.

But the instant Shiro brings up his past and his family, something in Keith freezes up. Whatever his train of thought had been, wherever he'd expected this to lead, it wasn't straight back to Earth, to his little shack in the middle of nowhere. ]

... You mean my dad?

[ No -- that can't be right. Of course, it can't be right. It'd been years since he watched them lower his dad's ashes into the ground. He stands up again, unable to sit still any longer. ]

Shiro, what.... [ His throat tightens and he lets his expression do the rest of the talking. ]

[galrarm]

[ Shiro lets out a breath. This is where it gets... trickier. Just a little. Shiro doesn't pull his gaze away from Keith, but that expression on his friend's face... it wrenches at his heart. Still. ]

Not your dad, no.

[ So... that leaves one other option, doesn't it? ]

[marmoron]

But...

[ Keith tenses up, trying hard to keep everything he's feeling from showing on his face. Teeth clenching, he takes a deep breath. ]

She left.

[ The words peter out into uncertain silence. It's a lot to be taking in. The fact that this is Shiro telling him this is the only reason he hasn't gotten angry, hasn't dismissed the whole notion of the mother who never loved him enough to stay apparently galavanting around space this whole time as a stupid joke. ]

CHEERFUL BUNS /tags some more?!?

[marmoron]

[ Keith is amply aware of Shiro's legendary cooking prowess. Enough that he's clearly decided that his best friend needs supervision on this particular quest. What's tragic here is that he hasn't necessarily accounted for his own "talents" in the kitchen and now there are two disaster boys trying to bake bread. Who allowed this to happen??

In any case, Keith's giving the dough on the counter a suspicious look and a poke like it's alien slime. ]

Is this the right consistency? [ POKE. ] I feel like it's missing something.

[ Potentially quite a few somethings considering it's these two that created this concoction. ]

[galrarm]

I don't know her circumstances--I never met her, even.

[ He pauses. He's rehearsed this a hundred, a thousand times, but Shiro still isn't entirely certain the best way to reveal what's next. But it's Keith, and Keith needs to know... and best to come from Shiro than, say... Kolivan.

He draws in a breath. He knows this next part isn't gonna be easy--for Shiro to say, for Keith to hear. But he can be steady, a certainty for Keith when the truth is, quite frankly, wild. ]

I met Kolivan before coming here--a little bit after Taujeer. You and I went to the Blade of Marmora's base. They recognized your knife--the one you've had forever. It belongs to one of the Blades.

You went through their trial. [ His voice is hard, expression tight. Whatever his feelings are about that trial, it doesn't matter right now, but it's clear that he's not happy with whatever went down there. ] After that... Keith, you activated the knife.

Only someone with Galra heritage can do that.