sunset_horizons | Open Post ☼ 05 | ❝Do you remember...❞

[It's a wide, wide world out there, and yet she doesn't really... have much of it, if anything.

She doesn't like sitting on thoughts like that, but it's hard for her to just ignore the recurring question seared straight onto the walls in her head. At the same time... it's not as if she has to answer it right now; for one, why should she really deny that she's here, to begin with? What's more, she still hasn't even found an answer that works. She's hypothesized, she's gone through all the theoretical motions in her head, but what is she even supposed to do?

...aah, this isn't helping her any. Maybe another long trip will do her some more good. There has to be someone, somewhere out there, that could help her figure this out -- yes, that's it, she'll start with people and work from there. Maybe find herself that nice change of scenery she hasn't yet. The question of 'when' she'll find either is another story, but it isn't as if she's wanted for time.

It's nothing to her, after all. Not without something to fill in the gaps.]

((somewhere vaguely post S6, a very little ways into S7? Just so Keith isn't full on "but Shiro is doing his Snow White impression" angst??))

[They aren't on the Castle of Lions anymore. For Keith it had been years since he'd really lived there anyway, but still, its loss had been a hard one. And in the more practical end of matters, lacking the Castle's resources is its own problem.

Lack of healing pods, for one thing.

But they'll make do. They always have, and that's not going to change. At least, that is what Keith is telling himself at the moment. What should have been a fairly simple and quick stop at a planet to pick up various supplies and what they hope will be necessities had gone badly. Keith had found himself surrounded and caught off-guard by some of the more vicious of the local fauna, and he'd paid the price for it.

He's fine. Nothing's broken. Nothings bleeding -- except the gash in his head, mostly hidden by his hair. He'd had his helmet knocked clean off, right before he was thrown head-first into a rock.

It might be a problem. At the time he'd killed the critter, retrieved his helmet and continued the mission. Hell, he'd gotten into the cockpit of the Black Lion and flown for a few hours until they'd settled in formation and made ready to call it a night. It's quiet in the Lion with only the wolf and his mother, but quiet is good.

When Keith stands from the pilot's chair, the room around him lurches, and he stumbles forward, barely catching himself... on Krolia. Sorry, Mom. Just let him get his balance for a second.]

Sorry. I think I stood too fast.

[Or he has a concussion. You know. One or the other. (Definitely the other.)]

[There's something to be said of how easy those helmets are knocked off their wearer's heads. Krolia said nothing of it while they were out seeking supplies or when they returned to the Lions, but she kept an eye on Keith for any sign. She'd seen that throw, but she knows he's also resilient. Still, adrenaline only gets someone so far.

He's seemingly fine until he moves to stand. She moves slightly to support him and instead takes a good deal of his weight as he stumbles. She rests a hand on his shoulder to steady him.] Or you've been injured. Let me see.

[The way she says it is gentle but nonnegotiable. Comms are off. Only the three of them will know.]

[Alteans may have been masters of alchemy and engineering, but they never figured out the chin strap. Go figure.

Keith is gripping her arm a little too tightly, like he's not sure the floor beneath him is done with its spinning. And it's not. He looks up at her, frowning when his eyes initially struggle to focus and there are two Krolias in his vision before it corrects.

He hesitates at the request that isn't a request, the many years of his life that had been spent handling everything on his own created many habits that will die hard. But he's not that stubborn.]

Yeah. Okay... [He sighs and adds,] I hit my head earlier. It's not that bad.

[It is that bad. He's just an idiot.]

[They really should take a page or two from Earth's few advancements over theirs as Earth has likely adapted to theirs in her son's team's absence. She remembers the chin strap on his father's helmet and wondered why in the universe they hadn't thought of it before?

Keith, you aren't exactly subtle. Unfocused eyes, grip akin to a vice on her arm. She frowns, before lifting locks of his hair and noticing the dried blood and active bleed.

He's so much like his father that if he mentions it's only a flesh wound next she'd roll her eyes.]

It is that bad. Your balance is shot, eyes unfocused, and you have an open gash just above the hair line.

[She's this close to picking him up and carrying him to his bed but instead she asks:] ...Lean on me. Can you walk or is the room spinning too much?

[Keith tries and fails not to wince as she moves his hair. Yeah, okay, that still stings. ...but it is only a flesh wound. Really. And also a head wound. It's a few things.

And Keith opens his mouth to argue, but she has him. He can't argue any of it. The longer he stands, now that he's not zeroed in on piloting, it's becoming more and more apparent.]

I can walk.

[Stubborn to the end. But this time he's likely right in his assessment of his capabilities, though he will lean a bit heavily on his mother on the way. So he admits, with a sigh,] ...not well. But I can walk.

[Typical Kogane stubbornness, then. And she has her answer. She wraps an arm around him, helping him support himself.]

Then let's get you to bed.

[Then she's finding the emergency med kit and treating that wound. She glances down to the cosmic wolf. ...Hopefully he'll be enough to keep Keith in bed after he lays down. If not, it's going to be a long night cycle.]

Right. Bed.

[Keith murmurs, sheepish. He is grateful for the help though, because he is pretty sure he wasn't making it this far under his own power. But there's Krolia, there for him to lean on, helping him. He really has come to trust her, to rely on her.

He settles on the edge of the bed, trying to be good and sit still for first aid time. He feels more than a little light headed, and not all his guards are up quite as high as they often are.]

Thanks, mom.

[The murmur earns a faint, slightly amused hint of a smile. He truly is so similar to Ken... He hadn't wanted her to treat his arm, either. Though he had little choice considering the Questions it would have brought up about his mate- wife, he'd insisted to calling her. Her grip tightens slightly, barely noticeable, before letting go. Just a gentle squeeze as he sits down.

At least he is better than half of those she's trained over the decaphoebs. She returns with the medical kit and pulls out some gauze and cleaning solution -- pausing when those two words reach her.]

You may not be so thankful in a moment. [It's going to sting.] But you're welcome.

[She gently brushes his hair out of the way and begins to dab at the wound with the dampened gauze.] Injuries like this are common among new recruits... Antok was especially prone to them because he didn't know when to stop at first, either.

[It's a slight attempt to distract him from the pain. She remembers that glimpse from his memories.] ...Do you feel nauseous at all?

[Whether he does or not will help indicate how bad it is.]

[It only stings a little!! He's very tough, very very tough. Though Keith does wince just a little as she starts dabbing. He doesn't complain though. Instead he holds still to try to make this as easy as possible.

He does look up, watching her as she starts talking, lips twitching into a smile. Okay so he can see that being a thing. All the experience she's had with the Blade, training and missions, he likes hearing about it. He likes hearing about her. Even after their trip through the Quantum Abyss gave them a crash course in each other's history.]

...a little.

[He admits with a sigh. Yeah. He knows what this means. It doesn't make him happy about it. It's a little strange to be taken care of, too. Not bad weird. But still.]

[Just a little? Remember she trained many of the Blades herself, son. She knows the signs and there's a hint of amusement in her eyes. No complaints. Good.

She missed the opportunity to do things like this while he was growing up. She's glad he lets her do this much now. Her frown deepens slightly. She could go ahead and just give it to him, but he'd likely appreciate doing something himself. So Krolia pulls the kit closer so he doesn't have to reach over and aggravate his vertigo further, and taps a bottle of medication with her free hand.]

Take one. It will help.

[Don't call him out, mom! Wow.

It isn't lost on Keith either, that here he is, being taken care of by his mother -- something that he spent most of his life being certain was impossible, certain it was something he'd never experience. Of course, concussions and alien-battle injuries are slightly different than skinned knees, but still. Life is funny.]

Right.

[He can do that, fiddling to get himself a tablet before risking a look back up at her. ...and here is the evidence that he's more than a little punchy with the head trauma.] All my life I had no mother and now there are two of you...

[Which is hilarious and Keith swallows back a giggle.]

[It's not calling out if it isn't vocal. It's inquisitive staring.

He'd live with skinned knees. She raises an eyebrow, briefly checking from the periphery that he only takes one tablet. That's when he makes that comment and she blinks. Before adding, deadpan:]

Have to catch up somehow. Evidently multiplying myself makes it that much of a quicker process.

[A wink. For his sake Krolia keeps the chuckle quiet. Gash clean, she picks up another piece of gauze from the package and tapes it over the wound.]

There.

[ so. hear me out. keith worldhopping to tokyo y/n ]

[I mean I'm down for this.]

[It had taken some time in their universe to figure out the logistics of traversing realities without causing significant damage to theirs or any they would visit. It simply wasn't meant to be done, but when Shiro awoke and mentioned a world the some of others didn't recall right away, but Hunk had. It sounded familiar to Keith, like he'd heard of it before, but...

Bits and pieces float back in dreams and in images Black shares. Talking to Shiro, Hunk and Lance on an unfamiliar ship, a girl around Pidge's age petting his wolf friend, a girl clinging to him in the middle of a forest where people were slowly losing their minds-- interspersed with low rumbles and the now-familiar storm wrapping around his mind. Nights sitting on Black's head and distantly pondering an entirely different desert...

Pieces of their journey back home had a strange sense of deja vu about them. Like they'd done this before, but others... tiny things had changed. Shiro was more vocal about his memories being a blend that felt both off and right, gave advice more frequently even though he was healing physically still. They talked like equals again and through it all, he tried to fill in why some things felt so familiar.

The rest had come back to Keith at the point where they hit their lowest, just as he was about to fire back at a sore spot of Allura's at the fact he'd left them once. They had this argument before. The fog lifted, and he turned his head to look at her and whatever look was in his eyes got her to stop.

A lot changed after that. He remembered, after all. He and Allura wound up speaking privately after that, and when Lance remembered too, they all worked on the logistics of traveling to different realities without leaving tears in their own and the ones they would visit. After all, an unknown person managed to call them to one, it had to be possible to reverse engineer the process. There was plenty of time as they waited in their hospital beds.

All told, it had been four months in their reality, but the passage of time is a fickle thing. Keith and his mother know that better than anyone, so when they managed to finally pull it off, it surprised him to see that they ended up in a version of Tokyo that wasn't, well. Currently rubble like most major cities in their reality. Lions cloaked well away from city limits, everyone drew straws where they'd go scouting for familiar faces.

And, of course, Keith got the short straw to go scouting in Shibuya. Thankfully they thought ahead and packed some street clothes to change into, though that left lines of communication thin. They'd just have to meet up again later and, hopefully, no one would give Allura too many second glances. It's bad enough that, while he and Shiro both blend in as a part-Japanese-Korean and Japanese respectively, his scar and Shiro's ~~far more fitting and not as unnecessarily bulky fuck you dreamworks~~ new prosthetic and scars are eye catching to say the least.

Shiro reminded him before they all split up that it could help their friends find them. Okay, sure honey. Whatever you say. Though after the first hour or so of searching, Keith's starting to regret his life choices just a little bit of not keeping his Blades communicator behind his ear. So many people in the familiar uniform he'd seen a couple of people wearing... Well, at least he knew whose world it is.]

Edited 2019-05-27 00:04 (UTC)

[ like keith, ann hadn't fully remembered everything when she woke up in tokyo again. it was the morning when ren's "death" was announced on nationwide television. in another time and another reality, ann's attention would have been solely focused on the announcement. ren's suicide. how their plan succeeded.

but in this lifetime, ann seemed a little distracted, even prior to her photoshoot that morning. like she hadn't gotten enough sleep. that's because unlike keith and the others, she didn't forget.

her time with ren and makoto, and meeting the paladins of voltron among others. she kept her memories and woke up in the early hours of morning contemplating what she'd just experienced. but she hadn't asked makoto or ren if they'd remembered, yet. she's afraid that it was all just...some weird dream, and voltron never really existed--maybe it was some sort of imaginary robot series she'd made up in her head after futaba started chatting about her sentai series.

this, on top of their plan to fool akechi, makes her head spin.

her photoshoot doesn't go so well, and it's clear the photographers are frustrated with her as they continually try to grab her attention and get her to focus. her agency will definitely hear about this later, which ann is absolutely dreading, but she has more important things to worry about.

when she leaves her photoshoot, ann puts her sunglasses on and pulls out her phone. she starts searching the internet for specific terms: voltron. dream width. and so on so forth... but in the midst of her search, she accidentally bumps into someone. she pulls back immediately and moves to bow apologetically. ]

I'm so sorry, I-- [ she looks up... and her breath catches. there's recognition in her eyes. ]

You're...?

[It wasn't that he'd completely forgotten, but for weeks it had felt like a dream that part of him screamed was real but too much was going on and he needed to focus. He had to be the leader the team needed. During the night, sure, he could think about it. But mission always came first.

That's likely why the news stuns him for a moment as he stares up at the screen. The leader... what? For a moment he's brought back to when he was far younger, when he was angry at the world yet another time and the adults threw their best under the bus to save their own skins. Pilot error flashes in his mind at the news and he frowns. There's no way the guy with messy hair and a calm mask that hid a silly side like Ren's would...

He's about to call it quits and go meet up with the others by the station when someone bumps into him. Keith blinks, stunned for a split second when he recognizes the hair and eyes.]

Ann? [He shakes it off after a second and the usual mask falls over his face.] Yeah, it's me.

[The weird half-alien someone met on an airship.]

[ oh, she remembers. it took less than five minutes for her to figure out keith was part-alien. i'm so proud of her.

anyway. ann's totally speechless when she sees him. they're stopped on the sidewalk in the middle of all the hustle and bustle and people maneuver around them. ann doesn't care. she's still in disbelief that keith, paladin of voltron, is standing in front of her in street attire. ]

Keith?! I--uhhh?! [ ...ann. honey. ] What are you doing here? How'd you--

[ look at her. she's nailing it. ]

[Good job, gold star. So proud.

Fortunately for both of them, Keith's already thinking of what might be overheard. He raises an eyebrow and answers simply:]

We came to visit. [Yes, we. He glances to the side.] Allura, Pidge and Hunk could explain it better. Is there a better place to talk?

[Do they know aliens exist here Ann. Do they. Think about it.]

Uhh.... [ she takes a moment to contemplate this. ] Yeah, actually! How do you feel about burgers?

[ because taking keith to leblanc sounds like a really bad idea with futaba and sojiro around...and no ren. ]

Burgers are fine. [Honestly, he doesn't care. It's not food goo, or Garrison hospital food. It's more than fine right about now. He pulls a small notebook from his jacket and a pen, writes something in near-perfect Japanese, and whistles quietly. Luckily no one seems to notice or rather care about the strange wolf as Kosmo closes the distance. He hands the notebook to him and pats his head.

The canine seems to slink away into the crowd and disappears into the shadows with tiny sparks. Well, at least that still works here.] A message for the others. Lead the way.

Whoaaa! [ she can't help but peak at the message he's writing, and just before kosmo takes off, ann pats the boi on the head fondly. ]

You didn't tell me you knew Japanese!

[ priorities, ann. but anyway, she'll gladly lead him over to big bang burger. no, they're not taking the challenge, but their burgers are pretty damn good. ]

[Kosmo appreciates the pat!! Oh em gee she pat him. He'll come back for more later, just you watch. The note, however, is simply, "Found Takamaki. Meet you at Black later."]

It... never came up? Thanks to whatever was about that other place automatically translated things. [He rubs the back of his neck and shrugs a little helplessly.] My boyfriend's from here and I'm a quarter myself. I... mostly only spoke it until the Garrison.

[Aaand he might be slightly embarrassed about it as he follows her. "Big Bang Burger." Well, that's a name.]

It's a good thing I know English too, or this would be pretty difficult. [ yep. spending time overseas definitely did her some favors. ]

But hey, that's awesome! You're probably getting around just fine then. ...Speaking of which, how's Shiro doing?

Whoever you're comfortable with?

Mooooooooooom

Sooooooooooon

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SURPRISE!!!

> AMBUSH!!!

OKAY ACTUAL TAG TIME

cw mentions of suicide

cw mentions of suicide

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