keith. [ * * * * * ] (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
synchronized) wrote2017-10-13 08:49 am
synchronized) wrote2017-10-13 08:49 am
open post.
TEXT | AUDIO | VIDEO | PROMPTS
TEXT | AUDIO | VIDEO | PROMPTS
TEXT | AUDIO | VIDEO | PROMPTS
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no subject
just like that, some of the bigger missing pieces fall into place - how the man found the outpost when it wasn't even registered yet on most of the internal navigation codes, why his arm is galra. it's more detail than they've ever managed to get out of the man since they stuck him in this room. this revelation decides it.
keith straightens and nods at the man. takash... shiro. shiro's easier. ]
Thank you for telling me.
[ he unlatches the pouch on his belt and places it in shiro's hands; it's not quite a peace offering, or a consolation, but it's a decent enough thank you for the information. at least keith's not coming out of this empty-handed - even if the information he's gotten answers absolutely none of the questions he came here. keith pulls on his hood and releases his mask, gives the man one last look before he steps out of the cell. ]
I hope I'll see you again.
[ keith doesn't see him again, however.
he doesn't see or hear from the captive for a while - in fact, he's been grounded. he's on 'recovery suspension', officially, a status reserved for the severely injured and unable to fight, which shames keith in every possible way. it's his punishment for breaking the rules; even his guardian thace had insisted on it, had made the recommendation to kolivan himself. the only reason he's not completely off-duty is the fact that his information on the human had actually checked out.
they contacted an engineer from the resistance to help with the ship - they hadn't been able to open it with the tech they had available in the outpost, and there's reason for concern in using brute force to trigger the ship to open. the worm-like engineer - slav - had worked out a safe means to unlock the ship's security system, and after finding no traps or hidden bombs, as well as disabling the ship's entire communications system, the blades set to work on taking the ship apart.
finding the blade was easy enough - and it is one of their own, but the mysteries had compounded from that point on, because it was ulaz's blade. ulaz, who was still in possession of his own blade, neatly holstered to his hip when he himself found it under the pilot's seat.
an alternate reality, slav had said in an excited flurry, his heavy accent slurring the words even further. the blade and the ship contain traces of quintessence with a different molecular signature from our known universe, with the quantum anomalies of a worm hole. it's a marvelous discovery! he's from another reality!
none of it made much sense to keith, but the bio-organic data they downloaded from the blade's galra ID system leave no doubt. in the absence of evidence pointing otherwise, they have to accept slav's conclusion: the alien in holding is telling the truth.
the blades don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing just yet, but it does get thace talking to keith again.
-
he's still suspended, however. he's restricted from entering the hangars, restricted from the war rooms, and his access to the fighter barracks and training floors have all been curfewed. it's driving keith up a wall from a lack of anything useful to do, to the point that he's started volunteering at the data library just to keep himself busy.
that's how he meets the human again - shiro, keith reminds himself. while shiro is mostly unrestrained, his galra arm is cuffed with a negator and his ankle is ringed by a tracking device, precautions keith can't help but agree with. interestingly, he looks— rested. somewhat. keith finishes off the bashla biscuit he's got sticking out of his mouth and continues to stare. ]
They let you out.
no subject
He's locked in the room for another few days and talked to by various members of this group. One of them looks jarringly like the Galra that rescued him; Shiro recoils from him when he walks past the room, once, stomach dropping to his feet.
Every day that passes brings the joint wonderful-awful knowledge that this might be real. Despite everything, this may be real. There's no Haggar or Druids here. No torture, no fighting. It's the longest he's gone without either to the point that he doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not fighting for his life. He works out, instead. An assortment of push ups, pullups, everything he can think of to exhaust his body so his mind will rest. Now that they know he can understand them at least passably, they try to talk to him again, but he doesn't do more than vaguely entertain it, offering one-word answers.
Keith doesn't come back. The thing wearing his face is still gone. Maybe, it was a hallucination.
It doesn't matter; he doesn't dare ask, and in time, he's told that he's allowed to the common areas of their base. He's given a room with an actual bed. A room that locks. He's given a shower and spends a solid hour in it, curled in a ball under the hot water, shivering. He's given access to food: he squirrels that away in his room, in pouches on his belt. He's given a change of clothes - Galra issue, but this doesn't make his skin crawl. It's draped loose and comfortable. There's no armor to give it form, but the silks against his skin feel positively luxurious after the scratch of his jumpsuit.
He learns the exits and entrances where he can; the Galra around him know he's casing the place but no one stops him. It's entirely by accident that he runs into Keith the next time he's on a walk, counting Galra in here to try and see how many he'd have to fight to get out, trying to track patterns.
Keith stops and stares and before he can stop himself, Shiro touches a hand to his face awkwardly. He'd shaved off the scruff that'd grown in. He hasn't cut his hair, but it's freshly washed, piled in a knot on top of his head, the streak of white obvious but not as jarring any longer when he looks at himself. The updated translator does some good; Shiro can speak English and it's transferred into Galran, but he sticks to Galran for the time being. Better to perfect it now if it's the most common language out there. ]
My story checked out. I have a shadow, but now I get a room and somewhat free reign.
no subject
[ now that shiro is clean and mostly groomed, keith can see the distinctive human traits he presents more clearly. the angular jaw he has is so different from keith's own, as are the slant of his eyes compared to keith's. his skin is darker by a shade or two, but it's also a different undertone - a fascinating aspect, when keith considers that the galra have varying hues and striping or spotting as well. outside of the prison clothes, shiro actually looks... good.
strong. sturdy. like a warrior worthy of notice among the galra. even shiro's height is acceptable enough, even if he's somewhat on the short side of the galran average. keith bats away at the momentary spike of envy; this is neither the time nor the place for juvenile thoughts and insecurities.
keith unwinds his braid from around his neck, lets it fall down his back in a slow swing. soon he'll have to cut it to a more acceptable length; kolivan lets him keep it out of respect for thace's paternal instincts, but favoritism is a plague when it's among the ranks, and keith doesn't want to add another mark against him. keith sighs. both thace and ulaz had left to investigate the ship's parts where any accidents won't risk the blades' headquarters.
he resents that he couldn't go, but at the same time... ]
Do you want to sit? [ he deftly pulls up a chair for himself, only to use it as a stepping stool so he could sit on the table. ] I still have a lot more questions if you're willing to talk with me.
no subject
Somehow, that's also not a comfort.
The Galra shadow he's picked up seems to drift off, content enough that he's got another Blade watching him so it leaves just him and Keith there and idly, Shiro wonders if he has sway here or if it's just that they assume Shiro hasn't tried to do anything so he's less of a threat and more of a nuisance needing watched.
It still makes his skin crawl, being around all the Galra, but they haven't hurt him.
Gingerly, he takes a chair and looks at him - takes in the sight of him in the Blade clothing and thinks how. ]
I don't have anything else to do, so.