[Video]

[lonered]

[Keith spent a long time debating whether to bother with video for this or just go with text. But the truth is, for what he's aiming for, it's better to do this virtual-face to virtual-face. Or something. He's even done bothering with the frankly ridiculous mask. For now.

The video opens to a fairly normal looking teenager (aside from the fact that what's visible of him is definitely dressed in a skin-tight vaguely glowy futuristic space suit), hesitating a moment like he's still debating on how to begin.]

So. Uh.

[Good start, Keith. Solid.]

I guess all of us are stuck in the same boat whether we want to be or not. And apparently that boat is headed for some other world before we know it.

I'll be honest. I don't know if we can trust this Astoria as far as we can throw her. [And he knows she can hear this, but he's said as much to her face, so there's that.] But for now I guess I plan on going along to see how things play out. [Which after discussing with Shiro, he feels pretty okay about, as plans go.]

But... just waltzing into other worlds, and potentially meddling in them... that could go bad really quickly if someone makes an enemy of the wrong person. If that happens, it might not be a terrible idea to know what we've got on our side.

Not just magic either. Because... that's really new to me at least. But we all bring some experience or skills or knowledge or something to the table, right? If we're gonna be any sort of team, we may as well know our strengths. And what we might be lacking.

[Maybe? Keith is now wondering if it was a bad idea to give him a way to talk to so many people at once. But he's committed now, no help for it. So he'll even go first.]

I'm Keith. Uh... I guess I'm pretty good with a sword. Pretty good in anything that flies. And I'm mostly used to being in space, lately. But it does't sound like that'll be helpful in this El Minha place. Also apparently I can fly now. So... there's that.

Anyone else feel like sharing?


(( hit him up, hit each other up, threadjack as you like! ))

Comments

video;

[flyingsolos]

... I kind of feel like that's a popular plot in video games, but...

Come to think of this, this whole thing probably does too and it's still actually happening. So, uh-- good luck getting the upper hand after ten thousand years! That's pretty incredible!

[ This is a lot to think about, honestly. ]

video;

[lonered]

I guess it kind of is.

[OOPS. He makes a face though.]

This feels more like a nightmare than a video game. But... I guess you're probably right about that too.

[purrtagonist]

And that's always the worst part of any new adventure.

[. . . hmph]

Then again, I don't think there's much point in spending time complaining about it.

[bowtiedbones]

Yeah... That's three kinds of werewolf already, though! And three kinds of vampire, too. Maybe we'll run into a world with some good tips on werewolves.

video;

[flyingsolos]

I'm gonna say that nightmare part is you getting dragged to a new world and not that you're talking to a cute girl.

[ very. Dry. ]

Re: [ video ]

[bowtiedbones]

Well that depends! There's all kinds of different familiars you can get, and then there's a hundred different kinds of magic you could be doing, but the basic operation is that your familiar can be an overflow and an amplifier for your spellwork. With that partner you can get more work done with less of your own energy, and if you have the right kind of familiar bond, you can even draw in an extra store of magic.

So that's less time spent working, which is great, and then any excess you might produce during the spell itself instead of burning off or causing interference will loop back through your familiar instead. They're like a resevoir for a water fountain!

[Eliza, apparently, does not mind answering questions at ALL.]

[buff_for_a_nerd]

If someone out there has a cure or at least a way to help them control their instincts, yeah, that would be good.

[bowtiedbones]

If somewhere has a one-size-fits-all cure, this whole entire kidnapping will have been worth it.

[sunborne]

... Oh.

[ clearly daylight had never thought of that if the way he perks up is anything to go by. ]

Like- I try to make it last longer than an hour? Or make it shine brighter than it does in order to increase my... [ hmmm... what's an appropriate word for this? ] ... my magic pool?

[ 'stamina' could have worked too but 'magic pool' sounded better. and cooler. ]

[tranquilforest]

[She's no stranger to young children fighting in wars that aren't entirely their own, but she dislikes the apparent inevitability intensely either way.]

I'm glad you were not entirely by yourself, and your goal is a truly noble one. But [keeping in mind that he'd said his mother was absent] is there no one on Earth who is worried about your well-being? It seems you are not getting the support you need from those who should have some stake in this war.

( video | locked )

[insubordination]

I take your praise with pride.

[ amused. but fine, he will give, and roy continues . . . with some privacy, because if shiro knows keith, then keith is surely trustworthy: ]

I am an alchemist, at home, but that gift seems to be woefully absent, here. I've been given another power in its stead, which allows me to be particularly convincing. But I'd rather not use it unless absolutely necessary.

[parttimes]

[That is rare optimism...thanks, dude.]

Do you have...wings? Or can you just fly now, all of a sudden?

[Video]

[spaceforged]

Does it translate growls to words? I can't talk as a Lion. [He hadn't tested it before. Maybe he could get around that problem that way. He shrugs and adds, lightly.]

You can see a lion text if it has to happen. But until then you'll just have to imagine it.

[zaptime]

She did kidnap us! And now we're supposed to be heroes?? That's really really really fishy sounding and totally not cool!

[lonered]

For me? No. No one would have noticed I was even gone. That's not true for the others. They have families. They were students at the Garrison. I wouldn't be surprised if their disappearances were covered up, like they tried to cover up when the Kerberos mission went missing. Most people on Earth don't know anything about the war or that aliens even exist. Not even half a dozen humans are involved in total.

[Something Keith is still so intensely bitter about that it comes through in his words.]

We support each other. Voltron and the Blade and the rest of the Resistance.

[Shiro and the other paladins were the closest thing to family he's ever had... until he left.]

[lonered]

Yeah, something like that. I don't know if it's possible, but most things, if you practice them you get better at them, right? Or stronger at them. So why should magic be any different?

[Keith has no idea how magic works, but he's decided that this makes some logical sense anyway. Does magic adhere to the rules of logic? Who knows.]

Re: [ video ]

[lonered]

...is it weird that that made complete sense? It sounds a little like how it worked with the lions. The, uh, the bond part, and being able to draw on extra something from each other anyway.

[So he gets it. More or less. Though magic is still generally mystifying to him. But he appreciates that she' at least willing to try to explain.]

[lonered]

It kind of makes me feel better.

[Keith grouses, but he's mostly joking. Mostly.]

We'll figure things out. We may not like the answers we find, but I'm sure we'll find them.

Re: video;

[lonered]

That... that's the part I meant!

[Well. now he's flustered. He didn't mean she's a nightmare. She seems... fine. Nice? Anti-hippo but whatever no one is perfect.]

Re: [Video]

[lonered]

Oh hey that's true, you're not actually talking, talking. Huh.

[Complicated, Shiro. Who knew shapeshifting into an alien lion-shaped warship via inexplicable magic could carry so many complicated questions.]

Maybe you should test it out. The growling. ...and the texting. [Come on Shiro give him this. He asks for so little. ...okay that's not true at all.]

But at the very least you could probably start a communication if you needed to for any reason. If you were in that form and in trouble.

[lonered]

I can just fly now. It's weird. Sort of like comic book super hero style, I guess? I'm really still getting the hang of it.

[Which is frustrating. Usually flying is second nature, when it's in any kind of aircraft or spacecraft or, well, any craft really.]

Re: ( video | locked )

[lonered]

Well good. It came right from the heart.

[Keith deadpans back to him, but well, oh hey. Look at that. Actual answers. Keith notices the change in the message too. Okay, fair enough.]

Alchemy, huh? You're definitely not part Altean, right?[Interesting. So that's sort of a thing where he's from? But he's only heard of it in relation to Allura's father and creating Voltron. He's as of yet unaware that Allura has just unlocked her own alchemy ability.] So she shut that off but made you persuasive?

[Magically persuasive?]

[lonered]

Yeah, Agreed. It's not exactly a great situation. But it's the one we're in.

[parttimes]

Huh...

[Like American superheroes, it's an almost cheesy power, but--]

That sounds really useful. You won the powers lottery.

[purrtagonist]

[that does get a huffed laugh from Akira, at least. he gets the joke]

It's not bad to have a little bit of faith.