[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

[spaceforged]

[Of all the things Shiro expected. It hadn't been Keith dropping his magic entirely to free fall. If he picks up too much speed...He doesn't want to finish that thought. In hindsight he should have seen the danger of risky moves like this. Keith had stopped focusing on anything else but winning.

He blows out air and shuts his jaws with a growl. The plan shifts in his head and gains new dimensions. Keith over shot above him and judging by his falling rate and angle... Shiro slams on the brakes and lets himself briefly fall back feet first. That should be enough.

He surges forward lightning fast with his jaws opening to catch the back of Keith's armor. If he can get a grip he's going to stop and hang in the air tail swishing back and forth like an irritated cat.]

Keith. Do you remember what I said about how little protection you have while you're flying?

[If he can't get a grip the words still enter Keith's head as Shiro dives after him.]

[lonered]

[And Keith certainly isn't expecting to be snagged straight out of the air by the jaws of his bestfriend-turned-mechanical-lion. He jerks straight out of his fall and... dangles. It's not the best look for his pride or dignity.

At all.

And then Shiro is talking and Keith is craning his head as best he can to look back at him.]

...yeah. I remember.

[Sadly he does and did remember, and disregarded it consciously.] That only matters if I hit something. I had it under control!

[That's arguable really. At best. In all likelihood he would've pulled it off, but if he'd misjudged or mis-timed, he could've been in trouble.]

[spaceforged]

[He's sure Keith did have it under control. But he didn't think of the consequences in detail or what he could do to counter him. He reminds himself this is new to Keith. He'll have to point it out to him and see if he gets it.]

It also matters if you brake after hitting a certain speed. Your Blade armor can't save you from whiplash.

[Shiro murmurs he's letting go to give Keith time to use his magic and opens his mouth. He reaches out a paw to tap his shoulder once he's floating in the air.]

If you were the Lion instead. How would you have countered against that?

[lonered]

Braking wasn't the plan...

[Using that momentum to go even faster was the plan, but Keith will leave that unsaid, since he's pretty sure Shiro could figure it out anyway. But he does catch himself with his magic again once he's let go, turning around to face Shiro, frowning at the question.]

...in a lion, I'm not worried about sudden stops. It's built to absorb impact and sudden changes in velocity.

[Keith knows this from experience because he sure did crash Red straight into the ground to prove a point to Lance that one time.]

[spaceforged]

[He hadn't been specific enough. His eyes flicker.]

Let me rephrase that. How would you have countered that tactic you just used. Without thrusters or boosters.

[It will come to him. Keith is smart and sharp, all he has to do is ask him the right questions to jump start the tactical side of his mind he knows is in there.]

[lonered]

That wasn't the tactic you know. Someone snagged me out of the air before I got to the second half of the plan.

[Dropping like a stone had just been step one. But grumping aside, he considers. Because no matter what the second step had been, there's one particular flaw in the whole plan.]

In free fall I have pretty minimal control over my direction. Same for my speed. I might've been coming for you fast, but the only thing you would've needed to do is head straight up, because no matter how much speed I put on, reversing it would've taken effort and time, and it would've lost me more distance in descending. Even without boosters, you'd have me beat cold. The faster I was dropping, the longer to reverse direction, the more time you'd have to put distance between us.

[spaceforged]

That's right. There are a number of ways I could have thwarted you.

There is another thing to consider. You don't know yet how much energy magic takes out of you. The longer this exercise went on the more risk you had of being too tired to stay in the air.

[Shiro starts to descend. The lesson is over for now. They'd worked Keith's magic enough he has an idea of how it works and they can refine it over time. All in all not bad for a first training day.]

You'll probably sleep like a rock after this. You did good today. I think you'll get the hang of and master your flight pretty quickly.

[lonered]

[Keith falls silent, which tends to mean that Shiro has made a point or two that he can't argue with without just devolving into whining. And he won't do that, because... the points are valid.

So instead he follows Shiro down, even if part of him really wants to stay in the sky. Yeah, that is going to be a problem he needs to rein in before it gets too big.]

Yeah?

[All right. He perks up a little at that.] I want to keep working at it though. It's starting to feel... normal. But not entirely just yet.

[He wants to get a better grip on it, get stronger.] Thanks, Shiro. This is better with your help.

[spaceforged]

And thank you for your help. It's difficult for me to judge by myself how well something works for a rider. ...and having a partner to work on flight with makes it easier to adjust.

We'll get better at this together.

[He settles on the floor of the arena and changes back. The harnesses falls down all around him. He'd almost forgotten he had that on. Shiro steps out of it and sweeps it up, folding it together.]

I suggest our next stop be the kitchen. Magic burns a lot of energy and you'll bounce back better if you get used to managing it this early.

[lonered]

[Oh hey there's Shiro-shaped Shiro. Keith reaches over reflexively, clapping a hand against his shoulder lightly -- the sort of action he only barely realizes he's doing.

And he is all in on the kitchen idea.] Great. I'm starving, actually.

[Sounds good to Keith. In fact he'll start off that way, but a step or two and he stumbles, frowning at himself. Weird. Did he forget how to be on his feet? Or is he really that tired? He straightens up quickly.]

[spaceforged]

[Shiro puts a hand out to steady him. He'd expected him to be tired. He allows himself one small smile.]

Yeah, exactly like that. First time I changed shape I barely made it somewhere I could take a nap. Slept a whole six hours after that.

We'll make some sandwiches then you can go get some sleep. [Sandwiches are easy to make and almost brainless. He can have several made in the time it will take Keith to wolf down even one. ...maybe.]

[lonered]

[Keith glances over at the touch of that hand, managing to look at least faintly sheepish for a moment. Okay. He pushed. He knows. It's in his nature though.]

Yeah, sounds good. I'm fine anyway. Just a little worn out.

[More than a little. He will put down an alarming number of sandwiches until he passes out more or less into one if he's not careful.]

Which is weird... it doesn't feel like exertion when I'm doing it.

[Maybe that's all the adrenaline.]

[spaceforged]

We did do some pretty exciting things. If you're not used to looking for a drain...that could blind you to it. It takes practice to keep your awareness of it but, then it's like keeping your fuel intake in mind.

[He keeps his hand on Keith as he steers him towards the temple. It looks like a base compared to the wreckage they had before. He can almost relax as they pass through the nearest entrance. He wraps an arm around Keith's shoulders, letting him lean against him if he wants to.]

Think of it like flexing muscles you didn't know you had.

[lonered]

Probably. ...battle is like that sometimes.

[Never really knows how broken and exhausted he is until he has to stop for whatever reason. So magic... sure. That fits. Makes sense to Keith. As much sense as any of this can make anyway, given that he flies around like a comic book super hero and his best friend turns into a mechanical lion-shaped warship.

There's a moment where Keith hesitates, only because Shiro has to be tired too, but honestly, most of him is all too happy to lean into him, so he does, taking the support gratefully.]

And those muscles are sore... [He inclines his head.] Kitchen's this way, right?

[spaceforged]

That's right. [He steers Keith down a side hall as the odd ghost like beings pass them. He glances at one briefly.] Roy said those things are harmless.

I haven't seen be them hostile. I even approached one as a lion. Nothing. But if you ask for something reasonable...they provide it.

[He sounds a touch distrustful of that. There's no way there isn't a catch. He opens the door to the dining room that's more like a tavern and proceeds on into the kitchen. He lets go of Keith to go rooting for what he'd found earlier.]

Did you change your sandwich preference is it the same as it used to be?

[lonered]

It's weird though...

[Keith glances as another drifts pass, muttering no offense just because he doesn't want to make the ghost thing mad. That seems like a bad idea.]

Same as always.

[Keith offers, with a smile. Kind of like old times, isn't it? Slipping into the Garrison kitchen for a snack because Keith had persuaded Shiro into giving him pointers in the simulator. He adds, amused.] Honestly I'm just really enjoying food that you actually need to chew.

[spaceforged]

And you can actually tell what it is? [He knows just enough about cooking in a kitchen to get in trouble. Sandwiches? Easy. He sets about making several ham and cheese sandwiches because it's fast and has a good amount of energy.]

It took me about a week or two to adjust. At the Hub island with the coven we had to hunt, gather, and cook it ourselves.

[He sets the sandwiches he's finished making on a plate. Wolf them down Keith.]

So I learned how to barbecue. [It's not that damn hard to turn meat over an open fire. No one died and it was still edible.]

[lonered]

There is something pretty magical about being able to name what you're eating, yeah.

[Keith admits with a shake of his head. No food goo. No surprise alien ingredients that were too much of an adventure sometimes.]

Not a bad survival skill. But... that other witch didn't even feed you, huh?

[Astoria is gaining a few points in his book slowly, by virtue of not being the absolute worst. So. Congratulations, Astoria. But then there are sandwiches and Keith doesn't hesitate to reach out to grab up one, managing to eat it in about four alarmingly large bites.] This is great. Thanks, Shiro.

[spaceforged]

She didn’t. Her ‘Voice’ or Representative came up with plans but ultimately it was on us to survive. But I learned a lot of valuable skills because of it.

[It’s all useful survival skills. He’ll still choose the faster route to food but in a dire situation he can make what he needs. Shiro snags a sandwich for himself and devours it just as quickly as Keith is going through his.]

Hopefully everywhere we go will keep up this magical trend that lets us know what we’re eating. So far that’s held true. And you’re welcome.

[lonered]

You... really have got the look on the bright side thing down to an art.

[He teases, but. Seriously. It's worrying sometimes... says the mulleted cynic whose glass is never half full, but not exactly half empty so much as "potential to use as an improvised weapon when shit inevitably hits the fan" but.

He's quiet while he reaches for a second sandwich, chewing thoughtfully before nodding.]

Hopefully. [And after a moment,] ...maybe we'll land somewhere with a burger place. [Dream big, Keith.]

[spaceforged]

One can only hope. [He finishes off his second sandwich and makes a few more. They both burnt through a lot of magic in a short amount of time.]

We could always try grilling our own. [It won't end as bad as one might think. Grilling and bbqing are on the same level. He'll make the extra effort for Keith. Shiro snatches up a third sandwich.]

And I can't change what happened. I met a lot of good people through our hardships. Even if most of them aren't here...what I learned I can remember them by.

[lonered]

[A mildly skeptical look at that. Keith knows his own (completely lacking) culinary abilities. But hey if Shiro learned how to campfire cook, then maybe...]

Yeah. Let's give it a try. Worst thing that can happen is we die of food poisoning.

[Keith is quiet as Shiro continues though, reaching for another sandwich but pausing before he starts in on it. He ducks his head. That sounds like Shiro, and he's missed that, more than he's good at putting into words.] It sounds like a good way to honor their memory.