princessences | [IC] Inbox @ deerington

[Likewise -- it's good to see that little return emoji. Especially from her.]

[She won't be out there alone for long.]

[Because, something is stepping out from a little copse of trees. Something about the size of a draft horse. With wings. And carrying the man responsible for dragging her out into the snow.]

[So, you know what has to happen. They have to strike a pose. And the Lion has to roar.]

[ Allura can't believe what she's seeing--

--except she most definitely can. The delight on her face isn't fabricated or induced by the treats at the Valentine's Day show, she's very honestly happy to see the Black Lion--and Shiro together again.

On the other side of the yard, the Blue Lion can be heard roaring in turn.

Allura claps her hands and hurries down the short steps, aches be damned. ]

The Black Lion has come to us! No, to you.

[Okay, the look on her face makes this absolutely worth it. Worth the set-up. Worth the drama. Everything. It feels like years since he's seen her smile like that.]

[He slides off the Black Lion, landing in the snow. The grin on his face feels like it's going to crack his mouth it's so big. But... really. He's never been happier to see something. Never been more relieved. It's like being at the Lion's side again is relieving some of the weight slung over his shoulders, finally.]

I... I didn't think it was possible. [But he'd hoped. He'd hoped...]

[He doesn't notice when the big robot leans slightly sideways, catching his outstretched hand when he wobbles. Relief, yes. But not even the Black Lion can cure this flu.]

[ It's good to see Shiro happy. That having Black and being a Paladin means this much to him only pleases her more.

And, of course, Black is already on duty. Allura closes the distance between them, offering her hand up to the Black Lion in greeting. ]

I cannot think of anyone more deserving of a Lion. Clearly she thinks so too.

[He hadn't been kidding when he told her she'd given him a new purpose. And for all it weighs on him, for all he doubts his ability to live up to the legacy, this is his purpose now. This is what he's honored to do.]

I hope so.

[But this proves it. That she came to him proves it. As the robot gracefully deigns to let Allura rest a hand on her nose.]

I don't think all her systems function. Like how... something's gone wrong with everyone's abilities here.

[ Allura gladly gives Black a pat on her nose. Though she's the Blue Paladin now, the Black Lion had been in the Castle the full 10,000 years that Allura had been asleep as well. She does feel a different sort of connection to it. ]

Yes, they're not fully operational. But their spirits are intact.

[ Which... ]

...As long as that holds true, I believe it's possible that we might unlock more abilities. Perhaps we just need to bond with our Lions again.

[ ...is probably the most optimistic she's been about anything since she returned. ]

[He already feels better with the Lion at his side, literally and figuratively supported in a way he'd almost forgotten. Like being without a sense for so long, and finally having it returned.]

Is it possible without us being in the cockpit?

[Not that he doubts her -- not when she looks and sounds so much more like herself. It's honest curiosity. Because...]

I'm game. Whenever the others are feeling better, we should try.

[ It's a fair question and Allura doesn't answer it immediately. She simply watches Black for a moment before lowering her hand. ]

I'm not sure, but it's worth investigating. We can't let the fact that our Lions are here go to waste. They can be a valuable asset in our ability to respond to disasters.

We won't.

[He agrees with her, in other words. There's no way the Lions would let them waste them. He doesn't intend to, either.]

We'll just have to keep trying until we can figure it out. If they came to us, they must have known they could help.

[ Allura nods as well. ]

It is curious that they come to us so much...smaller than they should be. But it's possible that there simply isn't enough available energy to recreate them to full accuracy in this world.

[ Those are the sorts of theories she's been mulling over when her mind allows it to travel in less darker places of late. ]

Regardless...that Black has come to you is a good sign. Now of all times.

That's a good guess. If they really wanted to find us, nothing stops them, right? [He glances to her for confirmation.] So maybe this is the only way they could get to us.

[By any means necessary.]

Yeah, I... I can't deny it's good to see her. [His eyes are on the Lion's head. On where it stands silent and ready, while he chews his lip.]

But I'm surprised. She didn't go to Keith.

It's entirely possible. I've asked Blue, but she isn't able to offer me much other than a feeling that she knows she's needed.

[ Whether or not that stems from how the Lions arrived or just how they feel now that they're here, she can't say. ]

Surprised? Why is that?

Yeah... I'm not getting much of anything. Nothing... I can really put into words.

[Even when he focuses. When they'd been alone together out here, reconnecting. Her foot primly in the basket he'd set out.]

[Do her question, he just shrugs.]

Because from what I've heard... he did what I wanted him to do. He took on what I couldn't.

[He's the leader now.]

Shiro...

[ She frowns, pointedly turning her attention away from the Lion and properly to her friend. Her best friend. ]

Keith did act as the Black Paladin and leader of Voltron, as you asked. But you returned to us and then Keith left for the Blade. You are the Paladin of the Black Lion.

Lance... said differently.

[Which is difficult to accept. Because he trusts them both. He trusts them with all his heart. But when they give him conflicting answers --]

[We don't need you anymore]

[Breathe.]

Maybe she is here for both of us. And that's all right.

Lance did?

[ That causes her frown to deepen. That's certainly not something Lance would just say without reason. ]

What exactly did he say?

That Keith took over. After the Blades. It sounded like something that happened after what you described...

[The actual problem statement, though, the one that's haunted him... He has to phrase it right. He can't just tell her what's been running on loop. Because it's not fair to Lance.]

[He's leaning more against the Lion.]

... that you guys didn't need me to be the leader, he'd done it. It's not -- he meant it to help. Take something off my shoulders.

Something after...?

[ So...Lance may be from the future or a different timeline entirely.

She needs to ask him about this as soon as possible. But her priority, right now, is Shiro. Allura closes the distance between them fully and cups her hand at his cheek, forcing him to look at her.

The burden of responsibility is a heavy one...but she's also coming to understand just...how important this is to him. ]

Shiro. I don't know what Lance is talking about, but we need you. I need you. That will never change. You always have a place in this team and at my side.

Yeah. He told me the Holts were alive, Sam was back on Earth... [Things Allura hadn't told him, but things he wasn't holding against her for not knowing. He hadn't asked, after all.] I didn't get a lot of details. It was back in October.

[Needless to say, they'd all had a lot more important things to worry about that month than those sorts of details.]

I -- [He doesn't get another word out. Because her hand is on his face. Because she's saying words that feel as if they're boring straight into his heart. I need you - we need you - we don't need you anymore - that will never change.]

[The difference between her words and what he'd taken from Lance's is striking. Is numbing. His voice has a tremor in it, not entirely due to the flu.]

Thank you... Princess.

We did see him off a while ago...

[ Though she gets the impression that Lance has more information than a few assumptions. This seems important, doesn't it? Wouldn't Pidge want to know? Does she already know?

More questions that need to be answered.

But Shiro comes first.

Allura smiles, albeit sadly, and ushers him into her arms so she can hug him properly. ]

If there is any point to take from what Lance has said, it's that you don't carry the burden of the team alone. We all support one another. That also won't change.

[ She exhales slowly, rubbing his upper back. ]

I know that I have not been feeling myself of late, but I want you to know that you are more than a Paladin--you're a good person. A good man. From the moment we met you have offered me your support and your loyalty without question. There is nothing in this universe or any other universe that can alter my gratitude. And as you have fought for me, I will fight for you.

I know he's okay. Lance promised me... and so did Pidge.

[But that's not really the issue, is it? It's good they're both safe. Good they managed to come out of those horrors intact -- alive. One small weight off his shoulders.]

[The issue remains, he doesn't know how to reconcile the Lion, her words, and the future the others had implied. How he could go from being what he'd taken so deeply to heart, to... something else. That rightness the day in the very beginning, letting himself click so easily with the Lion -- how could he lose that? What did he do wrong?]

[Allura's arms are around him. And all thought of failure derails. Her words cut it off at the roots. Maybe it's the flu, maybe it's the stress of losing them, of letting people so dear and important to him slip away.]

[But her reassurance makes his eyes sting sharply. As it had back in the fog, so many months ago. His arms loop around her in return. Tightly. Gratefully.]

You always will. You'll always have it. [She's earned it, dozens of times over. And here, all over again.] I'm the one who should be grateful. So...

Thank you.

[ Allura shakes her head. There are no thanks, she believes, after everything he's done for her--both back home and in Deerington. He will always have her love and gratitude. She's learned some troubling things and her mood hasn't been great recently, but she can put all that aside for the moment. She hopes he believes what she says. ]

For now...let's just be glad that we have the Black Lion with us. It's a good sign, isn't it? And she did come to you.

[ To you, Shiro. ]

She came to me.

[He repeats it, again, in the hopes it sticks in his head, finally. Settles in long enough for him to accept. He knows she believes it. And doesn't doubt her trust or her support -- not for a second.]

[For now, maybe that will be enough.]

We'll just have to figure out how to unlock their abilities again. And maybe they can help us get out of here.

[ Allura nods. ]

Yes. To you.

[ And she pulls back, trying to encourage something of a smile on his face. They're both not in peak condition, but that is still something to be grateful for, isn't it? ]

You were the first Paladin to truly bond with your Lion. I am sure that you can lead us in this endeavor s well.

[Well, if she was trying to encourage it, that works. The memory is still so clear. Still so fresh -- even after all this time. And it's a good one, at that. One of the best.]

[So he nods.]

I'll do my best. Going to be hard to do trust falls with them this size... but. We'll figure something out.

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