victory_road | Feeling My Way Through the Darkness (Intro Catch-All)

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Feeling My Way Through the Darkness (Intro Catch-All)

Who: Princess Allura and YOU!
Where: Route 29, Cherrygrove City, and Four Island
When: Around October 10
Summary: In which the Pokémon world gets a new Space Elf Lion Princess (again) and settles in... while getting a crash course in backpacking.
Rating: PG-13 for cussing and really nasty Voltron elements... and apparently Pidge and Lance being TOO MARRIED. (Season 6-8 spoilers for Voltron: Legendary Defender in some threads)

A. Guided By a Beating Heart (Network, Video)

[Well... waking up in the strange house alone had been unnerving, to say the least, especially with the woman blithely claiming to be Allura's mother... Too many fresh wounds involving her own parents, or too-cheery simulacra of parents... But at least this almost-mother wasn't trying to make her stay, or drive a spaceship into a supernova. In fact, it was almost a relief to be shoved out the door.

At the very least she should check this network, see how much of this is a dream or illusion, how much a hostage situation. She means to start composing a text message (at least she can make out the keyboard, thank goodness for the PokéGear's translator function), when a tiny white nose presses a different button, and the first thing people might see is an intense close-up of a white Vulpix face before humanoid hands start to pull the body away from the camera.]

Ah ah ah, little one, that isn't--

[The gentle but firm correction freezes when oh. ... The little blinking is on... complete with a camera preview...]

... Ahem! [This is fine, she can salvage this, she's not nervous you're nervous!] Greetings. I am Allura, Paladin of the Blue Lion. [She thinks half a tick later that maybe she should have kept that under wraps in case this whole situation had something to do with the Galra, but... it seems peaceful here. Besides, after the string of Coalition shows, it'd be hard to keep her identity a secret.] I seem to have arrived on this planet rather unexpectedly. The... gracious woman in the house I found myself in... was able to provide some instructions and supplies, but any further assistance- especially in terms of the sociology and technology levels of this planet- would be much appreciated.

B. I Can't Tell Where the Journey Will End (Action, Cherrygrove City)

[Of course, sleeping outside on cold, hard ground for three nights straight with only a nylon bag and Coressa's fluff for comfort was draining on her. Even with everything she's lost, at least in the Castle of Lions she still has the luxury of sleeping in her own bed, with perfectly comfortable bedding and a mountain of pillows... and she's missed having the mice to sleep on the pillow next to her, even with Coressa's company. So you might find a tall young woman with bags under her eyes and a very, very messy mop of moon white curls looking at the entrance spa with envy.]

No, no, no... I have no idea how long it will be before I find a way home, I need to manage my resources wisely. ... Even if it has been ten thousand years since I've had a proper massage...

[And that crick in her neck could definitely use one... Still, she's suffered worse, she can endure this much.]

C. But I Know Where to Start (Attack on Voltron House)

[The ride from Cherrygrove to Four Island had been interesting... especially once Allura stopped panicking that there was no way this three-foot-seven cloud bird could possibly hold the weight of two fully-grown Altean women together. It took a full ten minutes before she reached that point, and even once they reached solid ground, Allura had to pry herself away from Romelle and her Altaria. (Maybe it was a good thing her super strength was taken away...)

But now she’s on solid sand and... actually, this beach is rather pretty. The shore nestled in on all sides with cliffs while the sea and sky stretched on and on in sapphire and turquoise. ... The lack of any of Altea’s stealth predators or rarely-surfacing sea monsters helped with the view, although she’s sure this place has its own odd fauna.

And the house... it’s still so odd to think of her friends being in this world long enough to have a residence, not just shelter. But it looks safe and peaceful, even quaint, and at least large enough to hold her without being too crowded. It helps that she and Coressa have been traveling light.]

So... this is our house?

[Come welcome your old-new housemate, guys.]

D. So Wake Me Up When It's All Over (Wildcard)

[[Got something in mind not listed in the prompts? Hit me up on my OOC Intro or on Plurk at

LoneWolfPrincess!]]

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[She would be right in her suspicion, honestly. His was not a friendly empire, as is the wont of most imperially inclined nations. However, it does not mean he has to go without manners, nor friendliness.

At least his measure of friendliness, anyway...]

Very well, I do so hope you find your transitioning to this world less than tumultuous. It can take some time adjusting, truth be told.

Take care, my friend. We shall speak again soon, I'm sure.

[And with a rather flamboyant flick and wave of his hand he cuts the feed.]

All right - We're on Island Four. The one with the observatory, if you need more specifics. They have flying pokemon taxis I think, if you need them.

Cherrygrove is nice. You might meet some more pokemon while you're there.

Ah... thank you? [No, seriously, she is a bit flattered, but SO AWKWARD.] I don't believe we've exchanged names yet. I am Princess Allura.

Oh! You met Sasha already?

[That's a good thing, if his tone is any judge. He seems relieved, actually.]

And - yeah. Yeah, that's what she meant. Little guy looks like he has a mustache, so I really couldn't help it.

Island Four... I'll meet you there as soon as I can. Take care, Shiro.

[Okay, Allura really can't help giggling at poor Rover's huffing.]

It's fine, Rover... Honestly, I think the fauna everywhere are the least strange feature of this planet. It's like a much milder version of Altea, save for back then we would train to fend off creatures ourselves.

[... Yeah, the first few birds encounters were interesting. Most of them realized this trainer was crazy enough to try fighting them herself and took off.]

[Keith stared at her for a moment, kind of surprised. Honestly, he hadn't talked about what he'd done with anyone other than his mom, and that was only because she'd seen it in one of the time compression flashes that plagued the quantum abyss. So hearing from anyone what they'd felt about it was still hard-hitting for him, even now.]

I... I didn't... [No. It wasn't that he didn't mean to scare anyone. Granted, he never meant to scare anyone with his actions, but he also almost never thought about how his actions might make someone who cared about him feel. Perhaps because he wasn't used to having a lot of people worry when he got into trouble... or, really, anyone to worry. It had been just him and his dad when he was little, and then the only person he felt had really cared later on was Shiro.

He shook his head.] I was... [Breathe...] I was scared, too. [It took a lot to admit that.] Yeah... sure. Losing Voltron, and that sector of space would have been devastating for the effort we were putting out there, and I kept telling myself that. It was for the mission. Because that's what any Blade, or, for that matter, even maybe one of us as Paladins would have done to make sure Naxzela didn't destroy all that area and kill all those people. [He pulled his lips into a tight line, looking down at the table.] But I was scared of losing you guys, too. Scared that, once I did finish that mission with the Blades, I wouldn't have the Castle to go back to.

[It was true. Yes, he had been in that mission for the long haul, ready to stay with the Blades as long as it took, but, as time had gone on and he worked with more Blades on more side missions and related tasks, he had slowly realized that he didn't fully fit in with them, either. So, yes... he had wanted to go back to Voltron eventually. But he had committed himself to the quintessence search, and he would see it through.

It was a big admission, but this Keith, sitting here at the café table, had dealt with that. He had learned it was okay to tell the rest of the team stuff like that from time to time.]

Edited 2021-10-20 07:24 (UTC)

Keith...

[She knows he's right... if they'd traded places, she knew she would have tried the same thing, has many times in the past. But hearing that he was worried about them too? Still cared for them...?

She rests her forearm on the table, palm up and gently opened, an offer to hold her hand or wrist.]

So was I... [A quiet, hollow laugh.] We told Coran to start flying out of the blast radius, but... I was so worried we wouldn't be able to escape Naxzela in time, let alone reach the ship. If it weren't for Lance... [If it hadn't been for his quick thinking and strong, unfailingly kind heart, they'd have been crushed to death before being vaporized.] And then I was so afraid for you... My voice was frozen, and with how you left...

[After all, she had tried and failed to get Keith to stay... Not just come up short, but messed up. Pressing every wrong button instead of being the wise princess and Coalition leader, or the supporting, balancing Blue Paladin, or even just the teammate and family member she was supposed to be. Keith would have been with the team, not preparing to ram himself into that shield, if she'd done enough, done right for once.]

Edited 2021-10-20 14:24 (UTC)

[A bright laugh.]

I see... that makes much more sense! [She takes a breath to calm herself before nodding.] But yes, I've met Sasha. She seems nice as well.

[Even if a bit averse to any form of the word "friend."]

I don't...think so? They're just like that.

[Kind of weird to spring "it's video game logic" on new people, so.]

Oh, um, well, that's sort of...Pokemon can usually hurt you a lot more than you could hurt them, even with training and stuff. And they actually like competing against each other that way for the most part, so...it's probably better if you didn't go about it that way?

[Armin had missed Allura's initial post to the network, and by the time he saw it, she had had enough responses that he didn't think he could contribute anything further; not when, knowing Shiro, he was already ferrying her back to his house on the beach and Armin would actually be able to meet her in person quite soon anyway.

It's not the first time he has met Allura. He hopes it is the last time though, that for Shiro's sake, this Allura will stay here and won't be pulled back to their world.

Armin decides to give her a few days, give Allura a chance to settle in and adjust to this strange new world before he makes the short trip over to Island Four, a box of 'welcome to this world' Malasadas in his hand. He lets himself into the kitchen via the backdoor, knocking on the wooden frame as he does so.]

Hello?

[Ah, yeah, she can tell how uneasy Jane is with the subject, but... she turns to her partner.]

Are you sure? [The Vulpix just smiles and gives a few barks, confident but not cocky.] Very well... still, I'm not sure about you doing all the work...

Maybe he'll listen to you better than me. Like his namesake.

[He's not totally serious about that though - for as off the wall as Coran was, it's hard not to miss him. Hence naming a pokemon for him.]

She is - she's... well. She and Armin come from the same world. They've faced worse than we have, in terms of war. [tl;dr - she's a bit traumatized but you didn't hear that from him.]

[Oh... any levity disappears the second he says...]

Worse...?

[That's... honestly, a high bar to surpass, considering how awful their war is. What could be worse than ten thousand years of unchecked destruction, slavery, eradication, being drained dry of resources down to one's very quintessence... Romelle's story will probably never stop haunting her. Worse?]

[He hesitates. Because it's not really his story to tell - not really his place to go into all the details. But...]

Most of it, I think you should hear from them, when they're ready. Armin's probably a better bet if you want history and details.

But - long story short, their people have had to resort to child soldiers. Against man-eating monsters the size of - well. They're hard to gauge from their descriptions, but they're giants, from what I understand.

The last thing we were doing before I was brought here... we were searching for Honerva, and the rest of the colony. Some of the other Alteans were being forced to pilot large mechs that could drain quintessence from a planet. Pidge mentioned that it was like each mech had something called a 'komar' in it.

Apparently, after our battle with Lotor, Honerva was trying to find a way to save him from the quintessence field, and was using these mechs to gather quintessence so she could open a rift. Each time we found one of the mechs, we tried to save the pilot inside. That was how we got our information. Some of them were still very loyal to Honerva and wanted to help her find Lotor, but some of them were willing to cooperate with us and tell us what we needed to know. Some even were trying to fix and make amends for what Honerva was doing.

[Romelle could still remember Luka's biting words, how much it had hurt when Luka had called her a traitor. The other Altean had been so thoroughly enraptured with Lotor and Honerva that she had seen Romelle's questioning of everything after Bandor's death to be heretical. But the other pilots they had come across had been more willing to work with them, especially Tavo.]

Child soldiers...

[Her expression turns inward. Pidge had been so young when they'd gotten roped into this (those words on Arus still cut deep on Allura's bad days)... they all had really, but they were all on the cusp of adulthood and responsibility, Shiro still considered the oldest and wisest. How young were these soldiers sent off to war against forces too large to handle?

After a second, she nods.]

I see... I will leave it to their discretion to share the rest of the tale. Thank you, Shiro.

[It was good to know, so she didn't stumble into anything blindfolded. And... she supposes being dragged here across realities is a blessing, to those who really need it.]

[She tries to retain as much she can even as it feels like the ground's falling out beneath her- this is important, it must be heard- but so much is without context... Honerva, alive? A battle with Lotor in a quintessence field? The one part she does understand is the komar... she didn't think her blood could freeze colder, but she was wrong... Of course Allura had destroyed the giant komar during that battle, but an army of mechs outfitted with them? How many planets are in danger now? And the fact that Alteans are being forced- worse, they're being persuaded- to do this...

Allura tries to take another deep breath, but it's harsh and ragged, and Coressa leans up to try and lick some tears off her face...]

Romelle, I... [Breathe, BREATHE.] This... this should not have happened... None of you deserved any of this... I am so, so sorry...

Edited 2021-10-21 16:31 (UTC)

[Keith stared at her hand for a moment. He and Pidge tended to be the least tactile of the group. Even with her holding back because of her title, Allura was still someone who tended to touch, as he'd observed her doing with Coran sometimes. Still, he knew it took her a long time to be that open with the other Paladins, to let herself be 'friends', and not just 'the Princess'.

He lifted his eyes to meet hers as she spoke, though, listening to her halting words as she recounted the situation from her side of it.

...with how he'd left...

Keith had honestly tried not to let anyone think it was their fault he was leaving. It had been mostly his choice... having been feeling inadequate since Shiro's return. There was a lot of baggage there, and he knew a bit more now than he had back then, and why there had been such a clash between him and Shiro as far as their leadership styles and how Keith felt he couldn't live up to Shiro's example.

But, in that moment, knowing how he felt at the time, and hearing how she'd been feeling, that any of them might have been regretting what had happened, it hit kind of hard. Especially since a lot of hostility had been released between him and the others when they'd been stranded in space on their way back to Earth that time. Allura didn't know about that, though, and he decided not to bring it up right now.

Instead, he reached over to rest his hand on hers.]

It didn't get there, though. Okay? We all survived.

[Despite apparent best efforts otherwise...]

[There was no warm welcome here. Mikasa didn't do anything to make her presence known, no greeting. Only peering around a corner. The hood on the coat Yachi had gotten her pulled up. Her face blank.

No words, only staring. Who is this?]

Then you should think of one now! This adorable ball of fluff cannot go unnamed any longer! [Dahlia agrees with a puff!.] Mayhap with a word from your homeland?

[This isn't Jaskier trying to fish for Altean stories, no sir.]

[He's right... they're both still here, he's real... The faintest bit of light enters her eyes against as she returns the hold ever so slightly.]

You're right. [She dabs at a few beads of water at the corner of her eyes.] You're right. Apologies, it's been... a taxing movement or two.

[Even as she and the team have grown closer, she still ducks behind those walls occasionally, feeling she needs to be strong for their sake and her own. Even knowing this location is relatively safe, or trusting Keith as much as she does now... it's a hard habit to break.]

[Her smile grows a little more thoughtful.]

Perhaps... Most of the Altean words associated with cold tend to be a bit long and harsh.

[Altean names? Easy on the ear. The Altean language itself? Not so much... Not to mention they don't even have a word for "snow." The mouse names were easy, being variations and portmanteaus of words for "mouse" and "squeak," but... this creature is a bit more dignified.]

Hm... Lizalli? [The fox shakes her head.] Avara? [Uhuh.] Glorina? [A foxy BLECH.] Hm... Coressa?

[Hm... bark bark~!]

[Good timing, Armin. Allura had just come downstairs to make some tea and a snack for Coressa after working a bit more on organizing her room, turning to look at the source of the sound just as she's turning off the burner under the whistling kettle.]

Oh! Ah, hello there. [Definitely not anyone she recognizes from the call, or her brief stink in Cherrygrove. Let's see, whom did Shiro mention...? Sasha and Jaskier she's met, and this one looks male...] Are you Armin, by any chance?

[That was the name, right?]

[For a moment Allura doesn't notice, going out on the deck to take in a bit of fresh salt air when Coressa barks towards Mikasa's corner and HI STRANGER!]

GAH! [A slight jump back into a defensive stance before she instantly reminds herself to RELAX.] I-I um... May I help you, Miss?

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Feeling My Way Through the Darkness (Intro Catch-All)

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