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

[heartofalioness]

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!]]

Comments

[heartofalioness]

They're a warrior race... their appearance has quite a bit of variation, but most are around... [hang on, mental math from Altean to human....] eight feet tall, with fur, skin, or scales in cool colors, usually purple or dark blue. Although with this world's... transformation factor, it might not matter.

[nightyorb]

Can't say I've every heard of anything like that.

[But then, there are a lot of interplanar races Riz hasn't heard about. The world(s) and all the crazy things that live in it are super wild.]

[heartofalioness]

[A soft breath at that.]

That... is a relief on the whole. There are members of their race fighting on our side... but those allied with the main Empire have been set on subjugating our universe for millennia.

[Conquering and enslaving what they could... destroying the rest.]

[nightyorb]

Sounds... rough.

[Though awkward, Riz does sound sincere. He is definitely not trying to make light of her situation, but he's never been the best at offering words of comfort.]

My previous vice-principal was a dragon who tried to take over everything. Me and my friends managed to beat him before he could though but it was a pretty near thing. Not, uh. Trying to compare our situations, but I guess I kinda get what you are dealing with?

[heartofalioness]

It is...

[They've gained massive grounds in the past few months, but not without heavy prices, and still with ten thousand years of defeat to make up for... and she's worried about how fragile that lead could be.

Still, she gives the young man a faint but real smile and nod.]

Thank you. And I'm glad that you were able to succeed in your situation.

[And she means that. She... wasn't so lucky. Not at first...]

[nightyorb]

Yeah. Me and my mom ate his face when he went down. It was pretty rad.

[Riz reaches up to scratch at the side of his neck, the edge of one of his many tattoos momentarily becoming visible as the motion pulls his collar down. Social interactions when he is not goal driven towards solving a mystery are always kind of hard.

His comment would also come across as a lot less crazy-feral if he would've mentioned that the eating things happened in revenge for the dragon eating Riz's own dad many years ago, but talking about dead parents. It's hard and weird.]

So. About Alteans--

[heartofalioness]

[... She is going to blink, pray that is either a figure of speech or some sort of important cultural ritual to the goblins, and let that slide.

But yes, Alteans. That. So uh... Riz wanted to avoid the dead parent subject, right...?]

My people were peaceful and diplomatic, and very technologically advanced. We evolved on a planet with harsh climates and ecosystems, but we were able to survive by working together, and eventually we were able to share those values with the rest of the universe. My father, King Alfor, was one of the most brilliant scientists Altea had ever known, and he helped broker an alliance between Altea and four other civilizations after years of war... He and the other four leaders became famous for defending and protecting the universe.

[nightyorb]

[Just as long as Riz doesn't have to talk about his own dead (angel) dad, it's fine.

Part of Riz wonders if this is the true story. It could be, but it also sounds a lot like those history books written by the victors. He'll keep that to himself though. For now, at least.]

Until the Galra attacked?

[heartofalioness]

[Probably wise that he does; he'll be happy to know that it's as true as possible, and Alfor was truly a good man and good king... and that Allura is fiercely devoted to his legacy.

A faint nod.]

There is a very long story leading up to it, but... Zarkon, my father's former ally, wanted him to hand over the weapon they used to help people, and began an assault on our planet. He decided it would be best to scatter and hide its pieces... along with me and my advisor Coran. [Her mother had already died in the conflict, or Alfor would have saved her too.] He sent our castle to another planet, and the two of us were put into cryogenic slumber... while he and the other paladins stayed behind to hold off Zarkon.

[nightyorb]

Couple of questions.

Why did he want your dad to hand over the weapon? Did he just one day decide he wanted it? [Sounds unlikely?] Was there some sort of difference of opinion between him and your dad?

Also, what do you mean he sent your castle off to another planet? Did he teleport the entire structure? Why was it so important to bring the castle with you? Wouldn't you have remained under better cover without some giant ass building coming along?

Also, what do you meant by cryogenic slumber?

[Like, eight or nine questions counts as a couple, right?]

[heartofalioness]

[Ancients, this one had Green Paladin written all over him. Still, the questions do distract her away from her own hurt.]

In order...

The short of it is that it was a slow-building divide that hit a breaking point.

[One involving rifts between realities and eldritch worm monsters living in them, slowly creeping addiction to/poisoning by raw energy while Zarkon's planet was drained dry, aaaaand space liches. So Ozai vs Roku meets The Colour Out of Space and a couple other Lovecraft titles. In space.]

The Castle of Lions is also a fully functioning spaceship, complete with armaments, particle barriers, and a Teludav wormhole generator. Perfect for guarding the Black Lion, the piece Zarkon coveted most.

It is also equipped with stasis pods; not only are they capable of aiding recovery and healing from serious injury, but one can be put in suspended animation. [A bit more sorrow creeps into her face.] My slumber was ten thousand years.

[nightyorb]

That's a little vague...

[Riz still doesn't quite understand what she means by stasis pods, and he can't really picture the technology involved here, but there is enough there that he can more or less liken it to being sealed away by magic. Sort of how Gorthalax had been sealed away in a gem.

(and then had gotten unsealed and sealed away in a different gem, gotten unsealed from that gem only to be sealed away yet again in gem number three. Seriously, Riz gets that this is pretty hard for Fig and all, but at this point, any time anyone can't contact Gorthalax for more than 12 hours, they should probably just assume he's in some gem again, cause he seriously can't keep his ass out of them for more than six months.)]

So if I understand it right, your dad sealed you away from ten thousand years with part of this... weapon? To keep you both safe from these Galra?

[heartofalioness]

[She knows it's vague, but it's a long, painful story. Friends first, then clues.]

That's correct.

[nightyorb]

Well, you don't seem dead to me, so I am guessing he was successful.

Did he mean to seal you away for ten thousand years or was it more one of those things were you were stuck waiting for someone to set you free?

[heartofalioness]

The latter. And I am not dead. Nor is my advisor Coran.

[She lets the silence hang there...]

[nightyorb]

But your dad is?

[To Riz's (minimal) credit, his voice does soften, his brows furrowing. But it is still a pretty blunt thing to ask. He doesn't mean ill, he's just... not good at social things.]

[heartofalioness]

[A second's pause... and then a shake of her head.]

No. He sacrificed himself to hold Zarkon off. When we woke up... Altea and all the planets orbiting her sun had been wiped clean from the map.

[There's more to the story, but as far as Allura knows now... that's the ending.]

[nightyorb]

That's-- shit.

[Because what else do you say to that? To someone telling you that not only their father died but hey, so did their entire world? He remembers his dad dying and all the empty little platitudes people had offered him after and how none of that had made the situation even a fraction better.]

[heartofalioness]

[A rueful puff of a laugh as the little white Vulpix comes up and nuzzles her face. She's not much for swearing herself but... well said.]

Indeed. [A heavy, settling exhale.] My apologies... you did ask.

[nightyorb]

Yeah.

[It's just awkward. Because really, what do you say to something like this? Riz barely has the social graces to keep a regular conversation going, let alone one which is tinged with emotion and grief.]

You don't... We can drop this subject if you want. Maybe you can just tell me more about Altean abilities?

[heartofalioness]

[A light nod in agreement and thanks.]

We can do that. Let's see... I've mentioned size shifting, energy manipulation... we're also rather strong for our size.

[nightyorb]

[Good impartial facts and data! Much less of a minefield than emotionally fraught situations.]

What should I be picturing when you say rather strong? [he touches his chin in thought for a moment.] Can you compare it to a human? The humans here seem to be about as strong as the ones where I am from. Or do you not have humans where you are from?

[heartofalioness]

[A soft chuckle.]

Yes, my world has humans. And hm... I was shapeshifted taller at the time and well armored, but I was able to body check a Galra of similar height and the same armor into a metal wall and leave an indent.

[And by "indent," she means "the guy's metal helmet got embedded in the metal wall." Shame she can't use yeeting her future ex as an example...]

[nightyorb]

[Riz's eyes widen as he whistles in a somewhat impressed manner. To him, that translates as roughly orc-like strength. And that is pretty strong.]

Okay, yeah, that's pretty impressive.

[heartofalioness]

Thank you--

[Oh... she shakes her head at herself.]

My apologies... all this talk and I forgot to ask for your name. I am Allura.