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

[shiro2hero]

[He takes that as a cue to step back a pace. Though his hands stay on her shoulders, quietly regarding her. How long has it been...? Way, way too long, by his measure.]

Yeah. You are. C'mon... it's got to be overwhelming, waking up here. I can get you somewhere to stay.

It's not the Castle, but, we make it work.

[heartofalioness]

[A soft chuckle.]

Frankly, after sleeping in the open in the wilderness, I'm not inclined to be finicky. Especially if it means good company.

[shiro2hero]

We've got a few rooms available... so you get a choice.

[No sleeping in the open here. Unless she really wants to sleep on the porch. There's still a hammock out there, after all.]

There's a lot of pokemon here, too - so don't be too surprised if you wake up with at least one more of them in the room with you.

[heartofalioness]

[She smiles at that, not just the prospect of shelter, but the fact that there's physical room for her and it won't be an imposition. After all, it'd be hard to find a space as big as the Castle of Lions.]

I'll try to keep that in mind. Hopefully it won't take too long to acclimate, I was able to adjust to the mice, after all. [Then again, if a way she had ten thousand years of practice with that scenario.] So you, Lance, Pidge, Romelle, and Sasha... who else, and how many Pokemon?

[shiro2hero]

I'll ask mine to help keep the gang out of your room for a bit. I gotta warn you, though - if you see a moving shadow, or a shadow with eyes, that's one of mine. It's friendly, but never really understood lurking in peoples' shadows can scare them.

[Haunter means well. It really does. But it's also a ghost. And ghosts gonna ghost.]

Sometimes Armin stops by, and his girlfriend, Angel. But he lives out on a houseboat. Lance has a musician friend, Jaskier, who comes by too. I think you already know who lives here full time though.

1/2

[heartofalioness]

[WELP, that is not disturbing at all. (At least it's not related to the witch, or the rift entities that she doesn't know about yet.) Allura tries to keep her grimace light.]

I appreciate the warning...

2/2

[heartofalioness]

[As for the rest...]

Oh... I met Jaskier on the network as well, he seems nice. [Not unlike an older Lance, or a slightly younger Coran.] I hadn't heard from anyone named Armin or Angel, though.

[shiro2hero]

Yeah, I... its name is Haunter. If it really bothers you, just... tell it. It's pretty good at listening to that, at least.

[Haunter's gonna ghost, but at least it understands the phrase "please stop". And, you know, genuinely wants to help instead of terrorize people.]

He is, yeah. Really eager to learn about space, too, if you ever feel like teaching. [Definitely a good influence on Lance, too...] You might - Armin's a bit busy with his gym and pokemon preserve, and Angel can be shy. But I've known them both a long time now.

[heartofalioness]

[She nods to all of it: the ghost knows about consent, Armin is busy and Angel is shy, and the note about Jaskier wanting to learn about space makes her smile.]

Always, Shiro. And any friends of yours are friends of mine.

[And she means it. She has a rough estimate of what Shiro has gone through, how trust doesn't come easy. Anyone who's taken care of Shiro or her other friends in her absence, gotten him to relax this much... she wants to get to know them too, human or Ghost type.]

[shiro2hero]

[He... actually laughs, a bit. Pushing a hand through his hair.]

Not sure you'd be saying that if Krieg were here... [The enormous guy who yelled about "meat circuses" and loved to blow up with his own pokemon. But who also would defend his own friends with his life.] Oh - right.

Careful in the bathroom. There's a pokemon in there who should know better, but likes to hang out in the bathtub.

[heartofalioness]

[Wait...]

... Oh! Is that what Sasha meant by Coran being in the bathtub? It's a creature you've named after him.

[shiro2hero]

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.

[heartofalioness]

[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."]

[shiro2hero]

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.]

[heartofalioness]

[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?]

[shiro2hero]

[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.

[heartofalioness]

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.]

[shiro2hero]

Yeah. I think Armin said they were younger than Pidge when they join the army.

[It had been a conversation long ago. Difficult to recall exactly the numbers. He just remembers it was young. Too young. Far too young.]

Hey, no problem. I'm here to help you - in any way I can. That includes keeping you updated -

[He was ready to launch into some speech. To be supportive, as usual. But something rolls into the room, literally. Something soft and fat and shaped like a cheerful beach ball.]

[A Spheal!]

- Oh! Hey, Europa.

[heartofalioness]

[... Oh no. Allura's face immediately lights up as she looks at soft round baby only a half-foot more in diameter than Coressa's height.]

Oh hello, darling~~~!

[Seems someone's charmed. (Allura totally had a similar reaction to meeting the Vulpix, but no one had been around to witness it.) Meanwhile, Coressa takes a couple dainty steps forward, sniffs, and barks. Friend?]

[shiro2hero]

[MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - according to the Spheal. She uncurls a bit, and slaps the ground excitedly with one flipper. Hello! Hello hello! She is here! Hello friends!]

Allura, this is Europa. She's one of mine.

[He'll just kneel down to give her some scratches behind those stubby little ears.]

[heartofalioness]

Hello, Europa~ [Here, she'll go into a ladylike crouch while Coressa unconsciously imitates with a little play-bow.] I am Allura, it's lovely to meet you~

[shiro2hero]

[There is... so much happy Spheal barking. And clapping. Yes, yes, hello! Hello new friends! Please pet!]

She's probably one of the friendliest I have - don't be surprised if she rolls into your room to say hi sometimes.

[heartofalioness]

[A bright laugh as she dares to pat... the side pudge! And she's surprised by how cool it is to the touch.]

She is adorable! [Another chuckle.] Does she have an ice affinity, by chance?

[Ice Type, Allura. The term is Ice Type.]

[shiro2hero]

[This pat delights Europa even more. She barks again, wiggling where she sits.]

Yeah, she's an ice type. Ice and water. I found her a while back with her flipper missing...

[But that clearly has not stopped the happy round bean. She just wiggles her prosthetic at Allura and her Vulpix. See? I'm fine!]

[heartofalioness]

[Ah... it's now she notices, looking at it for a few seconds with a small smile but not touching, before looking back up at Shiro.]

I see... She gets her resilience from her trainer. And it's clear you've taken excellent care of her.