Cat-eared Shenanigans

[vrepit_no]

WHO: Shiro and whomever wants to be there
WHAT: Wildcard prompts
WHERE: Inn, Shining Karaoke, Parks, Fields
WHEN: The month of August
WARNINGS: Long-healed amputation, scars, unadulterated fluff probably


Shiro wound up in the fallout of the animal mage work and is sporting large, sleek black housecat ears and tail. He's taken too it more calmly and naturally than some, and seems to have... caught??? Some cat-like mannerisms too.

I. Naps are great, though
Shiro hasn't slept well in a while, and the magical coma last month doesn't count. So if there is a patch of sunlight, there may just be a large man in one of many seemingly impossible positions, dead asleep. His watchful little draconic familiar is settled primly nearby, watching over him for inscrutable Familiar Reasons.

II. Fishing
Where there are fish, there's a cat. Man. Cat man. Crouched low at the edge, ears low and tail tip twitching behind him, Shiro watches the water with dilated eyes. Waiting. Waiting. Are you going to let him make an attempt, or use this prime opportunity for pranking?

III. Shining Karaoke
Shiro does still turn up for his shifts at the karaoke bar, same as usual. He's acquired a nice maroon dress shirt, worn with the sleeve rolled up while he mixes drinks. His reflexes seem faster than usual right now, and the sway and curl of his tail shows just how truly this job brings him happiness. What can he get you this evening?

IV. You've Got Cats In High Places
You know what's even better than naps? Heights! Rooftops, walls, trees, the occasional lamp post... When a six-foot-four cat gets the zoomies, he inevitably seems to wind up perched somewhere high up, leaning waaaaay out to snuff the breeze. No balcony is safe.

V. Wild Horses Cats Couldn't Drag Me Away
None of these strike your fancy? No problem! Where there's a will, there's a prompt. Just post one, or reach out to me on plurk: librariansheart.

Comments

[tempredmental]

"I definitely do not put dirty pranks above Pidge's level," Keith said with a chuckle. "Though, I gotta ask now... did the Commander get in on it? Because that I would have paid to see."

The idea of Sam Holt playing pranks on people was just too good to pass up.

He laid his jacket out on the ground next to him after wringing out the water, and then pulled his shirt off, too, wringing that out next.

[vrepit_no]

Shiro's grin widens, a little sly sideways glance winging Keith's direction. "Oh, absolutely. But Ms. Colleen is the biggest prankster of all of them. Don't get in a prank war with the Holts unless you're on their side. It's way safer that way."

The other boot and sock come off and now it's Shiro's turn to lose his shirt. With Keith, he doesn't hesitate. He's seen it all before, from the bites and claws to electric and laser and fire burns, cuts and slashes. His version of Keith has even potentially recognized the very thin Y shape from Shiro's shoulders to his sternum and down his stomach, beneath the rest of the other scars.

"Mmph! Bwah. If you ever really want to get a reaction out of Pidge, involve dried peas. That was the Commander's weapon of choice."

[tempredmental]

Keith didn't immediately react. He did, to some extent, know most of those scars. While he hadn't exactly mentally cataloged them with conscious effort, Keith's visual memory was quite sharp, and there were few he didn't immediately recognize.

"Dried peas..." he said thoughtfully. "Like those ones they forced us to eat in survival class at the Garrison?" He curled his lip a little in disgust, his ears going flat out to the sides for a moment.

He was a little afraid to ask about the scars he didn't recognize... especially that one that looked old. He wasn't sure about it. Was that... an autopsy...? It couldn't be... Unless it was from the clone body? But Keith didn't want to ruin the moment with questions about dark memories. Shiro looked relaxed and happy for once. He wanted to keep that moment.

[vrepit_no]

Shiro's laugh tips his head back and shakes his shoulders. "That's them! He loved those things - Matt and I never could figure out why. The closest thing we ever got out of him was that they're fun to catch in zero-g. Which is true, but so is everything else!"

He shakes his head and rests his arm on his knee, smiling fondly into the middle distance over the stream. "...I miss them." There's a miniscule pause before he admits, softer, "And Adam. They're really what I want to return to Earth for. But I don't know if I could stay."

[tempredmental]

"There are definitely other things besides freeze dried peas that I'd want to catch in Zero-G," Keith said, laughing a bit as well. "Please tell me that Matt didn't like them, either..."

His voice trailed off a little as Shiro continued. Keith took a breath, sighing a bit. Right... Shiro hadn't gotten back to Earth, yet. He didn't know. As much as Keith had been angry at Adam for the break up and how it had hurt Shiro to feel like he didn't have that support, he never hated him. Though, he did regret turning Adam away when he'd tried to reach out to Keith to help him after Shiro had first gone missing. He'd been too angry.

"Yeah..." His voice was soft as he removed his boots to empty the water out as well, and then took off his gloves. A shadow had settled over him for the moment. So much for trying to keep things light...

[vrepit_no]

"Heh, no, Matt hates them. He'd rather have the ice cream pellets."

He blinks, refocusing, and noticed Keith's awkward tension. "Hey... Anything you want to talk about? You seem stressed." Destressed, really, but there's something to be said for helping another save face, even when it's just the two of you.

[tempredmental]

Oh, definitely. The ice cream pellets were a million times better.

"I um..." Stressed was one way of putting it. "...didn't exactly leave things in a good place with Adam." He decided to start there. See where the conversation would go. It wasn't like Shiro didn't know that Keith kind of resented Adam for the break up. Keith had most definitely sided with Shiro in that situation. "I know I told you that we got back to Earth after you were revived, but I'm not sure how much else you want to know about things."

[vrepit_no]

The admission gets a little wry smile and a huff of breath. "Welcome to the club," he murmurs, almost under his breath.

Keith's a smart man, and Shiro hums thoughtfully. "It's a weird situation. Of course I want to know everything - most people do in these kinds of situations, in my experience - but I've seen too many classic sci-fi films to not see the dangers inherent in knowing a possible version of your own future.

"On the other, heh, hand, I've been shoved home and then brought back to a between-worlds place before. And what I remember implies that I won't remember this very clearly, if at all. That was in a different liminal space, but still. Of course I can't purposely repeat the experiment, so the hypothesis is moot.

He rubs his neck and scratches his cheek as he talks, just working things out. Keith is one of the few who get to see some of the inner machinations of Shiro's brain. "Ultimately, I don't think it will make a difference in the long term, and there's no indication beyond pop fiction that knowing things ahead of schedule will harm people. And if I am told, then I won't be quietly driving myself crazier with curiosity."

He blinks owlishly at Keith a few times and finally ducks his head with a little chuckle. "Which is a long way to say yeah, I'd like to know, if you're okay with telling me. If you're not comfortable saying, then don't. I trust your judgement."

[tempredmental]

The quiet statement drove home Keith's dilemma, really, and he furrowed his brow deeper as he listened to Shiro trying to work out whether or not he wanted to hear what had happened to Keith since Shiro had last seen him back home.

"I'll tell anyone anything they want to know," he said softly, "but I know it can be a lot to take in... especially for like Matt or Allura, who are further back than you are." Plus, Keith still wasn't exactly sure how much Shiro remembered from the clone. He paused, considering things.

"The battle we fought with Lotor just before Allura revived you caused holes in the barrier between realities and the quintessence field he'd been seeking. The holes were threatening to spread, so we had to sacrifice the Castle in order to create an implosion large enough to seal them. But all of that caused us to get caught in some weird time slip." He frowned. "I'd say Pidge could explain it better, but I don't think Pidge here is from the same point in time as me." He gave a slight shrug. "But, either way, it was suddenly three years later, even though the battle hadn't taken that long. It was like the quantum abyss again, but in reverse." Maybe... yeah. He'd just pause there for a moment to see if Shiro had questions.

[vrepit_no]

Shiro's steady attention doesn't waver, pricked ears focused intently on Keith. Sacrifice the Castle? How...? Nope, putting that on hold. It at least explains why he woke up in a pod in a lion. He doesn't remember anything past that point.

The idea of a time slip makes sense, but he doesn't like it. He inhales sharply. "Three years?" He sits back a little, raking his fingers through his hair. "The Empire without a leader. Must've shattered all over again. The planets in rebellion...! Did the rebels hold the coalition together? Were they able to defend themselves?"

The logistical impact of Voltron vanishing for three years is immense; the options are endless as the stars. "Without the Castle, there is no engine to create wormholes. The lions don't have that kind of power stored up anymore. The Blue Lion's was a one-time thing."

[tempredmental]

Keith nodded to the question about the timing, and then... well... Shiro got it in one.

"The Empire was a mess. I mean, it was before when you had all the Warlords trying to take over and refusing to follow Lotor, but, without even him?" He shook his head. "The Blades were almost completely ruined. Any left had to go into hiding. There was a rogue druid who was trying to win back Honerva's favor by trying to lure them all in and kill them. He managed to do a pretty decent job of it, too." Keith bit off that last statement, bitter from his second meeting with Macidus. "And any generals left that hadn't already become warlords took up that mantle, and started fighting amongst themselves for territory and control. The coalition had to basically go underground... all the planets, the rebel fighters we had found Matt with, all of them. Because of that, we were essentially on our own again, and running. It was like starting all over, but with even less than we had before."

Keith looked hurt by it all, almost guilty. It had been like Voltron had abandoned them. "There was a report of an explosion, probably from the Castle, and then we were just... gone. We heard later that everyone thought that Voltron had been destroyed." He sighed.

"But, yeah... it was a very very long trip back to Earth without the Castle and without wormholes. We did find a natural wormhole that shortened it a lot. Kind of found it by accident. But, it helped... a lot."