Return

[marmoron]

[So here they are back on the swap moon at the space mall. Keith would say he has no idea what the fuck he's doing here with Lance and Allura, but..,he knows damn well what he did and that this whole thing could've been avoided if he'd just kept his mouth shut about sparkly shit.

Okay, so maybe he wouldn't be quite as unenthused if he didn't have to t bargain with Coran first to get some usable currency to pay for whatever the heck it is that Allura wants, but that sure was A Thing.

As the three of them pass by the first booth, Keith stops and grabs the first shiny object he sees which happens to be a rather tacky looking goblet of some sort.]

How about this?

[Are they done now, y/y?]

Comments

[quintessent]

[Meanwhile, Allura is already having a great time. It's her first time at a swap moon, and this time Coran couldn't exactly stop her now that she's a fully fledged paladin. So she's looking around, eyes as wide as saucers, at all of the bright colors and storefronts, often tugging Lance by the arm to point out this or that.

So when Keith stops at the first shiny object money can buy, the light in her eyes dims and she pouts a little.]

...But we haven't yet seen everything there is yet.

[Everything]

[spazzed]

( it's endearing, more than he can put words to, seeing her light up like this; it really had been a shame that she hadn't been able to come with them the first time around, but being given the chance now means she won't have to miss out.

unless keith keeps trying to make this the universe's shortest space mall trip ( ™ ). ) C'mon, Keith! You can't just stop by the first thing you see and wanna call it quits. ( never mind that allura absolutely deserves something better than a goblet. thing. a shiny cup.

he folds his arms, and grins so wide he might as well be in danger of his face splitting down the middle. ) We're on a mission, after all. Think of it that way, and you might have more fun.

[marmoron]

[Allura, put your pouting away. Who do you think he is?Lance? Please. He;s giving her a flat look before turning to look at Lance. He knows better than to expect the guy to take his side here, but man he's starting to wish it was Shiro who came along instead. Or you know. Anyone else who isn't as malleable as space goo as far as Allura's concerned.

But yeah, fine. Fine. He knows this isn't really about what he wants, it's about what Allura wants. He'd have just grumped in silence and moved on to the next store in tacit compliance, but then Lance just keeps talking and next thing he knows he's raising an eyebrow.]

How is approaching this like a mission supposed to make this more fun?

[He sets the shiny thing back down on the display table so you know he's going to agree to keep going, but... what even is this meant to imply, buddy.

Then turning back to Allura:]

Do you not have any ideas as to what you want?

[quintessent]

[As if Shiro wouldn't also side eye you for trying to end it as quick as possible too, Keith. She's happy to have Lance on her side, as if that was any question, and at Keith's question she hums in thought,]

Well, This is my first trip to a Swap Moon, so I need to see what things there are first.

[And she knows it's not in this gaudy ship, so Allura turns back to continue her explorations, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the boys are following.]

Perhaps a hair pin? Oh! Or maybe a taleson chain!

[spazzed]

( okay buddy he is sooo not as malleable as space goo! maybe … uh … something a little less gelatinous but it doesn't mean he's a pushover when it comes to a certain altean princess —

except it totally does, and keith is totally right, but that's not the reason he isn't taking his side here. these kinds of trips are supposed to be fun for everyone involved, even if they're on a mission for something superbly sparkly ( and maybe he knows a thing or two about that, maybe ) that might take them a while to find.

he shrugs at the question, though. ) … 'Cause you always go all-out on them? I dunno, just use your imagination or something. ( he thought that might have made more sense, and maybe it hadn't. the point is, keet, that you can't just get in and get out and go on with your life.

when it comes to a space mall. you know what, just roll with it.

he hums in thought. ) A hair pin would look really nice. ( says the one that thinks she would look good in a burlap sack. ) Or some kind of comb, maybe? ( okay so he knows a little about sparkly things. not a lot. he's just a boy. )

[marmoron]

[Look, Shiro isn't going to take Allura's side by default and that's what matters, gosh!! He looks at Allura like he kiiinda wants to ask what a taleson chain is, but ultimately whether he knows or not isn't going to shorten the time they'll be spending at the mall so he's just going to write this off as "sparkly alien girl thing."]

Fine. ["Use your imagination" Lance says.]

We'll need to locate a mall directory in order to identify the stores that are most likely to contain what we're looking for. Stay alert and focused. Don't get distracted by non essential merchandise.

[His delivery is completely deadpan. He gives their surroundings a quick scan and spots the plaque with the mall directory just three stores down from the entrance. He starts heading towards it.]

Let's move.

[quintessent]

[Allura deadpans right back at Keith. They wanted him to be a little more serious about this and this is what they get. Let it never be said that Keith does things by halves. He's already moving towards the nearest directory kiosk and, with a sigh, Allura follows after.

To Lance,] Was he like this the last time you came here?

[She knows some sort of danger happened before, based on the mixed stories of her friends. What hurt you, Keith?]

[spazzed]

( this is honestly why you should never take lance's advice. ever. it never ends well for anyone and someone usually ends up taking things too seriously.

not naming names, here, of course. we would never. what hurt keith had apparently taken his sense of humor with it.

he blinks, follows a step or two behind allura. ) … I don't think so. ( he doesn't really have to think about it, because: ) I spent most of my time fishing coins out of a fountain. Maybe he was. ( and then, to keith's back: ) I was kidding —

( welp. here we go, kidlets. )

[marmoron]

[Right, so Allura isn't exactly thrilled with him right now, but he doesn't really know what exactly she wants from him. He was told to pretend this was a mission, so that's exactly what he's doing?? Either way, looking at the directory seems like a solid plan, so he's going to keep heading that way, pausing only to glance over his shoulder at Lance and Allura muttering conspiratorially.

A joke, huh. If he's being honest, he's a little taken aback by that because humor sometimes just goes right over his head and it starts getting awkward real fast, but...]

Well it wasn't very funny.

[He's not miffed at all.]

What're you guys talking about anyway?

[He'll come to a full stop at the store directory. There are... a lot of stores. Like way too many stores in his opinion and he's just going to shoot Allura a glance like please don't tell me you're still thinking about looking at everything.]

[quintessent]

[She's not going to ask why Lance was in a fountain, and even if she did, Keith is catching onto their whispering and she shakes her head, jogging to catch up.]

Is this the whole swap moon?

[Her eyes get a little big because there's a lot here. Almost entirely made of names that she has no idea what they reference. How is this supposed to help again, Keith?]

Why not start here? [She points to a random part of the map, conveniently deep inside of the complex, and where a collection of smaller stores seem to be gathered.] It will be easy to see what is for sale in each store in the center here.

[And if they look at every store along the way then so be it.]

[spazzed]

( it's usually best not to ask why lance does something at any given time — even if that time it had been for the sake of a game system that was super important — but. ) I thought it was funny … ( don't pout, boy. it really wasn't, and all three of you know it.

but honestly, keith. if you've ever been on the outskirts of a fight being the one to watch you run in full-force like your life depended on it? which it generally does? he's pretty much right. not that you've ever been capable of watching yourself work, but. uh. look, never mind. it was funny.

he's bringing up the rear as he goes to catch up to the other two, and when he pauses, he can't help but to be a little bit in awe of just. how many stores there are in this place. he hadn't exactly been paying attention to how expansive swap moons could be on his last trip.

maybe he's kind of siding with keith on this one for a second … because they're going to be here for a long time. ) Looks like as good a place as any. ( because they're literally not going to get anywhere unless they decide on a starting point.

conveniently placed within the mysterious depths. )

[marmoron]

[What is this a pout party? When will all of you learn Keith is immune to your upsid-down smiling....

That aside, he's giving the spot on the map that Allura's indicating a squint,. He looks like he wants to ask why there, but since she's already not thrilled with him for whatever reason, he keeps the question to himself. Instead, he;s going to start reading some of the names of the stores around that area.

Does that help? No. No, it really doesn't because he doesn't recognize any of these store names. He'll repress a sigh.]

Let's get moving then. Don't wanna get chased around the mall for no reason again.

[Grumble grump. Time to head towards the heart of the mall. He'll pointedly be ignoring pretty much everything and anything that isn't their intended destination so if there are any shinies along the way, someone's gonna have to stop him.]

[quintessent]

[She's not thrilled with you because this is supposed to be a fun trip, as payment for using her powers to help you, and so far he's only tried to make it as short as possible.

But that just means there is room for improvement, and she seems happy enough with their next destination, gaping at any interesting bit that catches her eye. The girl doesn't get out on non-diplomatic missions very much,]

I remember Coran talking about your last trip. What did you do to get chased anyway?

[This place doesn't look half as dangerous as Coran was making it out to be.]

[spazzed]

( it's tooootally not a pout party, keith. the fact that they seem to be doing it so close together is purely coincidental.

and of course! keith is barreling ahead like they really are on a mission and now that lance has made that joke and the other has taken it to heart, he regrets it, even though he's pretty sure this has everything to do with someone not having a sense of humor and taking everything literally.

he waves a hand dismissively, like he's about to tell a part of this story like it's no big deal. ) There was this mall cop that was convinced we were space pirates. Guy was out of his mind! ( and some shady dude tries to take keith's marmora blade from him.

which wasn't cool at all. )

The Slav Saga

[marmoron]

[The door to Shiro's unit at the Garrison medical bay slides open. A scowling Keith is wheeled into the room on his very own hospital bed with his right arm now in a brand new cast and sling. He doesn't say a single word as the medics lock his bed in place, but it's obvious that it's not for a lack of things to say.

So his landing was a little less than ideal? It doesn't mean he needs to be supervised, damn it. As the medic turns to leave, Keith mutters.]

I told you already, I don't need to be in here.

[Evidently they've had this conversation before as the sole response this gets is a tired sigh and the door closes quietly behind the medic leaving Keith and Shiro alone in the hospital unit.]

[wingliner]

( maybe keith doesn't really need to be supervised — there's someone out there, surely, he would disagree on that statement entirely, but that's neither here or nor there — but of course the medical staff isn't going to listen to any of those protests. there might be a chance that he goes off and tries jumping out of another window, perhaps to escape the medical bay altogether. we can't have that.

shiro isn't exactly expecting company ( of this sort, anyway ) and he watches as the other is rolled in, locked in place, a worried sort of frown drawing his brows together in a way that is always, always indicative of the worry that threads through him at the thought of something happening to him. it's just a broken arm, sure, but.

he blinks a couple of times, gaze tracking back and forth between keith's arm in a sling and the scowl on his face. go ahead and color him perplexed. ) What happened?

( yep. right down to it. )

[marmoron]

[Yeah, Yeaaaah. He got the message loud and clear the second the medics shoved him in Shiro's room instead of one fo the unoccupied units. God, it's like they think he's behaving completely irrationally or something. People don't have to be hospitalized for a broken arm, they walk around just fine.

But as unpleasant as a broken arm already is, he's fairly certain Shiro's reaction might actually be slightly worse. He gets to his feet and sighs. Good arm's rubbing the back of his neck.]

Nothing crazy. Bad landing.

[wingliner]

( clearly someone? thinks you need to be there? because you are and it's been made very, very clear that you aren't going to be leaving anytime soon.

still. maybe his need of being there has nothing to do with the broken arm itself, but to keep him from doing anything else irrational … or just plain stupid. keith, we thought you might have learned by now.

shiro gives a deadpan sort of stare accompanied by no fewer than three slow blinks before he thinks to answer, letting this sink in because this absolutely is textbook keith ( ™ ) attempting to get out of a reasonable answer because the first question isn't specific enough. ) Bad landing from what, exactly?

( did you stop, drop and roll too hard?

he cares that you're hurt, trust him, but he cares even more that it appears you've been making some questionable choices. )

[marmoron]

[Of course Shiro wasn't about to let it go with just that explanation. Keith's not surprised, but he's still a bit chagrined. Mind you, hestill doesn't exactly regret his escape route or his life choices here, it's more that he wishes he had rolled immediately to disperse more of the momentum instead of absorbing some of it with his arm. Lessons for next time. Because you just never know. There probably will be a next time.

In any event, Keith is grumping his way over to Shiro's bed to sit beside him. Does he want to answer the question and go into the weirdness that has been the last few hours of his life? No, not really. But he knows better than to think Shiro's gonna be deterred from asking with a show of some annoyance.]

Look. [He plops himself down on the side of Shiro's bed. You can hear from the tone of his voice that he'd be crossing his arms if he could, but that sling and cast sure are a bummer.] This is gonna sound weird.

[Didn't you just say "nothing crazy" Keith.]

But I got stuck in a room with Slav. The guy kept trying to talk me into kissing his beak thing because there was mistletoe around.

[LOUD SIGH. Console him, Shiro Life is hard.]

[wingliner]

( you had better believe he's not about to let something like you being carted in with a broken arm go just because you're choosing to be dismissive about the details; there's never going to be a moment in which he doesn't want to make sure keith is safe, he's okay and he's cared for even though he realizes there's no way in any reality anywhere that he could keep an eye on him all the time, but. that doesn't mean he doesn't sometimes wish that was possible.

( see what we did there? mentioning realities? this is some killer buildup, here. )

without thinking, he makes room on the bed for keith to sit beside him — or plop, as he ends up doing — and his expression is one of such curiosity and worry all rolled up into one neat package that he's pretty sure if he beats around the bush much longer, he's going to have to pull whatever it is out of him. just to get to the bottom of things.

he would never do that, at least not really, but. maybe the thought has crossed his mind a time or two. just because lying by omission is a thing that keith has used as a defense mechanism for as long as he's known him.

and whatever astounding, extraordinary, ridiculous thing he could have thought of that might have ended in a broken arm, he. never would have come up with that. never, in his wildest dreams. and you end up having pretty wild dreams after you've been held captive by hostile purple aliens for a year.

he blinks. slowly. but it does not help his understanding of this at all. ) You … what? ( the consoling will begin shortly, don't worry. ) How does something like that even happen?

( the magic of memes, shiro. the magic of memes. )

[marmoron]

[Shiro, please. Your incredulity isn't helpig him feel less Tired here.]

Beats me.

[Cuz yeah, what the fuck was that all about. He doesn't have an explanation for it, probably won't have an explanation for it and he sure as heck isn't about to ask Pidge for a scientific hypothesis here because that would mean having to explain what happened to her as well.]

He was going on about how we were being mind controlled and saying all this weird stuff, so I left. [Through the window. As you do.]

[wingliner]

( out of the two of them, whomst do you think has the most justification in feeling tired? that's right. apology accepted.

maybe he isn't expecting to get an explanation that makes sense, because any situation involving that lunatic is bound to make anyone's head hurt in a handful of minutes spent breathing the same air — but he doesn't think he's ever going to be able to wrap his head around this, wouldn't be able to, even with more of an explanation to go on.

or made sense. you know, whatever. ) You just. Left. ( there is no stopping this incredulity train, keet. you're just going to have to deal with it. ) Something tells me you shouldn't have a broken arm just from leaving.

( is he implying he'd be folding his arms if he wasn't still getting used to this shiny new tech, and is probably in a bit of pain that he isn't about to take pain medication for? maybe. probably. )

[marmoron]

[So he's leaving out a few teeny details here and there, comprehension of the situation is overrated anyway isn't it? But no, in all seriousness, Keith isn't planing on being evasive forever. he's just kinda dreading the look on Shiro's face when the truth does come out.

He glances first at Shiro's arm because that's also a point of concern, and also generally easier to look at for the time being.]

Well... someone messed with the door so that you just got teleported right back under the mistletoe. It didn't exactly leave me with a lot of options.

[...]

How's your arm?

[wingliner]

( a few teeny details is actually all the ones that matter, but … when you really don't want to tell the whole story of something, you'll go to any lengths necessary to keep it to yourself, right?

no one blames you, keith. but there had to have been a better option than jumping out a damned window.

he knows exactly what the younger is going to do once that focus shifts to his arm, and his brows furrow so tightly that a crease develops between them — you know that look, don't you? when his mouth ends up pulling to the side and it looks like he's trying to scowl, but his face doesn't know how?

yes. that one. ) My arm is fine. ( it hurts it hurts it hurts like hell but it's still fine. ) Yours is broken, which is why we're still talking about it. ( oh god he's getting dangerously close to using the dad voice. )

If someone messed with the door, how did you get out?

[marmoron]

[Goddamnit, Shiro. He loves you more than anything, but do you have to make him spell out the thing he knows you're going to judge him for? So what it might be thoroughly justified and maybe he's earned himself a lecture or three about being patient and not making reckless decisions -- the point is that he gets that he might've fucked up a little, and he should be allowed to move on without having his face rubbed in it.

Alas he does know Shiro well enough to know that if he's starting to sound and look like that, he may as well just start digging his metaphorical grave. So he's not going to ask something like do I have to talk about it? or deflect with the obvious point that a broken bone isn't nearly as complicated as recovering from surgery for a prosthetic arm.

Still. He's reluctant as fuck so....]

Take a guess.

[wingliner]

( he loves you too, more than any thing on any planet in any reality — and trust him, he's not taking any measure of delight in seeing you so conflicted about telling him the whole of what happened to find him here in the first place — but even though he has an idea of where this conversation is going to ultimately end up, he. he kind of needs to hear the words from your mouth.

speculation only ever goes so far, you know? still.

but also, just. don't go digging your grave just yet, all right? he might look and sound like he's seconds away from giving a lecture ( maybe something keith is more used to than the rest of them, because he's been putting up with this since ye olden garrison days ), but there's still a tiny bit of leniency in him, and he's going to hold on to the last dregs of it until he's run dry.

he blinks, squints. and then realization dawns on him, because there are only so many exits one can use when the door just isn't an option. ) … Please, don't tell me you jumped out a window.

[marmoron]

[...And there it is, Shiro's inevitable disappointment. He knew this would be the worst part of getting his arm broken. Keith turns his face away, instinctively crossing his arms -- or at least starting to before a jolt of pain stops him from doing so. Wincing:]

I can keep my mouth shut if you really don't want to hear it.

[wingliner]

( it isn't disappointment! we've been through this already!

although if you keep on as hell-bent as you are in continuing to injure yourself, there's probably going to be some mild disappointment mixed in with all that concern and. fussing.

that's what it is.

gently, he reaches out and brushes fingers ( not the prosthetic ones, because honestly despite having his arm settled to the point that it isn't killing him, he hasn't gotten the whole hang of the hovering-appendage thing ) over the uninjured arm, quietly willing him to be still. ) So, you jumped out a window to get out of kissing a beak. ( god, does that sound strange when he says it out loud.

he sighs. slow, and almost calculated. ) At least you had the option of escape.

[marmoron]

Huh?

[See, even through the the gentle touch he'd been prepared to stay a little grouchy because really, he doesn't know how to handle feeling a little ashamed, a little upset with himself. That all goes flying out the window the instant Shiro implies Something Bad Happened to him. Keith jerks back to face the other, concerned.]

What happened to you? Are you okay?

[Well obviously he's okay, they're talking and all, but you know what he means...

DOES HE HAVE TO YELL AT SOMEONE FOR HARASSING/INJURING/INSERT VERB HERE A MAN RECOVERING FROM SURGERY.]

[wingliner]

( he hadn't expected that touch to be enough to get keith out of grump-land — but listen here, keet yeehawson, there's nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to trying to get yourself away from an entity such as slav. he's the reason this one has high blood pressure.

at the tender age of too damned young, but whatever.

and. he had a feeling that once he even alluded to something happening there would be no coming back from it, so. ah. there is no coming back from this, and maybe he flops back on his pillows a little with a sigh ( still, those pillows are garbage and it's not much of a flop as it is a whump ), rubbing at his eyes like he needs the world's longest nap. )

I'm okay, don't worry about that. He, ah … stopped by to visit after my surgery. ( and would not leave despite the insistence that he didn't need to be here.

your turn to console, keet. )

[marmoron]

[Keith watches this sad attempt at a pillowflop with so much concern. There might have been something amusing about this, but with Shiro in dire need of some rest and relaxation, all the humor's been sucked right out of him. Not that he had a whole lot of it to begin with, but...

He reaches out to touch Shiro's good arm.]

What did he want? How long was he in here for?

[That's a frown. Why is the Garrison allowing walking-talking sources of aneurysms into the medical bay? Maybe he does need to be in here after all. You know. To chase people out of a sick man's room, good lord.]

[wingliner]

( there really shouldn't be that much concern for a sad-ass pillow-flop, but … we suppose there's always going to be a lot of concern for shiro where keith is concerned, because that's pretty much how it's always been, and the very same is true in reverse.

these morons are just too concerned with one another. and it's never going to change.

he gives a very tired smile, that's going to do any good at all in reassuring the other that it really hadn't been a big deal, but here he is trying to placate him, anyway. stop worrying so much. your face is going to stick that way. ) Said he wanted to visit. ( a beat. ) He … read to me.

[marmoron]

[Too late, Shiro. Keith already has a chronic cade of resting bitch face, his face has already been ruined. Looking concerned is probably an improvement tbh.

But he wasn't exactly expecting to hear that so now it's his turn to be incredulous.]

...he read to you?

[On the one hand, this is probably better than Slav trying to talk you into kissing him in just about the worst possible way, but on the other we're scraping the bottom ot he barrel for silver linings here.]

Was there something wrong with your eyes?

[HELP HIM UNDERSTAND.]

[wingliner]

( well. well. so he might agree that he has a constant case of resting bitch face, but. he still doesn't want it to stick that way permanently. he likes it when you smile, after all.

and he understands quite well that what has just come out of his mouth sounds about as strange as anything could, and while he's going to do his best to make sure the other understands — let us preface this by admitting that he doesn't fully understand it himself.

but he does have to laugh at that. ) My eyes were fine. ( he ends up chuckling out, and it ends in a bit of a sigh, because just thinking about it makes him tired all over again. ) He said he … owed me one? ( does he sound unsure? because he still is, even now. ) And that he understood humans enjoyed storytime … so he found something at the Garrison library. ( and now he's trying to remember the whole title, because it had been a very long one. ) Something about … ah. Introduction to Differential Geometry … of Space Curves and Surfaces?

( he thinks that sounds right. ) It was a long two hours, Keith.

[marmoron]

[Just blinking a little at this, trying to process all of it, but it's one of those things where the longer you think about it, the more questions you end up having. Slav? Storytime?? Who told him this?? Why would anyone tell him this?? Really the only part of this that makes sense is the book selection....]

... yeah. That sure sounds like an eternity.

[He's still sounding a little too ??? perplexed? to be completely sympathetic here, but the sentiment's a genuine one.]

Did you.. uh... learn anything interesting?

[Good lord is he teasing now. Is that what's happening? ...No just kidding, he's just...assuming that this "storytime" session must've only lasted this long because ....????]

[wingliner]

( you're not the only one still trying to process this, keith. trust him. it happened to him and he's still trying to wrap his head around it, because it still feels kind of like he'd dreamed the whole thing, even if he's pretty sure not even his ptsd-addled brain would have been able to conjure up something that traumatizing.

at the question, he rubs at his eyes again, because just thinking about it makes him tired — but he thinks about it, tries to remember if he'd retained one singular thing from that whole mess, and he finds. that. ) I think I must have blocked most of it out. Or fallen asleep with my eyes open. ( and he looks perplexed, because he genuinely cannot remember a single thing.

other than the sound of that wacky accent droning on and on in the background. )

I can't remember a thing. ( bad shiro. )

uninvited guests ... a prelude to the slav saga

[wingliner]

( he doesn't like be confined to such a small space — read: he doesn't like being forced to stay in bed when he thinks he could make himself so much more useful elsewhere, regardless of the fact that he's just had some pretty major surgery — and it makes him restless in a way that has never really been touched on before, even going back as far as when he'd been held by the galra.

the point is this: he does not like this, even if he has intermittent visitors to break up the monotony of being so confined. the paladins drop in when they have the time, pidge often wanting to talk his ear off about the atlas and hunk asking if he wants him to smuggle in some good food, y'know, because the stuff they have here has to be subpar, right? and it's nice that they think to stop by. even if he still keeps insisting they don't have to go out of their way to do it.

presently, he's dozing. or as much as he can with medical staff swooping in to check on him as they do, near-always when he's finally gotten to the point of being able to close his eyes and get some rest. ( they tell him to rest … and then they keep interrupting it … talk about a moot point. ) which means —

this would be the perfect time for someone that hasn't yet come to visit to slip in unnoticed, wouldn't it? hm. )

[aaaaaaaahh]

[There's some noise at the door. It's barely noticeable at first, but if Shiro pays attention it sounds kind of like... someone performing some kind of dance moves outside. It's repetitive but doesn't seem to be coming closer nor further. Finally it stops.

Then the door opens,]

Ah, Takashi! I was told that you were in need of some company! I would have been here sooner, but there was an uneven number of tiles from the bathroom to your room! Human architects have no idea what they are doing!

[Slav comes bustling in, a small bag slung across his back.]

I am not sure why I am the man for the job, but as they say: I owe you one!

[wingliner]

( he. honestly had been resting — but rest never comes easy when your name is takashi shirogane, and he's always been something of a light sleeper, so. when that rustling begins outside he finds himself looking toward the door a little bit expectantly, a little bit confusedly —

and once he sees just who had been prancing on the other side of the threshold, a whole lot of alarmedly.

he doesn't say anything for a second, maybe two or three or a whole ten, blinking away the utter confusion that would probably come across as rude to anyone that isn't slav, because if the past has taught us anything, he's oblivious to things like that. ) … Were you? ( shiro, wait. ) You were. ( that is so not better.

he clears his throat, wondering what's in that bag slung across his back but being smart enough not to ask, tries to sit up a little straighter against the pillows at his back. which is impossible, if you've ever had to do such a thing yourself. hospital pillows are garbage. ) You don't have to stay, really — not that I don't appreciate you coming by, because I do — I just know how busy you are … ( yikes.

wait, no.

)

[aaaaaaaahh]

[Luckily for both of them, there's a chair next to Shiro's bed and Slave climbs his way up there, crossing a pair of pudgy arms over his body.[

You have no idea how busy I am! Here I am, working on a Fractional Heat Electrolysis Multigrinder, then the next thing I know the Psionic Megalathe is making that weird sound again- I told the others that they needed to always rotate it in a clockwise direction, but it is always up to Slav to do the hard work. It cannot be helped, now I am forced to wait while the megalathe is fixed so here I am!

[He sighs, setting the back on his lap and gets to work rooting around in it,]

But I only have two vargas, so we had better get started!

[wingliner]

( why is that lucky. why would that be lucky for anyone.

but there he is, settling into that chair and shiro can feel himself getting older by the second, but at least he's actively trying to keep his face from doing a thing. an i-really-appreciate-you-being-here-but-none-of-this-is-necessary-and-you-kind-of-make-me-feel-like-i'm-having-a-stroke-when-you-keep-talking-so-please-for-the-sake-of-my-blood-pressure-consider-taking-your-leave thing.

except it's probably already doing that thing. record time, slav. wonderful job. ) A whole two vargas, huh. ( sigh. long-suffering sigh. suffering-the-longest sigh. the longest suffering sigh? there are entirely too many dashes in this narrative. ) That must feel like forever when you're waiting.

( or when there's a lunatic in your room rooting around in his bag for something, for presumably the next two hours. ) Um, what exactly are we getting started on?

[aaaaaaaahh]

[It's lucky because now you get to be blessed with Slav's radiant personality.]

Well, I have been told that humans enjoy story-time when they are trying to rest and so that is what I am here to do- aha!

[And out from the haversack comes... a book. But instead of what looks like a story book or even a childrens book, it's a thick tomb, almost half the width of Slav himself.]

And are you in for a treat, I did not think the Garrison's library would have it, but to my surprise- [He holds up the textbook,] Introduction to Differential Geometry of Space Curves and Surfaces! It is one of my favorites!

[wingliner]

( blessed. yes. that's definitely one way to put it, if you felt so inclined.

he really, really isn't sure what he's supposed to be expecting — surely it wouldn't have been something as simple as a children's book, because that would be asking too much of a universe that clearly hates him — but what comes out of that bag is something that ends up finding his eyes going wide, because of all things, maybe … that was one of the things lowest on the list. maybe.

( always be prepared, takashi. always be prepared. )

he takes in a breath. ) It — ( and he exhales. ) It's one of your favorites. ( and oh, does he have that patient dad face. you know the one. the one that comes around when your kid presents you with a drawing of something that is supposed to be a butterfly or maybe a tree or a ladybug and all you can do is say i love it and put it up on the fridge. )

I'm all ears. ( he really is a trooper. )

[aaaaaaaahh]

Just as a forewarning: much of this is still very rudimentary understanding of Space Curves. The earthlings have learned a lot from the Alteans, but this book is from before.

[He laughs,] But it is a cute story anyway.

[Anyway. Slav settles in the seat beside Shiro, opening the book to the first page,]

Ahem- Differential geometry is a branch of mathematics that largely employs methods and techniques of other branches of mathematics such as differential and integral calculus, topology, and tenor analysis to investigate geometrical issues related to abstract objects, such as space curves and surfaces, and their properties where these investigations are mostly focused on these properties at small scales. The investigations of differential geometry also include characterizing categories of-

Oh I forgot to ask. Do you prefer it if I read using funny voices, or are you more interested in the story?

[Kids these days.]