Allies?

[neverseenhimbefore]

Galran Emperor Lotor's sitting in a library. No, he still hasn't read everything Nexus has to offer, many very interesting and potentially beneficial to him, materials. His jaw set, he's looking at his PINPoint communicator intensely. A young man, whom some may recognise as Hiroki Shirogane, comes up to Lotor and makes to sit near him. Lotor gives Hiroki a scathing look.

"I've told you already," Lotor says. His hand goes to the hilt of his sword.

Heeding this lack of invitation, Shirogane doesn't sit down. Instead, he comes very close to Lotor, anyway, and whispers in his ear,

"You really don't want to? Think of it. All the secrets. All the knowledge. In your reach, right here. Or, are you, perhaps, afraid?"

Lotor smirks, and says, "You should be quiet now. What makes you think I need your help, in any way? And I won't be as merciful with you as I was with a friend of mine. Seeing as you are no friend of mine. Only a false ally, it's turned out."

"You mean Narti."

Lotor's eyes widen, and he asks, after almost gasping a little, "How do you know that name?"

"Lotor, please. I know everything. That's what I've been telling you all this morning."

"Fine. But you seem different."

"In what way?"

"Are you yourself?" Lotor asks.

"And would I be here, making this alliance, were I not?" the clone counters.

"Fair point. You may be right."

"I'm always right. So. You want it, don't you, Lotor?"

"Yes. Tell me everything. And we'll defeat the witch and get her Quintessence, together."

"Yeah! That's more like it. That's the Emperor Lotor I know," Hiroki says, smiling pleasantly.

Lotor smirks, and utters, "Indeed. And since you're my subject now, I'll show you mercy and, well, amnesty for your previous crimes as the witch's former puppet."

"Thank you," Shiro's clone replies, putting his hand on Lotor's shoulder, "I appreciate it."

"Who else is with us?" Lotor asks.

"Naturally," the clone answers, "Princess Allura and Antheans."

"Who are Antheans? I've never heard of them," Lotor says, puzzled. "And Allura's back in Nexus?" he asks, hopeful.

"Your new allies, Your Majesty. And indeed she is. She can't wait to see you again."

"Hm. I like the sound of it. However, those Antheans of yours, what are they good for?"

Lotor and the clone are in the library, still, and minding their manners, trying not to talk too loudly. However, as it is a library, feel free to scold them if they're disturbing you.

Or feel free to join the conversation if you get what they're talking about, or even if not.

Comments

[ginger_firebird]

He's not an 'it'. You may be against the witch, but you're not much better than her if you can't see when a human being is sitting in front of you. Mantis shakes his head.

He's stunned by the silence, having expected noise other than a void. His eyes narrow and he tries pressing in deeper. She has to be in there, else he would be hearing Hiroki's thoughts. "She's using you as a conduit, Hiroki. How many people do you control like this? I knew a man like you, years ago, who went out of his way to use everyone around him because he was too afraid to fight on his own. You're as much of a coward as he was."

1/2

[neverseenhimbefore]

Lotor raises his arms in surrender.

"Fine, there are things I don't know about. I can learn. Do not paint me as a villain, for I'm not my father. I've been trying to follow the notes my late mother's left."

"She had found the infinite source of energy. Without hurting anyone. The infinite Quintessense, flowing free, in the Space between the Realities. An uninhabited space - ah, except Dark Entities, that is, but they're not people. And can be defeated by the Voltron Lions easily."

"A weapon I'm making is like another Voltron. Can go to the space between and bring Quintessence. Quintessence that is fought over in all the Realities I know. But when an infinite source is there, there'll be no more war. Shi--Hiroki, you know it. I've explained this and more to Voltron team. Tell them, please, my friend."

2/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Hiroki hesitates a little, then says,

"No wonder Allura had fallen deeply in love with you, Prince Lotor. And I had also fallen, I think, or else maybe fresh newborn shade of her motherly love for the young man had confused me instead."

Hiroki turns to Antheans.

"Lotor believes what he's saying. I know he does. He thinks himself an Altean Messiah. Good for him. But he's a conceited brat, and he's left a trail of victims. Innocents!! Just... let's just not talk to the Prince again."

"Emperor," Lotor corrects at that, quietly.

[sordiddetails]

"You mean you're following the notes of the woman possessing people and injuring them for her own benefit." Aletayria sighs.. no wonder he was doing the same. "The one we just drove away."

"Except you are killing the entities that inhabit that space when you get there, and killing people now to make something to get there and kill them. That's the behavior of ruthless conqueror."

The whole situation is starting to give the Antheans a headache; metaphorically and literally. Lotor's correction to Emperor gets an eye roll from Tommy who interjects just as quietly. "Asshole."

Aletayria had never heard him use a human swear and looks curious.

[neverseenhimbefore]

"Honerva's old notes. Not the witch's!"

Some irritation, old grief, confusion, and stubborn denial get through mental barrier unstopped. His marks glow - energy surge, inward - and then vanish.

Hiroki does not comment.

1/2

[somekindofspaceuncle]

If Mantis goes deep enough, he can hear, in mind, a whisper from real Hiroki.

Mantis? Is it you? Leave, please. I've made a deal with the witch. She wanted Ziggy, so... I've... offered mysel--

2/2 meanwhile outside

[neverseenhimbefore]

"A coward?" Lotor asks. "You know nothing. I am no coward! And if a puppet is a puppet again, then maybe that's all it's ever been."

"If the witch possessed this thing", Lotor says, pointing at the clone, "again and again... why, surely it has no will of its own. Otherwise it could just commit a suicide, in order not to have her inside. But no. Clearly it doesn't mind HER presence. AKA... IT is a coward!"

Lotor says, sounding utterly certain, now.

[sordiddetails]

"Fine." Aletayria snaps. "It doesn't matter if you believe Honerva and the witch are the same. The truth is, you're both working from the same notes. Only a fool would expect different outcomes."

Tommy is watching and shrugs nonchalantly. "You're infested with the same things she uses to possess and injure people."

[neverseenhimbefore]

Lotor's thinking now. So intently that some thoughts get through. Perhaps he doesn't even mind.

Where'd it come from? Perhaps, when Allura and I were in the Rift, in the Quintessence Field, an entity could've latched onto me. That'd make sense. However, it didn't possess me. Because of my mental strength?

He's silent, for now.

Hiroki, meanwhile, is busy checking on Ziggy and isn't listening or watching Lotor anymore. Lotor doesn't matter, right now.

[sordiddetails]

Aletayria and Tommy can both hear him clearly. It is Tommy that speaks up.

"Hiroki didn't know he was possessed. You probably wouldn't know either."

Aletayria also has something to say on this matter. "It came to your defense like hers, which means you are more like the witch than not. The two entities felt nearly identical."

Meanwhile in the real world, Tom has come into the library and completely ignores Lotor. Instead he joins Hiroki and frowns. "His ribs are broken. What happened?"

Then he freezes to stare at Hiroki's arm. How the hell did that grow back?

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"It all happened in Quintessence. I mean, inside. In spirit. Zi---Ziggy defended me. Saved me. Saved me from Dark Entities that Honerva left behind. I... I couldn't--- It's all my fault," Hiroki utters, with difficulty, in reply to Tom's question.

He's clearly exhausted, and his breathing's laboured, though it'd be hard to say why, exactly.

"I-- I should've protected Ziggy, instead. But... but Ziggy d-didn't let me when I--- when I tried. Why...?"

"I-- I love Ziggy... I wish Ziggy didn't love me---! then Ziggy'd just... would be safer... and happier..."

And yes, Hiroki has two arms now. Two flesh arms at that. He hasn't really noticed that, really, either, even though he's using them both now to check on Ziggy.

Lotor meanwhile looks offended. Very much so.

[hellomajortom]

Tom smiles at Hiroki and laughs jovially despite the circumstances. "No, that's probably my fault. His mother's always saying he acts just like me."

Tom shakes his head. "Don't ever wish that. Some day you might not have him and you'll regret it." Tom had those kinds of regrets from when Ziggy nearly died.


He just takes the arm in stride since it seems normal enough. "We should get him back to the town house. You should learn Anthean first aid anyway."

Then tom sees the offended look and scowls. He already hates Lotor even if they have never met. Unfortunately, his wife's poor opinion has swayed his views already.

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I...I will learn, sir!"

Hiroki stands up, carrying Ziggy bridal style, gently. He looks like he can barely breathe, much less do anything else, but he does it, just grunting from effort. And if anybody said he's exhausted, he'd think them mad. Ziggy's exhausted, not Hiroki, surely.

He then glances at Lotor, then at Antheans, and says, "I've told Ziggy not to talk to Lotor! He promised he won't. Why the Quiznak are we all talking to an evil emperor??"

[hellomajortom]

At the comment from Hiroki both Antheans disappear, as they were only astral projections.

"I can teach you the basics for now." Tom walks with Hiroki to support him if needed while he carries Ziggy out to the car. Tom is going to be asking in depth questions about that person they left in the library, the one who seemed linked to the injury of his family.

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Hiroki might look as if he should collapse just from standing, but, well. Adrenaline? He was carrying Ziggy bridal style now, but can give him to Tom if Tom wants to.

And since it's just a walk to car, no problem with walking.

"Mhm... please teach me."

Also, Hiroki might have a fever right now. Doesn't mean he can't learn stuff, though.

[hellomajortom]

Tom won't even try. He knows if that was his partner he wouldn't let anyone else carry them. It was part of his personality that he went with whether Hiroki felt the same.

"I'll show you as soon as we are to the house. All you have to do in the car is make sure if he starts trying to vomit to turn him on his side."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Shirogane carries Ziggy, then. And he wouldn't want to part with him now, but the major is the father, so, if he had to-- but yes.

Bridal carrying Ziggy to the car.

He nods, yeah, he knows what to do in case of vomit.

"I'm so sorry," he mutters. "I thought, I only thought I can keep her away from Ziggy. I only..."

[hellomajortom]

Tom pats Hiroki's shoulder in fatherly encouragement. "He's just like his mother. You can try to protect them but they've both got a mind of their own. I used to try with her all the time and gave up."

He opens the door to the classic car he drives around the Nexus. "The best you can do is stand beside them because neither of them are going to let you force them to stay in the background."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Hiroki sets Ziggy on a car seat, and then says something - in Altean. He then realises that, and that he said it in such a way that whatever translates in Nexus hasn't picked up on it, so he repeats in English now.

"I mean, I shall always stand by my Princess. Ziggy."

"If I were anything near sane, I'd worship Ziggy as a god or goddess Ziggy certainly is, not love Ziggy as I do. But I can't help loving Ziggy."

"Then again, for example, Arusians worship Voltron Lions as gods, and I don't consider myself a god's pilot."

Shiro's Clone smiles a little.

[hellomajortom]

"I think it's more sane to fall in love than worship someone." Tom was heading around the car so he could get in the driver's side. "And I say that as someone who is religious."

Tom starts to laugh. "In my universe, my wife's people visiting Earth was what kicked off the religion I follow. It's strange to realize that my wife could be the image of my God."

"It's odd though that it doesn't happen more often in a multiverse like this."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"Yeah."

"Hey, sir? Remember how I told you about Honerva, Zarkon, Rift between Realities and all that? I think Honerva must've gotten pregnant with Lotor shortly after or before the Rift."

"Anyway, not Lotor's fault, but I never wanna see'im again. Saw way too much of him in my short life. Damn, for back home, for weeks, I wanted to see him - so much so that I began to wonder if I'm falling in love with the prince."

"But that was not me. And not him. Anyway... I don't want to see him."

[hellomajortom]

Tom has seen his fair share of trauma, experienced it himself. Hes not sure what to make of what Hiroki is saying but accepts it anyway.

"I don't want to see any of them." Tom confirms as he starts to drive. "Do you want to come to our house or go to the townhouse?"

[ginger_firebird]

To what degree it will work, Mantis does not presently care, but he's going to roll his eyes and his soul before shoving Lotor back where he sits, chair and all. When you have his degree of psychic strength, toppling someone that small is simple, and it opens the floor for Mantis to crouch properly in front of Hiroki and work his own kind of magic.

Still in Hiroki's mind, he's trying to get a grip on the faded presence of Hiroki's mind. There's got to be some leverage he can use now that he's gotten this deep. Some kind of leverage that will put him on top over what Honerva can do... He takes a deep breath physically and does a sort of psychic equivalent of grabbing someone by the shoulders and pulling with a great deal of strength.

Don't give in. Fight her back and follow my lead. Once you're free, I can chase her out.

[neverseenhimbefore]

Lotor reacts quickly, after the push, or even during it, rushing at Mantis, fast, but then he hesitates and doesn't try to strike, not sure whether Mantis is an enemy or just an extremely impolite ally.

So he stops and looks at Mantis carefully, warily.

What do you want? a thought, of Lotor's, gets through Lotor's mind barrier. Because he's almost ready to ask that outloud, but not quite, yet.

Meanwhile, deep inside Hiroki's mind resists Mantis's grabbing.

No, he answers, I'm sorry, Mantis, I can't. If she doesn't have me, she'll take Ziggy. She said she will. So I can't. Go away. You'll just ruin everything!

[ginger_firebird]

I want to stop people like Honerva. Mantis mentally glances back over his shoulder, sending a fair amount of bile with the thought towards Lotor. He doesn't have patience anymore for the purple-skinned man. Maybe if you paid attention, you'd learn how to use your powers for something other than conversation. Help me or leave me alone, but make a real choice.

Mantis sighs and shakes his head in the real world. He sinks his grip on Hiroki's mind and pulls harder, his fingers flexing as he attempts to add greater strength into freeing the man in front of him.

And you. You're being an idiot. Giving in to her needs doesn't make anything better. You're only going to make it easier for her to win over someone else who would be weak to your face. Even if you can't win, make her earn the victory. A snake with it's head cut off can still bite. Now shut up and let me help you. Don't you dare underestimate me!