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

[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?"

[somekindofspaceuncle]

"I..."

"I'm tired."

He doesn't think he has it in himself to make any kind of decision right now.

"I'm so tired. Just, you just make sure you're all safe, please."

[hellomajortom]

"Rest." Tom tells the young man and starts toward his own house. He will feel safer that way. "When we get to the house you can come inside and rest with Ziggy. We still have the room you two shared when you came back to the Nexus."

[somekindofspaceuncle]

Hiroki nods and he's going to make his way over there slowly.

He throws Major Tom Jones a gratefull look. This whole family, they're all so good to him. And it makes him feel, anew, as if his (after)life matters to others, too. He's pretty sure that, subconsciously, the very first time he had felt that way, had been discovering feeling that way, had been way back when a year ago, with his Voltron family, too, only back then he didn't get that he was making a discovery, in his mind, because, well, one can't discover what one already knows, right? But there's a difference between knowing from 'data', so to speak, he knows now, and knowing for oneself. So, emotionally, he had been discovering 'family' back then. Love. He didn't know he was discovering, because he had all the memories of Shiro to lull him into the feeling that he already knew all that, but, yeah, that what had been happening, from the moment he's first (as he now knows) seen Keith and Keith's such palpable relief that he almost felt as if he could touch it, back then at first, relief at finding him alive in that Galra shuttle. Barely, but alive. Nowadays Hiroki knows that it was the first positive emotion towards himself that he had felt in his life.

And now, too. Some of the first times meeting Ziggy were a bit like that, if slightly less extreme. (Though with Ziggy, everything was extreme.) Now, too, Hiroki was discovering all those things for himself. And being a fool in the process, because honestly, nothing would stop Honerva from possessing Ziggy later? What utter idiocy, trying to negotiate with the witch... Hiroki decided to never do that again.

Whatever else's happened to him, it's not like he's unlucky, Hiroki realises. He's had the luck to land himself in two wonderful families, now. That's something! More than something.

"You do? That's good. I can't leave Ziggy, and I think it's best if he stays with you, too, so-- good."

Yes, he can't, won't leave Ziggy, no matter what. It's a good thing that the Major seems to accept that even now.

Hiroki nods.

"Good..."

He's really exhausted.

[hellomajortom]

Tom drives and just allows the boys to sleep in the back if that is what they need. He can't imagine how tiring the encounter must have been. He has no problem driving the short distance in silence.

Pulling up he checks the back, and if necessary will carry Hiroki inside as well as Ziggy. Either way, his goal is to get them in an comfortable to rest.