[Truly, there is so much to be remembered. What came to him, though, is rife with information to untangle.]
It was... Hunk and I going out on a mission, but before we left, I also saw Pidge and Lance, too. [Along with a few faces he hasn't seen around before, but those ones seemed the most relevant, and it's... incredibly frustrating to think that they've left this place before Keith had the chance to remember them for good.] All of us, we were a team, weren't we?
[ Oh. That was probably... the Weblum, huh. Shiro nods slowly. He wonders what's going through Keith's mind right now, or when he woke up remembering. In all honesty, Shiro's a little--let's face it, more than a little--angry at whatever's decided Keith can remember all of this.
It's so much. Too much, he thinks. ]
We were, yeah. We worked pretty well together, too.
[As Much as it may be, there's a kind of relief in safely getting the information. It wouldn't have taken him very long at all to piece together Pidge and Shiro being friends plus himself and Shiro being friends meaning the chances he knew Pidge being incredibly high. If he figured it out like that, would it have put them in danger...?
Lightly, he brings a hand up to touch his left shoulder, where the name Pidge had given him was up until a very short time ago.]
That explains a lot, honestly. [And it brings to mind something from much, much longer ago.] When I first ran into Lance here, he mentioned something about... us needing to be a team? I had no idea what he was talking about, I really thought he was just being weird, but now that makes sense.
[ He nods. That... sounds like Lance, honestly. Shiro thinks about the Lance he'd first met: determined to prove himself, constantly butting heads with Keith. He's proud of Lance, for seeing the value in teamwork. It's nothing he hasn't seen. But when he reflects on it, he's happy.
He folds his hands on the table in front of him. ]
Yeah. It was probably confusing, at first, right? [ He tilts his head slightly with a hint of a smile. ] A total stranger telling you that you needed to do this thing.
Way too confusing. The two of us weren't even assigned to work together in the first place, it was so reckless. [Pot, kettle... at least he can thank his past self for being such a dismissive little shit as to not let himself dwell on it and instead just be bitter about it for a while. He huffs slightly before continuing, no sense in dwelling on it now.] He... did seem pretty distressed, though. [Oh.] All of that makes sense now, at least.
[But, there's not a lot of bite to his words. That's just how he is, right? From what little he actually remembered of Lance, that's just par for the course.
And then Shiro says that, and it's not hard to piece together the implications. Just because he was leagues better at hiding it doesn't mean he wouldn't have been terribly upset about getting to heaven to find Keith as a shinki. Lance, too, later on... it must have been a lot to bear.
It's probably still a lot to bear.]
I'm sorry. [There's nothing he can really do about his fate and status here, but facing someone who was affected to hard by it, an apology is the least he can offer.] I'm... honestly really glad you're here, but I'd never want to put you in a position like this.
[ Ah... Keith's apologizing, and he really doesn't have to. He's the last person who should. Shiro looks at him seriously as he shakes his head. ]
I never blamed you, Keith. I know you'd never forget me, or want to. [ He can say that with the utmost confidence. ] It was never your fault. And I was never upset with you.
I know you'd never. [Though, he might argue that it was probably his own fault that he went and died. Not that he has any basis to argue it, so he won't say as much.] It's just not, you know, very fair. [To either of them, but definitely not to Shiro.]
I'm glad I remember now, and that you're here. [If all of this had come back to him without Shiro here to talk to, he's not sure how well he would have been able to cope with all of that information.] Knowing more about you like this... I'm sure I can do a better job of protecting you while you're here.
And I know for a fact I'll be able to trust you to do the same.
[ He chuckles and nudges him on back. It always strikes him how proud he is of Keith. He's always known his potential, but... seeing him having come into his own is good. ]
[At the question, he takes a second to regard his coffee, giving it a brief stare-down as he thinks. There are a few things he wants confirmed, but before asking them outright, he wants to stir them around in his mind a little. Figure out what's safe to ask, and how to ask them without slipping Shiro up into revealing too much.
He knows Shiro wouldn't ever intentionally hurt him, but he wants to be careful too.]
A couple. [At least.] I'm not... totally human, right?
[If the things he and Shiro talked about are any hint, getting the full memory of his trip to the weblum with Hunk was certainly enlightening.]
[Shiro's words bring a small smile to his face. That isn't something he was ever worried about, not particularly. If the one clear string of memories he recalled were any indication, this revelation was mostly... something that the rest of the team just needed some time to get used to. Hopefully.
His expression thins a little, but he feels like chasing down the resolution to how everyone else felt about it would be very unwise. It's... not important right now, anyway. The other paladins who have arrived here treated him well enough, he doesn't need to dwell on it past that.]
I know you of all people wouldn't care about something like that. [Despite everything he's been through, he can count on that part of Shiro to never change.]
[ He returns the smile, quiet and warm. Even if Keith isn't completely human, who cares? Not him. Technically, Shiro isn't human either. It's still strange, thinking of his body as that of a clone's. At least Haggar had done something good, and given him a future without realizing it.
But still... it's bittersweet. ]
You're still Keith. Still the same Keith who suggested we stack the lions on top of each other to form Voltron.
Keith doesn't remember the event clearly, but he does recall Shiro responding to it, saying it's worth a shot. Like a lot of things, he can piece together knowledge of things they've talked about, things he's seen here in the Far Shore along with the more defined memory that came to him. He knows the lions, he's seen all five of them at some point now, but Voltron itself remains something of a mystery. A blank spot in his mind. He can, at least, imagine what the bunch of them sitting on top of each other might look like. That... had been an awfully long time ago, hadn't it? A lot has happened to the both of them since then, and while Keith's particular circumstances lead it to feeling even farther in the past than it may for Shiro, it really does feel like... a whole lifetime ago at this point.
He nods with a soft laugh that dissolves into a vaguely melancholy feeling as a few implications settle on his mind with the lions in particular being brought up.]
Red... isn't actually mine anymore, right? [He keeps his tone even, but it's a sad conclusion to come to. The lion had been so vital to him, even just during his time here, but the more he thinks about it, the more sense it honestly makes.]
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It was... Hunk and I going out on a mission, but before we left, I also saw Pidge and Lance, too. [Along with a few faces he hasn't seen around before, but those ones seemed the most relevant, and it's... incredibly frustrating to think that they've left this place before Keith had the chance to remember them for good.] All of us, we were a team, weren't we?
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It's so much. Too much, he thinks. ]
We were, yeah. We worked pretty well together, too.
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Lightly, he brings a hand up to touch his left shoulder, where the name Pidge had given him was up until a very short time ago.]
That explains a lot, honestly. [And it brings to mind something from much, much longer ago.] When I first ran into Lance here, he mentioned something about... us needing to be a team? I had no idea what he was talking about, I really thought he was just being weird, but now that makes sense.
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He folds his hands on the table in front of him. ]
Yeah. It was probably confusing, at first, right? [ He tilts his head slightly with a hint of a smile. ] A total stranger telling you that you needed to do this thing.
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[ Shiro exhales, folding his hands on the table in front of him. ]
I can understand how he felt, though.
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[But, there's not a lot of bite to his words. That's just how he is, right? From what little he actually remembered of Lance, that's just par for the course.
And then Shiro says that, and it's not hard to piece together the implications. Just because he was leagues better at hiding it doesn't mean he wouldn't have been terribly upset about getting to heaven to find Keith as a shinki. Lance, too, later on... it must have been a lot to bear.
It's probably still a lot to bear.]
I'm sorry. [There's nothing he can really do about his fate and status here, but facing someone who was affected to hard by it, an apology is the least he can offer.] I'm... honestly really glad you're here, but I'd never want to put you in a position like this.
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I never blamed you, Keith. I know you'd never forget me, or want to. [ He can say that with the utmost confidence. ] It was never your fault. And I was never upset with you.
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[ Mirroring his thoughts, unconsciously. Shiro gives him a little smile. ]
But what's fair or not... dwelling on it won't do anyone any good. Besides, you remember now. That's more than I could ever ask for.
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I'm glad I remember now, and that you're here. [If all of this had come back to him without Shiro here to talk to, he's not sure how well he would have been able to cope with all of that information.] Knowing more about you like this... I'm sure I can do a better job of protecting you while you're here.
And I know for a fact I'll be able to trust you to do the same.
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I'm glad, too. [ Keith... he laughs low, soft. ] You've been doing great, Keith. I have no complaints at all, so don't sell yourself so short.
[ Pot, kettle. ]
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[Will he be Truly Satisfied with his work until Shiro doesn't ever have to be put in dangerous situations to begin with? Debatable.]
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I could say the same for myself. [ A smile, encouraging and just enough self-deprecation. That's just how he be. ] So... we both improve together.
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I could always get strong enough to keep the both of us safe. [Is... is he joking? He could be serious. He might mean it for real.]
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[ He chuckles softly. ]
I don't want you to hurt your back from carrying all those burdens.
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[And, here, he playfully elbows at Shiro, as if to say, 'unlike some people'.]
Besides, it's not like I'd ever think of protecting you as a burden.
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Fair enough. You're pretty good at it, anyway.
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[But... could he do more? Probably!!
Rather than get into all of that right now, though, let's just worry about what's going on now: their meals and drinks.]
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And what do you know, there's their food and drinks! Shiro thanks the waiter, and he takes a sip of coffee. ]
So... any burning questions?
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He knows Shiro wouldn't ever intentionally hurt him, but he wants to be careful too.]
A couple. [At least.] I'm not... totally human, right?
[If the things he and Shiro talked about are any hint, getting the full memory of his trip to the weblum with Hunk was certainly enlightening.]
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Not completely.
[ He sips his coffee. ]
But it never changed how I looked at you.
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His expression thins a little, but he feels like chasing down the resolution to how everyone else felt about it would be very unwise. It's... not important right now, anyway. The other paladins who have arrived here treated him well enough, he doesn't need to dwell on it past that.]
I know you of all people wouldn't care about something like that. [Despite everything he's been through, he can count on that part of Shiro to never change.]
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[ He returns the smile, quiet and warm. Even if Keith isn't completely human, who cares? Not him. Technically, Shiro isn't human either. It's still strange, thinking of his body as that of a clone's. At least Haggar had done something good, and given him a future without realizing it.
But still... it's bittersweet. ]
You're still Keith. Still the same Keith who suggested we stack the lions on top of each other to form Voltron.
[ an idea yOU AGREED TO SHIRO ]
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Keith doesn't remember the event clearly, but he does recall Shiro responding to it, saying it's worth a shot. Like a lot of things, he can piece together knowledge of things they've talked about, things he's seen here in the Far Shore along with the more defined memory that came to him. He knows the lions, he's seen all five of them at some point now, but Voltron itself remains something of a mystery. A blank spot in his mind. He can, at least, imagine what the bunch of them sitting on top of each other might look like. That... had been an awfully long time ago, hadn't it? A lot has happened to the both of them since then, and while Keith's particular circumstances lead it to feeling even farther in the past than it may for Shiro, it really does feel like... a whole lifetime ago at this point.
He nods with a soft laugh that dissolves into a vaguely melancholy feeling as a few implications settle on his mind with the lions in particular being brought up.]
Red... isn't actually mine anymore, right? [He keeps his tone even, but it's a sad conclusion to come to. The lion had been so vital to him, even just during his time here, but the more he thinks about it, the more sense it honestly makes.]
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