fablelands | open log!

Entry tags:

open log!

Who: Lance and anyone!
What: Arriving, mostly, and trying to find people and not die.
Where: Northern Drifts and then the Lake area.
When: Early/middle of October
Warnings: None so far!

Northern Drifts:

[ What wakes him was the cold. Lance hadn't had the luck to be dropped indoors, and while his armor keeps him safe from pretty extreme temperatures, he doesn't have a helmet at the moment, so his face is getting snowed on. Snowed on. He's not used to snow! Not even a little!

After minimal time of getting his bearings, which is mostly to say, to his feet, he starts calling out for his teammates. ] What the... guys?! Keith? Hunk, Pidge, Allura? ... Anyone?

[ Resounding, snow-blanketed silence. He only briefly scans the contents of the pack, noticing his clothes and the rations, but not much else beyond that. It alarms him a little, after a moment, that it seems he's unarmed. He can't find his weapon, and the communicator on his suit's not working... but he also hasn't seen anything hostile yet. So he slings his pack over his shoulders and starts searching, picking a direction and sticking to it as much as he's able.

Once he gets to the cabins, he starts knocking on doors, and opening them when there's no answer, but nothing here really seems lived in. Periodically he still calls out a name or two, but the longer he keeps trying, the more he loses hope of anyone answering.

Eventually he slumps against a cabin wall, sighing, looking up at the sky. ] Come on...

The Great Lake:

[ The way is both longer and shorter than he expected. The climate changes so abruptly it kind of confuses him, but the snow gives way to green and then there's water. And there's people-- at least he's pretty sure he saw a someone or two on the banks of the lake, just too far away for him to recognize, or even be sure whether or not they're human.

So now he's having a field day using his jetpack to hop from tall tree to tall tree, keeping a vantage point and trying to find out where people might live around here. Of course that's not exactly a subtle approach. ]

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Yeah.

[That really is all there is to say to that. Nothing to add to it, either. He doesn't get it... But he doubts they will get any new information by just standing here.

Still, he does look at Lance, at the last thing he says.]

He looked human...?

[... Then again, maybe finding out more won't make them understand more, after all. In fact, maybe it will only make them understand less.]

[ Time to start walking, then, right? Lance thinks so. ] Might as well get a closer look, right?

[ He shrugs at the question. ] Yeah. I mean, as far as I could tell he was human, but then, you look human, and you're half galra, and Allura and Coran can probably look totally human if they try. So, you know. [ Grain of salt and all that. ]

Yeah. [Keith is quick to follow the movement, but walking, it turns out, feels harder now than what it felt before. He tightens the hold of his blade, attempting to distract himself from the dull pain and dizziness. He hates this. It definitely feels like he could use a break, but if the others are in trouble...

He tries to focus on the path, instead. And on what they are talking about.

What Lance says makes sense. It's hard to tell, for sure. ... He is pretty sure he is the only half-Galra half-human there is. But, who knows. Could be wrong.] ... I guess.

[ Lance kind of expects Keith to fall into step with him. But there's a pause there, a strain he can see on Keith's face. A very determined kind of focus.

Keith did say he's okay, though, so what else is he supposed to do but take his word for it? ... At least, he's not going to try for a particularly quick pace. Sure, the others might be here, might be in trouble, but... if Keith isn't okay, pushing him won't help anybody.

He makes sure he doesn't get ahead of him, so he can keep him at least in his peripheral vision, and keeps talking. ] Another thing I don't get is... we definitely didn't crash here. When I woke up I, you know? I didn't feel like anything had happened. And we've crashed or crashed into things and all that a dozen times before.

[Talking, surprisingly enough, helps. Helps keep him focused and distracted at the same time, focused on the here and now of things and where they are going and what they are doing and distracted enough from how uncomfortable it is to move, how heavy his head feels, how painful his back, arms and face are.]

Yeah. I didn't feel like it, either. [Like anything had happened at all.] Besides, I couldn't find Black anywhere. [He looks at Lance, just slightly ahead of him.] I couldn't--... Can't even feel him.

[ It's a good thing it helps. Lance still keeps one eye on Keith and one on the environment, hoping they'll find the others soon. ... Hoping they're fine, and that they find somewhere Keith can rest. He nods at what Keith is saying, swallowing. ]

Yeah. I can't sense Red at all either. There's just nothing there. It's like we're cut off, or somewhere totally different. ... And I mean, for some reason I woke up with my head on the backpack, like I was taking a nap. That's not a thing that happens at random.

[Somewhere totally different... Could that be it? But then-- How? Why?

Keith is about to agree - what else can he say, really? - when Lance carries on and. ... Well. He can't help but snicker.] Seriously? [There's that mild-teasing tone again.] You waking up with your head on a backpack or you taking a nap?

[ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ space science magic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ which is to say... your guess is as good as his.

And then Keith is snickering at him. Lance gestures, chest plate or no, clearly offended. ] What? Look, if I had fallen out of something, I wouldn't have woken up like that! You don't think it's weird that someone or something took us, put us somewhere in the middle of nowhere where we might've both died, and tucked our stuff under our heads like a nice little pillow? That's not weird to you at all? Or creepy?

[And off he goes. All the gesturing. All the words. Keith would be more amused, if he wasn't hurting everywhere.]

That's not what I'm saying. [And it wasn't, tease aside. Of course Lance is right, that is weird, and creepy, and it probably means exactly what Lance thinks it means. Which begs the question of who, because then, 'space science magic' doesn't exactly work on its own, does it? And then there's the added pressure of finding their friends, which increases by a lot if this is more than just some sort of weird... Altean... Coran... test... experience thing.

...... He's tired, alright? Cut him some slack. He was trying to make a funny. Which is to say--] I meant that there's nothing random about you taking naps. [How was it? Something about being 'well rested'?]

[ Off he goes, yes. In fact, he nearly goes off again at that. ... Almost. Looks at him. Mouth snaps shut.

He can't argue with that. ] Well-

[ He can't, but is that gonna stop him from trying? ] ... Look, sometimes a nap is the best thing you can do for yourself, alright?

[ Never mind that he hasn't done much of that at all lately. More training. Pacing, thinking, gaming. Been restless, lately. ]

[Keith would be worried, if he did stop. It would make him think that he was sick or something.] Uh huh.

When you're lazy.

[It's a tease, much more so than the very first time he actually told him that. As for how restless Lance has been, Keith has no idea. After all, he hadn't been around until recently.]

[ Are they slowing down? He feels like they're slowing down. ... It's hard to pay attention when you're arguing with someone about much-needed beauty sleep at the same time. ]

When you need some rest!

[ And when that doesn't work, well... you do other stuff. He's not gonna dwell on that. ]

[He isn't sure if they are slowing down, but those houses did seem closer than what they actually are. Just a little bit more, though.

And. Pfff.]

Lazy.

[... He is not feeling better. In fact, he is feeling worse. It's getting harder to focus. He tries to keep himself distracted - Lance is great for this - but there is a very real fear growing inside him that he is slowing this whole thing down.

Not that he will stop walking. Not that he isn't going to look for the others, even if he has to crawl to do it. But, dang. Why this.

On the upside, he guesses that he left that desert right on time. If he hadn't... Lance would probably not be far off on the whole 'might've died' thing.]

[ Lance only moves as fast as Keith does. And the more he looks at him, the more worried he gets. Which is probably why his next line doesn't have any real bite to it. ] Look, you weren't even there the last couple of weeks, you wouldn't even know!

[ They are slowing down. He keeps a wary eye on Keith. Yes, they need to find the others, but he's not sure if they'll get much further than those houses. If they'll even get to those houses. Maybe the others are just going to have to be the ones who do the finding, this time. ]

[Keith... doesn't get it. He doesn't understand how him not having been there the last couple of weeks has anything to do with what he was joking about. Weren't 'beauty sleep' and naps still the same thing? Or did Lance mean something else? It was confusing, to him, what one thing had to do with another, what could have changed so much in those weeks.

... Of course, to him, it had been years. But that wasn't the case for Lance, right?]

... Did it really change that much in just a couple of weeks?

[His voice, too, is no longer teasing. Just a normal question, as he tries to remain focused on what they are doing. He can tell that they are slowing down - he is slowing down - and it pisses him off. But the faster he tries to move, the harder it becomes to.

Thankfully, the houses aren't that much further ahead. Maybe he can lean against something and rest for a bit, while they talk to the locals.]

[ The teasing tone fades, and Lance suddenly feels-- caught? Called out? Something, anyway, and it's not a comfortable thing.

Not that he gives himself time to consider that in any kind of depth. ]

Uh, yeah, I haven't exactly been lazy while you were away. [ You know, to use that word you used, incorrectly! ]

[And that makes Keith's eyebrows raise a little as he turns his attention to Lance - ... Lances? Urgh.

He blinks a couple of times, trying to get rid of that double vision, turning his attention back to the houses. He feels nauseous, but he isn't going to stop.]

Yeah...? What did you do, then?

[Almost... Almost there.]

[ Lance actually stops, this time, looking at him. He sighs and moves over to him, picking whichever side isn't holding the dagger. ]

Come on. [ And puts Keith's arm over his shoulder to support him. He secures his hand with his own, Keith's chest plate dangling awkwardly from one arm, while his other arm secures Keith's waist. ] Sorry, I bet this still stings, but look, I'm not gonna watch you push yourself until you fall over. Okay?

[It takes Keith a moment to register that Lance has stopped. He stops too, then, and looks at him, a frown beginning to show on his expression. He is about to complain, ask him what's wrong and why did he stop, insist that they should keep going. But then--... Then Lance is moving towards him and, once again, Keith is taken by surprise.

He tenses up, slightly, at first. But then, he is hurting so much everywhere - and his head is feeling so heavy - that the tension doesn't last long at all. He ends up leaning heavily against Lance, hissing as his bag presses against his back, with the movement. His other arm, the one holding the dagger, is just dangling down beside his body and, for a second, he actually feels like he might pass out.

He doesn't, though. Not yet.

Instead, he takes a moment to try and recover some, to try and make it so his legs feel less shaky, so they can keep going. He doesn't want to stop. He doesn't want to be the reason why they are being slowed down. He doesn't want to not be looking for their friends.

But what he wants and what he needs, it turns out, might be two different things, here. He sighs through his noise, and the sound is a mix of frustration and pain. Still...]

... Thanks.

[ He doesn't like that hiss, though he expected it, considering. He doesn't like how heavily Keith leans on him - it lets him know how bad Keith is actually doing. On the other hand, it makes him glad he stepped in, and he holds on to him, making sure he's got him even if Keith does stumble or his feet give out from under him.

No chance of fighting like this, though. He can only hope it won't come to that.

The thanks makes him shake his head. ] Come on, let's just get to those houses.

[ As slowly as they need to, but as quickly as they can. Deep breath. It's gonna be okay, even though he can feel the heat Keith is radiating now, he knows a sunstroke, sunburn, whatever it is, it's not gonna kill him as long as they can get him shade and rest and water. Even so, it makes him nervous. He hates that there's no real fix for this. Nothing quick to just do. ]

We're gonna have to trust the others to figure this out. I mean, you know? Pidge and Hunk can brain their way out of anything, they've done it before, and Allura can handle herself no problem. Like, seriously, she can probably punch out a bear. Or... whatever they have for bears around here. Point is, if they're here, they're gonna be fine.

[ Now he's definitely rambling, but he doesn't know what else to do besides putting one foot in front of the other. ]

Edited 2018-10-13 21:00 (UTC)

[He will fight, if he has to. But it's true that, as things are right now, that wouldn't be exactly easy.

He nods at Lance's words and tries to focus, willing his legs to move. They do. Slower than what he would have liked, but still well enough to, hopefully, not take them too long to get to the small village-like place. Lance's support helps, too, making it easier to try and keep up pace, to not slow down too much... or fall over. It's probably a sunstroke and an upset stomach from drinking water too fast, and as much as all he needs is shade and rest and water, right now, that's not what he wants.

... And that feeling isn't at all helped, with what Lance says next.

Keith immediately tenses up once the words are out of the blue--... red paladin's mouth. He has a point, of course. They-- No, he isn't in a prime condition to start looking and, as Lance said, both Pidge and Allura would be able to handle themselves no problem, at least for a while. Same with his mom. But Hunk?... He isn't so sure about Hunk. He isn't sure about Coran or Romelle, either. And he... definitely isn't sure about Shiro. He hadn't even woken up, yet, after he had passed out again.]

No! [It's... really that simple, to him.] We--... We can't just leave them to fend for themselves. [His voice is lower than before, stretching. He's in pain, and it shows more than what he'd like, considering the case he is trying to make here.] You're right about Pidge and Allura... And even my mom. But the others--... Shiro wasn't even awake, yet. [He can't feel Kosmo, either.] They need our help.

[ Slow going is still going, and Lance hopes he won't have to carry Keith the last part of the way to the... village? Might really be a village. He also hopes that if anyone lives there, that they're friendly. Doesn't even care how little sense it all makes, a human settlement, an Earth-like place... none of that matters right now.

Of course, then Keith snaps at him. And of course, he snaps right back. ] Stop thinking you're the only one who can do anything, Keith!

[ Don't charge in recklessly. Don't go on your own. Don't just ditch everyone-- okay, deep breath. ] I get it. I know. I remember. We'll go right back to looking once you're better. But you know if they're here, anywhere here, they're all working on finding us and each other, too.

[And Keith is ready to snap right back, too. He turns his head, there's frustration and even anger on his expression, mixed in with all the tiredness and pain, but then-- Then Lance's voice is calmer. And what he says... He does have a point. Of course he does. Keith knows that.

He knows that if they are anywhere here, that they would be working on finding them and each other, too. He knows that, as he is, he could put them and the others in a bigger jeopardy than they are. But it still sucks.

Yet, the way Lance points it out and the way he tells him, plainly, that they will go right back to looking once he is better, does manage to calm Keith down. His teeth clench for a moment, and the frustration is still there, but the anger fades and gives place to defeat, resignation. Eventually, he looks down, sighs through his nose, and turns away, letting his head hang a little instead.] ... You're right. [And he hates it, he hates this feeling of impotency. What if something happens because they weren't looking? Thankfully, a wave of nausea does enough of a good job to distract him, and he ends up leaning a bit more heavily on Lance, as a result.] Shit.

[ It's a good thing Keith relents, but somehow it also doesn't quite surprise him. Of course, the situation is still bad, but now they're on the same page. Once, he might've held that admission over his head for a while, but now the look he gives Keith as he turns away and hangs his head is sympathetic. The truth is simply that they need to take things a little slower right now, no matter how much they both hate the team being all split up. ]

Whoa- [ He sways a bit when Keith suddenly puts a bit more weight on him, but catches them both no problem. ] You okay? [ He's talking at least, so he's not unconscious. He didn't trip, either. So... ] Do you need to, like, throw up?

[You okay?

His brain takes longer than usual to process the question. The nausea doesn't seem to get better and, to make it worse, he can feel himself begin to sweat. He tries to find some balance, tries to not lean so heavily on Lance, but when he does, when he lifts his head to look at him when that last question comes-- It just happens too fast.

For a second, everything is white. And, the moment after, everything is black. His strength leaves him and his body becomes uncontrolled weight, which will fall on the floor if Lance doesn't stop it from happening.]

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