This Ship is Taking Me Far Away

[rebornpaladin]

WHO: Shiro
WHERE: Fountain, South Village. Inn, South Village (same day)
WHEN: Nov 19
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: Spoilers for Voltron Season 6. Nothing additional at this time!

---

ARRIVAL
I tried, Shiro says. Thinks he says. Keith is there, finally, glowing faintly in the cosmic ether, and Shiro can explain—at least, he can try to, but his vision is fading. It's so hard, reaching out. It takes so much energy and focus, and where he's been, untethered and floating in a beautiful, formless place, one that has no boundaries, but which he can't leave, that makes focus so difficult to achieve.

And then Keith is there, can hear him, see him, finally, and then it fades, Keith fades, the lights of wherever Shiro has been held fades, turns murky, and he's—

In water? In a tube. His mind rebels, fractured but present enough to feel a lurching in his gut, which in and of itself is so disorienting he reels back in shock. Or would, if he wasn't in— back in— No. No. He starts to shout, palm slamming up against the curved glass, and then it's pressure, and the feeling of being pulled too far too fast and then there's light, again, and the familiar sensation of floating.

Although this time he is clearly floating in water, deep and cold, not some intradimensional limbo. Frankly, his ability to gauge whether this is a step forward or back is completely shot. His instincts scream at him to swim up, which is toward the light. Has to be. When he kicks, his legs feel like lead, and the drag against his shoulders as he clumsily lunges upward through the water feels off. Everything feels off. And his lungs are burning.

Shiro breaks through the surface gasping, almost choking, and when he reaches out with his right hand to grasp the edge of the pool he's in nothing happens, and he slips beneath the surface again as he thinks My arm is gone. Probably, he should have noticed that sooner. He kicks hard, trying to buoy himself up enough to get his left arm fully out of the water and anchored to the ground in one motion, and more or less succeeds. Dizzy and desperate for breath, he can't find the strength to pull himself the rest of the way out. But he will. He just needs a tick to get his bearings.




THE INN
There's a healthy fire going in the large brickwork hearth, and Shiro is grateful. The cold of the water and the chill in the air were shocks to his system, and he's dragged one table a little closer to the fire than he found it. He just can't seem to shake the chill.

He has the pack he arrived with open, its contents spread out across a wooden table top as he catalogs it with a faintly troubled expression. His gaze keeps returning to the sleek comm at his wrist. It looks Altean. More, it looks as though it's meant to be complimentary to his paladin armor, sleek with a seamless black face and softly glowing aqua accents, except the band of it isn't white or even black, it's magenta. Like the clothes he's in. The significance eludes him. It feels like everything eludes him, in the moment, and it's a feeling he despises. It doesn't make any sense. Nothing makes any sense. With a voiceless sigh he drops his head forward into his left palm, his only palm, and rubs at his temples, then his eyes.

"Well," he murmurs to himself, "you're in it, now."

Comments

Fountain

[eaglesonofnone]

It's amazing, how fast the feeling strikes - or it would be, if it didn't hit so hard. It's luck that he's coming from the springs, not yet having gone to the hospital, when he sees the body halfway out of the fountain. His eyes take in only one thing, make sense of it, form a conclusion that hits him in the gut and the heart and has him, running, albeit without the buckets he'd been carrying, to the fountain's side. "Malik!"

He didn't know if he hoped it or feared it, some sort of connection, some sort of hope to see Malik alive again, but--

But as he neared, he saw he was wrong. The realisation did not change his actions. Altaïr still came to the man's aid, reaching for him, saying, "Calm. Calm, I am a friend," as he worked to aid this newcomer from the fountain. It seemed the man was in similar condition to how he was when he'd arrived, even down to the colour he wore. He'd have to puzzle over that later.

"Cough if you need. Find your lungs again."

Re: Fountain

[rebornpaladin]

Shiro didn't take the man's advice so much as find himself unable to stop, just yet. Out of the water, he felt the cold more acutely, which made it harder still to catch a full breath. He rolled onto his back, as much as he could with the shape of the - was it a back pack? - foreign item beneath him.

He forced himself to focus on the most immediate, tangible things around him, to ground his focus. The earth. The stranger's hand. The burbling splash of the fountain, apparently, he had just struggled out of. His shoulder twitched as he went to wipe the water from his face and push his hair back, instinctively with a right hand that wasn't there. He used the left instead, letting the heel of his palm hold, for a moment, against his forehead, before dropping it away and blinking up at the person calling himself a friend.

For the moment, that would work.

"Thank you."

[eaglesonofnone]

"Ahleen. Take your time. Now that you are out of the fountain, time is something you have in abundance," Altaïr assured, his voice kept carefully gentle. He'd never seen another come up from the fountain before, and now, seeing this...

It didn't surprise him he'd mistaken the man for Malik at first, but now he saw all the ways in which he was wrong. The wrong arm was missing. The white shock of hair. The skin colour. But he'd yet to decide if he was glad or if it added to the old ache.

All the same, Altaïr kept himself crouched nearby, having no convenient cloth at hand to help the newcomer dry. What he could do instead was say, "You will have many questions. And I, myself, arrived this way not long ago. I can only help with some of the answers. My name is Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad."

His voice was low, lilting, accented to match his complexion and hair. And perhaps slightly formal compared to a usual dialect. Still, he did what he could to exude calm. Whether it worked or not was anyone's guess.

[rebornpaladin]

At least one of them seemed to have it together. Shiro shifted, jerkily, getting his elbow under him to push himself up halfway toward sitting. The man spoke Arabic, was clearly human. Shiro didn't dare let himself assume, but the thought, the hope, beat heavy in his chest, under the burning and uncertainty.

Was he somehow back on Earth?

"Altair," he repeated, nodding to the man, forcing his breathing to even out, his scattered thoughts to quiet enough that he could focus on what the man was saying.

"Takashi Shirogane. I'm... I don't know how I got here," he admitted, and then blinked a few times, rapidly, allowing himself to finally take in the rest of their surroundings.

"...I don't know where 'here' is," he added.

[eaglesonofnone]

"Takashi Shirogane," Altaïr repeated. It sounded... Eastern. He'd heard similar names when he'd ridden against the Mongols, though none so similar among their number. "None of us are precisely sure how we arrived, except that many came from the fountain, as you and I both did. From what I have read since my own arrival, it is a complicated thing that gives five more questions from each one answered."

He had thought it an act of the Apple, of Juno within, but now, knowing what he did, he had his doubts.

"And I regret to tell you that we are not on whatever world it is you came from. This one has been made to welcome us - to a point. There are still many dangers that defy anything I have ever known. But there are more worlds here than any I have known. More copies of Earth than there should be."

Inn

[ataashihunter]

Bull notices the man straight away when he enters the Inn. It is not uncommon for people to cling to the fireplace. Bull picks up some tea and then he makes his way to the table the other one is sitting at.

"Hi. Mind if I sit?"

[rebornpaladin]

Shiro's finally reached a decision about the clothing included in the pack, which is that it's probably harmless and, at least, not all dark pink. He's absently thumbing the embroidered insignia on the hat when he's addressed by a notably deep voice and looks up, only to freeze and go rigid. It's a small enough reaction, but it takes him a good four seconds to recover.

The man looks Galra, or near enough. If he is - if he knows who Shiro is - this could be anything.

"Not at all," he says, gesturing a little, if unnecessarily. He can't force the tension from his frame, but he's not going to be rude.

[ataashihunter]

Bull grins and then moves to sit down. He noticed the way the other froze and he makes sure every movement is slow and obvious, not wanting to startle the other. Then he offers his hand over the table.

"I am the Iron Bull. You're new here, aren't you?"

[rebornpaladin]

It's an exceptionally appropriate moniker, almost to the point of making Shiro laugh with appreciation, but he merely smiles more, and extends his own hand to shake the Iron Bull's. It feels awkward, doing it with his left.

Shiro's not even fully dry yet. It must be like having a giant neon sign floating above his head.

"Yeah. Very," he adds, only the hitch of a laugh in his breath. "Takashi Shirogane."

[ataashihunter]

It is one of the signs of someone being new yes and the Iron Bull smiles at the other as he sits down. "Nice to meet your Takashi. Or do you prefer a different name?" Some people like to use both their names after all. "Have you gotten yourself some food and tea?"

Inn

[killorder]

So many are sick, and so far Jake and Cougar have avoided catching whatever it is. That is the plan in the long run, because there's not much they can do if they're downed like so many are. That doesn't mean they can avoid the Inn entirely. Not without a working stove of their own, and two soldiers that have too much desire to eat.

So Jake drew short straw and headed for the Inn while Cougar went to get more firewood and water for the house.

He'd found a container at his place to use to carry it back, and he has brought some of the game that Cougar has caught to payback for it. So with a crock full of stew, he heads through the main rooms, stopping by to see those he knows and noting who isn't around and normally is. He'll poke at some later through the device, seeing if they need anything.

It's in that check that he sees someone by the fire, in scrubs, and looking weary. He remembers those days when he'd first arrived in god awful yellow scrubs, feeling lost as to what all of this is and what it means.

Changing his path, he heads over to where Shiro is, pausing close but not crowding him. Dressed in jeans and a blazing hot pink sweatshirt with a flower emblazoned on it, but he's offering a bright smile. Okay, the color is kind of eye searing, but he loves it.

"Hey. I remember that feeling," he admits, definitely sympathetic. And then, because he's Jake and while observant he has the social skills of a rock. "Have you met Bucky?"

[rebornpaladin]

The two comments together don't add up to anything in his mind, and on top of the rest of the world not making any sense, the result is Shiro letting his hand drop to reveal a plainly confused expression as he tries to catch up.

The man's sweatshirt is blisteringly pink.

"Uh," he says uselessly, shifting to face the man more directly.

"No?"

[killorder]

Setting the crock down on the table, he kind of makes an assumption as he drags up a chair and settles into it so he can face him and not be standing and looming over him.

"It was... I mean... Bucky..." He gestures at the man's missing arm. "You share something in common. Which is really rude of me. Shit. Sorry, man," he says, offering a sheepish smile. "You've got that look of someone new though," he points out. "I remember feeling that shell shock when I woke up in a pair of scrubs and feeling like I musta been on a three week bender and somehow blacked out."

[rebornpaladin]

Lance. The guy's demeanor reminds him of Lance in a moment of clarity so acute it hurts, a little. He's too tired to be offended by the graceless reference to his missing arm, even if the guy didn't clearly mean well.

"I just arrived here," Shiro confirms, needlessly. "I woke up in a... tube?"

He still has no idea what to make of that, and hopes someone will have more information, any kind of clue to make sense of it.

"Then got sucked up into the fountain. Is that how it works for everyone?"

[killorder]

Jake winces at that, but he nods in answer to pretty much all of it. "Honestly, I woke up in the bunker and someone opened it for me. Most though? End up in the fountain, trying not to end up drowning before they even know where they are. Not that we really have a clue," he admits, not trying to break that to the guy any easier. Only after saying realizing that maybe he should try and be more gentle about it all.

"But it's common, yeah. Backpack of gear they issue you. Regulation issued scrubs, color coded in one way we know, but others I really question. Just like I do the scrubs to begin with." The idea of medical experimentation comes to mind every time he thinks about it, which he is at least smart enough not to drop right then and there.

"How much have you gotten around to looking into? I haven't been here long, but I'm willing to help." He pauses, figuring he does need to warn him about one thing first. "You should know there's a flu or something going around. A lot of people are really sick and they're trying to find out why."

The Inn

[succored]

Even though Ty hadn't been here that long, it seemed like he'd been here long enough to recognize the look of someone who had just been recently dumped here. There was the dazed look, half overwhelmed and half trying to keep it together while failing at it internally. It didn't hurt that the guy was in bright magenta scrubs, which weren't exactly perfect for blending into the background. And the lack of one arm...

"Hey, are you injured?" Ty asked in concern, sitting down from across him. It didn't look like the lack of a limb was new, and considering that people were shot out from tubes, he was a bit surprised more people weren't injured here.

[rebornpaladin]

Shiro blinked, dropping his hand and lifting his head, only faintly bewildered. He wasn't, he didn't think. Even if he'd been known to walk around in worse shape than was wise, Altair would have said something.

"Oh. No, it's- been like that for a while," he said, with an anemic attempt at a reassuring smile.

"I just got here, and I'm... trying to wrap my head around... all of it."

[succored]

It was a relief that the man wasn't injured, but there were different wounds a person could receive. He nodded sympathetically at how overwhelmed by this he seemed to be, leaning his elbows onto the table.

"It's a lot to process, so I wouldn't suggest trying to figure it out all at once. But everyone here is pretty friendly and willing to help out, so if you have any questions or need anything to get settled in, don't be shy."

[rebornpaladin]

"I'll try not to be." Shiro absently turned the embroidered cap over in his hand before setting it back down. Was the flame insignia supposed to mean something?

"Honestly, I hardly know what questions to ask. How long have you been here?"

[succored]

"A few months." Which was strange, because it had seemed far, far longer. "It hasn't been so bad, but I have one of my best friends from home here."

And, because he couldn't resist, "I like the magenta, by the way. I thought I got stuck with the most obnoxious color when I got here, but I see there's competition now."

Inn

[fishingfortrouble]

The sight of someone missing their arm is, to be honest, not anything Phryne much bats an eye at. She'll admit that there aren't a lot of people in the village who happen to be missing limbs, but the sight had been all too common, during the war and in the days after it. And even now - her now, the one she'd been pulled from - she's still run across people with missing limbs, albeit somewhat less often.

And while she is curious about what has caused this particular injury she knows better than to ask out of the blue. If it happens to come up later, perhaps. But right now it would almost certainly come across as ruder than she'd like to be. Plus the gesture of frustration as he drops his head into his hand is more than enough to serve as decent place to start, conversationally speaking.

"That's a surprisingly common sentiment, here." A pause. "I take it you've just recently arrived?"

[rebornpaladin]

Shiro straightens, dropping his hand away and looking up at the young woman. He tries a half smile, with dubious results.

"I think my hair's still wet from the fountain."

[fishingfortrouble]

Dubious or not, it's still an attempt, and as far as Phryne's concerned that's as good a place to start as any. After all, she's perfectly aware that the village is not precisely the sort of place anyone would care to be. Especially not when there doesn't seem to be any way to get back out

"That is one indicator, yes. Although the general air of disbelief is also fairly common among new arrival."

[rebornpaladin]

"How long have you been here?" he asks, sweeping the various articles of clothing back into the pack as deftly as he can with one hand, to clear the table and make it at least a little more welcoming.

[fishingfortrouble]

"Rather longer than I would have liked, to be perfectly honest."

Phryne is, of course, aware that this isn't terribly helpful, and does have every intention of answering the question properly. But at the same time, she can't entirely reign in her annoyance over the fact either - it's not completely terrible as far as places to be kidnapped to go, but she does rather miss her own home.

"Several months, if you were looking for a more precise count."