May Catch-All for Keith

[lonered]

WHO: Keith and Various!
(Some closed top levels, but if you want to catch Keith at all anywhere for any reason, feel free to drop a top level in the post or hit me at seasided and I'll drum us one up!)
WHERE: Around and about
WHEN: The merry merry month of May
WHAT: In person shenanigans
WARNINGS: Updated as we go!

Thread Index
-->Yusuke (5/2) - Keith returns from canon update
-->Dave (5/2, evening) - Dave comes to check on Keith
-->Minato (5/3) - Catching up with Minato. It's been a while. But also it hasn't.

Comments

--> for Yusuke

[lonered]

[Keith stumbles out of the wood, barefoot and confused. The sun is on its way down, and he knows he's only made it to the edges of the town out of a sheer stubbornness, but he didn't want to be caught alone (and unarmed. what. the hell.) in the woods after nightfall.

The fact that he can't remember going to the forest in the first place is concerning.

But far more concerning is what happened. Out there. Except not out there. Back home. His head is swimming, and he'd think it all some hallucination or fever dream, except the lingering wounds, bruises and contusions that are blossoming on his body, are full evidence of just how real it was. It's been months.

And everything has changed. The battle. Lotor. Zarkon. And then, just then, in that last moment before his eyes snapped open to look up at horrifyingly familiar colorless foliage Krolia. His mother. He's...

He's unsteady enough on his feet physically that the rush of confusion and thoughts is enough to nearly knock him over, and he stumbles, before catching himself, trying to remember where to even go. How long has it been?]

[bufudyne]

[It has been a rather worrying several days. He saw what he thought was Keith, heading off toward the woods, but never saw him after the fact. He even went so far as to go to his place, not to find him over several days (so worrying!!).

He'd been back quite a few times and the sheer absence had been enough to puzzle him. Not that Keith and he were that close yet... right? Nevertheless, they were friends and Yusuke was quite certain that meant that this level of concern was normal. He even contemplated contacting Akira or others to see about mounting some kind of search if Keith did not show up soon.

...Perhaps that was an extreme reaction. But perhaps not considering the dangers this place secrets away and even dangers they had faced before.

He sighs to himself as he roams, unconcerned with the time of day and more preoccupied with scanning the forest's edge. He's just thinking he ought to head back and start planning out some things when he sees movement.

He pauses, his hand shooting to the knife that he carries on him now and--

Oh. Oh, that's Keith.

He quickens his pace into not-quite a run, more so when he sees Keith stumble. He doesn't necessarily sprint but he's still going fast, calling out to him:] Keith!

[lonered]

[That's Keith. Who honestly is kind of in a daze. How did he wind up back here? For him it feels like it's been months. Months that he's been where he belonged with no memory of this place.

Add to that the fact that he had an already pretty overwhelmingly confusing and emotional day. And has been physically battered around. He uh, he's not in the best shape right now.

It takes a moment to realize someone is calling his name, and he looks around before he catches sight of...]

Yusuke...

[He's still here! Is everyone still here? After this long?]

[bufudyne]

Here.

[He moves to support him, gripping lightly at Keith's elbow and encouraging him to lean his weight over against Yusuke. Yusuke might be a beanpole but he can still help!]

What happened to you? No-- first, let's get away from the forest. Will you be able to make it back to my house if I assist you?

[He's speaking quicker than usual, a giveaway of worry.]

[lonered]

I went home...

[He answers with a confused shake of his head, glancing down at his feet.] I'm fine. I just... I don't know where my shoes are.

[And honestly why is he dressed like this? He was dressed like this the last time he was here, not when he was just home. Something strange is happening. He will lean on him though, take the support that's been offered.]

[bufudyne]

Ah.

[...They certainly are gone. He blinks at Keith's feet and he shakes his head.] We can try to find you another pair.

[But, you know. You're kind of battered, Keith. Yusuke shifts his arm so that he holds around his back as he begins to head toward Bluo.]

You were gone for several days.

[lonered]

[It looks worse than it is, Yusuke. He survived the crash so it's gotta be fine. His fighter wasn't so lucky. It was real wrecked. But he doesn't protest the extra support. Or the mention of shoes.]

Yeah. That'd be--

[He stops then, stops walking, stops talking and stares.] ...days? No. I was gone... months. At least. It had to have been.

[bufudyne]

...Months?

[Yusuke stares back at him, blinking slowly several times before his eyebrows furrow and he purses his lips.]

It was mere days ago that I saw you headed into the forest, though... Perhaps the passage of time between where we're from and here is different somehow?

[lonered]

That's.... so it's only been days here...

[That's going to take some getting used to to wrap his head around it fully. But whoever brought them here in the first place already proved they can screw with time, so perhaps it's not that surprising in the end. He leans a bit heavier into Yusuke. Sorry. He's kind of thrown off by this.]

It must be. I wound up right back in the exact moment I'd left, I think. I must have. I don't remember any gaps in my memory or anything. No time that I was missing.

--> for Dave

[lonered]

[Keith is still trying to get used to the whole "people might care if you're hurt" thing. And sure that was true when he was with the paladins. They all cared. He cared! It's less true with the Blade. As long as he's ambulatory and not actively bleeding out, the assumption tends to be that he can handle himself or will get himself to the infirmary if he needs it.

And honestly he is fine. Bruised and scraped and worse for the wear, but it's the usual.

But he's grateful Dave is coming by though. Being alone with his thoughts right now is dizzying, trying to process how he was home, how so much time had passed and suddenly he's back here, like he never left, missing a few days but other than that...

It doesn't make sense. Between that and the last thing he remembers happening in his universe before he wound up here, he's all mixed up.

His door is unlocked and ajar, like he'd mentioned on the network, and Keith is sitting in view of the door in the kitchen.]

[parodeity]

[ dave at least closes the door behind him as he comes inside. he looks...better than he did last time they met up, probably, even though he's still an insomniac and haha sleep what is sleep DAVE SURE DOESN'T KNOW,,,

but he's in one piece and everything. he immediately beelines for keith. ]

Hey, dude. You sure you're okay?

[lonered]

[Good Dave. But maybe try sleeping. Sometime. Give it a go. Sleep is wonderful. However, Keith will just be glad to see him in one piece. And not eaten by a shadow. Again.

Keith nods, summoning up a smile but it only looks exhausted. Because he is exhausted.]

Yeah, I'm fine. Like I said, crashed my fighter after the wing got sheered off, but I walked away from it. And right into fighting way too many drones.

[He's super good at stealth missions. SUPER. STEALTHY.] Long day, that's all.

[parodeity]

[ honestly dave couldn't even be offended about the whole "eaten by a shadow again" thing because he's been something of a trouble magnet ever since arriving here. damn it. ]

Which included at some point gettin' a mom? [ he's giving keith a once-over to see if he has to fuss... ]

[lonered]

[He really has. It's a problem. It's worrying. Keith would prefer if Dave were not eaten by anything else, for a good long while. Thank you.

But oh right yeah. Getting a mom.]

Well. Finding... her. I guess.

[It's so confusing.] I mean I know I had one. I was born. But she left before I could even remember her. I got sent to extract one of our operatives, and it was her.

[Kolivan did that on purpose Keith is realizing.]

[parodeity]

...So what's she like?

[ as another kid who never knew his mom dave is super curious... ]

[lonered]

Tall. Purple. Really... really good in a fight.

[Stubborn and to the point. But he shakes his head at the question.] That's the worst part. I don't know. I barely even found her and I wound up back here.

[He came in on a cliff-hanger, fuck his life basically.]

[parodeity]

Oh. That fucking sucks? [ HE FEELS YOU ON THAT...well not exactly on that but. that sucks, buddy. ] But at least this means going back isn't out of the question.

--> for Minato

[lonered]

[It's a little surreal, being back. And the strangest thing is that as people come to see him, Keith has to reconcile the fact that while it feels like he hasn't seen them in months, they've seen him barely a few days ago. The two conflicting timelines in his head are going to give him a headache until he settles back into life in this strange city.

Or the headache could be from when he banged his head against the nav screen when he crashed his fighter. You know. One or the other.

He's expecting Minato, and since he's feeling restless, he waits for him outside his house, seated on the steps and trying to enjoy the air, even if it's never quite as refreshing in this place as he hopes.

When he sees the other boy in the distance, he raises a hand to wave, to make sure he knows which house he's coming to.]

[messianic]

[You ever like. Write up a tag and forget to hit send for three days--

BUT ANYWAY.

Keith is definitely not okay, he's been through a lot and Minato's very, very concerned--so he fetches a couple pieces of fruit with actual color to them, and then heads on over to Keith's house.

And offers the bowl of fruit real quick.]

... You should have this, just in case.

[Stay healthy, Keith.]

Are you okay? For real, I mean.

[lonered]

[Fruit. Keith looks entirely surprised, not sure what to do with all this... niceness and concern. He's starting to suspect he may have friends here. HUH.

It's kind of nice though.]

Oh. Uh. Thanks.

[Nailed it. A pause and he considers the question before nodding.] I'm fine. Just... twisted up right now. I feel like I haven't seen you in months. But also like I just saw you. And now I've got so many questions about what's going on back home. [He has a mom! But only for like five minutes and then he's back here.]

[messianic]

Yeah, you...mentioned that.

[That's... sure a thing? It sounds like a Thing.

It's such a thing that really, he can only think to ask bluntly about it.]

You were home for...awhile, then?

[lonered]

[It's such a thing. SUCH a thing. And well Keith appreciates blunt, so that's all well and good.]

Yeah. Quite a while. Like... defeated the evil overlord, watched a regime change, liberated huge portions of the galaxy... a while.

[So much has happened. And he didn't die. Like. Win win win all around.]

[messianic]

[... Wow, Keith. But also like--]

That seems like the sort of thing you could do in a few days--

[He's joking.]

So... I guess there's something weird with time here too. If you were gone that long, without being gone from here very long...

[lonered]

[Keith blinks at him before a laugh escapes. Thanks, Minato. He needed that.] Yeah. Basically just afternoon errands.]

But... I think so too. Something strange is going on with time in this place. In addition to something strange with everything else, I guess.

[messianic]

[He's here for you.

But also--]

That could be a good thing, honestly... if time isn't passing the same way, maybe we're not missing that much back home.