thenearshore | [closed]

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Who: Lance & Shiro
When: Shortly after Hifumi’s departure.
Where: The remains of her temple, Serapis temple
What: After hearing so much about people up and leaving, Lance experiences someone up and disappearing, leaving him homeless.

[It happens one day, when Lance is out. He’d just intended to take a walk around the district, and when he gets back the temple is just...gone. In its place are ruins, like it’s been gone for centuries and not five minutes.

By now, he knows what this means. He’d met enough people willing to explain the way things work here. Hifumi is gone. She’s left. He doesn’t know where gods go to when they leave the Heavens, but he hopes she’s gone somewhere where she can be happy. That’s the least anyone deserves, and Hifumi seemed nothing but nice.

He slowly picks through the temple, amazed and despairing of how it was so immediately reduced to nothing both, until he comes across something salvageable. A shogi board. Hifumi had started teaching him how to play, and...he wants to take it. Bring it with him, wherever he goes.

The question is, now, where does he go? He stands in the middle of the ruins, holding the board, and....thinks.]

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[ Shiro has made it a point to walk by the temple, whenever he can. Honestly, he can't pinpoint an exact reason. Maybe some part of him still feels responsible for Lance--and Keith, even though he isn't a part of Voltron anymore and Lance doesn't remember him. Or... maybe, more likely, it's because Lance is his friend and he knows Lance has a lot weighing on him.

And part of him is worried that, some day, the temple will disappear and Lance will be left in a pile of rubble.

It's a good thing he comes around today. He doesn't see Hifumi's temple, and his heart sinks. The only thing--person--there is Lance, holding something in his hands. It takes less than half a moment for Shiro to approach, and he clears his throat lightly. ]

Lance?

[Lance jumps at the sound of a throat being cleared, before turning around to see Shiro.

He's...glad to see him, if he's being honest with himself. (Which he rarely is.) The man has always seemed so...dependable. Open. Friendly. All of those good things that make him comfortable to be around. And they've talked, a little, about people coming and going from this place, so he knows Shiro understands.

But a part of him also wishes it had been anyone else. Someone he could have just joked with, laughed about his poor turn of luck, who wouldn't think twice about a now-homeless shinki.

He holds the shogi board close to him, and looks at shiro with a crooked smile.]

Hey, Shiro. What brings you around here?

Daily routine, usually. Taking walks clears my head.

[ There's a softness to his voice, and he gives Lance a barely-there smile. Shiro is good at hiding his feelings, but he can't with Lance. Not as much as others, at least. (Keith's the ever-constant exception.) Nor does he really want to keep things from Lance.

It'd been Lance he'd reached out to, once, to try and tell him that the Shiro who piloted Black wasn't him. He trusts Lance. Why stop now, even if Lance doesn't remember him?

He stays quiet a moment more. ]

I'd ask if you're okay, but... it seems ridiculous to.

Oh, yeah, just peachy.

[His voice is dry, and he sighs. He shifts the board in his arms, looking around the ruins before looking back at Shiro.]

I was out on a walk myself, you know? The temple was fine when I left, but I came back and...

[He trails off. It's obvious what happened. He came back and the temple was just a ruin.]

People said it was fast, but I kind of wish I had gotten some kind of warning.

[ The evidence is laid out before them. Shiro's gaze lingers on the ruins a moment more before he looks to Lance. ]

I wish you had, too. It's not fair to wake up in a ruin, or to come back to something that should be here but isn't.

[ He takes a breath. ]

If there's anything I can do for you--you just have to ask, Lance. And if you don't have anywhere else to go, you can stay at my place for however long you want.

[Lance nods glumly. This is just...his life now, he guesses. Dealing with gods that could just leave him at any moment and leaving him with nothing. He's not upset with Hifumi - he doesn't think she'd leave him in the dust on purpose. She was too kind for that.

But it's still just...

It's still just a lot to deal with.

He looks up at Shiro sharply, taking in a breath at the offer. He hesitates for a moment.]

...Are you sure?

[ He really isn't surprised that Lance is hesitating. But Shiro doesn't; he nods automatically. He can't just... leave Lance out on the streets. He can't leave Lance alone, especially when he's suffering. ]

Absolutely sure. And I know the cats would love to have you around.

[Lance feels...guilty. He doesn't want to inconvenience Shiro, or be a burden to him. He could find somewhere to stay, or hell, even make himself a shelter! He's a competent shinki!

But...

He doesn't really want to be alone. He wants to take him up on his offer, even as he feels terrible over needing the help. He mostly doesn't want to make the way he feels obvious, though, so he forces a grin.]

Well, the cats know I'm great. Of course they're gonna love me being around.

[ He lets out a low laugh as he nods, once more. ]

So... That's a yes, then?

[Lance nods after a moment of hesitation, a crooked smile crossing his face.]

Yeah, I guess so. Don't really have anywhere else I'd rather be.

You're in good hands.

[ Shiro's always so earnest--and right now, even more so. He's relieved, to be quite honest. He couldn't have lived with himself if he'd known Lance was out all alone, without a place to stay.

He gestures in the direction of his temple before starting to head that way. ]

Come on. It's not too far.

[Lance believes that earnesty. Shiro...feels like someone he can trust.

He'll take care of him.

He makes his way through the ruins of the temple, still holding on to the shogi board, while nodding.]

Lead the way.

[ Lead the way he will. ]

We have plenty of room--it's just Keith, Pyrrha, and me. Aside from the cats, but they go wherever they want.

[He knows Keith and Pyrrha, at least, though it's going to be awkward running into Keith. He was so flippant with him about people disappearing, and now Hifumi's up and disappeared.

Awkward.]

Well, of course they do. They're cats.

[ It'll.... probably be fine. Shiro has a feeling things might be a touch prickly between them; that's just how it is... but at the same time, he knows they do care about each other. Or--at least, when they remembered each other. He hopes that's the case here. ]

They're the real gods and goddesses of this place.

[It'll be fine, at least until Lance starts remembering things. There's no way he's going to handle his memories coming back gracefully. That's just not in the cards.]

Doesn't surprise me at all. [He snorts, shaking his head.] They're spoiled.

Even more spoiled when you're around.

[ But he doesn't sound super put off by that. It'll be good to have Lance around, not just for the cats, but for the others, too.

And it doesn't take long to reach the temple. Shiro leads him in. ]

Here we are. So... are you hungry or anything? Or do you just want some time to find a room and settle in?

I would never!

[He would. Those cats are going to get so loved and so spoiled.

He's glad the temple's close, though. He's kind of glad to just...be here.]

Depends on what you're offering. [He's not really hungry, but he...doesn't want to be alone right now. Maybe that makes him needy, but so be it.]

Somehow, I have my doubts.

[ They totally are.

But, anyway--he leads him into the kitchen. ]

Plenty of tea. Things to make sandwiches, rice, vegetables... pretty simple stuff, honestly.

[Rude, honestly.]

What, that's it?

[Geez...such a lacking kitchen.]

But I guess I can go for a sandwich.

We have other stuff, I'm just--

[ a pause. ]

I don't exactly have the best cooking skills, so...

[...

...

...]

Wait, seriously?

[ now lance is judging him.... terrible ]

Seriously.

[...............]

Well, I guess nobody's perfect.

[He pats Shiro on the shoulder.]

[ rip..... ]

I appreciate the vote of confidence.

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