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Entry tags:

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Who: shiro + keith
When: perm log for these idiots
Where: all over
Summary: say, say o playmate from the august tdm. the butcher's camp from the september tdm. quarter pounder from the september event. keith's birthday. hermy the wormy from the december tdm. in the hive from the december event.new year, new you from the january tdm. end of january, references january event.
Warnings:
say, o say o playmate: hallucination, blood, ritualistic sacrifice, claustrophobia.
the butcher's camp: animal death, animal mutilation, both human and animal butchery, implied cannibalism, stripping ( nsfw ).
quarter pounder: blood, animal attack, consumption of human flesh, violence, gore, body horror, potential for severe injury, including puncture wounds and broken bones, potential for choking, potential for animal death.
keith's birthday: boys being stupid.
hermy the wormy: worms, decay, altered mental states/compulsion, emotional corruption, potential for violence, body mutilation, attempted murder.
in the hive: insects/swarms, bites, vomiting, body horror, death ( npcs ), mental and physical trauma
new year, new you: self-doubt, body dysmorphia trauma, cringe talk about sex safety, hook-up culture, body modification ( steroid and synthol oil use ), mention of drug use
end of january: implied animal death, self-doubt, body image issues, body dysmorphia, self-harm, body mutilation, skin burning, drug use mention ( tren steroid ), implied extreme dieting ( starvation & dehydration ), nsfw ( heavy petting and nudity ). reference to shiro's scars.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ o-oh. there's an almost imperceptible shift in the atmosphere when shiro tips his face to look down at keith smiling up. proximity has a way of feeling awkward quickly with keith and he feels as though he ought to look away, but for whatever reason he doesn't. the smile on his lips holds, warming on the knowledge of mutuality. ultimately, there isn't anything surprising about hearing this. getting caught up in some interdimensional wormhole is bad enough, having to traverse the world with every face a stranger's would be even worse.

but keith catches the way shiro's expression falters right as he talks about selfishness. is it really? the war with the galra back home makes that question simmultaneously easy and difficult to answer. keith would need a holt to explain whatever's going on with the disrupted passage of time, but even then he doubts he'd understand. "space bullshit" has been keith's convenient go to explanation for most phenomena of late, but there's still no question about the urgent need to go back home. whether that's a home that's missing one paladin or two -- functionally, keith doesn't think it matters much.

their clusterfuck of a team is going to have it rough, but with the princess rescued, they'll be able to evade the galra for a while. play defense until either keith and shiro find their way back or the team finds replacement paladins. of course, finding a leader won't be so easy though, and ultimately keith thinks that if anyone's being selfish here, it's him for being grateful that voltron is missing its figurative head.

and yet....]

Hey. [ releasing one chain, he reaches up and behind to pat shiro's prosthetic arm. ] Don't think like that. Neither of us chose to be here. It is what it is, and we're doing what we can to try and get back. [ a beat. ] It's better that we at least have each other to count on, amidst all this mess.

[ and with that said, he laughs -- it's a little short and wry, but a laugh nonetheless. ]

Besides. Imagine how much more negative energy The Lonely or whatever the ADI guys are calling it would have to feed on if it was just one of us stuck here. Can't go around making some cosmic leech stronger.

Edited (/o\ i am too sleepy to be editing efficiently) 2021-08-15 07:20 (UTC)

[ keith laughs and shiro doesn’t. there’s no real humor in the sound of it, but shiro can’t even bring himself to match it, even the slightest bit, especially when in the next breath, keith is making light of the situation in terms of the lonely. the entities are a subject shiro has perpetually put a pin in. the briefings from adi have sounded too fantastical to be real, but even without the bizarre events he’s lived through in the last year, the kelpie disaster alone is enough to have him reconsidering. obviously, the unexplainable and the impractical are possible phenomenons. as far-fetched as entities existing outside the realm of understanding and pulling power from the manifestation of different categories of fear sounds, they’re likely a legitimate threat they’ll have to deal with in some capacity.

and here, he wonders if he should deal with it now. because there’s two ways he can approach this: laugh it off as some look on the brightside joke as keith is or address a deeper issue, one that he’s been putting off. keith was pretty isolated once he was kicked out of the garrison, huh? lonely? they haven’t talked about it much and shiro can only wonder how bad it was. sure, shiro’s always known keith to be the type to keep to himself, but there’s a difference between being private and careful around others, and being absolutely alone. he’s fine now though, right? he wouldn’t be susceptible to the lonely now that they’re together and a strong team, yeah?

they should talk about it. knowing you should do something and actually doing it are not one in the same, unfortunately, and once again, shiro talks himself out of it, thinking that a park setting in the midst of a recon isn’t the best place for any meaningful discussion. later, always later, and with that, he swings back to option one: keep it lighthearted. ]

You make a good point. Best if we stick together. [ he smiles and straightens up then, giving the chains a tiny push to get keith swaying again. he sidesteps as soon as his chest is fully his own again and circles around the swing seat. ] So where I go, you go and where I’m thinking of going right now, is down that slide.

[ he nods toward the plastic tube and then spins around to face keith, even as he continues to walk backwards toward the wooden structure. ]

You in? [ they knocked out the kangaroo rocker and the swing, might as well finish the playground experience with one slide run, right? ]

[ glancing towards the slide as its indicated, keith lets out a huff of amusement. the wooden structure supporting the plastic slide looks to be in about the same neglected condition as the rest of the playground but it looks sturdy enough. it gets pretty high up too, which immediately gives it that extra sprinkle of appeal. the bulk of keith's amusement, however, is coming from the image of shiro scrunching himself up small to slide down the tubing. in a beat, he jumps off the swing and grins. ]

You're on.

[ he quickly catches up to the few strides that shiro's gained on him, but at the final moment gives his best friend a light shove backwards as he runs full tilt to the wooden steps. ]

Race you to the top!

[ ridiculous counter challenge issued, keith laughs as he takes the tiny wooden steps two at a time on the mad dash higher and higher. ]

[ keith is, comparatively, small. nonetheless, he hides away a surprising amount of strength in that narrow frame of his. that combined with the suddenness of the push actually has shiro stumbling one, two steps before he catches himself. he whips around and: ]

Cheater!

[ the reprimand isn’t much of one when he’s laughing through the syllables. as for the completely unfair and totally rude head-start? keith better enjoy it while it lasts because shiro’s across that distance far too soon and bounding up the stairs just as quick. keith might edge shiro out with those long legs of his, but shiro’s got a long reach and hopping up three tiny steps to then pitch his body forward and extend his arm out -- ]

No you don’t -- !

[ as soon as keith gets to the top of that staircase, shiro snags his ankle, trying to trip him up. either way, he’s unlikely to let go, so good luck getting anywhere, keith. ]

[ there's no real chance of shiro being actually offended by the shove and headstart keith's given himself, considering this is the same guy who'd cheat his way to the finish line of a race by driving a hoverbike straight off the top of a cliff. hell, keith doesn't even feel bad about it, knowing that shiro's just going to find a way to get back at him later.

but in this case, later comes a little sooner than keith would like and he feels the grab and tug on his right ankle just as he lifts up that leg to clear the last step up to the top. maybe if he hadn't been practically throwing himself up the stairs, the sudden jerked stop to his momentum wouldn't have made him start losing his balance, but alas keith doesn't exist in that reality. ]

Woah- [ he windmills his arms a little, but he's lost his center of gravity and ends up pitching forward bumping his knee on the second to last step as he comes down laughing. ]

Hey! Let go! My hand touched the top platform first so I win anyway!

[ timbeeeer -- down he goes! truthfully, shiro does feel the slightest bit sorry about that knee bump, however, considering keith is laughing through all of the windmilling and crashing, shiro is nowhere near offering up an apology. in fact, he merely tightens his grip on his ankle, sidelining any possible assumption that he is going to set keith loose. ]

What? [ it comes out on a surprised laugh. ] Since when?

[ since keith decided to start changing rules on the spot, apparently. double cheater. he huffs and shifts closer, getting his other hand on keith but higher on his opposite leg. the plan is to keep keith stationary by immobilizing his legs there against the steps… but shiro still needs to get up those steps, which results in him mostly using keith as a ladder. ]

The finish line has always been the bottom of the slide. [ which he is intent on getting to first. so hand from right ankle to right calf and then hand from left calf to the back of the left knee, shiro is just going to part climb, part manhandle keith in hopes of keeping him still long enough to get over him and ahead. ]

[ keith snorts with laughter as he squirms. ]

I said I was racing you to the top! You're shifting the goalposts, old-timer!

[ not that any of this sounds like actual complaining, judging from the brightness of his tone. though now that shiro's made his gameplan of pinning his legs down clear, keith immediately pushes his torso up, arms straightening out just in case shiro gets some funny ideas about climbing over him. with that measure taken, the next step is to free up his legs... which he does by kicking them out in a wide v to throw off shiro's balance a little. it isn't a perfect maneuver, and shiro's simply got the weight advantage here, but the swift jerk is just enough to get his left leg free to tuck his knee into his core and unsteadily push himself back up to partly crouching. ]

But if you really want that second chance, I'll beat you at that, too. [ he twists around to poke at shiro's sides. if he can't muscle his leg free from shiro's galra arm, the next best alternative is to tickle the guy into submission. obviously. ] C'mon, let go!

Edited (Shhh) 2021-08-18 07:54 (UTC)

[ the top -- of the slide! which then leads to the bottom. shiro is valid and shiro is right -- keith is a cheating cheater. if that isn’t case and point, then here is another example: keith kicking his legs out and trying to knock shiro off the steps. ]

-- Woah! [ balance successfully compromised, shiro grips hard at the leg he still has a hand on and throws his weight forward. he overcompensates and more so, crashes right back into keith and the stairs. it’s such a mess of uncoordinated momentum that he almost slams his face into keith’s ass. thankfully, he catches himself with his free hand, braced there against the top step. the next part comes on fast and before shiro knows it, keith is twisted around and jamming his fingers into his sides. immediately, he squirms. ]

Hey! That’s playing dirty!

[ it’s difficult to sound indignant when it’s said through laughter. he doesn’t dare let go of keith’s leg, because he’s certain the moment he does, keith will tuck it in and be to the slide within three seconds. so that leaves him with only one hand to bat those prodding fingers. ]

You just said you’re gonna beat me. Not a lot of incentive for me to let you go. [ still laughing. he’s running out of options though and so, he goes for the hail mary. tightens his grip, angles his feet for a better push off and throws his weight back, jumping off the staircase and yanking keith with him. perhaps not the smartest -- or safest -- plan, but shiro’s desperate for the win. ]

[ there's no other way to describe it. keith is looking damn near radiant when shiro starts squirming. victory seems imminent and the prospect of winning in this very small, inconsequential way makes keith grin wide from ear to ear.

it's just such a shame then, that he doesn't see shiro's next maneuver coming. it can barely even be called a strategy considering how it could potentially end with both of them hitting their heads and returning to adi with nothing but concussions to show for this field mission, but it's certainly one way of getting keith further away from the finish line. ]

Come on, isn't my -- [ and then keith cuts off because suddenly he's no longer perched on the steps and the unpleasant lurch of falling makes keith grab at empty air. thankfully (?) he manages to land on something soft for his troubles as keith finds hiself straddling shiro's thighs when the world settles again. he blinks, staring down at shiro's leg in complete confusion. ]

Did you just launch yourself off the steps and drag me with you?

[ help him understand what life has become shirogane. help him decide if he ought to be amused or concerned. ]

[ listen. shiro has utmost faith in their combined flexibility, maneuverability, adaptability…? they get tossed around all the time, not just in sparring, but out on the field too. allura literally threw him across a galran cruiser’s escape hatch once without a stitch of warning and look, he came out of it unscathed. okay, sure, most of these acrobatics involve armor to soften the crash, but the physicality is the same. ~~besides, everyone knows keith is indestructible.~~

the point is, when he throws his weight back and pulls keith with him, he’s anticipating a mid-air recovery or a body roll crouch once they hit the ground. he does not take into account keith’s surprise or how they aren’t all that far off the ground, which means, he’s barely let go of keith’s leg before his back is slamming earth. weight flops down on him within the next second and punches out what little air he has left.

genius plan. winded, he delays in opening his eyes, especially with how incredulous keith sounds. yes, yes he knows; that’s not the typical move the tactical brain of one takashi shirogane would normally come up with. these are not normal circumstances though. encouraged by his own inner monologue, he quirks a smile and blindly now, pats his hands up to touch first keith’s thighs and then further up, to hold his hips.

he flutters his eyes open then, immediately breathing out a chuckle. ]

Don’t give me that look. It worked, didn’t it? [ it being…? his expression tightens and the smile curls hard on a smirk as he pushes keith off of him, knocking him to the side. he wastes no time in getting to his feet and now he’s the one in the lead, booking it up the steps. give him six more seconds and he’ll be at the slide, and keith better believe shiro won’t hesitate in jumping straight down it. ]

[ it worked, didn't it? good grief, is that seriously all shiro has to say for himself here? keith looks over his shoulder, expression growing judgier by the secon. not that shiro gets the full brunt of the effect seeing as he's all but tossing keith off of him in the next beat.

keith's expression doesn't even budge from sheer wtf when his butt finally makes contact with the ground and the head of voltron takes off like a bullet. out of the six seconds it's going to take shiro to get to the slide, keith wastes about three of them frozen in incredulity. shiro must really want this??? for some reason?? maybe after that talk about normalcy seeming unnatural this ought to be taken as a good sign??

whatever the case, keith is slow, even to yell an obligatorily outraged: ]

Hey!

[ even that still sounds a pinch confused, but the rest of his actions are far more decisive. keith bounces back onto his feet, charging right up the steps up to the top of the slide, still three seconds behind and not quite managing to close the gap between them. however, he is just barely able to grab shiro by the back of his shirt just as he loses a tick or two getting seated and rounding shoulders to fit down the plastic tubing. ]

And you tell me nott to be reckless.

[ not that horsing around on the playground is at all analogous to dealing with naked horseladies, but shh. ]

Give me one reason why I should let go.

[ demand issued, keith huffs. but there's...something odd about the slide, isn't there? like the longer he's just standing there at the top, the more he actually just wants to slide down himself. ]

Edited 2021-08-20 06:08 (UTC)

[ almost had it! if the slide weren’t so tiny, he would’ve been half-way down it already. the fact that it’s so obviously made for people not shiro’s size should be a sign in itself that he may be approaching this racing game between them with more enthusiasm than someone his age should, but with him now one push short of victory, any chance of slowing down enough to evaluate what this has become is long gone.

he turns his head to peer over his shoulder, fixing a misleadingly sweet smile to his face. ]

Because… then it’ll be over and you won’t be knocked off your feet again? [ whether keith lets him go now or hauls him out, shiro is set on getting down this slide one way or another before keith. which is a stupid goal, he is aware. but he’s already set in his mind that this is it. this is the end of the playground reprieve and once he’s to the bottom, it’s back to business as usual: sober up, focus, and finish up this recon mission.

he turns forward again, staring at his outstretched legs and the tight swirl of green plastic. he laughs then, giving his head a brief shake and patting the sides of the tube, just to hear the sound echo down the narrow space. ]

Or how about… I’ll likely get stuck, so I need you to go after me to kick me free?

You're not gonna knock me off my feet again, old-timer. You just caught me off guard that time.

[ obviously! correction made with a haughty, up-turned nose huff, keith simply keeps his grip tight on shiro's shirt as he positions himself behind, long legs stretched out on either side of shiro's hips. the inner tubing of the slide is now even more cramped than ever, but keith is apparently set on his decisions here. ]

We're going down like this and it'll be a tie.

[ hands perch on shiro's shoulders, gripping tight. does he wait for an agreement? no. clearly, shiro's not in a negotiating mood or even a fair one -- which suits keith just fine. all it means is that keith's going to push back and redefine all the rules to his own tastes. so, on that note of pushing, here comes one solid one onto the slippery plastic.

there are a bunch of reasons the slide down shouldn't be as smooth as it is -- their combined bulk notwithstanding. hell, if keith were going to be suspicious about it, it's almost like the slide wanted them to go down the tubing, but that's an absurd thought.

or at least it was until ticks pass in silence with no end to the slide in sight. from top to bottom it shouldn't have taken them more than three or four seconds to be back in open air and staring down the spring rocker and swing. instead, this seems to stretch on for an uncomfortably long period, enough so that keith's grip on shiro's shoulders goes from lax to tense. ]

Shiro?

[ his voice echoes more than it ought to, and a glimpse at the opening makes that a little clearer. high stone walls suggest some kind of .... cave? temple?? whatever the fuck it is, it's not a playground, though neither of them get to try to pump the brakes on this because the plastic tubing angles sharply downwards to accelerate their descent and inevitable tumble onto the stone floor. ]

...ow.

Edited (wrong word) 2021-08-21 05:46 (UTC)

[ his feet would touch the ground first, so technically, shiro would still take the win. nonetheless, keith is scooted up against him and seemingly unwilling to bend on this tie business. any protest shiro has on the matter, which is hardly any honestly, is swallowed back with the push forward, and then it’s the exhilaration of scooting down the slide. actually scooting that then gives into sliding that then ramps up into speeding down the slide -- they’re going awfully fast down a tube that wasn’t anywhere near this length. all enthusiasm he had for this slide abruptly dries up and to keith’s shiro, shiro quickly comes to terms that something is very, very wrong. he thinks to throw out his legs and arms too late. the angle abruptly changes and then they’re freefalling, and so much for shiro’s earlier confidence that the two of them are athletic enough to recover mid-air and land with some grace.

only positive, he supposes, is his lap isn’t a landing pad for keith this time. shiro flops forward, colliding with the stone floor face down, with keith hitting partly on his sprawled out legs. it reminds him of their exploration for the blue lion. an ignited glow, a makeshift slide below crumbled floor and then the lot of them catapulting off a ramped end. a pool of water is more preferable to this though. shiro only avoids serious injury by having wrapped his arms around his face; his nose still hits pretty hard into his forearm though.

so ow is right.

winded from the air literally being knocked out of him, shiro slowly unwraps and gives his nose a brief rub, before he pushes himself up with his hands. drawing his legs in once keith has recovered enough to start picking himself up, shiro sits up and looks around. it looks like something from a movie-set: stone walls illuminated by torches around the room, some hung on the walls, some freestanding. the pit in the middle seems impractical enough to serve some movie plot that probably isn’t kind. his uneasiness is steadily growing, of course, but the more he stares at the black garbage bag hanging over the pit, the more that uneasiness tilts toward dread. so he stops looking. he shifts his gaze over to the wall, watching the torch’s light flicker across an outcropping in the otherwise smooth slab. ]

Looks like we found the paranormal activity.

[ it comes out dry, almost casual. he’s overcompensating, as not to give way to the panic churning up inside him. because forget the creepy ambience of this place -- shiro doesn’t see an exit. he pushes himself up to his feet then and doesn’t even bother brushing himself off. he merely goes straight to pulling out his phone, not at all surprised that there is no signal. testing out a dial anyway, it immediately declines the call. ]

No phone service but -- guess we might as well. [ and he holds up the phone, snapping a picture of the room. he’s not falling on his face for nothing. might as well get that one hundred dollars, right? besides, it’s all a show to project that he’s calm, at least in this beginning phase when he’s trying to rationalize what is going on and what the threats are. ]

Do you see an opening anywhere? [ again, offered in that steady calmness as he turns away from the room and backtracks over to the mouth of the slide, only to stare up at it with a frown on his face. it really would’ve helped if they’d worn their paladin armor because that there? that is way too far to reach without some sort of jetpack. ]

[ wherever the hell they are, keith is unamused and unimpressed. he picks himself up from off the floor, giving his butt a ginger rub or two before appraising their surroundings. there doesn't appear to be any imminent threats, save for the possibility of something either inside the pit or inside the bag suspended above it. assessment made, keith's hand is quick to close around his bayard while shiro reaches for his phone.

looks like we found the paranormal activity is perhaps the biggest understatement keith has ever heard, and far from being calming, it earns shiro a look that's both dubious and concerned. ]

You don't say....

[ the commentary is far from helpful, sure, but keith doesn't know how else to respond. he gives their surroundings another look, this time scanning for more than just potential threats. the place for all intents and purposes appears sealed, which means they have to be worried about oxygen levels. so -- deep breaths. no hyperventilating, no wasting words on dead end banter. focus.

he takes several steps closer to the pit, pausing at the lip of it to try and get some kind of clue as to what's at the bottom. it is, however, pitch black and gives keith an annoying case of the heebie jeebies. he backs up a few steps. ]

I see an opening alright. Not one that I think we're meant to go through.

[ keeping the bayard held tight in his right hand, he grabs his phone with his left, flicking on the flashlight app to shine a light down to the bottom. predictably, the light does absolutely nothing. ]

The hell is this place?

[ ...so much for not wasting air, but someone's gotta ask to get the hypotheses rolling. keith, for his part, will hold back on commenting that it looks like someone's idea of a human sacrifice chamber. ]

Edited 2021-08-22 05:32 (UTC)

[ funny, keith. way to jack shiro’s job of cracking inappropriate jokes in dismal situations. the pit is obviously out of the question, thanks; frankly, shiro isn’t too fond of considering it in any capacity other than keeping it on the periphery. even when he gives up on the slide and turns back to keith, he shies away from looking directly at the pit or its suspended garbage bag. heh, someone screwed up on the authenticity, huh? a stone temple like those of civilizations hundreds upon hundreds of years ago… but equipped with a thirty gallon, black garbage bag.

thankfully, keith’s taken over as the team jokester, so shiro keeps the observation to himself. frowning now, he pockets his phone and mulls over the question before giving an unhelpful one shoulder shrug. ]

Your guess is as good as mine.

[ not too long ago, they were cutting people out of seal skins, so if that’s the starting bar of weirdness around these parts, why wouldn’t a slide lead to an underground temple with no way out? seems about right. again, he spares keith the dry humor and instead, shakes his head and starts walking. ]

We’ll figure it out after we’ve put this place behind us. There has to be a way out.

[ he’s likely talking too much. he should keep it short and concise, but it’s a much needed reprieve from the silence of this place. even now, the echo of his footsteps backdropped by the steady wood burning of those torches is eerie in this enclosed space. it’s like the calm before the storm and apprehension soars, half-anticipating something to give any moment now. because someone or something has to be down here, right? they were brought here for a reason.

his breathing has picked up slightly and he tries to calm it as he crosses the last of that distance to that stone disk protruding from the wall. ]

-- Like a hidden door. [ long shot, but if movies have taught him anything, these temples always have hidden passageways. or boobytraps. hopefully pushing in this disk doesn’t bring the latter. actually, it brings neither. shiro deepens his frown and pushes the disk in again and holds it in this time, looking around the room for any change. ]

… Or not.

[ while shiro's busy pressing on the stones, keith's still preoccupied with the pit. part of him wants to throw a rock into the pit, see how long it takes for it to hit the bottom, but a sense of unease keeps him paralyzed on action. it's then that he catches something drip from above. optimistically, keith's first thought is leak? before realizing the drip is coming from the garbage bag suspended above. he's never been the one with the senstive stomach, but as he takes a couple of nervous steps back, he has to wonder if this is how hunk felt all the time.

turning to face shiro instead, he takes a deep breath. judging from the relative ease with which shiro's able to depress that bit of stone -- yeah, someone or something definitely wants that to be pressed, but even if it feels an awful lot like walking right into a trap, keith isn't sure what the better alternative is. again, he takes a deep breath -- panicking isn't gonna help either of them right now. ]

Looks like there's another outcropping like that on the opposite wall. Maybe they're meant to be pressed together.

[ there's something strange about that as well. why is this place seemingly designed for two people? surely it's not trying to create a nice bonding moment. again, the thought of human sacrifices comes floating back to mind and keith grits his teeth as he walks towards the opposite wall. phone stuffed back in his pocket, he holds his hand over the stone, but pauses before pressing it. ]

I don't like this. But I guess we don't really have any other options right now, huh? [ another beat of hesitation. he shouldn't be wasting possibly limited air pointing out the obvious. ] Here goes.

[ maybe it'll all be a whole lot of fuss over absolutely nothing? maybe it'll just open up a nice wormhole back to where they came from, but keith isn't holding his breath. regardless, he presses the stone, holding it down and waits for shiro to do the same. ]

Edited 2021-08-24 03:41 (UTC)

[ shiro doesn’t like this one bit either but just as keith says: there aren’t many, if any, other options available to them. pressing the disks in tandem feels a little like rolling the dice. there’s no telling what they’re going to get out of this and in two seconds time, all of this could go horribly wrong with it triggering some unforeseeable consequence. but nothing happens in the immediate second afterwards: no trap door opening, no crumbling of the room, no alarm bell to alert whoever. his breath gives on the beginnings of a relieved sigh but the second extends into a tick and then there’s a… shift. no, a clank.

the metallic clicking is sharp and heavy in the otherwise quiet and it pricks at a primal terror in shiro, enough so that reflex has him yanking his hand away from the disk. ]

What -- oh. [ his gaze, which had been set on keith before, darts up toward the garbage bag just in time to see it abruptly stop. the aborted motion jars the bag and has it swinging marginally, the saturated fluid soaking the bottom escaping in a slightly larger glob. drip, drip -- he swallows and looks away, quickly surveying the rest of the room and finding it unchanged.

he frowns. ] Pressing them together lowers the bag…?

[ it’s on some sort of pulley system then, one activated by these disks. that’s… hm. he barely mulls it over and simply asks the obvious: ]

But why? [ there has to be a reason for it. though, shiro’s not entirely certain he wants to analyze that deeper than necessary. ]

[ the clank of heavy chains startles keith more than he'd like to admit. while he doesn't leap back from the stone, within the span of a beat his bayard is activated and raised in his right hand, knees bent as he swivels to keep the wall behind him his only blind spot. eyes dart from one end of the temple to the other, but even fully reassured that nothing is coming, keith doesn't relax.

deep breaths, deep breaths. as logical as the course of action is, the fact that he doesn't have a single fucking clue what they're up against here makes the slip into the irrational far too easy. the entities, if that's what this is, aren't anything he's dealt with -- at least, not in this context and for that matter keith can't even begin to pinpoint which one might even be responsible for this elaborate set up. the spiral? the flesh? the buried? fuck. it's all abstract in ways that keith can't quite wrap his head around and it's easier to pin blame on adi for sending people out to "investigate" dogtown to begin with.

but for better or for worse, shiro's there to redirect keith's focus to the garbage bag now swaying over the pit. keith lets out a deep breath, swallowing. ]

It's an offering. [ it's only a guess. barely an informed one at that, but keith's tone is both grim and set as he watches dark fluid leaking down into the pit below. ] There has to be something down there. It's waiting for whatever's inside that garbage bag.

[ after all, hadn't adi been the ones to go on about the entities needing to be fed? ]

Edited (wordsssss) 2021-08-25 03:58 (UTC)

[ an offering? shiro makes a face. they’re not triggering meal time for a pit mon… ster -- the thought stalls out and shiro’s expression pinches further, nose wrinkled in distaste. okay, he takes it back. that’s not entirely out of the possibilities here. the kelpie disaster at the forefront of his mind and all the entity warnings filling in around those monster-filled memories, shiro delays in his denial a moment longer but inevitably, he turns to grab one of the two torches there on the wall, framing the disk, and beelines it toward the pit. ]

We don’t know that. [ talking keith down from panic takes precedence here. figuring out what’s happening is going to be made much more difficult if either one of them starts working themselves up into hysterics. caution is one thing, snap conclusions are another. so patience, focus, and take everything one step at a time. shiro tells himself this, but now that he’s the one standing at the rim of the pit, watching the black swallow up each drip, he feels his stomach roll, both sickened and fearful that keith might not be that far off the mark.

shiro’s stubborn though. ] This could be nothing more than a test. [ a beat and then he tosses the torch into the pit. ] Like a puzzle.

[ figuring out that the disks need to be pressed at the same time fits that theory. it’s a show of teamwork too? seems pretty wishy washy on likelihood that that’s why they’re here, but shiro says little else to back it up. and when the light falls too far for him to see? and there’s no sound of the wood stick hitting the floor or an answering growl? he turns away from the seemingly bottomless pit and tries not to be weighed down with it. ]

Either way, we have no other choice. This is the only thing we have control of in here.

[ he finds his original spot there by his disk. the only other options are -- what? waiting around until a rescue party drops down from the slide? unlikely. and the other is him activating his galra arm to -- maybe -- break through some of bricked walls. he’d rather exhaust the pulley system before he starts testing the integrity of the superstructure and running the risk of collapsing the room. ]

We have to try it.

[ a test of what? keith comes a stone's throw away from asking outright, only catching himself with the reminder that shiro doesn't have a damn clue -- neither of them do, and getting irritable about the predicament they've found themselves in isn't actually going to help matters. keith closes his eyes, taking several deep breaths to re-center.

the hypotheticals aren't helping. the speculation needs to stop. the only lead they have so far in this shitty room is the fact that the discs can be depressed. there's a gigantic fallacy in assuming change means progress, and it doesn't help that keith is aware that neither he nor shiro are particularly keen on any potential solutions that involve sitting still and waiting. it doesn't help that for whatever reason, keith's starting to feel watched again, even if he couldn't fucking place where anyone could possibly be hiding right now. he does another uneasy glance around the temple, halfway ready to just piss off whatever wants them to lower the garbage bag into the pits by setting it on fire instead.

hell, maybe that's what he'd be doing if he were by himself. putting shiro at risk though? he scowls, deactivating the bayard and puts his hand back on the button. ]

Fine.

[ somewhat grumpily, he pushes the stone with more force that strictly required. whatever comes next as a result of doing what this room seemingly wants them to is what he needs to stay sharp for. if shiro;s right and it's just a nice harmless little puzzle, then that can only be a good thing, right? too bad optimism doesn't come easily to keith. ]

[ well, someone isn’t too happy about the plan. it’s shitty, shiro knows that, okay -- but there has to be a reason for the discs and the suspended bag. shiro only hopes that reason works in their favor. so with keith’s disc reluctantly held down, the pulley is immediately activated the moment shiro presses his in as well. as before, the chain-links shift together, creating an unnerving backdrop of noise. chaotic, that’s a word for it: for how it makes him feel and for how his thoughts spiral. he doesn’t like this.

briefly, he checks up on keith there across the room, staring at him for one beat, three but then he follows his gaze to the pit, only to skirt up to fixate on the bag. he’s looked at it numerous times now. the liquid dripping from the bottom is familiar at this point and he knows the shape of that overfilled bag just as well, but this is the first time he allows himself to truly wonder what’s inside there. rubbish? no. secreted away riches? no. another drip and he thinks, offering, not even a full second before the bag gives an awful lurch.

the polyethylene stretches out on opposite sides, columning the black, and then abruptly retreats to ball the garbage bag back into the inconspicuous round heap that it was before. except now, that sack is moving…? wriggling. like something -- no, like someone is -- ]

Shit -- stop!

[ the shout is unneeded, because shiro lets go and the pulley creaks to a stop. know what else stops? the wriggling. it happens so seamlessly that shiro has to blink a few times, as though not trusting his vision now or before. ]

Did you see that? [ he doesn’t dare look away from the bag; waiting, anticipating… ] You saw that, right?

[ words come quickly, feeling mildly frantic but more so, confused. because -- ] The bag -- it was moving. [ … wasn’t it? ]

[ keith's focus had been squarely on the pit, so no -- he doesn't see any funny business with the garbage bag. hyperfocused as he is on something monstrous crawling out of the depths, the shout does absoluely nothing good for fraying nerves. in a flash, the bayard is back in keith's hands as keith snaps back with the sword drawn at the ready.

heart hammering in his chest, it's only after he's confirmed that the temple is exactly the way it was moments ago that he finally glances over to shiro. ]

Don't freak me out like that.

[ he takes a deep breath, but the tension doesn't leave his body as he turns his attention to the garbage bag, watching intently for any sign of movement. much to shiro's dismay or relief though, the bag remains about as insert and drippy as it had been when they first got here. keith lets out a sigh, shoulders rounding a little but keeps his hold on the bayard tight. ]

I didn't see it moving. [ a beat. ] But I wasn't paying attention to it. Are you sure it wasn't just from being jostled by the chains?

[ shiro doesn’t have it in him to feel sorry in the moment. still staring, still waiting -- come on, move dammit, he knows it’s going to move. but the moments bleed into each other and keith offers up an out to explain away a reality shiro doesn’t want to accept. jostled by the chains? that… that could be it, right?

there’s a gap of silence following keith’s words but eventually, shiro swallows and bobbles his head on a few, barely there nods, more so to psych himself up. ]

You’re right. [ it still comes out reluctantly. ] It was probably just the chains.

[ had to be? if they woke up some animal or worse, it’s not like it’d suddenly stop moving once the pulley did. with some effort, he finally breaks eye contact with the bag and briefly, blinks to the floor a yard or so beyond him. he gives his head a firm shake this time and then lifts his head back to level, rolling his shoulders back as though to knock some confidence back into his stance. ]

Sorry. [ there it is; took him a bit. but he doesn’t give the apology any time to breathe. he almost immediately presses on by depressing his disc again, calling out: ] Let’s keep going.

[ mystery potentially solved, keith nods and turns his attention back to the disc. while there still isn't any reason to keep his bayard at the ready, this is the second time in the last handful of minutes that it's felt necessary, so this time he doesn't bother with putting it away.

ultimately, he isn't all that satisfied with the explanation he's come up with for the discrepancy. he knows shiro well enough to know he wouldn't have had such a visceral reaction to a bag swaying on chains -- or at least, keith would assume. the stone temple is doing a spectacular job of heightening tension and stress levels, but frankly the thought that maybe shiro is seeing things or potentially losing his mind is far more damaging than the idea of the garbage bagg containing somehthing alive inside it.

either way, this time keith keeps his focus directed squarely at the bag when he presses the stone. at first, it's more of the same clanking of metal chains as they lower the garbage bag into the pit. the black bag sways, dark liquid oozing in thick droplets. whatever the hell they're doing here, it leaves keith feeling uneasier by the second. and then it starts to move. subtle at first, like a light ripple from one end of the bag to the other. and then it starts to wriggle and writhe with increasing force as the chains start to lower it into the pit.

almost like it's trying to escape?

no. don't fucking project intent -- keith is quick to chide, but his hand comes off the disc all the same, leaving the bag suspended level with the opening of the pit and eerily still once again. keith doesn't yell, but his eyes have gotten very round as he glances at shiro. ]

There's no way whatever's in there is alive.

[ that's blurted up front and quick to muszle any other crazy ideas. there's no reason something alive and wanting to escape would suddenly stop moving when the chains are still. but it does raise the horrible follow up question of what it actually is then.

just to be sure however, keith quickly picks up a smooth rock from off the ground and chucks it at the garbage bag as hard as he can. the bag oozes more of that thick fluid where the rock hits it, but other than that, there aren't any other movements or sounds. not even of the rock hitting the bottom of the pit. ]

Gotta just be mindgames, right?

[ mindgames. how incredibly soothing. ]

a little bit yeah

this pleases me.

ofc you are

keith should be disqualified for cheating.

shhh

i'm trying v hard to be serious here. you are not helping.

listen im just being encouraging???

i resisted the dta. be proud of me.

you just pushed the responsibility onto me!

i'm glad keith has met prince everhard.

a fated encounter

Hey!

the first of many encounters i'm sure.

i can't believe im actually using this icon for its intended purpose

they're not doing bff activities right now...

listen they're being platonic. it tracks.

ig they are. falling into a doom temple has a way of turning off the gay.

it's fine.... they'll be fine

i want to ban this word again.

LOL i wasn't even thinking that time.

i still don't forgive you for using that word TWICE.

wow so cruel :c

no no, i am fair.

you keep telling yourself that :/

i will ://////////

gdit i meant inert