The last rays of the sun's light peeked in through the open curtains of the kitchen window, the yellow-brown paint on the walls reflecting that light warmly. Acxa picked at the piece of meat left in the bottom of her bowl, sticking her spoon into the meat and separating it into more pieces. It was good soup without a doubt, but she guiltily could only eat a little of the already small portion she was given. Her appetite had been waning the past day or so, and it was getting harder to force down the food Fangor set before her as well as sleep. Acxa stared down at her bowl, dragging the spoon along the edge of the dish in a continuing circle.
"Acsuna?" a quiet voice asked, drawing Acxa's attention. She looked up to Voilet across the table as the girl picked up her empty bowl and made a kind of offering gesture with it. "More please?"
Acxa chuckled at the gesture. "How many have you had?"
"That counts as her second." Fangor answered for her, rubbing Violet's head fondly. "I'm glad to see you like it, little one."
"And if you've already had two, it's probably best you let all of that settle." Acxa answered the girl's question with a bit of a chuckle. Violet nodded a little and set her bowl back on the table.
"Okay, I go play now." She told Fangor and Acxa as she hopped down from her seat. "Kosmo?" She called lightly into the livingroom as she began looking for the wolf. Acxa watched her with a fond smile, unaware of the uninterested look remaining in her eyes.
"Are you feeling alright?" Fangor wondered as he bussied himself by cleaning up the dishes from their meal.
"Hm?" Acxa looked to him in hearing him speak, but hadn't registered what he had said.
"You haven't eaten much the past few meals. Are you well?" Fangor asked her again patiently.
"Oh, yes. Just, not hungry." Acxa admitted, setting her spoon in her bowl. "I think I get that way when I'm anxious."
"Not the waiting type?" Fangor asked.
"I've never had problems with it really." Acxa shrugged. "Keith is still sick despite what I've done to help. All we can do is sit around and wait. I feel like we're sitting ducks, especially without some kind of back up plan."
"I can understand that." Fangor agreed. "Unfortunately however, waiting is part of life. Besides, you've done your best, and that's the most any of us can do." Acxa was quiet for a moment after hearing his words, looking around the kitchen. Fangor was continuing to clean the dishes as Acxa saw the small mess Violet had made with her own meal, still learning how to navigate eating utensils. Acxa used her napkin to clean up a bit of the mess, whipping the side of the bowl so Fangor wouldn't have to touch any of it. She noticed that the small bowl had a word painted on it, and while old, it was in the common parlance which Acxa could read. A name; Enya.
Curiosity pecked at Acxa's thoughts as she thought on the name. It then occurred to her that she had never thought of why a man living on his own in the middle of nowhere had clothes small enough from a female and child. She was surprised she hadn't even thought on it, but with all that had happened in the past day or so, it somewhat made sense how she might overlook it at first.
"Can I ask you something?" she looked to the laiveth now as he continued to wash dishes.
"You can." he replied.
"Have you always lived alone?" Acxa knew she might have asked a sensitive question when Fangor's chore slowed, and as he wasn't facing her, she couldn't see his full expression.
"No, in fact." His reply was lighter in tone than she had expected. "I was a husband, for many years of my life. I was a father for, much less of a time." His voice grew a little more quiet at his last sentence, and Acxa's expression broke a little to hear it from a rather cheerful man. She looked down at the bowl, more information making her set the little bowl down with more care on the table.
"Can I ask what happened?" She wondered, her own voice gently quiet and soft.
Fangor continued to dry the cleaned dishes as he replied. "My wife, Liliana, grew sick with a rare disease a few years after my daughter was born. Enya had inherited her mother's illness by blood it seemed, and passed a few years later when she was a little bigger than Violet is now."
Acxa's gaze lowered to her bowl. "I'm, very sorry to hear that."
"Thank you. It was many years ago." Fangor finally turned to look at her, a small smile of old pain on his lips as he leaned back against the counter. "In all honesty, hearing a little voice in this house again, beyond my imagination, is comforting. Happy memories come of it. Ones I've not wanted to purposefully see for the fear of pain, but they've brought no such thing to a great extent."
Acxa nodded. "I'm glad to know we haven't been a nuisance for you." She told him honestly, her tone still just as soft. "Why move here?"
"Other than following the tradition of our people, moving from place to place to gain more knowledge of the stars, we wanted to be away from the Empire's eyes and problems. A peaceful life out in the middle of nowhere was just where Lilly wanted to be. We were both the more solitary type, and with so few of our people left in actual clans, sometimes starting over and making a new life is simply easier than chasing after an older one."
Acxa smiled a little. "I know the feeling in a way; a new life. It must have been very, freeing."
"And scary, as every new thing is." Fangor shrugged. "But while those years feel short compared to now, I'd rather treasure every memory than be without them because of a little pain." His brighter, at peace smile made Acxa do the same; happy he was at least in peace and not swallowed in sorrow of the past. It made her think of the pain in her own life, and she knew it wasn't as easy as Fangor made it seem.
"Thank you, for your hospitality." Acxa told him, her smile remaining. "You're probably the only reason we're still alive."
"Oh enough of that." Fangor replied passively with a chuckle, dismissing the thought with a wave of his hand. "It's getting later by the minute. Perhaps we should think about the little one turning in for bed."
Acxa nodded in agreement, offering to clean her own bowl, but Fangor gently took it, and the smaller one as she offered them to him, and began to wash them in the sink. With another smile of gratitude, Acxa came into the livingroom, and her brow furrowed to not see Violet anywhere in the room. She looked for Kosmo, and didn't see him anywhere either, but she did notice that the curtain to the room Keith was in was drawn aside a little.
As there was nowhere else really, Acxa went in that direction, soon gently pulling the curtain aside to see the room. Kosmo sat beside the bed, his head resting on Keith's forearm at his side. Violet stood beside the wolf, stroking his soft ears and head as if to comfort and soothe the beast. Even Lizzy was with them, carefully crawling closer to Keith's hand beneath the covers and curling up into a little ball next to it. Feeling a melting sensation in her chest, Acxa came closer and put a hand on the girl's head, feeling the soft horns beneath her hair. Violet looked up to her upon feeling her hand.
"Keef still sleeping?" She asked, curious, but there was an edge of worry and confusion in her tone as she knew something wasn't right by now. Acxa gave her a soft smile.
"Yes. He's a little sick at the moment. But he'll get better soon." She told her, gently rubbing Violet's head.
"Kosmo's sad." Violet said in a more upset tone. She gently cupped the wolf's face, turning him to Acxa so she could see Komso's droopy lips and ears. Kosmo whined a little as he looked up at her with his yellow irises, and Acxa couldn't hold back the light chuckle as Violet mimicked Kosmo's expression in empathy, that melting feeling in her chest only getting bigger.
"I bet you can cheer him up though." Acxa tried to suggest on a higher note, and Violet brightened a little.
"Oh! I draw him something!" Violet proposed, and gently setting Kosmo's head back on the bed, she began to go off back to the living room. Acxa smiled lightly as she sat back in the chair beside the bed. She felt Kosmo's head rest on her leg, and looking down in slight surprise, she saw his eyes looking up at her in a way she couldn't resist. She scratched behind his ears and massaged his head soothingly, the wolf soon closing his eyes and soaking in the affection. Acxa was a little surprised to see Violet coming back into the room with a piece of paper after only a few minutes had passed.
"That, was quick." Acxa had to express as Violet offered the paper to Kosmo, who sniffed it and looked at her in unknowing of what she meant. Acxa could see a child's drawing of a dog similar to Kosmo's colors with a little person of Violet's description hugging him. Acxa smiled at the drawing as Violet set it on the bedside table.
"That's very nice Violet." She told the little laiveth.
"Well, I'm gonna go sleep too!" Violet decided, looking up to Acxa. "Goodnight!"
"Night." Acxa replied gently. Violet moved closer and seemed to try to be getting into her lap. Acxa helped her in the hopes she wouldn't fall, and froze to feel Violet cup her face and give her a kiss on the forehead. Violet then slipped down back to the floor and began to carefully climb the side of the bed.
"Get better soon, Keef." She told him gently, and gave Keith a gentle kiss on his forehead. Violet came back down to the floor, gave a big kiss to Kosmo on his cheek, then departed from the room. Acxa was rather speechless, feeling as if she could melt from this girl's sweetness. She heard Violet speaking to Fangor in the laiveth tongue in bright happy tones, Fangor's reply kind and endearing to her. Everything that had happened until now had been rather, unfortunate, but Acxa was glad to have spared Violet the childhood she herself had gone through.
As her eyes looked over to Keith however, she did wonder if there was another way this could have gone which didn't involve him almost dying. She sighed heavily and sat back more in the chair, Kosmo laying down at her feet with a dog's grunt. She watched Keith's still form as he lay in the bed, his chest slowly rising and falling. No different than from the last time she'd seen him. With a sigh, Acxa picked up the book she had been reading from the nightstand and continued, knowing eventually she'd feel sleep come to her like cloudcover. The amount of constellations and their stories was rather interesting, and while Acxa didn't read every single story, she read the many that caught her eye.
While reading, she noticed a few of the constellations were smaller, simple ones which had light history. The ones that had pages of detailing were called Divine Constellations, and they were rather rare to see despite their rather larger size. The Divines were believed to have spawned all other stars, including the Guiding Stars, which were living beings superior to the ordinary balls of gas. Rather than actual fact however, the information of the book consisted of the understandings of other cultures rather than just one. In some cases it could be helpful, but when cultures had very different beliefs about the same aspect, it was rather difficult to decide which was true.
After another hour or so of reading, there was only so much star talk Acxa could take. Much of it was interesting, but the common belief of the different cultures referenced in the book about how the Divine Constellations were like gods of the universe, only pestered her mind with questions. Questions she didn't feel like even trying to solve. She soon had to set the book aside with a sigh, bringnig her mind back to the reality she knew and could see. Despite her eyes growing a little heavy, Acxa had no wish to leave really, especially with Kosmo sleeping down by her feet. The chair was no bed, but she was comfortable enough to close her eyes and rest for a while. She should have guessed that sleep would soon steal away her night, but she slipped into it without really thinking or planning. Dreams were absent, and somehow made the time go so much faster.
Early dawn was breaking, and the room was quiet and gently turning to warmer colors. Something faint stirred Acxa awake, seeing the warm colors of the room and guessing she had slept through the night in the chair. She looked around with eyes blurred from her sleep, and after rubbing them, she noticed Kosmo was up with a wagging tail. She looked to the bed where his attention was held, and felt something in her chest leap to see Keith's eyes were open.
"You're awake!" Acxa expressed in quiet excitement as she instantly came closer, almost all the way off her chair, her expression unknowingly very soft and relieved as she looked at him.
Keith looked to her and realized she was there apparently, probably having just woken up, and a smile made it to his lips. "Yeah..." he looked around the room a little more, then focused once again on Acxa. "Where are we?"
"Another laiveth found us and brought us to his home. He's kept us safe while you've been asleep." Acxa quickly told him. "How do you feel?"
"A little tired, and hungry." Keith replied to her question, and he heard his own stomach insist on that last part with a growl. "Very, hungry."
"I'll grab you something to eat. Fangor should probably have some kind of breakfast made by now." Acxa began to hop up from her seat.
"Fangor?" Keith wondered, blinking hard to get rid of the sleep in his eyes, beginning to sit up carefully.
"The laiveth who's been helping us, Fangor." Acxa explained, already hurrying out of the room. "Stay in bed, I'll be back." She quickly came to the kitchen, already smelling something cooking, and saw Fangor dishing up a plate.
"Good morning. This is for Keith." he greeted her cheerfully, placing the dish on a small tray with legs that would support it well on a bed. Acxa stopped short in surprise to his knowledge, and as he immediately noticed he smiled to her a little more. "I had a feeling something good would happen today."
Acxa chuckled as she came to take the tray. "Did the stars tell you that?" She guessed with a humored gaze.
"They did, actually. Yes." Fangor's cheeky reply was all the more bright towards her as Acxa was soon carrying the tray very carefully back out the kitchen. When she came back into the room, Keith was already sitting up and embracing an ecstatic Violet in his lap.
"I missed you!" Violet was telling him, slipping her arms beneath his in a hug. Keith's expression broke in a heartfelt smile.
"I, missed you too." He told her as he hugged her with his good arm, squishing her gently into his chest. Kosmo was whimpering with a wagging tail at the bedside, eagerly accepting Keith's affection as his left hand rubbed the wolf's head.
"I think we all missed you." Acxa implied sincerely, seeing a gaze from Keith that made her shy from his eyes for a second at her words. "Fangor had a feeling you'd be up soon, so breakfast has already been made."
"Pancakes?!" Violet asked, now looking to Acxa hopefully, perking up like a puppy hearing its favorite word.
Acxa chuckled at her excited tone. "Yes, I believe he was making some pancakes as well-" Before her sentence was completely finished, Violet was hopping off the bed and speeding out of the room, the curtain left swaying a little from the small wind of her speed almost. Her little voice could be heard excitedly in the kitchen, Fangor's deep and soft tone answering whatever she was saying with a chuckle. Acxa took the chance to carefully offer the food tray to Keith.
"How long was I out?" He wondered as he accepted the tray and began to devour the meal.
"Only about, two or three nights I think." Acxa sat back in the chair beside the bed, rubbing Kosmo's head as he set his chin on her knee.
Keith's eating slowed, a gaze coming into his eyes; realizing how long he had been keeping them waiting, and no doubt how much time had been waisted in his mind. He sighed that feeling to the back of his mind as he resumed eating.
"Has anything happened during that time?" Keith winced slightly to use his left arm, but was able to move it enough to secure his plate as he ate.
Acxa thought for a moment. "Only a little self-discovery. I am, very glad to see you awake."
Keith nodded again. "Hopefully we can start back on track on getting out of this place. Any ideas?"
Acxa shook her head with a grave look. "No. My first action would be to see if Fangor knows anything we don't about this place. But, let's just get you up and healthy before we get too far ahead of ourselves."
"I'm feeling better by the minute with a full stomach." Keith implied with a bit of a brighter smile, a glint in his eye sparking back to life, and Acxa hadn't realized how much she had missed seeing that glint in his dark eyes. Despite their position, a flicker of hope sparked in her chest. They'd find a way. Somehow.
IXXXXXXXXI
Like so many times before, his footsteps were alone in the cold hallways. There weren't many of the crew about the ship at this moment, as there was never much freetime allowed. His steps were slightly brisk in a rush to get to his destination. When finally he came to the bridge room doors, the two guards who had seen him approach let him pass. Removing his helm identical to theirs, he soon stood in salute, his eyes on the towering form at the head of the bridge.
"Tell me, are your men deaf?" Banewulf asked, his helmet deepening his already low voice to an almost unnatural tone.
"No sir." Dymax answered, used to hearing this tone and knowing his leader's disapproval.
"And our ships. Are they dysfunctional?"
"No sir. Everyone has been working at their full-"
"Then what is it, that has taken you and your men so painfully long to locate the traitor and her party?" Wulf turned his head slowly so a single, glowing eye of his helm was visible to the young warrior standing behind him, his tone like the calm before a storm as he interrupted.
"The gravity and atmosphere of this planet is interfering with much of our equipment." Dymax answered in the same respectful tone. "We've been fighting with our instruments since we landed, and they've slowed our progress."
"Did I not prepare you for situations such as this? Are you not trained to operate without the use of luxuries?"
"Yes but with a crew small as ours-"
"It matters not the size!" Wulf now pivoted on a heel to glare back at the warrior, his tone raised a little. "I did not train soldiers, I trained assassins. Superior to the livestock and petty predators which call themselves bounty hunters. Raised from weak, abandoned youth to become something worse than the foes that strike against you. As of late however, you've showed me no such thing. Perhaps the reason for your lack of progress is your lack of heart."
A part of Dymax grew cold in a hardened feeling towards that statement, and he remained silent.
"Perhaps, you are not as passionate to catch the traitor as you claim to be. Perhaps the wrong she dealt to you is not enough to spur you onward." Wulf took an intimidating step forward, cocking his head a little as if a bird wanting to pick apart a bug's shell. "Perhaps, you need to refocus your intentions, boy. Your lingering attachment is your weakness, just as it was years ago with that girl. The pain you've felt is of you're own doing for allowing such vulnerability. Do not return lest you've progress to share, and a means by which to redeem yourself of incompitence."
Banewulf coldly turned his back and returned to his place, overlooking the land below their ship in silence. Dymax held back a scowl from getting to his expression, turned on a heel and departed, making his through the doors. His walk was far more brisk as his grey eyes stared coldly at the floor of the hallway.
"You seem distracted, Scout." a cracky voice stated from behind a corner he was almost past. While he was used to it, Dymax always felt a shudder touch his spine to hear that tone.
"Not at your master's side, Snake-Face?" Dymax turned his head to look at the cloaked figure just behind the corner he had passed. It was a thin and frail thing, its features hidden apart from a long and narrow lizard's snout protruding from beneath an overshadowing hood. A tri forked tongue flickered out as it opened its mouth.
"He is no master of mine; only a co-partner." Snake spoke in the same, cracked voice and raspy tone, a slight slither accompanying the words.
"And does he see it that way? Wulf has never been known to share you know." Dymax cocked a smirk to the creature.
"Neither has he been known to be very forgiving." it cocked its head, peeling back its lips to show its teeth in a far from pleasant-looking smile, mocking Dymax's smirk.
Dymax frowned. "Are you useful for anything besides being creepy?"
"I've many talents pesky creatures such as yourself would never accomplish. And no one is as good as telling apart liars as I am." there was a suggestion in Snake's tone as it looked with invisible eyes beneath the hood to the young man.
"And you think you know it all?" Dymax turned to the creature in growing agitation.
"It's not hard for anyone to see the lack of passion in you as you had before. Something about the traitor still gives you pause. Not to mention you play the act, but how much of it have you taken to heart?"
"The beatdown I handed her isn't proof enough of where I stand?" Dymax glared at the creature now, a fist clenching at his side.
"Anyone can lash out in their anger. But whether that anger is caused by hatred enough to kill, or true sorrow and pain of the past, is a defined line. If part of you still holds to that pain-"
"No part of me is holding onto anything from my past concerning Acxa." Dymax took a step towards the creature threateningly. "You're mistaking my lack of progression as a lack of determination, just as Wulf does. You're both wrong. And if I were you, I wouldn't test my patience right now!"
"Are we wrong, boy?" Snake wondered, cocking its head again. "Is that shade of blue in your eyes not proof that there is a warmer side that lingers?"
Dymax blinked, griding his teeth a little and cursing whatever part of his species that influenced the color of his own eyes to fit emotions, hidden or not. He grunted out his frustration of the creepy creature, and stormed on down the hallway. Could they really be so hard on him for this? It wasn't like he was planning on going against them, despite their insistence that he might. Acxa had left him alone just as whoever called themselves his parents had. The Shunti were the only ones who had kept him, raised him from a meaningless speck of dirt in the city to….
Dymax's steps slowed for a second at that fuming thought. He went from a speck of dust, to what exactly? A killer. A dog that obeys the orders of its master. A life in the streets was now a life on the same, never changing ship with the same faces of cold, stail crewmembers. These people who had taken him in showed no love, or kindness; only command and obedience. Had childhood felt so different? Perhaps it had. Because in his childhood, Dymax hadn't been alone. A timid little girl had worked her way into his heart, exposing a soft spot he didn't know he had. A soft spot he let grow, despite the harsh and cold people around them.
She influenced a side he had yet to discover himself. A selfless side that felt like it had to protect her. She was just a kid, like him. All those times he had let her take the first swing in their sparring matches, and every time she'd still be afraid to hit him. To hurt him. Every apology she made to him, he shrugged off, ensuring that he held nothing against her. He'd work so hard just to see the smallest smile come to her face, and the quietest laugh. Something about having someone else to look after, made him feel better about having to become worse than his enemy. The day she left and never came back, hurt more than the day his parents left him in an old shack. Unlike them, she was a family he loved and cared about. When it came down to it, would he have enough raw anger to end that family, to cut the one line of thread, forever?
The thought caused discomfort in Dymax, and he shook himself out of the passive stare he had held, his light blue eyes struggling to return to the steel gray, cold color as he put his helmet back on to hid them. He had a job to finish regardless. To ask these questions now was pointless. He knew what is was he had to do.
IXXXXXXXXI
"If, everyone is present, I think it'd be best to begin." Sam's suggestion shattered Shiro from whatever distant stare he had fallen into, and quickly looking up and around, he cleared his throat and nodded to the man.
"Yes, I agree." Shiro added, bringing himself back to the here and now for what felt the tenth time today. "First and foremost, welcome back Coran. It's good to see you up."
The altean sitting in his normal seating within the room, still quite weak but able, nodded gratefully. "I only hope Allura's recovery will not be too far behind my own."
"If you need a little more time Coran, we can fill you in when you're feeling up to it." Lance proposed thoughtfully. Coran only shook his head, his normally bright and cheeky gaze cast downward in quite the opposite mood.
"No. I've rested long enough for now. Thank you though for your concern Lance." Coran smiled at the paladin sincerely, the paleness in his face impossible to cover up.
"Alright," Shiro nodded as eyes turned back to him, waiting. "Well, to start things off, the lions are now back up and operational as I understand it?"
"True, but they're still severely underpowered." Pidge answered as Shiro's gaze had turned to her. "It's kind of like how when you, Lance and Coran all woke up. They're just, really weak."
"Not a nice feeling." Lance added, remembering his own groggy and disturbing experience in empathy.
"We've been doing our best to get them some energy back with some of our own from the Atlas," Hunk pipped up beside Pidge, "but we barely have a whole lot to spare. It's definitely not going to be a very quick process."
"They also need a very specific energy," Coran added, "the kind of energy the Atlas has and desperately needs. Any other energy we have is rather insufficient, but better than nothing."
"Is there anything we can do in the meantime?" James wondered aloud. "Anything that doesn't involve waiting?"
"Thankfully, things have been pretty quiet since all of this started." Sam answered the pilot's question. "It might not be the action you're looking for Mr. Griffin, but at least it means we aren't desperately needed by anyone at present."
"And still nothing on Keith and his situation." Krolia reminded, many eyes turning to her. "Out of everything else, finding what's been keeping him up may be our biggest concern."
"And not to beat a dead horse, but Allura still isn't awake either." Lance quietly added, a deeper concern in his tone. "I was right there with her when that final pulse hit from the robeast. It doesn't make sense that she hasn't woken up yet. I feel like there's something, keeping her, from waking up."
"If that's the case though," Veronica ventured, "What can we even do to help?"
"Nothing." Shiro's deadpan tone nearly caught everyone in the room by surprise. His gaze was cast down, a heavy look causing his brow to tense a little. "There's just about, nothing, we can do in our current situation. We're better than before but not strong enough to take any good steps forward; we're just as good as helpless."
All eyes of the briefing room lowered, a depressed mood spreading to each person like a heavy fog. Silence fell heavily, and no one really knew exactly how to fill it as it seemed the claim the very room as its home..
"Come now, it isn't all so hopeless." Shiro was surprised to hear his father speak up in a more lively tone. He as well as everyone else looked to the older man to hear him speak further. "I've never believed that helplessness is so present in the world. Humans are vastly capable of many things, and while we knowingly can't control everything, we do indeed control our own form of action, or inaction. What we are experiencing now I do believe is the very human position of being clueless. As of now, we are clueless on what to actively do to progress, but as it stands, we can only progress so far at this point. Don't forget, that patience is also a form of action. Until further discovery of more options, waiting for the Votron lions to fully recharge and recover is our best option. Once they are up, we can send them off with the paladins who are able to go, and search for who we're missing at least. Who knows, maybe by then we'll be in a better place."
Shiro found a small smile making it to his lips, his eyes meeting his father's in a slightly more uplifted mindset. He remembered that phrase concerning patience and action, having given similar advice to Keith not too long ago in their downtime, and suddenly connecting where he himself had first heard it from.
"You make sitting around and waiting sound so easy." James chuckled in doubt.
"And indeed it is not." Henry agreed with an understanding nod, "Which is why I want to bring to light something to keep in mind; a change of perspective on the subject of waiting. I remember a story of two farmers, both of whom prayed for rain to come for their crops, but only one prepared his fields for it. When the rain did come, only one was ready to receive it and prosper. The other, was not ready for the rain, and so could do nothing as the very answer he'd been looking for fell waisted on the unprepared soil. Perhaps, if we prepare for something good to come about, we'll be better equipped to take action when it does."
Sam chuckled lightly. "So have some faith people. Something good will come about." the mood of the room was a little better than it had been before, and Shiro saw with a growing smile of his own that some of the expressions of the people were brighter, or at least changed from the gloom they had fallen into.
"I guess with that then, there's not much else to be said." Shiro acknowledged, the hope having returned in his voice and eyes. "We just need to keep our heads up for a little while longer. You've all been working just as hard regardless of what's been happening, and I'm grateful for that and proud, thank you."
With his dismissive tone giving leave, the members of the room all began to stand up and return to their regular duties. Sam patted Shiro's shoulder as he passed in encouragement, and Shiro nodded to his father gratefully as the older man passed. Henry nodded back with a smile, and followed the rest of the group out.
"Coming Shiro?" Lance asked, and Shiro smiled a little, learning just how much the young man was always willing to keep tabs on him.
"Yeah, in a sec. Thank you Lance." Shiro nodded to him sincerely, and Lance gave him a more confident smile and nod. As Shiro was soon left alone within the briefing room, his smile lingered on his face. For once, he actually felt a little, good, despite their situation. Perhaps all he needed was a little pep talk. He sighed in content silence, soaking in that feeling for a moment. The silence was interrupted to his aggregation however, when the same whispering voices began to creep up as if from the shadowy corners of the room.
Their very presence brought back the restless, aggravated feeling Shiro had been fighting against the past few days. A shortness in his temper, his patience. They did nothing but distract him and make the world feel dreary and dark, and Shiro was getting sick of their influence as they only grew louder and louder in his ears. They suffocated his thoughts, clouded his mind like the effects of a concussion. They seemed to only want confusion and chaos within him, as if taking a mind of their own. Shiro was long past annoyed by them.
"Will you just leave me alone?!" Shiro asked in a raised tone of irritation, barely saying it through his teeth as he stood there in the room alone. As if no match for his demand, the voices all ceased their escalating clutter, giving Shiro an unexpected silence, though one he felt wasn't completely good. Almost like the quiet before the thunderclap of a storm.
"Takashi…." A single, deep but intermix-toned voice spoke clear as day within Shiro's ears, as if those whispers had combined from fractured pieces of individuals, into one, single being. A being which somehow felt far more superior and sinister. Shiro couldn't help but freeze, the calling of his name, not the nickname everyone else used, by this voice making it almost feel like a personal demon had taken form.
Shiro shuddered to feel something cold, sharp, and thin gently graze across his back, like a corpse straight from a grave had glided behind his back and touched him along the way with cold, long, boney fingers. He wasn't sure if he had only imagined the lights flickering in the room, but he swore he heard the sigh of a living breeze seemingly at the doorway of the room.
"Come…. Follow…. Listen…." the voice was just as deep, crackling almost. The door of the room opened without anything seeming to be there to trigger the motion sensor. Shiro felt both a horrible chill run down his spine, along with a strange sense of recognition.
"Reclaim. Takashi. Answers…. Mother…." The voice almost faded as if drifting further away, it's last word barely audible. Hearing that final uttered word pricked Shiro's attention. He didn't know what this, invisible thing was; if it was truly here, or just his imagination. The fact it knew his name, and furthermore, possibly knew of his mother, was too much for Shiro to ignore however. Unsure of what he'd find, or if it was even all that wise, Shiro found himself slowly following the cold atmosphere which drifted on, leading the way out of the room. A pursuit of answers driving him against the strong warning telling him to do the opposite.
He was soon unaware of his course of direction, as well as every person he passed. His vision was quickly being narrowed by darkness as the corners, but it somehow helped him see the dark, shadowy figure which floated on down the hall. It's words repeated in his mind, drawing him to follow. His feet were soon no longer at his command as he walked through the hallways, an exploiting weakness he wasn't even aware of slowly floating to the surface like a dead fish.
*Note to readers* Hello all! Its been a long, long... long long time! I've returned from the lands far beyond, where no internet connection exists; just kidding, there was internet but just not enough for Google Docs, which SUCKED! Ahem, anyway, I'm finally back and got in the groove to finish up a chapter of this story and then further into the groove of proofreading this one to send off! You guys have been waiting so long and so patiently these past six months, so I wanted to thank you by posting another chapter as soon as I could. Thank you all so much for sticking with this and still showing excitment, even after months of me being dead on the internet (my online presence is low aside from these story posting sites and TikTok). I'm alive and well and ready to continue on where we last left off. My hope is to continue this story all the way to its tragi-cough- I mean... to its, intended, ending... Geeze that's not reasuring... BUT, I have good plans for this story and if anything, my slightly forced time away has given me time to flesh out and plan more of it in my head. Just, need to write it down, eventually. But anyways, there's my rant, 'thank you' and 'hello there' all in one horribly long paragraph. Fo realz tho, thank you guys for staying pumped for this story and waiting so patiently. Stay tuned for more and I'll see ya'll in the next chapter!