p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Every so often, the members of Voltron had a day free. Sure, they might have some small errands to run or work to catch up on, but it was tasks that didn't have their lives on the line, and therefore was "for fun." Oh, how their standards had fallen. One such day happened to come when they were near a habitable, Voltron-friendly planet that was already part of the coalition. Having been through various battles lately, with skirmishes with Lotor and more intense firefights with battalions of battle cruisers, Team Voltron was using the day to make repairs around the castle and update defense systems./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Lance, however? Lance was assigned a solo mission to visit the nearby planet and pick up some scaultrite lenses. Which he was only slightly upset about. He was useful! He didn't need to be sent off on "missions" to grab something they could get delivered by the locals, who would know where to find it and who would be happy to help so their planet could be properly defended. He may have been the teeniest bit miffed, but if that's what the team needed, then he would swallow his pride./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"As he was browsing the market, looking for Unilu or someone who would have anything looking like scaultrite, he was not expecting to run into Pidge. Pidge was still on the castle-ship when he left, working on some new project related to her Lion's defenses. He hadn't seen her Lion land (made sense as it had cloaking), and somehow she had gotten here before him? It looked like she'd been here a while, as she was haggling with a nearby merchant. They came to an agreement just as he reached her, and she turned, her expression bright, holding two treats that looked similar to ice cream sandwiches, only in neon yellow and purple./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Ah Lance, just in time! You like ice cream, right? Try one! They're a local delicacy!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Saying such, Pidge took a huge bite of hers and her eyes lit up as her body relaxed in pure enjoyment./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Reaching out to take the offered treat, Lance turned to fall in step with her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I thought you were working on something new for your Lion and didn't have time to come. Why did you change your mind?" Suddenly, he noticed that she looked a little different than usual./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Wait, where did you get new clothes?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"She was in a loose-fitting hooded jacket and fitted pants combo, and – was it his imagination or was her hair longer? It was in two loose braids, which was also unusual for her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Are you feeling all right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Huh?" Following his questioning gaze, Pidge reached up to touch the tips of her braids, and her gaze turned understanding./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Oh, yeah, I guess this is unusual. The outfit is one of my side projects I usually don't have time for. I'm trying to integrate more tech into regular clothing for encounters where it would be impolite to wear paladin armor, and I didn't want to destroy my one outfit from home. And my hair's been getting long lately. It keeps getting in my way."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"The explanations made sense, but something still seemed off... Pidge must have picked up on Lance's vibe, because she sighed, "Lance, I really just want to take today off. Things have been difficult lately. I need to take a break from tough encounters and have a free day. Can you let go of the suspicion and just have fun with me today?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"He hesitated, looking at the slump of her shoulders and the bruises under her eyes that made her face seem paler than usual. She really did look like someone who had worked to the point of exhaustion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""All right."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Taking a bite of the treat, he was overwhelmed with an explosion of flavors, complementing each other to make a treat both fruity and decadent. Closing his eyes, he was filled with the feeling of school being over for the year, of ice cream in the summer. A grin spreading across his face, Lance grabbed Pidge's arm and dragged her toward a section of the market with rides similar to those found at a fair./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Come on, let's have some fun, Pidge!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Laughing she followed, but at the name, she seemed caught off-guard and a shadow crossed her face briefly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Actually, it's Wren, but yeah," she grinned with a devilish glint entering her eye, "Let's see what you're made of."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Shrugging off the strange notion that Pidge wanted to be called her imaginary friend's name (and filing "multiple personality disorder" under possible reasons for said imaginary friend) Lance ran alongside Pidge through the crowds toward a tall, multi-jointed rider called the Blouzar./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Lance, however? Lance was assigned a solo mission to visit the nearby planet and pick up some scaultrite lenses. Which he was only slightly upset about. He was useful! He didn't need to be sent off on "missions" to grab something they could get delivered by the locals, who would know where to find it and who would be happy to help so their planet could be properly defended. He may have been the teeniest bit miffed, but if that's what the team needed, then he would swallow his pride./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"As he was browsing the market, looking for Unilu or someone who would have anything looking like scaultrite, he was not expecting to run into Pidge. Pidge was still on the castle-ship when he left, working on some new project related to her Lion's defenses. He hadn't seen her Lion land (made sense as it had cloaking), and somehow she had gotten here before him? It looked like she'd been here a while, as she was haggling with a nearby merchant. They came to an agreement just as he reached her, and she turned, her expression bright, holding two treats that looked similar to ice cream sandwiches, only in neon yellow and purple./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Ah Lance, just in time! You like ice cream, right? Try one! They're a local delicacy!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Saying such, Pidge took a huge bite of hers and her eyes lit up as her body relaxed in pure enjoyment./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Reaching out to take the offered treat, Lance turned to fall in step with her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I thought you were working on something new for your Lion and didn't have time to come. Why did you change your mind?" Suddenly, he noticed that she looked a little different than usual./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Wait, where did you get new clothes?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"She was in a loose-fitting hooded jacket and fitted pants combo, and – was it his imagination or was her hair longer? It was in two loose braids, which was also unusual for her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Are you feeling all right?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Huh?" Following his questioning gaze, Pidge reached up to touch the tips of her braids, and her gaze turned understanding./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Oh, yeah, I guess this is unusual. The outfit is one of my side projects I usually don't have time for. I'm trying to integrate more tech into regular clothing for encounters where it would be impolite to wear paladin armor, and I didn't want to destroy my one outfit from home. And my hair's been getting long lately. It keeps getting in my way."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"The explanations made sense, but something still seemed off... Pidge must have picked up on Lance's vibe, because she sighed, "Lance, I really just want to take today off. Things have been difficult lately. I need to take a break from tough encounters and have a free day. Can you let go of the suspicion and just have fun with me today?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"He hesitated, looking at the slump of her shoulders and the bruises under her eyes that made her face seem paler than usual. She really did look like someone who had worked to the point of exhaustion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""All right."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Taking a bite of the treat, he was overwhelmed with an explosion of flavors, complementing each other to make a treat both fruity and decadent. Closing his eyes, he was filled with the feeling of school being over for the year, of ice cream in the summer. A grin spreading across his face, Lance grabbed Pidge's arm and dragged her toward a section of the market with rides similar to those found at a fair./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Come on, let's have some fun, Pidge!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Laughing she followed, but at the name, she seemed caught off-guard and a shadow crossed her face briefly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Actually, it's Wren, but yeah," she grinned with a devilish glint entering her eye, "Let's see what you're made of."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Shrugging off the strange notion that Pidge wanted to be called her imaginary friend's name (and filing "multiple personality disorder" under possible reasons for said imaginary friend) Lance ran alongside Pidge through the crowds toward a tall, multi-jointed rider called the Blouzar./p