Downtime

by jalpari

Noor finally leaves her room and joins the group. They have a day to relax before reaching Senfama, and the group decides to make the most of it.

A/N:

In order to develop the characters and their equations, I am going to sprinkle the story with some 'filler' chapters. If it helps, I have the next 7 chapters written and ready and by the end of those chapters, the bigger picture will become clear!

"Good morning!" Pidge yawned and stretched as she entered the cafeteria.

Everyone sat around the table as Hunk served breakfast.

"What are these?" Bani held up a spongy puff and stared at it curiously.

"It's a muffin", Hunk smiled and picked one from the basket and took a bite.

Bani followed his lead and bit into hers. Her eyes opened wide and she froze.

"Oh my god...wait...did I just...you're not...she's not like a vegan or allergic or something right? Because that muffin is NOT gluten free AND it has dairy."

"No", Bani's face melted into a smile, "it's delliiccioousss."

"Oh, phew", Hunk sat down. "For a second there, I thought I killed our pilot."

Keith heard the door behind them slide open and turned around. He paused in surprise as Noor walked in, still in his shirt and pyjamas.

"Uhh…"

Shiro followed his gaze. "Oh...Noor! How are you feeling?"

Noor wrapped her arms around herself as she nodded in acknowledgment.

"Just in time for some breakfast", Hunk waved the girl over to sit beside him.

"Yeah, come join us", Pidge scooted over nudging Keith aside to make space for Noor. "Move, Keith", she whispered.

"Huh...uhh...yeah", Keith slid down.

He noticed how different she looked. Her face looked relaxed as if for the first time in four nights she had slept properly. She still seemed unsure but there was a certain stability in the way she walked and the way her eyes scanned the room. As she joined them at the table, her eyes met his and Keith looked away. Quietly, she sat down between Pidge and Hunk.

"Here", Hunk started putting food on her plate, "...toast, scrambled eggs, fruits, and my very own super special passed-down-by-my-granny muffin! Dig in", he patted her arm.

Noor's stomach growled seeing all the food and all her attention was focussed on the delicious meal in front of her. The group resumed their chatter but she barely followed anything that was said.

"Your food is so good, Hunk", Noor mumbled between mouthfuls. "Are there any more muffins?"

"No can do. I make a small batch each time. They need to be eaten fresh and plus, if I make too many...well that's just not fair to the other dishes", Hunk replied in a somber tone.

Noor resisted the urge to groan out loud.

"But it's good to know you have a huge appetite", Hunk beamed at Noor.

"Yeah", Noor whispered, "I was always teased for how large my appetite was."

"Well, let it run wild and free now!" Hunk chuckled.

Slowly, people began leaving the cafeteria one by one. Noor was thankful for Hunk's company. She was engrossed in the stories from all his diplomatic missions and cooking escapades around the universe.

Her attention wavered for a moment when she saw Keith discreetly place half a muffin on her plate on his way out. She was too afraid to look up but the tiny smile that parted her lips didn't escape Hunk's notice.

Everyone sat around the lounge and a general chatter filled the air. They had a day to relax before they reached Senfama the next day. Pidge was trying to learn some Hindi words from Noor and asking her all kinds of questions about India.

"Noor", she asked hesitantly, "do you mind if I ask you something?"

Noor shook her head as she continued playing with Kosmo's ears.

"What happened during the attack? I thought the evacuation plans..."

Noor looked at her lap as the memories flooded her mind. The blinding light. The screams. The rubble. The dead bodies.

"It caught everyone off guard. We had no way of protecting ourselves...unlike the Garrison."

"It's all our fault", Pidge's face dropped with guilt. "The Garrison shouldn't have kept the truth from the world. They had no right to."

"Yes, they didn't", Noor said bitterly but on seeing Pidge's face she added hastily, "but what Samuel and Colleen Holt did, was brave and is probably the only reason I'm still alive."

"Yeah", Pidge smiled, "my parents risked everything because they knew it was the right thing to do."

"What?" Noor looked at her bewildered. "Your parents are...you're...are you Katie Holt?"

"Oh", Pidge adjusted her glasses, "Yeah."

"I didn't realize…"

"Yeah", she groaned, "Pidge is just an annoying name my brother gave me."

"I'm glad I met you, Pidge. I owe your parents my life."

Pidge grinned in embarrassment.

"So", Hunk plonked himself beside them, "we have a whole day to ourselves. What do you wanna do?"

"Uhh…", Noor began, "I...I kinda need clothes", she looked at the pyjama and shirt she was in. "I only have these and the hospital clothes."

"Yeah", Pidge nodded, "...and I'm sure Keith wants his pyjamas back!"

"What!" Noor's eyebrows rose all the way up to her hairline and she heard Keith choke on his drink across from them.

"I...I didn't realize these were…", Noor looked mortified. "I should...I'll return them as soon as…"

"Hmm", Hunk rubbed his chin, "Maybe we can make a stop over at a planet with a mall?"

"Oh, wait!" Bani exclaimed, "I can't believe I forgot! The Queen packed everything that Noor would need during her stay."

"Oh", Noor turned to her, "that's...so kind of her."

"Come along", Bani gestured to her, "it's all in a bag in the storage closet."

"Umm...wow" Noor gasped when she saw the things Queen Ryner had packed for her. 'This is…"

"We hope this will suffice."

"Oh, no...I mean this is wonderful...more than enough...thank you."

Bani bowed and left her room as Noor browsed through the clothes. There was a simple black tank top, a night pyjama, a pair of comfortable pink shorts and a plain white tee. There was a tunic similar to the ones worn by the Olkari, but bright blue, with dark grey pants.

The other fancier outfit caught her eye, It comprised of a black tee with an off shoulder navy blue crop top over it, and black leggings with a short blue skirt attached on top. Noor wondered when she would ever have use for such an outfit.

The last item was a suit, a blade of marmora suit. She had seen Keith, Luten, and Shiro wearing one just like this. She held it up to her body and looked in the mirror. It felt strange, seeing something so imposing and powerful against her body. She dropped it back on the bed, feeling silly at the mere thought of wearing a warrior's uniform like that one.

As she took off the clothes Keith had apparently loaned her, she began thinking about his thoughtful gesture at breakfast, when he gave her half his muffin. She went over all her interactions with him since she joined them. Despite her hesitation, she couldn't deny that his presence during the interrogation had been comforting. Hearing his steady determined voice had encouraged her to address the terrorist as well. And then there was the fact that he had been the one who found her. Even in her near death condition, he had not left her behind.

Perhaps it was high time she apologized for the way she had attacked him.

The group was taking turns battling it out in Killbot Phantasm 28. Unsurprisingly, Pidge was in the lead, having crossed all 36 levels. Hunk came a close second at 30, to everyone's shock Bani held third position in a game she had never played before and crossed 29 levels, Shiro was in fourth place at 25 levels, Luten only managed 20 levels much to his irritation.

"I'm coming for you, Pidge", Keith smirked as he took the controller.

Everyone watched in anticipation as Keith zoomed through to level 30. He was sweating by the time he crossed level 33. Everyone was beaming with excitement at the thought of someone defeating Pidge, who squirmed ever so slightly as she watched Keith pass level 34. Keith clutched his lower lip with his teeth and furrowed his brows in concentration. Everyone was engrossed in his gameplay when suddenly Hunk's voice broke the silence.

"Oh, hey...come join us!"

Keith glanced over as Noor walked up to them. She was wearing a black tank top and a loose pair of pink shorts. Her hair was left open and the black waves fell freely on her shoulders. His fingers faltered as he noticed how much fresher and younger she looked, her face healthier and her eyes more alive. He snapped out of it when he heard a series of beeps and then a booming sound.

"GAME OVER."

Keith winced and dragged his hands down his face.

"Yes!" Pidge jumped up. "Better luck next time!"

"Oh man!" Luten groaned.

"You almost had her, Keith!" Shiro sighed.

"Oh well, next time", Hunk shrugged.

"What do we do now?" Bani pouted.

"We can go again! Round two. What say, team?" Pidge beamed.

"Nope."

"No."

"I'm out!"

"Ughh", Pidge groaned. "Fine."

"We should start training", Shiro stood up and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "That means you too", he looked at Noor.

"Uhh...me?"

"Yes. Luten", he turned to the young man, "start with the basics."

"Yes, Sir", Luten jumped up.