To say the occupants of the castle were panicking would be a understatement. They were down right terrified, panic long since passed as they tried to track blue. Hunk's anxiety was getting worse by the minute, Keith looked about ready to snap if someone so much as looked at him. Pidge was either ignoring everyone or yelling at them, Coran had seemed agitated and Allura looked like she was going throw something or someone through the window. I knew I was no better but the battle was long and tiring and we need sleep. We didn't go far from battle just made it look like we did, we land on a near by moon that hide us from outside sensors and tracking because of it's odd magnetic field.
"Pidge. Pidge look away from the screen." All talking stopped and everyone was looking at me.
"Bed. Now." As expected everyone was protesting even Keith.
"Look we aren't helping Lance at all right now. We're all tried and unable to process everything. No one is thinking straight, plus half of you look ready to break a neck or two. Don't give me that look Pidge. Bed, now cadets." Eventually the younger three paladins made their way to their rooms. I had Coran lock the training room, lab's and the kitchen so they would actually stay in their rooms. I also gather the princess a pointed look to get her off the bridge, as soon as she was Coran locked that too and went to bed himself.
I knew they need sleep but they also need someone to talk too. Allura had Coran, we usually had Lance, so for tonight I would do it. Hopefully we would find him soon. I looked Down the hall us paladins shared. Hunk would take a while, Keith had no outlet for his emotions right now and Pidge, well she would have shut down to human interaction. Keith should be first, then Pidge, then hunk; I could feel black purr her approval in the back of my mind.
I reached Keith's door, and cautiously opened it. I peeked in and found that Keith blade sticking out of the wall, him standing in the middle the room.
"Keith can I come in." his response was a grunt. I'll have to talk to him about that, I stepped in and walked over to his bed, I sat down and waited for him to speak.
"that witch could have him by now. We shouldn't have stopped looking."
"we're not going to stop, but we do need to rest Keith." He didn't seem to buy it.
Keith had been through a lot once we got to space, found out his heritage, met his mother who spent a good half a year with us on the ship, he gained more family then he thought possible through us, the blade, the holt's, even my clone, who thankfully joined our side and was currently with the blade so he wouldn't die, since he didn't have regular development, they managed to de-age him so they currently had a three year old running around.
Lance had become Keith's impulse control while I was gone, and helped him figure out how he felt about everything he encountered. However I knew his reaction also came from his fear of abandonment.
"Keith, we're not abandoning him. He needs us at our best to find him, so sleep is need." Of course this hit the nail on the head and the desk in Keith's room was on it's side.
Keith's angry had drastically gotta better and manageable while in space; I realize now that was because of Lance. So I sit on his bed while Keith destroyed his room till he's on the floor in a ball silently crying. I make my way to him and warp my arms around him and let him cry on my chest. When he fell asleep, I tuck him in. Losing family is hard for Keith and with the rival brotherly relationship the two had, it was taking it's toll. I turned off his light on my way out before heading to Pidge's room. Again my worry for the blue paladin taking over my thoughts.