Keith notice Pidge fiddling with the fingers of her gloves, as they flew toward what they deemed a 'mansion ship' a ship that could easily hold its own against pirates but was a long ways away from being a warship and was clearly designed to be visually appealing over war functional. She kept glancing back at him, giving herself a little reassuring nod that he was there, before looking towards the door again waiting for the feeling of the ship touching down. Then she looked back again at him.
Keith stood a step and a half behind her as his role demanded, "don't keep looking at me, you'll give us away" he stated.
"Right sorry" she quickly replied, forcing her head to look forward.
Keith had never really seen this side of her before, he had never seen Pidge doubt herself… or was she doubting him? Keith wishing Shiro was here instead of him, Shiro always knew what she needed to hear… he always knew what everyone needed so much better than him.
Keith couldn't make her laugh and relax as Hunk could. He couldn't flip her overly logical mind against her like Lance often did, forcing her to change her perspective. Allura could guild her through this party and knew how to act like a knight a lot better than he ever would.
Keith only knew that he had to do something to assure her, he only had a short window before they landed and had to fall into their roles. Keith glanced around making sure no one would or could see them, taking two steps forward.
Pidge didn't even glance back at him, doing what he said before and kept her head looking forward. Though with the way her shoulders tilted to one side Keith could tell she was fighting with herself not to look.
Keith reaching for her shoulder pausing as he recalled her bare shoulders had painted spots all over them; to make her look more like the species that the duchess was, but he honestly couldn't tell which spots were real and which ones were her freckles.
Moving his hand down to the small of her back, figuring that was a safe spot to touch. Pidge jumped a little seeming a little surprised, but kept her head and gaze looking forward.
"You don't ever need to look back, Nothing and no one will stop me from being by your side," Keith promised, it was the only assurance he could give her, it was the only thing he had no doubt he could do.
"With your stubbornness and the lack of social tack I don't doubt it" she quietly replied, her words blunt, her tone dry. Keith feeling that heaviness in his gut returned, her voice balancing on the borderline of teasing, or annoyed truth.
The weighted feeling in his gut only lifting a little as her lips; painted a colour somewhere between purple and pink, curled into a smile as she turned her head to face him.
"I know I should be more worried about keeping our covers, but it's really comforting knowing I won't ever be alone in this place," Pidge affirmed, her voice having a gentler softer, almost more feminine tone as she spoke. Keith feels as if he was listening to a hidden voice of hers like there was no filter of thought or emotions just truth, and it made Keith's gut twist and flip in a much different way than it had before.
Keith felt confusion over this sensation, but now wasn't the time to figure it out. They felt the shift and the illusion of added weight to the ship, as it landed inside the mansion ship. Both quickly getting back in place, mentally trying to fall into their roles again.
Pidge rolling her shoulders back and changing her stance. Back straight, head looking forward not up or down, it was hard to tell what she was thinking without seeing her face. Keith imagining she was going through a mental checklist she made before had to help her fall better into the role. Taking one last quiet, deep breath, before the doors opened and she walked onto the ramp provided for them to exit the ship.
Despite how nervous she was about this mission, Keith thought she fell into the role of the mostly silent duchess pretty well. Pidge usually walked in long strides to keep up with everyone else, but now in the long dress she walked in half steps, it was a small change but it gave the aura of someone who expects other people to follow her pace verse her trying to keep up with others.
Keith found getting in surprisingly easy, at least for pidge. Despite her having their weapons hidden under her dress' his Marmora Blade strapped to one leg and a taser wipe with a blade tip on the other. She wasn't allowed to bring any Altean tech with her as it would be detected by the parties weapon sensors, and so they found the closest substitute they could among the blades assortment of weapons, the weapons smiths having long since created weaponry to get past such detection systems.
They scanned her and then gave her a quick pat down; that seems more out of formality than a serious examination, before waving her through. Keith, on the other hand, was fully examined to the point he was grateful they didn't ask him to start taking off his armour. Clearly seeing him as a more likely threat compared the grumpy duchess, Pidge was pretending to be.
She kept following Keith's advise, not looking back at him as she waited on the other side of the security lines. Her eyes drifted around the area, they appear as if she was someone looking around out of boredom. Keith knew Pidge better than that; she was scanning the area, absorbing all that she could, filing the information she saw in a section of her mind for possible use later.
The Guards finished with the examination, Keith calmly walking up to Pidge staying a step and a half away from her. "I'm done duchess," Keith said, his voice distorted by the helmet.
She nodded letting out a little hmph of confirmation before she continued to walk forward.
They walked without a fuss this hallway only leading one way, which limited their escape route. Pidge right index finger tapping against her dress every few steps, Keith only assuming she must have been counting something as they walked, her mind always seems to be at work. That was until her body and feet came to a screeching halt as she steps foot into a room with a sea of people.
Keith stopped behind her looking around wondering what she saw, was there a general they knew here? Was there someone here that could be a risk to their cover? The ones Keith saw that were in armour, looked like fellow person guards and others wore outdated armour that appeared more for show than practicality, maybe a way for them to show their heritage?
Keith couldn't figure it out, what had thrown Pidge off so much in this room. His head looking back down at her, seeing Pidge's small gloved hands shaking, tightly grip the sides of her dress, and it finally clicked in; Pidge was scared.
Keith had seen her rush into battle, fight people three times her size, outmanoeuvre and outsmart a herd of enemies, watch her sneak into warships. The concept that she might be afraid of parties or crowds had never crossed his mind.
He opened his mouth, her name on his lips but quickly stopped himself, he couldn't say her name, he couldn't ask if she was alright. Keith mentally scrambled for a minute, but he didn't have time to think this over if people noticed her fear they might start questioning her actions from this point forward. Once again Keith had to choose action over words. Taking a few steps closer to her, placing his hand on the small of her back again.
The touch seems to unfreeze her, Pidge whipping her head to look up at him, even with the vale her eyes were wide, her gaze distant. Her mind taking a beat or two before her flow of thoughts seem to reboot her gaze refocusing on him. She leaned into his hand feeling her muscles relax against him. Pidge giving him a nod, momentarily resting more of her weight against his hand, taking a deep breath through her nose before propelling herself forward into the crowd.
Ignoring the strange sensations lingering in his hand. Keith quickly followed, keeping a half a step closer to her than before.
This was new for Keith, he had, and always would have Pidge's back, protect her whenever she needed, but he never saw her as someone who 'needed' protection. Pidge was amazing someone who has and continues to protect the galaxy, but here? Drowning in a crowd pretending to be someone she wasn't, seem to rip and tear her down.
Keith watching her closer than ever, his guard only spiking whenever someone approached Pidge. Observing how every conversation took a chunk of Pidge's energy with it, making her looked more tired and tense all at once.
Pidge doing a better job than he ever could, he didn't know how to be someone else, if he really admitted it, he didn't even know how to be himself. It was a wonder to him, how she could pull off being someone completely different from herself, a part of him curious if this was something she was naturally good at or became good after pretending to be Pidge for so long at the garrison.
For a brief moment, Keith wondered what the differences were between Pidge and the person she was before her family went missing... What had completely changed? what had stayed similar and what had she completely lost and let go in the shuffle? He guessed only Shiro or Matt would know. Keith had never really thought of all the changes she went through and all the added stresses she must have endured transitioning from Katie to Pidge.
Yet something about this crowd, this role of hers, was taking a heavy toll on Pidge. He could only fathom the thousand anxious filled scenarios her acute mind was crafting, and Keith would be damned before he would let anyone of those frightful thoughts get validate.
Men and women tried to talk to 'the duchess Rukul', Pidge sticking to her role, eventually shooing them away, with exaggerated humphs, disinterested groans and exhausted sighs; though Keith could tell those sighs weren't fake. Honestly, Keith preferred the women at least they got the hint and moved on instead of some of the men deciding to take her dismissal as a challenge and come back for round two.
This one man came up to Pidge a third time, coming in from the side, much too close for Keith's liking, and when the man's hand raised; going toward Pidge's back side. Keith. Was. Done.
Keith grabbing the man's wrist and none too gently twisting his arm till it bent awkwardly and painfully behind the man's back. "Do not touch her." Keith lowly growled sounding more Galra than even he liked, making sure the warning sunk in than shoving the man away. Before Keith was tempted to do worst.
Said man whipped around, glaring at the duchess's knight, the fight in him fading to embarrassment as he registered clusters of eyes scattered around them, placed questionably on him. Hands shaking slightly as he adjusted his suit, confidently strutting away as if it was his idea all along to dismiss himself from the Duchess and her knight.
As Keith kept his eyes on the man making sure he was a good distance away. Others began to turn back to their fellow compatriots and continue on with whatever conversation they were having prior to the minor tussle.
Keith rolled his shoulders sliding out of his fighting stance and returning to a more formal guarding stance, turning to look back to Pidge, needing to make sure she was okay.
She gazes up at him with relief washed over her features, her magenta painted lips, mouthing the words 'thank you'.
Keith beginning to think Pidge should wear that shade over her lips more often. It had this effect to make her lips stand out, and would be great on missions to make it easier for him to see the silent words her lips formed.
A beat later Pidge closed her eyes and straighten her back falling into her role once more "I need to freshen up" Pidge ordered, with an annoyed sigh; again, Keith could tell wasn't fake like most of her replies tonight.
Keith following close behind her, figuring this was Pidge's way of excusing herself from the main party with minimal suspicion, so their real mission could begin.