A.N. So I thought that in the show Allura was a little quick to choose the paladins so this chapter is going to be introductions and some bonding. So I'm probably going to span the introduction/ bonding to maybe about a week universal time.
Also Pidge is still thought to be a male at this point in time.
Disclaimer: I do not claim rights to either Voltron or Ratchet and Clank. All rights belong to proper creators, I only claim rights to the story.
Trials of Introduction
Alister and Angela walked down the palace halls in silence, both lost in their own thoughts but completely aware of the sleepless nights to come. Though they were nowhere near the lounge, and the halls did not echo, contrary to their size, Alister and Angela picked up talking and while they heard Allura and Coran's voices there was a number of voices they weren't able to recognize. These voices must've belonged to the guests Allura had mentioned.
Alister's hand twitched at his side, Angela realized he was likely fighting the urge to grab his weapon from where it sat at his back. Though if Angela were telling the truth she felt the same urge to grab hers from its place at her hip. They knew nothing of these strangers other than the fact that Allura and Coran seemed to trust them, but after trusting Zarkon, coming before them as a stranger much like their new guests, both Lombaxes were weary.
They stepped into the brightly lit lounge and saw the Princess sitting on one side of the circle of cushions, Coran standing behind her, while five strangely dressed individuals sat or stood across from her. Upon their entry Allura stood.
"Oh you two made it just in time, I was just talking about you." Allura said as she grabbed their hands and lead them to sit beside her. Alister raised a brow, unsure about the situation while Angela sat down beside the princess.
"Really and just what were you saying?" Angela asked playfully, fully aware of the strangers watching her and Alister. From her peripheral she was well aware of their wide eyes stares but she ignored it to turn her attention back to the princess.
"Were you possibly talking about how highly you think of us?" Angela played, watching as Allura laughed. "No I was just saying how you two might've been arriving shortly." Angela nodded, "Of course, though that doesn't mean you don't think highly of us." Allura agreed.
"Of course," the princess turned to the strangers who had watched their whole exchange. "Though before I forget, these are the guests I had mentioned to you earlier.
The five individuals shifted, unsure of what to say to the new individuals who appeared. Granted they had seen the two in the pods, but the glass was fogged, only allowing a poor sillouette of the two. Now they were taking in their appearance and features just as the two were doing to them.
The first to speak was Angela, "Which of you piloted the Blue Lion?" Alister turned to her, having not been told that bit of information before they arrived. The five individuals exchanged glances before a thin, long legged male stepped forward, short dark brown hair sticking up in every which way, and skin that was was a dark shade that that of the others.
"That would be me." Angela looked him up and down, trying to see why the Blue Lion would've bonded with this individual rather than one of the others. "What do you call yourself?" She requested, taking to strides to stand before him, staring right at him.
The individual smirked, mirroring the same one her mate did whenever he shamelessly flirted with her before they were mated. It hurt, almost physically seeing the smirk mirrored on someone who clearly wasn't him, but she said nothing waiting so see what the individual would say.
"The name's lance." stated the individual as their smirk widened. "Now tell me, are you an outside cat, cause I'd love to try and tame you." Two of the other strangers groaned. One of them yelled angrily at Lance and the final one remained silent, only slapping a hand to his forehead and slowly shaking his head.
Allura looked to Lance then to Angela, noting the rigid back of her friend as the words addressed to her registered. Alister on the other hand glared, to call one of their race such a degrading term, and talk of matters they didn't understand was almost equal to a direct insult. Alister stepped forward, only stopping when Angela held up a hand to stop him.
"I would prefer if you'd refrain from addressing me with such degrading terms." Angela stated as Lance's flirtatious smile dropped. "and if you are referring to having a mate, than you will be disappointed with my answer." Though she didn't say it she knew that they were putting the pieces together.
A solemn silence suffocated the room, finally one of the other strangers, a taller male with a white tuft of hair hanging in front of their face and a scar running over the bridge of their nose stepped forward.
"I apologize for our companion Lance." The stranger stated, holding out their right hand, the arm that Angela now noticed was robotic. "My name is Takeshi Shirogane, though most call me Shiro" Angela stared at the hand offered to her before taking it in her own. "Angela Cross" She turned to Lance, "and thank you for the apology, but I'm sure you're all still unaware of our culture."
The individual, Shiro, turned to Alister. "What's your name?" Alister dropped his glare from Lance and turned to the rest of the group. "Alister Azimuth, though Alister should suffice." Shiro nodded.
"So, just out of plain curiosity," Started a new voice, the shortest, and most likely youngest of their group stepped forward. "what is the name of your race?" Alister turned to the child brow raised.
"Perhaps introductions should be finished before questions are answered." Stated the general. The child paused, adjusting a pair of strange class lenses that sat on top of their nose. "Right sorry, I'm Pidge." Alister nodded a small smile gracing his usually serious face. "To answer your question, Pidge, Angela and I are of a noble race, much like the Alteans, known as the Lombaxes."
Pidge nodded, already forming hundreds of questions to ask, but those could wait till after they all got to know each other a little bit more. The two Lombaxes turned to the largest framed individual of the group, noting that he too had skin that was darker than the others, though maybe not as dark as Lance's.
The other's turned to him as well, Allura and Coran, just remaining so as not to leave the two groups together alone, laughed as the individual slightly flinched having realized the others were staring at him as well.
"Huh, what?" The individual looked at the others "Wait, it's my turn?" The others nodded. "Oh, uh my name's Hunk." Internally Angela laughed to herself, it was ironic how the largest of the group, was the most shy it seemed. She would love to see what this individual would be like once he opened up a little more.
Finally she turned to the final stranger, one who remained silent during the other introductions, and had yet to say anything. "What do you go by?" Alister addressed the final stranger, who didn't give Alister a glare, but rather just a look of indifference, one of all of them, this one appeared to be the most distant.
He looked to Shiro who nodded then back to Alister. "Keith." Angela raised a brow. Obviously he didn't have a problem talking, and she didn't know if this was just a part of their species culture, but she mentally made it her goal to get this individual, Keith, to open up a little more.
They conversed a little more before Allura stood, Alister quickly following suit. "Allura?" Angela inquired as she got to her feet as well, quickly followed by everyone else.
"Oh sorry, I was just tell Coran that we hadn't yet checked the control room, so I was going to do that and hopefully check for any other repairs the castle needs after ten thousand years."
Angela nodded in understanding. "Would you like either Alister or me to go with you and help?" Allura thought about it, a few moments passed before she nodded. "Actually having one of you two may help immensely, though I was hoping that the other would be willing to show our guests around the castle."
Alister and Angela looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them before Angela nodded. "Alright Allura, Alister with go with you and Coran and aide in any repairs needed, and I'll join you as soon as I finish showing our guests around the castle." Angela said as she gestured to the group of five. Allura nodded and turned down one of the multiple hallways, Coran and Alister following close behind her.
Angela watched the three leave for a few more moments before turning to the group behind her. "Alright, if you can all follow me I'll show you to the main parts of the castle, rooms that you'll need to know, and then I'll be able to give you a better tour tomorrow after you've all rested."
The group nodded and stepping into line behind her as she turned down the hall opposite the one the other three went down before.
As they walked Angela was sure to point out the main rooms as they went. "Training room was down that hall to the left." "Dining room was to their right with Kitchen just next door." Multiple other small rooms, including the main restrooms that were available to guests. After turning down another hallway she stopped before the guest quarters and turned to the group behind her.
"This hallway is for the guest quarters, I'm not sure how your species sleep, whether it be by yourself, or in groups, I'll leave it up to you to divide the rooms." She turned to join the others in checking for needed repairs, when one of them called her back. "Excuse me, Angela?"
The female Lombax turned and watched as the taller form of Shiro took a step towards her. "I'm sorry." He paused rudding the back of his head as he turned back to the others in his group as they fought over who got which room. "About before," Angela raised an eyebrow as he confused. "what Lance said, I'm sorry if it offended you in any way." Angela understood and shook her head.
"It was not under his knowledge, nor his goal to offend me or Alister in any way. I do not blame him or any of you for your lack of understanding in our culture." She turned back to the group behind Shiro and smiled. "I would also like to apologize ahead of time if Alister, Allura, Coran , or I offend you in any way due to our lack of knowledge in your culture."
She turned back to Shiro. "I hope that during your stay here we may get to learn about one another." As she turned back to meet up with Alister and the other two she stopped and called over her should. "I look forward to the knowledge we can learn from one another." With that she continued forward and within moments she was gone.
Upon first waking up all the earthlings woke to varying degrees of confusion, but after a few moments the confusion cleared and they all ventured from their chosen rooms. Lance was the last to exit his room, having slept in, and made his way to find everyone else in the lounge area.
Along with his friends he also saw Coran and the Lombax General Azimuth, if he were honest Lance would admit that he was glad Angela wasn't in the room, he wasn't sure if she was holding a grudge from the other day? maybe night? he didn't know, space made it hard to tell time.
"Ah, the one called Lance." Called the voice of the General as Lance entered the room and plopped down on one of the couches. Lance turned to face the white furred red striped form of the male Lombax. Now he noticed that the General was no longer wearing the strange armor that he wore the day before but had changed into what could be considered as casual wear.
Lance sat up and faced the General. "If it's about yesterday, I'm sorry." He said only for the general to release a boisterous laugh. "Dear boy, this has nothing to do with that, both Angela and I are aware that it was a misunderstanding and all is forgiven." Lance stared at the Lombax still a little shocked.
Alister crossed his arms and continued. "No, I was simply putting names to faces I'd only met the night prior and you were the last one to wake." Upon looking around Lance found that what the General said was true and that everyone else was already gathered in the lounge.
"Wait, so where are Allura and Angela?" Lance asked as he looked once again around the group and saw that the two females were not present. Coran was the first to talk. "Well Allura is still asleep in her quarter and Angela." Alister than interrupted "Angela on the other hand, if I had to guess, is either sleeping or in the training room." She claimed to be heading down there before bed last night and if I had to guess she lost track of time and is most likely still there."
Alister turned to check the training area fully aware that their guests were following him. The youngest, Pidge, raced and matched her shorter strides with his long ones. "Can I ask you something?" Alister looked down into the searching gaze of the child and nodded. "Ask anything you see fit, that is the only way to understand and learn."
Pidge was silent for a moment, taking in the General's words before asking. "If you and Angela are Guards, what kind of weapons did your people use to defend against attacks?" Pidge eyed the large dual headed wrench on the General's back, and while he thought it resembles a weapon he couldn't quite understand how that was.
Alister chuckled and without turning from his path put a hand to the boys head and ruffled their hair as he explained. "There is much you don't know child, but needless to say, the Lombaxes were amazing inventers, most of the defenses in this castle where designed and installed by my people, and just as a castle can be so much more, so can tools be used for more that building." Pidge stopped and watched the retreating back of the General as he continued.
He eyed the large tool resting on the Generals back, and took in what they thought what appeared to be just a wrench before in new light. If what the General had said meant anything, Pidge knew he would now be looking at items in a new light.
It wasn't long before the group arrived just outside the main training hall, and already they could hear the sounds of fighting. Alister paused at the door and knocked. Next thing they heard was the sound of something slamming into the wall next to the door and then a pained voice called "End Simulation." Within the next few moments the door opened and Angela met then holding her side.
"Alister?" She then noticed the group behind the Lombax and raised an eyebrow, "and everyone else?"
Everyone noticed that, like Alister, she was no longer in the strange armor that the two wore last they saw them. Instead she was wearing a tight tank top that revealed her lightly muscled striped arms and pants that ended just at her shins. She also wore her once high ponytail lower. In her hand she held the large wrench the glowed with a blue light, and behind her lay some of the remains of what appeared to be robots.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" The moved and leaned against the wall, allowing the others to enter. Alister could tell she'd spent the night in here and one look at her told him she was down playing her exhaustion.
"Our quests were curious as to where you were." Alister explained as Angela moved from the wall to retrieve water from the holding container that she'd brought with her when she came here. She took a large drink of much needed water and turned to Alister. "So, they see where I am what else do they need?"
Alister smiled and turned to Pidge. "And this one had some questions pertaining to our weapons." Angela raised a brow. "Our Omniwrenches?" Alister nodded, Angela stated at the child then the rest of the group that we're now all staring at the large wrench she had propped against the wall when she got a drink. "What's there to be curious about, you see them Everytime you see us."She turned and retrieved her tool from the wall. "I mean Alister and I are never without them."
It was Shiro who spoke. "You right that we haven't seen you without them, but I think we are curious as to how you use them in a fight." Pidge nodded in agreement soon followed by Hunk. "Yeah, I mean, we understand that you use them, we just haven't seen how." Hunk added.
"So you want to see us fight?" Angela asked twirling her wrench and resting it on her shoulder. Pidge and Hunk nodded, barely able to contain their excitement. Angela turned to Alister. "Will my preference be okay?" She asked as Coran quickly began ushering the group in the view platform, well out of harms way. Alister shrugged, it didn't matter either way, he never bothered to use the simulations for training before, he'd always preferred sparing hand-to-hand rather than fighting the robotic gladiators or the drones.
The group watched as the Lombaxes prepared for the fight, the large wrenches in hand, battle stance ready. Angela turned to Alister and said something they didn't catch and turned back with a smile when Alister nodded.
"Start simulation!" Angela called out to the room. "Preference: Cross!"
A.N. Hehehe so the simulation and more bonding time will follow next chapter. Gosh I love the ending.
Until next time Peace, Love and Virtual Hugs