JANUARY - FEBRUARY TEST DRIVE MEME

[indigo_league]

➞ Post with a character you wish to test drive in this game's setting.
➞ Tag other people's starters and thread out shenanigans!
➞ Invite your friends! Try out new characters! Come play with us!
➞ Have fun!

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CHECK OUT ALL THE LOCATIONS WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN:

JOHTO | and | KANTO

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Comments

[whatsacactus]

[Keith nods.] I don't really get the currency they told me for a night stay. But if you do then...

[Like old times.]

[tookashirototheknee]

I got it. Don't worry.

[He smirks, shaking his head.]

Just like it's always been, eh? Me with the job and money, and you just riding on my coattails.

[It's extremely fond, he promises.

Before long, they're settled in a room, Matt going to sit on the bed like usual.]

[whatsacactus]

[The corner of Keith's mouth turns up in a little smirk at that but he follows along. He's still got his litten in his arm and once they're in the room, it's clamoring to get out and explore.]

Hey- come on, be careful. [That's a losing battle. The litten gets away and starts chirping around the room exploring. Keith in turn sits in the nearby seat and really looks Matt's face over. It's so ... different.]

So... You're here.

[tookashirototheknee]

[Matt smiles, rummaging in his bag, and pulling out a pokeball of his own. Tossing it, a Spheal comes out, rolling around the room, and over to the Litten, cheerfully chattering a greeting. Hi friend!]

Be nice, Kerberos. He's probably a bit nervous.

[Turning back to Keith, Matt just nods.]

Yeah. I'm here. And I'm at home too. Not on Earth at home, but... alive.

[whatsacactus]

[Boy that's a .... a thing. It looks like a little whale. Something! It's weird, and the litten looks unsure of it, starting to sniff at Spheal.]

Okay you mentioned aliens. And leaving Earth, what are you talking about.

[tookashirototheknee]

[Kerberos rolls to the side, after smiling a bit doofily at the Litten. He smells like the ocean and fish.

Matt takes a breath and sits up.]

Alright. So. I'm assuming you know that the Kerberos mission went pear-shaped. It wasn't because of anyone making a mistake or anything malfunctioning. We were literally abducted by aliens. Big, purple cat-and-lizard aliens called the Galra. They're... pretty much imperialistic assholes bent on taking over the galaxy.

They caught Dad, Shiro, and I, and made us slaves. We all got separated, and Shiro broke out eventually, I broke out eventually... and I don't know where Dad is.

[There's a moment of pain on Matt's face and he clings to his knee without thinking about it.]

[whatsacactus]

[He's listening intently, hands clenched together and elbows on his knees. His eyes go hard by the end, remembering something that pissed him off at the time; a banked fire that starts flaring again.]

Iverson told me it was a pilot error, and I didn't believe it for a second. He wouldn't let anyone see the reports.

[He misses the look, just for a second thinking back to those last few weeks at the Garrison before he was... escorted out. How many arguments he had before it escalated.]

But you're both safe.

[tookashirototheknee]

Neither did Pidge. She disguised herself and snuck into the Garrison under an assumed name.

[There's an amused pride in Matt's voice as he talks about his sister.]

We are now. I got connected with some of the rebels, and Shiro... well, he's out there leading the flagship group that's restoring hope to everyone.

[whatsacactus]

She's probably why they beefed up security.

[But Matt seems okay? Almost happy, even, considering the circumstances. Probably more to do with this place than anything.]

That... Sounds like something he'd do. [There's a tiny bit of pride in that.] Probably doing a lot of good out there.

[tookashirototheknee]

Probably. Then again, she has hacked into their files multiple times. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd break through just about anything they could come up with.

[A pause, and a smile. There's also pride in his voice as well.]

Oh, definitely. He's a hero to a lot of people.

[As are you. Even when you're prickly and grouchy.]

[whatsacactus]

[He nods.] I'm glad. He was always too big for the Garrison anyway.

[He looks back to his litten, pawing at spheal now clearly having more fun with it than being nervous anymore.]

You said something about me leaving.

[tookashirototheknee]

He totally was. I just... wish that we could make him see that.

[Kerberos has made a friend! He claps his flippers, rolling forward and back and cheerfully chattering at the Litten.

Matt sighs, taking a breath. This is the hard part.]

Yeah. So, when Shiro broke out, he stole a ship which, mostly due to dumb luck, crashlanded on Earth outside of the Garrison. You came from your shack, Pidge and a couple of her friends showed up from the Garrison... and then you found a mechanical lion space ship that was hidden in a cave.

[He thinks for a moment.]

I think you had been finding some weird waves coming out of the desert that you were looking into, and Hunk and Pidge made a... something to track it. I wasn't around for any of this, so I'm a bit fuzzy on the details.

[whatsacactus]

[Oh- Something clicks instantly and it's clear as day on his face.]

They were- I mean - I spent a month out there, there were these, these cave drawings of lions. They were everywhere. I couldn't figure out what they were or where they came from.

[But if Shiro crash landed, that means the Garrison had to admit they were wrong. His mind is moving a mile a minute and he was never good at vocalizing what he's thinking when it gets going.]

[tookashirototheknee]

Yeah. It was related to those cave drawings!

[Don't underestimate the power of Iverson's ability to cover things up, Keith. Matt's smiling, however, and sitting forward a bit.]

So, yeah. It seems that one was one of five that come together to make a huge robot called Voltron.

[whatsacactus]

[He was on this journey as far as that. His expression flattens a bit and he sits back, his litten sensing a change in the tone and comes to paw at his pant leg.]

That... sounds like a show you guys would watch in the common room.

[tookashirototheknee]

Well, yes, but I swear it's true.

[He almost wishes that he had something with him that would show what he was talking about.]

The aliens have so very advanced tech from what we're used to. I... sometimes it does feel like a dream. A deep, unending nightmare, really. But things are getting better. Somewhat.

[whatsacactus]

[That sounds like so much. And he realizes they got off topic of his question. Keith reaches down to pet the litten, but keeps his eyes on Matt.]

So we found a mechanical lion. Then what.

[tookashirototheknee]

From there, I'm less sure of the details because Pidge didn't tell me much from there, but the lion took you, Shiro, Pidge, and two of her Garrison teammates back to a castleship. There, they found two elf-aliens who were in cryo for like... ten thousand years, and who were part of the race that built the lions.

[He pauses, taking a breath.]

And then... you guys found the rest of the lions and figured out how to become a robot.

Something like that, at least. I was... not available at the time.

[whatsacactus]

[He scrubs a hand over his face and tries to take all that in.]

SO we fight hostile aliens in a giant robot made of smaller cat robots.

[Are you sure you didn't watch too much anime.]

[tookashirototheknee]

You do. I don't.

[He squeezes his knee just a bit more, as if it's something that centers him.]

I was a slave for a while, mostly in a cell, and then I got busted out, and became a rebel leader. Which was mostly monitoring a universe's worth of communications by myself on an asteroid.

... not the most interesting of life choices I've made, but I did get my equipment to play Tetris!

[He got really bored one day.]

[whatsacactus]

[Matt says he was a slave, and Keith eyes him carefully. The changes in how he holds himself, the hair, the small scar. God... He'd give anything to stop this from happening to Matt and Shiro. At least the worst parts.]

...Shiro said he's on his way.

[Keith just... He can't fathom all of that. It's too much, and he needs time.]

[tookashirototheknee]

Yeah.

[Matt deflates a bit.]

He is. He'll probably explain better. Sorry.

1/2

[whatsacactus]

What?

[Wait no Matt don't give him the face.]

You don't have to apologize. I just--

[whatsacactus]

[He's bad at words, better with action. Always. And he's held off doing something that he knew one way or another would solidify if this was a dream. But Matt deflating just... Gets to him and he can't stand it.

Keith gets up, lets the litten jump off his lap and moves to carefully ...slowly hug him.]

[tookashirototheknee]

[He doesn't even hesitate, just hugs Keith back. It's been too long and he's missed his friend so very much.]

Sorry, Keith. It's... been a long time.