[During the age event]

[thermalwind]

[There’s the following written carefully on the rock.]

Hey.

Be careful if you approach Storyteller. I don’t know if everyone will face them at the same age. But if they start sounding hostile, don’t stay and take it.

It’s not good for them or us. If this is another of those times they probably won’t remember anything of this when it’s over. Best to stay away.

[He’s done all he can to protect others. Maybe the damage will just be to him. He hopes so.]

Comments

[thermalwind]

[Keith does see the message before he returns. So Allura is back to normal. Or...as aged as they are. He slips around the back of the house and raps on it.]

Hey. [He's a little better after spending time with his spouse. But the shadow is still there lingering in his eyes.] I got your message.

[diplomacycheck]

[It's the latter. Definitely the latter. Alteans do not age as quickly as humans do after the onset of puberty. She almost appears twenty-three instead of the apparent eighteen. There's ten additional years she recalls but it's very much obvious as it happened while she was awake and nothing had changed like she believed it should have.

She'd only taken the time to change into her Paladin armor's undersuit from her royal gown, and is sitting down cleaning the chestplate with her even longer hair than usual braided and twisted into a bun. Evidently her younger self decided it needed more pink. She looks up at the rapping on the wall and offers a meek smile.]

I can see that. [She places the armor piece down and stands, moving to meet him and pull him into an embrace. Her being queen means nothing when it comes to family.] Would you like to spar?

[She doubts it will fully help, but working out the upset and hurt he must still be feeling if that look in his eyes said anything should at least be a decent next step.]

[thermalwind]

Not today. [Normally, he'd be all for fighting until he couldn't get up for a while. But right now he's still warm from Shiro's touch and soothed. Pain is what it is. He will walk with it until it finally fades.

He wraps his arms around her and hugs her tightly.]

Mending and upkeep today. I want to see what I can fix from those ripped clothes. [He'd torn the clothes he wore when he changed. That top cat shirt is a favorite and he doesn't want to lose it.]

[diplomacycheck]

[Allura nods slowly. The desire to help still lingers, even though she'll admit it's still much of a personal failing of hers that attempting to help those close to her is... well, awkward attempts might be an understatement in some cases. Saving a people from tyranny and ruling her own? Sure, few problems involved. Personal issues? Don't mind her, somehow making tripping over herself and landing on her face elegant.]

Mind if I join you, then? [She asks into his shoulder. Her grip tightens in response as though trying to convey that she's here if he needs her -- silently and through subtext.] I've been meaning to patch a few tears and holes in mine as well.

[They could use thread from that juicy shirt someone had snuck into her belongings if needed. No one's claimed it in the long time since; it'll be fiiiine.]

[thermalwind]

Of course you can. [He has a mind later to talk to Muffet about thread and sewing. He gets by but a true teacher would be more than ideal. He lets go of Allura and heads for the front of the cottage.]

We can catch dinner after that. The bigger fish will be around with Kosmo sleeping in the house.

...what do you want to use thread from?

[diplomacycheck]

[It's probably a good idea. She's been teaching herself for some time after... Well, best not to think of a time long lost right now. She smiles warmly, if still a little concerned as she relents and follows him to the front.]

He does have the tendency to scare some off, yes. [She smiles knowingly and shrugs.] Do you recall the rather odd shirt someone slipped into my clothing ages ago with "juicy" on the front?

[Calling it a "shirt" is an understatement. It'd barely cover her chest!!]

[thermalwind]

...oh the juicy stuff. [He knows that stuff well. Lance tried to get everyone wearing it and he refused. A lot. He unlocks the front door and holds it open for her.] We could use the ‘juicy’ boxers too. You know the ones with ‘cryptid’ on the back.

I’ve been looking for reasons to shred those for ages.

[They’re back with yellow letters on the back. It would be pretty easy to avoid all the yellow.]

[diplomacycheck]

[Allura enters, a slightly mischievous glint in her eyes.]

Well, it sounds about as good a time as any!

[Allura points out, perhaps a little too excited to be rid of the blasted thing on her end at least. (Sorry Lance.) It's cathartic!]

[thermalwind]

[He opens the Shirogane bedroom door and slips inside. The boxers are retrieved along with his favorite hand constructed seam ripper. He had made it ages ago and still uses it.

Keith emerges with an idle thought to make sure Shiro feels like sleeping in a little tomorrow. Just for their health, of course. He presents the offending article and his seam ripper.]

Want to do yours first? It’s going to be great to get rid of these either way.

[diplomacycheck]

[Allura wanders into her own room and retrieves the device and a needle she'd made at some point. She briefly sticks it into her bun as she walks out with shirt in hand and smiles. Ahh, this is going to be great.]

Certainly. [She can't wait to be rid of this great offense is it obvious yet.]

[thermalwind]

I'll get the right side you get the left. [He waves his seam ripper with a grin. The moment she sits down he grips his side and opens up the seam with laser precision. He sighs, happily. This is what he needed.]

The 'cryptid' aliens win this one. [He looks at her and nods. Her turn.] So, how big are the spots you need repaired.

[diplomacycheck]

Thankfully not large, though they're also a lot of them along the sides.

[She sighs, looking at the poor shirt on the nearby table as she takes the seam ripper and opens the seam with relative ease, but noticeably less precision as Keith. She hands it back to him and offers a helpless shrug.]

Juni kept pawing me awake this week, neglecting to not use her claws at the first few nudges.

[thermalwind]

Probably wants to play. [He grins at her as he opens the seam along the shirt's sleeve and passes it back. It feels easy and light. This is what he needed, comradery and building towards something. Allura clearly needs it too.]

Want to go out and play with them after this? Kosmo could use it too. He's acting a little weird.

[diplomacycheck]

Probably, though she's rarely been this insistent before... [She accepts it and starts to work on it, but pauses at the information. A single white brow raises as she looks up briefly.]

Oh? How so? [She asks, getting the other sleeve and handing it back.] I believe it's your turn.

[team cryptid: 4 | clothing items: 0]

[thermalwind]

[Keith gets the seam along the collar of the shirt and passes it back. The next step is time consuming but simple. He could do it in his sleep. His mother had been terrible at it but he learned it long long ago with his father.]

He keeps doing double takes. At all of us. He was following the people turned into kids for a bit.

[He didn’t know what to make of Shiro when he was younger for a bit too.] I think he isn’t affected by whatever is changing all of us.

[diplomacycheck]

[He's lucky to have been taught these skills while young. She had people for this long ago, but... well. Best not to talk about it. Instead she focuses on the seam at the hem and sighs. Well, they danced around it long enough.]

I vaguely recall agreeing with those looks. It was weird for me, too... when I was a child. [She shakes her head, handing it back to him.] When I wasn't as affected, at least.

[In that way. It still feels like years ago even if logic is trying to tell her otherwise. That it's only been a handful of days.]

[thermalwind]

Yeah. You were just really small. [Unlike the awkward town that was Shiro from way before they ever got together. His husband had reasonably been overwhelmed and needed time to fathom even the hints of what was ahead of him. Keith sighs.]

But it feels strange now, doesn’t it? Like it happened a long time ago.

[He says he uses the seam ripper to its fullest potential. They need a patch a certain size.] Can you show me the area that needs patched? I want to get this slightly bigger than the damaged spot.