riverviewlogs | October Catch All and Memory Share [open]

[He’d seen them a few time since being here. Memories of his own experience displayed for both him and others to see. He had enough problems with them as nightmares but this… this had practically been real and he’d watched it happen again… several times.

So it was no wonder that when Shiro got up this one morning, his drive to do anything was pretty much gone. He’d at least made it downstairs, but that was only as far as the couch, not even going to get his coffee, a morning ritual that Black had picked up on quickly, given that the lion stayed downstairs at night to keep watch over the two entrances to the house. Every morning, Shiro came down stairs and went to make coffee. This morning though, he was wearing a sweatshirt, hiding his arm, and just sat there on the couch. Even when Black came over to nudge him, Shiro didn’t even really react, only absently putting his hand on Black’s head.

Well, this wasn’t good. Not at all. Something was wrong with his paladin and Black needed Keith to help. Knowing that Shiro locked the upstairs balcony at night and only unlocked it in the morning, that wasn’t going to work for how to get in. Welp, Black would have to try the stairs. There was no other option.

So that’s what he did. The first turn on the stairs was fine. The banister on the straight away? That was the problem, the wings being too awkward for the banister. Pretty much stuck on the stairs now, Black reached out to Red telling her to go get Keith. But when Black tried to get untangled from the stairs, the banister broke. Well, Black was able to get down but the banister is pretty badly broken. Sorry about that…]

[Keith hadn't been overly appreciative of some of the memories coming up throughout this latest run of strange happenings. He'd taken to staying in his room a lot during his down time, and was currently there now, up on the bed and staring down at his pin board when he heard Red growl from her spot on the floor just as there was a large crash out in the hall. Red's growl was urgent sound, very similar to the protective growl she would make when he was in trouble. Bad signs...

He was up in an instant, pulling open his door and following his Lion towards the living area when he froze at the top of the now banister-less stairs.]

What the heck is going on in here?

[Red wasn't even bothered by the lack of banister. She just started heading down.]

[It might be kind of obvious now what had happened considering Black was still standing on the collapsed banister that lay on the floor. At least the lion hadn't fallen. There would probably be a hole in the floor if that were the case given the lion's size and the wings.

But now that he had Keith's attention - and Red was coming down the stairs - Black attempted to signal Keith what the issue was, looking at Keith then over at Shiro, still sitting on the couch surprisingly not as alarmed as he should have been by the fact that Black had just broken the banister. Black looked between the two a few times before walking over to Shiro. When Black was close enough, Shiro reached out to put his hand on the lion]

You okay, buddy?

[Keith sighed at the mess and came down the stairs carefully. Those stairs were really open without the banister there. He came over, putting his own hand on Black's side as he stood next to the larger Lion, Red standing behind Keith.]

Looks like he got caught on the stairs while trying to come up. Did you leave the balcony locked?

[Keith studied Shiro as he spoke, trying to figure out what was going on. Was this the memories thing getting to him, maybe? He knew there were gaps in Shiro's memory, but the Black Paladin hadn't exactly shared everything he actually did remember with Keith, either.]

[Shiro looked up at Keith as he walked over. He looked tired, like he had been trying to avoid sleeping. He also didn't seem to fully focus on Keith, like he was looking passed him at the wall]

I always lock it at night.

[It made perfect sense to him. There were people with abilities here. Didn't want to make it too easy for someone to sneak in at night. Besides, Black seemed content to stay downstairs at night. Otherwise Shiro would be tempted to sleep down there to make sure everything was as it should be. Black had stopped that the first night he tried that. Nothing like a robot the size of a liger trying to push one off the couch and essentially telling one go to bed.

Shiro ran his hand absently over the top of Black's head, the lion making a rumbling sort of purr as though trying to reassure Shiro of something]

[Keith frowned at the response... or the near lack of. He turned and moved over to the side so he could sit next to his friend.]

You usually unlock it in the mornings, though.

[He was testing Shiro a little, trying to get a feel for what was going on so he could better approach this. He knew Shiro wasn't himself, but he was trying to figure out if it was the memories or something else.]

[Black shifted so that Keith could get around him easier. He was after all needed to make sure that Shiro got through this]

I don't think I did this morning.

[Did he? No, he didn't. He'd basically managed to come down stairs and then didn't do anything else. He hadn't even had his coffee and he didn't seem to be too concerned about it]

[Keith reached over and put his hand on Shiro's shoulder.]

Hey... you okay?

[Have a worried look.]

[Shiro looked down as Keith reached over and put his hand on his shoulder]

No, I don't think so. Don't really feel like doing anything.

[He just had no motivation. He'd felt like this a few times before when he'd been trapped. He'd gotten close when his nightmares were bad, but they had never been something he couldn't fight through. Now... it just felt like too much]

[Keith knew Shiro tended to keep himself busy, so this was a weird turn. Added to the Black Lion's concerns, and he definitely knew something was up.]

Nothing at all?

[He reached over and put his hand on Shiro's shoulder.]

Talk to me.

No, not really.

[As Keith pressed him to talk about it, he raked his hands through his hair]

It's just... having to watch this memories over and over again. I can't sleep without seeing it.

[He's tired physically and tired of seeing that memory again. Of being reminded what happened to him]

[That... explained a lot.]

You want me to get you anything?

[Though, getting Shiro off the couch and moving might not be a bad idea, either. Baby steps, though.]

[Yes, Shiro was seeing a more pleasant one as well, but he was also watching himself being tortured by the Galra. The pleasant one wasn't enough to stop this one.

Shiro brought his hands back down again, trying to actively avoid looking at the Galra arm]

I don't know... coffee?

[Baby steps. See if the caffeine helped with the emotions?]

[Keith nodded.]

Yeah. I'll get it.

[He gave Shiro's shoulder a soft squeeze and got up to do just that. He gave Black a pat as he walked past, leaving the Lion to keep an eye on Shiro while he was getting the coffee together.]

"Thanks." Shiro looked up at Keith as he squeezed his shoulder and got up before turning his attention back to the lion, who gave a rumbling, almost purring sound as Keith walked by - almost as if the lion was assuring Keith he'd look after Shiro.

Which he did, resting his head on the arm of the couch to watch Shiro. Not like Shiro really had much desire to go anywhere so it's not like he was going to wander off. Plus not like Keith would have a hard time if he did. To eliminate potential moving hazards for Black, the kitchen was open into the living room. As few walls as possible.

[Keith wasn't worried as long as the Lion was there. He worked quietly in the kitchen to get the coffee together.

Meanwhile, Red came over from the other side. Keith's worry for Shiro was filtering through their bond to her, and she wanted to see what it was about. She lightly pressed her nose against Shiro's thigh.]

[Black was going to keep watching Shiro, don't worry about that. If Shiro had been more with it, he might have been more concerned that Black was just standing there staring at him. Right now, he didn't particularly care.

As Red's nose bumped his leg, he reached down to give Red a pet]

Hey there, Red.

[It didn't take long before Keith returned with the coffee. He held it out to Shiro.]

Do you want anything to eat?

[Keith noticed the Lions hovering. It was kind of odd, but comforting at the same time. He realized that it was almost like they were reacting to Shiro's situation in the same way that a pet would. It was almost cute, if the situation itself wasn't so worrying overall.]

[Shiro reached out took the coffee mug from Keith, holding it between his hands as though he was warming them before he brought it to his lips and took a sip]

Toast?

[It was the only thing that he could think of. Oddly enough, there was something rather comforting about the lions being so close. They both wanted to check on him. Too bad he had almost no motivation]

Sure. [He could understand wanting something simple. Keith had been there a few times in his own life. He had an understanding expression as he went to get the toast, too.

Red shifted so her head was resting carefully on Shiro's leg.]

[Simple was all Shiro could process at the moment. He wasn't even sure he wanted anything, but Keith was offering. Whether Keith knew it or not, whether the lions knew it or not, they were helping. If Shiro had nothing the motivate him at all, he'd probably still be sitting there staring off into space either until his mood cleared or something provided motivation to do something. The lions pressing up against him, Keith making him focus even if it was on something simple, they were all making him think outside of where he was stuck]

Thanks.

[He reached down to absently pet Red on the head. Odd how comforting it was to pet something made of metal]

[Never discount the power of a mystical bond with a robotic space lion. Granted, Red wasn't bonded to Shiro, but that didn't stop her from trying. She knew Keith was upset that Shiro was feeling badly, so she was going to try to help.

Keith didn't take long at all and came back out, handing the toast over to Shiro. He still remembered how Shiro would normally take it, even if it had felt like forever ago for the last time he'd actually made it for him. He didn't push Red away, but instead got himself settled next to Shiro on the couch.]

Eating something might help.

[If anything, it was an activity, instead of sitting there in the living room staring off into space at nothing. He gave Shiro a few moments to get started before saying anything further. But, while Keith was generally a quiet person, Shiro wasn't as much. He was much more social. So, having him there in this kind of funk and being quiet bothered Keith. He finally spoke up after a bit.]

Anything you want to talk about?

[He'd clean up the banister later once he was sure Shiro was on his way to feeling less... numb? Keith was getting that kind of impression. He also knew that depression could manifest as sad, angry, numb, and a few other things, so he waited, being surprisingly patient.]

[No, Red wasn't his lion but it was the thought that counted. Besides, Black was standing right on the other side of the arm rest, watching him. Everything that Red probably would have "said" to Shiro was being said by Black as he watched the paladin, making sure that he stayed put.

Shiro took the plate when Keith offered it to him. It took him longer than normal, but he finally did start eating. It seemed more half-hearted, probably because he had an audience, but the audience was getting him to eat so what did that really matter.

No, Keith usually wasn't the talkative one but today he was and that was something Shiro realized even if he couldn't really try to do anything about it. He was quiet for a few long moments as he ate and drank his coffee. Finally though he set them both down]

I'm tired of seeing it. It keeps replaying over and over again.

[Keith frowned. He knew this probably had to do with some of the weird memories happening, but he wasn't sure just how much Shiro remembered from his time with the Galra. It tended to come back to him in pieces, bits at a time, and pinpointing exactly what "it" might be was a little hard. Keith could only really figure out that, whatever it was, it was bad.]

What part?

[He sounded almost hesitant to ask. He didn't want to make things worse, but it might be easier for him to help if he knew what it was.]

[Shiro was silent for a few long moments after the question was asked as though staring into his mug of coffee or his plate of toast would make the question go away. But that's why he felt like this yes? He wanted it to go away and it wouldn't. Finally he took a breath and spoke]

It's one of those... experimentation rooms the Galra have on their ships. And I'm seeing it happen to me, but there's nothing I can do, but see it again.

Then it all kind of goes black, but... I already know.

Closed Action to Keith

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