purusha | closed.

[ For years now, Lance felt an energy pulsing through him. The whole world felt different, in fact, since the last time he kissed the love of his life; and he understood even without needing it explained to him that it was a last gift Allura had left him. He could feel life at its very essence. Every living thing felt like a piece of her; he remembered crying after touching the grown belly of his pregnant sister. She made all of this possible again. Every year it seemed to grow stronger and he believed that it was just the quintessence she had left behind starting to settle into his unfamiliar body, until one day he knew it was not. He went to Shiro, a stern look in his eyes rarely seen before, and whispered with a crack in his voice: Take me to space.

Touching the castles crystal before launch surged the ship with energy before residing, leaving behind a pulse located in quadrant Gryl of the Valkra region; no one quite knew what it meant, but it was the only request the former Red Paladin of Voltron had ever made of the garrison. Off they went into the sky. For the days it took to get to the location of the pulse, Lance spent many of them in the helm of the ship with Shiro, staring at the display that had their heading locked onto the mysterious coordinates. Light talk passed between himself and his former Black Paladin and captain, Shiro. A piteous look cast over the countenance of his captain–"Do you think it's her?" Lance couldn't answer but for the strained look on his face, and Shiro apologized.

At last they came to the spot; at last their eyes laid upon the white hole that had been made lightyears away from their home. Earthlings stared in shock, exclaiming to themselves about the phenomenon, but those of the Castle of Lions stared in silence and wonder, remembering all too well the last time that they'd seen something like this. Coran turned to his captain, but paused as something else caught his eyes–"Lance, your markings!!" All eyes settled on him as light and tears filled the corners of his eyes. ]

I know. [ Dressed in the garrison spacesuit, he took a scooter into the void.

He'd never heard the whole story from Allura about what had happened in Oriande, so when he arrives, he hardly knows what to expect. The colors take his breath away, reminding him of the juniberry flowers he'd been growing ever since Allura had left him. His feet carried him, alone and quiet, through the surreal and beautiful landscape unto an old ruin; and through there it wasn't brilliance that lead him through. A part of him felt as if he had been here before; walking past the trials as if they'd already accepted him. It... it couldn't possibly be him, though. A curious hand falls on the pedestals at the back of the ruins, filling his eyes with light.

Able to see again, he sees before him a lion standing on the white planes of some existence, looking somehow different than what he remembered the white lion to look like. Tired eyes stare out at it. He can't speak. He hears the low growl of an eminent attack but doesn't shy away. At last his feet, as they had for too long now, carry him forward, drawing out no attack from the beast as his pace hurried to it. In front of it he collapses, unaware completely what had come over him, and wraps his arm around the neck of the lion. His face buries into its fur and he closes his eyes, feeling its warmth and energy, filled with an emotion that can't be described.

And then his eyes open, finding himself back in the ruins, holding onto something that had not been here before. ]

Edited 2018-12-20 01:16 (UTC)

[ Time was beyond her. She was everywhere and nowhere all at once, expansive and limitless. She mere was, as with everything. If there was a before, it did not matter. Where she was going, it did not matter. Things were as they were, and she was part of the greater fabric and consciousness of the universe. She was the universe, embedded deep within the threads. No--she became the threads that held it together. They grew strong. Piece by piece, space and time connected back together on their own in a familiar weave that had taken billions upon billions of years to perfect. Realities stabilized and the stars glistened as if nothing had ever been amiss. Lifetimes passed in a second. What was unmade was remade.

She felt something--there had been no precedent for what feeling was supposed to be like. But there was something tangible, as if her consciousness was pulling back from the greater existence of everything, coalescing into a solid, singular point.

A white hole appeared in the rift where one had once sat, breaching the quintessence field.

She grew smaller, more solid. Whether or not this was what she wanted wasn't of concern--it was happening, and thus it must be what should happen. Each moment bled into the next with little memory of the last. Sight and sound were of no consequence, only a strange heat and heaviness. And a pull at a far edge of the universe.

It grew closer. A steady beat, a pulse and evidence of life itself. She did not have life, but she understood what it was. And it was familiar. She didn't know why.

Then it became so close she almost recognized touch, but she was quickly enveloped in white. Warm, comforting white. She was at peace.

She is a peace.

She opens her eyes.

Eyes? ]

...

[ A hazy mix of blue and pink shines above her, reflecting the blue and pink in her own eyes. She is suddenly assaulted with a pure existence, a tangible one. One moment passes into the next and she remembers the last. How strange. The last she was warm. Or she felt something warm. She's still warm.

She turns her head, curious at what she sees. Something else. A living thing? Yes, it's alive. She can feel its quintessence, emanating particularly from small blue crescents that ignite the pink glow in her own. ]

...

[ She says nothing, but she reaches out to touch them, feather light.

Ah--hands. She knows that word. ]

[ Lance doesn't release his grip immediately, realizing instantly what it was he held in his arms. Not unlike Orpheus, he thought if he dared even a second to lay eyes on the beautiful creature in his arms that she would surely disappear from his world forever again. His hand smooths down her back as his breath quivers as he tries to calm himself. He nuzzles into her a little longer, tears rolling down his cheeks and into her long, beautiful, white hair full with all its curls and life.

Finally he draws back, unafraid of some deal struck with the devil that might bring this woman back into his arms, and there she is. Not a day older than the first and last time he saw her. Of course he's since changed, a little more cut in his jaw, the light scruffle of a beard he still couldn't decide if he liked. His eyes are shot red from the bout of tears that had distracted him earlier, but they still held all the love, warmth, and affection that they had always offered her. His lips turn to smile as she brushes his markings.

It takes him a while to find anything to say, so starstruck is he to see her again that the lump in his throat threatens to send him to the afterlife as he struggles with an even breath. At last he speaks, voice strained. ] They're a good look for me, huh?

[ A torn sob and laugh follows. ]

[ She isn't sure what she's looking at, exactly, but it makes her feel calm. Safe. Good things, most definitely good things. Her fingers trail the edges of this creature in front of her, feeling the texture of its skin, the light bumps of hair along it's jaw. Ah, yes, that is a jaw, isn't it? That just feels like it makes sense. Not a whole lot does at the moment, but she's wholly unconcerned.

The sound of its voice makes her eyes widen a little. It seems impossibly loud on ears that haven't yet acclimated to hearing again. Then she relaxes a moment later as her fingers go back up to the markings. She likes that blue, she thinks, and rubs her thumbs along them again. ]

...Hvad mer parna?

[ What was that?

Her lips had moved before she realized it. Her eyes widen again as she drops one of her hands to touch her mouth gingerly, surprised by the sounds that she can apparently create as well. ]

Er petta roddur...narpi.

[ ....Odd.

He frowns a little when she draws away, quiet as he watches her every action, realizing slowly and uneasily that something isn't quite right here. But he'll let her pace through this at her own speed. He takes his hand from her side and rests it on her face briefly as well, thoughtful sadness clouding his expression.

Altean.... His brows knit. ] Skyel. [ Sorry. ]

Poor is my Altean. Speak slow. You okay, Allura?

[ The touch is a little strange, but not unwelcome. She trusts him, for some reason.

Him. The pronoun strikes her as important for some reason, but she's not sure why. The words that come out of his mouth next register much better than those that had come before. His expression is unreadable to her at the moment, her own just soft and curious. ]

What is "Altean"? Is that who you are?

[ But that other sound... ]

All...ura...

[ She seems to draw back into herself for a moment. ]

I know that...the beginning. That is it, is it not? The beginning of all things?

[ .... Bitterly, he smiles and looks down. An odd flood of emotions rush through him that he realizes he needs a moment to process. She's here... but she's forgotten. Uncertainty becomes the bulk of his feelings, but he knows one thing and it's that, even if she couldn't remember, this is certainly his Allura. He can feel it pouring out of every inch of her body. Her quintessence radiates perfectly along side his own.

At last he wipes his eyes and looks up with the renewed smile. ] I know not. Allura is you. And.. you would be everything.

I'm no Altean, but you are. I'm Lance. We've long ago met. These, [ he touches his cheekbone. ] are from you, [ His smile grows as he points out the ones on her cheeks. ] I love them.

If you've forgotten, it's okay. But... I've missed you, Allura.

Edited 2018-12-20 05:57 (UTC)

[ There is something about him that makes her feel...whole. Her eyes keep straying to the marks on his cheeks, but she eventually lets them take in the rest of his face. Angles that feel familiar, though she can't recall ever seeing them before. A line or two that don't, but don't bother her all the same. She processes his words slowly, taking them close to heart. ]

Lance...

[ His name rolls easily off of her tongue as if she's already spoken it a thousand times, heavy on open the vowels. ]

You are a part of me.

[ Whatever she is--"Allura"--she's not sure. "Altean"? What does that mean? Consciousness--the concept is settling in. She is conscious. She had been everything. ]

I was everything...

[ She looks up and around them, at the pink skies that radiate the energy of the universe. She feels it in every core of her being, now that she has one. She's connected, but distanced from it. From all things as she has not been before--or had she? He seems to think so. "Missing". He could not miss her if she had not.

Her gaze shifts back down to Lance as she reaches out to wipe at the wetness around his eyes herself. ]

Now I am "Allura".

[ She looks at the now wet pad of her forefinger curiously. ]

I was called here, I believe. I...became. Or...perhaps my purpose has changed...I--

[ So long without thought and suddenly it is as if too many are beginning to form at once. She frowns, eyes falling on her bare knees. The markings all over her body glow with the same intensity of her cheeks. ]

I don't understand.

[ Lance smiles and presses his head into her hand when she touches him this time, easing into this at last. He'd forgotten how soft her fingers were. His heart aches underneath a layer of happiness; without the weight of her loss, he realizes just how much pain he'd lived with since she'd gone. ]

Hahaha.... You think I understand? [ he chortles skeptically. ] I can't explain. Something called me here. It's you, maybe? It's here, maybe? [ he also looks up, the scenery beautiful.

and then down again. ] I'll tell you everything soon. My Altean is very not good still. We have friends who can help.

I want to take you home. [ He stands finally, reaching his hands out to her. He speaks in plain English: ] Allura, c'mon.

[ When he speaks, she looks up again, following his gaze to the world around them. Something about it is familiar, too. The mix of warm and cool hues, the white stone, the floating islands--similar, but changed. Something at her very essence knows this. A voice inside her head purrs as if in confirmation.

Yes. This is a safe place. He is a safe person. A part of her. An anchor, perhaps, in this reality. She was everywhere and every time at once, but now she is here. In this moment. With this person only.

A few key words ping her. "Friends", of course. And "home". There's a small pang in her chest--it makes her think the latter is filled with something of hurt, but the way he says it...it can only mean good things. And she trusts him. ]

Yes.

[ Not in Altean. She takes his offered hands and allows him to help her up and smiles for the first time. ]

Home.

[ That's where she wants to be. ]

I was called home.

[ Lance smiles and laughs, clutching her hands between them. He nods. ] Home.

If you remember, tell me. [ he grins, and turns toward the sky, pressing a spot near his chin. ] Guys, can you hear me? ...It's Lance, do you copy? Oriande to Atlas. [ Nothing. ] Ugh, figures. [ he turns back. ] Well guess it'll be a surprise. C'mon, it should be safe going back to the scoo–oh right, Altean.

It's safe, just don't– uh.... [ He pauses, lifts up their joined hands, smiles, points at them, and then grips her hand tight while making a very determined face. ] Understood?

Edited 2018-12-20 07:16 (UTC)

[ He's speaking again in words that don't register, but a few pop out.

"Atlas."

"Oriande."

It brings her pause as she looks around them. Both of those words...both feel like home. Is that where they're going?

When he directs his words to her, he has her full attention. She blinks, gaze dropping to their hands as he tries to explain through touch and mimicry to convey his message.

She nods with a small smile. ]

I will hold on to you, Lance.

"Hold on to", yeah, haha.... Good, [ he smiles. Never let go of me. The words flash through his heart, but he puts the thought on reserve. That moment, years past, will be the last time he'll ever let Allura slip away from him. For the moment, he only wishes he could feel her bare skin in his hand as they walk along, moving at an even pace through the surreal landscape. ]

You feel okay? You was gone very long.

Edited 2018-12-21 06:21 (UTC)

[ Allura keeps her word--her grip is firm, though with less strength that she might have been prone to before. Still new, perhaps, and finding out how all her limbs work again. But walking comes naturally enough, though she does take a moment to curiously watch the way her feet move along the ground. Each step radiates a small puff of stardust beneath her feet, slowly dissipating with time, as if the last remnants of the universe are finally leaving her to her own.

His question draws her gaze as his voice has been each time thus far. Her lips part to speak, but she pauses as language fails her ability to accurately describe what it is to feel newly made, but unafraid. To feel familiar, to feel right, but different. Coherent thoughts on the subject are difficult. ]

I feel...

[ She places her free hand at her heart. ]

Whole.

[ Allura gives a small hum. ]

How long is "very long"?

Seven deca-pheobs. [ He pauses and laughs painfully at himself. ] Not so long, I guess. It was... It felt like forever. I thought never would I see you again. You look very well. Exactly as I remember.

I'm glad you feel whole, but... you'll feel even more whole to see your friends again, I think. [ He grins, a bit playful. ]

[ Seven deca-phoebes. She has been part of everything in multiple expanses of time. Seven deca-phoebes is nothing in comparison to the existence of the universe and all its incarnations.

And yet...the way he says it makes her believe that it's seven too many. ]

My friends...

[ Something occurs to her all of a sudden. ]

Paladins.

[ Yes. The words feel synonymous. She gives Lance's hand a squeeze that's edging on being too strong. ]

That is you, isn't it?

[ Allura stops then, taking the moment to look up at him, trying to place the familiarity in memories that feel as fleeting as time itself, as if part of some other reality. But bits and pieces feel right. ]

My Paladin. My friend...

[ Her gaze softens then, falling on the blue crescents on his cheeks. ]

A part of me...what makes me whole.

[ Lance pauses their advance as she seems to connect words and memories togethr at lightning pace. He moves toward her, closing the distance between them a little closer. Her paladin; he smiles and flushes. He takes back her other hand and holds it in his, a soft smile on his face. ]

You have given me these, remember? The last time I saw you. I think..... You left a piece of yourself with me.

[ He pauses, holding a finger up before he draws both hands away. It takes a moment, but he undoes his space suit and reaches into the breast pocket of his shirt. Out comes a picture, folded in thirds from the way he unwraps it, and then holds the picture out to her with a smile. ]

I don't know what the word is, but this was our first. We're cute, right? [ He grins a little wider, laughing. ]

Edited 2018-12-21 07:39 (UTC)

[ Left a piece within him...an interesting concept. She's vaguely aware that she's been part of everything for that feels like an eternity, but specifically this person? This blip of life in the expanse of existence itself?

He must be important. Very important. Truly her anchor.

She watches his actions curiously, not prepared for what she's about to see.

Her eyes widen as she looks down at the image.

--Flashes of night--a large tree, a warm dinner around a table, balls of light falling like flower petals around her feet, warm lips, tightness in her chest?--

Allura sucks in a sharp breath, pulling back from him and staring at his face with wide eyes. ]

...

[ There's a heavy pause as she scans his face, her eyes clearer and more focused than they have been this entire time.

Slowly, her gaze drops back to the picture as she takes a step back in towards him. Gingerly she touches it, tracing out the lines of her own hair, and then Lance. ]

Allura...

[ Is her. ]

Lance.

[ Is him. ]

Something took our picture. There was bright light...

[ Allura touches her bottom lip as she shifts to look him in the eyes. ]

I feel something warm.

[ Worry rushes him first when she pulls away, but then agin, he did pull out something that, to him, was more powerful than any object in the universe. It ebbed his sorrow. It gave him purpose. He stares at her, anxious but the feeling wanes in time, especially as she comes closer to him again.

He smiles as she touches the photo, realizing with each word that some things are coming back to her. He folds the picture up, his prized possession, and slides it back into the pocket against his heart, pulls the pieces of his suit back over his shoulders, back to something more slim and comfortable looking, and then closes the distance between them. ] Me also, [ He whispers, eyes hooded as he looks down at her. Hands slip around her waist, drawing her back into his arms. His forehead presses to hers. There's a pause to acclimate to the moment before he bows his head to meet her lips. ]

[ She doesn't move away as he draws in, her eyes not leaving his face and only closing when their foreheads meet. Her hands naturally come to fall on his chest as she breathes in the air shared between them.

Whole. Complete. It feels right. It's why she trusts him even if she only senses bits of distant memories that don't fully feel like her own.

When their lips meet, a rush of emotion surges through her. No images, just feelings--confusion, some hurt, and then acceptance, encouragement, the slow and steady budding affection growing in her heart. It feels old and new at the same time, like an old star being reborn anew. Allura presses her lips against his in return, ever so, before drawing back to hold his gaze. ]

Silurjoma.

[ She's called him that many times in the past. Allura had laughed at the notion of calling your lover "babe" after an infant, but returned the sentiment with an Altean term of endearment.

Mark's Glow. The one that makes your markings glow with affection. ]

[ It's been so long since he's heard the word, he'd forgotten its translation–but the meaning is not lost on him. He grins and flushes happily, smoothing a curled hand up her spine. His cheeks flicker and glow again. ]

Sweetheart, [ he answers, kissing again with more firm lips, as though he's finally accepted the love of his life is finally back at long last. If he weren't so worried about alarming her, he'd give her everything he'd missed these past years–but his hesitance is spoken for. He draws her back into the hug from before, standing now but still as tight and desperate. ]

Allura... You won'd understand any of this but... I wanted so much from life with you... things that, without you, I knew I'd never want in the same way. I'm such an idiot, but I just couldn't move on. Everything, everyone reminded me of you, but none of it was you. And now you're here and we can be a family and you can be a queen and I'll show you all the amazing things you made possible... I.. I can't even put what I'm feeling into plain English.

[ Tears swell in his eyes, his voice breaking with tears again. ] I love you. I– love you so much, Allura. I'll hold onto you forever. Okay?

[ No, most of what he says doesn't translate, having since forgotten most everything but Altean. She understands her name, she understand "you" and "I", but more than that it's the emotion behind his voice that does reach her heart. It's a mixture of joy and pain--joy breaking through pain. The budding tears in his eyes cement that.

She reaches up with both of her hands to smooth her thumbs along the base of his lower lids, wiping away the tears that threaten to fall. When he speaks Altean again, she feels her heart flutter.

And it's suddenly as if the words pour out of her without effort-- ]

I don't understand what has happened, but I feel at the core of my being that I am here because...I am supposed to be. Because of you. I will not let go.

[ Lance leans into her hands, beautiful and smooth, trying to smile while holding back a sob. He better calm down before they get back on the Atlas–not that anyone would blame him for getting worked up again. ]

It's hard to believe that I can so much do. [ He takes in a slow breath to calm himself. He turns his head to kiss her wrist. ] I'm happy you're here.

[ But he closes his eyes and rests in this quiet moment, realizing he's worked himself up. His hands remain around her in the mean time, his thumb smoothing over a single spot on her back. At last, his eyes open, looking refreshed. ] Sorry.... Sorry.

We still have a long walk. C'mon, Silurjoma. [ His pronunciation is quite bad, but the sentiment is there. As is the rest of his Altean, anyway. ]

Edited 2018-12-22 03:32 (UTC)

[ He can take all the time he needs. Her concept of time is a little different now, after all, and she doesn't seem to mind just standing there and taking in his presence, basking in the familiarity of it even if she can't place how deep the sense is. She is just trusting her instincts and his own, wherever this will lead her.

There's no reason not to. ]

I will follow where you lead, Lance.

[ And she does without hesitation. Her mind wanders from place to place as she commits the scenery to memory. She has been here before--that she is certain of, though how or why escapes her. Is this where she came from originally? Is this her home? No, Lance said that he is taking her home, which means that it isn't here.

Perhaps it's "Atlas". ]

[ He'll leave her to wonder at the landscape, trying periodically to contact the Atlas as they make their way back to his point of entry. As much as he wants to talk more with her, the language barrier makes it hard; and so he stays quiet . and helps her with soft hands and a warm voice. Of course, every time he catches her eye, he smiles, eyes glimmering, and squeezes her hand.

At last, the scooter is in sight, and he points it out to her, moving to the small device and pausing. ] Let's see. These are supposed to be emergency vehicles, so... Here!

[ a hatch opens, revealing a slim suit and helmet; he pulls them out at the shoulders and holds it out to her. ] Here. It'll make you safe.

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