inbox for victory_road

[onebetter]

username: LT.Griffin

✉ ☏ 📷

Comments

[onebetter]

[ The other Paladins are former classmates and he's never been an ass to Shiro so James thinks he's got a lot of counterargument here, but he bites it down. ]

Wait, there are middle school stories that would embarrass you? You always seemed pretty sure of yourself in everything you were doing.

Not that I mind not telling any middle school stories at all, it isn't my proudest time either. So you're safe there.

[marmoron]

[he breathes out, relieved.]

Great. I'm holding you to that.

[he relaxes and actually starts reading the menu.]

And look, I'm just not proud of the way I used to act out back then either.

[onebetter]

Okay, fair enough.

[ James has by now decided what he wants and is putting his own menu aside. Of course, he's got the home advantage of having read the menu yesterday already. ]

Do you have the other Paladins under gag order as well, regarding early Garrison days?

[marmoron]

No, but they weren't really there for the worst of it.

[having settled on a choice, he puts the menu down on the table.]

[onebetter]

[ James shrugs at that, only mildly convinced but not seeing the point in arguing any of this. They're interrupted by a friendly waiter taking their orders anyway, so it's a moment before James turns back to Keith. ]

Are you still traveling with the princess then?

[marmoron]

Yeah. We have a place together in Ecruteak now.

[that's stated so mildly it's obvious he has no idea how that comes off.]

[onebetter]

You... what?

[ Moved in? With a princess? Gotten a place? What.... What.

Give James a moment to reboot.

[marmoron]

[keith raises an eyebrow.]

Got a place in Ecruteak. Is something wrong with that?

[onebetter]

I'm just surprised that you and the princess would move in together. I didn't know you were that close.

[ James' expression normalized though. There is a lot he doesn't know about the Paladins, so what's one more absolutely baffling thing to add to the list.... ]

[marmoron]

We fought a war together for years.

[still in that same somewhat flat tone.]

It's not like I spent the war telling everyone to piss off.

[onebetter]

... I guess that's fair.

[ He does not look actually convinced. ]

Guess I didn't think princesses don't really move in with us mere mortals unless they're marrying into the family or something. But then again, I'd never met a princess before. You know the area better than I do.

[marmoron]

[aaaaaaaaand comprehension. it's fortunate that he wasn't drinking anything at the time otherwise james would have been treated to a very unwelcome shower.]

She has her own room!

[that's somewhere a yelp and a hiss. color rises to his cheeks.]

It's not like that, okay?

[onebetter]

[ James smiles bemusedly at the goofy reaction. It's not malicious in nature, it's just hard to remain stonefaced when Keith is offering such an uncharacteristic display. ]

Understood. I was a little quick to assume there - which I'm sure is no surprise, all things considered. Pardon the misunderstanding.

Are you giving up on the gym journey then?

[ He doesn't want to say it, but that's a pretty devastatingly lonely thought. ]

[marmoron]

Yeah? You'd think you'd have learned by now not to assume anything about me.

[god can he just reach over the table and slap the smile off of james. can he do that. keith takes a deep breath, bristling somewhat when the waiter returns with drinks for the table.]

Why does that matter to you?

[onebetter]

I'm just curious.

[ He takes a sip of his drink before continuing, trying to take the edge of with a nice little pause. ]

I kind of liked competing against you on this - in a friendly way, of course. It was just nice being on a comparable level to someone. Motivating.

[marmoron]

[he's a little surprised by that, though it doesn't show much as he sips on his coffee.]

Motivating for what? It's not like you said a word to me after the Aether incident.

[onebetter]

... it's really been a while, huh.

[ More drink-sipping occurs here. It's nice to have an excuse to take little thought breaks in-between talking. ]

Motivating on a general level. Being here really feels so futile and useless that it keeps me going to be doing something with clear goalposts. Knowing you're also doing it, having competition that way, it made it feel less like self-delusion. Gave it a point.

[marmoron]

[there's a lot he could say to this, but instead he has another long sip of coffee.]

I'm challenging the Blackthorn City gym after Shiro's wedding is over.

[to finally answer the question. there's a moment of silence and then:]

You do realize you're allowed to have a meaningful life here, right?

[onebetter]

[ James brightens up at the gym admission, and it absolutely overshadows the existential question that follows after. ]

Looks like we're still same up with the gyms!

[ He's so goddamn pleased by this. What a good rivalry. ]

... and yes, I know. Not being able to remember it after just seems like a major downside.

[marmoron]

[keith honestly has zero clue why janes is so thrilled that they both have seven badges, but he rolls his eyes and moves on.]

Same could be said about life back home. You live, you die, you're not gonna remmeber what you did there either.

[onebetter]

[ James makes a face at that assessment. ]

So according to your philosophy we've been born anew here and once we 'go home' we'll basically die and be reincarnated into our original lives.

That's one way of looking at it.

[marmoron]

[that actually gets a bit of a laugh, the timbre of which is not strictly happy. it's the amalgamation of exasperation and dry amusement.]

Wouldn't have called it a philosophy.

[he sets his coffee down, eyes narrowing as he looks up at james.]

Look. There are people here who've died back home. Everything you're calling futile and pointless? This is it for them. I was wrong to see it the way I did before and I'm tired of inventing reasons not to be happy.

[a beat.]

If you're gonna talk to Allura, do me another favor and don't be so callous with your existential angst.

[onebetter]

Well, I don't generally try to ruin my reputation with people who I don't know well--

[ The casual answer is out before he catches up to the words 'callous' and 'Allura' in the same context. He freezes up completely, and his expression turns to shock. ]

.... no. She's...?

[marmoron]

[the realization that he's said far more than he intended comes a second too late and it leaves keith sighing deeply. not exasperated this time, but just... tired. he glances away, picking his words more carefully.]

She doesn't want anyone to know. I think she's only told Romelle about it.

[and that's okay. it's not his story to broadcast to the world after all, even if it makes talking to the rest of the paladins awkward.]

But ... yeah.

[onebetter]

[ Now that's sobering. She seemed so bright and alive when she came here, and yet... James rubs a hand over his face. ]

... god. I'm sorry.

[ For a moment, all he can be is silent. What is there to say, when it's... ugh. This is awful. This is all so wrong. ]

I won't... I'm not going to say anything. Getting used to not telling anyone anything, but this one I even understand.