thisavrou_log | Going Back to an Old Save File Is Always Confusing

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Going Back to an Old Save File Is Always Confusing | OPEN

Who: Darin Altway, the resident of Neo Lion House, and anyone who catches him exploring and rummaging
When: The whole month!
Where: Suites, Labs, Library
What: Darin exploring the new digs, getting tools and resources, and renovating the suits to accommodate everyone from Lion House
Warnings: N/A

I - Library

[So, on the bright side, while everything may have gone to hell, the team seems to have made it through in tact. Well, somewhat in tact. Right now, the time for being sad and forlorn was over. Now was the time to start picking up the pieces, to rebuild, and the best way to do that was to make their new home a little more...well, homey.]

[As soon as Darin heard that there was a library, he practically sprinted there. He'd seen small libraries in the past, of course, but nothing like this. Within minutes, he's seated at a table which he's claimed almost entirely for himself. Spread out in front of him are at least half a dozen books, all of which are about architecture and interior design, but all seemingly collect knowledge from different alien worlds and environments. He's sitting on the edge of the table, his personal holo pad in hand, working on several designs for rooms. Layouts hover in the air around him, and he manipulates each plan as he pores over the books. But, that's not all. On the edge of the table is another huge stack of books. Among them, books on engineering, magic theory, chemistry, a book called "Interpersonal Relationships for Dummies", and...is that...is that a trashy romance novel? "Transcending Space?" How did that get in there?]

[He's completely engrossed in his work, and won't notice if anyone walks up and starts watching right away.]

Hm...that could work. Maybe a buttress there is too much...

II - Labs

[With his plans all worked out, it was time to get the things he needed. Tools, parts, resources in general. Of course, there was enough junk and scrap around that he could just make the things he needed with magic and get some much needed practice in the meantime. But that wasn't nearly as fun. He was a master blacksmith, after all. This might take some time, but in the end, the payoff will be so much more satisfying. So, Darin will be making constant trips back and forth to the labs over the duration of a few weeks. He's not sure which labs are claimed and which aren't and...well, Darin is more the type to ask for forgiveness rather than ask for permission. If he finds a lab with tools and materials that he can use, you better believe he'll be making return trips to 'borrow' what he needs. Sometimes, he even gets sidetracked and starts messing around with the equipment, just to see what it does. This often results in broken...everything, chunks of tables outright missing, and the occasional scorch mark on a wall that is curiously shaped like his own silhouette. Again, he's usually so engrossed by exploring and rummaging, he won't notice the owner of the lab coming in behind him. He probably won't even notice if you try to club him over the head for just taking things without asking.]

III - Suites

[So, this was there new home, huh? What a dump. Fortunately, Shiro has tasked Darin with doing a little remodeling so that they can all share the same living space once again. Unfortunately, Darin takes things to extremes. 'Knocking out a wall' in Shiro-speak translates to 'Darin, you need to help us. This hovel is not fit for our heroic band of paladins. I am tasking you with the mission of turning these suites into something befitting our group. You're the only one I can ask to do this. Be the hero I need.' in Darin-speak.]

[Yeah, there's a whole Shiro-to-Darin Dictionary somewhere. It's full of crap like this.]

[Regardless, Darin took the task to heart, and since his own heart is a gigantic tire fire at the moment, he's literally chomping at the bit to get buried in some distracting work.]

[Knocking out a wall is just the start. Darin's completely taking it upon himself to alter the floor plan of the combined suites so everyone has more space to be themselves. He's at it almost constantly. Half of his team don't seem to comprehend what sleep is, so there's a very real chance the general suite area might be listening to the sound of a makeshift power sander at 4 AM. There's also a very real chance that Darin might straight up punch through the wrong wall into a neighbor's suite. Don't worry, though. He'll fix it! He's just making sure to greet their new neighbors in a way that only Darin knows how.]

[Either way, he's going to be working pretty much non-stop for a week and a half. Possibly more. Someone please make sure he eats. And doesn't lose an arm.]

IV - New Rooms (Closed to Neo Lion House)

[With the renovations complete, everyone has their own space tailored to them, designed specifically by Darin. There's also some leftover space for Keith, Lance, and Coran, should they ever reappear. Darin poured his heart into each of these rooms, and it shows!]

[Shiro's room: Darin really tried hard to accommodate Shiro here. He was concerned for his friend's health and really wanted to give him a space where he could just relax. The room itself is painted in a gradient; darker blues starting from the floor, up to the ceiling which ends in very deep purple and black. There's a bed in the corner to give Shiro a little floor space, a dome light right in the center of the ceiling. Pidge helped him decorate the ceiling with glow in the dark star stickers, and they mapped out a few Earth-specific constellations. The light in the center of the ceiling, however, had two switches on the wall. One switched the light on and off. The other? It activated the mini planetarium projector housed in the light, which paints every surface in specks of light. There's a nice desk on the opposite side of the room, across from the bed and next to that is a closet for his clothes. On the other side of the desk is a sliding panel that houses an armor rack for his paladin armor. Finally, above his bed is a motivational poster specifically picked out by Darin.]

[Pidge's room: Pidge's room might have been one of the easiest to design, but the trickiest to execute. Pidge's bed is the top part of a set of bunk beds, but no bottom bunk. Instead, her desk is fit into the space where the bed should go, and a thick curtain is hung from the edge of the top bunk to give her workspace some privacy. He decided to forego lights because, let's face it, the only source of light needed in that room is the glow from her monitors. Which is why every wall and even part of the ceiling, has monitors physically embedded into the walls so that Pidge can have plenty of floor space to work with. The residual heat from all of the tech Darin physically housed inside the walls actually keeps the room super warm and comfortable without much need for actual heating. Pidge also has sliding panel in the corner of her room that houses an armor rack for her paladin armor, but also a second sliding panel that can be used to store snacks for those long stints where she can't be bothered to come to the kitchen and eat.]

[Hunk's room: Darin really wanted to consider Hunk's needs when designing this room. He was a big guy so he wanted to give the guy more space. But as an engineer, he also knew he'd needs space to work. Hunk's room is pretty much completely transformable. The bed itself, frame and all, are on a massive hinge attached to the back wall. When he needs the space, all he has to do it lift the bed up and fold it straight up into the wall, where it locks into place. The wall to the right of it has a work bench that folds out of the wall, and above it are panels that spin in place. One side is plain, while the other has all kinds of tools. There are drawers and cabinets build right into the walls that house spare parts and various screws, nuts, bolts, cables, anything you might need, and they're all meticulously labeled for the sake of organization. On the opposite wall is Hunk's armor rack and closet, similarly set into the wall, as well as a book case with cook books and engineering texts Darin found while exploring the labs.]

[Fareeha's room: Fareeha's room was dedicated more towards storing and protecting her armor and weapons. First and foremost, the room itself is on a timed lock. Once inside, she has a rather cozy bed tucked towards the back in the left hand corner. She has a desk, and a modest book case and a dresser as well, and to the right of the dresser is a closet for her casual clothes. The real magic comes when a button on a small remote control is hit. That's when a number of panels all flip over, fitted with racks for Fareeha's armor components. The panels themselves are all locked and can only be opened via the remote control or by manually unlocking them with a key that Darin will leave in Fareeha's care. After all, if they lose power, it's important that she can get to her armor. There's also a cabinet for tools to clean and maintain the armor itself, and desk flips to convert into a workbench if necessary.]

[Allura's room: This room Darin was possibly the most careful with. It also took him the longest, so Allura might have been temporarily been displaced, but it all worked out in the end, right? For starters, since her bed was such a big deal to her back in Lion House, he really wanted to make sure this one was up to her standards. He tracked down the fluffiest, softest mattress he could find and built a frame specifically to house it. He sought out as many fluffy pillows he could find, and when he couldn't find some that weren't up to snuff, he flat out stitched some himself. He built a canopy that fit right into the frame itself so that the corners looked almost like stalagmites rising up to create the canopy. The posts all had intricate ridges running around them which continued directly into the walls of the suite itself. The ridges form pathways around the room and, in fact, continue all along the upper walls of the entire suite, complete with little doors. At this point, it becomes apparent that the ridges are pathways for Allura's mice to run about her room and throughout the entire suite itself. Allura's closet is the biggest of everyone's, giving her enough room to actually walk into it. She had a desk and a dresser, and the mice also have little dens worked into the walls so that they have their own space as well. On her door is her name plate, framed with wood in the shape of a lion with mice riding on its back. The plate is the only thing Darin made with his magic and it was made of salvaged wood from her old door of Lion House.]

[Alfor's room: This room might have given Darin the most trouble. He had absolutely no idea what a king liked, let alone what Alfor liked! He racked his brain before finally settling on something as regal as he could make it. Alfor's bed might be the nicest, second only to Allura's, with similar framing and a canopy that he built himself. As opposed to an armor rack embedded in the wall, like the rest of the paladins, Darin worked Alfor's gear into the decor itself. The armor rack was set out, open in the corner of the room, so his armor could be prominently displayed, and his weapon was hung proudly on the wall above what appeared to be a mantle. Below that was an alcove that, once a switch was flipped, simulated a fireplace. It gave off no heat, but it simulated a roaring fire that, in Darin's opinion, was rather relaxing to watch. Darin also built Alfor's desk himself, and worked hard to make it something worthy of royalty. It was made of dense wood that Darin had managed to salvage, and sanded and stained to a deep, almost mahogany looking finish. On the desk were a series of books that Darin had found about history and various treatises on alien worlds, and an old, blank journal that Alfor could use to write whatever he wanted. He figured, in the event they had to separate again, maybe Alfor could leave Allura something in that.]

Sorry it took so long. I hope everyone likes their new digs.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Princess, it's a wish I made when I was twelve. It's stupid and a little embarrassing. It's nothing that you can grant anyway.

[Let's see. How old was he when that memory occurred? Maybe it's not related to...]

I'm not sure I want to embarrass you further. But Darin, I really would like to do something for you.

After everything you've done for me? Even the sign on the door, and the fishing rod, and -- well, that's not even getting into everything before the room!

Yeah but you can't...make this wish come true.

[He takes a step back from her. He could push his way through her easily enough but...he didn't want to do that. That was who he used to be. Why did she want to know so badly?]

...After Acteon adopted me, I used to spend a lot of time in the forge. I was his apprentice so I would stay and watch him work. My real father, Dracer, was a mercenary...and we used to get soldiers from all across Alvale coming in to the smithy. They all knew my dad. They'd call me 'Dracer's boy' and tell me all about his heroic feats. He was practically a legend. He may have been a merc but no amount of money could be paid that would make him turn a blind eye to those in need. He'd join border skirmishes for a pittance just to defend the kingdom. He was a hero...and I wished I could be like him.

I grew up pretending to be normal. Gauging my strength so I wouldn't stand out, pretending to get hurt so people wouldn't think twice when they saw me shrug off a worse injury. But somewhere, deep in my heart, I wanted to just cut loose. Use my power and become a hero whose name was known far and wide. Where my stories would be shared in bars and people would raise a glass. I wanted to be someone so that I could...belong somewhere.

[He suddenly wishes he had more decorations in his room. Something he could pretend to look at so he didn't have to look at her. So he couldn't see her watching every little move he made. He settled for turning away a bit and looking at the wall.]

I look at people like Shiro...and I get jealous. My shadow said as much. I want what he has. He's a hero. You all are. You, Pidge, Hunk, Lance, Keith, even Coran. And your father. But when I perform maintenance on the armor, I can't help but daydream. What if I were a paladin? What lion would I fly? What good could I do as a Defender of the Universe. But then I laugh at myself. I laugh because I'm a walking mess of a person. I don't even have control of what I am. How could I be anything but...this? How could I rise to be more when I'm afraid to rise at all? My power may be my own, but the source is something I'm not proud of. How could I...?

[He trails off, opting not to finish that statement with 'be something great when I never was?']

So...there. Now you know.

And what's wrong with any of that?

Fighting the good fight is only part of being a hero. And while I can't deny that, to that end, the lions are a powerful weapon -- that isn't what makes it a symbol of hope to the universe. In the wrong hands, it could be the most devastating weapon that's ever existed. And yes, I am including your powers in that.

But in the right hands? Of someone who wants to help others, and who would put their very lives on the line if it means saving even one more person? That is what makes Voltron the legend that it is.

More importantly, though...

Tell me, Darin. You should know -- what about after the battle? There's heroes then, too. Helping people rebuild, both their homes and their spirits -- that's important, maybe even more important than swinging a sword around.

And... that's exactly what you've been doing for us. For me.

[Darin is already shaking his head.]

I'm just doing what anyone would do. I mean, you make it sound like I've done something that no other person could do. I'm just a hard worker. And anyone with a functioning brain cell would do whatever they could for you. How could they not? You're so...

So...

[He sighs, feeling his cheeks burning red. He practically had a dictionary of things that could apply to her, but all he has the courage to say is:]

...amazing.

[That's a touching smile she gives back to him. Looks like he's not making her uncomfortable anymore.]

You're right on the second point. Anyone could do it -- but that doesn't mean they would. And that's an important part, because it's not abilities that define a hero. It's choices.

You remember what I first said, right? You never had to do any of this for us. If you did this sort of work for profit, you could probably earn enough to buy your own ship, fly away... live any sort of life you wanted. And while it would make every one of us worry sick about you, we wouldn't stop you.

Instead, you're breaking your own back just to take care of us! How can you not see that you're the amazing one, here?

Because songs aren't written about people who build houses. I'm creative but I belong in a fight. I can feel it.

You guys...your names will be written in the stars. When your war is over, entire worlds will tell your story.

I'm just...the guy who made sure the paladins were comfortable.

[He looks at his hands.]

It's selfish. It's selfish that I want to be the opposite of what I was born to be. A hero. A savior. And it's selfish to covet the things my best friend has because he deserves it. I even designed my clothes to look like paladin armor. Talk about a poser...

What's wrong with that? Who do you think we're going to remember most?

[But... hmmm. That probably won't be enough to deal with the chip on his shoulder.]

Besides, we're in a relative peacetime -- well, not counting the chaos on Thisavrou. But that wasn't so much a place for heroes, anyway. My point is, heroes don't go looking for trouble, just places they can help. [Like building bedrooms.]

And if we were... I did tell you I think you're good enough to train these paladins, didn't I? You could very easily fight along side one, or pilot a Lion!

...Princess, I'm pretty sure I fell down the stairs once because I got a text message on my TAB.

If you think I can pilot something larger than a hammer, I'm starting to wonder if maybe you've gone nuts.

[SHE... SHOULD BE SURPRISED, BUT... somehow... no, that fits. Darin shouldn't be allowed to operate most vehicles. Or work on them. On the other hand...]

It's different with the lions. From what I understand, they help their pilots and handle the... erm... more challenging nuances. It's part of the reason why they pick their pilot, to ensure that it's someone they can work well with.

I don't think I'd be picked then. I dunno. I just don't see myself as paladin material.

I kinda wish I had as cool of a title though. Something...impressive.

Why wouldn't you be? I mean, true, for example you might be quite impulsive -- but that sort of quick-thinking would be a true asset to handling the Red Lion.

So, I suppose 'royal bodyguard' isn't impressive enough for you?

The Red Lion? What makes you say that?

[He throws his hands up quickly.]

I-It's not that! Don't take it the wrong way, I want to be your bodyguard! It just doesn't have the same zing as "Paladin of Voltron, Defender of the Universe."

Well, the Red Lion moves faster, more instinctively than the other four. That makes it particularly formidable in combat -- but more difficult to handle than, say, the heavyweight Yellow Lion.

And of course, I know it means a lot to you! But a title doesn't really mean anything if it just sounds impressive. It has to actually mean something! Like... I mean, we could call you 'forgemaster', perhaps, or...

Hm? [She looks to the mice suddenly.] Well, do you have any ideas?

That sounds pretty nice actually. Though, red kinda clashes with my whole look...

[He blinks and gets a little closer to her so he can look the mice in the eyes.]

Hey, yeah. They seem pretty invested in me for some reason. Do they have any ideas for you? They can probably come up with something better than "forgemaster."

[He shoots her a playful grin.]

The armor doesn't necessarily have to match the Lion. Although it did help Coran and I memorize which paladin was piloting which Lion, at first.

What? [She doesn't look hurt, but...] It wasn't that bad, was it? It's not like I have to come up with these every day!

[She hums in thought, before adding,] At least mine was doing something heroic. I'm not sure that a 'Keeper of Cookies' sounds all that important.

Excuse you. "Keeper of Cookies" is incredibly important. Where will the kingdom turn in the event of a cookie drought?

[He has an idea who gave her that idea so he's gently scratching Platt under his chin.]

You would have to bake more, then. An entire kingdom's worth of cookies. Are you sure you can handle that?

[Speaking of an entire kingdom that would want cookies, Plachu seems more interested in the walls than this conversation...]

Hey, who do you take me for? I can handle the burden.

But what else do they have? Maybe I can pad my resumé a bit.

"Prince of Picnics".

I think they associate you mostly with food.

...Okay. I like that one.

I can also say I'm on a journey to become the Picnic King.

If you're a prince, wouldn't that mean you'd have to dethrone your own father?

What if I'm the heir to the throne of the Picnic Kingdom believed to be lost in the great war against Principaity of Ants? I was raised in secret so that one day I could lead a group of heroes to reclaim my rightful place on the throne from the evil Antagonist. Then, with my Queen at my side, I usher in a new era of peace, prosperity, and picnics.

There's one problem with that whole story.

If you're part of the Picnic Kingdom, wouldn't that mean you can't stay with the Altean Kingdom?

Huh.

Well, we could always form an alliance with open borders.

Is there another way to merge the kingdoms?

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