deercountry | The Building Blocks and other assorted tales!

"Oh... yeah. That."

Keith frowned a bit.

"I think I might be affected by that right now, too. I've had three transformations already this month. For now, it seems I have different blood powers." He huffed a small sigh. "I don't like all these changes." It was confusing.

"I'm guessing, though, that you're not usually the type to go spraypainting tags everywhere?" He looked amused.

"Exactly. That. Not a fun experience. I'm guessing you had your fill of it too."

Yup. Different blood powers too, just like Vira-Lorr. Maybe that meant hers wasn't permanent! She could hope, right?

"You and me both," Luz huffed, shaking her head, then look scandalized. "Do I look like a vagrant? I'm completely ~~in a manner of speaking~~ innocent!"

"Yeah... this is my fourth transformation this month." His tone definitely reflected how much he did... not... want this.

Keith did look a little amused, though. "Eh... nothing wrong with doing a few small things now and then." This from the guy who stole a car to make a point.

"Fourth?! Jeez! You must be made of steel! I've only had one, and it was still a bit of a doozy for me! Granted, she was way cooler in kind of loner-y way I never could be, but she wasn't ME. Did it change you super drastically too?"

Because Luz could think of a few people that changed for the worse.

Luz scoffed. "Listen, I do wrong things by accident all the time. I don't need to have another part of me doing them on purpose."

Edited 2022-01-24 12:51 (UTC)

"Well, my first one was just me, but younger. But the other two in between were pretty different," Keith said. "Like, yeah... they were 'me'... but... not." He shrugged. It was a weird thing to think about, and really hard to describe. But, yeah, he knew what she meant and had a feeling she knew what he meant in return.

"Well... I mean, I wasn't really talking about by accident, but that's okay, too."

"I think I know what you mean, actually. The me that was here was NOT me, but she was too. It was like an alternate version of me, if I'd been different. She still had my memories of this place, though they were kinda hazy, and she definitely got into some risky business I'd never be a part of!"

Luz hated admitting some of it was actually pretty fun.

"So on purpose then? What sort of things did you do that was reckless?"

Keith nodded.

"Yeah... like that."

But, oh... uh... hm... what had he done? Welllllll, that was kind of a long list.

"I um... well." He took a breath. "Heh... where should I start? Stealing a military vehicle, jumping a hover bike off a cliff, or trying to take on the most evil and power man in the galaxy single-handed?"

So they had that in common. It had been a pretty awkward thing for Luz, knowing that there was a more reckless yet pretty cool version of herself just...making her mark in Trench.

And man, that was a very different list.

"Ok, so two of those things are definitely coming of age, but why the heck would you want to take on a powerful evil guy all on your own? He sounds pretty powerful."

Because you have never EVER done that, right Luz?

"Yeah, but... I saw it as my chance to end the war. If I took him out, the Empire would be defeated." He shrugged. "It didn't exactly go as planned."

Nope... in fact, he'd ended up with a disabled mech and needed to be rescued, and that cost them time which allowed Haggar to corrupt their wormhole and toss them all about the universe.

Keith had some guilt...

"I mean, it's a gambit, but if you're facing a big bad all by yourself, that's bound to be pretty hard. Didn't you have any backup to help you do something that was so important?"

If he was alone, that was one thing, but if he had some kind of team, that just seemed like a bad idea.

Keith took a breath, looking somewhat sheepish.

"Yeah... I did." He shrugged. "I uh... was still working on the whole, 'being a team player' thing at the time."

"Oh, I get you. Still getting used to the idea that you weren't going to have to do thing by yourself. I know that feeling!"

She did, in a way. Certainly Luz was aware that her powers had its limits, but she tended to not want to get other people hurt.

"Well, everyone stumbles, even if, in your case, it could have been disastrous. I'm sure you know how to work better with your team now, right?"

Keith nodded.

"Back home, yeah. I do." Here was a completely different issue, if Lance's actions lately were to be taken as evidence on that. The weird timeline issues weren't making things easier with anyone.

"It's... awkward here, but..." He frowned a bit. "I'm sure we'll figure it out."

"It gets easier, trust me. Not only that, things that happen here pretty much make it impossible that you're going to be able to do whatever you feel like without help. Nothing is easy."

Granted, last month was still a breath of air compared to November, but still. This month she had absolutely needed people's help.

"It is! Sometimes it just doesn't get easier. That said, let me not be rude, dashing stranger! I'm Luz, Luz Noceda. I didn't get your name!"

Keith snorted a little.

"Dashing stranger?" That was amusing. He'd never been called that before. "I'm Keith." Just Keith was fine ~~because why give more than two of the major characters last names, canon~~.

"So, it sounds like you've been here a while?"

Hey, she called them like she saw them.

"Keith. Hm. I feel like that name sounds familiar to me."

Vira had mentioned someone with that name, and hadn't someone else...?

"I have, 'just Keith.' I've been in Trench since September. Before that though, I was with some of the people here in another town. This is kind of the scary sequel to that place."

"There are a few people here I know from home," he said. "Plus, apparently, I've been in the dream world before this, so there are some other people here who remember me from before." He didn't like that he didn't remember. It had been a point of contention with a few people.

"So, you were there, too? Do you Shiro, Hunk, and Lance?"

"I'm pretty sure I heard that name get mentioned a few times, but I'd probably have to verify if it was you. If it is, well, I have a friend who saw some pretty rough stuff with a version of you?"

She'd have to verify that with Vira, of course.

"Oh right! I knew I heard your name from other people! Are they your team? I know all of those guys!"

"Apparently, yeah... a lot of rough stuff happened back in the dream thing... and there was a version of me there." Keith frowned a bit. "I don't remember any of it, honestly. But there seems to be a few people here that met me there." He nodded, though. "Yeah... those three guys are from my team back home."

"I heard, actually. From a friend of mine, if she's talking about the same Keith. That sometimes happens though, when the multiverse is involved: some version of us go one way, some go another. It's probably better not to think about it and just try to enjoy THIS version."

If you could, anyway.

"I'll admit, I'm only starting to get to know Hunk and Shiro. Lance...we've had a few more run-ins. He's had it pretty bad here, actually."

Keith snorted a small chuckle through his nose. It was definitely easier not to think about it. Generally, he wasn't the type to take the easy way out, though. Plus, with what he'd been learning so far, he had a feeling it wasn't going to be so 'enjoyable'.

"Has he?" Yes, Keith was worried. He was worried about all his teammates. Shiro had looked really roughed up when they saw each other. As did Lance. "How bad has it gotten?"

Luz had only Deerington to compare it to in terms of awfulness, so right now she was leaning towards "not so great." The Farm in November had made things pretty bad, but the lull was at least appreciated.

"I haven't asked him about all of his experiences, but from what I've been told, some of them were pretty awful. He's had to make some pretty bad decisions, and they affected him and still do now."

Luz was being deliberately vague, mostly because she didn't know how much Lance wanted Keith to learn, and those experiences were really things Lance should tell him himself. She WAS going to at least let Keith know that Lance had seen some pretty rough stuff though.

Keith nodded a little and leaned against the wall she was working on.

"Yeah... I've, um... gotten that impression."

Honestly, the fact that she was kind of vague was fine. He actually was glad that Lance had friends willing to respect him like that and not just spill everything about him behind his back. It helped that he was getting that sense from her about why she was being vague due to his current paleblood state. Thanks, shedding stuff.

"It seems like the dream was hard on everyone."

Luz nodded, definitely looking like she'd seen her fair share of things.

"I've only been there maybe sixth months, but Lance was there longer. In that time, lots of stuff happened, and it's not like this place gives us a councelor to talk about his feelings. I think it's good he has more of his friends around him."

She was sure he had plenty anyway, but it helped to have someone who'd specifically watch out for him, and Luz was remembering that Lance had mentioned Keith a few times.

"The last month was probably one of the hardest."

If only Luz knew how much Keith had been struggling to get through to Lance, but it felt like he kept pushing him away. It wasn't easy for someone who was sensitive to rejection. But Keith had long since decided that he wasn't going to give up on his friends. Shiro had taught him that.

"I know it's good that I have friends here, too," he said. "It would have been a lot harder if I'd shown up and was alone."

And that was even without all of Keith's issues around not letting himself get close to people too fast.

"It's good he has other friends, though, too. Lance needs that."

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