melodiesofkupo | [open video, 4/20 squeaky voice]

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[open video, 4/20 squeaky voice] | Skill Sharing!

[ The screen blips on to Hunk, reclined across a couch. Balmogra the moogle's pom-pom occasionally drifts into the top of the frame, and Hunk's eyes keep glancing towards it. As he starts talking, he's entirely oblivious to the fact that his voice is high-pitched and squeaky. ]

Hey, so with other people asking about things like our stories, our worlds, and our jobs, I realized that we don't actually know a lot about what we can all do! Like... I learned that some people have never been grocery shopping before! Or some can't cook! Or some people don't know how technology here works. Since we're all stuck here, we might as well try to help each other out, right? So what are some things you know or want to know?

Me, I know about cooking and engineering and mechanics. But I don't know anything about magic. Or how to defend yourself from a monster that's up close and trying to eat you. Or how to use a giant fork in a fight? Or why they use forks here to begin with.

[ He pauses for a moment, looking almost uncomfortable, and then- ]

And if you're embarrassed to say something you can't do, you can always send it to me and I'll mention it for you!

( This is super open and threadjacking is possible and totally okay! )

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[Hunk doesn’t know what caused the shift or has any idea why. He won’t get those answers from Hunk. He looks up at the ceiling and lets that go.

He needs to talk to Keith. Shiro shifts tacks as smoothly as he can, latching onto the subject of the Galra.] Who is Lotor and what is the status of the Galra Empire right now?

What happened to Zarkon? [He’ll ask about the fact they found him Through clues in a Galra Fighter in a moment. That better not be what he thinks it means.]

[ Hunk smirks at Shiro's mention of Lotor, of the Galra, of Zarkon. It worked, they don't have to talk about Keith anymore! So the Yellow Paladin looks tense for a moment, both from bottling his sigh of relief and, well, the tension. ]

Lotor is Zarkon's half-Altean son. [ And Hunk pauses, because that's a bombshell. ] After you disappeared, Zarkon was out of the picture for a while, and Lotor took over. We really didn't like each other. [ And Hunk pauses again, holding something in, until he just sighs. This conversation is exhausting. ]

Zarkon got better, because of the Space Witch and her quintessence. And he branded Lotor a traitor, a criminal. [ He looks away, clearly annoyed. ] Team Voltron and the Coalition, including Pidge's brother Matt, got a big win against the Empire because Lotor came in and helped us at the last second. Enemy of my enemy and all that.

[ He rolls his eyes, and then closes them tight. ] So Lotor worked with us. As a prisoner, feeding us intel, then as an ally. Zarkon wanted to trade Pidge's dad for Lotor, but it was a trap. You, Pidge, and Matt took out the generals who betrayed Lotor and you rescued the Commander. And Lotor took out Zarkon. For good.

[ And he gasps, catching his breath for a few seconds. ] We're not even to present day yet, but you gotta have questions. It's still crazy when I think about it.

[He drops his gaze to the floor to let himself deal briefly with the entire Kerberos team being alive. They all made it. Battered, likely different, but alive. Later he will process that as long as it deserves to be.

The war is always too important to permit himself to slow down. Hunk is hiding things. He doesn't fault him for that. There are clearly details that need to get directly from Allura, Keith, and Matt himself.

Shiro raises his head, watching Hunk's reactions. He isn't happy with Lotor. Shiro himself has very mixed feelings about an heir to the throne of their enemy among them.]

Let's start off small. Do we know anything about why Lotor was branded a traitor? Why did he even bother to help us? There has to be an objective or reason behind that.

You don't turn against your own for nothing or feed the other side intelligence without a goal in mind.

[He needs to know everything he can to put him on decent footing to handle their possible ally. And so he can anticipate if that's a real alliance or if he has to shield Hunk from a knife headed for their back.]

[...Well. Okay! Yue, too, puts in the effort to lower his voice as faaaar as possibleeee.]

Like this...?

[He's trying! He still sounds nothing like his normal voice on the imog but he's trying!]

Well, Zarkon is crazy and terrible, and Lotor was running the Galra Empire. [ Hunk's eyes narrow, and despite the obvious snark, he's being completely serious. If anything, working in broader strokes makes Hunk a bit more comfortable. Less pressure, less scrutinizing. ] Zarkon blew up planets for energy, do you really think he'd be okay with a replacement emperor running around?

[ And then Hunk laughs, because what a wild time that all was. ] Lotor was in exile for a while. [ And he shrugs, nonchalantly. ] I don't know all the details, but it might have something to do with the fact that Lotor doesn't like destroying planets for Quintessence, and that he wanted to usher in an age of peace.

[ But then his demeanor turned decidedly neutral. Sterile. ] So as soon as he became the Galra Emperor for real, he and Allura started working on that. Fix the mistakes of the past. And that's where we are now. [ And Hunk smiles- it's a little forced, a little uncertain, and pretty weak, but it's there. ] Lotor's an ally, believe it or not.

[ But not a friend. Not yet. He tried to kill them too many times for that. Maybe if he ever started cracking some jokes or having some fun. ]

So, [He starts and he silently adds Lotor to the list of people he'll need to have a long discussion with should they ever show up here.] Should he show up here, we'll either be dealing with an enemy or an ally.

[He believes Hunk. Who he's not sure of is Lotor. But...he killed his own father. That is a level of dedication to a cause is undeniable. He feels uneasy about it. He'll have to see the man for himself and judge based on his actions.] Whether I trust him or not will depend on what I see. I do believe you, but this world isn't ours. He could change his mind here. We'll see.

[Zarkon is a power hungry tyrant with an obsession over the Black Lion. He pushes away from the wall. He won't need it at his back and this is more like a debriefing by now.] Thank you for telling me all this. I have a clearer picture of the state of the Empire and our team. Can you tell me about the state of the rest of the universe?

With Zarkon down and Lotor in power, that has to have caused wide sweeping changes. And a power vacuum that needs filled.

The rest of the universe is pretty fine, but... [ Hunk raises a hand, gesturing for Shiro to stop. If Lotor showed up from the past? That could be a massive problem. Given how much Shiro grilled him on Keith? He won't let his friend be unprepared. ] There's more you need to know about Lotor.

He's smart. And clever. [ But then he starts counting off on his fingers, and his demeanor becomes more stern. ] He's got purple skin, long white hair, yellow eyes, and pointy ears. He beat Zarkon in that crazy suit of armor, with all his quintessence, using just a sword. [ And while the hand goes down, Hunk locks his eyes onto Shiro's. They're already breaking the time-space continuum like a Jenga tower, may as well go all-in. ]

The worst thing is what he does to you. [ And then his expression turns angry, and those tears he was holding back start to well up again. ] You snapped at us. You yelled at us. You disregarded the entire rest of your team to take Lotor to the Krav Maga, and both of you almost died! [ Hunk realizes he's shouting, and his hands fly to cover his mouth as he blurts out a frantic "S-sorry," as if that'd stop the volume. A second later, they go down, but the tears start to flow and it's clear the only thing with composure right now is his volume. In fact, it's sunk to a pleading whimper. ]

If you find him... please be careful.

What? [He stares at Hunk in alarm, eyes slightly wide and leans back away from Hunk's anger. He's seen him annoyed. Been considering a mute button on his com a few times when he fixated on how he was right about Rolo. But this? This is his fault or will be. Guilt wars with self loathing and confusion. He stands there unsure what to do until the tears start to fall.]

...it's alright, Hunk. Stand here for a moment. [It's hard to walk away. He slips into the bathroom and gets a wash cloth, he returns and offers it to him. The short walk gives him time to think about what to say.] First, I'm sorry.

No matter who caused that, we are a team and a team discusses the course of their actions together. I should have listened to all of you and I should never have raised my voice at you. You have a right to be angry.

[Why...would he fly off the handle like that? He has never lost it at the team. Once at Slav but Slav is confusing, self focused, ignored all but his own needs while his team and friends, what he has in this universe were in danger. No matter what he did some ridiculous remark came up and he'd snapped. But the team is different.]

I have something important to ask you. ...If you don't have an answer that's okay. But it may give us a clue to what's going on. I'll give you a minute before I ask. [He waits that moment and takes the bayard from his belt. He holds it up.]
Has the Black Lion ever responded to Lotor?

AH, YES. EXP STANDS FOR EXECUTION POINTS. LV SHORT FOR LOVE, WHICH IS SHORT FOR LEVEL OF VIOLENCE. THEY AREN'T VERY PLEASANT THINGS.

[He rubs his neck, exhaling softly. Awkward. Very awkward indeed.]

AND I'M. NOT ENTIRELY SURE. THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN CALLED BULLET PATTERNS.

APPARENTLY EVEN BEFORE BULLETS WERE INVENTED ON THE SURFACE? IT'S A CURIOUS THING!

Oooh, treats are fun. What's Starlight all about? [ He smiles, and shoots her a cheeky look. ] It's about the sun, isn't it? Bountiful harvests?

[ He's aggressively sarcastic, and chuckles at his own remark. Because Hunk wouldn't be surprised if he was right- holidays can be weird. ]

[ Hunk is shocked, but he manages to bury that emotion deep down. She's too well-dressed to live in a cave, which means she might've been a little bit... sheltered. Ramen? Wow. He's actually frowning a bit. ]

It might be a while until you reach that point, Euphy. [ He winces, glancing away for a moment. ] Learning how to cook means you're gonna make a lot of mistakes.

[ But he doesn't let the stormclouds of reason stop him or an encouraging smile. ] Instead of starting with "gourmet," we'd probably start with "good," if you're okay with that?

[ Hunk wants to ask about St. Germain, but he knows Okuyasu gets a bit touchy about home. So he doesn't. Shelved for later, even though baking is the best thing about cooking. Plus, poor guy's bamboozled by technology, gotta pounce on that. ]

You didn't know about that? I mean, sure you can type, but [ He holds the slate in one hand, typing I'm typing this right now! :D and sending it to Okuyasu. ] sometimes you just gotta be lazy. Or you're busy.

[ And then he turns on voice-to-text again, making sure to enunciate the punctuation for the emoticon. ] Seriously, typing's a pain sometimes. :( [ Then he hits send. ]

You can go lower than that! [ Hunk sounds disappointed, and the displeasure breaks his deep voice long enough for him to briefly sound like a cartoon hippo. ]

Just try to make a voice that's super serious and angry. [ And then he makes a monotone "raaaargh" sort of noise. He'll get Yue to pull this off even if it kills both of their voices. ]

DUUUDE!

[He holds his up to his face.] Sparks Nevada is a little bitch!

[That phrase pops up on the screen, much to Okuyasu's delight. He's a teenage boy, this is the pinnacle of comedy.]

This is something right out of Star Wars! No, like...like Star Trek! This stuff is real? Not magic?

[ Hunk's eyes go a little wide at the language towards the good Marshall. He's not sure why he expected better from Okuyasu, but he did. But he shrugs it off, if only to make sure his pal's enthusiasm isn't stomped on. ]

Well, Vaikuntha just loves magic, so there might be some, [ And then he rolls his eyes judgmentally. ] but this sorta thing was pretty common back home. Even ignoring the whole "space" thing.

[ And then he just starts to grin. ] But one time, in space, we got a bunch of these little cubes that repeated sounds back to you. [ Hunk barely manages to stifle a laugh. ] So I made them make a fart noise, and it just...

Pppffffffftttttttt. Forever. [ And now he's giggling like a small child. ]

Actually, It's a midwinter celeberation out of Ishgard.

The story goes that during some old war, there were gaggles of children left orphaned on the streets during the coldest week of the year. A cadre of Ishgardian Knights would spirit them inside their barracks in the dead of night, so that they might have a warm fire to sleep by and shelter from the elements. This was very much not allowed, so the Knights would conceal the children within their own red jackets that they might escape detection when coming and going from the barracks.

Some moons later, the fighting ceased and the weather grew warmer and so the nightly ritual stopped, but years later, the selfsame orphans, now grown, banded together to honour the Knights that showed them such kindness. During the coldest weeks of the year, they'd don red jackets similar to the Knights, and passed out small gifts to the children of Ishgard to pay forward the cheer and tell the story of the kind Knights!

And that's where Starlight comes from. Or so I'm told.

[Congrats Hunk, it's christmas.]

[It felt good to yell his frustrations about his grouchy housemate at the computer and see it immortalized as text. He should do this more often - well, it's not as cathartic as writing it down, but it's hilarious. He has to test this function with naughty words when he returns home.]

All of them? At once? [That sounds like a Stand, which means it's dangerous but hilarious in this context.]

[ Hunk just stands there for a moment, but as Shiro leans back, it's too much for him and he forces his eyes shut with every muscle he can muster. He can't bear to see Shiro's reaction to this, it'll just make him feel worse. When he hears his leader step out of the room, it makes him want to cry, and while he'd normally have no problems with that, it's Shiro who needs the support right now. Not him.

Then his teammmate comes back with a wash cloth and apologizes, and Hunk opens his eyes. They're red, puffy, and glossed over with tears, and he blinks twice before he can see what's offered. With a shaky but emphatic nod, Hunk takes the rag and buries his face into it. He just listens, hoping that his occasional muffled, hiccuping sobs are as close to silent as he can get. Hunk wishes they weren't there, but there's a lot of his negative emotions at play, especially once he hears about his right to be angry. He can't imagine how much this news hurts Shiro.

And at his friend's mention of an important question, Hunk finds himself hastily trying to dry his eyes, to wipe away the snot, to look as presentable as possible. The wash cloth rests in his hands, and he looks Shiro dead in the eyes, save a glance towards the bayard, and he listens.

A moment passes, and Hunk scoffs, going so far as to chuckle. A smile flashes across Hunk's face for a moment, a glimpse of relief, of hope, but he sighs and wills it into submission. This isn't about him and his emotions. ]

Not a chance. [ The tone is incredulous, but there's a hint of amusement. It's not gonna stay doom and gloom today. Not if he has anything to say about it. ] He tried to kill us, and I don't think any of us would be comfortable with him calling the shots. Ever. [ And then Hunk actually smiles. But it's faint, weighed down by the emotional strain. ] Being an ally means he's part of the Coalition, not Team Voltron.

[ At least... as far as Hunk's concerned. ]

[ The mentions of Execution Points and Levels of Violence were... a bit unsettling. The fact that Papyrus's society seemed to quantify those things felt... barbaric. The Galra weren't even that obsessed. ]

So... do you have a high EXP and LV? [ Hunk doesn't wanna say that he probably has a high one himself, but Papyrus doesn't look the type, and he doesn't think talking about bullets will be a better course of action.

Honestly, he's regretting a series of choices that led to this conversation path, and he has no idea how to change the subject, because he's talking to a skeleton. So he's just gonna. Shift around awkwardly. ]

Oh, that is heartwarming. [ He's smiling, and there might even be hints of tears in his eyes. ] Was... was it ever okay for the Ishgardian Knights to do things like that to help the cold little orphans?

[ He'd hoped so, since a holiday coming from it had to have changed the rules. ] What, uh... what's starlight gotta do with it? I think I missed something.

[ Of course Okuyasu had questions about the farting cubes. This is fine. ] Yep! All of them. Just farting. [ And he starts giggling. ] Well, at least until someone else said something.

They'd just repeat back the last thing they heard... which was still pretty funny. [ Now he's grinning. It's almost like they're great for nonsense. ]

Are ye mad? Hells no! Ishgard's Knights have their own swords stuck so far up their--Well. Ser Aymeric is enacting some reforms, so we'll see.

The name comes from the starlit nights that the Knights would shelter the children during. Back in th' day, Ishgard wasn't overcast and snowin' round the clock.

[ So about that... Elly hesitates for a moment, her smile a bit stitched on as she waves a hand to reassure him. Is he really that worried about it? ]

No, that's not the reason.

[ But how to explain this without going into a lot of things she doesn't necessarily want to discuss over the network? Looking off to the side, her expression grows foggy and somewhat distant. ]

There were a few... complications, when I was going through one of my examinations. Because of that, I was no longer considered as a candidate for the Elements.

Awww, but it's hard to get angry...

[Too much effort!! He does keep trying though, lowering his voice a little farther.]

Blaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.

[Oh hey, that might've actually kinda worked.]

Zarkon was able to get inside my head and through me the Black Lion. Who says the reverse isn't possible? His tie up until the end of the fight was still there. But mine was stronger.

[He clips the bayard back on his belt. It has become a habit to run his fingers over it. He's never been one for comforting himself like that. He forces his hand away from it. He won't lose it at his team. Not here. That he can promise him.]

But it can't happen here. My arm, our armor, and the bayard are all inert. If I was being controlled by magic. It will fail. I will never yell at you here. I'll get annoyed, maybe angry, we're people and sometimes we'll come to disagree. People argue.

But I will never raise my voice unless I need to catch your attention quickly. It will never be a yell. [He holds out his hand, the human one. His promise lies in the air. Seeing Hunk upset and afraid of his reactions had hurt. He refuses to allow that to happen here. Not without a fight.]

I don't know why it happened in my future. If I ever find out you'll be the first to know. [Shiro takes a breath adding softly.]

I won't ask for you to trust me. I know I have to earn it. But you don't have to be worried about how I'll react. I promise.

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[open video, 4/20 squeaky voice] | Skill Sharing!

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