finalguard | Post-game CMO for camppetoskey

Pff, could've fooled me. What with you fussing over him nonstop, I figured he'd be the same.

[And once the stuff is at the stove, Lance picks out a chef's knife from the drawer. There's a missed beat as he stares at the utensil -- back at camp, he'd often wondered if one of these things would end up being found in someone's head on a Friday. He shudders, pushing the thought out of mind and hands the knife, handle first, to Boa.[

Okay, start peeling the plantains and then chop 'em up into slices. If you can handle those, you can start on the onions afterwards. I'll get the chicken cleaned.

[He nabs the package of chicken breasts and heads back over to the sink to wash his own hands.]

[ Boa wouldn't have thought anything of the knife, he thinks, if he hadn't picked up on Lance's momentary hesitation. After all these weeks being around each other under utter tension, Boa has a pretty good read on everyone's reaction to sensing something off. Body language to learn for survival...

And so he thinks it as well, how easy it would be to push the knife back forward as he takes it. Or to trip and fall and... Murder is really quite easy. What a lesson to take away.

Boa shakes it off and places himself at the counter to start doing as instructed. ]

[ English: ] I wouldn't fuss over a minor cut in the finger....

[ The protest is so delayed that it's hard to hear any kind of force behind it. More than that, the few second break they took from speaking made Boa slip back into English out of force of habit. He pauses. ]

[ Spanish: ] Really.

Edited 2018-08-05 21:26 (UTC)

The response comes late and for a moment the English is jarring all over again. He wipes his hands on a kitchen towel and rips open the chicken packaging. The meat is cool in his hands, fleshy and though he tries not to think about it, it's weird to think about fleshiness in genera. He breathes out, giving the meat a thorough rinse under the tap water and decides to just stop thinking. He replies in Spanish only.]

I'd have to see it to believe it.

[Then placing the chicken on a clean plate, he continues.]

It just means you're being attentive. It's kinda cute, even if it means you're gonna give yourself wrinkles before you turn 30.

There's no reason to worry about being 30 now.

[ They might not ever get that far. 19 years... Boa doesn't really dare think about it. It's his dearest wish to be in another world by then, far off from the organization and everything that binds them now... but there's no guarantee for it. ]

It's good now. I didn't have anyone I would have gone out of my way for before and now I have several people... I can't help thinking that I need to give my all to make that work.

[ Giving his all in this case also includes cutting off way too much peel, as an inexperienced cook does. ]

You know, Boa...

[Lance brings the chicken over to the counter and frowns.]

Part of giving your all to the people you care about now involves caring about the future too, not just focusing on the present. Sure, it doesn't have to mean thinking about life when you're 30, but you have to take care of yourself too and make sure you're not taking on too much at once. Weren't you the one telling me that?

[He reaches for the salt and pepper and begins seasoning.]

I mean... that's part of how I feel about my team back home. As much as I wanna go back still, the future is gonna be a lot better if I stay and buckle down on destroying that printer. Plus, there's still that off-chance that they might find us. It's just way too easy to get too tunnel visioned thinking about just what's good for the present.

[ Boa feels like there is a difference between what he told Lance and what Lance is telling him now. Lance needed to be selfish and let the suffering of others be their business... Boa meanwhile is being selfish when he clings to those he loves. But... maybe this is how those goody-two-shoes people feel about everyone. Maybe it really is comparable. Boa's never looked at it that way before. ]

You never really told me about your team, beyond that they exist. I know Shiro, but the others... what are those people like?

[ Who are the people who might swoop in and safe them, in some unrealistic future? ]

Oh, you wanna know about the other paladins?

[The salt and pepper go back down on the counter top as Lance considers this. Normally he'd love talking about his friends and the people he loves, but it's harder than usual not to be stuck with some bittersweet nostalgia.]

Let's see... well Hunk's the paladin of the Yellow lion. Hunk and I go waaaay back. We were cadets together at the Garrison before the whole Voltron thing ever happened. He's a total engineering nerd and a bit of a scaredy cat but he's really kind. Oh! And a great cook. He's always trying his best to look out for everyone.

Then there's Pidge. She flies Green. Pidge was also at the Garrison with me and Hunk, but she joined the team later as our technician. She's super smart and is kind of a wizard with anything tech related. Some of her family members were kidnapped by the Galra and even though they've been missing for a really long time, she's never given up hope on finding them.

Keith's the last paladin. He pilots Red. Keith was also at the Garrison, but he got kicked out for being a total hot head. He kinda rushes into things all guns blazing. Act first, ask questions never, that whole deal. Heh. He's kinda dumb, but he does have a point now and then. But even though he's like that, you know he has your back and will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

[He breathes out and smiles. That wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, actually. His friends are determined and resilient -- good reminders that if he has to trust anyone in the universe with their fates, it'd be the members of Team Voltron.]

That's the team.

Edited 2018-08-06 01:57 (UTC)

[ Boa wonders if he would sound similar should he ever get into the situation to describe his group from camp to someone unfamiliar. Would there be the same fond familiarity notable in his voice and wording? Odd thoughts.

It is nice to listen to Lance though, which is also strange. There really are friendships founded in something tangible and useful out there. ]

So is Hunk the one who taught you to cook?

Pfff, Hunk? Nah, he's a total bully in the kitchen. He won't let you do anything unless it's done perfectly to his standards. It's easier to stay out of the way and just let him do his thing.

[...Which realistically may be more of a statement on how lax Lance is in the kitchen than anything else. He just prefers to go with the flow of what feels right, rather than treating cooking like a precise science.]

I learned from my parents mostly. There are four of us kids, so my mom usually appreciated having a helping hand around.

[ .... so many step-siblings. Well, not that Boa would accept them as siblings simply for being blood-related to his brother. Boa's new concept of family doesn't work that way. But still, what an odd thing to imagine... ]

Well, good that you aren't alike to that Hunk then.

[ Because else, Lance might have already murdered Boa for his shitty peel-job. He's trying hard though. ]

Oh?

[Which gets him to look down at Boa's handiwork and finally notice the wonderful job he's doing with the plantains.]

... Boa, I said chop not shred.

[But he's laughing as he says it.]

[ ... yeah he had a feeling this isn't going correctly. Boa grimaces. ]

Explain the difference.

Here, gimme.

[He grabs another plantain and holds out his hand for the knife.]

Show and tell time.

[ The knife hilt is placed in his hand and Boa moves a bit so Lance can access the cutting board better. GO AHEAD AND DEMONSTRATE, KITCHEN MASTER. ]

[With a bit of a flourish, Lance turns the knife in his hands and shuffles a half step over to demonstrate.]

Now pay real close attention, young apprentice. See this? First things first. Slice off the top and bottom like you're deadly ninja executioner, swift and silent.

[The two cuts actually get schwing!! sound effects timed to match.]

It might disappoint you, but I know even less about being a ninja executioner than I do about cooking.

[ Though there is clear amusement in his voice as he gives this comment. Lance's enthusiasm is, as always, wildly misplaced but still nice to watch. ]

What? Get on it already, what else are you using the internet for?!

[Lance shakes his head at Boa's priorities then continues his demonstration.]

So after you're done with this part, you gotta make a couple of cuts at the top in the peel so you can just tear those off with your fingers.

[Like so! He makes about six cuts to create three flaps and pulls off the peel and...]

Ta-dah! One beautifully prepped plantain ready for dicing!

[ Okay this...? This is actually revolutionary? Boa just stares at the finished plantain for a second, then nods slowly. ]

I had no idea this is how you do it...

[ SO EFFICIENT?!?! ]

Of all the cool things I can do, this is what gets you to be stunned? Seriously?

[Lance can't help laughing at that.]

Man... if Blue ever shows up here, your jaw's gonna drop.

[ Boa has half a mind to ask what other cool things Lance is talking about, but hey... He can let him have this. And he has a point about Blue. ]

Well, duh, it's a giant spaceship!

She.

[Lance corrects him almost instantly. How the heck does he know the gender of a space mecha? Don't ask, but he feels it in his soul.]

And she's way more than just a spaceship! She can talk to me through our bond, sends me ideas, tells me what to do... heh. I dunno how any of it works, but... man, I'd give anything to hear her again.

[ There is a raised eyebrow at the connection, but Boa supposes he'd call Bahamut a 'he' too if it came down to it and Lance's further explanation erases any lingering judgement. For all he knows, Blue might have told Lance that himself. ]

Sounds like she's your pilot as much as you hers.

[ Blue has Lance whipped. ]

[Lance laughs at that assessment.]

That's what trusting each other means, right? I never have to wonder with Blue.

[But then his expression falters a little.]

...Or at least, I never had to before all of this. Maybe that's true for her, too. We used to fly together every day and now I'n not even trying to connect with her.

[He sighs.]

Maybe I should start trying again after all.

When's the last time you tried?

[ This seems relevant given all the rapid changes their situation went through within the last week. ]

[He shifts his weight from one foot to another, looking vaguely uncomfortable.]

It's been a while. Before I died.

[Stated out loud like that, it sounds an awful lot like he's given up on Blue... and maybe the truth is that he kind of has? But it's an awful kind of truth -- something that he's visibly kicking himself for at least metaphorically.]

... man, that's messed up.

I won’t become a tool.
UNREAD E-MAILS (04)	VOICEMAILS (01)	Alcacer. Boa: [ 1B-BBG36 ] TEXT [PitSnake]

Post-game CMO for camppetoskey

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