[It’s a lot to process. Far from the first time that she’s woken up from stasis to turmoil, but it doesn’t make it any easier. She’d talked to Axel not long ago about his last Natha-induced nap, but nothing could prepare her for the deluge of memories. Not only that, but there was quintessent energy under her skin that wasn’t there before, buzzing like anxiety along with her tumultuous thoughts.
But there’s little time to brood. The Natha’s timing, as always, is less than ideal, although the trek across the snow and ice, then is a welcome distraction. She and Keith have a lot of ground to make up to catch up with the others, and the wilderness is unforgiving, so the conversation between them is kept to a minimum. Just a word here and there, to point out landmarks, discuss directions, but otherwise the air between them is filled with long stretches of silence.
It continues until the sun dips below the horizon, plunging the visibility to near-zero, and the temperatures beyond the comfort levels of their suits, forcing them into a nearby igloo, left behind by one of the refugees who had passed through earlier. The first blast of cold air when Allura releases the vacuum on her helmet makes her regret taking it off in the first place, but sleeping in full armor is impossible, and they would need all the strength they could get for the next day of travel ahead.
Silence settles over them as Allura finishes setting the pieces of her armor neatly to the side, feeling the chill of the evening permeating her jumpsuit, biting at the exposed skin on her fingers and her face. She rubs her hands together, and under her skin is the dull hum of quintessence, reminding her of Oriande and the quintessence field. From there, her mind wanders, to the Alteans, to Shiro, to the Sincline ships and...
Lost in her thoughts, it takes a dobash or two before she realizes that she's been staring at the wall, and she shakes herself out of it. Self-consiously rearranges her armor one last time, as if that's what she was thinking about. She can feel Keith watching her, but she doesn't know if it's real or imagined, and she brushes it off, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence,]
KEITH
But there’s little time to brood. The Natha’s timing, as always, is less than ideal, although the trek across the snow and ice, then is a welcome distraction. She and Keith have a lot of ground to make up to catch up with the others, and the wilderness is unforgiving, so the conversation between them is kept to a minimum. Just a word here and there, to point out landmarks, discuss directions, but otherwise the air between them is filled with long stretches of silence.
It continues until the sun dips below the horizon, plunging the visibility to near-zero, and the temperatures beyond the comfort levels of their suits, forcing them into a nearby igloo, left behind by one of the refugees who had passed through earlier. The first blast of cold air when Allura releases the vacuum on her helmet makes her regret taking it off in the first place, but sleeping in full armor is impossible, and they would need all the strength they could get for the next day of travel ahead.
Silence settles over them as Allura finishes setting the pieces of her armor neatly to the side, feeling the chill of the evening permeating her jumpsuit, biting at the exposed skin on her fingers and her face. She rubs her hands together, and under her skin is the dull hum of quintessence, reminding her of Oriande and the quintessence field. From there, her mind wanders, to the Alteans, to Shiro, to the Sincline ships and...
Lost in her thoughts, it takes a dobash or two before she realizes that she's been staring at the wall, and she shakes herself out of it. Self-consiously rearranges her armor one last time, as if that's what she was thinking about. She can feel Keith watching her, but she doesn't know if it's real or imagined, and she brushes it off, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence,]
It's colder than I imagined.