nysalogs | Slow me down

[Allura listens attentively, surprised at this change from the Diva she met who was throwing things and breaking them after one of her friends had gone back into stasis. And her heart hurts for the girl when she thinks about years-long "naps". It's not the same situation, but she is uncomfortably familiar with that situation.]

It sounds like you were able to get closer- even if it was only for a short while.

[A stray crumb falls on the table and Allura brushes it away, eyes staying low on the table in front of her,]

A long time ago, I fell asleep too. For ten-thousand years, until Lance and the others came to my castle. By then, my people had all been killed- [Her voice is tight, but she raises her eyes to meet Diva's,] Everyone I loved was gone, but I refuse to believe that loving them was a mistake, even if it is painful to do so.

_{[Oh.

That's...that's a really long time.

It'd be comical, the way Diva's blue eyes bug out at the number and her hand holding the cookie she'd been biting into is slowly lowered back down into her lap. Ten thousand years.

Maybe she ought to count her blessings.]}

Saya and I are the only natural born Chiropterans of our kind. I don't know if there used to be more of us, but that doesn't really matter. There are other Chiropterans, but they all used to be human once. Before coming here I hated humans and wanted to turn every last one of them into my kind...but I don't want that anymore.

_{[There's just no point to it.]}

I'm sorry you're the last of your kind. It's stressful, isn't it? Solomon wanted me to have a baby, but I can't anymore, so the only Chiropterans that will exist now will be those Saya or I turn.

You've mentioned before, about the Chiropterans.

[Being the last of their kind. She knows all to well the pain of that. Except now things were much more complicated. She pauses, measuring her words, and how much she wants to talk about, before speaking again,]

There were others of my kind who survived. Our family's royal adviser — a dear friend of mine — was put into stasis at the same time as I. For the longest time I thought it was only he and I who survived.

[But, the word goes unsaid but hangs in the air all the same, and Allura fidgets her hands in her lap,]

There were others. It is a terribly long story, though.

_{[She just stays quiet for a moment, thoughtfully chewing as she listens to Allura. It sounds like they're in similar boats, in a way. It's kind of nice, if only to know someone can understand where she's coming from.]}

Allura, I'm immortal. I've all the time in the world.

_{[Which is an invitation for her to start up storytime, as far as Diva's concerned.]}

[There’s a curl of a smile that appears on Allura’s face, not expecting that sort of response from Diva.]

I suppose that’s true…

[The smile disappears soon enough, because it’s far from a pleasant topic, and because it’s difficult to find a place to begin, especially when she’s not fully aware of the whole story herself.]

From my understanding, there were handfuls of Alteans who survived Emperor Zarkon’s murderous rampage. They hid among other species on other planets, until Lotor- [Her voice takes a strange, uneven tone and she stops, taking in a deep breath before she sets her jaw and starts again,]

The survivors were gathered on a secret planet, where they have allegedly been in hiding for the last ten-thousand years. It was only just before the storm that I learned of their existence.

_{[To Diva's credit she listens intently and doesn't interrupt. She doesn't make a peep until she realizes Allura's actually finished speaking. It's only then does she pipe up, licking a few crumbs from her thumb before doing so.]}

Well...that's a good thing though, isn't it? That your people are still alive. That's good news, I think.

_{[Or it should be.]}

Who's Lotor?

[Allura sucks in a breath.]

Yes but It is a… complicated thing.

[Without question, the survival of the Alteans was paramount to any of her feelings regarding their treatment. But it’s still bittersweet. Focus on the bitter.

Allura fiddles with her fingers in her lap, frowning.]

Prince Lotor. The son of the man who destroyed my planet, but he went against his father and gathered the Alteans for his own purposes.

[Not saved, but gathered. Her wording is very deliberate here.]

Oh.

_{[She's...clearly missing a lot of context here, but she's doing her best to put her thinking cap on and put the pieces together, or at least the pieces she'd been given. So...Lotor wasn't a good guy. Or at least it was complicated. She doesn't miss the word gathered though. Putting it that way it almost sounds like...]}

Why? Was he going to eat them?

[Allura blinks in surprise at that conclusion. Then again, she’d been cagey at best, so she can’t really blame the girl for struggling to connect the dots. (and considering that she drinks blood… maybe it’s not that ridiculous of a leap for her)

Shaking her head,] Alteans naturally produce a powerful form of energy, and he was using them to harvest that energy.

[Her voice is more than a little bitter, and her fingers tighten into fists in her lap.] He claimed that it was for the greater good, but how could he expect me to overlook the murders of thousands of Alteans?

Oh.

_{[That's...kind of cool? She sits up a bit at that, leaving the cookies for now, focusing on the way Allura's fingers ball into fists. Maybe Diva should be a bit more unnerved at what she's just said but...she isn't, for better or worse.]}

I don't know what he's like but...I've killed lots and lots of humans and some of them seem to overlook that fact.

_{[The word kill here is used very deliberately - she doesn't see the carnage she's indulged in over the years as murder.]}

Not all of them but...some. I can't even say it's for the greater good either.

[This is not the trajectory of conversation that Allura was expecting to take this night.]

There is a difference between casualties in battle and killing the people you claim to love in cold blood and calling yourself a hero. I trusted him-

[She snaps her mouth shut, eyes widening when she realizes what she'd said. Quickly, she backpedals, voice dropping down and she looks in a different direction.]

They trusted him. I mean.

_{[That's fair, Diva can understand that. Allura's little slip up though catches her attention as she leans closer toward her, blue eyes widening.]}

...Did you like him?

_{[Her gaze is intense as she stares her down. It's just a question, but clearly there's a lot going on in the back of Diva's mind.]}

If he wakes up here, do you want me to kill him for you? I can make him suffer.

[Diva definitely has her caught off guard with her intensity and Allura leans back far enough that she has to catch herself on her hand.]

It was- We were- That's not-!

[After a few moments of sputtering, she pulls it back together and stands up, suddenly.]

I think there is something... in the kitchen... I need to attend to! Excuse me-

[Smooth.]

_{[They were banging.

Or at least that's what Diva believes as she watches Allura become incredibly embarrassed all of a sudden and more or less scurry out of the room. It's...well...she can't understand being flustered over having feelings for another person, but maybe it's because Allura shouldn't have liked this guy in the first place. It sounds like a taboo sort of relationship - like a Chiropteran and a human.

Not that taboo has ever stopped Diva.

Nor has it stopped her from laughing at another person's discomfort. Which she's doing right now.]}

Bring more cookies Allura!

[Diva please.

The laughter hurts a little, but Allura would prefer whatever story Diva is apparently concocting to the reality of the situation. Her discomfort is more from shame than embarrassment, and there's a lot about what happened, and her choices that still haunts her. Not to mention the very complicated feeling of knowing that, if she had the choice, she really didn't want him to die.

After a few ticks to gather herself, Allura collects the next batch of cookies, and the sheet of paper that Lance left behind, before heading back out, forced smile plastered on.]

I had Lance write a list of things humans usually do at these get togethers.

[She offers Diva the slip of paper, praying that she'll let the old topic drop.]

_{[Luckily for Allura, Diva has a short attention span, and with the distraction of a list and a new batch of cookies, Allura's sex life or lack there of with this mysterious alien man has been pushed to the back of her mind. She takes the list eagerly, other hand grabbing for a cookie. Into her mouth it goes, before she's pointing with a crumb coated finger at one of the items that's caught her eye.]}

Oh this! This Allura.

_{[Do each other's hair seems to be what she's excited over. Yep.]}

[Thank the spirits. Allura can't help but heave a huge sigh that she doesn't even mask all that well, and her expression shifts into a smile when she looks over at what Diva's pointing at.]

Oh! The mice used to love creating new hairstyles for me! [Dropping her voice as if it's a secret-] They weren't very good, but they put all of their heart into it!

You had mice play in your hair?

_{[That's uh...fucking weird? But okay. Diva's not one to judge when it comes to cleanliness and whatnot, especially considering she's a gremlin herself.]}

Are you better than your mice?

Yes, sometimes when they were bored and there was nothing left to do in the castle.

[She’s smiling warmly, as if there’s absolutely nothing strange about having telepathic mice for friends. ~~Don’t judge her, Diva~~.]

I would like to think so. I do my hair every day.

[And not to brag, but her hair is great.]

You do? But how?

_{[No really...how? Literally what? How does she deal with all that hair???]}

Solomon usually does my hair for me. Or Shinsuke. Saya was helping me before she went back to sleep too...it's really hard to do my hair!

I will admit, it was easier with the mice's help. But it is simply a matter of practice.

[And having Altean genetics I guess.]

Would you like me to do yours first?

_{[Maybe she's got anti-tangle built in. Whatever it is, Diva's jealous.]}

Mm...please do. I love when people do my hair.

[Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline. (It’s the former).]

All right- [Allura shifts to sit on the couch beside Diva, angling towards her while gesturing for the other girl to face the other direction. ]

I’ve missed this. Pidge was the only other girl on our ship, and she had no interest in this sort of thing.

[She would never say it, but sometimes... Pidge is as much of a gremlin as any of the boyse.]

Was she a bird?

_{[Because Diva is definitely thinking Pidge = Pidgeon right now, and considering Allura has weird mice who are hairdressers...anything's possible. Turning around she gets herself comfortable, pulling her legs up to cross them, head back so the Altean princess has full access to her head of hair.]}

Why would Pidge be a bird?

[Allura is not connecting the same dots. But she will take the opportunity to start smoothing Diva's hair out with her hands, combing through the strands with her fingers and careful to be gentle around any tangles.]

She was a human, just like Lance and the others.

Edited 2018-12-22 01:36 (UTC)

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