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[ to lance's credit, he doesn't dawdle.

but that doesn't necessarily means he rushes either. he's not in any real particular rush to meet his own death, thanks, even though he's like 89% certain keith won't actually do that.

okay more like 75% certain.

after all it's keith, and yeah sure he's a little hotheaded, and reckless, and can sometimes get a little too caught up in fits of tunnel-vision rage that doesn't mean he'd actually kill one of his own teammates.

...at least not while allura is around to be extremely disappointed to be out a paladin of voltron.

but even if keith wouldn't actually kill him, that doesn't mean lance isn't gonna end up wishing he were dead by the end of this. because maybe, just maybe, lance hadn't been entirely accurate in his claims of beating keith in everything they attempt... maybe it's more like — nothing. nothing at all. sure, he can hold his own in most things, but actual fighting? hand-to-hand combat? against mr. "while you were enjoying a normal childhood, i studied the sword" himself? yeeeah no.

so THERE SHALL BE NO ROOM FOR JUDGMENT over the fact that lance shows up in his full paladin armor. helmet and all. because he may be foolhardy in his own right, but mama didn't raise no fool. the armor just about brings them up to equal grounds. sorta. ]

Scowl any harder and your face is gonna stick like that.

[This was meant to be a mutually inspirational talk about getting jobs. Maybe setting out together, employing some of that good old-fashioned teamwork while still acclimating to an alienesque setting.

On the other hand, what better way to let off the preemptive stress of an endeavor like that than: training like fools. He looks up and over just as soon as Lance arrives, dastardly comment in toe.]

What are you wearing?

[Not in a tone indicative of oooo what's that but one more matched to that of someone who's shown up at Applebees wearing a ballgown. His phone finds the floor and is practically kicked (FIRMLY NUDGED WITH A FOOT) into the direction of the rest of his belongings. It. Should be fine.]

You can't be wearing that.

[Matter-of-factly. Where is the bouncer for this fine establishment....]

Says who? I don't see any rules about that, [ he says, puffing up defensively and pointedly not looking around, in case there actually are a set of rules that dictate what one is supposed to where while in a dojo.

instead he keeps his eyes on keith, trying not to think thoughts like if keith treats his own stuff that callously, how the heck would he treat someone else's stuff? like my BONES? ]

I said so!

[Maybe there are rules about it, maybe not. Using any sort of armor without a specific reason seems like a common sense thing to omit when someone challenges someone to a match in a place of martial arts...]

Take it off, Lance.

[If someone were passing by, they may assume something particular lascivious was about to go down in the public freakin' dojo -- if not for the anger in his voice.]

No!

[ keith hasn't made any moves towards him yet, but the tone alone is enough to get lance taking a step back. his hands lift, coming to curl around the wide collar of the armor plating. as if half-expecting keith to make a lunge right for him and rip it right off. could he even? who knows how much of those galra genes are in him anyway... ]

Look, it's not my fault you didn't specify any of your weirdo rules before making me come all the way here. [ because this is all keith's fault, ever. ]

If you don't like it, put on your own armor.

[If Paladin armor would pop off so easily, he'd start whacking Lance indiscriminately.]

Why would I do that?!

[He's definitely thinking of lunging at him anyway. Aim for the parts that aren't covered in armor. The tender joints. Keith is covered in sweat and his paladin armor is MIA. Stop trying to find an escape route....]

Last chance.

Edited (wow not that icon) 2017-08-10 01:29 (UTC)

Or what?

[ seriously, or what. let a guy know what you're planning here, so that he can construct a proper pre-emptive strike or something.

he's leaning a lot more heavily on his right foot, the one poised furthest away from the other paladin. there's a crazed look in his eye that lance doesn't entirely trust, though it's also entirely possible that said look is just being colored and heightened by lance's own steadily growing wariness of this entire situation. he should've put on more armor. kevlar, maybe. chainmail. it's always hard to tell just how many knives keith's got on him at once. ]

[He's got a clear shot to Lance's ribs, and he'd probably feel at least .5% better (in general) if he were to make him yelp, but he does not.]

Or I'll stick you in a wormhole.

[He'll flip the sword around and toss it to Lance in offering -- something that could easily be mistaken for a hostile gesture/assault. It's an offering, for one reason or another. And now, for something more reasonable:]

I was just thinking you'd feel less embarrassed about losing without your armor on.

[He's making his way back to the weapons rack to grab himself a(nother) sword. He's still pretty irate, but now there's a certain stuffiness about him, preemptively triumphant, immaturely pleased with himself for thinking of such an iconic thing to say.]

[ someone out there must be looking out for lance, because somehow he doesn't fumble nor struggle in catching the sword suddenly tossed his way. in fact, if it were any other situation, and there were some fine ladies around to preen for, he would've taken the time to draw some more attention to the fact he'd caught it so deftly.

but right now he's a little too preoccupied returning keith's smug look with a petulant glare. ]

Uh huh. [ oooh, good one lance, you sure he's gonna be able to back back from that one?

klsajdla ] I didn't think you'd be so eager to be bested in your own field, [ he says hastily, trying to recover. he does, at least, remove his helmet. this he sets off to the side, very carefully. he takes a moment to test the weight of the wooden sword in his hand. it is a wholly unfamiliar feeling, and lance is vividly reminded of the reason his bayard turns into a rifle, and nothing else.

this is gonna suuuck, he thinks. ]

[Ha ha. See how lame that threat is?????

New sword in hand, Keith shifts back into a spot opposite Lance and just a few feet away. Maybe, in spite of the taunts, he'll actually try to help the paladin improve in sword fighting? Ordinarily it doesn't matter how good or bad he is with close combat, but who knows what this planet's got in store for them. It'd been something he'd had on his mind for some time now, but of course, the only way to bring it up is through taunts and threats.

It also wasn't his intention to bring it up at the start of a jobs conversation. He was actually preparing to head back to their place for a shower, but Lance had to trick him into jump-starting an entirely different matter.]

When's the last time you fought anyone with a sword?

[What an outdated question. He'll wait for him to respond...before launching at him. What a gentleman.]

[ in response to that question, lance puffs up in pride. ]

Technically? Like a month ago, on the castleship with Pidge. [ once hunk helped them figure out how to work the mercury gameflux ii with the castleship, kicking her butt (and getting his own butt kicked... way many times more) in killbot phantasm i was pretty much imminent. ]

In actuality? [ here he deflates a bit. ] Never. Not even once— hey Keith!

[ his tiny confession is interrupted when he is suddenly and very rudely attacked. out of reflex, he flings the wooden sword up to clash against the one keith is swinging down at him. he can feel the force behind it shake his entire arm, and he balks at both the gesture and the lack of warning behind it. ]

Chill out!

[Talking to Keith about video games is kind of like trying to get an old person excited about an iPhone. He can't help being bored into launching a surprise attack?

This isn't even his final form.

Being asked to calm down when he's barely grazed the surface of ferocity doesn't persuade him into being gentler with the sharpshooter. It's like being told to not be mad when you're not even mad, but now you are mad? He does jump back, relents just to come at him again.]

You aren't even trying!

[While moving to whack him in the outer thigh. Lance is a pinata.]

You're doing more than enough of that for the both of us— ow!

[ the whack hadn't even been that hard, but it definitely startled him. he staggers back a good five feet, eager to put some distance between them, though he knows keith can reach him easily enough with that sword. he holds his own out steady before him. his stance is pretty good for a novice, but he definitely isn't making any moves to be on the offense about it. ]

Aren't there rules in this kinda thing?!

[Maybe it would hurt as much as it should if Lance weren't wearing stupid armor....]

No headshots, or...other cheap shots.

[Don't make him talk about groins when he's exacting revenge for their bonding moment. Since he's being fussy, he'll approach Lance from the front, calmly, instead of trying to reenact a bobcat mauling.

The act of which may just be as intimidating anyway. He does look like he wants to kill.]

[ THAT JUST MAKES IT A BETTER REASON TO KEEP WEARING THE ARMOR.

anyway, somehow a calmer keith is an even scarier keith. thoughts of any such bonding moments are decidedly far from his mind in the moment, and for once for legitimate reason! he could very well die here today! ]

Shouldn't this place have some kind of dummy for you to beat on if you're so restless??

[ shut up don't you dare make the very obvious "you're the dummy" joke, don't you do it. ]

That's what you are.

[OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh. Not only that, but Lance'll get a jab to the gut for further indication once he's close enough. It doesn't relent after he's made contact either, like he's trying to puncture his kidneys for realsies.

Except, it's a bamboo sword.....]

Or, you might as well be.

[SICK BURNS. It's like Lance drew dicks on him while he was asleep or something.]

[ wHAT DID I JUST SAY ]

Quit it!

[ his voice grows louder, but any intensity in his words is swallowed up by the distinct whine that it tapers off into... he knocks keith's jabbing attempts back with his own sword, and whether they meant it or not, finally it starts to look like an actual sword fight. keith approaches, keith jabs, lance backs away, lance swats. it's like some weird dance, except one party's listening to linkin park and the other one's listening to taylor swift.

or something. ]

You know what I mean. What's with you? You're acting weirder than normal!

[ did he have an unusual knack for pushing keith's buttons? yes, unfortunately he did. but either keith is acting extra triggery today, or lance is extra apprehensive, but some wires are definitely getting crossed here. maybe both. ]

[I cannot read.

He'll match Lance's movements, easing up on the stabbing and smacking and focusing on matching him -- possibly trying to knock the sword out of his hands. Numb by Linkin Park playing distantly all the while...]

How else should I act in a dojo?!

[Triggered for DAYS. There's a quick step forward, trying to force Lance in reverse while hooking an ankle around his sparring partner's, trying to trip him up without considering concussions -- or worse.]

[ down he goes, having neither the agility to sidestep that hook, nor the attention to even notice it coming. he yelps, and thankfully this is a proper dojo with like... training mats littered all along the floor, so impact on lance's head isn't too bad...

which means he's well enough to outrageously complain about it. ]

Ow, what's your problem? You're acting like a crazy person, did a space skunk spray you ag—

[ AH wait. they're not supposed to talk about that, so sayeth their unspoken lack of eye contact the following morning of That Incident.

panicking, lance reacts the only way he knows how: through retaliation.

meaning he's definitely swatting at your own leg, keith, because if he's going down, he's taking everybody with him! ]

[As if there weren't already an abundance of holes in his defense in how focused he is on beating the snot out of Lance, he had to bring up that weird thing for no reason.

He falls, but purposefully (once he realizes there ain't any stopping it) leans his weight in Lance's direction in order to land completely on top of him. Like a clumsy body slam. A breaching whale.]

All you're doing is complaining!

[He's scrambling his limbs together in an effort to STRADDLE LANCE, fingers finding the front of his bangs to grab and hold him by. He's not yanking him in any direction, at least, just making sure the back of his head's smushed against the mattress.]

That's -- all you ever think about! You can't just bring up skunks when someone's...

[About to murder you, or whatever. Fully turned off for REASONS UNKNOWN, as if he'd just been dutch ovened, he's rising to his feet, letting go of the paladin's hair in the process.

Why are you making him think about the skunk incident when he's already actively angry about it.]

[ for a second there — more like three — lance had actually truly feared for his life.

there's always been an intensity to keith, and he's been around the other boy long enough to know that it can simmer just as easily as it flares. there are times he's right there at the head of it, instigating it, but he's never been this close when keith had actual fire in his eyes. his heart stops for a moment, caught in his throat in that panic and —

anticipation?

the feeling flutters away almost as quickly as it comes, because in the next second keith is rolling right off him and. and that was that.

he doesn't move, even long after keith has already gotten back up to his feet. he'll just. continue to play dead, maybe................

except he's never been very good with silence, so here he is. opening his mouth. ]

...Hey, uh. I'm starting to get the feeling you're actually mad at me about something.

[ whether or not it's a good idea remains to be seen. ]

[He's retreating to the weapon stand, slipping the bamboo sword back into place on it's rack. Apparently, he's finished training with Lance....]

Anyone would be mad at you for treating this like a joke.

[Sometime in the distant future, he'll bring up Lance wearing paladin armor to the dojo up as a means of insult -- or maybe even a joke?! Galra Keith is funny, after all. But for now, he's aggravated and he'll use any excuse to justify his aggravation, even if it's not a big deal. The sparring session came from a conversation about employment, ffs. There wasn't even a mention of defending the universe or having to train for a specific purpose.

He essentially lead Lance into a bouncy house and started slamming into him with a body bubble for no reason. He really ought to apologize for being over the top as a whole, but this is Keith and words can be as difficult to sort as emotions can, similarly be.]

[ a beat passes, and then he's sitting back up. keith's got his back to him now, which makes all this talking a little easier, frankly. ]

I didn't know it was supposed to be that serious, [ he admits, voice sounding like an apology, except he doesn't actually give one. he doesn't really think he's done anything wrong, certainly not anything intentionally, but that doesn't mean he can't still feel bad about it leading to something that seems to really be bothering the other.

he makes a few vague gestures with his hands at the dojo around them. ]

If you really wanna train that badly then — fine. We'll train.

[ he still can't make sense of it all, but he also understands that he doesn't always understand keith anyway. but keith's his teammate, sometimes even his friend and... and that should count for something.

so okay yeah now lance is starting to pull off the bulky part of their armor....... ]

[Keith's busy now. Super busy pretending that Lance's apology voice doesn't have an affect on him. He's retrieving his phone from an edge of the dojo -- where his jacket's hanging. This is just like that episode when Lance was trying to keep Keith from wandering off to certain doom...]

We're not training anymore.

[It's a simple observation, minus the fact that it sounds venomous. He's sweaty, so the jacket finds a place draped over his shoulder.]

Keep your stuff on.

[A sideglance catches him in the midst of shedding that armor. It's -- probably cold outside....]

[ IT'S COOL he'll still have on the catsuit part of the paladin gear so he'll be fine, it'll be fine.

except keith catches him right as he's pulled the chest armor up over his head, and so he winds up with it halfway over his face. ]

What, seriously??

[ his voice is muffled... echoing.... he makes a low groaning sound, bothered now that he'd gone to all this trouble for nothing. tries to jerk it off a few times, but it seems to be stuck around his stupid round human ears... ]

Oh come on!

[The bulky part of their armor probably doesn't..really offer much in terms of warmth anyway. It's better to have layers, though?! He's prepared to walk out on Lance, except a second sideglance paints an unfortunate picture? Like a turtle stuck upside down, or a butterfly stuck in a spider web?

He looks pathetic.]

I told you.

[There's a growl to head that I-told-you-so, even though the I-told-you-so was belated in the first place. Cue an angry Keith heading straight for the blue Paladin....not entirely sure whether to push or pull.

He's gonna go ahead and place a hand on either side of his (popped!) collar-armor and just..shove down.]

[ how many times is lance gonna get hurt in this log... ]

Ow!

[ yeah, yep, that definitely caught on his ear on its way down. but hey — at least he's down. chest armor all re-situated, lance is once again whole. but keith is also now close enough that he can reach out suddenly, wrap a hand around the other's wrist. ]

Hey [ man ] seriously — what'd I do?

[ it's one thing to have petty little squabbles. but this feels like an actual fight here, and that definitely doesn't feel right. ]

[As many times...as it takes...

At least he didn't rip his ear off in the process. He would have immediately felt bad for that -- apologized, rush to get it sewn back on. Really, it's a missed opportunity for them to gloss over their contentious little arrangement here.

Lance's ears are fine, if not slightly uneven. What isn't fine, is that his wrist has been seized; there's a dramatic pause, his jaw goes slack and there's a series of light pullbacks, expecting Lance to simply let go. He's like a dog that doesn't want to go for a walk.]

You're the one making a big deal out of it.

[Isn't what he asked, but...]

Let go.

[ lance's lips purse stubbornly, and for a few seconds it looks like he'll refuse.

but he eventually relents, if only because he realizes he has no real reason to keep holding on and questioning. maybe he just caught keith on a bad day. it'll all blow over again, just like it always does. right?

right? ]

Sorry. [ hard to tell what exactly he's apologizing for. but maybe that's the point. ] I'll see you back home.

[ he manages somehow not to make it sound like a question. ]

[At this point, he knows it's weird. He's effectively drawn Lance out of hiding only to use him as a punching bag (dummy, was it????) and proceed to imply dereliction. Somewhere in his brain, he's fully acknowledging how extra he's being.

He's baffling, to be more precise. Even to himself.

He stands in place after being granted some freedom, lips pursing slightly, as if he's holding back a slew of insults -- or maybe an apology.

It all manifests in an audible exhale, complete with some grit. A little growl. A defense mechanism inherited from his ancestors as a way to express oneself while being wholly unable to process normal, warm feelings.]

You don't -- have to say obvious stuff.

[So there.]

[ lance just continues to look up at keith like he's not entirely sure what to say, which is definitely not an easy corner to back him into. he almost wants to ask what, then, he's meant to say, but decides to just bite it back this time. he's instigated enough for the day, he thinks... ]

Alright...

[ instead he draws the word out, clearing stalling for time here. ]

So. We're cool?

[He'll turn away, abruptly, because words are hard and Lance should 100% understand where he's coming from through his extended tantrum that he'll continue to blame on Lance's inability to show up in proper dojo attire.

...Though that's already taken a backseat to him just being annoyed. He's annoyed about being annoyed. Maybe he's hungry.]

Yeah, whatever.

[Like an impatient child reluctantly conceding to Grandma's 98th birthday bash at Frack Burgers. He'll start forward, creating some space between them once more before speaking up again.]

You can't stay here all night.

[So hurry up and let's go...wtf. Clearly you should be trailing a dude who's experiencing a spike in BPD.]

[ he deflates again, but for only a moment. for a second it seemed like keith's dismissal was just that, but the gruff response seems to be much more than that, with the unspoken invitation lingering in the air between them.

almost instantly, he perks back up again, much more ready and willing to accept that things were just fine (at least for now), and that he hadn't hecked up in some major way. he scrambles back up to his feet, scooping down to pluck up his helmet and follow right along after keith. he's a little too relieved to even bother doing anything about that doofy smile on his lips. ]

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