Catch the Stars ||Keith Kogane||

66

Allura stood in the middle of the lounge room, that was the only way Trip could think of the room. It held a row of couches and seats and it was where everyone tended to gather after missions and meetings. Trip, herself, didn't spend much time in there, but she also wasn't a fan of idling around while her scouts were out searching the galaxy for Shiro.

Keith had already taken a seat by the time the rest of them arrived, and he was as far away from the main couches as he could get. For a moment, Trip almost went to sit beside him. It felt natural to just be closest to him during a conversation with everyone, but she stopped herself the second her feet started in his direction.

"Oh, wonderful," Allura says when she notices everyone entering the room, clapping her hands together, "you're all here!"

On the back of the couch were the mice, who were constantly with Allura when she was no the castle. They squeaked as if to greet them the same way.

Everyone files to the couches, saying hello to Allura and to Keith. But Trip didn't want to get comfortable the same way they all were, leaning back on the couches and stretching out over the cushions. They all looked at home, the exact opposite of how she'd felt since she and Keith had come to an agreement to not speak to each other.

Instead, Trip leans herself against the wall beside the door for a quick escape. Her new Sheath, sleek and white, did come with an actual cover for her sword. When the blade locked in place, a thin and clear sheet of plastic was deployed. It was nice, and fancy, but felt almost wrong on her body. She was hyperaware of it as she leaned back, the covered blade pressing into her spine.

Coran notices her stance, "Trip, you're more than welcome to sit down, you know. This is your home as much as it is ours."

Oh, but it did not feel like home.

Trip gives a tight smile and crosses her arms over her chest, "I have to meet my scouts soon," she says, "I'd rather not get comfortable."

Allura gives a nod, probably not wanting to waste time arguing, "Alright," she says and nods her head, "I'll get right to the point then.."

Everyone tensed, having the same thoughts. The elephant in every room when it came to Voltron was its incompleteness. The lack of a true leader. Shiro's absense. It was all anyone could talk about during meetings with other potential alliances. And it was all any of them could think about when they were back on the battlefield. They waited for her to say it.

"Voltron still needs a leader while Shiro is gone," Allura says in a calm and collected voice, "the question is; how do we find a suitable replacement for the black paladin."

Trip expected Keith to snap, or at least have some snippy comment about Allura's wording choice. She spared a quick glance in his direction from across the room. His eyes were on the ground, his entire body tensed like stone. But he didn't say anything. She looked back to Allura in the same second.

There's silence around the room. No one knew how to begin the topic, or had ideas on how to do so. They all sat, waiting for someone else to speak up. Not even Trip knew how to bring it up. She'd only lived through the death of one leader, and her throning had been the very next morning. There had been no talk of who would replace Litara, it had been determined that she would years before it happened.

And Trip knew that Shiro had wanted, and expected, Keith to step up in this kind of event. Of course, that wasn't her conversation to talk about. It wasn't her burden to bear, so she kept her mouth shut.

"I wish Shiro were here to tell us how to do this," Pidge says out loud. The entire room seemed to agree, "Princess, when we first came to the castle, you told us that you knew we could pilot the lions. Even though we didn't know it."