#But hides it a little 'cause “jet black Wings must be alert at any time in case the dark union attacks”

[dermy-der-demp]

PLOT TWIST: all the group ended knowing it and someway they star a game called "who's saiki's favourite prrrson" (probably Nendo or Reita do the bad joke)

the game is simple: everyone tries to make saiki to prrrrr with all what they have; coffee jelly,sweets,little gifts,anything. + Bonus points if he doesn't try to hide it too much

The winner is the one who can make saiki prrrrr louder and can presume the fact in their faces until the next winner

But,It ends being a war.

At the start they all were happy to heard saiki 'cause that mean he's comfortable around them but after a few rounds they became more competitive for being the "special one" of saiki,so he end sitting in the middle of a silence war when everyone tries to give him the perfect gift so he'll purrr,at the start he doesn't understand why all of them would be so obsessed with being his special person but surprisingly the game doesn't bother him so much and he keeps all they gifts in his closet. At some point everyone has won at least one round and then they decided that the last round goes harder and who wins it is officially the "pinky beloved" (obviously aiura put that name) so everyone is determined to win whatever it takes.

And saiki is just there,Trying to keep a low profile even with a bunch of idiots following and giving him gifts everywhere

I need Kusuo to purr and I need it to be involuntary so badly you don’t understand. He’s together with his pet idiots and everyone is safe and happy and he purrs. He eats lunch with the Psykickers and he’s rumbling like an engine. Akechi and him are having a play date and whenever Akechi gets close Kusuo is just vibrating. Kusuo hates it so fucking much.

[tiny-opal-essence]

Pocket Paladin Chpt 1

Where are They Now?

While rescuing Shiro from the Galra, Lance is given a new perspective on life. How will everyone handle his new stature and how long will he be stuck like this? What does this mean for team Voltron? What are the villains up to?

or, Lance gets shrunk and shenanigans ensue.

(This is also posted on AO3 if you want to read it there)

“Look out, Hunk!” Lance said as he flew the red lion out of the way of the robeast.  The robeast spread its wings and brought them down, creating a hurricane-force wind tunnel aimed right at the yellow lion.

“Ooof.  Aaaaaah!” Hunk yelled as he was thrown around mercilessly by the wind tunnel.

“Are you alright, Hunk?” Allura worriedly asked while she brought down some of the Galran fighter jets using the blue lion.

“Ugggh.  I’m okay.  Just remind me never to do that again.  I think I left my stomach behind.” Hunk groaned out through the coms.

“I didn’t know that could happen to humans.  Do you need us to cover you while you go back and get it?” Allura asked.

“Oh, I didn’t actually leave my stomach behind.  It just means that my stomach is feeling upset.” Hunk informed her while he shot down another fighter jet.

“Why wouldn’t you just say that your stomach isn’t feeling well?” Allura questioned as she flew the blue lion out of the way of one of the robeast’s missiles.

“It’s an earth thing.  It’s a lot more fun to joke about it.” Lance explained as he shot down two fighter jets with the red lion.

“Now is not the time for jokes!  We have to keep the Galra’s attention on us while Pidge and Keith are on their ship.  They might be able to find out where the Galra are keeping Shiro and Pidge’s father.”  Allura snapped as she barely avoided getting caught in another wind tunnel that was unleashed by the robeast.

“Pidge, Keith.  How are things going on your end?” Hunk asked, including the other two paladins in the communication loop.

“I’ve almost downloaded the prisoner database here.  There aren’t any prisoners on board, so once we’re out you can open fire on the ship.  I’ve also got the ion cannon rigged to blow once we’re a safe distance away.” Pidge responded before going back to making sure that the Galra wouldn’t notice they were being hacked.

“How’s the robeast situation?” Keith asked.

“It’s going great!  You’re missing out on all the fun down here, Mullet.” Lance teased Keith while taking out yet another fighter jet.

“Will you stop calling me that?” Keith asked, annoyed at Lance’s comment on his hair.

“I will if you get rid of the mullet and admit that I’m a better pilot than you.” Lance smugly answered.

“Well we know that’s not gonna happen anytime soon,” Pidge commented with a smirk in her voice.

“Oh come on.  I’m a great pilot, right Red?  Ooof” Lance yelled as he was hit by one of the fighter jets.

“Heh.  You were saying?” Keith commented failing to hide his amusement at the situation.

“Oh shut it mullet.  You try flying a different lion than you’re used to.” Lance grumbled out.

“I am?” Keith reminded Lance.

“Oh yeah.  Well, at least I don’t have a mullet!” Lance exclaimed.

“Wow.  Great come back.  Can’t argue with that.” Pidge said with sarcasm evident in her voice.

“Paladins, please!  We have a mission to do here.  We need to focus on protecting the Vorurteil from the Galra empire, not on someone’s hairstyle.” Allura reminded everyone of the reason they were there in the first place while reprimanding Lance.  “We cannot allow any more planets to fall prey to the empire.”

“Don’t worry princess, Lancelot and his noble steed are on their way to save the day!” Lance said as he flew closer to the robeast to help Allura and Hunk.

“Good reference Lance!” Hunk encouragingly said as he shot down another fighter jet.

“Lancelot?  Who is Lancelot?” Allura asked as she froze a fighter jet before ramming into it and shattering it into space dust.

“You know, knight in shining armor, slayer of dragons, savior of princesses” Lance answered unaware of the missile coming right towards him.

Luckily, Allura noticed it and was able to push the red lion out of the way

“More like saved by the princess.” Hunk commented.

“Lance, are you implying that I can’t defend myself?” Allura asked.

“What? No!  You can take care of yourself.  Most princesses faint at the sight of danger, but you sure don’t.  You could kick my butt any day.”  Lance quickly said.

“Really?  Well in that case, it looks like you could use some more training.  That’s an extra half varga of training for everyone tomorrow.” Allura responded.

“Oh come on” groans and similar sounds came through the coms.  “Why should we all be punished because Lance couldn’t keep his big mouth shut?” Pidge asked.

“Because we’re a team.  We train together to win together.  What one individual does affects the whole team.  It is only fair that we share in their fate.”  Allura stated.

“Remind me why the girl with super strength is in charge of training.  Not all of us are Wonder Woman you know.”  Pidge muttered to herself.

“What was that, Pidge?” Allura asked, having not heard what she said clearly.

“Nothing.  Just saying that I could use some peace and quiet so I can focus on not alerting the Galra to the fact that we’re on their ship.” Pidge responded.

“Sorry, Pidge.” Everyone chorused.

Lance noticed that the robeast was aiming its missiles right at the yellow lion.  Hunk was distracted by all of the fighter jets swarming him and didn’t seem to be aware of it.  Not even thinking, Lance charged across the sky and slammed his lion into Yellow letting the missiles hit Red instead.  “Uggggh.  That’s going to leave a mark.” Lance groaned out.

“What did you do to Red?” Keith questioned.

“Nothing.  Sheesh.  We just got hit by the robeasts missiles.  She’ll be fine.  Stop backseat lion driving.” Lance answered.

“Can you two leave your little rivalry for later?  I got the database downloaded.  We’re on our way to our lions now.  Once we’re out, let’s form Voltron, defeat this robeast, and blow this popsicle stand.” Pidge said.

“We really should start naming the robeasts.  It’s hard to keep track of them.” Hunk suggested.

“I don’t think naming them is going to help us fight them,” Keith said.

“Yeah, but think how much better the story of saving Shae and the other Balmerans would be if instead of saying that we faced a robeast with lasers all over its arms we say that we fought the lazer squid.  It rolls off the tongue a bit nicer and adds a bit more of pizazz to the story.” Lance said as he used Red’s fire to melt through some of the fighter jets.  “Any suggestions for names for this one?”

“Yeah, how about shut up and focus Lance!” Pidge yelled through the coms as the Green and Black lions zoomed out of the Galra ship while the ion cannon exploded from the inside just as Pidge had told it to.

“Mmm good try, but I was thinking something more like the Terror-dactyl, cause it looks like a pterodactyl and inspires terror in its victims,” Lance responded.

“Good one, Lance.” Hunk commented.

“Could you please focus on the mission?  Honestly, it’s like dealing with a Glolnor.” Allura said, muttering the last part under her breath.

“Alright.  Let’s form Voltron and fight the pterodactyl.”  Keith said

“Keith, it’s called the terror-dactyl.” Lance tried to correct his teammate.

“That’s what I said.  The pterodactyl.” Keith responded.

“No, it’s…oh never mind.  We’ll work on it later.” Lance said

“Form Voltron!” Keith yelled as the paladins all flew in formation focusing on their bond as paladins.

“Did anyone see any weaknesses for this guy?” Pidge asked.

“Our lazer guns have some effect, but they aren’t able to pierce through the armor.”  Hunk answered.

“The most they could do is hold the creature at bay, but we can’t do that forever,” Allura added on.

“He didn’t seem to like Red’s fire.  Maybe we can try to draw him closer to the volcano over there.” Lance suggested.

“That’s…actually not a bad idea,” Allura commented.

“Why do you sound so shocked?” lance asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I mean, even a broken clock’s right twice a day,” Pidge said.

“Yeah, uh-huh, exactly.  Wait…” Lance started to say before he was interrupted by Hunk yelling

“Guys!  On our left!”

“Pidge, shield!” Keith yelled upon seeing the robeast’s missiles heading right for them.  The impact from them hitting the shield was enough to push back Voltron.

“That gives me an idea!  We can use my gun to force this guy up against the volcano, just like how he was able to push us!” Lance said excitedly.

“That could work, but you’re not enough on your own.  We need more power if we want to push this guy back.” Keith commented.  “Hunk, your weapon should work, so get ready.”

“I was born ready.”  Hunk said.

“Now!” Keith yelled as Pidge’s shield went away and Hunk’s canon emerged.  He fired at the Terror-dactyl and hit it dead on.

“Direct hit!  Nice shot, Hunk!” Lance called out as the robeast stumbled back towards the volcano.

“Thanks, I try.” Hunk said.

“One more hit like that should force the Terror-dactyl right next to the volcano,” Pidge remarked.

“He’s starting to get up, guys!” Lance exclaimed.

“Hunk, how long until your cannon’s charged?” Keith asked.

“Just a tic more and…ready when you are.”

“Ready, aim, fire!”

Most of the shots hit the Terror-dactyl, but a few of them missed and hit the side of the volcano.  Unbeknownst to them, this robeast still had one trick up its sleeve.  As Keith summoned his sword, the Terror-dactyl fired what looked like a net at Voltron.

“Really?  A net?  That’s the best the Galra can do?” Pidge commented with a smug look on her face.

Suddenly electricity flowed through the net that had Voltron in its clutches.

“What the cheese?  I can’t move!”  Lance yelled.

“Neither can I!” Allura said, with the rest of the paladins confirming that they were also unable to move.  “Somehow, this net must be able to immobilize Voltron.  We can’t get out!”

“What do we do, Keith?” Lance asked worriedly.

“I…I don’t know,” Keith responded, voice sounding small.

“What do you mean you don’t know?  You’re our leader!” Lance yelled on the verge of panic.

“That doesn’t mean I know everything!” Keith yelled back.

“Shiro would know what to do,” Lance muttered to himself.

“Well, guess what, Lance.  I’m not Shiro.  He’s not here.” Keith responded angrily, though that anger was more directed at himself.

“If you would please stop antagonizing each other perhaps we could figure a way out of this situation,” Allura interjected.

“Sorry, Allura.” They chorused.  Suddenly they were thrown in the air towards the base of the volcano.

“Uggh.  I still can’t move.  Pidge, do you think you can hack our way out of here?” Hunk asked.

“No.  Green won’t let me in.  The net is stopping the lions from doing much of anything.” She responded.

“Does anyone else feel like the ground is shaking?” Lance asked.

“Now that you mention it, yes,” Allura answered.

“I think the volcano’s going to erupt!  Hunk’s cannon fire and Voltron hitting it must have triggered it.” Pidge said.

“Can Voltron survive lava?” Hunk’s worry showed in his voice.

“For a short while, yes, but only the red lion can survive more than 5 dobashes.” Allura responded.

“So we’ve got 7 minutes until we’re toast.  Literally.”  Lance said.

“We’ve got to get out of here!  Can anyone move?” Hunk asked only to receive a chorus of “no” in response.

Suddenly there was a great sound of thunder as a plume of smoke rose up into the air.  Lava began to flow down the slope of the volcano all the while the robeast approached Voltron, ready to strike.

“It was nice knowing you all…and Keith.” Lance said.

“Really, Lance?” Keith said exasperatedly.

“Do you still have to pick a fight with Keith when we’re about to die?” Pidge yelled through the coms.

The lava was nearly upon them.  The Terror-dactyl roared in Voltron’s face as it steadied itself against the volcano and Voltron to aim its missiles right at the lions.  Before it could fire, the lava reached its hand that was on the volcano.  With an agonizing roar, it released its hold on Voltron and stumbled away.

“We’re free!  Let’s go!” Keith said as Voltron regained its movement and stood to take down the robeast once and for all.

“Your sword should be able to pierce through the armor,” Allura commented.

“It would be better if it were Shiro’s flaming sword,” Keith said dejectedly.

“Well, if all else fails, Hunk can always knock him back into the lava,” Lance suggested.

“Yeah, if we don’t get caught in that net again.” Hunk worried out loud.

“We won’t.  We know about it, so he no longer has the element of surprise.  We got this guys!”

“Everybody ready?  Let’s go!” Keith said as they approached the beast once more.

The Terror-dactyl had finished grieving over its charred skin and was ready to finish what it was created to do.  Voltron and the Terror-dactyl charged at one another.  The robeast fired its net at Voltron once again, but they were able to dodge it.  With a quick swing of the sword, the robeast was sliced clean through.  Its corpse fell into the lava that still flowed down the volcano.

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“The Vorurteil humbly thank you all for ridding our planet of the Galra.”

“It was the least we could do after receiving your message.  You must be Virelai.”  Allura said.

“And you must be Princess Allura.  Even here we have heard tell of you and Voltron.”  Virelai said at seeing her surprise at knowing who she was.  “Though I must say, the stories do not do your beauty justice.”

Allura blushed slightly at the comment before regaining her composure.  “Thank you, but we are not here to just exchange compliments.  We would be honored if you would be willing to join the Voltron Coalition.  Together, we will be able to defeat the Galra empire once and for all.”

While the two leaders were discussing, Lance looked over at Keith and noticed a thin line of blood flowing down his face.  “You’ve got something on your face, Mullet.”  He said while pointing at Keith’s cheek.

“I wish you would stop calling me that,” Keith said as he brushed away the blood with his hand.  “I must have bumped my head during the fight.”  He began to take off his helmet to better inspect the wound.

A wave went through the crowd as the Vorurteil nearest to them grabbed their rifles and pointed them at Keith.

“What is the meaning of this?” Princess Allura asked.

“He is Galra.”  Virelai spat out, fury evident in her voice.

The other paladins formed a circle around Keith to shield him from the crowd upon seeing their reaction to Keith’s ears giving away his Galran heritage.

“So what if he’s part Galra?  He is a paladin of Voltron!” Pidge exclaimed.

“A position for which his kind should never have been chosen for.” Virelai retorted.

“He risked his life to save your planet.  I believe the words you’re looking for are thank you.” Lance said.

One of the Vorurteil near them spat at Keith “I would rather die than be saved by the likes of them!”

“Okay, that’s a bit harsh there.  How about everyone puts their guns down so we can talk this out peacefully.” Hunk put his hands in front of him in a calm down motion.

“And leave ourselves defenseless for him to attack?” Another Vorurteil yelled out in the crowd.  “How do we know you aren’t working for the Galra empire?”

“I can assure you that we are not and will never affiliate ourselves with the Galra empire,”  Allura responded.

“And yet there is a Galra among you.” Virelai icily spoke as she narrowed her eyes.

“Keith is a valued member of our team,” Allura emphasized Keith’s name.

“Yeah!  He’s one of the good Galra!” Lance exclaimed.

“The only good Galra is a dead Galra.” Someone in the mob shouted.  Other voices echoed in agreement.

“Actually, that’s not true.  The Blade of Marmora have helped us out quite a bit.” Hunk continued trying to calm the crowd.

“And just who are the Blade of Marmora?” Virelai raised a hand to silence the crowd.

“They are a group of Galra who fight against the empire and among our most trusted allies,” Allura replied.  “Keith himself is a member, as was his mother.”

“How do you know that his mother and the others were not preparing him to be a mole on your team?” Virelai prompted.

“Well, that would be kind of hard for them to do given that my mother left when I was a baby.  I only found out I was part Galra a month, err, pheeb ago.” Keith responded.

“Yeah.  Don’t go around dissing the Blade of Marmora.  Without them, Voltron wouldn’t be here now.” Lance commented.

“If it were not for the actions of their man on the inside, Thace, Voltron would have been in the Galra Empire’s clutches.  All would have been lost.” Allura stated.

“Not to mention if Ulaz hadn’t freed Shiro, we wouldn’t have even found Blue at all.  Without the Blade, there would be no Voltron.” Lance added on.

“We owe everything to them,” Allura said.

There was indistinct murmuring though out the crowd before Virelai once more silenced them with a wave of her hand.

“If what you say is true, then perhaps there is hope for an alliance.  There’s just one problem.  How would we tell someone from the Blade from someone from the Empire?”

“If they truly are from the blade, they will have a knife like this,” Keith said as he held up his knife.  “They will also be able to activate it like so.” A purple light surrounded the knife as it transformed into a messer.  “Only those with Galra blood who have officially joined the Blade can do this.”

“Thank you for this information.  We thank you all once more for your assistance and would be honored to be included in the coalition.  I would also like to apologize for my people’s and my reaction to you, Keith.  We should know better than to judge based on what one is.  It is one’s actions that determine who they are.” Virelai said as she bowed her head to Keith.

“You don’t have to apologize.  I know how hard it can be to accept that there are good Galra out there when the Empire is doing such terrible things.  It took me some time to accept that part of myself.” Keith responded.

“It was an adjustment for everyone.  I was…less than welcoming to the idea.  The empire had destroyed my planet and my people among many others.  How could someone of their blood possibly be chosen as a paladin of Voltron?  I did come to realize that it was not Keith who did those things.  The people who committed those atrocities are long dead, save for Zarkon and Haggar.  I could never forgive them for what they have done, but their descendants I could seek reconciliation with.  I trust Red and Black’s choice in Keith serving as a paladin.” Allura stated.

“Both Lions chose him as a paladin?  Is that why he wears red yet pilots the black lion?” Virelai asked.

“Something like that.  Our true black paladin, Shiro, was captured by the Galra.  I’m just subbing for him until we find him.  I don’t like to think of myself as the black paladin.  I’m the red paladin and once Shiro’s back, I’ll go back to piloting Red.” Keith responded.

“Is that why some of the rest of your team’s colors don’t correspond with their lion’s colors?” Virelai prompted.

“Yep, you got it, pretty lady,” Lance responded.  “It has taken some getting used to, but the ‘paladin shuffle’ has held up.  We’ve had our struggles, but they help us grow closer as a team.”

“And we as a people are thankful for it.  You can count on the assistance of the Vorurteil in your fight against the Galra Empire.”  Virelai stated.

“Here’s a communicator.  If the Galra Empire comes back, give us a call and we’ll be happy to assist you.” Allura said as she handed the communicator to Virelai.

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“Greetings paladins!  How did the mission go?” Coran asked as the rest of team Voltron filed into the bridge of the castleship.

“It went well.  The Vorurteil have agreed to become part of the coalition.” Allura responded.

“How are the castle upgrades going?” Hunk asked.

“Quite well in fact.  Within a few varga, the particle barrier should be able to withstand more than a single blast from an ion cannon.”  Coran replied.  “I am sorry that I couldn’t provide any air support for you all on the mission.  My grandfather designed the ship to upgrade something only when the system was turned off.  If the ship had been there, it would have been a sitting…what was that animal you said, number 5?”

“A sitting duck.” Pidge supplied.

“Ah yes.  A sitting duck.  Quite the interesting creatures your planet has.” Coran commented.

“Well, if we’re ever in the neighborhood, we could make a pit stop and show you a duck,” Lance said.  “My family has a farm in Cuba, so there would be plenty of animals for you to see.”

“That would be smashing!” Coran replied.  “Is there any more news?”

“Not yet.  Shiro and Dad weren’t on board, but I did download their prisoner database.  I should be able to find a clue of some sort in there once I decode it.” Pidge said as she tried to stifle a yawn.

“That’s wonderful!  I wish you luck.” Coran exclaimed.

“Please do try not to stay up all night working on it.  Remember, extra training in the morning.  For every dobash one of you is late, it’s an extra 5 dobashes for everyone.” Allura reminded the team.

“Yeah, Lance.” Pidge snidely remarked.

“Hey, it takes time to look this good,” Lance said as he gestured to his face.

“You’re joking, rights?” Keith said with a small snicker.

“I wouldn’t expect some desert heathen to understand that moisturizer is your friend,” Lance said in a joking manner.

“Oh haha.” Keith said dryly.

“I can go whip up something in the kitchen if anyone’s hungry.  I think I’ve perfected space pancakes.” Hunk suggested.

“Woohoo! Breakfast for dinner is the best!” Pidge exclaimed.

“That sounds delightful, Hunk.  What are pancakes?” Allura asked.

“Wait.  You’ve never had pancakes?  They’re like one of the best kinds of food ever.  You haven’t lived until you’ve tried Hunk’s.” Lance responded.

“Yeah.  He makes the best pancakes in the universe.” Pidge added on.

“Aww, guys.  You’re gonna make me blush.” Hunk commented.  “But if I’m gonna make the ‘best pancakes in the universe’, I’m going to need a taste tester.”

“Called it!” Lance excitedly raised his hand in the air as everyone made their way to the kitchen.

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Before heading off to bed, Lance had finally gotten the chance to ask Coran about the creature Allura had mentioned during their battle on Vorteil.  The conversation was still floating through his mind as he tried to fall asleep.

“A Glolnor?  They’re brainless creatures from planet Gleedon.  Quite daft little things.  My grandfather said that some once tried to keep them as pets, but they had a tendency to become distracted.  Quite a few died because they were distracted from eating.  Can you imagine being that senseless?” Coran said with a chuckle.

“No, I can’t.” Lance said 

I guess that’s how Allura sees me.

“Why do you ask?”

Not wanting to say Allura had referred to him being similar to one of those creatures, Lance quickly said “Oh, I just read it in something in the library.”

“Ah.  It’s nice to see you contributing more to the team.”

Guess I don’t contribute enough.

Other bits of conversations started spiraling in his head as he tried to fall asleep.

‘Not enough.’ Keith said

‘Broken.’ Pidge commented.

No.  That’s not true. Lance tried to assure himself.

‘Shut up.’ Pidge spoke again.

‘Focus on the mission.’ Allura said.

I was.  I do focus on the mission.  I just have my own way of dealing with things. Lance weakly argued.

‘Stop antagonizing each other.’ Allura stated.

‘Worst pilot’ Keith commented.

‘Naturally dumb.’ Hunk said.

‘The only reason you’re here is that the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out.’ Iverson barked out.

I know I’ll never be as good as Keith or any of them, but I’m trying.  Tears began to fall.  Why can’t they see that?

He heard a worried *Squeak* from his nightstand.

“Oh.  Hey, Chulatt.” Lance sat up as he brushed away his tears.  “What are you doing here?”

Chulatt started doing charades to talk to Lance.

“You’re worried about me?”

The space-mouse nodded with a *Squeak* of agreement.

“You don’t have to be, though it’s nice to know someone cares.”

Chulatt raised his hands in a grabbing motion.

“You want me to pick you up?  Okay.  Hop on.” Lance said as held his hand flat on the nightstand next to Chulatt.

The blue mouse climbed onto his palm and gave him a thumbs up.

“Alright, going up.” Lance raised his hand that was holding Chulatt.

The mouse held onto his thumb like a handrail.  Once he was in front of Lance’s face, he started hugging himself.

“You want a hug?”

*Squeak*

“Aww.  How can I say no to that face?”  Being careful not to squeeze Chulatt too hard, Lance lowered him to his chest and pressed him against it.

Chulatt nuzzled into the embrace as Lance began to pet him.  A few minutes passed as Lance continued to pet him.

“Thanks for worrying about me, but it’s getting late and I’m sure Allura and the other space-mice are wondering where you went.  You should probably head back before they miss you.  Oh!” Lance exclaimed as he brought Chulatt back in front of his face.  “Before you go, can you keep this between us?  I don’t want anyone else to know I was crying.  I know crying is not a bad thing, but please?  I got some mouse treats at the space mall.  If you don’t tell, I’ll give you one.”

Chulatt tilted his head to the side in a thinking motion before gesturing to Lance, crossing his arms and shaking his head, then moving his fists to his eyes and making a crying motion.

“You’ll think about it if I stop crying?”

*Squeak*

“Alright.  You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll try to stop crying.  You’re very persuasive for such a small mouse.”

Chulatt let out an indignant *Squeak* and stomped his foot on lances palm.

“Sorry, sorry.  For such a sweet mouse.”

Chulatt beamed at the praise as Lance placed him back on top of the nightstand.

Lance opened the drawer on his nightstand and pulled out the bag of treats.  He grabbed one out of the bag and handed it to Chulatt.

“There you go.”

*Squeak*

“You’re welcome.  Goodnight.”

*Squeak* Chulatt said before he dashed back off towards Allura’s room.

Lance tried to fall asleep once more.  The voices were still present in his head, but they were much quieter now.  He soon drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

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“Sir, the paladins were able to defeat the cruiser and the robeast.” Acxa informed Lotor.

“I would have expected nothing less of them.  Truly remarkable.  We have their leader, and yet they remain a force to be reckoned with.” Lotor responded calmly.

“There’s more.  The green one was able to access and download the prisoner database you put on the ship, just like you said they would.” Ezor added on.

“Perfect.  They’re playing right into our hands.” Lotor stated.

“Why did you put that on there anyway?  Now they’re going to know where all of our prisoners are.” Ezor questioned.

“It’s all part of the plan.  Besides, they’re only interested in two of our prisoners.  And of those two, they are more likely to go where they believe we’re holding their leader.  That location is the only accurate information in the database.” Lotor explained.

“I still don’t get why we couldn’t have gone there and bashed some heads,” Zethrid said as she cracked her knuckles.

“All good things to those who wait.  We can chase them in circles like a yupper chasing its tail, or we can wait for them to come to us.  They have something we need.  It would do us no good to destroy them at this point.”

“Ooooh.  Are we going to trade their leader for it?” Ezor asked.

“Something like that,” Lotor said with a smug smirk on his face.

Narti pulled up some of the security feeds from the cruiser the paladins had taken down earlier.  These cameras were powered remotely by their ship, so the paladins were none the wiser to being observed and mistakenly believed that they had shut down all security feeds on board.

“Narti’s right.  We should continue to analyze the security feeds of the paladins.” Acxa said.

“Yeah!  That way we know the best way to beat them in a fight!” Zethrid exclaimed.

“Remember, there will be a fight, but we will let them get away with what they came for.” Lotor directed at Zethrid.

“As long as I get to fight the princess again, I’m happy,” Zethrid said.

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