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The inn's new gathering was in full swing by the time Shiro had taken a bath and went back downstairs. The cluster of men, women, and other races clustered by the meat stand that Matt was in charge of. He glared at all of them from where Shiro could see as he attempted to bat them away with old meat. An ogre caught it between his teeth.Others were singing songs and swaying with each other in drunken voices. Pidge leans on Allura, arm thrown around his midsection, as they sing something Shiro's never heard. Hunk dashes to and fro behind the bar as more and more species demand beer and fermented pomegranate from him. Shiro descends the last few steps, firmly on the floor. Immediately, Ulaz has draped himself over him."Shirogane!" Ulaz shouts into his ear. Shiro watches as Kolivan also makes his way over. He's not smiling, but his fur is fluffy, so he must be pleased. "Where'd you go, eh?""Too much to drink, Ulaz," Shiro says with a laugh. "I went to take a bath.""Must have been cold by the time you got out, hm?" Kolivan says. He pats Shiro's shoulder. "Took you long."Shiro hums absentmindedly, looking around the inn. Several creatures stare at the trio and Shiro understands why. For decades on end, the Galra had imprisoned humans. But there were rebellious Galra that helped the slaved overturn their suppressors. He imagines it's a strange sight for him to be so buddy-buddy with them."Had things to think about," Shiro mumbles, turning back to Ulaz. He's staring at Shiro with a glossy look in his eye. "Ulie?"Ulaz blinks and straightens. One of his ears twitches and he looks to the front door as Kolivan does the same. Kolivan's nose scrunches up as the large, ornate doors slowly creak open. A hooded figure with a heavy cape wrapped around them glides into the inn. It's dead silent suddenly as he passes the clerk desk. Only those who sign in are allowed into the gathering so of course there's an immediate ruckus."Hey!" the clerk says, standing straight. The figure pauses then turns to face them. The cloak is thick and elegant, white with gold and black accents, mildly dirty. "You gotta sign in, kid!"The person says something and the centaur's face goes pale. Kolivan's face doesn't change except for a small furrow of the brows. Ulaz, however, lets his jaw drop."What's he saying?" Shiro asks. Both of the Galra shush him.The person goes to the clerks desk, signs something, and nods to him. The centaurs goes back to his post with an intense frown. The party starts back up and the person nearly passes Shiro with how fast they're walking. Then they stop in front of him.Two hands that were previously covered by large, too long sleeves reach up and pull the hood back. Shiro takes a sharp inhale as two deep blue eyes flicker around his face.Shiro hasn't yet made it into elven country. It's far, and would take months for him to get there. Yet, here an elf is, far away from home. He has heard stories of just how gorgeous they are, and now he can confirm with his own eyes.He wonders if all the stories are true.The elf's pupils are two shades lighter than his irises. His mouth seems to be in a perpetual state of a one corner subtly quirked up in a slight smirk. Long eyelashes but they didn't make him feminine and an angular yet mild jawline. His upturned nose twitches a bit before settling. Long, pointed elven ears placed wonderfully. Almond shaped eyes take him in with caution."You're Takashi Shirogane," he says. His ears flick and reveal swirled blue markings on the shell of his ear. The movement jostles his curly, bouncy hair; his gold earrings glint in the dim lighting. The elf raises a well-shaped eyebrow. “What are you doing in Galra country?””I’m not sure if that’s any of your business, I’m afraid,” Shiro says slowly. He squints when the elf smiles. “May I ask your name?”The man looks him up and down for a moment before saying, “No.” Ulaz lets out a laugh and even Kolivan smiles a bit. Shiro gapes at him, indignant. “Goodnight, Takashi.”He watches as the warm-skinned man flips his cloak back up and practically floats up the stairs with his grace. His voice had sounded like violins and wind chimes.”Never fall in love with an elf,” Kolivan says lowly, staring right through Shiro. “It will forever be a mistake.””Excuse me?” Shiro says, looking to Kolivan. “I’m not — what do you even mean by that?””Kolivan’s wife was — is? — an elf,” Ulaz slurs lightly. He stands to his full height and Shiro has to once again crane his neck. “She left ‘im.””She couldn’t be held down.” Kolivan looks even more somber than usual. Shiro realizes that it’s the first time that Kolivan has ever spoken of his wife. “She loved to explore. I’m not sure where she is now. One day, she said she would be back soon. It’s been five years, and I’m not sure what happened. I thought she was happy with me.””Oh, Kolivan,” Shiro says, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. He has a feeling he looks a bit ridiculous. “I didn’t know. But trust me; I don’t plan on something like that happening with him.””His name is Lance,” Ulaz says with a slow blink. “I know that much. I can read Altean Elven; that’s what the trim of his cloak reads.””Lance, huh,” Shiro murmurs. Then, he scowls. “Well, I didn’t need to know anyway.””Sure,” Ulaz says, looking around the room. Someone waves him and Kolivan over and they go willingly with a short wave.Shiro makes himself present at the bar Hunk is tending. The man smiles at him briefly.”Beer?””Yes,” Shiro says, leaning against the counter. In record time, a pint in sitting in front of him, condensation dripping. Shiro sips it slowly, almost wincing at the harsh taste. He sucks it up in favor of letting loose.
He’s on his third by the time he sees Lance again. He’s descending the stairs, all elegant and such.
Ugh.He’s in a tight-fitting sleeveless turtleneck. Plain black pants, but gracefully made, the fabric felt. It outlines his legs nicely leading to his feet. The pants seem to be attached to his feet, a strap of fabric keeping them in place. He’s not wearing shoes, which is a mistake here. Black gloves made of expensive leather.Shiro watches as Lance strides to the bar in quick steps. His face is neutral, that subtle smirk still there. He leans against the counter a few people away from Shiro.”Hunk!” he yells. There’s a falter around the bar because, Shiro guesses, they’ve never heard an elf speak. Shiro will admit that he would be willing to hear Lance speak forever. “Buddy!”Hunk turns around and his face lights up. He rushes to stand in front of Lance.”And what are you doing here?” He asks, cleaning a mug absentmindedly.”I got bored at home,” Lance explains. The markings on his ears glow faintly as he pauses. “Not really. I just needed a break from that place. I’m not sure if I’ll go back, if I’m being honest.””Well, I have a ragtag group of friends. We never settle down for a long time, Mr. Free Spirit.””Oh?” Lance says. He spreads his hand out casually. “What species?””Uh, all human,” Hunk says. He fills the pitcher without looking and pushes it down the bar. “You’ll fit in, I think.””Wanna introduce me?” Lance suggests, steeling his fingers and resting his chin on them. “I’ll play nice.””Yeah, why not.” Hunk turns around and shouts, “Antok, I’m done for the day!”Shiro watches as Hunk comes around and hugs Lance tightly. His marks glow brighter as he laughs in a carefree way. There’s another lull because wow, that’s a gorgeous sound.”All right, Allura and — wait, there’s Keith! Let’s go to him first.”Shiro knew he had missed someone. Keith is loosely surrounded by Galra, getting into multiple arm wrestling matches. Hunk and Lance dash over to him. Shiro watches the interaction closely.Lance smiles and says something — Keith falters and retorts with a confused face — Lance looks offended and says something back — Keith spits near Lance’s foot and Lance easily dodges it — Lance nudges a Galra out of the way and sits across from Keith — takes off his gloves — they both get into the position to arm wrestle — hands clasped, someone counts down — Lance then very easily pins Keith’s arm to the table — Keith’s jaw drops.Hunk laughs uproariously. Lance smirks and leans down to say something into Keith’s ear. Then his face is apologetic as he slips his glove back on and stands. Lance waves pleasantly as he follows Hunk to Allura and Pidge.Allura stumbles and falls into Lance’s arms. Lance says something, probably flirty by his expression. Allura snaps something back and tugs on his ear. Lance carefully pushes her upright before batting her hand away. Pidge tugs on his pants and his face shifts into indignant. A fake smile and he leans down exaggeratedly and says something. Pidge pushes his face away with a teasing smile. Lance chuckles and both of their expressions are awestruck.Next, Hunk leads Lance to Matt. The man immediately blushes and says something quickly. Lance blinks at him and lays a hand on his arm. Matt reels back and laughs awkwardly. Lance titters and Matt trips onto his ass. Hunk drags him away back to the bar. Hunk spots Shiro and leads Lance to him.”Hey, Shiro,” Hunk greets. “This is Lance.”Lance looks mildly irritated for a moment before his beautiful eyes flicker to Shiro and settle.”Hello again,” Lance says. His already brown skin warms even further this close to Shiro. “I didn’t know that you knew Hunk. What a surprise.”“Yes, well, I do. I’m the leader of the group, Lance,” Shiro says, snippy. “Why, exactly, are you being introduced?”Lance gives a little smile and shrugs. His teeth and white and straight, nearly pearlescent.”I dunno where to go,” Lance says lightly. “Home is far away at this point and I don’t really want to go back.””What does that have to do — “”I also love to travel,” Lance cuts him off. His voice is suddenly serious. “Can’t I have people to travel with? Is that too much to ask for, O glorious leader?”Shiro shifts, uncomfortable. Lance is making him feel incredibly guilty, if he’s being honest. He has no reason to even question the man. He sighs a bit and covers his eyes with his robotic hand. When he peeks from between his fingers, Lance is looking somewhere else — towards the meat stand, then he laughs, covering his mouth behind a hand.It’s a dainty action, and his once hard eyes have softened. He’s staring at Matt, then, and Matt has always been a sucker for beautiful people. He’s probably making a fool of himself.Shiro lets his hand drop to the countertop. It makes a loud sound, yet Lance’s gaze lingers before he faces Shiro again. The melt-worthy expression he had on his face is gone.”Fine,” Shiro says. “You may travel with us. However, you need more clothes then...” SHiro gestures vaguely to what Lance is wearing. “You need protection — “Lance lifts his hand and thrusts it forward. Without Shiro doing it himself, he punches the counter hard enough for the wood to splinter. And that’s with his left hand.”Ow,” he mutters, cradling his hand. He tries not to glare at Lance. “Okay, you can protect yourself like that. But what if someone comes from behind you in an attack?””You really think I didn’t pack protective gear? I’ve been out here for months, and elves aren’t stupid, contrary to popular belief.” Lance’s ears turn downward as he crosses his arms. “I have other weapons that I can use, too.””Sorry,” Shiro says with a wince. He’s not actively trying to be a dick, but he’s cautious about his small family. “I didn’t mean to imply — “”Don’t worry about it,” Lance says. He appraises Shiro before turning around and going back upstairs. He makes a right down the hallway and disappears from sight.”Dude, why?” Hunk asks with a groan. “Why are you so — okay, I know it’s a new person. Realize, however, that he’s my friend. If I can trust him, then we all can.”Shiro scratches at his head before nodding slowly. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Hunk. I dunno, maybe it’s the beer — “”Those last two weren’t beers,” Hunk informs with a small grin. “It was fermented apple.””Jesus, how long was it fermented for?” Shiro looks into the cup. “It’s pretty strong.””About three months,” Hunk says proudly.
Well, that explains how much the room is tilting.”I think I had too much,” Shiro mumbles. He steps away from the bar and sway on his feet. “Holy shit.”Hunk laughs a bit and presses on the inside of his wrist. Lance appears in the walkway in front of the stairs and volts over it. He dashes to Hunk at amazing speed, eyes wide. He scowls at Shiro as his gaze flickers from him to his friend.”What did he do?” Lance damn near growls, and Shiro notices most of the creatures in the immediate area tense. Low notes of cellos and tubas are what Lance’s voice reminds him of. “Shiro, what did — Hunk why are you laughing?”“I’m not in trouble, Lance,” Hunk says. Lance’s ears perk up and his face turns red as his brows go into a hard furrow. Hunk puts a hand on Lance’s bare shoulder then hisses, pulling it back. “Sorry, sorry!””Then what do you want?” Lance snaps. Seeing Hunk’s hurt expression, he rubs the bridge of his nose with closed eyes. “Sorry, buddy. You know that’s only for emergencies. Please don’t cry wolf.””I apologize,” Hunk mutters, shaking out his hand. Lance slowly returns to his normal coloring. “Anyways, can you help Shiro up the stairs? He’s had my special juice.””Sure,” Lance agrees.Shiro raises his arm, expecting to have to lean on Lance. However, Lance ducks below his arm and sweeps him off of his feet behind the knees. Shiro gapes as Lance easily holds him like he’s a princess. Hunk grins and waves as Lance begins to walk towards the stairs once more.”H-how — “”I’m sure there are many quote-unquote legends about elves,” Lance says blandly as he starts up the steps at his normal speed. “A very factual one is that we are very strong.”Lance reaches the top of the steps and looks down at Shiro. His ear markings are glowing brightly. “Which way is your room?””Left — “ Lance spins to the left, and, “ — oh, no.”The last thing he remembers seeing is Lance’s irritated and distgusted face as Shiro vomits onto him. Then he promptly passes out, thinking —
I’m never drinking again.