Limerence

II

Viserra couldn't be certain if they had reached the Arusian atmosphere. The hall outside was eerily quiet, save for the sentries' footsteps echoing through the corridors. If only the Galra hadn't confiscated her armor, she could have determined their location. Being kept in the dark was never her preference. Rising from the ground, she peered through a small hole in the cell door. Nothing stirred in the corridor, and the sentries' footsteps had faded into silence.

"Strange," Viserra remarked, still gazing outside. The sound of hurried footsteps prompted her to retreat from the door and return to the ground. Voices drifted into her cell, two men conversing in low tones.

"Are you certain she's here?" questioned one of the unfamiliar men.

"I can sense her pulse inside; I'm certain she's here," Viserra identified the third voice as her friend and teammate, Coriander. Her excitement grew as she heard Maylas' voice too, signaling the others to step back. As the door opened, Viserra beamed from ear to ear, thrilled to reunite with her friends.

"Viserra!" Arrax exclaimed upon seeing the girl. She remained in the prisoners' clothes while her teammates had reverted to their soldier armors. Her white hair was disheveled and dirty, with visible knots, and blood still stained her face from her encounter with the door. "Are you alright? You have a bit of blood..." he gestured to his own face.

"Thank you, Arrax, I would never have known," Viserra responded with a touch of sarcasm, a hint of her usual wit shining through even in captivity. "Would you introduce me to your new friends? And, Mayla, take this thing off me," she gestured to the collar on her neck before nodding towards the two boys standing guard outside the cell, with more prisoners visible behind them.

Faon smacked his head lightly before pointing to his friend, "Oh, how could we forget. Viserra, these are the paladins of Voltron; paladins, this is Viserra, our team leader," introducing the group. After Mayla removed her collar, Viserra rose from the ground and tested her powers, breaking herself free from the binds that restrained her.

"Nice meeting you. We need to leave before they know we're here" the black paladin explained

"They have a lion," Viserra announced confidently. "I know where it is, and I can show it to you while retrieving my own ship."

The black paladin looked at her, gratitude evident on his face. "We know about the lion; its paladin is searching for him as we speak."

"Wonderful! But I'm still going for my ship. I'll travel to the hangar; won't take me long," Viserra stated determinedly.

Mayla, looking confused, interjected, "Viserra, we just got back together. We can retrieve the ship after ensuring the prisoners' safety."

"I'm the leader of this team; this is my ship. I'll go retrieve it; you help the others," Viserra exclaimed with authority. Mayla was left speechless. Viserra wasn't just her friend; she was also her leader, and Mayla trusted her above all.

"I'm sorry, but, travel? What do you mean 'travel' there?" the shorter green paladin inquired, puzzled by Viserra's statement.

"This is traveling," Viserra responded, demonstrating by pushing a button on Mayla's suit. In an instant, a glowing blue portal appeared, and she swiftly went through it. Before closing the portal, she instructed her friends , "Go with the prisoners, I'll meet you there after."

She stood by the hangar door, the lion still in sight. The only change from before was the two sentries on the ground.