Nights In Panthera (Klance)

Recruit

       "Keith!"

Keith heard a familiar voice shout his name. This went on for about 10 minutes until his migraine started to increase from the yelling, which led him to respond with a low groan. "Hunk get over here," the voice shouted, "I think he's waking up!" Keith slowly opened his eyes to see a concerned Pidge with an engaged stare fixated on him. Keith began to sit up from on top of the worn bed he was laid down on. He looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. "Pidge-" A jarring twinge of pain in his head cut his words short. He put a hand to his head and grunted in displeasure.

       Large, but soft hands landed on his shoulder to comfort him. It was hunk giving him a whistful look. Keith returned the expression with a sorrowful frown. "I lost him." Keith slammed his fist on the edge of the bed. "I let them take him." "Keith-" Pidge tried to reassure him. "I let this happen." As the tension built up in the room Pidge got restless and halted Keith, "Keith, stop making this about you! Lance would-" "Pidge," Hunk interrupted. He shot the smaller Olkari an expression that signaled them to pipe down.

       They reluctantly got the hint and sat down on the stool placed on the edge of the bed. He then looked back to a sympathetic Keith. "I apologize on Pidge's behalf, they've been really tense ever since I found you in that alley while on the way to pick up supplies." "Where are we", Keith asked. "Upstairs of the pub." Hunk placed a cup of water in Keith's lap.

       Keith thanked him and looked down at the ripples in the cup. "Keith, do you remember what happened to Lance exactly?" Keith nodded and began to speak. "Of course I do," he took a sip of the water, "After I stormed off, I bumped into this soldier,but it wasn't one of the guards.  It was a Galra mercenary." "A Galra mercenary? This early in the day," Pidge asked. "That is suspicious- but please continue," Hunk requested. "I was already thrown off by the argument me and Lance had prior so..." "So," Pidge asked curiously. "So I may have done something stupid by pulling out my knife on him."

       "Do you always threaten to stab strangers," Hunk joked. "That was reckless," Pidge said. Keith sighed, "It was, and it cost me. I guess the soldier must've noticed the emblem on my blade because after seeing it he started to walk closer and closer. I started to panic and backed away into the alleyway." "What's so special about the emblem on the blade," Pidge asked. "Not sure, I tried studying it and the closest I got to a solution was this rebel group called The Blade of Marmora." Pidge signaled for Keith to continue. "He tried to take the blade from me and that's when Lance jumped in and tried to help."

       "I think I can guess what happened after. It's really weird because he got kidnapped from the person who kidnapped him first, you." The room went silent and all eyes were on Hunk. "What," Pidge said. "How did you even-" Hunk patted Keith on the back. "Lance comes to the pub everyday so it was a little strange for even him not to be seen in the past two days, and if I know one thing about Lance it's that his persistence gets him in trouble a lot. Let's just say you wouldn't be the first to do this, Keith." "Wait- if you knew then why didn't you come after me," Keith asked. "Nobody can stand him for more than 3 hours so I was surprised when I hadn't heard from him in 2 days after you kidnapped him. You have a lot more patience that I let on..." Pidge sat there hunched over in complete shock at their discovery. As well as Keith who was equally surprised but probably with 100 more questions than them.

       "Anyways, you said The Blade of Marmora is some type of rebel group? You think they'd be able to help us get Lance back?" "I hope so,"Keith sighed and looked out the nearby window. "Pidge!" Hunk called out. Pidge reacted fast and nodded to Hunk. "You start looking around for the Balde of Marmora's whereabouts. With that information we may be able to find them." "Right," they rushed up from the stool and down the stairs to the pub.
Keith eagerly looked at Hunk, awaiting his instructions as well. Hunk faced Keith, "Maybe you should just relax for today Keith." "What- no! I can't stay here while other people work hard to fix my problem I-" "Keith, can I ask you a question?" Confused, Keith nodded. "Do you regret getting involved with Lance, or any of us?"

       Keith couldn't respond, how could he. Everyone had been so kind to him ever since he had arrived. How could he honestly look him in the eye and tell him that he regretted meeting them and bringing all this misfortune onto them? He couldn't. So he didn't. He sat down, looking at his hands in his lap.

       Hunk sighed, "I think it's for the best if you take this time to recoup your thoughts and focus of your own mental health. I'll be sure to tell you if we find any leads on the Blade of Marmora." With that being said, Hunk went followed Pidge downstairs. Now Keith was left alone with just him, his thoughts, and a major headache. He flashbacked to earlier. Hearing Lance call out through his growing unconsciousness. Why would Hunk force him to rethink that. What could he possibly gain from facing the guilty truth. Keith sat the cup of water down beside him on the floor. He looked out of the slightly cloudy window nearest him. What a sight it had been to see the sun still firing its rays from above. Leaving light in almost every nook and cranny of the world. In the mist of daydreaming about it's abstract beauty, he still wasn't able to bring his attention from Lance. He was a fool to think he could. He balled up the blanket in his fist. Reluctantly, Keith slammed his head down on the pillow. I nap is what he needed.

~~~~~~~
(Downstairs of the Pub
1st person/Hunk's P.O.V.)

        Pidge sat herself in front of me on the bar stool. She slammed down a book in front of her and a couple of photos. I guess this'd been what she went to get when she left a while back in search of evidence. I peered over the bar to look at the title of the book, "Studies On The Galra Empire". "I thought you went out to find information on the Blade of Marmora?" "Well, after hearing Keith's testimony, I got a little curious as to what relations The Blade of Marmora and the Galra Empire have," she answered. "So?" "So I went looking for anything that'd hint towards them," she said while opening to the table of contents. "Good thinking Pidge!"

        They began flipping through pages in the book. "Hey Hunk check this out for a second." They gestured me to lean over and take a look at an image of armed men. The thing that stood out the most about the picture was the fact that the armor they were wearing were nothing like your average Galra soldier apparel. "Do you think that could be them?" I asked anxiously. "Well if there's one thing I think any of us could prove I think it'd be this."