competing | overflow!

Trust me, I know where I'm going.

[ he doesn't, and you shouldn't, but it's too late at this point, isn't it? consider this comeuppance for refusing to build sandcastles with him, or whatever mundane thing he'd tried to rope you into and you so rudely refused. or something.

whatever the reason, there you two are, currently attempting to navigate your way through the winding slopes and dips of flona cove. you're far from the rest of the festivities at this point, grateful for the pair of flip flops that mysteriously match your color-coordinated swim trunks, and the towel you've got hanging around your neck (or on top of your head, smh) because the route to get to this super secluded but luxurious lagoon is quite the journey.

frankly, as soon as lance heard about it (and caught wind of just how ~luxurious~ it was), it was really only a matter of time before this happened. ]

C'mon, quit dragging your feet, this way...

[Famous last words, brought to you by the blue paladin. He's had reason to believe from some time ago that Lance hasn't a clue about this place. First and foremost, neither of them have been here so far, second: just because he's oceankin it doesn't improve his directional abilities (ie: smelling the lagoon) and third...it's Lance.

That being said, Keith's been slightly more compliant than usual these past few days. Aside from lowkey trying to be lowkey, he's been less fighty -- though he wasn't terribly excited to go on a weird journey through the flona slopes.]

I'm coming.

[Forgive him for not sharing the level of excitement Lance is currently exhibiting. He's clutching either end of his towel, staring down at his feet -- not at all enjoying the art of Exploring In Flipflops. It's uncomfortable and he's getting sand everywhere.]

Five more minutes and we're turning around.

Yeah, yeah... [ truthfully, the only reason lance agrees in the first place is because he's pretty sure keith has no way of knowing when five minutes are even up, so there isn't any real risk in letting the other boy have some form of comfort to fall back on...

besides, if keith really insists, lance will just whine and whine and whine and surely that's enough to get someone to back down, right? right.

they come to a strange fork in the path, the sands tapering off into slightly wooded areas. low-hanging branches from trees that look eerily similar to palm or coconut trees dot one side, and the other winds down into something rockier, more treacherous-looking. he mulls over the two options for a handful of seconds, then pivots towards the trees. more flora must mean more water, right? ]

Thisaway... [ he waves keith over, continuing his lead, but making sure not to draw too far away lest keith take advantage of the distance and split. ] It's supposed to be real cool, okay, it'll be worth it. Oh, hang on, it slopes a little—

[ he slows, their path suddenly dipping down. he takes the first few precarious steps, situating himself with one foot on the slope and the other on more level ground beneath. he holds a hand out towards keith, intending to help him along. ]

[Keith spends a bit longer at the split, glancing between the two, internally rationalizing that the more treacherous path would lead them to what they're looking for, especially if it's a difficult-to-find-thing; the alternative leads into...seclusion, he supposes. Either are viable, Lance's more confident in the one contrary to what he's leaning toward...

Might as well follow him, visibly unenthused.]

I don't know if you noticed or not, but we have different ideas about what's cool.

[He's slow to accept, but a hand does leave his towel to take Lance's offering. He could handle this on his own...but whatever. Easier to accept the help than ignore it and turn it into a thing. Hmph.]

[ don't be tsun... ]

Not for everything... [ they both thing voltron's pretty cool, and piloting's pretty cool, and even the whole saving-the-universe thing, though probably for different reasons, and to varying degrees.

BUT THE POINT REMAINS!! they have some things in common, which is totally not something lance has been thinking about and wanting to prove for a couple of days now, nope. just, you know. saying.

anyway, it's totally not a thing, just a bro who happens to be more familiar with this terrain helping out another bro who is clearly not happy about any of this. he's sure if things were reversed, and they had some dicey slopes to walk down in the middle of idk a cryptid desert, keith would help him out too...

never mind that his hand lingers around keith's for perhaps two seconds longer than necessary, even long after they've settled on more even grounds. ]

Oh — hear that? I think I hear water...!

[ he doesn't, he just didn't know how to follow up that non-Moment without accidentally, idk, making a comment about keith's dumb hair and how much longer it's getting these days. don't look at me. ]

[NONE OF THAT'S RELEVANT. AND THAT'S ONLY A THING THEY SHARE BY COINCIDENCE. LIKE THE GARRISON. Alalala.

Right, Lance is the master of gross water dunes and sand slopes and stupid..summertime fun things. That's why he's subconsciously being allowed to take the lead, that's why he's letting him guide him in a more hands-on way. The path evens out, his hand gradually goes lax...more or less just copying Lance at this point. Mister Leader.]

...No?

[The heck. It was probably the trees rustling or an alienanimal dying. It's a smart distraction, has him squinting ahead, looking up, even glancing behind them.]

It's probably in the other direction.

[In conclusion,,, ,]

It's fine, [ lance insists once more, his expression flattening out. at this point, lance's determination to find this oh-so-special lagoon down this path is now fueled 80% by spite. he turns, reclaiming his unspoken title as leader-in-chief here, and starts down this new path... even narrower than it had been, flanked by both sides by various pieces of flora and the occasional call of some alienanimal. ]

It probably won't take us that much longer. We'll be there before night falls!

[ narrator voice: they did not. ]

[It's fine, it's here, it's blah blah bullshit. Five minutes becomes hours; it's dark -- Billy will probably need to guide them soon.]

Lance. [He's grumbling from approximately ten-twelve feet to his rear. He doesn't have to say anything else. By his tone, Lance could probably infer that he wants to go back. That's all he's been talking about for the past...

Uh, since the lagoon first came up. The beach was fine. There was food, watermelon contests, so on and so forth. Even if he was raised by wolves and has nomadic tendencies, there's something about going on a marathon in sandals and shorts that is decidedly unpleasant.]

[ one word, in that tone, and that's all it takes for lance to come to a complete and sudden stop. (i thought lance was the impulse control here...) he sighs, head dropping down briefly as his hands find his hips. it's two whole seconds before he turns back around, lips twisted into a smile that's meant to appeal, maybe even appease. ]

Okay, so maybe this path is taking us a lot longer than I thought it would, but that doesn't mean we're not close!

[ it also doesn't mean they're not not close...

but it's dark enough now that lance has to actually squint just to see keith's silhouette, never mind any of his actual features. which maybe is a good thing... he's probably looking real ticked off right now... ]

[Lance is like a dog that's being scolded for eating the entirety of a Thanksgiving feast...and yet...he's still?!]

We're going back, Lance.

[With such a glare; his feet hurt, his knees feel weird, his thighs have been aired out for far too long, and--

Just a bit beyond Lance, there's a little circle of something glittery; he can't make heads or tails of it, and it looks to be semi-shrouded with rocklike formations? Maybe they're just leaves and bushes. The marsh expedition prepared him for How To Spot Open Water In Darkness; there's something flowy glimmering up under the moonlight.]

...Hey.

[And he's pointing, which is a fairly useless thing to do with the whole NO LIGHT problem they're having.]

[ just barely, he can make out some movement on keith's end. when he squints hard enough, he can see that he's raised his hand in some way, prompting lance to look back around.

and now he's actually paying attention, not riddled with the growing guilt that he'd just wasted both their days on this wild goose chase, but now he can definitely make out what keith is referring to. ]

Holy crow...

[ a moment of silence to all the naysayers, rest in pieces mothersuckers!! ]

I did it! I mean — we did it! [ someone did it, and that "it" being "finding the precious lagoon." he doesn't even wait for keith to catch up, he takes off in a happy jog towards the glittery surface—

but not before tripping on a root and falling face-first into the sand. ]

—I meant to do that!

[ he definitely didn't BUT IT'S OKAY because he's a trooper, he's back up in no time, but that definitely would have allowed keith more than enough time to at least close the gap between them... ]

[For once, it isn't a looming threat, living or otherwise. He's not so bothered by being excluded from the discovery of this particular thing, somehow. Now that they've found it, his excitement only stems from that. It's actually there and they aren't lost.

But should they even bother dipping in? At nigh--

Oh.

Somehow, he's able to contain his excitement to a brisk walk, gingerly approaching the lagoon...not...bothering to ask Lance if he's alright in the process of. He looks alright -- seems alright.]

Don't just jump in. [He's close enough to be annoying!! Finally.] Don't forget what happened last time.

I'm not gonna just jump in, [ lance grumbles as he comes up beside keith, the two incidentally crossing the pseudo-threshold to the lagoon together. ] Not.. anymore, anyway.

[ that last bit he mumbles a little quieter, and faster, because holy heck let's all just take a moment to admire the beauty of this place, yeah?

and — to be fair, it really is pretty spectacular. the lagoon itself seems closed off from the rest of the world, surrounded by high rocks like an enclosure, except right overhead is an opening that lends for a pretty breathtaking view of the night sky. the water glitters, just like keith had seen, as if there were some unknown light source at its depths, though the waters themselves are a deep, clear teal blue. the walls all around move from the water's reflections, dancing along even their own skin.

he takes an unconscious step closer, jaw nearly dropping. ]

Wow... The guy was right...

[ the random vendor who told him about this place, that is. ]

[The guy, who Keith figured was someone either made up OR someone who had reason to purposely mislead Lance into walking 1,000mi into no man's land. He hasn't asked Lance about work lately. How many people he's aggravated to date. Things to ask later on...

He's distracted by everything but the actual lagoon, as it provides enough light for some mutual appreciation. Lance steps ahead, and Keith lingers close behind -- just in case. Lance has some rights to wade in first, but if shit hits the fan...he has his knife on him. Somewhere. ;) hon hon hon.]

Yeah, mostly.

[He can, above all else, appreciate how isolated this place is. They're fortunate in no one else being around to appreciate it at the same time, either...unless there's a reason for that?!

Nnn.

A hand comes up to grab Lance by a shoulder; an autoresponse to his thoughts which bare no relevance. Uh--

Go go gadget cover up:]

Don't walk in with your sandals on.

[ the guy, to be more specific, is the vendor who'd given lance an extra serving of shaved ice because he was looking a little hot from his stint serving as a lifeguard for like two hours. they got to chatting (as lance does), and he let it slip that there's this luxurious, secluded lagoon that locals often like to go to. he didn't have to work too hard to sell it for lance, but he promised "sights to behold" and encouraged him to take someone who would appreciate it with him... or at the very least, the company.

jury's still kind of out on whether or not lance chose right, but. ]

Huh?

[ lance is just giving keith a Look. you don't need to tell him that... ]

This isn't my first rodeo, Keith. [ still, he makes no real... reaction towards the hand on his shoulder, despite the slight tensing of said shoulders. he busies himself with toeing the aforementioned flip flops off, nudging them to the side with the side of his foot. ]

[Excuse me princess..............................................

Better to let him think he's being a tryhard about swimming-know-how than to immediately let known the I'M PARANOID crank has been crunked. The hand falls, dangles at his side; it's fine. He hadn't seen anything particularly questionable at first look. It looked like -- still looks like something out of a fantasy movie.

Not...unlike most things they've encountered as paladins, but it's been a while since they've co-oped a nice thing.]

What's this have to do with a rodeo?

[Murmured, though his voice has lowered since they've gotten close to the lagoon. Something about night time and peaceful scenery makes you wanna auto-hush hush.]

It's just a saying, [ lance explains off-handedly, almost as if he'd been expecting a need to. he's shrugging the towel off to set to the side. ] It just means I know what I'm doing.

[ that said, he's slipping towards the edge of the rocks, trying to get a better look at its jewel-like waters and bottom...

he pauses a moment, then turns towards the other. ]

...You know how to swim, right?

[ LOOK he's not trying to be a snot here. he knows keith was heading towards the pool that one time on the castleship, but pool-swimming and swimming-swimming is different okay... ]

[He's stepping out of his own sandals, pretending Lance isn't explaining a TOTALLY OBVIOUS HA HA thing to him. They find a place just behind Lance's own.]

Yeah I know how to swim.

[Pools and lagoons are totally the same thing.................

He's leaving the towel across his shoulders and steps nearer to Lance, nudging him along.]

I was letting you go first on purpose.

[ his hands lift in that universal gesture of alright alright calm down, don't kill me and his shoulders lift in a casual enough manner that he hopes fully conveys how little a deal he's willing to make it. he was just curious okay... but he'll also probably take care to make sure the guy doesn't accidentally drown. cuz he's nice like that.

in any case, he only shifts a little when keith nudges him, turning an arched brow his way. ]

Making me the guinea pig?

[ not that he seems to mind, he's already drawing closer. but he's waving keith along too. ]

C'mon, we'll just sink out legs in by the edge. See how the temperature treats us first.

[Implying Lance would let him be the guinea pig when he was the pioneer of this whole operation. . .]

You know that's not what I meant.

[He'll join Lance's side, more or less. The rocks feel weird under his feet -- they're big and smooth enough that they aren't painful to tread, but it's different. His plan doesn't sound to shabby, either. If anything bad were lurking about, at least they won't have been fully submerged...ahem.]

[ lance knows, but what's the fun in always acting like he does?

anyway, the water is nice and cool — just a touch above lukewarm, so it's not chilly but it's also not, like. gross. as soon as he sits down by the edge and sinks his legs in, from the knee-down, he marvels at how the glittering light now plays over his own skin now that they're so much closer. ]

Whoa, look, [ he holds his hands out, leaning just enough that he can nudge keith with an elbow, ] I'm like a unicorn!

[ because they glitter right... ]

[Keith finds a place beside Lance, letting his feet sink in, prepared for something way cooler. It's a nice, welcome change.

Not that the marsh was cold?! He also wouldn't voluntarily swim in it. It's complicated. Either way, his calves go under, automatically swinging in the warmth of the lagoon...]

Huh?

[99.5% of Lance's excited declarations are met with such a response. He's looking, watching, sees the glitter; it's happening on his own skin too.

Rodeos, unicorns.....]

Where's the horn-?

[HOW FORWARD.]

A horn's not the only thing that makes a unicorn!

[ except it's, like. the only thing that matters. but anyway, stop ruining his unicorn-related dreams, you punk. lance is already sulking, pouting like a child, but just as he's about to hide his glitter-unicorn-hands in his armpits (like an adult), he happens to catch sight of keith's own hands and— ]

Pfffbbbftfthtt!! Are those tan lines?

[ he doesn't even warn keith before suddenly grabbing up one of the boy's hands, holding it up between them, turning it over and — yep. ]

[What...else...could possibly make a unicorn? The wings? Their hooves are probably normal. He's frowning a bit, overthinking right up until Lance decides to spotlight his beautiful, dainty, delicate hands.

Which absolutely have tanlines from being a perpetual glove-wearer. There's one of those Keith Gasps and he's quickly drawing his hands away -- though he should've just shoved him into the lagoon?!]

Big deal! I wear gloves-!

How didn't you notice that in the shower?!

(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ keith

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i told you i'd do it...

i'll kill you in your sleep (1/2)

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