Summer 1 - Greetings and Welcome - Action
[ It's a mild sunny day when the first group of guests make land at Norrhamn. A gentle breeze rustle the birch trees and tangle in the bunting that's hung across the buildings in celebration of this very special occasion. Aina has been busy gathering up guests over the last few hours and now the ferry is approaching the port, waves breaking gently against the bow.
Olivia is waiting on the jetty, clipboard hugged close to her body. She's excited and nervous all at once, anxious to get to meet these people that she's read so much about, the faces behind the pleading letters. This is the first day her new job becomes hands on. Hopefully she'll be good at it.
As the ferry lands and lets the guests off, Olivia raises a hand in a cheerful greeting. ]
Hello! Welcome to Norrhamn!
Olivia is waiting on the jetty, clipboard hugged close to her body. She's excited and nervous all at once, anxious to get to meet these people that she's read so much about, the faces behind the pleading letters. This is the first day her new job becomes hands on. Hopefully she'll be good at it.
As the ferry lands and lets the guests off, Olivia raises a hand in a cheerful greeting. ]
Hello! Welcome to Norrhamn!

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( it says that he's still a twenty-one-year-old kid who needs to actually slow down for the first time in his entire life. he's a kid who needs to process everything that has been thrown his way. )
he had nothing but time back with his mom, but that was different. that was living in isolation for so long that they needed to provide check-ins for themselves, just to stay sane. thinking about it now just makes him miss his wolf, who he knows should be safe with hunk and the others.
needless to say, it's still a relief to see lance and he finds himself? returning his smile? just a little bit? ] It's pretty nice yeah. Never been anywhere like this before. [ there was nothing in texas, really, at least where he grew up. ]
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everyone is entitled to this kind of thing, whether they want to think they are or not. and leader or not, keith deserves this, and lance is pretty sure that if shiro was around anywhere, he'd say the same thing.
( even if he would probably deny the same for himself. talk about a well-meaning hypocrite. )
is he smiling back at him? is keith daniel yorak kogane smiling back at him? someone call the newspapers, this is a phenomenon, but in the best kind of way. ) Me either, really. I mean we've got the ocean back at home but it's always so hot. This is nice. ( he pauses. ) Never? So this is pretty new for you, huh?
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but then again, who helped raise him? shiro. where do you think he gets some of this stuff? and look at his mom. this boy will regret every break he gives himself. it's a problem. ] ]
I think I maybe went once. I didn't live near any beaches when I was little. [ he shrugs and slides his hands back into the pockets of his jeans because he doesn't want to keep folding his arms like the emo boy he usually is at heart. ] Lots of just open space.
You wanna figure out the layout of this place?
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his smile falters, just a little, because he can't imagine not living near the water. granted, there's not a whole lot of time for appreciation of that sort of thing when you're confined to the openness of space for extended periods of time, but coming from a boy like lance ( who would much rather, still, live in the water than outside of it ) it's just … unfathomable. ) Remind me never to go to Texas. ( lance that's rude.
but he's smiling again, and nodding. ) Who better to help you figure it out than your right hand dude? Let's do this. ( oh good grief, you're embarrassing sometimes! )
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he shrugs, unoffended by lance's bluntness. ] Wasn't really home to me. [ because he is just as blunt right back. but when he accepts his offer, that tiny smile returns to keith's face and he starts off in the direction of what he assumes is the community center mentioned by a local. ]
That building looks like a good place to start.
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maybe they've had a couple more bonding moments since that one that lance claims to not remember.
he at least looks sheepish at the response he gets about texas not being home; he realizes maybe a little too late that that wasn't the right thing to say even if it hadn't been home to him — more, maybe, because he can't wrap his head around being in a place that didn't feel like home, but. family is what makes a place feel like home to him and having been surrounded by such a large one his entire life …
eesh. way to get deep, lonce.
he nods, though, and follows the other's gaze. ) Looks good to me. ( he pauses for a second after that, though, almost like an afterthought. ) You didn't bring Kosmo with you?
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[ he shrugs a shoulder, unphased and determined. ] He'll be here soon.
[ they continue for a few paces as keith falls silent, his boots scraping against the ground, feeling a little naked without any equipment, without his jacket. ] You thinking about asking for Kaltenecker or are there already cows here?
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he really does need to think more about these things, doesn't he? ) It's just a little weird, y'know? Seeing you without him. I bet he misses you. ( like any good companion would. you know.
and we didn't hear anything. not a single thing about not being able to go without this one for too long — because you know what that would do to his head and we really would like for him to be able to make inside the cabin before he's unable to make it through any doorways. ( nah, it ain't even like that. if keith let slip that anything like that was even remotely true? he'd probably get so damned flustered that he wouldn't be able to talk for like half an hour.
now you know how to shut him up. use these powers wisely. )
he blinks at the question about the moo, though. ) I haven't thought about it, really. I think there's a farm here? So there might be cows … ( he looks incredibly thoughtfully at the ground for a second. ) I wouldn't want her to see me hanging out with other ones, though. She might get jealous. Think she isn't special.
( boy what is wrong with you. )
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[ keith shrugs and glances down his side where his space wolf might usually be lingering, tail swishing back and forth and hitting the backs of his legs. it had become a comforting feeling to him back then. "back then" being mere moments ago, but it isn't every day that you're offered a vacation in another realm.
it hadn't been until brought it up but. he misses that wolf now.
of course, keith doesn't show it save for the slight clenching of his jaw as he goes to folding his arms once more. ] That's weird, Lance, [ is all he can say with a raised eyebrow beneath thick hair, seriously doubting that kaltenecker would feel that jealous of self-conscious. ]
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hoo boy, you had better believe he would be feeling super guilty. super. guilty.
instead, it looks like they're about to have a minor disagreement on whether or not kaltenecker has the capacity for feeling human emotions. ) It's not weird. She has feelings just everybody else. ( how do you know that, boy. it's all well and good to take a sentient being's feelings into consideration like that but —
you're not cow expert. seriously. )
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feelings. ]
Are you a cow expert? [ he asks this genuinely after a few paces, walking in mostly comfortable silence on their way to the – what was it? the rec room? the community center. the scenery isn't too unfamiliar to him though there is a very distinct feeling of being out of place though ... that might just be a keith thing. ]
I heard about what happened with you, Allura, and Coran. [ with a wry little grin, he nudges lance's side with his elbow, trying not to snicker and failing at it. allura was so distressed and was unable to look at another milkshake ever again. hunk was a little disheartened to hear it, honestly, and needed some consoling. ]
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it's just that neither of you goobers are all that great at knowing what to do with them. and that's a problem. but you'll figure it out sooner or later.
probably later, but that isn't the point. ) I wouldn't call myself an expert. ( no one would believe you even if you did, anyway, so this is a good thing. ) But I know a thing or two.
( at the nudge in his side, though, he gives a fake kind of groan and rubs a hand over his face, because that entire fiasco? had really been something and he still thinks about it sometimes. not just because he'd been taken away from a game that was kicking his ass.
no, really. it's not because of that. except it kind of is. he never did beat that boss. he remains stuck on it to this day. stupid boss. ) Oh my god, Keith, you should have been there. Their faces? Were really something else.
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like how do. ]
Yeah, I can imagine. [ they're a silly, weird bunch of people, especially when confined to the castle-ship most of the time ( may the ship rest in peace ). it's always especially fun to see the alteans lose all composure. ] I guess humans are really the only creatures who drink the milk of another.
[ the image still makes him laugh a little. he can't help it. he pauses in front of the community center once they finally reach it, the building simple and unassuming. the entire place looks idyllic, the sun bright in the sky above them. it almost does feel like a vacation – he just needs a second to get used to it. maybe five. maybe ten. ] They shouldn't really judge after the food goo fiasco.
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he laughs to himself a bit in remembrance of the whole thing; that's got to be it, though, the reason why they freaked out so badly after finding out the source of their milkshakes, even if he has a hard time wrapping his head around that being enough of a reason to basically swear them off. even if something that was really tasty was obtained by questionable ( to him ) means?
he'd probably still eat it. there's no getting in the way of the enjoyment of food. or drink. man … he's starting to sound like hunk, isn't he? ) Milk's normal to us, food go is normal to … them. ( he'd actually gotten used to it, too. sort of.
he doesn't exactly miss it, though. ) One day, I'm gonna try to like. Teach 'em how to milk a cow. See if that helps any. ( it'll probably make it worse, lance. that's darn near traumatizing. if you're not used to it.
and it probably feels weird.
when they pause in front of the community center, he takes a moment to tip his face upward, soak up the sun a little bit. yeah, it's starting to feel like an actual vacation. ) Feels good out here, doesn't it?