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[ hearing the words i am not going to give up on you causes an odd twist in his chest, because when was the last time anyone told him that? or really believed in him that strongly to begin with? certainly no one from home, which really only defines why allura is so appealing. she is truly good. him, not so much.

he wants to go see her, but that's simply not an option. not yet, anyway. he doesn't particularly want to be alone, but he also doesn't want to force her to deal with the future that he created. it isn't allura's problem, really. and he also doesn't want to have to cope with allura struggling to pretend to be kind when she may not want to do that at all.

he taps a claw against the bed frame, to think through his options, quickly, before: ]

Are you actually going to sleep?

[ he won't.

he's also just going to delicately skip over the first part of what she said because dealing with that is too much on top of everything else he's currently sorting through. ]

[despite everything she's feeling, there's a light, almost incredulous laugh at his question, though it comes across as more of light exhale if anything. she shifts a bit in bed, to lay on her back, hand resting across her chest to keep the watch close.]

No, not for awhile at least.

[a pause. then, tentatively:]

Are you?

No; unable to sleep, I think.

[ an honest answer. he fully intends on staring at his ceiling until sleep claims him, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later. he's not certain, though. it's difficult to shut off his brain, to tune out the constant theories, the struggle to piece together the truth of what's happened . . . ]

I was considering a walk near the outskirts of the forest, to clear my mind, when I called you.

[in another world, in a past where things were better, she'd have teased him. she knows full well people of their ilk are dreadful at falling asleep when something weighs heavy on the mind, but instead she remains looking up at the ceiling, a small, rueful smile on her face.

she's thinking to their first encounter here, in a clearing of the forest.]

Are you sure it is wise to wander near the forest so late at night? You may get lost.

I think I will be fine, both in handling the forest and in avoiding getting lost.

[ easily enough, and there is the sound of shifting -- movement. he's getting up. ]

My sense of direction hasn't been altered by my arrival in this dimension; I'm certain I can rely on it just as much as I did at home.

[ he pauses, though. ]

But you may join me, if you wish. I would not decline the company, if you were willing to offer it.

[she's quiet, still staring up at the ceiling as he extends an invitation for her to join, and she finds herself at a crossroads.

it's an uncertainty that this realm seems to offer, in a way that the universe back home had not. and...she misses him.

for all the wrongdoing he's kept hidden from her and the others, he's said his truths, laid bare how he feels, and she can't help but wonder if it's weakness that has her looking to his offer, taking his hand so to speak, and genuinely considering it.

it's not like she can truly avoid him here.

she balls her hand into a fist beneath her ribcage, flexing her fingers, and before she speaks there's the sound of her moving off her bed.]

I will have to get changed but-- I can accompany you.

[ the agreement is . . . a surprise. he had expected her to refuse him, to stop talking to him. but instead, allura is kid, and agrees to accompany him. to do what, exactly, lotor isn't sure. but it's seeing her, which already has him in brighter spirits.

weakness. utter weakness. as if allura would change anything here. but allura is here, and tangible, and able to be held. clutched in his fingers, even if she slips away in the future. stabilizing the itching in his fingertips to lash out against those who harmed him.

allura focuses his energy. it's what's needed, at the moment. ]

I am on the outskirts of the Temple, at the edge of the Forest. By the fighting arena.

[ quietly. ]

But I can certainly meet you halfway, if you want an escort.

[ as if allura needs defending. ]

[she thinks on it for a tick, still laying in bed. there's something to that offer of an escort that has her heart rate rising. from nerves, from something else, and she almost accepts it, shifting in bed to sit up, going to say something, and then stopping herself.

should anyone they know see them, it may give them the wrong idea. were it Keith, or Lance, or especially Shiro after having spoken to him about how their conversation had gone so wrong. they would think her falling for him again, for being weakminded, for--

she glances over at Platt, who remains sleeping despite his position being disturbed.]

We can convene near the arena. [she's quiet, and there's the sound of fabric shifting as she changes out of her sleepwear into something more appropriate for a late-night walk with a former... she bites back the thought. shuts her eyes to gather herself.]

I will see you in a few dobashes, Lotor.

[ the message is received, loud and clear, and lotor's silence is an agreement. so when allura leaves, and comes to the arena, she will find lotor seated on a portion of broken stone wall. unarmed -- more as a gesture of good faith, to her, but also because lotor is uninterested in dragging around an altean broadsword in the middle of the night when, honestly, he's not in the mood to fight.

he wants to sleep, truth be told, and ignore that today had ever happened. he should have never asked what happened to him (ignorance is bliss, so they say), but now that he knows, it cannot be undone. lotor spent a few hours feeling lost, angry, livid . . . but seeing allura approach produces a certain type of calm that washes over him.

a pointless calm. a temporary calm, maybe. a stay of inevitability. but she is here, which is more than lotor expected. perhaps he's not a lost cause after all. still, he makes no move to stand, instead speaking from his position sitting up on the wall: ]

The stars here make absolutely no sense.

[ he sounds a little tired, but he lets his eyes scan the skies. ]

They change at a rate that should be impossible, and yet, here they are.

[Allura's opted for a dress she managed to bring back from Struxta when she finally changes out of her sleepwear. something simple, loose, comfortable, and a bit familiar to more peaceful times. perhaps appearing un-armoured in front of someone who, back in their universe, had posed as a threat in the end, was foolish, she also knows deep down that Lotor here would not harm her.

that, for all his avoiding of the full truth, he truly has nothing to hide from her. that she still trusts him, his intentions, his presence...

even if, finding herself in his presence now, walking towards the arena to find his familiar tall form sitting calmly on a broken wall, has her heart aching in an indescribably way. a way that brings her to pause, to steady her breath even as her heart pounds up in her throat, awash with feelings for him she still hasn't sorted out.

so caught up in her unresolved feelings, it takes her a moment to realize he's talking, referencing the stars above, and as she approaches the wall, she turns to look up, following his line of sight, looking from unfamiliar star to the next. when she speaks, she too sounds tired.]

When I first arrived here, I found myself looking to the stars at night, trying to figure out just where in the galaxy this place may be. [a pause, and she leans against the wall, leaving a foot of space between them.] I'm unfortunately no cartographer. But...I have noticed the same.

This place is truly nowhere.

[ murmured to himself, keeping his eyes on the sky, not quite looking at her. he's not sure why he invited her out here, or why he insists on prolonging this charade. they're on opposite sides of the spectrum, now.

he is as good as alone, here. but in this moment, he isn't alone. allura came to sit with him, which means something. even if tomorrow it means nothing.

he's silent, for a moment or two, still staring up at the sky. ]

But I suppose it proves nothing is impossible, including accessing frozen pockets of time, outside of the normal realms of reality. The amount of power concealed in this world must be immense; it's fortunate, that the Galra haven't been able to find it.

[ hopefully they never will. ]

[biting the inside of her cheek, she shuts her eyes as he speaks, arms crossing over her chest to stave away the slight breeze of nighttime air. to calm the way her heart beats harsh in her chest.]

It makes you wonder how many places like this are out there. Beyond realities known. [her eyes open once more, and after focusing her gaze on a single star among the thousands, she finally turns to look at Lotor.

after weeks of avoiding him, she finally looks at him.

and quiznak, does it hurt.]

You... [her voice stutters a bit, and she glances away, shrugging her arms up as though she were cold.] You said you wished to walk?

Countless.

[ murmured, in response to her first statement, his eyes still on the stars. there are multiple alternate universes, and many he's discovered the linings of, in his research and travels. but lotor feels allura's eyes on him, and he glances toward her just in time for her to glance away.

it tugs at him, quietly. how she won't look at him, or converse with him. eager to change the subject, to move it along. to get to the point as to why they were here. but she was here, wasn't she? which meant something.

somewhere, anyway.

lotor eases himself off of sitting on the wall, landing on his feet gracefully. ]

I was planning on walking around the perimeter of the Temple before returning to sleep, if you wished to join me.

[ repeating why they're here, because it obviously isn't for any other reason. ]

Otherwise, I could walk you back to your dwelling, and resume my walk alone. Whatever you wish to do.

[her being here does mean something. she may not know what, but it is something. and though she remains avoiding to look at him for another moment, as he offers to walk her back to her room she does turn her gaze back to him.

composed. swallowing back whatever feelings may be rising in lieu of his easy, courteous manner of speaking.]

I do wish to join you. [her hands drop down, clasped before her.] Walking alone this late at night sounded...lonely; you can use the company.

[a pause. an indecipherable look. searching for an answer, a reasoning to why she agreed to join him, and her shoulders drop. a moment of vulnerability.]

As can I.

[because she's lonely. in a way that the others could not possibly understand. in a way that had made it so easy for her to fall for him long before she learned of his past.

she will not fall for him again, she is making certain of that. but...there will always be that pull towards him she's not felt with anyone else. their experience together on Oriande, it feels almost tethering.]

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