epidemiology | [open] i would give it all

Entry tags:

[open] i would give it all

CHARACTERS: Keith + anyone willing to help
DATE: From the opening of the upper levels to the end of the mission (with caveats that conditions will change depending on overall game plot parameters)
WARNINGS: None.
SUMMARY: A purple bounty! Keith has decided to rename himself Robin Hood. Or, more accurately, he's stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. (mood music)

[All his life, Keith had always preferred action over words. Associating with other people can be difficult. In fact, it can almost be impossible when the going gets tough. Becoming a Voltron paladin had been an answer for him. He could help people. He could fight. He wouldn't have to think too hard about it all, because he could follow Shiro.

And then ... things changed. Things changed back home and things changed here, most recently as a member of Hathaway. There's a lot of baggage associated with that change, so Keith has been keeping his eye on a single prize. He doesn't know how to set up a new government or do diplomacy, but he does know about providing goods to those who need it and helping them out of a bad situation. He knows what to do to survive. Not everyone has that strength or the ability to have someone help them. Simply put: not everyone has a Shiro to help guide them toward the right path.

He's not going to fool himself into believing that he can be "a Shiro"—that's the problem with being him, right? But he knows he can do good. So, he hatches his plan, and calls in for assistance from his guildmates. It's a three prong plan, with different actions needed.

To find out that Keith is doing this, there are two ways. One, he spoke about it on the magitek network. And two, he's doing some set up in the hotel, and is probably stealing some stuff from there, too. The robots won't miss it. Probably.]

a: theft of goods

[Keith plans on overseeing all of the thefts, in part because he doesn't want any of his teammates to be caught unexpectedly.

He shows up at every point of theft in full Marmora gear: a black suit with purple lights, as well as a mask that conceals his face and gives him a voice that sounds like Keith, but comes out through a slightly robotic filter. It also has a helpful hood, because of course it does. Would it look cool otherwise? Probably not.

His targets are specific when it comes to theft: food. Clothing and other goods can be gained through other means, and probably should be. But food? Food is something that he can see that the upper levels aren't doing without.]

Try not to hurt anyone. Take the food and bring it to the agreed upon location. And keep your masks on. We can't risk being fugitives.

[Of course, there are also other versions of theft. Not all of them are as scheduled or efficient.]

b: trafficking of stolen goods

[When it comes to "trafficking," the parameters remain the same. Keep on a mask. Make sure no one gets hurt so there's less of an excuse to follow someone. Get everything from the upper levels to the lower levels quickly, and use designated locations that have been picked out along the way. Avoid surveillance at all costs.

The "trafficking" involves a lot of backpacks and hoods, so that people can hide that they have a bunch of food on them that's being carted down. Anything that's perishable is frozen before it's brought down. Keith figures that "freshness" isn't measured by whether it was frozen first. Or, well, he hopes not. He's not exactly the guy who cares if something's been marked as "previously frozen."

There's a final designation just before the depths of the lowest levels. That's where other goods, like blankets or boots or jackets, are kept waiting. They don't need to be snuck down as carefully, because there's no chance of them going bad. Plus, they were probably mostly acquired "legally."

Emphasis on those quotation marks.]

c. delivery of stolen goods

[Charity is far from a common thing for the people of the lower levels. Charity that could seem suspicious and involves stolen goods is even more difficult. How to get things out there? How to offer help? This is going to be the most difficult task: convincing people to take goods, convincing people that they deserve it, and most importantly, asking what else they might need.]

Take note of anything else they might want. We'll come back later with it. Or, uh, someone will.

[ooc: this is a purple bounty, and the different prompts are loose parameters. I am looking for a thread of at least ten comments so I can meet my bounty, but I figured this would be a fun thing for people to do!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Meanwhile, Keith wants to make sure they can run this route without the use of the Force. That's all. This entire operation will be useless if they can't go down the stairs (so to speak) without being stopped by a Vakdir.]

We won't always be running multiple people down this way. Maybe I should take a bag of my own, so we seem ... like we're a set.

[It might be two bags that are confiscated, but it's also two bags that move quickly.]

[ She nods. ]

I think so.

[ Especially since they're so stuffed. ]

Do we need a cover story?

[ That seems unnecessary, but then again, she's also the person who sucks at her own general cover story for this place, and it had still been recommended. ]

I think we just need ... a reason why we're taking stuff down. Just in case.

[And no one in the upper levels seems to give a crap about charity services. So, that's a problem.]

What if we're just ... what if we act like the backpacks are normal. We go down at a normal pace. We meet people's eyes when we're supposed to. Or don't.

[He frowns.]

Though some of us will have masks, it'll be good to know what we can run into along the way.

Birthday presents?

[ She shrugs her shoulders. It's not great, but it's something. Keith knows that she doesn't have the best concept of how birthdays work, so she probably doesn't realize that those don't usually come … stuffed in backpacks and out of their packaging. ]

I got stopped when Kylo and I were heading down, before, for wearing my hood. I thought they were gonna — [ She shivers. ] The masks might drawn more attention than anything else.

You thought they were gonna ... what? [The shiver is worrying, but not something that's going to prevent him from doing this.]

We'll need masks to steal anything. We can't become fugitives, or we won't be able to get more goods. But maybe we'll stick to those when it comes to that. I guess.

I've been in First Order custody before. [ She keeps her voice flat and even. ] It wasn't fun. I'd rather not repeat it.

[ And she thought that might happen. She pulls the backpack on now, fully stuffed and closed up as it is. She adjusts the straps with some thought, welcoming the distraction. ]

You can always stash the masks, if need be. [ She shrugs her shoulders. ] Between the theft and heading down to a lower level.

We can make sure the hoods are connected to rain jackets. It's raining constantly—and if we're careful, whoever's running goods won't do it the same time two days in a row. [Unless it's Keith himself. He has the means to do this without Force powers or being seen, thanks to the power he asked ALASTAIR for before they closed down for good. But this run is about working out the kinks for everyone else.

Her fear of being in custody like the First Order is noted, though. That's why he's trying to work this out. They can't do much good if they ... can't do any good.]

We'll stash the masks, maybe even have a point for that so it's not caught along the way. That's the type of thing that might be suspicious.

[ Rey nods her head. His concessions all make sense.

Most notably, though, this whole process feels really familiar and comfortable for her. She looks up from adjusting her straps to just consider him a moment. Working in tandem, planning with Keith. It's the sort of thing she's been longing for, the sort of thing she felt like they'd lost.

It's nice to know they still have this. She offers him a smile that's mostly intended as heartening. ]

You've really thought this through.

[ Most of her suggestions are minor or redundant in one way or another. He's got a whole system set up. That goes way beyond her cursory acts of charity. ]

I wanted to help. [That's not all of it, though. Yes, it had been an idea he started thinking about the moment he got here, but it's the extension of a few things for Keith. Knowing he left Voltron. Knowing that Allura had been disappointed in him for avoiding diplomacy. Knowing he had been avoiding the people side of helping others. It all kind of comes down to this now.]

Allura wants me to get better at people. And at politics. I can't make the politicians here do this, but the people can. Once they have supplies for a while, they'll know they can get more. That they deserve better. I might not be a paladin of Voltron anymore, but you're supposed to help everyone in need.

[But instead of moping about his loss of that title, he's acting. He's doing what's necessary. And he's out there doing it, rather than hiding in the shadows. He's making good on what he believes rebel forces should be doing.]

Before, you offered to help me figure out what I needed to learn from Hathaway before I leave.

[ She says this only as a reminder and context — not as a complete segue. It's something that's on her mind as she's hearing him talk about his intentions here, and where it's coming from. ]

I think you're right, Keith. I think this does help. [ Not that it's about her at all, but her point is that she sees him growing in all those things. ] You can't become an expert in politics and people right away, but you can apply what you do know how to do in order to make things happen.

[ She's proud of him is the point that she's making, but doesn't value her opinion enough to say outright. ]

Lance is here because he wants to be a better soldier. I don't think he ever needed that, but it's a better reason for being here than anything I could have come up with. [These days, he's even calling into question his incentive for being here. It had been an excuse, but now it feels all the more important. Keith wanted to stay because he needed time to be ready—"time" and "readiness" hadn't been something he was prepared to measure by any skill.]

I guess ... I should listen to her when she wants me to do this stuff. She thinks I don't listen. But I do.

When she sees this, she'll know you listened.

[ At least, Rey thinks so. But Rey is also a lot more action-oriented like Keith is, so there's a good chance she's just speaking his language here. Mostly, though, Rey thinks Allura already knows — but she also knows that Keith's stubborn. So even if he listens, he might not change anything. This shows he listens and applies, which is a bigger deal. ]

Why do you think Lance's incentive is better than yours? What makes becoming a better soldier any more important than learning to be a good leader?

I kind of ... I still feel like I was avoiding it. I can say one thing and mean the other, you know? Or maybe think both things are true at the same time. [It's not something he's seeking consolation on. It's just where he was when this whole incentive thing came about. His shoulders slump forward.]

I know that's not the case now. But it was then. Going home freaked me out.

Did seeing the other paladins again help you feel a little less afraid of it?

[ It seems like that must be what's inspiring all of this. And, it's easy to empathize. Rey had recognized by now that she was spiraling some serious guilt about not returning home when she had the chance; seeing her friends had only exacerbated that.

Maybe that's the difference between her and Keith. He found reassurance in them, and Rey found more conflict. Now that she's through the worst of the conflict, now that she has a path going forward that's focused back on her own galaxy, she feels like she can see that more clearly. ]

I don't know. I guess ... it was clear to them that I had already changed. That I had already become that leader that I wasn't ready to be, because I had done what I felt was necessary here. Lance just accepted it so easily, and Allura was already worried I'd never come home—it all just fell into place.

[Their easy acceptance of Keith's life here had helped him a lot. They saw the change in his disposition. He was able to tell Lance what he was uncomfortable with, because he had spent months thinking about it and having help from both Rey and Loki.]

Besides, if I tell you or Loki something, you're never gonna make me feel bad for it. So I had time to just ... recoup.

[ A nervousness bubbles up in her throat. It doesn't seem like it's the point of what he's saying, but … ]

Does that mean you're going back?

[ After all, if he's gotten what he wanted out of Hathaway, wouldn't he? She'd never asked what his incentive really was because she always guessed the leadership experience piece was, well, more important. ]

No ... [The word is drawn out slightly, like he's unclear about where she's coming from. He's not frustrated, so much as confused.

It's not like she knows what's going on with Lotor and Allura and any of that. She doesn't have the full picture.

But—still.]

Did I say that?

No, but ...

[ Creases evidencing her own confusion line her forehead. It seemed like the obvious conclusion to her, with the information she has, but now she's realizing that she was wrong. To her surprise, relief doesn't come. She's less afraid, now. It makes her feel sad, in a way, but it's ultimately a good thing for them both. She knows that Keith has a purpose to fulfill with Voltron, just like she has a duty to her own galaxy. A place in the Force. ]

You got what you were here to get. You're ready. At least, that's how it sounds. Why else would you stay?

Just because I'm ready doesn't mean that that's the only thing in the picture. My incentive was never to prepare me to be a leader. I have to see that through. It's even more important now.

[It hadn't been originally. That's where Lance's was better. Keith's was nothing more than a thing that would help the budding Voltron Coalition, but now that he knows about the future and he has his doubts about it, he wants to ensure that he returns with all the knowledge he needs.

That means investigating Lotor.]

It is?

[ She's definitely missing something — but maybe it's rude to just ask people's incentives. She certainly hadn't wanted to share hers with anybody directly. Not at first, and certainly not now, despite how many people knew now. ]

I guess I never asked what your actual incentive was.

I can't go into it. I'm sorry. [If she hadn't reached out to Lotor, maybe he would tell her. But that happened, so he remains distant about it.

So, in an attempt to evade it further, he asks:] Think we can get going? We can talk along the way. It'll be normal.

[ She doesn't take it hard. In fact, she nods readily when he sidesteps the subject and suggests they move on. She starts walking, joining easily in step with him. It had taken her a while to deal with hers too. ]

I've decided. [ Since it had come up before, she easily adopts the burden of the conversation topic. ] When I go back to Headquarters, I think you're right. I can't use my incentive to deal with Thrawn. I have to use it to think about my own galaxy, not whatever version of it he's from. Not while I'm not sure. I'm going to ask them to help me figure out how we can create a stable government that's neither the New Republic nor the First Order. We need an end to this war — a real end, and that takes balance.

Whatever you do, you have to make sure it's what everyone wants. If you ask for Hathaway's help, it should be in figuring out how to appease everyone, and setting up a system for those who both want to be a part of it and don't want to be a part of it. [That sounds like he's telling her what to do, but Lotor's insistence on maintaining the Galra Empire has helped put things into focus for Keith. He knows what he's suggesting is an ideal, but it needs to work.]

And don't think that's all on you. In fact ... I'd be willing to bet you'd be better off leaving that to the politicians. But if you bring them help and outside voices, the reasonable ones will listen.

That's the idea.

[ Getting everyone to actually agree to a compromise, finding a system that's really going to work for everyone. Those are things Hathaway could help with — and that she'll be able to help with more properly after more time here, too.

If she didn't want a compromise, she'd just be asking for help for the Resistance. But she can't say that without it sounding like a dig at Poe and Finn, when really what they're doing is admirable. ]

But the leadership right now don't want to compromise. So someone needs to come in and help them. After Ben and I bring down the First Order's leader, it'll work better. It'll be the perfect time for Hathaway to help us build something that really works.

[It's not Rey's fault that Keith's mind goes to Lotor. He thinks about how the paladins may have been fooled into believing he was good because he took down his father. Taking down one person doesn't take down an empire or an organization. That's what he's been preaching this entire time, even before Lotor turned up.

And then he thinks about Ben's political beliefs. What he's said to Keith. All of that.]

Are you planning to involve Ben in the process? [He's wary of her somehow turning this against him, of making it so that Keith is somehow making it about Kylo Ren when he shouldn't be.]

I've heard what he believes. None of it is very good. Maybe the both of you should sit out of the peace talks.

[It only seems fair.]

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