Archive of Our Own ^beta

  “You need a what?” Pidge gaped at Lotor as he crossed his eyes with an unusually self-conscious expression. The pause after her outburst didn’t help either; the lavender hue of his cheeks deepened, to his despair. “Oh, you mean a like a wetsuit, for your diving expeditions?” she inferred, thinking this might be a lost-in-translation kind of thing.

  “No, no, I truly meant swimwear, for a leisure excursion to the balmy shores of the Caribbean Sea,” he insisted.

  “Caribbean?” Cuban pride swelled in Lance’s chest. “Since when is Earth on your bucket list?”

  “Buckets?” Allura frowned.

  Lotor gave her a complicit look through the corners of his eyes. “We um… we are taking a tour of the Milky Way and we dedicated a week to Earth sightseeing and leisure.”

  “A tour?” Coran squeaked nervously.

  “We heard of this Earth tradition, called honeymoon, after weddings. It sounds really fun,” Allura clasped her hands together in excitement. “We thought of adopting this custom as well.”

  “Well, now that the union has been officially sealed, a recreational trip might help you see things through a different perspective, I suppose,” Coran gallantly rolled his mustache in between his thumb and index finger. “I will have to proceed on a mall hunt for such water-resistant articles of clothing.”

  “We… can manage by ourselves,” Lotor canted his head slightly, sending a clear message that they would rather take matters in their own hands.

  “It is improper and insulting for the imperial figures to do their own shopping!” Dayak huffed.

  “Correct!” Coran nodded. “Also, paparazzi will take every opportunity to defame you for such a trifling trip!”

  “We will thoroughly disguise ourselves, rest assured,” Allura replied confidently.

  “Cool, we could all go undercover,” Lance grinned.

  Keith chuckled. “If that nasty mall cop is still there, you’d be the first to get sniffed out, Lance.”

  Hunk rolled his eyes. “Ohh, gosh, you’re right. I think we’re banned for life from that mall. What was the guy’s name - V… Varkon?”

  “We’ll just choose a different mall then,” Pidge shrugged. “The universe is full of space malls.”

  Allura fiddled with her fingers.“We’re… in a bit of a rush, you see. We only have a quintant at our disposal for the shopping expedition and the Swap Moon Mall is the nearest we can get to. So…”

  “Guys, let’s allow them some personal space,” Shiro addressed his fellow Paladins. “Allura and Lotor will travel together, incognito, to the Swap Moon Mall, while we take some time to practice for the next galactic meeting. How does that sound?”

  “Ughhh…” Lance’s forehead thudded over his console.

  “Boringgg…” Pidge yawned.

  “I’ll take Kosmo for a walk,” Keith excused himself.

  “Time to bake some scaultrite lens cookies,” Hunk exited through the nearest door.

  “Remember, your young majesties,” Coran straightened his spine, looking upwards at the two tall royals, “the Unilus are devious individuals. Never attempt to bargain with them unless you know what you are doing.”

  “Yes, Coran, we shall keep that in mind,” Allura nodded solemnly from her considerable height, shape-shifted as she was, purple-skinned and with her charcoal-dyed hair pulled back into a single, long braid. Across her scalp, from front to back, the braids formed a mohawk crown, in style with the Galra coiffures.

  “Have no worries, my multi-millennial experience with innumerable species will guide us through the expedition,” Lotor flashed a pair of fangs under his charming smile.

  Coran batted Lotor’s biceps with the back of his palm. “Aye, aye, except you might need to work on that smile - it’s too imperial and it might raise suspicions.”

  “Hush, you hufflebluff! Our Blood Emperor needs no advice on his demeanor!” Dayak admonished Coran.

  “Ah, well, I’m still the court advisor!” Coran replied with his haughty lilt.

  “We’ll be back in the evening,” Allura swiftly pulled Lotor by the hand and together they got on a small Galra shuttle, leaving Coran and Dayak to settle their little dispute. 

  “You look extravagant,” Allura flicked a little speck of dust from the lapel of his charcoal-green frock coat, made of pure Taujeerian velvet, weaved in thin stripes.

  Around his neck, the voluminous purple silk scarf hugged his dark mauve hair locks, temporarily dyed to match the typical Galra hair shade.

  A dark purple bowler hat strategically covered his tall forehead and hosted the front hair noodle underneath it.

  “The outfit of a free artist,” she complimented him, her eyes slowly sliding back up to his smoldering yellow pools peeking from underneath the hat brim. Artistically drawn catlike eyeliner finished his look, widening his blade-thin gaze.

  “Thank you,” he smiled back and traced his thumb over her lower lip. The dark purple lipstick glistened under her hot breath. “You look ravishing in black,” he murmured, his look being drawn without escape to her fitted turtleneck shirt, continued with boot-cut jeans complimenting her silhouette.

  “Thank you,” she coyly twirled a gold necklace around her index finger. A beautiful pendant, shaped as a perfectly ovoid flower bud made of the purest ruby stone adorned the necklace. Encased in a gold receptacle with stylized sepals, this simple yet stunningly elegant piece was one of her favorites. It was a juniberry flower bud, a symbol of Altean nascent power in the olden days.

  “I am beginning to have second thoughts about our outfit choices,” she sighed. “We are too artsy and we’ll attract attention. We should have chosen something more… bland.”

  “Tarp garments, and you’d still stand out, my gorgeous lady,” Lotor helped her descend from the shuttle. “Let us find the shop,” he eyed the tall doors connecting the interstellar garage to the main access tunnel to the mall. “We are currently here…” he opened up a holo-screen on his discreet wrist accessory. “The nearest swimwear department is… here,” he then pointed to a dot, about three-quarters of the mall away from their entry point.

  “Wonderful! We have plenty of places to visit in between,” she exclaimed cheerfully, without missing the crossed-eye look on his face at the news of the extended shopping experience. A man with a plan, Lotor usually preferred to focus on the target, not the in-betweens. But, if the situation so dictated, he would gladly enjoy the ride, never refusing his lovely wife a pleasure.

  The mall was relatively animated, and people of all ages and races strolled in and out of various outlets laid out on multiple floors and ramps, all of them illuminated in pastel colors. The exotic smell of candles and scent-diffusers perfused the main lobby, all coming from one little shop on the right side of the entrance. A couple of stores farther, the instrumental sounds of an Olkari orchestra resounded with crystalline beats from a floating speaker, as a pencil-thin Bee-bo was testing the device before buying it. But something else caught Allura’s full attention.

  “So sparkly!!” she giggled, as the air left her lungs in exhilaration. The jewelry shop invited everyone through the large doors. Bright spotlights strategically pointed at various lapidary wonders, which revolved slowly, atop cylindrical pods.

  There was no shortage of colors and glitter in this marvelous place. From the simplest diamonds and palladium to the largest Altean Zyo-crystals, everything was arranged by style and designer, in breathtaking displays that made Allura gasp at every turn. The Unilu behind the counter, dressed in a respectable pink silk suit, approached her courteously, holding his two pairs of arms behind his back. Lotor loomed behind him, keeping a protective eye at Allura.

  “Ahem, would you like to try this magnificent marquise-cut emerald ring? Or perhaps the pink opal bracelet caught your eyes?”

  “Um… I’m just… looking,” Allura replied with a more Galran hoarse voice, attempting to disguise her royal timbre, so well-known across the imperial galaxies.

  “Very well,” he nodded. “Let me know if you would like to try anything. My name is Ounilus, I’ll be right here whenever you need me.”

  “Thank you,” she rasped back and continued to take in all the explosion of luxury. Memories from her mother’s exquisite collection came back to her. As a teenager, she never really payed attention to such expensive accessories, preferring a more modest look. But as she grew into a more mature woman, the eye for sparkly stuff started to grow more on her. Perhaps, she thought, it was a gene in her family, finally awakening.

  But this was no time for extravagant expenditures. Laying low was of utmost importance. Plus, they’d only brought cash, to prevent being tracked via the GPS - Galactic Payment Systems. And certainly not enough cash to afford such purchases.

  Ah, but lookit all those gorgeous earrings! And such novel designs, expertly crafted! She felt like her entire jewelry box needed an upgrade to a more… contemporary collection. Preoccupied with peace treaties and galactic matters, she barely had any time to think about herself. Thank the stars for Coran and Dayak, otherwise their wedding would have probably ended up a flop.

  Holding her arms behind her back, she leaned closer to a set of peach-pink Zyo-diamond necklace and earrings. Suddenly, she felt a wet sensation inside her left palm. The touch was tentative at first, but then a full-on lick startled her completely and she winced with a loud gasp.

  “Kosmo!” she turned around to see the innocent eyes of the wolf staring back at her. At the sight of the creature, Lotor’s wide-eyed gaze glowed brighter than all the gold on display. Where did he come from?

  She looked around for Keith or any other Paladin but she found no one.

  “Lovely animal,” Ounilus spoke with an ingratiating voice. “Is it a service dog?” he emphasized, and upon seeing the sign on the door, Allura understood immediately. No pets allowed (except service animals).

  “Y… yes, yes, we are in need of him,” Allura mumbled.

  “Comfort wolf,” Lotor nodded with a confident voice, trying hard to alter his timbre but sounding like the cracking voice of a teen and Allura could barely hold a giggle.

  “Very well,” the shop clerk released a forced smile, and continued with helping another customer.

  Wrapping her fingers in the boy’s fluffy mane, Allura continued to stroll around, while Lotor peeked at a display with black opal miniature sculptures. After more muffled oh’s and ah’s, she returned to the mesmerizing pink Zyo-diamonds set.

  “I see you have your eyes set on those,” the sugary voice of the Unilu resounded behind her. “Let me make it easier for you,” he deactivated the particle barrier and suddenly, an entire spinning jewelry stand opened up for her reach. For a quick moment, her irises sparkled in azure colors before shifting back to the Galran mauve disguise.

  Kosmo’s fleecy tail wagged fast in excitement, as she leaned over, to gently pull the jewelry from the rack. She released the hold on the wolf, fully focusing on the mesmerizing pieces.

  “Do you like them?” Lotor asked, and she did not need to reply. The answer was evident in the tremble of her fingers.

  Kosmo sniffed a few other necklaces hanging from the open rack, but quickly lost interest and turned around to look up at the tall Allura and Lotor, his tail continuing to swing left and right, next to the precious pieces.

  “This would so much compliment your beautiful cheeks,” Ounilus flattered her with a sly wink, quickly looking away as he sensed the almighty stare of her Galran male companion.

  In a completely unpredictable move, Lotor flicked his wrist bracelet, tapping a few times through his files and then turning to Allura. “May I?”

  She resisted. “Oh, no no, we shouldn’t—”

  “It is the gentleman’s wish to please his lady…” the Unilu chirped back, delighted to see the digital wallet open for business.

  “Are you insane?” she whispered only to his ears, and he replied with a murmur - “I was prepared for this. Have no worry.”

  While the cashier holo-reader uplinked with the purchaser’s bank, Ounilus refocused on Allura. “I cannot but notice your exquisite taste for rubies,” he eyed her pendant as she pretended to keep her cool.

  “Oh, thank you,” she cleared her voice. “A family heirloom,” she blinked fast and her heart raced, realizing she spoke a bit too much. The Unilus had a keen eye for antiquities and valuable objects. This particular Unilu seemed quite polite and polished though, and really not that annoying like the olden space pirates.

  Ounilus beamed a fancy smile that reached his large ears. His teal sclerae narrowed at her with a honey-sweet expression. “What would we do without family, eh?” he chuckled, and his gaze lingered a bit too long on her necklace, making her feel uncomfortable. “You are a lucky lady!” the newly purchased jewelry case clinked closed, the well-mannered salesman finalizing the transaction.

  And just like that, the young artsy couple left the store with a delicate shopping bag holding something… sparkly. Kosmo followed them with devotion, the lazy sway of his wooly tail evoking his happy mood.

  “How did Kosmo get here?” Allura studied the happy wolf and she could swear the furry boy was actually smiling.

  “He must’ve teleported into our shuttle without our knowledge,” Lotor swapped through a few screens on his digital wrist wallet, closing them one by one.

  “I’m afraid of the consequences of this purchase,” Allura looked the other way.

  “It is completely secure and cannot be traced to us,” Lotor closed his screen and returned to holding her hand with a confident smile.

  A hover-segway whizzed past, the pilot acknowledging them with an unsmiling face. The man was taking his job very seriously. Varkon, the mall cop was on patrol.

  “Oh, look, a blomfruit pie shop!” Allura rushed to a pink-illuminated corner store, where colorfully dressed aliens of all shapes and sizes waited patiently in line for their turn.

  Of course the chance could not be missed. Even though standing in line meant standing out like a Choferiak’s nose, they had to enjoy some Altean delicacies, brought to the swap moons by no other than… Romelle the Bakerelle. Her apprentice sales clerk was new and kind of flustered, so Romelle had to rush her into new tasks every so often.

  One by one, Romelle gracefully served each customer. As Lotor approached and croaked his order with a broken voice, she gasped under a perplexed expression. Was he…?

  “Lot—” she began, but suddenly her vocal chords froze, under Allura’s potent magic.

  “Yes, lot of whipped cream on top,” Allura finished with a dark Galra voice, and the blonde Altean turned on her heels as if remote-controlled, bringing them back two large slices topped with plenty of fluffy whipped cream.

  “Our service animal would also like a slice,” Allura demanded again, and Romelle quietly produced another plate while Kosmo licked his nose, greedy lupine eyes watching her every move.

  “Thank you,” Lotor offered the cash to the timid cashier next to Romelle and they couldn’t help but notice the curious glances of the people in line.

  Every bite of the perfectly baked pies with divine bits of blomfruits and Frillongian limons was worth their trip. They sat down at a table in the food plaza.

  “I feel sorry for doing that to Romelle,” Allura said in between two bites. “She didn’t deserve it after baking such amazing pies.”

“She’ll get over it,” Lotor beamed a fully-fanged smile. “Her voice is already back, I can hear her from here.”

  “Hopefully she won’t disseminate the news about us.”

  Lotor replied with an impish expression, while watching Kosmo lick his plate. “I think she’s smart enough to understand your alchemic message.”

  “Make way, make way!” Varkon’s loud bark resounded through the mall, as he zoomed past the bakery in full speed. “You!!” he screeched in their direction, and Kosmo stood up with raised hackles.

  “Oh, no…” Lotor sighed, realizing that the mall cop was coming straight at them. “Run!” he pulled Allura by the hand and they flew past other tables, families with kids, strollers, shops, down an empty corridor, while Kosmo galloped beside them with excitement.

  “Thieves! Jewelry thieves!” the policeman blew a tiny, screechy whistle while revving up his glider’s engines.

  “What? No! We did pay for our purchase!” Allura side-eyed Lotor.

  “We certainly did!” he panted while running. “But I think we have another problem…”

  He didn’t finish his sentence. As they turned around a corner, Kosmo flashed them away.

  “Ouch!” Allura yelped as she found herself crammed inside a photo booth, Kosmo in her lap, while Lotor tried to keep his balance holding both of them. The cams blazed a few times, beginning to spit out photographs: snouts, more snouts, paws, fluffs, pointy ears of various shapes and sizes. Finally, they managed to properly sit on the booth bench, while Kosmo occupied the space in front of them.

  “Look at his tail,” Lotor chuckled, catching his breath.

  “Oh… quiznack!” Allura covered her mouth.

  A golden necklace glinted under the shaggy fur of the critter’s tail, tangled along with several other jewelry pieces: en emerald earring, a diamond-encrusted platinum bracelet, and another golden earring.

  “He was wagging his tail a lot when we were in the shop,” Lotor remembered.

  “That is why they have strict policies against pets. We need to leave these behind immediately,” Allura began to untangle them right away, while Kosmo tried to bite his tail, thinking this was a game. “Stay still, you big goof!” she giggled, while Lotor tried to hold the boy so she could finish up the delicate operation.

  The booth shook and trembled. Ahs and ohs and gasps of all sorts emerged from it, and passersby shook their heads disapprovingly.

  “Kids these days…” someone commented with a long sigh.

  In the distance, slowly approaching, Varkon’s voice echoed again. “Step aside, make way, thank you!”

  “Almost done…” Allura wiggled a stubborn fur mat. “There!” she dropped the last piece of jewelry on a little console inside the booth and Kosmo didn’t wait a tick longer, pulling them once more into another place.

  “Over there!” a good citizen pointed to the photo booth, as Varkon stormed through the mall. “Disorderly conduct, sir. Arrest them!”

  “A-ha! Let’s see what we have here!” the cop pulled the booth door open. Inside, the jewelry pieces sparkled at him from atop the little console. A few blue fluffs clung to the necklace. “You think you can get away like this? Abandoning your plunder? I will catch you, sneaky snarflaffs!” Varkon gnashed his teeth. “A-ha! Photographs of the suspects!” he discovered a long strip of glossy pictures. “Uh… Huh?” Varkon’s jaw dropped. “What is this joke?!” He pulled out the entire roll: only snouts, paws and fluffy tails, with an occasional purple ear.

  Meanwhile, Kosmo decided to teleport deeper inside the mall.

  “Another booth?” Lotor glanced around at the narrow enclosure.

  “I believe this is a fitting room,” Allura noticed the hangers and a flowery red dress left behind by a shopper.

  “A ladies’… fitting room?” he swallowed hard with a discouraged face.

  “Un-fortunately for you… yes,” Allura took a deep breath, thinking of a solution. Kosmo seemed to drive them deeper and deeper into trouble, and teleporting around from shop to shop was not ideal. “Oh, wait! I think we’re exactly where we need to be,” Allura peeked above the tall door and noticed someone tossing a swimsuit over the door of another booth. “I have a plan,” Allura whispered so that the people in other stalls didn’t hear.

  Lotor watched amusedly as she shrunk into a short human lady with orange freckles and very, very round ears. She looked at the flowery dress with a pleased expression. First came off her her beloved ruby pendant. Although she was his wife, Lotor’s cheeks caught a few deeper shades of mauve.

  “Turn around,” she demanded with a nonchalant smile.

  “May I remind you…” he flashed his fangs at her.

  “Turn Kosmo, too,” she replied with an unwavering voice, and the boys complied without protest, while her turtleneck shirt and jeans landed on the wall hook, over her gold chain.

   The cute flowery dress with thin shoulder straps fitted her new silhouette perfectly, just as she’d intended.

  “There,” she smoothed some fabric wrinkles over her waist.

  “You have freckles on your shoulders too…” Lotor pulled her closer, kissing her delicate skin.

  She giggled, but quickly stopped herself, lest others hear them. After all, this was a public place and Varkon was somewhere out there, angrily riding his glider.

  “I may not be able to hold this shape for too long. It’s a difficult one,” she murmured under his eager hands.

  “At least you can take many shapes. I’m jealous,” he buried his nose in her neck.

  “Ah, please…” she gasped under another hot fanged kiss, trying to keep herself quiet.

  “Please what?” his expert claws sent tantalizing shivers into her hips.

  “Kosmo is watching,” she whispered through anther giggle.

  His hands traveled over her inviting shapes. “He won’t tell.”

  “You’re making it difficult for me to maintain this skin tone,” she admonished him quietly, but his lips closed around hers, shutting her up.

  Kosmo was, indeed, observing with curiosity, his head tilted to one side and his tail wagging eagerly.

  “Then change it again,” Lotor murmured in between kisses.

  “It doesn’t work like that,” she replied with a low voice.

  “I wouldn’t know,” he continued his teasing.

  Perhaps due to of a bit of canine jealousy, Kosmo suddenly jumped up on them, causing some interesting group noises that raised numerous questions from the few ladies in the other fitting rooms. Attention-seeking face licks ensued, and it took them a few minutes to calm down the over-excited boy.

  “Alright Kosmo, you won this battle,” Lotor retreated, allowing Allura to pull herself together.

  “Stay here,” her voice suddenly chirped into a ridiculously squeaky tone and off she went on a mission, while Lotor remained under hide with the jolly Kosmo.

  The clothing store was very spacious and laid on multiple levels. The multitude of departments and brands (species- and gender-oriented) made Allura’s head spin. She made sure to make a mental note of where the entrance to that particular fitting room was, so she could find her way back.

  One by one, she picked an armful of clothes and beach attire (labeled as ‘proper for Earth use’), when something whizzed past her. She almost turned to run away when Varkon stopped a few feet from her.

  “Can I help you?” she squeaked, focusing hard to keep her freckles on.

  “Have you seen a creature like this around here?” he dangled under her petite freckled nose a long strip of pictures with Kosmo snouts and paws.

  “N… no, no,” she mumbled.

  Varkon replied, “If you see it…”

  “Oh, wait. I think I remember seeing something, actually. Was it like a terribly scary big wolf with sharp eyes?”

  “Yeah, yeah. And two Galra con artists with royal airs.”

  Her heart stopped in her throat.

  He snarled. “Them trying to fool me! Ha! As a loyal subject of emperor Zark— I mean Lotor, it is my duty to apprehend these pricks and bring them to justice!”

  “I saw them going that way,” she pointed towards the far side of the mall.

  “Ooh, I’d better hurry! Not going to let them escape!” he rushed off in full speed.

  With a huge exhale of relief, she feverishly picked a few more colorful items, then started walking away towards the fitting rooms.

  “That dude definitely has a screw loose,” a Puigian lady with a baby in a stroller walked by, commenting about the mall cop.

  “For sure,” Allura rolled her eyes.

  “The lunatic. He tried to enter a ladies’ fitting room. Thank the stars for a big Galra lady! She smacked him in the head with her purse.”

   “Good for her!” Allura grinned with satisfaction, then wished her a nice day and picked up the pace, feeling her freckles fading away.

  “Here,” she triumphantly dropped the pile of clothes on a chair, “you may choose your vacation swimwear, and then your escape outfit.”

  His golden eyes looked up at her with delight. “Thank you. You are amazing.”

  “More amazing is that I met the mighty Varkon and almost lost my freckles, but I managed to put him on a wild yalmore chase for a while,” she melted on his lap, slowly shifting back to her Altean body. His large hand traveled leisurely around her waist, and his claws peeked just enough to gently graze the thin fabric.

  “Mmm, I love you in any form or shape,” he spoke softly in her ear.

  “I know…” she bit her lip and fully turned towards him. “I love you too,” she consumed his lips passionately.

   Caught in the moment’s emotion, Kosmo mewled a bit too loudly and a girl in another booth giggled.

  “Mom, there’s a dog in there!”

  “I know, honey, I know, just let it be,” her mom huffed.

  The swimsuits were made of a special Taujeerian spider silk, adaptable to the body shape. The price tag featured a mini holo-projector, which, when activated, displayed several mockup models wearing the suit. No need to try them on, they just had to choose the preferred color and design.

  Allura inspected a pair of bikinis with a critical eye. “In my time, there used to be more modesty…”

  “Things have changed in ten thousand years,” Lotor replied, his golden eyes focusing at the colorful piece of fabric in her hand, then back at her. “Would you like to wear the Altean skeeflooh instead?”

  “Um. No thank you,” her mouth curved into an ironic smile. Might as well spend her vacation in a Dalterian monastery than wear a skeeflooh beach robe. Her eyes rested upon the big pile of clothes she’d brought. “Now comes the fun part!” she rubbed her palms with excitement, then unfolded them one by one. 

  “You want me to dress up as a woman?” Lotor gawked at the three, floor-length, form-fitting dresses:

•   one with a juniberry-floral pattern;
•   another plain gray dress;
•   and the last one bearing vertical stripes of lavender and blue.

  “Because I also love you in any shape or form…” she purred in his ear. “Besides, your charming eyes will match perfectly with any dress,” she simpered.

  He beamed a large impish smile.

  “Very well,” he took off his velvet frock.

  Although the temptation for the juniberry dress was high, the winner was the lavender & blue striped dress, because it felt more convincing for a Galran color palette, plus… it also enhanced his silhouette. The airy sleeves adorned his long arms, perfect choice for a mall-scaping adventure.

  She would have loved to see him wear high heels with that gorgeous dress, but running in stilettos could have posed big problems, so he preferred keeping his own pointed-toe boots on, peeking from under the long folds of the dress.

  After another ten minutes of shuffling and outfit try-ons, two new people emerged from the fitting rooms: A tall Galra lady in a long striped dress, wearing a purple head scarf covering the bottom half of her face, and a little Galra boy, dressed in a Pidge-style outfit - quite a trend in the empire after Voltron’s rise in popularity.

  While properly paying for their garments at the checkout and having removed the electronic tags, Kosmo discreetly made his way back into the shuttle, via tele-magic-cosmic powers.

  Proudly tucking their old clothes and the jewelry purchase into a new shopping bag, they walked out confidently. Somewhere in the distance, Varkon was loudly talking to a few Dalterians.

  “If they’re Alteans, you stand no chance, old man,” a teenage Dalterian laughed. “They can shape-shift and you’ll have no way of finding them.”

  “Ugh, those filthy, slippery Alteans! I knew why I didn’t like them,” Varkon grumbled.

  “Careful, man. The empress is Altean,” another guy chuckled.

  “You think she can shape-shift, too?” Varkon scratched the little patch of hair on top of his head.

  “Bro, she’s got more magic up her sleeve than you can ever imagine.”

  “Yeah, I like her,” a Krellian lady nodded as she stopped by, her two colorful antennae trembling from the motion.

  “I still don’t like Alteans if I can’t catch them,” Varkon wheezed. “I need to invent an Altean detection device!”

  Allura wanted so much to hear more of that conversation. Perhaps even ask them other questions. Hearing honest opinions from galactic citizens was eye-opening. Of course there was still a lot of work to do. Of course some still hated the Alteans. Of course others detested the Galra.

  “We should go shopping more often,” Allura looked up at Lotor and his eyes blinked in acknowledgement.

  “And Varkon needs an Altean scanner,” he added. “Plus a long vacation on Altea.”

  “That for sure!” she giggled. “Should we check out more stores?”

  “Heyy, how was the trip…” Shiro stopped mid-sentence, as Lotor emerged from the shuttle, trying to manage the tight dress and the distance to the platform base.

  “Smooth, babe, smooth…” Lance purred in admiration.

  “Oh… woww, you guys had more fun than we thought,” Keith folded his arms leisurely. “And what’s up with Allura dressed up like Pidge?”

  “Allura??” Pidge took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

  “It’s a long story… I need to take a shower and clean my hair,” Allura let out a content sigh, pulling out a pile of shopping bags from the cockpit and handing them one by one to Coran.

  “A scalp massager. I need one too!” Lance peeked inside one of the bags.

  Pidge measured him with critical eyes. “Lance, you know it’s impolite to peep into other people’s belongings.”

  “Hey, I just couldn’t help but notice it,” he shrugged. “Oh, whoa!” Lance stuck his nose into another bag. “L’Oreal Silver shampoo - Expert Series. This must be the salon version. Is it going to make your hair more curly?” he turned to Allura.

  “That is actually… not mine,” she glanced at Lotor, who was taking his shawl off, allowing the purple-dyed hair locks to flow freely.

  “Um… I need to go and remove my… enhancements,” the emperor cleared his throat, changing the subject. “And after that, Keith will have to explain to us why Kosmo was hiding in our transport.”

  Lance cackled. “Keith, you’re in troubleee!”

  “Hey, I was worried! I sent Kosmo to keep them out of trouble,” Keith replied with an edge in his tone.

  “Well guess what. He’s the troublemaker,” Allura pointed at the innocent wolf as she smirked at Keith, then pranced out of the docking station.

  “I smell… I smell something sweet,” Hunk sniffed about the air.

  “Oh, yes. We brought some blomfruit pies for everyone,” Lotor replied. “I hope your exquisite taste buds will find this to your liking.”

  “Romelle Bakerelle Pie Shop,” Hunk read the box label. “Hoho, I can’t wait to check them out.”

  “Oh, look, Kosmo got a new toy!” Lance pointed at the pink stuffed animal in Kosmo’s mouth. An octopus plush.

  Lotor finally reached the platform base, helped by Shiro’s powerful prosthetic arm. He threw an amused look at Kosmo, who was battling with the multi-legged toy, tossing it around. He certainly didn’t remember buying that for him. “Add the toy to the list of his shenanigans.”

  Lance exploded in laughter. “Shenanigans? When did you learn this new word, Lotor?”

  “I’m a fast learner, as you can see…” he pointed at his long dress, perfectly hugging his hips and torso.

  “Oh, for King Groggery’s beard, this trip was more dangerous that crawling through the Patrulian zone!” Coran exclaimed, as they finished their story, all gathered around the dinner table.

  Allura joyfully patted the wolf’s head. “Had it not been for Kosmo’s furry tail…” 

  “Next time I’ll shave his tail, aight?” Keith pulled a frustrated face.

  “That would be insulting for the poor beast,” Dayak spoke with pathos.

  Suddenly, Lotor’s vambrace beeped. “Ezor,” he opened the comm screen.

  “Heyy boss… Do you happen to know why… thirty-thousand GACs have suddenly vanished from my bank account, all gone into a mysterious “quantum fund”? I figured I’d ask you first, since it had the Kova logo all over it.”

  “My deepest apologies, Ezor. Your finances are being restored as we speak, and I have doubled your stipend for the next six months, as reparations for the trouble caused.”

  “Ohh, so it was you!” Ezor grew excited. “Zethrid almost alerted the galactic fraud department. I’m glad I talked to you first. And hey… double my salary for life! I deserve it,” she winked back.

  Zethrid’s raspy voice resounded somewhere in the background. “Poor Lotor… Doesn’t he sit on an intergalactic pile of GACs? I guess he needed to secretly buy something kinky for Allura?”

  “I can hear you, Zethrid!” Lotor raised his voice.

  “I mean…” Zethrid popped her head into the screen, “correct me if I’m wrong…”

  “I can hear you, too!” Allura cut in.

  “The kwinky item in discussion is actually a very becoming jewelry set,” Coran replied haughtily.

  “Aw, jewelry…” Ezor grinned ironically. “Of course, of course…” her voice turned all sweet, the sarcasm clearly implied. Why would Lotor need to conceal innocent jewelry expenses?

  “Speaking of jewelry, where is your lovely… ruby pendant?” Coran asked Allura.

  For a short tick, Allura’s face blanched. “Oh, I must have left it in one of the shopping bags, along with the clothes. I’ll… I’ll go check.”

  A sudden shift in atmosphere fell upon the room. Lotor threw a long look in Allura’s wake, then he returned to Ezor. “I shall explain everything. Please excuse me,” he closed the comms.

  “Allura, are you alright?” Lotor stepped into their bedroom.

  “It must be here, tucked inside the clothes. It must be,” she whimpered, shaking all the garments from the shopping bags, including the new swimwear items.

   He kept silent, allowing her to handle and inspect each piece. No trace of the pendant.

  “It was my great-great-grandmother’s,” she dropped to her knees. “It can’t be. I lost it, Lotor. I lost it.”

  “There are ways to find it, do not despair,” he calmed her down, gently running his hand over her back.

  “It is a historical piece of jewelry, Lotor. For an expert eye, it screams “house of King Alfor” all over it.”

  He spoke softly. “Right. Last I remember, it was hanging from a wall hook inside the fitting room while we were changing. Someone must have found it and brought it to the lost and found section.”

  “Or took it home,” Allura closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.

  “We have many ways to find it,” Lotor reassured her.

  “Oh please, not through that Varkon guy…” she grumbled.

  Meanwhile, after the mall closed for the night. Ounilous’ back office

  “Mm,” the four-armed jeweler inspected the ruby pendant through his loupe. He blinked apathetically, although for a quick second, his teal sclerae sparkled.

  “So, what’s the verdict?” Varkon asked with big eyes.

  “It’s just a cheap alchemic imitation of ruby,” Ounilus croaked. “Might as well toss it in the trash,” he dropped the pendant into a bin next to him.

  “Are you sure?” Varkon frowned. “Perhaps we should keep it for a while.”

  “Nah, they won’t risk the trouble, just for a shard of glass. Forget this ever existed,” the Unilu gestured with one hand, while the other three remained in various poses expressing boredom.

  After a few seconds of intense thinking, Varkon agreed. “You’re right. Thank you for your kind expertise. Vrepit Sa!”

  “My pleasure. Always here to help the empire when needed,” he replied with aplomb, while his lower right hand felt about through the papers in the trash bin under his desk, swiftly retrieving the gold chain and along with it, the intrepid pendant.