There has to be an After for Us ~ (shadam / klance)

Chapter 22 - Flame

Red and Blue clung to each other and their inner lights flickered, threatening to go out. But when one would go, the other would re-light their flame and vice versa. And so the flame danced like this, passing light back and forth between the two until it merged into one bright glow, piercing through the dark.

**********

Krolia studied her son's still face at close range.

Near her Matt was poking at Pidge while Romelle was snapping her fingers in front of Hunk's face.

"See," said Coran. "I told you. They're unresponsive. It's strange. I don't like what this Seyoncé's done to them."

"Seyoncé?" repeated Matt, stepping out of the circle of entranced paladins.

"Yeah, it's all here in this invite," said Coran, pulling out the handwritten note Lance had pushed under his door.

"Oh, I got one of those," said Romelle, coming over to look. "But I don't read English so it all looked like scribbles to me."

Matt took the note from Coran so he could read it himself.

"Of course I barely read Altean either," continued Romelle. "The education system was pretty limited in the colony. Lotor liked to keep the masses uneducated. Help prevent an uprising by keeping us ignorant."

"This word is pronounced séance," said Matt. "It's where you attempt to contact the dead to communicate with them. It's something humans do, but it's always a hoax." Matt looked at the Alteans who were starring at him and remembered that magic is real... "Okay, it might be real."

"Well, why didn't they tell me they wanted to contact the dead?" asked Coran.

"They did..."

"I have three different Altean methods for contacting the dead and only all of three require a blood sacrifice. The trick is to draw blood for your foot instead of your hand so your hand remains useful. Of course it's always difficult to walk the next day..."

"If they're contacting the dead," said Romelle. "How come they're asleep and there's no ghosties here?" She looked around, narrowing her eyes.

Matt flipped the note over. "Oh okay, so they were looking to travel to the astral plane."

"That means their quintessence isn't in their bodies!" gasped Coran. "They're just empty vessels!"

"Maybe I'm glad I missed the invite then," said Romelle.

"Everything okay?" asked Matt, noticing how Krolia was taking her son's pulse.

"A moment ago Keith's blood pressure appeared to be dropping," said Krolia. "But now... It's normal. Perhaps I read it wrong, but then this one..." She turned to Lance. "Is displaying mild signs of human arousal."

"Which for Lance is..." said Matt, "...perfectly normal. I don't think we have anything to worry about. I mean the idea of their souls not being in their bodies is freaky, but considering all they've been through and come out fine, what's the worst that could happen?"

"They could never wake up and we'd become the new paladins," said Romelle. "I call the head!"

"Dibs on the head," said Matt too late. "Aw quiznak... I call an arm!"

"I call an arm!" said Krolia and Coran at the same time.

"So our Voltron will have three arms, a head, and no legs?" said Coran, holding both his arms out and pointing his fingers like guns.

Matt went behind him and added his arm by sticking it under Coran's armpit.

"And I'll form the head," said Romelle, deepening her voice. She climbed up on Matt's back and held her arms up in a circle to create the illusion of a giant head.

"I think it's best we get some sleep," said Krolia, shutting down the silliness. "We can check on them in the morning."

Romelle, Coran, and Matt shared a look then started following Krolia back to the Garrison.

"Unless...," said Matt, stopping himself and looking back at the circle of paladins. Coran and Romelle stopped and leaned in. "We take the opportunity to pull some slumber party pranks."

"What are slumber party pranks?" asked Romelle.

"Oh you know," said Matt. "Writing on their faces, sticking their hand in a bowl of water to see if it makes them pee, putting shaving cream on their hand then tickling their face with a feather, freezing their bras..."

"I don't believe my son is wearing a bra," said Krolia.

Matt shrugged. "We'll improvise."