She sighed, “yeah.”

“Then Diplomatic Status is the fastest way to get that. You’ll be representing the Alteans on the Lilliput, so Allura is invested.”

“I’m going to look like an idiot,” she huffed, “I don’t DO fancy.”

“Not buying it, sorry. I’ve seen too many home movies to believe that.”

“I really hate that Lance figured out that his voice match unlocked allllll the home movies and photos.” Uncrossing her arms, she shrugged and opened the box, “ohhh no! Nope! Not putting this on my body.”

“Lia, it’s not that bad.”

“Yes it is.”

“It’s a perfectly lovely dress. Adam helped pick it out.”

“Traitor,” she hissed, “he’s dead to me.”

“For the love of- you two have to STOP with the whole ‘dead to me’ joke. It’s really not funny. We are still at war...”

“Which is why it is funny,” she insisted, ”it’s fucking hilarious... and I do NOT wear dresses.” She rummaged through the box, hoping that the dress was a gag. A misdirect. She did not find a tailored suit, or any kind of pants at all, for that matter. She did, however, find a pair of heels that looked like torture devices- all sparkly straps and thin, tiny spike heels. “Stilettos? I don’t wear heels- especially not open-toed, rhinestone encrusted strappy heels. This is a mess!”

“It’s one night...”

“No. I’m NOT putting this on. I don’t know why Allura thought I would- I didn’t even wear a dress when I got MARRIED. I haven’t worn a dress in over a decade, Shiro- and even then it was for a pretend tea party with Esme.”

“I’m not sure there’s time-”

“I just won’t go.”

“Again, this is the fastest way to get what you want. It’s one night. One party.”

“I can’t fight in this,” she said levelly, holding the dress to her frame to illustrate her point. It WAS a lovely dress- creamy white satin overlaid with lace in a purple so dark it would look black against anything but that white. It was simple, a column gown with cap sleeves, square neck-line, and a long slit up one side of the skirt. It would look amazing on her. Adam and Allura were so thrilled about finding something so flattering that wasn’t fussy or hyper-feminine. “Especially not on my tiptoes. Shoes are meant to PROTECT the foot, not... whatever the hell those things do!”

“Those ‘things’ make your legs look nice... and I doubt you will have to fight- it’s a party.”

“You know what makes my legs look nice? Wrapping them around the head of a beautiful woman. That makes them look fucking AMAZING!”

Shiro groaned, “I really didn’t need that image, Lia.”

“Yeah, well I really didn’t need,” she toed the box again, “ANY of this!”

“It’s a party, Lia,” he tried again, “you like parties- I know this for a fact. Sure, it is fancy, but it is still just a party. You know, a very high security party.”

“Look at my face and guess how much that reassures me. Do you have any idea how many fights I’ve gotten into at parties?”

“It’s not that kind of party, Lia.”

“Yes, it really is, Shiro. You don’t know my life!” Dropping the dress back into the box, she made a gesture that ringed her face, “BAD at the whole diplomacy thing, remember?”

“Well,” he prompted, “do you have any BETTER options at hand?”

“I... actually, I just might!”

“Oh, this should be good,” he muttered, following her out of the room and down the hall to... actually, he had no idea what that particular room was. He didn’t spend as much time in Lia’s family’s quarters as the others did.

“Ryung’s room,” she explained, gesturing to the barren space. He looked around as she disappeared into the closet. There were clear outlines on the walls that indicated that they’d been plastered in posters at one point, and several empty instrument and music stands. A bin of wires and circuit boards sat near a small desk that was covered in marker doodles and notes.

“Awww YEAH! It’s still here!” There was some rustling, the sound of a zipper, and a couple of clunks that he guessed were her boots. “I fucking LOVE Altean clothes! Made to accommodate shapeshifters soooo... Alfie’s old shit fits me!”

She stepped out of the closet and did a little pirouette, “tada! Do you know what this is?”

“Uh... it looks KIND OF like something Coran would wear? Other than the uh... shirt... thing.”

“The shirt thing is a corset, Shiro,” she tsked, picking some kind of lint off of her cuff. She was wearing tight black leggings that had a gold strip up the outside of the legs. The boots she pulled on over them were deep purple edged in gold and extended up over her knees, the highest point of the gentle slope sitting at about mid-thigh. The stylized cut of the Altean coat fell longer in the back than he’d seen, reminding him a little of the old ‘tails’ style of tuxedo coats. The high, stylized collar was that same deep purple edged in gold, and the rest of the coat was black with gold highlights. He could see the lining when she moved, and the pale lavender was almost the exact shade as her skin and matched the gloves she was wearing.

“You look...ummm...”

“Kind of like a sexy lesbian pirate? Why, yes... I very much DO,” she laughed, “but actually, this is official garb for the royal house of Altea. Or, at least, it is back in my timeline. There’s this whole thing where the Crown Heir creates a custom palette that represents their station and is made official by Royal decree... yadda, yadda, yadda... BUT the important thing is that HERE, there is no Alfie and no Alfie means no Crown Prince and THAT means that this glorious creation is just a very, very well made formal Altean suit. Completely appropriate for me to wear to a gala.”

“Uh-huh, so you just need a shirt, then,” he sighed. Adam would be livid that she rejected the ‘perfect gown’ they’d picked out for her, but at least Lia would BE THERE. So, fine. Whatever. Sexy pirate Altean whatever. He wasn’t fighting with her anymore. She could be so exhausting... it was as if she could summon the most frustrating traits of all four of the people that contributed to her genesis- and annoyingly ‘stubborn and willful’ were traits they ALL had a tad too much of.

“Ummm... I HAVE a shirt,” she pointed at the corset.

“That’s underwear... isn’t it?” 

“Ehhh yes and no. It’s either. But, hey, it’s black satin. It looks nice and formal. This is what I’m wearing.”

“Sure. Okay. Just... send a pic to Adam and Allura so you don’t blindside them.”

“Will do. Ooooh! You think I can wear the ceremonial SWORD?? I saw it in the back of the closet...”

He stared at her, her whole face absolutely alight at the possibility. He didn’t even know why he was surprised. Keith’s kid. She was Keith’s kid. Of COURSE she had a thing for swords. “It’s a PARTY,” he repeated, not really sure why she couldn’t grasp this concept.

“Yeah,” she sighed, her face melting into a pout, “a sword is way too obvious. Blaster it is. I can hide that easy in this coat.”

“Lia!”

“What?”

“A PARTY!”

“Yeah?”

“No weapons. Leave the weapons to the security detail.”

“But-”

“No BUT! No. No weapons. Got it?”

“I’m pretty sure I should be armed,” she countered. “My history suggests that I sho-”

“Lia! This is not your original timeline! Noooo weapons. Leave it to your security detail.”

“Wait... MY security detail? I have a specific security detail?”

“Yep,” he turned on his heel and exited the room. He wasn’t supposed to let that detail slip.

She jogged after him, “Shibo? Shiiiiiiiiibo? Do you know who my security detail is?”

“Hmmm? Oh, wow- look at the time. I’m sure you have... uh... hair? and umm make-up to do? You’re Lance’s kid so... like some kind of face mask maybe? And uhh... I still need to get ready.”

“Shiro...” She stopped, eyeing him suspiciously. “No. Oh God, please NO! It can’t be... he’s like one of the shining stars of the whole...” her shoulders sank, “seriously?? GRIFFIN! I hate that guy!”

“Yeah- I know. It wasn’t my decision. Blame Iverson.” He waved as he ducked out the door, “see you in a couple of hours!”