Jira made sure to give herself some distance from her brothers as they sped away from the Kafa. Junx, like usual, had won the argument with Jinx, but Jira knew that Junx must have used his ability on him; he had no qualms with using it on Jinx freely just to annoy him. Junx led them down a road that paved through the jungle, until he veered to the left, taking them through the trees. Jira slowed the bike down as soon as they left the road and put further distance between the two bikes.

“Um, what are you doing?” Keith asked her.

“Hold on,” Jira said. She abruptly kicked the bike into reverse and could feel it take Keith by surprise. He grabbed onto her shoulders as she pulled them back on to the road and raced down it. The wind rushed through her hair, loosening her braid, but she didn’t mind; the sensation was liberating in a way.

“Where are we going?” Keith yelled to her. He was still clinging to her shoulders, as if expecting her to pull another sudden move.

She turned her head slightly and yelled back, “We’re losing those two flubgrubbers! Besides, I have a better place to show you anyway.”

After years of exploring the jungle surrounding the Kafa, she had discovered secret pockets that she liked to go to for some alone time. Having learned the way by heart, she navigated them through the foliage and over a few streams until she found a good stopping place in a small clearing.

“If you were looking for a good, isolated place to kill me off, great job,” Keith said as they got off the bike.

“I’m not going to kill you,” Jira laughed and started to walk through the thick line of trees. It was dark, but she knew the way well enough to trust her senses. “Though I could definitely take you if I wanted,” she said, turning to stop and grin at him.

“You don’t seem too sorry about attacking me earlier today,” he said with a smirk. “So what is the Fountain and why is this place we’re going to better?”

“The Fountain is a hot springs just up the mountain. Quintessence has seeped into the rocks, which has made it a popular spot to go to. But where we’re going is better, in my opinion, and not many people know about it.”

“Do your brothers?”

She sighed. “Yeah, but I think we bought ourselves some time… I’m sorry about the confusion in the barracks. That was my bad. I should have clarified and my brothers can be really embarrassing.”

Keith was walking closely behind her, but she glanced back to see him with a small smile. “It’s okay. Are you the youngest?”

“We’re triplets, but I’m the middle one right after Junx.”

“Your poor mom.”

“You have no idea,” Jira muttered. Ahead of her, she saw a dim light in the distance and knew that they were getting close. The trees were now closer together, so they had to carefully wind their way around them.

“What about you?” She asked him. “Do you have siblings?”

Keith didn’t answer right away and she paused to see that his expression looked conflicted.

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me.”

“No, it was just me and my dad growing up,” he said quietly.

“On earth?”

Keith nodded and Jira kept walking, not wanting to push him further. If she had to guess, his mom was a Galra, but she didn’t think it was the best time to bring it up.

Jira pushed pass the last line of trees and brought him to their destination. They were now in a large clearing, at the edge of a small body of water that glowed with a pale green light. In the middle of the water, was a massive tree with roots that twisted up over the water and curled all around them. The green Quintessence glowed within the tree as well; a faint light shone through cracks in the bark, leading up into the branches. The tree was so large that it covered the water like a large canopy of leaves, making the area seem more private and enclosed.

“Well?” Jira waited for his response, but Keith was transfixed by the sight in front of him. Jira smiled triumphantly and looked around.

“My brothers and I stumbled across this place a few years ago. I haven’t seen anything else like it in Olorin, but there’s probably as much Quintessence here as there is in the Kafa,” Jira said. “… we promised not to tell anyone though; we kinda wanted to keep it our secret. But it’s not like anyone would try to extract the Quintessence here, so we didn’t think any harm would come by just keeping it secret,” she said defensively.

“Why did you show me then?” Keith asked as he neared the water.

“Because I trust you,” she stated.

He squatted down over the water and ran his hand through it. “But you don’t really know me.”

“True… but I know that you have good intentions.” She squatted down to join him and cupped some water in her hands. The Quintessence didn’t actually turn the water green, but it was in the ground, making the water seem that way upon first glance. Jira let the water seep slowly through her hands and avoided looking at Keith.

“What do you mean?”

A nervous lump caught in her throat. She didn’t really like having this conversation with people, but after attacking him earlier today, she felt she owed him an explanation. “I don’t have telepathic powers, but I can sense people’s true intentions…” Keith’s brow furrowed in confusion, so Jira hurried to explain herself. “The more I interact with someone, the easier I can read them. Physically touching them works well, especially if they’re asleep or unconscious… so that’s why I ripped your mask off and touched you. I wanted to know why you came to Eioa.”

“You couldn’t just… ask me?”

Jira chuckled. “How would I have known that you were telling the truth if I had just asked you?”

“Okay, fine,” Keith rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his mouth. “So you can detect lies, kinda?”

“Well, I guess? Sometimes I know someone’s intentions before they even realize it themselves. Sometimes what I read from a person doesn’t make any sense until later down the road. With you, I knew right away. You were looking for the Grangint because you were in trouble. You weren’t here to cause any trouble.”

Keith eyed her nervously. “So have you been… reading me this whole time we’ve been together?”

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“Uh, well,” Jira averted her attention and stuck her hands back in the water. “I’ve been trying not to. When people find out about my ability, some act kinda… weird around me for a little bit. Can’t say I blame them. It’s a pretty intrusive ability.”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” Keith said hastily. “I just- sorry. You said you trusted me though. So you must have read me after we first met, just to be sure that you could trust me, right?”

Jira looked at him hesitantly. She really had been trying not to read him and she didn’t think doing so without telling him was a good way to start off a friendship. Even still, she wanted to be sure that she made the right call in bringing him here. Jira reached out to touch his arm, but stopped herself. She sometimes hated relying on her ability in order to put trust in others.

“If you want to be sure, I get it,” Keith said.

“You sure?” Jira asked. Keith gently took her hand and pressed her palm against his cheek.

“People have been touching my face all day, so I guess I should get used to it.”

“Oh, I don’t have to be touching your face to read you.”

Keith tensed up and his eyes grew wide. “Oh! I just assumed-”

Jira couldn’t help but laugh, which only made him tense up more beneath her touch, but he didn’t move away from her hand.

The pale light from the water shone on his face and reflected back into his eyes. She had never seen someone with skin like his before and found herself fascinated by it, but she didn’t want to be like Horm and weird him out. Compared to his dark hair and eyes, she thought his skin was a nice contrast.

Jira could sense a warmth radiating from him and she smiled. “I trust you,” she said. “And I want to be your friend too.”

Keith quickly turned his head away from her, breaking their contact. “Great,” he said, his voice subtly cracking. Jira smirked and stood up.

“Come on, I want to show you something else,” she said. She rolled up her pajama pants up and walked into the water a ways. Keith did the same and tentatively followed her. Jira put a hand in the water and pulled out a decent sized rock. With both arms, she swung back and flung it back into the water.

Keith scoffed. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see.” The water rippled around them for a moment, then bubbles slowly started to rise to the surface. They grew larger, filled with the same pale green, and rested on the surface of the water. Jira stepped up on to one and quickly hopped to the next bubble before it had the chance to pop.

She darted from bubble to bubble, getting closer to the massive tree in the center. “Come on!” she yelled, quickly glancing back to Keith. He shook his head slightly and hopped onto one; he was faster than she expected and he soon caught up to her. They raced to the edge of the tree, where Jira jumped onto a thick root and waited for him to reach her. He followed her up the root to the trunk of the tree where she rested her hand on the bark. Where her hand rested, the light glowed brighter beneath the bark. Keith stood beside her and placed his hands on the tree and the Quintessence reacted the same.

“I’ve never seen Quintessence like this before,” he said. “What was Horm saying about the Hauhet affecting it in some way?”

“Because the Hauhet’s life source is connected to the planet, he believes that it’s somehow refining or filtering it; that the Hauhet is the reason some of us are born with abilities. We know more about the Quintessence than we do the Hauhet, to be honest.”

“It seems like it would make this planet dangerous to live on.”

If we just left the Quintessence alone, then I don’t think we’d ever have problems with the Hauhet… but sometimes you risk your safety in order to uncover the truth,” she shrugged. “Eioans have always held that belief.”

“Knowledge or death,” Keith said quietly. “That’s what the Blade of Marmora believes.”

Jira eyed him carefully. “I grew up hearing stories about the Blade from the Grangint. You’ve done a lot to fight back against the empire. I’m sure you’ve been all kinds of places…” she said wistfully. “... how long have you been apart of the Blade?”

Keith slid his hands down the tree and folded his arms. “Not very long... I was a paladin before that.”

“A paladin? Wait… you were apart of Voltron?” She asked, her curiosity and excitement growing. “Why did you leave that for the Blade?”

“To uncover the truth,” he said, avoiding her curious gaze. Jira knew he didn’t intend on telling her right now, so she reluctantly changed the subject.

“Well... “ she smiled at him. “I told you you could ask me any questions you had. So if you want, ask away.”

Keith looked relieved that she didn’t press him any further. “What’s the deal with your brothers? What abilities do they have?... and should I be worried about them hating me?”

“No,” Jira laughed. “Junx takes awhile to warm up to people, but he doesn’t mean any harm. Jinx just likes to egg people on and push their buttons. Junx can manipulate emotions, but I don’t think he used his ability on you tonight, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Jinx can manipulate a person’s speed and strength to match his own, which makes him a pain to deal with in a fight. Arguments between my brothers can lead to some interesting results.”

“Remind me to not pick any fights with them, then,” Keith said. “Why did you all decide to join Zalko’s Elites?”

“My brothers liked the chance to use their fighting skills… and I just think Jinx likes the suits. As for myself, it was a good compromise. Our mom didn’t want us to join General Wunrik’s troops; he keeps Olorin safe from the Hauhet. They also go on campaigns to track it down and try to study it. Staying at the Kafa keeps us closer and safer.”

“Sounds like you wanted to join Wunrik though,” Keith said, sitting down against the tree. Jira joined him and braided her hair again.

“I thought it was my best chance at seeing more of Eioa… but I can understand why she wanted it this way, and I can respect that decision.”

“Have you ever been outside of Olorin?”

Jira looked at Keith and felt a tinge of longing. He had travelled all over the universe and seen seen so many planets and cultures, all for a noble cause. She had never even been outside of her district. She shook her head and pulled her legs up to her chest.

“Not yet,” she smiled, but it felt forced.

“AH HA!” A voice cried from across the water and Jira and Keith looked over to see Jinx and Junx standing near the shore.

“I knew you were gonna sneak off and come here,” Jinx said victoriously. Jira rolled her eyes and stood up.

“Go away!” She hollered back to him and her two brothers gave them cross scowls.

Jinx turned his attention to Keith. “Because you intruded on this planet and snuck off with our sister, I challenge you to a fight, Ghost Boy!”

“No thanks,” Keith replied and Jinx’s face twisted in anger.

“You can’t do that! He can’t do that, right?” he said to Junx who just shrugged a response.

“He just wants to show off,” Jira said. “But we should probably head back anyway… before they come out here and join us.” The bubbles had disappeared, so they opted to find a root that would connect them back to the other side. Once they got over to the shore, Jinx and Junx met them.

“Did you tell him about my ability?” Jinx asked, looking worried.

“All I told him was that you sore so loud, you scare yourself awake, is that what you mean?” Jira sneered at him.

“That’s true, remember that time during basic training?” Junx said with a low chuckle. Jinx harrumphed as the four of them made their way back to the bikes. Jira gave Keith an apologetic look, but he seemed amused at their interaction. Once they reached her bike, Jira waited for him before getting on.

“Do you want to drive it back?” She asked.

Keith’s face lit up. “Really? It’s been a while since I’ve driven a hoverbike,” he said, eagerly getting on to the bike.

“Just try not to kill us.” She climbed up behind him, unsure of where to hold on. It had been a long time since she was a passenger on a hoverbike and they didn’t really have great handles in the back. Keith whirled the bike on and leaned forward.

“Ready?” He asked, taking off before she could give him an answer. Jira grabbed onto his shirt and pulled herself closer to him.

“Guess that was payback,” she grumbled. He maneuvered the bike with impressive speed and skill through the jungle, leaving Junx and Jinx behind. Jira realized she was still holding onto his shirt tightly and loosened her grip. Though, he was going fast enough to where she felt uncomfortable letting go completely. Keith made a sharp turn and Jira instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist.

“I thought I said not to try and kill us!” She yelled in his ear. Keith laughed; a loud and genuine laugh that she hadn’t heard from him since they met and Jira realized with a sharp pain in her chest that she enjoyed the sound of it.