It seems as though he can’t catch a break today.

When he eventually gets an answer as to who this intruder is, Shiro finds himself caught off guard all over again. It’s not as extreme as it was with the lions, but there is absolutely a look of surprise that crosses his face. Keith Kogane. So not only does this guy look similar to Keith, but they have the same name? This is either some huge cosmic coincidence, or something strange is going on. Perhaps the idea of a Keith from the future or another universe shouldn’t seem so bizarre and come across as a possibility, what with everything he’s seen and been through at this point, but… Shiro is still trying to lean toward massive coincidence.

     “Okay. Just try to hang in there,” he tells the second Kogane once he gets answers to the rest of his questions. From the sound of it, he should get this stranger to Coran to be looked over and possibly put into one of the healing pods. Soon too, since it’s clear he’s back and forth between losing consciousness, and if there’s one thing you don’t want with a concussion, it’s to fall asleep.

Before he can move to help this Keith back to his feet, however, Shiro’s distracted by Allura’s voice as she comes down, looking for him. By the time he looks back a second later, wondering in the back of his mind how to explain the scene she’s about to walk into, Keith is unconscious. Figures.

What he knows of the situation is explained to Allura, and she’s as frustrated as he with the lack of actual information, if not more so. However, she does agree that it’s best to get him medical attention. They can question him more thoroughly when he’s awake and less shaken by injury and concussion. Thus, Shiro scoops the stranger up and follows Allura’s lead back up to the main area of the castle, both of them avoiding being spotted by the other Paladins, not wanting to have to try explaining this mess to them, too.

In the medical room, Coran gets a look at all the injuries Shiro tells him he heard about from the other and ends up determining that a few hours in the healing pods should be enough to fix him right up. God, he’s thankful for Altean technology… Without it, this process and every other severe injury would take so much longer to be dealt with. With Coran’s assistance, they get this second Keith into one of the pods and let it do its thing. The room slowly empties out as time passes, but Shiro remains there in one of the seats, waiting to have this bizarre day explained further – Allura and Coran are working together to see if they can’t come up with an explanation for a second Black Lion and how it ended up directly in the hangar without being noticed or the pilot himself being aware, so he hopes they come up with something. Until they do or until Keith wakes up, however, he’s here, waiting patiently for something to change.

   – “I’m fine. Are you okay? I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else, I don’t know any Shiro’s.“ An eyebrow raises in curiosity, before both quickly knit together in concern. This man – Shiro, he supposes – seemed extremely set on believing that Keith was someone else. His twin, apparently, if the hair was the only difference.

• “Can I take a stab?”
• “Who gave him a knife?!”
• “Oh, I like dramatic twists!”
• “No, you can’t play with us!”
• “I’m not always the bad guy.”
• “That was dark even for ME.”
• “Avoiding things is my specialty.”
• “I’m sorry, what is happening here?”
• “I am a knight, thank you very much!”
• “How could you do it? I trusted you…”
• “Feelings… the bane of my existence.”
• “Can’t be a bad video if you never make one.”
• “Bleak. But, I appreciate you trying to contribute.”
• “And, as usual, you were completely unnecessary.”
• “Well, if it’s not a perfect idea, it’s not good enough!”
• “Look, I am out there living the fanciful dream, okay?”
• “HA! I LIKE that nickname and I’m gonna use it, now!”
• “Did you actually look in a mirror when you put that on?”
• “Um, rude much? I was just touching up my eyeshadow.”
• “Shush and make a face of agreement like everyone else.”
• “HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO SIR SING-A-LOT THAT WAY!”
• “I have reason to believe YOU are the cause of our conundrum!”
• “Whatever comes, you have to allow yourself to make mistakes.”
• “Yeah, that has put me in some bad last-minute situations, before…”
• “And, when in doubt, remember everything we do is all pointless, anyway.”
• “I am the cause of this. But I’m also the solution… to a problem I had caused.”
• “It was in my cardigan since my character was first introduced, isn’t that something?”
• “There’s an infinitesimal amount of things in this bizarre, massive universe, brimming with exciting mysteries, and you don’t really know what to talk about?”
• “Am I in a paradoxal loop where I endlessly generate a problem and try to solve it like a snake devouring its oWN TAIL IN ORDER TO SATIATE ITS HUNGER?”