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“Hmmmmmm,” Coran hummed to himself while he looked over some of the castle’s information.
“What is it Coran?” Allura asked from her place across the table from him.
“Well, something just isn’t adding up,” Coran said looking up from the tablet he had. Allura looked at him concerned.
“Is there a problem with the castle?” Allura asked. Coran shook his head.
“No. At least, I don’t think there is a problem with the castle,” Coran trailed off. Allura’s expression changed to one of confusion.
“What do you mean Coran?”
“Well, you see Princess,” Coran started, turning his tablet to show Allura what was displayed. “I was overlooking some things because I was curious about the sewing room.”
“Why are you concerned about the sewing room?” Allura asked, more confused than before.
“I have noticed that all of our clothes are being taken care of. Torn shirts are coming back repaired, new hems have been added to some clothes, and the like along with new clothes showing up out of seemingly nowhere. If I remember correctly, our sewing room didn’t have anything in it to do such things. We have always had a tailor in that room. I thought maybe there was a bug or something or maybe someone had snuck into the castle and been doing this but there is nothing to be reported other than the room has been in use,” Coran explained. Allura nodded.
“Couldn't it be one of the paladins? Hunk, for instance,” Allura offered.
“Maybe. I’m going to go look down there now. I am quite curious as to who is mending all of our clothes,” Coran announced, standing from the dining room table.
“Very well. I am going to see if someone is willing to spare with me. I can only sit still for so long,” Allura nodded, standing as well. Coran sweat dropped. He felt sorry for whoever ended up her sparring partner. Allura never went easy during a sparring match.
Coran and Allura went their separate ways and headed out deeper into the castle. On the way to the sewing room, Coran thought of who could be using the room out of the paladins.
His first thought was Hunk. The boy seemed well put together, especially in the home care sense. He could cook and clean and offered a reassuring and loving aura. He seemed the most likely.
Next, he thought of Pidge. The young girl offered surprises around every corner. While the young girl was very much a tomboy, Coran knew of many girls that seemed rough and tumble but loved to sew. They claimed that it helped calm them down.
After Pidge, Coran thought of Keith. From what he heard, the boy was living on his own. Surly Keith would have picked up how to fix a few of his things by himself. He might even use it as an escape. Keith was known to disappear for a short amount of time every day to be alone.
Then there was Shiro and Lance. Sadly, both seemed to be the type that couldn't thread a needle. Shiro had many great qualities, but when it came to delicate handy work, he always ruined it. Lance on the other hand just seemed to energy filled and fueled by interaction. It made no sense for him to isolate himself with an art that requires patience and being able to sit still for long periods of time.
By the time Coran finished narrowing down the suspects, he was almost to the sewing room. With each step he took, the louder the hum of a Altean sewing mation could be heard. It seemed that the culprit was making a garment from the patterns the hum offered.
“Well, no use dilly dallying. Let’s see who our helpful little tailor is,” Coran said opening the door to the sewing room.
The door slid open and revealed the room to be a mess of fabrics. Colors and patters were thrown about in an almost organised fashion. Stray thimbles and empty spindles of thread were among the mess. Finished and half finished garments were mixed in around the room. Coran almost chuckled at the sight, knowing the previous head seamstress would have thrown a fit if they saw the room like this.
It was when Coran looked closer did he notice who was the cause to the whole mess. Sitting amongst the mess of fabric and clothing sat Lance, all too focussed on the dress he was making.
“Lance, my boy, so it was you all along,” Coran suddenly spoke up, startling the boy.
Lance fell to the floor in a comedic manner and quickly hurried to stand up and seem casual. Luckily, the dress looked like it hadn’t been ruined in the fall.
“Oh dear, my bad. Didn’t mean to scare you there.”
“Coran! What are you doing here!? I thought this area of the castle was left alone. No one ever comes over here!” Lance yelped. Coran chuckled.
“It usually is. But back in the day, this used to be the backbone of the castle. All of the servants of the castle lived here and spent a lot of time in this area to accomplish most of their jobs,” Coran began to ramble.
“Um, Coran, not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?” Lance asked, interrupting Coran.
“Oh, right! That was what I was going to ask you my boy. I was wondering who it was that had been fixing up clothes and making up new ones. So I came on down here and look at who I found. None other than our darling Lance,” Coran smiled. Lance blushed.
“Um, yeah. I found this place one day and kinda got excited. I hope you don’t mind,” Lance explained, scratching the back of his neck.
“Of course not. It is always helpful to have someone around that knows how to sew. But, why didn’t you mention it before?” Coran asked, curious that such a talent was kept quiet. Lance turned red.
“Well, I was kinda made fun of it when I was younger. Kids didn’t seem to think boys should know how to sew, but my mom was a seamstress so I learned how to sew the moment I could hold a needle and thread. I guess it just kinda got to me after all those years of being made fun of so when I joined the Garrison, I just kept quiet about it,” Lance explained, looking down. Coran hummed to himself.
“I don’t know why knowing such an important skill would be looked down upon. Back on Altea, it was more common for a man to know how to sew then to not. Everyone needed to know how to hold their own if the need ever arises. No one is going to help you if you live alone and don’t know how to cook or how to fix the button that popped off your jacket,” Coran offered. Lance looked up at Coran in awe. “Now, if I know the members of our crew like I think I do, then none of them should care if you sew. In fact, I do believe that everyone would love to know who has been making their new clothes and fixing up their old ones.”
“Thanks Coran. You really know how to make a guy cheer up,” Lance smiled. Coran offered a proud grin while he began to play with his mustache.
“Now if you don’t mind my asking, what were you working on?” Coran asked, looking over at the half finished outfit sitting at the sewing machine. Lance’s face light up.
“I was working on a new dress for Allura! I was thinking about a dress that would help bring out her eyes a bit more since they are that cool color and, like, maybe including more pink!” Lance exclaimed. Coran chuckled.
“You seem to really like designing clothes,” Coran commented. Lance nodded.
“My plan was that if the whole fighter pilot thing didn’t work out then I would try to become a designer while helping out with my mom at her shop,” Lance explained.
“Now that sounds like a grand idea,” Coran encouraged. Lance seemed to brighten up even more. “Why don’t you tell me more about what else you are working on. I’d love to see what you’ve been brewing up in that head hole of yours.”