Pidge looked at herself in the mirror and barely recognizes her reflection. Puffy flowing dress down to the floor, A long purple wing, its hair's twisted and braided over her head like a crown, the straps of the decorative Vale interwoven into the braid. The Vale hanging over half her face made to mask her eye colour; the shade of her eyes a slightly different shade than the duchess she was pretending to be.

"Allura this won't work, I... I can't handle big parties, I can't even be myself at large get-togethers" Pidge explained, this was a bad plan a really bad plan "how the hell am I supposed to pretend to be a Duchess? Especially one that supports the Galra Empire?" Pidge questioned looking over at Allura, Lance coming back from a side closet with more decorative accessories for her hair.

"Head forward, please" Lance requested taking his stance behind her. Pidge reluctantly turning her head back to the mirror hating the sight of herself right now.

"it will be alright Pidge, Duchess Rukul is well known to be quiet reclusive even during parties." the princesses explained

"Relax Pidge, just remember what that undercover blade member said, the one that usually escorts Duchess" Lance hummed trying to recall the guy's name.

"Lucaus" Pidge Provided.

"Yeah him" Lance nodded his eyes not leaving her hair.

Pidge recalled his words and repeated them out loud "Rukul doesn't talk to many people, usually giving suitors that approach her carless uninterested looks, and mostly communicates with disapproving sighs and groans."

"Pretty much just channel your inner Keith" Lance added, delicately sliding more jewels into her hair.

Pidge letting out a disgruntled sigh; it wasn't the answer she was hoping for. She knew this was a mission the blades themselves requested her to do but...

"Allura this would work so much better if you use your shapeshifting abilities and take my place" Pidge pleaded, it was the six-time she asked to switch places. Pidge rather be going into a Galra warship, than go to a political party, crowded with people trying to brown nose her. All while trying to appear as someone prim and proper with years of grace training, when she wasn't even used to wearing floor length dress!

Allura sighed ready to explain to pidge again why she had to go instead, but Lance beat her too it "Pidge you are the tech wizard, this is a hacking mission, you need to go" Lance told her.

Allura wouldn't have put it in so few words but Lance summed up her other replies pretty well.

The princess bent down next to Pidge, putting her hand over the smaller girl's. "It will be alright Pidge, you can do this, and you will not be alone in this, Keith will be by your side the whole time."

"Right..." Pidge said softly, it was assuring to have Keith and not a random Blade member for this mission, but the hundreds of ways she could mess this up didn't leave her mind...

"keep your head still" Lance order, as she accidentally turned her head toward Allura, one of his hands gently pushing on Pidge's chin to make her look forward again.

"Shiro you should be going instead of me" Keith argued taking off the helmet that helps disguise himself as the Duchess's Knight; her usual guardian to these parties.

"Keith you know I can't, I'm too recognizable, their weapon sensors would detect my arm before I got through the door" Shiro explained.

"Plus Shiro's way too tall to pass off as Lucaus" Hunk added.

"This is also a Blade's mission and they did select you" Coran pointed out.

Keith glared at them in the corner of his vision. He already knew that, and a part of him was almost tempted to suggest Lance go instead of him...almost.

Keith looked angry but Shiro could see the hints of worry and nervousness in friend's eyes.

"Hunk, Coran, could you go double check that everything is good to go, on Keith and Pidge's shuttle."

"Sure thing Shiro" Hunk nodded, both recognizing the hint that Shiro wanted to talk to Keith alone.

Shiro waiting until he heard the second woosh of the doors closing before shifting his focus back onto Keith. "Keith, what are you so worried?" Shiro asked.

There was a pause between them as Keith took a moment to inwardly debate if he wanted to voice his concerns. "Pidge and I haven't worked together in months..." Keith replied.

"yes, you've been with the blades" Shiro nodded waiting for him to continue.

"I got the briefing from Lucaus about how he and his Duchess usually behave around each other...and I don't think I can... I'm not the right person to be Pidge's escort." Keith said looking down at the ground.

Shiro raised a brow, well he managed to get what Keith was worried about, now he just needed to figure out the why. "and what makes you think that?" Shiro questioned.

"The Rukul and Lucaus are known to be very close, able to read each other with a glance, She completely trusts him without hesitation..."Keith gripped the helmet in his hands tighter trying to mask how his hands started to shake. "Pidge was so upset with me, disappointed at how I was handling being the black paladin before..." he left... " -we've barely talked since then, we're not in sync anymore, she won't trust me, not like she used to..."

Shiro gave him a soft smile, "that description is pretty close to how Pidge and you were when as the arms of Voltron" Shiro pointed out, he wanted to add that they were similar when Keith was leader as well, but Keith always seemed to shut down a little when he brought up his time as leader.

"But that came from being part of Voltron and our connection to our loins, I... I'm not a part of that anymore" Keith argued his shoulders slumping.

"Connection to Voltron or not, a bond like that doesn't disappear. Yes, being away from each other has probably gotten both of you a little out of sync." Shiro agreed, "But that just means you two need a little time to reconnect, your bond is frayed not severed." Shiro assured.

Keith nodded feeling a little better, but the lingering feeling of worry and doubt hover in his gut.

"The Duchess is ready" Lance announced, making a grand gesture, as a short purple hair duchess passed Lance into the room.

Keith had to do a double take, if he didn't know any better he would never have recognized this noble woman was Pidge.

"You look nothing like yourself" Keith stated, as the short girl walked towards Shiro and him.

"Considering this is an undercover mission I'll take that as a good thing" Pidge replied giving him an uneasy smile, a smile that felt forced even to Keith.

He wasn't the best at reading people but even Keith could tell Pidge was nervous about this mission. She must be uneasy about working with him... The feeling in his gut tighten; she didn't trust him to have her back.

Pidge taking a deep breath to suppress her frying nerves, wishing her mind wouldn't keep generating different ways she would mess this up, a slip of words or her feet, a missed custom, a gesture that was off from the Duchess' usual mannerisms.

Shiro had to resist shaking his head, it was amazing some days that despite how different Keith and Pidge were, they had a lot of similarities.

"Ready to go my Knight?" Pidge asked, stretching her out hand towards him.

"Shouldn't Keith be the one asking you that" Lance stated making both Pidge and Keith flinch, they were already making mistakes and they weren't even on the mission yet.

"It will be alright, as long as you two stay close and watch out for each other things will work out," Shiro assured, that seems to relax both of them.

Even if Pidge was still mad at him, Keith knew he could always trust Pidge to stay with him and get anything done, always finding solutions to impossible problems.

Pidge had no doubt that Keith would have her back, even if they got in trouble or if trouble found them; between Keith's battle skills and her gift for tech, they would find a way out of it.

Keith put the knight's helmet back on taking a step towards Pidge offering his arm. A small smile played over her lips, her shoulders relaxing as she folded her arm over his.

Maybe they really could pull this off…

Not smoothly, of course, that was asking too much out of either of them when it came to large social events.