Author's Note: This story takes place in the current Voltron Force universe, right after Episode 23 'Roots of Evil'. The characters are as they appear in the series, both in appearance and personality. The title and story are inspired by the scene where Pidge asks Allura where she learned those moves, and then finds out that it is not Allura doing them.

FYI – I am not abandoning my other story 'The Best of Friends and Plans'. This was a plot line that lodged in my head, and a chance for me to handle the characters differently, more modern than my other story. This story will also move faster and be shorter.

The Morning After

Pidge and Hunk were the first ones at the breakfast table which was not surprising. Hunk was as serious about food as he was about music and building things. Pidge was usually there because he had been up since '0 dawn hundred', as Lance was known to have commented. In truth it made him crazy that Pidge could get by on less sleep than anyone else.

Pidge had tried to explain to Lance that it was a known fact that geniuses needed less sleep, due to the activity of their brains. Keith had told Lance that drinking and chasing women did not contribute to a good night's sleep, but Lance had just laughed.

Keith came into the room just then, and after getting coffee sat down saying good morning to them. He looked around and said "No Lance yet?" Hunk smiled and said "I think his poker game ran late!" Pidge said "He is not a good poker player, so I can't believe it could have gone on for too long."

Lance walked in as Pidge was making his comment and said to him with a snarl "What do you mean I'm not a good poker player?" Hunk said "Pidge and I beat you every time we play!" Keith looked at him and said "I think they are right about that. And you look like hell!"

"After the game I met up with this woman and." He broke it off as Daniel and Vince came into the room. Daniel had heard Lance's comment and said telepathically to Vince 'wouldn't you love to hear what he and the woman did?' Vince said 'It's too bad we can't read his mind!' Being teenage boys they usually had girls on the brain.

Before anyone could say anything, Larmina came bouncing in, wearing her pilot's suit. "Good morning everyone! Today is going to be great!" Daniel and Vince looked at her with envious eyes. Daniel especially couldn't believe that Larmina had beaten him to becoming a full fledge lion pilot.

As he thought those thoughts, the haggerium infection in his system started to flare up, being fed by his jealousy. Vince could tell what was happening with Daniel and telepathically said to him 'watch it Daniel, unless you want everyone to know.' Vince was starting to be sorry that he had agreed to keep Daniel's infection a secret. He consoled himself that Daniel himself would probably reveal it unwittingly.

Vince understood why Larmina had taken over Blue Lion, and didn't really envy her the flying, just the fact that she was now a full-fledged member of Voltron Force. He was still a cadet, so technically Larmina outranked him. She had already outranked him because of her title, and now she was even further above him. Vince had been attracted to her since they had first met, but had kept it quiet. He knew that Daniel liked her to, and was sure that if she was attracted to either of them it would be Daniel with his brash confidence and flying ability.

Keith, Lance, and Pidge all said good morning to her, and Keith asked "Did you get the chance to read the briefing memos I sent you?" Larmina had gotten some food and sat down next to Pidge saying "Yes, I read over the material and do have some questions about the content. Lance laughed and said "You have just earned bonus points with Keith because no one ever reads his briefing memos!"

"After breakfast why don't you get together with Pidge and go over them. He can explain it I'm sure, as he reads!" Keith said to her, and then said "We will be taking the Lions out at 1100 hundred hours this morning, so you need to be ready to go."

Daniel said "How can she talk to Pidge after breakfast, we have class!" The coffee had helped Lance, but he was still annoyed about Pidge's comment. He knew better than to take Pidge on though, but Daniel was fair game. "Actually, she doesn't have to go to class because she doesn't need to graduate from the Academy."

After Wade had been defeated, Daniel and Vince had been reinstated into the Flight Academy. It had been decided that they could do their course work on Arus, because of Voltron. Daniel did not like Lance's comment and said "She gets to fly a lion, and doesn't even have to graduate from the Academy!"

Larmina laughed and said "Royal House of Arus, Daniel!" She had been overwhelmed when her Aunt had told her that she would pilot Blue Lion as a full member of the team. Larmina realized that her Aunt was acknowledging that she was not a little girl anymore. That respect, coming from her Aunt, meant a great deal to her. As much as she mocked the royal traditions, she loved them in her heart and would not let anyone else make fun of her family or her planet.

Pidge had been very quiet throughout the discussion, having been busy thinking about Larmina. He remembered yesterday, when he had found out that she was the one piloting Blue and doing those amazing moves with the trident. He had been blown away by how she took down the tree. He could still hear the proud note in her voice when she had told him 'Allura is not here right now'.

He looked over at her, sitting next to him, and noticed how grown up she looked. Her flight suit showed off her perfect figure better than her cadet uniform ever had. Pidge had not realized how great her body really was, and he was not sure he should be thinking those thoughts now.

Pidge had always thought her red hair was amazing, reminding him of the hot flames in the center of a fire. However, her bangs hanging in her eyes had always annoyed him and the pony tail made him think of something an animal would have. He saw now though that she had pulled her hair smoothly back, from her coronet, in an elaborate braid. It ran down the back of her head, and tucked under at the nape of her neck. The nape of her long neck, he noticed!

She must have been aware of him looking at her, because she turned to him and said "Will you have some time to answer my questions?" Pidge smiled at her and said "Yes, we should be able to get through everything before we have to fly." Her eyes were the color of turquoise, the stone favored by ancient earth peoples for good luck. Pidge wondered if she would ever be interested in knowing that fact.

Hunk felt bad for Daniel and Vince, but knew there was nothing he could do about it. He said to them now "Since I'm taking your class this morning I think we will go out to the Hunkyard to do some physics experiments." That made the boys feel better, and Vince said to Daniel 'I think we might be getting the better deal!' Daniel sent back an agreement on that thought.

Larmina would not admit it to them, but now she was a little envious that the boys would get to go to the hunkyard, while she stayed at the Castle. She thought Hunk was great fun, and always enjoyed hanging out with him. Larmina had been a little unnerved when she had felt Pidge looking at her, and it was not the first time it had happened.

She still remembered how she felt when she had found out that Pidge was in fact her favorite rock group! Up until then she hadn't even known he knew anything about music! Once she knew his secret she had started to see a whole different side of him. Larmina was very perceptive, in spite of her tough exterior, and she had seen how kind and generous he really was beneath the genius persona he normally showed to the world.

Pidge could be lots of fun, and had a very irreverent sense of humor. Larmina liked how he could laugh at things without being mean, just seeing the funny side of them. There had been times, when she and Pidge had been talking about music, or something else, that a funny feeling would come over her. She didn't understand why it would happen, but it felt like the bottom was dropping out of her stomach.

Now, sitting next to him at the table, she was very aware of his physical presence next to her. Larmina was suddenly nervous about being with him. Some of it was the way he had been looking at her, with new interest. She took a deep breath, and decided she was being silly! She was a member of the team now, and he was just adjusting to her new role.

Daniel said to her "We will think of you slogging through reports while we are having fun with Hunk!" Larmina raised her chin and said in a bored tone "Since you are there to do work I'm not sure how much fun you will have!" Lance almost laughed at how much she looked and sounded like her Aunt in that moment.

"Hunk, don't forget they need to take their exam by the end of the week. It is loaded into the system, so once you finish the unit you need to administer the exam." Keith said, but thinking the same thought that Lance had. He was looking forward to telling Allura about it!

"You take all the fun out of it!" Hunk said, and then "However, he is right about the exam. You need to take it and pass it!" He had graduated from the Academy and at the end of the day knew what was important. Hunk was also pretty sure that Larmina would have had more fun with him and the cadets than she would have with Pidge. He had always liked Larmina a lot, enjoying how tough she was, and her taste in music. Hunk was excited that she was going to be a team member now, so he would have more chance to hang out with her.