Kratos Aurion (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
simulsimul) wrote2016-11-02 07:40 pm
simulsimul) wrote2016-11-02 07:40 pm
a thing; w/ ruinsprofessor & conductingresistance
canon
breached
confessed
dadly
future
grigori
mercenary
MEover
origin
reversal
titans
scenario list
canon: Kratos needs to stop running off
confessed: wing reflex
confessed: actual wingpull
confessed: turning Renegade
confessed: son meets father
dadliness: confrontation
dadliness: awakening
dadliness: illness
dadliness: a fundamental lack of understanding on the word 'abducted'
dadliness: updating parameters
dadliness: assassination assignation
mercenary: hiding in the library
mercenary: aftermath of librarian saviour
reversal: oracle destroyed
titans: storming the tower
titans: safety in the canyon
titans: night horrors
canon
- combo of Kratos and Zelos ending
- Zelos does the stupid thing, but not so far as his death, and is still the eighth member of the party to Derris-Kharlan.
scenarios
scenario one: Yuan tracks Kratos down at Dirk's.
breached
- canon right up until after Botta’s death
- no one uses Yuan’s name around Mithos so Mithos walks right into the Triet base with them
- cue an epic OH SHIT in which Yuan gets a lil bit beat up while covering the evacuation of the rest of the base
- until Kratos appears to intervene and have the Chosen group get Yuan out of there
- Mithos gets Kratos tho and he’s a bit mad cos, yanno, traitor and all
- time to be locked up and punished and need to be rescued
- kind of puts a crimp in the creation of the Eternal Ring plans
- mostly cos Mithos turns Kratos lifeless, with some armour to regulate his mana so he remains a seraph. can't have the seal becoming less powerful, yo
- it does mean he can only obey orders tho
- the first rescue fails miserably but at least no one dies and they know they need to reforge his key-crest
- the second rescue attempt (circumstances of canon-point under percolation) goes a little better, though Yuan almost gets killed by Kratos trying to attach the key-crest
- luckily that and the first telepathy in a while gets through and Kratos manages to break out a la Colette, and heal Yuan enough for Raine to get there
- after which, angreh father-son beatdown on Mithos.
scenarios
None yet.
confessed
- almost successful assassination lands Kratos as an injured stranger in Iselia (1-2 years pre-canon)
- recuperation leads to accidental-on-purpose 'holiday' in Iselia
- doubts result in a request for Dirk to make a key-crest like Kratos' own
- oracle room undergoes some stealth sabotage
- regeneration journey is slightly delayed, prompted by Genis and Lloyd being discovered at the ranch
- Triet is awkward. so very awkward. for the Renegades -- whose side is Kratos even on these days and why was he vanished for two years?
- initial overall journey similar to canon, save that Kratos is a bit less circumspect about advising Colette on how to cope with angel transformations
- there are more overt Dun Wanna Feelings
- then Luin, wherein things happen and the group is in town during the Desian attack. the others naturally want to fight but tis a mite difficult against an army and building-destroying magitech. luckily, angel on their side. unluckily, wingpulls in order to muster the power to cover the townspeoples' retreat
- questions and confessions ensue
- Colette rejects the key crest (for the moment) so there's still hopefully maybe ambiguity about Kratos's position re the last seal
- it wouldn't fit anyway, it's modelled for the hand like Kratos's is because he was a derp and did not specify otherwise, so Lloyd needs to make a thing to make it fit
- slow protective retreat toward Asgard.
scenarios
scenario one: Kratos confesses before Salvation; Raine wants to follow up.
scenario two: Raine's examination of an angel; and also Kratos realises how far he's put his foot in it.
scenario three: Kratos goes to taunt Yuan a little, and also ask for his help.
scenario four: in which Raine makes Kratos tell the children all the things, and Yuan takes too much amusement from it.
dadliness
- Kratos retires in Iselia under the name Irving to raise Lloyd after the death of his wife
- no exsphere. ageing occurs! so does a beard and a braid
- teaches Lloyd swordplay, but on the sly, to avoid the other villagers noticing. his daytime job is weaving
- Lloyd finds the box of their exspheres and wants details. after some prodding by Dirk, Kratos explains how exspheres are made and that one is Anna's life. Lloyd is too young yet, but when Lloyd comes of age (~15) Kratos lets him make his own decision re wearing it
- Lloyd chooses not to wear the exsphere
- Genis befriends Marble and Lloyd meets her, as in canon; this happens before the journey begins, with the fallout
- difference being that Colette is still in the village so they can't be too horrible, so they just demand Lloyd be turned over for a flogging
- Kratos stands in his stead because natch. luckily, they're only mooks and don't recognise the bearded weaver as anyone important
- gives Lloyd his guilt complex early tho
- the oracle happens much the same way except Botta doesn't quite recognise the weirdly familiar bearded swordsman
- he does when he's reporting to Yuan tho
'there was an exceptionally skilled human'
/brief physical description/
/did x other faintly recognizable thing/
and both he and Yuan are aware that Kratos has been awol for a while, so there's a moment of pure silence and dawning 'no, it couldn't be'
- but then obviously one of them has to go make sure
- cue an interruption just out of Triet.
scenarios
scenario one: Yuan feels the need to investigate; this results in Kratos injured and abducted.
scenario two: Yuan realises he can't kill Kratos with his own two hands; Kratos gets mothered.
scenario three: Kratos gets sick on the heels of his recovery. Yuan mothers him some more. Botta disapproves.
scenario four: Kratos recovers and makes an escape attempt. Sort-of.
scenario five: Kratos recovers more and talks to Botta, when not needling Yuan about his lack of preparedness.
scenario six: Sheena's contract takes a slight shift into undercover instead of assassination work.
future
- Aselia is Earth ~10,000 years in the past
- all is peachy-keen except the tree is now underground and the elvens/half-elves/some humans are in hiding in the centre of the planet, hidden thanks to the summon spirits
- Colette is working with humanitarian aid in various impoverished nations
- Zelos is a diplomat in West Asia / Middle East trying to keep the peace
- Yuan is a crotchety lecturer at Cambridge who's also HUGE into environmentalism
- Lloyd and Kratos are having family time in space
- occasionally the trio on Earth meet reincarnations of people they used to know
- but rarely at the same time and almost never in a position where they meet
- but then they start meeting them
- lots of them
- all in the same span of years
- they're starting to think something's hinky
- until the space-elves attack
- and then they know something is hinky.
scenarios
None yet.
grigori
- at some point significantly before canon, Kratos actually calls it quits
- the Church's institution calls him a fallen angel of vengeance
- really he's just going around trying to help people and avoiding being taken back to Cruxis
- assigns himself to the Chosen parties whenever he can, up to Colette
- ????? idk some kind of profit somewhere
scenarios
None yet.
mercenary
- when Yuan visits Kratos at the beach when Lloyd is 3 months old, he does not manage to escape before Anna and Lloyd return
- accidental attachment to this kidlet who likes pulling his hair
- three years later, Yuan can't stand to hold back while Kratos fights Kvar, so he throws caution to the wind to help
- Anna is still killed but they rescue Lloyd and Noishe and both are branded as traitors
- Lloyd is raised as a Renegade with Dad, Uncle Yuan and the extremely reticent Uncle Botta (how dare)
- meanwhile in Tethe'alla Yuan infiltrates the castle as the library archivist
- stays out of sight, mostly, but has a good ear around the politics thanks to recruiting Princess Hilda
- also happens to stumble on Zelos hiding in the library right after his mother's death
- look he's got a 'nephew' he can't just do nothing (even if all he meant was to recommend a book)
- unwittingly accidentally 'adopts' the Tethe'allan Chosen by virtue of being the only one who doesn't treat him like the Chosen
- sometimes Kratos brings Lloyd to visit and basically they're all separate pairs of exasperated bros
- by canon Lloyd and Kratos are wandering mercenaries, helping people on the sly while gathering intel to send back to the Renegades
- Yuan and Zelos are actively building resistance to the Church using inside knowledge
- the ninja are all Renegades
- Colette is escorted by Raine and by the priests
- yes the 'chain up the Chosen and drag her to every seal if necessary' priests
- she meets Lloyd randomly in Triet but Lloyd doesn't know her as the Chosen. they're a bit out of touch on the Journey of Regen timeline
- stuff happens and they keep missing each other up until Palmacosta, which is a warzone between the Desians (and Dorr as their figurehead) and the Renegades (with Neil as their leader)
- Colette wants to help; priests say no
- out come the chains
- Raine objects, but she has no exsphere so what can she do
- btw Genis got caught in the Iselian ranch and tossed in as a traitor to be made a host
- he gets sent to the Palmacosta ranch
- right after Neil manages to take the city, after Colette and Raine leave it, Botta takes the Palmacosta ranch and rescues Genis, among others
- Genis becomes his little shadow and is much preferable to Lloyd, in Botta's opinion
- Lloyd and Kratos are still trying to catch up to Colette to rescue her when they drop by
- Genis hears what they're trying to do and insists on coming along.
scenarios
scenario one: in which Yuan accidentally adopts a Chosen instead of a book from a library.
scenario two: in which Yuan is accidentally-deliberately adopted by the Meltokio Castle Knights.
MEover
- Mass Effect crossover someplace in the realm of 15,000 years after TOS canon
- except started before then, cos elves are really from Feros, planet of the cranky telepathic plant
- got decimated by the protheans trying to assimilate them into their empire
- elves objected, got killed a lot, fled Feros and got stuck in Aselia's orbit
- kinda forgot a few things but planted a seed from the Ferosian mother plant on Aselia
- Origin hasn't forgotten tho, kinda has a grudge against grumblegrumbleprotheansgrumble
- the entirety of TOS happened, and then some
- Kratos, Yuan, Lloyd, Colette and Zelos are the only ones left, but tis okay, they have each other
- somethingsomething natural space disaster, Aselia is destroyed but they manage to move Yggdrasill onto Derris-Kharlan and do a quarian by becoming a roaming ship
- mana is a variant of eezo lbr
- Derris-Kharlan's too big to use the mass relays, but c'mon it generates its own mass effect field so they develop tech to do hops on their own
- they're in no hurry tho, i mean lbr primarily angelic, elf and half-elf population
- so they're just bumming around their local clusters doing thorough investigations on all the things
- so much eezo on their ship
- so much
- suddenly the Normandy running from a reapers comes along to hide behind them
- reapers start shooting
- everyone on Derris-Kharlan objects
- JUDGEMENT IN SPACE
- so much profit and judging of reapers.
scenarios
None yet.
origin
- Kratos tells Lloyd the dad thing in Triet
- dad and son feelings ensue
- they culminate at the Tower of Salvation in Kratos stabbing Yggdrasill in the back
- unfortunately he does not quite die but impales Kratos against a wall and goes berserk on the Chosen party to the point of Yuan stepping in to help
- that is, by threatening to stab Kratos in the back while he's vulnerable (with Kratos's permission)
- Yggdrasill calls his bluff and fails, and Yuan does the thing
- while Yggdrasill is distracted the Chosen's group nail him but good and he retreats
- luckily while heart-stabbing happened, Kratos's cruxis crystal is still intact, and between Raine's healing and Yuan's mana transfusion he survives long enough to be taken to the Triet base and a refresher
- stuff happens in some fashion or other up until opening Origin's seal
- as it turns out, the mana tranfusion has fused the lock, so to speak, and Kratos can't unlock the seal even voluntarily
- only way to get Origin out at this point is to let him fuse with Kratos, so Kratos becomes Origin
- stipulation of this: Kratos refuses to let go of his humanity
- luckily Yuan already has a literal bond with him thanks to the mana transfusion, so with him as his summoner Kratos can keep his humanity, and only use Origin's powers when Yuan summons them
- commitment like woah for a literal eternity
- but hey, they messed up but good and it's the only way they can reunite the worlds.
scenarios
none yet.
reversal
~ 2000 years in, Kratos and Yuan conspire to kill Mithos and succeed, sorta
- he's stuck inside his exsphere, possessing people
- but he manages to survive and while Kratos and Yuan claim Derris-Kharlan for their base, he takes most of the angels as 'fallen', as well as the Eternal Sword
- most of his bases are hidden behind dimensional slips created by the sword - Iselia included
- Origin refuses to trust either Kratos or Yuan with the job, anyhow, and they don't have a summoner
- instead they're forced to fight Cruxis, embroiling the worlds in an angelic war between Cruxis and the new organisation of Chayim
- the Chosen bloodlines are more important to Cruxis than Chayim, but Mithos seals the seals so only the Chosen bloodline can flip the mana switch. Kratos and Yuan need someone to do that until they can reunite them, so the Journey remains an institution, just without compulsory death at the end
- there is angelification tho, if only so Chayim gets more soldiers and so the Chosen can defend themselves against Cruxis
- Kratos sends Anna and Lloyd to Iselia, because even though enemy territory, it's the safest place there is for them
- Anna get word to Kratos that the Desians are using Iselia as a long-term cruxis crystal cultivation location, and that the sword is held there
- her spy succeeds but is intercepted, and Mithos locks down the dimensional slip to prevent exit and access by angels for ~15 years
- Lloyd grows up in a town with a heavy half-elf population and believing he's training to help the good guys
- he has his own cruxis crystal as a host, but doesn't tell his mother due to the faith-based propaganda encouraging hosts not to bring it up or risk the powers not taking
- he wants to help though, so he steals a key-crest to ensure he can fight
- Yuan and Kratos plan to assault the town and shrine but Mithos uses the sword to interrupt travel between worlds, keeping Yuan in Tethe'alla and forcing Kratos to attack Iselia alone.
scenarios
scenario one: Iselia is attacked by Chayim to claim the sword, with the sword already gone
titans
- Yggdrasill captures Kratos before Kvar finds Anna and Lloyd, but after Kratos makes an Eternal Ring
- Yuan figures hell no and raises the Renegades to try and take Derris-Kharlan, rescue Kratos and solve the split-world problem
- the attack fails. a lot.
- Renegades are wiped out, Kratos is still in Cruxis's hands, but Yuan manages to escape with the Eternal Ring
- Cruxis follows him to Triet base, which gets destroyed and the few remaining Renegades scatter
- Botta is still around tho, helping out how he can
- mostly Yuan just goes searching for Lloyd and Anna
- doesn't manage to find them before Kvar does tho, and Kratos hears from Yggdrasill that they're dead
- this is slightly inaccurate, cos Lloyd still winds up rescued by Dirk in Iselia
- where Yuan eventually finds him, not knowing that he's 'supposed' to be dead
- so Yuan settles in Iselia for a bit to watch Lloyd and the Chosen
- cuts and dyes his hair, the whole shebang
- learns how to carpentry, invents a new use of magic
- winds up being Genis's role model just because scholar and magic-user and half-elf who can pass but also takes no shit from people
- is one of Colette's companions on the Journey when it starts
- he's been challenging their understanding of the Church's institution this whole time lbr
- Sheena is still a thing because the ninja have taken over the Tethe'allan base, which has survived, somewhat
- a grilling ensues
- sometime just after the Asgard Ranch Yuan does have to drop the bombshell
- about how the Journey is just a front, he and his bestie are angels, btw his bestie is Lloyd's dad
- how they're out to topple the institution of religion
- forget sacrificing Colette for the Regeneration, when they get to the seal they can do that without anyone dying
- and then move straight on to rescuing Kratos in Derris-Kharlan
- then they get to the Tower and realise Yggdrasill has Kratos under a Prometheusesque punishment a la 'impaled on the Eternal Sword to suffer the Seed's pain and watch the Chosen get murdered'
- luckily this does not happen, as they manage to rescue him and escape Yggdrasill instead, barely
- retreat to Botta's hiding-place in Asgard so Kratos can recover
- and also find out that Lloyd is actually alive
- the Chosen group goes around to make as many pacts as they can while in Sylvarant
- they get up to Aska when Yggdrasill sends his angels to attack Asgard
- cue Yuan and Kratos being unstoppable battle gods together
scenarios
scenario one: in which Yuan leads the Chosen's party to the Tower of Salvation to dismantle all the traditions ever, and find Kratos waiting for them in serious need of a rescue.
scenario two: in which being in safety reveals that Kratos is not precisely unscathed, but he's doing his best.
scenario three: in which Kratos is emphatically not okay, but with Yuan's help, could be.
MERCENARY; aftermath of librarian saviour
He's going to be fine.
[And with that single unprompted reassurance, they both leave.
It's another day before Zelos himself visits the library with Nethan in tow. Nethan's in tow partly because everyone's now hyper-aware of whenever Zelos is alone, and partly because Zelos ordered him to come. Funny, how it takes a serious injury for Zelos to see how useful ordering people around can be.
This time, instead of entering the library unannounced, Zelos knocks.]
Hellooooo? Anyone in there?
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[It's thoughtful.]
[When Yuan pulls the main door open his posture is straight and his expression markedly neutral.]
Chosen.
[He inclines his head gravely a little ways, the furthest concession to a respectful bow he is currently willing to make, and steps clear of the door to allow Zelos and his guard to enter.]
[He thinks he recognizes this one, as one of the ones who came earlier to interrogate him. Considerate enough to inform Yuan of Zelos's well-being. It is not at all enough to allay the usual assumptions Yuan would make of an adult Tethe'allan human; but it is something. Yuan waits expectantly for some kind of explanation.]
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So as quickly as it appears, the uncertainty's gone, and Zelos walks into the library with a deliberate spring in his step. His injury is bandaged, his arm in a sling, but otherwise he looks the same as he did before the attack.]
Hi, Yuan. [Zelos turns when he reaches the table and leans carefully up against it.] This is Nethan. He figured out this is where I used to hide, but he thinks it's dangerous.
You were attacked, Master Zelos. [Nethan says this in the longsuffering tone of someone who's had to say it far too many times in a very short period.]
Yeah, and Yuan saved me. That's Yuan, there. [If Zelos's weight wasn't nearly all on one hand, he'd be pointing at Yuan, just to emphasise the point.] He saved me, and I like him, and I don't want him to lose his job.
That's not --
Yuan, tell him you're not scary.
no subject
[Zelos only presents a threat to his dignity.]
[But Yuan's bearing is straight, his chin lifted, and his height is not inconsiderable; he is not doing a particularly good job of looking not scary. The entire purpose of being a librarian was to be not scary. He is here to be innocuous and gather resources and contacts and not draw attention, and he has done a terrible job of the last lately.]
I am not a threat to the Chosen. I would swear to that before Martel herself.
[He never likes invoking her name, but people around the Chosen tend to respect the religious.]
[And Yuan is going to examine Zelos's affection later.]
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[The guard doesn't seem quite as convinced.] My subordinate reported that you took on two men yourself, and won. [A question already asked and already answered -- or half-answered. The thing is, Nethan can't deny that however the librarian acted, he did act in defence of the Chosen. Zelos is young, but he is still the Chosen, and old enough for his opinion to matter. It won't be long before his word is law, second only to the king.
So the next thing Nethan says, while similar in tone, is very different.] I'll be down at the end of the hall if you need me.
[And he leaves.
When Zelos is sure he's out of earshot, he looks back at Yuan, the grin fading slightly.] How'd you hide the sword?
[Because he hasn't forgotten that double-ended giant blade, and he's not convinced that he imagined it just because the guards didn't find it in a search.]
no subject
[The sequence of events ceases to make sense again when the guard -- Nethan -- turns and leaves.]
[Yuan is still looking after him when Zelos questions him. It takes a moment before he looks over and down.]
I have it in a wing pack. It's significantly easier to carry and conceal that way.
I'm... surprised to see you back so soon.
[But it is definitely a good surprise, which shows -- for a given value of showing -- in the way his eyes soften and his posture relaxes fractionally. Minuscule changes, but for him as good as shouting.]
no subject
This is going to be one of those things Yuan refuses to explain, isn't it.]
I missed you.
[It's simple, offhand, easily dismissed as a joke. But Zelos means it.
A little more seriously:] No one cares that you saved my life. That's dumb, so I want to make sure you know I do. And -- thank you.
[Saved my life. Zelos has used those words a lot lately, trying to convince the guards Yuan wasn't in on the assassins' plot. This is the first time he's abruptly faced what the words actually mean, though, and his injured shoulder gives an unconscious twitch, making him wince.]
no subject
[For all that his voice is dry, and has some bitterness in it, Yuan moves gently, pulling a chair out for Zelos. If he's still so injured that he needs a sling to avoid stressing it, rest is probably for the best. As much as possible.]
[He barely remembers a time when he had to be that cautious with himself.]
It's hidden for the moment, but as I recall you were fascinated by it. Unless that was the shock speaking.
[Consciously, Yuan is making that a little more teasing, a little more indulgent. He is pleased to see Zelos back again.]
no subject
[Or maybe they just don't like being told they're wrong. Zelos hasn't figured out which it is yet. The idea that the guards in question might actually have a point doesn't look like it even occurs to him.
He takes the chair gratefully, chooses to ignore that Yuan sounded a little bitter when he spoke, and doesn't choose to feel a whole load of surprise when he finally works out that Yuan's talking about the sword. Zelos straightens up -- carefully, arm in sling still tucked against his chest -- and not-so-subtly scans for the wing pack.] You mean you'll show it to me again?
no subject
[He is long past the days where he would have been surprised.]
[Without answering the question, though, Yuan turns and goes to retrieve the wing pack. It takes only a few moments. It's not, perhaps, the model Zelos would be familiar with; but it's solid, having survived a few scratches here and there, and when he opens it at a reasonably safe distance from Zelos the blade inside falls into his hand.]
[He catches it without any visible indication of its weight, and lowers it carefully to rest on the ground where Zelos can see it. His hand stays on it possessively, though, and he's quiet about it, not wanting to call Nethan back with suspicious sounds.]
[There are only so many ways this situation will look to suspicious eyes.]
It's a little easier to see when it's not in motion.
[And this there is some good humour in.]
no subject
It's exactly as big, impressive, and nonsensical as he remembers.]
How heavy is it? [Zelos's eyes are wide and he's sitting uncharacteristically still.] It looks heavy, but you swung it like it was nothing. You're still holding it like it's nothing. Is it magitechnology?
no subject
[There is some little possessive pride in the way Yuan smooths his hand down the spine of the weapon.]
It's fairly heavy, and it's not magitechnology, only exceptional forging. I happen to be a little stronger than most people, and I have a great deal of practice with it.
...I can see you're restraining yourself.
[A backwards question. Absently Yuan looks over the edge closer to him; he didn't have the time and space to go over the weapon like he should have, after the earlier fight. Hm.]
no subject
Can I try holding it?
[He's still uncharacteristically still, but now he's leaned forward a bit, like he was about to get off the chair before thinking better of it. Zelos had always been taught that the heavier a weapon was, the more of a liability it became. He's never seen anyone handle something like that and make it look as easy as swinging a short sword.]
And just how strong are you?
[The last is added almost as an afterthought. Holding the double-ended sword might not be such a good idea if Zelos can only use one hand.]
no subject
You're welcome to try, but carefully. You're still injured.
['Don't strain yourself' is implicit.]
[There are very few people who would be accorded this privilege, even as children. Even expecting that it will be difficult to handle.]
[The latter question almost takes Yuan off-guard, mostly because he doesn't have a measurement for it including units or a reference which will make any sense to Zelos.]
Hm. Very.
[It is, much to his shame, a Kratos answer.]
Perhaps I'll show you, someday.
no subject
He doesn't take very much of the sword's weight before his face screws up and he stops trying. The strain across his shoulders doesn't help, but Zelos is now sure beyond a doubt that even if he were completely healthy and using both hands, he probably couldn't so much as hold the damn thing.]
You aren't gonna tell me where you got it from, are you?
[That's partly because Yuan usually avoids questions like that, and partly because Zelos knows there's something he doesn't know and quite probably shouldn't know and okay, he can accept that, but that doesn't mean he can't be a little bitter about it.]
You can make it up to me by showing me how strong you are right now.
[His expression is bright, teasing, and hopeful.]
no subject
There was a bet. I won it.
[The details he's going light on, but there's a satisfaction about his tone even now, some several thousand years later. He was told it was impossible; he proved that wrong.]
[But it's an answer for Zelos, and not as much of an evasion as it could be.]
And how would you like me to do that?
no subject
Yep. Still a little bitter.]
I don't know. [Zelos scans the room.] I guess it depends on how strong you are. Can you lift a whole bookcase?
[It's pretty clear Zelos isn't taking his own suggestion seriously. Just establishing a baseline here.]
no subject
The books would fall out. We have many rarer volumes here.
[Almost casually, Yuan turns the blade over, spinning it hand over hand with the easy grace that was so hard-won at first; he returns it to the wing pack a moment later, settling it in its accustomed place.]
There was a great deal of practice involved.
no subject
[Which is probably a little more important than the rare books falling on the floor, in Zelos's opinion. It's not that he enjoys keeping secrets from the people charged with keeping him safe, but... well, okay, he enjoys it a little. But it's to protect Yuan, not because of that.
And then Zelos sees Yuan turn the sheathing of the monster sword into an art form, and he glances back and forth between the half-elf and the bookcase, looking increasingly confused.]
Wait, you were serious?
[Yuan could lift an entire bookcase?]
no subject
...yes. It isn't something I usually make widely known.
[In other words: could Zelos please be even more careful than usual about who he tells things.]
But I probably could, if it wasn't impractical.
[He regards Zelos thoughtfully, with an odd weight in his gaze.]
Zelos. You're aware there's a great deal I'm not telling you, aren't you?
no subject
Yeah. But I know there's a reason for that.
[Zelos says this with all the confidence of a ten-year-old finding out the moon is really far away. Once he's said it, though, a new thought occurs to him and he gives Yuan a searching look.]
But if keeping it secret's that important, why are you telling me?
[Yeah, he's the Chosen. But he's also ten. And not allowed to hold heavy, dangerous weapons outside of Yuan's library.]
no subject
I'm not telling you the reasons. Nor am I telling you what I'm not telling you.
What I am saying is that I will explain many things eventually, because you have a right to know.
[Part of it is that Zelos is ten. It makes a risk to him and to others. Part of it is that Yuan really doesn't want to explain all of the things that have gone wrong right now. There are more reasons, regarding trust and the line between Zelos and the Chosen, but right now this suffices.]
Until then, I request your patience.
no subject
[It probably has something to do with Zelos being the Chosen. Everything always boils down to that.
The funny thing is that with Yuan, Zelos doesn't mind so much. Yuan really didn't care he was the Chosen when he asked for help cataloguing books all that time ago, so if it's a reason now, it must be an important one. The part Zelos doesn't expect, and which puts surprise fragmented with many other feelings in his head, is when Yuan says he will explain. That's something Zelos hears a lot -- you'll know when you're older -- to the point where it seems sometimes like there won't be anything he doesn't know.
But for some reason, he isn't expecting it here. Like he wants to be kept in the dark. Because not being allowed to know something is about as un-Chosen-like as it's possible to be.
Until then, I request your patience. Zelos hasn't heard that before. Request. Please be patient until I can tell you.
Quietly, solemnly, he nods.]
Except -- would I need to stop you?
[Is it dangerous? Does it put people at risk? Would it be the Chosen's duty not to ignore it?]
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Not yet.
['It will utterly strain your credulity even as a ten year old boy' also invites too many questions.]
[The question earns a tiny hint of a smile from Yuan, wry and, so far as Yuan goes, fond.]
No. That I can promise you. As improbable as it may seem, I mean well.
[Technically, by Church doctrine, probably Yuan should be stopped. He does not put much weight on said doctrine. But for the safety and well-being of Tethe'alla and its people... no. Zelos will not need to stop him.]
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With his own smile, and in an echo of Yuan's words from months earlier:] I'm holding you to that.
[Zelos won't tell the guards about Yuan's sword or his strength. He wasn't going to anyway, but now it feels more like a pact. Something that's theirs, and theirs alone. Not tainted by Chosen status, not political, not a ploy. Something honest.]
Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. Have you met the Pope?
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