a thing; w/ ruinsprofessor & conductingresistance

[simulsimul]

universe list
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 lightning and light can totally become a laserbeam amirite
- 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.

Comments

UNCHAINED; the swallow caged

[simulsimul]

[It doesn't always come down to a pitched battle. This time, it has. Kratos started the battle on his horse, but the terrain is rocky, and at some point or another he loses it. Theirs isn't the only regiment involved, and it's a task to keep everyone's lines formed and together.

[There's something odd about the situation; this location's been hotly contested for years, but it was easier to get the drop on the Sylvaranti forces than it should have been. Kratos isn't thinking about it, in the back-and-forthing, in keeping the higher ground. Kratos's regiment has a good percentage of knights; his fellow commander's has a good percentage of mages. It's been working for them.

[Kratos is in the thick of things when he sees the signal from the ridge that they've cut off the Sylvaranti's retreat. Between them they must have decimated half the opposing regiment's forces. His voice comes sonorous over the clash of fighting, ordering his people to clear a path to the Sylvaranti flag. It hasn't moved in a while; either their standard-bearer is pinned or dead.

[It isn't until he gets a bit closer that he sees the whirl of a heavy blade like it's weightless, and the flick of blue hair, and realises whose regiment they've been dividing.]

[conductingresistance]

[This is going terribly.]

[Reports indicated the location was safe, and ordinarily Yuan would have been on edge anyway, given that it's this particular border. And he was -- just not enough.]

[Hence the ambush.]

[They're outnumbered and surprised, and some part of Yuan knows it's a losing battle, but he has not gotten this far by not being unreasonably stubborn. Yuan barks orders and keeps trying to press back, but--]

[Oh, damn it all, of all the places he doesn't want to hear Kratos Aurion.]

[The standard-bearer is-- probably dead. The man hasn't moved, though he's braced himself to keep the flag up. Yuan has neither time nor freedom of movement to check, only sweep after sweep of his blade and the crushing certainty that it's only a matter of time.]

[...perhaps he can still, at least, take the Aurion with him, but that's scant consolation. Nevertheless Yuan forges that way, intent and with renewed stubbornness.]

[simulsimul]

He's coming for the commander!

[That's Kratos's own standard-bearer, keeping an eye on Kratos's back, as has become habit. Kratos shoves away the man he just impaled and turns, blocking a blow from someone else as he passes by, trusting someone else on the follow-up. Usually, he doesn't go to Ka-Fai. Usually, he waits for Ka-Fai to come to him.

[This time he meets Ka-Fai halfway and with a clash of blades, but they skate off each other before Kratos can lock them. He twists his sword, aiming for Ka-Fai's midsection, expecting to be blocked; and he pushes up on his sword to keep them grappling for a few instants longer. His voice comes low, fierce with the exertion.]

Your retreat is blocked. Tell your people to put down their swords.

[It's advice, as much as it's an order. Kratos has no desire to kill more Sylvaranti than he must.]

UNCHAINED; the dogs of war

[simulsimul]

[Based on the limited information Yuan gave him, Kratos warns Lirea to boost the shields. She's wary about information coming from a Sylvaranti commander, but trusts Kratos's judgement enough to comply; and it's for the better. Yuan's oblique prediction comes true sometime in the night only a few days later, with the dull fizzling thunder of energy-based artillery against the Tethe'allan shielding.

[The wall is strong, by then; and the energy nodes precisely placed, well-maintained, and secure. The shield holds.

[It makes the passage of correspondence more difficult, but not impossible. Triet is not all that far and the city-state has been historically fairly neutral, if willing to supply and house Sylvaranti troops. They've also been willing to trade with Tethe'alla, or at the very least convey messages.

[The Tethe'allan troops are not idle, under the bombardment. They don't have any artillery of their own, save the mages; but they have technology and magic both at their disposal. Their defenses build up, and a track leading from behind and out into the woods. Kratos authorises some quick strikes from small squads to hassle the Sylvarantis' flanks, and scouts to keep watch for backup. They're patient. He and Lirea are known for it. On training maneuvers they have always been considered demons to uproot once dug in, enough that navigating the both of them at once was considered an achievement just to come out even, let alone win.

[It's only a matter of time before the Sylvaranti commander gets impatient. Kratos knows something is wrong when one of his captains reports a squad hasn't checked in. They could simply be in a position where communication is inadvisable -- but it isn't worth the risk.

[Later, Kratos will be annoyed at himself for focussing too much on the missing soldiers, and not enough on the Sylvaranti prisoners. He wants to trust Ka-Fai; leans toward trusting Ka-Fai, despite all his training and upbringing saying don't. He still should have known better than to assume that trusting Ka-Fai meant trusting his people.

[He's penning a report under the dull volley of the weapons, barely hearing it anymore. The noise of the artillery nearly makes him miss the sound of a soldier's shout. He does not miss the sound of the bell clanging, crisp and carrying even over the bombardment, and coming from the wall behind the Sylvarantis' tents, behind the latrine.

[Like an anthill disturbed, the camp rouses with shouts and calls, captains delivering orders and team-mates banding together. In an instant Kratos is on his feet, reaching for Flamberge, in his mail but not plate armour; he's barely taken it off since the bombardment started.

[He strides from his tent without bothering with heavier armour, buckling on his sword, voice already lifted to give orders -- defend the nodes, and the mages, and the engineers; and keep a guard on the prisoners. Just in case.]

[conductingresistance]

[Apart from the walks, Yuan spends most of his time with his people. Where else is there to go, save some corner of the tent for some isolation and quiet? He does not get genuine quiet terribly often.]

[Especially not with the bombardment. He will note that he sees Kratos less often like this, as well. Which is only right and proper -- a commander has things to see to -- but all the same Yuan finds himself a little bit at a loss.]

[When the alarm goes up he is sitting, meditating after a fashion, and finds himself on his feet in an instant. As are many of the others in the tent; that sort of sound has never heralded anything good, whether Sylvaranti or Tethe'allan.]

[...but there's nothing to be done about it. Is there? There's a guard, but escaping hasn't really occurred to Yuan, not with the revealing of whose regiment and exactly how slow they were being. All the same, he isn't about to pick up arms and defend the Tethe'allan camp like it were his own. First off, he doesn't even have a weapon.]

[Not, to be fair, that that would entirely stop him.]

[There is some rustling among his troops. Yuan wonders what those in the other tents are doing; but those who seem most discontent, here, are mostly being pacified by those around them. It's possible if they rose up as a group they could overcome the guard and make a break, but...]

[There are too many options. Yuan rises, and paces, and for once in his life doesn't have a definable goal, some discernible point he can drive toward, and that's almost more disconcerting. He would have expected something like this to crystallize his intent. It hasn't.]

BONDVERSE; the blinding light of joy

[simulsimul]

[Recovery takes time ... much more time than Kratos is accustomed to. If he'd suffered injuries like this in Vanaheim, he'd have been healed within a couple of weeks at worst, thanks to magic; but he's no longer in Vanaheim. Vanaheim no longer exists.

[Kratos manages to maintain his patience by continuing his language lessons, by reading, and by cooking. It's fortunate that he has two languages to learn, regardless; but it becomes not uncommon around the house to hear Kratos murmuring tongue twisters and music he's heard playing down the street. (His voice is deeply resonant, even more so because of the stone, as if he reverberates in it without realising.)

[Ongoing issues, for which he did not account, include some daily self-maintenance. Mostly, his hair. The first few days he doesn't bother to do anything with his braid, if only to save his neck; but once that pain fades, it's still a nuisance, being unable to bend. He manages.

[Until he doesn't. He's in his room, trying to comb his wayward mane, when a twist just the wrong way makes pain spark all the way through his chest, stealing his breath away at the most inopportune time. The comb slips from temporarily numbed fingers and falls behind his bed. Mentally cursing, Kratos lowers himself slowly to his knees, and only once he's down, remembers he can't, in fact, bend.

[Nor can he get up again; when he tries, the pressure makes his chest twinge too hard to make it up.

[This time the curse is out loud, and in one of his newly learned languages.]

[conductingresistance]

[They have the technology, in truth. But it doesn't get used for everyone, and the army doesn't rely on healing mages.]

[So Kratos's recovery goes slowly enough. Yuan watches, keeping an eye on him just in case, but Kratos seems inclined to listen, and the activity of cooking and linguistics does seem to occupy him enough that he isn't tempted to push himself to re-injury.]

[Until Yuan, early in the morning, hears the distinct sound of a Sylvaranti curse echoing back to him. He's mildly amused -- Kratos, swearing like a native -- but more concerned about what's driven him to it. Yuan's down the hall and in Kratos's doorway within a few seconds, scanning the room quickly for some sign of what's happened.]

[He will bet Kratos can't get up. Yuan comes over, kneeling beside him.]

Do you need help?

BONDVERSE; warranted concerns

[simulsimul]

[After having accidentally gone behind Yuan's back, Kratos makes sure to consult him with anything that might be a burden on Yuan's time and effort. It isn't much different to how he's been handling mediating Yuan's favours, regardless; but as it turns out, there are staff members going to Yuan of their own volition, soon after.

[It's ... vindicating, to see the shift in Yuan's reputation, even just among the administrative staff.

[The situation with An-Hei is resolved in a fashion which pleases no one. The ollamh rules that, as the husband was killed during the war-effort, the money Yuan paid to buy Kratos, which went back into the war-effort, sufficed as recompense. The matter of damage to Yuan's property is quietly dropped in exchange for the An-Hei accepting this ruling, and Kratos is forbidden from going to the higher ledge of the market, if only for his own safety. Liability for future damage does not mean the An-Hei's rage is assuaged.

[On the positive side, these days when Kratos goes to the market, he gets to see the Marsyas family, happily adjusting. Every time, their eldest daughter has a bunch of flowers or a lovely toned rock to give to him -- 'for Commander Ka-Fai', she insists. Kratos makes sure to vase the flowers for the table in the living-room, but it's the rocks which suit the decor a little better with Yuan's rock garden; Kratos leaves them on Yuan's desk for him to decide their place. The inside gardens of Nidavellir no longer seem strange, but Kratos still has no concept of their form.

[Life settles. Trips to the market remain safe enough to ease any lingering wariness. Kratos finishes the press, with the result that the much-anticipated olive oil starts becoming a regular use during meals. Eating Tethe'allan food in Nidavellir is also no longer strange.

[The seasons change, and with it the weather; it gets colder, enough that Kratos starts noticing all the ways he's no longer quite so hale as he was. His leg stiffens more easily than it did, and the wind goes back to seeming as though it cuts right through him. He can understand enough of the languages to hear people talking about impending winter snows; the idea makes him shiver pre-emptively. The only time he's seen proper snow was during wilderness training at Flanoir. It's not an experience he's looking forward to repeating.

[At first, he attributes the tightness in his chest to the temperature and winds to which he's unaccustomed. It doesn't seem like much, and he doesn't notice much different, save that he wakes more easily overnight. This also could be a matter of temperature. The coughing suggests a mild cold, which isn't unanticipated, except that it lasts much longer than he expects.

[He doesn't, in general, notice much wrong until one day he finds it difficult to catch his breath bringing the shopping back from the market. He manages to get home, but dizzily, and his chest aches by the time he does. He has to rest for a while, leaning against the counter, conscious as he's never been of the transmission of air into his chest. Surely it shouldn't be this difficult, even for a cold.

[Groceries are put away, chores get done; but by the time Yuan arrives home the cough, if anything, has gotten worse ... and there's a definite wheeze in Kratos's breathing.]

[conductingresistance]

[Somehow, things begin to look up. The situation with An-Hei is resolved -- though Yuan would have preferred something that saw some genuine acknowledgement of what had been done to Kratos, he can admit that there was little chance of it, given that they are both soldiers. The solution given will suffice.]

[The weather turns. Yuan starts keeping a closer eye on Kratos, knowing well enough that Tethe'alla's a more temperate place. One or two colds are to be expected, and he isn't initially concerned when Kratos develops a cough, only takes it for the season and brings home a hot drink or two, to bolster both body and spirit.]

[Then there's the day he comes home and the cough is notably worse, where it's meant to get better if it's a simple cold. Yuan hangs his cloak and he can already hear Kratos coughing, and when it stops...]

[Hm. He tracks Kratos down with an intent focus, and this time doesn't hesitate about invading the kitchen, rather going straight to Kratos with a frown and listening intently.]

You're having trouble breathing.

[In which Yuan states the obvious.]

This isn't a cold any more.

UNCHAINED; the swallow tamed (sorta)

[simulsimul]

[Luck turns in equal measures. The camp manages to avoid an all-out epidemic; quarantining those who are the worst sick has its effect, and even they manage to recover, Ka-Fai included. On the downside, the scouts report the Sylvaranti reinforcements arriving first, and whoever the new commander is evidently decides the prisoners are either already dead or not able to be saved. The mortars begin again, pounding at the shield.

[The nodes are beginning to wear. They're not gone yet; but Lirea warns Kratos that the maintenance is getting difficult. The single scout coming over the pass comes with news to hold. Their reinforcements have been diverted; but if they hold, a skyship will be available soon. The commanders choose to risk a coded transmission to alert their general their situation may not last so long, but there's no guarantee it gets through. Both sides are far too good at interrupting magitech comms lines.

[Which means they need to do something about their situation here, now. They can't wait and risk losing the shield. They have to take out those cannons. Their scouts have a good knowledge of the area, now; but the Sylvaranti are fresher and can match their numbers. Not good odds, especially with the Tethe'allans having Sylvaranti to take care of. If they stage another break -- and that's not even accounting for the drain on their resources --

[The discussion ranges from 'execute them' to 'release them'. In the end, Lirea defers -- for the moment -- to Kratos. Which is why Kratos strides into the main Sylvaranti tent, where Yuan has been returned, his step intent and face grim. Well, grimmer than usual.

[He catches Ka-Fai's eye and gives a jerk of his head, a silent request for Yuan to come away from his people. Kratos doesn't like doing this, but the Sylvaranti doesn't have particularly good odds here, either.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan's sensitive enough to the changing tenor in the camp, though there's little he can do about it save keep an eye on his own people. He's better, now, after far too long of misery and fever, and significantly more alert to what's happening around him.]

[The ache in his abdomen has mostly faded, and he does what exercises he can in the tent and when let out, trying to pull himself back into better shape. It's a far cry from near-daily sparring or fighting, and it feels like too long since he's held his weapon. He's still hoping to get to hold it again someday.]

[And he can tell, when Kratos comes in, that there's more grimness than usual there. Yuan stands up, hiding any lingering grimaces, and comes across to him, head tilted in mute inquiry. He's assuming Kratos will want them to walk away from the rest before explaining.]

[But something's wrong.]

BONDVERSE; deploying 'home';

[conductingresistance]

[The orders come -- mercifully -- some time after Kratos has recovered, and Yuan has long since gotten used to the scent of frankincense. He has three days to get his regiment together and prepared to leave, and on the third they'll leave. It's sooner than he'd like for a departure, and he'll be relying on Lieutenant An-Lin more than a little.]

[And it's Vanaheim. They won't be there long -- the orders are to press north, toward the last remaining resistance -- but it's what's being used as a base. Somehow, Yuan doesn't think going back like this will be a kindness to Kratos.]

[And yet: Kratos is coming with him.]

[Yuan's home slightly later than is normal for him that night, enough that the meal is already done and he can't even loiter at the entrance to the kitchen while he figures out how to broach this. Which means it simply comes out, almost as soon as he sees Kratos.]

My regiment is being deployed, within the week.

[simulsimul]

[It's a bit worrying, that Yuan is late; it doesn't happen all that often, at least not without warning. If it's had to happen lately, often one of the admin staff will drop by to let Kratos know. Helping Yuan take care of him has seemed to break the ice in ways neither of them expected.

[Kratos is fairly sure Yuan still doesn't know what to do with having bags of salted nut chocolates pushed into his hands, and yet.

[So. Tonight Yuan is late, and there is no warning; Kratos keeps the meal warm in the oven and sits at the table to leaf through some of his language lessons. When he hears Yuan's step he looks up, but doesn't manage to say anything before that news is broached. Kratos blinks.]

I ... see.

[The tightness in his chest is frustrating, and Kratos can't tell precisely which emotion is responsible for it. But Yuan has made it clear he intends to take Kratos with him, regardless of where he's being sent; so that means preparations will need to be fast.]

I'm not going to be able to manage with just a cane, in the field.

BONDVERSE; where home truly lies

[simulsimul]

[Preparing for deployment from this side is an exercise in nostalgic familiarity and newness. The newness is in the the fact that Kratos isn't responsible for most of the things he's accustomed to being responsible for. He only has to worry about Yuan's things, and making sure he's at the right place at the right time. It's a novelty.

[But the act of being on deployment is equal amounts soothing and melancholic. It isn't the same as it was; but the things that are the same are the minor things easily noticed by someone looking. The packing, the bustle, the rush. Kratos is moving faster than he has in months, thanks to the brace. Mac Gabhann was right about the breaking-in period, but Kratos figures he'll have plenty of time to rest on the skyship. It's got to be a few days to Vanaheim.

[An-Lin proves to be a short, extremely competent woman who directs Kratos with as few words as possible, primarily because of how many people she's trying to direct at once. It's the skyship which is a surprise. Outwardly it looks much like the Tethe'allan freighters, but the cargo holds on the inside are miniature farms. The boarding troops are directed to campsites where, Kratos determines, they're due to lend to in the maintenance during the brief trip.

[Yuan's commander's quarters are located on a broad catwalk over the cargo hold, with a glass wall overlooking the ... farm, Kratos supposed. It's alien and vaguely endearing, and explains a great deal about how the Sylvaranti managed to maintain the longevity of their air forces so well. If their smaller skyships could refuel both people and machine -- and deliver foodstuffs to needed areas --

[Kratos finds himself taking mental notes, as if he's prepared to deliver a report to his own general, before remembering that ... this improvement won't help Tethe'alla. Tethe'alla has already been lost.

[He sets to in Yuan's quarters, making sure everything is just so and gathering messages given to him by passing officers looking for, and not finding, their commander. It's enough to distract him, for the moment.]

[conductingresistance]

[In the rush of everything, Yuan loses track of Kratos, a little. It's mostly not cause for worry -- An-Lin will have things well in hand, and Kratos was a soldier after all, and truly can handle himself, despite the multitude of injuries he's suffered.]

[He does occasionally pause for brief moments of concern, but these are passing, and for the most part Yuan is swamped by the tide of ensuring that everything is in its order for departure, since there will be no turning around if someone just happens to forget something.]

[Aboard the skyship, he takes the time to go over the ship himself. One skyship's layout is much like another, but every one gets a little bit personalized by its crew. He notes the plants, the people. Where his troops are quartered. Only when Yuan's satisfied everything and everyone are in their places does he return to his quarters; and there, as he expects, he finds Kratos.]

[Yuan's shoulders drop a little in relief. All in all, it's one of the smoother departure's he's had.]

There you are. Any messages to relay?

BONDVERSE; inducted;

[simulsimul]

[By the time they reach Vanaheim, Kratos's nightmares have subsided, but they both know that's only due to the help Yuan has been giving him at night. Kratos has no illusions about whether or not they'll return after landing.

[Mercifully, the camp around -- and within -- Vanaheim is already so large as to push them to the outskirts, as befitting those who aren't likely to be in the area for long. Kratos rides in on the vehicle bearing Yuan's tent and possessions, far from the vanguard where Yuan meets those presiding over the camp. That, too, is a mercy.

[Less of one is the sight of Vanaheim on the hills in the distance. The hills still roll, and the sun still shines off white stone. From where they're camped, Kratos can hardly tell there's anything wrong, save the evidence of construction on the walls ... and o Branain's flags flying from the towers. It's easy not to look, so Kratos doesn't; but even so, as expected, his sleep becomes restless once more.

[But, primarily, he keeps Yuan's tent, keeps his equipment prepared, makes sure any messages sent for him gets to him, and is as unobtrusive as possible while observing the daily life of a Sylvaranti camp. He gets some looks. He gets many comments. He ignores them all, and silently. In a manner of speaking, this is more familiar than anything else, save the insolence; the judgement, the assumptions. Those are things he can bear; and they're made easier to bear, given how rigorously Yuan drills his new regiment to ensure they're a proper fighting force and not just a collection of half-trained people with weapons. After a point, they don't have time to pass scathing remarks to Tethe'allan slaves.

[Most days, Kratos has time to spare to watch, pushing down the pangs of dissatisfied yearning at the sight of learning freely offered, of which he can't partake. His hands itch to pick up a sword; he keeps them clasped instead. His body still remembers what it feels like to run through such maneuvers, such that he often finds himself in the middle of a shift of weight to idly test, before being pulled up short by the impediment that is his leg.

[And for all that, he's not at all prepared for the day o Branain comes to inspect Yuan's fighting forces in action.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan does his level best to keep his new recruits too busy to make any significant comments; the new people need to be integrated with those who've stayed with him, anyway, and he wants them working as a unit before they see anything like genuine combat. As much of a unit as they can be, when they don't know instinctively that their fellows will have their backs.]

[So Yuan pushes them; and twice as hard as any other officer would, because he of all people cannot afford to have sub-standard results.]

[He watches Kratos when he can. Watches the way Kratos looks to the hills, once in a while.]

[At night, Yuan reaches down to brush Kratos's shoulder when he grows restless enough that Yuan hears it.]

[But he, too, isn't expecting the arrival of the General to personally inspect things. Yuan's conducting drills when he hears the ripple of reactions behind him. Not danger, can't tell what it is from here, and so he snaps at the first recruit who attempts to fall out early.]

[When everything is complete on that front, Yuan turns, and there is a quick mental curse as he processes that it's the General. O Branain seems to have been content to simply stand there and observe, at least, not demanding attention immediately, but once Yuan meets his eyes and offers the customary short bow, o Branain beckons, a gesture implying walk with me.]

[Yuan goes. He's thinking more of Kratos, and the probable reactions if the two come face to face, than of what the General could want with him specifically. Routine is all Yuan expects right now.]

BONDVERSE; going home again

[simulsimul]

[They spend longer in Vanaheim than, perhaps, anticipated -- in part for maneuvers, in part because o Branain's peers are still figuring out exact plans. Even though some of Kratos's emotions have eased, he finds that staying so near the city does not get easier with time.

[But, as promised, Yuan makes the time for them to go into the city. Or perhaps he's expected to call in for his orders. Kratos isn't sure, and isn't asking; but Yuan has mentioned it, and as a result, one morning, they take one of the supply carts in. Seated on the back, turned away from the city, is as bad as being seated up front, where Yuan is. Kratos can't think of any good way for this to happen.

[So he's quiet as the cart approaches the guardhouse, as if there's any way to hold a proper conversation anyhow; and he dismounts just as quietly, looking around. The gates are open. The guardhouse looks the same. This isn't the one which had been broken by Sylvaranti forces. But the guards are all Sylvaranti; and the flags flying over it are Sylvaranti also.

[Kratos feels ill and distant at once, the reality both surreal and sickening. His face is slightly grey, not enough to tell except for someone already familiar with him.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan watches Kratos, of course; keeps an eye on him, as time passes, as maneuvers are practiced and plans are put into place. It's a holding pattern, but one Yuan's accustomed to well enough. Kratos might have been to something of the kind, but at the moment Yuan suspects that any familiarity with similar patterns is eclipsed by the fact of Vanaheim.]

[He doesn't know if this will help. Indeed, when they're out of the cart at the guardhouse Yuan questions it again. But he speaks to the guards, identifies people and purpose and the contents of the cart, since he's there anyway, and while it's being looked-over he circles around to where Kratos has dismounted.]

[Kratos does not look particularly well. Yuan considers the surroundings, and chances a hand on his shoulder, which could be taken for simply stabilizing a lamed slave, not the inadequate attempt at offering support it is. In an undertone:]

Would you prefer to return?

CHAIN; the gift that keeps on giving

[conductingresistance]

[It's an unhappy gutpunch of a surprise, when Yuan's sold off.]

[Not that he wanted to be at the smithy forever; but it's basically all he's ever known. And Nidavellir, and the wind between the streets, and the nameless blade hanging sleek-shining in the wall where Yuan could see it, every day, and dream of what could never be--]

[Maybe that's why he's been more mouthy than expected for an invisible slave, of late.]

[So: Triet. Yuan hates it immediately. It's hot, the sun bakes, the wind is negligible until they're inside the city proper, and the sand gets everywhere. He hunches his shoulders and tries not to look too troublesome; as distasteful as some possibilities are, mines would likely be worse.]

[Escape is a wistful fantasy. Where would he go?]

[So Yuan follows where he's led, and tries not to hope too much, but... perhaps it won't be as bad as it might be. At least inside the city proper a wind picks up from the waterfall over the far cliff, and something a little bit cooling brushes through the streets. It's a pale shadow of Nidavellir. ... It's something.]

[simulsimul]

[Triet is ... an experience. It's hot but the breeze is occasionally nice; and he appreciates the frequent opportunities to visit Efreet's temple. But it's hot, overwhelmingly so. And dusty. And sandy. And dry. Kratos manages to not complain too much out loud. It's not worthy of an Aurion, particularly given the future of the Aurions is in question. It was a scheduled breeding, but only a handful of children born in the end, seeing as the war had been won.

[So Kratos is there because Triet is the place where cultures meld and any unrest, while not liable to boil, may yet be unearthed. The Imperial Knights aren't the only soldiers there, but they're the arm of the king, after all, and oversee the law-enforcement of the Imperial Guards.

[And Kratos, in the way of Aurions, has just been promoted to resident commander of the Imperial Knights in Triet. He tries to be happy. It's difficult, when he feels rather as though he's been relegated to an ignominious post just to keep the number of on-duty Aurions in Vanaheim down to a minimum. It's made easier by being distracted with the congratulations of his peers -- mostly non-knights. They didn't have to go through training with him. The resentment didn't breed.

[He's still Concerned when one of the other regiment commanders claims a promotion gift and insists on dragging him to one of the Sylvaranti customs houses.]

You got me something from Sylvarant?

[Well, it's ... more thoughtful than Kratos expected. Triet technically counts as Sylvarant, he supposes, but he has been wondering what the nation is like beyond the border.]

Of course. Nothing but the best.

[... It occurs to Kratos that this commander has been here for a very long time and this might be an attempt to curry favour.]

CHAIN; cultural differences

[conductingresistance]

[It isn't... bad, Yuan will admit. House-chores and meals that were made with the intent of feeding him, not leftovers. And thus far Kratos seems set on making sure Yuan has choices.]

[Maybe that will even last.]

[It's not the heavy work from the smithy, but the weather in Triet is much warmer than it was in Nidavellir, and Yuan prefers to be clean when he can be. And he can't track down anything like a normal bathing facility in the immediate vicinity.]

[This is cultural. It has to be cultural. How does he ask.]

[He manages to clean himself sufficiently with cloth and basin for a day or two, but he can tell it isn't tenable. And he wants, desperately, the chance to do something about his hair.]

[He doesn't have enough pride he can't swallow it. He goes to Kratos -- though he ensures it's when Kratos is between tasks, and Yuan isn't interrupting.]

Sir--

[Wait, no.]

Kratos. I-- what do I need to know about Tethe'allan bathing?

[Damn it.]

[simulsimul]

[Kratos is, in fact, stretching languorously in his office chair, having just finished a pile and now contemplating a snack or a bath. Yuan must have been keeping an eye on him; the sound of his voice makes Kratos look up, blinking in wordless surprise at the name.

[He hadn't thought Yuan would go that far, so soon. Huh. Maybe it's a good sign; though they are, of course, alone.]

Need to know?

[The echo is bemused before Kratos blinks again and realises -- no one must have told him, when he introduced himself to the staff proper.]

Did no one show you to the bath-house?

[He shakes his head with a hum.]

Never mind. I was just considering one myself. Come on, then.

[And he rises, divesting himself of anything small which he wouldn't want to take down into the pool, to drop it onto his desk.]

BONDVERSE; moving north

[simulsimul]

[They aren't at Vanaheim for much longer, but it seems like far too long for Kratos. Glancing toward the city tightens the knot of raw emotion under his ribs; not looking, when he realises that he isn't, has the same effect. At least emotion is something he's used to weathering.

[It just ... hasn't been so strong lately, as it is now. Some days, either action brings his throat to closing, his eyes to burning. Those days he ducks his head and wordlessly takes over in the kitchen. Most are all too willing to let a slave take over scrub duty, unless he happens to know they were specifically ordered; he's aware, on some level, that setting a precedent is a bad idea, that there still needs to be some degree of basic courtesy -- if that's even possible, for the human slave of a half-elven commander.

[But it helps, to exhaust himself in such a way. The dreams return with a vengeance, now they're in a place where he doesn't dare take advantage of Yuan's generosity from the skyship; scrubbing pots is the only way he can exhaust himself, with his leg the way it is.

[Not that Yuan stands for it. Kratos ... regrets, a little, that he needs to be ordered. Some part of him hates putting that burden on Yuan, to take that responsibility. Some part of him is relieved by the absolution. It's a tenuous thing, but at least there's no issue with waking early enough to avoid the lieutenant from coming in with the morning reports.

[And then their orders arrive: northward it is, to replace some of the regiments there, ones who are due for relief. Theirs isn't the only one. Kratos occupies himself with packing, silently obeying Yuan's orders, Lieutenant An-Lin's in lieu of his. It's ... enough. It's enough until he's on the back of the cart being borne away, and he looks up to see the sunlight gleaming off white stone, and the river in the distance; and then there's panic rising in him, unexpected.

[Kratos turns his face away, his knuckles white from gripping the rail of the wagon, and swallows hard until the urge to rush back to Vanaheim fades. It's lost. It's already lost. Going back there won't change it.

[His hair is long enough, now, to hide most of the tears.]

[conductingresistance]

[There are some things Yuan isn't clear on, with regards to Kratos. He doesn't always know what he's doing, or what to offer.]

[He does know he's not about to let Kratos weep in the night without doing something about it, when he's right there. It doesn't seem like much, across their boundaries. But it's certainly something.]

[He breathes easier when they're leaving Vanaheim. Surely when they're gone, such things will subside, and they won't be treading such unstable terrain.]

[It doesn't occur to him until he sees Kratos's white knuckles in passing that it would be just as hard, leaving the city, even when Kratos knows it is not the city of his memories.]

[Yuan has more to do right now than allows for approaching Kratos; but when they have retired for the night he is quieter than normal, watching Kratos to see if there's any evidence of emotion lingering.]

[It's certainly not usual for one to be taking one's cues from one's slave, but Yuan is beginning to give up pretending Kratos means only that.]