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

[conductingresistance]

I need to apprise my second of the situation. Then we can go.

[Yuan considers it longer than it strictly warrants before lifting the sword still in his hand, offering Flamberge back to Kratos hilt-first.]

Here.

[It's a measure of trust Yuan really isn't sure he wants to extend, but it seems they have little choice.]

[simulsimul]

Alright.

[Kratos's weight has already shifted to turn to the door when Yuan holds out the sword, and Kratos stops, surprise momentarily visible on his face. He honestly hadn't been expecting to return the sword to him until after they'd gotten to Asgard -- if ever.

[After a moment Kratos steps forward to grip Flamberge's hilt, taking back his sword and buckling it back around his waist.]

I'll see you soon.

[He doesn't wait, but turns to leave.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan actually pauses in his conversation with Botta for that, not quite lifting his head but certainly turning his thoughts more pointedly that way. It wasn't really avoidable that Kratos would draw their attention, especially once he began using a different tack than Raine preferred to explain things. All the same, he passes back as much steadiness as he can.]

[How odd that Yuan should be the steadier of them.]

[Let me know if you need them distracted.]

Adjectives don't always go in the same place, though.

[Sheena tilts her head at her own slate. Mizuho's language makes so much more sense.]

I get what you're saying, but when it comes to the diagrams... hmhm.

[She settles down to sketch something out, at least half of which is not the writing everyone else is used to, and temporarily subsides. Genis peers over at her now, still curious, and Sheena shakes her head at him.]

CONFESSED; son meets father

[simulsimul]

[It isn't a long trip from Triet, for angels; but it's a silent one. Silent and burdened by everything they aren't saying -- by everything they used to be. They come in from the back, as only angels can, in Sylvarant, without rheairds.

[They wind up walking to the inn from the same path Kratos and Raine had so recently used to hide Kratos's wings from the city. It's a walk as awkward and silent as the flight. Part of Kratos wants to break the silence; but he doesn't know how. Even before he agreed to let Yuan kill him for the Eternal Sword, Kratos hadn't known how to talk to Yuan in a very long time.

[It's a relief when they reach the inn, and even as they enter Kratos can hear Lloyd's pounding footsteps on the stairs, and Lloyd yelling up:]

I swear I'll finish it, Professor Sage, but I need to get in some training before Kratos -- oh! Kratos!

[Lloyd stops short a few steps above ground, teetering before catching his balance.]

Damn! I was hoping I'd get a chance to practice some stuff before you came back. Hey, is that the friend Professor Sage mentioned?

[Kratos doesn't look over his shoulder. He doesn't know what Yuan thinks of the word 'friend', these days.]

This is Yuan.

[conductingresistance]

[It seems both of them are getting their fair share of surprises today.]

[Yuan doesn't even bother to pretend Kratos can't find his own way. He turns away from Kratos, and goes to inform Botta of the temporary change in plans.]

[to here.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan has enough practice now not to let it show on his face, but he and Kratos haven't been friends in a long time.]

[Maybe...]

[No. Yuan looks over the youth in front of them and nods.]

And this is Lloyd.

[He sees the resemblance, though he doesn't mention it aloud. Yet. The boy has Kratos's eyes.]

I take it the rest of your group is upstairs.

[Above, a woman Yuan can tell with barely a glance is half-elven has come onto the landing, looking down the stairs after Lloyd. She raises an eyebrow at the collection of them; it seems directed more at Kratos than anyone else.]

[simulsimul]

[Oh. That's getting complicated -- perhaps too complicated for Lloyd, given he'd been having trouble just knowing which word was what, without adding why they were strung together in certain orders to the mix. Kratos shakes his head.]

Don't think about positioning. You're right; the order of the words will change depending on the language, and sometimes even depending on the dialect. Right now, as far as Lloyd is concerned, where they go and why is less important than their purpose.

[Lloyd grimaces.]

Yeah, I think right now I'll just be happy if I get what they all mean. I mean, I know which order they go in, or I wouldn't be able to write. I just don't know why.

That can come later. Master the building blocks of the sentence before you start thinking about how to fit them together.

[Lloyd laughs suddenly, but before Kratos can feel any doubt about it Lloyd grins up at him.]

You sound like Dad -- my other dad, I mean. When he was teaching me how to make things, he never let me start carving until I knew about all the tools and all about the wood I wanted to use.

[conductingresistance]

[Raine has some reassessing to do, perhaps, regarding making sure Lloyd is more conversant with, as Kratos puts it, the building blocks. She's known other points of view are valuable, naturally, but this is a particularly interesting object lesson on that topic, especially as it regards teaching.]

[Perhaps Kratos will be willing to sit in more often. Despite the monumental nature of the tasks awaiting them.]

[Meanwhile, Sheena is tugging her slate away from Genis with mild crossness. She'd like to see them try this diagramming business with Mizuho's language, only that would require teaching it, and that's an entirely different problem.]

...Yeah, you're right. One thing at a time.

[She hadn't even been thinking about dialects. There aren't all that many separate ones she knows of, but even the thought is enough to get Sheena to make a face.]

It's a swordsman's philosophy, in many ways.

[Yuan puts this in at least partially to draw some attention back away from Kratos. He's done talking to Botta for now, anyway, and his second is somewhat more solemn-faced as Yuan steps away from him. He joins the others at the table, electing to settle near Genis to allow Lloyd and Kratos some little space to themselves yet.]

~finis

[simulsimul]

fin

*when i said pronoun before pls pretend i said proper noun because that's what i meant

[simulsimul]

Language is like swordsmanship? How?

[This is from Colette, turning toward Yuan with fascination. She's heard Yuan and Lloyd discuss swords, but still doesn't know much about the style, save from watching them fight -- and their styles are very different.

[With Genis and Sheena sniping and Colette thus occupied, Kratos leans in a little.]

Alright. Review for me?

Uhh ... well, we've got the subject, which makes choices or takes actions affecting the rest of the village. And the object, which is everything affected by the choice, but sometimes isn't really there. The verb is the choice or action affecting the whole village. And the adjectives are what traits the subject and object wear which make them unique, right? And you said something about nouns ...

[At this Lloyd squints down at the slate, but Kratos is nodding.]

Nouns are like titles. 'Girl', or 'fox', or 'dog'. A proper noun is a noun with unique definable attributes, like 'Colette'; they don't usually need to have adjectives applied, because all that they are is inherent in the proper noun. There are also pronouns, but I think that's getting a bit complicated for just now.

[At that, Lloyd looks relieved, the furrow in his brow smoothing.]

Yeah, okay. What about this other one, then? Add-verbials? Huh. Are they kind of like choices too?

[Kratos notes that. So, Lloyd isn't oblivious to patterns; but he does seem to see patterns in ways less academic than Raine might be familiar with.]

In a manner of speaking. An adverbial describes how, when or where a choice is made. In this case, it tells us the fox jumped over the dog -- as opposed to around or on top of it.

[simulsimul]

Uh, yeah. Has Kratos mentioned me? Cool.

[Lloyd's smiling face registers no suspicion, no evidence he's noticed the coldness between them. Past him, Kratos nods toward Raine, moving toward the stairs, so Lloyd hops up a few steps.]

We're ready. We may as well get this done.

[Before he loses his nerve again. He waits for further introductions before they're up the stairs; Lloyd precedes them, turning to leap up two steps at once all the way to the top, while Kratos and Yuan ascend more sedately. Lloyd vanishes past Raine into the room; Kratos can hear him telling the others, with his customary enthusiasm, that Kratos's friend is here, and wondering whether he's an angel too.

[This wondering is nowhere near beneath an angel's hearing capabilities, but Kratos manages not to glance sidelong at Yuan.]

~finis

[simulsimul]

fin

[simulsimul]

You might be surprised.

[Not that Kratos is going to give Yuan any hints. He leaves the room ahead of Yuan, knowing that most likely Yuan will be watching carefully for any hint of weakness. He does pause, once in the hallway, for Yuan's direction; but Kratos is still mildly surprised by how close his room is to Botta's office.

[Until he steps into the office, and looks around at the furnishings, and realises it isn't Botta's office, despite the half-elf sitting behind the paper-strewn desk. It's Yuan's. That is, unless Yuan has taken to decorating his subordinates' offices of his own volition.]

Hmh.

[For all it's a small sound, there is amusement there.]

that's definitely what you said there

[conductingresistance]

[With Colette's attention drawn, that leaves Kratos a little less to handle. Yuan leans an elbow on the table as he explains.]

Swordsmanship rests on any number of invisible building blocks. The sword itself, of course -- each individual weapon is different, and balances differently, and requires a different approach from the wielder. The stances, which must be repeated again and again until it's instinctive. Good footwork can and will save a person's life if it's second nature. Deep knowledge of every tool you use is required for mastery.

You know exactly how your chakrams will fly, don't you?

[It may be more instinctive than conscious, for her, but she does know them; she catches the blades out of the air with easy precision despite how clumsy she can be in her everyday life.]

[Raine looks like she's about to say something about prepositions, but checks herself, instead slanting her gaze to whatever Genis and Sheena are doing, which is by now starting to look more like math than language arts. In this case, she supposes she can let it slide.]

[conductingresistance]

[Raine steps aside to let Lloyd go past her, but she lingers, glancing thoughtfully between Yuan and Kratos.]

I suppose, with everything I'm asking you to reveal, it would be hypocritical of me to be unwilling to do the same. However, with everything else that's to be discussed...

[There will never be a good time, she thinks. She's frowning as she turns to Yuan, looking him up and down. It's always a little awkward -- to put it lightly -- when meeting another half-elf. At least, that's what she thinks he is-- half-elf in the same way Kratos is human.]

[For his part, Yuan is not at all oblivious to the calculations she must be making, and he can guess to what she's referring.]

That much is up to you. But if you own it, no one can use it to hurt you.

[From him, it's what passes for compassionate. He nods to the woman, glances in turn to Kratos. This is Kratos's endeavor, after all.]

[Raine, looking now both troubled and thoughtful, steps back into the room after Lloyd.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan raises an eyebrow at Kratos's back, thinking that over. In the end there are too many perhapses born out of the years that stretch between them, and Yuan has to file it away as something to watch for future reference.]

[He points Kratos in the correct direction and paces him the short distance to the office. And he sees that amusement, Kratos; don't think he doesn't.]

Botta.

[Botta finishes one last thing on his papers before standing, inclining his head to both of them in turn. Kratos gets a markedly shallower acknowledgment.]

Lord Yuan. ...Kratos.

[Yuan's mouth twitches with a minuscule approximation of a wry smile.]

I'll let the two of you discuss things.

[He doesn't remove himself from the room, but he does go to the desk, sorting through what's there to see what he can handle quickly while Botta's busy.]

exactly

[simulsimul]

[Colette lights up. It's not often she gets consulted on battle techniques; not that anyone's ever doubted her ability to defend herself. She still isn't one of the warriors.]

Of course! It's all in the balance. It's like throwing a frisbee for a puppy -- a really good frisbee-thrower will know exactly how high and far to throw it depending on the size and age of the dog. And you need to know when and how you use your hips, or the frisbee won't go as far, or be nearly as controlled.

[Lloyd, meanwhile, is concentrating hard on the slate, mouthing to himself.]

Okay. So adverbials are the style of a technique -- like how Uncle Yuan's sword is really different from mine, so he has to use different patterns. But then what are the the ... z? Things? They're just kind of ... there.

[Kratos pauses for a moment. Lloyd's right, of course, for all that those words are part of the sentence, it's easy to skip over them. It says well of Lloyd that he does notice they were left out.]

When you're in the village, is there anything which is 'just there'? Something which has always been there, so you no longer notice it?

Uh ... yeah, probably.

That's what those are. They're called 'determiners'. You can write that down with the others.

[Lloyd does that, then looks expectantly up at Kratos. The expression puts an abrupt and fierce tightness in Kratos's chest; it takes away the breath he intended to use for his explanation, so it comes slightly delayed.]

Think of them as the buildings in your village; they provide structure and layout to the village, but when you are accustomed to them, they are merely part of the scenery. There are a great many kinds of determiners, and they all work in different ways. These ones are the most common, and are necessary to the construction of a sentence, just like some buildings are necessary to the autonomy of a village.

[Lloyd scribbles a note to add to the others flanking the terms. 'Buildings' joins 'Frank', 'choice', 'clothes', 'villagers', 'titles' and 'craftmanship'.]

Okay. What kind of buildings are they?

MERCENARY; hiding in the library;

[choiced]

[Some of his instructors Zelos likes, and some he doesn't. Some are patient with him and don't punish him for his mistakes -- even the ones he makes on purpose. Some don't forgive him anything. Today, he has one who won't forgive him anything, and that's why he makes a beeline for the castle's library the moment the coast is clear. He doesn't want to go outside to train. The snow is the first of the season and he thought he'd be fine, he really did, because it's been a year now and he's the Chosen One and the Chosen doesn't let things get to him ever.

But he's not fine. And he's getting sick of people telling him he should be.

The library's big and quiet when Zelos sneaks in and, near as he can tell, empty. He lets himself grin, then wanders into a corner hidden from the door, just in case anyone comes looking for him. It should give him enough time to hide. He hopes.

Unless he falls asleep, he thinks, staring up at the shelves with wide eyes. He's a good reader, but he's not this good, not yet. One of the books is thicker than his arm. Great. What's he supposed to do now?]

[simulsimul]

I didn't assume you would divulge that, given you have Genis to consider.

[Given all the revelations Kratos intends to heap on the children, this is quite possibly the best time, not that Kratos expects either Colette or Lloyd to take the Sages' secret badly regardless of the timing. But Raine isn't just thinking about herself; she's thinking of her brother too, and Kratos had assumed she would keep their secret on his behalf, at least.

[There's a moment, when Yuan and Kratos are the only ones still in the hall, and Kratos happens to catch Yuan's eye. For a moment, Kratos teeters on the edge of saying something, anything; but when push comes to shove he doesn't know what. In the end he says nothing, but pushes open the door and steps in, leaving room for Yuan to enter before closing it. A touch brusquely:]

This is Yuan Ka-Fai. He leads the Renegades; be sure not to mention his identity in casual conversation where others may hear it.

[He turns his head just enough to indicate that he's talking to Yuan, nodding at each person in turn.]

You've met Lloyd Irving. This is Raine Sage, her brother Genis, Colette Brunel, and Sheena Fujibayashi.

[For his part, Kratos is watching Yuan's face to see whether he recognises Sheena or not; though Kratos had already told him they have the summoner, so the chance of Yuan being unprepared for the sight of her is remote. To say anything else is fairly unnecessary, anyway, given that Colette leaps in with a beam.]

It's so great to meet you. Are you an angel too?

[conductingresistance]

[So Yuan is handling Tethe'alla because he still has some semblance of a network of contacts there, and because he can make contact with the ninja, who've been willing to work with him before. It is, however, riskier now to travel openly. Especially with the current Pope's decrees. Strangers may be meant to be welcomed by the Church, but when those strangers are wandering half-elves, especially in and near the capital city?]

[Less so.]

[So he makes himself at home in the vast library, overseeing things, with an eye to eventually moving into a more trusted position as he "proves himself," and people get used to the comings and goings of the blue-haired half-elf, which is what he was aiming for in the first place.]

[Today's a cold day, which Yuan lets bite at him on those few occasions he's outside. Inside is for books, and warmth, and there's a sort of meditativeness in the work he's using as a cover, and-- there's a small, red-haired child making a good attempt not to be seen as he slips into one of the far corners.]

[Yuan may be some years removed from Cruxis, but he does know who the Tethe'allan Chosen currently is.]

[He gives it a little while before he heads the same way, a few books in the crook of one arm as an excuse. If nothing else Yuan is curious, and there is some vague sense of responsibility for having helped arrange the situation that has led to the boy's existence and current position.]

[He reaches past the boy for one of the larger books, drawing it back to examine what he's looking at. Just as promptly Yuan shoves it back in, grimacing. The less about the mana lineage he reads, the better.]

You're mostly going to find religious texts in this corner. I'd have thought you'd want something different.

[It's dry, quiet as befitting their locale, but not hostile.]

[choiced]

[-- he's not alone. Zelos jerks back with a yelp of surprise. If he didn't notice the books the man was holding he might even have run, but assassins don't carry books, do they?

Maybe this is why no one wants him to be alone.]

What else is there? History and science are boring.

[So is religion, but at least drawings of Martel are pretty to look at. And speaking of pretty to look at, suddenly Zelos can't take his eyes off the stranger's hair. That's pretty. Wow. It's even shining a little in the light. And it's blue, which... probably means he's a half-elf. Zelos prickles a little.]

Don't tell anyone I'm in here.

[It's half plea, half order. After all, he is the Chosen.]

[conductingresistance]

That tells me you've had the wrong teachers.

[Yuan absently flicks the long tail of his hair back over his shoulder again, and sets his free hand on the little stack of books he has. He turns to the boy properly now, head tilted slightly to the side as he looks Zelos over.]

[...he has no frame of reference for how to interact with children. Save Lloyd, and Lloyd is some years younger than this.]

Who would I tell you're here? If you're not making a mess or a racket, there's no reason you shouldn't be here.

[simulsimul]

Botta.

[Neither of them are happy to see each other, it seems, though Kratos's response is more wary than due to a lack of affection. It would be useless to hold a grudge for the attempt to kill Colette, given Kratos understands the motive behind it; and Botta is a good commander who is willing to discard any plan once it's no longer viable.

[But Kratos occupies a place, right now, where he may be seen as a certifiable threat, and from what Yuan's admitted, Botta sees him exactly as such.

[At least Yuan's finding it amusing, for the moment. Kratos watches him move toward the desk, and then returns his gaze to Botta.]

Yuan said you're lacking data on the Seed's condition. What do you have?

[choiced]

[Zelos looks dubious at the idea that any teacher could make history exciting. But he doesn't try to argue, mostly because he doesn't really care. He'd have to go to class anyway, and everyone expects him to do well no matter who's teaching him what.]

Oh. [There's a short pause while Zelos considers this.] Okay.

[He turns back to the shelves without a word of thanks -- staff are supposed to do what he says, especially if they're half-elves -- but then he remembers he couldn't find a book worth reading, and finds himself staring boredom in the face again. Anything's better than boredom.

So he spins around and studies the librarian with one hand on his chin.] What would the right teacher tell me?

[conductingresistance]

[Oh, he's been deemed worthy of interest. Yuan taps his fingers in a quick drumroll of consideration.]

That would depend on what questions you asked. There's a responsibility from the student to the teacher as well.

[It would take someone much younger, and much more oblivious, to miss the implied question. Yuan doesn't say anything at first, though, still at a loss for how to deal with a child. He can't be more than ten or so. And Yuan's are among the hands who have shaped his life, however remotely.]

...I'm sure you've guessed I'm older than I look. It's hard for history to be boring to someone who's lived it, after all.

[It isn't an offer, because he isn't quite sure how to make that offer, but it is... something. An opening, maybe.]