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

[simulsimul]

Hmh.

[Nothing wrong with berries; but at this point Kratos recognises that he has very little ground to stand on with regard to criticising the choice of fruit in the living-room. He does step out of the way, easier on his feet than he was a month ago, and he wrinkles his nose at the plant as Yuan passes.

[And then follows, if more slowly and with his limping pace.]

Relatedly, I have another request, when you have a moment.

[And aren't bearing undeserving tomato plants around the house.]

[conductingresistance]

[When Kratos moves, Yuan heads for his room. He doesn't usually completely close the door, to the end that it only needs a nudge to open even with his hands occupied.]

I have a moment. What is it?

[He can hear Kratos's footsteps behind him, and so doesn't bother looking back. Yuan still has his hands full of plant, though, and spends several seconds considering the options for placement in his room. Finally he settles on a spot opposite the bookshelf, which he knows gets fairly good light in the mornings. Absently he tests the dampness of the soil before standing; it could probably use watering, but that's not urgent.]

[simulsimul]

Permission to spend a little extra.

[Usually, Yuan gives Kratos the money to spend during the week for household maintenance -- it's predominantly spent on food, but accounts for other things as well. Anything left over carries into the next week, and technically that should be enough to purchase a new plant. If it was just the plant he was purchasing.

[Kratos isn't thinking only of plants.]

The market nearby doesn't have a stall for seafood, and the nearest market which does is too far for me to walk.

[A rickshaw for a market trip, he deemed, is a frivolous expense.]

There is someone who will deliver fish to the door, but I would need to pay her regularly and make the trip out to put in the initial order. And I will need to have a plant ordered from a nursery and delivered, in any case.

[There's just no way he can pick it up, and the delivery is an expense the extra money won't cover.]

[conductingresistance]

[Seafood, hm.]

I usually don't bother with it for precisely those reasons.

[Out of the way or more expensive than average. Theoretically, based in his figurings and his budgeting, Yuan could afford it; it's simply that it isn't necessary, so he doesn't. He saves the money for unexpected expenses.]

[Like acquiring prisoners of war, in a pinch.]

[Kratos hasn't said anything like this previously. In conjunction with his newly discovered disapproval of tomatoes, it makes Yuan wonder. He gives Kratos a thoughtful, sidelong look.]

You have a preference for it?

[simulsimul]

[Kratos pauses again, debating how to answer. Aside from changing his own room and asking leave to change the kitchen, this is the first real request he's made, if it can even be called a request. It isn't that it's a problem, exactly, except --]

Yes; I enjoy tuna. But I'm also not used to a diet with so much red meat and poultry.

[Or spice. He's been noticing the difference in his health and digestion, minor things which he left for a while to determine they are a result of the dietary change and not the time in captivity. And he's finding he just misses some of the dishes from home. Pasta isn't easy to find here either; so far he's been substituting that with rice, which is relatively new to him but seems to be abundant.]

[conductingresistance]

Hm.

[Yuan wonders briefly if he is, in fact, a pushover.]

[But there's something to be said for the effects of uprooting a person from everything he's ever known, and even six weeks' of healthy eating by Sylvaranti standards is unlikely to undo more than two decades of Tethe'allan enculturation. And here, unlike some places, there's the means to compensate a little.]

[...It might be nice, too, trying something different, even a little. A 'no' at this point would be for the sake of saying no, not because Yuan has significant personal objection.]

[Damn it. Why does Kratos have to sound so reasonable?]

I want to look at the numbers before I agree to a longer-term arrangement; but I don't see why not.

[simulsimul]

[Kratos nods.]

A moment, then.

[He pushes off the door to move to his own room, and find the price list on his desk. He can't actually read the items; they're all in the language native to Nidavellir. But he can judge, vaguely, based on the numbers -- at least the script for those are the same, at least in this language. There's two different columns for the prices, one at a discount on assumed long patronage. He brings it back and holds it out.]

I can't read the writing -- but these are what she offers. If you wish, we can try a week to see if her goods are worth the price; but the impression I got was that it would be cheaper if we became long-term patrons.

[At least a week would give Kratos the opportunity to cook something from home, and possibly convince Yuan that it's a good idea that way.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan gives the tomato plant one last look before following Kratos, leaning in the doorway. It's slightly more efficient, that way.]

[...And he has to wonder how it didn't occur to him that the dialectical differences would trip Kratos up. Perhaps it's because Kratos has always seemed effortlessly competent, despite limitations.]

[He takes the list to look it over, comparing, running brief calculations in his head. He'll compare it to his proper ledger later, but it's within acceptable margins.]

A trial period is preferable.

[And that way they get a feel for if this woman will have any reservations about the destination of her product.]

--I'll teach you to read this dialect. It shouldn't be too difficult for you to pick up.

[And there's really no sense in Kratos having a harder time getting around Nidavellir.]

[simulsimul]

That -- would be useful.

[The surprise is low-grade, really only audible in the brief pause between words; but it's there, nonetheless. At this point, Kratos had been assuming that slaves aren't allowed to learn how to read -- or at least not something common to Sylvarant. Part of the reason the market took so long was finding stalls who wouldn't refuse to speak to him in one of the shared languages. He'd been picking up bits and pieces, but not enough to solidly learn anything, given that shared languages were still regularly spoken. Just not, apparently, used as reading material. At least not hereabouts.]

I will see her when I go to the nursery, then; when she brings the last delivery we can let her know whether we'd like to continue.

[It would save another trip out, and therefore money on the rickshaws. He hesitates a moment.]

Which one is the tuna?

[If they're only going to manage a week, he'd better make sure he gets the tuna. Just in case.]

[conductingresistance]

I should have thought of it earlier.

[Oblique concession to fault, mostly because he really should have. No, it isn't something that's common, intentionally teaching one's slaves to read; but Kratos isn't about to get more dangerous, or, in fact, out of the city at all, and it can only help both of them for him to be capable of reading the local dialects.]

[Yuan offers the list back, taps the entry for tuna as he does.]

This one. The name's longer than it seems like it should be.

[simulsimul]

[Kratos takes the page, examining the script. He hasn't the faintest clue how to pronounce it, but at least he'd be able to recognise it.]

And the others?

[--And hesitates.]

Hmh. I should prepare dinner -- perhaps you can show me while we eat.

[It would make things simpler, and get a start on what he needs to know, especially since it means he can ask Yuan about some of the writings on the foodstuffs he'll be using.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan wouldn't mind going ahead right then, since he did offer, but Kratos has a point about dinner.]

[Kratos has a point about a lot of things. Yuan's going to have to think about what that means, exactly, for what exists of their relationship.]

That's fine. I'll leave you to it, then.

[He's never felt the need to supervise Kratos in the kitchen, so it's back to the tomato plant and actually watering it, now. They don't often talk over meals; there's a silence that's almost companionable between them, save for careful small talk and comments on the running of the household, such as it is.]

[The topic waits until the meal.]

[simulsimul]

[It's a different way of spending the meal, beyond the polite and sporadic chatter which is more of a barrier than not. It seems as though they connect in the midst of adversity, not sharing the same meal across a table. This is, in some ways, better -- something to focus on beyond navigating this odd slave-not-slave relationship Yuan's established.

[Regardless, it means that by the time Kratos makes the trip out, he's capable of reading the names of all the fish available. The woman is an entrepreneur; she pauses when she realises whose house she'll be delivering to, but as a businesswoman, doesn't let it get in the way of the profit.

[The keeper at the nursery is a harder sell. At first, the man tries to sell Kratos figs; but Kratos has seen them growing wild in the crevices of the city, and seen how cheaply they're sold. At that price, it's not worth the cost. Mandarins are a better offer, but those plants haven't arrived yet, and in the meantime, Kratos spots something he never expected to see in this mountainous place -- a potted olive tree.

[He recognises the kind. It should continue bearing fruit, even potted indoors. It's not precisely what Yuan was asking for, Kratos knows; but though Kratos may not be familiar with the culture, and he may not have his rank, he does at least know how to bargain down. The nursery keeper doesn't truly know what he has, probably because no one in Nidavellir knows how to properly tend an olive tree. More the fool him -- it's already bearing.

[The mandarin tree will have to be delivered; but the olive tree Kratos brings home with him, slipping the half-elven rickshaw driver a bit extra to carry it indoors for him. It goes in the living-room for now, only because Kratos needs to decide how to change his room again to account for it, and get Yuan's help to do so; but by the time Yuan arrives home, Kratos wears a vague air of satisfaction as he goes about preparing dinner.]

[conductingresistance]

[For his part Yuan can't put a precise reason to why language should be easier than the rest; he marks it off as a difference in actually doing something of note, and will possibly come back to the matter later. Teaching Kratos is oddly satisfying, anyway.]

[He doesn't ask about the matter of the plant until the day he comes home and there's something leafy and new in the living-room. Yuan doesn't immediately recognize the plant, which strikes him as odd. He's no gardener, really, but he knows most of what can be cultivated indoors and this doesn't match any of those options.]

[Gingerly Yuan fingers the leaves, gets a feel for the fruit. Green, oblong, firm. Some are smaller than others, but it's the only difference he spots immediately, and he can't quite tell whether they're ripe or not.]

[He did specify edible fruit, though. Yuan begins to suspect Kratos has somehow found a plant native to Tethe'allan climates.]

[Fortunately, Kratos isn't hard to find. Yuan goes to lean in the kitchen doorway, observes Kratos for a moment -- he seems satisfied with himself, though Yuan can't tell perfectly if that's the right emotion. Hm.]

What, exactly, did you find?

[simulsimul]

[Kratos turns when he hears Yuan's footsteps, bringing some dishes to the sink to put in water. He's not precisely smiling, but there's very definitely a sense of one not quite impending, despite the fact his limp is more pronounced than usual and his hip is aching. He's been walking around today more than usual.]

Olives.

[It occurs to him belatedly that Yuan may not have even had olives before; so he glances over his shoulder as he sets the dishes down.]

Don't eat them off the tree; they're terribly bitter until they've been picked and fermented.

[conductingresistance]

[Hm. He's done a lot of walking today, hasn't he.]

[...well, Kratos would theoretically be the one to best know if he needs resting, and he's still going, hasn't paused. The meal will provide the opportunity anyway.]

I take it they're Tethe'allan in origin.

[Yuan's more sure of it now: Kratos might not be smiling, but he seems happier. Even if Yuan could not, on reflection, lay specific evidence out for why he thinks that. It's simply an impression.]

Shall I assume you plan to do the fermenting as well?

[simulsimul]

Yes. I should be able to devise something for that; though most of them I'd press for the oil, I think.

[Olive oil is extremely healthy, for one thing, and useful for just about everything, for another. Kratos gives Yuan another side-long glance as he washes those dishes, cane resting against his leg and sleeves rolled up. He can't actually tell if Yuan is unhappy about this or not.]

I've put it in the living-room until I can shift my room around a bit. The mandarin tree won't be here for a few more days; the nursery's order is still en route from further down the mountain.

[conductingresistance]

[Ah. Two plants. One of which will be immediately useful to Yuan, and one of which will be useful to Kratos in the long-term. Yuan shifts a little, and his leaning seems more relaxed now.]

How much oil do you expect this size of a plant to produce, and what are you accustomed to using it in?

[Is it for cooking, or utility as well? It can't be that plentiful a thing, can it?]

[Yuan's questioning is more for genuine curiosity's sake than any suspicion or irritation, though his voice always seems to have some kind of an edge to it. It is, at this point, just habit.]

If you need assistance re-arranging, tell me once you've decided.

[He has time in the evenings now, after all.]

[simulsimul]

[There seems to be a slight change there, and in a direction of acceptance, at least; Yuan doesn't even ask how much both plants ultimately cost, given Kratos only went out for one. (The money leftover is sitting on his desk, along with receipts and delivery times.) Kratos gives Yuan a nod of acknowledge for the offer and returns to the dishes, speaking without turning.]

Not all that much, comparative to other trees; this kind is bred for a high yield while potted, but that still isn't really a marketable production for the oil itself. It will be enough for basic household use, however.

[Which is why the trees had been cultivated; they're very common on poorer households. For some families, their olive tree is their largest investment.]

This one isn't very healthy -- the nursery sold it cheap. They don't know what they're doing. Once it's grown a little more we should have enough at least to cook with, but I would prefer to use it as a condiment with bread or on salads.

[conductingresistance]

[He is assuming that the receipts will be there, and also that Kratos can't have spent more than Yuan sent him with, so he isn't especially worried.]

[Just very mildly perturbed by the new plant; but at least Yuan can recognize it's more to do with the fact there's a change he didn't put into place, rather than a disapproval of the plant itself.]

Hm. I see no reason not to trust your judgment on that front. Do as you will.

[Kratos has, after all, been admirably skilled at the cooking so far. ...and it might be helpful for him to have a project.]

[simulsimul]

Very well.

[It is, essentially, permission, even as dismissive as it sounds, and Kratos takes it as such, already considering how to get the olive tree up to health. These first fruits he will have to ferment; he doesn't have the equipment for pressing yet, and it would be a shame to waste them.

[Kratos's good mood lasts for the rest of the evening, tangibly so, and he intends to request Yuan's help moving his room the next day. The morning -- does not quite go as planned. Mostly owing to the fact that when Kratos gets up in the morning, his bad leg immediately buckles.

[With a sharp breath Kratos manages to catch himself on his cot before he hits the floor, and thankfully it doesn't hit the wall in turn. He's been good about paying attention to the needs of his leg, without letting it stop him from doing the things he needs to do; that it should fail on him so completely after just one day of extra activity is both surprising and frustrating.

[Getting dressed takes extra time, that morning. As does walking, with an extra careful hitch in his step. Every single one hurts, even if Kratos manages to keep it off his face. He doesn't keep it out of his ginger movements.

[He has an olive tree. This is bearable, and will pass. The olive tree will still be there.]

[conductingresistance]

[The next day is a rest day, which means Yuan sleeps in an extra ten minutes or so past the time he normally does. Until he can't justify laying about any more and gets up, reviewing already what he'll have to do with the day.]

[It isn't as much as it would have been before he acquired Kratos. There will be more time for leisure, and some of that time it seems reasonable to devote to the project of reading, and teaching Kratos to do so in Sylvaranti. ...Probably multiple dialects, now that Yuan thinks of it. There's no point in not being thorough.]

[He hears Kratos passing in the hall; Yuan thinks the rhythm of his steps sounds wrong, but it's a passing thought until a little later, when he heads toward the kitchen and has to take a moment to watch Kratos, as the thought occurs to him.]

[simulsimul]

[Standing is not particularly pleasant, but the thought of walking back to the washroom to get the stool Kratos habitually uses in there is worse than the thought of standing for a few minutes while he puts together some breakfast.

[But Kratos has a habit of standing on that leg with relative frequency, without realising; with his leg locked, it's easy enough to remain still. This morning, he isn't doing that, but has it resting extended slightly to the side, without any weight on it at all. It doesn't help the complaining ache in his hip from being overworked yesterday, but it eases the pain a little.

[When Kratos turns to bring the tray to the table, he leans heavily on his cane, and the rhythm is as different as Yuan noted before -- though Kratos makes no mention of it.]

Is there anything you have planned for today?

[conductingresistance]

[Yes: definitely off. Yuan's paid enough attention to know what Kratos's gait usually looks like, and this isn't it.]

You pushed yourself too far yesterday, didn't you.

[Not really judging, but pointing it out where Kratos will have to acknowledge it.]

Not much, no.

[Kratos has neatly negated many of the things Yuan would ordinarily have been doing on a rest day. It's still something of a novelty, genuinely having the time to rest. ...Still, it's an option that should be open to Kratos as well, especially if the leg is paining him more than average.]

[...which, admittedly, Yuan is still guessing about.]

I'd thought to continue with the matter of reading, at the very least.

[simulsimul]

I'll be fine.

[It was a good test of stamina, if nothing else; but it also wasn't all that much extra activity. Kratos doesn't like how much it too out of him; but he isn't going to let it stop him, either. There has to be some degree of fitness he can train his leg into.

[He does not show how much of a relief it is to sit. He does let show the gleam of interest in Yuan's suggestion.]

That would be appreciated. There aren't many books here I've been able to read.

[Between building a press and learning some Sylvaranti languages, he will hopefully be less bored during the day.]