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]

No guarantees. I still plan to help them on my own terms.

[It just so happens that Yuan's proposed terms suit his -- for the moment. If Yuan tries to keep him past the Tower of Salvation, that will likely change. But Kratos turns his head obediently, humming.]

Young. Soft-hearted, you said? Hmh.

[Maybe a good match for the rest of the group, then. Alright.]

Very well. Do you intend to let me out long enough to speak to Botta, today?

[He can ask for the Renegades' file on her, if so.]

[conductingresistance]

If you don't plan to guarantee anything, I suppose the handcuffs will have to stay in use.

[This is a simple, casual statement of fact. Yuan starts handling the larger braid, pulling strands in a little at a time, working the smaller braid into it as well.]

I would have yesterday, but you had other plans. If you're not about to fall over today, yes, I intend to do so.

[simulsimul]

I'm fairly sure I can avoid that eventuality today.

[With amusement. Yesterday had been well worth the effort, never mind that Kratos had nearly collapsed at the end of it.]

Am I allowed to request Sheena's personnel file, as well?

[With some degree of dryness. He's not going to comment on the first part. Yuan is just as likely to break out the handcuffs for pettiness as not, and will probably find Kratos's presence around the base irritating for their difference in policy.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan is half tempted to set a cuff on Kratos's wrist now, simply to make a point; but his hands are full of braiding. The temptaion will likely still be there later.]

You're certainly allowed to request it. I may even have it fetched for you.

If you're still vertical under your own power once you've spoken with Botta.

[Although honestly Yuan is judging this significantly more likely than it was. The condition is only to needle Kratos.]

[simulsimul]

Still don't believe my estimation of my capabilities, I see.

[He'd said the sickness would last four days, after all. Not that Kratos expected Yuan to believe him, but there's always been something amusing about Yuan attempting to make a point which has already been made.]

Very well. Almost done?

[conductingresistance]

I'll believe it when you stop falling over.

[By this point, though, Yuan is simply ribbing him.]

Nearly. Hold on a moment.

[He finishes up the braid, ties it off carefully and does a quick check for any strands missed. There's nothing. Yuan sets the comb aside and stands up.]

Botta, then. Are you ready?

[simulsimul]

Yes.

[Kratos pushes himself upright and rolls his shoulders to get the kink out of his neck, reaching up to run his fingers across the braid as he rises. His eyebrows lift, and he shoots Yuan an impassive glance with exasperated amusement only in his eyes.]

Hmh. Are you hoping this one will shame me into behaving a manner more befitting myself?

[He does move for the door, pausing only to pull on his boots by the exit.]

[conductingresistance]

I'm not convinced there's anything left that could shame you, but it was worth a try.

[Yuan tucks the handcuffs away into an inner pocket, just in case he needs them later, and passes Kratos at the door, opening it for both of them.]

Come on. Botta shouldn't be too far from here.

[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.]

[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.]

[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?

[conductingresistance]

[Neither of them are at all happy to see each other, though Botta limits it to slightly narrowed eyes and a brusqueness about his speech.]

[But Kratos is a threat, whether Yuan wants to admit it or not.]

Evidently not the same results you do. Our instruments don't show nearly the instability Lord Yuan implied you were concerned about.

[Yuan spares some attention to pull up readouts on the terminal at Botta's desk, swivels it around when he has the files open, and returns to sorting through papers. It's done without speaking, simply assuming that the others in the room are attuned enough to him that they'll notice.]

[simulsimul]

How are you measuring it?

[This is a salient question, as well as one Kratos has some genuine curiosity about. The technology of Derris-Kharlan can keep a close record of the changes in the Seed's instability; it's how they've always done it. Kratos knows what will happen with the mana links due to his unique position, but he's sure that if consulted, Derris-Kharlan's system would confirm his belief.

[So why doesn't the Renegades' data?

[When Yuan turns the screen around Kratos goes to it, tugging it slightly upright so they can review the data without needing to bend. And frowns. The data is familiar -- he's seen it shown like this before -- but there's something missing.]

This is everything you have? It's incomplete.

[conductingresistance]

We can't use your instruments, obviously.

[Botta still doesn't sound anything approaching amused, but at least he's listening.]

What we do have is spread between both worlds, taking readings on the fluctuations of mana from the poles and comparing them to isolate the seed's unique patterns from the noise.

[Yuan frowns at Kratos, despite that he was intending to stay out of this conversation.]

Where is it incomplete?

[He helped set up those sensors; it hasn't been so long that he's forgotten everything.]

[simulsimul]

Hmh.

[Kratos's frown deepens and he doesn't look up at either of them, too busy examining the data.]

'Incomplete' may be the wrong word. So you extrapolate using an overlay from both worlds -- theoretically, that should work. But you're forgetting the Sword itself, as a third pole. It stays in the Tower of Salvation, but its effect on the fluctuations of mana is separate from the pole in the Holy Ground of Kharlan. See here.

[He points to some of the lines.]

And here.

[He points again.]

And here. All these indicate the influence of the Sword, but they look like minor variances easily accounted for by the greater flow of mana. In reality they represent a deep-current set.

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan is frowning at Kratos; Botta, however, comes closer to look specifically at what Kratos is pointing at, and he seems like he's at least thinking about it.]

Those are... quite small. You'd need sensors in the Tower itself to account for those.

[Yuan spreads his hands.]

Not if we calibrated correctly, I think. But that would require a more intimate knowledge of the Sword, and knowing exactly which minor variances can be accounted for by it.

[Which, fortunately, they now have. He looks to Kratos. Botta remains somewhat unconvinced.]

It seems... convenient.

[simulsimul]

Sensors would be more accurate -- but you'd never get them inside and hidden. Yuan's right; your best bet is to extrapolate using the surface changes brought about by the Sword. Through comparison of each set of data points, you should be able to more accurately determine the Seed's movements.

[Kratos straightens up from screen, tipping his head at Botta.]

Convenient for whom? Yuan has already almost killed me twice the first day I was here. I can think of other ways to interrupt your plans, ones without damage to my person, Botta.

[conductingresistance]

Twice?

[At least Botta's frown now is slanting toward bemused rather than entirely suspicious. He's sure he would have noticed another medical emergency in this base.]

[Yuan shakes his head impatiently.]

Never mind that. Kratos, will you provide what we need to make more accurate assessments? We'll hold off further action until we're sure.

[Perhaps notably, he isn't even thinking to order in this case.]

[simulsimul]

[Hmh. So Yuan hadn't mentioned that. Kratos would have thought it would make the circumstances more palatable, if Botta knew there had been more than one attempt made. ... Or possibly it would only make it clearer that Yuan was having trouble with the choice.]

Yes, I can do that.

[He peers at the screen again, squinting, and then straightens up, massaging his eyes. He's had glasses for a few years now, but it's something of a shock to use a computer screen for the first time in two decades and realise how much more difficult it is. Even if he wears his glasses, he isn't sure he'll be able to stand the glare.]

Can you print out the data-points from the last twenty years? I can mark out sets caused by the Sword on the pages.

[Since it means that they won't need to supervise him around a computer, Kratos doesn't think they will object overly much. Maybe Yuan will assume he's trying to be accommodating, instead of looking out for his eyes. ... Maybe not.]

[conductingresistance]

[Strangely enough, Yuan had not mentioned nearly strangling Kratos in the bath. He'd assumed the wrong impression would be taken from it no matter what he could say about it.]

That's fine; we can provide those.

[Botta still doesn't look entirely like he approves, but something of what Kratos said has sunk in. The vision issue doesn't seem to occur to him.]

[Yuan, though, has narrowed his eyes at Kratos, thoroughly disapproving of the demonstrated mortal frailty. He caught that eye-massage, Kratos. But he doesn't say anything about it yet, only frowns and takes another look at the readouts.]

Fine. Are you all satisfied that nothing more is afoot yet?

[The sound Botta makes much resembles Kratos, when he's inclined to be noncommittal about something. Yuan does not find himself amused.]

[simulsimul]

[Botta may be mildly satisfied, but Kratos lifts his eyebrows at Yuan.]

Hmh. Well, there's the ninja you hired to kill Colette.

[Then, because he assumes the fact that Yuan told him this will only increase Botta's suspicion, Kratos turns to Botta to explain.]

Yuan has convinced me that it may be safer for me to remain with the Renegades for a time, in exchange for your ninja passing needed information and materials to the Chosen's party before they approach the Tower of Salvation.

[conductingresistance]

[This is an interesting approach to imprisoning Kratos, the expression on Botta's face implies to Yuan. Granted, that's solely because Yuan knows him this well.]

[He may be filling some of it in himself. Imprisonment is not a negotiation, not with a human. Except that it is when that human is Kratos, and his cooperation necessary. Sentiment is... well, it is not as secondary as Botta would prefer.]

[Yuan folds his arms. Botta frowns slightly.]

What sort of information and materials? How much do you plan for the Tower?

[simulsimul]

[Kratos crosses his arms, an unconscious mimicry of Yuan's own stance.]

That depended partly on how the first part of the journey went; since I'm not there, we'll have to rely on Sheena to pass reports back and make judgement calls along the way.

Right now, I want to ensure that Raine and Genis Sage receive exspheres, and we're going to need to ensure Colette gets a key-crest sometime between awakening the last spirit and the Tower of Salvation. The seal at the Tower needs to be activated, regardless. They'll need to get in and out fast, and be able to take on Remiel.

[He glances sidelong toward Yuan without moving his head, to see whether Yuan hears what Kratos isn't saying -- that he wants to be there.]

[conductingresistance]

[Botta is not going to comment on the similarity in their stances, but he notices easily enough. Were it not for some of the more obvious differences, they could be brothers.]

We have some exspheres we can spare. With key crests.

[It's a brief but careful outline for a derailment of the Chosen's journey, which -- ideally -- Cruxis won't notice until it's too late. Botta finds himself warming to the idea, as much as he continues to think that Kratos is probably compromising Yuan's better judgment.]

Since your kidnapping, the Chosen's group will likely be more suspicious. Sheena will require some kind of letter of introduction, or a better reason to be accepted. Presuming we can recall her before she proceeds to an ambush.

[For Yuan's part he is letting Botta come to many of the same conclusions that he already has, if only so they will be less critically eyed. He catches Kratos's eye when it shifts his way and frowns, re-running what Kratos has just said to spot what was implicit.]

[...hm.]

I'll most likely be called to supervise the final seal, just in case. There's only so much that can be done there, however, if Yggdrasill is to continue believing he has one loyal seraph.

[Which would, in theory, be where Kratos comes in. Yuan tilts his head just a fraction back at Kratos, as though to ask if he has the reasoning correct; or, failing that, if and why Kratos insists.]

[simulsimul]

[Kratos's eyes slide back to Botta to answer those questions first, letting Yuan percolate on what has been left unsaid.]

Yes; and I want to meet her beforehand, in any case. I think it would be best if I can explain some details, as well as what she'll need to do to gain their trust, and have her tell the group that she's undercover and has left the Renegades on my behalf. And, of course, the summon spirits. We can explain more fully later -- but for now too much of the truth is only going to complicate things.

[That is, the fact that Yuan and he have a unique relationship, and Yuan is not their enemy -- quite -- and that Kratos does not consider attempted murder to be just reason to reject Yuan as a friend and ally.

[Particularly if Yuan is going to be at the Tower, or at least watching. Kratos head-tips at Yuan.]

If it's likely that you'll need to step in for Remiel, I'm going to need to train Lloyd to take you on, even as a front. He can't learn that from Sheena.