Kratos Aurion (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
simulsimul) wrote2016-11-02 07:40 pm
simulsimul) wrote2016-11-02 07:40 pm
a thing; w/ ruinsprofessor & conductingresistance
canon
breached
confessed
dadly
future
grigori
mercenary
MEover
origin
reversal
titans
scenario list
canon: Kratos needs to stop running off
confessed: wing reflex
confessed: actual wingpull
confessed: turning Renegade
confessed: son meets father
dadliness: confrontation
dadliness: awakening
dadliness: illness
dadliness: a fundamental lack of understanding on the word 'abducted'
dadliness: updating parameters
dadliness: assassination assignation
mercenary: hiding in the library
mercenary: aftermath of librarian saviour
reversal: oracle destroyed
titans: storming the tower
titans: safety in the canyon
titans: night horrors
canon
- combo of Kratos and Zelos ending
- Zelos does the stupid thing, but not so far as his death, and is still the eighth member of the party to Derris-Kharlan.
scenarios
scenario one: Yuan tracks Kratos down at Dirk's.
breached
- canon right up until after Botta’s death
- no one uses Yuan’s name around Mithos so Mithos walks right into the Triet base with them
- cue an epic OH SHIT in which Yuan gets a lil bit beat up while covering the evacuation of the rest of the base
- until Kratos appears to intervene and have the Chosen group get Yuan out of there
- Mithos gets Kratos tho and he’s a bit mad cos, yanno, traitor and all
- time to be locked up and punished and need to be rescued
- kind of puts a crimp in the creation of the Eternal Ring plans
- mostly cos Mithos turns Kratos lifeless, with some armour to regulate his mana so he remains a seraph. can't have the seal becoming less powerful, yo
- it does mean he can only obey orders tho
- the first rescue fails miserably but at least no one dies and they know they need to reforge his key-crest
- the second rescue attempt (circumstances of canon-point under percolation) goes a little better, though Yuan almost gets killed by Kratos trying to attach the key-crest
- luckily that and the first telepathy in a while gets through and Kratos manages to break out a la Colette, and heal Yuan enough for Raine to get there
- after which, angreh father-son beatdown on Mithos.
scenarios
None yet.
confessed
- almost successful assassination lands Kratos as an injured stranger in Iselia (1-2 years pre-canon)
- recuperation leads to accidental-on-purpose 'holiday' in Iselia
- doubts result in a request for Dirk to make a key-crest like Kratos' own
- oracle room undergoes some stealth sabotage
- regeneration journey is slightly delayed, prompted by Genis and Lloyd being discovered at the ranch
- Triet is awkward. so very awkward. for the Renegades -- whose side is Kratos even on these days and why was he vanished for two years?
- initial overall journey similar to canon, save that Kratos is a bit less circumspect about advising Colette on how to cope with angel transformations
- there are more overt Dun Wanna Feelings
- then Luin, wherein things happen and the group is in town during the Desian attack. the others naturally want to fight but tis a mite difficult against an army and building-destroying magitech. luckily, angel on their side. unluckily, wingpulls in order to muster the power to cover the townspeoples' retreat
- questions and confessions ensue
- Colette rejects the key crest (for the moment) so there's still hopefully maybe ambiguity about Kratos's position re the last seal
- it wouldn't fit anyway, it's modelled for the hand like Kratos's is because he was a derp and did not specify otherwise, so Lloyd needs to make a thing to make it fit
- slow protective retreat toward Asgard.
scenarios
scenario one: Kratos confesses before Salvation; Raine wants to follow up.
scenario two: Raine's examination of an angel; and also Kratos realises how far he's put his foot in it.
scenario three: Kratos goes to taunt Yuan a little, and also ask for his help.
scenario four: in which Raine makes Kratos tell the children all the things, and Yuan takes too much amusement from it.
dadliness
- Kratos retires in Iselia under the name Irving to raise Lloyd after the death of his wife
- no exsphere. ageing occurs! so does a beard and a braid
- teaches Lloyd swordplay, but on the sly, to avoid the other villagers noticing. his daytime job is weaving
- Lloyd finds the box of their exspheres and wants details. after some prodding by Dirk, Kratos explains how exspheres are made and that one is Anna's life. Lloyd is too young yet, but when Lloyd comes of age (~15) Kratos lets him make his own decision re wearing it
- Lloyd chooses not to wear the exsphere
- Genis befriends Marble and Lloyd meets her, as in canon; this happens before the journey begins, with the fallout
- difference being that Colette is still in the village so they can't be too horrible, so they just demand Lloyd be turned over for a flogging
- Kratos stands in his stead because natch. luckily, they're only mooks and don't recognise the bearded weaver as anyone important
- gives Lloyd his guilt complex early tho
- the oracle happens much the same way except Botta doesn't quite recognise the weirdly familiar bearded swordsman
- he does when he's reporting to Yuan tho
'there was an exceptionally skilled human'
/brief physical description/
/did x other faintly recognizable thing/
and both he and Yuan are aware that Kratos has been awol for a while, so there's a moment of pure silence and dawning 'no, it couldn't be'
- but then obviously one of them has to go make sure
- cue an interruption just out of Triet.
scenarios
scenario one: Yuan feels the need to investigate; this results in Kratos injured and abducted.
scenario two: Yuan realises he can't kill Kratos with his own two hands; Kratos gets mothered.
scenario three: Kratos gets sick on the heels of his recovery. Yuan mothers him some more. Botta disapproves.
scenario four: Kratos recovers and makes an escape attempt. Sort-of.
scenario five: Kratos recovers more and talks to Botta, when not needling Yuan about his lack of preparedness.
scenario six: Sheena's contract takes a slight shift into undercover instead of assassination work.
future
- Aselia is Earth ~10,000 years in the past
- all is peachy-keen except the tree is now underground and the elvens/half-elves/some humans are in hiding in the centre of the planet, hidden thanks to the summon spirits
- Colette is working with humanitarian aid in various impoverished nations
- Zelos is a diplomat in West Asia / Middle East trying to keep the peace
- Yuan is a crotchety lecturer at Cambridge who's also HUGE into environmentalism
- Lloyd and Kratos are having family time in space
- occasionally the trio on Earth meet reincarnations of people they used to know
- but rarely at the same time and almost never in a position where they meet
- but then they start meeting them
- lots of them
- all in the same span of years
- they're starting to think something's hinky
- until the space-elves attack
- and then they know something is hinky.
scenarios
None yet.
grigori
- at some point significantly before canon, Kratos actually calls it quits
- the Church's institution calls him a fallen angel of vengeance
- really he's just going around trying to help people and avoiding being taken back to Cruxis
- assigns himself to the Chosen parties whenever he can, up to Colette
- ????? idk some kind of profit somewhere
scenarios
None yet.
mercenary
- when Yuan visits Kratos at the beach when Lloyd is 3 months old, he does not manage to escape before Anna and Lloyd return
- accidental attachment to this kidlet who likes pulling his hair
- three years later, Yuan can't stand to hold back while Kratos fights Kvar, so he throws caution to the wind to help
- Anna is still killed but they rescue Lloyd and Noishe and both are branded as traitors
- Lloyd is raised as a Renegade with Dad, Uncle Yuan and the extremely reticent Uncle Botta (how dare)
- meanwhile in Tethe'alla Yuan infiltrates the castle as the library archivist
- stays out of sight, mostly, but has a good ear around the politics thanks to recruiting Princess Hilda
- also happens to stumble on Zelos hiding in the library right after his mother's death
- look he's got a 'nephew' he can't just do nothing (even if all he meant was to recommend a book)
- unwittingly accidentally 'adopts' the Tethe'allan Chosen by virtue of being the only one who doesn't treat him like the Chosen
- sometimes Kratos brings Lloyd to visit and basically they're all separate pairs of exasperated bros
- by canon Lloyd and Kratos are wandering mercenaries, helping people on the sly while gathering intel to send back to the Renegades
- Yuan and Zelos are actively building resistance to the Church using inside knowledge
- the ninja are all Renegades
- Colette is escorted by Raine and by the priests
- yes the 'chain up the Chosen and drag her to every seal if necessary' priests
- she meets Lloyd randomly in Triet but Lloyd doesn't know her as the Chosen. they're a bit out of touch on the Journey of Regen timeline
- stuff happens and they keep missing each other up until Palmacosta, which is a warzone between the Desians (and Dorr as their figurehead) and the Renegades (with Neil as their leader)
- Colette wants to help; priests say no
- out come the chains
- Raine objects, but she has no exsphere so what can she do
- btw Genis got caught in the Iselian ranch and tossed in as a traitor to be made a host
- he gets sent to the Palmacosta ranch
- right after Neil manages to take the city, after Colette and Raine leave it, Botta takes the Palmacosta ranch and rescues Genis, among others
- Genis becomes his little shadow and is much preferable to Lloyd, in Botta's opinion
- Lloyd and Kratos are still trying to catch up to Colette to rescue her when they drop by
- Genis hears what they're trying to do and insists on coming along.
scenarios
scenario one: in which Yuan accidentally adopts a Chosen instead of a book from a library.
scenario two: in which Yuan is accidentally-deliberately adopted by the Meltokio Castle Knights.
MEover
- Mass Effect crossover someplace in the realm of 15,000 years after TOS canon
- except started before then, cos elves are really from Feros, planet of the cranky telepathic plant
- got decimated by the protheans trying to assimilate them into their empire
- elves objected, got killed a lot, fled Feros and got stuck in Aselia's orbit
- kinda forgot a few things but planted a seed from the Ferosian mother plant on Aselia
- Origin hasn't forgotten tho, kinda has a grudge against grumblegrumbleprotheansgrumble
- the entirety of TOS happened, and then some
- Kratos, Yuan, Lloyd, Colette and Zelos are the only ones left, but tis okay, they have each other
- somethingsomething natural space disaster, Aselia is destroyed but they manage to move Yggdrasill onto Derris-Kharlan and do a quarian by becoming a roaming ship
- mana is a variant of eezo lbr
- Derris-Kharlan's too big to use the mass relays, but c'mon it generates its own mass effect field so they develop tech to do hops on their own
- they're in no hurry tho, i mean lbr primarily angelic, elf and half-elf population
- so they're just bumming around their local clusters doing thorough investigations on all the things
- so much eezo on their ship
- so much
- suddenly the Normandy running from a reapers comes along to hide behind them
- reapers start shooting
- everyone on Derris-Kharlan objects
- JUDGEMENT IN SPACE
- so much profit and judging of reapers.
scenarios
None yet.
origin
- Kratos tells Lloyd the dad thing in Triet
- dad and son feelings ensue
- they culminate at the Tower of Salvation in Kratos stabbing Yggdrasill in the back
- unfortunately he does not quite die but impales Kratos against a wall and goes berserk on the Chosen party to the point of Yuan stepping in to help
- that is, by threatening to stab Kratos in the back while he's vulnerable (with Kratos's permission)
- Yggdrasill calls his bluff and fails, and Yuan does the thing
- while Yggdrasill is distracted the Chosen's group nail him but good and he retreats
- luckily while heart-stabbing happened, Kratos's cruxis crystal is still intact, and between Raine's healing and Yuan's mana transfusion he survives long enough to be taken to the Triet base and a refresher
- stuff happens in some fashion or other up until opening Origin's seal
- as it turns out, the mana tranfusion has fused the lock, so to speak, and Kratos can't unlock the seal even voluntarily
- only way to get Origin out at this point is to let him fuse with Kratos, so Kratos becomes Origin
- stipulation of this: Kratos refuses to let go of his humanity
- luckily Yuan already has a literal bond with him thanks to the mana transfusion, so with him as his summoner Kratos can keep his humanity, and only use Origin's powers when Yuan summons them
- commitment like woah for a literal eternity
- but hey, they messed up but good and it's the only way they can reunite the worlds.
scenarios
none yet.
reversal
~ 2000 years in, Kratos and Yuan conspire to kill Mithos and succeed, sorta
- he's stuck inside his exsphere, possessing people
- but he manages to survive and while Kratos and Yuan claim Derris-Kharlan for their base, he takes most of the angels as 'fallen', as well as the Eternal Sword
- most of his bases are hidden behind dimensional slips created by the sword - Iselia included
- Origin refuses to trust either Kratos or Yuan with the job, anyhow, and they don't have a summoner
- instead they're forced to fight Cruxis, embroiling the worlds in an angelic war between Cruxis and the new organisation of Chayim
- the Chosen bloodlines are more important to Cruxis than Chayim, but Mithos seals the seals so only the Chosen bloodline can flip the mana switch. Kratos and Yuan need someone to do that until they can reunite them, so the Journey remains an institution, just without compulsory death at the end
- there is angelification tho, if only so Chayim gets more soldiers and so the Chosen can defend themselves against Cruxis
- Kratos sends Anna and Lloyd to Iselia, because even though enemy territory, it's the safest place there is for them
- Anna get word to Kratos that the Desians are using Iselia as a long-term cruxis crystal cultivation location, and that the sword is held there
- her spy succeeds but is intercepted, and Mithos locks down the dimensional slip to prevent exit and access by angels for ~15 years
- Lloyd grows up in a town with a heavy half-elf population and believing he's training to help the good guys
- he has his own cruxis crystal as a host, but doesn't tell his mother due to the faith-based propaganda encouraging hosts not to bring it up or risk the powers not taking
- he wants to help though, so he steals a key-crest to ensure he can fight
- Yuan and Kratos plan to assault the town and shrine but Mithos uses the sword to interrupt travel between worlds, keeping Yuan in Tethe'alla and forcing Kratos to attack Iselia alone.
scenarios
scenario one: Iselia is attacked by Chayim to claim the sword, with the sword already gone
titans
- Yggdrasill captures Kratos before Kvar finds Anna and Lloyd, but after Kratos makes an Eternal Ring
- Yuan figures hell no and raises the Renegades to try and take Derris-Kharlan, rescue Kratos and solve the split-world problem
- the attack fails. a lot.
- Renegades are wiped out, Kratos is still in Cruxis's hands, but Yuan manages to escape with the Eternal Ring
- Cruxis follows him to Triet base, which gets destroyed and the few remaining Renegades scatter
- Botta is still around tho, helping out how he can
- mostly Yuan just goes searching for Lloyd and Anna
- doesn't manage to find them before Kvar does tho, and Kratos hears from Yggdrasill that they're dead
- this is slightly inaccurate, cos Lloyd still winds up rescued by Dirk in Iselia
- where Yuan eventually finds him, not knowing that he's 'supposed' to be dead
- so Yuan settles in Iselia for a bit to watch Lloyd and the Chosen
- cuts and dyes his hair, the whole shebang
- learns how to carpentry, invents a new use of magic
- winds up being Genis's role model just because scholar and magic-user and half-elf who can pass but also takes no shit from people
- is one of Colette's companions on the Journey when it starts
- he's been challenging their understanding of the Church's institution this whole time lbr
- Sheena is still a thing because the ninja have taken over the Tethe'allan base, which has survived, somewhat
- a grilling ensues
- sometime just after the Asgard Ranch Yuan does have to drop the bombshell
- about how the Journey is just a front, he and his bestie are angels, btw his bestie is Lloyd's dad
- how they're out to topple the institution of religion
- forget sacrificing Colette for the Regeneration, when they get to the seal they can do that without anyone dying
- and then move straight on to rescuing Kratos in Derris-Kharlan
- then they get to the Tower and realise Yggdrasill has Kratos under a Prometheusesque punishment a la 'impaled on the Eternal Sword to suffer the Seed's pain and watch the Chosen get murdered'
- luckily this does not happen, as they manage to rescue him and escape Yggdrasill instead, barely
- retreat to Botta's hiding-place in Asgard so Kratos can recover
- and also find out that Lloyd is actually alive
- the Chosen group goes around to make as many pacts as they can while in Sylvarant
- they get up to Aska when Yggdrasill sends his angels to attack Asgard
- cue Yuan and Kratos being unstoppable battle gods together
scenarios
scenario one: in which Yuan leads the Chosen's party to the Tower of Salvation to dismantle all the traditions ever, and find Kratos waiting for them in serious need of a rescue.
scenario two: in which being in safety reveals that Kratos is not precisely unscathed, but he's doing his best.
scenario three: in which Kratos is emphatically not okay, but with Yuan's help, could be.
no subject
[As it turns out, the seal is smarter than that.
[We should see if I can do them, first. It wouldn't do to show the Chosen the wrong exercises, if Kratos can't do them properly.
[But at the last, Kratos huffs something very nearly a smile.]
There's always stars to be counted.
[Stars are one of the few things older than Kratos, and not nearly as delicate as most of the others.
[The smile fades before reaching critical mass. Yuan had his hand on Kratos's mana centre, before; is he bringing this up now because he'd felt something? A bit tentative, Kratos broadcasts this question, undertoned by worry, by adriftness. He's been an angel much longer than he's been human. If he can't even pull his wings ...]
no subject
[Yuan settles a bit, still, in response to Kratos's next question-- mostly because he doesn't know, and can't be entirely sure. He thought he felt something, earlier, and he doesn't think there's a way for Kratos to have come through fifteen years completely unscathed, but he isn't sure. Yet.]
[He passes something like a request for patience back, and sets his hand lightly between Kratos's shoulder blades again, with a faint prickly warmth that says something of Yuan's own mana. In the end he can't quite pinpoint what's wrong; only that it doesn't move like he feels Kratos should. Not entirely.]
[The best Yuan can think is that it's like a scar in Kratos's essence. I don't know. That's why I think we should start with control.]
You aren't broken. Only wounded.
[And that, for a change, is aloud.]
no subject
[And now that Kratos knows, the thought of leaving it alone is very nearly unconscionable. How many scars does he have in him? This, at least, might be one he can do something about. Wounded, not broken. Yuan may not be a healer, but he does know Kratos's mana. If he says it, Kratos is willing to believe it.
[He has to believe it.]
Is there any reason not to start tonight?
[Right now, Kratos trusts Yuan's judgement far more than his own.]
no subject
That's up to you.
The children will want to verify you're all right for themselves, if you think you can manage that.
[Yuan doesn't know if they'll be able to sleep, actually, unless they're truly and thoroughly exhausted. They may keep themselves up with worry, unless Botta was able to allay their fears sufficiently, or if calming tea was brewed.]
I'd say to wait until you've calmed, but you're shaking less, and it's very like meditation. So-- no, there's no practical reason not to begin tonight.
no subject
[Another deliberate inhale, and exhale, before Kratos speaks.]
I think -- yes. I don't wish to worry them unduly. I'd rather if we can avoid questions, however.
[He doesn't know how much they heard, but he doesn't think he can stand to explain, at this point, beyond showing them that he's if not okay then at least in one piece, for the moment. It's going to be a day-by-day process.
[Then he laughs quietly, scattered, into Yuan's shoulder.]
Was I shaking? I didn't notice.
no subject
You were. You're steadier now.
[In case Kratos hasn't noticed, or can't notice.]
Hm. I can divert them as necessary. We'll see them before starting in on mana control exercises, then. Let me know when you're ready.
[He doesn't blame Kratos for wanting to avoid questions. To avoid having to relive that, as well as to avoid letting the children know all the depths of what he's been through.]
[For the moment -- as long as Kratos needs it -- Yuan will hold on to him, leaning bodies and minds together in equal measure, and keep the quiet heartache from him.]
no subject
[Finally Kratos exhales once more and searches himself, and glances at his hand behind Yuan's back. Not shaking. He can still hear voices from downstairs, as well, so no one has managed to sleep yet.]
Alright. I'm ready.
[Even still, it's with some reluctance that he stirs to pull back. He's okay when leaning on Yuan, letting Yuan carry him; he isn't so sure without the benefit of that comfort. Of course, Yuan isn't exactly leaving is he? Kratos is being ridiculous.
[Still, he doesn't quite manage to look Yuan in the face as he turns to swing his legs off the bed, rising gingerly in case the nightmare has disoriented him again.]
no subject
[Only a little, maybe. But a difference, which is enough.]
[When Kratos assents, Yuan finally lets go of him-- almost gingerly at first, watching as he stands before standing himself. When he's sure Kratos isn't about to fall over again, he goes to the door.]
[It's much like that as they descend the stairs, Yuan not quite outpacing him, always within arm's reach.]
[Downstairs Raine has settled a little apart from the others, mostly so she can talk to Botta in an undertone, which breaks off when she senses the presence of the others. Genis isn't too far after her in looking up, though he looks more visibly tired, and is sticking close to Lloyd.]
[Yuan surveys them all and says nothing about how warm they make his heart, more often than not.]
Kratos will be fine. Lloyd, come here for a moment.
[Do me a favor and hug your son, Kratos, if you can bear to be touched. It will save us both some time and energy settling them.]
no subject
[Kratos, for his part, has to try very hard not to hide behind Yuan. It's unsettling, how deep that urge is; he even finds himself lowering his chin to hide his face behind his bangs, and when's the last time he did that?]
Dad?
[With a bit more effort Kratos manages to lift his face properly to look at Lloyd. He does try to smile -- but it doesn't quite reach his face. He's never been so grateful for Yuan's direction as right then. A hug is much easier than a smile. With a slight exhale Kratos steps forward to pull Lloyd into an embrace, resting his chin on Lloyd's head, and that's almost the easiest thing in the world.]
Forgive me for worrying you.
[He feels more than hears Lloyd laugh disbelievingly against his shoulder, and Lloyd's fingers grip his shirt.]
Forgive you? Weirdo. What's there to forgive?
[Now the smile comes, almost without bidding.]
no subject
[It's a relief, to see Kratos smiling like that. Yuan glances away to survey the room of children again, letting the pair beside him have their moment.]
[Genis, mostly, has taken his cue from Lloyd, relaxing more thoroughly as soon as Lloyd and Kratos are evidently easier with each other again. Sheena is tugging a blanket over herself now, which Yuan attributes to her ninja training: the crisis, such as it is, is over, and sleep must be taken where it can. But she stays in the mass of young people and pillows, which the other ninja of Mizuho would doubtless avoid. They've had their effect on her.]
[Raine is a sharp-eyed, somber presence in the corner beside Botta. Their expressions are similar: they, likely Botta more than Raine, have some concept of how Yuan is bending the definition of 'fine.']
[But it isn't something to bring up now, when they're trying to reassure the younger ones enough for sleep, and Raine evidently concurs. She's the one who looks away first, eyes on Genis.]
[Lloyd does best with tactility. It wouldn't hurt to do this more often, if you can. Yuan does not mention that Kratos seems to benefit from it, too.]
no subject
[Botta also looks away after a moment, back down at the letter he's writing to some of their contacts still surviving. There's still some privacy to be had, no matter they're all in the same room.
[Kratos, for his part, is trying to keep the hug to something less than a cling, something more comforting instead of demanding comfort. In an odd sort of way, being able to offer that comfort back is soothing in its own right. Alright. He lifts his head to survey the room, to feel the tension diffusing as the children find their individual nests. Their eyes aren't on him, but just their presence, their mana-signatures -- the evidence of their life -- is a far cry from the empty and thrumming Tower. I think it might be a good idea to remain in here.
[He nudges Lloyd a little, lifting a hand to rest it on Lloyd's head in the place of his chin.]
You should sleep.
[Lloyd lifts his head, and though his eyes are like Kratos's, the little wrinkle in his brow, and the look in them, belongs to Anna. Once more, the sight of his son takes away the breath Kratos meant to use to speak.]
Are you gonna be here too?
[In lieu of having that breath, Kratos only nods.]
no subject
We'll both be down here, yes. For now, get some sleep.
[It's a gentler nudging than Yuan might have used once, with subordinates. He's accustomed himself to children.]
[With Genis settling, and evidently nothing else for Raine to do regarding Kratos tonight, she sighs, and gets up only to come over to the small collection of people, herself settling by Genis. Providing comfort outweighs dignity, and he seems to need the closeness for the moment.]
[Trusting Botta to handle things as he ever does, Yuan doesn't bother looking to see what he's doing, only stops to lay a brief hand on his shoulder with a word of thanks before he moves a chair from the outskirts of the room into a somewhat more useful position. It isn't quite necessary, just an evolution of letting Kratos have time with Lloyd mostly unobserved. He'll step in if there are uncomfortable questions.]
no subject
Okay, Uncle.
[It's a tone of voice Kratos would not have imagined Yuan using, but the sound of it makes his smile a touch broader. He submits to Lloyd claiming his hand to pull him toward the blankets. Lloyd himself flops down between Genis and Colette, who obligingly moves her arm to make space for him; then he arranges some pillows over their heads, near the wall.]
Come on over here, Dad. You can sit up against the wall.
[And still be within arm's reach, Kratos notes; and be near the window. That warms him from the inside in ways he hasn't felt in centuries. It won't make use of Yuan's chair, but Kratos goes to where Lloyd indicates anyway, settling himself on the pillows with his back up against the stone wall.
[... No. No good. Despite the familiarity of earth mana, the hard wall makes his back itch and his breathing short out. He shifts away instead to sit with one arm loose around his up-raised knee and the other, once again, claimed by Lloyd.]
no subject
[Yuan gives up on the chair -- apparently they are doomed to the floor -- and comes to where Kratos has sat down instead. He considers the children briefly, watching until they settle -- Genis has to shift to be a little closer to Lloyd, which necessitates that Raine move again as well, with a quietly grumbled honestly. Ultimately it's too endearing to be annoyed by.]
[Some short deliberation later, Yuan sits behind Kratos, leaning back against him. He saw that shift away from the wall. At least this way Kratos will have some support other than simply sitting upright all night.]
[Here. Track my patterns first, then see about mirroring me. Yuan lifts a hand absently -- there's a faint glow -- and he loops a very little amount of his own mana in a circle around that hand before directing it back into him. Simple. The first externalization a lot of mages do outside of formal artes.]
no subject
[The room falls quiet, save the soft scratch of Botta's quill on paper, and that's oddly soothing as well. It's ... domestic. It represents a peacefulness Kratos has struggled to find.
[Then Yuan broadcasts, and Kratos turns his attention to tracking the movement in Yuan's mana. It's an easy motion, not even an arte; child's play, almost. Kratos lifts his free hand, cupped toward him and behind his knee to minimise the chance of disrupting the children, and sends the gentlest thread of mana he can manage into his hand.
[Nothing happens. Kratos frowns and tries again, just a tiny bit -- he can feel his mana moving, but it doesn't move the way he wants; and certainly not into his hand. With a consciously relaxing exhale, he tries again, a bit more firmly; and this time the light shines as nearly a blast, illuminating the whole room for an instant before Kratos closes his palm to shut it off.]
What was that?!
[That's Lloyd, yelping and half sitting up, wide-eyed. Likewise, Colette is rolling over, blinking in surprise. Kratos grimaces.]
That -- wasn't meant to happen. I'm sorry.
no subject
[Basic exercises are one thing. Kratos's mana thrown around in large volumes is something Yuan is going to worry about.]
Meditation. It shouldn't be that bright.
[Genis squints up at them.]
I know that one. Like lighting a candle, right?
[He isn't wrong; but Raine tugs him back down anyway, grumbling softly about letting them do what they need to. Genis protests. Raine drags the pillow from under his head and places it atop him, which makes Genis reclaim it. It's a suitable distraction, at least.]
[Sheena, for her part, startles awake with slitted eyes only enough to ascertain that no one is actually fighting anything, before burrowing back into a pile of coziness.]
[Let's try it this way, Yuan suggests when they look like they're going to settle down again. I'll weave a more complex pattern. Follow it, but don't try anything. Tell me what I'm doing instead.]
[When his mana comes visible, it's as the barest tracery of pale violet, filament-sparks that trace the shapes of the armor Yuan isn't wearing in faint lightning-ghosts. The light show is negligible, and in fact to a mage who isn't looking it may be hard to sense, but Kratos is right there. And Kratos knows lightning.]
no subject
[With that combination of concern and uncertainty, Lloyd puts his head back down. Colette, for her part, gives Kratos an encouraging smile and rolls back over, gently putting a pillow over Lloyd's head to keep out the light. All that's heard from under it is a fond grumble.
[All the reaction from Botta was to look up, and then down again, paying them no mind.
[Diverted, Kratos exhales deliberately and rests his head back against Yuan's closing his eyes to focus. The tingle is familiar, comforting in its familiarity, and it makes Kratos smile unconsciously. He does recognise what Yuan's doing, there. It was something he'd done back during the last stage of Kratos's angelic transformation, trying desperately to instill in him a mana-sense before the cruxis crystal overloaded with it.
[You're recreating your armour.]
no subject
[There is no outward acknowledgment of this, though. Botta would only wave it off and go back to what he's doing.]
[Yuan leans against Kratos and pays more heed to his mana.]
[Yes. It didn't take Kratos that long to conclude, all told. His senses are intact, then, and likely as fine as ever. Which means... hm. He can externalize mana, so the difficulty is in the amount.]
[Yuan keeps the pattern circulating the same way, mindful of it, and places just a little bit more over the shape that mimics his right vambrace. Where is it strongest?]
no subject
[Right vambrace. That's easy enough to tell. Maybe if Kratos follows along, without drawing mana to the surface ...
[He turns his attention inward to his own mana, and almost at once his stomach flips and his body tenses. He strives not to grip Lloyd's hand any tighter, but it takes a few moments of even breathing before the anxiety passes.
[Damn it.]
no subject
[There's no point in wishing. He can't fix this. He can help Kratos fix it enough to work. That's all.]
[Correct. You have enough sensitivity. Yuan sets his other hand behind him, as though to take his weight. It's not coincidence that puts it where Kratos can reach, though. Easy. Nothing I cast can hurt you right now, and your mana won't hurt you either. Breathe, and look again. Observe how your mana circulates. No need to rush it: it'll still be there.]
[It's gentle; this is Yuan taking care, trying to provide calm. He's better at it than he would have been fifteen years ago. He keeps his own pattern of mana up both as example and as his own exercise, tweaking the finest bits here and there.]
no subject
[Yuan's never been gentle before. The fact he's putting in the effort now -- Kratos is quite aware of how much he'll never be able to repay.
[Another breath, and Kratos closes his eyes again. He doesn't reach inward, this time; he just sits, feeling Yuan's mana but not focussing on it; feeling his own. Even that puts a tightness in his gut, a discomfort in his mind which rings with the anticipation of pain or abandonment. Or both.
[Nothing happens. The seconds tick by and nothing happens, except for the little tweaks Yuan makes, reforging his armour with mana. The expectation doesn't fade, but it does loosen, a little, so that when Kratos gingerly stirs his mana around their joined hands, a tiny crackle of lightning arcs across their fingers.
[It isn't deliberate. It isn't mana pushed outward, not even close; it's just a reaction between their similar tastes caused by the movement of Kratos's mana against Yuan's. But at least it moves. It moves in ways unfamiliar, ways it oughtn't and which Kratos can't look closely enough to divine -- yet -- but it moves.]
no subject
[And when static sparks Yuan smiles, soft and genuine, where no one at all will see it.]
[There. Start there. He taps one finger in reinforcement, and focuses his mana in the pattern to that area, flowing just a hair stronger there, as though encouraging Kratos's. Perhaps it will simply spark more, and remind Kratos there's nothing to fear from it; perhaps Kratos will be able to match his levels with the example so close.]
[It isn't much. But it is a reassurance, and one Yuan can't help but be glad for.]
no subject
[He sends a distracted, grim apology, something between give me a minute and sorry to keep you waiting, and behind it, a sense of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
[It isn't a request for help, though; just for the patience Yuan has learned from helping to raise some children. Kratos keeps breathing, paying only mild attention to what's happening around him. Somewhere in that time, Lloyd's hand relaxes around his, and the room takes on that gentle stillness of sleep, highlighted by the scratch of Botta's quill.
[In this time, Kratos observes his mana as objectively as he can manage; the feel of it, the tension it's wrought in him just to observe. Eventually the mana in his hand heightens, matching Yuan's pattern, and their hands crackle before settling into a similar sort of glow. Kratos's wavers between shape and substance, a glove and a filament; but it's there, though Kratos's breathing grows ragged in trying to maintain it.
[The worst thing is, he can't tell if the difficulty is due to the catch Yuan noticed in his mana, or something entirely in his head. How can he fix it, when he doesn't know the cause?]
no subject
[Apart from that he is quiet, simply present, simply being. Minding his own nature, and waiting for Kratos to reach out.]
[When Kratos finally manages it, it's uneven; it's ragged, and it matches the tension in Kratos's back and the catch of his breath. But it is Kratos, real and existing and warm, and some semblance of himself again.]
[You have it. Let it go, and do it again. Don't push yourself, but as many times as you can.]
[Yuan, too, couldn't begin to guess if this is Kratos's mind or his -- scarred? -- mana. He suspects that practice will make the difference; and if that's the case, does it matter, right now, which it is? Practice and endurance and Kratos will heal. As much as he can.]
[And remember to breathe. Count if you need to. Yuan is sounding more and more like a teacher, and he isn't even really entirely aware of it. He nudges Kratos's mana with his own where their hands meet, very softly personal.]
no subject
[Breathing. Yes. He has been, despite the fact it's caught while he's focussed on shifting his mana. Kratos breathes a few times, testing the notion of counting; and finds it helps. It seems to lull himself into a false sense of security, so that when he pushes ever so gently, the anxiousness doesn't kick in until after.
[For a moment, the next attempt nearly forms the shape of a glove; then it breaks apart as the fear bites. Kratos exhales, and tries again, and again, and again, inching toward a complete glove-shaped illusion of his armour.
[It's excruciatingly slow. It shouldn't be this slow, take this much effort, to do something so simple. Frustration rises and leaks into Kratos's mental presence, though he isn't aware of it; his breathing remains steady but the emotion bleeds into his control, shoves a little too hard, and his latest attempt breaks into sparks of lightning hard enough to reach for the pillows on which they're seated.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
~finis