a thing; w/ ruinsprofessor & conductingresistance

[simulsimul]

universe list
canon
breached
confessed
dadly
future
grigori
mercenary
MEover
origin
reversal
titans


scenario list
canon: Kratos needs to stop running off
confessed: wing reflex
confessed: actual wingpull
confessed: turning Renegade
confessed: son meets father
dadliness: confrontation
dadliness: awakening
dadliness: illness
dadliness: a fundamental lack of understanding on the word 'abducted'
dadliness: updating parameters
dadliness: assassination assignation
mercenary: hiding in the library
mercenary: aftermath of librarian saviour
reversal: oracle destroyed
titans: storming the tower
titans: safety in the canyon
titans: night horrors


canon
- combo of Kratos and Zelos ending
- Zelos does the stupid thing, but not so far as his death, and is still the eighth member of the party to Derris-Kharlan.

scenarios
scenario one: Yuan tracks Kratos down at Dirk's.


breached
- canon right up until after Botta’s death
- no one uses Yuan’s name around Mithos so Mithos walks right into the Triet base with them
- cue an epic OH SHIT in which Yuan gets a lil bit beat up while covering the evacuation of the rest of the base
- until Kratos appears to intervene and have the Chosen group get Yuan out of there
- Mithos gets Kratos tho and he’s a bit mad cos, yanno, traitor and all
- time to be locked up and punished and need to be rescued
- kind of puts a crimp in the creation of the Eternal Ring plans
- mostly cos Mithos turns Kratos lifeless, with some armour to regulate his mana so he remains a seraph. can't have the seal becoming less powerful, yo
- it does mean he can only obey orders tho
- the first rescue fails miserably but at least no one dies and they know they need to reforge his key-crest
- the second rescue attempt (circumstances of canon-point under percolation) goes a little better, though Yuan almost gets killed by Kratos trying to attach the key-crest
- luckily that and the first telepathy in a while gets through and Kratos manages to break out a la Colette, and heal Yuan enough for Raine to get there
- after which, angreh father-son beatdown on Mithos.

scenarios
None yet.


confessed
- almost successful assassination lands Kratos as an injured stranger in Iselia (1-2 years pre-canon)
- recuperation leads to accidental-on-purpose 'holiday' in Iselia
- doubts result in a request for Dirk to make a key-crest like Kratos' own
- oracle room undergoes some stealth sabotage
- regeneration journey is slightly delayed, prompted by Genis and Lloyd being discovered at the ranch
- Triet is awkward. so very awkward. for the Renegades -- whose side is Kratos even on these days and why was he vanished for two years?
- initial overall journey similar to canon, save that Kratos is a bit less circumspect about advising Colette on how to cope with angel transformations
- there are more overt Dun Wanna Feelings
- then Luin, wherein things happen and the group is in town during the Desian attack. the others naturally want to fight but tis a mite difficult against an army and building-destroying magitech. luckily, angel on their side. unluckily, wingpulls in order to muster the power to cover the townspeoples' retreat
- questions and confessions ensue
- Colette rejects the key crest (for the moment) so there's still hopefully maybe ambiguity about Kratos's position re the last seal
- it wouldn't fit anyway, it's modelled for the hand like Kratos's is because he was a derp and did not specify otherwise, so Lloyd needs to make a thing to make it fit
- slow protective retreat toward Asgard.

scenarios
scenario one: Kratos confesses before Salvation; Raine wants to follow up.
scenario two: Raine's examination of an angel; and also Kratos realises how far he's put his foot in it.
scenario three: Kratos goes to taunt Yuan a little, and also ask for his help.
scenario four: in which Raine makes Kratos tell the children all the things, and Yuan takes too much amusement from it.


dadliness
- Kratos retires in Iselia under the name Irving to raise Lloyd after the death of his wife
- no exsphere. ageing occurs! so does a beard and a braid
- teaches Lloyd swordplay, but on the sly, to avoid the other villagers noticing. his daytime job is weaving
- Lloyd finds the box of their exspheres and wants details. after some prodding by Dirk, Kratos explains how exspheres are made and that one is Anna's life. Lloyd is too young yet, but when Lloyd comes of age (~15) Kratos lets him make his own decision re wearing it
- Lloyd chooses not to wear the exsphere
- Genis befriends Marble and Lloyd meets her, as in canon; this happens before the journey begins, with the fallout
- difference being that Colette is still in the village so they can't be too horrible, so they just demand Lloyd be turned over for a flogging
- Kratos stands in his stead because natch. luckily, they're only mooks and don't recognise the bearded weaver as anyone important
- gives Lloyd his guilt complex early tho
- the oracle happens much the same way except Botta doesn't quite recognise the weirdly familiar bearded swordsman
- he does when he's reporting to Yuan tho
      'there was an exceptionally skilled human'
      /brief physical description/
      /did x other faintly recognizable thing/
      and both he and Yuan are aware that Kratos has been awol for a while, so there's a moment of pure silence and dawning 'no, it couldn't be'
- but then obviously one of them has to go make sure
- cue an interruption just out of Triet.

scenarios
scenario one: Yuan feels the need to investigate; this results in Kratos injured and abducted.
scenario two: Yuan realises he can't kill Kratos with his own two hands; Kratos gets mothered.
scenario three: Kratos gets sick on the heels of his recovery. Yuan mothers him some more. Botta disapproves.
scenario four: Kratos recovers and makes an escape attempt. Sort-of.
scenario five: Kratos recovers more and talks to Botta, when not needling Yuan about his lack of preparedness.
scenario six: Sheena's contract takes a slight shift into undercover instead of assassination work.


future
- Aselia is Earth ~10,000 years in the past
- all is peachy-keen except the tree is now underground and the elvens/half-elves/some humans are in hiding in the centre of the planet, hidden thanks to the summon spirits
- Colette is working with humanitarian aid in various impoverished nations
- Zelos is a diplomat in West Asia / Middle East trying to keep the peace
- Yuan is a crotchety lecturer at Cambridge who's also HUGE into environmentalism
- Lloyd and Kratos are having family time in space
- occasionally the trio on Earth meet reincarnations of people they used to know
- but rarely at the same time and almost never in a position where they meet
- but then they start meeting them
- lots of them
- all in the same span of years
- they're starting to think something's hinky
- until the space-elves attack
- and then they know something is hinky.


scenarios
None yet.


grigori
- at some point significantly before canon, Kratos actually calls it quits
- the Church's institution calls him a fallen angel of vengeance
- really he's just going around trying to help people and avoiding being taken back to Cruxis
- assigns himself to the Chosen parties whenever he can, up to Colette
- ????? idk some kind of profit somewhere

scenarios
None yet.


mercenary
- when Yuan visits Kratos at the beach when Lloyd is 3 months old, he does not manage to escape before Anna and Lloyd return
- accidental attachment to this kidlet who likes pulling his hair
- three years later, Yuan can't stand to hold back while Kratos fights Kvar, so he throws caution to the wind to help
- Anna is still killed but they rescue Lloyd and Noishe and both are branded as traitors
- Lloyd is raised as a Renegade with Dad, Uncle Yuan and the extremely reticent Uncle Botta (how dare)
- meanwhile in Tethe'alla Yuan infiltrates the castle as the library archivist
- stays out of sight, mostly, but has a good ear around the politics thanks to recruiting Princess Hilda
- also happens to stumble on Zelos hiding in the library right after his mother's death
- look he's got a 'nephew' he can't just do nothing (even if all he meant was to recommend a book)
- unwittingly accidentally 'adopts' the Tethe'allan Chosen by virtue of being the only one who doesn't treat him like the Chosen
- sometimes Kratos brings Lloyd to visit and basically they're all separate pairs of exasperated bros
- by canon Lloyd and Kratos are wandering mercenaries, helping people on the sly while gathering intel to send back to the Renegades
- Yuan and Zelos are actively building resistance to the Church using inside knowledge
- the ninja are all Renegades
- Colette is escorted by Raine and by the priests
- yes the 'chain up the Chosen and drag her to every seal if necessary' priests
- she meets Lloyd randomly in Triet but Lloyd doesn't know her as the Chosen. they're a bit out of touch on the Journey of Regen timeline
- stuff happens and they keep missing each other up until Palmacosta, which is a warzone between the Desians (and Dorr as their figurehead) and the Renegades (with Neil as their leader)
- Colette wants to help; priests say no
- out come the chains
- Raine objects, but she has no exsphere so what can she do
- btw Genis got caught in the Iselian ranch and tossed in as a traitor to be made a host
- he gets sent to the Palmacosta ranch
- right after Neil manages to take the city, after Colette and Raine leave it, Botta takes the Palmacosta ranch and rescues Genis, among others
- Genis becomes his little shadow and is much preferable to Lloyd, in Botta's opinion
- Lloyd and Kratos are still trying to catch up to Colette to rescue her when they drop by
- Genis hears what they're trying to do and insists on coming along.


scenarios
scenario one: in which Yuan accidentally adopts a Chosen instead of a book from a library.
scenario two: in which Yuan is accidentally-deliberately adopted by the Meltokio Castle Knights.


MEover
- Mass Effect crossover someplace in the realm of 15,000 years after TOS canon
- except started before then, cos elves are really from Feros, planet of the cranky telepathic plant
- got decimated by the protheans trying to assimilate them into their empire
- elves objected, got killed a lot, fled Feros and got stuck in Aselia's orbit
- kinda forgot a few things but planted a seed from the Ferosian mother plant on Aselia
- Origin hasn't forgotten tho, kinda has a grudge against grumblegrumbleprotheansgrumble
- the entirety of TOS happened, and then some
- Kratos, Yuan, Lloyd, Colette and Zelos are the only ones left, but tis okay, they have each other
- somethingsomething natural space disaster, Aselia is destroyed but they manage to move Yggdrasill onto Derris-Kharlan and do a quarian by becoming a roaming ship
- mana is a variant of eezo lbr
- Derris-Kharlan's too big to use the mass relays, but c'mon it generates its own mass effect field so they develop tech to do hops on their own
- they're in no hurry tho, i mean lbr primarily angelic, elf and half-elf population
- so they're just bumming around their local clusters doing thorough investigations on all the things
- so much eezo on their ship
- so much
- suddenly the Normandy running from a reapers comes along to hide behind them
- reapers start shooting
- everyone on Derris-Kharlan objects
- JUDGEMENT IN SPACE
- so much profit and judging of reapers.


scenarios
None yet.


origin
- Kratos tells Lloyd the dad thing in Triet
- dad and son feelings ensue
- they culminate at the Tower of Salvation in Kratos stabbing Yggdrasill in the back
- unfortunately he does not quite die but impales Kratos against a wall and goes berserk on the Chosen party to the point of Yuan stepping in to help
- that is, by threatening to stab Kratos in the back while he's vulnerable (with Kratos's permission)
- Yggdrasill calls his bluff and fails, and Yuan does the thing
- while Yggdrasill is distracted the Chosen's group nail him but good and he retreats
- luckily while heart-stabbing happened, Kratos's cruxis crystal is still intact, and between Raine's healing and Yuan's mana transfusion he survives long enough to be taken to the Triet base and a refresher
- stuff happens in some fashion or other up until opening Origin's seal
- as it turns out, the mana tranfusion has fused the lock, so to speak, and Kratos can't unlock the seal even voluntarily
- only way to get Origin out at this point is to let him fuse with Kratos, so Kratos becomes Origin
- stipulation of this: Kratos refuses to let go of his humanity
- luckily Yuan already has a literal bond with him thanks to the mana transfusion, so with him as his summoner Kratos can keep his humanity, and only use Origin's powers when Yuan summons them
- commitment like woah for a literal eternity
- but hey, they messed up but good and it's the only way they can reunite the worlds.

scenarios
none yet.


reversal
~ 2000 years in, Kratos and Yuan conspire to kill Mithos and succeed, sorta
- he's stuck inside his exsphere, possessing people
- but he manages to survive and while Kratos and Yuan claim Derris-Kharlan for their base, he takes most of the angels as 'fallen', as well as the Eternal Sword
- most of his bases are hidden behind dimensional slips created by the sword - Iselia included
- Origin refuses to trust either Kratos or Yuan with the job, anyhow, and they don't have a summoner
- instead they're forced to fight Cruxis, embroiling the worlds in an angelic war between Cruxis and the new organisation of Chayim
- the Chosen bloodlines are more important to Cruxis than Chayim, but Mithos seals the seals so only the Chosen bloodline can flip the mana switch. Kratos and Yuan need someone to do that until they can reunite them, so the Journey remains an institution, just without compulsory death at the end
- there is angelification tho, if only so Chayim gets more soldiers and so the Chosen can defend themselves against Cruxis
- Kratos sends Anna and Lloyd to Iselia, because even though enemy territory, it's the safest place there is for them
- Anna get word to Kratos that the Desians are using Iselia as a long-term cruxis crystal cultivation location, and that the sword is held there
- her spy succeeds but is intercepted, and Mithos locks down the dimensional slip to prevent exit and access by angels for ~15 years
- Lloyd grows up in a town with a heavy half-elf population and believing he's training to help the good guys
- he has his own cruxis crystal as a host, but doesn't tell his mother due to the faith-based propaganda encouraging hosts not to bring it up or risk the powers not taking
- he wants to help though, so he steals a key-crest to ensure he can fight
- Yuan and Kratos plan to assault the town and shrine but Mithos uses the sword to interrupt travel between worlds, keeping Yuan in Tethe'alla and forcing Kratos to attack Iselia alone.

scenarios
scenario one: Iselia is attacked by Chayim to claim the sword, with the sword already gone


titans
- Yggdrasill captures Kratos before Kvar finds Anna and Lloyd, but after Kratos makes an Eternal Ring
- Yuan figures hell no and raises the Renegades to try and take Derris-Kharlan, rescue Kratos and solve the split-world problem
- the attack fails. a lot.
- Renegades are wiped out, Kratos is still in Cruxis's hands, but Yuan manages to escape with the Eternal Ring
- Cruxis follows him to Triet base, which gets destroyed and the few remaining Renegades scatter
- Botta is still around tho, helping out how he can
- mostly Yuan just goes searching for Lloyd and Anna
- doesn't manage to find them before Kvar does tho, and Kratos hears from Yggdrasill that they're dead
- this is slightly inaccurate, cos Lloyd still winds up rescued by Dirk in Iselia
- where Yuan eventually finds him, not knowing that he's 'supposed' to be dead
- so Yuan settles in Iselia for a bit to watch Lloyd and the Chosen
- cuts and dyes his hair, the whole shebang
- learns how to carpentry, invents a new use of magic lightning and light can totally become a laserbeam amirite
- winds up being Genis's role model just because scholar and magic-user and half-elf who can pass but also takes no shit from people
- is one of Colette's companions on the Journey when it starts
- he's been challenging their understanding of the Church's institution this whole time lbr
- Sheena is still a thing because the ninja have taken over the Tethe'allan base, which has survived, somewhat
- a grilling ensues
- sometime just after the Asgard Ranch Yuan does have to drop the bombshell
- about how the Journey is just a front, he and his bestie are angels, btw his bestie is Lloyd's dad
- how they're out to topple the institution of religion
- forget sacrificing Colette for the Regeneration, when they get to the seal they can do that without anyone dying
- and then move straight on to rescuing Kratos in Derris-Kharlan
- then they get to the Tower and realise Yggdrasill has Kratos under a Prometheusesque punishment a la 'impaled on the Eternal Sword to suffer the Seed's pain and watch the Chosen get murdered'
- luckily this does not happen, as they manage to rescue him and escape Yggdrasill instead, barely
- retreat to Botta's hiding-place in Asgard so Kratos can recover
- and also find out that Lloyd is actually alive
- the Chosen group goes around to make as many pacts as they can while in Sylvarant
- they get up to Aska when Yggdrasill sends his angels to attack Asgard
- cue Yuan and Kratos being unstoppable battle gods together


scenarios
scenario one: in which Yuan leads the Chosen's party to the Tower of Salvation to dismantle all the traditions ever, and find Kratos waiting for them in serious need of a rescue.
scenario two: in which being in safety reveals that Kratos is not precisely unscathed, but he's doing his best.
scenario three: in which Kratos is emphatically not okay, but with Yuan's help, could be.

Comments

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan has been here too long to be really touched by the looks; he walks impassive, the long tail of his braid catching the wind here and there.]

[All the same, he does not even bother to try hiring a human driver. Prisoner of war or not, he is not optimistic about how well people will like which end of the chain Yuan is on.]

[He speaks to a half-elf, then, a woman who nevertheless gives him a wary eye, not sure what to expect from him. Yuan stays as neutral as he can, all too conscious of the weight of the chain in his hand feeling more like a scarlet flag now. Altogether the conversation is short before she nods to Yuan and turns to adjusting the harness on her dragon, one last check. It's the last thing anyone wants in this area, a harness coming loose; rickshaw drivers are almost to a one conscientious.]

[Yuan steps up into the carriage before recalling that Kratos will almost certainly not be able to step up after him. He turns halfway. Wonders. Reaches down to offer a hand up anyway.]

[simulsimul]

[The shelter of the cart makes it easier to stand; but Kratos wishes he can afford to sidle a bit closer, to lean on it. He's walked more today already than in weeks, and the ache in his leg and hip is telling him how infrequently he's been able to exercise anything.

[It does mean he can eye the cart, doubt not showing on his face. It looks altogether too slender for the trails of the gorge. Surely it can't be too light, or the wind would take it right off; but, with a glance ahead at the trail, he sees that the winding paths would require maneuverability too. How did anyone manage to live here without being pitched off into the depths? He's abruptly, fiercely glad the gorge is on the other side of the cart.

[The jingle of tack has Kratos glancing back to regard the step up with some degree of resignation. Well, maybe if he could reach the edge of the wall and pull himself up --

[An attempt which proves unnecessary, as Ka-Fai's hand comes into view. Kratos stares at it, then accepts it, using his unmoving leg to stand on and his better to take his weight as Ka-Fai pulls him into the cart. There's barely enough room for the two of them opposite each other. It's one of the smaller carts.

[Kratos sits with his bad leg awkwardly extended, and hunches against the wind. He's shivering, doesn't realise it; being cold is a familiar state these days, as is the rattle of a carriage moving. Having the wind tear straight through him, and the gorge starting to rush past, are not. He turns his head away from the falling emptiness of that cliff, but seeing the opposite cliff extending upward makes his heart jolt to his throat every time they sway toward its uncompromising stone. In the end he closes his eyes, gripping the side of the cart, and tries to settle his mind enough to think.]

[conductingresistance]

[No use wondering what Kratos expected, there. It was probably the worst. But with them both settled the rickshaw is off, the driver casting one last glance back at them to ensure everything and everyone is secure before nudging her dragon into motion.]

[Yuan has few qualms about this sort of transport through Nidavellir; but then, he has been in this city most of his life. Other cities, widely spaced and calm-weathered, seem foreign to him in some regards. Kratos, however, is probably somewhat more concerned about the movement, judging by the way he's closing his eyes and holding on tightly.]

[There isn't much Yuan can do to help with that. What would he do? Small talk is something he's never mastered, and would anyway seem foolish here. There's little to be offered save the reassurance that the rickshaw will have them to Yuan's home faster than any commonly available alternatives, and even that won't be much reassurance at all to Kratos, who is to be virtual prisoner there.]

[No: there is no point in talking. Yuan watches Kratos until it occurs to him that this is why rumors spread, and then he looks away, watching the familiar passage of the city by them until the colors all blur into each other with the whipping of the wind. A cane will be the first priority. Then...?]

[Yuan doesn't know. One thing at a time.]

[simulsimul]

[It's frankly a relief when the swaying cart slows and stops, even with the awareness that Kratos will have no idea where they are in the city. At this point, his ignorance about his surroundings is so deep that adding to it is hardly a burden; and he's not going to be able to focus in this state, anyway.

[When Kratos can open his eyes, he takes a moment to orient himself with the immediate environment, at least. Thankfully, they're not in a row of houses overlooking the gorge, but more deeply buried on a plateau, where the wind is less. It's probably meant to be a modest area, if views are at all valued in this city, but as far as Kratos is concerned that's a boon. He's not sure how well he'd fare, having to fight the wind and the edge of the gorge at once.

[The houses are hard to tell are houses, all buried in the cliff, carved from stone; save for the adornments on their fronts. The houses on either side display bunting, flags or plants, but the one before them is bare. Kratos isn't really expecting anything else.

[Ka-Fai is quicker out of the cart, unsurprisingly; it takes Kratos another moment to move, swinging his leg awkwardly and leaning heavily on the cart's side. He lands a bit more heavily than is wise and his mouth pulls tight at the jolt; but his knee doesn't buckle, which is the only fortunate thing, and he manages to lurch to some degree of stability, using the cart to balance himself before limping away. He'd rather not be caught under those wheels, thank you.]

[conductingresistance]

[The house, perhaps, isn't much; but it's Yuan's, and he's relieved to see it, in his way. It doesn't look like anyone's tampered with it while he's gone.]

[He deals with the matter of paying the driver, counting coins into her hand before turning to glance at Kratos. The leg and the chains combined can't make it easy, and Yuan is prepared to catch if he needs to, but Kratos seems to manage well enough. Good. One less thing to worry about.]

[Yuan draws the key from inside his armor and opens the door, holding it for Kratos, closing and locking it again behind him. The interior is better decorated than the exterior; there is color, and some little softness to disguise the hardest of the angles, and while it might be modest it looks warm even without any physical heat.]

[Almost as soon as the door is closed, the length of chain that serves as a lead clatters carelessly to the floor, and Yuan reaches to un-do Kratos's bonds.]

[simulsimul]

[The inside of the house is startling. Kratos had been expecting something similar to the outside; something like what his own quarters in the castle had looked like. There's never any point to decorating, when he's barely there.

[Instead it's almost -- cozy, in a way Kratos finds difficult to reconcile with Ka-Fai's proud bearing. The drapings serve to soften a rigid house into an inviting home, a place it might be nice to return to. It's ... odd. Almost alarming, when juxtaposed with the memory of the deadly spin of the Swallow in Yuan's hands.

[The door shuts and the chain clinks, and Kratos remembers why he's here at all, and tenses at the awareness of Ka-Fai next to him. He doesn't know what he expects, but having those chains removed is far down on the list. He's acutely aware that he doesn't know what he expects, as he rubs his wrists and eyes Ka-Fai with an impassive expression and no small degree of wariness.

[If Ka-Fai isn't aware of the talk, Kratos isn't going to bring it up. But he has no idea what Ka-Fai expects from him, either, and surely that's something that has to be established from the off. His voice is rusty, guarded but short of challenging.]

Now what?

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan coils the chains, looping them over his wrist. He has no idea what to do with these, either. Chains are not something he habitually uses in his day-to-day, and they'll have no place in the decor. Perhaps he'll throw them in the back of a closet and forget about them.]

[Now what. It's a good question. Yuan is asking himself the same. He eyes Kratos again, wondering what next. The braid issue can wait, even though it's something of a mess right now. Acquiring a cane will require leaving the house, and probably bringing Kratos as well, for a judge of length; though he is more or less of a height with Yuan.]

[So: right now, deal with Kratos as he would a recently released prisoner. Assume he has not been well-treated, and is likely in pain.]

Now you sit down. When was the last time you ate?

[As he asks, Yuan gestures past himself, toward where the kitchen is, just off the hall.]

[simulsimul]

[Kratos has to pause to consider his answer, counting back from guard changes -- about the only indication of time available, inside the auction house cells. They made good use of cave space in that building, and little use of light.]

Yesterday.

[He's wary, still, and he knows nothing about the layout of the house; but there's no reason, for the moment, to assume that Ka-Fai isn't being earnest at least in these orders. There's no reason to stand on his pride. So after a moment Kratos shifts to limp down the hall, his back prickling with Ka-Fai behind him. There isn't much to be done, at that -- logic dictates that Ka-Fai isn't about to kill him from behind. He has as much time to do whatever he wants, assuming there's anything he wants to do.

[The kitchen is much more along Kratos's expectation of the house, and that's oddly reassuring. The table is likewise bare, and the chairs; and it's a relief to be able to pull one out and sit, though he presents as little of his back to Ka-Fai as possible. Then he watches Yuan back, waiting for his direction. Or some indication of what's expected of him.]

[conductingresistance]

[That he has to think about it is telling. It is well past morning already, and Kratos would have-- would have had a soldier's habits.]

[Including not showing Yuan his back more than is strictly necessary. Now that is expected, after a fashion. Yuan sees that he's settled, nods sharply, and turns his attention to the matter of food.]

[While this might not be the societally acceptable order in which to do things, there's little point in expecting Kratos to slip right into household tasks when he doesn't even know the house. It's habit for Yuan to cook for himself, when he can; it's not out of his way to make more.]

[The kitchen has the highest concentration of actual useful magitechnology, so far below the impact of weapons that the draw seems almost negligible to Yuan's senses. Hm. Simple, if Kratos hasn't eaten much recently. Nothing heavy, but higher in vegetable content than he'd get in prison. To that end it's soup he pulls from the coldbox.]

[He is still painfully aware he isn't entirely sure what he's doing with Kratos.]

I would be cooking anyway.

[It isn't explanation, or direction, but feeling the weight of Kratos's regard provokes the urge to justify, in some ways.]

[simulsimul]

[That regard changes faintly, nearly impossible to detect given Kratos's usual state of expression. The change is in the vague direction of bemusement as he watches Yuan move around the kitchen.

[That unprompted remark sounds a lot like defensiveness, but what would Ka-Fai have to be defensive about? Does he think Kratos has any knowledge of what's supposed to happen when one of them is a slave? Does he think Kratos has some kind of standard in mind for how a master should act?

[What it does make clear is that Ka-Fai has about as much idea as Kratos does, what's meant to happen next. And that realisation is a relief hard enough that Kratos has to exhale it out slowly; because if Ka-Fai -- no, Yuan; definitely Yuan -- if Yuan has no idea what's going to happen next, then he didn't have any plans for Kratos beyond getting him out of prison.

[It means the guards' gossip is just that: gossip.

[It also means Kratos has some degree of leeway to figure out what he needs, without having to rely on what Yuan might think he he needs, or order him to have. He needs clothes. He's not sure how long he's been wearing these. A bath; a stand-up shower would do, if he could have something to lean on. A shave. Do half-elves even shave? Kratos isn't actually sure.]

How much is the house prepared for a second person?

[Is there even another bed? The question may seem abrupt, given that Kratos has been sitting quietly and simply watching; and especially given there's an element of decisiveness to his tone.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan pauses with his back turned, hands still for a moment, not completely sure if it's a relief that Kratos has read things so deftly already, or concerning that he is so transparent.]

[It isn't as though he wanted to be anyone's master in the typical sense of the word. Relief it is. He turns, wondering if he'll see any change in Kratos's demeanor at all, to answer.]

Very little. I have a second room, with a cot.

[Born from the very optimistic idea that he might have guests who wanted to stay. Mostly it gathers dust.]

[simulsimul]

[If he has it, that must mean he intends -- or did intend -- for it to be used. It may need to be made up, but that's not much of a detriment. The fact that the cot is the only thing Yuan can mention suggests he is not at all exaggerating with 'very little'; does the room even have a wardrobe? Kratos gives a short, acknowledging nod.]

I'll need some clothes. Somewhere to put them. I can make the bed myself, if you have spare linens.

[He might not.]

Items for personal hygiene.

[He might not have those, either. Kratos falls silent again to consider, and to give Yuan the opportunity to object to such assertiveness, if he finds it objectionable.]

[conductingresistance]

[He did not think this through. He probably can't make that much clearer without saying so outright, which Yuan is loath to do. He leans back against the counter as he listens, rather than turn away to oversee the heating of soup.]

Linens I have.

[Clothes... well, his own, but they're mostly uniforms. Unsuitable even if they are roughly of a size. Hygiene follows, although Kratos is human. Yuan's always seen him clean-shaven; evidently that will need to be taken into account.]

As for the rest, a trip to the markets would be necessary in any case.

[Far from objecting to the assertiveness, Yuan would rather encourage it.]

Mn. I'll make sure you have what you need.

[simulsimul]

[The way Kratos eyes Yuan is not wary, as much as considering. There was no objection in those responses. Alright; that gives Kratos some kind of baseline for just how much Yuan expects him to be autonomous. And it gives him a lead in for other questions.]

What kind of clothes would I be allowed to wear?

[Given the infamous braids, he assumes there's some social restrictions in dress.]

I assume that this is required.

[He reaches up to brush his hand over his head, and grimaces at the feel of his hair: grimy and unkempt, probably knotted beyond repair. Someone had braided it, early on; all the Tethe'allan prisoners had had their hair braided. Kratos had gotten the impression it was meant to take them down a peg, but he'd been one of the few with any context, and even then, he isn't familiar enough with the culture to know what the braid meant. Though he can guess.]

[conductingresistance]

The colors of my household, if I had any to give. As things are-- neutral tones, undyed most likely.

[And Yuan will find some kind of ornamentation to declare the ownership, but it's a little difficult when there is no family name or trade or icon. Or no family at all, really.]

You're correct. It marks your status.

[A very brief frown crosses Yuan's face. It is, again, a tradition he knows as second-nature, something he grew up steeped in. And, of course, he has no love for that particular pattern.]

You'll need to learn to recognize at least the broad strokes. ...and to do your own.

[simulsimul]

['Your own', Kratos notes. Nothing about Yuan's. Not that Kratos is precisely surprised; a man who comes at someone the way Yuan does -- did -- is not a man given to relying on others for his own necessities. Still, it's nice to know.

[A mark of status; hm. What kind of status, Kratos has to wonder. He's seen slaves wearing collars, or broad bracelets which mimicked manacles. He'd thought they were marks enough. Apparently they meant something else. At least the clothes would be easy enough; undyed is cheaper, also. It isn't any kind of a surprise that Yuan has no household colours to speak of.]

Alright. What are my duties, then?

[He's not prepared to sit around and do nothing, even if there's little he might be able to do. Sitting at the table, leg stretched out, unchained, he might almost believe the situation is something else entirely -- if not for his state of uncleanliness, anyway.]

[conductingresistance]

[That's an excellent question. What are Kratos's duties.]

That will depend on what labor you're capable of.

[Yuan is assuming -- hoping? -- that with time, and when he is not new-healed, Kratos's mobility will improve.]

[It would certainly help a variety of things, including Yuan's patience, if he had someone to keep the house. All the same, something rebels in him at the thought of setting Kratos to the housework.]

[He tries to quash the sentiment; but he doesn't say anything more immediately, either.]

... I should find some way to mark your affiliation.

[Yuan has no idea. He hates many things right now.]

[simulsimul]

[None of which is in any way an answer. If anything, it sounds like a diversion, and then a subject-change entire; even worse than Yuan simply not having thought this through. Surely there's something around the house which needs to be done on the regular? Why divert so quickly?]

I can cook.

[He can sit while cooking, or lean against the counter. That's easy enough. A lot of chores he ought to be able to sit for, come to think of it.]

If you don't have an automated washer, I can do laundry. Probably I can dust and clean. I should be able to manage your groceries, once I have something to lean on.

[And assuming the markets aren't too far away.]

Your finances, assuming there's means in place to avoid a slave running amok with unwarranted coinage.

[This last is every so faintly dry, in that way Kratos has of not quite emoting enough to tell for sure.]

[conductingresistance]

[All Yuan had thought through, apparently, were his peculiarly possessive instincts. Which he is not about to give voice to.]

[And he cannot at all tell if Kratos is approaching dry humor or not. Any hope in the previous not-quite-spoken understanding vanishes quickly.]

My finances are fine. I will, however, give you the household maintenance to manage.

[Such as it is.]

It's inevitable that I will be dispatched again.

[War, after all, is not a straightforward business of ending on a deadline. There are still people who disagree with the ending; there are still battles to be fought, if fewer.]

When that happens, I intend to take you with me.

[Not least because he has some concerns for Kratos left to Nidavellir alone. He assumes Kratos can handle the care of armor, at least.]

[simulsimul]

[Something's shifted, but Kratos can't tell what. For someone so impassioned, Yuan is annoyingly hard to read; and yet, he does acknowledge that Kratos can help around the house, when he'd so blatantly diverted before.

[Kratos is busy trying to puzzle that out when Yuan drops that bombshell, and for a moment Kratos can only blink at him wordlessly. Though the bemusement may be hard to tell, given his expression doesn't change much. Then it solidifies into a proper flat blankness, which is a definable change Yuan may be able to tell. There's nuances to impassivity, after all.]

Why? Even with a cane, I won't be able to keep up.

[And Yuan can't possibly believe that he would be willingly complicit in the killing of his countrymen. Which brings up only one possibility, really, something simultaneously of dread and hope. Tethe'alla must still be resisting mightily, if Sylvarant needs slaves as fodder; but it also means Kratos will be, essentially, helpless when he dies. It's not a fate he particularly wants to imagine.

[Nevertheless, it's occurred, and something in his bearing hardens.]

[conductingresistance]

[In his turn, Yuan can identify that something has shifted, but isn't quite sure what. He can mark the changes, not see what they mean or what causes them.]

[So for a change his frown is genuinely perplexed, not irritated or grumpy.]

With the broader troop movements, no. With the camps...?

[The vast assortment of things needed to form a mobile base for that many troops will never move as quickly as motivated soldiers. That's simply a drawback any strategist will need to account for.]

--I'm not expecting you in the front line, if that's-- no. Like this, you aren't fit for the battlefield.

[That's a frank assessment, not meant unkindly. Simply what is.]

No. You're a Tethe'allan soldier, even formerly, and you belong to a half-elf. Do you really think leaving you behind to be a wise choice?

[simulsimul]

[The way Yuan says that is as if it's something which should go without saying -- of course Kratos wouldn't be on the front lines. So taking him on deployment isn't a matter of fodder. The tension releases Kratos's heart somewhat, even as the unblunted truth of his situation stabs him with its sharpness.]

You think I'd be any safer in a camp full of Sylvaranti soldiers?

[... He probably would be, at that. In the city he'd have no allies, and civilians aren't known for their discipline. Even with Yuan away from a camp on orders, life there would be rigidly enforced, and there's got to be socially ingrained rules about others' possessions, living or not.

[And it's getting very difficult to think, with the smells rising from the pot on the stove. It takes Kratos a few blank moments to realise his gaze is even focussed there, his stomach suddenly keenly empty. He closes his eyes and gives his head a little shake, trying to refocus.]

I'd still need something more than a cane. My leg isn't going to get much better than this.

[Most lamed officers were only hamstrung when they reach their destinations, to enforce a march and give Sylvaranti wounded room in the wagons when coming off the front line. Kratos had been one of the few who'd been hamstrung on the field, as much for safety's sake as to make a point to Nike before she died. His life had been spared -- but it's still, and would always be, in the hands of Sylvarant.]

[conductingresistance]

Some. Enough.

[It's all Yuan has to offer.]

[He tracks Kratos's gaze, isn't really surprised. To hide his own feelings on the topic of Kratos never improving much, Yuan turns to test the heat of the soup. All it needed at this point is re-heating, so it won't be long.]

It may be possible to find a brace that will help. Not immediately, however.

[Yuan needs to see how this goes. And how much the sort of technology he's thinking of runs. And if Kratos's presence will be accepted enough that no one will question giving him the greater mobility.]

[The soup's hot enough. Yuan takes down bowls and ladles it into them, finally coming over to set a bowl and spoon in front of Kratos.]

[simulsimul]

That's fine.

[As if Kratos has any say in it whatsoever; as if he isn't, currently, existing on the sufferance of Sylvarant. Why is Yuan treating him like this? Like he has a right to determine his future? Kratos has heard that half-elves in Sylvarant are treated even worse than in Tethe'alla, but he'd found that difficult to imagine once he knew how they were treated by his own country; he'd wanted to believe those rumours were only rumours.

[Now he's wondering whether Yuan has some experience with slavery already, and not necessarily on the master's end.

[The thought derails before it can reach the potential of asking, thanks to the food. Kratos's attention fixes on that the moment he hears it slop into the bowl. The last few weeks have been one long chain of misery; until the breath of fresh air and sun, the lack of chains, he hasn't realised how badly he's been needing something more substantial than a prisoner's fare. They weren't exactly starved -- but that doesn't mean much.

[He clasps his hands together under the table, fingers trembling, and breathes through the urge to snatch up the bowl Yuan puts before him. It's probably still hot, for one. For another, he'd rather not choke now that he's out of that horrible place.

[It takes a few moments, but it's only after Kratos feels as though he's mastered himself that he reaches out to pick up the spoon and eat. Even then, after that first glorious mouthful, he can't stop himself from eating faster than he intends.]

[conductingresistance]

Careful. Give your stomach a chance to get used to actual food again.

[This is said as an almost absent caution at his speed, Yuan not even looking at him past a few glances to ensure that Kratos is eating and not about to choke on it for over-hurry.]

[He's leisurely about his own soup, one hand cradling the bowl, his gaze distant and through the food rather than at it as he lines up plans and thoughts for what's going to need to happen next. Easier with Kratos's focus not directly on him.]

[...Yuan's been living on his own for years now. It'll be strange, having someone there again. Much less it being Kratos.]