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
[This is rather flatter than most of what Kratos has said so far. He pulls up under his knee to make it bend, feeling the clean line of the scar under his palm, and orients it so he can sit more appropriately at the table.]
I don't know how I'm meant to be handling it, like this.
[It's cleanly healed, or as clean as it can be when they deliberately ensured he'd remain crippled, but if there's anything he can do to maintain the muscles still good, he'd like to be able to do it. Right now, thinking about what he can do is the only life-rope he has. If he stops to consider all that he can't --
[No. Kratos picks up his spoon again to finish his soup, much more slowly now. He's no longer hungry; but it's only prudence to eat as much as he can take.]
How long ago was Vanaheim taken?
[He honestly doesn't know -- but it should be answer enough. It's a long way from Vanaheim.]
no subject
It was about a month ago, now.
[That's... unusual, though. Usually prisoners would be made to march. At least, Yuan is assuming Kratos wasn't made to, by virtue of the fact that he would be practically unable to.]
[Yuan picks up his bowl and stands, moving across the kitchen to look out the window instead of watching Kratos.]
no subject
[There is not much soup let in the bowl by the time Kratos pushes it away, but he's back to regarding Yuan, waiting for ... direction. For indication. It's clear that Yuan hasn't thought this through, but surely he has some idea of what he intends? Kratos doesn't know this house, or what's in it.]
What now?
[For a commander and a man who must have fought just to convince people of his right to buy a slave at all, Yuan is remarkably slow to action.]
no subject
I'll show you the house. And I assume you'll want to clean up sooner rather than later.
[Yet again Yuan has rather uncomplimentary things to think about Kratos's treatment in the past month; but that is neither here nor there. He comes back over and waits a moment for Kratos to get up, eyeing him sidelong and wondering whether to offer a hand or not.]
no subject
[Kratos can't smell himself anymore, it's been too long; but he can imagine what kind of offence his presence must be causing to a half-elf's senses right now. His chair is still turned enough from the table that he has room to move. He ignores Yuan standing over him and uses the table to pull himself up.
[His body does not want to move right now. At all. Fatigued dizziness sweeps over him and his bad knee trembles. Kratos leans on the chair for a moment, breath catching at the ache in his leg and hip now that he's spent some time resting. He hadn't realised how stiff he was, and now the warmth of food is making the whole of his being want to shut down.]
Are there stairs?
[He's going to have trouble with stairs. He hadn't seen any, but a compact house like this, that doesn't say much.]
no subject
No stairs. Most of the homes in this are are only the one level.
[It may be less than would be generally possible, for an officer. Yuan genuinely does like this area, though, and would have chosen it even if he had the resources for something better or higher-up.]
It isn't large; I doubt you'll have trouble finding your way around. This way.
[But Yuan paces himself to Kratos, not rushing him.]
[The first thing he points out when Kratos is up to moving will be the washroom; there's a shower and tub combined, and towels that look like they are probably fresh.]
no subject
[The washroom is nicely furnished as the kitchen isn't, with the same elegant arc to the cupboard handles, and a kind of varnish highlighting some of the stone's natural hues until it looks as though there's solid bands of blue and green around the walls. There isn't a window, but sunlight comes down from a hole in the ceiling, striking glass and illuminating the space with hardly the benefit of technological lights.
[And there's plants. Kratos has never seen that in such an enclosed space before. He blinks wordlessly at the narrow garden-bed flanking one wall, and then leans against the sink as Yuan runs him through the locations of all amenities.
[There is no shaving kit. He'll have to deal with the beard for a little while longer. His hair, though ... Kratos reaches up to test his hair again, and shakes his head.]
It's been a while since I've been able to wash my hair. I'm going to need help with the tangles.
[Frankly, lifting his arm even this far is a feat almost beyond him. Fatigue is setting in.]
no subject
[Do Tethe'allans not go in for indoor plants? Hm.]
[Although that thought is promptly forgotten in favor of utter bemusement at the invitation, such as it is. Yuan would have needed to tender some help, anyway, with the braiding at least, but...]
[It feels strange.]
I... can help if you need it, yes.
[Which he will, because no one bothers to take care of slaves. The thought sparks a brief flash of anger, visible but directed at no one present.]
[It occurs to him that injuries may not have been left at laming and neglect. Yuan hopes that's the extent of it even as he has the thought.]
no subject
[Surely if it's stepping over a line in other fashions, Yuan would have said so? Kratos glances at him, just to make sure; but Yuan's words are an acquiescence. Kratos chooses to take it at face value while he still can. The future seems marginally more solid, now, but it's not quite settled.
[Kratos doesn't ask. Instead he moves to start the shower, which is honestly a piece of technology Kratos wasn't entirely sure Yuan would have; but it does make things easier. Bathwater would get dirty far too easily, and a sit-down wash would take a long time. At least this way he can scrub and then soak. Assuming Yuan has no objections to a slave using his tub for such a leisure. So far, he doesn't seem to have objections to most things Kratos would have thought a slave-owner would have objections to.
[So Kratos proceeds to ignore Yuan as he undresses without much in the way of shame, but with an element of cautiousness given his state and the fact he isn't sure just how much he can push Yuan as yet. He also ignores the voices of the guards wafting around in his memory. Undressing takes longer than it should; but the clothes he has left aren't worth salvaging, at this point. He does drop them in the most convenient corner he can, to pick up and dispose of himself, later.
[He is unsure, to some degree, whether Yuan will want a look at him before getting into the shower -- to see the state of his purchase. There's another testing glance Yuan's way.]
no subject
[He does not at all expect Kratos to start undressing, and he turns very sharply around at the first hint of it. There is some sense in retrospect, Yuan realizes as he pulls his composure back around him, since working with Kratos's hair will most efficiently be done mid-bath, but--]
[Did Kratos not expect privacy, or not think he would get it? What is he expecting, from Yuan? None of this is doing anything to quell his earlier concerns.]
[His back is still resolutely turned when Kratos glances back, shoulders rigid and eyes away. What he does do is ask:]
...are there injuries which were left untended?
[It is the gentlest way he can think to ask if Kratos was tortured in some way.]
no subject
[It takes Kratos a moment to realise just what Yuan's asking, and his hand automatically goes to his shoulder, broken once and then healed sometime early on.]
... Nothing permanent or debilitating, beyond the obvious.
[The beatings are the only things which have left any physical scars. He remembers not being allowed to sleep or eat, and constant high-pitched noises while being held in a tent without light, and then being interrogated. He can't honestly remember what he said, if anything. It had all stopped once the skyship came to carry the most high profile prisoners and wounded back to Sylvarant.
[... That probably means he told them something, if they decided he was safe to send back. He just -- he can't remember what. He stands still like that for a moment, brow furrowed as he tries to remember; but it's useless.]
no subject
[...and 'nothing permanent or debilitating' still leaves a bit of room, knowing interrogation techniques. Perhaps Yuan would be happier not knowing details.]
[Although it's good to know Kratos wasn't irreparably damaged. Apart from the obvious.]
Good. Let me re-phrase, however: is there any injury which currently needs looking after?
[One thing Yuan is rarely without is medical supplies. Injuries do happen, and he knows what to do with most of the basic ones.]
no subject
No. They didn't really beat us once we reached the auction house.
[His wrists are raw from the chains, but that's about it, and doesn't require tending. No one really had the energy to test the guards' patience by then, and the guards weren't stupid enough to risk reducing the money that might be gotten. Kratos realises after the fact that the answer might be blunter than is wise -- but nothing about this situation is as he expected. Yuan's been blunt in turn.
[Now Kratos remembers the shower. Awkwardly he manages to climb into the tub to stand under the pounding water, and it's heaven; he braces himself against the wall and leans into it with a sigh, letting the water wash away the upper layers of grime.]
no subject
All right.
[He stands and listens, then, to the water and the sound of Kratos in it, and he tries not to ponder exactly how awkward this entire thing has gotten, nor the occasional pangs as the injustice of life and the world surmounts what even he is inured to by now.]
[It occurs to Yuan, however, that without looking he won't be able to tell if and when Kratos needs assistance; however, he's not about to turn and chance seeing something. That still feels wrong, some violation of privacy even when there is practically nothing left of it.]
[Yuan passes mana between his fingers, and sighs softly.]
Let me know when you're in need of my help.
no subject
[It's a lazy response. Probably an unforgivably insolent response, actually, if either of them cared. At this point, it's fairly plain Yuan doesn't. It's also fairly plain how much of the gossip had been born of ignorance; Yuan's more modest than any soldier Kratos has ever met. He hasn't looked around once, or even tried.
[In the end the only reason Kratos stirs is the knowledge that he's half falling asleep, standing there against the wall, and if he does then he'll fall; and that will make things even more awkward, assuming he doesn't knock himself out in the process.
[But he does straighten up in the end, reaching for the soap to clean off the rest of him. His hair he leaves until last; and his original assessment is still accurate when he reaches it. It's not much more than a tangle, made worse by the braid. At least it doesn't have ribbons in it. Most everyone else he'd seen with braids had ribbons. Maybe the slaves didn't get that leisure. Maybe just the prisoners of war didn't.
[Kratos manages to get the tie out, at least, and toes the drain closed. Then he stays under the water while the bath fills enough for him to use. Or at least to give him some veneer of privacy. Only when it's fit for use does Kratos turn off the shower and consider how to manoeuvre himself down. It's awkward and makes copious use of the wall, and his leg never really stops being a dead weight; but in the end he's seated and resting against the tub wall in a position where Yuan will be able to reach his hair.]
Alright. I'm ready.
no subject
[At that he moves, collecting hair things and a wide-toothed comb, and he sets those by the side of the tub while unbuckling his vambraces and rolling his sleeves up. Before long Yuan is sitting on the edge of the tub, markedly not looking toward the water, and fingering the ends of Kratos's hair with a thoughtful look.]
[It's thicker than his, and previous observation suggests unruly. Still, with some patience detangling should be possible. Hopefully, as it will be difficult to braid if Yuan has to remove significant length.]
I'll see what I can salvage.
[He opts to begin by working soap in; it will be easier to detangle if it's as clean as he can manage. It's... a peculiar feeling, this sort of unwarranted intimacy. The sooner it's over, the better.]
no subject
Alright.
[It sounds as though this will take a while. Kratos makes himself as comfortable as he can in the tub, resting his head back as much as he can without curtailing Yuan's access to his hair. It's been a long time since anyone's handled his hair like this; it's soothing, a leisure only occasionally enjoyed, and only available to him due to his family's wealth.
[A little too soothing, perhaps. Kratos becomes swiftly unaware of how Yuan's task is proceeding as the fatigue sets in, as though in vengeance for how it was denied when he was still standing. Before long Kratos is relaxed in the tub, his eyes sliding shut and his breathing falling to deep evenness.]
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[Yuan can't tell if it means he feels safe or if it means he's so utterly exhausted he couldn't care if he drowned or not. It does make Yuan himself relax a little in turn, though, now unobserved, and he works at the tangles with a patience created mostly by stubbornness. In the end there is some trimming he has to do, for the worst of it, but Kratos cleans up well enough.]
[...and is still asleep. Yuan supposes he can't fault him, after everything he's been through, but it does complicate some matters.]
[In the end he leaves Kratos there only long enough to put linens on the cot in the second room. It's awkward, hauling Kratos out of the bath and into a towel, made all the more difficult by trying not to put his hands or eyes anywhere neither of them would want them. Mercifully Kratos seems deeply unconscious, and they will never speak of this if Yuan has anything to say in the matter.]
[He puts Kratos to bed, leaves a brief note on the back of the door just in case Kratos wakes -- though he doubts it, with that exhaustion -- and goes, regrettably, shopping.]
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[Sometime around dawn, he finally stirs. He doesn't snap awake, but eases into it in that way some soldiers have, where his mind puts things to order so he's already prepared by the time he awakens, without the heart-pounding jolt of suddenness. Even with that, Kratos stares up at the ceiling for a few moments, blinking.
[A few weeks is long enough to start expecting dank darkness on awakening, not a relatively soft cot, definitely soft blankets, and a remarkably blue ceiling. It takes Kratos a few moments to realise that the sheen is polished stone, like in the bathroom; and with that he remembers fully where he is, and why.
[The spare room isn't as well furnished as the bathroom, but it is better than the kitchen. ... And there seems to be a plant in this room as well, though at least that's less strange than in the bathroom. Maybe it helps with the atmosphere of the rooms without direct access to sunlight. One of the mirrors is tilted to prevent too much light as yet, but the rest are oriented to give the room the softly grey illumination of dawn.
[All of these thoughts occur with Kratos still lying flat; but once they've run their course he pushes himself upright, pulling his leg around. He isn't wearing clothes; he wonders with brief amusement how Yuan handled the transferring from bathtub to bed.
[There's clothes on a chair within arm's reach; the dresser is further way. Kratos will need to have a think about the layout of the room, it seems, though at least Yuan apparently realised the dresser's location is inconvenient. Getting dressed takes a while; Kratos hasn't been given any new clothes to change into, since being taken prisoner. It's one of those things he's not sure how to handle, where his leg is concerned.
[Still, he manages, and as Yuan said the day before, they're simple and undyed. Kratos fingers the fabric, tugging it right. It's lesser-quality cloth, compared to what he's accustomed to. He'll have to get used to that, too. Something he's never considered before. The stick is far more appreciated -- simple timber, polished, with an unexpectedly elegant engraving. It's more than he expected, though given the looks of Yuan's house, perhaps he should have known better. Kratos picks that up and leaves the rest of the clothes where they are, to be put away once he's figured out where the dresser might go.
[There's ribbons on the dresser, too. Kratos can't even begin to guess how he's meant to braid with those. He picks them up and exits the room, his gait awkward. In some ways he'd gotten used to not having something to lean on; having the stick makes it easier to walk, but reorients his weight and balance yet again.
[Still, he's moving better as he limps down the hall, ribbons in one hand, to look for any sign of Yuan. Provided he's awake yet.]
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[He sleeps lightly that night, and is up before dawn, such that when he hears Kratos's uneven gait in the hall he's already awake and dressed, though not armored. Yuan steps out of his room and into the hall, and it's less disorienting than it should be, seeing his old enemy there in his home.]
Good. You found everything.
[Including the ribbons. Which are a stopgap solution at best, but the easiest thing Yuan could think of without ascertaining what Kratos might prefer to wear.]
[Kratos looks better than he did yesterday, Yuan notes. It's impressive, what good food and a night of solid sleep can do for someone.]
I take it the clothing fits.
[Nothing looks too far off from here, anyway.]
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Well enough. I didn't know what to do with these.
[He lifts the ribbons. His hair, slept-on while damp, is sticking up a bit; now washed and unbound, it's clearly longer than is his usual wont, reaching at least to his shoulders.]
I ... don't suppose you have some shaving utensils, now?
[His face itches.]
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[Yuan studies him just a little longer, and is oddly amused by the lift of his hair. Then he gestures toward the washroom.]
I acquired some, yes.
[There hadn't been an explicit request; but he had only ever seen Kratos clean-shaven, before, and he'd been reminded that humans had slightly more reliable genetics than half-elves. So shaving tools had been among the purchases, despite the bemused look Yuan had gotten on acquiring them.]
[He doesn't think twice about trusting Kratos with a blade, even one so small. Yuan can defend himself, and is unlikely to be murdered in his sleep, based both in his skill and Kratos's temperament.]
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[It'll be a relief to be able to get rid of the last vestiges of scruffiness. He maneuvers around Yuan down the hall to the bathroom, which is not as easy as he'd have liked; the hall is a bit narrow, and he takes up more space than he once did.
[Kratos makes use of the bathroom, laying the ribbons aside for later; and it isn't until he's picked up the straight-razor that he realises -- he probably shouldn't have this. It's technically a lethal weapon, and he is only a slave. One more benefit to having half-elven slaves, he supposes, if they don't have this particular problem.
[But he has it, which means that Yuan doesn't think he'll use it. The thought does occur, very briefly, how it might be used -- but it would be nothing but a lashing-out. Killing Yuan gains Kratos nothing. So, after that brief hesitation, Kratos uses it for its intended purpose; and when he's cleanshaven for the first time in weeks, he stows the blade safely away.
[Yuan has left the hall by that point; but Kratos can hear movement in the kitchen. He makes his way there with the ribbons, foot thudding and cane clacking, muffled on the carpet lining the hall.]
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[...well, Kratos is still settling, and Yuan is mostly done anyway. He may as well finish. By the time Kratos gets to the kitchen there's food on the table.]
I'm passing this responsibility to you, going forward.
[He doesn't anticipate he'll have to tell Kratos to eat, since the second plate should be obvious enough. Kratos looks more of himself now, which is a mixed blessing.]
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[Yuan didn't even think twice about doing his own. Come to think of it, is it usual for men of his rank to hold their own houses outside the barracks, or did Yuan have to fight for that? Or not fight, as the case may be?]
Alright. I enjoy cooking.
[Kratos makes it to the table, surprised and disconcerted by the relief which rushes through him when he sits down. His stamina is pathetic right now, if all it takes is dressing and hygiene before he's tired again. At least he had no issues with the soup yesterday, and breakfast is similarly simple; so Kratos thinks nothing of putting aside those ribbons and picking up his utensils to begin.]
What's your usual daily schedule?
[If he's going to be handling meals, he needs to know when to fit them in.]
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