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]

I can show you. At the moment, they're for braiding.

[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.]

[simulsimul]

I'll do that first, then.

[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.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan finds himself, almost automatically, much of the way through preparations for breakfast before he recalls the fact of Kratos's presence, and that if he is to have a slave, then he can leave much of the work to him.]

[...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.]

[simulsimul]

[Kratos is beginning to not be surprised by how independent Yuan apparently is. It had been part of a knight's training to do one's own chores; but when Kratos had become a full knight, that was a responsibility he'd been able to delegate to trainee knights. And often did, even when he might have preferred to do them himself; it was a matter of time-management.

[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.]

[conductingresistance]

[It isn't entirely usual, no; but Yuan had considered that a life in the barracks was unlikely to be tolerable in the long term.]

[Yuan watches him for a moment or two before going back to his own meal.]

Right now, I have a short leave. The day after next, however, will be back to normal, which means I'll be at the military headquarters for the majority of the day.

[It will mean Kratos is left mostly to his own devices. This would give most people pause, but Yuan doesn't feel there's all that much to worry about.]

In other words, if there's anything else you anticipate needing to be handled, now is the time.

[simulsimul]

[Hm. That requires a bit of thought. Changing the layout of the bedroom, yes; learning how to braid his own hair, also yes. Familiarising himself with the laundry machines, in case they were overly different from the ones he knew. Familiarising himself with the kitchen, for a similar reason. A map of the city would be useful. A solid indication of his duties and what Yuan needs to have done by the time he returns during the day.

[Something to do if those duties aren't sufficient to keep him busy, also.

[Making a mental list, and prioritising it, takes up most of the time Kratos eats, until he finally lays down his utensils and folds his arms on the table. His voice is neutral, like he hasn't just been considering the tones of his life from now on. If he approaches it as a duty like anything else, he can manage.]

I need to move the dresser; it's inconvenient where it is now. I won't be able to manage it by myself. I'll need a map of the city, with an indication of where I'm allowed to go. Some indication of other similar cultural things -- like my hair, or whether I'm wearing my clothes correctly. A list of things you need done by the time you return, and any duties I may need to consider either daily or regularly. People I should expect to come to your door at any time.

[He suspects this last list will be a short one.]

[conductingresistance]

[The silence over eating could be uncomfortable, or awkward. And it is, in some respects, but it doesn't settle too heavily on Yuan's shoulders.]

[Another thing that he's noting is interesting is hearing Kratos's voice peaceful, rather than raised over the din of battle.]

The dresser is easy enough. As is a map.

[It's conceivable Kratos shouldn't have a detailed map of Nidavellir, but it isn't as though he's going to be able to go anywhere fast without being noticed and stopped. Yuan has already decided giving him a blade, even one as small as a razor, is an acceptable idea. Still, there should probably be some compromise there.]

I'll make up a list of duties for you. I doubt I'll have any visitors; anyone who would come looking for me would likely be my direct subordinates, and even then only in case of some emergency.

[Still, he can give Kratos names and descriptions.]

Clothing isn't a complex matter; you're fine as-is. Braiding I'll go over with you. The basics aren't difficult to follow.

[It isn't like Kratos will need the fine details of telling marital status and who's looking for whom.]

[simulsimul]

[There is a significant difference, there. Kratos has the kind of voice which carries; in a battle it's sonorous, audible over any din. Outside of battle it's not precisely soft, but unexpectedly even, leaning toward mellow.

[Kratos nods.]

Then it's only the potential difference in utilities between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. I should be able to manage, if it takes me some time to adjust. Is there anywhere in the house I shouldn't touch?

[Yuan is being spectacularly unhelpful with the orders, here.]

[conductingresistance]

[There are going to be such rumors. Yuan shakes his head.]

I don't keep anything sensitive here. Don't change the positioning of anything without asking, but it would be pointless to expect you to clean and then bar you from certain areas.

[Utilities are utilities. Yuan can explain, but he doesn't think Kratos will have that much trouble.]

Come with me and I'll show you the correct braid. You can handle the dishes later.

[Another assumption: that it will be less inconvenient to work if Kratos's hair is out of the way. In any case, it was one of the things he asked explicitly about.]

[simulsimul]

[Does it count as having asked about the dresser when it wasn't really a request? Well, Yuan hadn't objected, and he does seem to be attached to the interior of his house. Kratos rises at Yuan's direction, taking their plates in one hand to put on the sink. The meal was long enough to rest his leg; Kratos will have to keep track of how easily he tires for a while. It does remind him of something else, however.]

I'll need to know about a healer, too.

[He's not sure how that might be arranged, or what public medical care is like in Sylvarant. He does follow Yuan, still slow. Apparently this is going to be his default pace, now.]

May I rearrange the kitchen, if I find something inconvenient?

[If he's the one going to be spending the most time there, he may as well take some autonomy over it early on.]

[conductingresistance]

I may as well take you myself, since you won't know your way around yet.

[It'll prove an excuse to show Kratos around the local area a little, as well. Since he'll need to be able to find some of his way if Yuan expects him to handle errands.]

[The query has Yuan pausing a moment. He doesn't particularly like the idea -- as much as he hasn't done much with the kitchen, it's still his -- but it makes a certain amount of sense if Kratos is to be effectively in charge of meals and the kitchen as a whole. But by the same token, Yuan doesn't like the idea of not knowing his way around his own kitchen.]

Mmh. Yes, but tell me if you do.

[It's a compromise Yuan can live with.]

[He's heading toward the washroom, intending to set Kratos in front of the mirror so he can see what Yuan's doing while he explains.]

[simulsimul]

Fair enough.

[Not that Kratos would have gone around changing things maliciously, but it's possible he might have forgotten. He mentally files it under 'command restriction', where he'll be less likely to forget it.

[Back to the bathroom it is. There's a stool in there, one that wasn't there last night but had been there this morning; Kratos can only assume Yuan had put it in there overnight. It had been useful, while he was shaving. Now it's going to be useful again. Kratos picks it up one-handed and puts it in front of the mirror, and takes a seat.]

I assume the colour of the ribbon has meaning?

[conductingresistance]

[It makes Kratos of a manageable height for braiding, as well. Yuan produces a comb in addition to the ribbons and comes to stand behind Kratos, contemplating the pair of them in the mirror for a moment.]

Most of the ribbons you'll see will be black and white. They add nuance to the basics. A plain braid may say that someone is unmarried; the ribbon will tell if they are looking, or not looking, or widowed and mourning, and so on.

[He fingers the blue ribbons, then sets them aside for the moment, and reaches to start combing through Kratos's hair again.]

Household colors are usually paired, and never black or white. They're more commonly not worn in braids.

[At odds with what Yuan's planning to do. He keeps talking.]

Most slaves wear this pattern, to indicate their status, and some other indication of to whom they belong. Without a crest or colors, I am... improvising; but this blue run through the braid when it's normally left unornamented should be enough for now.

[The shade is, after all, very close to Yuan's, and in that positioning there's little else it could mean. Anyone who doesn't know of him should simply take it as an unlanded claim.]

[simulsimul]

[That seems straightforward enough -- though obviously there's some nuance involved which Kratos doubts he'll pick up until he's lived in Nidavellir for a while. He's attentive, watching in the mirror, head turned enough to see the pattern Yuan's creating.

[The description raises a few questions.]

So slaves are allowed to wed?

[If the braid indicates social status and the ribbons indicate marital status, and household colours are not generally indicated in hair where slaves are concerned ... hm. Kratos blinks, and his head tips ever so faintly to avoid disrupting Yuan, but in a manner which indicates some amusement.]

Ribbons are for marital status -- but you're putting a ribbon of your colour in my hair?

[It's ... not inappropriate, he supposes, if slaves are expected to have complete commitment to their owners.]

[conductingresistance]

[That is not at all what Yuan meant.]

That isn't what I--

[Yuan has to remember that he did this to himself on purpose. All the same-- somehow Kratos's amusement makes some of this awkward relationship easier. It makes him more of a person; more approachable, in some ways.]

[He shakes his head, lets the immediate reaction drain away. That, too, is easier than it often is.]

Ribbons reflect commitments, effectively. This one shouldn't be looked at as romantic in nature.

[...though, the number of people who'll believe it... Yuan's face shades back into irritation for a moment.]

Yes, slaves are allowed to wed, but there are matters of permission, and it becomes complex when children are involved.

[simulsimul]

[Watching Yuan trend toward abject irritation, to resignation, and back to irritation is fascinating. The man's face shows all his emotions; it just seems as though the predominant one is annoyance. Seeing the realisation morph is like witnessing his thought process.

[Nevertheless, Kratos chuckles, an unintended softening of his usual demeanour. It's -- unexpectedly easy, given his situation. Yuan makes it easy; he doesn't act like a slave-master at all. At least, not any Kratos would have imagined. The humour fades into resigned stoicism soon after, though.]

I doubt that will be an issue where I'm concerned, anyway.

[He wouldn't know how to even begin to woo a wife, and he doubts any would have him. He's not exactly hale, and even though his injury shouldn't have an affect on certain duties, no wife deserves to be stuck in the house to care for a crippled husband. Besides which, he has quite literally nothing to offer. Even the clothes he's wearing don't belong to him.

[So then: all he has to look forward to is to be committed to Yuan Ka-Fai. It's not exactly his choice of futures, but he's alive, and Yuan seems willing enough to grant him some autonomy. There's some dignity to be had in his situation. Kratos lifts his shoulder slightly in a resigned shrug.]

I suppose I'll just have to be committed to you, then.

[conductingresistance]

[The laugh is a good thing to hear, and Yuan doesn't feel like it's at him, either; it's simply Kratos finding some humor in a situation that might have been untenable.]

[His shoulders drop, no longer quite so rigid, and he pauses to pick up one of the ribbons, matching it to one of the strands and beginning to braid it in simply.]

You don't have to be; if it was something you wanted, I wouldn't stop you.

[Unlikely, perhaps, with a Tethe'allan prisoner of war, but then again it's unlikely for half-elves to become officers. ...and it's very quick for Kratos to be making up his mind about commitments. Especially when he's been asleep most of the time he and Yuan have been within speaking distance.]

...This is a fairly simple three-strand braid; it's most important that it comes across this way.

[Yuan indicates the way he's braiding across Kratos's hairline, rather than straight back.]

[simulsimul]

I wouldn't know where to begin.

[The nearest thing he had to a sweetheart was the princess pressing her handkerchief into his hand when she passed him in the hall while on guard-duty, as a trainee knight. His chest tightens as he remembers -- he doesn't know what happened to that handkerchief. He used to carry it with him ... but it hadn't been with him when he changed last night.

[... Maybe it's just as well. He doesn't know what happened to the princess, either. Not that there had been anything true between them. Not that there could have been. Definitely not now.

[He doesn't realise it, but there's something melancholy in his expression, and Yuan's explanation is a welcome distraction from the aching sense of vague loss settling in his chest.]

Alright. Is there any meaning behind the direction of the braid?

[conductingresistance]

[Well, that makes two of them.]

[The melancholy even Yuan can pick out, though it is understated. Much about Kratos is understated. Was there someone...?]

[Yuan is not at all going to ask. That's not happening; it would only be rubbing salt in the metaphorical wound, no matter how resigned Kratos may think he is to being here.]

If there's any meaning, I never knew it. That's just the way it's done.

[As he works back he draws the rest of Kratos's hair into the braid, bit by bit.]

Do you think you can do this yourself?

[simulsimul]

[It's a strangely layered braid -- but it looks familiar. Like something Kratos did with his younger sisters' hair, way back when. The memory is foggy, but it at least means he's somewhat familiar with braiding; it's just been a while. It might take some time for his fingers to remember.]

Yes, I think so. It mightn't look like much at first, though. It's been a while since I braided anyone's hair.

[Braiding someone else's is far different to braiding his own, which he's never done. And he never braided ribbons into it. It feels strange; a bit tight on his scalp, a bit heavy with the ribbon. When Yuan is done and ties it off, Kratos reaches up to finger it, tracing the shape, down to the knot Yuan's made with the ribbon. That's interesting.

[And without thinking, the question comes out; though Kratos doesn't take it back, after, looking at Yuan in the mirror.]

You're familiar with this style. Whose hair did you need to braid?

[conductingresistance]

[The braid Yuan does for him is more or less form-perfect, even if it's a little stranger doing it on someone else.]

As long as it's recognizable.

[He knots it with the same ribbon. He only needed to use the one -- the second was just in case. Perhaps if Kratos lets his hair grow longer it will be necessary; right now, it isn't. He leaves the other with the comb.]

[By the time Kratos asks Yuan is half-expecting it. A fair number of people among his peers know the story. It isn't exactly infamous, and Yuan's pride in it is more to do with the fact that he drove himself this far rather than the fact of his origins. And yet having Kratos comment on it sparks him almost to bristling again.]

[Somehow he'd expected Kratos to already know.]

Mine.

[It comes out a little clipped.]

[simulsimul]

[Hmh. About what Kratos expects; and he's not entirely surprised that it's a bitter wound. He isn't intending to press, but -- there's something about Yuan's tone that makes him wonder. Kratos watches him for a few moments more, trying to puzzle it out, and wondering how Yuan had managed to a commander's rank if he was once a slave; but in the end, it seems like too raw a wound to prod.

[At least it explains why Yuan is so lenient. That he can't put others through what he experienced already makes him among the better men Kratos knows.]

Is there anything you need me to do after the dishes?

[Changing the subject seems to be the best course, especially to establish what Kratos should do with the rest of the day.]

[conductingresistance]

[Yuan considers that they may be watching each other in the mirror. It's almost amusing, if it weren't around sensitive topics.]

[The subject change is, all things considered, a small mercy. Yuan steps away from Kratos and the mirror.]

The re-arrangement of your room is something best done while I'm here.

Apart from that, I want you to figure out what you can do; I doubt you've really had the chance. Test your limitations against the housework. I'd been away for a little while before this.

[And then he hadn't gotten back to the daily maintenance because he'd been too busy calling in favors and scowling at people to remind them what they owed him.]

Tomorrow will be a better day for the healer.

[simulsimul]

[Fair enough, and prudent to boot. Kratos has noticed the house looking less-than-lived-in, despite the loveliness of the interior. It's been a while since he did his own chores, but most duties are straight-forward enough.]

Alright.

[Kratos rises, leaning on his stick and picking up the stool to set it by the wall, out of the way. It occurs to him:]

What should I call you? ... And what would I be expected to call you?

[For all the apparent similarity, they are two different questions. They might have the same answer -- but Kratos suspects they won't. Knowing the difference would be useful.]

[conductingresistance]

[Those are definitely two different questions; Yuan appreciates that Kratos has picked up that much.]

[It's a bit early to declare if they can get along, but cohabitation, at least, is not impossible.]

'Master' or 'Master Ka-Fai' would be expected.

[He can't entirely help the way his mouth twists around them. There's no tidy answer for what he'd like to be called, either. Nothing seems appropriate. Finally:]

'Yuan' will do, at least here.

[There are very few people in his life who use his first name. Why not Kratos?]