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
Legends. Hah.
[He doesn't know whether to be bitter he has to have heard this from Kratos, in this situation, or some kind of joyful for the matter existing at all.]
For the bird, I assume.
[That makes best sense. Yuan glances back at Kratos only sidelong.]
Surely they must have had their fill of staring by now.
no subject
Yes, for the bird. Except deadlier.
[Kratos is still watching Ka-Fai full-on, and tips his head with something that may be amusement.]
You've been a holy terror to my whole regiment for three years now, and few others have had the opportunity to see you, even in battle -- let alone at rest. I doubt they'll have their fill for a while. You've an objection, to being legendary?
[Not to the stares. That, Kratos can understand.]
no subject
[A dry deadpan before Yuan recalls himself.]
...No, no objection.
[Though he might have asked for a better ending. He takes a breath and starts along the route they were walking earlier, if a little bit slower. It... suits, as a name.]
[It would be nicer if he had any hope of holding it again. Yuan subsides, tilting his head back to observe the sky. He can almost pretend he isn't guarded, like that.]
no subject
[Kratos is still watching Ka-Fai, even as he begins walking also. There's a part of him which is still discomforted by the circumstance, that he's taken that blade from its master, that he, Kratos, has now essentially caged such a man. He doesn't like it. He also recognises that this part of him is responsible for the urge to give it back, however foolish.
[And it is foolish. Kratos is fairly secure in his judge of character, but even with all his instincts wanting to trust, he knows he can't afford to do so. Still, it makes his chest ache, in an odd way, seeing how Ka-Fai looks to the sky and the freedom lacking to him.
[But maybe Kratos can offer something else. Abruptly, as he looks ahead instead of at Ka-Fai:]
I've received orders from the Consul Legionnaire. I'm authorised to offer you and all your people Tethe'allan citizenship.
[Things he does not mention: that it was his recommendation, and that the Consul Legionnaire is his sister.]
no subject
[Tethe'allan citizenship. He doesn't begin to guess where that came from.]
Some of my people have family in Sylvarant.
[That's going to make it complicated.]
I take it the alternative is nothing we'd like. Why was this authorized, and what are the terms of the citizenship?
[He is under no illusions that it will be anything resembling full. In fact, he's probably not going to like many of these answers. But it's better than considering the Swallow right now.]
no subject
[It's not common, but there are ways for correspondence to go between the nations. There hasn't been a ceasefire in a while, but they have happened. Still, this kind of situation isn't exactly the norm. Tethe'alla is willing to take the families of naturalised prisoners as refugees -- provided the families can reach the border without being arrested as traitors.
[Kratos laces his fingers behind his back. Now he's the one gazing upward.]
I recommended it. The alternative is hard labour in the Toize Mine, and that would be a waste.
[That, and he is fairly sure that people willing to serve under a half-elf are, on the whole, more open-minded. Both sides can do with more of that, and people in that situation would be more likely to accept the change.]
The citizenship is partial, at least at first. None of you would be able to vote or be elected into official positions, nor would you be allowed on the front line; but otherwise you would have full rights of ownership, commerce, migration and marriage. Any children born after naturalisation would be considered full citizens, with those rights. After a period of ten or twenty years -- depending on rank, comportment, and assistance rendered -- you could become eligible for full citizenship.
[He glances sidelong, but carefully. Being barred from the front doesn't necessarily bar them from remaining soldiers, after all; and there must be some who would appreciate the chance to be something other than a soldier, and protected in doing so.]
no subject
[He's quiet under that sidelong glance. Something sits heavy in the pit of his stomach at the idea of becoming Tethe'allan. It feels in some way like giving up. Yuan can't imagine for himself a life in Tethe'alla, even if, one way or another, he'd never see Nidavellir again.]
[...in truth, he can't see any kind of future for himself, right now; but damned if he's going to show it.]
I suppose you'll explain the offer to my people.
[Better from the source than that Yuan have to field questions about intricate Tethe'allan details he won't be able to answer.]
[It's difficult, to unbend himself enough to say even a little more.]
While I'm an... extreme example, there are no small amount of the soldiers here who know little besides fighting.
[If they're kept from battle -- logical -- what else will they have?]
no subject
[Kratos had expected Yuan would be the one to break the news, but it does make some sense for Kratos, or someone else, to be there to answer questions. Questions like that one.]
There's always a need for hired guards to defend caravans from monsters or bandits, or as personal bodyguards for estates. There's the possibility of training recruits, also. And some who know nothing but one thing might enjoy the opportunity to learn another.
[There's no shortage of work skilled warriors can find, even if they wouldn't be trusted not to turn again when come face-to-face with their old countrymen. Not even Tethe'alla expects naturalised prisoners to fight their own.]
no subject
[As just evidenced.]
[Yuan isn't completely sure he's proud, of being a soldier; but of his accomplishments, of the fact that he has made people take him as an equal in some ways, yes. And yet...]
[He hadn't known there was a name. And the ambush still doesn't feel right.]
[He doesn't even realize he's come to a stop again, and his expression clearly shows troubled, though he's not aware of that either.]
It sounds generous.
And for half-elves?
[He's been assuming it's much the same as Sylvarant. Perhaps he's wrong. Perhaps Aurion just wants to present him the best of the option-- though why Kratos should care what Yuan chooses still escapes him.]
no subject
Legally, there's nothing stopping half-elves from holding the same positions or respect as anyone else. Nothing that wouldn't stop humans with the same circumstances, anyway.
[Legally. It's just that so much of Tethe'allan society is threaded through bloodline, and no half-elf is born in wedlock in the major families. Only the common ones. And it's very difficult for a common family to rise up. Kratos turns his head to look at Yuan sidelong.]
You're already a commander. Under the law, there's nothing anyone can hold up to prevent you from having the same rights and benefits as any other naturalised citizen.
no subject
[...Then again, there's a lot of things that get done extra-legally, when people think no one's paying attention, if no one has the power to enforce those laws. Yuan meets the sidelong gaze with one of his own, not focusing fully on Kratos. It says suspicion, and he doesn't care that Kratos will read that.]
This sounds too easy not to have some drawback. What am I missing, apart from the inevitable contempt of my countrymen?
[Said casually, this last, like it's just something to expect.]
And why offer this?
no subject
The law is clear -- but the Consul Civilitas has less power than others while the nation is in a state of martial authority. And the king may still overrule any decisions made by the Consul Legionnaire, unless all the consuls are united in their ruling.
[It still means Yuan's best bet is probably the military, but only if they're careful he doesn't run across the king. Kratos has never spoken to the man himself, but Nike's letter mentioned no love lost for half-elves.]
In practice, not many people think much about half-elves. Some would accept you as a novelty, the exception that proves the rule; but others would disdain you for the position, regardless of your strengths. Still -- the law is on your side, and your circumstance would prove a good example to others, I think; and you would be wasted in the mine.
no subject
[It's a strangely hopeful thing. All the usual things are welling up in response -- stubbornness, the urge to snap that he does not need pity, but something mitigates. Perhaps it's Kratos's even gaze, which seems nothing but honest, or perhaps that the preceding conversation had reminded Yuan exactly how little he owes to his country. Perhaps that Kratos seems to be trying to persuade Yuan specifically.]
[...he doesn't know. He's not even sure if he cares about being a turncoat right now, except in how it will make his people look at him differently.]
...I see.
I can't give you an answer yet. When do you require one?
no subject
[The urge for greater explanation is something Kratos needs to explicitly close his mouth on. Yuan is still an enemy combatant, no matter that Kratos finds him oddly easy to talk to, despite their obvious differences. It's dangerous, that urge.]
There will be arrangements to have letters delivered across the border, as needed. I don't expect you to make the choice for all your people.
[It's a very personal decision, after all.]
no subject
[Even if Yuan doesn't take all the time to make up his mind, he will likely refrain from telling Kratos until the last, bearing out the responsibility he's taken on to the last.]
Sooner would be best, for letters. If it's possible, it will take some time; and those who do have families may not be able to assent with a clear conscience until and unless they hear back.
[Yuan wouldn't have chosen for his people, anyway. There's no regiment left to move as a unit, even if he is still responsible for his soldiers.]
no subject
[The supply drop is due by skyship, at least, so it should arrive soon; but it's unlikely he can get funding for something quite so direct across the border.
Kratos pauses, and glances around their vicinity, giving flat stares to anyone who happens to have been looking. Fortunately, even the knights know better than to be in explicit ear-range.]
There's something else I would like to discuss with you, unrelated to this offer.
[Potentially unrelated. It's a subject which might be classed as an interrogation, if it weren't after a relatively friendly conversation.]
no subject
[Sending mail between two countries actively at war? Frankly, Yuan would rather try wrestling a dragon weaponless. But it can be done, and if Kratos can manage it, then he appreciates the effort and what it means.]
[Grudgingly. As one appreciates a captor's decency.]
[Yuan quirks an eyebrow at Kratos. There's something a little easier about how he moves, now that the question isn't necessarily hanging over him, and Kratos is... well, slightly more of a known quantity than he was. Slightly doesn't say all that much, but it's something.]
What is it? Or shall we walk a little farther?
[He didn't miss that glance around.]
no subject
[Kratos moves to do that. They're still inside the wall, but it's harder for others to hear them while on the move, especially if they stick around the Sylvaranti tents, which other soldiers aren't allowed to approach.]
We intercepted some orders for Sylvaranti regiments in this area. Someone else was meant to be in the pass with yours.
no subject
[Someone else was meant to be in the pass with yours. That would stop Yuan in his tracks, if he didn't have the intent to keep moving. As it is he stumbles, goes cold even as he looks at Kratos.]
[No wonder they were so easily overwhelmed. And Yuan wouldn't have known, if the orders were intercepted... but there are usually redundancies in place, to prevent this sort of thing.]
[And where is the regiment that was meant to hold this point with them?]
[Either wiped out, or misinformed, or willfully disobeying orders, and Yuan doesn't know which is worse.]
I wasn't aware of that.
[It doesn't occur to him that this is an interrogation. It seems, quite honestly, like Kratos is doing him a courtesy. ... Perhaps he shouldn't make that assumption. Consciously, Yuan draws it back.]
no subject
They were old orders. The scout who carried them, at a guess, was coming to find you, or someone else; but if so, he was doing so at an unforgivably slow pace.
[Only someone who never meant for the orders to be received in time would order a courier to move so slow. Kratos shows Yuan the woven regiment insignia which had been on the messenger's bags.]
Do you know whose it is?
no subject
[The insignia will tell him clearly enough. He leans in a little, unthinking, to see; but he doesn't really need the extra closeness. He knows that insignia, mostly because it's one he tends to steer clear of.]
[This explains a few things. He stares at it for a long few moments before shaking himself.]
What difference will it make to you? Do you know all the officers on our side so well?
no subject
They're digging in nearby. If it's someone who cares nothing for you, then they won't hesitate to use artillery when they attack the camp.
[And if they won't hesitate to do that, it puts the Sylvaranti at just as much risk as the Tethe'allans. Someone willing to sacrifice a thousand people just to kill their commander won't care about saving the people who remain.]
no subject
[The reason, however, makes him straighten up and bow his head slightly, thinking. He wouldn't have wanted to think it, that someone would risk the deaths of an entire regiment for hate, but the commander in charge of this regiment has never been precisely subtle about his opinions on half-elves.]
I would... assume that broad strikes are a significant possibility, yes.
[He has to assume the worst, here; assuming the best may get people killed.]
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[Even still, he's tempted to ask more -- about the commander's usual tactics, about the structure of the regiment ... Kratos lets it pass, and then nods, tucking the insignia away. The commander hates half-elves enough to sacrifice a thousand people, and is arrogant enough to think they'll get away with it. It's enough to know.]
I'll have someone come by to debrief your people in evacuation, should it come to that.
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You'd move faster and easier without this many prisoners.
[...he's just saying. Because it needed to be said. The other thing that needs to be said in this case:]
I appreciate the consideration.
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finis