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

[simulsimul]

Why should we do it somewhere else? We enjoy bathing, and we enjoy company.

[Kratos cants his head.]

If anything, you're concerning me. What ridiculous ideas about nudity have you Sylvaranti got stuck in your heads, that the idea of it causes such a reaction? That seems unhealthy.

[conductingresistance]

I don't.

[Flatly. And then, horror of horrors, Yuan finds he's concerning Kratos. He would scowl, but he's already doing so, and finds himself a little at a loss for how further to best express his displeasure.]

[He's never tried to explain this to anyone before. He's never actively examined his hangups before.]

Frankly, your attachment to compulsory public nudity concerns me.

[Yuan sinks a little lower in the water. Not low enough to blow sullen bubbles, but the option may be taken in future.]

I like privacy. No one has any right to me I don't give them, and I'd prefer not to give that to thousands of complete strangers.

[simulsimul]

It's hardly compulsory. It's just ... why would there be an issue?

[Obviously there is, because Yuan is shrinking belligerently away; but Kratos doesn't understand why there would be one. He gives Yuan's attempt at explanation all due attention, given that. ... Not that it helps much. Kratos glances around, and looks back, puzzled.]

But they still don't have a right to you. That hasn't changed.

[He's trying, he really is.]

[conductingresistance]

[Why would there be an issue. Blankly, in return:]

Why wouldn't there be an issue?

[He doesn't understand Tethe'alla at all.]

That's the point. They don't have it; but it will be taken nevertheless. Whether or not it's simple curiosity doesn't matter all that much, when I would prefer not to be looked at or touched. At all.

[How can he make this clearer.]

[simulsimul]

[Kratos's expression turns graver.]

You said that there wasn't that sort of ... traumatic background, on your part.

[How does one ask delicately of a Sylvaranti half-elf if they'd ever been sexually abused? It's throwing Kratos for a loop, imagining Yuan Ka-Fai as anything less than self-possessed, or driven. More gently:]

No one present in these places will touch you without your consent.

[Looked at ... well, there's incidental looking, but that's about it. Certainly nothing like ogling, which is something frowned upon. Looking at one another casually, yes, to give attention or in casual conversation; but not the sort of leer Yuan seems to be meaning.]

[conductingresistance]

[Oh. Oh, no. How is this conversation happening, and continuing to happen. Yuan's face contorts with something between confusion and horror.]

Do I seem that pathetic? There's nothing like that.

[Spirits, Kratos. Yuan's shoulders come up a little.]

I don't have to have been hurt to dislike being unclothed.

[But then they're back to where they started, with Kratos's blunt misunderstanding. Yes, why wouldn't everyone love to be parading around naked all day?]

I'm not human. That's not common, in Sylvarant's army. I've dealt with more curiosity than I ever want to again, and more than a few people who seemed keen to forget I'm no-one's property, and I'm a solitary person to begin with.

[These, and other things Yuan tells himself to be at peace with having no friends nor family.]

Privacy is a precious commodity.

[Is Kratos happy now.]

[simulsimul]

[Kratos bears this not-quite-tirade with nothing but open question on his face, attentive and listening. But the first thing he says is soft:]

I wouldn't have thought it was pathetic.

[There's nothing pathetic about bearing the scars of something horrible, whether they're visible scars or not; and Kratos isn't entirely convinced that Yuan isn't enduring scars of that fashion, given that description about being a half-elf in Sylvarant's army. Perhaps not the way Kratos was thinking -- but intrusive, yes. Unfairly so.]

You aren't human. But neither are they.

[He nods over the rim of the pool to a group of half-elves chattering happily by the wall.]

No one's curious about them. No one considers them obliged to give over their time. People might look, but they won't bother seeing; there's nothing to see.

[He looks back, head canting again.]

Perhaps this is your chance to discover comfort in your own skin, in a way that has been denied you.

[conductingresistance]

[Kratos is supposed to meet antagonism with antagonism, not something perilously close to sympathy. Yuan scowls afresh, despite the heat he can feel tinting his cheeks. Damn it all.]

I am comfortable in my own skin. With clothes on it.

[It's his, isn't it? Yuan goes to great lengths, in fact, to show no shame about what he is. He is himself. That's... well. Not enough, in most cases, but it's something he carries fiercely.]

No matter how often you tell me everything is fine, it's going to take a little more than that to have any substantive effect.

[...though he may grant it's a little helpful, to see other half-elves apparently at ease; it doesn't undo the knot of tension coiled between his shoulders.]

[simulsimul]

Can it be called comfortable when you need a barrier between you and the world?

[It's an open, honest question, but not gentle as some of Kratos's words before. Yuan, it seems, doesn't want gentle. That isn't much of a surprise.]

Well, then, you'll need to come back. It takes someone more than one attempt to learn to swim, or a fighting technique; it may take you more than one visit to learn that everything is fine.

[Like unlearning bad fighting habits. Some things take time and exposure.]

[conductingresistance]

Armor is comfortable.

[He's most confident that way; on the field, with the weight of armor and his blade in his hand. Yuan frowns.]

You're implying that if someone isn't comfortable naked, they're not at ease with themselves.

[Yuan is also fairly sure that's not how it works; though he wonders, more and more, if he is at ease with himself. After a moment, on the topic of multiple visits being necessary:]

Sadist.

[He hates this. Briefly, Yuan ducks under the water again, collecting his hair neatly before he surfaces.]

[simulsimul]

Implying? I thought I was fairly straight-forward, really.

[Casual nudity is common in Tethe'alla. The idea that someone might not be comfortable -- concerned for the judgement of others -- it makes sense to Kratos.]

Pragmatist.

[Yuan may never be entirely comfortable with it, but it's worth the exposure. Kratos waits until Yuan comes back up for air, and then beckons.]

Come on, then. We don't need to linger overlong, this first time.

[So saying, he grips the wall and hauls himself over the edge with ease, going to their towels to bring Yuan's back and hold it out to him.]

[conductingresistance]

I can be at ease with myself and my body and still prefer not to be naked in front of others.

[Even saying that much out loud makes Yuan's ears burn, damn it all. Perhaps he does have some thinking to do, about where he stands with relationship to his own physicality, but he's certainly not about to start considering such things because Kratos thinks he should be happy with exhibitionism.]

[...but he is, he will perhaps admit, grateful for Kratos bringing the towel over. Yuan eyes Kratos a moment longer, then hauls himself out of the pool and into the towel in one continuous motion. Only after does he begin to deal with his hair, collecting it into one twisted rope of blue, and this actually occupies him almost enough to forget to try to hide, at least for now.]

Nudity is hardly that practical. Where next?

[simulsimul]

That depends on the context and circumstance. It's certainly more practical to not be concerned about it.

[Shame is a barrier which prevents the fulfillment of duty, after all. He turns without concern, ignoring any that Yuan might be feeling -- or showing -- to move on as if there's nothing wrong at all, toward an exit in the wall adjacent from the change-room.]

The steam-room. It's used as go-between from the cooler rooms and the sauna. We can tend our hair here, but I personally prefer to do that on the way out, since I generally take a dip on the hot-bath in the sauna.

[As before, no one glances around at their passing, though Kratos nods to the one or two who greet him on the way. In this place, without an overt sign of wealth, people seem to give way to those with scars. Warriors are highly regarded, and they're the only ones easily identifiable.]

[conductingresistance]

Normally, there is no circumstance in which public nudity is normal.

[Therefore, it's not practical not to be concerned about it, because it's something that never happens. Honestly.]

[At least he has a towel. Yuan tries not to be too obvious about making sure it's secure, and then he follows Kratos, still absently wringing the water from his hair. In no small part it's as something to do with his hands so he doesn't make his concerns transparent to everyone who isn't Kratos.]

[He still feels exposed, even though it's becoming more obvious that no one is looking.]

How many ways do you need to bathe?

[Murmured, though, and not really expecting an answer.]

I'll... go where you do.

[Like there's anywhere else he could go.]

[simulsimul]

[Kratos shoots a puzzled look over his shoulder.]

Yes. That's the point. What if you're ambushed while in camp? Better not to be flustered and can go straight for your sword.

[Everything in Tethe'alla is training. Everything. Since Yuan aired the intent to follow Kratos, and Kratos prefers his hair to be attended after the fact, he takes Yuan straight through the steam room. It's highly ornamented with patterned tiles and mosaics in the walls; there's no pools here, but there is steam. Lots of steam.

[The next room is less ornamented and has a dry heat, any steam filtered away through ducts, leaving warmth but little in the way of breeze. There's two pools; one is clearly hot, with steam rising off it, while the other has none -- cool water, for cleansing. Most patrons appear to be taking this room as an opportunity to soak or scrub (the scrubbing occurs outside of the pools, using water in basins around the edges of the room) or massage.]

Any genuine cleaning should be done here. Amenities provided.

[Kratos glances at Yuan side-long, showing some faint amusement.]

And more conversation.

[And drinks. It's actually rather full today, particularly around the hot-tub.]

[conductingresistance]

[He gets a baffled look in return for a puzzled one.]

How much time in camp do you spend naked?

[Wait, no, he's really not sure he wants to know. Trying not to let his shoulders hitch up around his ears, Yuan follows Kratos continually, looking around as ever. Most of what's there has a purpose mostly discernible from its form, so Yuan doesn't have to ask too much.]

[...this room is full of people. Yuan hates Kratos with a fresh passion, mostly because he's the only really identifiable target for it. He isn't frozen, per se; but his eyes flicker like he's taking in a combat situation instead of a friendly place, and he can't figure out which position has the least risk, so to speak.]

[simulsimul]

It's just a means of ensuring you aren't startled when you're at all vulnerable.

[If one can be unashamed when nude, there's almost no other vulnerability to be concerned about.

[Kratos is likewise assessing the area. He wants to use the hot-tub, but it might be worth waiting until some of the others have cleared out; in which case, somewhere against a wall nearby might be best ... ah, yes. He beckons to Yuan to lead him to the side, where they can keep an eye on the hot-tub and still be near-ish to the exit.

[... At the last second, far too late as someone turns and calls his name, Kratos realises it would have been better to cut and run.]

Ah, Commander Aurion. Come and join us. Oh! And -- hm.

[The general pauses in beckoning Kratos to examine Yuan with interest; and behind her, making use of the tubs, are other assorted civil officials, including Nike and another of the consuls -- and the king. All of whom are looking their way. Or not looking their way, in the case of the king himself. His purple and gold-trimmed cloak is thrown over his lap, at least, which is a mercy even if it's only because the king can't go without some indication of rank even in a bathhouse; likewise Nike and her fellow consul have theirs, though Nike apparently prefers to be lounging on it than lounging under it.

[Kratos bows, which is more acceptable than a salute in these circumstances, and is glad he's still in front of Yuan. It's some degree of cover, surely.]

I don't mean to interrupt an important meeting.

You're not interrupting; I'm calling you over. Come on, then, Commander. It's been a while since I've been on the front.

[conductingresistance]

[Oh, no. Oh no. Yuan can't not follow Kratos; but he recognizes Nike, and he knows what purple and gold means, and Kratos is 'being called over' by... too many officials.]

[Yuan cannot, practically, do anything about this, except bite his tongue and wonder if Kratos knows, in this moment, how much of a burning anger Yuan carries for every single sapient being in this bath-house.]

[Spirits damn it.]

[His bearing is utterly rigid. Maybe the force of holding his shoulders down, preventing them from climbing up around his ears, will help him keep all the blood from flowing to his face. Yuan can dream.]

[Tethe'allan king. That's definitely the Tethe'allan king. He's stuck on that sentiment, and he doesn't know where's safe to put his eyes, so he mimics Kratos -- a bow, about the same depth if a little deeper for safety's sake -- and fixes his gaze on the edge of Nike's cloak. Not Nike herself. The cloak.]

[Help.]

[simulsimul]

[Kratos apologises to Yuan in his head, doesn't dare look back; but Nike grins at him and shifts to point at the water.]

Come on, little brother. Tell us a few stories.

[Oh, that's tempting. But it also means he won't be able to provide a physical cover for Yuan. Then again, Yuan might prefer the water -- if he can stand to get in it with everyone watching. Towels don't go in the water.

[In the end Kratos does, in fact, let his towel drop so he can step down into the hot-tub and lean his chin on his arms at the edge.]

I'm sure I don't have much to tell.

[Most of them laugh.]

No? This is your half-elven officer, is it not?

[This comes from the other consul, leaning forward with clear intrigue and accompanied with a motion toward Yuan.]

Yuan Ka-Fai, correct? I've heard the two of you could break a battlefield if you met on it. Is it true the swallow-blade is taller than a man?

[conductingresistance]

[Why have you done this to him, Kratos. Now Yuan has their attention.]

[He assesses his tactical position. He could continue to stand with his towel, despite that it will very definitely make him the odd person out in more ways than his race. He could slip into the water after Kratos, which is more expected and comes with the benefit of a warm water barrier, but does require, apparently, putting his towel down first.]

[Neither of these are a good option.]

[Eventually, biting his tongue so hard he wouldn't be surprised to taste blood, Yuan drops the towel in the same place Kratos has and slips into the hot tub, trying to balance submerging as fast as he can with not looking like he's in a hurry. The warmth, he will concede, is pleasant.]

[Tethe'allan king Tethe'allan king.]

...That's correct. And it depends on the man.

[He means the correct for his name; it occurs to him a little late it could be taken for the matter of breaking battlefields.]

[simulsimul]

Well, then, let's be more specific.

[This is amused. The Consul Civilitas, being a lawyer, enjoys specificities.]

Is it taller than you?

Taller than me, at any rate.

[Kratos answers for Yuan, and dryly.]

And you didn't look to have much of a difference between you. Interesting. I wouldn't have thought a blade like that could be wielded. Have you seen it, Consul?

[Nike shakes her head, rolling over so she can bask in the heated warmth of the tiles under her cloak.]

If my brother stops dawdling and gives the commander his claims papers, I'm anticipating being able to witness the blade being sighted in use.

[One of the generals laughs.]

Tell me when and where that happens, will you? If it's as you say, I'd appreciate seeing Aeaces slack-jawed.

[conductingresistance]

[They're almost of a size, yes. Yuan doesn't bother clarifying that. Yuan would, in fact, like to talk to these generals as little as is possible. But he's being directly addressed, here and there, and... well. As awkward as the situation is, he also refuses to go back to being the invisible one in the corner.]

[Despite that he doesn't want them looking at him. At least he's aware of the many contradictions he's placing upon himself there.]

It was created as a piece of art. A challenge. I doubt most would be foolish enough to try when swords are readily available.

[This is, he's reasonably sure, the wrong thing to have said; but the thought of having the blade in his hands again has his gaze flicking up toward Nike.]

[And then away, because she's still very unclothed.]

[simulsimul]

[And yet, it makes them laugh. Except for the king, who until now appeared to be contemplating his wine and looks up with an expression somewhat like granite.]

But you admit you were foolish enough? What a stunning recommendation from a new member of my nation.

[A couple of laughs cut off prematurely, but Nike pushes herself up with a second quiet chuckle.]

No less the foolishness of my brother, walking out knowingly to be cleaved.

There was no cleaving.

[Kratos is not grumbling. Just even.]

Show them your back and say that again, little brother.

[Kratos, noticeably, sighs and does not show them his back, but the laughter returns at his expense and the king's coldness somewhat alleviated. Enough for the conversation to move on to comparing war injuries and displays of foolish valour -- which is, of course, tantamount to brag-talk among soldiers. Given the situation, Kratos is willing enough to take the mockery.]

[conductingresistance]

[He was foolish, Yuan wants to say, but he had no other choice; or the only choice that was open to him otherwise was a dark and quiet thing, something to which he would not consign himself.]

[Yuan is not about to argue with the Tethe'allan king, and bites down anything that might come out of his mouth. Here, at least, there is more familiar, solid ground. The king does not like him. Yuan is used to being disliked by people in power. He will simply have to be twice as good.]

[But nothing... comes of it. Yuan considers that perhaps he owes Kratos's sister some gesture of thanks, and then decides that he might, if he was not in the middle of a deeply uncomfortably naked situation. The naked cancels out everything else.]

[The conversation... continues, and Yuan is almost part of it. He doesn't volunteer anything, but he's talked to, now and then, and it feels sort of like he's slipping into the conversation rather than hovering at the outskirts like Kratos's slave follower. Old war injuries, well--]

So what's the worst you've had, then?

[And Yuan hesitates, making sure it's him being addressed, and can't help the very faint quirk of his mouth as he gestures at Kratos.]

A clean through stab. Here.

[And he's indicated the spot before he can stop himself, because plenty of people in his unit know the story and wanted to know how serious it was, and he's used to wearing clothes when he talks about it. Damn. Hastily:]

He's left more lasting marks than any other.

[Hurry up and look at Kratos again.]

[simulsimul]

I remember that.

[It's murmured and thoughtful, wry as well; and because he knows the question is going to come -- indeed, the Consul Civilitas is opening her mouth to ask -- Kratos adds explanation.]

Den Preipe. He was keeping us from holding the fort. And you gave back in good turn -- crushed my hip.

[This last is shot toward Yuan with something that might be an amused side-glance. The Consul looks thoughtful.]

I thought the Swallow is a slicing blade.

It is, but it's got a broad flat -- it serves well as a bludgeon.

[So. Dryly. One of the other generals looks startled, giving Yuan a scrutinisingly assessing look.]

That was you at Den Preipe? And all this time I assumed my commanders' reports of the demon on the plateau was because of springwater turning rancid with disuse.

[With an admirably pokerface, Kratos answers.]

To be fair, General, the springwater was rancid.