Zelos and Sheena move away from camp. Lloyd works on stitching up his coat as promised and ignoring Mithos, all while the emotion bleed remains infuriatingly absent. Mithos tells himself it doesn't matter. Kratos will be here soon, and everything will be fine.
It's not that easy.
"Hey, Mithos," Malos says, and Mithos looks up from where he's sitting to shoot a glare at the blade.
"What do you want?"
"Look, I know you're busy sulking, so I'll make this quick," Malos says, and Mithos sneers, boiling with how much he fucking hates this. He's about to tell Malos to go fuck himself just because he doesn't want to talk to anyone right now, but then-- "Can flesh eaters resonate with humans?" Malos asks.
Mithos blinks. "What? No. Of course not. That's the whole deal about being a flesh eater. You don't need anyone to drive you."
"Right, right." Malos nods, like he'd been expecting that answer. "But, uh... We quite sure they can't? It's absolutely, definitely impossible?"
What the... "Why are you asking?" Mithos asks.
Malos hesitates, breathing deep before he answers, like maybe he's reconsidering who he's talking to and why he brought it up. Still: "I think Anna resonated with Kratos."
Horror slams into Mithos like a train. He rounds on Malos, legs pulled up under him so he's on his knees, kneeling on this rock he was already sitting on in part to get height, in part just because he's bursting with anxious energy and cannot bear to sit still. "That's impossible," he says, icy. He wonders if Lloyd is listening. He wonders if Lloyd cares.
"Well the resonance link sure just got a plus one, and I highly doubt Anna resonated with a new blade, especially considering this emotion bleed..." Malos makes a face, and Mithos thinks about that for just long enough to realize he really doesn't want to be thinking about it. "Guess we'll find out when they get back. Just wanted to ask." He waves a parting to Mithos in lieu of saying goodbye, then plops himself under a tree to sit, back to the trunk. Mithos scowls at him, then returns to scowling at the horizon.
It doesn't matter. It's impossible, it can't have happened. But what if it did? What does he do then?
The rain is starting to let up. Mithos lets his power recede from the area, stubborn sunlight giving way to clouds again.
He doesn't have an answer he likes by the time Kratos and Anna return.
And they return, bags of supplies slung over their shoulders and walking hand in hand. Kratos laughs at something Anna said and it's-- it's not a loud laugh, or anything, but it's a laugh, and Mithos can't really remember the last time he saw Kratos laugh. A part of him screams with jealousy and anger because they should be closer to be saving Martel right now, and instead Kratos is taking his time, dwaddling with some human. But. That's not fair, and Mithos knows this. Kratos is happy. The least he could do is not shit all over it again.
By this point Kratos has noticed him, and Mithos shoves all his angry feelings down so he can at least get to his feet and hug his brother. Kratos seems somewhat startled, but happy to see him, and holds Mithos tight when Mithos throws his arms around Kratos' waist and buries his head in his brother's chest.
"Hello Mithos," Kratos says, and then: "Sorry, if I'd known you'd be ready this soon, I would have..."
"No, it's fine, I got impatient," Mithos argues. Kratos doesn't need to blame himself for this. Or at all, really. Mithos is the only one at fault, here. For everything.
"Who's..." Kratos begins, then pauses like he's answered his own question. "Lloyd's driving you, isn't he?"
"Mmhmm."
"Right," Kratos says.
And then there's this pause. And it goes on forever. Mithos pulls away from Kratos, cocks his head at him in question, understanding and frustration building up in his core as he starts to put the pieces together. Kratos looks to Anna. She sends him a look back that's... Mithos can't read it at all, and that makes him angry, and he understands that it's really dumb that it's making him angry, and.
"Mithos," Kratos says, and Mithos digs his fingernails into his palms and tries not to breathe like he's going to explode. "I don't know if you still want me to drive you, but... You need to know that. Um." He swallows. Blushes, just a little. "I... resonated with Anna, somehow? So I..."
Mithos was expecting it, but it's still like a kick to the gut. He staggers a step back, turns away and bites his tongue as he wrestles down the storm inside him. He has no right to be mad. Maybe it's better this way. Underneath the anger and the distrust and the hate swirls an endless sea of guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt and he doesn't want Kratos knowing about that, doesn't want to have to tell Kratos why it's there, and--
"Mithos," Kratos begins.
"It's fine," Mithos says. He does not have the energy to lift his head up, doesn't have the energy to smile. "It's-- fine. Really. It would have taken me three days to reconfigure, anyway, and Lloyd's already driving me--"
"I'm not saying I can't," Kratos argues.
"No offense but I really don't want to be a part of that emotion bleed," Mithos spits in return. "Lloyd's already driving me. It's fine."
"If it's fine with Lloyd, that is," Anna interjects, somewhat sharp. "And if it's not, then... Well I don't know if we can stop resonating, Kratos, but... I'm okay with that, if we have to."
"Anna..." Kratos begins.
She shrugs. "I'd hate to stop, but if Lloyd doesn't wnat to be in resonance with Mithos, and Mithos doesn't want to be in resonance with me..." She sighs. "Their comfort is more important than... I mean Kratos we've managed this long without it. So if I don't mind... if you don't mind?"
"Well," Kratos says, and Mithos isn't fucking deaf. He can hear very well that Kratos does mind.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. (Never mind that, to be honest, Mithos isn't sure you can just choose to stop resonating with someone, either!) Maybe- Maybe he could get used to that emotion bleed, maybe he could get used to Anna, but the problems there involve 1) introducing his own hatred and distrust of her to the emotion bleed to the first place 2) letting them potentially feel this sea of guilt he is desperately trying not to drown in. So.
"No, I won't ask you to do that," Mithos insists. "Let me. Let me ask Lloyd."
He makes his way over to Lloyd, hopes that Lloyd was listening, because-- it's not like they were that far away, and they weren't trying to be quiet or anything. Also it would be easier if he didn't have to try and articulate to anyone why he's making this decision.
Architect. Him. Willingly being driven by a human. This is the worst.
HI GUESS WHO DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS MY TURN
It's not that easy.
"Hey, Mithos," Malos says, and Mithos looks up from where he's sitting to shoot a glare at the blade.
"What do you want?"
"Look, I know you're busy sulking, so I'll make this quick," Malos says, and Mithos sneers, boiling with how much he fucking hates this. He's about to tell Malos to go fuck himself just because he doesn't want to talk to anyone right now, but then-- "Can flesh eaters resonate with humans?" Malos asks.
Mithos blinks. "What? No. Of course not. That's the whole deal about being a flesh eater. You don't need anyone to drive you."
"Right, right." Malos nods, like he'd been expecting that answer. "But, uh... We quite sure they can't? It's absolutely, definitely impossible?"
What the... "Why are you asking?" Mithos asks.
Malos hesitates, breathing deep before he answers, like maybe he's reconsidering who he's talking to and why he brought it up. Still: "I think Anna resonated with Kratos."
Horror slams into Mithos like a train. He rounds on Malos, legs pulled up under him so he's on his knees, kneeling on this rock he was already sitting on in part to get height, in part just because he's bursting with anxious energy and cannot bear to sit still. "That's impossible," he says, icy. He wonders if Lloyd is listening. He wonders if Lloyd cares.
"Well the resonance link sure just got a plus one, and I highly doubt Anna resonated with a new blade, especially considering this emotion bleed..." Malos makes a face, and Mithos thinks about that for just long enough to realize he really doesn't want to be thinking about it. "Guess we'll find out when they get back. Just wanted to ask." He waves a parting to Mithos in lieu of saying goodbye, then plops himself under a tree to sit, back to the trunk. Mithos scowls at him, then returns to scowling at the horizon.
It doesn't matter. It's impossible, it can't have happened. But what if it did? What does he do then?
The rain is starting to let up. Mithos lets his power recede from the area, stubborn sunlight giving way to clouds again.
He doesn't have an answer he likes by the time Kratos and Anna return.
And they return, bags of supplies slung over their shoulders and walking hand in hand. Kratos laughs at something Anna said and it's-- it's not a loud laugh, or anything, but it's a laugh, and Mithos can't really remember the last time he saw Kratos laugh. A part of him screams with jealousy and anger because they should be closer to be saving Martel right now, and instead Kratos is taking his time, dwaddling with some human. But. That's not fair, and Mithos knows this. Kratos is happy. The least he could do is not shit all over it again.
By this point Kratos has noticed him, and Mithos shoves all his angry feelings down so he can at least get to his feet and hug his brother. Kratos seems somewhat startled, but happy to see him, and holds Mithos tight when Mithos throws his arms around Kratos' waist and buries his head in his brother's chest.
"Hello Mithos," Kratos says, and then: "Sorry, if I'd known you'd be ready this soon, I would have..."
"No, it's fine, I got impatient," Mithos argues. Kratos doesn't need to blame himself for this. Or at all, really. Mithos is the only one at fault, here. For everything.
"Who's..." Kratos begins, then pauses like he's answered his own question. "Lloyd's driving you, isn't he?"
"Mmhmm."
"Right," Kratos says.
And then there's this pause. And it goes on forever. Mithos pulls away from Kratos, cocks his head at him in question, understanding and frustration building up in his core as he starts to put the pieces together. Kratos looks to Anna. She sends him a look back that's... Mithos can't read it at all, and that makes him angry, and he understands that it's really dumb that it's making him angry, and.
"Mithos," Kratos says, and Mithos digs his fingernails into his palms and tries not to breathe like he's going to explode. "I don't know if you still want me to drive you, but... You need to know that. Um." He swallows. Blushes, just a little. "I... resonated with Anna, somehow? So I..."
Mithos was expecting it, but it's still like a kick to the gut. He staggers a step back, turns away and bites his tongue as he wrestles down the storm inside him. He has no right to be mad. Maybe it's better this way. Underneath the anger and the distrust and the hate swirls an endless sea of guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt guilt and he doesn't want Kratos knowing about that, doesn't want to have to tell Kratos why it's there, and--
"Mithos," Kratos begins.
"It's fine," Mithos says. He does not have the energy to lift his head up, doesn't have the energy to smile. "It's-- fine. Really. It would have taken me three days to reconfigure, anyway, and Lloyd's already driving me--"
"I'm not saying I can't," Kratos argues.
"No offense but I really don't want to be a part of that emotion bleed," Mithos spits in return. "Lloyd's already driving me. It's fine."
"If it's fine with Lloyd, that is," Anna interjects, somewhat sharp. "And if it's not, then... Well I don't know if we can stop resonating, Kratos, but... I'm okay with that, if we have to."
"Anna..." Kratos begins.
She shrugs. "I'd hate to stop, but if Lloyd doesn't wnat to be in resonance with Mithos, and Mithos doesn't want to be in resonance with me..." She sighs. "Their comfort is more important than... I mean Kratos we've managed this long without it. So if I don't mind... if you don't mind?"
"Well," Kratos says, and Mithos isn't fucking deaf. He can hear very well that Kratos does mind.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. (Never mind that, to be honest, Mithos isn't sure you can just choose to stop resonating with someone, either!) Maybe- Maybe he could get used to that emotion bleed, maybe he could get used to Anna, but the problems there involve 1) introducing his own hatred and distrust of her to the emotion bleed to the first place 2) letting them potentially feel this sea of guilt he is desperately trying not to drown in. So.
"No, I won't ask you to do that," Mithos insists. "Let me. Let me ask Lloyd."
He makes his way over to Lloyd, hopes that Lloyd was listening, because-- it's not like they were that far away, and they weren't trying to be quiet or anything. Also it would be easier if he didn't have to try and articulate to anyone why he's making this decision.
Architect. Him. Willingly being driven by a human. This is the worst.
"Well, Lloyd?" Mithos ask. "What do you think?"