summonerd | i just wanna know: who broke it?

i just wanna know: who broke it?

[Sheena'd thought she was all done with dimensional travel, now that the two worlds were united. But here she is, having fallen asleep in one world and woken up in a Tethe'alla that's just different enough from the one she knows to be constantly jarring. Her connections to Aselia's summon spirits dangle loose, snapped by distance - not even Origin's power could follow her here, it seems. That's more than a little unsettling.

It takes her some time, alone in a bizarro version of Meltokio as she is, but eventually she stumbles on a lead - an old scientific journal, a mention of the power of something called an Aegis being able to transcend space and time, at least in theory. And a little asking around tells her that Tethe'alla has its own Aegis, though no one's seen it for years. Well. Worth a shot, right?

Somehow she manages to talk her way into the Tethe'allan castle where the Aegis's core crystal awaits being woken up, with a series of smiles and her very best politicking - yes, of course she's got nothing but loyalty for Tethe'alla, of course she's skilled at this, of course it'd be a great honor.

(Zelos would be proud, she thinks, wryly.)

They're dubious, but her persistence wears them down, or maybe they're just desperate enough for a return of the Aegis's power to let her try, and the orange core crystal is offered out to her.

She takes a deep breath, and reaches out to touch it.]

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Kratos squints in confusion at Lloyd as he claims Anna just survived an Aegis cannon blast, then turns to look at his wife before he can think better of it, eyes tracing the spiderweb of scars that trail up her right arm. "That's..." impossible, but he doesn't finish, figuring that if Lloyd had a clearer answer Lloyd would have told him, so he swallows his astonishment and confusion instead. It's just another question he'll have to ask Anna. He turns away from her again.

(He could probably piece it together if he thought about it, but he doesn't want to think about it right now. Thinking about her making his core hurt.)

...knowing that his Lloyd is with Dirk is a small comfort. He knows Dirk, vaguely. Not someone he spent a lot of time with, but someone he knows Anna trusts, and that's better than a stranger. And Lloyd speaks highly him. That's also something. It's still hard to trust a human with his son, trust that Dirk even still has his son when no one-- Not even Anna!-- knows for certain, but--

His thoughts are derailed as Lloyd moves to touch him.

His reflexes are quick, though, and maybe it startles Lloyd, but twisting and catching Lloyd by the wrist before Lloyd's hand meets his shoulder is still the safer outcome, Kratos thinks. If he's in control of the situation, he isn't going to spiral. He takes a slow breath. Pushes Lloyd's hand away. Lets go.

"Please do not touch me without my consent," he requests, quietly. "It's... nothing against you, I promise. It's just." The line between being honest about his boundaries without being totally bare about his trauma is still one he finds difficult to navigate. "Triggers bad memories, sometimes, if I am not expecting it," he settles on. He sends Lloyd a tired smile, mustering all the gentleness he has in him (easy enough, for his son). "You didn't know, so I am not upset, but... please ask first, next time."

That taken care of, he tries to put his thoughts about everything else into words.

"Thank you for telling me about Dirk," he says, still quiet. "I still hope you are correct, about my son being with him, but... At least that is a name I know."

Cold panic stabs at his core as soon as Kratos grabs his wrist and twists, an instinctual flinch causing him to bite his tongue. It's - it's so irrational, the fear that grips at Lloyd's heart, because on one hand, he'd rather Kratos be honest about it, about his triggers and touch aversion, and the guy looks so softhearted about this it makes Lloyd feel bad, conscious of how his pulse spikes. But on the other hand…

Damn it, get your shit together, Lloyd. Quietly taking a deep breath and rolling his now-free wrist, Lloyd scoots away just a little more, needing the distance now. It's embarrassing. This is embarrassing. "Yeah, I understand. Noted, Captain," he jokes, forcing his gaze up to the stars. This isn't his world, this isn't his Kratos. Kratos was just - trying to keep controlled. And Lloyd understands, doesn't blame him, would rather this happen than didn't, but.

Whatever.

"Dirk's a real good guy. Taught me all I know," Lloyd continues, but his heart's not in it. He keeps thinking about fighting his other father, the one who decided to forego their standard sword-fighting to pull him by the wrist into a melee combo that landed him with a concussion and three cracked ribs. Will Lloyd ever be able to put their fucked up relationship to rest?

How is he supposed to deal with the sudden realization that he's scared of his father?

Kratos goes silent, watching Lloyd closely. It's easy enough to tell that Lloyd's mood has just nose-dived.

"It... really is alright, Lloyd," he says, slowly. "I'm not upset..."

But then he really notices Lloyd's movements, the way Lloyd scoots away from him, the way Lloyd rolls his wrist. Eye-catching, because Kratos has done it before himself. A reminder that he is free to move as he pleases... Oh.

Oh.

"I'm sorry for grabbing you suddenly," Kratos says, swallowing around the cold lump of despair in his throat. Of course, he had no way of knowing, but he still feels terrible. "I will do my best to avoid that in the future."

And... he feels bad, putting Lloyd on the spot, but if there's anything Anna has taught him, it's that it's better to be as clear as possible as soon as possible what is and isn't allowed.

"Is it touching that's a problem, or grabbing? Though I will avoid both, if you need me to. And if you are uncomfortable answering, that is alright, but... I do not wish to hurt you, especially not because I am ignorant of your boundaries."

Lloyd laughs anxiously, dropping his wrist and casting a flickering glance at Kratos, no less calmed down by desperately attempting to keep face. "Ahaha, nah, you're fine. It's - it's a new thing. You couldn't have known, even if it wasn't, but -"

Clearing his throat, Lloyd averts his eyes again, pulling out his tools for the nth time so he can have an excuse to look away and calm himself down. "It's, uh. I got into a bad fight with someone stronger than me," an angel with four thousand years of fighting experience, also his father, "and they, um." He pauses, bites at his lip, and begins carving out of the corner of the block. "They got me pretty good, heh."

The breath of air he releases could barely count as a laugh, but he'll take it anyways. He forces a fake grin to his face, trying to make the air lighter even though it's crushing him where he sits. He can't tell the truth, but he can't lie, either. "Grabs get me. Sudden grabs, I guess. But I'm alright. I just gotta learn to deal with it. Thanks, though, for the consideration," and he turns to look at Kratos again, offers him a smaller, a little more sincere smile. "I appreciate it."

Kratos regrets asking, a little, if only for how nervous Lloyd is. He also regrets forgetting to clarify that he did not need a reason why, just what to avoid, but it's too late now, isn't it? He hopes he just has not made it worse by making Lloyd feel like he needed to recount his trauma. Lloyd's answer is clearly dodgey, like perhaps he doesn't want to think about it, but-- Honestly. Why would he?

But then Lloyd says he's just gotta learn to deal with it with a tone like haha silly me for getting freaked out and Kratos recoils, shaking his head a little in surprise. Sorry, what? What? That's-- no. No. Kratos knows he has compromised where he shouldn't have, before, (but sometimes Mithos needs the touch to ground him, and Kratos knows he is safe with Mithos even if his body likes to act like he isn't), but compromising occasionally is different than "learning to deal with it" in general. You don't just. You can't just. You can't just make physical responses to triggers stop. You cannot simply will them away. You can learn to cope with the spiral, after, yes, but.

If you don't like being touched certain ways you don't like being touched certain ways, end of story.

It occurs to Kratos maybe he should say some of this aloud.

But Lloyd looks like he wants to be done with this conversation, wants to be thinking about something else-- No. No. This is important. Kratos runs over his thoughts again, trying to figure out how to articulate them. When he doesn't know Lloyd very well. When he's getting the vibe that Lloyd doesn't want to talk to him.

(Anna would probably be better at this. She, at least, has no fears.)

Still. It's important.

"Lloyd..." he says, gently, slowly, heart lodged somewhere in his throat. Stupid thing. "If... If you don't like being grabbed... especially if it triggers something bad in you... That's nothing to be ashamed of." He hesitates, still chewing on his words. "You don't have to- You don't need to be..." He fumbles, scowling as the words elude him. He's silent for another moment or two, as he tries to navigate to the end of what he wants to say, figure out how to get there, and then put all that into words. He digs into his memories, trying to recall how Anna might say it.

Finally: "If you don't like being grabbed, you don't like being grabbed, end of discussion," Kratos says. "And if you don't like being grabbed, telling people that you don't like it so that they won't do it is the right course of action. And... in the event that someone grabs you anyway, you are not responsible when it makes you feel like shit. They are, for crossing a boundary they should not have."

Edited 2019-06-15 07:35 (UTC)

Taking a few moments to process the advice Kratos gives Lloyd, he takes another deep breath, pausing in his carving. It's amazing. He's been around this Kratos for all of six hours, yet this conversation is as emotionally vulnerable as the deepest conversation Lloyd had with his own Kratos. Differences in universes will do that, Lloyd guesses, staring at the block in his hand.

But then guilt sets in. This Kratos is being so open, so nice about this, like he has any reason to care, and all Lloyd can really think about is his negative experiences with his doppelganger. And - and now Kratos thinks he's just aversed to being grabbed, when the source of the fear is different, it's him, even though Lloyd shouldn't mind it -

He returns to carving, needing to deal with the anxious energy pumping through his veins. Isn't this what he wanted? Open dialogue with his father? What's his fucking problem?

"Yeah," Lloyd breathes out, hating how hard this is, how he wishes Kratos would stop looking at him because Lloyd can't find the will to look back, "yeah. I understand. Triggers are a bitch and people sympathize. I'm usually better about this, I just - I was surprised, is all. Not a big deal, really."

Lloyd grabs the square of sandpaper and starts smoothing down rough edges on central design of the center flat of the Aegis blade, silently thanking Malos again for giving him these tools. "I'll be open about it from here on out. Scout's honor!"

But the tension still lingers, and Lloyd hates it, hates how it makes him squirm a little, so he stops again, finally looking up at Kratos. "Thanks, again. And - uh. If you need my help, tell me and I'll try to. Help, that is."

Edited 2019-06-15 16:35 (UTC)

Kratos frowns a little with concern, watching as Lloyd still tries to downplay this, but... Oh well. He'll let it go, for now. He's only known this Lloyd for a few minutes, so maybe this is all he could really expect from the conversation. And Lloyd did promise to be more open, in the future, so that's something.

Kratos just isn't sure Lloyd understands that things like this are, in fact, very reasonably a big deal and that saddens him.

Something to worry about if it ever comes up again, he supposes.

Lloyd's clearly uncomfortable, anyway. Better to wrap this up.

"Thank you for the offer," he tells Lloyd, genuinely appreciating it, though he wishes Lloyd would not offer something he sounds uncomfortable giving. (Then again, you're one to talk, Kratos, so.) "I will let you know."

After that, he hesitates. A part of him wonders if it would be good to give Lloyd some space, but then he did, technically, promise Malos he'd keep watch. Yes, Lloyd is awake, but Kratos doubts he's in any position to actually defend the camp alone, so it will probably be better if Kratos stays put. Now it's just a matter of finding something to distract himself with, becuase if he sits here in silence he's just going to start thinking about Anna, again.

He pulls out his bag and starts rummaging through it, first taking count of the core crystals he'd gathered, earlier. They're all still dormant, seven total, though one is cracked and one has been shattered completely. ...Kratos tries not to think about that one. Not much to do with the core crystals, though, so instead Kratos pulls out his journal. Not that he's certain what he's going to write, if he's going to write at all. But. It makes him look busy. And it gives himself the option, if he wants it.

Journal open in his lap, Kratos looks up to watch the stars.

Edited 2019-06-16 16:38 (UTC)

Waking up greets him to a proper night sky above, one that's much more filled in and brighter than whatever bastardization Zelos' brain had tried to cook up during that dream only to miserably fail. Zelos takes another deep breath, blinks to rid himself of any grogginess remaining from what feels like several hours of sleep. He checks his ether levels--back to 94%, at least. That's much better. Then, after all that, he slowly sits up and tries to look around for any hints of where they are, who's awake, and where his driver lies.

Anna and Malos aren't too far from each other--typical, Zelos thinks, and practical, so he'll give them that. Sheena's still curled up in her sleep, close enough to him for Zelos to theorize that maybe the dream port picked up on her immediately and pulled her in. It's not the best theory, nor is it the most comforting, but it's a theory and an explanation, and until something better presents itself Zelos will take it. Zelos watches her for a few more seconds until he's sure that she will not wake up, then sighs as a wave of nervousness washes over him and settles at the pit of his stomach like ice water at the sight of his sleeping driver. Then her words come crashing against him like ocean waves in a storm. The Aegis is consumed with a desire to push away, to pull himself as far away from her as possible, even if temporarily. It's... overwhelming. So as carefully as possible Zelos pushes himself further up, standing, and pings around the area for any ether signals.

There's two signals coming from further away from the camp, and a quick look later Zelos catches sight of Lloyd and That Guy keeping watch somewhere off to the side, both quiet and thoroughly awkward. Zelos can't help the dark chuckle that escapes his lips; so, in the span of however long he's been asleep, these people have deemed a random and volatile blade they encountered in a mine to be trustworthy enough to keep around and given him the task of watching over their group while they're at their most vulnerable. That doesn't sit right with him, actually. At all. And a quick look at him tells Zelos that the blade is doing something with his hands, and even if he cannot tell what exactly, Zelos thinks it's got something to do with those core crystals from earlier.

Not good, not good.

Who the hell is this guy? Where did he come from? What the fuck does he want? The lack of information is making him anxious. Confused, alert, and badly wanting answers, Zelos paints a grin on his face and walks over to the duo, taking note of the ether in the air and the ways he could weaponize it just in case--94% ether in his system is just about enough to act quick enough to defend himself should he need it. Still, he keeps himself as non-threatening as possible to not give it away, his gait confident but clumsy to sell the image of a sleepy Aegis, his eyelids halfway down.

Zelos makes his steps as loud as possible for the both of them, then throws his arms up and yawns dramatically when he's seen, throwing his hair back over his shoulder once that's done. "Architect, how long was I out? My back's so fucked up!" Zelos says, all smiles and friendliness and jokes. He sets one hand on his hip and leans his entire weight on one foot, appearing casual. "Good morning!"

Edited 2019-06-20 14:22 (UTC)

Lloyd jumps a little as soon as Zelos' voice rings into the clearing, having heard his steps but somehow not having been able to register them past the fog of bullshit he's been forced to think about. God, he's so out of it and he's not even high this time. He really does wish he could sleep.

Still, he shoves the carving into his pocket quickly and stands, turning around to face Zelos, and eyes him up and down quickly, checking for anything worrying. "Hey, Zelos!" Lloyd greets, the smile coming to his face genuine and excited, all things considered. "How are you doing, man? We were worried about you."

Something about the way Zelos is acting strikes Lloyd as fake, or. He doesn't know. There's a certain attitude to his movements and dramaticized motions that seems like an act, seems similar to the way his Zelos used to lay the masks on thick enough to trick all of them, Lloyd included. Not quite understanding why Zelos was relying on it here, but not willing to call him out on it, he files the information away for later.

(Lloyd refuses to think about how Zelos had dropped the mask the one time Lloyd had decided to harden his own heart.)

"You've been out for only a few hours," Lloyd answers, brushing some of his fringe out of his eyes. To be completely honest, he's very happy somebody came in and broke the awkward silence between him and Kratos. "You sure you're feeling well enough to be up and about already? You definitely saved our asses there, so nobody will complain if you wanna keep resting."

Whatever Lloyd's doing with his hands is comletely lost to Zelos, seeing how his eyes are glued to the core crystals that That Guy is holding. Suspicious, suspicious. Paranoid and seeking answers Zelos watches him intently, takes in everything about this guy that he can; the way his ether shines, though not as brightly as he knows it could. The way his ether shapes the ambient ether in a sickly manner, human-like, but seemingly diseased. His body language and the way he looks like he's having the worst time of his life. His energy in the mines.

All that combined and Zelos is pretty sure he's dealing with a flesh eater. That'd explain the lack of a driver, even if some blades can be pretty far apart from their drivers, but the way his ether feels would beg to differ in the first place. But why would a flesh eater be in the caves? And at the exact moment of the cannon's fire, when he claims to know the Aegis powering it herself?

Hmm.

Though the Aegis' full attention lies on the red flesh eater right now, he still makes some time to regard Lloyd with a smile when he's addressed. "Aw, please, Lloyd. I've been asleep for hours! I'm pretty sure that if I have to keep sleeping I'm gonna explode or something," he jokes, chuckling and flapping a hand about to sell it. "Besides," he adds, turning back to Kratos with a tight grin, "I wanna get to know this guy over here, since apparently he's with us now. Finally decided to take us along?"

To say Kratos is nervous would be an understatement. But, the Aegis is right to have questions for him, and running away from his problems isn't going to solve them. So Kratos breathes, slowly, to center himself before he answers the question asked.

"Yes, well," he says. He hesitates a second there, because half the reason he's still here is because Malos asked it of him, because Anna is alive, because even though he is upset he does not want to leave her, does not want to lose her a second time. But thinking about Anna stirs discomfort in his core, and if he speaks about her he doesn't think it's going to come out even close to neutrally, so likely he should save Zelos from that nonsense. Zelos probably doesn't care that he married a human woman, anyway. In fact, if Zelos has been hurt in the way Aegises tend to be, he might even think lesser of Kratos for it.

So: "I would not be that much faster, on my own," Kratos says, instead. "And my energy would likely be better spent defending you from Tethe'alla. The most I could do is save Martel from a few days of pain, but it will still be weeks before we reach her. Hopefully she will not begrudge me the difference." He remembers what Zelos said, earlier, and ammends: "If... if Martel is even involved, anyway. I suppose we won't know until we get there."

(Or not until he asks Mithos, but, he keeps Mithos' name quiet, out of habit. Mithos would rather the world forgot he existed.)

More importantly than all that.

"Forgive me for my actions, earlier," Kratos says, carefully, meeting Zelos' eyes. "I could not stand the thought that they were hurting Martel, but that does not mean I had any right to take it out on you. I am sorry."

To be honest, Zelos isn't expecting the apology at all, and so to suddenly receive it while making direct eye contact catches the Aegis off-guard and throws him off for a precious second. His mask falters before he picks it back up again, a little grin and a chuckle covering for the previously vulnerable surprise that had been on his expression before. "Ahaha, aw, come on. I'm pretty sure everyone had a shit day! It's fine, it's fine!"

Architect, is everyone he meets going to be a weirdo like this that doesn't follow normal social conventions and just throws him off on a loop? Zelos isn't so sure he'll be able to handle five people like this, now, but whatever. Zelos shrugs. There's more important things to do right now. This Guy proclaims he'd rather defend the Aegis from Tethe'alla and save that other blade--Martel--from being used in the cannon, and unconsciously Zelos' stance relaxes just a little. A blade mostly siding with blades is always a good sign, even moreso for a flesh eater.

Because Zelos isn't stupid. He knows what being a flesh eater implies for the majority of the victims.

A flesh eater siding with humans would be downright monstrous.

Still, despite the evidence pointing towards This Guy being a good gamble, there's a lot of things that won't fully allow Zelos to completely relax around him--ergo, he's a gamble. The way he sits close to Lloyd is reassuring, but the core crystals he keeps in his hands are not. His words and ideals align with Zelos', but the way he'd yelled and acted after the caves sparks uncertainty in Zelos' core.

So "Anyway, hey," Zelos says, calling out for Lloyd's attention again, definitely appearing a little more awake now than how he'd originally presented himself, "I think I've spent enough time hanging around doing nothing. I might as well make myself useful and take a walk around the perimeter to make sure the ether in the area's stable and quiet." The Aegis turns his attention to This Guy next, grinning. "Hey, you wanna walk with me? Two heads are better than one, and I don't wanna risk lil' Lloyd here after the mines. My bud should be resting."

For all the jokes he earns about being dumb, Lloyd certainly isn't stupid. He knows when someone is looking for privacy, and he's more than willing to give Zelos and Kratos an opening for it.

(There's a high pang in his heart, some cocktail of fear and hesitance that he's forced to drink in as soon as he remembers that his Zelos had been in communication with his Kratos for ages, pulling the blind over the party's eyes and waiting for the moment where they could pull off the tricks Cruxis demanded. Lloyd shakes his head. It's different this time. Cruxis doesn't exist, this Zelos isn't his own, Kratos is. Well, he doesn't know what to think of this Kratos, he just doesn't.)

Pushing the smile wider, Lloyd chuckles a bit, rubbing at the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. Zelos is correct to not rely on Lloyd for any kind of major fighting right now - even with the rest he's gotten from lazing about, and the healing from Nia earlier, his muscles ache and his body is sore. He's probably slower and would hold Zelos back in a fight. "Yeah, I just. Couldn't sleep. You know how I get," he says simply, dropping his arm to his side. "But uh, you guys get going then. Don't be too long? Be safe."

Lloyd waits until they leave, stuck with an intense amount of restless energy and too many thoughts to sit still for much longer, but he doesn't want to leave the campsite either, and simply pacing won't do the trick.

He looks up, eyes a tall tree that arches over the camp. Climbing a tree, huh? That'll do. Being close to the treetops will provide more light to finish the carving later, anyways. Lloyd will just deal with the repercussions later.

Kratos knows a request for his presence when he hears one, so he tells Zelos yes he will come with, and then sets about returning his things to his bag as Lloyd speaks. There's no reason to take the bag with him, so he leaves it where he was sitting, getting to his feet. He gestures for Zelos to lead the way and then follows.

Zelos probably wants to ask him another question, but Kratos isn't exactly in a hurry to find out what it is, and has no idea what to talk about otherwise, so he just waits for Zelos to say something.

A few minutes into their walk, finally far away from Lloyd that Zelos is pretty sure he won't hear, and, okay, this is starting to become awkward. This Guy is as silent as a fucking rock, no pun intended, and it's driving Zelos up the wall a little. He wants information badly but has no idea how to go about getting it. And the fact that This Guy left his bag doesn't escape Zelos either, and now without something to segue into what he wants to ask, Zelos does't really know how to start talking. Architect, he's supposed to be good at words. Why does that ability suddenly fail him when the person he wants to talk to is a fucking brick wall?

Well, he thinks after yet another false start, might as well just go for it, right? Fuck it.

"First things first, then," Zelos suddenly says, turning to look at This Guy with a grin on his face, "I wanna know your name. 'Cause, like, I'm pretty sure you know exactly who I am by now. Second," the Aegis stops walking, squints, "what were you doing with those core crystals back then?"

Edited 2019-06-20 19:27 (UTC)

"Oh," Kratos says, somewhat embarrassed. Of course Zelos doesn't know his name. They've only just met. "Sorry. It's Kratos."

He wonders if Zelos knows anything about him, has anything to attach to his name. Likely not. The humans wrote him out of their history.

And then Zelos asks about the core crystals.

"Ah," Kratos says. "Well, it seemed cruel to leave them in those caves, where it would be unlikely they would be found again," he answers. That, and nothing more. If Zelos wants to know what he intends on doing with them, Zelos will have to ask, though Kratos would really rather he didn't.

Kratos. Kratos, Kratos, Kratos. For a moment the name rings a bell of familiarity in Zelos' subconscious, until the lines align and he remembers Anna insisting that she was trustworthy because she was married to some Kratos guy. Oh. Oh. So then their group has stumbled upon Anna's husband, huh? And her husband is a blade that she's not even driving?

Great. What does that give him. Absolutely nothing other than an update for the affinity chart in his brain, Zelos thinks.

"Aah," the Aegis nods. He shrugs. Starts walking again while tapping his chin, pacing around Kratos like an animal surrounding prey, slow enough for it to be inconspicuous. "You got any particular place you wanna take 'em, or something? Or maybe," he side-eyes Kratos while circling him, grin growing, "you wanna take 'em along for when you free Martel?"

The name 'Martel' is an obvious one for Zelos; she's Sylvarant's lost Aegis. The one that was killed in the war. That much information he does know, though how the fuck someone could put her in a cannon eludes him, especially with how he's pretty sure that the blade powering up the weapon itself is Colette. Zelos bites down a shudder. Maybe it's another blade named Martel? Maybe it's a codename for his sister, or a second name unknown to Tethe'alla?

Questions, questions.

"Architect, no," Kratos laughs. "I wouldn't need any more than myself to save Martel, and I'm not- I'm not really looking to be a driver, again. At least, certainly not to more than one blade, and certainly not to handful of blades I don't even know." The the notion is absurd at best, and uncomfortable at worst. He keeps talking, not really thinking about it. "I've only ever driven Aegises before, and Mithos and Martel could at least consent to me becoming their driver."

He'd want to leave the option open for them, anyway, should they ever need it again. Martel likely will. Mithos might even, as well-- if Martel is alive, then there will be no reason for Mithos to keep her shards.

"I was- I hadn't quite figured out what I was going to do with the core crystals, actually," Kratos says, which is a lie, of a sort. The damaged ones are definitely going to Mithos, but the others... "In theory, give them to someone I trust, I suppose. Someone who knows where to get them drivers who wouldn't hurt them. Easier said than done."

If Anna is alive, who else of her companions is...? Nia, at least. Kratos wonders if Malik is still alive, because that man always seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. He wonders if he'll actually find the time to ask.

'I've only ever driven Aegises before.'

Most of what Kratos says after that gets lost to Zelos in the next two, three seconds that it takes for his mind to reconnect with itself. Because Kratos has... driven Aegises before? Is he implying he's driven Mithos and Martel together at the same time, as well? But that was centuries ago! Though, well, if he's a flesh eater then he's definitely got the means to have stayed alive for that long, huh? But he... if he's driven Mithos, then what... then of course he could tell what kind of ether is in the cannon blast, couldn't he?

The realization nearly succeeds in flooring him, but he perseveres and wheezes out a weak laugh while raising a hand to stop Kratos. "Hold on," Zelos interrupts. He licks his lips. Despite being a fire blade he feels his ether freeze in his veins, the sensation nauseating and causing him to take a quick, shallow breath to stabilize as he swallows back his shock. "You've... driven Aegises before? The originals...?"

Kratos raises his eyebrows at Zelos' surprise, but supposes it's warranted. Again: There's a lot history doesn't say about him, anymore. "Yes," he says, simply. Though it is not as simple as that. "You... must know at least about the War-- the first one," Kratos ammends. (There have been other wars since, and even wars before, but Kratos really only ever thinks about the one. The one he was born into. The one that was fought with the Aegises' stolen power.) "I was the one who freed Martel and Mithos, from the--"

He catches himself, last second, remembering Lloyd's warning about mentioning cannons.

"Well, you know," Kratos finishes. He sends a sideways glance at Zelos, checking on him. Kratos rubs his thumb over his knuckles idly, somewhat embarrassed. It feels-- strange, talking about this. Almost like bragging. "And then I was their driver."

The Aegises' driver was a blade...? And--and he was a flesh eater, at that? Well, Zelos guesses as he sets his chin in his hand, pensive as he processes Kratos' words, Kratos definitely has the age and means to prove the story, and it's always a lot easier to trust a blade to tell the truth than it is to trust a human.

Still, this complicates things. "The official story that I had been told was that the Aegises' driver was a self-interested human that stole the twin blades from Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, effectively putting a stop to the war by becoming the larger villain," Zelos says, cringing a little while reciting the lie spoon-fed to him from birth. Of course humanity would lie, especially to their own fucking weapon. He clears his throat. "But if you were their driver... Then you'd know the truth of what's happened to Mithos and Martel, huh?"

He's going on a gamble with a man who's still technically a stranger right now, he knows it, but if Kratos is as familiar with the Aegises and the weapon facilities as he should be, then he's an important person to keep around. Architect, he's driven Aegises before. Ether itching with anticipation Zelos raises his gaze to meet Kratos' again, eyes intense and searching for an answer that will hopefully make sense of everything. "I'd been told that Martel died sometime after the first war, though. How could Sylvarant be using her if she's dead?"

Kratos recoils at Zelos' recounting of "history", anger and hurt singing loud in his core. At least the story Anna told him still painted him as a hero for ending the war. He kicks one foot against the ground, clenches and unclenches his fists, and most importantly breathes. It's at least ten seconds before he can see clearly enough to formulate a thought, ether and blood both boiling in his veins.

"'Larger villain'," he repeats, with a scoff. As if one man could do as much damage as the warring countries. "I didn't steal anyone. Humanity stole the Aegises, ripped them from their home and their father and immediately forced them to fight against each other, no more than weapons in a pointless war, as if they were tools and not people." His anger, now, is cold, despite the boiling in his veins. "Not that I'm surprised," he spits. "That's all we are to humans. Tools. Be it for war or for--"

He cuts off. Swallows the ugliness in his throat. Thump thump thump goes his heart, a grim reminder.

"Anyway, I did not steal them," he says, carefully, though his voice still shakes with his fury. "They were prisoners, not property. I set them free."

Breathe, Kratos. Shed the anger off of your shoulders. Don't take it out on Zelos.

He runs a hand over his face, pushing hair away from it. "Martel didn't die in the war," he says, quiet. "She died a few years after it was over. We'd- We'd tried to find a place to live, away from everyone else, where no one would bother us. Sylvarant brought an entire army to our doorstep. Architect knows they weren't trying to kill her, but in the fighting her core crystal was shattered, and Sylvarant stole her shards."

(He can still taste rage on his tongue, horror in his belly, despair that wasn't even his bleeding out of him, choking him, drowning him--)

"Either they've found a way to make use of just her shards, or they..." Kratos hesitates, scowling as he tries to figure out how to explain without going into specifics. "There... is a way to fuse one blade's core crystal with that of another blade. I can't imagine how they found the technology for that, but."

Unlike the first time he'd seen Kratos angry, this time Zelos barely reacts to his rage. It's justified, anyway; humanity is nothing but a mesh of lies and cruelty for the sake of their own self-interest. In fact, Kratos' words, his rage--they all resonate in the air in a wavelength similar to another set of emotions buried deep in Zelos' own core, something cold and sharp that threatens to resurface as the two blades stand under the moonlight realizing just how deep humanity's treachery really goes.

Zelos keeps a passive, blank face as Kratos speaks, lowers his arms to his sides and then crosses them, taking in every word, every nuance, every fact with the utmost care and mindful attention. He averts his gaze, pensive. For a moment Zelos feels a cold, saddened sympathy washing over him at the mention of Martel's death, but it's quickly consumed by the fires of his own anger. It seems that humanity just couldn't keep themselves under control even after the war was done, and in their hubris, an innocent was killed, then brought back to life only to serve as a weapon once again.

It's disgusting. This whole thing only makes the cannon fire in the mines even more sickening than before, too. Zelos nearly gags, ends up laughing bitterly instead. His ether is boiling, now, and the temperature around him rises as a result.

"Leave it to humanity to find a way to butcher an entire fucking species for their own miserable gain, huh," Zelos grits out, rage radiating from him in literal heat. For lack of any other outlet he ends up glaring at Kratos, breathing erratic as he tries and fails to control his emotions. "Well, we can't fucking leave her in there. We can't leave either of them in there. So what do you suggest we do, then, driver of the Aegises?"

Kratos barely registers Zelos' anger other than that it is there, the slight rising temperature catching him more by surprise than anything else-- and really, only for a second. Zelos is a fire blade, it's to be expected. (Kratos' anger, light blade that he is, manifests in a pulsing of his ether lines, glowing faintly brighter to the rhythm of his heartbeat. The fact that he's a flesh eater means he glows barely brighter than a regular blade at normal, though.)

Zelos asks him what to do.

"We find Mithos, first," Kratos says, simply. "The tower is on the way." It will be slightly slower than taking the most direct route, yes, but-- "Mithos will want to save his sister, too. Better if we collaborate than let him run ahead on his own."

Kratos does his best to breathe, to keep his anger under control, but his mind is racing, feeding off Zelos' fury.

"After that, we head to Martel, and Colette. Saving them will be easy once we're there. Getting there is what will be..." He sighs. "Well, it'll be slower than it will be difficult. A party this large does not exactly move fast."

Great! Finding Mithos was already part of the plan, anyway. "Glad to know our goals align, then," Zelos grins, some of his anger lowered only through the joy of something finally fucking going his way. "I figured if anyone would have some sort of control over the situation, it'd be an Aegis. Like, I mean--two Aegises are better than one any time, right?" he laughs.

Kratos' next words stop Zelos in his tracks, though. The smile drops as he lowers his gaze, once again lost in thought while he tries to troubleshoot the next problem, to consider all of his options. It's true that travel time is the biggest issue here, and that the bigger the party the slower their progress will be--especially considering there's several humans with very basic and problematic human needs to take into account. A blade may go several days without food or sleep, for example, but a human cannot. Time at night that could well be translated into more ground covered is wasted sleeping, and the inherent need for food continues to put them in danger by forcing them to buy and trade in towns.

If they could somehow reduce all that travel time by reducing the amount of people traveling to Mithos in the first place...

Zelos raises his gaze to meet Kratos' once more, stance loose, expression questioning as he addresses the flesh eater before him once again. "You... You know where to find Mithos, right? Listen," he begins, voice careful and guarded. Arms still crossed Zelos shifts his weight from foot to foot, barely-contained excitement at the breakthrough he's made knocking on his core. "You and I are blades. Our travel time and distance could probably double just from the fact that we don't need to stop and eat or sleep as often as humans do. So..." Zelos trails off, wets his lips. Ignores the stab of guilt in his gut, takes a deep breath, and asks,

"What if--what if you were my driver?"

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boundaries are just important to him okay

blade kratos best kratos??? i adore him

MOOD!!!!

[Arrives four days later with an Aegis] What's up bitches

god lloyd /immediately/ perked up. honey

I love him so much

lloyd's a good boy!!!!

Oh god Kratos I'm fucked up

i love these redheads so much

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNaR6FRuO0

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mithos was right, humanity should burn!

WE SHOULD BURN HUMANITY... TOGETHER

done and done

Oh god I can't believe we're doing this