summonerd | i just wanna know: who broke it?

Kratos stares at Zelos' back, long shadows cast over the ground before the two of them, the setting sun at Kratos' back. Zelos' hair catches the light and reflects it like a banner.

Zelos sounds... off. Kratos thinks of Zelos' cautious determination the other night, when Zelos had suggested he and Kratos run ahead, alone, when he had asked Kratos to be his driver. Kratos still wonders, briefly, if he gave the wrong answer, especially as Zelos faces Tethe'alla, now.

He considers his next words carefully, but perhaps not carefully enough, because what he lands on is not exactly kind.

"If you're looking to save Colette, you're heading the wrong direction," he says.

Architect, Zelos really doesn't want to be dealing with this right now. Maybe if he'd been faster about it--or if he'd ran instead of walked--then he wouldn't be faced with having to waste time explaining himself to Kratos, but it's not like he gets a say in it anymore as it stands right now. Okay, then. So be it--let's try to shake this damn guy off.

Standing still where he is, his back turned to Kratos, Zelos raises his hands and shrugs. He tries for another laugh and comes up with something darker than he'd intended, most of his emotions too taut and caught in his core for him to keep them off his voice. It's so annoying. Zelos hates it. He swallows them down and just talks. "Change of plans," Zelos says, casually, voice steadier than his laugh. "You're all so slow. I'm going ahead."

This is unnecessary. It's wasting time. He wants to get this over with as soon as possible, so Zelos lowers his hands again and sighs, mentally hyping himself up to take the next step forward, yet failing, the road ahead more and more terrifying the more he lingers where he stands. His hands curl into fists again, the pulse in his ether lines hastened. "Go back to the others," Zelos growls low in the silence. "I don't need you."

Kratos considers Zelos' words, and finds them fair. They are moving slow, and Zelos does not need them to free his sister, though things would likely go a little smoother, a little easier, if he had help with him. Traveling across Sylvarant unguarded and yet still avoiding capture would be difficult. And there is the question of whether or not ZElos is aware of the full extent of his power, besides. After all, if he had wanted to hurry, he would not have walked, he would have flown. (Or were the artificials not blessed with wings as the children of the Architect were?)

"I suppose that's true," Kratos says, standing tall and firm, Zelos' anger parting around him like a stream around a stone. "We are moving slow, and I understand your desire to hurry."

Kratos is usually one to think and overthink things long before he says them, but he is well aware that he does not have this luxury now. He does not quite know what Zelos is planning (though he does have a terrible guess, once he hopes beyond hope has not crossed Zelos' mind) but he is certain that this moment is not one he can fuck up, which creates a tension in his core, a clutch in his heart, because there is no strain like wanting to be careful but not having the time to be.

"But I do see one flaw in your plan," he says, and maybe it's a little sharper than it should be, maybe a little more cruel. "Sylvarant is the other direction. How do you intend to save your sister if you are in Tethe'alla's cannon?"

Actually hearing his plans voiced aloud like this draws a sharp breath that gets stuck in Zelos' artificial lungs, tearing like a knife, rage and fear and despair and a sick hope dancing along in his core until they mesh together into a sickening flame. The air around the Aegis warms considerably. His breathing becomes erratic and he stumbles backwards, fists shaking, until he finally turns on his heel to face Kratos.

Gone is the pretense of keeping up the mask, lowered to make way for the full-brunt of Zelos' anger instead. "That's the fucking point!" Zelos shouts, the prickling tick-tick-tick-tick sensation in his arms almost indistinguishable from his memories of the cannon itself. "If I'm in the fucking cannon, if I make it public that I'm in the cannon, then Sylvarant can't fire back without risking retaliation! Then all you have to do is get Colette and Martel out! Take Mithos somewhere safe! Everyone is fucking happy!"

Except there's a catch, isn't there?

A single miscalculation.

Right as he says that, Zelos is abruptly hit with the realization that his plan would leave him alone inside a cannon, the entire situation right back at square one as an Aegis is once again used to rain war on a defenseless country without one. Zelos would become the threat this time, the idiot who put them all in a cycle of destruction because he couldn't see himself as free. Suddenly, this whole thing feels like a grave mistake. Suddenly, Zelos' anger falters for only a fraction of a second, fear and dread making its way through his expression before he steels it with cold, angry determination.

"You know what I can do if I'm in the cannon?" Zelos slips out, not really thinking, emotional core dragging the words out of him like they're excuses to keep himself in the plan. It works, somewhat, so Zelos smirks, vindictive. "Ha. Ahaha, well, you ever heard of what an amplified, uncontrolled ether discharge can do?"

Kratos flinches, now, in the wake of Zelos' anger, struck with the incredible, ridiculous weight of how stupid everything Zelos just said is. Everyone's happy? Everyone's happy if he's in the cannon? Kratos quite certain Zelos won't be happy in there, and highly doubts there's a single one of their companions who would be happy with this outcome, as well. Does he really think Colette's safety is more important than his own? Does he really rank Mithos above himself? Is Kratos surprised, if he does? (He is not, at least not about Colette. He knows how much Mithos and Martel love each other. That Zelos and Colette are the same is anything but a surprise.)

Still. He starts to speak, to argue the most important thing: that no one wants Zelos in the cannon because they all care about him and his safety, but Zelos does not give Kratos the chance to get even a word out.

Zelos makes his claim, and Kratos' blood runs cold. He thinks-- of Mithos, just minutes ago, a furious but certain voice ringing out: "Put me in the cannon, then! Go on! I'll gladly burn this miserable fucking planet until there's nothing left of it!"

He wonders if Zelos' plans are so lofty, so thorough, so cruel. He does not think so, but he does know what an ether discharge such that Zelos speaks of can do.

"It's suicide, for starters," Kratos says, and saying it, acknowledging that perhaps that's what Zelos wants, makes his insides curdle with dread. "Is that your plan? Killing yourself so they can't use you?"

He shakes his head, anger snapping in his own core, anger because that's not fair, that doesn't fix anything. He's not known Zelos very long, he'll admit, but his heart still aches for the boy, a love quietly burning in his core that if pressed he will guess likely sits in his core for every Aegis, because he knows better than everyone but themselves the struggles of being one, and he knows as well as they do what it is like to be simply seen as a tool and used as such. The fact Zelos would so willingly throw his freedom away boils Kratos' blood more than anything else.

"They will keep using you, though," he argues. "The moment they can wake you up again. Do you want that? Do you want to be used?" And his voice shakes with how much he does not want that for Zelos, affection he is not sure how to express painted in tone. "There are other solutions to this problem, Zelos. You do not have to throw your freedom away."

"You're not fucking getting it, are you?" Zelos spits, the tremble to his voice carefully hidden behind his rage and the heat his ether produces as a result. Zelos scoffs, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "They can't put me in the cannon if I destroy it with me inside it! Hell, if I put my mind to it I can just blow up the entire fucking facility if I want to! One less cannon to worry about!"

Zelos huffs, breathing heavily. Honestly, he would be lying if he didn't admit to the promise of his own demise after he destroys the cannon being the most welcome part of the whole plan, but his fellow Aegises come first. The main idea is to deter Sylvarant by providing Tethe'alla with power, then destabilize Tethe'alla once Kratos and the others have destroyed Sylvarant's cannon, effectively stopping the war once again. Zelos is just a tool in that plan. Dying is simply a bonus.

But Kratos remains standing there, expression firm, not understanding the nuances of Zelos' decision. And how could he, anyway? He is not an Aegis. He doesn't carry the weight of the world on his shoulders the same way some rogue bastard Aegis like Zelos does. So "Whatever, it's not like I need you to escort me," Zelos scoffs, then turns on his heel again and walking forward and back home, letting that ticking in his core guide him. "I'll just find a Tethe'allan convoy and let them do the rest."

None of that.

Absolutely none of that.

Kratos gathers ether into his hand, light coalescing into a something like a spear. He throws it at Zelos-- a warning shot that goes by to the right of Zelos' head.

Is it drastic, to resort to force like this? Maybe. But the other option-- Kratos cannot do that. He cannot let Zelos walk away. He cannot.

Is it wrong, to use force like this? Does it make him as bad as the humans who hurt him, who hurt Zelos? Maybe. But at least he won't be shoving Zelos into a cannon.

"I can't let you do that," he says, voice steady, though his hands tremble with the weight of all he feels. "Zelos, I cannot let you throw away your freedom like this."

The ether spear that kisses the air to the right of Zelos' head stops him in his tracks, breath caught in his throat as the shot misses him and lands elsewhere before the Aegis. The air then stills, all of Zelos' body tense as he stares wide-eyed at where Kratos' ether landed, as he takes in the other blade's words.

He doesn't want to let Zelos go? When he's stolen away his freedom selfishly, undeserving of it as he doomed the rest of the world for it? Zelos grits his teeth. Why? Anyone with half a brain would let him go. It's the right thing.

He deserves this.

Zelos turns around again, slowly, face carefully hidden behind a blank mask as he regards Kratos, as he tucks away all his fear to the bottom of his being. A breathless chuckle escapes him. "What, you plan to stop me?" he asks, slowly breaking into a smile that is anything but gentle. "You really think you can take me on?"

Edited 2019-07-18 20:32 (UTC)

"Yes," Kratos says, without hesitation and without fear. He is quite certain, in fact, that he can take Zelos-- or at least, put up a fairly decent fight.

He steadies his stance, summons his sword, the flash of red that accompanies the blade bright and stubborn, stronger than it might be, otherwise. Leftovers of Mithos' discharged ether still sing in his veins, in his core. He pulls on them readily.

"Tell you what," Kratos calls, confident. "If you can defeat me in a fight, I won't stop you. I won't follow you, either, though I cannot make that promise for the rest of our companions. But you have to defeat me, if you want to go."

Edited 2019-07-18 20:52 (UTC)

Kratos sounds so confident, gets into a fighting stance, and just like that Zelos realizes his mistake. Really, he'd been kind of expecting to scare him off just by reminding him he's a fucking Aegis, but. What happens now? Zelos doesn't want to fight Kratos. Quite the opposite, honestly; he'd rather just walk out of here without any more events.

Something nervous squirms in Zelos' core, leaving him glaring and clicking his tongue. Zelos doesn't move. He's frozen in place again, trembling slightly as he tries to maintain eye contact with Kratos. "Don't be stupid and throw your life away like that," Zelos says, calm and collected despite his insides screaming at him to stop with this idiocy. He takes a deep breath and turns away again. "I think you should leave."

If Zelos expected Kratos to be deterred by the mere threat of battling an Aegis, then Zelos has forgotten who exactly Kratos considers his brother. So Zelos' bluff and bluster don't mean much to him, and he pays them hardly any mind. He's confident enough that he could win this fight, and if not, then certainly he will know when to yield before his life is threatened.

The point is not to win, anyway. It is to make sure Zelos is certain, certain that this is a decision he wants to make, is willing to fight for, and not a path he intends to take simply because it is easy.

Kratos gathers his energy and his ether.

Breathes.

Moves.

Light blades have the ability to lean into their element and cross short distances in the blink of the eye, and Kratos uses that to place himself in front of Zelos, now. Once before the Aegis, he holds out his hand and sends a blast of ether at Zelos.

Zelos feels the ether disturbance in the air right before Kratos even appears in front of him, the change alerting him, yet not preparing him for the blast of pure light ether Kratos sends his way next. All Zelos has the time for is a yelp and a raise of his hands, messy and crackling flames dancing on his arms as his sword coalesces in his hands.

He manages to parry the ether blast, hold it against his blade, and then swing it over to the left, releasing all that light off somewhere else away from them both. Growling and with his stance lowered and locked into something more ready for a fight, Zelos then turns his attention back to Kratos, glaring as he passes his sword to his right hand to release his left.

This is ridiculous. "What the fuck are you doing!?" he shouts, gesturing with his free hand. "You're gonna freak everyone back at camp out!"

"As if they have not already been scared shitless by you vanishing," Kratos counters, eyes blazing. He stands, watching Zelos, waiting for an attack he's not entirely sure is coming. "Did you think no one would notice? Did you think no one would miss you? Did you think any one of us would want you to hand yourself over to Tethe'alla?"

He issues those questions, and he waits. He will block Zelos, should Zelos try and go past him, but he does not wish to hurt Zelos unnecessarily.

Sheena helps to set the camp up, as much on autopilot as anything else. Her mind is still a little foggy from the ether overload, but it barely matters; she could do this in her sleep if she had to. It's done quickly enough, either way, and Lloyd makes his excuses to slip away from the rest of them.

She thinks about going after Lloyd - the idea of leaving him to deal with the aftermath of messing with his emotions doesn't sit right with her - but before she can make up her mind, the full weight of Zelos's emotional bleed slams into her, hits her hard enough to knock any remnants of ether haze from her system, as well as knocking the air out of her. What the fuck is happening to him? "I'm gonna go see if I can catch up with Kratos," she tells Malos and Anna, with a poorly-hidden wince. "I'm getting kind of worried."

With that said, she hurries off in the direction Kratos went, using the awareness of her link to Zelos to triangulate their position. She can see flashes of ether before she catches full sight of the two of them - a fight, then, and she clutches her cards in one hand, breaking into a full run. They come into view, and--

"Did you think any of us would want you to hand yourself over to Tethe'alla?" Kratos is saying, looking poised to attack. Attack again? Sheena freezes dead in her tracks, eyes wide, taking in the complete lack of enemies around them. If he's not being forced, why would Zelos--?

"What," she starts, a little too quiet, the words dying in her throat, and then: "Zelos?" It's more uncertain than she'd meant for it to be, heart pounding too loud with anxiety, but-- what the fuck?

Kratos' words feel like a slap across the face for Zelos, yet another powerful reminder of his flawed logic and the lack of thought he's put into his plan. The shame that it leaves behind descends deep into his core until it touches the bottom of his being, then burning in the destructive, angry flame that rests there. Shaking slightly Zelos growls again, swiping a hand through the air in pure desperation. "Fuck you!" he snaps, all fury and fear and pain. "We are at war. We don't get the privilege of choosing what we want to do when there's--!"

Zelos chokes on his words. He's stopped, abruptly, by Sheena's voice cutting through their argument, and he turns his head to see his driver standing right there in-between the trees. His grip on his sword falters momentarily, expression reflecting all the horror in his core as Zelos realizes he's stopped holding the emotional bleed close.

This is bad.

Cold fear grips at the top of Zelos' core, and right there he remembers to enclose it in his hands, snapping the emotional bleed's flow once again, expression smoothing into something blank. How many times has it been now that he lashes out like this, that he fails his own driver? How many times Zelos he put Sheena on the spot, how many times has he been an ungrateful bastard to the people who rescued him and want to help him rescue his sister, how many times has he put them all in danger?

Where do the limits stand? How far has he pushed?

Just how much more of him and his idiocy are these people going to stand?

He should apologize, he knows. But standing where he is, in this second that he takes to just stare at Sheena, Zelos' tongue feels more like lead in his mouth, all his thoughts and words inadequate and shameful. Panic, for a second. And in that second the flame in his chest melts away at the ice, anger and fear mixing together in a dangerous, powerful emotion that moves him like a puppet, saying,

"Get the hell out of here. You shouldn't be here."

Edited 2019-07-19 15:33 (UTC)

Zelos catches sight of Sheena, and just like that, the emotional bleed snaps closed, leaving Sheena with nothing but her own worries and some echoing fear. That expression on him is enough to make her want to flinch with guilt and apologize, but - it's not like she's done anything wrong, here.

Being told to fuck off is… a little more hurtful than she would have expected, but more confusing than anything, really. She frowns, shooting a glance at Kratos to make sure her gauge of the situation isn't too off before fixing her gaze on Zelos again. Well, prying into it is only going to make things worse, when it's the two of them. Better to just--

"If you guys are ready to come back, sure," she says, brightly, pulling a smile onto her face that doesn't reach her eyes. "Camp's all set up."

Edited 2019-07-20 02:28 (UTC)

Kratos considers Sheena, then dismisses his sword. If Zelos moves again, it's not like it'll take more than a thought to summon it back. Perhaps violence isn't the answer, anyway. He waits, for a moment, sees Zelos hesitate. The words fill Kratos' throat before he can even mull them over, fill his throat and fall out of his mouth because they matter and they cannot be held in.

"You have a choice, Zelos," he says, softly. "It does not matter if we are at war-- you have a choice. That's what being free means. No one, especially not Tethe'alla, can tell you what to do, anymore. And Tethe'alla will not tell you what to do ever again, as long as I draw breath."

He wonders if this is too much, a step too far, but the words do not stop filling his throat and then bleeding out.

"If what you want-- what you really want-- is to march back to Tethe'alla and destroy their cannon, then fine. I will not rob that choice from you. I could never, not if it is your choice. I will tell you that your current plan is foolish, and that your pain at Tethe'alla's hands is not worth the freedom and safety of anyone else, but I will not stop you. You deserve a choice, Zelos."

He breathes. His eyes flicker over to Sheena, somewhat embarrassed, but he feels this must be said and is not sure when else he will get the chance to say it, does not want to let it go until it is too late.

"And... right now, you have the freedom to choose. So." Heart hammering, Kratos swallows. "Please. Make your choice."

Even if the smile doesn't reach her eyes, the single fact that Sheena's smiling, or at least attempting to, turns everything Zelos thinks he knows about the situation on its head. What? He draws a sharp breath and takes half a step back. Honestly, Zelos had expected to get screamed at again, or to be questioned, to be told he's a disappointment and untrustworthy, to be fought two on one; anything akin to a punishment, things he deserves for his unruly behaviour. Yet instead here's his driver offering a way back, quite obviously trying to remain calm about it all.

It's a lot to take in, at once. Especially when Kratos speaks up next, snatching Zelos' attention and holding it with his words. The Aegis' grip on his sword tightens just a touch, flames crackling gently in the following silence after Kratos finishes his speech. The raging fire in his core is snuffed out by the cold droplets of fear and shame left behind, logic finally breaking through his more overwhelming emotional side as it is finally calmed, as Zelos finally finds some semblance of focus in the way the sun finally disappears from the skies and the area around the three of them darkens considerably.

And just like that, Zelos is left at a loss.

Slowly, Zelos lowers his sword, his shoulders slumping as the fight is exhaled out of his system. The choice that Kratos leaves in his hands is like a fork in the road, two different outcomes he can pick to follow: go back to Tethe'alla and die a martyr, or continue to live to rescue Colette and Martel. The hurting, angry part of his core that demands justice through destruction urges him to go back and follow through with the former, but the shamed and small bits of logic he sees reflected in Kratos' eyes tells him this is just an excuse for a pointless suicide.

Is that really worth it? Is putting himself in danger like that, undoing everyone else's hard work and the ground they've covered so far, really worth it just for a chance to get revenge and choose the way he dies?

Does that solve anything? Is it really that easy?

Of course not. It's so much more complicated than that.

Sheena and Kratos' silence is deafening, so finally, he makes a choice. With a simple thought the sword in Zelos' hand is dismissed in a flash of fire, head lowered to glare down at the ground instead of any of his escorts. Inhale, exhale. Try to calm down, slowly release the emotional bleed as some sort of peace offering to his driver, a silent apology for his words. It's not a whole lot, he knows, but it's his own way to communicate as he mumbles to the open air, "We should head back already."

Sheena falls silent, watching Kratos speak. What he has to say isn't anything at all like what she expected, but... that's good, she thinks. It's not something she can really imagine their world's Kratos saying, in this situation. She has every intention of following Zelos all the way back to Tethe'alla if he does insist on leaving, but Kratos isn't wrong. She freezes, not wanting to make it any worse by saying something dumb, just keeps her eyes on Zelos instead, tries to push her anxiety down away from the link, as he thinks. There's more than a little relief that she can't hide when he deflates, mutters something about going back instead.

"Yeah, okay," she says, as casually as possible, takes a deep breath to help herself handle the influx of emotions that hit her, to keep her voice even. There's a moment's hesitation, then she reaches out, pats him briefly on the shoulder in a way that she hopes is reassuring with a smaller, genuine smile. "I think it's your turn to cook, but let me know if you want me to take it," she adds, still aiming for that light tone. It's a little easier, this time.

If she manages to catch Kratos's eye on the way back to the camp, she mouths a very heartfelt "thank you" to him.

Edited 2019-07-22 00:06 (UTC)

The next night, after camp has been set up, Kratos decides he has a question that's bothering him that he cannot let go unanswered much longer. So, he seeks Sheena out.

"Sheena?" he asks, fiddling nervously with his fingers. "Would it be alright if we had a word? There's something I wanted to ask."

Sheena looks up in surprise, not expecting Kratos to be looking to talk to her at all. She's just checking her supplies, taking stock of the few ninja tools she still has left besides her main weapons - nothing that can't wait.

"Yeah, that's fine," she says, getting to her feet. "What's up?"

Kratos nods cautiously for them to move a little bit away from camp, for privacy, and once they have, tries to gather his words.

"It's... a somewhat difficult question, so I understand if you feel uncomfortable answering, and would prefer not to," he opens with, because he likes giving people an out. "But I suppose I was wondering about... the Kratos you know."

His eyes drift away from Sheena and to camp, watching Lloyd for a moment as he mulls his thoughts over. He remembers, clearly, a conversation with Anna. ("I don't think he hates you," Anna had said. "I just think he doesn't know what to do with you? He said he barely knew his Kratos. Apparently he left?" And he remembers the twist of confusion and anger in her mouth as she said it, like she couldn't quite fathom Kratos leaving Lloyd. Kratos admits he's in the same boat.)

"Anna said he left Lloyd," Kratos says, drags his eyes back to Sheena. "And I'm still- It's difficult for me to imagine a world in which I would make a decision like that. So I suppose I'm trying to understand." He does not say that the notion of abandoning his son bothers him, but it's probably clear enough in the clench of his fists and the tone of his voice.

Sheena just nods as he clarifies, as much to show she doesn't mind as to show she's listening, watches him deliberate. She pauses to wonder why he'd ask her and not Lloyd, but sets it aside in favor of being glad he did. Lloyd doesn't need to have this dragged up again, really. It's easier for her to talk about it.

"I kind of wonder that, too," she says, with a humorless laugh. "I can't really say I know all of the details, but..." She takes a slow breath, uses the time to gather her thoughts. Where does she start, with a topic as broad as 'reasons Lloyd's dad is the worst'?

"Our world was... pretty messed up," she starts, runs a hand through her bangs. "In a lot of different ways, but-- the important part is that the Kratos from our world was one of the people responsible for messing it up in the first place." Sheena hesitates, because maybe that's not entirely fair? But for all that they'd helped, Yuan and Kratos had let Mithos do what he wanted to the worlds for thousands of years, at least - and she can't think of any way to articulate that without bringing up Mithos to begin with.

"I think maybe some of the reason he left was just the guilt of Lloyd having to be the one to take on most of the burden of fixing it? Staying would have meant facing everything he'd done, and..." If she'd been frowning thoughtfully before, it's something darker now, anger on Lloyd's behalf rising up in her as she continues, and she remembers belatedly to try and close off her end of the emotional link. "Even if his son needed him, I guess that was too much for him."

She realizes then that he might think her scowl is meant for him, and, well - he seems better than the other Kratos, so far, at least. So she pulls her face into something a little more neutral, lets out a laugh that isn't quite so dry as she says, "Sorry. I guess I'm still a little mad about it."

Kratos blinks. He's the reason Lloyd and Sheena's world was messed up? Sheena did say he was only one of the people, though, and Kratos can assume well enough... if their two worlds are reflected as closely as they same to be... Mithos was one of the others, wasn't he? He wonders if Martel was also involved, or if she died in that other world, too, and then decides to stop thinking about that.

He tries to fathom a guilt so strong he'd abandon his son (in a time of need!!) in order to cope with it, and still comes up short. He knows... maybe he's not the bravest man in the world, so he can kind of understand running from problems rather than facing them (he HAS been in hiding for the past four hundred years, after all, did not have the courage or the means to stop any wars after the first--) But that's different, isn't it? And he'd still like to think he'd do... anything, for Lloyd. Anything, so long as it meant Lloyd's happiness, and safety, and.

Oh.

Did he think Lloyd would be better off without him? Is that it?

Does that excuse it?

"You don't have to apologize," Kratos assures Sheena, scowling at his own sudden grasp of self-awareness, and how much he hates its taste. "I think you have every right to be upset. That was a foolish and selfish thing to do. Assuming Lloyd that did not need him, or want him..."

(As if he can judge. As if he would not do the same, as if there have not been a million decisions he's made because he's just assumed he is overstepping boundaries and asking too much and so better to ask for too little, for nothing at all--

Can he really say he's better? He wants to say so, wants to say because he's trying, but-- Is that enough? Is it up to him to make that call?

He hates this. He wishes he could punch that other Kratos in the face.)

He takes a deep breath, counts up to three, stops there because it's not really helping his anger. "Is it too late to tell him he's full of shit?" he asks, somewhere between tired and hoping. "I know I'm-- Sometimes I overthink things too much, so it might not be too hard to set him straight."

Sheena makes a little hum of agreement, eyes still on Kratos as he thinks it through. Lloyd had mentioned that he seemed like a better person than their Kratos, and she'd believed him, especially after yesterday, but - that's not the highest bar to clear. Hearing him condemn his alternate self's actions helps cement her view of him a little better, at least.

"I wish," she says, shaking her head, and looks like she means it. She wouldn't exactly turn down the opportunity to punch Kratos, either, if it was offered. "When everything was over, he took the rest of the organization he was part of and left into space. It's been about six months, so..." Sheena shrugs. "I'm not sure even Origin's power could do anything about it, now." Well. Maybe? She sets that idea aside for later, unlikely as it sounds to her ears.

well, seeing as importing a decent supply of coffee to aselia would be unreasonable, yes

Motherfucker left his son for coffee

coffee never hurt him!!

BUT LLOYD DID?

I MEAN, NO, BUT

THEN WHY'D YOU LEAVE HIM, MAN

LOOK WE AREN'T TALKING ABOUT ME RIGHT NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU

WHEN DID I LEAVE FOR COFFEE

ARE YOU NOT LEAVING RIGHT NOW

YES BUT THERE'S NO COFFEE INVOLVED

THERE COULD BE COFFEE INVOLVED

ARE YOU ASKING ME OUT FOR COFFEE?

YES

SORRY TO THIRD WHEEL YOUR COFFEE DATE BUT WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE

REBECCA IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK

ENLIGHTEN ME THEN

YOU COULD COME GET COFFEE, TOO

Zelos can't get anything with milk in it because he's lactose intolerant

Does he want soy or almond milk then

anxiety man strikes again

i love him

good someone has to

WE ALL DO

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