shiningbinds | 5th sin

[Kratos is met with confusion when he awakens in the forest, clad in only the white pants and shoes given to men who arrive in Luceti.

What happened? He doesn't remember. There was the draft... both him and Yuan had fallen ill... but what after that? Nothing. Had he been killed? He's out here like this, so it was a possibility. Or was it? He has no recollection of being killed. So maybe--

--maybe he had been. As Kratos props himself up, he quickly realizes that he can't feel the ground beneath him. Shock floods him, and he shakily stands up. When he has to lean against a tree for a moment, he notices that he can't feel the bark, either.

He had been struck down. He doesn't remember it, but it had happened. And the penalty appears to be his ability to use his sense of touch.

It's disgustingly fitting, considering how many Chosen Ones he had led to become the exact same way.

The man allows himself to let the shock pass a bit before making his way back to House Eight. One may bump into him as he makes this journey, but while he'll be polite, he'll also act very rushed.]

[Yuan Only]

[After Kratos returns to House Eight and fixes himself up, he'll see if Yuan is actually home. He's probably caused the man... concern? Frustration? Who knows, with how complicated their friendship is at the moment. Either way, he should make his return known to the other man.]

Yuan?

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[Normally, Yuan would've emerged from his room the moment Kratos stepped through the front door, but he's a bit preoccupied. That is, he's fast asleep. While his schedule is still a bit off, just as it was before the draft, he's found that he no longer lies awake for hours on end. When he does sleep, he has a perfectly good night's rest. Or afternoon's rest, as it is in this case. Whatever it was that had caused his insomnia over the past half year, it's gone. Now it's just a matter of going to bed at the right hours.

Kratos can find him in his room, fully clothed but out like a light.]

[Kratos opens the door of Yuan's room, actually surprised by the sight. Perhaps a little amused, even. It's rare to see Yuan like this, isn't it?

He moves over to Yuan's bed, shaking him a little. He'd let the man rest normally, but considering the circumstances...

It's so abnormal, to not be able to feel himself attempting to shake his friend awake.]

[Kratos may have lost his sense of touch, but Yuan sure hasn't. The moment fingers close around his arm, he wakes with a start, eyes wide and alert. However, the realization of who's standing before him sinks in almost immediately and he lets out the breath he was holding.]

Dammit, Kratos. [He sits up, rubbing his face with one hand.] Just knock next time.

My apologies. [He moves his hand away from Yuan.] Normally, I would have. However, I suspect I've been gone for a while. [...] And how long has it been, exactly?

It's been over two weeks since the draft ended. ...Almost three. Apparently the Malnosso weren't in a hurry to get you back in the enclosure.

Almost three weeks... [Damnit.] How well have you been taking care of yourself while I've been gone?

[He has every right to ask this, of course. He has no idea of what's happened to Yuan.]

What sort of question is that? [Yes, he is agitated by the question. He knows he's been a bit terrible about taking care of himself the past few months, but he's gotten better about it.]

Is that really what you should be worrying about right now?

Considering that I've been absent for three weeks, I believe it's something I should view as a concern, yes. [Really, now.]

I'm not a child, Kratos! I spent more than four thousand years taking care of myself in your absence.

That may be true, but your ability to has worsened in recent months. Pardon my concern. [Yeah, he'll just move to leave Yuan's room now.]

[That passive-aggressiveness isn't helping Kratos's case any. Yuan moves himself out of bed to shout after him.]

Get back here! This conversation isn't over yet!

[He stops in his tracks, but says nothing.]

What'd they take? [No point beating around the bush for this one. He should hope that Kratos's loss is more apparent than Yuan's was. Not that he hasn't figured out what that is, by now, but he'll get to that later.]

[Kratos finds himself reluctant to answer, even if it's Yuan he'd be providing the answer to. As appropriate as this loss may be, there's also the mild sense of terror that comes with it.]

...am I not allowed to eat first? [His sense of taste should still be in tact, at least.]

You walk into my room to wake me up, and then you start complaining about eating first? [Good lord, Kratos.]

Now, I'm going to ask you again. What did they take?

[There's a lengthy pause before he answers. Before he's able to. Why is this so difficult?]

My ability to feel.

Oh. [That's not too bad, is it? As long as Kratos doesn't end up accidentally slicing his hand open or something, that is.]

You can always ask John to fix you up in a few months' time.

[It may be a good idea to start doing the cooking exclusively, Yuan...]

Hm. This is true. [He looks to Yuan directly again.] Has anything else occurred while I've been gone?

[Ah. Now here comes the point where he has to admit he was dead as well. He can't exactly avoid this one, because he needs to question Kratos about the penalty.]

... I was gone for about a week after the draft as well.

[Another lengthy pause.]

Is that so? [...] I see. And what is it that they've taken from you?

Memories. I think I've figured out which ones. [He went through past entries in his journal shortly after arriving back home, to see if he could find any discrepancies. And he did.]

Oh? [He waits for Yuan to possibly elaborate further.]

Martel... She was here, wasn't she? [In fact, according to the tally he made back in January, she'd been here five times already.]

[...so that's how the Malnosso played, was it?]

Yes. She's been here twice since I've arrived.

According to my journal, she's been here at least five times.

[Of course, he's been here far longer than Kratos. Still... If Kratos knows about two of those times, the other three likely happened as well. She arrived here five times and he can't remember.]

[House 8 action]

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