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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[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.]

And you cannot remember that at all? [Though he likely knows the answer already.]

None of it. [He has no recollection of the times he'd addressed Martel in his journal, but evidently he did do it. And she'd responded. It was really her.]

...then that's what they have taken away. [He doesn't even wonder why the Malnosso would choose that, not when it's so obvious.]

Obviously.

[It bugs him, but not just because these are precious memories. It's also because he's wondering if perhaps he's better off without them. He's sure that having been reunited with Martel again must've been wonderful, but it also meant he lost her again. The fact that she isn't in Luceti now is proof that.

He still remembers how he felt after Dhaos was sent home, though now he knows why that departure hit him as hard as it did. It hadn't been just about Dhaos. If the departure of someone not quite related to Martel had been so painful, imagine how it must've felt the times when it was really her.]

...shall I make dinner for us? We can discuss this further in the meanwhile, if you'd like.

[Kratos, you have no sense of touch. How is you making dinner a good idea?]

What's there to discuss? Unless it's a matter of life and death, I don't need to know whatever I've forgotten.

[Without further ado, he pushes himself past Kratos and into the hallway to lead the way to the kitchen.]

I was merely giving you the option. [He follows Yuan to the kitchen.]

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