- 88 [Action]

[fortunefail]

[With all these newcomers about, Yuan simply isn't comfortable staying at home. Against all better judgment, he ventures out into the village to have a look. Catch him anywhere, any time!

Later, he'll return to house #8 to find it ravaged, after Kratos had a little 'argument' with Lord Kvar. Wonderfully foreboding. What other surprises may lie in wait here?]

Comments

[devotedharmony]

Yuan. [He smiles, far more readily than he might once have. Spending years in a place like this with Yuan, away from the hierarchy of the Renegades, has made him somewhat more willing to show his emotions.]

This seems to be the most chaotic place we've been brought yet. I'll hardly regret returning to the town after this.

[fortunefail]

[Why is Botta smiling like that? Yuan doesn't remember Botta smiling too often. And does he not remember dying? ... What is he even talking about?]

... The town?

...And I was momentarily confused, too. orz

[devotedharmony]

[Immediately, the smile disappears from Botta's face. Not his Yuan, but one either brought here from elsewhere or trapped in this place.

He straightens his posture to stand at attention and drops his professionally neutral expression on his face. Which Yuan, then? Of the Renegades or of Cruxis? Or of something else entirely?

He'll need to proceed very carefully here.]

Forgive me, sir. It seems I was momentarily confused.

[fortunefail]

[Yuan may not have been used to the smile, but he wasn't expecting it to vanish that quickly, either. How could one short query cause such a sudden change in demeanor?]

A lot of people seem to be confused, today. [Like that Kratos and that Mithos who thought he was the leader of Cruxis. How preposterous is that?]

... Where did you think we are?

[devotedharmony]

Presumably, on a day trip. [If this Yuan was already in an enclosure such as this, it would be safe to say at least this much.] I've been residing in a location similar to this for some time. On occasion and without warning, we're permitted to leave for about a day, although we aren't permitted to choose the destination.

[His tone become somewhat dry.] And neither are we given the choice of whether we want to leave at all.

[fortunefail]

... Another world... [Another place similar to Luceti, drawing people in and toying with their lives. Wonderful. Free yourself of one prison and you may find yourself in another soon enough.]

When you say "we", who exactly are you referring to? [The underlying question being: Is Yuan included in this group? Botta should know him long enough to understand that.]

[devotedharmony]

[Botta knows exactly what Yuan is asking, but it's information he's reluctant to give just yet. Kratos and Anna and their worlds have left him cautious.]

Far fewer residents than there appear to be here. Typically, there are fewer than twenty in the enclosure I've been brought from.

[He knows Yuan will hardly be put off by the insertion of one detail to cover the lack of another, but his reaction should be informative.]

[fortunefail]

[Fewer than twenty is an interesting detail, as is the use of the word "enclosure", but it's still not what he wanted to know. It's not like Botta to withhold information, either. Not without good reason.]

You expected me to know about this.

[devotedharmony]

[And they are approaching the crux of the matter.]

Yes, sir.

[fortunefail]

[... And still he's not elaborating. It's a little disappointing to think that Botta actually believes he can hide something from Yuan. That he even wants to.]

What exactly is it that you aren't telling me?

[devotedharmony]

[Now is the time to be extremely careful with his phrasing.]

I believe that our experiences even prior to our captivity may not be identical, sir.

[fortunefail]

... An alternate timeline? [Dammit, if Botta brings up that nonsense about him being Cruxis leader again...!]

[devotedharmony]

Yes, sir. [Entirely neutral:] To date, I've met five separate versions of Kratos.

[fortunefail]

Five? [And here he thought two versions were already confusing.]

[devotedharmony]

Yes, sir. Four adults and one child.

[And that wasn't even counting the clone.]

[fortunefail]

That's... [He trails off, shaking his head.] I wouldn't want to be in your position, if you don't mind me saying.

[devotedharmony]

Currently, there's only one present. It's far more--manageable.

[fortunefail]

[He wasn't talking about the five Kratoses in specific, but he understands what Botta is saying.]

... In any case, welcome to Luceti. There are no day trips or doubles from alternate timelines. We're stuck inside this barrier to be guinea pigs and foot soldiers for a group of scientists calling themselves the Malnosso.

[Doesn't that sound appealing, Botta?]

[devotedharmony]

[Not remotely, no. That sounds significantly different from the place he's come from--and he can't say he likes it one bit.

He's silent for a while. The implications of Yuan's words are immense. If the "Malnosso" are able to contain one such as Yuan, their power would have to be equal to--or greater--than Yggdrasill's. His chances of returning home, or even to the town...well, that's a matter for later.

One problem at a time.]

"Guinea pigs," sir?

[fortunefail]

Guinea pigs. The Malnosso have a habit of testing their special technology on us, the captives. There is... nothing we can do to stop them.

[But he's been accused of giving up, before. He's been accused of that by both Lloyd and Martel, so he adds:] ... Yet.