Disclaimer:I don't own anything!
Author's Note: I think I'm cursed. Every year, I get sick after the first week of school. It sucks.
Does anyone know anything about applying for college? No one seems to want to tell me anything that might actually be useful, so advice would be extremely appreciated. I never thought college would scare me this much—and I'm not even anywhere near having to attend it yet—but it does and I feel like it shouldn't.
-/-/-/-
I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see. I sought my God, but my God eluded me. I sought my brother and I found all three.
~Author Unknown
-/-/-/-
"He wants us to do what?"
"Infiltrate the ranches and free the prisoners." Yuan said, sharing half of his slice of bread with Kratos automatically, just like Kratos would always give him the bigger portion of food. It was a habit they'd learned on the road.
"I-I didn't know about these ranches."
Yuan didn't look at him.
"You did, though, didn't you? You knew about what the humans were doing in those ranches."
"I never knew specifics. All I know is that when humans attack a town, half-elves who aren't bought as slaves are sent to the ranch, where they get numbers and are made to work until they're bought or until they die."
Kratos stared at Yuan as though he was afraid that he would disappear if he looked away. It was a terrible thought that, if not for his father, Kratos might never have met Yuan and Yuan could have been branded and sent to one of those ranches.
"I never thought I'd actually be grateful to my father." Kratos said quietly.
Yuan understood the train of thought immediately. It wouldn't have been the first time Yuan had thought about what might have happened if things had gone differently.
(Sometimes, it was enough to keep him awake at night. Sometimes…it scared him more than the thought of drowning.)
"So what d'you think? Should we do it?" Yuan asked, dipping his bread into his lentils. "Help out Viren, I mean."
"I like the idea." Kratos said slowly. "And I want to help."
"But…?" Yuan prodded.
"I dunno. Feels weird is all."
"Good weird or bad weird?" Because Yuan trusted Kratos' instincts more than he trusted his own.
"Not really either of them, but leaning more towards good." Kratos hesitated. "What about Mithos and Martel?"
"He didn't mention anything about them. And Martel would never let Mithos come and she wouldn't come without Mithos." Yuan stirred his stew aimlessly. "I want to do something. To be honest, I've been getting a little tired of being so safe all the time."
"You're reckless." (And Kratos can't very well let him go alone. They're brothers and –and-someones.)
"That's what I've got you for." Yuan's eyes travelled to Kratos' side, where bandages were still wrapped and salves still had to be applied. That kind of wound was finicky no matter what you did with it. But at least he was alive. Yuan didn't think he would ever stop relishing those worse. Kratos was alive.
Kratos followed his gaze. "Don't start fussing." He grumbled. "The Healers fuss enough."
Yuan grinned a little. "And here I thought you would love women fussing over you night and day."
Kratos gave him a dour look before going back to his stew, which only made Yuan laugh.
-/-/-
Viren spent most of his mealtimes outside, eating as he walked wherever his feet took him. Suppers though, they were eaten at the mess hall. It's something he vaguely remembered his mother enforcing—eating at the table at suppertime.
"Do you mind if we sit?" Viren looked up, surprised to see a human standing in front of him. It could only be the Kratos he'd been hearing so much about.
"By all means." Viren said.
Kratos took a seat across from him and spooned his stew suspiciously. "…There's tomatoes in this, isn't there?"
Viren remembered being pleasantly surprised at that discovery. He hadn't realized that tomatoes were in season already. "Do you not like tomatoes?"
"He hates them." Viren blinked in surprise as Yuan plopped himself in the seat beside Kratos'. Yuan turned to the human. "And you didn't think to ask, did you?"
Kratos shrugged a little sheepishly. "I was hungry. The Healers finally said that I could eat proper food again. None of this bread dipped in broth and pothers all day."
Yuan rolled his eyes and switched their bowls. "And this is why you've got me. You know that Caryl is sweet on you, right?"
Kratos nearly choked on his first sip of water. "What?"
"Caryl." Yuan repeated. "The assistant cook?"
"I know who she is."
"Yeah, she's sweet on you. That or Martel suddenly got a really wicked sense of humor." Yuan liked that piece of news for more than the teasing opportunities that it presented. It was a sign of just how comfortable the half-elves were becoming around Kratos. Some of the warriors had even asked for Kratos' advice on swordsmanship and had invited Kratos to sit beside them for supper.
(Yuan wants to think that it isn't because Kratos has elven blood in him now, but he's not naïve enough to believe that that wasn't part of the reason that they were so much more comfortable with him now. They'd seen him bleed—humans were just as mortal as the half-elves were now)
Viren watched them interact with fascination. They bickered and talked with easy familiarity. It was like they weren't even aware of their difference in race or surroundings or, indeed, anything beyond themselves.
Kratos shook his head and broke a roll in half. "This is getting into the ridiculous."
"Is not. And a manticore would absolutely win in a fight against a chimera." Yuan turned to Viren, blue eyes very intent on him. "Well? What do you think?"
"A manticore or a chimera?" Viren repeated.
"Yes. Think about it, they're similar, but just different enough to make an interesting fight." Kratos said after swallowing his roll.
"Dare I ask exactly how this subject came about?"
"It's not our fault." Kratos-and-Yuan said immediately.
"Mithos mentioned it real quick over breakfast this morning." Yuan explained. "Apparently, he found one of his books that the mages gave him to study had diagrams and sketches as well as descriptions of both, and he was thinking out loud, so…"
"And we're split even." Kratos told him. "Martel and I think that the chimera would win—"
"And Mithos and I are all for the manticore. So we need a deciding opinion."
Verin munched on an apple as he thought about it. "Honestly, I think I'd have to go for the manticore."
"Ha!" Yuan grinned triumphantly. "You owe me chocolate, Kratos."
Kratos rolled his eyes a little, but he was still smiling. "Yeah, yeah." The human looked over at Verin. "He's going to start gloating now, so you might want to cover your ears."
Verin was surprised when a chuckle bubbled from his lips, even as Yuan shoved Kratos playfully. "I'm sure I can handle it." He said dryly.
"Careful, Kratos, or you might find some tomatoes slipped into your soup if you keep taking away my fun." Yuan grumbled.
"Stop whining." Kratos leaned his forearms on the table, suddenly an adult. Verin wondered if all teenagers were like this—children one moment, adults the next. "So, what, exactly, is this team you're putting together?"
Subtle as a battering ram, he was. Verin glanced to his left, somehow unsurprised to see Yuan smirking a little. "It's to infiltrate the ranches that the humans have placed my people in."
Verin was surprised at the lack of reaction at the venom he knew was in his tone when he said 'humans'. Kratos didn't seem to care at all. "Yuan mentioned that. How're you planning on doing that, exactly?"
"Once I get a decent amount of people, the specifics of the plan will come together."
"Uh-huh."
"Who else is on this 'team' of yours?" Yuan asked.
"So far, myself and a close friend of mine. Who is, actually...not here, strangely enough." Verin craned his head to look for the familiar features in the mess hall. It wasn't like him to miss supper… "Ah, there he is."
Yuan-and-Kratos turned, following Verin's eyes. The man walking towards them wasn't…tall, really, but neither is he short. He's human-stocky and his brown hair is braided like Verin's is, with beads tied into it that clacked with every movement of his head. His ears were rounder than most half-elves, but Kratos found something about him vaguely familiar, even though he was sure he had never met this man before. He turned to ask Yuan, but his best friend was on his feet, staring at the newcomer.
"…Zaren?"