[Oh yeah no he's totally freaking out internally on a daily basis, he's just mastered the art of playing it cool at all times. At most times. Okay getting in touch with his human side again has made it weird but it's fine.]
Venom usually needs to be injected into the bloodstream to really be effective. If you take care to discard it somewhere far enough away from where animals graze, it should be fine.
[Dude you need to learn how to express your freaking out so you don't hypothetically explode into a bird kaiju.]
Yeah, alright. I'll do that, then. [It feels less weird than, you know, handing over a glass of mouthjuice to magey science types and holding for the best. Might be good to take a walk, anyway.]
Hotta say, this definitely isn't something I'd really though about having to dral with... At least none of Sophia's tree changes stuck around. [To his knowledge, at least. But that does remind him:] Sometime I should see how Flynn's doing and see if he's still got those weird metal scale things. Maybe it's just something about where we were?
If she's had any lingering changes, I haven't noticed and she hasn't mentioned them.
[she hasn't been sprouting any more flowers, or plucking them FROM HER BODY to give to him. It was real weird Lloyd, Kratos is so glad shit is mostly normalish again.]
It's possible that you simply stumbled into a more concentrated pocket of incense. And I'm sure Flynn would appreciate it if you checked up on him...
[actually wait, bringing that whole event up reminds Kratos of that nice awkward chat he'd kind of had with Yuri about it?? Where he'd almost snitched but not quite???]
[A nod, considering. They were pretty deep. And it effected them similarly. Who knows, really. It's just annoying that it's lasted so long--
Oh, but then Kratos is asking about his exsphere. And he nods.]
-Oh, yeah. I mean, it's looking way better. [He'll lift his hand to show it off. Still scales across the back of his hand trailing up the arm. But the key crest looks normal, and the gem is a soft blue again.]
When I transformed that time, it was kind of pouring out this gross stuff. But after I turned back, it wasn't so black and gross looking.
[Look man HE DOESNT KNOW. weird corrupted incense mana and the stone had to barf it out???? Unrelated??? How do these weird half-living parasite rocks even work.]
[that is pretty concerning... But the stone seems to look fine now? Had the build up in the exsphere been the reason that Lloyd had transformed this time, or had the transformation just been what was needed to... What, clear the stone out? How does it work? fucking magnets?
Kratos hm's, reaching up to take Lloyd's hand and move it a bit while he leans in for a closer look. Being more concerned with Lloyd, naturally, he fails to notice that his own stone isn't quite as clear as it once was. It's a subtle difference, one that probably wouldn't be noticeable unless it was placed next to an Exsphere as clear as Lloyd's anyway. So it's probably fine, right.]
It does look fine now... I suppose whatever is going on with your skin here isn't related to what happened to your exsphere, then.
[Yep. Pouring. It was pretty distressing at the time, and he nods.]
Yeah. Like-- I thought I was melting, for a bit? With all that weird sludge just covering everything. And then being so deep in the incense, you start freaking out way more than usual, so... things went downhill pretty fast after that.
[He just. Lets Kratos inspect it. It's cool, dude. It's concerning, especially when you consider how much more influential over the body a cruxis crystal is in comparison. Experimental high-exsphere or not, Lloyd definitely isn't bonded with his gem the same way Kratos is.]
The scales.... started before that, I think? After Kiichpan, maybe? But they're definitely worse now.
[Hmm... he really has no idea.] Salamander said something about the spirits here being 'corrupted' when they were sealed, and the incense is kind of an effect of that right? Maybe it has something to do with the Mana here not being right?
[Probably an understatement. Kratos had already felt bad about not being around when it happened, and maybe he's thinking too hard about it, but this just makes him feel kinda shittier. He can't quite hide the concern that crosses is face as he releases Lloyd's hand, but he at least leaves it at that.]
I wonder what it was that corrupted the spirits to begin with... Something like that wouldn't simply happen with no explanation.
Mm. [Just a hum. Like... yeah, it was. But what can you do? He was freaked out for a bit after, but... he's pretty much come to terms with it.] It was, at the time. But the more we figure out, the more I kind of get it.
[Just like he'd say over and over to Colette- She's still herself. He's still himself. No matter what happens.]
...That's what I want to find out. Because if there's something bigger, than wouldn't it just keep corrupting other stuff? Like the coterie leaders, if they inherited the spirits power?
[He takes his hand back, rubbing around the mount of the key crest a bit.]
And it's not like anyone can just leave. And more people keep showing up. So it's almost like.... something is broken. Like people shouldn't slip between worlds like this.
People shouldn't slip between worlds like this. There are dangerous powers at play here, and we know next to nothing about them.
[Obviously.
He goes quiet for a moment, just mulling it all over in his head. Something corrupted the spirits, the spirits corrupted the coterie leaders, now they're corrupting the off worlders that have to collect the relics?? Who the hell knows how it all works, Kratos sure doesn't, but either way the implications are clearly bothering him. He's frowning a little more than usual, eyes idly fixed on whatever Lloyd's hands are doing.]
Yeah.... too bad I left the Eternal sword at home. That would have been useful. [Though would Origin's power even reach here? Who knows. Still, would have been nice to have a literal deus ex machina.]
But we're learning more, and I think we've got some good leads-- and it seems like most of us here actually want to do the right thing, instead of just trust that it'll work out.
[And his hands continue, but they're just idle motions. He can never quite stay still. But he does catch that staring-- likely Kratos lost in thought himself. But Lloyd offers a small smile, as though to be reassuring.]
-Hey, it's fine now. If it starts getting weird again... I'll let you know? Maybe it's related to how much incense I've been around.
[he doesn't know what sort of problems, but there would have totally been problems.
He happens to glance up when Lloyd smiles, awkwardly clearing his throat and straightening up a bit in an attempt to play it cool. It does the opposite and probably just makes him look even more tense. He's doing his best over here.]
Ah-- yes, please keep me updated. You're probably right, it may just have to do with incense exposure. I wonder if the Exsphere itself is absorbing it, or if it's drawing it from your body when you breathe it in...
[MORE mysteries!! because you can never have enough.]
Hmm, maybe. Or it could have done nothing. I mean, Origin hasn't been pulled here, I think.
[Though now he's wondering about the weird timeline stuff. What if an origin showed up that was still sealed? Could spirits even fall through weird holes in dimensions? Would the relic sprits get even more mad about it? It's way too big for him to even consider, so he won't.
Instead, he holds out his hand exepectantly.]
Okay-- How's yours doing, anyway? I know you're not in the incense as much as me, but after like six months it's probably worth looking at.
[SHIT man, it's too big for Kratos to consider, and he spends most of his time over thinking things. Which he starts to do again, until he's promptly distracted from it when Lloyd decides he wants to see his hand.]
Hm? I haven't noticed anything strange...
[he looks his crystal over briefly before offering his hand to Lloyd. Being all artsy like he is, Lloyd probably has a better eye for detail than Kratos does anyway. Probably best too get a second opinion.]
[Some of us have an EYE for DETAIL. And it's a good excuse to get a peek at a real key crest for a cruxis crystal, rather than his slapjack version for Colette that magically worked out great with no downsides except for where she started turning into a crystal and needed another one made of fancier stuff. His brows furrow, and he brings up his own hand, as if to compare?]
Is it usually kind of dim?
[They can do another comparison-- He pulls back long enough to pull the chain up from around his neck, bringing out the unused crystal they have on hand-- the one from a Zelos that had never set foot on Copalli. It's unbonded, though, so-- who knows.]
[Oooh HMMM. Seeing it next to not only Lloyd's Exsphere, but another Cruxis crystal does make the subtle change quite a bit more obvious. His expression only changes slightly, not really accurately portraying the level of concern he suddenly feels. He's not really afraid of transforming into something weird, but who knows how dangerous it could make him?]
...yes, it should be. I've been so distracted lately, I hadn't even noticed...
[he considers his options for a moment, staring at the stone in silence before almost hesitantly raising his other hand to it.]
Perhaps I should just remove it to be safe? I can still use most if my artes without it.
[just not the angel junk, and his strength and stamina would suck like a regular human and his spells would also suck... Man fighting is all he's good at, what do]
[Well... That's concerning. But maybe not too bad? Because it's been so long, and it's only a little bit dim. Not like Lloyd's after handled a relic that was the source of the stuff for, you know, like an hour. But... hmm...]
You could, but.... Any time you'd be in the incense is when you'd want it, right? That's the issue I ran into.
[Since they. Uh. Thought about him doing it, too.]_/small>
But there's gonna be way less incense around Coatepec, right? And if it took this long to even get that little bit different, you're probably okay.
[Though, wait, something is clicking--] Wait, like half your artes use magic. You wouldn't be able to still do those, right?
[Fine he will LEAVE IT for now. he takes his hand back, taking a closer look at his stone now that Lloyd's pointed out that it's all jacked up. And then he continues to stare at it when Lloyd asks him about his magic usage. Hmm hmm how to answer...
Okay, he's got it. Maybe. He finally lowers his hand to answer.]
I would be. They just wouldn't carry the same power behind them, as my Cruxis crystal acts as an amplifier for all of my abilities.
Edited (when u see a missed word 746874 hours later) 2022-05-14 01:56 (UTC)
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no subject
[Oh yeah no he's totally freaking out internally on a daily basis, he's just mastered the art of playing it cool at all times. At most times. Okay getting in touch with his human side again has made it weird but it's fine.]
Venom usually needs to be injected into the bloodstream to really be effective. If you take care to discard it somewhere far enough away from where animals graze, it should be fine.
no subject
Yeah, alright. I'll do that, then. [It feels less weird than, you know, handing over a glass of mouthjuice to magey science types and holding for the best. Might be good to take a walk, anyway.]
Hotta say, this definitely isn't something I'd really though about having to dral with... At least none of Sophia's tree changes stuck around. [To his knowledge, at least. But that does remind him:] Sometime I should see how Flynn's doing and see if he's still got those weird metal scale things. Maybe it's just something about where we were?
no subject
[she hasn't been sprouting any more flowers, or plucking them FROM HER BODY to give to him. It was real weird Lloyd, Kratos is so glad shit is mostly normalish again.]
It's possible that you simply stumbled into a more concentrated pocket of incense. And I'm sure Flynn would appreciate it if you checked up on him...
[actually wait, bringing that whole event up reminds Kratos of that nice awkward chat he'd kind of had with Yuri about it?? Where he'd almost snitched but not quite???]
Speaking of, how's your Exsphere doing?
no subject
Oh, but then Kratos is asking about his exsphere. And he nods.]
-Oh, yeah. I mean, it's looking way better. [He'll lift his hand to show it off. Still scales across the back of his hand trailing up the arm. But the key crest looks normal, and the gem is a soft blue again.]
When I transformed that time, it was kind of pouring out this gross stuff. But after I turned back, it wasn't so black and gross looking.
[Look man HE DOESNT KNOW. weird corrupted incense mana and the stone had to barf it out???? Unrelated??? How do these weird half-living parasite rocks even work.]
no subject
[that is pretty concerning... But the stone seems to look fine now? Had the build up in the exsphere been the reason that Lloyd had transformed this time, or had the transformation just been what was needed to... What, clear the stone out? How does it work?
fucking magnets?Kratos hm's, reaching up to take Lloyd's hand and move it a bit while he leans in for a closer look. Being more concerned with Lloyd, naturally, he fails to notice that his own stone isn't quite as clear as it once was. It's a subtle difference, one that probably wouldn't be noticeable unless it was placed next to an Exsphere as clear as Lloyd's anyway. So it's probably fine, right.]
It does look fine now... I suppose whatever is going on with your skin here isn't related to what happened to your exsphere, then.
no subject
Yeah. Like-- I thought I was melting, for a bit? With all that weird sludge just covering everything. And then being so deep in the incense, you start freaking out way more than usual, so... things went downhill pretty fast after that.
[He just. Lets Kratos inspect it. It's cool, dude. It's concerning, especially when you consider how much more influential over the body a cruxis crystal is in comparison. Experimental high-exsphere or not, Lloyd definitely isn't bonded with his gem the same way Kratos is.]
The scales.... started before that, I think? After Kiichpan, maybe? But they're definitely worse now.
[Hmm... he really has no idea.] Salamander said something about the spirits here being 'corrupted' when they were sealed, and the incense is kind of an effect of that right? Maybe it has something to do with the Mana here not being right?
no subject
[Probably an understatement. Kratos had already felt bad about not being around when it happened, and maybe he's thinking too hard about it, but this just makes him feel kinda shittier. He can't quite hide the concern that crosses is face as he releases Lloyd's hand, but he at least leaves it at that.]
I wonder what it was that corrupted the spirits to begin with... Something like that wouldn't simply happen with no explanation.
no subject
[Just like he'd say over and over to Colette- She's still herself. He's still himself. No matter what happens.]
...That's what I want to find out. Because if there's something bigger, than wouldn't it just keep corrupting other stuff? Like the coterie leaders, if they inherited the spirits power?
[He takes his hand back, rubbing around the mount of the key crest a bit.]
And it's not like anyone can just leave. And more people keep showing up. So it's almost like.... something is broken. Like people shouldn't slip between worlds like this.
no subject
[Obviously.
He goes quiet for a moment, just mulling it all over in his head. Something corrupted the spirits, the spirits corrupted the coterie leaders, now they're corrupting the off worlders that have to collect the relics?? Who the hell knows how it all works, Kratos sure doesn't, but either way the implications are clearly bothering him. He's frowning a little more than usual, eyes idly fixed on whatever Lloyd's hands are doing.]
no subject
But we're learning more, and I think we've got some good leads-- and it seems like most of us here actually want to do the right thing, instead of just trust that it'll work out.
[And his hands continue, but they're just idle motions. He can never quite stay still. But he does catch that staring-- likely Kratos lost in thought himself. But Lloyd offers a small smile, as though to be reassuring.]
-Hey, it's fine now. If it starts getting weird again... I'll let you know? Maybe it's related to how much incense I've been around.
no subject
[he doesn't know what sort of problems, but there would have totally been problems.
He happens to glance up when Lloyd smiles, awkwardly clearing his throat and straightening up a bit in an attempt to play it cool. It does the opposite and probably just makes him look even more tense. He's doing his best over here.]
Ah-- yes, please keep me updated. You're probably right, it may just have to do with incense exposure. I wonder if the Exsphere itself is absorbing it, or if it's drawing it from your body when you breathe it in...
[MORE mysteries!! because you can never have enough.]
no subject
[Though now he's wondering about the weird timeline stuff. What if an origin showed up that was still sealed? Could spirits even fall through weird holes in dimensions? Would the relic sprits get even more mad about it? It's way too big for him to even consider, so he won't.
Instead, he holds out his hand exepectantly.]
Okay-- How's yours doing, anyway? I know you're not in the incense as much as me, but after like six months it's probably worth looking at.
[lemme see your rock old man]
no subject
Hm? I haven't noticed anything strange...
[he looks his crystal over briefly before offering his hand to Lloyd. Being all artsy like he is, Lloyd probably has a better eye for detail than Kratos does anyway. Probably best too get a second opinion.]
no subject
Is it usually kind of dim?
[They can do another comparison-- He pulls back long enough to pull the chain up from around his neck, bringing out the unused crystal they have on hand-- the one from a Zelos that had never set foot on Copalli. It's unbonded, though, so-- who knows.]
I feel like it should be brighter than mine...
no subject
...yes, it should be. I've been so distracted lately, I hadn't even noticed...
[he considers his options for a moment, staring at the stone in silence before almost hesitantly raising his other hand to it.]
Perhaps I should just remove it to be safe? I can still use most if my artes without it.
[just not the angel junk, and his strength and stamina would suck like a regular human and his spells would also suck... Man fighting is all he's good at, what do]
no subject
You could, but.... Any time you'd be in the incense is when you'd want it, right? That's the issue I ran into.
[Since they. Uh. Thought about him doing it, too.]_/small>
But there's gonna be way less incense around Coatepec, right? And if it took this long to even get that little bit different, you're probably okay.
[Though, wait, something is clicking--] Wait, like half your artes use magic. You wouldn't be able to still do those, right?
[tell him about that rock you ate]
no subject
[Fine he will LEAVE IT for now. he takes his hand back, taking a closer look at his stone now that Lloyd's pointed out that it's all jacked up. And then he continues to stare at it when Lloyd asks him about his magic usage. Hmm hmm how to answer...
Okay, he's got it. Maybe. He finally lowers his hand to answer.]
I would be. They just wouldn't carry the same power behind them, as my Cruxis crystal acts as an amplifier for all of my abilities.