As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

Dwarven Vow 15:
An luigh nach fhaighear cha'n ì a chobhras.
The herb that cannot be found will not provide relief.

2-

"I'm always so excited to visit Meltokio! I've never seen a town with so many people and so many things going on!" Colette was practically skipping as Zelos led her and Sheena through the entranceway of the Wilder Mansion. "The festival isn't until next week, but everyone is already celebrating. It's like a dream."

"That's just the way people in Meltokio are," Sheena hoped that she could calm Colette with logic, but it didn't seem to be working- especially with Zelos winding her up with his usual enthusiasm.

"You've never truly partied until you've partied in Meltokio, my darling Colette." Zelos walked with a flourish, motioning to the decorations that were hung up along the walls and windows. "We, here, know how to have a good time. And, of course, I'd be happy to give you some pointers-"

Sheena stepped forward between Colette and Zelos. "Uh, no. She's fine without your pointers, thanks."

"Oh, but I'm always happy to learn new ways to have fun-" Colette began, but Sheena cut her off.

"Not the way Zelos does it."

"I'm hurt that you think that, Sheena," Zelos sniffled, stopping by the base of the staircase. "I know plenty of sweet hunnies who love the way I have fun-"

"Don't give us that." Sheena didn't let him get any farther. "We didn't come by here to get serenaded by you. Colette wanted to see Seles."

Colette nodded. "I was so worried when I heard she had pneumonia! I wanted to make sure that she's alright-"

"Yes, Seles is coming. I informed Tokunaga when you came in." Zelos sat down on one of the steps with a sigh. "I'm sure she'll be glad to know that you were worried about her, even if she doesn't say so. The past few weeks have been tough for her, but her nurse, Hazel, says that she's definitely recovering. The advice is bed-rest for another week at least, but Seles should be recovered by the time that the festival begins. Meanwhile, I'm going to be on a vacation of my own."

"A vacation?" Colette sat down on the step beside Zelos. "You're not going to spend the festival with your family?"

Zelos shrugged. "Seles is the only family I'd want to spend time with, and she has friends here in Meltokio she wants to celebrate with. She told me that herself. So I figured, hey, why not enjoy the festival my own way?"

"Where are you going?" Sheena raised one eyebrow. "Altamira, I presume?"

"Actually, Flanoir."

"Flanoir?!" Sheena took a step back. "But I thought you hated the cold. What are you planning to do in-?"

"Chill out, will you?- no pun intended. I'm going to a ski resort. Gonna shred some slopes, hang out with some cuties, and watch the northern lights and the comet to my heart's content. Sounds fun, right?"

Colette gasped. "Oh, it sounds really fun!"

"I'm so happy to hear that." Zelos stood up and held out his hand to Colette. "I was so glad to see you two here to visit, 'cause I'd been hoping to have some friends to invite with me. Would you two like to come?"

Colette gasped as she grabbed his hand. "Really?"

"Absolutely!" Zelos winked. "What would be better in the cold than to have some sweet snow bunnies to cuddle with?"

"Snow bunnies? There'll be snow bunnies? I want to cuddle with a snow bunny-!"

Sheena placed a hand on Colette's shoulder, pulling her away from Zelos slightly. "No, Colette. I don't think that he's talking about actual snow bunnies."

"Why don't you let me explain what I'm talking about-"

"Big brother? You said there were guests for me?"

At the top of the stairs, Seles appeared, a plush blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a girl about her age standing by her side.

"Seles! Oh, it's such a relief to see you on your feet again!" Colette left Zelos and Sheena behind as she bounded up the stairs.

"Colette? You didn't come all the way here just to see me, did you? That's sweet of you, but you really don't have to worry. I'm alright."

The concern in Colette's face softened. "I know, but I just can't help worrying. You understand, don't you?"

Seles chuckled weakly. "I suppose. Thank you."

The girl beside Seles bowed respectfully. "Thank you for worrying about the mistress. Your concern is appreciated."

Colette blushed, waving her hands in front of her. "O-oh, you don't have to be so formal. Seles is my friend."

"Hazel, this is the girl I was planning to send the book to- the one in Iselia." Seles motioned to Colette, turning back to speak with her. In the meantime, Hazel dug into the bag that she was carrying and pulled out a stack of papers. "I promised I'd let you be the first to read the final draft of the new Lovelace book. We think Keys of the Heart is our best one yet."

"You think it's the best one yet. I still think Fortissimo is our best work."

Seles gave a slight "hmph" and ignored her brother's words as she pressed the papers into Colette's hands. "This one is about a concert pianist who's involved in a freak magitechnology accident that takes her left hand and claims her sister's life. Despite her desperate attempts to regain her former talent with only one hand, she is kicked out by the theater and left with nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and a secret that she can't reveal because nobody would believe her- that her sister's death was no accident."

Colette couldn't help drawing in a breath as Seles described the plot with such enthusiasm. Zelos, as well, hated to interrupt his sister considering he hadn't seen her this excited in weeks, but she was leaving out his contributions to the story.

"Then, of course, she's taken in by a talented singer who was also cast out due to a scandal involving half-elf lineage," Zelos spoke, stepping between Seles and Colette, "and learns that true music is not made by the hands, but by the heart."

"Also she finds out who killed her sister." Seles pushed her brother out of the way so that she could stand face to face with Colette again. "The text is not yet final, so there might be minor changes after our editor gets to it, but-"

"Oh, I'll treasure this!"

Colette and Sheena hadn't meant to spend much more time at the Wilder mansion than it would take to check on Seles' well-being, but her nurse had invited them in for a late tea-time, and it felt rude to refuse. The conversation was mostly carried by Colette and Seles, who talked incessantly about books until eventually Seles had exhausted all her energy and Hazel suggested that she should go back and rest. Zelos got up, offering to see the two girls out, but Seles requested that he come with her instead, so he called someone to escort Sheena and Colette out.

"Don't forget, my offer is still open," he spoke as he bade them farewell. "Skiing, festivities, snow bunnies- I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning, so at least think about it, will you?"

"Sure, Zelos." Sheena rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say. C'mon, Colette. It'll be dark by the time we get back, and I don't like flying rheiards in the dark."

"Oh… okay… Bye, Seles! Bye, Zelos!"

As the two walked out into the town, Sheena started to talk again as though she was anxious to say something after being fairly silent for so long. Colette listened, but didn't reply. Eventually she stopped altogether, and had to clear her throat in order to get Sheena's attention and not be left behind.

"Something wrong, Colette?"

"I, uh, was just thinking… wouldn't it be nice to spend the festival here in Meltokio? For me, I mean. I'd get to see a new kind of celebration I'm not used to, I wouldn't bother Lloyd and Kratos during their family time, and I could-"

"You want to go to Flanoir with Zelos, don't you?"

Colette looked down at her feet.

"I… don't want to inconvenience any of my friends. Lloyd is spending time with his father, Genis has classes at his university to worry about, you've got responsibilities in Mizuho, Professor Sage is on an archeological excavation… I hardly get to see my friends nowadays, and no matter how you might feel about him, Zelos is my friend too…"

Sheena closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Colette. I give Zelos a hard time, but he's a good guy deep down, and I won't be mad if you go with him. I guess all of us have just been so busy, we haven't thought much about making time for friends."

"No, I understand! I'm busy too! I just wanted to spend the festival with a friend, that's all. Would that be okay…?" Colette's shoulders were hunched over embarrassedly, so Sheena took a step closer and placed a hand on one shoulder to relax her.

"Tell Zelos that, if he tries to put the moves on you, I'll beat him up. Okay?"

A bright smile spread across Colette's face.

"I'll tell him that! …whatever that means."

"Well, she unfortunately doesn't match any reports of missing people in the area, but as far as we can tell, she's telling the truth- or at least genuinely believes what she's saying."

Lloyd paid rapt attention to what the officer was saying to Miss Lucia, trying to figure out what they were going to do about Ida. After finding them in the break room and hearing their tale, her first reaction was to call the authorities. She was surprised when Lloyd and Ida agreed, but made an effort not to show it.

"The doctor says that there's no sign of any injuries that might account for her amnesia, but it's possible that there's a magical explanation. We don't have enough information to say yet. We'll simply file a report and see what people in other jurisdictions say. The length of her hair is an interesting feature, and that might help us figure out where she came from."

"Where will she be staying until you can find more information on her? She's too old to be taken into an orphanage, isn't she-?"

"She requested to stay with Lloyd Irving, actually, and we have no reason to keep her in our custody. So long as he's willing to support her for the time being and we can contact her if necessary, she should be fine."

"Lloyd!"

There was genuine warmth in Ida's eyes as she ran up to him, waving her hands excitedly. He was happy to see her- when they'd dragged her off to be interviewed by officials and looked at by doctors, he was worried he'd never see her again. But here she was, all smiles, with a new set of clothes and her hair tied up in a loose bun.

"Ida! Thank goodness!" Lloyd reached out and grabbed both of her hands. "I can't tell you how worried I was when they said they wanted you to see the police and a doctor and-"

"I'm fine, Lloyd. The doctor was very nice, and she said she couldn't find anything wrong with me. They gave me these new clothes too- isn't the skirt cute?"

Lloyd laughed softly as he watched her admire her outfit. She had gained so much enthusiasm in such a short amount of time. Perhaps it was the fact that, despite her confusion about her identity and origin, she now had the knowledge that there were people looking out for her and she had a place to go no matter what happened.

"Excuse me, Miss, but we need you to look over this paper before we finalize the report."

One of the officers approached Lloyd and Ida, holding out a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. Lloyd looked over her shoulder to see statistics such as "woman, mid-twenties," "brown eyes," "hair length 220 cm." Ida, however, was hung up on the identification name.

"N.N.? Are those supposed to be my initials?"

"Nomen nescio," the officer answered. "It's just a term we use for people that we're unable to identify. It lets everyone who reads the report know that we don't know your true identity yet."

She frowned in response. "But I'm Ida."

"Ida? That's your name?"

"W-well, not my real name, probably... but..." She glanced over at Lloyd uneasily. "...even if my name is something else, I want to be Ida for now."

The officer thought it over for a moment and gave an amused sigh. "Very well, then. I'll write down 'answers to Ida.' You never know what might help identify someone."

"Thank you!"

Once all the commotion fully died down, Lloyd spoke with Miss Lucia and convinced her (somehow) to allow Ida to work at the cafe- just bussing tables and refilling drinks for customers. With the influx of tourists Luin was going to have soon, Lucia couldn't argue with the need for extra help around the cafe, and having Ida as a temporary employee would allow her to keep tabs on the girl.

"What a night," Lloyd groaned as he began walking back to his home. Ida was following behind him like an obedient dog- similar to the way Noishe sometimes did when he visited. Lloyd hadn't seen Noishe in a while, and just assumed that the creature was following Kratos around instead of him. Should he be jealous? Probably not, but that didn't help a feeling of discomfort about Noishe's absence. "I want to go straight to bed and crash, but we should probably have dinner first. Is there anything special you'd like me to make? The market is just down the street- they may be closing up now, but I can still get a few things if I hurry."

The house was a tiny place, big enough for just a bedroom, bath, and kitchen, but it was a place all his own, and Lloyd was proud of the life he'd built there. Every paycheck from the café job brought him closer and closer to having his own boat and setting out on his dream adventure, and that made all the difficulties of day to day life worth it in the end. Ida made herself comfortable in the plush chair near the door, watching as Lloyd retrieved a cookbook from the nearby shelf.

"Take a look through here and see what you like."

Despite Ida's amnesia, she had no trouble reading, it seemed. "The mysterious gourmet, Wonder Chef...? Oh my, there's so much here. How about this one?"

Lloyd leaned over the book to see it and cringed in disgust. "Spaghetti? Gee, I wish we could, but... uh... y'see, the price of tomatoes nowadays is through the roof. I mean, crazy high. I'd like to treat you, but I just can't afford a luxury like that right now, so... if you want something with pasta, how about this carbonara instead?"

While Lloyd went to the market to get the ingredients they needed for dinner, Ida followed the doctor's instructions and took a bath, washing her hair thoroughly and brushing it to keep it from matting. By the time that Lloyd got home and finished cooking, she had emerged from the bath, dressed in a set of night-clothes she'd been given, trying desperately to dry her mass of hair.

"After dinner, will you help me brush my hair? No matter what I do, I can't seem to get all the knots out of it."

"We should at least cut it- just to a manageable length," Lloyd replied. "But for now, uh, let's get some dinner. You're hungry, right?"

'Hungry' was not the word he should've used to describe it. Ida ate ravenously, claiming she felt like she hadn't eaten in years. She didn't eat much, considering, but Lloyd mentioned that going a long time without eating causes the stomach to grow smaller, and he didn't force Ida to eat more than she wanted.

They took a seat by the door, Ida sitting in the chair and Lloyd working around her with shears to snip off what he could of her hair without taking away from her appearance. He cut it so that it still fell to her waist; a fair length all things considered but much more manageable than she'd had before. Once that was done, he tied it back to keep it out of her face, and stepped back to observe his work. He'd caught glimpses of her face before, so he didn't expect to be caught off-guard, but when he came face to face with her, he stopped abruptly.

"…Ida… you…"

She tilted her head in confusion. "Is something wrong, Lloyd? Is there something on my face? What's with that look-?"

Lloyd stiffened as he realized that she didn't have a decent grasp of what was going on- and neither did he. "Oh, n-no! Nothing's wrong! I'm sorry, for a second, you looked like someone…"

"Looked like someone? As in, someone you know? You might know who I am?" Ida jumped to her feet and reached forward to grab Lloyd's hands. "If you recognize me, then-"

"Ida, stop. You can't be the person I think you look like."

Her expression fell. "Why not?"

"That person died many years ago. She died when I was young, so I barely remember her. The only reason I know you look like her is that I have a picture. I didn't mean to get your hopes up, I was just surprised."

"…" Ida took a step back, sitting back down in the chair once again. "…oh. I see. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset."

"N-no, you didn't! You can't control what you look like. I mean, Luin was her hometown, so it's possible you and she are related somehow. If that's the case, we might be able to find your relatives, or at least people who might know you!" Lloyd waved his hands, taking a few steps back into the kitchen. "Um, anyway, it's getting late, so we should probably turn in for the night. I can sleep in the chair if you'd like to take the bed-"

"I can sleep in the chair," Ida responded before he finished. "Do you have a blanket?"

"I have plenty. I'll get you several."

Within a few minutes, Lloyd had done his best to make Ida comfortable, and she fell quickly into a deep sleep. Worried for her safety, Lloyd stayed in the kitchen, sitting at the table to keep an eye on her. He couldn't focus much on her, however, as his eyes kept wandering back to his own hands. Sighing softly, he began to trace his finger around the perimeter of his exsphere, examining the stone carefully. Ever since he'd learned of the true nature of exspheres, he found himself fascinated by looking at it and feeling the soft glow of energy it gave off. It was as though his mother were still there with him, comforting him and encouraging him. Tonight it felt no different, but… Lloyd himself felt different. Eventually satisfied that Ida was safe, he went back to his bedroom and changed into pajamas. He knew that he was going to work early in the morning and needed to rest, but his mind wouldn't shut down. As he lay in bed trying to decide whether or not to turn out the light, he reached over and plucked a locket off the nightstand. It was one he kept close to him at all times, but hadn't looked into much recently. Maybe, he thought, his mind was playing tricks on him. But as he cracked open the locket, there staring back at him was an all-too familiar face.

"…Mom? Do you know anything about Ida? Why does she look like you? Why can't she remember anything? Who is she…?"

Lloyd waited for a moment, but the answers didn't come. He set the locket back down on the nightstand and turned out the light.

Perhaps it would make more sense in the morning.