I'm sorry for the delay with this chapter. I was busy with moving and such, but I'm back on track with the update schedule now. As per usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

Dwarven Vow 23
'S math an sgathan suil caraid.
A friend's eye is a good mirror.

25-

The one thing Zelos didn't consider when looking for dinner was the fact that he'd been punched in the jaw. Sebastian brought him some of the pork roast that had been prepared for Seles, but Zelos could barely get through the first bite. He bashfully sent it back with a request for something softer, and Sebastian obliged without comment. He was always good at not adding insult to injury.

Zelos was sitting alone at the dinner table, finishing up a bowl of minestrone soup when Veronica found him. He wasn't interested in initiating a conversation, but he couldn't rightly avoid her once she started speaking to him.

"Zelos, dear, are you alright? Colette said that your jaw was hurt, and I wanted to check on you."

Zelos kept his eyes on his soup. "My jaw is fine. Don't worry about me."

"If it were really fine, would you be eating two-day-old soup instead of freshly roasted pork?"

Damn. She knew. "I just wasn't in the mood for pork tonight, is all," he defended.

Veronica sat down next to him. "Are you sure? That bruise on your face seems to say otherwise."

Zelos stiffened and one hand flew to the side of his face. "Is it that bad?"

"The entire left half of your chin is purple, sweetie."

"SEBASTIAN!"

At the sound of Zelos' voice, Sebastian appeared in the doorway of the dining room. "Yes, Master Zelos?" he asked, more pleasantly than he had any right to as far as Zelos was concerned.

"Why didn't you tell me that my jaw was all bruised?" Zelos demanded. "How long were you going to wait to say something?"

"I was waiting until the emotional turmoil of the conflict had subsided, Master Zelos. I know how you hate to have your appearance criticized while you're brooding over something. And I know that purple is… how did you put it... not your color."

Zelos sighed in defeat. "Right on both accounts. Thank you, Sebastian. You're dismissed for the evening."

As Sebastian disappeared back into the hallway, Veronica reached out to place a comforting hand on Zelos' arm. Her hands were wrinkled prematurely, her fingers long and bony, and yet Zelos felt surprisingly content with her presence. He couldn't find the heart to be upset with someone who was trying so hard for Seles. Gathering up the courage to speak again, Zelos finally asked about Colette.

"It's broken, isn't it?"

"Pardon?" Veronica looked up at him.

"Colette's nose," Zelos repeated. "I broke it, didn't I?"

She offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry so much. The fracture was restricted to the nasal bones, so there's no damage to the nasal septum. I've stopped the bleeding and provided her with some ice to reduce the swelling before I cast any spells. Colette was more worried about you."

Zelos groaned. "That's just like her, dammit. Why can't she worry about herself for once? For gods' sakes, I punched her in the face! She should be livid at me right now."

Veronica didn't move. "She said it was an accident."

"I mean, it was an accident that I hit Colette, but it definitely wasn't an accident that I threw the punch. That was on purpose."

"I see. Did the intended recipient have it coming?"

Zelos flashed her a glare. "You know he did."

"Then why did Colette step in?"

"Because she's Colette. And apparently fighting is the wrong way to handle our issues, and everything can be worked out by talking about our feelings."

It might've just been the tone of his voice, but something about his statement made Veronica chuckle. "Well, as a medical professional, I can certainly say that it's safer for your health to talk things out rather than, well, punching someone out."

"But not nearly as satisfying," Zelos replied.

"Perhaps not."

They were quiet for another few minutes as Zelos finished his soup. Veronica watched him, and once he finished, she cleared her throat and spoke again.

"Master Zelos, it may be overstepping my bounds, but may I say something?"

He glanced over at her and shrugged. "Sure. What is it?"

"You are usually such an easygoing, well-collected man, and yet… you seem to have quite a temper as far as people you care about are concerned- Mistress Seles, Mistress Colette, and now little Adora."

Zelos felt his cheeks flush. "If you're going to recommend anger management, I'm afraid I really don't have the time-"

"Oh, no no! That's not what I was saying at all." Veronica shook her head. "I know you're too smart to let your temper get the better of you. I was just commenting on the great amount of care you hold for the people dear to you. I admire that about you. So many men these days are too reserved and cold. You care. And while some people may consider that a weakness, I believe it's a special strength."

Zelos' expression lightened as she spoke, his frown turning up into an almost-confused smile. "Gee, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were praising me for picking a fight with Yuan. That's unexpected coming from you."

She smiled and shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't say who was right or wrong. That's between you, Colette, and Yuan. What I can say is that I'm here for you if you ever need me. I'll be here to support you no matter what happens."

Zelos let out a nervous laugh. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't expect you to go out of your way. You're really Seles' employee, not mine-"

"That's true. I understand. But I want to assure you that, if something were to happen to Mistress Seles, I will still be here for you and Mistress Colette. That, you can count on."

Her voice was confident, but the words she was using gave Zelos a bad feeling. "Are you… are you saying that something might happen to Seles?"

"What? Oh, no! That's not what I was saying at all! I was merely trying to assure you that my loyalty to you isn't simply dependent on Seles. I promise, I'd tell you if I had any immediate doubts about Seles' health or prognosis."

Zelos looked away. He didn't want to express distrust in her after all she'd just said, but something about her body language made it feel like she was withholding something. He opened his mouth to ask exactly what made her so sure of Seles' stability, but he didn't manage to get it out before he was cut off by a voice from the doorway.

"Um, is Zelos here?"

Colette peeked her head into the doorway and waved with one hand- her other hand was holding the bag of ice over the bridge of her nose. Zelos cringed at the sight of the ice and Veronica stood up with a gasp.

"I'm sorry, Colette! I didn't mean to leave you-"

"It's okay." Colette sat down directly across the table from Zelos and took the bag of ice off her nose. He was afraid to see how it was, but rather than some redness, it didn't look too bad. Probably better than his jaw looked, at least. "I wanted to talk to Zelos."

"I hope you're here to get back at me," Zelos offered, pushing the empty soup bowl to the side. "I could use a punch in the nose to get my mind off this bruised jaw."

"That, uh, doesn't seem like the best way to take your mind off of it." Colette giggled as though it were a joke, though Zelos had been completely serious. "Actually, I wanted to apologize to you."

Zelos groaned and dropped his head onto the table. "Here we go again. I punch you in the face and you apologize for it. Sometimes I wonder how much I could get away with before y-"

"No, that's not what I'm apologizing for," Colette interrupted. "I expect you to apologize for the punch."

"Oh. Good. Because I'm really, really sorry that I hurt you, and I can't believe that I-"

"Not to me. To Yuan. It was his nose you were trying to break."

Zelos sat up and banged a hand on his table. "Oh, come on! He was the one who started it!"

"That may be true, but I think Yuan was in the right." Colette reached across the table to grab Zelos' hand. "That's what I wanted to apologize for. I was so upset about what happened, I didn't take the time to explain what I was thinking. I should've stayed and told you why I said what I did."

That statement allowed Zelos a smile. "With all due respect, Colette, your nose was pouring blood. I think you were right to go straight to a nurse."

"I could've-" Colette began, but she let her voice trail off as she seemed to realize that she didn't have an argument. "...well, I guess you're right. But that's not what I need to tell you. I just wanted to explain to you why I made the decision that I did. I feel like I owe you that much."

"You don't owe me anything, but I'll bite." Zelos shrugged. "Why do you believe so strongly that Adora belongs with Yuan?"

She didn't even stop to think over the question. "Because he's her father."

Zelos crossed his arms and turned away. "I just don't think a child should be left with someone for the sole reason that he's her blood father."

"I don't either," Colette replied. "I believe Adora belongs with Yuan because he loves her."

"But you just said-"

"Yuan said something interesting to me the other night, though," she continued, cutting Zelos off. "He said that people are capable of doing horrible things out of love, and that it doesn't excuse their actions. I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but now..."

"I see. He really does feel guilty about it."

"More than that, he doesn't pretend that his love for her makes him somehow a perfect father. He's willing to admit that he's made mistakes and is trying to improve. You saw how acted tonight. He's devoted to her." Colette closed her eyes and sat back in her chair with a sigh. "I was raised by a father who was devoted to me even though he thought I wasn't his. Lloyd was raised by a father who was devoted to him even though he knew Lloyd wasn't his. It's not blood relation that makes a father, it's the love that he holds for his child. Yuan just happens to have both."

Zelos was quiet. He looked down at the table, trying to figure out what to say next. There wasn't much he could say, outside of acknowledging that she was right. If it was Colette, he could do that. But saying that would also be acknowledging that Yuan was right, and the thought still rubbed him the wrong way.

"If it helps," Colette spoke up again, "Kratos said the same thing about Yuan last night when we talked. You know that if Kratos is defending Yuan, he really means it."

Zelos groaned. "Man, now I've gotta defer to Kratos as well as Yuan? Why don't you just punch me in the face like I asked? It'd hurt less."

"Zelos." Colette sent him a pointed stare that was almost cute when you considered that it was the closest thing to a glare that she could muster. "Just because Adora belongs with Yuan doesn't mean you didn't do a good job of taking care of her. You did a great job. You're going to be a wonderful father someday. But we knew at the beginning of this whole charade that Adora couldn't stay with us- you said it yourself, even. We accomplished what we wanted to do, which was to reunite her with her family. And it's not like we'll never see her again. All we have to do is go down to the pottery shop and pay a visit. Alright?"

There was a short period of silence.

"Did you say all that to comfort me," Zelos began, having noticed a hint of tears behind her eyes, "or to reassure yourself?"

Colette blushed and smiled, wiping her eyes. "What's that old saying about killing two birds with one stone?"

"Oh, Colette." Zelos stood up, leaning over the table and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He leaned in for a kiss, but at the same time, his nose bumped against Colette's and the pursing of his lips caused a sharp twinge of pain in his jaw. Both of them jerked backwards.

"OW!"

Veronica stepped in, suppressing a giggle. "Here, allow me-"

She'd almost made it to Colette's side when the sound of Sebastian's voice from outside the door cut them off. "Master Zelos? I was taking my leave for the evening, but I wanted to let you know that your friends have returned."

"Which friends?" Zelos called back.

"All of them. It seems they met up and walked together."

Zelos groaned. "Great. Now we have everybody together to freak out about your broken nose…"

"It's okay!" Colette tried to reassure him as she picked up the bag of half-melted ice. "All you have to do is smile and say everything's alright."

"I'm pretty sure they've learned not to fall for that by now, Colette."

She just giggled and shot him a wink.

"You'd be surprised."

"Hey, you guys!" Colette ran to greet them, waving with her free hand. All their eyes were on the bag of ice she had over her nose, however- and, of course, the bruise all over Zelos' chin as well.

"Wh-what happened to you guys?!" Genis spluttered. He shrugged his coat off, tossing it onto the coat rack with Nika's and rushing to Colette's side.

"Don't worry about us," Colette assured him. "We're fine-"

"You are not fine!" Sheena pushed through the group to get to the couple. She grabbed Zelos by the collar and tugged him down so that she could look him in the eyes. "What did you do, Zelos?"

"Wh-why are you assuming it's my fault? I'm hurt too, you know!"

"Because I know that you're most likely the one who started it."

"Hey!"

Colette took Genis' hand and pushed her way between Zelos and Sheena. "Now, now. Whether or not Zelos started it isn't the issue. Everything's okay now, so let's not worry-"

"So you did start it!"

"I'm telling you, it wasn't my fault-"

Meanwhile, the rest of the group tried to ignore the argument. Nika helped Bianca with her coat while Lloyd helped the girl take off her mittens.

"Thank you, Mister Lloyd," she said with a smile. "If you want, I can help you with your gloves too!"

"Oh, would you? Be careful now- these are my favorite gloves. My dad made them for me." Lloyd offered his hands and let her tug the gloves off. She held them up proudly and then offered them back.

"They're nice. Your dad makes good clothes."

"Well, of course he does. Dwarves are good at making everything!" Lloyd beamed, and then turned to Raine. "Professor? We can help with your coat and gloves, if you like-"

"N-no, no!" Raine cut them off. "I'll, uh, just leave my coat here. My hands are still cold. And what was this I heard about Zelos and Colette getting hurt?"

They watched Raine as she pushed through the crowd, offering healing spells to Colette and giving Zelos a good scolding. Lloyd sighed and moved to help Colette, while Nika waved at Genis and started upstairs with Bianca in tow. It took a few minutes, but the combined efforts of Raine and Veronica quickly mitigated the damage and left both Zelos and Colette with little to show for their earlier altercation. Once they were sure that Colette was alright, they let her retreat to the dining room to eat before everyone gathered to help with the speech. Lloyd and Sheena went with her, and Genis and Raine headed upstairs to their room. Soon it was only Zelos and Veronica left, and while he wanted to get to the dining room to join the others, he was still uneasy about what she'd said before.

Zelos watched her approach the stairs and took a deep breath. She had promised, hadn't she?

"...Veronica?"

"Yes?"

Zelos paused.

"You promised to tell me if something was wrong with Seles. Are you sure she's alright?"

Veronica stopped at the base of the staircase. "She's fine, Master Zelos. If I were you, I'd worry more about your own problems."

"My own…?" He began, but before he could finish, she had already disappeared up the staircase.

Genis stepped into the room first, and he was surprised to hear Raine close the door behind them. On the way home, she'd asked him if they could have a talk, and of course he'd agreed. She'd sounded a little nervous, so he didn't want to pry with their friends around, but he hadn't realised that what she wanted to talk about would be so private as to warrant a closed door. Suddenly a little nervous too, he sat down on his bed and turned to face her.

"So, what's going on? What did you need to talk to me about?"

Raine sat down across from him, fidgeting with her gloves. "I… need to tell you something. After everything that's happened, it's important to me that you be the first to know."

"The first to-" Genis began to ask, but he was cut off as she removed her left glove and spoke again.

"Professor Low asked me to marry her and I said yes."

Genis stared, mouth agape. He wasn't sure whether he was surprised more by the news or the ring itself. Wow, that was a fancy ring!

"Really? That's-"

"We're eloping tomorrow. We'll spend the rest of the festival time on a short honeymoon near Asgard before returning to work in Palmacosta. Todd has it all planned out."

Genis had to take another few moments to gain his composure before he could reply. He had to admit, this wasn't something he'd expected, but he was happier than anything that she'd come to him first. It felt like whatever rift had formed between them was healing.

"Raine, that's… that's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" He jumped up and ran to hug his sister, practically lifting her off of her bed as he did so. It wasn't in his nature to be clingy, but he couldn't resist. Not with something like this. "Thank you for telling me. This is wonderful!"

"R-really? Wonderful?" As Genis stepped away, Raine looked up at him, wide-eyed. "I didn't expect you to- er, I mean… after the reaction you had to finding out about us, I thought you'd be furious. I didn't expect your support for this right away."

Genis blushed a little. "I'm sorry to make you think that. I wasn't angry about the two of you being together, I was just angry that you never told me. Actually, I think you two are great for each other. You promised to be honest with me in the future, and you've kept that promise. How could I not be happy for you, Raine? You're in love! You're getting married! I couldn't be more thrilled!"

Raine seemed to choke up a little at his words, and Genis felt a wave of nervousness. Oh, she'd better not start crying, because then he would end up crying too, and he did not want Zelos to see him with a tear-stained face.

"You're right, Genis, I… I should've had more faith in you…" Raine began, glancing around the room rather than looking at him. "I was honestly afraid that you'd disapprove. It's all happened so fast, I was afraid that you'd scold me or even try to talk me out of it. Thank you for… being supportive."

Genis reached for her hands. "Of course I'd be supportive, Raine! There's no way I'd try to talk you out of something you feel so strongly abou-" He stopped his own hands just a few centimeters from hers, a sense of unease gnawing at his subconscious. His sister's emotions were something he'd learned to read through years of experience, and something about the way she'd spoken indicated there was more to her assumptions than simply that. "...unless…" he began again, "...you want me to talk you out of it."

There was a pause. A look of recognition appeared briefly on Raine's face, and she bowed her head so that her hair was hiding her eyes. "That's not necessarily… I mean… I was just…"

Her stammering might've sounded nonsensical to someone else, but to Genis it was almost as clear as a direct statement.

"You don't want to marry her, do you?"

"That's not exactly it! I-I do, I mean, I would! It's just that this is so sudden, so soon." With Genis' statement, it was as if she'd been given permission to speak her mind. She stood up and began pacing back and forth as she spoke, fidgeting with her ring. "I mean, I met her only a few months ago. Sure, it was love at first sight, but… no, no, it was more like unresolved-sexual-tension at first sight and it took us weeks to even acknowledge it. Then we spent the first month saying 'this is the last time, I swear' every single time, until eventually-"

Genis held up a hand. "Raine, I don't need a play-by-play. I believe you."

"It's just- ugh! I don't know what to do!" She pulled the ring off of her finger and held it in her fist as she climbed back onto the bed. Lying back onto the pillow, Raine held the ring up to the light to examine it as she continued. "I couldn't say no. Not when she'd gone to all the trouble to plan and to get this ring- I mean, this looks like it's worth more money than I am! How can I admit to her that I'm not ready when she so clearly is? But I really do love her and I don't want to ruin our future by making a commitment before I'm ready! What about our work? What about our public appearance? If we have to hide our marriage the way we've been hiding our relationship, will that put even more strain on us? On the project? I can't-"

"Listen. I think you need to calm down for a minute and think rationally about this."

Raine lowered her hands and pulled herself to a seated position again. "I'm calm. I'm calm."

"Good. Now let's go through this one problem at a time. Do you love Professor Low?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you want to marry her?"

That one gave Raine pause. "I, uh-"

"Let me rephrase that. Do you want to marry Professor Low tomorrow?"

Now she was able to answer.

"No. No, I don't."

Genis gave a nod. "Then you need to tell her that. Be honest."

"But…" Raine glanced away. "...she was so happy when I said yes. I don't want to make her sad if I-"

"Raine, stop. Listen to me." Genis moved over to sit down beside her. "I'll be honest with you- I was kind of afraid you'd never be able to find a relationship like this. When I was a kid, I tried so hard to hide your, uh, obsessive nature. I thought that, when people found out, they'd think you were strange or weird-"

He cut off as Raine grabbed onto his ear- tightly.

"-ow, ow, ow! I'm getting to the point, just be patient!" Genis managed to pull his head away, rubbing his ear in pain. "The thing is, when we went on the journey of regeneration with Colette, everybody got to see the way you reacted to the temples and seals. And it turned out, they didn't care. Lloyd and Colette were a little surprised, but it didn't change the way they thought about you. That's when I realized that, if someone truly cares about you, they understand what makes you you and appreciate that as an essential part of you. Professor Low has seen you in the field, she's seen you in the lab, she's seen the way you work when you're under pressure and stressed… face it, Raine, she's seen you at your worst-"

Once again, he found his ear caught.

"Ow, OW! Raine, what I'm saying is, after all that, she still wants to marry you. She's seen the parts of you that even I can't bear sometimes, and still decided that she wants to spend the rest of her life with you. And maybe she's jumping into this prematurely, but that's just because she's so passionate. So when you're honest with how you feel, she'll understand. Now, will you let go of my ear?"

Raine sighed and let go. "Since when did you become the one to give me advice?"

"The student inevitably becomes the teacher, Raine."

"Oh, don't play that with me," Raine managed a smile and hit Genis with a pillow. "I still have a lot to teach you."

Genis leaned away, holding up his hands to defend himself. "Hey, now! If you want to teach somebody, why don't you go teach Zelos how to write a proper speech? Everybody's waiting for us, after all."

"Well, I suppose I should." Raine set the pillow down and raised up on her knees to give Genis an encouraging pat on the head. "In the meantime, I'll leave my ring here. It's… too valuable to flaunt around, after all."

Genis grinned. "That's good to hear… though I kind of want you to flaunt it in front of Zelos. It makes the diamond he gave Colette look like-"

"Genis."

"Fine, fine. But I wanna be there to see his face when you finally do show him-"

"Genis!"