Uhmmmm.

How can I explain this.

Let's see: one day a bunch of hamsters came in my house by using the UFO that my Thief in Makai Kingdom (his name is Kilov, and he's single, ladies) uses...well, used. They threatened me at gunpoint that if I didn't write some pregame stuff, I would be dead meat and Red Bull.

Yeah, I have no idea where this came from either. But you might as well enjoy, mmmyes...

However, I do know where the title comes from - but I'm not telling you. If you get it right, I will applaud you. You want applause from me, mmmyes?

Summary: Pregame explanation of how the characters met. If it is not accurate IDCST (I Don't Care, So There).

Disclaimer: No, sah, I don't own Tales of Symphonia. But if you're offering it, I'll take it!

One little bird
To another little bird
Said with a great big sigh,
"Oh, it must be grand
To cast your cares off and
Without any worries just fly."

He coughed and looked up at the building. It wasn't very big, but it was intimidating all the same.

"Go on," his dwavren father nudged him, "it's not forever."

"I don't like it," the little one kicked a rock. "Do I have to?"

"I can't watch you all the time, I'm busy," his father pushed him ahead. "You'll make some friends!"

"I don't like it!" the child repeated, hugging his father's leg.

"For heaven's sake," the dwarf hopped around, trying to shake the boy off. "Stop complaining and go!"

The child detached himself from his protector and slumped toward the building reluctantly. He hated it already, and he knew he would hate it when he went inside.

He'd make sure of it.

He found it hard to concentrate; little things kept distracting him. Someone tapping a pencil against their forehead. A bug crawling up the window. A dust bunny that hopped on his desk and wriggled its tiny nose.

He put the bunny in his pocket so he could take it home.

Luckily, the teacher insisted that everyone eat lunch outside, and he had never been so happy to romp outdoors.

"Ay, you!" a boyish voice, with an accent due to childish laziness, called out to him.

"Huh?" he turned, in the middle of deciding whether he should climb a tree or not.

"You're the new kid - Irving?" the little boy, his age, chewed on a stalk of grass, the picture of a country boy in large, patched up pants.

"Yeah," he said uneasily. "I'm Lloyd."

The other one scuffed at the dirt a bit. "Teach told me to show you 'round after school," he said in a low voice. "So don't leave, 'kay?"

"I don't think Dad will be around after school lets out," Lloyd began as he started up the tree, "Okay."

"You sure you wanna go up that thing?" the boy asked, chewing on his stalk of grass.

"Sure," Lloyd sat himself on a sturdy-looking branch, "I climb trees all the time at home."

"Suit y'self," the boy shrugged, chewed on his stalk of grass again, and left.

Lloyd got out of the building at the bell, relieved that he wouldn't have to see that building again for a while. He checked in his pocket to see if the bunny was still there. It was, peeping out into the sunny world in awe.

The boy was waiting for him, with a fresh stalk in his mouth.

"Don't lag behind, a'ight? M' not gonna slow down for ya."

"Okay, okay."

They started walking, and the boy said, as if he just remembered, reluctantly, "My name's Dan."

"Okay."

"Don't you say anything else than 'okay'?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay."

"So you can say it, and I can't?"

"Forget it."

As they passed the simple houses, Dan pointed out their owners, obviously very bored with his task.

He stopped in front of one, as if he was thinking about introducing Lloyd to it.

"Let's go," he decided, walking off.

"Whose house is this?" Lloyd asked, looking at the little flower garden behind it. There were little weed flowers in it that looked cared for and wanted. It was a rather odd little garden, with weeds instead of regular flowers, but they did look pretty in their own way.

"That's the Chosen's house," Dan explained wearily, waving off. "But she's crazy."

As he was talking, Lloyd noticed a girl, perhaps younger than they were, looking out a window at them. When she saw him looking at her, she disappeared into the room.

"Was that her?" Lloyd pointed. He hadn't heard much about the Chosen - they were supposed to grow up and restore the world, and the newest one was born a few years ago. That's what his father said, at least.

"Yeah," Dan scuffed at the ground, as if ashamed.

"She didn't seem so bad," Lloyd mused. "I'd like to meet her."

"What part of 'she's crazy' don't you get?" Dan nibbled on his stalk of grass angrily.

"I don't think so," Lloyd shrugged. "Why wasn't she at school?"

"Because," Dan began slowly, tapping his foot, "she's crazy."

"Why?"

"Does it look like I know?"

"I dunno. I guess."

"Well, I don't."

"Awww."

"If you're so interested, she does come to school sometimes," Dan began trudging off in another direction with his hands stuck in his pockets. "You'll see how crazy she is then."

Lloyd turned around in time to see her look out the window again. She caught him looking at her, though, and she vanished just like before.

Lloyd sighed and followed Dan to wherever he might bring him next.

"So, how was it?" Dirk asked while they walked through the forest, Noishe padding by.

"Okay," Lloyd lied. "Learned a song about a green mouse that turns into a snail if you put it in oil and water. I met the Chosen, too."

"Oh! Really now?"

"Not really. I just saw her, I guess."

(Bark!)

"People say she's crazy."

"Oh! That's not very nice, now."

"I don't think so. She looks kinda lonely."

(Whine.)

"Does she go to your school?"

"Sometimes."

"Well, why don't you ask her about it?"

"I was gonna," Lloyd huffed, clamoring on Noishe's back.

Dirk smiled, which caused his beard to wiggle a bit.

The next day the Chosen wasn't in class, and Lloyd admitted, with a note of shame, that he had forgotten about her.

He promised that he'd make up for it somehow.

As soon as they were dismissed and the teacher swept them all out, Lloyd waddled over to the Chosen's house.

The place was a little too quiet, and he wondered if the Chosen and her family - she did have a family, right? - had moved away.

There wasn't a knocker, and he hated knocking because it made his fist hurt, so he picked up a rock and tapped the door with it.

A worried and weary-looking man answered the door; his blonde hair looked as if it hadn't been cared for that morning.

"Yes, young man?" he coughed, looking down at the young boy.

"Is...the Chosen here?" Lloyd asked, realizing he didn't know her name.

"Yes," the man regarded him strangely. "Why, may I ask?"

"Do...I need a reason?"

"The Chosen's very busy," the man explained, rubbing his temples. "...And she would rather not be disturbed."

"Oh," Lloyd looked down. "When will she finish what she's doing?"

"I do not know," the man sighed.

"Tell her I said hi."

"Oh, alright - what is your name, young man?"

"Lloyd. Lloyd Irving!"

"I will do that."

"Thanks!"

Lloyd hopped off the porch and bumbled off, not trusting the man for some reason. He circled the house to look for that window she was gazing out of the day before.

There she was, looking at a bird perched in a nearby tree. She certainly didn't look very busy. She just looked very lonely, a defeated look on her face.

Making up his mind, he scrambled up the tree with a bit of difficulty, using a few flower pots from a neighbor's garden to give him a boost. He peered at her from a hiding place within the leaves, hoping she wouldn't notice him. She didn't, and she sighed deeply while looking far off. Her hair was tied in two low ponytails, and she looked small and frail in her shirt, which seemed a bit too big for her. It was out of place and yet fitting, white with a simple blue collar with a long line of blue down the front.

He thought she looked pretty.

She reached out for the bird just as he poked his head out of the branches. The bird, startled, flew away.

She seemed equally startled, jumping but not hiding. Her face colored a bit, surprised at this new visitor.

There was silence for a while.

"You're...the boy from the other day," she said very softly, as if it was a crime to talk.

"Yep. My name's Lloyd," he held out his hand. She looked at it for a moment before shaking it.

"What's your name?"

She was silent again.

"It's okay, I won't make fun of you."

"Colette...Colette Brunel."

Lloyd smiled, nodding. She smiled as well, which made her look prettier.

"Sorry about the bird."

"Oh...it's okay, she comes back every day."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's my friend."

"Cool!"

Her smile brightened. "Once, she brought me a leaf. Father said it came from another continent!"

"Really?"

"Yep. I still have it somewhere," she shuffled around her bed, throwing various books around. "Some...where...not here. Not here. Here? No...nonono. Ah!"

Triumphantly, she held up a large pointed leaf that didn't grow on the local trees. "I use it as a bookmark."

Lloyd took it from her and twirled it around, studying it before handing it back. "Never seen it before."

She placed it back in its former place in a volume written in what looked like gibberish. "I like it...it's like it's from another world..."

Lloyd nodded, wondering what tree gave up that leaf.

A faint but recognizable yelling brought Lloyd to his attention. "Dad!"

"What?"

"My dad's calling me. I have to go."

"Oh. It was nice meeting you!"

"I'll come see you again tomorrow. I don't have school, so I should be free." Lloyd promised, jumping down the tree and running to Dirk.

"Oh, there you are, lad! I was worried you got in trouble."

"There!" Lloyd ignored him, pointing at the window where Colette stood. "That's the Chosen." Colette waved.

"Oh, ho! She's a pretty one, too! You're lucky to meet such a beautiful girl so young!" Lloyd flushed and the girl hid her face out of embarrassment.

"Daaaad!"

"You know I'm not serious, now! Let's go home."

"Okay. I'll see you later, Colette!"

"Goodbye, Lloyd!"

Lloyd and his father left, leaving the Chosen alone.

A few minutes later the bird returned, perching on her windowsill.

"I'm sorry, I haven't fed you yet!" Colette reached under her bed for a bag of feed. "Here you go."

The bird ruffled her feathers and pecked at the seeds in her hand.

"You know what?" Colette said softly as she stroked the bird's breast, "I think I made a new friend today."

The bird chirped, hopped on her finger a few times, and resumed eating.