Looking at my schedule, I should probably officially change my update days to Satuday… but we'll see. As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

Dwarven Vow 122:
A breugach Feumaidh cuimhne mhath.
A liar needs a good memory.

7-

Yuan led Kratos back up the stairs into the second floor living area. The staircase led into the kitchen, where Yuan quickly pulled a pair of mugs and a kettle out of the cabinet. He directed Kratos to sit down at the small table while he poured water into the kettle and started up the stove.

"Is red tea alright? Song tries to stay away from caffeine."

"Thank gods…" Kratos muttered to himself before replying. "I mean, yeah. Whatever's fine."

Yuan left the kettle on the stove and began fishing the tea out of one of the drawers. "I heard that, you know. People like you just don't understand the genius of people like Song."

"It's your choice in friends that I don't understand." Kratos rolled his eyes. "What do you see in him, anyway?"

"I told you, he reminds m-"

"I remember." Kratos cut him off. "But what exactly about him reminds you of Martel? I don't see it."

Yuan shook his head. "You didn't know Martel like I did."

"Oh, I see. So you're saying you've known Song the way that you knew Martel? I had a feeling-"

Yuan spun around, his hair falling over his shoulder as he did so. "If you're implying what I think you're implying, stop. That's not what I meant and you know it. Besides, that's not what we're here to talk about."

"I didn't think we were limited in our topics of discussion." Kratos glanced over at the book that Yuan had set on the counter and reached over in an attempt to grab it. "What were you reading-?"

"Don't." Yuan slapped Kratos hand away. "That's none of your business."

Kratos frowned as he watched Yuan attend to the kettle. The water was beginning to boil, and so Yuan silently went to work preparing the tea. He had that frown Kratos recognised as the one he wore when he was focused on something that frustrated him. But what was it, exactly?

"So you said Colette was… babysitting? Since when does she do that?" Yuan began to pour tea into one of the handmade porcelain mugs. "I mean, not that I couldn't see her doing something like that, but last I heard she was pretty busy teaching at the grammar school."

"She said that it was the child of one of Zelos' friends," Kratos replied, accepting the mug with a frown.

"A half-elf child?"

"That's what I said. She assured me that it was true, but she didn't seem all that sincere. Colette's not a great liar, so I think something's up, but it's not my place to pry."

Yuan had finished pouring his own cup of tea, and at Kratos' statement he slammed the kettle back onto the table. "She's your son's best friend. Of course it's your place to pry."

Kratos frowned. "What the hell kind of logic is that?"

"Doesn't matter. How old was this little girl?"

"Not very. About four weeks or so, I guess? She was pretty small, but she was smiling and grasping at things, so-" Kratos stopped. "Did I mention that she was a girl?"

Yuan waved one hand dismissively. "Sure you did. And did Colette say how long she was going to be keeping her?"

"No."

"Well, did she say where she was going to be keeping her?"

"No- I assume she's either staying at Colette or Zelos' house. Why are you so hung up on this?" Kratos narrowed his eyes. "You're not trying to get ahold of her or something, are you? I told you about her eyes because I thought you'd like to know. It's not your place to-"

"Not your place, not my place… you act like no one's allowed to be curious anymore!" Yuan spat. "You were the one who thought of me when you met her, right? Then is it so wrong of me to want to see her for myself?"

"It's not. But your insistence on it concerns me." Kratos closed his eyes and sighed. "As a father, the idea of a man so intently interested in someone else's child is a little… scary."

There was a sudden silence. Yuan's face turned pale and he looked down at his tea. "Sorry. I should've thought about it like that. I guess I got a little carried away."

Kratos sighed. "If you're really interested in seeing the little one, I know Colette and Zelos are going to the fireworks show in Greene Park tomorrow night. If you happen to meet them there, perhaps you can say hello. That way you're not intruding."

When Yuan looked up from his tea, he was actually smiling. Kratos was a little taken aback.

"Thanks, Kratos. I'll keep that in mind."

"Wow. So you can actually make a smile that's not a self-satisfied smirk." Kratos reached across the table and tapped Yuan on his forehead.

"H-hey! And here I thought you were actually being nice to me for a change." Yuan stood up, pushing his chair back and returning the kettle to the stovetop. "If you don't have anything nice to say, you should finish your tea and go."

Kratos allowed himself a soft laugh and took a minute to finish the tea in his cup. Once it was all gone, he retrieved his bag from the back of the chair and stood up, glancing over to the stove where Yuan was still standing by himself.

"Thanks for the tea."

Yuan shrugged. "Don't mention it. If you ever need any tea, just come by. Take some with you. Song hoards the stuff- I think it's an artist thing."

"For his sake, I'll let you get back to the store. Depending on where the platoons are assigned, I may see you at the picnic. Stay safe, okay? The police are afraid that-"

He was cut off by a crash somewhere in the next room. Both Yuan and Kratos stiffened at the sound, and Kratos' hand flew to the hilt of his sword.

"What was that?"

"Probably the cat," Yuan offered, placing a hand on Kratos' shoulder. "I'll go make sure nothing's broken. You can go ahead back to-"

"Since when do you have a cat? You're allergic to cats."

"I'm allergic to Katz. There's a difference. And that's not important; you should go-"

Kratos ignored the recommendation and instead started toward the next room with a defensive stance. He slid the door open and stepped in, immediately locating the source of the noise. A man was lying on the couch, sitting up halfway on a pillow while a young woman was kneeling next to him, cleaning up the floor where a glass of orange juice had been spilled. She stopped immediately once she caught sight of Kratos- and his militia uniform.

"Th-the police-"

"Don't worry! He's a friend!" Yuan scrambled into the room between Kratos and the others. "Kratos, these are some friends of Song's. They're just hanging out here until-"

"You're both injured. Are you alright?" Kratos stepped around Yuan, kneeling down to help the woman to her feet.

"I'm alright. It's just my arm. But my brother…" She paused and glanced at the man on the couch. "He can't walk on his own. If it wasn't for Doctor Lu, we wouldn't have anywhere to go."

Kratos spun around to look at Yuan. "I didn't think Song's medical license was still valid in Tethe'alla. Don't tell me he's practicing illegally-"

"Of course it's still valid- and he doesn't need a medical license if he's doing it for free. Like I said, these are our friends." Yuan grabbed Kratos' arm and dragged him back into the kitchen, shoving the door closed behind them. "You had better not tell anyone about thi-"

"So you recognise them?"

"Huh?"

"You know that those two are wanted criminals," Kratos interrupted. "If I told anyone, you and Song could be arrested. What are they doing, hiding from the law at your place? They need to turn themselves in so that they can receive proper medical care."

"They are receiving medical care. Song was one of the best physicians in his county when he was practicing."

"But that was five years ago." Kratos crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "He's been doing nothing but playing with clay since then. And even if his care is on the level of a professional, those two are wanted for inciting a political riot. They're not the most trustworthy of friends."

"I don't mind. This is Song's decision."

"So you're perfectly fine with the idea that your boyfriend is harboring political fugitives in your own home during a time of social unrest?"

Yuan stiffened. "I already told you, Song and I are not romantically involved-"

"That's not the part of my accusation you should be concerned about!"

There was a tense silence between the two as they stared each other down. After a few moments, Yuan turned around with a sigh.

"I spent a large part of my life as the head of a rebel group against the strongest organization in the world, run by a boy who declared himself god. I know all there is to know about political fugitives."

Kratos certainly couldn't argue with that logic. He sighed and looked back towards the staircase.

"I won't say anything. But if you and he get caught, I'm not going to bail you out."

"I wouldn't want you to," Yuan shot back, brushing past him as he led the way down the staircase. Kratos followed, tightening his grip on his bag as he returned to the showroom with all the fragile pieces. Once they got there, they were greeted by an older woman who appeared to be browsing around.

"Oh, there is someone here after all," she commented. "I was wondering if you'd gone out for lunch and forgotten to change the sign. Is something the matter?"

"No," Kratos waved at her. "I apologize for monopolizing his attention. I was just leaving."

"Without buying anything, I might add," Yuan spat.

Kratos grumbled under his breath, grabbing the nearest piece of stoneware and carrying it over to the counter. "Here," he said, placing it down. "Send this to my son with a note that says happy unification day or whatever. How much does it cost?"

"I'll put it on your tab," Yuan replied. "Song knows where you live."

"I know he knows, trust me."

Colette stepped into the house, accompanied by a large dog that bounded excitedly around her legs. He was making enough of a racket to announce their entrance, but she wanted to contribute as well.

"Zelos~! I'm home. Hello?"

No matter how long she spent in the Wilder mansion, Colette always forgot how large it was. Even with her yells and Pete's excited barking, if Zelos was on the other side of the house, he'd never hear.

Luckily, Sebastian was spending his time in the foyer as usual. He looked up from the periodical he was reading and offered the two a friendly wave.

"Master Zelos is in the drawing room playing with Adora. He seems to be having quite a time."

"Oh, he is?" Colette managed to quiet her canine companion by scratching the sweet spot behind his left ear. "I'm surprised. I figured that he would've pawned her off onto Ms. Veronica by now. I guess I should've had more faith in him."

Sebastian laughed. "I must admit, I've seen a side of Zelos today that I've never seen before."

"A side you've never seen before…?" Colette was already walking down the hallway to the drawing room, leaving behind Pete who was pestering Sebastian for a treat. She could hear Zelos' melodic voice from the other side of the door, but still had to push the door open to get an idea of what was going on.

Zelos had spread a blanket onto the floor of the drawing room and was lying on his back next to Adora, who was on her stomach trying to grasp at what Zelos had in his hands. He was singing to her, holding an action figure in each hand and moving them as though they were dancing so that Adora could follow. The scene would've probably been more heartwarming if the action figures Zelos were holding hadn't been of himself, but nevertheless, Colette was awestruck by the tenderness in his voice and motions.

He stopped singing as he caught sight of Colette in the doorway and perked up, dropping the figures and pulling himself into a seated position.

"My darling Colette! It's so good to see you- you're home early!"

"No, actually I'm home at the regular time." Colette shook her head, approaching and sitting down on the blanket beside him. Adora had picked up one of the figures and was starting to chew on its bright red hair, so Colette gently pulled it away from her, examining it in awe as she recognized it. "Y-you took your 25th birthday limited edition collectible Zelos Wilder action figure out of its box?"

"I needed a toy for her to play with."

"Are you feeling okay? You don't let the maids dust around those boxes, much less touch them."

He picked up Adora, holding her so that her face was next to his. "C'mon, Colette. How could you say no to that face?"

Adora's curious expression was such a contrast to his dramatic pout, Colette couldn't help laughing. "What changed since this morning? You were really reluctant to take her at first. Did something happen?"

Zelos lowered Adora so that she was sitting comfortably in his lap. "I guess I just-" He shrugged sheepishly. "-have a weakness for cute babies that I never knew about."

Colette laughed again, this time leaning against Zelos' side and resting her head on his shoulder. "And here I was, worrying over how you two would get along. I'm so happy to see you both smiling together."

Zelos leaned over and kissed Colette's cheek, enjoying seeing the shade of pink that always covered her face when he did so. The clock in the corner of the room began to chime the hour, and Adora squirmed restlessly in response.

"Sebastian will have dinner ready soon," Zelos began, "so before we eat, I was thinking…"

"Hm?"

"You know who would probably love to meet Adora?"

A smile spread across Colette's face. "Seles!"

"Bingo! Dinnertime is the one time I know Seles will be awake." Zelos hugged Adora, rocking her back and forth as he spoke. "If there's anything that'll cheer up Seles, it'd have to be playing with Adora."

"But won't Ms. Veronica get angry?" Colette asked. "She was so insistent that we keep Adora away from Seles to avoid upsetting her…"

"I know, but…" Zelos shook his head. "I know Seles. I don't think she'll be upset at all. In fact, I think this may just be what she needs to help get her back on her feet."

Colette allowed herself to smile again and rose to her feet. "Well, you know Seles better than anyone else in the world. If you think it'll help, I'll do everything I can to get Adora to her!"

Zelos cradled the baby in one arm and reached up his other to take Colette's hand and pull himself up. "You take Adora," he instructed, "and I'll find some sort of job to distract Veronica for a while. I'm sure Tokunaga could think of something for her to do. Meanwhile, you wait for me by the east wing staircase, and when the coast is clear, I'll come get you. Then we'll go see Seles together."

Adora was reaching for Colette's hair, trying to chew on it, but Colette was too caught up in a bubbly giggle to even notice. "Oh, this sounds like an exciting top-secret mission. This is going to be fun!"

Zelos nodded. "And if it can make Seles feel better, it'll be worth it."