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

Dwarven Vow 101:
Feumaidh a 'chlann modailean seach measadairean.
Children have more need of models than critics.

9-

"Great. Now our problem's doubled."

The voice was female, but Genis could see two figures out of the corner of his eye- the one who'd spoken and a male who was holding whatever had been used to hit Genis on the back of the head. What was it? All he could tell was that it was cylindrical, almost like a firecracker… or a bomb.

Genius closed his eyes, mentally cursing at himself. Now that he was lying on his side, the congestion in his nose was starting to drain and he could smell the sharp scent of flammable chemicals around them in the closet.

They're planning another attack?!

"Can't you deal with him too?" the male attacker asked, prompting a huff from his partner.

"Stupid! Children's minds are way easier to erase than adults'. I work magic, not miracles."

"So… we just have to keep them until tomorrow. Once the damage is done, we can let them go-"

"Right to the police to report us? I don't think so!"

"Then what are we supposed to do? I signed up for vandalism, not murder."

"This isn't something we should be handling on our own. We need to ask Watson before we make another mo-"

"ASTRAL BIND!"

An echoed voice from behind them and a flash of magical light stopped the vandals' argument and sent them crumpling to the floor. Bianca gasped, sitting up and yelling through tears. "Professor!" She waved frantically. "Please, help Genis!"

Genis felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and managed to turn his head. Professor Low was examining him, a look of worry glinting behind her glasses that took him by surprise. "Genis," she began, "are you alright? Can you stand?"

"Y-yeah," he stammered. "It's just my head."

Despite his assurances, she slung his arm over her shoulders and helped him to his feet. Once she was sure he was steady, she scooped up Bianca and led the way back down the hall.

"What about those guys we left behind?" Genis asked. "We can't just ignore them! They-"

"Don't worry," Professor Low broke in. "The spell I used on them will keep them out long enough for me to get you two back to your sisters and then return to deal with them." Genis wasn't looking at her face, but he could hear a vile anger in Professor Low's voice. "Just leave them to me. Those scumbags aren't going to get away with this."

In any other situation, the severity of the usually soft-spoken professor's voice would have frightened Genis. But after what they did to Bianca, he could only think about how he wanted to help.

He expected Professor Low to return them to her and Raine's lab room, but she didn't. Instead, she escorted them all the way down the hallway and up the stairs to the main level. "Where is Nika?" she asked once they reached the main door. "She must be worried sick."

Genis pulled away, taking a few steps to support himself. "She was searching the administration building when I last saw her. I'll see Bianca over there. You go find Raine and tell her we're okay."

Professor Low frowned. "I hate to send you off on your own, but I don't want Raine to worry any more than she is. I'll tell her to meet back at the lab, and then come find you. Be careful- we don't know if those jerks I knocked out have pals hanging around."

The advice was something Genis had thought of but not wanted to consider. He gave a nod and took Bianca's hand, stepping to part ways. Part of him was dreading seeing her or Raine again, but he was also apprehensive of seeing Nika as well. Couldn't he just go home and climb into bed without talking to anyone?

But the chill he received as he stepped outside brought him back to his senses. Palmacosta was so close to the equator and located on the water, the temperature hardly varied even during the winter. But occasionally they'd get a slight chill that left them grateful for their normal weather. The rainy season was almost over and Genis had been hoping to see clear skies, but it was overcast and beginning to drizzle when he and Bianca stepped out. Puddles from the previous day's rain remained on the ground, and the two splashed through them wordlessly, both a little too shaken to say anything. In the end, the little girl was the one to finally speak up.

"Nika!"

Bianca saw her first, sitting on the steps of the administrative building, looking utterly defeated. Genis' stomach churned as he remembered their last exchange, but he saw the relief on her face when she heard her sister's voice and stumbled forward on the stairs. Within a few moments, she had met them a short distance from the building and thrown her arms around Bianca. Bianca responded with loud sobs and tears of relief.

"I was so scared, Nika! So scared!"

"You were scared? I was terrified for you! What happened? What's wrong with your wrists? You-"

Genis stopped her before she could ask too much. "Nika," he spoke, reaching a hand out, "she accidentally got caught up in something she shouldn't have. It's probably best to give her some time to rest and recover from the shock."

Despite his suggestion, Bianca began to describe her side of the story for the first time. "I-I was playing in the courtyard… and I heard them talking about… chemicals and bombs…"

"Some vandals were planning another attack for tomorrow. They decided she'd heard too much and locked her up with the intention of erasing her memory-" Genis had absentmindedly reached to scratch the back of his head, forgetting how hard he'd been hit. He winced in pain, dropping his hand to his side.

"Genis, is your head okay?" Bianca asked, turning back to face him. "They hit you hard, didn't they?"

He forced a smile, waving his hands. "Don't worry about me; I'm fine. I have a thick skull, remember? If they want to knock me out, they'll have to try harder than that."

"But…"

Bianca's voice trailed off, and she didn't get to finish her sentence before she was interrupted by her sister. But Nika wasn't talking to Bianca this time. Instead she threw her arms around Genis' shoulders and buried her face in his chest. "Oh, Genis! I'm so, so sorry! If anything ever happened to you because of us, I don't know what I'd do!"

"Hey, I'm still sick! You shouldn't-"

"And yet you still put yourself in danger for Bianca! I don't know how I could ever make this up to you-"

Genis grabbed Nika's arms, pulling them off his shoulders and stepping away enough to speak with her. "You don't have to- you don't owe me anything." His expression softened as he continued. "I'm just… sorry you had to rely on me."

Sighing, Nika pulled her arms away and returned to her sister's side. Bianca wasn't wearing a coat, so she was shivering in the night air and pressed herself closer to Nika, wrapping herself in the bottom of Nika's apron. Nika noticed and removed her scarf to place it on Bianca's shoulders. "You don't have to be sorry," she began as she made sure that the scarf was snug. "It makes me happy to be able to rely on you. I said all that because I was scared of what would happen if someday I couldn't anymore."

"Couldn't?" The statement took Genis off-guard. "Why wouldn't you be able to? I'm not going anywhere, Nika. I promise."

The smile that lit up her face looked almost melancholy. "Thank you, Genis. Forgive me, I'm just not used to having someone I love around to rely on for help. It's too nice, I just get scared thinking I might one day lose it."

A brief silence followed.

Someone she loves. Love.

"…sis…" Bianca pressed closer to Nika, resting her head against her sister's side. Her gaze turned back to Genis and she pointed a finger in his direction. "I also love Genis! So you can't leave us, okay? Okay?"

The response from Bianca allowed Genis the courage to respond. "I-I… I love you too, Nika!" he blurted out, not thinking about what he was saying until it was already out of his mouth and he couldn't take it back.

Was that too soon? Too direct? I mean, she said it first, but not so matter-of-factly-

Nika laughed gently, placing an arm around her sister's shoulder. "Don't worry, Bianca. I forgot who we were talking to for a moment." This seemed to be meant as a reassurance, but Bianca wasn't taking it.

"What about me? Do you love me too, Genis?"

The sudden change in the conversation's mood was a relief, and Genis couldn't help a smile as well. "Yes, Bianca, like my own little sister."

"Hooray! Did you hear that, Nika? Like his own little sis-"

"Oh, there you are!"

The sound of Professor Low's voice echoed off the front of the building, interrupting their conversation. Genis turned around to see her running towards them, waving her hand frantically through the haze cast by the rain. Once again, his stomach churned and he feared he might be sick. He'd been so happy about his confession to Nika, he'd forgotten about… that.

Professor Low caught up to them and discussed the situation with Nika for a few minutes, explaining that she'd make sure the criminals who'd hurt Bianca would face justice and would write to the Palmacosta Academy to allow the rest of the school week to be excused for Bianca as a family emergency. She didn't want to take any chances with the trauma of the situation on a young child, and Nika agreed. Nika promised to visit Genis the next morning and bring him something to help ease his cold, and he gratefully assured her that she didn't have to- but he'd look forward to it anyhow.

And with that, the sisters left to return home before the light rain worsened, leaving Genis alone with the professor.

He froze as he felt her place a hand on his shoulder.

"We should go. Raine is waiting for us, and I… need to talk to you."

Genis steeled his nerves and looked back at her. "Well, I don't know exactly what to say. So you should start talking first."

"Fair enough."

Seles wasn't able to do much while in bed, so she found herself rereading some of her and Zelos' earlier novels when she was awake. It was an odd feeling, knowing exactly what was going to happen and yet being caught up in the narrative anyway. She was about finished with chapter seventeen of Fortissimo when a sharp knock on the door drew her attention.

"Knock, knock! It's the fun police!" Zelos' voice chimed. "We've been called here on account of… insufficient funs."

Oh, that was a bad one. Seles didn't even look up from her book, sighing to herself as she heard Colette giggle.

"You know, Colette, if you decide that you don't want to marry my idiot brother then you can call off the wedding at any time."

"Hah!" Zelos clapped his hands, sending the noise reverberating around the room. "You sound like you're feeling better, Sis!"

Seles slid a bookmark onto her page and set the book aside, finally looking up. She caught sight of Colette holding a sleeping infant in her arms and frowned at the sight.

"Should I… ask whose baby that is?"

Colette sat down on the side of the bed, leaning over toward Seles so that she could get a better look. "This is Adora. I'm babysitting her for a little while, so we thought you might like to meet her."

"Is this for school?" Seles asked as she watched Adora begin to stir. "How much are you getting paid?"

Colette gasped. "Seles! I'm not doing this for money! This is for a friend."

"I'd still ask for money."

"Yeah," Zelos laughed, "because you of all people in Meltokio need money."

"So that means I should work for free?" She gave a 'hmph' and reached out to give Zelos a push. He grinned and pushed back- albeit gently, which seemed to make her angry. She shoved him a little harder, daring him to escalate his force, but Colette noticed and quickly intervened.

"Seles, would you like to hold her?"

The question surprised Seles enough to interrupt her playful assault on her brother. "Are you sure?" she ventured, sitting up straight again.

"Of course! We brought her here so that you could meet her."

"And let me tell you," Zelos offered as he watched Seles cradle the infant in her arms, "getting her past Veronica was no small feat."

"She means well." Seles moved her finger back and forth in front of Adora's face, fascinated by the way the girl's eyes followed it. "She wants to protect me from anything remotely out of the ordinary. Not unlike someone else I know."

Zelos stiffened. "What are you implying? I'm not that overprotective."

"Not like Miss Veronica, no, but you're protective in your own way. Don't lie to yourself, big brother." Seles shook her head and hoisted Adora into the air with a smile. Colette flinched and reached out, urging Seles to be careful and support Adora's head.

Zelos, meanwhile, was watching with a frown. "I'm not…" he began quietly, but his voice trailed off and he found himself shaking his head. "Y'know, maybe people wouldn't be so protective of you if you weren't sick in bed all the time. You ever think of that?"

The statement caused Seles to freeze where she was, Adora resting against her lap. "Excuse me?" she ventured. "You think I'm like this because I choose to be?"

Colette, sensing conflict, scooped Adora out of Seles' lap and held her protectively. It didn't do much to help Seles' mood.

"How dare you act like you're the one put out because I'm sick? Do you think I want to be so weak that I can barely sit up without getting dizzy? That I want to be stuck in this stupid bed all day being useless? Zelos, you-"

"He didn't mean it like that," Colette interrupted. "He was just saying that we're worried about you because we care."

"Sis-" Zelos reached out for Seles' hand, but she snatched it away and he had to continue anyway. "-you can't call yourself useless. You're recovering from a serious medical procedure. That takes a lot of time and energy, and no one can-"

"This isn't about that anymore and you know it." Seles interrupted him with a shake of her head. "My recovery went just fine. Everything passed just as the doctors said it would. By this time, they said even patients who suffer minor complications are able to recover. So why… why am I still suffering? Why does my whole body ache and barely have the energy to move? I keep asking Veronica, and she says that I'm always going to have off days, but this…"

Seles was beginning to sniffle, and she cut off her sentence to maintain her composure. Zelos and Colette looked at one another in concern, unable to decide what to say.

"…I know she's just saying it to make me feel better. She's always adjusting my medication, like she's trying desperately to find something that will work. In the end, maybe there's nothing she can do. What if I'm-"

"Quit it, Seles." Zelos' voice was stern. "You can't talk like that. Veronica and the doctors are going to find something that works, and you're going to get better. You have to."

Seles frowned and looked away, turning her attention to the window instead. It was dark, and the bright lights of Meltokio glittered just beyond the windowpanes. It was a stark reminder that there was a world out there she wanted to be a part of but couldn't.

"…what are you two doing tomorrow?"

"T-tomorrow?" Colette stammered, looking to Zelos as she searched for an answer. "I mean, I have school and Zelos is going to watch Adora, but…"

"Isn't there going to be a fireworks show in Greene Park? Are you going to that?"

A brief silence followed.

"We were planning to," Zelos began, "but if you'd like to watch the fireworks from here at the manor, we can always-"

"No. I want to come with you."

Colette drew in a sharp breath, startling Adora and prompting a worried cry. "Are you sure? You were just saying how bad you feel," Colette replied as she tried to comfort Adora.

"Maybe the reason I haven't gotten better is because I haven't been trying." Seles reached out to pat Adora's head, running her fingers over the thin tufts of blue hair. "I need to learn my limits when I put my mind to it. Let me go with you to the fireworks show, please. I won't be a bother. In fact, I could keep an eye on Adora for you. She's…" A small smile passed over Seles' face. "…really cute. Her parents must have had something serious going on to allow themselves to be separated from her."

"It's my job to get her back to her parents safe and sound." Seeing Seles smile, Colette was finally able to smile again too. "I'd love to have your help with her during the fireworks show tomorrow."

Zelos wasn't convinced, but Colette had once again followed her sense of altruism without considering the consequences. It was something that both attracted him and frustrated him about her. If she wasn't so kind and accepting, she probably would never have given him a chance in the first place. And yet… gods, could she maybe think things through before jumping into them? She was so much like Lloyd!

"I'll stay by your side the whole time, Seles," Zelos spoke up. "If, at any time during the night, you start to feel sick or light-headed, you have to tell me so that we can go home right away. Deal?"

It would take some convincing, but Seles eventually agreed.

That didn't keep Zelos from worrying, though.

Professor Low sighed as she and Genis started back toward the research building.

"I understand if you're angry with me. I'm angry with myself. But if you would accept it, I'd like to offer an explanation for my actions."

Genis kept his gaze on the ground as he dodged puddles of rainwater pockmarked by the falling drizzle. "Are you going to tell me that it wasn't what it looked like?"

"That depends on what it looked like to you," was Professor Low's response. "Because if it looked like I was making out with your sister half-naked on the lab table, then it was exactly what it looked like."

Well, for all the things Genis wanted to say about Professor Low, he couldn't say she wasn't straightforward.

"Thanks for clearing that up," he scoffed. "Now I can sleep at night."

"B-but it was a mistake, Genis! You have to understand-"

"What, you accidentally started taking your clothes off? Raine accidentally got up on the table next to where you put the artefacts and accidentally started kissing you-"

"It was a mistake for me to suggest it. I…" Professor Low interrupted. Her voice grew frantic, and she began running her hands through her hair in frustration. "…I violated a sacred space set aside for the scientific method! Desecrated the altar at which I serve the gods of true knowledge! Forgive me, Aristotle! Forgive me, Alhazen! Forgive me, Descartes-"

Genis tugged on her lab coat. "Please stop. I really don't think Aristotle of all people has a place to criticize you. And anyway- if this was such a mistake, then why? If you've really been working all these days you've stayed late, why change it up today?"

At his insistence, Professor Low stopped talking and paused, glancing up at the clouds above her. "We had a major breakthrough today. Our generated mana levels showed up on a standard calorimeter."

The statement stopped Genis in his tracks. "R-really?!"

"Yes, really. I was so excited, I couldn't believe we'd increased the conversion rate so fast-"

"So you decided a celebration was in order?"

"No." The professor shook her head. "Actually, it was just the opposite. After we'd taken all the readings, Raine realized that three of our five scales hadn't been properly calibrated before the beginning of the experiment. As a rule, we need at least three tared scales getting statistically similar readings to consider the experiment reproducible. I trust the readings that we got, but we can't lie about the scales on the report. We're going to have to repeat the process over again."

Genis was quiet, staring in silent horror just thinking about it. He was no stranger to error in science experiments. Just the past week he'd been showing a group of students a demonstration on antibiotic resistance, but accidentally mixed the antibiotic solution too weakly and ended up with two full petri dishes instead. It hadn't been one of his proudest moments, but at least that was an experiment that had been performed time and time again, so the outcome was well-known. This was something completely different, and was a lot more important than two benign bacteria strains.

"Yikes" was all he could manage.

"Raine was in charge of calibrating the scales before the experiment, and when she realized what had happened, she felt awful. The thing was, she was distracted because she was worried about you."

"Me?"

Professor Low nodded. "Yes- so let's get out of the rain." She grabbed hold of Genis' arm and tugged him under the eaves of the research building near the back entrance. "When I suggested we try to redo the experiment tonight, she was reluctant. She insisted that she needed to get home to you. And instead of respecting her wishes, I…" The professor closed her eyes and clenched her fist in humiliation. "I thought that maybe she just needed a quick pick-me-up to get her back on track. I thought about all the times we've spent together outside of the lab, our lunchtime rendezvous and late night flings, and how happy they seemed to make her. I thought that if I could distract her from you then I could get her to redo the experiment with me tonight. And that was wrong of me."

Genis was silent at first. So they had been a couple and refused to tell him. As angry as he was at Professor Low, he knew that the blame didn't fall entirely on her.

"Raine didn't look like she minded so much. It takes two, y'know."

"That's not the point. The point is that I tried to manipulate her. It was wrong to do that to her and was wrong to do that to you. And in the end, I guess I've gotten what I deserve. We didn't get to redo the experiment tonight, we got caught by the person we were wronging the most, and on top of that I now have those jerks downstairs to deal with."

Professor Low wasn't one for fancy words when they didn't have any meaning behind them. Genis knew that she wasn't saying this just to get sympathy- she was genuinely sorry. He walked to the door and opened it for her, motioning her inside.

"I'm not mad about the experiment. If I were you, I'd have wanted to redo it as soon as possible as well. I'm just… disappointed that you and Raine never told me about, er, the two of you."

"It's not right to mix professional and romantic relationships, especially when you're doing work as public and controversial as ours. I'm aware of that." The professor accompanied Genis inside, closing the door behind them. "But your sister is… the most intelligent, inquisitive, exquisite creature I've ever encount-" She cut herself off abruptly. "I-I didn't mean to say creature as though it were an insult-"

Genis waved a hand. "It's a figure of speech. I get it. I'm just sad that you didn't feel like you could trust me."

"Raine also said that she wasn't sure what you would think… whatever that meant. I didn't care to pry, so I respected her call. We promised to tell everyone after the experiment was over, but you're right in that we shouldn't have hidden it from family."

At that statement, Genis realized how nervous Raine might have been to tell him about the whole deal. "I guess I can understand her nervousness," he commented. "After all, I'll be the first to admit that I never saw her ending up with a… a…"

He wasn't really sure he wanted to finish that sentence.

"…a woman?" Professor Low ventured. "You can say it."

"Huh? Oh, no, I knew that a long time ago." Genis shook his head frantically. "I was gonna say a human."

"Oh."

They were silent as they returned to the lab room, and Professor Low gave Genis and Raine space once they were reunited. She claimed it was so that she could attend to the vandals as soon as possible, but Genis knew that her powerful spell had bought them plenty more time. It was just that she'd seemed to have said everything she needed to.

Genis had grown tall- taller even than Raine or Professor Low- but he was still Raine's "little brother," and so she carried him home on her back despite his protests. He worried about her after she had worked so hard all day, but realized that perhaps it was her way of apologizing. For everything.

He often forgot how strong Raine was. It felt really weird, getting carried by his sister when he was practically an adult himself. But after flipping back and forth between extreme temperatures earlier in the day, the simple warmth was nice. He fell asleep with his head against Raine's shoulder, one cheek warmed against her scarf and the other cooled by the gentle mist that filled the night air.