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

Dwarven Vow 66
An ràmh is fhaisg air laimh, iomair leis.
Row with the oar that's nearest at hand.

14-

The man, as Sheena learned, was the owner of the docks, who managed the boat traffic around Lake Sinoa. Lloyd knew the man well from his endeavors toward buying a boat, and he was happy to chat with him about the situation... at least for a short amount of time before the mud on their clothes dried.

"It was after I took a group to Meltokio for one of those protests. Y'know, before the violence started- I didn't want to get into that." The man had pulled out a cigarette, but Kratos advised him that smoking might not be the most prudent decision after what had happened, and so he reluctantly put it away. "Everybody knows I'm against all that fancy science-y machine stuff, that's no secret. But it was only after I came back from Meltokio I started getting letters from this kid calling himself a doctor or whatever."

"Doctor J.H. Watson, you mean?" Sheena asked.

"Right. Watson. He started sending me these letters weekly, telling me that I needed to reconsider my stance. Talking about how important science is to the community as a whole and how scientific research paves the way for the future. The whole thing was in such a haughty tone, this guy sounded totally delusional. I'm not stupid; I know what science is and what it does. It's this whole tampering with mana issue that I'm against."

"Did you write him back and tell him that?" Kratos asked.

"I considered it, but I figured it was just a kid on an ego trip and I didn't want to encourage him. I threw away the letters and ignored them."

Sheena frowned. "So you don't have the letters anymore?"

"I have one. I received it today- er, yesterday, I suppose. What time is it? Doesn't matter." The man got caught up in his reply and had to shake his head to regain focus. "This one was different. It was a preachy lesson about petroleum products, like kerosene and paraffin wax, and how they're insoluble in water. Things about poles and hydrogen bonds… and, of course, why hydrocarbons burn. I should've realized it was a threat, and yet I shrugged it off like all the others."

Lloyd wasn't really sure what all those words meant, but he was intrigued by the idea of the letter anyway. "Can we see the letter? Maybe we can get someone in Meltokio to analyze the handwriting-"

The man shook his head. "No handwriting. It was done on a typewriter."

"Still, we could learn some things by looking at the return address," Kratos offered. "I can take the letter with me to Meltokio in the morning and make a proper report to the authorities."

For the first time that night, the man smiled. "That sounds like a good idea to me. I'll give you more details then- right now I need to clean off this mud. My mother-in-law's going to be livid if I track this inside."

Sheena blushed. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Nah, don't apologize. You saved most of my dock from burning down. I owe you for that, so we'll call it even."

The three walked back toward Kratos and Anna's house, and by the time they turned the corner they could see her and Noishe on the porch waiting for them. "Ah," Lloyd murmured, "so that's where Noishe ran off to."

Kratos wasn't so pleased with the sight. "I told her to-" He cut his voice off and shook his head and sighed to himself. "But since when does she listen to me…?"

Anna ran to the gate and was waiting for them once they made it to the yard. Noishe was poking his nose through the slats in the gate, trying to get a whiff of what exactly the three of them were covered in.

"Wh-what happened to you?" Anna stammered, wide-eyed at the state of everyone's clothing. She wrinkled her nose and covered her face with one hand. "Ugh, you smell like the lake. Did you go for a swim or something?"

"Yeah," Lloyd laughed, "a mud bath, courtesy of our friendly summon spirits."

Kratos gave him an amused tap on the back of the head. "Very funny- but you do need a real bath."

Sheena laughed at the sight of Lloyd's indignant response. He rubbed the back of his head, turning to Kratos with a pout. "Aw, but I just had a bath before I went to sleep."

Anna leaned over the gate, reaching out to pat the back of his head. "Listen to your father, Lloyd," she cooed. "No arguments about bathtime~"

"M-mom!"

"You heard your mother," Sheena teased, nudging him. "C'mon, it's getting cold standing out here like this. Let's head back and dry off-"

"Oh, Sheena, you can use our bath," Anna offered, pushing the gate open and reaching for Sheena's hand. "Lloyd, Kratos, you guys go take a bath… somewhere else."

"Will you be o-" Kratos began to ask, but Anna cut him off with an enthusiastic thumbs-up and he decided it would be pointless to argue. "Alright, then. Let's head back to your place, Lloyd."

Once Sheena finished in the bath, Anna offered to dry and brush her hair for her. It was a surprise, and Sheena initially objected, but Anna seemed so oddly eager that she felt a little guilty if she didn't at least humor her.

"Th-thank you, Miss Anna. I can't remember the last time someone brushed my hair like this." Sheena had taken a seat on the carpet while Anna sat on the ottoman behind her, running a brush through her hair to gently untangle the unruly dark knots. Noishe was curled up beside Sheena, and though his breathing was regular as though he were sleeping, Sheena could see him open his eyes every so often to glance up at Anna.

"No, thank you, Sheena," Anna laughed. "I never really got to indulge in this sort of thing with Lloyd. His hair is long enough now, but... I don't think a man in his twenties would want his mother playing with his hair."

"Oh, you might be surprised." Sheena mirrored the laugh. "Besides, you seem good at it. Ever since Kratos started living with you, his hairstyle has been much tamer."

Anna couldn't resist a smirk. "You think so? You should've seen him way back when I first met him- what a disaster! Perhaps Lloyd would benefit from getting the same treatment from you."

The two shared another laugh, but Sheena was distracted by her own thoughts. A thought poked at her consciousness, and she decided to voice it before she lost her courage.

"Um, speaking of which… can I ask you an odd question?"

Anna finished brushing through Sheena's hair and shifted backwards with a curious frown. "Ask me anything you like. What's on your mind?"

"Well, it's- I mean, I was wondering… I figured you would know, being from Sylvarant… what kind of traditions do they have about courtship and marriage?" As she continued, Sheena found herself stammering, her words speeding up and running together. "I mean, more specifically, about betrothals and engagements, and what the process is for people to decide who to marry and how to… er, y'know... go about it, so to speak. How do you broach that subject, and what kind of expectations are there for-?"

"Sheena-" Anna cut her off, grinning from ear to ear as she realized exactly what she was getting at. "-if you're asking whether it would be appropriate for you to propose to Lloyd, the answer is yes. Go for it."

The light blush that had settled on Sheena's cheeks intensified and she began to fidget with her hands. "I-I just wasn't sure… see, those sort of things are very formal back in Mizuho. We don't generally do arranged marriages anymore, but even so, romance isn't something people express openly. When someone wants to propose marriage, they arrange a meeting with their intended fiance's family and make a formal offer. I assumed that Lloyd wouldn't know to do that, but I didn't want to bring it up and risk embarrassing him, especially if he wasn't ready or wasn't planning to…" She let her voice trail off, part of her mortified to even imagine that Lloyd had no long-term intentions. Anna seemed surprised by the suggestion as well, and she slid off the ottoman to sit beside Sheena.

"Don't be silly! He's crazy about you." She took Sheena's hands in hers with a smile. "We don't have any formal traditions like that. If you want to ask him, just ask him- no need to do it in front of Dirk and Kratos and me… in fact, don't do that. That would just make it awkward."

The statement dispelled the tension and Sheena was able to laugh again. "Oh? You think having Dirk staring us down the whole time would ruin the mood?"

At that mental image, Anna burst out laughing too. "Aye, dae min' me." She mimicked the accent and stroked an imaginary beard. "I'll jus' be here watchin' ye while ye, ah… negotiate things."

The two women found themselves unable to speak, they were so caught up in a fit of giggles. Anna put her arms around Sheena's shoulders and Noishe nudged his way into the embrace with his tail wagging. Sheena had to admit, she'd been unsure what to expect when Anna invited her in, but it seemed that the woman just wanted some cheerful company. It wasn't her place to criticize Anna's taste, but Sheena had to admit, Kratos didn't seem like he would be the most… how should she put it?... warm and fuzzy of partners. Even if Kratos had a secret soft side that wasn't shown to anyone except Anna, this opportunity to joke and laugh was something different. Something both Anna and Sheena needed.

Anna's laughter died down and she wiped a tear from the side of one eye as she suppressed a further giggle. "And that's nothing compared to Kratos. He gets so serious when other people are around, with that stare of his… a bunch of the soldiers say they're more scared of Kratos than any enemy they might face!"

Sheena hadn't wanted to mention Kratos unless Anna brought it up, but the statement renewed her laughter. "So he's not alwayslike that? Good to know."

"Kratos is like a guard dog," Anna responded with a proud nod. "He's not friendly toward strangers, but if he loves you, then you know he's just a cuddly puppy."

Noishe perked up at the word "puppy," moving to nudge Anna and set his head in her lap for her to pet. Sheena reached over and petted Noishe's ears, watching as his tail wagged back and forth eagerly. She moved to the base of his ear and scratched that one spot she always saw Lloyd going for, prompting a familiar pleased whine and a tilt of Noishe's head in her direction.

How funny, Sheena thought to herself, Noishe is what I think of when I imagine a guard dog, and he doesn't remind me at all of Kratos-

Noishe let out a yelp as Anna suddenly rose to her feet. She hadn't given any warning and practically pushed him away as she moved forward, halfway to the kitchen by the time Sheena processed what was going on and managed to call out

"Anna!"

"Just a minute!" Even from in the kitchen, Anna's voice was audibly strained, and Sheena saw the fur on the back of Noishe's back rise up. He made a dash toward the kitchen and Sheena had to scramble to catch up.

"Wh-what's going on? Miss Anna?"

She stopped by the kitchen door, seeing Anna standing over the sink, gagging and heaving as though she were going to be sick- though nothing was coming of it. Sheena's face turned pale and she took a step back.

"W-wait right here! I'll go get Kratos and Lloyd!"

"NO!"

Anna's voice stopped Sheena in her tracks. She turned around only to see Anna wretch over the sink again, this time managing to bring up a small amount of cloudy liquid. Unsure of what to do, Sheena cautiously approached, placing one hand on Anna's back and the other against her forehead.

"What's going on? You don't have a fever, but..."

Anna began running water in the sink and splashed her face a few times before she regained her composure enough to answer. "I-I'm okay. My throat hurts a little, but that's just because of the acid, I think. I don't have anything in my stomach, so-"

Sheena pulled her hands away. "This is not good. I'm going to go tell Kratos and Lloyd right away-"

"Please, don't!"

This time Anna sounded more scared than anything, and Sheena protested. "But you're really sick."

"I'm not, I promise. I'm just feeling a little off, is all. I don't want Lloyd to worry."

"How can you say that?" Sheena demanded, turning back towards the door. "He should be worried- this looks serious! You need to see a doctor, or-"

Before she could get anywhere, Sheena felt Anna's hand grip her wrist. "No, I…" Anna faltered a moment and continued with a resigned sigh. "...I'd just rather not this be how Lloyd finds out that I'm pregnant."

Sheena's expression of worry fell instantly.

"Y-you…"

"If you could, just for a little while, don't tell Lloyd. And don't let Kratos know that you know."

The situation was still too much for Sheena all of a sudden. "S-so… you and Kratos… that would make it's Lloyd's younger…"

"Yep!" Anna forced a smile. "Lloyd's going to be a big brother. I know it's wrong of me to keep it from him like this, but I want telling him to be a happy occasion. Kratos wants that too, so that's why he'd rather… keep things quiet for now, at least until I'm feeling better."

Sheena couldn't reply at first. She glanced back and forth between Anna and Noishe, who was standing as close as he could get to Anna's side without actually touching her. The whole thing was vaguely incomprehensible, but Sheena couldn't put her finger on why. Perhaps it was because she had seen Kratos and Anna as these mythical figures that weren't entirely human, with Kratos' angel background and Anna being considered dead for so long. The idea that the couple could have a- er, another- child had never crossed Sheena's mind.

"That's, uh… that's great. I'm really happy for you. But do you think keeping it a secret is the best idea for Lloyd's sake? He'll be happy even if he is a little worried-"

"Well, see, the truth is-" Anna glanced away, some color returning to her pale cheeks. "-it's really Kratos that I want to save worrying."

"Kratos is worried? About what?"

Anna sighed and took a seat at the kitchen table. "He can't help remembering what happened last time. When I was pregnant with Lloyd, we were always on the run from the Desians. It was dangerous. I almost lost Lloyd more times than I'd like to admit. That's all Kratos knows, and it scares him."

"But you're not on the run now." Sheena didn't sit down, instead leaning against the back of another chair. "You have a stable home with family and friends to help you."

"That's true. But Kratos has been closely following the unrest that's going on because of the Alpha-Beta controversy, and he knows better than anyone what kind of consequences that can have. Plus he… how should I put it…?"

"What?"

Anna closed her eyes and gave it some thought before replying. "Before Lloyd was born, Kratos wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of being a father. It was unexpected for him and he didn't like the idea of dragging a child into the complicated life we were living at the time. But for all that uncertainty, he still worried. He fussed over me and protected me and worried about me until he was in worse shape than I was, which was quite a feat once I got further along. All for a child he wasn't even sure he wanted." After a pause, she leaned down and rested her arms against the table. "After Lloyd was born, I think Kratos felt guilty about the way he thought before. A couple weeks ago when I told him the news, he kept saying how happy he was- y'know, in his own sort of stoic way- how happy he was that I was happy, and that he wants this baby just as much as I do. So when he insisted on keeping things quiet for safety reasons, I knew that was his way of trying to protect me. If it makes him feel better, I can't deny him that."

Sheena didn't speak at first. Anna's monologue had been a little too much for her to take in, and she was still contemplating it. There really wasn't any arguing with that, was there?

"...I see," she finally sighed.

"I'll tell Lloyd soon," Anna added. "I do feel bad about keeping it from him, and I promised Colette I would-"

"Wait, Colette knows?!"

Anna blushed and hid her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. She visited a few days ago and… we're really bad at this secret-keeping thing."

Sheena sighed. Really, she should've expected this. Lloyd had to have gotten his talkative nature from somewhere, after all. "Don't worry. I won't say anything to anyone. It's better if Lloyd hears it from you. Just be careful how long you keep it from him. If he finds out on his own, he'll be really upset, you know."

"Yes, I suspect so." Anna rose to her feet again and motioned toward the stove. "I'm going to make some tea to settle my stomach. Would you like some?"

"Something warm to drink sounds great right now. Thanks."

The two men returned to Lloyd's house, Kratos with a change of clothes that Anna had sent him away with. Lloyd had expected Kratos to be more talkative after all that had happened, but the silence between them was amiable, and- to be perfectly honest- more comfortable than most of their actual conversations. Lloyd had gotten cleaned up and was brushing through his tangled hair before Kratos finally spoke up again.

"Lloyd," he began, and Lloyd nearly jumped at the sudden noise, "what do you know about the Alpha-Beta project?"

The question came out of nowhere, and Lloyd had to think it over. "I-I'm sorry, I'm confused. What do you mean?"

"You and Genis are close. What have you heard from him regarding the project?"

The clarification made things easier and Lloyd shrugged, putting down the brush he was using. "We were talking about it the other day, actually. He was saying that his sister and Professor Low have been working really late nights to get things done right. He was worried about them, and honestly I don't blame him. Science-y stuff is hard. I couldn't imagine doing it all day."

Kratos initially replied with a mumbled "I couldn't imagine you doing it at all, Lloyd," but he played it off and continued as though he hadn't said anything. "Professor Low, hm? What do you know about her? She has connections in Meltokio that desperately want to see her project succeed- if only for the monetary reasons. I wonder if our Dr. Watson isn't one of them."

Lloyd raised his hand with a smile. "I know all about Professor Low! Well, I mean, I've never met her, but Genis is always talking about her and how much he admires her nowadays, so I went and looked her up. She's pretty famous in Tethe'alla."

"Oh? You actually researched someone?"

"Yep! Zelos gave me a reference book with a bunch of famous people in it, and she was listed in there. I wrote some stuff down." He stood up and ran over to the bookshelf, pulling out a notebook and flipping through several pages until he found what he was looking for. "Let's see… she's thirty years old, 167 centimeters tall, and weighs 68 kilograms. Her blood type is AB, her personality type is ESTJ, and her birthday is the 12th of December, making her a Sagittarius- just like me!"

Kratos frowned. He shouldn't have expected too much from Lloyd's so-called research. "Your enthusiasm is appreciated, but literally none of that information is helpful."

"Th-there's more!" Lloyd sported a blush as he turned back to the notebook, his stiff position causing the towel that was placed around his bare shoulders to slide off onto the floor. "She was born in Meltokio, her middle name is Dorothea, her favorite color is blue, there was a category that just said cup size followed by four D's, and I'm not sure what it meant but Zelos told me to write it down because it was important-"

"Stop, stop." Kratos reached over Lloyd's shoulder and closed the notebook. "I get it, she's reached enough of a celebrity status to have mindless gossip published about her in tabloids. That might suggest that this Dr. Watson is a fan, but it doesn't narrow the search down at all. What else did Genis say about the project?"

Lloyd frowned and reluctantly put the notebook away before bending down to retrieve his towel from the floor. "Not much more. Colette and I kinda got distracted, and then after we found Adora, everything fell to pieces-"

"Wait."

The sound of Kratos' voice cut Lloyd off, and he glanced up to see a look of confusion on his father's face.

"What do you mean-" Kratos continued, "-you found Adora?"