As usual, I don't own anything- nor can I keep track of the days of the week- I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

Dwarven Vow 115:
Is trom snighe air taigh gun tughadh.
Rain falls heavy on a house unthatched.

17-

"I thought she was with you."

Zelos had known what to expect coming out of Colette's mouth, but it still sent a shock of panic through him. He felt his body go stiff and his hands start to twitch.

"No, I never saw her. Did you bring her back by the mansion? I'd have wanted to talk to you if you did. Song said Yuan walked you home, so I just assumed-"

"He did. I asked Yuan to take her back to you."

"But Yuan wasn't..." Zelos' voice trailed off and he suddenly stopped, mumbling a string of curse words under his breath that ended in "Yuan."

"Zelos?" Colette pressed closer to him in concern. "What's going on? Where's Adora? This isn't a joke, is it? Please, tell me you're joking-"

A few children were beginning to wander back into the classroom from lunch, so Zelos grabbed Colette's hands to quiet her.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay. Don't worry about it. I'll go find her. Yuan probably decided it was so late, he'd keep an eye on her overnight. I'll head over to his place, have a little chat with him, and get her home to Veronica. No harm, no foul."

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Colette asked. "If Yuan disappeared, then-"

"You saw how much he yelled at me for the way I was taking care of her, right? He was probably being selfish and figured he could do a much better job babysitting than I could." Zelos was trying to force a smile, if only to keep Colette from getting any more upset. "That sounds very Yuan, I think. I'm sure she's with him and she's perfectly fine."

"I-If you say so…" Colette stammered. She was glancing back and forth between Zelos and the students who were coming in, gathering around with interest as they recognized Zelos. "I can always get a substitute for the rest of the day and-"

"No, don't go to all that trouble. It'll be fine. By tonight, we'll both be laughing about this- trust me."

The words seemed almost enough to reassure her, and so he leaned down for a kiss to seal the deal. There was an outburst of gasps, laughter, and 'ewww's from the students, and by the time that Zelos pulled away from what he considered to be a very chaste kiss all things considered, there was already an uproar in the classroom.

"Ewwww!" "Zelos kissed Miss Brunel!" "Gross!" "Now they have cooties!"

"Hey, now," Zelos turned back to the kids, waving a hand to quiet them down. "The idea that kissing inevitably leads to cooties is just a misconception. If you kiss responsibly and get tested regularly, you have nothing to worry about-"

"Zelos, please." Colette gave him a push from behind, and he noted with satisfaction the amused blush on her face. "Thank you for visiting, but we do have a lot to finish up before the end of the day."

"That's fair." Zelos nodded in reply as he fished one of the parfaits- lukewarm, but probably still good- out of his bag and set it on the table. "Adora and I will see you later on tonight. Take it easy, okay? Everything's going to be fine."

As he continued out of the classroom and into the hallway, Colette smiled and waved. "Thank you! With you helping out, I know everything is okay."

Zelos kept his fake smile until he made it out of the school building and was part of the way down the sidewalk. He let himself curse again, this time louder and with more emphasis on the "Yuan" part. He was making a beeline for Yuan and Song's storefront on Southwest Boulevard, and if anyone had the misfortune of trying to stop him or getting in his way, they were going to be in for an unpleasant surprise.

Things were not okay.

What the hell kind of store isn't open on a weekday afternoon?

Zelos had spent at least an hour around the couple blocks of Southwest Boulevard where the ceramics shop was set up. When he'd arrived, he found the shop closed. Assuming that they were just taking a long lunch break, he'd shrugged it off, gone down the street for some afternoon tea, and returned once he'd gotten some food to settle his churning stomach. Zelos was certain that he'd find the little store open by that point, but… no dice.

Frustrated and unsure of what to do, he tried to get a look in the window to see if anyone was inside. An inspection of the main shop area found it completely empty, and when he went around back to look in the showroom portion, he found the same. From the back alley he was able to descend the stairs to the basement workshop entrance, but several minutes of knocking led to nothing there. As a last resort, he scrambled up the fire escape and knocked on the window of the second floor apartment. If there was anybody there, they should hear him.

After another few minutes with no response, Zelos leaned against the window and looked inside, trying to make out what he could past the sheer curtains. It was a kitchen area with a small table, and while it was as eerily empty as the rest of the building, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. A few pots sat in the sink to be washed, a kettle was left on the stovetop even though it clearly wasn't burning, there were some cups and plates left on the table along with- bingo! An infant's bottle!

"Damn that Yuan… he really did take her." Zelos stepped back from the window, shaking his head. "So where the hell is he?"

With no obvious answers to his questions, Zelos climbed down from the fire escape and hurried back out to the main street, lest someone discover him and he look like a thief. That kind of sensational headline was the opposite of what he needed right now.

As he continued down the sidewalk, he heard the sound of the nearby clock tower chiming the half-hour. Not having paid attention to the time, he pulled his watch out of his pocket to double-check. Something nagged at the back of his mind- there was something else he had to do today, wasn't there? It was already three-thirty, and-

Crap! Genis and Raine were coming this afternoon, weren't they?

Zelos turned on his heels and raced back to the mansion, praying he wasn't too late to welcome the guests he'd invited.

"Well, I think that's everything."

Lloyd glanced around his bedroom, trying to spot anything that might be out of place. He'd finished packing all the belongings he was taking with him to Meltokio for the festival, but there was still a feeling that he'd forgotten something. He turned back to Sheena with a frown.

"We're not missing anything, are we?"

"You're the one who said that was everything," she replied with a shrug. "Did you remember to get the keys to the studio?"

"Yep, got 'em."

"Something nice to wear for the dinner on Sunday night?"

"Zelos told me he'd get me something," Lloyd replied with a grin.

"Your formal invitation from Zelos to bypass the extra screening for entrance to Meltokio?"

There was a pause following that one. Lloyd glanced to the side with a slight blush. "That… would be what I forgot."

"Lloyd!"

As he scrambled to add the forgotten item to his already overfilled suitcase, Sheena took a step out onto the porch to examine the weather. It had finally stopped raining, and the skies were clear with only a few sparse clouds. That would make traveling much easier, and she was grateful for it. But this time when she walked out, she found a set of boxes sitting on the porch that hadn't been there before. Curious, she checked them and noted that they'd arrived in the mail, both addressed to Lloyd. One had a return address from Meltokio, so she picked that one up first. It wasn't large, but it was heavy, and she hadn't the slightest idea what someone from Meltokio- Zelos, perhaps?- would've sent Lloyd that he wasn't planning on simply giving him when they met up.

"Lloyd, the mail came," she said, stepping inside with the heavy box. "There's another package out there. Did you mail-order something from Meltokio?"

Lloyd had just finished dragging his suitcase into the living room and had to stop momentarily to catch his breath. "N-no. What in the world is that?"

"I don't know. It's yours, so you should open it. I'll go get the other one."

Confused but intrigued, Lloyd took the box to the kitchen table and began opening it. It was carefully packaged, so much so that it was difficult to retrieve from the box, but he eventually was able to produce a small, cauldron-like piece of stoneware. It wasn't clear at first what it was, so Lloyd sat down to examine it. It was a soft green color, standing on three legs with ornate patterns etched into the sides. He traced his finger over the smooth surface in awe, not sure what to make of it.

"Sheena, what's this?" he finally asked as she returned with the second box. She glanced down at the long, thin package in her hands and held it up so he could see better.

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure this is a sword."

"N-no, not that. I mean this ceramic thing. It's pretty, but what's it for?"

Sheena frowned and examined it. "It's shaped like a Bronze-age ritual cauldron, but I think… it's just a fancy incense burner. Who sent you this? Is there a note?"

"Oops! I didn't check!" Lloyd dug into the box again and pulled out a small envelope. The back of the envelope had the seal of Song and Yuan Ceramics, which Lloyd recognized immediately. Feeling more confident about the object now that he knew its source, he tore into the envelope to read the note. "I think Yuan's buddy made this. But why would he sent it to me...?"

"What's the note say?"

"It says…" Lloyd began to read and frowned as he continued. "...Happy unification day or whatever. From Kratos. What the hell? Happy unification day 'or whatever?' Why would Kratos send me this?"

Sheena gave Lloyd a gentle punch on the arm. "What do you mean, why would he send you this? It's obviously a gift. Don't be ungrateful."

"I'm not ungrateful! I just…" Lloyd bent down so that he was at eye-level with the table and scrutinized the incense burner a little bit more. "...why…?"

Sheena picked up the card from the table and read over it. "This celadon-glazed censer is shaped to resemble the traditional ding of religious ceremonies long past. It's perfect for burning incense in a small space and would be right at home on the desk of a scholar or artist." She stopped and shrugged. "Well, I guess we know he didn't choose it for its functionality. Maybe he just wanted to support Yuan's business."

Lloyd stood up again, heaving a sigh. "That makes sense, I guess. And it's the thought that counts- he didn't have to get me something, after all. I'll have to thank him when I see him again."

Sheena nodded and offered the second package. "And I have a feeling you might like this one better."

"We don't know for sure it's a sword, though." Lloyd accepted the package with a shrug of his shoulders and set it down on the table, trying to figure out the best way to open it. "For all we know, it could be a really long, thin vase."

"I'll bet you anything it's a sword."

"I would happily take that bet, because I'd win either way-" Lloyd began, but he stopped as he began to unwrap the packaging and found himself facing an intricate metal hilt. He stopped breathing momentarily, only to resume with a gasp and a scramble to completely unwrap it.

"No way. No way. It was only yesterday I said something- how'd he get this to me so fast?"

"Lloyd?" Sheena began, inching forward curiously. "What are you talking about?"

Lloyd removed the last of the packaging and pulled the sword from its sheath. It was a beautiful piece of work, from the ornate basket hilt to the intricate carvings on the guard and fuller, to the bevel of the blade itself. Lloyd was speechless for a long time before he finally choked out "...a proper claidheamh beag…"

Sheena knew better than to interrupt him at this point, so she took a step back and watched him examine every detail of the sword in turn.

"...this isn't one of the standard militia ones either- it's a custom piece. How long had he been planning to give this to me?" Lloyd found himself laughing in spite of himself. "Kratos, you trickster, you! Listening to me ask for one of these when you were already planning to give me one!"

"I take it you're a little more satisfied with this one?" Sheena asked, giving him a nudge.

"I don't know," he replied, a note of sarcasm in his voice. "That incense burner is awfully nice."

Sheena smirked. "The sword can't even hold a candle to it, right?"

A moment passed and suddenly Lloyd's eyes lit up. A wry smile passed over his face and he pointed toward Sheena, making her realize what she'd said. She slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was already too late.

"Hah! A candle! Sheena, that's a good one-"

"Th-that wasn't-! I mean, I didn't mean to-!" She protested as he wrapped his free hand around her shoulder and pulled her in to press a string of kisses to her cheek. The sensation made her giggle, and while she tried to push him away, it was clearly more of a symbolic gesture than an actual attempt at freeing herself. "You're such a dork, Lloyd!"

By the time their focus shifted back to what they were doing before, the package the sword had arrived in- and the small note that had been included- were all but forgotten.

To Zelos' relief, Genis and Raine had only just arrived by the time he made it back to the mansion. Sebastian had seen them in and told them to wait for Zelos in the second floor parlor, and so Zelos sprinted up the stairs and made it to the door in a split second, leaning on the door frame in an attempt to cut a casual profile.

"Well, hello there. Fancy-" Zelos had to pause to catch his breath. "-meeting you guys here."

Raine and Genis were there, along with their guests, a young woman who looked to be around Genis' age and a little girl. The two unfamiliar faces took on a look of concern, but the Sage siblings were unimpressed.

"You look like you just ran a marathon," Raine commented with a frown. "Don't tell me you forgot we were coming."

"A marathon? Come now, Professor, I can't look that bad." Zelos ran a hand through his hair, trying to take advantage of the situation to look cool. "And there's no way I could forget about my friends!"

Genis looked like he had something he wanted to say, but Zelos saw him glance over at the little girl before looking away and keeping his mouth shut. So that's how it is, huh? Ungrateful… Not wanting to dwell on it, Zelos slid over to address the two he hadn't met, holding out a hand for the young woman to shake.

"Sorry for not introducing myself properly, Miss. The great Zelos Wilder, at your service. You must be Genis' girlfriend- what a beauty!"

She blushed and responded with a smile as she shook his hand. "Y-you're too kind, Mister Wilder-"

"Zelos is fine, honey." He tossed her a wink. "And what should I call you?"

"Nika. I'm Nika Wilbur. And, uh, this is my sister."

Still seeming nervous, Nika gestured to the little girl by her side, who seemed to share none of her older sister's hesitance. Bianca walked up to Zelos with a proud grin. "I'm Bianca! It's nice to meet you, Mister Zelos! You have a biiiiig house!"

"Why, thank you, Miss Bianca. I'm thrilled to have you in my big house." Zelos made a show of bowing in her direction. "I hear you're a student at the Palmacosta Academy, is that right? How old are you?"

"That's right! I'm seven!" Bianca held up seven fingers. Her enthusiasm was contagious and Zelos fought back a laugh as he responded, unable to resist teasing her a little.

"Seven what?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you're a scientist, aren't you?" Zelos crossed his arms. "Any scientist knows you can't throw numbers around without providing the units. That leaves people to guess- are you seven months? Seven decades? Seven-"

"Seven years!" Bianca spluttered through a laugh. "I'm not a baby!"

Zelos nodded. "That would've been my hypothesis, but it's not prudent to make assumptions before you have evidence. Right?"

Bianca was smiling from ear to ear by this point and she clung to the hem of Zelos' coat. "Genis, I like your friend!"

Zelos expected a wry comment in response, but Genis seemed genuinely pleased. "Good. I'm glad to hear it."

Raine stepped forward, clearing her throat and addressing Zelos directly. "I want to thank you again for hosting us. I understand you're very busy during these sort of events, so I'm grateful f-"

Zelos cut her off by throwing his arm around her shoulder. "You're too formal, Professor! Have a little fun! It's boring around here without you guys- once Colette gets home from work and Lloyd and Sheena get here, we can really party!"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather get some rest…" Raine murmured, glancing away. "But speaking of Colette, how is the baby she's caring for? Adora, I think she called her? Who's taking care of her while Colette is working?"

Zelos' stomach churned and he let go of Raine immediately, hoping she didn't notice the way he stiffened up at the mention. "O-oh, her? She's great! Adorable kid, well-behaved, just a delight to have around! Right now Yuan is babysitting her, so she's not around, but-"

"Yuan?" Genis asked. "As in, Renegades, Yuan?"

"That's the one!" Zelos flashed Genis a thumbs-up, praying that he was doing a good job of selling the everything's-alright mood. "I was surprised, but he's actually a really good babysitter. He knows a lot about childcare and nutrition and those sorts of things. He scolded melast night when he thought I wasn't doing things correctly, being a real stickler for proper handling and feeding, y'know?"

"I see." Raine's expression was difficult to read. "That's unexpected, but considering how long he's lived, I can believe it…"

"Hey, hey!" Bianca shoved herself in between Raine and Zelos, tugging at the sleeve of Raine's robe. "Can Mister Zelos come with us to visit Professor Low? Please-oh-please?"

Raine tugged her sleeve away and placed a hand on Bianca's head. "Zelos might have other things to do, but we'll certainly invite him. Why don't you go unpack your things while Genis and I talk with him?"

Nika took ahold of her sister's hand and gently pulled her away. "Come on, Bianca. The nice butler is going to show us to our room."

"You should come with us, Mister Zelos!" Bianca called and waved as she exited the room. "Professor Low is super cool!"

Zelos waved until she had turned the corner, and by the time he returned his attention to Raine and Genis, Raine had already begun speaking again.

"I'm sorry to impose on you so suddenly, but if you could accompany us, I'd be grateful. You might be able to help us with something."

"Seems I'm a popular guy, aren't I?" Zelos shrugged. "I have some things I need to take care of this evening, but I could spare a few minutes. What's going on?"

Genis replied, looking uneasy as he spoke. "We were hoping you could help us find someone. Do you know a Doctor Watson?"

"This may not necessarily be a medical doctor," Raine broke in, "but rather, someone with a post-office box in Meltokio who has unofficial ties with the Palmacosta University."

Zelos thought for a moment. "I can't say I recognize the name, but I'll help however I can. I may not know this person, but trust me... if they're in Meltokio, I can find them."