It's been a long time, hasn't it? I apologize; I've been feeling really uninspired to post with lack of feedback and such, but taking a break from posting has allowed me to generate more of a "buffer" between where I'm posting and the point to which I've written. That'll allow me to continue posting during November, when I usually take a break due to Nanowrimo. I hope that, if there are people reading, you're still enjoying the story. Thank you very much- and, of course, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction.

Dwarven Vow 120:
An rud a nitear sa chuil, thig e dh'ionnsaigh an teine.
What's done in the corner will come to the hearth.

18-

Zelos knew that Professor Low had been an instructor at the Imperial Research Academy prior to her transfer to Palmacosta University for the Alpha-Beta project, so he'd assumed that her permanent Tethe'allan residence was in Sybak. He was surprised that her home would be in Meltokio- in the nobles' quarter, no less- and even moreso at the size and grandeur of it. It wasn't quite as large as the Wilder mansion, but it had the same architectural style to it, along with a sprawling front garden filled with statues and an elaborate fountain. It didn't matter how much money she might have made off her magitechnology patents, this was not the home of new money.

So she's a scientist and an heiress, huh? Go figure.

At a mansion that size, Zelos expected a servant to greet them at the door. But even before they made it to the front porch, a tall woman burst through the door, all smiles and energy.

"Raine, Genis, Bianca! Oh, I'm so glad you made it! Come inside, please. There's tea and lemon scones waiting just for you."

"You didn't have to do that-" Raine began, but Professor Low had already reached her and grabbed her hands.

"Nonsense! This is your first time visiting my family home. I want to give you a warm welcome." She offered a wink. "Besides, you said you wanted to talk about something important, right? Lemon balm has been shown to improve memory and mental acuity as well as acting as relaxant. You seem stressed."

Raine sighed, unable to help a faint smile. "That's probably what we need. Thank you. In the meantime, this is our friend, Zelos. You remember him from the other day, don't you? I thought he could help us out, so I asked him to come along."

Zelos had never seen someone turn Raine's mood around so rapidly. He wondered if perhaps it was just the result of forming a good working partnership, or if… No, now's not the time to jump to conclusions like that. He stepped forward, about to offer his hand to shake, but Professor Low grabbed it before he even had the chance.

"Oh, I do remember you! Zelos Wilder, right? I was disappointed that I wasn't able to speak with you more on Tuesday. I've wanted a proper introduction to you for some time." She pumped his hand up and down.

"I see my reputation precedes me," he replied with a wink, though he was secretly a little disappointed. Even if she was a renowned scientist, he shouldn't have expected her to be any different from the average person starstruck by meeting the Chosen-

"And what a reputation it is! You were the valedictorian at the Imperial Research Academy the year before I started teaching. I saw you at the graduation ceremony- your speech was impeccable. Where are you working now?"

"I manage several family businesses and assets. My family is a part-owner in multiple shipping services and energy providers, and I also do some financial advising work for the Lezareno Company-"

"Not Research & Development?" Professor Low interrupted with a frown. "I would've thought, with your grades, you could make some major scientific breakthroughs."

"Oh, w-well, science wasn't really my thing. I'm more of a mathematics guy- my favorite class was macroeconomics with Dr. Onslow. Do you remember him?"

"Onslow?" The mention of the name brought a smile back to Professor Low's face. "He helped me with the patent filing process on my first prototype microreactor!" She swung her arm around Zelos' shoulder and ushered him in. "I should've known any friend of Raine and Genis would be as intellectual as yourself. We have a lot to discuss, Mister Wilder!"

Zelos glanced back at the others as they follow him inside. They were uneasy, he could tell, but there wasn't much he could do about that. The situation would just have to work itself out.

While a servant brought the tea to the library for the guests, Professor Low waved him off and poured the tea for everyone herself. As she did so, she and Zelos talked about the Alpha-Beta project and the work that had been done since her and Raine's last publication had come out. "We've managed to register on a standard calorimeter," she was saying as she handed the last cup to Nika, "but we don't have enough evidence to officially confirm it yet. We had some error in our methods, and will have to redo the experiment after the festival ends."

"That's incredible," Zelos murmured, genuinely impressed by the news. He'd read the press release surrounding the last publication, but he hadn't realized how far they'd come. "I've really gotta hand it to you ladies, you're performing miracles over in that lab of yours. Top-notch brains and ravishing beauty- is there anything you two don't have?"

Professor Low giggled, but Raine gave a long-suffering sigh and Genis scoffed. "Don't let Zelos' charm fool you," he warned. "It gets old really fast."

Zelos tossed a playful punch at Genis' shoulder that might've held a little too much effort for just joking around. "Hey, at least you called me charming! Thanks, buddy!"

"You look like you're feeling much better than you were on Wednesday," Professor Low commented, turning the conversation towards Genis instead. "I'm glad to see that."

"Oh? Genis was feeling under the weather?" Zelos glanced over beside him. "I guess it is flu season, huh?"

"I-I wasn't that sick," Genis defended. "It was just that I was running around in the rain all day on Tuesday. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, from the Great Tree, right?"

Professor Low frowned, glancing down at her cup of tea. "I'm sorry, Genis. I shouldn't have made you go all the way back to the Tree to look for that box. Not with the weather like it was-"

"N-no, don't apologize!" Genis set his cup down on the table to wave his hands. "That was the smartest thing to do in your situation. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to find the box-"

Bianca had ignored the tea and stood up on the couch, trying to find a perch where she could see the whole library. Upon hearing Genis' reply, she jumped from the back of the couch onto his shoulders. "Box? What box are you talking about?"

"Oh, th-that's-"

"Genis helped rescue a child who'd been abandoned near the Great Tree," Raine broke in. Zelos could tell from the hesitance in her voice that she was trying to find the most tactful way to explain the situation. "She'd been abandoned along with a wooden box, but in their scramble to get her help, Genis and his friends left the box behind."

"...I see." Bianca murmured. "But why would somebody abandon a kid? Where's her family?"

"They might not have been able to take care of her." Nika reached out and tugged on Bianca's dress, trying to drag her off of Genis and back to her own seat. "Not every child is lucky enough to have a family that loves them and takes care of them."

Bianca slid off of Genis' shoulders, an uneasy expression on her face. "They don't even have a big sister to help them?"

"No, they don't."

There was an awkward pause as Bianca settled back into her seat and turned her attention to munching on a scone instead. Zelos saw the opportunity to speak up before the conversation took a different turn, so he made sure to be the first to begin again.

"Speaking of that box, though, I have a question that I'm wondering if you could answer."

"Oh?" Raine looked over in surprise. "Us, as in-"

"You and Professor Low. See, I'd been doing some thinking about it, and I just can't imagine that Colette and the others found the box less than a few hours after it was buried. That's just too convenient, especially because of the rain we've had recently. It's a terrible time to bury anything. So that led me to wonder exactly how Adora survived being trapped in there for an indeterminate amount of time. I was wondering if either of you had heard of a magical technique known as... what was it... photoinduced biostasis?"

Once again the room went quiet, but this time it was a more pensive silence. Raine and Professor Low glanced at one another, seemingly expecting the other to speak up first. When neither did, Genis broke in.

"I assume you're talking about some form of preservation technique, right? But I've never heard of a light-induced stasis."

"I'm afraid I haven't heard of such a thing either," Raine admitted. "Most of the types of stasis I've seen in development have been through cryopreservation, and even then, we haven't perfected them. How would someone even-?"

"I recall seeing such a thing in some of my early studies on light," Professor Low offered. "As a student at the Meltokio Grammar School, I was placed on a team asked to develop a low-emission, low-consumption lighting system for the Church of Martel. There was a footnote in one of the manuals they gave us on photon properties about a method that was once used for preservation, but it was purportedly lost during the decline of the worlds. I've looked for such mentions in other texts since then, but have never seen it again, so I wondered if I'd imagined it due to the stress of overworking."

"You didn't imagine it. When I was working with Cruxis, I came across it in a book about lost artes."

"Lost..." Raine began, and Professor Low finished the sentence for her.

"...artes?" Both pairs of eyes glinted with a sense of awe and curiosity, and suddenly Zelos felt a wave of self-consciousness that he wasn't used to. These scientists- experts in this field, no less- were looking to him for information. And the only reason he knew it was...

As if reading his thoughts, Bianca spoke up. "Mister Zelos? I'm confused. I thought Cruxis were bad guys."

"B-Bianca!" Genis gasped. "Cruxis was-"

But before he could continue, Zelos broke in again. "Yeah, they were real bad guys. I was a bad guy too. But Genis and his friends found me. They made me-" He paused to consider his phrasing. "-less of a bad guy."

"Oh! I see." To Zelos' surprise, Bianca readily accepted the explanation. "I'm glad! I'd hate for somebody cool like Mister Zelos to be a bad guy. Thanks, Genis!"

Genis glanced away awkwardly and muttered. "...I'm not the one you have to thank. If it wasn't for Lloyd, I'd have left him in the gutter somewhere."

Zelos threw an arm around Genis' shoulder and pulled him into an affectionate headlock. "You know you love me!"

"Z-Zelos! You jerk, let go of me-"

Raine cleared her throat conspicuously and Professor Low leaned forward to get the group's attention once again. "You were saying... something about a lost preservation arte?"

"Oh, yeah. Right." Zelos let go of Genis and sat up straight again. "The book contained only a handful of secondhand accounts from people who'd read old manuscripts, but apparently back before the Kharlan War, a group of elves in Heimdall had developed a magical technique that used light as a preservative agent to keep biological entities in suspended animation without destroying the cells. The book wasn't totally clear about the method- I don't think the writers knew themselves- but it had something to do with the fact that, as an object approaches the speed of light, time slows down. Therefore, time never passes for light itself and photons don't experience the flow of time. So if you can give other particles the wave properties of photons..."

"I see what you're saying," Raine nodded as she heard his voice trail off. "But as nice as that sounds in theory, I can't imagine it's as easy to do."

"Oh, of course not." Zelos shook his head. "The sheer amount of power it would take to change the physical properties of living cells is mind-boggling. But that's what magic is all about- finding ways to get around the energy requirements of chemical reactions."

"But Zelos," Professor Low broke in, barely containing her excitement. "If it was supposedly lost after the splitting of the worlds, then what are you implying?"

She knew, of course, but she was going to allow him the satisfaction of saying it. It was considerate, especially for someone who loved drama as much as Zelos did, but something about that kind of treatment made Genis uneasy. Was she taking this seriously?

"...there must be someone who still knows how to perform that arte."

Zelos spoke with as much gravity as he could muster, but it didn't seem to have an effect on Raine and Professor Low's enthusiasm. Genis could feel a blush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks as he realized that they'd both fallen into total ruin-mode. That didn't bode well for their intent to search for the mysterious Doctor Watson. Genis briefly considered changing the subject before Zelos could work the two scientists up any more, but he decided against it. As hard as they'd been working recently, they deserved a little fun.

Raine set her cup of tea back down on the table. "If someone has rediscovered a lost arte that powerful, it would be extraordinary- unprecedented, even! The scientific implications are simply astounding."

"We have to research this further," Professor Low said, practically hanging onto Raine's arm by this point. "If this person has rediscovered this arte, who knows what others they've learned. We could rewrite ancient textbooks!"

"The potential benefits to science would be enormous!"

"Not just to science- to the world!"

The excitement of the two was contagious, and Bianca had begun jumping up and down on the sofa. "Amazing! Amazing! You're amazing, Zelos!"

"Well, I try." Zelos cracked a proud smile as he spoke, which grated on Genis' nerves. He started to say something about the dangers that might be posed by a sorcerer who would use a baby as a test subject, but a soft sound from the other side of the sofa caught his attention. Nika had cleared her throat and was raising her hand to speak.

"I'm sorry, this might be a stupid question, but... if the spell keeps things in suspended animation, then it could've been placed anytime in the past. Is it possible that the box had been buried during the Kharlan War era, before the arte was lost?"

"Th-that's not a stupid question at all! It's a great question!" Genis answered before Raine or Professor Low could. He knew that his sister wouldn't belittle Nika for her ignorance, but Professor Low had a reputation around the university for being harsh on questioning students. "See, the box was buried around the root system of the Great Tree. It had to have been buried since the germination of the tree- within the last five years."

"I see." Nika nodded, an expression of determined understand on her face. "That makes sense."

"We need-" Professor Low jumped to her feet, almost knocking over the glasses of tea on the table as she hit it. "-to do some more research! My personal library here is extensive, but if even that isn't good enough, then we can go into the remaining archives of the Church of Martel. The more we know about this technique, the more easily we can find the sorcerer who can perform it!"

"Yes, exactly!" Raine jumped up, clinging to Professor Low's arm. Her eyes were glittering with the same excitement they had when she was in ruin-mode. Genis, remembering their original purpose for visiting, cleared his throat and tried to break in.

"Um, that's great, but what about searching for you-know-who-"

"Not now," Raine shot back, the light in her eyes not dimming. "The promise of scientific progress is always more important!"

"Who is this, now?" Professor Low asked.

"Someone from Metokio who was disrupting scientific endeavors in Palmacosta," Raine explained. "We were hoping you could help us find him, but this takes priority. If we let him distract us from this incredible breakthrough, we'd only be helping him further impede progress!"

Professor Low grabbed Raine's hands. "I couldn't have said it better myself! Come on- the library is waiting!" She almost left the room without acknowledging her other guests, but quickly peeked back into the doorway. "Oh, you all are welcome to stay as long as you like. Arthur will see you out once you're ready to leave."

"I'll be late!" Raine called with a wave as she followed. "Don't wait up!"

There was an awkward silence, and the feeling of the others staring at the empty doorway sent a pang of embarrassment through Genis' chest. Such an important visit, and it had been cut off before it had even started- thanks to those crazy archeology ladies. Genis didn't think he could possibly be any more mortified.

But, as usual, Zelos proved Genis wrong in that regard.

He leaned over and nudged Genis' arm, whispering under his breath so that Nika and Bianca couldn't hear. "They sure got out of here fast. Ten gald says they're already jumped each other's bones."

"That euphemism had better not mean what I think it means, or else-"

"What you've never heard that one? Are you really a university student?" Zelos slapped Genis on the back. "I thought you'd find it funny- y'know, archeologists, bones..."

"What about bones?" Bianca began to climb over Genis' lap again, and he placed a hand on her head.

"Don't worry about it. Zelos made a joke, but it wasn't funny."

"I thought my joke was hilarious-!"

"Um," Nika raised her hand to break in, and the rest of the group turned to listen. "Should we stay here for a while, or do you want to go see the city? I'd been hoping to explore Meltokio some with you."

"Oh yeah, that's right! It's my first time here, so I wanna see all of Meltokio!" Bianca jumped off the couch and tugged at Genis' arm. "C'mon, c'mon!"

"I'm coming, don't worry." Genis couldn't stay irritated when in the presence of her pure excitement.

As promised, Professor Low's butler showed the four of them back out, thanking them for their patience with his mistress. It sounded rehearsed, as though he'd had to apologize for her behavior multiple times. Genis could believe it.

The four began walking up the sidewalk, glancing over at the square nearby where people were gathering. "Hey, Zelos, do you want to come with us looking around the city? We could use a native guide to show us all the best places."

"That's right," Nika added with a nod. "We'd love to have your company."

Bianca jumped up and down. "Please-oh-please, Mister Zelos!"

"You guys are sweet," Zelos replied, "but I have some important things I need to take care of this evening. We'll hang out some other time, okay-?"

His voice caught on the last word as he seemed to spot something in the crowd and suddenly broke into a run.

"Catch you guys later!"

"W-wait, Zelos-" Genis scanned the crowd for the target of Zelos' attention, noticing a familiar face just as Zelos called out.

"KRATOS! HEY, KRATOS!"

Genis held a hand out to Nika and Bianca, murmuring a quick "stay here, I'll be right back" before dashing off after Zelos. He had a feeling this could be nothing good, and once he reached them, he found the same look of annoyance on Kratos' face.

"-but I can't help you. I don't have any idea what Yuan does in his free time."

"What do you mean, you don't have any idea? You've known him for four-thousand years! Surely you must have some idea where he was today if he wasn't at the shop-"

Anna broke in, trying to play her usual role as mediator, "Zelos, sweetie, Yuan's very finicky about these sort of things. He prefers not to share, so Kratos tries not to pry. That's the kind of respect that keeps a friendship alive for so long."

Kratos made a sound that was somewhere between a scoff and an indignant snort, but Anna elbowed him and he looked away.

"What do you want with Yuan anyway?" Kratos asked with a sigh. "Last time I checked, you two weren't exactly buddies."

"Right, we're not. I'd rather avoid him, but he..." Zelos groaned as he spoke, running a hand through his hair. "...he has Ador- I mean, he has that kid Colette's been babysitting."

"...he what?"

Genis watched as Kratos' expression turned into one of disbelief. The look Anna was giving him was one of concern, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Kratos was hard to read when he was quiet, but when he opened his mouth, he let his emotions show through

"...I was afraid this would happen..."

"What do you mean?" Zelos demanded. "What's he up to? If he hurts that defenseless little baby, I swear, I'll make him regret the day he was born-"

"Zelos, stop." Kratos reached out and grabbed Zelos' arm to keep him from flailing it mindlessly amidst the crowd. "That's not it at all. Anna and I will pay Yuan a visit tonight and find out exactly what's going on. Tell Colette not to worry."

"Not to worry?! How can you say that?" Zelos yanked his arm away. "Your buddy Yuan straight-up kidnapped a baby, and you're trying to cover for him? I'll go find him myself!"

"No, that's not it-"

"It was stupid of me to ask you for help. I'll take care of this on my own-"

Zelos began walking away as he ranted, but Kratos grabbed the hood of his coat.

"Don't. This is something personal between Yuan and me."

A moment of silence followed. Zelos turned slowly to look back at Kratos, his expression clouding in confusion. "...something personal? What the hell does that mean?" He looked like he was about to say something else, but he stopped, gave it a little thought, and then continued with an air of disbelief. "Wait a minute... a lost, ancient arte that hasn't been practiced since the Kharlan War... it was you guys... it was you guys!"

Kratos grabbed Zelos' by the shoulder and jerked him close. "Let. Me. Handle. This."

"But you're the ones who-"

"I don't entirely know what's going on. But as soon as I find out, I'll make sure you and Colette know. Trust me."

"Trust?" Zelos scowled. "Coming from you?"

"I don't believe you have any room to talk in that regard."

Zelos didn't give that a response. He sighed and turned away.

"Fine. Do what you want. Just... promise me you won't let any harm come to that precious little girl."

"Yes. I can promise that."

Looking dissatisfied but resigned, Zelos turned away and began walking back up the sidewalk to where Nika and Bianca were waiting. Genis stayed ahead of him, keeping an eye on the crowd. Kratos and Anna were disappearing in the direction of the square, Anna pestering Kratos with what looked like a barrage of questions. Genis didn't envy either of them, but in this case he was actually more sympathetic to Zelos' cause.

"Hey, uh, Zelos?" He stoped and waited for Zelos to catch up. "I'm... sorry about what happened. Even if it was something personal, Kratos shouldn't have brushed you off like that, since it sounds like you really care about Adora."

Genis expected a rebuttal, and perhaps even a denial, but instead he found himself in an affectionate headlock.

"You're really being nice to me today, aren't you? Must be the girlfriend!"

"Th-that's not-"

"How about this? The tyke seems to like me; I'll take her on a private, guided tour of Meltokio so you and your girl can have some alone time."

Zelos winked at him and Genis felt his face turning red. "Y-y-you don't have to do that-"

"No need to thank me!" Zelos replied with a flourish. "But if you wanna repay me, be back at the mansion by nine o'clock. Lloyd will be there, and we can go out to my favorite little dive, just the three of us."

"You want to take Lloyd and me out drinking?!"

"Not drinking, per se. I just want one or two to take the edge off, you know?" Zelos shrugged and averted his gaze. "It's... been one hell of a day."

Genis didn't know what had happened before he and Raine had arrived, but the exhaustion in Zelos' voice was unfamiliar to him. He wasn't lying.

"Alright, fine. But you're buying."