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

Dwarven Vow #77:
Cha dean cridh misgeach breug.
The drunken heart will not lie.

21-

Zelos' position leaning on Lloyd's shoulder, gave him the opportunity to poke and prod his friend as he continued with his questions.

"C'mon, man! Lighten up a little. You won't even tell me who topped?"

"What does that even mean? We were kinda sideways most of the time-"

"Please," Genis interrupted, covering his ears, "I'd rather this not be the entertainment while we wait for the rain to die down."

The three had cut through the park on the way back and stopped under one of the pavilions to take shelter. There were still some people running back and forth along the paths in search of cover, but most people had gone home and the pavilion offered some privacy. Even so, Genis and Lloyd were getting sick of Zelos' incessant prying.

"Wha's wrong, Genis?" Zelos sat down next to Genis on a bench, leaning most of his weight against him. "Ya don't gotta be jealous just 'cause Lloyd 'n me are-"

"Why would I be jealous? I'm just frustrated for Lloyd's sake. Quit harassing him, will you?"

Lloyd sat down on the other side of Zelos, nudging him to get his attention. "Why don't we talk about something else? Tomorrow night officially starts the celebrations. What are you looking forward to most about the festival?"

"I'd have to say the special Kharlan War exhibit that the history museum is unveiling tomorrow," Genis replied after giving it some thought. "I'm excited to see the artefacts from the Imperial Research Academy's current dig site. And you?"

"I'm excited for the picnic food!" Lloyd responded, a bright grin on his face. "I'm going to try something from every stall I pass, and then once I'm full I'll run around the park a few times to burn it off and keep going!"

"Ah, to have that kind of energy…" Genis rolled his eyes and then nudged Zelos. "What about you, Zelos? What are you excited about?"

Zelos shifted his head against Genis' shoulder. "Ya say that like I'm excited about all this crap, ya lil' shit."

"Stop swearing." Genis put a hand against Zelos' cheek and pushed him away. "What do you have against the festival? I thought you loved big parties like this."

"Parties are fun," Zelos whined. "It's not fun t'give a stupid speech that'll ruin my stupid life. Why do I gotta ruin my own life now, man? Can't I just go back to other people ruining my life for me?"

"Ruin your life?" Lloyd leaned toward Zelos. "What do you mean? You're announcing your engagement to Colette, right?"

"It's not that. Not that." Zelos tried to wave one hand, but it didn't quite make it and he ended up just tossing his elbow limply instead. "I gotta… I gotta say that I'm the Chosen."

Genis could feel Zelos' weight against his side get slightly heavier. He recalled Colette's explanation of the situation from a few days earlier, recognizing the same sense of helplessness in Zelos' voice that had tinged Colette's. Concerned, he placed his hand on Zelos' wrist.

"...well, aren't you?"

Lloyd's eyes widened at the sound of Genis' question, but he didn't intervene. The sound of the rain against the pavilion roof suddenly felt louder than ever.

After a few awkward moments of staring at Genis, Zelos finally seemed to decide that he was being serious after all and answered the question.

"...no, I'm not! This damn world's been takin' it easy, depending on a Chosen for everything for four-thOUSAND GODDAMN YEARS." Zelos slammed his fist down on the bench seat, prompting Genis to move out of the way, "Ain't it about time these people started t' choose for themSELVES?!"

Genis frowned and slid closer again. "I see what you're getting at, but that statement doesn't really make sense in the true usage of the word Chos-"

"Shut up, four-eyes! This isn't about you!"

Baffled by the nickname, Genis touched the bridge of his nose just to be sure before he spoke. "...I don't wear glasses."

"What?"

"I don't wear glasses, Zelos. I've never worn glasses."

"There you go again, making this all about YOU-"

Lloyd reached across the back of the bench to grab the shoulder of Genis' shirt. "I think he was just trying to call you a nerd," he suggested. "You know, since there's the stereotype of nerds wearing glasses and all."

Unconvinced but not wanting to insult Zelos, Genis whispered his response. "You're saying he's so drunk that he forgot the word 'nerd?"

"Well-"

Before Lloyd could come up with an answer, Zelos stood up and began to walk across the pavilion. Genis scrambled to his feet, worried that Zelos was going to leave them behind, but Lloyd stopped him as they saw Zelos pause at the pavilion's edge. The rain that was pounding on the roof slid off the sides and cascaded down in a curtain around the edge of the pavilion, and Zelos held one hand out under the stream of water, palm up as though he were trying to catch it. His fingers were spread though, and the water simply slid through the gaps.

"Zelos…?" Lloyd asked. "What are you doing?"

"I'm checking to see if it's still raining," Zelos answered, paused, and then turned to Lloyd with an added "it's still raining."

"Yeah, I see that. But, like, why?"

"There's something I've always wanted to try, but has to be rainin' hard for it to work, ya know? So I gotta make sure."

"I… see." Lloyd forced a smile. "It's not raining that hard, though."

"It is right here."

"That's just the water falling off the edge of the roof-"

Before Lloyd could finish his explanation, Zelos stepped back so that he was directly under the cascade of water. He was already wet from walking in the rain earlier, so his hair was plastered to his sides and the running water just slid off in haphazard rivulets. There was a pause of only a moment when he seemed to be mentally preparing for something, and once he was ready, he opened his mouth and let out a deep, primal scream.

Genis covered his ears and Lloyd flinched, frantically scanning the park around them in fear that someone was going to be disturbed by the outburst. Lloyd ran to Zelos' side as his scream dissipated and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to cause a panic?"

"Relax- there's nobody around." Zelos stumbled over to the table, dragging Lloyd with him. "I just always wanted to do that. The rain makes it all the more cathartic, ya know?"

"This is not one of your melodramatic novels!" Genis hissed.

"You sure? Kinda feels like it."

"That's not-"

Before the argument could go down another path, the three were cut off by the sound of someone yelling from across the path.

"IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? IS SOMEONE INJURED?"

Genis swiveled around to address the woman and explain that there was no problem, but before he could make it to the edge of the pavilion to speak with her, she'd gotten close enough to recognize them.

"...Genis? Lloyd? Zelos?"

It had been a long time since they'd seen each other, so Genis hadn't recognized her from afar. But as soon as she was close enough for him to properly hear her voice, he recognized it in an instant.

"Hazel!"

"What are the three of you doing out here on a night like this? Who was screaming?" Once Hazel made it under the pavilion roof, she closed her umbrella and lowered the hood of her coat. "Y-you're all soaking wet! You'll get sick in weather like this!"

Unsure of what question to respond to first, Lloyd held up his hands with a friendly smile. "Don't worry about us. We're on our way home; the rain kinda caught us by surprise, since it was so clear earlier today. And Zelos is fine, he was just having some fun."

"I was not-" Zelos stumbled forward and fell against Lloyd's shoulder. "I was releasing pent up frustration in a constructive and nonviolent manner."

"You were screaming in a public park," Genis pointed out. "How is that constructive?"

"Nob'dy asked ya, y'little-"

Hazel stepped forward and cut him off mid-sentence. "Zelos… are you drunk?"

She seemed to be expecting a denial from him, considering how visibly off-put she was at his response.

"Drunk. Hammered. Smashed. Plastered. Intoxicated. Whatever y'wanna call it." He choked on his words a bit and paused before continuing "If I had to estimate my blood alcohol content, it'd probably be, like, ninety-percent."

"That's-" A look of exasperation passed over Hazel's face. "You would be dead."

"Hah! If only."

Hazel's features softened as her expression changed into one of concern. "Z-Zelos, this isn't like you. I've never seen you like this. Did something happen…?" Her last question was asked more to Lloyd and Genis than to Zelos himself.

"It isn't that serious," Lloyd broke in, propping Zelos up on his shoulder to keep him from slouching over. "Zelos just had a bad day, is all-"

"I'll tell ya what happened," Zelos broke in. "My cousins happened. Yuan happened. Kratos happened. That idiot Lu or whatever-his-name-is happened."

Hazel frowned, a look of confusion passing over her face. "I'm sorry to hear that. That all sounds…" She paused to search for the word. "...horrible?"

"You wouldn't know. You haven't met half those people." Zelos turned his face away from her. "Where were you all day today anyway?"

"I was working, Zelos. I'm on my way home from a twelve-hour shift at the hospital."

Zelos scoffed. "I see how it is. You were too busy with your job to visit Seles, huh?"

"Yes."

Genis admired Hazel's composure, but he could tell that her calm demeanor was only making Zelos more frustrated. "Th-that's not an issue, though, is it? I sometimes get lonely because my sister's always working, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care about me-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence, however, as Zelos pulled away from Lloyd and shoved him aside to get to Hazel. "Well, screw you too!"

"ZELOS!" Lloyd hissed. "Don't talk to her like that!"

"I know, I know. I shouldn't speak to a lady like that," Zelos waved his hand in Lloyd's direction. "But, hell, I'm doing all I can for Seles, and she isn't doing shit! Some girlfriend you are, ya-"

"I'm doing what I can in my own way," Hazel interrupted through clenched teeth. "You think I'm not lonely? But if being by Seles' side will only stress her out, of course I'll keep my distance."

Genis had to grab Zelos' arm to keep him from lunging at Hazel again. "Stress her out? She misses you, stupid!"

Lloyd nudged Genis and motioned back out toward the path where Hazel had come. "Listen, I'm gonna borrow Hazel's umbrella and run over to the general store a couple blocks down to see if I can find us some raincoats."

"W-wait! Don't leave me to look after Zelos myself-"

Before Genis could protest, however, Lloyd was already on his way, and Hazel had begun talking again. With a sigh of resignation, Genis sat down on the opposite bench and listened to what she had to say.

"Miss Veronica, a fellow medical professional, has told me on more than one occasion that my presence is a significant stressor for Seles." For the first time, a hint of melancholy began to show through in Hazel's face. "If that's the case, spending too much time around her would be selfish of me."

Hazel's defensive stance made it look like she had more to say, but what she'd already said had been enough to stop Zelos. His shoulders relaxed and the scowl on his face turned up into more of a grimace.

"...of course. I should've realized, dammit. It's been Veronica the whole time- tryin' to keep Seles in some kinda sterile bubble. No wonder Seles is miserable."

"Seles is… miserable?"

Zelos sighed and sat down on the bench again. He placed his cheeks in his hands, shaking his head as he answered. "She has no energy- sometimes she can't even get out of bed in the mornings. Her muscles ache and she gets so tired that she can't concentrate on anything. It sometimes feels like… she has no motivation to do anything."

Hazel placed a hand over her mouth. "I-I didn't know it was that bad. I assumed she was depressed because of everything that happened and being cooped up during recovery, but… muscle aches?" She sat down next to Zelos, leaning closer. "Has Seles had any other physical symptoms not consistent with situational depression?"

"I can't give you a detailed medical report!" Zelos replied, throwing up his hands. "I'm drunk!"

Genis groaned. "At least he admits it…"

Hazel sighed sadly. "I just don't want to cause her more stress. You can be there for her, can't you, Zelos? After what I did-"

"When will you stop blamin' yerself?" Zelos interrupted. "Seles needs you! She's so lonely, she's forcing me to make some stupid speech that I don't even wanna make!"

"Speech? What are you talking about?"

"The event on Sunday! I gotta make a speech, and if I don't say all the stuff Seles wants me t'say, she's just gonna keep getting worse. Stuff about bein' the Chosen, and my responsibility to the people."

"Zelos, that doesn't make sense." Hazel shook her head. "Seles just wants you to be happy."

"Then why does she get so much joy from my suffering, huh?"

"She doesn't! Has she said so?"

"N-no, but she…" Zelos crossed his arms and turned his back to Hazel. "…whenever I talk about being the Chosen, about my responsibilities and how important I am to the people of this world, how I gotta sacrifice my own desires to be a public figure to admire… gods, just saying that makes me sick… Seles seems to improve. She has more energy and motivation. I don't get it, but if it makes her feel better-"

By that point in his sentence, Hazel was already on her feet again. "No! Seles would never draw her sense of wellbeing from your pain. She loves you, Master Zelos!"

"Then you tell me, little miss doctor-" Zelos followed suit so that he could use his height against her. "-how will you take responsibility if my refusing to make this speech causes Seles to get worse?!"

Hazel's expression softened. "Seles will be happy if you're happy. You should heed your own feelings on this."

For a long moment, Zelos was quiet. He stared Hazel down, eyeing her with suspicion, until finally he pointed at her resolutely.

"Fine! I'll think it over again! But only if you-"

"H-hey, guys! Sorry, the general store was closed, but here's your umbrella back, Miss Hazel."

An out-of-breath Lloyd appeared beside them, holding up Hazel's umbrella with a smile. The two looked over at him in surprise, and Genis gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Oh…" Lloyd began again, "...did I interrupt something?"

Zelos took a deep breath and pointed at Hazel again. "Only if you agree to come to Seles' piano recital on Sunday night. She's been workin' hard, ya know. It's the least you could do to be there for her."

Hazel offered a nod. "I'll look forward to it," she promised. "And in the meantime… I can walk you back to the manor, if you like. It's on my way, and we can take turns sharing the umbrella."

"Really? You mean it?" Lloyd gasped and clapped his hands. "You're the best, Hazel!"

Genis could only express his gratitude in a nod.

Colette had to work late to pack up her students' art and transport it to the venue where the Meltokio Grammar School was going to be doing presentations. The upper grades were practicing for their musical performance on Sunday afternoon, and Colette stayed to watch- she was always thrilled to see how hard the children had worked in the arts, considering how overbearing the school could sometimes be on language and arithmetic. By the time she made it back to the Wilder mansion to meet with Zelos and see the others, Zelos had already taken Lloyd and Genis out with him. Though disappointed to have missed them, she was happy to spend some time catching up with Sheena and getting to know Nika and Bianca. Before she left she stopped by Seles' room to wish her a good night, and then headed out into the rain to return to her own home.

She had only reached the end of the street, however, when she was stopped by a pair of familiar faces.

"Colette! Thank goodness we caught you."

"M-Miss Anna?" Colette looked up, adjusting her grip on her umbrella. "Kratos? What are you two doing here?"

"We were looking for Zelos, but we wanted to talk to you as well," Kratos answered. "It's about Adora."

Colette nearly dropped her umbrella. "Adora?!" she gasped. "I-Is she alright? Where is she? What happened to her? What's-"

Anna stepped forward, ducking under Colette's umbrella and reaching out to take her hand. "Don't worry. Adora is fine. We found her real parents."

The umbrella clattered to the ground as Colette freed her other hand to clasp around Anna's. Her eyes were wide, and she was fighting back tears.

"It's alright," Kratos assured her. "Adora's father was overjoyed to have her back. He was afraid he'd never see her again."

Colette sniffled, but she was smiling brightly. "Oh… thank goodness…"

Anna picked up the umbrella and held it over them while she wrapped her arm around Colette's shoulder.

"...I was so worried we wouldn't find them…" Colette continued, "...Yuan even said that he thought her parents were the ones who abandoned her there in the first place. I'm so glad that's not the case…"

Kratos glanced over at Anna with a look of unease. "Why don't we… get out of the rain and, uh, discuss things? There are some things you need to know"

The tone of his voice caused Colette some concern, but she was happy to agree, and led the two back to the Wilder mansion.