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

Dwarven Vow 126
Caraidean a 'nochdadh aig àm cruaidh-chas.
Friends are known first in hardships.

22-

Colette led Kratos and Anna into the drawing room on the first floor. It wasn't her home, but with Seles asleep and Zelos still out, she was the closest thing to a host that the mansion had at the moment.

"Are you sure you don't want some tea? Sebastian is off duty, but I'd be happy to make some-"

"It's alright, Colette." Anna smiled and sat down on one of the couches. "We had our fill of tea back at Yuan and Song's place."

"And we'd rather this not take too long," Kratos added. He was making a point not to sit down, instead taking a spot beside the couch. "It wouldn't be fair for me to neglect the curfew that I've set for the other members of the militia. We just wanted to stop by to ease your worries. I spoke with Zelos earlier today, and he seemed a little… overwhelmed."

"Was he?" Colette glanced down at the carpet. "He tried to assure me that everything was alright, but I could tell he was nervous."

"Nervous… I suppose that's the right word…"

Anna nudged Kratos and cleared her throat. He shot her a glare, but sighed and turned the conversation back toward the subject at hand.

"As I said before, Adora has been reunited with her family thanks to Yuan. Her father couldn't speak to you tonight, but he wants to meet with you tomorrow in order to express his thanks-"

Colette held up a hand to interrupt. "You... can use her real name now. I don't mind."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Her real name," Colette repeated. "I mean, I just started calling her Adora because of the box, but it'll be easier for everyone if we use her real name."

Kratos and Anna glanced at one another.

"You were right, actually," Anna offered. "Adora is her real name."

A moment passed, and a frown passed over Colette's face. "...really?"

Anna reached out in concern. "What's wrong?"

"But then… why was her name on the box? Do her parents know who put her there? Was she kidnapped? I mean, it had to have been someone who knows her, so-"

"Calm down, Colette," Kratos interrupted. "It's complicated, but… when you meet Adora's father, you'll understand. He asked me to invite you and Zelos to dinner tomorrow night. I know you two are busy, so you don't have to stay long, but he feels that it's only fair he thank you properly."

"Who is he? Why is he being so cryptic about this? If he wanted to thank us, couldn't he have just-?"

"Colette." Kratos reached down and placed his hands against her arms. It worked to quell her nervousness, and she relaxed again to listen to him continue. "Adora's mother passed away, and with everything going on, it's been hard for her father. It's a complicated family situation, and if I were to try to explain it all now, we'd be here all night. But trust me when I say that I wouldn't have let her stay in his care if I didn't believe he'd do what's best for her. I have no doubt that he loves her more than anything. And I think he needs Adora just as much as she needs him. So will you please be patient a little while longer?"

Colette allowed her shoulders to relax. "...I understand. I'm sorry for getting worked up."

"It's okay. It's only natural that you're worried about her," Anna offered, pulling herself to her feet again. She approached Colette as well, putting her arm around her shoulders. "You've done a good thing, Colette."

"Thank you both," Colette reached out to Kratos and Anna, trying to suppress a sniffle. "I just hope that everything turns out al-"

"-and I'm telling you, you're seeing things! My skincare regime is FLAWLESS. Ask Colette if you're not sure."

The entry hall was suddenly filled with noise, and within a moment, Zelos had burst through the drawing room doors, followed by a frantic-looking group of friends. Lloyd and Genis were trying to catch up to him, but he noticed Colette and was across the room in a split second.

"COLETTE," he began, pushing Kratos out of the way so that he could throw an arm around her shoulder, "tell Hazel that I do not have acne; these are FRECKLES, and I've had 'em forever."

Instead of speaking up right away, Colette slowly raised a hand to his cheek in concern. "Zelos, you're soaking wet. What's wrong with you? Your hands are cold, but your face is all red."

Zelos laughed, choked, coughed, and then cleared his throat to continue with the same tone of voice. "Well of course my face is red, hunny. How could I keep from blushing when I've got my eyes on the cutest gal in the world?"

Not one to mince words, Kratos spoke up before anyone else could.

"He's drunk."

"Well, yeah," Zelos added, "that too."

Colette gasped, turning to look at Lloyd and Genis. "What happened, you guys? You said you were going out for a drink or two-"

Lloyd yelped. "Don't look at us like that!"

"I-It wasn't our fault!" Genis agreed, waving his hands. "Honest! He just started doing shots, and the next thing we knew…" His sentence trailed off as he realized how that sounded. "I mean, we tried to stop him, but-"

"Don't worry about it, you two," Kratos broke in. "Zelos is an adult. He isn't your responsibility to baby-sit."

"But still-" Colette placed her other hand on Zelos' opposite cheek and turned his face back toward her. "-this isn't like you, Zelos. I've never seen you like this. What happened?"

Zelos let out a giddy giggle. "Your hands are so warm."

"That's because your face is freezing, Zelos. You need to go dry off before you catch pneumonia."

"I can help," Lloyd offered, taking Zelos' hand and leading him back toward the staircase. "I'm really sorry about this, Colette. We should've paid more attention to him and stepped in sooner-"

"I'm right here, ya know!" Zelos yelled, snatching his hand away. "If you've got a problem with the way I deal with my problems, then we're gonna have a… a problem…" He stumbled forward to climb the staircase, but miscalculated how high the second step was and hit his toes on the side of it. Thrown off-balance, he tumbled forward and faceplanted against the steps above.

"Zelos!" Colette shrieked and took off to help him up. By the time she reached him, someone else had come from the top of the staircase and was already helping him to his feet.

"What's all this commotion about? People are trying to sleep, you know!" Sheena let go of him once he'd gotten to his feet, but he almost toppled over again and she had to grab him by the chest. "Geez, what happened to you? You're soaked and you smell like booze."

"I'm so sorry," Colette took over for Sheena, pulling Zelos' arm around her shoulder. "Zelos was out in the rain, and he's not feeling well-"

"And I'm super drunk," Zelos added, flashing a proud grin.

"I'm so sorry about him."

Lloyd and Genis had made it up the stairs by this point, having pushed aside Hazel, Anna, and Kratos, who were still gathered at the base of the stairs, observing the scene. "Colette, you don't have to apologize for him," Lloyd insisted. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's Genis and me."

Sheena crossed her arms, responding to Lloyd but glaring at Zelos. "Why should you apologize? You're not the one causing a ruckus while your friends are trying to rest."

Zelos scoffed and threw a weak punch at Sheena's shoulder with his free arm. "Friend? Some friend you are- I can't believe you seriously banged Lloyd and then didn't tell me!"

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-" Sheena's hand flew to her shoulder, her eyes widening. Colette gasped and hissed Zelos' name before beginning another apology, but Sheena wasn't listening. "Wh-what's your deal? Who told you that?"

"I'm intuitive, my dear Sheena. I know these things," Zelos replied with a wink.

"Lloyd told him," Genis corrected.

"Genis! I-I didn't tell him, I swear!" Lloyd could see that he was now the recipient of Sheena's ire, and he fumbled to make some excuse. "I mean, I might've implied some things, but the rest is totally just Zelos' imagination."

"And you left it up to Zelos' imagination? That's worse!"

Kratos spoke up from the bottom of the staircase. "Zelos is your friend, though. That makes it okay, right?"

"That's not-!" Lloyd began to protest, but he quickly decided it wasn't worth it and turned back to Sheena. "In my defense, it really wasn't my fault, since I'm kind of drunk too-"

"After only one whisky?" Genis broke in. "I thought you had a higher tolerance than that."

"Shut up, Genis!"

Zelos was laughing throughout the conversation, with Colette trying to calm him down. Anna was scolding Kratos for teasing Lloyd, Kratos was shrugging off the situation, and Hazel had started trying to offer an excuse to leave. The commotion was loud enough that no one heard the front door open and close. Zelos, however, noticed the newcomer before she could slip into the hallway, and called out.

"Yo, Professor! Good to see you out and about on this lovely night!"

"...Raine?" Genis turned around at the sound of Zelos' voice, glancing down to see his sister by the front door.

"Oh, I… I didn't realize everyone would be awake at this hour…" Raine stammered, shrinking back. "Hello, Anna, Kratos. And, of course, Hazel. Good to see you again." She shed her raincoat and left it on the coat rack before making a determined march up the stairs. "I apologize for the curt greeting, but it's been a long evening and I need to get some rest before tomorrow's festivities."

"Hey, no shame in that!" Zelos gave her a pat on the back as she passed by. "See, Lloyd? You could learn a thing or two from someone who's not afraid to admit she's sleepin' with a hot chick."

Raine froze on the last step and turned around with a glint of anger in her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Zelos!" Genis hissed and grabbed him from behind. "I know you're drunk, but watch what you're saying, will you?!"

"I'm so sorry about him," Colette added. "Don't take what he says seriously, okay?"

Raine had already taken a few steps down so that she could speak to Zelos directly. "I won't take him seriously, but there are people who might. And I won't stand for you to belittle important scientific research and professional relationships by making everything about sex." She turned and started back up the stairs. "Now if you'll excuse me, Professor Low and I have been asked for a consultation with the restoration team at the history museum tomorrow morning and I can't be late. Good night."

"You don't gotta be embarrassed," Zelos called out over Genis and Colette trying to shush him. "That Professor Low is a real catch! Smart, funny, charming- and her family's fortune isn't the only thing she's well-endowed with, if you catch my drift."

"Professor Low is a woman of science," Raine called back pointedly.

Zelos laughed. "Well, yeah, that much is obvious! Only science could get somebody a rack that size-"

Genis and Colette both shoved their hands over Zelos' mouth, but they were too late. There was a pause from the hallway and Raine appeared at the top of the staircase again, gripping the banister so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white.

"For your information," she growled, "I can confirm that they're absolutely real."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she seemed to realize what she'd said. The color drained from her face and her hands pulled shakily away from the banister.

"I… believe I have said enough. Good night."

Raine disappeared down the hallway, leaving Colette and Sheena scolding Zelos while Genis groaned and buried his face in his hand. Lloyd glanced around, not sure what to make of it all. He looked to Kratos and Anna, hoping that his parents might offer some sort of subject change.

Kratos cleared his throat awkwardly. "It seems as though we may have overstayed our welcome. We should go. This has been…" He fumbled for the right word to describe it, eventually giving up on trying to find something even remotely positive. "...this has been a train wreck. It's probably best to forget this whole conversation ever happened."

"What conversation?" Anna asked with a pointed smile, and Kratos sighed, giving her an approving pat on the head.

"Would you like an escort back to your place, Colette?" he offered. "It's not too far out of our way, and we still have some time before our curfew."

Colette shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I'll stay the night here instead. I'd like to catch up with Lloyd, and I get the feeling that Zelos is going to need some… moral support tomorrow morning."

"Fair enough. Adora's father should be coming by tomorrow afternoon to pick you up for dinner, so make sure Zelos is presentable by then."

"I will!" Colette replied, though her voice was drowned out by Zelos'.

"Wait a minute! Who's coming to what?"

"Colette will explain it," Anna said as she followed Kratos out the door. Before closing it behind them, she waved and blew a kiss. "Good night, Lloyd, dear!"

"Good night, Mom!" Lloyd waved back.

Hazel had followed the two toward the door and was putting her raincoat back on. "I'll excuse myself as well. I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday."

"You'd better not be late!" Zelos called, but by the time he did, she was already out the door. "Geez, that woman moves fast-"

"Zelos, will you listen to us?" Genis picked up on the scolding where Colette and Sheena had left off. "What you said to Raine was totally uncalled for!"

"What?" Zelos offered a lopsided shrug. "Y'can't blame me for thinkin' that anything bigger than Sheena's has gotta be fake-"

Sheena raised one hand to slap him, but Lloyd held her back. "He's drunk, he doesn't know what he's saying!"

"Drunk Zelos will be held accountable for what he says just as much as sober Zelos-" She began to protest, but Zelos already wasn't paying attention.

"Besides," he began, slurring his words as he spoke, "I like mine about this size." His hand wandered to Colette's chest, and Genis bristled as he watched. Colette, seeing Genis about to jump in, quickly took the matter into her own hands.

"I think that's enough for tonight. We need to get you into some dry clothes, or you're going to get sick." Colette squeezed Zelos' wrist, pulling it away from her chest and tugging his arm around her shoulder instead. Her voice was pleasant, but firm. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"Hunny," Zelos began as Colette practically carried him up the stairs, "you know I don't sleep with women when I'm drunk."

A soft "I know, Zelos," was her only reply.

Zelos continued to speak as they made their way down the hall, mostly peppering Colette with flowery compliments and cheesy pick-up lines. Lloyd, Sheena, and Genis exchanged an awkward glance, but with nothing much to say, they hurriedly wished each other a good night and returned to their own rooms.

Zelos wasn't used to being fawned over as soon as he woke up. It felt a little like a dream, being surrounded by soft pillows, a cool rag on his forehead and the sound of gentle encouragement from his favourite voice playing through his ears.

If only his body didn't violently ache everywhere.

"I know you probably want coffee, but Miss Veronica said that you need to drink water first to rehydrate, especially if you're throwing up. Do you feel nauseous?"

Colette sat on the side of the bed next to him, making sure he had a firm grip on the glass. He took a few gulps of the water, feeling his headache abate just a little before he spoke up and the pain came back full-force.

"Nah, I'm not nauseous. It's just… ugh... just that everything hurts."

"You poor thing. Here- drink some more water."

Zelos had to admit, he'd expected a different reaction from Colette. She wasn't even angry; in fact, she seemed to genuinely feel sorry for him. She'd spoken the words 'you poor thing' without a hint of sarcasm, a feat he hadn't believed was possible.

Once he finished the water, she took the glass and returned with a hairbrush in-hand. He perked up a little, always delighted at the prospect of having those precious hands running through his hair, and sat up straight for her.

"I feel pretty horrible, but... all the same, it's nice waking up with you here beside me."

Colette giggled. "You don't need to be sick to spend time with me. I'm always here for you."

"Well, that's a good thing, because I have no intention of repeating this-"

He cut off his sentence as soon as she started tugging on one of the knots in his hair. The brush got caught, and he could tell she was trying to free it, but the more she pulled, the worse the situation became. It was a painful few moments as she wrestled with it before she finally succeeded.

"-ow, ow, ow! Careful with the hair!" As soon as Colette freed the brush, Zelos let himself fall face-first onto the pillow, muffling his speech as he continued. "I guess that's why they call this mal aux cheveux."

"I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize." Zelos pulled himself up again and took the brush from her. "I gotta sober up anyway. Could you get me some more water?"

Colette hopped off the bed with a pleasant "of course!" before grabbing the empty glass and returning it to the vanity where the pitcher of water was sitting. She waited for Zelos to put the brush down before she handed it to him.

As he was drinking, there was a knock on the door, and Veronica peeked her head in just a crack.

"Master Zelos, are you feeling alright? You have a guest-"

"I'm not a guest, I'm his sister." Seles pushed her nurse aside and nearly tripped over her own feet trying to get to the bedside. "I heard you were sick. What happened?"

Zelos set the glass down on the bedside table and slid over to make room for Seles. "Don't get so worked up. It's my own fault. I… drank a little too much last night, and now I'm paying for it."

Seles' face fell. "Wait, that's all this is? A hangover?" She gave him a sharp hit against the forehead. "And to think I was worried about you!"

"Ow! Geez, Seles, my head hurts enough already! I don't need any extra punishment!"

"Don't be so harsh on him," Colette agreed, taking Seles' hand in hers. "I bunked with Lloyd last night, and he told me everything that happened. I'm so sorry, Zelos- this is all my fault."

"...what?" Zelos raised an eyebrow, mirroring a similar gesture from his sister. "Colette, there's no way me getting shit-faced drunk is somehow your fault."

"That's what Lloyd said… well, not in those words, but…" Colette shook her head. "He told me what you said about the speech. I had a feeling you felt that way, but I never gave you an outlet to talk about it. The fact that you were so worried about others, you had to get heavily intoxicated before you were willing to admit how you really felt… as someone who loves you, it hurts to think that. And it hurts to think I could've prevented it and didn't. I'm so sorry."

Zelos could see her fighting back tears, and he reached up to cup her cheeks in his hands.

"Colette... oh Colette… you have nothing to be sorry for. My happiness is not your responsibility."

"You say that," Seles broke in, "but for people who care about you, your happiness is their happiness. Don't you think Colette and I want you to do what's best for you? What's all this about a speech anyway?"

Zelos gave Colette some space and turned to Seles, bowing his head formally. "Listen, Seles. It's about that speech I'm supposed to give tomorrow- the one about the merging of the Chosen lineages. I know how much you want me to keep being the Chosen for everyone, but I just can't. The whole Chosen system is part of the status-quo left over from Cruxis' dual world setup. It's wrong, and it needs to stop. No matter how much people fear change, it would be even worse to keep them indoctrinated in a broken system-"

"Zelos, that makes perfect sense," Seles interrupted. "To tell the truth, I was thinking the same thing. The Chosen lineage and the conflict it brings is the reason we both lost our mothers. I didn't want that to pass on to you and Colette, and your future family, but I assumed you knew what you were doing and were satisfied with the repercussions. If this is how you really feel, you should say so. Why did you think I'd be opposed to it?"

"B-because-"

Veronica answered this time, from where she was standing by the doorway. "I believe he's referring to your recent health, Mistress. Your physical improvement in the past few weeks has correlated almost perfectly with his statements on public responsibility and duty. I made a note of it because I assumed that you were having a beneficial psychological reaction to his sense of heroism."

Seles' face contorted in disbelief. "What? Self-sacrifice isn't necessarily heroism."

"She does have a point, though," Zelos offered. "I've noticed it too. On the mornings after we worked on the speech together, you always seemed to feel so much better."

"So? Correlation isn't causation, Zelos! Didn't you take basic statistics?"

Colette leaned in between the two, trying to keep them from getting too worked up. "Let's not start yelling- loud noises aren't good for Zelos right now. Besides, the point is that everyone was trying to do what was best for everyone else, right?"

Zelos relaxed and leaned back on the pillows. "She's right. All I wanted was for you to get better, Seles. I want you to be happy."

"And I told you, your happiness is my happiness," Seles replied, "y'know, within reason."

Veronica cleared her throat. "That's all well and good, but then how do you plan to address the observations on Mistress Seles' health? Even with no evidence of causation, the correlation is definitely there."

Seles was the one to respond first, her loud "forget that!" echoing around the room. "Zelos' argument is sound, and we're both in agreement! There's no reason to make a public announcement based on speculation when another option is clearly superior."

"I understand," Veronica replied with a polite bow. "But with all due respect, I worry about your ability to write a new speech in time for the event tomorrow. It took you weeks to perfect this speech, even working together. How are you going to write a new one in just one night?"

"We can do it!" Zelos answered with an air of determination now that his headache was beginning to subside. "We'll work on it tonight with everybody's input. Colette, Lloyd, Sheena, Genis, Raine… it'll come from the heart, and that'll make it perfect. Plus-" He paused and offered a charming wink. "-everybody's gonna love the speech anyway, because I'm the one giving it."

Seles gave a resigned sigh. "You're back to your normal self, alright."

"That sounds like so much fun!" Colette clapped enthusiastically. "I'm sure everyone will be happy to work on it too! We can gather everybody together once you and I get back from dinner."

"Dinner?"

"That's right. Don't you remember? I told you last night, we're having dinner with Adora's father."

Zelos' eyes lit up in realization and his shoulder drooped. "Oh yeah right. Adora's father." He fell back onto the pillows with a groan. "That ought to be... fun."

And, there's the headache again.