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

Dwarven Vow 124
Na seall do fhiaclan mura h-urrainn dhut bìdeadh.
Never show your teeth unless you can bite.

33-

"We're here to take you up on your offer, Doctor Watson."

Professor Low stiffened, and Genis and Zelos took a step back. There was a moment in which Professor Low didn't reply, glancing back and forth between Raine and the letter. She finally sighed, dropping her hands to her sides.

"I should've realized you'd recognize the letter if I sent it to Zelos without fixing that crooked e key on my personal typewriter. Your skills of observation are incredible- that's my Holmes for you!"

"Y-you…" Raine stammered, staring wide-eyed at Professor Low's smile. "...you've been the ringleader of this movement all along. When were you going to tell me?!"

Professor Low bowed, clasping her hands together. "I'm sorry! I know I should've said something, but I didn't want you involved! I knew that if you heard about it, you'd want to help me. The thing is, I'm a wealthy human in high-society, and if I were to get in trouble, I'd probably just get a slap on the wrist and some fines to pay. But you- you're a half-elf, and from Sylvarant no less. There's no way they'd be so lenient on you. No matter how much you might want to support our work, I just can't let anything happen to you. That's why I didn't tell you. I hope you can forgive me for keeping this-"

"Keeping it secret? That's what you're apologizing for?!" Raine demanded. "You're not going to apologize for going behind the back of the university? For stirring up violence and causing major property damage? For leveraging threats to high-ranking businessmen? For sullying the name of sound science and assuming that I'd want to join this horrible charade?!"

Professor Low's expression broke, going from one of concern to one of flat-out horror. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Genis took a step toward his sister, placing a hand on her arm.

"Raine… maybe you should hear her out first-"

"Hear her out?!" Raine demanded. "What reasoning could she possibly have to justify this? And behind my back, no less?"

"I'm not saying she's justified. I'm just saying, you should listen to her."

"Raine, I-" Professor Low finally found the words to speak again. "-I don't understand. I thought you were proud of the work that we're doing. When people started to oppose our studies, you said it was foolish of them to stand in the way of progress. I thought you'd certainly want to fight for this."

"Fight by continuing our work despite the obstacles!" Raine responded. "Not by lowering ourselves to our opponents' levels!"

"Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire!" Low interrupted. "There's no other choice when the enemy freely allows themselves to use violence! When they are willing to lie, cheat, and steal to hurt us, there's no excuse for us not to fight for progress. I couldn't bear to see everything we've done go to waste because of misinformation. Someone had to step up and make people see reason-"

"This is not reason! It's fear tactics!"

"I just… just…" Professor Low cut herself off, looking down at the carpet to hide her expression. "...I didn't want you to lose this. You're too important to me."

"What do you mean by that?" Genis asked.

"I've seen it countless times while working in Tethe'alla. Half-elves dedicate their lives to a scientific project, working tireless hours to make important breakthroughs in technology and magic. If they succeed, a human with little to no involvement is given credit, and the half-elf receives nothing. Or, if the project fails, the half-elf takes the blame and any involved humans are absolved of responsibility. I was complacent in that system for so long, even after the worlds were reunited… until I met you."

Raine was silent, though her expression hadn't wavered from its stern denouncement.

"It was by falling in love with you that I realized how wrong I was- how wrong we all were- to deny an entire race of people the recognition they deserve for their talents and dedication. If this project were to come under scrutiny for its safety, you would be the one hurt by it. If the project were shut down, I feared you might not be able to find work elsewhere. And I just… couldn't let that happen. Not to the most incredible scientist I've ever met. Please understand, Raine, I'm doing this for you-"

"THAT'S THE MOST SELFISH THING I'VE EVER HEARD!"

Genis ran to grab hold of Raine's arm, keeping her from doing something she might regret. She allowed him to restrain her physically, but didn't let her verbal assault waver.

"You say you're doing this for me, but did you ever stop and consider whether this is what I'd WANT? How could you claim to care so much for me, and yet care so little what I think? You're not doing this for me, you're doing this for yourself and using me to justify it!"

Professor Low looked as though she were fighting back tears at this point. "No, Raine, that's not-"

"Shut up! Address me as Professor Sage if you're going to act like you don't care about me or my own perspective."

"H-hey, take it easy there, ladies." Zelos stepped in. "Believe me, I'm not the kind of guy who'd jump into a lovers' spat like this, but I think we're all missing the point. Whether or not you condone what Professor Low- Doctor Watson- is doing, it's objectively illegal. Morally wrong or not, we have to look at it from that standpoint and realize what kind of situation we're in." He sighed and turned to Professor Low. "That being said, it's obvious you've given thought to what would happen if you were caught. There's no fear of consequences in what you're doing. So perhaps the most pressing matter is not the legality of the situation, but the aftermath that it's caused. I think Raine isn't necessarily angry about what you did, but what kind of reaction your actions have created."

"I am ABSOLUTELY angry about what she did-" Raine began, but Genis stepped in before she could talk much longer.

"Raine, you should calm down and think this through before talking again. You're hurt, and it's affecting your logic." He sighed, shaking his head, and turned his attention back to Professor Low. "What I want to know is, what about those people who kidnapped Bianca and attacked me? They said they were working for Watson, yet you attacked them and were so angry-"

"Of course I was angry! They hurt you and Bianca!" Professor Low shot back. "They should've known who you were- if they had, they would've known never to lay a hand on you. You can bet I punished them severely,"

"So you wouldn't have cared if they'd kidnapped and attacked someone else-?" Raine growled, but Zelos cut her off.

"What about yesterday? You said that the assassination attempt at the event yesterday wasn't your doing, is that right?"

"It definitely wasn't," Low replied with an affirmative nod. "If must have either been someone independent, or someone against the project trying to frame the scientific community for violence that we would never condone."

"So it may have very well been the Church of Mana…" Genis spoke, more thinking-out-loud than he was talking to the others. He realized this of course, and quickly explained before Low could ask. "The doctor who's caring for Lloyd now has helped some members of the Church of Mana, and they told him about a plan from within the church to manipulate the Chosen by hurting someone he loves. It's possible that they were responsible for the assassination attempt."

"We should've realized it when they shouted that bullshit about natural selection that clearly missed the point of what natural selection even means," Zelos said, cursing under his breath.

Professor Low inched closer. "As I said before, I'm going to do everything I can to find the assassin and bring them to justice. They will pay dearly for attempting to hurt the esteemed Zelos Wilder and his family-"

"Forget their intentions!" Raine hissed. "They actually hurt Lloyd! Or did you forget?"

"I-I…" Professor Low shook her head. "Of course I didn't forget! But Lloyd is okay, right? And he wasn't the target, right? So that's not important right now."

"Not important? Not important?!" Raine lunged at her, and Zelos had to grab her before she could get hold of Professor Low's coat. "Lloyd is the reason all of us are here right now, and you don't think his life is important-?!"

"Raine, Raine, stop!" Genis pleaded. "That's not what she meant and you know it! I know you're upset, but you have to stay calm."

Tears formed in the corner of Professor Low's eyes. "...I… I never meant to hurt you, Raine. I never meant to hurt anyone."

Raine had stopped flailing, and Zelos let go of her. She looked up at Professor Low again, and though her eyes were cloudy, she was too angry to cry. "It doesn't matter what you meant. You did. Without your ignorant violence, the Church of Mana would never have felt threatened enough to escalate their violence to this level. You're just as responsible for this assassination as the one who fired the spell."

"That seems a little extreme-" Zelos began, but Professor Low cut him off.

"She's right. I am indirectly responsible for what happened." Low sniffled and removed her glasses so that she could wipe her eyes. "That's why I wrote to you with the intention of finding the assassin. I'm going to do everything I can to erase the mistakes I've made. Please, Raine, will you accept that?"

There was a moment of silence. Finally, Raine sighed and replied, fixing Professor Low in a stern stare. "Of course I can accept you made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. I made a big one just the other night."

"You-" Professor Low started to smile, but the last sentence gave her pause. She took a step toward Raine and met her halfway as Raine dug into her pocket and shoved a small object toward her.

"Here. You can have this back. I don't want it."

Low grasped the object and unfolded her hands to look, already knowing what she'd received. Still, her face was stricken with fear as she caught sight of the ring in her hands.

"Raine, no…"

"You made a promise to Zelos that you'd find this assassin." Raine cut her off. "I expect you to follow through. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do my part to help as well. Without you."

With that, she turned around and stormed out of the manor, allowing the door to slam shut behind her. Genis and Professor Low both took off toward the door at once, yelling "RAINE!," but Zelos held the latter back.

"Let him go. She needs him now- not you."

"B-b-but-" Professor Low allowed herself to cry openly now, tears streaming down her cheeks and her voice wracked with sobs. "-but I need her!"

Zelos felt a lump form in his stomach. He hated seeing a woman cry. But he knew that her pain wasn't undeserved. "Maybe you should've thought of that before you went behind Raine's back with this."

"I-I did it for her! I don't understand why she's so angry- she should've been proud of me!"

Zelos frowned. "If you don't understand her feelings, it means that you don't know her as well as you thought you did."

"But that can't be! I'm in love with her-"

"I don't doubt-" Zelos interrupted, "-that you're in love with the idea of Raine that you've formed in your mind. But the difference between that Raine and the real Raine is evident in her reaction. If you ever want to win back her affection, you have to figure out just where your understanding of her was flawed." He paused and took a step toward the door. "I didn't sleep at all last night, so I'm going to get some rest. You consider this in the meantime, and we can meet up later this evening to discuss our plan of action for finding the assassin."

"R-right!" Professor Low wiped her eyes again, this time allowing a look of resolute hope to take over her face. "Of course. We'll find the assassin for Raine's sake."

"No, we'll find the assassin because it's the right thing to do. And maybe you should consider sending reparations to the people in Sylvarant whose properties you damaged. That way I won't feel morally compelled to turn you into the authorities."

"You wouldn't!"

Zelos glared back once more before he closed the door, an angry glint just barely visible in his eye.

"After what you did to Raine? Try me."

Raine woke up in a daze, not quite sure what time it was or how long she'd been asleep. The scene out her window seemed to indicate early afternoon, and when she checked the watch that was lying on the side table, it read half-past one.

With a groan, she sat up and looked over to the next bed. Genis wasn't there, however, and the bed had been left neatly made. Not wanting to be left behind, she got up and changed into a clean set of clothes, then stepped out into the hallway.

When she did so, she met Sheena walking in the opposite direction. "Oh, you're awake!" Sheena gasped. "We're having lunch in the dining room. Do you, uh, want to join us…?"

There was a hesitance in her voice, and Raine frowned. "Did Genis tell you what happened?"

"Yeah, he did. I'm sorry, we-"

"No, it's okay." Raine shook her head and started down the stairs. "I could use something to get my mind off of things. We should discuss our next course of action."

"Right!" Sheena followed after her, remaining silent as they made their way to the dining room. Colette was there waiting for them, along with Nika and Bianca, the latter of whom had already started eating. She looked up from her sandwich when she heard the door open, however, and dropped everything to go running toward them.

"Big-sis Raine!"

Bianca grabbed onto Raine's dress, looking up at her with the edges of her mouth stained with peanut butter. Raine couldn't help a laugh, and she placed a hand on Bianca's head.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry, Bianca. I'm alright, really."

"But…" Bianca started again, but her voice trailed off and she looked away. Raine cleared her throat and began again.

"Where is Genis?"

"He went with Zelos to-" Colette began and then stopped herself. "I mean, uh-"

"They went to work with Professor Low, right?" Raine finished for her. "That makes sense. I'm sure the three of them working together will make some progress. We can't let them outdo us. Let's eat and then put our energy toward collecting information."

"Are you sure?" Colette asked. "You don't want to talk about what happened?"

"Not particularly. It isn't going to change anything." Raine sat down across the table from Colette and Nika. "You can start eating- no need to wait for me."

"But-" Colette began, but Nika shook her head.

"Don't force her. Besides, Doctor Lu said that there's a member of the Church of Mana within Zelos' staff. We can't waste time and risk that person discovering that we're investigating them."

"But how do we investigate?" Colette asked. "We can't just go questioning all the staff. That'd be too suspicious."

"We could talk to staff we trust," Raine offered. "We know that Sebastian would never go behind Zelos' back, as he practically raised Zelos. He's familiar with the workings of all the staff and can tell us about any strange behavior."

"What about Veronica?" Colette asked. "She's always working so hard for Seles. I'm sure we can trust her."

"We'll add her to the list, then." Raine nodded. "Anyone else?"

There was a silence. Everyone looked over at Colette, who would naturally be the most familiar with the employees. She looked back, confused and stammering.

"U-um… I don't really know. I don't like to think that there's anyone here I can't trust. They're all so kind and helpful."

Sheena leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Of course. We should've known Colette would think that way."

"I-I'm sorry!"

"It's not a bad thing," Nika responded. "In fact, I think it's nice that you're so trusting."

Sheena rested her arm on Colette's shoulder. "She's right. We love your trusting nature, Colette. It's just tough when trying to separate friends from enemies-"

"Enemies?" The voice came from the doorway, and everyone looked up to see Seles and Veronica entering the dining room. Veronica continued to speak, a look of worry in her eyes. "Is something going on? Do we need to worry about enemies?"

"Ah, it's…" Colette stood up. "...it's because of what happened to Lloyd. Doctor Lu said that one of Zelos' servants approached him and asked-"

"-if he knew who the assassin was," Seles broke in, cutting Colette off before she could finish. "He said he didn't know anything, but he thinks we should learn more about those involved in the Alpha-Beta project and go from there. So we're asking Professor Sage about everyone she knows who's involved."

"Is that so?" Veronica frowned, eyeing the rest of the group. "I didn't know you were involved, Seles."

"Of course they'd ask me to be a part of it." Seles tapped her chest, giving a proud smile. "My brother talked to me about it before he went to talk to Professor Low. Right, guys?"

"That's right," Nika chimed in, offering a reassuring smile. "Genis told me about it too! Seles has lived in Meltokio longer than anyone here has, so she knows people who can help us get information about the event."

Veronica let out a sigh. "I see. Well, I could certainly help you if you need another native. I've lived in Meltokio longer than most of you have been alive. There's no corner of the city I don't know."

"We appreciate it," Seles responded, nodding in Veronica's direction, "but you're supposed to have the afternoon off today. We'll call for you if we need you."

"Fair enough." Veronica waved to Seles and started toward the door again. "I won't go too far, so don't hesitate to come get me. I'll see you later this evening."

"See you then!" Seles waved, staying by the door until Veronica had left the house entirely. Once she had, Seles turned around and approached the table, slamming her hands on it. "What do you think you were doing?!"

"What do you mean? We thought she could help-" Raine started to respond, but she stopped mid-sentence. "Or, are you saying you don't trust even Ms. Veronica?"

"Even Veronica?" Seles crossed her arms. "You realize that she's the one who asked Song to kill Lloyd, don't you?"

"What?!"

Both Sheena and Raine stood up, and Colette clutched her hands to her chest.

"No! But she-"

"She's been planning this the whole time," Seles murmured, shaking her head. "The medicine she was giving me… it was just a ploy to control my health and manipulate my brother's emotions. And we both fell for it completely. I really thought I was sick, that a minor surgery had somehow irreversibly altered my ability to function. And Veronica pushed Hazel away, not because she was looking out for me, but because she knew that Hazel could identify the drugs she was giving me-"

"Seles, calm down." Sheena had walked around the table to stand next to Seles, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Tell us the full story, please. We want to know the details, and you can't give us those if you're so worked up."

"If she doesn't wish to speak, I can give you the information."

Another voice joined in the conversation from just beyond the kitchen door, this time a male's voice. Sebastian stepped in and bowed his head as he continued.

"Mistress Hazel informed Tokunaga and me of the full extent of the situation last night. We both feel partially responsible, as it is our job to care for the Mistress and Master. But I, myself, feel particularly at fault, as I pride myself on knowing what's going on in this house before anyone else does."

"It's not your fault, Sebastian," Colette assured him. "The female servants don't report to you-"

"It does not matter which servants report to me and which do not. I take care in monitoring all those in service to the Wilder family. But with Veronica's credentials and my own lack of medical knowledge, I didn't even think to investigate the specific medication she was providing Mistress Seles, even when her condition worsened unexpectedly following the surgery-"

"Don't worry about it. I'll fill them in on the details." Seles took a step toward him and placed one hand on his arm. "Tokunaga felt responsible for this too, and I'll tell you what I told him. You can't be expected to do the job of a nurse, especially when you're busy being a world-class butler. From now on, focus on what you can do to help my brother. That's what my friends and I are doing."

Sebastian bowed. "Thank you, Mistress Seles. I will. In the meantime, I will leave you and Mistress Colette to your work."

As he exited, Raine looked up to Seles. "I didn't hear that you had surgery. What happened?"

"I contracted appendicitis," Seles replied as she sat down, "but it's taken care of now."

"I see." Raine nodded. "So that was why…"

"Wait. If your recent illness has been due to the drugs Veronica was giving you," Sheena began, leaning over the table, "that means it isn't complications from the appendectomy?"

"Yes, that's-"

Bianca raised her hand, and Seles cut her sentence off to listen to what the girl had to say. "Um, what's an ap-pen-dectomy?"

"It's a surgery in which a person's appendix is removed, usually due to inflammation" Seles replied.

"Wow, so you had your appendix taken out?" Bianca leaned over the table toward Seles, her eyes wide. "Nika had that done a couple years ago! It was super scary!"

"Bianca, get down from the table," Nika scolded, tugging at her sister's sleeve. Bianca ignored her, however, especially when Seles answered again.

"Yes, it was frightening," she spoke with a nod, "but the surgery itself wasn't the frightening part. It was the uncertainty of what might happen if they didn't do it, or if something went wrong afterward. But, then, I imagine that's the same for any medical problem of that nature. The choice between certain death or potential death is not a pleasant one to make."

Bianca slid back into her chair, her face turning pale. "Is that true, Nika? Would you have died if the operation had gone wrong?"

"Well, maybe," Nika began, "but the doctors knew exactly what they were doing. Seles is exaggerating when she describes the operation as 'potential death.' It's a very widely practiced procedure, and they managed to get to my appendix before it burst, minimizing the complications." She smiled and placed a hand on Bianca's head. "Besides, that wasn't my first life-saving surgery. I've been very lucky with medical procedures in the past. You don't need to worry about me."

Colette gasped. "Really? You've had that many-" She cut off before she could finish. "-ah, that's right. You grew up in Tethe'alla. The medicine would've been different from where I grew up."

"When was that?" Bianca repeated. "I don't remember you being really sick before. Was that before I was born?"

"It was when you were very small. You wouldn't remember it." Nika shook her head. "So don't worry. Okay?"

"But still-"

Seles cleared her throat. "It sounds like we have a lot in common, Miss Nika. I've suffered chronic anemia throughout most of my life due to a genetic disorder, and I've been poked and prodded by so many medical professionals, it's become a normal part of my life."

Nika blushed. "O-oh, I haven't had it nearly as bad! I mean, I was sickly for a short while when I was a teenager, but… I've generally been in very good health."

Raine closed her eyes and sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Still, the idea of perfect health is nothing more than a myth. The ideal of being free from any health disorder whatsoever is just a fantasy- there's always something wrong with everyone. We all depend on medicine to help us live our lives. I suppose that's why we're so vulnerable to manipulation by people like Veronica."

"It's frightening," Nika murmured. "I don't like this idea of not knowing who you can trust."
"Not just that," Raine added, "but that, to betray your trust, someone first has to earn that trust. And it's hard not to grow to care for someone when they do that…"

There was an awkward silence as everyone tried to look away. No one wanted to bring up the obvious, but they knew where Raine's speech was coming from. It was Bianca who finally spoke up, seemingly oblivious.

"But strangers can be scary too! It was super scary when I got kidnapped for overhearing about a bomb being planted at the marina last week, and then the other day when I heard about an assassination…"

Colette, Sheena, and Seles all jerked their heads to look at Bianca. "What? Where did you hear that?" Sheena gasped.

Raine's reaction time wasn't as fast, but she looked up as well. "Was this the other night at Professor Low's?"

"Y-yeah, but…" The sudden focus of attention suddenly made Bianca nervous, and she fidgeted in her seat. "…they said they were just playing a game."

"You mean the two servants talking about Habeas Corpus?" Raine asked.

"Right, those two. I was surprised, 'cause they said your and Zelos' names, so I was sure it was real, but-"

"-those liars!" Sheena rose to her feet, and Colette put a hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her down.

"It's possible that they were lying," Colette began, "but we can't jump to conclusions just because of all the betrayal going on around us. We need to handle this rationally- maybe through interviews with them or their fellow servants."

"Professor Low wouldn't think to question her own servants," Raine spoke, her grip on her spoon tightening. "She likes to imagine that she's in control of everything she touches. That, through science, she can control even other people… and gods, did I fall for it-"

"Then show her how wrong she is!" Seles exclaimed. "Wouldn't it be satisfying to get back at her by exposing the betrayal of her own servants right under her nose?"

Colette reached out to them, though she couldn't quite reach from the other side of the table. "This is not about revenge, Seles. It's about doing the right thing."

"No," Seles shot back, "it's about using whatever motivation is necessary to find the assassin-"

"Seles," Raine began, grabbing Seles' arm, "Colette is right. If I let myself be motivated by an idea of vengeance, I'll never heal from this. I shouldn't be doing it because I'm mad at Todd, I should be doing this because I care about Lloyd."

The group was quiet again, but this time the silence held more of a satisfied tone. Sheena nodded in Raine's direction before breaking in again.

"Let's finish eating. There's no sense in having empty stomachs- we have a lot to do."
No one argued.