I'm sorry for my long absence! I've been having some troubles with my health recently, and it's been a bit of a struggle with having tests done and getting insurance to approve my new medication and such. It's messed up my moving plans somewhat, but thankfully I'm now getting the care I need and I'm feeling a lot better- so I'm happy to get back to writing! As usual, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

Dwarven Vow 140
Na tarraing a-riamh an claidheamh nuair a dh'obraicheas buille.
Never draw your sword when a blow will do it.

34-

The little coffee shop at the corner of tenth street and southwest boulevard was more spacious on the inside than its storefront made it appear, with a second floor loft tucked away out of sight of the rest of the patrons. Usually that loft was filled with students or writers looking for a quiet work space, but with the recent events that had put the city in turmoil, it was deserted. Only one table had a patron sitting at it when Yuan walked in- but that was exactly the person he was there to see.

Felix and Margie addressed her first, and Yuan hung back to see what would happen. She looked up from her coffee and smiled. It was a very natural-looking smile, one that would likely appear genuine to someone who had not lived as long as Yuan had. But after millennia of observing such behaviors, he knew better.

"There you are! You have no idea how surprised I was to receive your message. I'd thought it would take you much longer to recover."

Felix let out a 'hmph!' and a disdainful turn of his head. "You know we're stronger than that."

"Yes, of course. I should've had more faith." Veronica leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands. "And who might this be?"

Yuan pulled his hood off of his head. "Yuan Ka-Fai," he responded with a nod. "I'm Song's business partner."

"Oh, I remember you! You're Adora's father. The one who… punched Zelos Wilder."

There was a note of criticism in her voice, and Yuan frowned. "I'm sorry if I got a little heated over the well-being of my daughter-"

"No, no!" Veronica shook her head. "I shouldn't have sounded so accusatory. I was actually impressed. He deserved it."

Yuan slid a chair over and sat down beside her. "Hm. Perhaps we will get along after all. On top of that, you're the one I have to thank for taking such good care of Adora."

"There's really nothing to thank me for," she laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "I just hope Sylvarant stays backwards long enough that I can stockpile more of that fantastic cough syrup before they outlaw it like Tethe'alla did. You ought to look into it."

And perhaps they wouldn't get along. Yuan could feel his knuckles turn white as he clenched his fist, keeping himself from saying something he'd regret. "Sorry, I just assumed differently. Colette spoke highly of your abilities."

"Ah, sweet Colette," Veronica sighed with a pitying shake of her head. "At least she's pretty."

Yuan narrowed his eyes and immediately looked away to hide his disdain. "…right."

By this point Felix and Margie had pulled up chairs of their own and were settled at the table. "We won't waste any of your time," Margie began, "but we wanted to discuss your intentions regarding Lloyd Irving. Song said that he is fulfilling the Church's request by finishing what the assassin started. But…" She lowered her voice. "…was the assassination the work of the Church to begin with?"

Veronica frowned. "Margie, dear, surely you heard the radio broadcast. The assassin spoke in favor of the Alpha-Beta project when they-"

"Can it!" Felix snapped. "We want a straight answer. We know that you were the one all gung-ho about an assassination before Margie and I got hurt. Trying to pretend it wasn't your fault is going to get you nowhere."

Veronica's pleasant countenance began to fade. She crossed her fingers and set her hands down on the table. "My, my. You're so abrasive, as usual. Yes, the assassin was working under my orders. But it had to be done. Zelos Wilder began acting unpredictably once those friends of his arrived in town and I had to do something to reign in control. We were sure he was going to speak in favor of the Project, and we couldn't have that."

"But his statement was neutral," Yuan pointed out. "Why, then, did you go through with the assassination?"

There was the slightest pause in Veronica's voice, so brief one could almost miss it. "The hit had already been ordered. What Zelos said didn't matter."

"That doesn't make sense either. If he'd spoken in favor of the project, your assassin would've looked like a hypocrite by framing the scientific community. You knew that Zelos was going to make a statement of neutrality, and even then, you went through with the assassination attempt."

Veronica reexamined Yuan, this time with a more discerning eye. "Now, Mister Yuan, what's your angle on all this? Song may be a supporter of the Church, but he is not in any position to be making big decisions or criticizing our methods. Or are you perhaps on the other side of the argument, someone I should be wary of?"

"My loyalty lies with the Great Tree," Yuan responded with no hesitation. "I will do everything in my power to protect the World Tree Yggdrasil from harm, whatever form that harm may take."

"Then you already know that the greatest threat to the tree is this so-called scientific progress that they're developing in Sylvarant. It's positively barbaric, as though the declining world's hunger for mana knows no end. Even the Great Tree is not enough for them. If it were possible to generate mana with machinery, how soon would their demand grow beyond the technology's ability to provide? The Sylvarantis are taking us down a dangerous path, Mister Yuan, and I'm not about to allow them to put this newly united world right back where it was-"

Yuan had heard enough. He cut Veronica off, his voice sharp.

"You do know that both lead scientists on the project were born in Tethe'alla, don't you?"

For the first time in the conversation, Veronica lost her composure long enough that someone could catch it with the unaided eye. She began with almost a stutter, "P-Professor Sage is-"

"She was born and spent her childhood in Heimdall. As a young woman, she was sent to Sylvarant via the Otherworldly Gate and began helping the Chosen prepare for her journey of regeneration." He paused and crossed his arms. "Do you actually check the veracity of anything you say, or do you pull all your worldviews straight from your ass?"

Margie gasped and reached over for him with a hissed "Yuan!," but Felix held her back with a whispered "let him talk, Gie."

Veronica had managed to gather her composure again, though her hair was beginning to break free from its tight bun, and the veins on her hands were clearly visible. "For someone who claims to not be our enemy, Mister Yuan, your speech has an awfully antagonistic tone."

"You would be antagonistic too if you'd been through what I have." Yuan placed his hands on the table, lacing his fingers together. "I understand that trying to produce mana independently sets a dangerous precedent for a world that just regained the mana source needed to survive. No one wants to protect the Great Tree more than I do. But it's important to recall the reason for the destruction of the original tree. The war between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla created the perfect storm of conflict that led to the tree's demise. Mithos had some justification in splitting them, as you would a pair of toddlers who couldn't peacefully share a toy. The millennia of fighting over mana that resulted from that temporary time-out was unintended, but what does it say about the two worlds that after four-thousand years to think about what they did, they've been reunited half a decade and are already at each other's throats?"

His words struck the entire group speechless. Margie glanced away, but Felix held a stolid expression and Veronica scowled.

"You speak so strongly about what happened long ago, but don't seem to understand that we now know the dangers involved. We don't want to create unnecessary conflict. We just want to prove the dangers that these scientific projects pose to the Great Tree to prevent those dangers from coming to pass."

"Then focus on that!" Felix growled. "Not on killing innocent bystanders. Don't we have some members in service to the Low family working on a prototype of the mana generator? When can we get our hands on that?"

Yuan jerked his head in Felix's direction. "You didn't tell me this. Someone's trying to build a piece of technology from unfinished plans based on limited scientific data?"

"It's the only way to prove how dangerous this really is," Veronica replied. "And yes, they've just finished work on it and will be anonymously informing Professor Low of their plans tomorrow."

"And what plans are these?" Yuan asked.

"W-well," Margie began, "the plan was to threaten the scientific community with the use of their machine on the Great Tree."

"With what?"

"Relax, Mister Yuan," Veronica reassured him. "We have no intention of causing permanent harm to the tree. If the scientific community is prudent, they will stop us, thereby admitting that the technology they're developing is dangerous-"

"Of course it'll be dangerous!" Yuan threw up his hands. "Those plans are complete speculation from their initial tests. They haven't even gotten a small-scale prototype working!"

"Exactly. If something still in development causes some damage, imagine how much damage the finished project will cause."

"Th-that…" Yuan was starting to get a sinking feeling that he was talking to someone who was willfully ignorant rather than just inexperienced. "…that's not how product development works. The research process is to create something less dangerous than the prototypes-"

"The specifics won't matter once we prove that the machine poses any threat," Veronica responded with a patient smile. "Even the slightest damage to the Great Tree will turn the public against the research."

"So you're willing to risk harm to the Tree in order to achieve your goal of not harming the tree?"

Veronica's smile didn't waver. "The damage will be but a small sacrifice in order to save the Tree as a whole. You're clearly familiar with war. You know that sometimes sacrifices must be made. It's as simple as that."

There was quiet. Yuan knew what he had to do, but he also knew that after what he said, if he agreed too quickly it would look suspicious. He thought it over, frowning and shutting his eyes tightly. "Song is busy making sure the operation with Lloyd is successful. He won't be able to help. As such, I should at least be a proxy for his sake."

Veronica shook her head. "Song would not want anyone involved who isn't dedicated to the cause. Think over your reservations before you agree."

"No need." Yuan opened one eye to look back at her. "If there's one thing I know, it's the importance of sacrifices in achieving the greater good. If you're really sure this will help the tree, then I'm in."

The smile on Veronica's face took on a look of pride. "Well, then, let's talk details, shall we?"

As expected, Professor Low was dismissive of the idea that her own servants could be working against her. No matter what Sheena and Colette said- even backed up by Zelos' surprise at the truth over Veronica- she wouldn't pay them any mind. They wondered if perhaps she would give more credence to Raine, but Raine refused to talk to her, and no one was going to force her.

And so, with leads but no ability to follow them, the group went back to visit Lloyd that evening.

Lloyd was much more alert this evening, having insisted on moving to the couch so that Song could have his room back. When everyone arrived, Lloyd had his nose buried in one of Song's comic books, barely noticing the commotion in the entryway.

"Lloyd. Ye hae guests." It took Dirk to snap him out of his focus, but once he noticed who it was, he excitedly tossed the book away and pulled himself unsteadily to his feet.

"Finally! It's been so boring around here without you guys! Where've you been?"

Colette saw him begin to lose his balance, and she grabbed his arm so that she could sit back down on the couch with him. "What do you mean, boring? It looked like you were really interested in that book."

Raine laughed. "What kind of question is that, Colette? You know that Lloyd must have been very bored if he was actually reading."

Lloyd stiffened. "Hey, those are actually pretty good! It's a story about a demigoddess and a dragon, and there are these reincarnated heroes facing an enemy from their former lives- and, there's pictures on every page!"

Sheena picked up the book to keep the pages from getting creased where Lloyd had tossed it. She began flipping through it as she sat down on the opposite side of him from Colette. "Isn't that the point of a comic book? It's not exactly high-level reading."

"Hey," Zelos offered, nudging her shoulder, "a book is a book. I'm just glad to know that our Lloyd is actually literate."

"You guys are so mean! I'm not that stupid!" Lloyd crossed his arms with a pout, and the whole group shared a laugh.

"...Sorry about being so late, though," Sheena began again as she flipped through the pages. "We probably should've come by in shifts to keep you company, but we were all so focused on searching for clues to the assassin's identity."

"And compensating for our lack of sleep last night," Genis added.

"It's okay," Lloyd laughed. "Dad kept me company. We… talked about a lot of important stuff. Dad, is it okay if I-?" His voice cut off, but Dirk understood.

"Tell yer friends whatever ye like. I dorn't like keepin' secrets." He gestured toward the door. "I'll gie ye kids some room. Anna is downstairs takin' a pottery lesson wi' Song, an' I'm curious tae see how it works. Dwarven pottery is- how should I put it?- a wee bit more rudimentary than these fancy pieces Song cooks up."

"Thanks, Dad!" Lloyd waved with a smile. "We'll be here."

Dirk always descended the staircase with a degree of caution. He didn't like the way it creaked under his heavy build, as though it weren't made to handle someone of his stature. Dwarves might be short, but they were bulky, and human infrastructure sometimes wasn't quite up to the challenge. It was two stories down to Song's workshop, but Dirk could hear Song and Anna's voices by the time he was halfway down.

"Now, remember as you carve your designs that the most important aspect of Longquan-style celadon is the ability to mimic fine jade. You should carve elegant, precise images that will be captured well by the glaze. Usually pieces have images of flowers, fish, or dragons on them, but you're welcome to your own creativity in-"

"I'm gonna carve a smiley face into mine!"

"...that's, uh… that's certainly creative, Anna…"

Dirk knocked on the doorframe and peeked in. "Sorry tae interrupt yer creatife process. Lloyd's friends are upstairs an' I wanted tae gie them some room."

"Of course!" Song waved and smiled in his direction. "Do you want to carve a piece as well? It'd be amazing to see traditional celadon with designs from a Dwarven craftsman!"

Dirk shook his head. "I'm honored that ye'd offer, but I dae wanna waste onie o' yer clay. Yuan says ye buy it frae a kiln up in northern Tethe'alla, whaur they age th' clay frae several years afore usin' it."

"That's right! Letting the clay age allows it to develop the specific plasticity needed for this type of porcelaneous stoneware. It's impossible to find elsewhere!"

There was a soft chirp of surprise, and Anna looked over at them, her carving knife having just sunk into the surface of the plate. "...uh," she began, her face turning red, "is it really alright for me to be doing this, then?"

"Don't worry, Anna, dear! I offered, didn't I?" Song ran back to her side, looking over her shoulder. "Ooh, you cut a little deep there, didn't you?"

"S-sorry."

"No, we can fix it. Here. Let me show you."

Song placed his hand over Anna's and guided her with the knife to form a floral pattern in the bottom of the plate. Though it was her own hand creating the image, she was still wide-eyed as she watched the process. Song's movements were swift, steady, and precise. Before she knew it, a beautiful image had been etched into what had been just a blank plate.

Dirk couldn't help a smile as he watched. It had been a long time since he'd observed the skilled work of another craftsman, and it reminded him of long-ago days spent in his father's forge, watching his older sisters guided with pieces that he, at the time, could only dream of making.

"Song, that's amazing! You're so good at this!" Anna chimed. "Where'd you learn to carve like this?"

"I grew up in a village of kiln workers who specialized in traditional porcelain. Half-elves didn't do any of the actual artwork, but we processed the clay and managed the kiln fires. I grew up admiring the human artisans, spending all of my breaks watching the potters at work, dreaming of doing it myself despite the knowledge that a half-elf could never…" He chuckled and shook his head. "Of course, I got sent to the Franciscan Boy's Academy at the age of fourteen after the Tethe'allan government's mandated IQ testing identified me for a pre-medical track. I was devastated… but it turns out that working with a scalpel isn't too far removed from working with a carving knife. Funny to think they'd never have let me carve porcelain, but they'd happily let me cut up human patients." He took the plate and walked it back over to the drying rack where some of his other pieces sat waiting for glaze. "People are like intricate works of art. But saving a person's life is far more difficult than salvaging a damaged piece of clay. Even now that I've achieved my dream of making porcelain, I can't let myself forget the good I can do with my medical training. In the end, my dream is more selfish than I can fully comprehend, but-"

"Dwarven Vow 57," Dirk began, "people survife under th' shelter ay one another. It means 'at without cooperation an' mutual support, we as people could nae bide. Ye are alife because ay th' good 'at others dae for ye an' ye for them. E'en if ye aren't a doctor, ye're still aye doin' things for th' ones ye love."

Anna nodded. "Lloyd is alive thanks to you and the fact that you don't work for the hospital. You were able to get an outsider's perspective and remove him from a dangerous situation. That shouldn't be overlooked."

A soft smile appeared on Song's face again. "Thank you, both of you. I want to do everything I can to help the people I love. As long as they're alive and healthy, I can say I haven't neglected my medical duties just for the sake of my own selfishness."

Anna nudged him with a smirk. "People like Yuan, you mean?"

That sent a blush across Song's face, and he turned his head away. "O-of course! As long as I can be by Yuan's side, supporting him and taking care of him, that's enough for me. It doesn't matter if he…"

"Song?"

The voice from the top of the staircase sent a jolt of surprise through Song, and his face grew even redder as he scrambled toward the open doorway. "Yuan! Hey, buddy! We were just talking about you. All good things, though, don't worry-"

Yuan stepped through the doorway, having to gently nudge Song aside. He didn't respond at all to Song's statement, his stern features set in a permanent scowl. "Oh, you two are here as well. Who's watching Adora?"

"She went to sleep about thirty minutes ago and Noishe has been with her the whole time," Anna answered. "Lloyd and his friends are up there now, so they'll know when she wakes up."

Yuan didn't respond with anything more than a curt nod and a sweeping motion for them to follow him up the stairs.

"Is there somethin' ye need frae us?" Dirk asked. "We were gettin' a pottery demonstration frae Song-"

"Yes, there's something I need from you. Follow me, all of you. I'm glad to hear Lloyd's friends are here too- we'll need all the help we can get."

"So you…" Song began, "...you were able to get the details on the Church's next plans?"

"Yes. And it's not pretty."