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

Dwarven Vow 114:
An car a bhios san t-seana mhaide, 's duilich a thoirt as.
The warp in the old wood is the hardest to remove.

38-

Emmett began his list of complaints with his job at the treasury council.

Bianca had been standing beside his chair listening to him, but after a few minutes spent entirely talking about his "no-good, lazy" boss and how she constantly asked him to open jars and carry boxes just because he was a man, she realized that he wasn't going to be satisfied any time soon, and she might as well sit down. Rather than pulling up a chair, she walked over to the step-ladder that had been set up by one of the nearby trees and sat down on one of the lower steps.

"...and then there's the guy who sits next to me, who's always showing me pictures of his cats. Like, man, I don't give a damn how many cats you have. Do you know how many cats we have living on the property of my family's hotel? I've seen every cat there is. I have no desire to see whatever strays you picked up on the sidewalk yesterday-"

"Why don't you go work at the hotel, then?"

Bianca's interruption gave Emmett pause, if only because he was surprised to hear her voice. He pulled himself up from the chair- the ground, really- and approached the ladder. "What are you talking about? Where'd that come from?"

"You keep bringing up the hotel. If you like it so much, why are you working in a place you don't like?"

Emmett frowned. "I never said I liked the hotel."

"You were talking about all the great things about it before. You wouldn't have said all those things if you didn't love it a whole bunch."

He leaned against the side of the ladder as he replied. "Heh, I was just bragging about my rich family and all our awesome stuff. If you were rich, you'd understand."

"You don't gotta be rich to love where you live!" Bianca replied with a shake of her head. "My boarding house isn't big, but it's pretty and there's lots of friendly people who live there. The landlord's name is Mister Kay, and he's always smiling and telling great jokes. My big sister and I share a room with a sweet old lady named Cheryl who knits me cute sweaters, and down the hall is Mister Hatcher the writer and Mister Jones the fisherman who tell the coolest stories together. Then downstairs, Miss Delaney and her twin boys are always happy to play-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it…" Emmett interrupted her, mimicking a yawn. "I have no desire to hear what a bunch of commoners do for fun."

"I was just saying. You love your home and so do I. So why are you so defensive about it?"

Emmett stepped away from the ladder. "You're putting words in my mouth. I never tried to defend it. In fact, I'm proud of what I've inherited."

"Proud enough to leave it behind for a boring job you hate, huh?"

Emmett was quiet for a moment. He turned around to face the ladder again and reached out for Bianca. She placed her hands on his shoulders and he gently lifted her off the ladder step and placed her on the ground.

"You're a really persistent brat, aren't you?" he asked, straightening up and taking a step back. "It's not that I prefer the treasury council job. But going back to the hotel would mean dealing with my stupid dad and I can't stand that guy."

Bianca expression fell and she took a step closer. "Your dad… did he hurt you?"

"He's always hurting me! The way he smothers me when I'm around like I'm some sort of baby, the way he constantly checks in when I'm away like he doesn't trust me on my own, the way he demands that I do everything by the rules and hits me with that 'I'm not mad, I'm disappointed' spiel when I don't live up to his idea of a 'contributing member of the community' or whatever-"

"Those don't sound like bad things to me."

"They're awful!" Emmett's outburst was loud enough that a group of birds nesting along the ceiling panels were spooked into the air. "I mean, he used to be cool when I was a kid. We did fun things together. But then he suddenly just… just… turned into a hard-ass who forgot what fun was. He's insufferable, always being lovey-dovey with my mom and totally ignoring me-"

"But you just said he constantly checks on you," Bianca interrupted. "Which is it? Is he checking in on you, or ignoring you?"

Emmett's face turned red and he looked away. "I-I mean, he doesn't ignore me, he just… I don't know, he's not nice to me like he used to be."

Bianca leaned against Emmett's legs, her head turned up so that she could look him in the eyes. "But he still loves you, right? He talks to you and wants to be part of your life. That counts for something, doesn't it?"

"What, so I should applaud him for just being my dad?

Bianca took a few steps away so that she was standing facing Emmett. "My dad left when I was a baby. I've never really met him. He sends money every month to help me pay for school, and my sister says he can't visit just 'cause he's busy with work, but… it doesn't change the fact that he's not part of my life. D'ya know what I'd give to have a dad like yours?"

Emmett was silent for a moment, glancing away to keep from making eye contact with her. "I mean, I guess I'm glad I have a dad, but he doesn't have to be on my back all the time-"

"But he talks to you!" Bianca ran up to him again, tugging on the front of his coat to draw his attention back to her. "My big sister- she was super close with her dad when she was a kid. He died before I was born, but she talks about him all the time. When she was ten, he suddenly left the estate to work in the mines without telling her. He got killed in a mining accident an' she thought he'd left her because he didn't care. It was later she found out that he'd taken the job to get more money so he could send her to school. Of course if he'd told her, she would'a tried to stop him, but even if he did it anyway, at least she'd have known…"

Emmett held a hand up to stop her. "No more sob stories. I get it. What you're saying is that dads are just garbage no matter what."

"No, of course not! Not your dad!"

"So you're saying mydad is the perfect dad, then?"

"N-no, but-"

"Then I give up!" Emmett threw up his hands. "Obviously you know more about dads than I do. So tell me, o wise one, what would the ideal dad be?"

"Ideal?"

"Like, if you could build a perfect dad, what characteristics would you give him?"

Bianca closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "The perfect dad, huh? Well… I guess the most important thing I'd want is a dad who loves me a whole lot."

"Well, duh. What else? Would you want him to be tall? Short? Handsome? Ugly-?"

"I wouldn't care what he looked like," Bianca interrupted. "But I'd want him to be smart. Like, super-duuuuper smart, smarter than anybody else I know. And he'd do cool work on scientific stuff, but also have time to teach me what he knows. I want a dad I can learn from."

Emmett scoffed. "...nerd. Anything else, or is being a sappy brainiac all you care about?"

"Ummm…" Bianca paced for a moment before walking back to the ladder and taking a seat on one of the lower rungs. "My ideal dad would understand me. He'd know how it feels to go through some of the stuff I have... like being teased or excluded because of your race, or being born in Tethe'alla but growing up in Sylvarant, or ending up all alone except for your big sister-"

"Alright, now you're getting so specific that no one could ever fit your description."

"You said ideal! Not realistic!"

There was a pause, and finally Emmett burst out laughing. He took a seat on the ground beside the ladder, looking up at Bianca in amusement. "You're a weird kid, y'know that? You and that nerd brother of yours- no wonder stupid Zelos likes hanging out with you two."

"Zelos isn't stupid! He's really smart!" Bianca held onto the sides of the ladder and swung her legs back and forth. "You know he graduated from the Imperial Research Academy? That's the best university in Tethe'alla! Man, what I'd give to go there someday… b-but of course the Palmacosta University is great too, and that's where Genis is studying… aw, I don't wanna have to choose…"

"Choose, huh? Must be nice to decide your own future." Emmett's voice took on a darker tone as he continued. "I wanted to go to the Imperial Research Academy too. But my parents sent me off to the Tethe'allan Military Academy without even asking me what I wanted..."

Bianca shot to her feet with a gasp. "Y-you didn't tell me that! Why would they do that to you? That's not fair!"

"I know, right? Thank you!" Emmett stood up as well, grabbing Bianca's hands and pumping them up and down in a friendly shake. "I've been saying that for years! I mean, sure, I made a mistake, but it wasn't worth punishing me like that!"

"A punishment? That's crazy!" Bianca replied, standing still and allowed Emmett to keep shaking her hands. "Especially if it was just an accident!"

Emmett stopped shaking her hands, letting go and turning his head to look away. "I said it was a mistake, I never said it was an accident… I mean, it was, but not, like, in the sense that… er…"

His voice trailed off and he didn't pick up the sentence again, but Bianca took a step closer and tugged at his shirt. "What'd you do? Did you steal something? Break something valuable? Cheat on a test? Say a bad word-?"

"Hah! If I were punished for every bad word I said, I'd be serving a life sentence right now." Emmett shook his head. "No, I, uh… there was this servant girl I hung out with a lot. I made her do my homework for me as well as… other things."

"What other things?" Bianca asked, and gasped as she saw Emmett's face turn pale at the question. "You don't mean, like, cheating for you on tests and writing essays for you, and-" She stopped and gasped loudly. "You guys didn't plagiarise something, did you?"

Emmett let out a sigh. "No, no, it's not that. It's just that- see, this girl was just a kid, but she looked and acted so grown up that I treated her like an adult. I was the older one in the situation; I should've known better. But I didn't. And because of that, I put her in a bad situation."

"Well, of course." Bianca crossed her arms and nodded. "Even if it's just homework, cheating is a serious academic offense for everybody involved."

To her surprise, Emmett began to laugh again. He started walking back over to the table, so she hurried behind, calling after him.

"H-hey, don't laugh! Cheating is serious-"

"No, no, I'm not laughing at that," Emmett replied with a wave of his hand. "It's just… you got talking all mature and stuff, I forgot for a second that you're still just a kid."

"Of course I'm just a kid. But that doesn't mean I don't know stuff. My sister is always teaching me how to be a better person. And Zelos said you were a bad person, so I just wanted to help…"

"Aw, screw Zelos! You've gotta make decisions on your own." Emmett scooped Bianca up in his arms, holding her up so that she could put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. "Look at me. Do you think I'm a bad person?"

"..." Bianca was silent as she examined him. "...well, there's parts of you that aren't bad. And Genis said something about people not being good or bad anyway…"

"So I'm not a bad person. Even if Zelos and my dad think I am, I'm not. What happened in the past should stay in the past. Right?"

Bianca closed her eyes and offered him a reassuring smile. "As long as you apologized and made things right, then you get a chance to start over and prove yourself. That's only fair."

Emmett, however, couldn't smile back. "...apologized?"

"Apologize. Go to your parents and your friend and tell them that what you did was wrong. Own up to it, then say that you're sorry and you'll work hard to make sure it doesn't happen again. And, like, don't just say it. Meanit."

"...the hell?" Emmett had no qualms about yelling, even though their faces were right next to one another. "Why should I do all that? That's exactly what my old man wants!"

"Well, yeah. That's the point."

"Excuse me?"

"If your dad cares about you, he wants to see you grow. And that means admitting you did something wrong and learning from your mistakes. At least, that's what my sister always taught me. So-"

The door to the greenhouse swung open, hitting the outside wall with a bang. "Bianca!" Zelos' voice echoed through the open space, bouncing off the glass walls. "Emmett, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Emmett frowned, but didn't say anything as he lowered Bianca back to the ground and allowed her feet to rest back on the floor. She ran toward Zelos with one arm outstretched, waving.

"Zelos, you're back! What happened? Is everything okay? Did you find big-sis Raine and the others? What happened to Genis?"

It took Zelos a moment to regain his composure, seeing Bianca so enthusiastic- and generally unharmed. "Oh, uh, everything's fine. Genis and Raine just went out to... get some fresh air. And Professor Low is helping clean up a dresser that Colette accidentally knocked over."

Bianca giggled. "Genis is always talking about Miss Colette. It sounds like she can be a real klutz sometimes."

"Yeah, that's true. But that's just one of the things we love about her." The change in subject helped ease Zelos' nerves, and he allowed himself a laugh too. "As long as she's safe, we don't mind it. But speaking of which- are you okay? What did Emmett do to you?"

"Mister Emmett didn't do anything. We were just talking. It was fun!"

Emmett sighed, approaching the two with a shrug of his shoulders. "Honestly, Zelos, I'm sorry for earlier when I insinuated she was your lovechild. The kid is obviously your newly-hired life coach."

Zelos raised an eyebrow. "Life coach?"

"Yeah. Like, what's she going to charge me for twenty minutes of counseling? 'Cause I'm really not interested in paying to get yelled at by a child."

"H-hey, I didn't yell!" Bianca responded, her lips drawn up into a pout. "I just told him what my sister would'a told me."

Oh, so Bianca had spent the time scolding him? That was adorable. Zelos couldn't help laughing. "I see. You got yelled at by a seven-year-old and now you're upset about it. That's hilarious, man."

"H-hey-!" Emmett started to protest, but Zelos and Bianca didn't seem to be listening. Zelos reached a hand out to Bianca, and she happily grabbed onto it.

"Let's go back to find Professor Low, okay? We can help them clean up and figure out what to do next."

"Okay! Thanks, Zelos!"

"...so, uh…" Emmett began awkwardly, "...does that mean I can go now?"

"Yes," Zelos replied. "I think you've made yourself useful enough for one day."

"Hmph." Emmett turned away, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair and storming off toward the door. He wasn't looking, but Bianca waved at him anyway, and called out.

"Good luck! I hope you're able to apologize to your family."

Emmett paused and glanced back momentarily.

"Thanks. Good luck finding that ideal dad of yours."

"That what?" Zelos asked.

Bianca grinned. "I'll tell you later- sometime when Genis is around."

"Alright, then. I'll remember that."

"I'm so sorry for the trouble! I shouldn't have left the responsibility of caring for Bianca on your shoulders-"

"H-hey, we're apologizing to you, not the other way around!"

Zelos could feel the exasperation in his expression as he watched Genis try to reason with Nika. Their intention was to apologize for leaving Bianca behind, but Nika took it as a complaint and began apologizing herself. Zelos genuinely felt bad- this wasn't one of Colette's knee-jerk apologetic reactions. Nika genuinely thought they were angry with her; that they blamed her for saddling them with a responsibility that, in fact, they had volunteered to take. Zelos decided this wasn't the sort of situation that could be solved with his charm. He'd let Genis be a good boyfriend and work things out.

The girl is cute and all, but she's got some real issues to sort through. I don't envy Genis one bit.

After a few more reassurances, Nika finally smiled. "Well, my sister's always been a handful. Thank you, Genis, for always looking out for her."

"I enjoy it!" He was quick with a positive response. "Bianca's not just your sister, she's my friend too. Don't forget that."

Nika paused, giggled, and leaned in to give Genis' cheek a quick kiss. "You're too good to us."

Zelos had to suppress his laughter at the way Genis' face flashed beet-red from just a little peck on the cheek. He was so preoccupied with that, he almost didn't notice her turn to him.

"You too, Mister Zelos. Thank you for all your help today."

"Aw, hunny, there's no need for thanks," Zelos responded, giving her a friendly pat on the head as she bowed. "Despite how I seem, I actually love kids."

"I never thought you didn't!"

That statement brought on a scoff from Genis, but Zelos just sent him a glare, not wanting to get into a fight with Nika's boyfriend right in front of her. Instead, he turned his attention across the room, where Bianca was helping Colette and Sheena pack a suitcase full of the belongings Lloyd had left at the manor.

"-but how come Mister Lloyd has a bunch of the same clothes, then?"

"It's his favorite outfit," Colette explained as she finished folding one of the shirts. "He likes it so much that his dad makes him several sets- that way he can wear it over and over."

"Wow! He said his dad made his gloves too- so his dad makes all his clothes for him?"

"Just about." Sheena nodded. "That's why his style is so… unique."

Bianca stepped back and closed her eyes, a dreamy expression passing over her face. "What an amazing dad. He must love Mister Lloyd a whooole bunch."

"He sure does!" Colette replied. "Lloyd is so lucky to have two dads that love him so much."

Bianca had run over to the hall to help Raine and Seles with the boxes they were carrying in, but stopped suddenly as she heard the statement. "Wait… twodads? Mister Lloyd has two dads?"

"Hm? What's this about Lloyd's dads?" Raine finally made it through the doorway and over to the table, dropping the box with a sigh of relief and turning to help Seles with hers. "This is the last of it, by the way."

"Thanks." Sheena nodded in Raine's direction and then turned back to Bianca. "That's right, Lloyd has two dads, named Dirk and Kratos. Dirk is a craftsman, and he's the one who made Lloyd's clothes. Kratos is a soldier, and he's the captain of the militia that's keeping the city safe right now."

Bianca made a show of pouting. "Man, that's so cool. Lloyd's so lucky, not only having a cool dad, but having two!" She paused, her expression changing as she though over the situation. "...I've heard of this before, actually. There's a word for it, right? Like, having two dads, I mean. But I can't remember what it was."

The room went quiet as everyone glanced at one another, trying to figure out what she was thinking of. Colette was the first to take a guess. "Are you talking about the saying 'it takes a village to raise a child?"

"No, it was one word."

"Co-parenting?" Genis offered.

"No, not that."

"Adopted?" Raine ventured. "Adoptee?"

"No, no," Bianca replied, shaking her head. "It was… oh!" She smiled and clapped. "Homosexual!"

The awkward silence that followed was thankfully cut short by Zelos' inability to contain his laughter. He had to lean against the table for support, practically in tears. Colette and Raine were simultaneously trying to explain to Bianca that, yes, she was technically right, but Lloyd's situation was different. But Bianca's focus turned immediately to Zelos.

"What's so funny?"

"I-I'm sorry, I just can't help it. Kratos and Dirk? That's hilarious. Just the thought of it is- is- hah, I can't even say it without laughing!" Zelos used the back of his hand to brush tears away from his eyes. "Honestly, though, if Kratos weren't constantly making googly eyes at Anna, I could see it. He seems to have a thing for feisty brunettes-"

"Anna?" Bianca interrupted. "Who's that? A friend of yours?"

Seles broke in, approaching her brother from behind and peeking around his shoulder to look down at Bianca. "She's Lloyd's mom, but Zelos is close to her too. Zelos and I lost our moms when we were kids, so Lloyd shares his with us."

The statement was successful in helping Zelos overcome his laughing fit. He took a deep breath and knelt down beside Bianca, nodding his head. "Lloyd knows how lucky he is on the parent-front, so he's willing to share with those of us who aren't so lucky."

"I'd be happy to share my dad too," Colette added, approaching and kneeling down beside the two. "I only have the one, but he's pretty great."

Bianca reached out to hug her. "Thanks, Miss Colette! But… even if I don't know him, my dad's still alive somewhere." She pulled her arms away and turned back around to her sister. "...Nika, can you tell me about my dad?"

Nika's eyes went wide momentarily, and her body froze. "What? Right now?"

"Is now a bad time? I just wanna know what he's like; what kind of person he is."

"No, no, it's not a bad time. It's just so sudden-"

Sheena picked up the suitcase and one of the boxes, nodding in Colette's direction and then in Nika's. "Don't worry. Colette and I are taking these to Song's place for Lloyd. We'll give you some privacy."

"O-oh, no, no, that's not what I meant!" Nika shook her head. "I'm just, uh, not good with talking when I'm put on the spot, is all. Really, there's nothing private about it. You're all welcome to stay if you're curious." She paused and her expression softened. "He was a human, but even so, he was kind to half-elves… he did so much for me, and I learned a lot from him. I see a lot of that kindness and intelligence in you, Bianca, and it makes me happy. You've just never asked about him like this before. So if you want to know more, of course I'll tell you."

Bianca giggled, throwing her arms around Nika's waist. "Thank you! You're the best big-sister ever! Come on, let's go sit on the couch-"

As Nika and Bianca got settled, Colette, Sheena, and Raine left with Lloyd's belongings in tow, promising to be back before it was too late. Genis offered to go with them, but Bianca asked him to stay, so he took a spot on the couch beside her. Zelos, meanwhile, took hold of Seles' hand and motioned toward the hall.

"It's about time you usually take an afternoon nap. Do you want me to walk with you back to your ro-"

"Actually, I'd like to stay."

Zelos paused. He tossed a glance back at Bianca and lowered his voice. "...huh? But Sis, you barely know them-"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't be curious. No matter how positively Nika- or anyone- may speak of him, there has to be a catch. He clearly has no interest in being part of his daughter's life. I can sympathize… can't you?"

"I suppose." Zelos frowned and glanced away. "Alright, we can stay. But keep your distance and don't get too emotionally involved, alright? Bianca's dad isn't our dad, so you can't let yourself get fixated on him as a symbol of your own paternal issues. Alright?"

Seles slipped her hand out of his and began walking toward one of the chairs opposite the couch.

"I can't make any promises."