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

Dwarven Vow 113:
Aon bhò a bhristeas an garradh, 's a dha dheug a leumas.
One cow breaks the fence, twelve leap over it.

46-

"I… I'm okay…"

Colette's words were spoken against Genis' chest, muffled somewhat by the fabric of his coat. Lloyd had his arms around both of them, holding them close and speaking over Colette.

"Oh gods, oh gods, I'm so sorry, Colette, so sorry… I never should have suggested… never should have decided… never…"

Genis was speaking too, resting his cheek against the top of Colette's head. "I-I was gonna jump in after you… it was the only thing I could do… I couldn't bear to think of you… you…"

Colette stayed there for another few moments, listening to their voices to help her calm down. Finally, she pulled away and took a half step back so that she could speak to both of them directly.

"I don't understand. It didn't hurt at all. I'm totally fine-" Her words were contradicted by a rush of pain from her knee, and she gritted her teeth. "-er, mostly fine. But the NV Zone didn't do anything to me. What happened?"

"Let's bandage your knee first," Genis replied, reaching into his bag and rummaging around for his first aid kit. He knelt down beside her and applied some alcohol to a piece of gauze. "You tripped on that rock over there and kinda skidded downhill- or, that's what I saw, at least."

Colette cringed as he pressed the gauze against her knee. "Y-yeah, I think so. It was all a blur to me, honestly."

"I wonder if the Tree heard us after all," Lloyd suggested, glancing over towards it. "Maybe it made the area safe for us so that we can approach it."

"I don't know… I'm not sure I want to risk it." Genis finished sterilizing the cut and placed a bandage over it. "After a scare like that, we should cut our losses and get out of here."

"But if the Tree really made the area safe," Colette began, "it must be trying to communicate with us. We can't just leave it."

"Let's go check it out," Lloyd suggested, "just… slowly and carefully."

"Huh. Those are words I never thought I'd hear from you."

"Genis! This is about Colette's safety!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

The three approached the boundary again, taking care to walk slowly and mind where they stepped. They stopped as far away as their arms allowed them, and Colette was the first to reach out. She extended one arm and hesitantly stepped forward so that her fingers just crossed the line, and-

Nothing. There was nothing at all. She pulled back, glancing at Lloyd and Genis, and then tried again, this time placing her whole hand over the boundary. When that didn't produce a response, she began to wave her arm back and forth, and finally took a step so that she was standing halfway over the dead grass again. Still, nothing happened.

Lloyd took a deep breath and stepped forward too, holding out his own hand. He reached for Colette and she took her hand in his, slowly pulling it towards her until it reached the edge of the boundary-

"OW!"

Lloyd jerked his hand back with a yelp of pain and held it close to his chest. Colette gasped and ran to him, stepping aside only enough for Genis to examine Lloyd's hand again.

"It's the same as before," Genis observed. "Did it feel the same?"

"Yeah, it did. But that doesn't make any sense. Colette was just fine."

Colette looked back and forth between Lloyd and the Tree, a pensive frown on her face. "I don't get it… I can't be the only one… hey, Genis!" She stopped and grabbed his hand. "See if you can touch the boundary without getting hurt."

"What? No way! Did you see what it did to Lloyd's skin? I'm not gonna risk that-"

Lloyd placed both his hands on Genis' shoulders, causing him to jump. "I told you, it doesn't hurt once you pull your hand away. And you said yourself, it'll heal just fine. Think of it as a scientific investigation."

"Scientific investigations don't involve testing on yourself-" Genis started to yell, but he realized how loud he was being and stopped himself. "...alright, fine. I'll try it, but just for the sake of getting information."

Colette and Lloyd watched expectantly as Genis approached the boundary and extended his left hand. He stopped before his fingers reached it, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth as he continued. But there was no yelp of pain, no sudden recoil. Genis finally opened his eyes as he realized how far he'd reached, and saw that his hand was past the boundary all the way up to his wrist.

"It… it doesn't affect me either…" he murmured in disbelief. "I don't feel a thing. I mean, I can tell that the mana inside is different from outside, but it's not hurting me at all."

"What?!" Lloyd ran up beside Genis. "You're telling me I'm the only one who gets zapped? That's not fair!" He tried to put his hand over the barrier again but drew it back in pain as soon as it hit. "Ow! Geez…"

Genis and Colette watched as Lloyd, undiscouraged by his previous pain, continued to press his fingers against the boundary. Each time he let out a yell and pulled his hand back, but he did it again and again.

"Ow! Come on, it's me- ouch!- Lloyd. I just want to- ow!- help you out. If you'll- ow, ow!- give me a chance, I promise I'll- ouch!"

"Lloyd, stop it." Genis grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "You're not going to change anything by hurting yourself, and doing that over and over could really damage your fingers. As a craftsman, you should be taking care of your hands, right?"

"I… well, yeah, but…"

"Besides, I don't think that the unstable mana zone is something the tree is consciously creating- if it can even be considered conscious at all. It's probably a byproduct of some internal process currently in dynamic equilibrium."

Lloyd's expression had clouded over. "Uh… yeah… that's…"

"What Genis means is," Colette broke in, "there's got to be a pattern to who can enter the field and who can't. We just have to figure it out."

"Oh!" Lloyd clapped his hands and looked back up toward the Tree. "So there's something you guys have in common that's allowing you to enter unharmed, and we just have to figure out what it is, right?"

"Right!" Colette chimed with an enthusiastic nod. "Something Genis and I have in common that Lloyd doesn't… hmm…"

There was a silence as they all paused to think it over. With not much time left to spend puzzling over the situation, Colette began to think that maybe they would need to come back later after they'd had time to consider it. But after another moment of quiet, Genis and Lloyd both let out an exclamation at the same time.

"Ah!" "I've got it!"

Surprised by each other's voice, they looked up to share a moment of eye contact as they tried to figure out if they were thinking the same thing. Genis was the first to speak.

"So you figured it out too, huh? I guess it's pretty obvious."

"It's not that obvious. I figured it out because I'm smart, of course." Lloyd crosses his arms, his smile beaming with pride. Genis responded with a groan, but Colette was curious and bounced up and down on her toes as she pressed him for an explanation.

"What is it, Lloyd? I still don't get it."

"Think back!" Lloyd prompted, waving his hands in a broad motion. "Remember when we had to get the unicorn horn from Lake Umacy? I think it's kinda like that, where you can only approach the Tree if you're… uh…" He stopped, the tone of his voice changing to match his suddenly bashful expression. His face flushed and he glanced away. "...y'know… pure and stuff."

Colette gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. "Oh!"

"Wha-? No, that's not-" Genis broke in, shaking his head as he wrestled with how to tactfully express his disapproval. "-Lloyd, that doesn't make any sense. I'm sure that's not it."

"But, that's-!" Lloyd stiffened. "How can you be sure of that? Is there something you'd like to share with us, Genis?"

Genis' face suddenly flashed red as he realized what Lloyd was implying. "What? No, no, that's not what I meant at all!"

"So you can't disprove it, can you?"

"I mean, not me, but..." Genis sighed and looked over at Colette instead. "Colette, you and Zelos…?"

"No." She shook her head. "I would never force him into doing something like that before he was ready."

If it were anyone else, Genis would've assumed the statement was sarcastic. But he knew Colette better than that. "Your heart is in the right place, Colette, but he's really just waiting for you to make the first move, so-" He stopped, his earlier blush returning to his cheeks as he realized what he was saying. "Oh, forget this! That's not the point! You're missing the most logical assumption!"

"Which is…?"

Genis held up his right hand. "Exspheres, Lloyd. Colette and I are both wearing exspheres."

Lloyd and Colette froze, both letting out a low gasp. Colette's hand flew to her cruxis crystal. "You think that's it? But how does it work? How do the exspheres protect us, exactly?"

"I'm not sure. But since exspheres affect their host's mana, it doesn't seem like a stretch to say that they're what is allowing us to survive the unstable mana field. It… makes more logical sense than Lloyd's explanation, at least."

"M-my explanation makes logical sense! It made logical sense to the unicorn!"

"Honestly, that whole 'can-only-be-approached-by-a-pure-maiden' thing is just folklore. I don't think the unicorn would've cared if Kratos had been the one to approach it."

"Hmph. If you're so sure of it, then let's test it." Lloyd held out his right hand. "Give me your exsphere."

Genis flinched. "What? No way!"

"It'd only be for a minute. Just long enough to see whether I can get into the NV Zone with it."

"Think about it, Genis," Colette added, "if you can use exspheres to protect you from the unstable mana, you can get all kinds of samples for your research! That'd make Raine and Zelos happy too, right?"

"Well…" Genis frowned and sighed. "Fine. We can try it- but be careful with it."

Lloyd nodded and offered Genis the back of his hand. Genis used his left hand to gently pry his key crest from his own hand, careful to keep the exsphere balanced. He placed the crest on Lloyd's hand, feeling the exsphere lock to the skin like a magnet. Lloyd pulled his hand back, holding it close to his chest.

"Amazing. It's like going back to when you first introduced me to Marble. I feel like I can hear her voice, even though there's no actual sound of words-"

"Quit stalling and go." Genis grabbed Lloyd's arms and turned him around to face the Tree. Lloyd glanced back at Colette and heaved a sigh before stepping forward and reaching out.

"Alright. Here goes nothing."

Remembering his earlier experiences, he steeled himself for the shock of pain as his hand passed over the boundary. But… it never came. Lloyd opened his eyes and waved his hand back and forth.

"Guys, look! It worked! I can-"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? STEP AWAY FROM THERE IMMEDIATELY."

They all jumped back in surprise, and Lloyd could feel his whole body tense up. He'd know that voice anywhere. He leaned toward Colette and Genis to whisper to them.

"What the-? What is he doing here? I thought he was going straight to Mizuho."

"I don't know," Colette whispered back, "but I do know we're in big trouble."

"I said, step away. I know you heard me the first time." Kratos finally approached the group, stopping just a short distance away and pointing toward the ground near his feet. "Get over here. All of you. Now."

There were four soldiers following Kratos, the two that Lloyd recognized from earlier and a pair that seemed to have just arrived. All of them appeared to be trying to keep their eyes off the conflict, but the one who had suggested earlier that Kratos might be lenient with Lloyd was sneaking glances here and there. Genis and Colette didn't move, waiting for Lloyd to do something first. He steeled his nerves and finally spoke up.

"I know you told us not to come in here, but we've figured out something amazing. Just look at thi-"

"I don't care," Kratos shot back before Lloyd could even finish. "You lied to me, you lied to my soldiers, you disobeyed my orders, you ignored all the safety warnings and are still ignoring them-" He cut himself off before his voice went too high. "Give me one good reason that I shouldn't ban the three of you from any future access to the restricted area regardless of extenuating circumstances."

Colette drew in a gasp and Genis flinched as though the idea of not being able to continue his research physically pained him. Lloyd, however, remained firm.

"Because we can get into the NV Zone! Look!"

As he said it, he skipped back a few steps until he was entirely across the barrier, standing with his feet planted on the dry, dead grass. He held his hands up for them all to see, turning his right hand around so that Genis' exsphere was clearly visible.

"LLOYD!"

As soon as he'd stepped back, Kratos screamed his name and lunged forward. It took the strength of all four soldiers plus Colette to stop him from going in after Lloyd- that is until he saw that the zone had no effect on Lloyd whatsoever.

"It's okay, Kratos. I'm totally fine. Genis lent me his exsphere." Lloyd offered a reassuring smile and pointed over to Genis. "He said that the way exspheres alter their host's mana must offer protection from the unstable mana field. Because of that, anyone wearing an exsphere can enter the NV Zone safely."

"I-It's just a hypothesis for now," Genis added, "since we've only gotten these results from Colette's cruxis crystal and my exsphere. But Lloyd proves that it's the exsphere itself, not the person who wears it, that makes the difference in safety. Imagine the opportunities we have now for scientific observation and sample collection-"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE. YOU'RE GETTING OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW."

Kratos' voice was getting hoarse by this point, but he didn't seem to care much. Colette was already standing with him and the soldiers, so he first grabbed Genis by the shoulder and shoved him in that direction, then approached Lloyd, plunging his hand into the unstable mana field just enough so that he could grab Lloyd by the front of his shirt and yank him out. Lloyd stumbled forward, his hands flying out in front of him in case he fell. But he was soon able to right himself, and he looked over at Kratos in concern. He couldn't see Kratos' skin under his gloves, but the way he was holding his hand made it clear something wasn't right. "Y-your arm-"

"Don't act concerned for my sake when you were the one trespassing in an unstable mana field that could kill you." Kratos grabbed Lloyd's arm with his other hand and pulled him back in the direction of the watchtower. "Come on, you three. Let's get out of the restricted area and discuss what I'm going to do with you."

"D-do with us…?" Colette stammered as she ran to keep up.

"You don't think I'm just going to give you a slap on the wrist and send you away, are you? There have to be consequences for your actions."

The three were silent, following along with dejected expressions as their minds raced to think of what kind of punishment Kratos might come up with. It wasn't like he could just ground them or take away some sort of privilege. They weren't children anymore- even Genis, who had just turned 18, could be charged as an adult under Tethe'allan law. The restricted area was, in fact, recognized as such under legislation from Sylvarant's Governor-General, Tethe'alla's king, and the recently formed Joint World Parliament. What they had done was technically illegal. Oh gods, were they going to be charged with a crime?

As they reached the gate, Kratos spoke up again as if reading their thoughts. "I do have the grounds to charge you with criminal trespassing, but because this area is under both Sylvaranti and Tethe'allan law, that would require the appearance of my soldiers in a joint court proceeding. It would further stretch our ranks and resources, and I'd rather not have to resort to that. I'm sure none of you wants me to either. Is this correct?"

"Y-yes, sir!" They all responded more or less in unison. Kratos gave a satisfied nod.

"Good. Then I will take it up with the respective authorities in each of your individual situations. Colette, I will be speaking with Iselia's mayor and suggest that she decide on a punishment corresponding with local laws. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes, sir."

"Genis, as you are a student researcher at the Palmacosta University, I suspect they will want to know about your behavior made under unauthorized research claims. I will contact the Dean of Students office and let them decide upon disciplinary action. Is this acceptable?"

"Y… yes, sir…" Genis replied, his head drooping. Colette gave him an encouraging pat on the back, and he seemed to relax a little. Kratos then turned to Lloyd, his gaze narrowing.
"And Lloyd, since you were undoubtedly the mastermind behind this whole endeavor-"

"Th-that's not true!" Colette broke in. "I was the one who-"

"It's okay, Colette." Lloyd waved to cut her off. "I'm the one who brought it up in the first place. Kratos can decide how to punish me."

"I will not be making decisions on anything," Kratos replied. "For you, Lloyd, I will be writing a detailed message to Dirk and encouraging him to discipline you how he sees fit."

"Wh-what?! Come on! With Colette and Genis, you're telling reasonable professionals!" Lloyd grabbed onto Kratos' shirt. "Tell the mayor of Luin! Tell the chief of Mizuho! Hell, you're my dad too- punish me yourself! Please, please, just… don't make this Dad's problem…"

Kratos stared at Lloyd for a long moment, making no move to push him away. His expression was stern, terrifying in its intensity, and Lloyd wilted under the force of it all. He slowly let go of the fabric and stepped back, hanging his head in shame.

"...alright. I understand. But I… I was just trying to keep my promise to Martel and the Great Tree."

Kratos didn't reply to him. Instead, he turned to Colette and Genis. "Colette, you're ready to go to Mizuho, right? I can accompany you with the rheiard to make sure we aren't late."

"Oh, thank you! Yes, I'm ready to go when you are."

"Genis, would you like a ride to Sybak?"

"No, sir. I'm not in a hurry, and the road is nice this time of year."

Kratos nodded in affirmation and then turned back to the soldiers. "Craig, Anthony, please take Lloyd back with you to Luin. I will provide you an address at which to drop him off along with a letter to deliver to the man who is waiting for him there. Do not let him leave your sight until you have delivered both him and the letter to Dirk. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," the two chimed in rehearsed unison.

"Good. Jordan, Anita, you may begin your patrol. The rest of you, come with me so that we can arrange transportation and communications."

"Yes, sir!"

Dirk had settled comfortably in the big armchair in Lloyd's living room, returning to the editing work he'd been doing on one of the curriculum files. He was so caught up in the work, he didn't even notice how much time had passed before he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Huh? Lloyd wouldn't knock…

Unsure of who he'd find on the other side of the door, he stood up, set his work aside, and opened the door just a crack. "Aye, can I help ye?"

"Dirk!"

The sight of the familiar smiling face prompted him to throw the door open. "Anna! It's bin too lang- how are ye, lass?" Dirk stepped back and stretched out his arms, and she leapt to embrace him.

"Oh, Dirk, it's so good to see you!" She squeezed him in a hug and kissed his cheek. "I was going to visit you and Lloyd later today since it's been a week since I last saw you, but I couldn't find Kratos. I thought, if he wasn't at home, he might be over here. Is he…?"

She stepped back to give him some space and Dirk sighed. "I'm afraid 'at Kratos got called away oan work. Somethin' goin' on in Mizuho."

"About Sheena and Lloyd?"

"Nae, at least I donnae think sae. Whate'er it is, it involves Colette an' Zelos."

Anna frowned. "Colette and Zelos? I wonder what's going on. Come to think of it, what are you doing here? Where is Lloyd-?"

"Come sit dain. I'll tell ye whit I know."

The two sat in the kitchen and chatted about Lloyd, Dirk explaining about his health and his current trip to the Great Tree. He then asked Anna about her own health, about the doctor she was seeing in Palmacosta. It gave her an opportunity to express her own excitement, her gratitude for the support of her friends in the militia, and her frustration with Kratos' emotional state. Dirk was a good listener; he genuinely loved listening to what Anna had to say, and was glad to offer his own observations about Kratos. It was a warm, enthusiastic conversation, and the two were so preoccupied that they almost missed another knock at the front door.

Anna was the first to scramble to her feet. "Who could that be? Lloyd wouldn't knock on his own door."

"That's whit I thought when ye came by. I donnae ken who it could be."

But that point, Anna had reached the door. She opened it and gasped. "Anthony! And you're… Craig, right? OH! And Lloyd-" The two soldiers stepped out of the way as Anna pushed past to hug her son. "Oh, Lloyd, you look so good! I heard you got a clean bill of health from Doctor Jacobs. I'm so glad!"

"M-mom… thanks. It's good to see you too."

His response was genuine, but subdued, and Anna caught on instantly. "Lloyd, sweetie, is everything alright? Are you hurt? Are you feeling sick?"

"Uh, n-no, it's not that. I just…" Lloyd glanced back over at the two soldiers who were trying to hide the fact that they were staring. "...um, is Dad here?"

"Aye, I'm haur." Dirk appeared by the doorway, looking back and forth between Lloyd and the soldiers. "Whit's with th' welcomin' party?"

"Are you Dirk?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Well, 'at depends on who's askin'."

"I have a message for you from Captain Kratos Aurion. It's regarding his- your- son, Lloyd Irving, who was caught lying to posted guards and trespassing on restricted land."

Anna jumped back, her eyes widening. "Lloyd, no!"

"Let me see 'at letter." Dirk reached out and took the envelope from the soldier, tearing into it and scanning it for a few moments. "I see… I see… hmm… sae 'at's how it is, eh?"

"The captain charged us with escorting Mister Irving back to Luin, asking us not to let him out of our sight until we had entrusted him to you. Can we report that we've successfully delivered him into your care?"

"Aye, 'at ye can. Gie my thanks tae Kratos when ye report back."

"Yes, sir. We will."

The two soldiers said goodbye to Anna and headed back to the militia headquarters, leaving Lloyd at the mercy of his parents. Dirk was reviewing the letter again, but Anna had finally processed the situation enough to scold him properly.

"I can't believe you, Lloyd! Lying, trespassing… that's not like you! What were you thinking?"

Lloyd hung his head. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"You should be! The restricted area is restricted for safety reasons! By going in there, you're putting yourself in danger!" She stepped back closer to him, reaching up to place her hands against his cheeks. "We just don't want anything to happen to you, Lloyd. Not again. Not ever."

"I know, Mom." Lloyd closed his eyes and placed his hands over hers. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry or nay, ye pit yerself in danger. This letter says 'at ye willingly entered nae only th' restricted zone, bit th' NV Zone as well-"

"What? That's impossible!"

"-I'm gettin' thaur, Anna. It says 'at Lloyd an' his friends discovered 'at th' use ay exspheres can protect against th' harmful effects ay th' mana instability. Bit tae dae this, they undoubtedly pit themselves in great danger. Whit were ye 'hinkin', lad?"

"I-it was an accident! We would never have crossed the boundary on purpose! But… well, Colette tripped and fell, and part of her leg crossed the line, but nothing happened to her. So we got curious as to why, and… it turned out that it was the exsphere. That's all."

"An' whit was yer reasonin' fer sneakin' intae th' restricted area tae start wi'? Ye promised 'at ye would keep out. If Colette's exsphere hadnae protected her, ye understand whit couldhae happened-"

"I-I do! It was terrifying! I regretted being there immediately!" Lloyd stopped himself before he could get any more worked up. "Let's just go inside, and you can decide how to punish me then."

Dirk sighed and turned back toward the door, leading the group inside and standing by the door to close it behind them once Anna and Lloyd had entered. He pointed toward the kitchen, looking up at Lloyd again.

"Alrecht, sit daen. I want tae hear yer side ay th' story."

"M-my side?" Lloyd did as he was told, taking a seat at the table, but he was puzzled by the phrasing. "What does 'my side' have to do with it?"

"Everythin'. Ye kent th' dangers ay gettin' close tae th' Tree, ye made a promise, an' yet ye snuck in anyway. Ye must've had a reason. Sae tell me- why'd ye dae it?"

Lloyd looked down at his knees. He couldn't face his father. "It… it doesn't matter why I did it. I disobeyed you, I broke the promise I made, and worst of all, I put myself and my friends in danger. It was wrong."

Dirk groaned and snapped his fingers in front of Lloyd's face to draw his attention. "This isnae a test or anythin'. I'm nae tryin' tae trick ye. I really want tae know. Are ye gonnae tell me, or are ye gonnae keep up yer little pity party?"

"I-!" Lloyd's face turned red. "I wanted to keep my promise to the Great Tree Yggdrasil! Five years ago, I made a promise that I'd care for it and protect it. I named it as a symbol of that promise. Yggdrasil has given mana and the promise of life to everyone in the united world. No matter what the dangers are, I can't just leave it when it's in pain like this!" As he spoke, his voice grew more and more confident until he realized he was yelling and stopped. His earlier blush returned and he looked back at his knees as he sheepishly continued with a "...sorry, I didn't mean to… uh…"

Dirk reached out with a fist and gave Lloyd a sharp hit on the top of the head. Lloyd yelped, more in surprise than in pain, but he looked up anyway, his hands flying to the top of his head.

"Ow!"

"Well, I 'hink 'at's enaw fer now. Seein' yer face when ye described Colette fallin', it's clear ye've learned yer lesson. Now, let's gie ye somethin' tae eat an' gang on wi' our work afair we lose tay much time. Alrecht?"

"Wha…?" Lloyd kept his hands on his head, too stunned to move. "...that's it? That's all? No copying Dwarven vows, no extra lessons, no skipping lunch, no anything? Who are you and what have you done with my dad?"

"If ye want more punishment, I'll happily gie it tae ye-"

"No, no, no!" Lloyd was quick to shut down that idea, but he calmed down again with a sigh. "I just don't understand. Kratos was so angry, I thought for sure you'd be even more furious. Especially after I promised, making a big deal about the Dwarven vows and everything."

Dirk crossed his arms and glanced over at Anna, who was perched in the other chair and listening politely but intently. She gave him a little nod, and he turned back to Lloyd.

"Well, tae tell ye th' truth, I owe ye an' apology."

"You owe me what now?"

"Whit ye did was wrong, I'm nae gonnae argue abit 'at. A Dwarf should keep his promise nae matter th' circumstances, nae matter whit anyain says. Bit still, Kratos an' I didnae dae ye any favors last night. We poked fun at ye, nae takin' yer word seriously, nae trustin' ye. An' if we didnae pit any faith in yer word, what motivation should ye hae tae keep it? Why bother wi' people who arenae gonnae trust ye nae matter whit ye say? I've been thinkin' abit 'at aw night, sae much sae 'at I could hardly sleep. Ye deserve an apology fer that, I 'hink." Dirk reached up and clapped a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, locking his eyes with his son's. "Aye, ye should hae kept yer promise, bit we didnae make it easy fer ye. Sae I'm sorry."

"Dad, I…" Lloyd got choked up for a moment, and leaned forward so that he could wrap his arms around his father and squeeze him into a tight hug. "...I'm sorry too. You're right, I should've kept my word to you. Genis and Raine and Zelos are all working hard to find a way to safely help the Tree, so I need to focus on supporting them, not putting myself at risk. I'll remember that- and prove to you that you can trust me from now on."

Dirk hugged Lloyd back and then stepped away with a proud smile. "Well then, we cannae work on empty stomachs. What dae ye want fer lunch? We could gang tae th' market an' gie somethin' tae cook, or we could eat at a restaurant if ye 'hink th' fowk wouldn't mind a Dwarf patron-"

"Let's go to the Lake Sinoa cafe! I haven't seen my friends there since I've been laid up in Iselia, and I'm sure they'd all love to finally meet you!"

From across the table, Anna cleared her throat. "May I go with you? I have the day off, and with Kratos gone, it'd be kinda boring to just sit around the house. Plus, I'd like to help out with whatever you're doing at the school!"

"Of course, Mom! We'd love to have you!"

Dirk nodded in agreement. "Today we'll jist be daein' some surveyin' ay th' site, bit we'd be happy fer your company."

"Hooray!" Anna rose to her feet and clapped. "I can't wait!"