The Lezareno building stuck out like a sore thumb. For one, the building was completely new in a city of churches and palaces, and for two, it was quite technologically advanced. The building itself loomed over Meltokio, reaching heights above ten stories. Automatic sliding glass doors could be seen in the front with windows spotted all over the building, some lit up for the night, others dark.
One would think that work hours would be over for this building, but it was apparently quite busy. Large metal wagons, using probably the same technology as the EC vehicles, were parked in front. Employees hefted boxes of something inside.
Colette and her two followers navigated the city easy enough, having their happy conversations together. Zelos, of course, had to stop by every lady to wave hello, pocketing various money and assortments of fish that he clearly did not want.
"See, I don't get it, where are they even holding the fish?" Lloyd asked, arms behind his head.
Zelos shrugged, tossing the cod at a hungry cat as he walked. "Bud, it's probably best we don't think about it."
"Yeah, but I mean, Colette doesn't just carry fish on her person, you know?"
"Angelcheeks isn't exactly a normal lady, now is she?"
Colette wasn't in their conversation, but she enjoyed hearing them talk all the same. It brought back wonderful memories. She was too focused on the quest to talk much anyway. But once the Lezareno building came into view, with their trucks and boxes, a strange panic washed over Colette.
"Quick, hide!" she ordered, ducking behind a hedged bush.
Lloyd was confused at first, but quickly complied, pulling a stubborn Chosen down with him. "What is it, Colette? What's wrong?" he asked, worried.
Brushing the loose leaves from his precious hair, Zelos added, "Yeah, what gives?" The Chosen found himself whispering even though he sensed no real danger.
Colette smiled nervously, whispering low. "I-uh, I don't know! I just kind of thought we should hide? Like, to figure out what they're doing?"
Lloyd nodded, eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Good idea."
"Looks like they're just carrying a bunch of junk," Zelos said lazily, poking his head up way too high.
"Gah! Get down, will you?!" Lloyd whispered, pulling the Chosen down with a noisy force.
Colette's mind was racing. "What do you think they're bringing in there?"
Lloyd blinked. "Uh, I dunno, maybe just like, sandwiches or maybe toys?"
A thought dawned on the redhaired Chosen. "Or maybe Exspheres."
Colette's eyes went wide, Lloyd nearly fell over. "What? No way!"
Zelos turned to face him, his usual goofy smile gone, replaced with those eyes that knew too much, and trusted so little. "Bud, you know the guy owns an Exsphere mining company, don't you?"
He frowned, looking frustrated. "Well, yeah, that's true I guess, but Regal would never do anything wrong with them!"
It was dark, but Colette still saw him plain as day. With a little yelp, she shushed her partners, watching as Regal approached his building. If it weren't for his long blue hair, she wouldn't have even recognized him. For the entire journey, he had been a scruffy handcuffed man, wearing nothing but tatters.
Now, however, his hair was slicked back, clean, beautiful even, like a sparkling waterfall that ran down his elegant shoulders. Instead of tatters, he wore a spiffy suit, black with a matching red tie. It was clear this was an extremely important man, with power over people she could never imagine to have. His handcuffs were finally free, holding a clipboard, but looking slightly uncomfortable with the action, even after all this time.
"Whoa, no way, that's Regal?!" Lloyd gawked.
"Of course it is, you hick!" Zelos whispered, suddenly now the one trying to keep the other quiet. "How many times have we told you that he's a president?"
Lloyd frowned at the scolding. "Well, yeah, but I just never saw him do anything like that when we were with him…"
Colette focused her eyes, seeing something held in Regal's free hand. "What's that?" she said aloud, but mostly to herself. Still, the boys were curious.
In his hand, he held a leash. Stepping quietly behind was a dog! Could it be Pippy?! No, no. This doggy was big, but she was a girl, and she had beautiful red fur. What was Regal doing with this dog?
"Good evening, Mr. Bryant!" an employee greeted as Regal went by.
"Good evening," he replied absentmindedly, lost in thought as he stepped through the glass doors, doggy following behind.
"Was that Pippy?!" Zelos whispered excitedly, finally getting the lost dog's name right for once.
Lloyd groaned. "No, Pippy is yellow. We've told you this so many times."
A cold feeling ran through Colette's spine, a fear she didn't wish to express. "What was Regal doing with that doggy?"
Zelos furrowed his brow. "Like my hunnies said, Regal's been gathering up the dogs. But no one knows what he's doing in this building yet."
Shaking his head, refusing to believe something so suspicious, Lloyd argued, "Maybe Regal just really likes dogs. Maybe he's got a room full of dogs that he plays with?"
"Bud, I wish I could be as stupidly optimistic as you."
Bark! Bark bark!
A dog?! Colette could feel her muscles tensing, her fists tightening. A large yellow dog came barking through, making quite the fuss and bothering the employees.
"That must be Pippy!" Colette exclaimed, heart pounding. Just as she was about to call his name, another booming voice interrupted her.
"Dog!" it had roared. Regal stood in the building, doors open. His face was stern, and his voice had immediately stopped Pippy's barking. The dog he had brought in was nowhere to be found. "Come," he commanded.
Like a robot forced against its will, Pippy found himself moving toward Regal, tail between his legs. The workers let out a sigh of relief as the now obedient animal found itself inside. Regal grabbed Pippy by the scruff of his neck, pulling him along inside.
"Wow," Zelos breathed, shocked. "That didn't look too good."
Lloyd shook his head. "No, no, he was just bringing Pippy in for the night, that's all."
"Oh man, you just never learn…."
Colette couldn't believe her eyes either. The way he commanded Pippy, Regal had looked terrifying! Just what was going on? What should she do? Lloyd was right, Regal would never do anything to harm a doggy!
But what if he did? What if those boxes are Exspheres?
No, stop it! Such horrible thoughts!
After all the betrayal you suffered over your journey, would it really surprise you?
This was different, though. Not Regal.
That's it! She needed proof. Proof would calm her down, put all her worries to rest. She could get proof easily! She knew just what to do.
"Lloyd, grab one of those boxes!" she said.
"W-what?! Are you serious?"
One of the workers had placed a box down by the entrance, close to the shadows. His back was turned, and a few others appeared to be on break after dealing with the excitable Pippy. If there was ever a time to get concrete proof, now was it. "Yes, hurry!" she ordered.
Without another word, Lloyd slipped through the bushes, hunched over and trying his best to stay in the shadows. Zelos, witnessing the whole thing, smirked to himself. "Ah, so that's how it is…"
"Shh, Zelos!" Colette scolded.
"Y-yes, ma'am," he whined, cowering.
Lloyd was never really one for sneaking. He was more one for jumping in, making a lot of noise, and beating up any bad guys that deemed his behavior inappropriate. So, a few stumbles here and there were expected. Every so often as Lloyd crept closer and closer, he turned back to face Colette, a nervous look on his face as if to ask 'you sure about this?' Colette would nod and reaffirm his sneaking confidence.
Luckily for them all, Regal's workers weren't armed guards trained to look out for ninjas or sneaking armed men. So, when a bright red man with two swords dangling at his waist stumbled out of the shadows, they didn't really notice. Lloyd grabbed the box and sprinted back towards the group, as if an entire army was chasing him.
Huffing and puffing, (mostly at the fear of getting caught rather than exhaustion) Lloyd plopped the box down in front of curious eyes. "I-I got it," he mumbled, looking guilty.
Just as Lloyd knew Colette, Colette knew Lloyd. "Don't worry, we'll give it back, I promise," she said sweetly.
"Speak for yourself, angel," Zelos purred. "C'mon, open it up, open it up!"
Still, she felt guilty for what she did. Colette saw Lloyd's eyes, saw his nervousness as well. Maybe they shouldn't open it? Maybe this was wrong? What she did was technically stealing! She made Lloyd break the law! Oh, no, what has she done?! All of this against her own friend, Regal, too!
Like a kid who just couldn't wait four more hours till Christmas morning, Zelos groaned, "Well, if you guys aren't gonna, I will!"
"Hey, stop!"
But it was too late. Zelos' grabby fingers ripped open the box top revealing the contents to all. Suddenly, their worries of guilt were gone. Their eyes wide, none could find the words to speak.
Exspheres. It was true. Zelos was right. There was no doubting it this time, no hiding from the truth. Each box must have been full of Exspheres, these lifeless beings harvested from the mines. All these stones, primed for the anguish of their fellow people, boxed before them in mass.
"I knew it," Zelos muttered under his breath, the smile finally gone. "I knew we couldn't trust him."
Lloyd shook his head, still trying to believe. "Hold on a second, hold on! We don't know what he's doing with the Exspheres! Maybe he's going to hide them away, like Colette and I are doing."
"I doubt it, Bud," Zelos replied, his voice low, unhappy. "Regal probably didn't get where he is today by making bad business decisions. In a world where Exspheres are so hard to come by, he'd make a fortune selling these."
Curling his hand into a fist, Lloyd snapped, "No way! Like I said before, Regal would never hurt another person!"
Colette had been lost in thought. Her eyes distant, staring into the sparkling orbs. "But what about dogs?" she breathed, the words coming out through a lump in her throat, filled with shame. She didn't mean to say it.
Zelos' eyes widened. "Can you make Exspheres with dogs?" he asked. "I guess no one's ever tried. It would make sense."
"But…" Lloyd tried to reason, tried to defend Regal, but couldn't find the words.
"The doggies disappearing around Meltokio," Colette breathed again, ashamed again.
Through gritted teeth, Zelos said, "You can't trust nobles. You just can't."
For a moment, silence washed over the trio. A sad one, one that was not unfamiliar to them. Something they all thought was over, something they were sure would never happen again in this new world. "Well, what do we do now?" Lloyd asked finally.
It seemed they had no choice. Colette still could barely believe it. It couldn't be true, but all the facts were right there! "We have to talk to Regal," Colette said solemnly. "He'll tell us what's going on, that what we're thinking is wrong."
"And if we're right?" Zelos asked, his voice sounding natural for once.
"We'll stop him," Colette replied, unable to believe her own words. "I promised to save Pippy. I won't let any doggies get hurt."
Lloyd looked away, angry at himself and this situation. "I'm with you, Colette," he said sternly. "Always."
The Lezareno company building was just as impressive on the inside as it was the outside. The trio's footsteps echoed against the marble tiled floors, their reflections perfectly visible in the sheen. Zelos was most impressed with this, making kissy faces at himself.
A decadent fountain spewed forth crystal clear water in the center of it all. Lloyd and Colette had the urge to jump into it, but they both agreed this wasn't the time for that. At the end of the way, a receptionist sat behind a large counter next to a set of elevators, clearly readying herself to leave work for the night.
"Ah, a lady," Zelos cooed, eyes glimmering. "You two let me do the talkin' and I'll have us at Regal's office in no time."
"Whatever you say," Lloyd sighed.
"I believe in you!" Colette cheered.
With a laugh that didn't inspire confidence in anyone, the flirtatious fighter dashed towards his potential hunny, leaving the two by themselves.
"You don't really think Regal would start making exspheres, do you?" Lloyd asked, losing confidence in his own position as well.
Her smile faded. "I, um, I dunno." The Sylvarant Chosen fiddled with her hands absentmindedly, messing with a lock of golden hair. "I do know Pippy is in here, somewhere, though. Sorry for dragging you in this, Lloyd."
He shook his head, smiling back at her. He always smiled when times were at their worst, always filling her chest with that confident warmth again. "Don't apologize, dork. No matter what happens, we need to confront it, and we'll confront it together." He held her hand and gave it a tight squeeze.
She was so happy to have Lloyd around, always supporting her. Colette opened her mouth to say –
"Ahhh, well, this was kind of a bust," Zelos interrupted. A confused expression plastered on his face, he held a banana firmly in one hand. "She wouldn't really listen to me, and she insisted I take this banana."
Lloyd stared at the fruit. "I really don't get your relationship with women."
The flashy Chosen posed cooly, holding the banana out like a rose. "It's mysterious, like me!"
"You're a mystery, all right."
"Bud! Again, with the cruelty! I could tell by your tone you didn't mean that!"
Colette sighed a content sigh. She did so enjoy their little quarrels. But right now, she had doggies to find and doggies to protect! She'd let them talk. It was time for her to be a leader!
Taking in a deep breath, fixing her hair a little, and making sure her posture was presentable, Colette strolled forward to the secretary. "Um, hi!" she said, smiling as cheerfully as possible.
"Uh, hello," the secretary replied, packing up her things. "Lezareno is actually closing right now, so…"
Oh this was nerve wracking! This was hard! She was already so embarrassed! But this was for dogkind everywhere. Colette would get over her awkwardness for them!
"Um, well, I'd really like to speak to Regal," she stopped herself. "I-uh-I mean, President Bryant, please! It's urgent!"
The secretary looked as if she'd been working a long shift, desperate to go home. Her eyes were tired, her smile fragile. "I'm sorry, miss, but we're closed. Master Bryant will not be taking any meetings tonight."
Everything hurt! She was being such a nuisance to this nice lady! She was being so awkward! Oh, but she couldn't give up…
"I-I'm very good friends with Rega-er Master Bryant!" she stuttered out. "I-I'm certain he'd allow me!"
Her bags already gathered, the secretary replied, "I'm sorry, miss, but if I let everyone in who said they were friends of Master Bryant, I'd be fired." She began walking away from her desk. "If you'll excuse me, I must be getting home now."
But Pippy! All those poor dogs! The Exspheres! Colette had to do something. "No, please, miss!" Colette begged, moving closer to her, legs trembling. "I have to talk to him, it's really important! It's about dogs!" Oh, that wasn't the best way to phrase it.
"Ma'am, please," the secretary said, looking a bit frightened. "I don't want to call security."
Security? Oh no, this wasn't what she wanted at all. "N-no, you don't understand, I-I just want to help the dogs!" Colette stuttered, moving forward. Ah, if only she could word it better! "Sorry, that's not what I mean, I just-ah!"
Colette's trademark clumsiness kicked in at the worst possible time. She was already nervous, her legs were already trembling, and even if there was nothing to trip on, she still managed to lose her balance. With a rough tumble, she plowed into the secretary accidently, slamming both of their bodies against the desk console with a terrible force. Buttons of all kinds were pressed at random, but luckily, one of those buttons opened the elevators.
"Ah, oh no, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"
"S-security!" The woman cried, her desk a mess, her papers and personal effects strewn across the floor. "Help! I'm being attacked!"
One of the buttons also happened to be the alarm. Oops.
"Colette, what the hell?!" Zelos yelled over the sirens. "Did you attack my hunny?!"
"N-no, it was an accident!" Colette tried desperately to defend her character, but already the shuffling of feet could be heard.
Lloyd grabbed Colette by the hand, pulling her out of her frightened trance. "There's no time for chatting, come on!"
"Oh, when I hit on women they give me looks, but when she literally hits women, it's all fine and 'there's no time' and whatever," Zelos grumbled, dashing into the elevators with them.
"What floor is Regal on?!" Lloyd demanded, looking over several rows of buttons.
"P-probably the one before the roof!" Colette stuttered through her trembles.
The guards were already on the floor, their armor and weapons gleaming dangerously under the light. "There they are, get them!" they roared, charging forward.
Zelos slammed his palm on the top set of buttons. "Whatever, let's just go already!" The doors closed agonizingly slowly, while the guards were only a few feet away. "C'mon stupid thing, hurry up!" Zelos yelled, pressing it as fast as he could, sweat dripping from all angles.
Luckily, they closed in time. The trio let out a sigh of relief as the elevator slowly worked its way up. If this place was anything like the Lezareno building in Altamira, then there were no stairs that connected to Regal's office.
"Can't they just shut this thing off downstairs?" Lloyd asked, worried.
Smiling nervously, Colette replied, "I, um, doubt it. I fell on the desk pretty hard. I, um, think I broke it. Sorry," she said reflexively.
"My god," Zelos sighed, genuinely stunned. "Colette, you are brutal."
"Sorry."
Lloyd shook his head, holding her hand tightly again. "It's okay, don't go back to saying sorry so much! Without your, uh, quick thinking we would have never made it this far."
Another frown. Zelos said, "This far, huh. Looks like we're confronting Regal after all." He looked over Lloyd. "Hope you're ready to use your swords, Bud. Without his handcuffs, Regal will be nearly a god."
"We've beaten gods," Lloyd replied. "Besides, it won't come to that. Right, Colette?"
She looked down at her feet, unhappy. "I hope so. I'm not sure." The Chosen shook her head. "I can't allow anyone to hurt doggies, Lloyd. Not even Regal."
Silence. "I understand, Colette," he said finally.
While the mood was serious, sad, and nerve-wracking, the tone was sort of ruined by the fact that catchy elevator music was playing. Zelos lightly kicked at the floor, trying to keep his angst-ey expression, but failing.
Not every boss had the most fitting music.
The elevator doors slid open on Regal's floor, directly connecting to his office. Glass covered the entirety of its walls except for one panel behind a plain but immaculate desk. A large, plush carpet held up an assortment of bookcases, each filled with ledgers and subjects of advanced interests; all befitting an intelligent and diligent CEO. Regal himself was seated behind the desk, reading over the last of his records for the day. The sound of the elevator made him raise his head.
"Can I help y—," he started, until he saw the trio before him. His usual stern expression betrayed his shock. "Lloyd? Colette? Zelos?"
The Chosen of Sylvarant walked forward, her partners close behind on both sides of her. "R-Regal!" she started, trying her best to sound serious. "Um, how are you?"
Zelos put a palm over his face to hide his shame.
"I'm doing very well," Regal nodded. "But why are the three of you in my office at this time of night?"
Colette clenched her fists together, trying to bring the words out which used to come so easily to her friend. "We're looking for Pippy!"
The suave blue-haired man tilted his head. "Pippy? I don't believe I understand."
This was no time to be awkward! She had to be the hero! What would Lloyd do?!
"D-don't play dumb!" she cried, voice cracking process. "We know you have Pippy! We know you've been taking dogs off the street!"
Regal's eyes widened with a bit more understanding. "Ah, I see," he sighed. "I was hoping we weren't quite so obvious with it."
He admitted to it!
"Regal, how could you?" Lloyd spoke up, hands clenched into fists.
The president rubbed his wrists absentmindedly. "I apologize. Maybe it wasn't quite the most optimal move, but I feel it was necessary."
Zelos' anger had been boiling the entire time. With a stomp of his foot on the ground he yelled, "Turning dogs into Exspheres is necessary? That's messed up, man!"
"What?" Regal looked shocked.
"Yeah, we figured out your plan," Zelos added through gritted teeth. "We saw all your Exspheres down there."
Colette forced her voice to be heard, but it was still filled with nerves. "W-we saw you yell at Pippy and drag him inside!"
"After all the tragedy Exspheres have caused…" Lloyd said, unable to look him in the eyes.
Regal stood tall and threatening, his black suit darker than night. He walked forward towards the three heroes, his stance perfect, always at the ready. Colette and the others prepared themselves.
"I believe there's been a misunderstanding," Regal said, patting one palm against his leg.
"Huh?" Colette breathed, confused by his words and his actions.
A red furred doggy appeared at his side, tail wagging happily. "Dog!" Regal shouted sternly, frightening the trio with his booming voice. Another dog appeared this time, a big yellow one.
"Pippy!" Colette called out.
For the first time in her life, the dog responded with an angry growling and a showing of teeth. Pippy charged forward, lunging at Colette, barking in a rage. The Chosen was absolutely stunned, heartbroken even.
"Dog!" Regal boomed. "Stay!"
Pippy stopped his lunge, but still burying his paws down into the carpet, ready to attack at a moment's notice. Regal sighed, grabbing Pippy by the scruff of his neck. Regal tapped the dog's nose with his finger lightly, and instantly Pippy's tail dropped, eyes switching from anger to sadness. Pippy was guilty.
"Some dogs need discipline," Regal said, petting Pippy gently once the animal had calmed down.
Zelos had no idea how to handle this. "I-uh, what's going on?"
Regal brought Pippy over to the red doggy, petting both of their heads. "This dog you call Pippy has a mate." He looked over to the red furred doggy. "This one. I took her off the streets. She was a stray animal, scrounging for food, dirtied beyond all reason. At the time, I did not know she had a mate.
"Pippy," Regal continued with a serious tone, sounding weird. "Must have went looking for her. It was only yesterday I stumbled upon this one. He's a wild one, very defensive over his mate. He'd spend his time around my building barking and causing trouble. I've caught him a few times, but he's managed to escape. Only tonight did I realize I must discipline him."
Lloyd shook his head. "But the Exspheres! Why are they all down there?"
Regal scratched his chin. "May I ask how you knew those boxes contained Exspheres?"
"I-uh," Lloyd stuttered, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, well, I kind of stole a box to see what was inside."
Colette spoke up quickly. "No, wait! I told him too! It was my fault! I'm sorry."
There was a short silence. It seems Zelos was expected to admit some guilt as well.
"I see," Regal nodded. "That was a failure on my part. I placed no guards down at the bottom so as not to attract suspicion. It seems it was fruitless."
Zelos found himself still holding the banana for some reason, seeing as there was never a good time to let it go. "Not entirely?"
Ignoring that, Lloyd asked, "But why do you have so many Exspheres here? What are you doing with them?"
"After giving it quite a bit of thought," Regal said. "I decided keeping Exspheres in Altamira was risky. While it is a wonderful place, it is not the most secure. A hurricane could easily destroy the city, or at least cause havoc. On top of that, it is not the most well-guarded city. Exsphere traders could easily slip through its defenses. Meltokio, however, appears to be the perfect place to store and hide away Exspheres. Far from the ocean's wrath and a large defensive wall to protect from any possible invaders, I could hide away the rest of the Exspheres that have already surfaced from the mines. Already we are preparing a vault storage deep beneath the city, so that no regular trader can easily find it."
"Wow," Lloyd admitted. "That, uh, makes a lot of sense actually."
"Indeed," Regal nodded. "I tried to keep what I was doing here a secret. If word got out that I was transporting mass quantities of Exspheres, I could easily become a target for nefarious individuals."
Colette, feeling almost as guilty as she's ever felt, still had one thing bothering her. "But, why are you taking dogs off the streets?"
"A good question," Regal said. "More than just storing Exspheres away in a vault, I plan to use the Lezareno company to rebuild the slums of Meltokio, make the gap between the rich and the poor not quite so large." He patted the dogs' heads. "Taking these stray dogs off the streets, giving them the food and medical attention they needed was a good start."
A mix of guilt and joy in her heart, Colette asked, "So all the doggies are okay?"
"Yes. I've insured that they received the utmost care, and plan to open a pet store to help find them good homes."
With a mouthful of banana, Zelos said, "Wow. You two really messed up. I told you Regal wasn't up to anything bad."
"Are you kidding?!" Lloyd growled, steam practically hissing out of his ears. "You're the one that made us suspicious in the first place!"
"Regal, I'm so sorry!" Colette cried, "I was the one in charge, I should have never doubted you. I'm such a terrible person."
Regal shook his head. "Don't be ashamed. I was being very secretive with my actions. I completely understand why you might misjudge me."
"No, but after everything we went through together," Colette said sadly. "I should have never lost faith in you. I'm so sorry."
"Please, do not apologize." Regal held up a hand, getting an idea. "I think I know a good way to alleviate this situation, if you'll allow me."
She tilted her head. "Huh? Um, yes?"
For once, a smile lifted his lips. With a confident snap of his finger, he said, "Release the hounds."
Before the trio could even understand, an automatic door slid open behind Regal's desk. Doggies of all shapes and sizes flooded out through the door way, barking, yipping, panting happily. Energy and happiness exploded as they practically tackled the trio, licking and barking all the way.
"Doggies! Doggies!" Colette cried out happily, petting every furry animal she could get her hands on. Each one was so smooth and so clean! Regal really had been taking such good care of them! "Oh, oh, you're Peter!" she said to one dog, before another came licking. "You're Teenie!"
There were so many tails wagging! Some had big fluffy tails, some had little tails, some didn't have tails at all! Their behinds still shook in glee, uncaring. Colette was engulfed in a sea of doggies, her chest feeling the warmest it had ever been, her fingers tingling with such ecstasy! "You're Luigi! You're Teddy! You're Penny!" There were so many dogs to name, she couldn't be happier. "I love you puppies!"
"Agh, no, get off!" Zelos whined, pinned down on the floor with the happy critters. "My hair! Ew, my face, stop licking my face!" They didn't listen, barking and licking him happily. "Hey, my banana! Which one of you took it?!"
Lloyd made his way through the sea of eager dogs, laughing all the way. "Good boy! Or, uh, girl?" He yelled, petting all the dogs that came sniffing. "How about just good dogs?"
Any guilt, any fear, any unhappiness Colette had felt was washed away by this furry flood. So many sniffing wet noses, so many happy yips, so many names to give! She loved each and every doggy so much, and they loved her back just the same. She hugged and petted every dog, wishing somehow, she could keep them all. Maybe that wasn't possible, but thanks to Regal, she knew they'd be happy, and she'd always have her friends, even if she didn't see them all the time.
Still riding the high after her day of doggy heaven, Colette found herself giggling, holding Lloyd's arm tight. Her cheer was infectious, and the swordsman couldn't help but laugh along with her. While the dogs were so cute and so soft and so cuddly! They were also so furry and kind of drooly. Luckily for them, Zelos' mansion had some really nice baths!
The two left their steamy bathroom wearing their usual pajamas, except this time Zelos thought it polite to lend Lloyd a guest set so he wouldn't be walking around in his underwear. The pajamas were white with little patterns of a 'cute Zelos' posing in different styles. Lloyd opposed it, but Zelos insisted.
"Ohoho!" Zelos cooed, eyebrows raised and mouth splayed in a cocky grin. "You two lovebirds bathed together, eh? I knew you weren't that innocent."
His sexual accusation, of course, went straight over their heads and right out the window. "Well, yeah," Lloyd shrugged. "It's so hard to wash your own back!" he mimicked the motion, straining his arms to reach.
Colette smiled, rubbing his back sweetly. "Yeah! And we don't waste as much water this way either!"
The sexual deviant had just about enough. "You guys honestly suck all the fun out of this." He sighed then mumbled, "I miss Sheena."
"Hm?"
A sudden coughing fit came over him. "I, uh, said I miss pita! Pita bread!" Zelos stuttered.
Colette shook her head, confused. "You said you miss Sheena. What do you mean?"
Ah, of course nothing could get by her bat-like hearing. Zelos certainly wasn't used to his shenanigans going unpunished and quite frankly couldn't stand it. "Just forget it, will ya? I'm going to bed."
Nodding, Colette added, "Okay! Don't forget to wake up bright and early tomorrow! We need to find the little girl and tell her where Pippy is!"
Zelos' hair appeared to become more disheveled from every moment of their interaction. "Yeah, I'm gonna pass, alright? Think I've had enough dogs for one lifetime." Making his way to his room, he opened the door and those eyes of his lit up one last time, as if about to make another sexual joke… until he realized there was no point in doing so. With a defeated sigh, he just shook his head, saying, "Goodnight," before closing the door.
"Goodnight, Zelos!" Lloyd and Colette called out after.
Feeling fresh and clean, the duo made their way to the guest room, looking upon the magnificent bed they'd get to share. "Wow, it's huge!" Lloyd said. "And look at the little silk thing on the side!"
"I bet it's really soft," Colette added.
The swordsman laughed, turning to her. "Hey, wanna jump on the bed a little?"
The idea was so silly, but Colette couldn't help but giggle along with him. "Aren't we too old for that now, Lloyd?"
"Aw, c'mon, you're never too old to jump on someone else's bed!"
"Okay!" Colette said, giving in. Despite the fact that these two had wings and could fly anywhere and do almost anything they wanted, they found themselves happy with the little things.
Creaking and sighing in pain, the bed took a beating under their bouncing bodies. Lloyd and Colette couldn't help but laugh as they jumped along the cushions, pushing and rough housing with each other gently.
The door swung open. "I knew it! I've got you both now!" Zelos cried, pointing at them, eyes sparkling with perverse pleasure.
"Eh?" Lloyd sounded, standing fully clothed with Colette on the bed, a few ruffled feathers floating to the ground.
Once the Chosen had realized that there was nothing going on here, his face practically melted with sadness. "You guys are kidding me!" he yelled. "How is it even possible?!"
Colette stifled a few giggles and tried her best to frown. "Were we too loud? I'm sorry."
Zelos held up a hand, gritting his teeth. "It's fine, whatever! Just - just go to sleep!"
"Do you want to play with us?" Lloyd asked earnestly, pillow in hand.
"No!" Zelos said angrily. "Aren't you guys in your twenties by now? Agh, forget it."
"I'm sorry," Colette said, but having trouble hiding her smile.
"Goodnight, and keep it down this time," Zelos grumbled, closing the door. His sighs and frustrated groans could be heard in the hallway as he made his way back to his room.
Feeling guilty for upsetting their friend, Colette switched the lights off. Silver light streamed in through the window panes, painting the room in a calm gentle light. "We should really sleep anyway," Colette said.
"Aw, fine," Lloyd admitted, hopping under the cozy comforter.
Even when they no longer shared a single sleeping bag, even in this massive bed, the two still found themselves cuddling close, taking up barely even half of the mattress. Lloyd's warm body felt wonderful under the soft blankets, and Colette couldn't help but hug him tight.
"Lloyd?" she asked quietly, making sure he hadn't already fallen asleep.
"Yeah?"
Colette pressed her face against the back of his neck, listening to his steady breathing. "I'm sorry I bossed you around so much today. You never do that when you're the leader."
She didn't see it, but she knew he was smiling. "Aw, Colette, it's okay. Honestly? I kind of liked it. It's nice not worrying about responsibilities, and I love to see you happy."
A finger traced along his back, drawing lines over the tiny Zelos patterns without thinking. "But I…" she stalled. She loved their night talks, even if sometimes they made her sad. She could really open up to Lloyd. In these blankets, it was their world, just the two of them. Nothing was wrong. "But I didn't trust Regal. I even made you skeptical about one of our closest friends."
Lloyd turned around to face her in the dark, his breath warm and gentle against her own. "Colette," he said in that stern tone of his, like he knew so perfectly what she was thinking, what to say. "You had a good reason to think that. The important thing is you never gave up on him, even when things looked its worst." His stern tone shifted. "And I mean it was mostly Zelos' fault anyway."
She laughed lightly at that. "Don't blame him, though. He has his reasons."
"I guess," Lloyd admitted with a frown. She knew he didn't hate Zelos. If there was one thing Lloyd was good at, it was reading people. "Still, we would have never found Pippy if it weren't for you. And now we know a good amount of Exspheres will be safely hidden away, too. Everything turned out great because of your leadership." He smiled.
With a nervous smile of her own she added, "Ah, well, except I never got that little girl's name. So, we'll probably be searching the slums for a while tomorrow. Sorry."
"That's okay," Lloyd said, hugging her tight. "As long as we're together, I'm happy."
Colette's chest felt warm again as she snuggled under his chin, listening to his body's every movement. "I love you," she whispered.
With a quick kiss of her hair, he replied, "Love you, too."
Wrapped in each other's arms, the two fell asleep quickly, ready for anything that tomorrow might bring them. As long as they were together, they'd face those days with smiles.