Now, didn't I promise something longer? Here we go, finally! Another bit of mixed romance and humour. I don't think it turned out quite as good as I had hoped, though. Enjoy, anyway.

Misinterpretation
by: Navvy

The markets of Atlas City were bustling, as usual. It was just the way Lina liked it—lively enough to give a cheerful atmosphere, but not so crowded to the point of annoyance. The smell of food was wafting through the air, the sun was shining brightly, and Gourry was trailing behind her, as always. Yessiree, it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. Naturally, there would be some good opportunities for some good buys.

One blond swordsman's thoughts were beginning to turn more towards food, though he felt in the mood for something sweet. As if on cue, he noticed a nearby dessert stall and pointed it out to Lina.

"Hungry already? We just had breakfast!" she teased.

Unperturbed, he grinned back. "Well, it's about time for a mid-morning snack."

"You know," she contemplated, "I think that's a great idea, actually."

"Food!" was Gourry's reply.

0 o 0 o 0

Unfortunately, the desserts turned out to be…not quite as expected.

"They're tiny," the swordsman observed. Indeed, the desserts, although delicious-looking and elegantly put together, were rather diminutive.

Lina frowned and snorted, "and I bet they're overpriced, too. Damn rip-offs. They need to be bigger!"

Gourry wisely refrained from giving her his breast size analogy.

The sorceress shook her head and continued on to look at some merchandise; the bite-size pastries just were not worth her money. A nearby clothing booth caught her eye, and she decided to browse. I could use something new.

A perky sales clerk immediately came over, hoping Lina would buy something. "Hey there, see anything ya like?"

Lina shook her head, while Gourry mentally calculated the girl's measurements. Obviously bigger than Lina. Heck—she's almost Amelia-sized!

Meanwhile, Lina picked up a green blouse she thought would accent her figure nicely. The very low neckline could easily be made more decent by wearing something else underneath, and she would still look sexy…

"I don't think so," the brunette clerk advised, snapping the sorceress out of her narcissistic thoughts.

"And why not?"

"You might wanna consider something a little more…" her eyes flickered down, then back up, "in your age group."

Most of Lina's reaction went just as expected. She threw a short tantrum, proclaimed she was not going to buy anything, and stormed off. Gourry was just relieved she did not blow anyone up.

0 o 0 o 0

Naturally, Lina went to the first place she could think of to calm down: a café. There were some things that only food could make better. But damnit, it's not making my breasts any bigger!

Before she could summon a waiter for a menu, a miniature, lavish cake was set down in front of her. It looked like it was from the dessert stand they had passed earlier. She looked up and, lo and behold, there was Gourry standing there with a sunny smile and holding a similar treat for himself.

"Thought you could use a little snack," he offered.

Although Lina felt the tiny dessert would satisfy her, she still reached for it, even as she felt her face heat up. "Th-thanks, Gourry."

Despite its unappealing size, the cake surpassed all Lina's expectations. She found herself doing something she did not normally do—she was savouring every bite. Each taste was an explosion of sweet flavour, and she was unaware of the blissful, dreamy look on her face. When she finished, her eyes went to Gourry again, only to see that he was…smiling smugly?

"You see, Lina," he proclaimed, "size doesn't always matter!"

There was a very awkward silence, where Gourry began to perceive that he may have said something wrong.

Finally, Lina spoke—or, rather, shrieked. "What!"

"Um, well, you seemed kinda upset. I just wanted to let you know that even though you're flat and that girl's were way bigger and so are Amelia's and—well, everyone's—it doesn't really matter!"

Several bystanders mentally screamed, 'Run, dude, RUN!' but alas, as Gourry was not telepathic, he did not hear them.