Once upon a time, there was a school of salmon. These salmon were very fond of their little area of water they called their own. They were a very tight knit sort of salmon, the type that always stuck together through thick and thin. They always knew when one of their own went missing. It happened every so often, and it was sad.

Well, one day, one of the biggest salmon went missing. There was panic, for that one salmon was like a protector for the rest. The school was so confused; it gradually collapsed and became singular salmon among the rest, outcasts that were disliked by all.

But here is the real story that happened.

One day, the leader of the salmon, we'll call her Pita, was swimming along, getting read to head out like usual. Well, was Pita in for a surprise. Before she knew it, she was swept up out of her watery home, and not only that, she wasn't alone! She saw quite a few others that had been caught with her.

Well, that was weird enough, but it got worse. Soon, it was hard to breathe, and these weird non-scaly things were poking at her, which was annoying. She wasn't sure how long she was waiting there, surrounded by others, but soon she was lifted out of her weird prison and dumped into a wet box. She was relieved. There was water in there.

Her relief was short-lived, because Pita would soon face doom. For you see, the people who had caught her were fishermen for a very popular seafood restaurant. And, you see, they had so many orders to meet for their world-famous Salmon Delight that they didn't care who they caught as long as they were salmons.

So of course, sadly, Pita's story ends where this one begins. She was killed, gutted, and grilled to perfection, and she was served on a bed of delicious greens slathered in secret sauce. And then, in reply to much frustrated shrieking, Pita the salmon was served to a very starving sorceress who HAD to have everything her way, or else there was hell to pay.

"Finally!" Lina Inverse shouted, bashing the butts of her utensils down onto the table. Before the waiter had time to set the dish properly down, Lina was on it, shoveling the food into her mouth at full speed.

Gourry Gabriev sat across from her, eating his own dish. "Wow, this is amazing!" he declared.

Lina rolled her eyes, not even bothering to look up from her dish. "Of course it is!" she snapped between mouthfuls. "Of course, your judgment is hardly reliable, but at least this time you're right."

"Hey, what is that supposed to…" Gourry paused for just a second to ask this, but was immediately regretful when Lina darted forward and snatched some of his food right off his plate. "Give that back, Lina!" he cried, coming forward across the table.

Lina shoved it into her mouth with much emphasis, grinning the whole time. "Oops, too late, it's all – hey!" Lina slammed her fork down just in time, catching Gourry's between the tongs. "Watch what you're doing, there, buddy!" she snapped.

The battle of brawn was then fought out, to see who would crack first. Lina, unfortunately, cracked first, and Gourry stuffed his hard-earned salmon into his mouth. "Oh, so THAT'S why they call it Delightful!" he sang, grinning ear-to-ear at Lina.

"You're dead," she declared calmly. Without any other warning, she pounced forward on the table and managed to shovel in as much of his dish as she possible could without bursting.

And that, my friends, is how you eat salmon.

x x x

With the salmon gone and the dishes being cleared off, it was now time to prioritize and talk things through.

"Lina," Gourry said absently, picking at his teeth with his nails. "Is it your turn to pay for the rooms tonight or mine?"

"Yours, because you're grossing me out just by doing that," Lina said flatly, giving him a wilted expression of disgust.

Gourry sighed, giving her a stern look. "I paid last time."

"Yeah, and you also wasted our funds on crappy granola bars," she shot back, sticking out her tongue.

Gourry lunged forward to grab her tongue, but she laughed and pushed her chair away from the table, keeping just out of his reach. He grumbled, but then smiled, sitting back and crossing his arms.

"So, where did you want to head out to next?" he wondered, blinking slowly.

Lina frowned, giving it some serious thought. "I haven't really gone over it in my head yet," she admitted.

"Hm, yes, I get that way sometimes too," Gourry said, looking very serious. However, when Lina looked closer at him, he knew he had her baited, so he gave her a very blank smile and declared proudly, "but I always managed to forget!"

"That's saying the least!" Lina snorted. She stood up suddenly, tugging at her bangs. "I'm off to bed. You coming up soon?" she wondered casually, looking over at him.

Gourry blinked, then nodded. "Sure," he agreed, getting to his feet. It was rare that Lina even asked if he was going to bed at all, let alone soon. He wasn't so sure why it was such an issue for her.

Lina swallowed a little, nodding. "Good," she said softly; her whole demeanor had abruptly changed, he noticed.

It usually happened on nights like this, nights that were dark and late and allowed a person's mind to wander and speculate on things to come. It was then that Lina would give hints that she still wasn't completely okay and that sometimes, she felt vulnerable. It was definitely one of those times. She didn't feel like being alone; she needed company, and she needed quiet company.

Together, they went up, got ready, and decided to turn in a key for extra money, since they weren't going to use the spare room. A few weeks ago this would have been utterly uncalled for, but things had changed, and on nights like this, nights that Gourry knew were hard on Lina, it wasn't an issue anymore.

They didn't speak the whole night. They just slept side-by-side, cuddled up against each other in the single bed. Now, you would think that in a situation like that, when two people travel alone and have been together for as long as they have, some kid of naughty thing would occur, especially in a bed.

However, it wasn't the case. Yes, since they had recently become closer, there had been some kissing down the line, but that had been halted recently, and with understandable reasoning. Lina didn't want to explore into those realms yet. She wasn't ready for it. All she wanted was comfort, and Gourry knew this, and he was happy to oblige. Hell, as long as he was USEFUL, he felt better.

It had been two weeks since Lina and Gourry stumbled upon the dilapidated library, and a week and a half since they started out again on their normal travels. During the course of those days, Lina made it very clear that she wasn't quite okay yet, but she would be eventually. The day they ate Salmon Delight was quite possibly the most animated she had been throughout those slow days, even though sometimes, she regretted the slow-motion.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Lina woke up. She discovered that she was tangled up with Gourry in a mess of limbs of sheets, and it was not comfortable. Carefully, she untangled herself and sat up, pulling herself to the edge of the bed. She dangled her feet over the edge, resting her chin on her hands.

On nights like this, she was glad she was alive. She just felt good to be alive. She felt good that she had escaped all the things she had come across, and she had come on the other side, able to laugh about it.

She was lost in her thoughts. She wasn't ready to settle down, not yet, but sometimes she understood the allure of it all. Sometimes, she wanted to. She wondered what it would be like to be normal, or at least settled in one spot. But then, her desire to travel always overrode these feelings.

But then, she thought, I might not even get a chance to settle down. I might end up running out of chances, like I almost did. I might not be so lucky anymore…

"Mm, Lina?"

She started, then turned around. Gourry was blinking over at her, looking barely awake. "Go back to sleep, Gourry," she said softly, smiling at him.

Gourry shook his head, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He sat up and crawled over to her, resting a hand on her back gently. She closed her eyes halfly, feeling his warm touch through her pajamas. "You alright?" he asked, his voice quiet. When she looked over again, she saw that his eyes were clouded with worry instead of sleep.

Lina bit her lip, wanting to suddenly swat him off and hide somewhere in a corner. She didn't feel okay. She felt emotional, and it annoyed her. It always annoyed her when anyone around her became overly emotional. It was the same when it came to herself.

Gourry knew. He knew her like the back of his hand. He sat up and took her hand between his. She turned away, and he noticed her shoulders shaking a little. He tugged on her hand a little, trying to pull her back into bed. Lina growled at him a couple of times, but soon gave in, too eager for the comfort to fight for long.

Gourry curled up close to her, and Lina relaxed, for the first time since she woke up. She closed her eyes, thinking that of all the places she could feel like herself, truly herself, she never expected to ever be with someone else, especially in such an intimate matter.

"You don't have to do that, you know," Gourry said softly into her ear. She opened her eyes and looked up at him from the corner of one. He went on. "You don't have to act all tough with me."

"Maybe I didn't want to lie back down with you," Lina answered sulkily, a little annoyed that one of the rare times Gourry decided to insightful was one of the times she needed him to be oblivious.

"Don't be snobby," he chided lightly, and she made a face at him. "I'm trying to be the nice guy here."

"Well, don't," she answered, not really meaning it. Inside, she wanted him to keep asking until she cracked. That way, it would seem like she only offered the information because he kept asking, not because she needed to get it out.

It was one of the few games of hers that Gourry knew all too well. If it was any other time of the day, he wouldn't have bothered rising to the bait. However, because it was the middle of the night, and because Lina was rarely an insomniac, he asked her. She kept refusing, until finally, after the fourth try, she cracked.

"Okay," Lina began, keeping her back to him. She didn't like looking at him when she talked of things like this. "I just feel…sort of…out of my skin, you know?"

Gourry sounded fearful. "Like someone is trying to peel you?"

"No, Gourry," Lina rolled her eyes. "Like I'm inside out, like I'm not myself."

"Oh. I could have told you that. You didn't have to use such a gross analogy."

Lina decided to ignore that. "Lately, it feels like my luck is going to run out, and it scares me. I keep having these thoughts about settling down."

"Settling down?" Gourry echoed. "But, Lina, you're only 18. You have so many years ahead of you."

"I know," she sighed deeply, her body relaxing in one sweep of a movement. "But sometimes I wonder, when the worst happens, I think, 'is this it? Is this going to be the end?'"

"You're not going to die until you're too old to walk to the bathroom," Gourry answered. It sounded like he was teasing, but for some reason, it also sounded like he meant it. Either way, it made her smile, and some of her anxiety faded.

"Thank you," she replied. She reached behind her and patted him on the arm. "Thank you for being patient with me, and for always being there."

Gourry was quiet. It was rare when Lina said things like this. They both knew it. He felt like, when it happened, he should say something meaningful, something eloquent, but nothing came to his head. So, he started doing one thing to make his feelings clear to her, something he couldn't do until recently.

He looped his arms around her waist, tugged her close to him, and kissed her on the cheek, his lips lingering over her skin. She shut her eyes, sighing again, only this time because his gesture was pleasant. She moved back, so that she could squeeze herself as close as possible to him, and he retaliated, until they were both pressed up against eachother like overcooked noodles.

"Hey, Gourry," Lina whispered, keeping her eyes shut.

"Yes, Lina," he answered sleepily, already halfway into dreamland.

"I love you," she mumbled it, her hands pressed against her mouth. She didn't think he heard it, so she relaxed. It felt better to say it but to not be heard, because usually she felt awkward when she knew he heard her.

However, Gourry had heard her. "I love you too, Lina," he answered. She could practically hear the smile in his voice. She reddened, but didn't say anything, and he laughed softly. He reached up and starting stroking her hair, lazily. That was the last thing she remembered him doing before she fell asleep.

It was just as well. About ten seconds after she nodded off, he did the same. Sometimes, slumber can be synchronized.

x x x

When Lina awoke the next morning, she wasn't quite sure what to think.

She was lying on her side, like she had been before she went to sleep. Only this time, Gourry was much closer to her. MUCH closer. As in, pressed right up against her. She wouldn't have minded so much, if it weren't for two things:

One: His hands were clutching her chest. As in, full on cupping.

Two: She could feel something poking in her back, and she knew it wasn't any sort of armour.

"Gourry," she hissed, feeling both embarrassment and anger filling up in her. "Get off me NOW!"

A loud snore met her reply, and instead of moving away, he pushed his hips up closer; soon, she could hear him moaning softly.

She turned burning, bright red.

That was the last straw.

I'll save you the gruesome details. What I will say is this: There was a loud scream, the sound of many fists hitting flesh, and a loud, climatic thud. Following this thud, the door swung open, and Lina stormed out, carrying all of her things. She trudged to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, cursing out her rage.

Gourry, from the floor, blinked slowly, wondering what the hell had gotten him into such a situation.

But he didn't wonder for long. Slowly, gradually, he started laughing, lying there on the floor.

One would think he was crazy, just lying there like that, in a mess of sheets and pillows, after being thrown off the bed by an angry and embarrassed sorceress. But he wasn't. In fact, he felt this overwhelming sense of peace envelope him. For, in fact, that was the first time in days that Lina had shown a sign of being her regular fiery self. And it made him grateful to the bone.

(I could insert a naughty joke at the end of that sentence. But I think you have already done it for me.)

When Lina returned, all dressed (minus armour and other additions) with wet hair and a scowl on her face, Gourry was already dressed and brushing out his hair. He turned to greet her, but she glowered at him. He struggled, but failed, and couldn't help but snort out a giggle, one she definitely caught, and pounced on at once.

"Laughing at me, are you?" she snapped. She dropped the pajamas in her arms abruptly, turning to him. Instantly, she watched him pale, and inwardly she crowed with delight. She loved scaring the wits out of him.

"Er," Gourry began, holding up his hands. "It was an accident. I was just thinking about what happened, and it made me laugh, not you, really, YOU didn't make me laugh!"

And on he went, stammering like this, as Lina walked towards him slowly, keeping on her face a mask of fury. Inside, she wasn't really angry; she had gotten over her anger in the tub. Gourry was a guy, and being a guy, he was prone to having "morning arrivals". Now, she was just teasing, and the best part was that he hadn't clued in yet.

Once she reached about a foot away from him, he was cowering, his hands up. Indeed, for him, it was too early to be blackened to a crisp by a Fireball, especially on an empty stomach.

Instead, Lina reached out with one hand. He flinched, but suddenly, she grinned, a wide, mischievous grin. He opened his mouth to say something, but to his shock, she just put one finger on his nose, and trilled cheerfully, "BEEP!"

To the floor, Gourry went, a larger heap now than he had been before. Lina burst into victorious laughter, clutching her side from it all. The expression on his face, shock mixed with fear, had been so priceless, it was one she would never forget.

And then, before she knew it, his hands had seized her ankles, and she was yanked to the floor. She squeaked, her backside making contact with the hard wood. She cursed, lashing out with both hands, grabbing two fistfuls of blond hair. Without mercy, she yanked.

This time, Gourry was the one who cursed. Before he could squirm away, the yanking happened again, this time with a shout of triumph, and he saw stars.

Lina cackled again. She started to move away from him, tapping his hands at her ankles with her fingers, urging him to let go. However, instead, he just tightened his hold. She turned and shot a glare at him, but he pulled his head up, grinning.

Lina growled at him, but he just stared at her from the ground, nonplussed. She was sitting, and he was lying on his front, his hands on her ankles. She clutched at his hair, and he was grinning up at her with mischief. It made a very interesting sight.

"Gourry," she said calmly, "let go of my ankles. Or else I'll make a belt out of the hair that I yank from your skull."

Gourry did something that made her both very mad and very amused. He pouted. "Why should I?" he demanded. "I want to spend some time with you before we leave today."

Lina rolled her eyes. "That is what breakfast is for."

"Oh, come on," Gourry grumbled, propping himself up on his elbows. Despite this, he still held onto her ankles tight. "I thought, because of last night—"

"I don't want to talk about that," she snapped suddenly, the playfulness leaving her eyes suddenly. It wasn't personal, really; she just didn't want to talk about unpleasant, personal things during the day. That was what night was for. At least, in her opinion, it was. She always got her best thoughts sorted out at night, which was why it was often hard for her to fall asleep, or wake up once she was asleep.

Gourry, however, made a face. He knew that was how she operated and he wouldn't dare breeching her shields without leave. "I wasn't going to say anything about that," he answered. "What I meant was, because of that, and because of this morning, I thought you were feeling better, so I thought…"

"Uh huh," Lina mumbled, her expression unimpressed.

Gourry grinned up at her, and for a moment she was overtaken by a flutter of erratic heartbeats. He jumped up, unclasped her ankles, and grabbed her into a tight hug, pulling her to him close.

Lina still held his hair in her hands. She was tempted to use this to her advantage. Instinct dictated that she punish him for violating her space. Normally, she would have done so, and would have found herself in an hour making a nice belt out of gold hair.

However, something forbidden inside her wanted to hug him back, to pull him close, to drag him to the bed and curl up under the sheets and kiss him till they both became stupid from hunger.

Instead, she didn't do anything. She found herself frozen between two uncertainties. She wasn't sure what to do, so she just sat there, stiff like a statue in his arms, her jaw set.

Gourry, however, misunderstood. He took her silence and reaction as a silent warning, and abruptly he let go. Lina suddenly let go of his hair, looking puzzled and a little hurt, but she didn't move. Instead, she flicked her eyes upwards, and her gaze met his.

"Sorry," Gourry mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "I just…I missed you, I missed how we were before, and I liked it, and it made me happy, so I just overreacted. Sorry…"

Lina shook her head suddenly, emphatically, as if shaking away his babblings. "No, Gourry, it's fine!" she said, her voice louder than she had intended. Gourry blinked at her slowly, and she reddened, feeling like an idiot. "I, uh, I just…I'm still…"

Instantly, Gourry nodded, his face softening. He reached forward with one hand, touching her cheek lightly with his fingertips. Her heart sped up, and she shut her eyes, leaning towards his hand. She let the shields down for that one moment, and it felt wonderful.

Gourry felt his heart ache at the sight of her reaction to his touch. It made him want to wrap her in a blanket and make sure she was warm. "Lina?" he said softly.

She nodded against his hand, her eyes still closed.

"Lina," he said again, his voice quieter. She opened her eyes halfly, and she saw that he looked serious. She blinked at him. "Yes?"

"I, um…" He stumbled over his words, hesitating. The last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with her again, because this time, he knew it would be a real fight, not one that was just for kicks.

Lina swallowed, her face turning a darker shade of red. He saw it in her eyes, and he regretted it. The shields were back up once more. Slowly, she pulled away from his hand. He opened his mouth to protest, but she shook her head. Slowly, she got up to her feet. He followed, but his body felt like lead.

"Let's go downstairs and grab something to eat," Lina said, trying to sound upbeat. Inside, she felt like she had just screwed up the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to really make things different.

She didn't want to look at him yet; she felt too stupid. Hadn't the past few weeks taught her anything about herself? Anything at all? That she shouldn't be so closed up and afraid anymore?

Maybe not. Maybe she hadn't changed at all.

She turned to walk away from him, but he did something that surprised them both. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back. She stumbled, caught of balanced, but he held her steady, and before she knew it, they were barely an inch apart. He had his arm around her shoulders, the other arm around her waist. She went red again, and a part of her wished that she could control that part of her instincts.

She froze, and he froze, and they just stared at each other, momentarily confused.

"Lina," Gourry said again, this time with a firm voice. She blinked, not used to hearing that tone from him. Sure, she had heard it, but only when there was a Mazoku, or if she had just eaten the best part of a dish of his. When she searched his eyes, she saw no hint of play there, and she gulped, a little nervous.

"Lina," he then smiled, and the anxiety was lifted from her. "You need to relax. It's just me. I would never hurt you. And you can be yourself around me. Always."

"I am always myself," she answered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"No, you always hide, pretending I'm too stupid to notice," he shot back, a glint of amusement in his eyes. It irked her to think that all of these years, when she was sure he was stupid, that maybe, just maybe, he was pulling the curtain over her eyes to amuse himself.

She went on the offence. "You are!"

"Maybe on some things, but when it comes down it, I know certain things," he admitted, smiling at her in such a way that she wanted to either beat him up or hide under his shirt. "Like feelings. Like how I feel for you. Like how I know you feel for me."

Lina didn't say anything. She kept her head down, too embarrassed to look at him. Soon, she felt his hand under her chin, and she blinked, looking up. He opened his mouth, but suddenly she blurted out, "I don't want things to change,"

He blinked, bemused by this. "What?"

Taking advantage of this, she slid out of his grasp. "I don't want things to change between us," she repeated.

He shrugged. "You can't change the irreversible," he answered.

He had a point. "Okay," Lina agreed. "But I'm not the kind of girl that gets swept away in emotions."

"Yes you are. I've seen you swept away in anger, hate, greed—"

"I mean fluffy emotions!" Lina snapped. "I mean, all misty-eyed and pathetic and—"

"But you were just like that a second ago, when I held you in my arms," he answered plainly.

"Aaaaaugh!" Tugging at her hair, Lina wheeled away from him and squeezed her eyes shut with frustration. He wasn't getting it! Didn't he understand anything? She didn't want things to change so much that everything would be different. Didn't he understand that the reason she was so comfortable was that because nothing had really changed?

She was about to start pulling her hair out, when she felt his hands on top of hers. She froze, and gently, he started pulling her hands away from her hair. She relented, her anger dying out quickly. Slowly, she stepped back, and he slid his arms around her waist.

They didn't say a word; they just stood there for a moment, back to front, quiet. Both were staring ahead, thinking deeply about each other, not wanting to make a move quite yet.

However, it was Gourry who broke the silence. "Lina," he said softly, leaning down and saying it into her ear. "I know what you mean, okay?"

She swallowed, looking right into his eyes. She could see that this was true; the clarity was there. And she was grateful; after all, it was something she found she couldn't put into words. But he still knew and understood her. It was something priceless, something she couldn't put a value to.

Slowly, she nodded. "Okay," she agreed, meaning it.

Gourry pulled away and grabbed onto her hand. She blinked, but he started dragging her towards the door. "I'm starving!" he declared. "Let's GO!"

She smiled, nodding. "Okay," she agreed, "but you're paying!" And she ran, before he could even argue with her.

x x x

"So, Lina, you never did tell me what that thing was that you stole from that town ages ago."

Lina looked up from her dish, surprised. "Hey, you're right, I didn't. We got so busy after that that I didn't even have a chance to talk about it."

"So you don't know?" Gourry asked between mouthfuls of bread.

"Not really," she agreed, attacking her own bread. "I just stole it and ran. I knew it had value. I'm just not sure how much yet."

"Don't you think you should find out?"

"Not right now. Maybe later…Gourry! That's MINE!

"I took it so you would show me what you stole!"

"I didn't steal it!" she snapped. "It fell out when something mysteriously blew it up!"

Gourry stared at her, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lina sighed, rolling her eyes. "Okay, okay, FINE," she mumbled. She dropped her fork and knife and reached into her shirt. When she noticed Gourry was watching, she growled and turned her chair so that he wouldn't see. Something about the way he stared made her uncomfortable.

When she turned back, she held in her hand a necklace. It was still around her neck, but she held the bauble of it in her hand. Gourry whistled in appreciation. It hung on a fine silver chain, and it was held to the chain with a silver base, the base shaped like an open flower. Nestled in the heart of the flower was a solid, bright-white orb, as smooth as the flattest surface. When Gourry looked closer, it looked as if something was MOVING inside the round, egg-shaped jewel, like smoke. It made his eyes hurt.

"Linaaaa," he groaned, putting a hand on his head. "It's moving!"

She nodded, replacing the stone under her shirt. "I know," she agreed, putting her chin on her hand. "I can't figure it out. I study it whenever I get a chance, but the only thing significant about it is that it moves, and it gives off an unusual amount of magic."

"Why is it unusual?" Gourry wondered, resuming his eating.

"It's too much for such a small trinket," she replied, picking at her dish with her fork. "I can't think of how so much power is packed into such a small little jewel. No matter how many times I study it, it won't tell me its secrets."

"That sure is weird!" Gourry agreed, his mouth full.

"'Weird' is an understatement," she sighed. "Bit I figure, since it was found in this region, someone around here is bound to know what it is. That's why I was thinking that today we could hit the road and talk to some of the magic store owners. What do you think?'

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me," he said.

"Well," Lina said carefully, holding out a hand. "Do you mind?"

Gourry blinked up at her, his mouth still full. "Since when has it mattered?" he wondered, sounding confused.

"It's always mattered!" Lina snapped back, baring her teeth. "I just forget to ask sometimes!"

"All the time," Gourry answered, smiling faintly.

"Oh, shut up and answer!" Lina growled, growing impatient.

He shrugged again. "It honestly doesn't matter to me. As long as you don't ditch me, I'm fine with it."

Lina smiled a little, her anger disappearing. "No, I won't ditch you," she agreed. Then she grinned. "Since when has that mattered?" she teased.

"Pah," Gourry waved his fork at her. "It's always mattered. I just forget to ask sometimes."

"All the time," Lina winked.

"Indeed," Gourry raised an eyebrow.

Lina felt a nice warm bubble of happiness settle itself in her stomach. This was the kind of thing she enjoyed when she was with Gourry, the banter and the teasing. She was glad that at least that had stayed the same.

"Hurry up and finish," Lina mumbled, lowering her head to hide the blush that she felt creeping into her cheeks.

Gourry, however, hadn't noticed. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Lina," he blinked, "if you don't know what that thing is, are you sure you should be wearing it?"

Lina frowned. That was a good question. "Well, I've been wearing it for a few days and nothing bad has happened," she admitted, chewing on her lip. "If something bad was to happen it would have done so by now, don't you think?"

"I guess so," he agreed. "You're the expert."

"Indeed I am," she agreed, "so I know best!"

"Uh-huh," Gourry shot back.

"Oh, shut up and let's go." She said it sternly, but she was smiling.