(I'm going to state the obvious that this is the beginning of another story! Yeah! It's perfectly understandable standalone, but, for those who've read 'All That Glitters,' I thought I needed to write a story about what happened between Zelgadis and Amelia, and the identity of the mysterious person who sent Zelgadis searching for that gemstone that caused them all those problems. So… here is 'The Trouble with Diplomacy.' Enjoy it, and remember, I'm just a fan writing some fiction! I'm not genius enough to own any of the Slayers characters or locales… *sigh*)


1- Constructing a Plan

It was a dark night, and it was not the kind of night that a person would want to be in a dark alley in the slums of a big city. A short, dark-clad figure was huddled in a corner in a particular alleyway, on the lookout for something- or someone.

A group of men, talking and laughing began to walk down the alley, and almost didn't notice the diminutive figure watching from the shadows. However, the sound of a person clearing their throat made the men stop and turn around to look at the person who was vying for their attention.

A small voice came from the hooded figure, and the men could make out a pair of large glasses under the hood of the dark cloak.

"Um... hi... I'm sorry, none of you look like the man I was asked to meet here... please, carry on." A pair of silver eyes glinted apologetically behind the lenses.

The men were not deterred. "Hey! Guys!" one of them laughed. "It's a little boy! What'cha doing here in the gutter, kid?!"

The man attempted to make himself look taller. "I-I'm not a kid! I am a grown man, and a reputed professor of Black Magic studies! I am here on the request of a client!"

The men laughed at the young professor, elbowing each other playfully. "Oy- this guy's a regular schoolboy, ain't he?! How cute! What d'ya say we hit him up for his lunch money?"

"I told you, I'm a Black Magic professor!" he protested weakly, shying away from the group. "Besides... you wouldn't hit a man with glasses, would you?"

The thugs sent a glance around to each other, and laughed. "You're absolutely right!" one chuckled. "Where are our manners?! Of course we wouldn't hit a guy with glasses!" He reached out and plucked the spectacles off the young man's face, tossing them to the ground with the sound of breaking glass.

"Heeeey~! I need those to see!" the professor whined, fumbling blindly forward in an attempt to grab the fallen glasses.

"And you need this to talk!" another man laughed, throwing a punch squarely into the professor's jaw. He reeled back, clutching his chin painfully.

Suddenly, there was a blur of motion, and all four of the men were struck down to the ground, clutching trivial wounds in surprise at the sudden attack that they hadn't expected.

"Sleeping!" a voice called out, and all the thugs slumped the rest of the way to the ground, unconscious. The professor looked up in concern, only able to see a blur of a figure cloaked in beige. The figure picked up something from the ground, and made a motion towards the professor.

"I take it from your black robes that you're the man I'm supposed to meet."

Reaching out, the young professor fingered the shattered remains of his spectacles. "A-and I take it that you're the one who wanted to meet me?" he stammered nervously.

"Precisely. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Professor. You are the famed Professor Nisery, scholar of Black Magic techniques, aren't you?"

Professor Nisery chuckled nervously. "It seems that my reputation precedes me. But what of you? You didn't include a name in your letter, only initials."

"I want to be sure that you have the information I'm looking for."

"But why in the world did you pick such a dangerous location for a meeting place?! I've never been in the slums before! I got lost coming here, had to ask for directions from questionable sources, tripped and fell over every little box and piece of garbage- and then those thugs were about to murder me!"

"Well, I wanted to be inconspicuous. I don't like big, populated areas." the man scoffed. "Besides, you're a professor of Black Magic. I would have thought that you'd have the capacity to defend yourself."

The professor looked solemnly forward. "Sir, while I study the art of Black Magic, my ability to practice it is limited."

"Oh." There was an audible pause. "Well then, follow me. Let's talk somewhere where we won't be attacked, then. Name a place, and I'll take you there. How well can you see?"

"Blurry shapes." the professor replied. "I can see enough not to bump into walls, but I can't read a thing, so I wouldn't have any idea where I was going. For all I know, I could be walking into some unsavoury establishment. I have no idea what's around here anyway…" He seemed to tremble with nervousness as he spoke.

The man across from him grabbed his hand. "Fine, then. I'll take you to a decent tavern where we can get a drink and discuss things."

"I don't drink, sir."

The man turned to him. "You don't drink water? Juice? Tea or coffee?"

"Oh. That kind of drink. I do enjoy a good cup of coffee now and again, now that you mention it."

The man led the professor silently down the alleyways of the city. After a few minutes, the professor began to talk, still sounding nervous.

"Um, sir... where are we going?"

"Someplace that's not shady. If you're not skilled with magic, and can't see well, then you're not the kind of person I want around dangerous places."

"That's awfully nice of you to be so concerned." The man didn't respond, so Professor Nisery continued awkwardly. "You're not really the most common specimen yourself, you know. Is that... brau demon, I sense?"

The man stopped in his tracks, and turned to the professor. "What else do you sense?" he breathed.

"Um... well... human, mostly... But there's a third thing that I can't put my finger on... it's like... like..."

"Golem."

"Exactly!" the professor nodded. "No wonder your hands are so cold!"

The man seemed to chuckle, seeing that the professor meant him no ill will, just simply observing his surroundings.

"Since you now know me better than a lot of people, how about we get introductions out of the way? I'm Zelgadis Greywords." Zelgadis already had a grip on the professor's hand, so he waited and let Professor Nisery be the one to begin shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mister Greywords. I'm Alexandre Nisery. You can call me 'Pestis,' though. Please do."

Zelgadis seemed surprised. "Pestis?"

"It's my nickname- one that my friend came up with. I've rather grown to like it."

"I see..." Zelgadis murmured, silently wondering how anyone could ever grow to like a name like that. "And you don't have to be so formal either. Just 'Zelgadis' will suffice."

Pestis blinked in surprise. "Oh... well then... Zelgadis." he nodded. "Shouldn't we be on our way? I'd like to spend as little time in this gutter as possible."

"Of course." Zelgadis nodded. "But, should we first stop by an eyeglass repair shop and do something about your spectacles?"

Pestis smiled weakly. "Yes, please."


After dropping off the broken glasses at a repair shop, Zelgadis and Pestis found a nice, small restaurant in which to sit down and discuss their agreement.

"So... you said that you had some information that you thought I'd be able to help out with?" Pestis asked.

"Right." Zelgadis nodded, taking a sip of his coffee, watching curiously as Pestis blindly attempted to add sugar and cream to his. "Need some help there?"

"Thank you." Pestis sighed sheepishly. "I really ought to invest in getting another pair of glasses. I guess I just have never needed a spare- the last time I broke them was..." he paused. "Well, now, I can't even remember."

"At least you take good care of them." Zelgadis replied, pouring cream and sugar into the professor's cup. "Excuse me for seeming presumptuous, but how in the world can a man research Black Magic without being able to practice it for himself? It doesn't seem practical not to be able to conduct field work on your hypotheses. I have a good friend who does some research on her own- and Lina always tests her theories with her spells."

Pestis looked up surprisedly. "Lina? As in Lina Inverse, the Pink Sorceress?"

Zelgadis spat out his coffee. "Lina Inverse, the WHAT?!"

"The Pink Sorceress." Pestis responded, looking unfazed. "You mean to tell me that you're not familiar with her Sorcerers' Guild title? That's funny."

"Lina has a Sorcerers' Guild title?" Zelgadis asked. "Huh, funny indeed."

"She's quite reputable among Black Magicians. Her techniques are above everything anyone else has ever attempted. Why, she's downright famous."

"Infamous, more like it." Zelgadis sneered. "But back to you."

"Ah. Myself." Pestis nodded. "In fact, I get a lot of my information by studying the root of Black Magic itself."

Zelgadis gasped. "Y-you mean..."

"Mazoku? Of course." Pestis sipped his coffee, and seemed more interested in the way it scalded his tongue, as though a burnt tongue was a much greater danger than studying Mazoku for a livelihood.

"Isn't that a dangerous profession?"

"Not necessarily." Pestis replied. "My dear friend that I mentioned earlier is quite powerful- powerful enough that he is thought of highly among the Mazoku race. With his help, I am allowed to study the behaviour and culture of Mazoku, so long as I do not interfere with their missions. I never interfere with their missions. If I did, can you imagine the trouble I'd be in?"

Zelgadis had a feeling he knew, and nodded slightly. The professor completely baffled him. How could a young man who made the inquisition of Mazoku his profession possibly be so afraid of a few hoodlums in a dark alley? He wondered if Pestis had made some sort of pact with the Mazoku race. After all, Zelgadis' sharp eyes told him that the man in front of him appeared as though he could only be in his late teens. Yet, this couldn't be true, as becoming a professor, and a reputable one at that, took years and years of schooling. Perhaps this man was an incredible child prodigy… after all, he didn't seem to be someone that had altered his appearance through magic or some other means.

"Pestis... your friend that you mentioned before... is he a Mazoku?"

Pestis chuckled. "Well, of course he is. What did you think? You thought he wouldn't be? As if a human alone could gain such a reputation among Mazoku! You're so silly, Zelgadis!"

Zelgadis shrugged, feeling odd being scolded by someone who looked to be younger than he was. "I-I just... never mind! Back to our discussion of the information I seek."

"The information regarding chimeras? Ah, yes." Pestis nodded, taking a cautious sip of his coffee to make sure it was not as hot.

"Where is it?" Zelgadis demanded impatiently.

"Well, you seek information from a rather broad category, Zelgadis." Pestis replied. "I can only lead you to what I believe to be the place which would contain the most information on the subject that you seek."

"And where is that?" Zelgadis asked.

"There are some ruins, that are the remains of the subterranean libraries of a great Black Magic institution that was destroyed during the War of the Monster's Fall. I can't say for certain, but I think that it might have the information that you're looking for."

"A Black Magic institution?"

"Yes. Before the war of the Monsters' Fall, magic wasn't as widespread as it is today, but was clustered into small locations containing all of the knowledge that humans had at the time of the particular kind of magic that they studied. These Black Magicians were the experts in their field, and constructed an extremely sophisticated underground storage facility to house their work. The overground structures were all demolished during the war, but it's likely that the library is still intact."

"You don't say." Zelgadis sipped his coffee, trying to contain his excitement. "Where was this located? Where can one gain access to the ruins?"

"Well, I don't think the ruins have ever been excavated, as very few humans know of the institution. Ironically, it was located in the very centre of what is now known as the White Magic city."

Zelgadis drew in a breath. "Seyruun."

"Exactly. The layout of the city helps to hide any sort of indicator that Black Magical items are still stored deep underground. Since no one can sense it, no one has ever really been curious enough to excavate."

Zelgadis paused again, not sure what to say. "Pestis... changing the subject, if you'd allow me, I'd like to know of the services that you requested in payment for your help."

"My payment?" Pestis looked surprised. "Oh, you shouldn't trouble yourself over it. A friend of mine simply wants me to gain possession of a particular gemstone, and I was hoping that you could aid me in locating it. But don't worry over it now. I refuse to request payment until my services have been given in full. My friend said that it was the proper thing to do, and he has always drilled into me the importance of responsibility and integrity."

Zelgadis nodded. "I see. This friend of yours... where is he, exactly?"

Pestis paused. "He is in prison."

There was a long, awkward silence.

"He's never been very good at practicing what he preaches." Pestis finally added with a chuckle, trying to dispel the awkwardness. "But don't worry so much about him! He'll get out sooner or later. He's hoping for parole sometime soon, but that's still being negotiated."

"What is he in prison for?" Zelgadis questioned. "If you don't mind me asking."

Pestis shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"Oh, but I do."

"No, you don't."

"…"

Zelgadis sighed in resignation. "But I do want to know about the gemstone you're looking for. I don't want to be given services without knowing what I'll be paying for them. You can allow me that, can't you?"

"Oh, of course! I was only going to ask you if you could help me search for the gemstone- it's a particularly large one, and... there are more complicated characteristics, but trust me, I won't ask you to go out and search the whole world if you have trouble finding it. I just want to know what you know. But not before I tell you what I know. Agreed?"

Zelgadis sighed. "Agreed. Now where can one gain access to these ruins that you mentioned? Somewhere in Seyruun?"

"Well... yes... but..."

"But what?"

"Well, when I received your request, I did some further research on the ruins and found the piece of land on which the entrance would likely be. It's not in the city proper, rather, a short distance outside of it. The only problem is... that tract of land is owned by the Seyruun royal family. So, in other words, unless you have a connection that would allow us to work in secret, we would have to get a charter from the royal family in order to be allowed to excavate."

Zelgadis thought it over. "Well..." he began. "I do have a connection, in fact, but it will only be useful in getting us the charter." He chuckled to himself. "She wouldn't exactly be very happy with us working in secret."

"Well... so long as you can get us into the ruins, I'm up for it." Pestis nodded. "I've been curious to see just what remains of the great institution of Black Magic that was destroyed so long ago. I think it will be quite a profitable venture!"

"With Amelia's help... this sounds promising."


"Oh, oh, oh- I'm so excited! I haven't been to Seyruun in what feels like ages! I love it so much- ah, but it's not a good place for Black Magic studies, being the White Magic capital, and all… but it's still such a lovely place…" Professor Nisery was exuberant as he and Zelgadis walked the streets of Seyruun city on their way to the palace.

"Don't make such a commotion. People might mistake you for a child." Zelgadis scolded, following after the young man. Quite honestly, the professor did resemble a child- a teenager, rather, but it was startling to see just how small he really was. Pestis had traded his black robes in favour of an outfit that actually did make him look like a schoolboy, complete with a crooked green bowtie. The man had attempted to straighten it all morning, but he hadn't had any success. Zelgadis felt like a babysitter looking after an unruly child, with Pestis running all over the place as he was. It made the chimera almost reconsider consulting with him about the ruins in Seyruun, but the more he got to know the young professor, the more apparent the man's intelligence became. Zelgadis had never met someone so book-smart in his life.

Unfortunately, there was a fine line between book-smarts and street-smarts, and Pestis' experience seemed to fall on the former end of the spectrum.

"Zelgadis, are we just going to walk up to the palace and ask for entrance?" Pestis questioned, ignoring the chimera's scoldings.

"Well, I don't see any other way to do it." Zelgadis replied. "They know me, though. If I can get the message across that Zelgadis Greywords has come for a visit, I doubt they'll deny us entrance… at least, if Amelia has anything to say about it."

Pestis' eyebrows raised with a grin."Ooh, is the princess sweet on you, or something?"

Zelgadis shook his head, averting his gaze. "No, no. Of course not. We're just old friends."

"Oh." Pestis looked disappointed. "That's too bad. I was hoping I could take back a beautiful love story to tell my friend. He does enjoy a good love story- we're both what he calls 'hopeless romantics."

Zelgadis rolled his eyes. "Then you'll fit right in with Amelia." he sighed.


Inside the walls of the palace, Amelia was hard at work, cleaning the various statues of the deities that filled the temple. It was the job of the priestesses to keep the temple clean, and while it wasn't exactly one of the most fun aspects of the job, it was more interesting than her princess duties. Amelia would certainly rather clean the dust from inside the folds of Cepheid's wings than sit all day over papers discussing diplomatic issues and monetary policy.

She was just about to finish up and start on a statue of Ragradia, when she heard the sound of her father's booming voice echoing through the large chamber.

"Amelia! My goodness, you've been working hard!"

She smiled and wiped her forehead with the dust rag. "I'm only doing my duty, as per usual. It's quite fun getting up on top of the statues. You can see the whole temple from up here."She perched on Cepheid's head, looking down on her father below.

"I was just coming to ask if you'll join Clawfell, and me for lunch. We've been doing paperwork all morning and would appreciate your company to lighten the mood a little."

Amelia smiled brightly. "Oh, I'd love to, Daddy! Just let me finish up here. I'm almost done."

Phil nodded. "Don't worry. Take your time. I would never rush you on such an important job."

Amelia nodded, and continued working until she was sure that she had eradicated every speck of dust on the effigy of the dragon-deity. Satisfied with her work, she leaped down from the dragon's back, landing only slightly off-balance. Phil gave her a thumbs-up.

"You've been working on your landings, I see."

Amelia laughed. "Oh, you noticed? Thank you! A Warrior of Justice can't land on her face every time she descends, now can she?"

"Prince Philionel~! Princess Amelia~!"

Their conversation was cut short by a palace guard's voice calling from outside the temple.

"There are visitors here for the princess!"

Father and daughter exchanged a glance. "Visitors for me?" Amelia whispered. "I wasn't expecting anyone. Do you think it might be Miss Lina and Mister Gourry?"

"I should hope not." Phil whispered."Part of the city still hasn't recovered from the giant monster that attacked the city the last time they were here. They always seem to lure dangerous things with them wherever they go."

The guard had entered the room now, and was approaching the prince and his daughter. "Visitors for Princess Amelia." he breathed. "Two young men."

That got Phil's attention. "Young men? How young?"

The guard shifted his weight contemplatively. "Well, the brown-haired one with the glasses doesn't look a day over 17… and the other one…" he straightened up. "Oh, that's right! Zelgadis Greywords! That's the name I was supposed to give you!"

Amelia broke into a smile, and Phil sighed in relief at hearing a familiar name.

"Oh, Mister Zelgadis! Of course!"she cried happily. "He didn't tell me he was coming to visit! What a pleasant surprise! I wonder who the friend he brought is…"

Phil shrugged. "A relative, maybe? A cousin or something?"

"We'll find out soon enough." Amelia replied. "Oh, Daddy! Do you think Mister Clawfell would mind if we invited Mister Zelgadis and his friend to lunch with us?"

"I doubt he would." Phil grinned, tousling Amelia's hair playfully. "Your friends are our friends." He paused for a moment. "And… friends of your friends are also our friends… I think."

Amelia beamed. "Oh, thank you! I'll go greet them right away!"

"Clawfell and I will be in the tearoom on the third floor. You can bring Zelgadis and his companion up, and we'll have our introductions over lunch."

"I will!" Amelia yelled, already running off to greet her friend.


Amelia chattered away as she led Zelgadis and Pestis up the stairs of the palace's main building. She had greeted him with a rather violent hug, and gave Pestis a hearty handshake before gesturing for them to follow her to the tearoom where her father and his aide were waiting for them. Zelgadis decided to leave the introduction of Pestis until they got settled down. He merely gave the professor's nickname, and said that he'd fully introduce himself soon. Amelia seemed to take a liking to "Mister Pestis" right away, which pleased Zelgadis. He didn't want them being suspicious before they found out about the man's reputation as a professor. It wasn't exactly the best thing to be doing, dragging a stranger into your friend's house, after all.

"Wow, she's really cute." Pestis commented quietly to Zelgadis as they walked. Zelgadis gave him a sceptical look, and he added with a wink "Oh, but don't worry. I won't steal her. She's all yours."

Zelgadis sighed, rolling his eyes again. Pestis reminded him of Amelia in his persistent mention of the topic of love. Perhaps he was better suited for the princess than a heartless chimera. But Zelgadis decided against that idea quickly. Pestis wasn't Amelia's type either. He didn't fit the "hero" old in any way, shape, or form.

Amelia led them to the room where Phil and Clawfell were waiting for them, sitting at a table and talking amongst themselves. Amelia welcomed her friends into the room with a flourish.

"Mister Zelgadis, Mister Pestis, this is my father, Prince Philionel, and his closest aide, Lord Clawfell." she gestured. "Daddy, you know Mister Zelgadis. And this is Mister Pestis."

Pestis stiffened, and his face turned a shade of red that reminded Zelgadis of Lina's hair. The man was obviously not used to being in the presence of royalty.

"N-n-nice to meet you." Pestis stammered, straightening his bowtie and bowing awkwardly. "Professor Alexandre Nisery, scholar of Black Magic, at your service. P-Please, call me 'Pestis."

Amelia spun around on her heels. "Wait, did you say Professor Alexandre Nisery?! The presiding expert when it comes to all things Black Magic and Mazoku?!"

Pestis' face turned a shade redder, if that was at all possible. Amelia ran up to him and clasped his hands.

"Why didn't you tell me who you were sooner?! Oh, I simply loved reading your three-part treatise on the various effects of positive emotions on the astral structure and power levels of Mazoku! It's a delightful piece of work!"

Zelgadis blinked. "Three parts? On the effects of positive emotions on Mazoku? It weakens them, doesn't it?"

Pestis and Amelia both shook their heads at the same time. "Oh, it does much more than that!" Amelia exclaimed.

Pestis cleared his throat, trying not to sound awkward. "There are a range of different effects of positive emotions on beings that feed on miasma. There are effects regarding their astral structure itself, along with various parts of their magic and their physical projections. Depending on the particular positive emotion, it can have a broad range of effects. It's very interesting, actually."

"It just goes to show the power of Justice!" Amelia added, her eyes sparkling.

"Justice, happiness, nostalgia, adoration…" Pestis agreed. He turned his attention to Zelgadis, elbowing him lightly. "…love…"

"You're going to have to stop doing that." Zelgadis growled under his breath.

"Won't you three come and sit down? We have a lovely lunch here, and it should be more than enough for all of you!"Phil exclaimed.

"Th-thank you." Pestis replied, bowing again. "I appreciate your hospitality, your highness."

"Oh please, dispense with the formalities, Mister Alexandre. Just call me 'Phil." the prince laughed jovially.

"Alright, then… Phil." Pestis murmured, still somewhat uneasy. "And I do like to go by 'Pestis,' if you would call me that."

"Take a seat then, Mister Pestis."Amelia smiled. "And you can just call me 'Amelia.' Mister Zelgadis does."

"Would you like some tea or coffee, Amelia? Mister Zelgadis? Professor?" Clawfell asked from across the table.

"Tea would be lovely, thank you." Amelia smiled back at the old man. "Mister Zelgadis, would you like some?"

"I suppose so…" Zelgadis nodded. "Thanks."

"Mister Pestis?"

"Ah… coffee would be nice if you have it…" he stammered. "Do you have cream and sugar?"

Phil chuckled. "A boy after my own heart! Yes, we have plenty of it!"

Zelgadis took a deep breath, while they were beginning to gather the tea and coffee, and began to speak, realising that he'd have everyone's attention.

"As much of a pleasure it is to see you all again…" he started. "…this is not merely a social visit. Professor Nisery and I have come here for a very important reason, and, therefore… we'd like to ask a favour of you."


(A/N: Clawfell is from the novels, and I'm fascinated with him for some reason, so I included him in this one little part. There's a nameless, one-line character who appears with Phil at the very beginning of episode 1 of Evolution-R, that I think might be Clawfell, but I don't know… so… first chapter. Yeah. Aren't I just fantastic at stating the obvious? Hah…)