Hello everyone, and welcome to the very first chapter of this fic that I am writing! An unexpected cancelling of school due to inclement weather allowed me to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. Yay! But remember- the purpose of fanfiction is that it is FICTION written by a FAN. Meaning that I own nothing. Right? Right! So, on with the story! :3
(This story contains some references to my previous fic, 'Another Adventure,' as it is meant to be somewhat of a sequel. However, the story should be completely understandable, even if you haven't read the other one, so you don't need to worry if you haven't read it.)
1- Jewel! The new adventure!
"FIREBALL!
…And that's why you don't mess with Lina Inverse."
Lina stood over the area where the bandits' camp had been, surveying the damage, and eyeing the assorted pieces of treasure that had not been reported stolen. She might take a bit of it for herself…
"Nice work, Lina! You really showed those guys!" Gourry enthused.
"Thanks, Gourry." She said back, flashing him an affectionate smile.
Lina gathered the stolen materials that they had been asked to retrieve and filled the remaining space that she had with extras that she would keep for herself. "This is great." She commented as they began on their way back to the city where they were staying. "Just the two of us, fighting bandits… just like old times, huh?"
Gourry nodded. "Yeah, sure is. Although I do kind of miss your apprentice…"
Lina's apprentice, a four-and-a-half-year-old boy named Zara, was staying in Sairaag with his friend Zander for a few weeks, and was apparently learning from the head royal chef, Josiah while he was there.
"Just so long as that chef guy doesn't turn my kid into some artsy freak, I like this. It's kind of like a vacation. He's nice and everything, but that kid gets on my nerves sometimes." She turned to her companion. "Right?"
"I guess so." He responded.
"But now I'm wondering when I'm going to get a vacation from you." Lina said, glaring teasingly at her self-proclaimed protector.
Gourry thought it over for a moment. "I guess that would be... never." He laughed.
"Very funny." Lina said sarcastically, but she couldn't help laughing as well.
Back in the city, Lina and Gourry returned the stolen goods, and then began discussing what they were planning on doing next.
"We still have another week before we're supposed to be back in Sairaag." Lina figured. "I think we should do something interesting before then."
"Like what?" Gourry asked.
"I have no idea. But maybe they'd have some books at the library on a weapon that could replace your old sword, or something like that. We could also go looking for treasure..." Lina's eyes sparkled. "Treasure hunting sounds nice."
"Lead the way." Gourry motioned to his companion.
Lina and Gourry made their way to the library, which held an enormous amount of books.
"S-so many books. It almost hurts to look at them all..." Gourry said, amazed.
"Well, don't hurt your brain. I need you around to help fight bad guys." Lina replied.
"Is that the only reason you need me around?" Gourry asked playfully.
Lina shot him a look that said 'don't ask again or you're going to get a Fireball shot at you in the middle of the library.' "Just go look at the picture books, idiot." She said, already heading for the section on higher level informational books.
"I like books that don't have pictures in them too." Gourry protested. "Well... not really... but..." He turned around to look at another section of books.
Browsing through the shelves, Lina didn't really see anything of interest. Though young, she was an experienced sorceress, and much of the magical information seemed elementary to her. She passed by a desk, where a person had stacked a large amount of books and was reading one. Lina wasn't paying attention to the person at the desk, but as she walked by, one of the books caught her attention.
"An Encyclopaedia of Magical Gemstones and Crystals?" She read. Her eyes sparkled at the mention of treasure."Wow. Hey, excuse me sir, but would it be alright if I looked at this book quickly?" Lina's question was polite, but she was prepared to fight the guy for the book if she had to. Luckily, she didn't.
"Oh, yes. You can go ahead and take that one. I've already read it. It- huh?" The voice answered, suddenly realising something. The young man lowered the book that he was reading to look up at the sorceress in front of him. "Lina?" He asked.
Lina would recognise that stone face anywhere. "Zel?" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
Gourry was astounded by the number of books in the library. He wasn't sure exactly which ones he wanted to look at. He saw a book propped up on a table, it's front covered with pictures of swords and other weapons. He didn't need to read the title to see that it was book about magical weaponry. "Cool..." He breathed, picking up the book. He was surprised to see that there was a small person- er, animal actually- who had been reading the book as well.
"H-hey! I was looking at that!" The small animal called.
"Oh! Sorry! I didn't see you there-" Gourry began, but suddenly stopped, looking at the person that he was talking to.
"G-Gourry?" Pokota asked.
"N-no way? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Ta... Tako... Taro..." Gourry stuttered trying to remember the name of the country.
"Taforashia?" Pokota asked.
"Yeah! That's it. What are you doing here?"
"Oh," Pokota flushed, glancing awkwardly back at the table where he had been reading. "...er, just travelling. What about you? What are you doing anyway?"
"What am I doing?" Gourry laughed. "What I'm always doing. Following Lina, of course."
"Of course." Pokota replied. "Well, it's good seeing you again, Gourry."
"You too...uh... uh..." Gourry's voice trailed off as he stared blankly at the small animal whose name he could not remember.
"Gourry? Don't tell me that you can't remember my name."
"No, I've got it. It's... uh... P... Pa... Pi..." He tried to place the name.
"Pokota?" Lina's voice came from behind the two. They turned around.
"No, no. That wasn't it. It was something else..." Gourry replied.
"MY NAME IS POKOTA!" The little animal snarled.
"No way. Fancy meeting you in a place like this." Lina said, picking up Pokota by his ears.
"H-hey! Put me down! I'm not your toy!" Pokota squirmed, trying to get out of Lina's grip.
"You two haven't changed at all." Zelgadis commented.
"Why on earth would we?" Lina replied, still holding Pokota.
"Still, I find it incredibly surprising that the four of us were all here in one library without knowing it." Zel said. He turned around to Gourry who was staring at him, a baffled expression on his face.
"You... you're... um..." The swordsman stammered.
Zelgadis sighed. "Honestly? You still can't remember my name?"
"No! I know it! It was... Ze-something..." Gourry replied. "Ze... Zel..."
"Zelgadis." Zelgadis responded.
"Are you sure that was it?" Gourry asked.
"I think that I would know my own name!" Zelgadis shot back.
"You'll have to forgive Gourry." Lina said. "He just gets that way every so often."
"Geez, you think he'd remember the name of a friend that he'd travelled with and helped out so often." Pokota sighed.
"Hey! I never forget Lina's name!" Gourry defended.
"That's because I'm always around to make sure that you don't forget it!" Lina replied, knocking Gourry over the head. "Say, I'm getting hungry. Isn't it nearly lunchtime? Why don't we all get caught up during lunch?"
"You really haven't changed, have you?" Zel repeated.
"Like I said, why on earth would I?"
Lina and Gourry talked about their travels as they ate in their usual, ravenous manner. Zelgadis simply drank tea, and for once Pokota didn't eat much either. The two were intently listening to Lina and Gourry's story.
"Sound like you guys have had an exciting time since I last saw you." Pokota commented.
"No kidding." Lina replied. "But enough about us- what brings you here, Pokota? I thought that you were helping out Taforashia."
"I WAS!" He replied vehemently, and then seemed to realise that he wasn't being criticised. "Sorry, I just... I'm on a quest right now to do something important."
"What?" Zelgadis asked.
"I want to find a new magical weapon. A powerful one." Pokota replied, looking down at his plate of nearly untouched food.
"A weapon? But I thought you had a Sword of Light replica thing." Gourry asked.
"Well, I had one, but there was an... erm... incident in Taforashia a couple of months ago, and it got broken. I guess 'blown to pieces' would be a better term." Pokota responded, still not making eye contact with them.
"Dang. Tough luck, huh?" Lina commented.
"It was my own fault." Pokota sighed. "I didn't have any materials to make another one either. So... anyway, I left Taforashia trying to find a powerful weapon to replace the replica Sword of Light."
"Does your father know that you're gone?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously.
"Of course he knows!" Pokota defended. "I told him exactly what it was that I planned to do!" His voice trailed off somewhat. "...though planning and actually doing are two very different things..."
"So you've gotten a little sidetracked, eh?" Lina asked.
"Yeah... but I haven't given up!" Pokota said resolutely. "I'm determined to complete my mission if it's the last thing I-" He abruptly stopped.
"If it's the last thing you do?" Gourry finished, wondering why Pokota had cut his sentence off.
"Y-yes! That's what I meant to say!" He replied.
"So... searching for a new weapon, huh? Looks like you and Gourry are in the same boat." Lina observed. "If you would like, I could help you out on this quest of yours. I'm already helping Gourry find a new sword- I can help you out too if you'd like."
Pokota moved the food around on his plate with his fork. "I... I don't know... it's not really..."
Lina jumped up, staring fiercely at the little animal. "What do you mean 'I don't know? THE Lina Inverse has just offered you her help on a quest that doesn't even have anything to do with her! You should be grateful- no, beyond grateful! You should practically be on your knees, begging me for some way to repay me for the help that I'm giving you! Quit it with the 'I don't know's!"
"I... uh..." Pokota was greatly startled. "Th-thanks for your help... Lina..."
Zelgadis sighed. Lina could be so vicious sometimes. Couldn't she see that Pokota felt personally responsible for whatever quest he was working on? The little animal didn't want Lina interfering with his mission, and Zelgadis could sympathise. He hoped that Lina wouldn't ask him why he was here...
"But, besides that, what are you doing here, Zel? Weren't you just in Seyruun exploring some ruins?" Lina questioned.
No such luck.
"I left Seyruun several weeks ago on another journey." He replied.
"And how did Amelia feel about that?" Lina asked accusingly.
"She understood that I had things that I needed accomplished." Zelgadis replied guiltily. "Besides, I still write to her..."
"How often?" Lina questioned.
Zel blushed. "That's none of your concern." He figured that Lina would consider writing to someone every single day without fail somewhat stalkerish.
"Fine, fine. But what is this quest that's so important anyway?" She continued.
Zelgadis sighed. "I'm also searching for a particular item, much like Pokota."
"Searching for what?" Lina pressed.
"Is that really necessary to know?" He asked, backing away from Lina slightly. Lina leaned in closer.
"Of course it is!" She smirked, and her voice suddenly became calm and disdainful. "You wouldn't keep secrets from you dear, dear friends, now would you, Zel? You know who always keeps secrets, don't you? You're not like him at all, right? Or are you?"
Zelgadis cringed. He was not like Xellos at all! But if he told Lina what he was looking for...
"I..." He began, sighing. "I'm looking for a particular gemstone."
"Gemstone? As in a jewel? Something incredibly beautiful and incredibly valuable?" Lina stood up, her eyes sparkling greedily.
"This is what I was afraid of..." Zel muttered.
"What kind of jewel? Is it rare? Is it part of some sort of treasure? Is it really valuable?" Lina asked excitedly.
"It...er..." Zelgadis stammered. "I really don't know that much about it. It's apparently a magical item that is supposed to be very beautiful and brings happiness to people who are around it."
"That sounds kind of vague to me." Pokota commented.
"Yeah, I agree. But I was told that I would immediately recognise it when I found it, so it sounds like this thing is pretty self-explanatory." Zel replied.
"Well, I, for one, think that this sounds worth investigating!" Lina exclaimed. "New plan! I'm going to go after this jewel as well!"
"You WHAT?" Zelgadis stood up. "You can't do that! I'm the one who's supposed to be searching for it!"
Lina stood up as well. "What do you mean by that? Is there some rule that says that I can't search for this jewel as well?"
"No... but I thought you wanted to find a new weapon for Gourry and Pokota!" Zel argued.
"I do! But we've been searching for so long, and I've been wanting to do some treasure-hunting anyway! I want to find this jewel! What about you, Pokota?" Lina turned to the stuffed animal.
"Well, since you said that it's supposed to bring happiness, I think that I'd like to find it and send it back to Taforashia in order to help our people." He replied.
"Pokota? You too?" Zelgadis asked incredulously. He wasn't sure how these two people had suddenly taken over his quest. "You guys didn't even ask me why I wanted this jewel in the first place!"
"We didn't need to." Lina replied. "We know that everything you do is directly related to finding your precious cure."
"Th-that is not true!" Zel defended.
"Oh really? Then how is your quest for this jewel so different?" Lina asked suspiciously. Zelgadis seemed to think it over for a minute.
"Well... maybe it's a little bit true..." He sighed, not making eye-contact with them.
"So it's settled, then. We're going to find this jewel!" Lina exclaimed.
"I'm coming too!" Gourry added.
"What? Gourry? Don't tell me you want the jewel too!" Zel said, exasperated.
"Nah, I don't actually." Gourry replied. "I just want Lina."
"WHAT?" Lina whacked Gourry over the head. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"B-bad choice of words!" Gourry defended. "I-I just meant that I was going along because I was following you, not because I wanted the jewel! ...please don't hurt me!"
Lina looked like she was about to hit him again, but she stopped. "Whatever. Just think about what you're going to say before you say it, idiot." She turned back to Zelgadis. "But I'm wondering something. How exactly is this jewel supposed to cure you anyway? You never told us."
"It's not supposed to. The jewel has nothing to do with my cure. I was sent on a quest to find it by someone else." Zel replied.
"Really? Someone who has information regarding the cure, huh? Interesting." Lina observed. "But who is this person anyway?"
"None of your business." Zel replied.
"Are they trustworthy?" Lina asked suspiciously.
"Of course! I wouldn't go off on a wild search like this for someone that I didn't trust!" Zelgadis exclaimed.
"Right, right." Lina replied, waving her hand back and forth. "So, where do you propose we go first?"
"I don't want you going anywhere! I'm the one looking for this jewel, so you three just need to leave me alone!" Zelgadis yelled.
This made Lina really angry. "Look here! I'm going to go after that jewel if I want to! You can't stop me! I'm going to be the person to find this jewel, and that's final!"
"Hey, hey! Don't leave me out!" Pokota interjected. "I want the jewel too!"
"You don't count. Your main goal is the weapon. The jewel is just a side thought. You obviously don't want it as much as I do, stuffed animal." Lina said, batting Pokota aside.
"H-hey! Who are you calling a stuffed animal? I won't take insults like that from some flat-chested, know-it-all sorceress!"
"What did you just call me?" Lina growled. "You know this means war!"
Lina lunged at the small animal across the table, attempting to grab him. Pokota was too fast and slipped away from her grip. Lina wasn't going to let him get away. "Fireball!"
"L-Lina! Not in the restaurant!" Gourry pleaded.
"Fine, then! We'll take this outside, fuzzball!" Lina glared at Pokota.
"That's alright with me, flatty!" Pokota shot back.
Seeing the commotion, Zelgadis got up and tried to make a stealthy exit, but Lina caught him. "Where do you think you're going, Zel? Not trying to ditch us, are you? I'll make you pay!" Lina shot a Fireball at him, and the three of them fell out into the street of the village. Zelgadis watched the fight with disgust. Lina wasn't going to let him get away. What terrible luck.
"Lina and Pokota are really fighting!" Gourry exclaimed as he joined his friend. "And you all left me behind to pay for lunch. Thanks a lot."
"Sorry." Zelgadis replied. "I just can't believe that Lina thinks she can just come in and take over my search for this jewel! First I'm delayed in meeting a particular person that I was seeking for help, and then I have the misfortune to meet up with these freaks- not meaning you Gourry. And now they're taking over my quest! Could my day possibly get any worse?"
"Don't ask if your day will get worse, because it will." Gourry warned. "I always ask, 'can this day get any better?' Usually when I do that, things improve."
"Alright, fine." Zelgadis sighed. "Is there any possible way that this day could get any better?"
"Now wait for something good to happen." Gourry said, smiling.
"I don't have time for this." Zelgadis leaned against the wall of a building, pulling out a book. "Tell me when those two stop fighting." He said, flipping through the pages to find the spot where he had left off.
"You crazy little freak! I'll cut you down to size! Oh wait! You're already so small!" Lina teased as she fired attacks at Pokota.
"Well at least I'm small all over! You're only small where you don't need to be!" Pokota yelled, returning Lina attacks.
"Still with the same insults, eh? At least I can think of creative ones, pipsqueak!" Lina called.
"Fireball!"
"Fireball!"
A girl was walking down the street a little way back, not paying attention to the people who were fighting ahead of her. She was wrapped up in the nice, weather. It was early autumn, and the mid-afternoon temperatures were very pleasant. She was also daydreaming, and didn't notice the two people fighting until she nearly got hit with a Fireball.
"Waaaaa!~"
"Hey! Pokota! Look what you did! You nearly made me hit that girl!" Lina yelled.
"It's not my fault that you have poor aim! You're just a lousy shot!" The little animal called back.
"A lousy shot? Why I ought to-"
"UNJUST!"
Lina and Pokota gasped. The girl had made a recovery from her near collision with the Fireball, and was now standing between the two of them.
"I don't know what prompted such a fight between the two of you, but you must stop it right now! Petty violence is not the way to solve small disputes, and fighting between two good friends like this is simply unjust!"
"A-Amelia!" Lina gasped. The Fireball that she held threateningly in her hands disappeared. Amelia smiled, seeing the violence dying down.
"What a surprise to see you again, Miss Lina. And you too, Mister Pokota." Amelia nodded to them. "And I'm sure that, with Miss Lina here, Mister Gourry is not too far away either."
"What is up with this?" Pokota asked incredulously. "First Gourry and Lina, and then Zel, and now Amelia? Are all the people from my past coming back to haunt me?"
"What's wrong, stuffed animal? Are you unhappy to see us?" Lina asked angrily.
"Well..."
"Hey! Amelia! Over here!" Gourry called, waving.
"Oh! Mister Gourry!" Amelia replied, running up to him. "And... Mister Zelgadis! It's so good to see you again! What are you doing here? I thought that you were farther ahead in the path you were taking."
Lina waited to see how Zelgadis would act, now that Amelia was here, but he didn't say anything. He didn't even look up at Amelia. Even if he had heard what she'd said to him, he looked as though he hadn't.
"Mister Zelgadis?" Amelia asked, looking puzzled. "Hey, what's wrong? Mister Zelgadis?"
Zelgadis still didn't reply, or even acknowledge that Amelia was there. Lina began to get annoyed. She was usually ticked off by how much better he treated Amelia than his other friends, but now something was wrong. Lina, Gourry, and Pokota wondered if something had happened between them.
"Hey, Zel! Amelia's talking to you! Why aren't you doing anything?" Lina yelled, grabbing the chimera's arm.
"Hmm? She's talking to me? Really?" He asked in an almost mocking tone.
"Of course she's talking to you! Can't you hear? Or are you being so stubborn and obnoxious that-"
"Wait for it..." Zelgadis silenced Lina, looking at Amelia. The princess seemed to be deep in thought, trying to figure out what was wrong with her friend. Suddenly, she gasped.
"Oh- oh no!" She asked, beginning to panic frantically. "I did it again, didn't I? I'm so sorry! It just completely slipped my mind, and I forgot, and didn't even notice, and, and..." She sighed, regaining her composure. "I'm sorry... Zelgadis."
Lina, Gourry, and Pokota all fell to the ground.
"I suppose it's my fault for not being around to remind you all the time." Zelgadis smiled, putting his hand on Amelia's head and playing with her hair affectionately. "It's always good to see you too. Looks like Gourry was right after all."
"Your name? That's what that was about? I swear-" Lina growled, getting back up.
"What's wrong, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked. "He asked me to call him 'Zelgadis' since we were working together as partners. I kept forgetting to call him that, so he told me that he wouldn't answer to 'Mister Zelgadis.' Just 'Zelgadis.' And it worked!"
"At least while I was there." Zelgadis said. "I'm surprised that you forgot in such as short amount of time."
"S-sorry. I wasn't thinking, that's all." Amelia blushed. "Old habits are hard to break."
"I understand." He said, smiling at her again.
"I. can't. stand. THIS!" Lina growled. "What is the matter with you, Zel? You have the nerve to be a total jerk to us back there, and now Amelia shows up and you're practically falling all over her!"
"I'm what?" He asked.
"What happened between you two anyway?" Pokota questioned.
"We worked together as partners for a long time, uncovering some ancient ruins in Seyruun." Amelia said. "But Mister Ze- uh, Zelgadis, left a little less than a month ago to search for some sort of jewel."
"And you didn't find anything related to a cure in the ruins, right?" Lina asked, still angry.
"Unfortunately, no." Zel replied. "We did a lot of exploring, and found lots of artefacts that were important to the history of Seyruun... a lot dating all the way back to the War of the Monster's Fall, but nothing about a cure."
"That's too bad. But maybe you'll find your cure once you get this jewel." Gourry said.
"...who knows?" Was all Zelgadis replied.
"The way I see things..." Lina began suspiciously, staring at Amelia and Zelgadis, "it seems that there was a lot more going on in those ruins besides just exploring, if you know what I mean."
"Wh-what are you saying, Miss Lina? Are you accusing us of doing bad things? " Amelia asked in shock.
"Well... it would be quite dark and close down in the underground ruins, not to mention that you'd be completely alone if it was just the two of you. It's not surprising that someone would just assume..." Lina let her voice trail off as she stared mockingly at Amelia.
Amelia's face turned red. "M-Miss Lina! How could you even think about something like that?" She said frantically. "What kind of person do you think I am? Honestly, how could a person ever assume-"
"Just ignore her, Amelia." Zel said coolly, putting his hand on Amelia's shoulder. "Don't let her get to you. It's not our problem if she's completely wrong about something like that." He glared at Lina and she glared right back at him.
"Yeah, Lina! Get your mind out of the gutter already!" Pokota exclaimed, hitting Lina on the head.
"Well, at least I have a mind!" Lina shot back. "Seems like all you've got in that head of yours is fluff!"
"Oh, so you're going to start that again, are you?" Pokota growled.
"WOULD YOU TWO PLEASE SHUT UP?"
Lina and Pokota stopped their yelling and turned around, surprised. "Gee, way to lose your cool there, Zel." Lina murmured.
"Sorry." Zelgadis replied. "But the two of you really shouldn't be fighting. Like you said, you both want the jewel, right? So you're both working toward the same goal. If you want to get anywhere with your quests, you'll have to work together. You shouldn't be fighting because of this, understand?"
Lina and Pokota stared disparagingly at Zel. "What is with you two?" He asked.
"That... was actually kind of pathetic." Pokota criticised.
"Yeah, Zel. If you're going to make a Justice-speech, you've got to actually try to put some emotion into it. Honestly, being all stoic like that- you'll never get Amelia." Lina agreed.
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Zelgadis stammered, blushing. "I was just trying to get you to stop yelling. You were giving me a headache."
"Yeah!" Amelia agreed. "And I happen to like his stoicism, thank you very much!"
Zel's face turned even redder. "A-Amelia..." He sighed.
"But besides that, what did you say about Miss Lina and Mister Pokota and the jewel?" Amelia asked.
"We want to find that jewel that Zel is looking for too!" Lina exclaimed.
"Wh-whaaaat? But why?" Amelia gasped.
"Why? Because it's treasure, genius!" Lina shot back. "And you know how I feel about treasure!"
"W-well yes... but..." Amelia's voice trailed off. "If that's all you want with it... then I think that Zelgadis' reasons for searching for it seem a bit... more just."
"Hey! I want to find the jewel so that I can send it back to Taforashia and help my people! I think that has to be the most just reason!" Pokota said.
"BUT, Pokota over here doesn't want it that bad. What you really want is a good weapon, right?" Lina asked.
"R-right..." Pokota mumbled. "Yeah, I guess I don't care all that much for the jewel... but if Lina finds it first, then I'll fight her for it! If Zelgadis finds it first... well, he can just have it. I don't really care all that much."
"Why you little... you're just competing with me to tick me off, aren't you? I'm going to kill you, you little fuzzball!" Lina yelled, reaching for Pokota, who actually allowed himself to be grabbed by the ears again.
"Is that a threat or a promise?" He asked almost seriously.
Lina stared at his blunt response. "A threat." She responded, dropping him. "For now anyway."
"Can you two please focus?" Zelgadis asked. "I wanted to have left already."
"Left for where?" Gourry asked.
"Do you mean the jewel expert?" Amelia asked. "What was his name again? Mister Hoseki?"
Zelgadis nodded. "Shichiro Hoseki."
"Who the heck is that?" Lina asked. "Never heard of him before."
"I'll explain on the way there." Zelgadis replied. "At this rate, we may not reach his house until late tonight."
"Got it." Lina replied. "Well, Gourry, Pokota, looks like we're off on another escapade." She grinned. "Say, Amelia, are you coming? You are here, after all."
"Well... I was returning from an errand that I was running for my father, but...I really would like to come with you guys..." Amelia mumbled. "Oh! I've got an idea!" She brightened. "I'll just write a letter to Daddy asking him for permission to travel with you! I'll go to visit Mister Hoseki with you while I wait for him to reply! That works, right?"
Lina smirked. "That's some plan you've got there, Amelia. Ask your dad for permission to go on this quest, and then begin on it while you wait for his reply. By the time he can say 'no,' you'll already be so involved in it that you wouldn't be able to leave, I'll bet."
"M-Miss Lina! You're making me out to be such a bad person today!" Amelia said sadly.
"I think that it's a good idea. We're leaving right now anyway, so if Amelia wants to come with us, she'll have to join us at this point. And if Phil orders her home, then she'll return home, no matter what the state of our mission. Isn't that right, Amelia?" Zelgadis said.
"Right, Mister Zelgadis!"
...
"I said, 'isn't that right, Amelia?"
"Ah! Sorry! Right, Zelgadis!"
Lina groaned as she followed them. "Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be a very long trip?"
"So, who is this Shichiro Hoseki? What does he do?" Lina asked again as they walked along a path. She and Zelgadis seemed to be the only ones not distracted by the views of the landscape around them. Amelia and Gourry were amazed at the beauty of the late-summer wildflowers in the field surrounded by majestic mountain peaks that already had snow covering much of their summits. The sun had only just set beyond the mountaintops, and the glow of it could still be seen. Pokota was less interested in the actual scenery. He was simply staring into space with a contemplative expression.
"He apparently has a well-earned reputation for being an expert at anything regarding gemstones. He's a masterful jeweller, a knowledgeable mineralogist, and curator of a large collection of rare and valuable gemstones from around the world."
"Wow!" Lina's eyes sparkled. "So he's the go-to person for anything regarding treasure, correct? Amazing! He sure sounds like my type of guy!"
Gourry caught her last sentence. "What? Who is? Who are you talking about?"
Lina whacked him on the head with a slipper. "Don't be so worried, jellyfish-brain. We're talking about a guy that know a lot about jewels, that's all. Besides, I'm not getting my hopes up. With my luck, he's probably some fanatical old guy with way too much time on his hands. You know I don't like crazy, elderly people."
"Oh, right. Right. I knew that." Gourry replied.
"Hey, you guys! There's a house up ahead! Is that the one we're trying to find?" Amelia asked, pointing down the path a way.
"That's it." Zelgadis said. "We made good time."
"Well, Miss Lina is a fast walker, and we all had to keep up." Amelia pointed out.
"Yeah! So you should be thanking me, Zel!" Lina said happily.
"Whatever. Let's just get going. If it gets any later, his shop might be closed, and we don't want to inconvenience him." Zelgadis said, walking ahead of the others.
"Right. Lead the way, Zel." Lina said, staring up at the lights of the house in the distance.
It seemed like things were about to get interesting.
(A/N: Ah, and so another story begins! I'm excited about this one! And if you notice that Pokota is out-of-character, just a bit, that is completely and totally intentional. There's a lot going on in his mind, and it's affecting his behaviour, if you couldn't tell. Makes you wonder why he's doing his best to tick Lina off, though... R&R! :3)