Author's Note: Hey all! Be gentle with me-this is my first Slayers fic. ;)
Disclaimer: Slayers and the awesome characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for fun.
"Zel! It's your birthday?" Lina asked, a sly smirk coming over her lips.
Zelgadis shrugged.
"Mister Zelgadis," Amelia gasped, "why didn't you tell us it was your birthday? We could have gotten you gifts and had a party for you." She frowned in disappointment.
Zelgadis shook his head. "I've never made a big deal out of my birthday."
Amelia clasped her hands together. Zelgadis closed his eyes for a moment. He could sense a speech coming on.
"But a birthday is a wonderful day! A day when all your family and friends get together to celebrate that you were born into this world!" She beamed at him. "I'm glad you have a birthday to celebrate, Mister Zelgadis."
The corner of the chimera's mouth twitched up into a half-smile. "Fine. Do what you want."
"That's the spirit, Zel!" Lina patted him heartily on the back. "Now then." She rubbed her hands together, half gleefully and half to disguise the fact she'd patted him a little too hard. "We'll need a big cake and lots and lots of snacks…"
"Oooh!" Gourry perked up. "What kind of snacks, Lina?"
"Oh, all kinds, Gourry." She smirked. "You and me can be in charge of the food. Amelia, you wanna do decorations?"
"Of course! But don't forget, we need to buy presents, too." The princess pointed an accusing finger at Lina. "So don't spend everything on food, Miss Lina. That would be Unjust!"
Lina waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry so much, Amelia. Come on, Gourry."
As the others dispersed—Lina and Gourry heading to a bakery, Amelia to the hotel to arrange for the party—Zelgadis rolled his eyes. What had he just agreed to? He decided while the others were off on their own endeavors, he'd head off to the town's considerable library. That was the main reason they had stopped there in the first place—well, for the library and for food. As usual.
Sitting at one of the tables sprinkled throughout the bookshelves, Zelgadis leafed through several large, dusty tomes, keeping an eye out for anything useful. Something, anything, that could even remotely relate to finding his cure. So far, he wasn't having much luck. No surprise there, he thought bitterly. Why had he gotten his hopes up in the first place? He knew better than that.
Another hour went by. Two. Zelgadis paused to rub his eyes, one hand resting on the page he was on. The print in this book was so small, it was almost like the author had purposefully written it to tire and strain the eyes of his readers. Zelgadis sighed. He may as well quit reading this one anyway. From what he had gathered so far, the book was actually just a rambling cook book, detailing multiple ways to separate eggs and pit cherries and bake pecan pie. He closed the book with a heavy slap, sending dust everywhere. His nose twitched. He pinched it, trying to ward off the sneeze he knew was coming. He hated sneezing in a library: in such a dead-quiet place, the sudden noise drew far too much attention. A moment passed. He sighed, moving his hand away from his face. Then he sneezed, disrupting the peace of the large library. He cringed.
"Bless you," Amelia said cheerily from where she stood at Zelgadis' right. He jumped. How long had she been there?
"Thanks," he muttered, stacking the failure book on top of the others.
"Find anything?"
"Not really."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Mister Zelgadis."
He shrugged. "I haven't gone through everything yet." But he knew it would be no use. As always.
"That's the spirit!" Amelia chirped. Either she totally missed how he really felt or she was hoping her eternal optimism would rub off on him. "Anyway, are you ready to take a break, Mister Zelgadis? We're all set up at the hotel now."
"Yeah, may as well."
