Mixed Desires
By Lady Rava
Lina Inverse had never been surer of anything in her life than this:
Gourry had to go.
It had seemed like a good idea at first; why not travel with the man who had been her bodyguard for so long. Sure, she didn't need one. But he was a friend…and maybe there had been a little something more between them. So, when their little foursome had decided to part ways after the defeat of Darkstar, Lina had figured she might as well stick with Gourry. But if that jellyfish-for-brains made one more comment about her chest size she'd kill him!
"Gourry no baka!"
"Hai?"
"You're reading the map upside down, AGAIN!"
Gourry creased his brow thoughtfully trying to make out something from the scribbles, or what appeared to be scribbles to him on the map. From his point of view he could see some green clumps (trees), followed by two squiggly blue lines intersecting (rivers) and some pointy brown things at the bottom (mountains), which finally led to a large black X at the very bottom of the map.
"Well," he said, ignoring Lina's previous comment. "We started at the big X so now there should be some big brown things ahead." He pointed to the still upside down map to illustrate his point and appeared confused that their were no "pointy brown things in sight", only trees as far as the eye could see.
Lina snatched the map away impatiently and flipped it around so it was right side up. "No," she said, "We started here in the forest," she pointed to the trees on the map. "Then we have to cross the river and up further are the mountains, beyond which is the cave with the X, which is where we want to go."
"Why do we want a big X," Gourry asked, eyes clouded with confusion.
"Because that's where the treasure is!"
"Oh…so the treasure's a big X?" he exclaimed eyes lighting up.
Lina facefaulted. "Why do I bother," she muttered to herself. "Gourry!" Lina said, "You really don't remember what I told you about this treasure?"
Gourry appeared to be in deep thought. "…Nope."
Lina facefaulted again. "Look. We are trying to find Aretha's Treasure: only one of the most famous treasures known to man. It is rumored to be able to grant your hearts desires; but, once it grants your wish it disappears, so only one person can have it." She shrugged, "of course no one has ever found it so this is all rumor. But, everybody's heard of it and if someone had actually found the treasure it wouldn't be there anymore. So now I, Lina Inverse: sorcery genius, will find it first and gain wealth and knowledge!"
"But if no one's ever found it how do you know it works?" Gourry asked.
Lina blinked, surprised: Gourry's question was actually intelligent. "It just does okay!" She grumbled.
"Oh." He paused, "what was the treasure again?"
"FIREBALL!"
"Itai…"
Lina stepped past the slightly charred Gourry and examined her map, glancing up every now and then to match the map to the landscape. "Now lets see…this forest is supposed to extend for a while, and then I'll reach a river here." She drew her finger over the map slowly, "Shouldn't take more than a week," she mused.
"Hey Gourry!" She called out to the swordsman, "how much food we got?"
Gourry didn't answer.
"GOURRY!" She growled, "You didn't eat ALL the food did you?! That was MY food!"
At this point Gourry was seriously scared. For one thing Lina had this look in her eyes that promised him a dragonslave if he didn't produce the food in question. Something he couldn't do unless he could magically uneat it. All he could do was hope to appease her…and pray.
"You see I was hungry…"
"Grrr…Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond the blood that flows…"
"Lina, wait!"
"…Buried in the flow of time…"
"Really, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again!"
"In thy great name I pledge myself to the darkness!"
Gourry decided to stop pleading for his life and do the last thing he could: run. He was halfway down the hill they had climbed earlier when he heard Lina's muffled "DRAGON SLAVE" and the explosion that followed. Throwing himself to the ground, he lay still for several moments until he deemed it safe enough to trudge through the newly formed creator to the path where Lina stood waiting, hands on her hips.
"Umm Lina look…" He said once he'd reached her.
"You know what Gourry I've decided," she interrupted, "I think it's time we split up."
"You mean we should go different ways to the treasure and meet there?" He asked.
"No, I mean I think we should travel separately now. I'll go get the treasure and you can do whatever you want."
"But I'm your bodyguard," he interjected, "who will protect you?"
Lina sighed, "I can protect myself! I am a sorceress after all." She flipped her hair arrogantly. "Besides it's time we both move on in our lives, right?"
Gourry looked troubled, "If that's what you think we should do…"
Lina only nodded; the swordsman had really been getting on her nerves lately. For one thing she couldn't have an intelligent conversation with him and that bugged her; plus, he had this ridiculous notion that she needed to be protected and she most certainly did not! But, the food thing had really set her off; now she would have to go all the way back to town to get more and she was hungry now!
"All right…bye Lina," Gourry trudged off looking sad. Lina felt a little bad for what she'd said…but they had been traveling together for so long, enough was enough! Gourry needed to have his own life and let her have her own.
Lina turned and started to walk the way she'd come. It was a little more than a mile back to town, and Lina was hungry now! Despite her growling stomach Lina found herself smiling; she had a freedom she had not had in a long time and she wouldn't even have to share her food! She wondered briefly what her other former traveling companions were doing now but refused to mull on that subject. From now on she could do what she wanted, and what Lina Inverse wanted to do most at that moment was eat. Then maybe she could find a treasure…
By Lady Rava
Lina Inverse had never been surer of anything in her life than this:
Gourry had to go.
It had seemed like a good idea at first; why not travel with the man who had been her bodyguard for so long. Sure, she didn't need one. But he was a friend…and maybe there had been a little something more between them. So, when their little foursome had decided to part ways after the defeat of Darkstar, Lina had figured she might as well stick with Gourry. But if that jellyfish-for-brains made one more comment about her chest size she'd kill him!
"Gourry no baka!"
"Hai?"
"You're reading the map upside down, AGAIN!"
Gourry creased his brow thoughtfully trying to make out something from the scribbles, or what appeared to be scribbles to him on the map. From his point of view he could see some green clumps (trees), followed by two squiggly blue lines intersecting (rivers) and some pointy brown things at the bottom (mountains), which finally led to a large black X at the very bottom of the map.
"Well," he said, ignoring Lina's previous comment. "We started at the big X so now there should be some big brown things ahead." He pointed to the still upside down map to illustrate his point and appeared confused that their were no "pointy brown things in sight", only trees as far as the eye could see.
Lina snatched the map away impatiently and flipped it around so it was right side up. "No," she said, "We started here in the forest," she pointed to the trees on the map. "Then we have to cross the river and up further are the mountains, beyond which is the cave with the X, which is where we want to go."
"Why do we want a big X," Gourry asked, eyes clouded with confusion.
"Because that's where the treasure is!"
"Oh…so the treasure's a big X?" he exclaimed eyes lighting up.
Lina facefaulted. "Why do I bother," she muttered to herself. "Gourry!" Lina said, "You really don't remember what I told you about this treasure?"
Gourry appeared to be in deep thought. "…Nope."
Lina facefaulted again. "Look. We are trying to find Aretha's Treasure: only one of the most famous treasures known to man. It is rumored to be able to grant your hearts desires; but, once it grants your wish it disappears, so only one person can have it." She shrugged, "of course no one has ever found it so this is all rumor. But, everybody's heard of it and if someone had actually found the treasure it wouldn't be there anymore. So now I, Lina Inverse: sorcery genius, will find it first and gain wealth and knowledge!"
"But if no one's ever found it how do you know it works?" Gourry asked.
Lina blinked, surprised: Gourry's question was actually intelligent. "It just does okay!" She grumbled.
"Oh." He paused, "what was the treasure again?"
"FIREBALL!"
"Itai…"
Lina stepped past the slightly charred Gourry and examined her map, glancing up every now and then to match the map to the landscape. "Now lets see…this forest is supposed to extend for a while, and then I'll reach a river here." She drew her finger over the map slowly, "Shouldn't take more than a week," she mused.
"Hey Gourry!" She called out to the swordsman, "how much food we got?"
Gourry didn't answer.
"GOURRY!" She growled, "You didn't eat ALL the food did you?! That was MY food!"
At this point Gourry was seriously scared. For one thing Lina had this look in her eyes that promised him a dragonslave if he didn't produce the food in question. Something he couldn't do unless he could magically uneat it. All he could do was hope to appease her…and pray.
"You see I was hungry…"
"Grrr…Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond the blood that flows…"
"Lina, wait!"
"…Buried in the flow of time…"
"Really, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again!"
"In thy great name I pledge myself to the darkness!"
Gourry decided to stop pleading for his life and do the last thing he could: run. He was halfway down the hill they had climbed earlier when he heard Lina's muffled "DRAGON SLAVE" and the explosion that followed. Throwing himself to the ground, he lay still for several moments until he deemed it safe enough to trudge through the newly formed creator to the path where Lina stood waiting, hands on her hips.
"Umm Lina look…" He said once he'd reached her.
"You know what Gourry I've decided," she interrupted, "I think it's time we split up."
"You mean we should go different ways to the treasure and meet there?" He asked.
"No, I mean I think we should travel separately now. I'll go get the treasure and you can do whatever you want."
"But I'm your bodyguard," he interjected, "who will protect you?"
Lina sighed, "I can protect myself! I am a sorceress after all." She flipped her hair arrogantly. "Besides it's time we both move on in our lives, right?"
Gourry looked troubled, "If that's what you think we should do…"
Lina only nodded; the swordsman had really been getting on her nerves lately. For one thing she couldn't have an intelligent conversation with him and that bugged her; plus, he had this ridiculous notion that she needed to be protected and she most certainly did not! But, the food thing had really set her off; now she would have to go all the way back to town to get more and she was hungry now!
"All right…bye Lina," Gourry trudged off looking sad. Lina felt a little bad for what she'd said…but they had been traveling together for so long, enough was enough! Gourry needed to have his own life and let her have her own.
Lina turned and started to walk the way she'd come. It was a little more than a mile back to town, and Lina was hungry now! Despite her growling stomach Lina found herself smiling; she had a freedom she had not had in a long time and she wouldn't even have to share her food! She wondered briefly what her other former traveling companions were doing now but refused to mull on that subject. From now on she could do what she wanted, and what Lina Inverse wanted to do most at that moment was eat. Then maybe she could find a treasure…