A crash rang through the street, and the hand that was holding her quill jerked, smudging the ink as people started yelling. Lina looked up and saw that two wagons had crashed. The drivers seemed okay as they got up, stunned, and looked at their wares that were strewn across the street. As the crowd started to gather, Lina decided it was no business of hers, and glanced back at her letter and scowled. It was horribly untidy and she hoped Filia would be able to read it. Between only being able to write without a hand to steady the paper while her shoulder healed and the mess she had just made she worried about it being barely legible. Still, paper was expensive, and right now they needed every cent.

Gourry came up to her. Thanks to the hook and his abundant and developed upper body strength, he was able to support his weight with his arms and hand and able to move on his own with surprising ease by holding his body like a plank. People stared though, and not in a way he was accustomed to. And while he outwardly shrugged it off like he did the jabs at his intelligence, the look in his eyes told Lina that he took these a lot more personally.

"How's the letter coming?" he asked as he sat on the curb beside her.

"Fine." Lina lied. She'd been able to write about losing her powers easily enough. But every time she attempted to explain what had happened to Gourry she hit a brick wall of guilt. She forced herself to look at him and smile. She worried that if he noticed that she had difficulty looking at him now he would think it was because she was ashamed to be with him. "Just need to wrap it up."

She took a deep breath and asked herself how much longer she wanted to struggle with the letter? But before she could complete it, one of the wagon drivers started to shout, accusing the other of being careless in causing the accident. Lina welcomed the distraction from her thoughts as she watched the argument in the middle of the street and hoped that it would build into a fight. The other driver replied with a string of curse words, and Lina leaned in closer as she realized he had taken it up a notch.

"Wish we had some popcorn." Gourry said.

"Yeah. It's nice not to be at the center of trouble for once." Lina agreed as an official looking type came up to defuse the situation. Lina's hope that one of the wagon drivers would take a swing at the official was short lived as the actors started to settle down. Realizing the show was over, she returned her attention to the letter she needed to finish and send. But watching and judging others for their stupidity was so much more satisfying than reliving hers.

Just get it done with! She told herself, and then she braced herself as she wrote simply that there had been an accident and Gourry had been gravely injured. She released the breath as she closed the letter with details on where they were and a plea for help.

"Well, now that's done." Lina said as she folded the letter and put it in the envelope she'd already prepared before she put the quill and ink jar away into one of her bags. She stood up from the curb she had been sitting on and glanced at the building she and Gourry were now renting a room from. The dump she was currently living in didn't even have a window, and candles and oil were expensive. The convenience of a light spell was no longer hers to wield. It was too dark inside to write, not that being outside in the slums was much better. "Will you be okay until I get back?"

"I can still hold my own." He said, though there wasn't a hint of resentment in his voice as he smiled at her.

Lina nodded, and then leaned forward to kiss the crown of his head. Now it seemed imperative that she was affectionate in public. He reached a hand out to stroke her cheek as she said, "Love you."

"Love you." He replied, and then she turned and started to walk down the narrow street.

The smells of rot, piss and soot assaulted her from all directions, and she did her best to tune out the sounds of people arguing in their cramped homes. While Lina had been to the slums, she'd never had to live there. Yet after selling everything they had of value that they felt safe parting with (there was no way they were selling the Blast Sword) they'd barely been able to afford a month's rent. Lina still wasn't sure how they were going to eat if she wasn't able to find some sort of work, much less how they would afford a second month's rent if Filia didn't arrive quickly. She ran her hand through her hair and thought that she could sell it to a wigmaker. It was just hair. It would grow back. And it would just be one time until she got a job or Filia healed them.

Lina tried to think of work that she could do once she recovered. But without her powers all she could think of was the shitty jobs open to a normal girl, a situation that was worse in the Outerworld with no sorcerer's guild she could sell reports to or offer to teach at. She could sew and spin and be paid poorly for her labors. But then, while Lina did mend her clothes while on the road, her spinning and weaving skills were poorly developed. Breaking into that business didn't seem feasible. Perhaps she could get a job in a store, though those tended to be family run businesses. She loathed the idea of being a waitress. If she had to do that all she would be able to think about would be how Luna was a better waitress than her, and Lina couldn't stomach the thought of living under that cloud. No, waitress would be at the bottom of the list and only if things were truly that desperate.

"Clear!" a young girl yelled from a balcony, and Lina moved to the side and narrowly avoid the contents of a chamber pot. She wrinkled her nose and looked up to see the young maid close the door and decided she'd discovered a new level of desperation. A maid would be worse than a waitress. Cleaning someone else's chamber pot was something she wanted no part of.

A door opened, and a woman wearing heavy rouge escorted a man out. Lina blushed as she realized it was a brothel and quickly looked away as the woman drew her robe more tightly around herself and closed the door. And just like that, there's a new rock bottom. With a shudder Lina reflected that she was closer to understanding the desperation that would compel someone to do that than she ever wanted to be. As it was they'd barely eaten since leaving The Freedom the previous afternoon. Her stomach growled and she was so hungry…

A scream tore through the street, providing a welcome distraction from her thoughts. Albeit only temporarily. Lina looked up and to her right and saw the red, white and blue striped sign of a barber-surgeon. Her hands started shaking as gooseflesh erupted on her skin. She had never fully understood the barbarity of medicine without magic until she watched as Doctor Anders amputated Gourry's feet. And at least Gourry had been unconscious! Whoever was inside did not have that luxury.

Memories rose through her mind, Lina hurriedly crossed the street, desperate to put some space between her and the barber surgeon. She narrowly avoided running into several people, but her luck ran out as she got to the sidewalk and a tall man put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, cutie." he said as he leered at her and between the gesture and the smell of rotting teeth in his mouth, Lina's disgust rose.

"Get lost!" she yelled as she did her best to make herself look as big as possible, though she knew it was a lost cause.

But he tightened his grip on her shoulder as he smiled and said mockingly, "That's not a nice thing to say."

Fear coursed through her as she lifted her foot and kicked him in the shin. He cried out and let go of her, and Lina ducked and ran behind him as she muttered, "I'm not nice."

She then increased her speed as she walked and hoped that she would find the post office soon. She'd been told it was just down the street, but hadn't gotten a feel for how far down, something she was regretting now. What if it had been where the pervert was and she'd run right past it in her haste to get away? If she turned around to find it would he still be there?

But then a door slammed open, and a young man ran out so fast that he nearly knocked Lina over. As he narrowly avoided her and continued down the street Lina glanced at the building he had run from and to her relief saw a sign with a letter on it. An older man came to the door and yelled as he raised his fist, "Don't you even think of coming back here, you ingrate! And forget collecting your wages!"

Lina's eyes widened as she saw the mess of paper behind him that littered the floor, and the old man looked at her and said, "If you're wanting to post something, we're closed."

"What happened?"

"He couldn't alphabetize worth shit." The old man explained, "I asked him to redo it and he threw all the mail on the floor, trashed the place."

"Wow." Lina said as the wheels in her head started to spin, "Hey, I know my arm is no good, but you don't need two arms to pick up paper and organize it. Why don't you hire me on?"

The old man folded his arms across his chest as he scowled at her, "Because in my experience little girls are even worse at alphabetizing."

Lina flushed as she tried not to think about the indignity of begging for a job from such an ass. But the truth was they desperately needed the money, "Well with a mind like that I bet you think that cleaning up after your messes is exactly what a girl like me should be doing. So at least hire me to do that!"

He raised an eyebrow, "You're sharp, I'll give you that."

"Well, how bought you let me clean this up, and if I get it organized to your satisfaction as well, you hire me on. What were you paying that kid?"

"A girl like you should have someone who can support her." He said, "I'll pay you a quarter. And that's only if I like your work."

"Three quarters." Lina said.

"Half."

"Deal." Lina said as she tried to swallow her anger. She was in no position to argue, and the least she could do for Gourry now was see that they didn't starve.

"Get in here then, girl." He said.

"Lina." She said, and then she followed him into the post office as she tried to push aside worries of what Gourry would do when she didn't come home soon. Unfortunately there was no way to let him know she'd found a job, and she knew the postmaster would not be understanding if she asked to leave to tell him and come back.


Lina had stopped by the bakery for some bread and soup, and reflected that at least they had enough for food for a few days now. But of course, despite the fact that Lina knew her work was good and solid, the postmaster had set the bar so high there was no way anyone could reach it, and she'd had to contend with making due with a day's wages and the knowledge that at least the letter to Filia was at the top of the queue.

Something else will come up tomorrow, she told herself, something with a nicer boss.

As she drew closer to the slum she could hear the sounds of rough housing and laughter and the clack of sticks and figured that the neighborhood kids were playing in the street. As she got closer her eyebrows hit her hairline as she saw Gourry standing in the center on the stumps of his legs, holding a wooden practice sword. He was surrounded by dirty street urchins with impish smiles on their faces, and for a moment Lina felt her heart leap into her throat as she wondered if they were ganging up on him.

But then he said, "Come at me."

Lina released a breath as they came at a rather standard attack pattern that he must have taught them, and Gourry worked on defending himself with just one hand while balancing on stumps instead of feet. Footwork was so important for a swordsman, and Lina wondered if he could even do it without them. Yet even with three limbs missing, he was surprisingly agile, though she could tell his skill level had taken a hit. But given it was his first time practicing since the accident, she couldn't help but be impressed as warmth grew in her lower stomach, and she was confused as to whether it was related to hunger or something else.

Gourry overextended and fell, and the kids charged forward, jabbing his torso with the sticks. He took it in stride as he sat up, "Good practice. Same time tomorrow?"

"Right, Mr. Gourry!" they said, and Lina walked up to him as they scampered away.

"It looks like you've made yourself useful." She said.

"I guess." He said wistfully, "Smells good."

"Doesn't it?" Lina said as they started towards their dwelling. "Sorry I've been gone for so long. A job opportunity fell into my lap and I had to take it, so we have food for a few days."

"It didn't feel like you were in danger." He said as they started to climb the rickety staircase, "So I figured that if you were gone for so long you must have had a good reason. And it smells good!"

"I got the letter in the mail, so hopefully Filia will get here soon and fix all this." Lina said as a woman came onto the staircase.

Her eyes widened in distaste as she saw Gourry and she spat, "I would hope I'd have the decency to die before I live like that!"

"And I will hope that this will smack some manners into you!" Lina roared as she punched her in the face.

The woman cried out as Gourry put his hand on Lina's shoulder, "Lina, come on, she's not worth it."

The woman ran back into her building, and they continued on to their room. Finally she got to their door and got out her key. Of course, the door was so flimsy it almost didn't seem worth locking it. Lina felt that even a gentle breeze would sweep it away. And it wasn't as though they had much of value anyway. A table, two chairs and a narrow bed. All so ratty and tattered they wouldn't be worth stealing. Still, it was a place to call home.

"That soup smells good." Gourry said as he sat down on the chair, and Lina got out the bowls and utensils they used while on the road to eat with.

"Doesn't it?" Lina said as she finished dividing their meal and cutting the bread, and then she sat down. They were silent for a moment as they ignored the sounds of the other tenants in the building as they ate. Her appetite had decreased since she lost her powers and wasn't walking all day, and between that and the fact that for once their food was severely limited, engaging in their usual food fight didn't seem wise. Even as she missed it.

What if this is forever? She wondered, and then she shook her head. This couldn't be where they ended up for the rest of their life!

"So where did you find a job?" Gourry asked as he slurped his soup.

They caught up with each other's day as they ate, and the meal ended far too soon. Even with her deceased appetite, the bread and soup were not enough. From across the table Gourry's stomach growled. "Sorry." He said, "It was good."

"It wasn't enough." She said as she thought morosely of how much food she could have gotten if she'd been paid the ingrate boy's wages.

"It was something. More than I could give. I just played with kids all day."

"You never know what that will lead to." Lina said as she reached across the table and grabbed his hand, relishing in its warmth and life. It also sent sparks straight through her, dulling the hunger pains.

"All I can do now is make things harder for you." He said. "What if Filia can't help us?"

"Then we'll make it work." Lina said firmly.

"Lina…"

"Even if you become completely bedridden, we'll make it work." She said as she grabbed a rag to wipe the dishes with before she put them away, and then she kicked her boots off before she removed her mantle and let it drop to the floor as she considered that it was too dark for her to read or journal or do much else, except for one thing that kept coming to mind. She looked at the bed and wondered if she had enough courage to say it. She took a deep breath as she stood up and walked over to him. "No matter what happens, I want to be with you."

She stood before him and then leaned down, "I want to prove it to you, you know. I think it's past time that we take this to the next level." She said quietly but firmly as she leaned forward to kiss him deeply. He moved his hand behind her head to pull her a bit closer as he let her, fully quieting the sense of hunger and leaving only a want, before he pulled away a bit.

"Lina…I've wanted you for so long, but now…it just seems like a strange time. Now that my body is like this."

"It doesn't dampen anything." Lina said quickly, "You're still hot."

He raised an eyebrow at her skeptically, "It's hard to believe…"

"Well, are you going to be like Zel?" Lina shot back, "Bemoaning your body and how no one will love your or whatever?"

"I just don't want you to do this out of pity or because you think you owe me." He said quietly.

"That's not it at all!" Lina said as she blushed, "But I don't think you know what it does to me when I watch you practice swordplay. And I don't feel like fighting it anymore!"

He smiled as he raised his eyebrows, "Oh!"

"Oh, don't get so cocky!" Lina yelled.

"I thought that was the point!" Gourry said as he got off the chair and made the short distance to the bed, "But you're the smart one, so I'll just do what you say!"

The bed creaked ominously as he got into it, but neither were paying it much mind as Lina said, "Oh, you are asking for it!"

She jumped on top of him, and the bed shuddered and groaned in protest before it collapsed beneath them with a thundering crash. Both of them cried out as Lina fell against him. Then she carefully lifted herself up and looked down at him, who was looking up at her, stunned.

"You okay?" she asked.

He nodded, "You?"

"Fine." Lina said, and then she laughed as she buried her face in his shoulder, "We didn't even start, and we broke the bed!"

He was silent for a moment as she continued to laugh, but then he wrapped his hand around her and started to laugh as well, "Just imagine what we could do if we went all the way!"

Lina lifted her hand to wipe tears from her eyes, "Oh, we'd totally demolish this building!"

"Demolish?" he asked as he reached a hand up and stroked her hair before moving down her back.

"You know, tear down, destroy…" And then she yelped as he cupped her butt.

"Well, honey, if ever a building needed to be demolished, it's this one!"