During the walk towards Merchant's Row in town, Lina and Zelgadis quickly realized they would need to stop by the weapons shop as well. Neither of them had the patience to be constantly carrying around their new oversized weapons in hand when they didn't need to use them.
They were mildly impressed with Xelloss' tolerance to always have one of his hands occupied by carrying his staff for the last thousand years, when they were sick of it after only half an hour.
The marketplace of Taforashia was bustling with the usual busyness expected of such a place in the early afternoon, but the amount of shoppers was even more staggering than usual, as it was the last day for the festival that was still going on in the streets nearby.
Like most of the city, Merchant's Row was kept blissfully cool from the summer heat by the shade of one of the many oversized trees found in the area. Sunlight still managed to trickle through the thick foliage and shine in glittering beams onto random roofs and street signs within the lively bazaar.
Inside the weapons store, Lina and Zelgadis ignored the curious looks the shop keeper gave their weapons as he fitted the bow and lance for carrying straps.
Lina paid the man, not feeling like spending the time haggling for once, and they walked back out onto Merchant's Row with their weapons on their backs and both of their hands free again.
Almost as soon as they were out on the street again, they saw Martina who was sporting a full shopping bag and a sour look on her face. Lina raised up her hand to grab Zelgadis and yank him back inside the store until the obnoxious queen had passed by, but it was too late for any of that as the green haired girl's minimal instincts seemed to pick up that she was being stared at and her eyes snapped over in their direction.
The sorceress dropped her hand and waited for the inevitable as Martina quickly walked up to them with a face that was a combination of annoyance, horror and eagerness to gossip.
She wasted no time in trying to get the information she wanted as she continued to make her strange face and moved her free hand to whisper conspiratorially to them, "Hey, do you guys know if Xelloss has a girlfriend or something?"
Lina and Zelgadis' faces were rather comical as their facial muscles couldn't decide on dread, shock or annoyance.
The sorceress shivered nervously for a moment, which Martina seemed to take as revulsion. "Why do you ask Martina?"
The girl pointed down the busy street she had just come from, "I just saw him in the lingerie shop down that way." She turned back to them with an expression that kept flashing between utter disgusted horror, and blushing thoughtful consideration, "I thought for a minute that maybe that fruitcake demon was getting something for himself, but the clothing he was looking at was way too small for him."
Lina and Zelgadis sputtered and snickered for all of two seconds before they both suddenly remembered Xelloss' comment about wearing a tiny maid's outfit after losing their race. They both blushed darkly as they seemed to share the identical thoughts and came to the same conclusion that the demon probably was the kind of person who would wear women's lingerie if he was in the mood. The fact that he could change into the body of a woman at will didn't seem to make them feel any less awkward. If anything, it only served to put the idea in their minds that Xelloss would be completely confident in his male body while wearing a corset, garter belt and stockings.
If Lina and Zelgadis knew they were thinking of the exact same image, they would probably think they'd had a spontaneous telepathic communication. Although, even if they did know, it would probably only serve to embarrass them further.
Thankfully, Martina didn't seem to understand their dark blushes for what they truly were. She just assumed they were simply shocked and embarrassed as someone might be upon hearing that their comrade was caught in a lingerie shop.
Lina couldn't stop her blush but she waved her hand dismissively, the frantic flapping of her hand was also meant to cool her face down a bit, "Um, well, his Lord prefers to take the form of a woman. She probably just asked him to pick up something for her. Most of the time, Mazoku Lords like to just lounge around their strongholds all day."
Martina's attention was focused on Lina as the other girl spoke and the queen didn't notice the chimera wipe away a small trace of blood from his nose out of her line of sight. He couldn't get the dirty thoughts out of his mind and Zelgadis was desperately wishing he'd worn his cloak and cowl today so he could cover his vibrantly red face – summer heat or not.
The girl looked up to the sky in a stereotypical thinking pose for a moment, "So, you're saying Mazoku can look like whatever they want?"
Lina nodded, "Yeah, the stronger ones can."
"If that's true, and he really was shopping for his master, then why was he looking at clothing made for small women with hardly any breasts? Wouldn't someone who can change their shape choose to have more bust and curves than that?"
It was a very good thing that Martina was still staring up through the tree's canopy toward the sky. Otherwise, she would have caught the brief flash of Lina's complete and utter outrage of her figure being insulted again. At Zelgadis' covert nudge, she quickly reverted her expression back to normal. Martina didn't know that Xelloss had been really shopping for her, and the sorceress intended to keep it that way.
Out of anywhere in the world that that damn demon could have gone shopping, he had to do it in town where their companions might see him. However, all things considered, that was probably the point.
That brought a question to Lina's mind and she blurted it out without much thought, "Did Xelloss know you saw him?"
Martina looked back down at the other girl, "Well, I was already in the shop before he came in, so he noticed me first."
Lina and Zelgadis barely contained the scowls that threatened to appear on their faces. That clenched it. They were going to beat the crap out of him when they saw him next – or at least try valiantly to do so. Xelloss still let them strangle him whenever they were angry with him. Although, these days, he no longer bothered to pretend that their efforts actually caused him any discomfort.
The red head managed to keep the anger she felt from showing by turning it into something much more deviously entertaining. She was probably picking up a few bad habits from the Mazoku in question.
Lina smirked smugly, "You were shopping in a lingerie shop Martina?" She gestured to the girls' usual skimpy outfit, "Surely you weren't there to buy anything to go under that. Most underwear covers more than what you're already wearing."
Martina huffed indignantly and shot her a glare and blurted out her defense without thinking the slightest bit about how it was no defense at all. "I wasn't buying underwear. Lingerie shops are the only places I can get clothes in my style."
Zelgadis eyebrows shot up at Martina's unbelievable ignorance and Lina burst out laughing, "Don't you think that's a pretty big hint that the clothes you wear are meant for the bedroom?"
The queen suddenly realized just how damning her own statement had been and she blushed in a mixture of embarrassment and fury, "You only make fun of me because you're just jealous at how good I look and how flat-chested and stick figured you are! No matter what you do you'll never have a body like mine."
Lina's face blanked for a second before it crinkled in outright vehemence and rage. Fire started flicking in between the sorceress's fingertips unbidden. Martina's eyes widened at the spectacle and she suddenly realized she may have gone just a tad too far. She may have been able to get away with some of what she said with only getting throttled for it. However, that last sentence she threw in there may well have been signing her own death certificate.
As far as Martina was concerned, her salvation came from an unlikely place as Zelgadis suddenly stepped between the two women. He put both hands on Lina's shoulders to calm her and get her attention on him instead of the big mouthed girl behind him.
Lina's fury backed off only slightly as she looked up at the chimera's face and tried to get a grip on her very strong urge to blow up Merchant's Row in a display of homicidal rage. His hands on her shoulders and the comforting look in his eyes helped to keep her from cutting her power loose.
Martina's view of the shared moment was blocked by the chimera, and having enough survival instincts to not let Lina see her for the moment, she wasn't about to peek over his shoulder to see what it was he was doing to calm her down.
Zelgadis moved his right hand up to Lina's cheek to caress her comfortingly and told her in a soft voice with as much warmth and understanding as the usually gruff chimera could muster, in a tone just low enough that no one but the red head could hear, "Don't listen to her Lina. She doesn't have a clue what she's talking about."
The petite girl continued to look up at him, eyes full of an anger that had lessened greatly from the fury it was only a moment ago. Zelgadis stroked her cheek once more and thought he saw a sparkle in one of her eyes that was threatening to become a tear.
The chimera felt his chest tighten and his throat constrict at the mere idea of the hair trigger, overly confident, firebrand girl letting someone like Martina make her shed even a single tear. The fact that it was because the queen had once again insulted Lina on the subject she was most sensitive about only made the surge of protectiveness that Zelgadis suddenly felt all the more potent.
So far, the queen could attribute his actions to simply calming the red head down from blowing up half the city. If he gave in to the overpowering urge to hold Lina that he was feeling, Martina would know something was going on between them, and with her big mouth, the rest of their group would know before the sun set.
Of course, Zelgadis realized that their budding relationship, as well as the one they had with Xelloss, would be found out eventually. But he didn't want to cause the inevitable chaotic reactions among his friends any sooner than humanly possible.
After too much time alone with his thoughts during the last few days, Zelgadis had come to the conclusion that their three way relationship would most likely be met with shock, anger, and arguments that could possibly split his friends apart forever if they weren't careful and that was something he would prefer to put off indefinitely if he could.
Even knowing what their unorthodox relationship could do to their group, Zelgadis couldn't bring himself to back out now. Whether they truly realized it or not, Lina, and even Xelloss, had already begun chipping away at the stone wall that had formed around the chimera's heart that was built by years of contempt, anger and fear directed at him by strangers and Rezo's unforgivable actions and betrayal.
Zelgadis couldn't bear to look at Lina any longer without losing the battle within himself and giving in and wrapping his arms around her.
He turned around in his place to face Martina but reached one hand around behind him to find and grasp Lina's hand and squeeze it comfortingly out of the queen's sight.
The shaman managed to berate the queen for her words without sounding like he cared about Lina any more than just a friend. "Martina, you should know by now that saying things like that to Lina are hazardous to your health."
Martina crossed her arms, one hand still holding her shopping bag, and scowled angrily, but her shoulders relaxed in relief at having been miraculously saved from a fiery death by Zelgadis. She didn't know how the chimera had been able to calm the sorceress down, but she was smart enough not to question her good fortune.
Zelgadis would have just left it at that and led Lina away toward their destination, but the place they were looking for was back the way Martina had come and past the lingerie shop.
The chimera did his best not to cringe when he asked the girl in front of him, "Do you know if Xelloss is still back there? I'm sure you can understand that we'd rather not see him if at all possible and we need to head in that direction." It was in their best interest for him not to clarify why it was they didn't want to cross paths with Xelloss; simply that they didn't.
Martina easily fell for Zelgadis' misleading statement as she was meant to. Really, the Mazoku trickster was fast becoming a bad influence on his human lovers.
The girl shivered, though if it was out of revulsion or some still hidden desire for the demon, Zelgadis couldn't tell. "I don't blame you for not wanting to see him with lacy underwear in his hands. It's going to take me months to get the ideas out of my head."
The chimera wisely decided to not ask if those ideas of hers were actually good or bad thoughts. Eventually Martina stopped seeing the current image in her mind's eye and turned back to Zelgadis and shrugged dismissively, "No, he teleported away before I left the store. He muttered something about Sophia's in Atlas City having more of the kind of stuff he was looking for before he disappeared."
Lina could hear Martina perfectly from where she stood behind Zelgadis and at the mention of Xelloss shopping at 'Sophia's' she compulsively squeezed Zel's hand much harder and rested her forehead on his back in her attempt to hold in the squawk and embarrassed ramblings that felt like they could fly from her mouth at any moment.
It was clear that Martina had never been to 'Sophia's' in Atlas City before, otherwise it would take her a year instead of months to clear her head of ideas that Xelloss had unintentionally (or maybe even intentionally) planted in her mind.
However, Lina had been in 'Sophia's' before. It had been a complete and total accident that she had even walked into the store to begin with. She had been looking for 'Sophie's', which was a magic shop a couple of streets over.
It had been an outing that she had thankfully taken alone that time. If any of her friends would have been with her, she probably would have dropped dead from embarrassment on the threshold of the door. However, since she had been by herself, her morbid curiosity had taken control of her feet and with a red face that could have easily been mistaken for a bad sunburn, she had walked the isles of the shop that no one else had been in.
'Sophia's' sold lacy underwear, corsets, garter belts, stockings, and bras just like any other lingerie store would, but about half of their selection was what one might call 'special interest wear'.
For every lacy garment on the left half of the store, there had been one made of black leather on the right.
From leather thigh high boots, to tight leather corsets and 'necklaces' that looked like it belonged more on a ferocious junkyard dog than it did on a person – 'Sophia's' had it all covered. Lina had even caught a glimpse of some riding crops and 'cat o' nine tails' on one of the shelves in the far corner.
The sorceress had briefly wondered back then if her old traveling companion, Naga the Serpent, had bought her usual clothing from the shop. Her thought had been quickly interrupted when the pretty, and very much pregnant, shopkeeper had come back onto the sales floor through the door that led back to the storage room.
The owner, Sophia, didn't even have a chance to ask Lina the customary question of 'Can I help you?' before the girl blushed an even more vibrant shade of red than what she was already sporting and ran right out the door and straight past 'Sophie's' magic shop several blocks away before she stopped fleeing.
Unbeknownst to Lina, the woman merely shook her head and laughed, the red head certainly wasn't the first sorceress who had walked into her shop by mistake and she definitely wouldn't be the last.
Back in the present, remembering all the erotic clothing she had seen in the store made Lina blush even harder. She twisted Zelgadis' wrist a little bit, trying to communicate to him without talking or seeing her that she wanted him to lead the way down the street so she could use him as a shield to stop people from seeing how red her face was.
Of course, Zelgadis couldn't derive all of that from a simple twist of his wrist, but he did manage to understand that she didn't want Martina to see her.
The chimera felt the best way to keep the queen from seeing Lina was to make sure Martina walked away first.
He almost snapped his fingers as a thought came to mind but pointed back the direction he and Lina had come from instead, "Gourry just got a replacement Sword of Light and he and Zangulus are having a duel back at the palace. Now that he's got a weapon that doesn't break on him, Gourry's fighting at his best again. If you hurry, you might get to watch them for a bit before your husband loses."
Martina scowled angrily at him, "How dare you! Zangulus can win against that idiot!"
Zelgadis smirked and easily goaded her on, "Care to place a wager on that? I bet ten silver pieces on Gourry to win."
It was almost pathetic at how easily she rose to the bait, "You're on! You'll see! Zangulus will win this time for sure! His Demonsbane can't be beat!"
Zelgadis face was uncaring as he made a shooing motion with his spare hand, "Well, go on then and find out how it ends."
"You're not coming?"
The chimera shook his head, "Lina and I have some shopping to do at the magic stores. I'll find out the results of the fight from Sylphiel when we come back – and then I'll collect my money from you." He grinned smugly.
Martina huffed, "You mean you'll be paying me!" She stomped off, thankfully not bothering to be nosy enough to ask what they were buying. She probably figured it was just standard sorcerer stuff anyway.
Once she was around the corner, he pulled on Lina's hand that was still on his wrist so she would be walking next to him and led them down the street in the opposite direction.
Zelgadis entwined his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand briefly before letting it go and walking beside her normally once more.
Lina blushed but it was no longer from the previous thoughts of 'Sophia's'. She looked up to him and smiled in cute appreciation, "Thanks for getting rid of her Zel."
Zelgadis smiled down at her as they continued to walk, "It was my pleasure." And he really meant it too. He didn't care for Martina much more than Lina did.
He couldn't help but wonder about Lina's reaction from earlier though. "It seemed like you knew of the store Martina said Xelloss had mentioned."
Lina blushed in the same kind of embarrassment she felt before and looked down at the ground they walked on, "I do, but I think the store name 'Leather and Lace' would be more appropriate."
Zelgadis nearly tripped over his own feet as his brain was assaulted with images of Lina in a tight, black leather underwear, leather corset and matching thigh high boots, with a tiny lacy skirt that barely covered anything at all.
His brain was so busy dealing with the image in his head that he didn't even begin to think about how Lina even knew of such a shop's existence. He simply said, quite lamely, "… I see."
To say that Lina and Zelgadis were going shopping at a magic shop was very deceiving. The statement seemed to imply that they would be shopping at a legitimate magic store. Which was not the case this time. What they needed to buy, no shopkeeper would keep in stock unless they were willing to risk gaining the unfavorable attentions of the Royal Guard.
Neither of them made it a habit to do much shopping in disreputable stores very often. But both of them knew that there was always the occasional need to do something that was considered by the ruling authority to be illegal or wrong. That being the case, Lina and Zelgadis always kept an ear to the ground for where the local shady businesses in town could be found. And despite the naïve beliefs of a certain justice speech spouting princess, shady businesses and dodgy merchants could always be found in even the most peace loving and pleasant of cities like Seyruun and Taforashia.
Whether or not Lina and Zelgadis' reasons for standing outside the door of the back alley shop was truly a good enough 'need' to be testing their morals like this was up for debate. However, without anyone present who would argue their judgment (namely Amelia), they had no reason not to knock on the door that stood before them.
A small panel in the door that was at eye level for a person of average height slid open to reveal the top portion of a face that seemed to belong to an aging man in his late fifties.
The man's voice was deep and raspy, "Whatcha want?"
Lina took on her 'I'm gonna make a deal with you whether you like it or not' stance, "We hear that you sell all kinds of magical items of questionable origin. We were hoping you might have something particular in stock that we're looking for."
The old man's eyes narrowed at them, "You ain't with the Guard are ya?"
Zelgadis snorted and Lina waved a hand in front of the little window. "Are you blind? Do we look like do-gooders?"
The pair of eyes squinted at Zelgadis, as if he was actually seeing him for the first time. Lina had just been shouting off insults but the man really might have needed glasses. "Nah, guess ya couldn't be." He shut the little door and they heard the actual door being unlatched before it swung open to reveal the old man. He was dressed in a simple merchant's pants and loose shirt and he was just as disheveled and dusty as they could expect of a back alley business owner. "Sorry 'bout asking. Can't be too careful ya know."
He ushered them inside and shut the door behind them, flipping the two latches once more. Lina and Zelgadis only hoped the man didn't recognize them from the descriptions that floated around about them as two of the 'Saviors of Taforashia'. If he did, he probably wouldn't sell anything to them, but it was already too late to wear something that disguised their features.
Luck seemed to be on their side though, as it turned out that the man was so near-sighted that he could only see the color of Zelgadis' skin and the shape of his ears and not the fact that his flesh was actually stone.
The dusty old man squinted at Zelgadis, "You one o' them night elves ain't ya? Hadna seen an elf folk in a good decade. Your kind's a real secretive bunch ain't they?"
Zelgadis flinched, being mistaken for an elf was definitely different, but he recognized a way to keep their identities safe when he saw it. "Um… yes. I don't care to show myself in cities much." That wasn't a lie.
The shopkeeper nodded and looked down to squint his old eyes at Lina, "And who's this young one? Your adoptive human daughter is she?"
Lina stomped her foot and fumed angrily, she didn't care if they needed to buy what they were looking for from this guy, she didn't tolerate being called a little girl by anyone. "You seriously need to get your eyes checked old man! I may be petite but I'm nineteen!"
The aging merchant rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Oh! Sorry there missy! It's just as ya say, my eyes ain't what they used to be." He laughed and squinted at the pair, trying to see them better, "If ya don't mind my rudeness one more time - If ya don't wanna answer, ya can tell me to go jump off a bridge or somethin' - but my damnable curiosity makes me wanna ask how it is a night elf and a human girl came to my door together."
Lina was just about to tell him to go ahead and jump off that bridge but she was completely at a loss for words when Zel wrapped an arm across her shoulders possessively while still standing behind her. He told the man, "She's my lover" in a completely even and confident voice that left absolutely no doubt that she was anything else.
Zelgadis wasn't even really sure himself what caused his sudden change in behavior. It could have been the emotion he felt toward Lina after their meeting with Martina, or it could well have been that he was acting differently in front of this person than normal in order to live up to an altered persona; they say that people act much different than they usually do when they wear masks and there was truth to that.
No matter the initial reason, the chimera was able to act as he did because the merchant was as blind as a bat and would never be able to recognize them for who they really were. It made Zelgadis feel as though he could actually give Lina affection in front of this man – as if someone witnessing the truth of their relationship made it even more tangible and real than keeping it completely secret and hidden away from the entire world.
The girl in his embrace blushed, "Ze-" the chimera pressed a swift and affectionate kiss to her lips to keep her from saying his name and shushed her to make her realize she shouldn't try to say it again. She nodded in understanding, a small enough movement that the aging man couldn't see it.
The merchant smiled happily at them, "Well blessed be! Good luck to the two o' ya down the road then. The world ain't too kind to lovers o' mixed race."
He looked slightly sad all of a sudden, "I might not know much else but I know what I'm talking 'bout this time at least. In my younger years, I had me a beauty of a girl, only problem was, she was of the wolf beastman tribe. Our family's fussed and fought over us til their bickering drove she and me apart. They got what they wanted, but I was never happier than the years I was with my Minka…" He trailed off in a lower voice as if lost in thought, "She had the most beautiful silver fur you'd ever seen."
The merchant came back from his thoughts, "Ended up marryin' a fine human lass eventually though. T'wasn't quite 'missus right' but she was pretty close to it at least an we had a good run up til she died a few years back."
All the frustration that was left in Lina at the old man for mistaking her for a young girl bled away at his short tale. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for him and said, "I know what you mean about people's opinions being unkind. Our friends don't know about our relationship yet." She bit her lip in thought, "I'm not too thrilled about what they may think of it."
Zelgadis arm wrapped around her tighter, apparently he hadn't been the only one to worry about the reactions their companions would have when they found out their secret.
The old man smiled happily to them, "Well ya can choose yer friends. Ya can't choose yer family. If your friends are worth keepin' then they'll be happy for ya."
Lina continued to worry her bottom lip. She didn't know why she felt so compelled to confide in this man. Perhaps it was because she had no outside party to speak to at all about her odd relationship with Zelgadis and Xelloss and she needed some unbiased reassurances more than she had previously thought she did.
She placed her hand over Zel's on her shoulder and patted it once before telling the stranger, "Well, it's a bit more complicated than just him and me…" She ignored the way Zel stiffened against her, if he wanted to argue with her about telling a stranger, who didn't realize who they were, and couldn't even really see them, about their confusing relationships then she'd be more than willing to fight about it later. He'd been the one to start this conversation with the out of the ordinary way he had acted in front of the man anyway.
"You see… the problem they might have is that there's another among our companions… who we're both also involved with." She blushed darkly and cast her glance down to the ground, unable to bare the possible contempt of this likeable stranger for some reason. She also suddenly realized that this questionable information might cause him to throw them out of his shop before they got what they'd come there for.
Zelgadis was clearly blushing at Lina's confession but kept his eyes on the man, almost daring him to say something that would hurt the girl's feelings. Of course, his threatening glare went unheeded as the man couldn't see the look but it was unnecessary anyway. The man's face split into a wide grin and he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ahhh. The lot o' ya got enough love for two do ya? I'm sure ya have plenty o' fun times in the dead a night that'd make anyone else green with jealousy."
Lina and Zel blushed furiously but didn't make any sound or movement to verify or argue his statement.
The dusty old merchant continued to grin widely and asked, "Well, the obvious question is, as odd as this arrangement between ya is, does it make the three a ya happy?"
Lina blinked owlishly at the question. As strange as their relationship was, and between all the games and bickering and one upping each other constantly, she really was happy. In fact, all that stuff was a big part of what made her feel so content. The redhead didn't think she could stomach the real lovey-dovey crap. She didn't think Zelgadis would be able to either and as for Xelloss, it would probably make him terribly sick, despite the Mazoku's claims that positive emotions didn't really affect him after all.
Lina continued to blush and nodded with a shy smile, "Yeah, I guess it does make me happy."
The old man smiled at her kindly, and looked up in Zelgadis' direction, "What about ya?"
The chimera didn't like being under the proverbial magnifying glass like this, even by a man that could barely see.
Zelgadis had been doing a lot of thinking about his relationship with Lina and Xelloss while he was in the library that morning. Despite all the books laid out on the table when the demon had found him, truth be told, the chimera had stared blankly at many of them while he contemplated the recent events in his life.
Throughout the many hours of switching between reading and thinking, Zelgadis had realized then that he was happier than he had been since his body had been cursed. Despite the newfound emotions he felt concerning his two lovers, it was almost maddening to think that his salvation from the darkness he had created for himself had been walking down dirt roads at a mere arm's length away from him for years.
He looked straight into the old man's barely seeing eyes and nodded his head and spoke in a manner that left absolutely no question of how sure he was, "I am happy."
Lina's eyes widened and she turned back to look at Zelgadis from over her shoulder as much as she could. She'd never thought she would ever hear those words come from his lips and certainly not to a stranger.
The chimera saw the surprised look on her face and gave her a small but genuinely happy smile, reinforcing that what he said was the truth.
The old merchant couldn't really see the emotional exchange and pressed on with the topic. "And the other one? How do they see it?"
Lina and Zelgadis both turned back to the pleasant old man. The girl chuckled slightly, "Well it's because of him that this whole thing got started. He certainly seems happy about the arrangement to me."
The man smiled broadly and nodded, "Well then, if the three o' ya are content and pleased, then to hell with everyone who might frown on ya. Everyone's got their own rhythm ya know? What makes one person happy might anger another. What I said 'bout yer friends before still stands true. If they're worth keepin' by yer side, then they'll accept what ya have even if they don't understand it."
He laughed at a thought, "Though when ya do tell 'em you might wanna give 'em a bit for the shock to wear off before ya decide if they're gonna have a real problem or not. Some people just don't handle unexpected surprises that well and can get all mad at something before they give themselves a chance to get it."
Lina and Zelgadis both nodded their heads grimly. Amelia was exactly like that. Neither of them were looking forward to whatever speech about evil, justice, immoral, right and wrong that she would spout off before she actually stopped to consider the way they felt about the unconventional relationship they shared.
As for Filia – well, even if just one of them was involved with Xelloss she'd have kittens over it. If she found out that both of them were involved with the demon… she'd flat out have a cow and beat them to death with her mace before they ever got to see the way she handled the information about their relationship after the shock wore off.
No matter what, they'd have to be sure that Filia never found out about them and Xelloss. The dragon's quick temper whenever the demon was involved and her forgetfulness of her strength spelled almost certain doom for Lina and Zelgadis.
"Well, 'm pretty sure ya didn't come here planning on tellin' an old man about yer worries. Though ah'm happy it seems something ah've said musta eased your minds just a bit." The merchant smiled merrily and nodded to himself. "What is it yer looking for?" He smiled and gestured them farther inside the shop.
The three of them had been standing in a foyer-like area before. The old man ushered them past an archway and into the moderately sized room where he kept most of his goods. Most items were hidden among boxes and crates, ready for quick and easy removal in case the shop needed to be moved in a hurry.
Lina looked around the space appreciatively. The very few items that were left out to see were some real treasures and powerful items.
There was a magically sealed jar with a portion of a lesser Mazoku's swirling vortex of astral presence manifested on the physical plane trapped inside, hexed and cursed weapons, armor and jewelry, vials of ogre's blood, a unicorn's horn, and a staff made of the bone of a large creature, most likely a dragon's, among other things. Lina also thought she saw a knife in its sheath that looked eerily familiar to her sitting on a box on the far side of the room.
Lina stopped in her appraisal of the items scattered around the area, "We're looking for a fang from a golden dragon."
The dusty merchant smiled, happy to be helpful to the couple he'd taken such a liking to. "Ah! Luck has befallen ya. I happen to have a small variety o' dragon fangs. Quite enough to take yer pick from. Plenty o' powerful items can be carved from a golden dragon's ivory."
Lina and Zelgadis smiled in triumph. Dragon fangs weren't commonly found anywhere but inside a dragon's mouth, and those were a little hard to get to. They had worried they might not even be able to find one in Taforashia. That the old merchant had enough to pick from was astonishing.
The girl rubbed her hands together, "Great! Let's see 'em!"
The old man led them over to a stack of boxes in the corner, "Last I seen o' them, they was over here, if'n ya don't mind helping me look through these."
The three of them started on the pile of crates, opening each one and setting it to the side when they found something other than a dragon's tooth inside.
When they worked their way down to the bottom of the pile, the merchant rubbed his neck embarrassed and said apologetically, "Sorry. I guess that son o' mine moved them on me. He's normally here, but took off to gallivant around the festival today with that new girl o' his. Otherwise I'd ask 'im where he put the damn things."
Lina shrugged, frustrated that they'd be wasted more time, but happy to put her hands on all the treasure she found, "We'll just have to look for them ourselves."
After the third stack of boxes, Lina got up and stretched, giving herself a short break. She sauntered around the room slowly and when she walked past the knife she'd seen earlier she stopped to look down at it and stare in wide eyed shock.
It really was that same stupid knife! The one that had a curse on it that whoever looked at their reflection in the blade went berserk. The very same knife that was among the treasure with the statue that hid the sorcerer's stone from when she had met Zelgadis.
However the cursed blade had ended up in this very store was one of those rare coincidences that kept life interesting.
Lina picked up the small weapon, careful to keep it in its sheath, and looked at it with a feeling of nostalgia. She hated the stupid thing, but at the same time, finding it was like finding a long lost personal treasure.
The sorceress fondly remembered when she and Gourry first met Zelgadis during the early night hours of her inn room. She reflected on just how much the chimera had changed over the years. No matter what, his overall personality had always been gruff and irritable.
Even though he was still very much the same cranky chimera, Zelgadis had slowly opened up and allowed himself to once again enjoy life in bits and pieces. As the years had passed, the shaman had changed just as much as he stayed the same.
Lina smiled happily at the knife and turned back to where Zelgadis was still helping the old man go through boxes, "Hey Ze- uh… Hey!" She cut herself off from saying his name and walked over to him happily showing him the knife.
"Remember this?" She wiggled it in her hands just a bit.
The old man turned to see what she was going on about and squinted at the small weapon. He was close enough to her and the knife to realize what it was she'd picked up. "Hey now missy. Careful with that, it's got a mean curse on it."
She smiled happily at him, "Don't worry. He and I have come across this particular item before."
Zelgadis' eyebrows creased as he tried to remember where he'd seen the object before, "We have?"
Lina smirked, "I don't blame you if you don't remember. You only saw it once or maybe twice before I got rid of it. So I'll tell you…" She continued to grin, "Remember the night we met and you came to buy that Orihalcon statue from me without telling me which item I had that it was you wanted to buy? Well this was that other item." She wiggled the knife in her grasp again and smirked.
Zelgadis' eyebrows shot up in recognition, "It really is the same knife isn't it? How the hell did it wind up here?"
The old merchant laughed out right, "Must be a day that was blessed just for ya. Imagine that! Finding an item from the day ya met, just laying about my shop after ya talked about yer worries with yer relationships with this ol' merchant . Ceiphied 'imself must favor ya kindly. Must be his way of tellin' ya not to fret." He smiled happily at the pair.
Lina smiled just as happily back at him. "I hate the curse on the stupid thing, but how much do you want for it?"
The dusty man waved at her dismissively with a big smile on his face. "Take it free o' charge. Honestly, I'd be happy to be rid o' the damn thing. My stupid son went and got the curse on it put on 'imself. Was quite a hassle he was. Thankful, my other son, who be a skilled white magic healer, was visiting at the time. Got his brother fixed up 'afore he could be a real pest." The merchant laughed heartily, "'Course he knocked 'im out cold 'afore he rid the curse."
Lina snickered. She bet that would have been fun to see.
She nodded in appreciation, "Thank you Mister…" She trailed off, realizing that she didn't know what to call him.
The old man went back to looking through boxes, "Ye can call me Marstaf." He turned back to grin at her, "But I'm trustin' ya not to tell no one. Business I'm in - don't want too many folks to know yer name."
Lina nodded in understanding, "I'm…" She trailed off once again at Zelgadis' quick, warning glance. Realizing that she knew she shouldn't reveal her identity to the man. Although… now that she thought of it… was there any reason to keep it a secret? The kindly old man probably wouldn't kick them out, knowing they were among the 'Saviors of Taforashia' and he wasn't likely to go gossiping around town about what they'd told him of their curious relationship.
The sorceress was saved from her decision when old Marstaf turned back to her once more with another smile. "'S alright missy. If'n ya don't feel comfy giving me yer real name, ya can make one up. I know makin' deals with a merchant tradin' in the wares I do - most people are antsy to give their names."
That wasn't the reason at all. Lina didn't really care if someone found out she was shopping in a questionable magic shop - though if Amelia found out, she might regret it if only because she'd have to listen to the self-righteous princess's scolding.
She smiled at the man and finally said, "Um… I guess you can call me Lulu."
Zelgadis nearly choked on air. Would Lina ever let that stupid name die?
The chimera looked up to see Marstaf and Lina looking at him expectantly. It must have been his turn to make up a name…
"You… uh… you can call me Rodimus."
Lina's eyebrow shot up. She hadn't heard that name in a long time. Apparently, Zelgadis could only come up with names of comrades who had died when put on the spot to think up a false identity. Lina's names might be stupid, but she made them up herself.
Marstaf smiled happily and shook both of their hands briefly. "Well met." He told them before turning to the next box in the pile and opening it.
Lina tucked the knife onto her belt and moved to help them go through more boxes. "So, how'd a nice guy like you get wrapped up selling items you could get in trouble for anyway? All the other people I've met that are in the same market as you are real jackasses."
The old merchant continued to squint his eyes, trying to see what was in the box in his hands, "Used to own a normal magic shop. Eventually, I realized that there were plenty 'o banned items that people needed to get for their work that couldn't be gotten in an honest way."
He turned back to smile at her again, "Most the questionable stuff in my shop I got myself from the original owners willingly." He chuckled, "Like the dragon teeth. Some o' them fell from the mouths o' babes when their adult ones came in, and some o' them were knocked clear out o' mouths from fightin'."
Marstaf gestured around his shop. "Even the stuff here made o' bone and the like, came from critters that were already dead when they were found. If I know better, I only trade in the items I sit well with. Meanin' I don't ever deal with hunters."
Lina looked back at the vials of ogre's blood and pointed, "Even the blood?"
He nodded, knowing what she was pointing at without being able to see it, "Yep. Them ogres traded me some o' their blood willingly in exchange for some o' my foodstuffs. T'was no big deal to them. They healed right up faster'n a minute."
He continued on, moving the box he had out of the way and grabbing another, "Me an my boy do a lot o' traveling. Only stay in one place at a time no longer n' a year. We was in Vezendy last. Did a bit o' wandering around to various places on our way here and ended up in Taf'rashia in the spring." He chuckled as he opened the box in hand and shook his head, "Way that son o' mine fancies that girl though, he might end up stayin' here the next time I move."
Marstaf grinned as his eyes squinted and focused on the object inside the new box. "Aha! Finally! Here's one o' them. Bet the others are in the crates underneath."
The old merchant handed the opened box to Zelgadis, who took it and looked inside. Sure enough, it was a fang from a dragon, and if old Marstaf was to be believed, it was from a golden dragon.
He continued to open the crates underneath and eventually five boxes were opened before Lina and Zelgadis, every one with only enough room for one fang to sit inside each.
The old merchant stood up from his seat on the floor and gestured to the boxes, "Ya can take yer pick of whatever one ya want."
Lina and Zelgadis talked with each other briefly, discussing which one they should take. They picked one in fairly good condition that was about medium sized and not much bigger than they needed for their purposes. Even though it was 'medium' sized it still weighed a good twenty pounds.
The sorceress reached for her coin purse while Zelgadis put the lid back on the box and moved it to the side and made to put the rest of Marstaf's boxes back together again.
"How much did you want for this?" Lina asked while counting out how much she had with her.
The old merchant rubbed his chin. "Hmm, how does five gold sound to you?"
Lina's eyebrows shot up. She was expecting to pay much more than that. "Five gold?" She asked him skeptically.
Marstaf chuckled, "Yea, that fang ya picked came from a dragon up in them mountains to the north who'd been in a scuffle with another. Me an my boy happened to see it too. Was when we were on our way here, back in the earliest parts o' spring. They was fighting over power or somethin'. The one that got his tooth knocked out came out on top in the end though. I asked 'im if he minded if'n we took his fang. Said it did him no good anymore so we got it for free."
He smiled at Lina, "Wouldn't be right if I charged ya an arm an a leg for something I got for nothin' and no effort no matter how valuable it's worth."
The sorceress tilted her head to the side. Marstaf was definitely cut from a different cloth that she was. If it had been her, she still would have charge full price and then some.
Lina shook her head with a smile, almost unable to believe what she was about to do, and reached into her coin purse and pulled out seven gold pieces. It was still much cheaper than she had expected to pay, but it was unlike her to not give the lesser amount and run.
She handed the money out to Marstaf, "Here's seven. Buy yourself a pair of glasses with the extra."
The old merchant looked happily surprised as he took the coins, "Mercy be! Thank ye kindly miss Lulu. I'll do just that!"
Zelgadis could scarcely believe it himself that Lina was being so generous. Old man Marstaf didn't know just how lucky he was to get the extra coins from her.
The merchant was easily likeable though. He was definitely the kind of old man that Zelgadis wouldn't mind meeting up with in a bar and listening to him tell all the stories he undoubtedly had over a couple of mugs of mead. He'd learned quite a few interesting and sometimes useful things from the stories Rodimus had told him that way.
The pair thanked the dusty old Marstaf and after a few more friendly words and a fond farewell, they eventually left the back alley shop. Lina lead the way down the streets with a happy and purposeful stride to her step as Zelgadis followed her, carrying the box that held the main ingredient for their latest project to even the score with Xelloss.
AN
I hope Lina and Zel weren't too out of character in this chapter. I'm trying to show how their emotions and feelings and a bit of their personalities have been and are starting to change. I know I haven't gotten too much into Xelloss' head yet but there is a reason :3 and that's a secret!
Aachi's currency conversion for RC- 1 gold piece = 100 US dollars :P Lina expected to pay like 20 so giving 7 was still a huge deal.
I know this is the first time I mentioned what time frame we're looking at in this story and I said Lina was 19. We never really know exactly how old she is during Slayers though. Only that she 'looks 15 or 16' So I'm gonna say that by the end of Slayers Evolution-R Lina was probably 18, so this story would be happening more or less a year after that. Oh and I think Zel was maybe 20 or so during Slayers… so I'm saying he's 23 here.
I really intended to write about what it is exactly that Lina and Zel are making in this chapter, but old man Marstaf totally invented himself and helped turn the chapter into a complete character/relationship development chapter for Lina and Zel lol. *shrug* oh well. I think it worked out well at least, and although he's an OC that invented himself, I really like Marstaf a lot. I might just have to have them bump into him again sometime. :P That stupid knife inserted itself into my story too! It was just supposed to be like a little easter egg or something but the more I thought about it, the more I thought how something like that might seem important to Lina and Zel now. Like a little special treasure. Now that they have it again I'm definitely going to have to weave it into the story to be at least a little important at some point…. Hmmm *starts plotting*
Next chapter will definitely reveal what Lina and Zel are plotting :D I can promise that!
I've read that there are really elves running around Lina's world but they're very rarely seen, and Lina herself has only met like two before. I honestly don't know the difference between the different elf races, but didn't really see a reason to research it because old man Marstaf wouldn't know the difference either LOL "blue skin and long pointy ears? Ya must be a night elf I reckon!" LOL
For those who have seen or read 'Howl's Moving Castle' you may have giggled to yourself when you saw 'Sophie's magic shop'. I know telling you is a spoiler, but in the original novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Sophie is actually a fledgling sorceress herself. She just doesn't realize she has magic capabilities until halfway through the book AND she's a red head with long red hair and even freckles. And with Howl and Xelloss sharing the same haircut in the movie version, it really makes me want to draw Xelloss as Howl and Lina as Sophie :3 Zel can be Calcifer! ...no… that might be weird LOL
OMG lots of Author's notes this time! Lots of little tidbits to share with you though! Lol
Please review! Marstaf will tell ya stories 'bout the old days!