AN:In the novels, I was confused over what, if any, honorifics Amelia used to address Lina and whether or not Lina used them for Amelia because she does address her as"Miss Amelia" in The Battle of Saillune. I asked kaette-kita about it and she explained that in the The Battle of Saillune novel they both use honorifics (san) for each other, but at the end of the book they agree to address each other by their given names and don't use honorifics for the later books, however, this exchange was left out of the official translation. I wish the official novels had kept that part of the book in because it shows a growing friendship between Lina and Amelia that is harder to see in the novels. So in keeping with that I'm just going to have Amelia address Lina as Lina and will eventually get around to editing earlier chapters.
Apparently in the new 16th novel Amelia is once again using honorifics with Lina, but since this now occurs in an AU, we'll just overlook that ;-)
You can do this Lina! You defeated Shabranigdu, twice! Lina thought to herself as she walked down the stairs with Gourry the next morning and tried to get mentally pumped for what lay before her. You can survive for a few weeks with a bunch of diplomats and Naga. You've got this!
"Lady Inverse." Jean-Luc said as he came up to her, "Here is the information you asked for."
"Thanks." She said as she took it and started scanning it.
"Have a safe trip!"
"We will." Gourry said as they made their way to the dining room.
When they got in they found that most everyone else was already there. Naga was talking to the assorted diplomats, who didn't seem put off by her in the least. In fact, the representative from one of the Coastal Alliance kingdoms was dressed in a yellow outfit that while not quite as revealing as Naga's, was considerably less than Lina would considering wearing to such an event. The Eternal Queen was there as well, and Maeve was seated beside her, looking very pleased with herself. Her parents and Luna were also there, the only ones missing were Amelia and Zelgadis.
"Good morning," The Eternal Queen said.
"Morning." Lina said as she inclined her head respectfully before she sat down. From the corner of her eye she saw that Gourry was very deliberately looking at the food on the table.
"The carriages have arrived." Luna explained, and Lina's eyebrows raised, but then she considered that the diplomats around the table did not look as hardy as Amelia and Naga and likely preferred a more pampered life. "Once you get to the border we have arranged for transportation via camel to the capital city of Elmeki where the Emperor currently resides."
"Yeah, Jean-Luc has it on good word that he never lets the device off his person." Lina said as she continued to go through her notes, "And I can't argue with that logic."
"We can't either." Luna agreed.
"We're going to ride camels?" Maeve butted in.
"It's the best way to travel in the Elmekian Empire." Gourry explained, "They can walk on the sand more easily than us, they're sturdy and hardy and don't need a lot of food and water, and they even provide milk."
Leave it to Gourry to know all about camels of all things. Lina thought to herself.
"Yuck!" Maeve exclaimed. "There's no way I'm drinking camel milk!"
"How is it any less disgusting than what comes out of a cow?" Gourry asked as the doors opened and Amelia came in.
"Where's Zel?" Naga asked her.
"He wasn't feeling well." Amelia explained chipperly as she sat down. "He's been having sympathy symptoms."
"Zel!?" Lina exclaimed. "He's the least sympathetic person I've ever met!"
"I didn't realize you were feeling poorly." Leia said, "I know some remedies."
Amelia waved her away, "I'm feeling fine. Zel is just very empathetic and is feeling it all for me."
Lina managed to keep her snicker behind her hand. More of Zel wanted an excuse to dodge his sister-in-law.
"You're not sick, are you?" Maeve asked Amelia.
"Not in the least." Amelia said, "Just expecting."
"Oh!" Maeve said as her eyes grew wide.
"So, Sis, I hear that you and Lina used to travel with each other." Amelia said.
"Yeah, I was there for all of Lina's firsts." Naga said, loudly and proudly.
Lina went tense as she realized a dangerous path was being opened at that very table as Naga started said, "The first time she killed a vampire, first time she got a big haul, the first time she got drunk…"
Lina spat out her oatmeal as people around the table started laughing. Lina didn't dare look at her parents, but she was very aware that Maeve was taking too much of an interest, "Let's not bring that up!"
"But you puked all over that merchant! It was so funny. You are such a light weight afterall." Naga said as Lina's hair stood on end.
"I bet you have a lot of interesting stories." Maeve said conspiratorially.
Oh ho ho! NO! Lina thought to herself. This was horrible! No good would come of this! But how could she stop this trip down ignominy lane now that Naga was a princess and she had to be respectful!? Did she dare use the ammunition she had gathered?
Naga laughed. "Oh boy do I ever! Do you know the sheer number of times she chased after ways to grow her breasts only to find disappointing results? There were hot springs cures, magic potions, spells, now I guess she's just waiting for that husband to knock her up…"
Lina felt her body go into a full on blush as she decided she didn't give a damn about Naga's rank anymore. Nothing that Luna could do to her would be worse than letting this continue! Lina firmly stepped on Naga's foot, "Oh did I do that on purpose? I am so sorry! But now that you're bringing up old times…" she said as she brought out a piece of paper she had worked on the previous night, just in case, "Here is an itemized bill of all of the money that the Kingdom of Saillune owes me."
"What!?" Naga and Amelia exclaimed.
"Those times you skipped out on the restaurant and left me to pay?" Lina said, "Well I'm calling it in! Unless you want your daddy to see this."
Amelia leaned over and looked at the tab and her mouth dropped, "Sis, this is more than our yearly stipend!"
"Of course, I might be persuaded to forget this. If you watch your mouth very, very carefully." Lina said as the diplomats started whispering to each other and the mood around the table changed.
Naga turned red and yelled, "You always were an overbearing runt!"
Lina was surprised when she got up and stormed out. She shook her head and went back to her breakfast and hoped that her parents wouldn't start ribbing her. Right now she didn't want to look at them. The diplomats continued whispering as Maeve looked at Lina wide eyed and disapproving. Only Luna looked pleased. Meanwhile, the Eternal Queen beckoned Amelia over.
Lina ate in silence as the Eternal Queen and Amelia started whispering to each other as Luna laughed, "For once your ability to never forget a debt comes in handy."
"It's not the first time." Lina said, beaming a bit about managing to wheedle a bit of admiration from her sister. If Luna was pleased, then she couldn't have done too badly. Or at least, that's what she would have thought if the reaction from everyone in the room who was of noble blood wasn't of shock. "I once got Xellos to fix a greenhouse over an unpaid debt."
Luna's eyebrows raised in approval, but then she looked around and started to pick up on the strange vibe in the room. A look of confusion crossed Luna's face as the feeling that Lina had somehow committed a huge faux pas grew. Lina glanced at her parents, who seemed just as baffled as Luna, and then she looked at Gourry, but he was still busy keeping all of his focus on his plate. Lina was stumped. How could calling Naga on her debts be worse than rehashing her youthful indiscretions, especially in from of one of her students? That Maeve would return to class with a armful of inappropriate stories about her was something that Lina simply could not risk!
Eventually Amelia and the Eternal Queen wrapped up their conversation, and Amelia immediately walked up to Lina and asked to speak to her privately. "We don't have a lot of time." Lina pointed out.
"I know, I will make it quick." Amelia said.
"Right. Can Gourry come?"
"Sure." Amelia said.
"Right," Lina replied as she walked with Gourry and Amelia to a large closet and went into it.
Amelia closed and locked the door and the said in a quiet voice, "Look, Sis wasn't trying to embarrass you. She was trying to get the upper hand with the other diplomats."
"What are you talking about!?" Lina asked a bit too loudly, "How can you possibly defend that…"
"Look, all them already think highly of you. Sis knew that. She was attempting to show them that you knew each other on a personal level so that she would have more leverage in any disagreements or negotiations that occur during the trip."
"None of this makes any sense!" Lina said, "First off this isn't a diplomatic mission…"
"It is! Whenever you have two diplomats, it's a diplomatic mission! What else do you think is going to go on in that carriage to pass away the days before you get to Elmeki!?"
Lina sighed. "But why embarrass me? Why not talk about something flattering?"
"Because it shows a surface level relationship!" Amelia explained, "You really know someone when you know the embarrassing things about them. And look, everyone gets drunk, everyone has something they don't like about their body. She's not saying anything that those other diplomats can't relate to."
"But Maeve can't!" Lina said, "The last thing I need is to look like a poor role model for her."
"She has a point." Gourry said, "If Maeve comes home with a bunch of stories about what Lina's done then all of those little kids will think it's okay to act just like Lina, and I don't think the world can survive that!"
Lina turned and hissed at him, and Gourry put his arms up defensively, "I was trying to help!"
"It won't change how Maeve sees you. I think this is just one of those differences between royalty and commoners." Amelia explained.
"I don't see you doing that! Or the Eternal Queen." Lina said.
"As the younger daughter, I was never expected to be a diplomat. I was supposed to be a Shrine Maiden until I got married." Amelia explained, "The Eternal Queen knows that commoners have a different set of social norms. She gets why you were embarrassed and did what you did. But you also just blew up Sis' chance of getting the diplomatic upper hand."
Lina shook her head, feeling flabbergasted over the strange world she had found herself in, "So what was I supposed to do?"
"Shot a few embarrassing scenarios back at her!" Amelia replied as though it should have been obvious.
"But yesterday the Eternal Queen was telling me to watch my mouth!" Lina said as she added, "Besides, just by appearing in public she's a walking embarrassment!"
Amelia slumped forward and sighed. "Look, it's a balancing act between being friendly hostile and hostile hostile. Yesterday you were hostile hostile."
Lina still felt exasperated, "Well I wasn't raised in a palace so excuse me for not knowing the difference!"
"Think of it this way, everything with royals is about getting the upper hand and having a stronger card to play. Find a way to strengthen her hand."
"I'm finding a way to destroy Hellmaster's device!" Lina retorted, "I don't have time for your petty politics!"
Amelia turned red as her hands bunched into fists, "Then maybe you should give protecting your reputation as little consideration as you do our petty politics!"
She then threw open the door and stormed out. Lina folded her arms across her chest and sighed. Gourry looked after Amelia nervously as he said, "You don't think there's going to be trouble from this?"
"She's newly pregnant and hormonal." Lina said dismissively, "She'll get over it when she hears about the next outrage of justice."
"Right." Gourry said uncertainly.
"Look, I can't have Naga spreading stories, lies about me destroying cities and getting drunk and anything else that sullies my reputation to these kids! I don't know what politics Saillune is wanting to play, but it's not my concern." Lina flared defensively.
"I'm on your side." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder, "It just feels like a wrecking ball hit Maninstit hard."
Lina sighed and leaned back to him and considered that while Gourry may like breasts, he also hated conflict, and suddenly felt a lot more assured that any attraction he may have seen in Naga would have broken under the weight of the discord she could sow. She smiled a bit as a plan started to take shape. "I guess it did."
"Naga!" Lina said perkily and with a smile as she got to the lawn where the carriages were waiting, along with the assembled diplomats, Lina's family and the Eternal Queen. Naga turned and favored her with a dirty look. "Following me around again like the load of goldfish poop that you are!"
Luna's mouth dropped open as Naga looked at her skeptically while Amelia covered her mouth with her hand. Naga, meanwhile, said, "Who's following who now?"
"I'd always wondered where you'd gone off to." Lina said as she put a hand on her back and checked in with Amelia to see if she was on the friendly hostile side, "I figured you'd drunk yourself into a two-year coma because what else could have kept us apart? Anyway, I insist that you ride with Gourry and me so we can catch up on old times."
Luna and her parents looked confused, but the Eternal Queen seemed unperturbed. Amelia, meanwhile, smiled and winked. "Have a pleasant trip."
"We will." Lina said.
Naga still didn't seem ready to forgive as she said petulantly, "I get a window seat."
Lina got in beside her and whispered, "Look, we'll go over which embarrassing anecdotes are safe to share and which ones you take to your grave. Deal?"
"They do have to have an impact!" Naga insisted.
"I've got twenty-two kids who look up to me!" Lina said.
"And I'm sure several of them relate to wanting bigger breasts. Or to wanting to change their bodies through other magical means." Naga pointed out.
Lina clutched her temples as Gourry got in. On the one hand she had a point. But she didn't want her to have a point. Especially when she was in a carriage with two people with perfect bodies, even if their brains were a bit lacking. Naga continued, "Even with your puny breasts you managed to land a man who anyone would envy. Why are you still so sensitive about it?"
Lina bristled. Could she really agree to this? "I'll think about it."
"It's either that or that one time you got drunk and the cities that you destroyed…"
"You have a lot of nerve bringing up that one time! Especially when you do it every day! And you were the ones who destroyed those cities!" Lina shot back.
"Who will people believe, a princess or a commoner?" Naga replied.
"Oh, why am I bothering with this again?" Lina exclaimed as she leaned back in her seat.
"Just admit that you like me more than you've ever let one." Naga said with a smile.
"In your dreams." Lina replied as Maeve got in the carriage. And then she decided it was time to change the topic, "So where did you run off to anyway?"
"There was a village on Cebu Island that offered me the most delicious rum for free in exchange for my protection." Naga said, "But I drank them dry a few months ago. Decided to come back to the mainland and found so much had changed!"
Lina smiled, "So you did drink yourself into a two-year coma!"
Naga's mouth dropped as the representatives from Ralteague and Lyzeille came in. Lina leaned back against her seat and prepared herself to feel the movement of the carriage at any moment. Instead she heard her mother yell, "Lina Inverse! Don't you dare think of leaving for a few weeks without saying good bye to me first!"
Lina raced for the door and nearly bowled over an ambassador as she said, "Right away, Mom!"