Slayers: A Past Reborn

Chapter Four: Suspicious Crazy People Everywhere

___________________________________________________

After waking, fighting to hide the embarrassment about the way they woke up (O.O snuggling) and a big meal, they decided to stay another night. After all, they had no place to be. So they decided that they would go shopping at the bazaar being held in the Towns Square. As they walked into the main street, Lina spotted what she was looking for, the town's Magic Shop. `After all the bad dreams I've been having, maybe I can find a ward or something,` she thought to herself.

"Um, I'm gonna go check out the magic shop Gourry"

Gourry looked up from the weapons booth he was admiring, "Oh, ok Lina. I'll meet you at the inn later, okay?"

"K." Lina took off. She still was feeling a little bit uneasy around him right then.

After all the bandits that they had...brought to justice...they both had plenty of spending cash to waste. Gourry wandered around the market, looking for something to catch his eye. As he wandered by a jewelry booth, something shiny caught his eye (come on, of COURSE something shiny would catch his eye ^_^). Leaning in for a closer look, he saw that it was a necklace, with a gold chain. dangling off the end was a gold and silver petaled rose with a red jewel in the middle. The jewel reminded him of Lina's eyes...he could see it on her.

"Ah! An excellent choice sir! Who's the lucky lady?" an old woman suddenly bounded out of nowhere, smiling brightly at him.

"Huh?"

"The necklace...who is the lucky lady that it would catch your eye?"

"Oh, um...I'm just looking," Gourry said, getting flustered.

"Oh, but a handsome man like you MUST have a girlfriend!"

"Nope! Just Lina!"

"Ah...and this Lina...just a friend?"

"Well, I'm her protector and all..."

"Oh, then what better way to show your feelings than this?" she gestured to the necklace.

"Oh!" Gourry laughed nervously, "She'd probably hit me!"

"You never know... women can suprise you."

After further haggling with the very persuasive and over bearing old woman, Gourry bought the necklace. Walking back to the inn, he stopped as a thought crossed his mind, "Now, how do I GIVE this to her??" He turned away from the inn and decided to walk around until he could think of something.

Meanwhile, Lina had found that the magic shop was a complete wash for good dream amulets. However, she did find some books about dreams and so she bought them and headed back to the inn as well.

As she was walking back, she passed a jewelry stand manned by an old woman. Stopping to just amuse herself, she was suprised when the woman looked at her and smiled brightly.

"I know the perfect thing for you my dear!"

Lina, a bit taken back at this, looked at the woman skeptically, "Oh yeah?"

"Yes." The old woman reached into a bag and pulled out a box. "Believe me, this belongs with you." She handed the box to Lina.

Opening it, Lina gasped at what was inside. An amulet, about the size of her demon's blood ones, was inside. Silver and gold petals formed around a red gem in the middle. Looking up at the lady, Lina asked, "How much? And what do you mean, it belongs with me?"

The old lady smiled, "Some things I know. And for you my dear, 20 gold pieces."

"20! Only 20?" Lina smiled triumphantly, then looked at the lady, suspicion creeping in again, "Why so cheep? What's wrong with it?"

"Oh nothing my dear. But, I've had it for so long, I want someone else to relish it. Just promise me that you will keep it with you till the time is right."

"Time is right for what?"

"You'll know...some things are only made certain with time."

"Um...ok then! 20 gold pieces it is!" Lina happily paid the old woman, then turned and began her trek back to the inn. The old woman smiled and pocketed the change. Leaving her booth unattended, she entered a nearby ally and the gray hair slowly turned to a bright gold color, the wrinkles disappeared and there, instead of a old woman was an young girl, about age 15.

"My Lord..." She whispered into the air and a dark portal appeared, with only a voice coming thru it.

"Is it done Lara?"

"Yes My Lord...Lina Inverse now possess's one of the talismans. Soon two."

"Very well done Lara...now all we need to do is direct the third towards her and it will be done. Go, search for it now."

"Yes My Lord..." the portal closed and the girl pulled the hood of her battered cloak over her head and went back to the bazaar.

__________________________________________________________________

Lina sat down on her bed and sighed. Opening the box holding the amulet, she thought to herself `at least the day wasn't a total wash...` she had really wanted to find a dream ward.

"I wonder where Gourry is?" she thought out loud. "Knowing him, he probably is STILL wandering around out there....What should I do until supper? Maybe I'll take a nap...why am I talking out loud?" she started laughing at herself, knowing that it wasn't a good sign when you talked to yourself that much. Deciding on the nap idea, she placed the amulet box and her books on the night table, then laid down. No sooner than she had closed her eyes, than there was a knock at the door.

Getting up, slightly annoyed, she went to the door and opened it. There was two younger girls, about 13 and 14, looking very much like sisters, smiling insanely at her.

"Hi! I'm Mandy!-"

"And I'm Candy!"

"And we would like to invite you to the party!" they said in unison.

Lina, eyes wide, was trying to decide between fireballing them, running and screaming, or actually talking to them. She decided that talking would be the most appropriate.

"Um....what party?" Oh great Lina, she thought to herself, ask them something that will probably require a long response.

Sure enough... "Well," Mandy took a deep breath, " See, this bazaar is held every year to remind us all of how it was spared during a battle a while ago between neighboring countries, that are united now, by the way, so we hold this every year and every night we have a party, and since it just started today, and your here, we decided to invite you to it! There's a theme every night and tonight is the costume ball! Tomorrow is the come-as-your-favorite-dark lord night, and then after that there's the-"

"Woah! Hold up! Come as your favorite Dark Lord night? What?"

"Well, that's tomorrow! I don't know if you'll still be here or not, but you could come to that too! Tonight is the costume ball though, and by the way, even though we're "inviting" you, the townspeople and especially my dad, the mayor of this town, will see it as a really REALLY big insult if guests, meaning you, don't attend and he will probably end up running you out of town with a big mob of dressed up townsfolk carrying torches and pitchforks!"

"Um....." Lina was speechless, for once.

"Soooo...." Candy chipped in, "If you go to the shop across the street, you can get a costume! They have a lot so they'll have one for you for sure! And accoording to the inn keeper you have a guy friend with you too, so you better get one for him too or else we'll still run you both out of town, ok?" Thru this whole conversation, Mandy and Candy's smiles had not left their faces.

"Um...ok"

"Ok! Buh By-e!" they said in unison again and left, leaving a very speechless, very exhausted from just HEARING them talk, Lina.

________________________________________________________________________