Twelve - Into Confusion
Zelgadiss, Lina and Gourry sat at a round table in the Inn. Lina and Gourry inhaling food as Zel calmly drank his coffee. It almost felt like old times. Except for the empty place Zel kept glancing at. 'Amelia...'
Suddenly, a certain annoying, smiling, purple-haired priest appeared. "My, my. What have we here? n_n"
Zelgadiss clinched his fist, but remained silent. Lina blinked, stopping in mid-chew. "Xelloss!" Gourry just grinned and saw this as an opportunity to take Lina's food. She glanced back at him and whacked him over the head. "Baka! That's MINE!" Lina yelled, reclaiming the chicken leg.
Xelloss chuckled, gaining their attention again. "I see you've come back, Zelgadiss. What changed your mind? n_n"
"You stay out of this, Xelloss." He glared. "Or I'm leaving. I'm not in the mood to put up with you."
Lina ignored Zelgadiss' usual behavior and focused on Xelloss. "What do you know, Xelloss?"
Xelloss smiled at her. "You mean you're asking me straight on? No bribes? No threats?"
Lina palms pounded on the table as she rose to her feet. Her ruby eyes narrowed as she glared at Xelloss, inches from his smiling face. Gourry cringed in the background while Zelgadiss' expressionless expression hadn't changed.
"TELL ME." Lina hissed.
Xelloss sweatdropped. "It's, uh.. not that easy, Lina-san."
Lina reached up and grabbed a handful of Xelloss' clothing, fangs protruded her snarl. "TELL ME NOW."
Xelloss sweatdropped again, making no effort to release himself from Lina's grip. "I supposed I could tell you what I know."
"Really?!" Lina's eyes lit up as she clenched her fists to her chest, letting Xelloss go.
He raised an eyebrow. "Well..." Lina's kawaii expression changed instantly into a moah-style glare. "Alright, alright. ^^; I'll tell you." Xelloss waved a gloved hand, motioning for her to sit down.
Lina grabbed a random food item from Gourry's plate and turned her gaze back to Xelloss.
"Hey! T.T" Gourry complained, unnoticed.
Xelloss cleared his throat, lifted a finger, and began his story. "Well, you see, Lina, I understand that someone is trying to frame you. And they're doing a good job of it. Although, this person is not mortal and they obviously want something from you, correct?"
"Why're you asking me?! That's what you said!" Lina snapped.
Xelloss glanced at Zelgadiss who was just now taking in all of the information with a raised brow.
"So what does someone like that want from me?" Lina asked.
"That is the part you have to figure out on your own." Xelloss wagged a finger, still grinning. Lina frowned. "The only way you're going to do that, is to communicate with this.. being." Lina nodded slowly. "Since you're having these visions after the deaths, someone will have to watch you 24/7. And when you're in that state of mind, they will instruct you to get in touch with the Dark Lord. Then you can figure out his motive."
"Dark Lord?! What did you say?!" Lina's eyes bugged.
Xelloss chuckled. "Oops. It seems I've said too much already. I'll be going now." With a quick wave, he phased out.
"ARGH!!!" Lina smashed a fist on the table. "That JERK!"
"You should be used to it by now, Lina." Zelgadiss commented calmly, taking another sip of coffee.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm OKAY with it!" She complained, practically ripping out her hair as she spoke.
Gourry coughed. "A-anyway, Lina. If someone's going to watch you 24/7... does that mean we have to watch you take a bath too?"
=WHACK!=
----
Later on that day, Lina sat cross-legged on the bed in the third room the group had rented. "This is stupid. What the heck is Xelloss talking about?"
"It probably has to do with when the murders occur. That's when the Dark Lord's energy is present. If we can meet with the actual culprit, we'll be able to get at least somewhere." Zel suggested.
Lina thought about that, glancing over at Gourry. He was already falling asleep. "Hey Gourry!!" She yelled, causing him to jump. "I want some food."
"Why don't you just go get some?" He blinked.
"You jellyfish brain, I can't leave. So you have to go get it for me."
Zel sighed. He knew that Lina could do anything as long as she was watched. But he decided not to intervene in her pathetic excuse to use Gourry once again.
"Do I really?" He sighed.
"Of course! You can get some for yourself too." She smiled sweetly.
"Hey! I don't have to have your permission. I'll get food if I want it." He frowned and walked out the door. Lina and Zelgadiss just blinked after him.
Lina sighed. "I still don't see why I have to be 'watched'. It's probably just another one of Xelloss' stupid things."
Zelgadiss looked up at her. "This is serious, Lina."
She blinked.
"I know you try to be cheerful and cover up your feelings and pretend like nothing's happened. But we've got to focus. This isn't one of Xelloss' stupid games. Amelia and Raymia have been murdered. With your sword. And apparently there's some Dark Lord involved with this. Don't sit around and take this so lightly."
Lina sat there blinking at him. "H-hai." She blushed and looked away. 'Darn. How does he know so much about me? :P'
Zelgadiss and Lina sat in silence until Gourry came back with the food. Lina nearly pounced on the table to make sure she got her share. It'd been too weird with her and Zel just sitting there. She needed some diversion, something to occupy her. And food was just the thing.
"Hey! That's MINE, Gourry!" Lina growled.
"Says who?!" He glared back, standing his ground.
"SAYS ME!" Lina whacked him in the head and stole the sausage back.
Zel sighed as they continued to fight in the background. "This is going to be a long 24 hours." v_v=3
Zelgadiss, Lina and Gourry sat at a round table in the Inn. Lina and Gourry inhaling food as Zel calmly drank his coffee. It almost felt like old times. Except for the empty place Zel kept glancing at. 'Amelia...'
Suddenly, a certain annoying, smiling, purple-haired priest appeared. "My, my. What have we here? n_n"
Zelgadiss clinched his fist, but remained silent. Lina blinked, stopping in mid-chew. "Xelloss!" Gourry just grinned and saw this as an opportunity to take Lina's food. She glanced back at him and whacked him over the head. "Baka! That's MINE!" Lina yelled, reclaiming the chicken leg.
Xelloss chuckled, gaining their attention again. "I see you've come back, Zelgadiss. What changed your mind? n_n"
"You stay out of this, Xelloss." He glared. "Or I'm leaving. I'm not in the mood to put up with you."
Lina ignored Zelgadiss' usual behavior and focused on Xelloss. "What do you know, Xelloss?"
Xelloss smiled at her. "You mean you're asking me straight on? No bribes? No threats?"
Lina palms pounded on the table as she rose to her feet. Her ruby eyes narrowed as she glared at Xelloss, inches from his smiling face. Gourry cringed in the background while Zelgadiss' expressionless expression hadn't changed.
"TELL ME." Lina hissed.
Xelloss sweatdropped. "It's, uh.. not that easy, Lina-san."
Lina reached up and grabbed a handful of Xelloss' clothing, fangs protruded her snarl. "TELL ME NOW."
Xelloss sweatdropped again, making no effort to release himself from Lina's grip. "I supposed I could tell you what I know."
"Really?!" Lina's eyes lit up as she clenched her fists to her chest, letting Xelloss go.
He raised an eyebrow. "Well..." Lina's kawaii expression changed instantly into a moah-style glare. "Alright, alright. ^^; I'll tell you." Xelloss waved a gloved hand, motioning for her to sit down.
Lina grabbed a random food item from Gourry's plate and turned her gaze back to Xelloss.
"Hey! T.T" Gourry complained, unnoticed.
Xelloss cleared his throat, lifted a finger, and began his story. "Well, you see, Lina, I understand that someone is trying to frame you. And they're doing a good job of it. Although, this person is not mortal and they obviously want something from you, correct?"
"Why're you asking me?! That's what you said!" Lina snapped.
Xelloss glanced at Zelgadiss who was just now taking in all of the information with a raised brow.
"So what does someone like that want from me?" Lina asked.
"That is the part you have to figure out on your own." Xelloss wagged a finger, still grinning. Lina frowned. "The only way you're going to do that, is to communicate with this.. being." Lina nodded slowly. "Since you're having these visions after the deaths, someone will have to watch you 24/7. And when you're in that state of mind, they will instruct you to get in touch with the Dark Lord. Then you can figure out his motive."
"Dark Lord?! What did you say?!" Lina's eyes bugged.
Xelloss chuckled. "Oops. It seems I've said too much already. I'll be going now." With a quick wave, he phased out.
"ARGH!!!" Lina smashed a fist on the table. "That JERK!"
"You should be used to it by now, Lina." Zelgadiss commented calmly, taking another sip of coffee.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm OKAY with it!" She complained, practically ripping out her hair as she spoke.
Gourry coughed. "A-anyway, Lina. If someone's going to watch you 24/7... does that mean we have to watch you take a bath too?"
=WHACK!=
----
Later on that day, Lina sat cross-legged on the bed in the third room the group had rented. "This is stupid. What the heck is Xelloss talking about?"
"It probably has to do with when the murders occur. That's when the Dark Lord's energy is present. If we can meet with the actual culprit, we'll be able to get at least somewhere." Zel suggested.
Lina thought about that, glancing over at Gourry. He was already falling asleep. "Hey Gourry!!" She yelled, causing him to jump. "I want some food."
"Why don't you just go get some?" He blinked.
"You jellyfish brain, I can't leave. So you have to go get it for me."
Zel sighed. He knew that Lina could do anything as long as she was watched. But he decided not to intervene in her pathetic excuse to use Gourry once again.
"Do I really?" He sighed.
"Of course! You can get some for yourself too." She smiled sweetly.
"Hey! I don't have to have your permission. I'll get food if I want it." He frowned and walked out the door. Lina and Zelgadiss just blinked after him.
Lina sighed. "I still don't see why I have to be 'watched'. It's probably just another one of Xelloss' stupid things."
Zelgadiss looked up at her. "This is serious, Lina."
She blinked.
"I know you try to be cheerful and cover up your feelings and pretend like nothing's happened. But we've got to focus. This isn't one of Xelloss' stupid games. Amelia and Raymia have been murdered. With your sword. And apparently there's some Dark Lord involved with this. Don't sit around and take this so lightly."
Lina sat there blinking at him. "H-hai." She blushed and looked away. 'Darn. How does he know so much about me? :P'
Zelgadiss and Lina sat in silence until Gourry came back with the food. Lina nearly pounced on the table to make sure she got her share. It'd been too weird with her and Zel just sitting there. She needed some diversion, something to occupy her. And food was just the thing.
"Hey! That's MINE, Gourry!" Lina growled.
"Says who?!" He glared back, standing his ground.
"SAYS ME!" Lina whacked him in the head and stole the sausage back.
Zel sighed as they continued to fight in the background. "This is going to be a long 24 hours." v_v=3