"Lina! Lina, wait up!" Amelia ran up to walk beside her friend, "Jeeze, The D really reamed you out today. You should start getting to school earlier. By being prompt you can ensure yourself a good education and......."
The infamous Lina Inverse tuned out her best friend's lecture. She'd heard it a thousand times before. Amelia Seyruun, daughter of Philionel Seyruun, owner of MagickStar enterprises. Some big company that had lots of money and was always doing charity work and the like. Mr. Seyruun believed a good education and caring heart were the keys to everything. So did Amelia. Lina glanced at her friend. Sure, she was annoying, but she was also the most trustworthy and nicest person you could want for a friend. Besides, when it came down to it, Amelia was tough as nails.......well, maybe not, more like cotton candy.......
Getting some books out of her locker, her thoughts and Amelia's lecture were interrupted by Gourry Gabriev, the captain of the football team. Looking up, Lina smiled. He may not be the prettiest shoes in the store, but damn, he was cute. She blushed at her own thoughts, "Hey Gourry."
"Hi Lina," He blushed too, "Umm, I was thinking... ..."
Lina giggled, "I'll tell the principal, we'll have a parade."
Gourry laughed. He knew he was stupid, and he didn't usually like people making fun of him. But when Lina did it, she wasn't trying to be mean. Maybe I shouldn't, she'd never say yes anyways, I'm just a big dump jock. And she a pretty flat-chested girl. But maybe.....
Lina poked him, "Gourry? Did you forget where you were again?"
Blushing, Gourry stuttered, "Oh, uhh, sorry Lina. Heh, I suppose I did. Umm, I'll talk to you later. Bye!"
He hurried away, not wanting Lina to see him uncomfortable. Lina's eyes followed him as she closed her locker, "What was that all about?"
Amelia grinned, "Like you don't know!"
Lina gave her a blank look.
"You really don't know?! C'mon! It's Iso/i obvious he's crushing on you!"
"No way!"
"Lina, it's right in front of your face! I can't believe you can't see it!"
"What would Ihe/i want with me? He's a football player, and I'm just the flat girl. Naga and the rest of her cheerleaders get people like that."
"Speak of the devil..."
"Wha...?"
Lina was cut off as something big and bouncy collided with her. It was the left boob of Naga the Serpent, so called by the rumors about her style in bed. Lina forced a smile, "Hey Nag."
Naga laughed. Her irritating, ear-piercing valley girl laugh, "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! How's my best friend?"
She hugged Lina, nearly suffocating her. Then she spotted Amelia. Cracking her gum spitefully, she sneered, "What's my best friend doing hanging out with rich, goody-two-shoes trash like you."
Amelia's eye's watered, and her bottom lip quivered. She looked away so Naga couldn't see the tears threatening to come, "You shouldn't say things like that, it's not becoming." Naga laughed and gave her a shove.
She put her arm around Lina, "C'mon, girl. Lose the rich bitch and we'll go have a blast down at The Slave."
Lina shoved her arm off, "Naga, go shove it! Go hang out with the other cheerleaders. I'm not gonna ditch off school to hang out with a whole bunch of pompous girls at some dirty little bar!"
The Serpent chuckled, not getting Lina's point at all, "Okay then, talk to you later, best buddy!" She walked away, flaunting her perfect butt and well endowed chest. Lina steamed.
She was helping Amelia get her composure back when the bell rang, "Dammit, class!"
"You go ahead, I'll catch up later."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Lina headed to class. She was concerned for her friend, but she couldn't afford to be late again. Amelia ran to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall before letting the tears fall.
~
The park. On the other side, away from the equipment, the place filled with trees and perfect places for having picnics. A man clad in beige looks at his hands in wonder. His hands are perfectly normal, human hands. This is what surprises him so. IHow can this be?/i He removes his hood and runs a hand through his hair, his Ihuman/i hair. It was soft, silky, nice to the touch. IUnbelievable..... /i
It was then that Zelgadiss realized where he was. He didn't know. All he knew was it wasn't the place he supposed to be. He was sitting on a bench, in a park. That in itself wasn't so bad. What disturbed him were the people, all dressed strangely, and the big things that moved loudly around the edges of the park. Not a horse in sight.
Instinctively, Zel searched for a familiar face in the crowd of people by the equipment. He thought he might have glimpsed a flash of mahogany wood and some purple hair, but dismissed the thought. Why would Xelloss be here and not Lina or Gourry or Amelia? Not really thinking, he walked toward the group of children and mothers, hoping to find out where he was. And extremely fat and angry lady walked up to him, red in the face.
"Sir," she huffed, "How dare you come near our children with that, that....thing!"
"Excuse me?"
"Imagine, with all the violence around these days! And you! A grown man, carrying around a sword - A REAL one, no less - as if you were a little boy playing Hired Mercenary!"
"Ma'am, I can assure you....."
"Don't you 'ma'am' me! I love my grandchildren more then anything in the world, and I'll be damned if anyone's a bad influence on them!"
"Ma'am, your causing a scene."
It was true, children and parents alike had gathered around, watching the confrontation between the strange, badly-clothed guy and the uppity grandmother.
"I don't give a damn if I'm causing a scene! Now get your sorry little rear-end away from these innocent children!" She pointed to the edge of the park. Zelgadiss could swear he could hear a familiar chuckle....
Not wanting to make even more trouble then he already had, Zelgadiss put his hands up in a defensive gesture and turned around, walking away from the fat cow and her little calves. He heard her call to him as he left, "May god have mercy on your surely damned soul! You will burn eternally for trying to corrupt our children!"
Zel met the dirt, "Oh brother....."
The infamous Lina Inverse tuned out her best friend's lecture. She'd heard it a thousand times before. Amelia Seyruun, daughter of Philionel Seyruun, owner of MagickStar enterprises. Some big company that had lots of money and was always doing charity work and the like. Mr. Seyruun believed a good education and caring heart were the keys to everything. So did Amelia. Lina glanced at her friend. Sure, she was annoying, but she was also the most trustworthy and nicest person you could want for a friend. Besides, when it came down to it, Amelia was tough as nails.......well, maybe not, more like cotton candy.......
Getting some books out of her locker, her thoughts and Amelia's lecture were interrupted by Gourry Gabriev, the captain of the football team. Looking up, Lina smiled. He may not be the prettiest shoes in the store, but damn, he was cute. She blushed at her own thoughts, "Hey Gourry."
"Hi Lina," He blushed too, "Umm, I was thinking... ..."
Lina giggled, "I'll tell the principal, we'll have a parade."
Gourry laughed. He knew he was stupid, and he didn't usually like people making fun of him. But when Lina did it, she wasn't trying to be mean. Maybe I shouldn't, she'd never say yes anyways, I'm just a big dump jock. And she a pretty flat-chested girl. But maybe.....
Lina poked him, "Gourry? Did you forget where you were again?"
Blushing, Gourry stuttered, "Oh, uhh, sorry Lina. Heh, I suppose I did. Umm, I'll talk to you later. Bye!"
He hurried away, not wanting Lina to see him uncomfortable. Lina's eyes followed him as she closed her locker, "What was that all about?"
Amelia grinned, "Like you don't know!"
Lina gave her a blank look.
"You really don't know?! C'mon! It's Iso/i obvious he's crushing on you!"
"No way!"
"Lina, it's right in front of your face! I can't believe you can't see it!"
"What would Ihe/i want with me? He's a football player, and I'm just the flat girl. Naga and the rest of her cheerleaders get people like that."
"Speak of the devil..."
"Wha...?"
Lina was cut off as something big and bouncy collided with her. It was the left boob of Naga the Serpent, so called by the rumors about her style in bed. Lina forced a smile, "Hey Nag."
Naga laughed. Her irritating, ear-piercing valley girl laugh, "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! How's my best friend?"
She hugged Lina, nearly suffocating her. Then she spotted Amelia. Cracking her gum spitefully, she sneered, "What's my best friend doing hanging out with rich, goody-two-shoes trash like you."
Amelia's eye's watered, and her bottom lip quivered. She looked away so Naga couldn't see the tears threatening to come, "You shouldn't say things like that, it's not becoming." Naga laughed and gave her a shove.
She put her arm around Lina, "C'mon, girl. Lose the rich bitch and we'll go have a blast down at The Slave."
Lina shoved her arm off, "Naga, go shove it! Go hang out with the other cheerleaders. I'm not gonna ditch off school to hang out with a whole bunch of pompous girls at some dirty little bar!"
The Serpent chuckled, not getting Lina's point at all, "Okay then, talk to you later, best buddy!" She walked away, flaunting her perfect butt and well endowed chest. Lina steamed.
She was helping Amelia get her composure back when the bell rang, "Dammit, class!"
"You go ahead, I'll catch up later."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Lina headed to class. She was concerned for her friend, but she couldn't afford to be late again. Amelia ran to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall before letting the tears fall.
~
The park. On the other side, away from the equipment, the place filled with trees and perfect places for having picnics. A man clad in beige looks at his hands in wonder. His hands are perfectly normal, human hands. This is what surprises him so. IHow can this be?/i He removes his hood and runs a hand through his hair, his Ihuman/i hair. It was soft, silky, nice to the touch. IUnbelievable..... /i
It was then that Zelgadiss realized where he was. He didn't know. All he knew was it wasn't the place he supposed to be. He was sitting on a bench, in a park. That in itself wasn't so bad. What disturbed him were the people, all dressed strangely, and the big things that moved loudly around the edges of the park. Not a horse in sight.
Instinctively, Zel searched for a familiar face in the crowd of people by the equipment. He thought he might have glimpsed a flash of mahogany wood and some purple hair, but dismissed the thought. Why would Xelloss be here and not Lina or Gourry or Amelia? Not really thinking, he walked toward the group of children and mothers, hoping to find out where he was. And extremely fat and angry lady walked up to him, red in the face.
"Sir," she huffed, "How dare you come near our children with that, that....thing!"
"Excuse me?"
"Imagine, with all the violence around these days! And you! A grown man, carrying around a sword - A REAL one, no less - as if you were a little boy playing Hired Mercenary!"
"Ma'am, I can assure you....."
"Don't you 'ma'am' me! I love my grandchildren more then anything in the world, and I'll be damned if anyone's a bad influence on them!"
"Ma'am, your causing a scene."
It was true, children and parents alike had gathered around, watching the confrontation between the strange, badly-clothed guy and the uppity grandmother.
"I don't give a damn if I'm causing a scene! Now get your sorry little rear-end away from these innocent children!" She pointed to the edge of the park. Zelgadiss could swear he could hear a familiar chuckle....
Not wanting to make even more trouble then he already had, Zelgadiss put his hands up in a defensive gesture and turned around, walking away from the fat cow and her little calves. He heard her call to him as he left, "May god have mercy on your surely damned soul! You will burn eternally for trying to corrupt our children!"
Zel met the dirt, "Oh brother....."