1 THE GIFT OF THE MAZOUKU -- A SLAYERS STORY

2 Chapter 4 - Gourry Gets The Call

Ah! Don't say that you agree with me. When people agree with me I always feel that I must be wrong - Oscar Wilde

Gourry Gabriev watched the gluttonous little sorceress from beneath his long blonde bangs, shielding his bright blue eyes from hers. A small smile spread across his face. " Hmmm, Lina, are you going to finish that chicken leg?" he asked.

But before the girl could grab that last piece (both of her fists were stuffed with rolls and her mouth with a peach), Gourry reached a lanky arm across the table and snatched the chicken leg for himself.

"Youff beffer gimmie that!" Lina said, her voice muffled by and choking on the peach.

She'd lost the tussle this time it appeared. She was petite compared to the blond swordsman, but that did not stand in the way of for getting what se wanted. She was one very determined hungry sorceress. Lina jumped onto the table and tore the chicken from the swordsman's hand, exclaiming triumphantly, "Mine! I'm going to finish this right after I finish you off!"

Whereupon, Lina slugged the handsome man on the jaw and sent him flying into the wall. Gourry slowly looked up, shaking plaster off is head and salad out of his hair.

"Umm, Lina, did you say we saved enough money for rooms here tonight? I'm beat," he said and then he chuckled good-naturedly while Lina scanned the inner recesses of her cloak for cash.

"Yes! I hid these coins very carefully so we couldn't eat them.but I could really go for some dessert." Lina's ruby-red eyes began to shine dangerously.

"Lina, no, please, remember last time? We only had enough money to pay for one room and we both ended up sleeping on the floor?" Gourry pleaded some more, "And you promised this time!"

Now Lina was not entirely heartless. She was his traveling companion through countless adventures; the best friend he had ever had probably the best friend he would ever have. She would keep her promise, he knew. Lina might need a little reminding, but she had never let him down.

Lina leaned down and offered him a hand up admitting, "You're right. Let's go see about rooms for tonight. It's the last of our cash but something's bound to come up tomorrow and I want a good night's rest to be ready for it!"

Lina flashed him a sly grin and winked wickedly, then she was off in a flash to find the unsuspecting innkeeper.

Gourry's eyes followed the spirited red-head's progress and sighed, "I'd better go help. I sure hope I'm fast enough. These deals rarely go smoothly. I knows she cares enough to not do any permanent damage to ME, but she can be a loose cannon around the uninformed."

Sure enough there was a little glitch.

"That's right TWO rooms. ONE. TWO." She said, pointing a finger at first herself, then the approaching swordsman.

"Of course, Miss, I-I-Inverse. Forgive me. I just thought that you to were, ahh, since the two of you were, ahh..." mumbled the embarrassed man, well aware of the danger he was in.

Gourry strode up in time to stop Lina from blowing up the room with a FIREBALL spell. "If you blow up the place, Lina, won't we have to camp out again? And you did promise."

Lina sighed. The fire died down. Then glaring up at the frightened innkeeper she said, "Some people think too much, right Gourry?"

"Who me?" asked the confused swordsman.

"Oh of course not you, Jellyfish brains. I meant him!" she said pointing to the innkeeper, who tossed the room keys into the air, and fled through the kitchen door.

"Come on. Let's get some rest, okay?"

"Sure, Lina!" Gourry dutifully agreed.

"Just a minute there." Said Lina as she reached towards the passing swordsman.

He instantly froze. "Eh?"

Lina picked a piece of lettuce clinging to the back of his knee-length hair.

"Oh, thanks, Lina. I must'a missed some, eh?"

"Uh huh, maybe, but I don't miss a thing."

"Oh, well I think we just passed up my room, Lina."

"Actually, that's (sigh) my room, Gourry. Check the keys. See? There's a room number on the key and it matches the number on the door. Your number is 12. This door is 10. Get it?"

"Oh, so it is! Well, then I'll give you this key and you can go in first and I'll take your key and go to the next room." Gourry fumbled with the keys but traded successfully.

"I'm too tired to argue," thought Lina as she stepped to door 12. "Goodnight, Gourry."

" 'Night, Lina," he said as he entered his room, then closed the door.

Gourry methodically removed his sword belt, empty scabbard, and armor, and carefully laid each article on the floor. He plunked heavily down onto the nearby chair and pulled off each gigantic boot. Next he placed his folded shirt and pants across the chair back and pushed his heavy boots under the chair. He neatly turned back the bed covers and slipped between the cool sheets, sighing with contentment.

His feet stuck out the bottom. That, however, did not trouble the gentle man. He turned onto his stomach so his toes pointed down outside the bed and snuggled up to a pillow. Gourry's eyes caught a glimpse of the empty scabbard in the flickering candlelight. His good-natured face turned wistful as he thought.

"I hope we find a new sword soon. I really miss the SWORD OF LIGHT. I returned it to that guy (the Overworlder in the battle against DARKSTAR) where it rightfully belongs, but it was a large part of my strength. Without it I feel so unworthy of Lina. How can I be her protector? She says I'm just as good without it, but she's just being kind. I know it, or she wouldn't be trying as hard as she is to find a replacement. I'm just a swordsman without a sword. So I need a sword. A special sword. A special one to protect a special sorceress, a special, beautiful, dangerous sorceress." and Gourry drifted off to sleep repeating the 'special sword' mantra over and over.

We aree sitting at a very large round table littered with the remains of Lina's and my meal. Xelloss just told the funniest joke, I think, but I'm not sure I heard it right, but Lina seems to think it was hysterical, so we're all laughing. "Ahch, hach.hack.." Lina just tried to say something but is choking on a peach instead. I save her life using the Hiemlech maneuver, but I think she has misunderstood why my arms are wrapped around her.

"Pervert! Gourry! I'm choking to death and what are you trying to get away with?" she screams.

"Xelloss is trying to explain to Lina how I just saved her life, but she's screaming to loudly at me to hear him. Oh well, she was soft and felt nice to hold anyway. Maybe that was worth the *ouch* pounding *oouch* I'm getting *ouch* now!?" Gourry continued to daydream.

"I wanted to thank Xelloss for trying to help, but he's gone again. Oh, but not too far away. He's going over to bother Zelgadiss again. Talk about talking to a stone wall.ha ha ha, that was pretty funny." Gourry thought to himself.

"What are you laughing about, Gourry? You're not turning into a stupid fruitcake like that Monster over there?" asked Lina.

Gourry shook his head stupidly and mused to himself, "Lina? Wow, you sounded like our friend Filia. Filia, now she's a beautiful woman, but too violent for me. Plus she's pretty old and probably will live forever. ".

"Oh! Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry is just recovering from your last temper tantrum. It's got to cost him a little brain power each time to hit him so hard. Please don't compare him to Mr. Xelloss!" begged Amelia.

"Thanks Amelia," Gourry thought, " You are a real nice girl. I always look forward to travelling with you. So cheerful and protective. If I could have a little sister, I'd want her to be just like you. Okay, there goes Zelgadiss. He and Xelloss talked maybe thirty seconds before he blew- up. Zel sure doesn't like to be teased and Xelloss loves to dish it out. What a pair made in Monster-hell you two would make! Ha, ha!"

" Now it's Amelia's turn to take a ribbing from Xelloss. Well, she manages to keep up polite conversation for a few minutes. Amelia ought to give Zel some pointers on 'How to Talk to Monsters- Make it brief or your life will be torture'.oh, no! He's looking at me, my turn.got to hide."

"Lina?!" Gourry shouted aloud.

"Gourry, what's your problem tonight? First you grab me, then you start laughing mindlessly and babbling and now you're cowering under the table! Look, get up. Xelloss is coming over. He probably just wants to explain that joke or something. So sit up and act like a man!"

"That's easy for YOU to say, Lina," Gourry whimpered.

"Hello Gourry, have enough to eat?"

"Ah, hi, Xelloss. Yeah, I did, thanks. Can I order something for you? I didn't notice you eating much." answered Gourry.

"No, thank you, Gourry, but thank you for asking. You see I get a whole meal off Zelgadiss's outrage alone."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, really, Gourry. Can I ask YOU something?"

"Sure, anything!"

"You and Lina are pretty close, ne?"

"Yes, I guess you can say that. Was there something else you wanted to know?" asked Gourry.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were being cagey, Mr. Gabriev, " thought the Mazouku priest. Aloud he said, "Yes, there is something else, you see I'd like to help you get a new sword."

"Oh! That would be GREAT Xelloss, but ahh, what's the catch?"

"Well, Well, swordsman, you are not as dense as you would like us to believe? You are very observant and have a strong heart."

"That's nice of you to say, Xelloss, but I'm not so sure it's all true. You know you're a pretty nice guy. I don't understand why everyone says such bad things about you. Ah, you don't look so good, are you sick or something? Were you going to ask me something else 'cause I'd really like to get back to sleep so I'll be able to get up and eat breakfast before Lina eats it all."

Xelloss recovers his composure after the 'kindness' attack and says, "You're right, Gourry. I will not keep you much longer. Just tell me this: what is Lina's heart's desire. What does she want most?"

"Well, it used to be my SWORD OF LIGHT, but it's gone now, still that's a really easy one!"

"Really?" the monster kept the excitement out of his velvety voice.

"Yeah. Lina wants to live her life he way on her own terms, you know. That's all. And along the way she likes some adventure and to make her friends happy and if she can save the world, well that's great too. Does that make sense to you?"

"Not really, swordsman. But that's okay. I'm a Monster and life for me is quiet different."

"How can that be, Xelloss?"

"Now, Gourry, that you know.is a secret!"