Dragon Dolor: Chapter 5
Cheer
* Hey all! I didn't write for a while not only because of lack of reviews, but because of lack of anything decent to write. I'm not sure where I want this to go, and now I know I should have updated more slowly so as to get more reviews. Much thanks to Digi-riven for reviewing twice! Whee!
* Also, I've been reading fanfics more than writing. Check out my favorite stories to see all the stories and people that have been sucking up my time. Two of them are 59 chapters! Yowza! Took forever to read those, lemmie tell you. But they're some of the best stuff I've read, and it was worth it. I also spend a lot of time reading stuff by DemonPhoenix9 and Dragonsdaughter; I hunt for their updates as soon as I log in. ^_^
Filia scrunched her nose as sunlight streamed in through the window aiming, of course, directly into her eyes. It must be some sort of conspiracy that rooms are built so that the sunlight always blinds her in the morning, peeking its way in through even the thickest of curtains. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from the discomfort, but found that even when she pulled the covers over her head it was simply too bright in the room. She gave up on sleep, rubbed the sand from her eyes, and gave herself a long, satisfying stretch before shifting the blankets from her person and setting her feet on the floor.
The Ryuzoku was happy that she and Val had managed to come across the inn last night; she had been tired of sleeping outside and it was still a few days to the next town. Apparently, this inn had been built here twenty or so years ago as a halfway point between towns; Filia hadn't known of it because she didn't travel much, what with the shop and all. After Val was old enough to help support their home, Filia would close the shop for a few months every couple of years and take a vacation. Sometimes Val went with her and sometimes not, but even so she had never ventured back to the lands where the mazoku barrier had once been since Lina and the other Slayers passed on.
She knew Val was curious as to why they were heading towards the northern part of the continent. He had been there a couple times when he had taken his own vacation, but as far as she knew he did not know that she hadn't been quite truthful when she told him she was the last of the golden dragons. She would have to tell him everything sooner or later...and she preferred it to be later. He was going to be quite upset with her when he found out about his past, but she wanted him to live a normal life as long as he could before he had to deal with something like that. Of course, raising him in such a manner was trying on herself, and the guilt within her soul was building up to such a level that it was hard to hide it.
Today I feel almost normal, she thought to herself as she got dressed and brushed the tangles from her long, golden hair. I feel like I did over 400 years ago when I was still adventuring. Well, not quite; I'd like to think I'm at least a little more mature than I used to be. Being in contact with Xelloss again after Cephieed knows how long pulled some of her more frivilous, silly behaviors out of her pool of depression and brought them to the surface. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss him - he was her excuse to act like a child; her excuse to forget.
She knew he only hung around those for 200 years because Zelas had an interest in Val. Once Val was old enough that it was certain that he had lost all his Mazoku powers, Xelloss was given a new assignment and that was that. With him gone, she had lost her only outlet for releasing her frustration, anger, and depression - making pottery helps some, but it is by no means comparable to beating the shit out of an annoying, grinning Mazoku. After all those years, it turns out he was right - I'm a hot-tempered violent dragon after all. But I'll be damned before I'll admit it to HIM. She grinned and exited her room, ready for a big breakfast to start off the day.
Val was hungrily eating his breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast when Filia sauntered into the room. She was wearing loose white pants with gold trim that flared out at the knee, giving it a skirted effect. Her top was of the same loose material only colored pink; she tucked that in and had tied a wide piece of pink fabric around her waist to hide the pants-to-shirt seam. She topped off her look with a white and gold cape. She was beautiful. And she looks happier than I've seen her in a long time.
The golden dragon gracefully took a seat across from Val and flashed him a smile, causing him to flush slightly. He turned his attention back to his food as Filia ordered her own meal so that she wouldn't see his involuntary reddening of the face. Her recent mood caused her to have more of an effect on him than he was used to. He couldn't remember her being this...unpredictable...since he was little, but he wasn't about to complain. He looked up at her again as her plate and tea tray were set down, only to see her beautiful blue eyes focusing on him.
"Remember that man you were so worried about?" she asked him. She was still smiling and her eyes sparkled with the sort mischief one would expect from a teenager. He nodded dumbly, trying hard not to make it seem dumbly, but failing miserably. She didn't seem to notice, however, because she had a faraway look in her eyes and was touching her lips slightly. "He will be here shortly."
Val wasn't quite sure how she would know something like that, but her tone was so certain that he accepted her statement as true. Sure enough, just after Filia poured her first cup of tea a man winked into existance right on the chair next to her. He was dressed as a priest with purple hair styled into a long bowl-cut, and his face bore an expression of amusement. There was no doubt in the ancient dragon's mind that this was the one who had angered Filia recently; he had the same dark and evil scent about him. He draped an arm on the back Filia's chair and casually leaned back in his own.
"Good morning, Filia-san!" he sang. "How lovely to see you in such good spirits!" Then he seemingly noticed her breakfast partner for the first time. "Ah, Val-san! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" He held out his hand, and Val shook it grudgingly, saying nothing.
"Good morning, Xelloss," the gold dragon chirped. "Would you like some tea?"
"Why yes, Filia, I would!"
If Filia was still angry with this guy she bore no sign of it. All smiles, she graciously poured him a cup of tea and passed it to him. That's when the name Filia used to address the man hit Val with full force.
"You're the one one who killed off hordes of golden dragons 1500 years ago, aren't you?" Val growled softly. "You're the Mazoku Priest of Beastmaster Zelas."
Xelloss laughed, his hand placed behind his head with seeming embarassment. "Why, so I am! But I'm not one to brag about my accomplishments." He took a sip of his tea and said to Filia, "You told him about me, I assume?"
Filia sniffed haughtily. "Of course I did. I would never raise a child without warning him about filthy Mazoku scum such as yourself."
Xelloss's eye ticked with annoyance. "Now now, Filia, it isn't ladylike to go around flaunting your rude golden Ryuzoku heritage." He snatched her breakfast platter (still loaded with french toast) from in front of her. "And you had better stop eating this - it looks like you're gaining weight."
"Hey, give that back, you trash pile!" she hollered, reaching for her plate as Xelloss shifted it out of her reach. She stood up and tried to reach across the Mazoku to take back her plate, but he stood as well and caused her to topple over onto the floor.
"Ah ah ah, Filia!" he said, shaking his finger and tsking at her. "You'll ruin your diet!"
"AHHH! I'll get you for that, you disgusting lump of feces!" And with that, she pulled out her mace and swung at him furiously, and he swiftly dodged her attacks while keeping the platter intact and still full of food.
Val simply sat and watched, baffled at the display before him. Here was a Mazoku and a Ryuzoku - mortal enemies by nature - but they had tolerated each other for a brief moment. And even though they were now fighting, it was almost like it was a game of some sort. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the fruitcake who now had Filia's full attention, and he wondered why Xelloss had brought himself back into Filia's life so suddenly after 400 years.
(To be continued...)
A/N: Sorry this goes on for so long and nothing really happens, but I really wanted to get some thoughts for Filia and Val in here and I wanted to introduce Xelloss to Val. They'll continue their journey in the next chapter if you're all good boys and girls and review. ^_^
Also, Val doesn't know that Xelloss has only been away for 200 years - he believes that Filia hasn't seen him since the battle against Dark Star. But we know that Xelloss had been around for nearly 200 years after that to spy on Val. What happened? Hmm - guess you'll hafta wait to find out!
Cheer
* Hey all! I didn't write for a while not only because of lack of reviews, but because of lack of anything decent to write. I'm not sure where I want this to go, and now I know I should have updated more slowly so as to get more reviews. Much thanks to Digi-riven for reviewing twice! Whee!
* Also, I've been reading fanfics more than writing. Check out my favorite stories to see all the stories and people that have been sucking up my time. Two of them are 59 chapters! Yowza! Took forever to read those, lemmie tell you. But they're some of the best stuff I've read, and it was worth it. I also spend a lot of time reading stuff by DemonPhoenix9 and Dragonsdaughter; I hunt for their updates as soon as I log in. ^_^
Filia scrunched her nose as sunlight streamed in through the window aiming, of course, directly into her eyes. It must be some sort of conspiracy that rooms are built so that the sunlight always blinds her in the morning, peeking its way in through even the thickest of curtains. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from the discomfort, but found that even when she pulled the covers over her head it was simply too bright in the room. She gave up on sleep, rubbed the sand from her eyes, and gave herself a long, satisfying stretch before shifting the blankets from her person and setting her feet on the floor.
The Ryuzoku was happy that she and Val had managed to come across the inn last night; she had been tired of sleeping outside and it was still a few days to the next town. Apparently, this inn had been built here twenty or so years ago as a halfway point between towns; Filia hadn't known of it because she didn't travel much, what with the shop and all. After Val was old enough to help support their home, Filia would close the shop for a few months every couple of years and take a vacation. Sometimes Val went with her and sometimes not, but even so she had never ventured back to the lands where the mazoku barrier had once been since Lina and the other Slayers passed on.
She knew Val was curious as to why they were heading towards the northern part of the continent. He had been there a couple times when he had taken his own vacation, but as far as she knew he did not know that she hadn't been quite truthful when she told him she was the last of the golden dragons. She would have to tell him everything sooner or later...and she preferred it to be later. He was going to be quite upset with her when he found out about his past, but she wanted him to live a normal life as long as he could before he had to deal with something like that. Of course, raising him in such a manner was trying on herself, and the guilt within her soul was building up to such a level that it was hard to hide it.
Today I feel almost normal, she thought to herself as she got dressed and brushed the tangles from her long, golden hair. I feel like I did over 400 years ago when I was still adventuring. Well, not quite; I'd like to think I'm at least a little more mature than I used to be. Being in contact with Xelloss again after Cephieed knows how long pulled some of her more frivilous, silly behaviors out of her pool of depression and brought them to the surface. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss him - he was her excuse to act like a child; her excuse to forget.
She knew he only hung around those for 200 years because Zelas had an interest in Val. Once Val was old enough that it was certain that he had lost all his Mazoku powers, Xelloss was given a new assignment and that was that. With him gone, she had lost her only outlet for releasing her frustration, anger, and depression - making pottery helps some, but it is by no means comparable to beating the shit out of an annoying, grinning Mazoku. After all those years, it turns out he was right - I'm a hot-tempered violent dragon after all. But I'll be damned before I'll admit it to HIM. She grinned and exited her room, ready for a big breakfast to start off the day.
Val was hungrily eating his breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast when Filia sauntered into the room. She was wearing loose white pants with gold trim that flared out at the knee, giving it a skirted effect. Her top was of the same loose material only colored pink; she tucked that in and had tied a wide piece of pink fabric around her waist to hide the pants-to-shirt seam. She topped off her look with a white and gold cape. She was beautiful. And she looks happier than I've seen her in a long time.
The golden dragon gracefully took a seat across from Val and flashed him a smile, causing him to flush slightly. He turned his attention back to his food as Filia ordered her own meal so that she wouldn't see his involuntary reddening of the face. Her recent mood caused her to have more of an effect on him than he was used to. He couldn't remember her being this...unpredictable...since he was little, but he wasn't about to complain. He looked up at her again as her plate and tea tray were set down, only to see her beautiful blue eyes focusing on him.
"Remember that man you were so worried about?" she asked him. She was still smiling and her eyes sparkled with the sort mischief one would expect from a teenager. He nodded dumbly, trying hard not to make it seem dumbly, but failing miserably. She didn't seem to notice, however, because she had a faraway look in her eyes and was touching her lips slightly. "He will be here shortly."
Val wasn't quite sure how she would know something like that, but her tone was so certain that he accepted her statement as true. Sure enough, just after Filia poured her first cup of tea a man winked into existance right on the chair next to her. He was dressed as a priest with purple hair styled into a long bowl-cut, and his face bore an expression of amusement. There was no doubt in the ancient dragon's mind that this was the one who had angered Filia recently; he had the same dark and evil scent about him. He draped an arm on the back Filia's chair and casually leaned back in his own.
"Good morning, Filia-san!" he sang. "How lovely to see you in such good spirits!" Then he seemingly noticed her breakfast partner for the first time. "Ah, Val-san! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" He held out his hand, and Val shook it grudgingly, saying nothing.
"Good morning, Xelloss," the gold dragon chirped. "Would you like some tea?"
"Why yes, Filia, I would!"
If Filia was still angry with this guy she bore no sign of it. All smiles, she graciously poured him a cup of tea and passed it to him. That's when the name Filia used to address the man hit Val with full force.
"You're the one one who killed off hordes of golden dragons 1500 years ago, aren't you?" Val growled softly. "You're the Mazoku Priest of Beastmaster Zelas."
Xelloss laughed, his hand placed behind his head with seeming embarassment. "Why, so I am! But I'm not one to brag about my accomplishments." He took a sip of his tea and said to Filia, "You told him about me, I assume?"
Filia sniffed haughtily. "Of course I did. I would never raise a child without warning him about filthy Mazoku scum such as yourself."
Xelloss's eye ticked with annoyance. "Now now, Filia, it isn't ladylike to go around flaunting your rude golden Ryuzoku heritage." He snatched her breakfast platter (still loaded with french toast) from in front of her. "And you had better stop eating this - it looks like you're gaining weight."
"Hey, give that back, you trash pile!" she hollered, reaching for her plate as Xelloss shifted it out of her reach. She stood up and tried to reach across the Mazoku to take back her plate, but he stood as well and caused her to topple over onto the floor.
"Ah ah ah, Filia!" he said, shaking his finger and tsking at her. "You'll ruin your diet!"
"AHHH! I'll get you for that, you disgusting lump of feces!" And with that, she pulled out her mace and swung at him furiously, and he swiftly dodged her attacks while keeping the platter intact and still full of food.
Val simply sat and watched, baffled at the display before him. Here was a Mazoku and a Ryuzoku - mortal enemies by nature - but they had tolerated each other for a brief moment. And even though they were now fighting, it was almost like it was a game of some sort. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the fruitcake who now had Filia's full attention, and he wondered why Xelloss had brought himself back into Filia's life so suddenly after 400 years.
(To be continued...)
A/N: Sorry this goes on for so long and nothing really happens, but I really wanted to get some thoughts for Filia and Val in here and I wanted to introduce Xelloss to Val. They'll continue their journey in the next chapter if you're all good boys and girls and review. ^_^
Also, Val doesn't know that Xelloss has only been away for 200 years - he believes that Filia hasn't seen him since the battle against Dark Star. But we know that Xelloss had been around for nearly 200 years after that to spy on Val. What happened? Hmm - guess you'll hafta wait to find out!