I own Slayers, I own all the rights, I can do whatever I like with it..... I'm delusional -.-;;
***** Marille Ski Slopes *****
As the sun began to get low in the sky, the group trudged onwards up the hill towards an inn on the ski slopes of Marille.
Lina was munching on an drumstick she'd swiped from a guy who'd walked straight in to her. He looked like an obvious bandit so the confiscation of his food was fair punishment. Gourry was dragging his feet behind Lina, watching her eat. Filia and Zelgadiss walked on not far ahead of the two; Filia was looking at the sun setting between distant mountains and the firey colours all around. She was also contemplating whether or not painting the scene on a china vase would be better than painting it on a china teapot. Meanwhile, Zelgadiss was trying to work out exactly why he was with the group once again, and tried to work out a sensible answer to that question.
Amelia marched on ahead of the group happily, Semi-neko mazoku slung in a backpack on her back, and sound asleep using her shoulder as a pillow. Zelgadiss' train of thought changed so that he was now trying to persuade himself that this scene was not cute at all.
As it started to get dark, Gourry was reaching an unhappy conclusion.
They still weren't at the inn..... and he was hungry.
"Uhh... Lina?"
"What is it Gourry?"
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No!"
"Are we there ye...."
"Fireball!" Lina looked around whilst Gourry rearranged himself next to a tree and returned to his feet. "This is taking longer than we were told. I'm hungry!"
"Me too." Gourry added.
"Well it can't be much further." Zelgadiss called back quietly, then turning back to glaring at Amelia and her 'pet', who by now, had walked well ahead.
"Look! A light!" Filia exclaimed pointing through the forest. "That must be the inn!"
That done the trick. Lina and Gourry became running streaks of colour headed to the light. Zelgadiss shrugged and then followed suit, Quickly followed by Filia. Whilst Amelia carried on walking on her previous course, not at the tangent Lina and Gourry had run off in. Not less than five minutes later, Amelia was poked hard in the ear. Her 'pet' had woken up.
"Ameow... Ameow?" Xelloss shook his head to himself. He was trying to say 'Amelia', but every time he tried..."Ameow? Amew? Amrow?"
Amelia jumped at the sudden poking and lifted the backpack off her back and lifted the semi-neko to her eye-level.
"Forgive me, you must be hungry!" She set the pack down, and pulled a small bag of cat biscuits from her pocket and held them to Xelloss' nose. Needless to say, he turned his head away from this offensive food. Amelia tried again, but he turned his head the other way. "Xelloss-san, you must eat your kitty food." She chided him. "You must eat it all up and.... where did Miss Lina go? Gourry-san? Zelgadiss-san? Miss Filia?" Amelia looked around from her crouched position for the rest of the gang. During which time a disgruntled kitty pilfered Amelia's bag full of supplies for anything more edible. The search returned no results. "Miss Lina?!" She called, picking the cat-mazoku up and holding him so he was half resting on her shoulder looking behind her. Where was that inn? She was cold and hungry. And sleepy, and concluded that, possibly Xelloss was too. Well, he certainly wasn't quite as genki as normal.
That was actually a half truth. A kitty stomach rumbled, and a kitty shivered and yawned before snuggling back into the carrybag. Still, Xelloss blamed this behaviour entirely on the fact that being in his current form as he was, would induce cat like instincts, as had been proven earlier by the Mazoku-cat-nip stuff. He was so hungry though. And wanted to go home. And needed a bath. And...
"Open up. Yummy nummy biscuits." '
He was now faced with a hand trying to stuff several dry little foul smelling items into his mouth. They smelt foul... but...
He ate half of them gratefully, before a strange thought popped into his head between those two kitty ears, triggered by the sound of Amelia's stomach rumbling. Yes, it should work...
"Eat them all up." Amelia said with a smile, offering her hand again.
The snacks remained untouched as a pair of purple eyes looked out from the carry bag and up into Amelia's eyes. Moments later the Half-cat walked out and scooped a small pawful of snacks up and offered them to Amelia for her to eat.
Amelia just blinked, until a fresh stomach rumble filled the air and the snacks were re-offered to her with a little more enthusiasm.
She took them hesitantly, not wanting to offend him by refusing his generous little offer. It seemed when she'd thought of the idea that being a cute little cat would be the way for the mazoku to make up for having been so unjust was going to work. This was a start! She shivered and shifted her awareness to the fact that she was alone, at night, on a snow covered mountain, with no food except cat snacks.
Something rubbed against her leg. Maybe she wasn't so alone.
**** The Marille Slopes Inn****
"Foooooooooooood!" Lina exclaimed starry eyed, as her 3rd course arrived.
"And mphhost of mhit ish mine!" Gourry spluttered though whatever it was he was eating. He didn't know what it was, but it sure was nice.
"Phis not!" Lina yelled back at him.
Zelgadiss sat to one side sipping his coffee, Filia held a cup of tea watching the specticle with a horrified look on her face.
Eventually, Gourry and Lina finished and looked around. They were a little more full than usual...
"Ahhhhh! Its a good thing we didn't have Amelia here to share with!" Gourry exclaimed loudly.
"What do you mean?" Lina looked around. "Ah! Why didn't you tell us Amelia was missing, numbskull?!" She sprang forward and began to beat Gourry.
"Did you notice Lina?" Zelgadiss asked, after a sip of coffee, which was quite cold by now. But it did have to last him the entire duration of Lina's meal.
"If you'd noticed you should have bought it to everyones attention." Filia piped up.
"I did not!" Lina answered Zelgadiss, as Zelgadiss retorted to Filia with exactly the same answer.
Gourry, unusually bright tonight, came up with the next smart comment.
"Shouldn't we go look for her?"
"Good Idea." And with that remark, Zelgadiss was first out the door and into the cold night to look for the lost Seyruune princess. Shortly followed by Filia, then Lina plus a small leg of meat, followed by Gourry and several plates carrying part of their twelve course meal.
****
*sigh* Another chapter done ^-^ I'm actually on holiday meself at the moment in sunny Florida U.S.A!! 0.o;; Thank L-sama for the invention that is Laptop! as always... Reviewy please? I have a weird feeling this fic is going Slightly X/A 0.o;;;;
*Grins and shoots off to work on another fic*