Lina changed into her pajamas, and was just about to get in bed when she heard a noise outside her door. She walked over to the door and opened it. Looking around the empty hallway, she spotted the innkeeper's wife standing in front of Zel's door with a covered tray and a teapot.
"I thought your hus... friend might like some dinner. I meant to bring it up earlier..." The innkeeper's wife trailed off. Lina thought about Zel's reaction to a stranger entering his room in the middle of the night and groaned silently.
"I'll take it in to him, Ma'am. It's probably safer if no one checks on him but me... or our companions." Lina said, visions of her soft, warm bed evaporating into smoke.
The woman smiled as she handed the tray and teapot to Lina. "Call me Millie, dear. Make sure you get some rest of your own."
Lina took her burden over to Zel's door, then realized that she didn't have a free hand to open the door with... maybe Luna's waitress lessons might have some use after all. She balanced the tray on the palm of her left hand, over the teapot handle, and opened the door.
"Zel? You awake?" His room was even darker now than it was earlier. She walked carefully across the floor until her foot hit the table, then set everything down.
"LIGHTING" she whispered, concentrating on making the spell no brighter than a dim candle. Nothing's worse than bright lights when you have a headache. With the room now dimly lit, she looked over at the sleeping man. Correction, the formerly sleeping man. Blue eyes stared into red, and light gleamed on the edge of his sword.
"Lina. What..." Zel was confused. It was dark, and Lina was in his room in her pajamas with a tiny light glimmering softly behind her. It made her look like some kind of dream.
"I just brought you some dinner. How's the headache?" Lina looked at the bed, then the table, and finally sat in the chair between the two.
"Still there. Thanks for the tea earlier." Zel sat up, then winced as his head started pounding again. He was pretty sure that this had to be a dream, why else would Lina be, well, nice?
"You can't have any more until tomorrow. It's a once a day thing." Lina was concerned, Zel had slept most of the day after having Luna's headache tea, and his head still hurt. Something was seriously wrong. "Can you eat? I'll bring it over."
Zel carefully sat up. 'Definitely a dream," he thought 'might as well enjoy it while it lasts...' He propped himself up with the pillows, letting the blankets fall around his hips. He realized that he was still wearing his clothes. No wonder he was so uncomfortable. He started to take off his shirt.
Lina was busy making sure that Zel's soup wasn't too hot, and pouring a cup of tea to realize that he was sleepily changing into his pajamas... except he'd forgotten he'd left his pajamas in a dimensional pocket. And his head hurt too much to try to open it right now. Lina looked up just as he was about to start taking off his pants.
"ZEL!" Lina began, then moderated her tone at his wince "What are you doing?" She was blushing furiously.
"I was just... changing ... um, looking for... my pajamas." He blinked at her "Why are you being so nice? Unless this isn't a dream..." Something wasn't quite right. His head hurt a lot, but Lina wouldn't be sitting in his room in her pajamas, would she? Maybe she would. He looked down, then blushed. "I'm a little..." he started to explain, drawing the blankets up to cover his now bare chest. "I mean. Umm. What I meant was... Never mind." He stuttered to a stop, his blush growing. Maybe he was awake... that would mean. 'She's going to kill me. I was just changing in front of LINA.'
"Where are they?" Lina asked, feeling her blush deepen. She looked at his cloak and belts, no bag. "Do you use a pocket space, too?"
"Ummmm...Yeah. But I can't really concentrate right now." Zel thought about trying to focus on his spell, and his headache intensified.
"Let me see what I've got..." Lina said, rummaging in a backpack she'd pulled out of nowhere. "How about..." she pulled out a selection of clothing, most of it way too large for her. "I knew I had these somewhere." She tossed a pair of flannel pants and a matching knit shirt at Zelgadiss. He caught them, surprised that Lina would have something like them just floating around.
"Umm. I picked them up for ... a friend." Lina tried to think up a good reason she might have a pair of men's pajamas in her travel bag. "I ummm... never really got around to giving them to him. So, they're new. I mean..." she trailed off, embarrassed.
"Thank you." Zel looked around for a way to change without embarrassing himself more. Lina realized what he was thinking, and turned around.
"I promise not to peak." She said, fussing with the food tray. 'Not that I don't want to, but... Bad Lina. He's sick. Leave the poor guy alone.'
Zel changed quickly, or at least tried to. When he stood up to pull the pants up, his headache screamed back up to full strength, and he fell helplessly onto the bed, letting out a small groan of pain. 'At least I managed to get into the pajamas,' he thought.
Lina turned around at the sound. "Are you okay?" she hurried over to the bed, leaving the food she had been playing with on the table. She placed a hand on Zel's forehead, noticing that he looked both flushed and pale. He was too warm.
"Lina, I..." Zel began. Lina simply smoothed his hair away form his face, and smiled down at him.
"Don't worry Zel. You took care of me, remember? At least I don't have to carry you across a small country." Lina was worried. Zel always seemed so indestructible, and yet, obviously he needed help now. "Can you eat? I'll help you if you need it."
At Zel's nod, Lina turned back to the table. Considering, she slid the chair out of the way, and pushed the table close to the bed. Then she moved back to Zel, and leaned him up so she could sit behind him at the head of the bed, propping him against the pillow on her lap. She leaned over to the table and grabbed the soup bowl, not noticing the compromising position Zel was in while she was getting the soup.
Blushing, Zel leaned against Lina, and slowly ate his soup. She held the bowl so he wouldn't have to worry about spilling it on himself. When he was done with the soup, she sighed, and grabbed the tea. Zel drank a third of the liquid, then handed the cup back to her, exhausted by the simple task of eating. But the slightly sitting position, or maybe the food was helping his headache. He smiled up at Lina, then closed his eyes as she gently rubbed his forehead and temples with her free hand.
"That feels good. Do you mind...?" Zel's voice trailed off as Lina absentmindedly finished the tea in her hand and set the empty cup back on the table to rub both his temples at once. She cast a minor pain block spell, and continued with the gentle massage. At some point while she was rubbing his temples, the sleeping potion in the tea overcame both of them, and they fell asleep, Lina leaning against the wall, and Zel leaning against Lina, her fingers twisted through the surprisingly soft wire of his hair.
Surprisingly, or maybe due to the sleeping potion, Lina's sleep was calm, quiet, and completely non-violent. And Zel dreamed that he was finally human, and that someone loved him... someone who smelled very sweetly of roses.
"I thought your hus... friend might like some dinner. I meant to bring it up earlier..." The innkeeper's wife trailed off. Lina thought about Zel's reaction to a stranger entering his room in the middle of the night and groaned silently.
"I'll take it in to him, Ma'am. It's probably safer if no one checks on him but me... or our companions." Lina said, visions of her soft, warm bed evaporating into smoke.
The woman smiled as she handed the tray and teapot to Lina. "Call me Millie, dear. Make sure you get some rest of your own."
Lina took her burden over to Zel's door, then realized that she didn't have a free hand to open the door with... maybe Luna's waitress lessons might have some use after all. She balanced the tray on the palm of her left hand, over the teapot handle, and opened the door.
"Zel? You awake?" His room was even darker now than it was earlier. She walked carefully across the floor until her foot hit the table, then set everything down.
"LIGHTING" she whispered, concentrating on making the spell no brighter than a dim candle. Nothing's worse than bright lights when you have a headache. With the room now dimly lit, she looked over at the sleeping man. Correction, the formerly sleeping man. Blue eyes stared into red, and light gleamed on the edge of his sword.
"Lina. What..." Zel was confused. It was dark, and Lina was in his room in her pajamas with a tiny light glimmering softly behind her. It made her look like some kind of dream.
"I just brought you some dinner. How's the headache?" Lina looked at the bed, then the table, and finally sat in the chair between the two.
"Still there. Thanks for the tea earlier." Zel sat up, then winced as his head started pounding again. He was pretty sure that this had to be a dream, why else would Lina be, well, nice?
"You can't have any more until tomorrow. It's a once a day thing." Lina was concerned, Zel had slept most of the day after having Luna's headache tea, and his head still hurt. Something was seriously wrong. "Can you eat? I'll bring it over."
Zel carefully sat up. 'Definitely a dream," he thought 'might as well enjoy it while it lasts...' He propped himself up with the pillows, letting the blankets fall around his hips. He realized that he was still wearing his clothes. No wonder he was so uncomfortable. He started to take off his shirt.
Lina was busy making sure that Zel's soup wasn't too hot, and pouring a cup of tea to realize that he was sleepily changing into his pajamas... except he'd forgotten he'd left his pajamas in a dimensional pocket. And his head hurt too much to try to open it right now. Lina looked up just as he was about to start taking off his pants.
"ZEL!" Lina began, then moderated her tone at his wince "What are you doing?" She was blushing furiously.
"I was just... changing ... um, looking for... my pajamas." He blinked at her "Why are you being so nice? Unless this isn't a dream..." Something wasn't quite right. His head hurt a lot, but Lina wouldn't be sitting in his room in her pajamas, would she? Maybe she would. He looked down, then blushed. "I'm a little..." he started to explain, drawing the blankets up to cover his now bare chest. "I mean. Umm. What I meant was... Never mind." He stuttered to a stop, his blush growing. Maybe he was awake... that would mean. 'She's going to kill me. I was just changing in front of LINA.'
"Where are they?" Lina asked, feeling her blush deepen. She looked at his cloak and belts, no bag. "Do you use a pocket space, too?"
"Ummmm...Yeah. But I can't really concentrate right now." Zel thought about trying to focus on his spell, and his headache intensified.
"Let me see what I've got..." Lina said, rummaging in a backpack she'd pulled out of nowhere. "How about..." she pulled out a selection of clothing, most of it way too large for her. "I knew I had these somewhere." She tossed a pair of flannel pants and a matching knit shirt at Zelgadiss. He caught them, surprised that Lina would have something like them just floating around.
"Umm. I picked them up for ... a friend." Lina tried to think up a good reason she might have a pair of men's pajamas in her travel bag. "I ummm... never really got around to giving them to him. So, they're new. I mean..." she trailed off, embarrassed.
"Thank you." Zel looked around for a way to change without embarrassing himself more. Lina realized what he was thinking, and turned around.
"I promise not to peak." She said, fussing with the food tray. 'Not that I don't want to, but... Bad Lina. He's sick. Leave the poor guy alone.'
Zel changed quickly, or at least tried to. When he stood up to pull the pants up, his headache screamed back up to full strength, and he fell helplessly onto the bed, letting out a small groan of pain. 'At least I managed to get into the pajamas,' he thought.
Lina turned around at the sound. "Are you okay?" she hurried over to the bed, leaving the food she had been playing with on the table. She placed a hand on Zel's forehead, noticing that he looked both flushed and pale. He was too warm.
"Lina, I..." Zel began. Lina simply smoothed his hair away form his face, and smiled down at him.
"Don't worry Zel. You took care of me, remember? At least I don't have to carry you across a small country." Lina was worried. Zel always seemed so indestructible, and yet, obviously he needed help now. "Can you eat? I'll help you if you need it."
At Zel's nod, Lina turned back to the table. Considering, she slid the chair out of the way, and pushed the table close to the bed. Then she moved back to Zel, and leaned him up so she could sit behind him at the head of the bed, propping him against the pillow on her lap. She leaned over to the table and grabbed the soup bowl, not noticing the compromising position Zel was in while she was getting the soup.
Blushing, Zel leaned against Lina, and slowly ate his soup. She held the bowl so he wouldn't have to worry about spilling it on himself. When he was done with the soup, she sighed, and grabbed the tea. Zel drank a third of the liquid, then handed the cup back to her, exhausted by the simple task of eating. But the slightly sitting position, or maybe the food was helping his headache. He smiled up at Lina, then closed his eyes as she gently rubbed his forehead and temples with her free hand.
"That feels good. Do you mind...?" Zel's voice trailed off as Lina absentmindedly finished the tea in her hand and set the empty cup back on the table to rub both his temples at once. She cast a minor pain block spell, and continued with the gentle massage. At some point while she was rubbing his temples, the sleeping potion in the tea overcame both of them, and they fell asleep, Lina leaning against the wall, and Zel leaning against Lina, her fingers twisted through the surprisingly soft wire of his hair.
Surprisingly, or maybe due to the sleeping potion, Lina's sleep was calm, quiet, and completely non-violent. And Zel dreamed that he was finally human, and that someone loved him... someone who smelled very sweetly of roses.