Chapter 5: Food for thought
The table was covered with piles of empty plates and the piles were getting even bigger. Lina was cramming as much food into her mouth as she possibly can. Gourry was doing the same thing. Naga and Amelia were hardly touching their food. They spent most of their time talking.
"So you've been traveling around with Lina the whole time?" asked Amelia.
"Not the whole time. For about a year or so, then I went on my own," replied Naga. "I've mostly been hanging around Sandoria fort he last couple of years."
"Sandoria!?" said Amelia. "So that was you."
"What do you mean?"
"About three years ago, Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry, and I were in Sandoria while in disguise trying to get on a ship to Sairaag. I thought I saw you there, but you had brown hair." Amelia turned to Gourry. "Don't you remember, Mr. Gourry? That was when that Volun guy proposed to you." "Gourry became sick to his stomach. "Don't remind me," he said, and continued to eat. Lina grabbed a new plate and held it up to her face so the food would go into her mouth quicker
"What have you been doing in Sandoria?" asked Amelia. She was full of questions.
"I've been stealing from pirates and bandits in the area. Then one day, I found a bottle with a letter in it that came from the legendary Galleon of Gold."
"The Galleon of Gold?" Amelia was shocked, "Really? Does the letter say where it is located this time?" Lina slowed down her eating pace so she could hear what they were saying. Amelia continued to speak. "I remember when Seyruun first found the Galleon of Gold. Only five of the sailors came back alive. Can I see the bottle?" Naga became angry. "I'm sorry, my dear sister," said Naga, locking her eyes on Lina, "but I let someone look at it and they destroyed it."
"Destroyed it!?!" Amelia was even more shocked. "The bottle alone would be worth seventy-five thousand gold pieces." Lina froze. Food fell of her plate and landed on her lap, but she took no notice. "And the letter would be worth more than two times the gold in the Seyruun, easily." Lina's grip on the plate weakened, letting it slide through her fingers and land on the lap along with the food that was on it. Amelia continued to speak. "Whoever did that must've been very stupid. I mean, if they followed the directions in the letter to the Galleon of Gold and succeeded in getting even a twelfth of the gold that it held they'd have more gold than twenty letters."
Lina's heart kept beating faster and faster. She thought she would have a heart attack from the things that she heard. Gourry finished the food off his plate and began to speak. "Hey, Lina," he said, "weren't you the one who Naga gave the bottle and letter to?" Lina suddenly snapped. "ALRIGHT!! IT WAS ME!!" she cried. "I thought it was a fake. How was I supposed to know it was real?" Amelia was in even more shock than when she heard the bottle and letter was destroyed. "Miss Lina!?" she shouted. "You were the last person in the world I'd expect throw away the key to the largest amount of treasure that ever existed."
"Quit rubbing it in already!" Lina was angry, not at Amelia or Naga, but at herself for being so foolish. Gourry began to laugh. "What's so funny, Mr. Gourry?" asked Amelia.
"I've been called "jellyfish brains" for years," he said, laughing like a mad man, "but now…HAHA…but now look who's got the brains of a jellyfish?" Gourry pointed at Lina, still laughing hysterically. "Why you stupid, block-headed…"
"I'm stupid? You're the one who destroyed the letter."
Gourry laughed even harder, pounding the table with his fist, and then stopped when Lina began to chant some gibberish. "That's more like it," said Lina.
Naga cleared her throat. "Don't worry," she said. "Luckily, I've made a copy of the letter and have drawn on a map of the path to the Galleon of Gold." Dollar signs showed up in Lina's eyes. "Alright," said Lina, standing up. The plate fell off her lap and shattered on the floor. The food hit with a loud SPLAT. "To make up for destroying the letter, I, Lina Inverse, will accompany you on your journey." This is just great, thought Naga, I was going to keep all the gold to myself. She's probably going to try and trick her way into getting an even bigger portion than I do. "What would you want in return?" asked Naga. "Something in return?" said Lina with an innocent expression on her face. "I couldn't possibly ask for anything in return. But since you're offering, I'll only take twenty-five percent. Gourry will be with me, too and he deserves twenty-five percent as well. And Amelia is probably coming along, too, right?" Amelia nodded. "That's another twenty-five percent right there." Lina had a big smile on her face.
A bead of sweat rolled along Naga's right cheek. At least she's not getting a bigger share than me, thought Naga. " But…" Naga didn't like that sound of that "but." "…since Gourry has no need for gold of any kind, I'll gladly take his share." "Gee, thanks Lina…I think," said Gourry. "What a nice thing for you to do, Miss Lina," said Amelia. Dammit, thought Naga, I knew it was too good to be true. Lina couldn't be any happier. Hahahaha, thought Lina, I'm gonna be filthy stinkin' rich.
The table was covered with piles of empty plates and the piles were getting even bigger. Lina was cramming as much food into her mouth as she possibly can. Gourry was doing the same thing. Naga and Amelia were hardly touching their food. They spent most of their time talking.
"So you've been traveling around with Lina the whole time?" asked Amelia.
"Not the whole time. For about a year or so, then I went on my own," replied Naga. "I've mostly been hanging around Sandoria fort he last couple of years."
"Sandoria!?" said Amelia. "So that was you."
"What do you mean?"
"About three years ago, Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry, and I were in Sandoria while in disguise trying to get on a ship to Sairaag. I thought I saw you there, but you had brown hair." Amelia turned to Gourry. "Don't you remember, Mr. Gourry? That was when that Volun guy proposed to you." "Gourry became sick to his stomach. "Don't remind me," he said, and continued to eat. Lina grabbed a new plate and held it up to her face so the food would go into her mouth quicker
"What have you been doing in Sandoria?" asked Amelia. She was full of questions.
"I've been stealing from pirates and bandits in the area. Then one day, I found a bottle with a letter in it that came from the legendary Galleon of Gold."
"The Galleon of Gold?" Amelia was shocked, "Really? Does the letter say where it is located this time?" Lina slowed down her eating pace so she could hear what they were saying. Amelia continued to speak. "I remember when Seyruun first found the Galleon of Gold. Only five of the sailors came back alive. Can I see the bottle?" Naga became angry. "I'm sorry, my dear sister," said Naga, locking her eyes on Lina, "but I let someone look at it and they destroyed it."
"Destroyed it!?!" Amelia was even more shocked. "The bottle alone would be worth seventy-five thousand gold pieces." Lina froze. Food fell of her plate and landed on her lap, but she took no notice. "And the letter would be worth more than two times the gold in the Seyruun, easily." Lina's grip on the plate weakened, letting it slide through her fingers and land on the lap along with the food that was on it. Amelia continued to speak. "Whoever did that must've been very stupid. I mean, if they followed the directions in the letter to the Galleon of Gold and succeeded in getting even a twelfth of the gold that it held they'd have more gold than twenty letters."
Lina's heart kept beating faster and faster. She thought she would have a heart attack from the things that she heard. Gourry finished the food off his plate and began to speak. "Hey, Lina," he said, "weren't you the one who Naga gave the bottle and letter to?" Lina suddenly snapped. "ALRIGHT!! IT WAS ME!!" she cried. "I thought it was a fake. How was I supposed to know it was real?" Amelia was in even more shock than when she heard the bottle and letter was destroyed. "Miss Lina!?" she shouted. "You were the last person in the world I'd expect throw away the key to the largest amount of treasure that ever existed."
"Quit rubbing it in already!" Lina was angry, not at Amelia or Naga, but at herself for being so foolish. Gourry began to laugh. "What's so funny, Mr. Gourry?" asked Amelia.
"I've been called "jellyfish brains" for years," he said, laughing like a mad man, "but now…HAHA…but now look who's got the brains of a jellyfish?" Gourry pointed at Lina, still laughing hysterically. "Why you stupid, block-headed…"
"I'm stupid? You're the one who destroyed the letter."
Gourry laughed even harder, pounding the table with his fist, and then stopped when Lina began to chant some gibberish. "That's more like it," said Lina.
Naga cleared her throat. "Don't worry," she said. "Luckily, I've made a copy of the letter and have drawn on a map of the path to the Galleon of Gold." Dollar signs showed up in Lina's eyes. "Alright," said Lina, standing up. The plate fell off her lap and shattered on the floor. The food hit with a loud SPLAT. "To make up for destroying the letter, I, Lina Inverse, will accompany you on your journey." This is just great, thought Naga, I was going to keep all the gold to myself. She's probably going to try and trick her way into getting an even bigger portion than I do. "What would you want in return?" asked Naga. "Something in return?" said Lina with an innocent expression on her face. "I couldn't possibly ask for anything in return. But since you're offering, I'll only take twenty-five percent. Gourry will be with me, too and he deserves twenty-five percent as well. And Amelia is probably coming along, too, right?" Amelia nodded. "That's another twenty-five percent right there." Lina had a big smile on her face.
A bead of sweat rolled along Naga's right cheek. At least she's not getting a bigger share than me, thought Naga. " But…" Naga didn't like that sound of that "but." "…since Gourry has no need for gold of any kind, I'll gladly take his share." "Gee, thanks Lina…I think," said Gourry. "What a nice thing for you to do, Miss Lina," said Amelia. Dammit, thought Naga, I knew it was too good to be true. Lina couldn't be any happier. Hahahaha, thought Lina, I'm gonna be filthy stinkin' rich.