Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SLAYERS. So there. ^_^
- JUST ANOTHER AU FIC -
Chapter 4 : Shocks, Zel's Dilemma, Everyone's Dilemma
"I'll never live this down!!!" Filia cried for what must have been the umpteenth time that day.
Lina shrugged. "It was partly your fault, Filia," she reminded the blond woman.
"Lina-san, don't make her feel worse!" scolded Amelia from where she was patting Filia's shoulder, trying to calm her down.
The three women were back inside Filia's office room. On the desk lay copies of The Daily Scrawl, Saillune Express and other big and lesser known publications, all with nearly the same head line : Filia winning a dinner date with Wolfpack Corporation's president himself, Xellos Metallium. Add that to blown up, full-color pictures of her arm in arm with a shudder Mazoku. On the front cover of the Saillune Society was splattered a huge pic of a shocked, haggard-looking Filia with a smiling Xellos, one arm around her. One shocking reminder of the horror that occurred only yesterday. Filia buried her face in her arms, slumping on her desk.
"Look at it on the bright side," Lina said. "You win a night out at one of the most expensive restaurants this side of the continent! And hopefully your relatives from the Kaltaart region won't have to find out." The redhead stood up, staring her square in the face.
"So, um, when are you going out?" Amelia asked.
"Nani?" Filia went tense, rigid. Both younger girls looked up nervously. "Who says I'll be going out with HIM?!?" She clenched her fists, an annoying image of the namagomi seemingly materializing in the air. Filia swatted it away angrily.
"Well, you won--"
"Let him keep his stupid restaurant date," Filia retorted. "I'm not going."
An amused, sneaky grin crept up Lina's face. "Then why did you keep the dinner certificate and gold card he awarded you, hm?"
"I was going to have Amelia send it back for me," the blonde answered, trying not to blush and give her any more ideas. She knew Lina had this illusion about putting her and Xellos together. Though that was way back in high school. This, however, was real life. She turned to Amelia, who was looking at her curiously. "Ame, would you? It's already on your desk."
"Alright," the young woman nodded, and left for her post.
"Fess up, Fi," Lina said as soon as the door closed. "I know you wanna go out with him." Filia frowned at her friend. The redhead's scarlet eyes peered knowingly at her. "Don't you?"
Filia let out a dismissive laugh. At least, she hoped it sounded dismissive. "Come on, Lina. Haven't we gotten over this already? I. DON'T. LIKE. HIM." She held a hand on her forehead, weary with the conversation.
"You told me you had a crush on him," Lina reminded her, smirking triumphantly.
This time Filia finally blushed. "That was ten years ago! Anyway, speaking of love life, how're things with your movie star boyfriend?" The blonde asked her friend, trying to change the subject.
Lina smirked, catching her friend's drift. She folded her arms around her waist, grinning at Filia conspirationally. "Well, he's GREAT in bed..." she began.
"Lina!" Filia protested, blushing yet again. "Not about that!"
Footsteps echoed on the narrow set of stairs leading to the third floor. Amelia looked from where she was filing the last of Filia's legal papers, blushing suddenly upon seeing who came in.
"Good morning, Zelgadis-san," Amelia greeted shyly.
The young man nodded in turn. He seemed distracted about something. She noticed that the black leather briefcase he always had with him was uncharacteristically disorganized, sheets of white paper protruding from the case. "Is Filia-san and Lina inside?" he inquired.
"Oh, yeah," she answered, trying to keep her voice casual. "Go right in."
Zelgadis nodded again, not meeting her eyes, and headed for Filia's office. Should he tell her? No, he argued to himself. Better wait and see what happens. If they both find out, it'll only aggravate the situation. Hesitating only a moment, he knocked on the door.
"Filia? Lina?"
"About time he arrived," Lina muttered, before hollering "Come in!" to the impeccably dressed, super-serious man on the other side of the doorway. Zelgadis stepped inside, involuntarily checking his watch as he entered.
Filia looked at her other associate hopefully. "Well, Zelgadis-san? Found another corporation willing to back us up?"
The lawyer shook his wiry-haired head. "Nothing," he answered, his mouth drawing into a tight line. "Xellos is purposefully pressuring other companies who might have interest in us, driving away the competition. The fruitcake's company has many connections, Filia." He withdrew some papers from his immaculate leather briefcase. "I have some papers, documents, but their mostly legal garbles explaining why they can't and won't consider a merger with us."
"I see." Filia wanted to tear at her hair in frustration. No. Appearances, appearances.
"Damn." Lina remarked, her expression unreadable.
Filia looked outside to the gleaming multi-story building that was the Metallium Shopping Complex. More and more customers swarmed inside by each passing day, and she could't ward off the sinking feeling that those customers were part of the few who had kept her own establishment running for the past years.
She surveyed her own teashop, simple yet elegant wooden tables set a navigatable distance between each other, French table cloths, room lit by lily-shaped wall lanterns for that homey effect. Hardly anyone came in now. In fact, the shop was devoid of customers right that moment. And for the past two hours.
Damn it all. She set down the half-empty teacup she had prepared for herself, trying to ignore the gnawing, sick feeling in her stomach about the injustice of it all.
And she didn't even want to think about the state of the antique shop. Some punk dropped by, but the jerk seemed to be more interested in hitting on her than buying anything, so she had to not-so-subtly drive the delinquent out of the building. That was one customer she wouldn't mind losing to that creep's super-posh *shopping complex*.
"Sis?" Jiras. The fox man came up to her shyly, fidgeting where he stood. He was done arranging some pottery on display at the tea-shop counter, where customers get to choose the chinaware they preferred to drink in. She took pride in that, it was her own idea, not that it helped now. Arranging the pottery was all Jiras had to do for the past few hours. Another unbearably slow day.
"Yes, Jiras?" Gods, it wasn't entirely her fault was it? If Great-grandpa Saichuro could see her now...
"Um," The fox man began uncertainly, trying to meet his female boss' eye, "... I was wondering if I could, I mean, if it's not much of a problem..."
Filia gazed at him patiently. "Hai?"
"Could... Can I have the day off? I sort of... h-have a date with someone, and..." Jiras trailed off, his face a noticeable shade of bright pink through reddish fur.
She blinked. Ah, the hell with it. As if they're going to be busy for another twenty-four hours. "A date?"
Nod.
Filia had to smile in spite of herself, and stood up, patting her shopkeeper at the back. "Jiras, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "So who is she? You're going to meet her here at the teashop, won't you? Treat her here, it's on me!"
Jiras looked at his boss nervously. "Well, I'm afraid w-we're going to meet somewhere else, sis."
The blonde frowned. "Eh? Where?"
The fox man refused to meet her eyes, twiddling furry thumbs cautiously. "...... mumble.........."
"What?" She strained her ears to listen.
".... The... Metallium Shopping Complex.... across the street...."
"WHAT?!?!!!"
Major facefault, people. ^_^*
Author's Rants: Yes, this is going so SLOW, isn't it? Might work on the pace later... Hang in there, I beg of you! ^_^
ZELAS HAS A PLAN...
- JUST ANOTHER AU FIC -
Chapter 4 : Shocks, Zel's Dilemma, Everyone's Dilemma
"I'll never live this down!!!" Filia cried for what must have been the umpteenth time that day.
Lina shrugged. "It was partly your fault, Filia," she reminded the blond woman.
"Lina-san, don't make her feel worse!" scolded Amelia from where she was patting Filia's shoulder, trying to calm her down.
The three women were back inside Filia's office room. On the desk lay copies of The Daily Scrawl, Saillune Express and other big and lesser known publications, all with nearly the same head line : Filia winning a dinner date with Wolfpack Corporation's president himself, Xellos Metallium. Add that to blown up, full-color pictures of her arm in arm with a shudder Mazoku. On the front cover of the Saillune Society was splattered a huge pic of a shocked, haggard-looking Filia with a smiling Xellos, one arm around her. One shocking reminder of the horror that occurred only yesterday. Filia buried her face in her arms, slumping on her desk.
"Look at it on the bright side," Lina said. "You win a night out at one of the most expensive restaurants this side of the continent! And hopefully your relatives from the Kaltaart region won't have to find out." The redhead stood up, staring her square in the face.
"So, um, when are you going out?" Amelia asked.
"Nani?" Filia went tense, rigid. Both younger girls looked up nervously. "Who says I'll be going out with HIM?!?" She clenched her fists, an annoying image of the namagomi seemingly materializing in the air. Filia swatted it away angrily.
"Well, you won--"
"Let him keep his stupid restaurant date," Filia retorted. "I'm not going."
An amused, sneaky grin crept up Lina's face. "Then why did you keep the dinner certificate and gold card he awarded you, hm?"
"I was going to have Amelia send it back for me," the blonde answered, trying not to blush and give her any more ideas. She knew Lina had this illusion about putting her and Xellos together. Though that was way back in high school. This, however, was real life. She turned to Amelia, who was looking at her curiously. "Ame, would you? It's already on your desk."
"Alright," the young woman nodded, and left for her post.
"Fess up, Fi," Lina said as soon as the door closed. "I know you wanna go out with him." Filia frowned at her friend. The redhead's scarlet eyes peered knowingly at her. "Don't you?"
Filia let out a dismissive laugh. At least, she hoped it sounded dismissive. "Come on, Lina. Haven't we gotten over this already? I. DON'T. LIKE. HIM." She held a hand on her forehead, weary with the conversation.
"You told me you had a crush on him," Lina reminded her, smirking triumphantly.
This time Filia finally blushed. "That was ten years ago! Anyway, speaking of love life, how're things with your movie star boyfriend?" The blonde asked her friend, trying to change the subject.
Lina smirked, catching her friend's drift. She folded her arms around her waist, grinning at Filia conspirationally. "Well, he's GREAT in bed..." she began.
"Lina!" Filia protested, blushing yet again. "Not about that!"
Footsteps echoed on the narrow set of stairs leading to the third floor. Amelia looked from where she was filing the last of Filia's legal papers, blushing suddenly upon seeing who came in.
"Good morning, Zelgadis-san," Amelia greeted shyly.
The young man nodded in turn. He seemed distracted about something. She noticed that the black leather briefcase he always had with him was uncharacteristically disorganized, sheets of white paper protruding from the case. "Is Filia-san and Lina inside?" he inquired.
"Oh, yeah," she answered, trying to keep her voice casual. "Go right in."
Zelgadis nodded again, not meeting her eyes, and headed for Filia's office. Should he tell her? No, he argued to himself. Better wait and see what happens. If they both find out, it'll only aggravate the situation. Hesitating only a moment, he knocked on the door.
"Filia? Lina?"
"About time he arrived," Lina muttered, before hollering "Come in!" to the impeccably dressed, super-serious man on the other side of the doorway. Zelgadis stepped inside, involuntarily checking his watch as he entered.
Filia looked at her other associate hopefully. "Well, Zelgadis-san? Found another corporation willing to back us up?"
The lawyer shook his wiry-haired head. "Nothing," he answered, his mouth drawing into a tight line. "Xellos is purposefully pressuring other companies who might have interest in us, driving away the competition. The fruitcake's company has many connections, Filia." He withdrew some papers from his immaculate leather briefcase. "I have some papers, documents, but their mostly legal garbles explaining why they can't and won't consider a merger with us."
"I see." Filia wanted to tear at her hair in frustration. No. Appearances, appearances.
"Damn." Lina remarked, her expression unreadable.
Filia looked outside to the gleaming multi-story building that was the Metallium Shopping Complex. More and more customers swarmed inside by each passing day, and she could't ward off the sinking feeling that those customers were part of the few who had kept her own establishment running for the past years.
She surveyed her own teashop, simple yet elegant wooden tables set a navigatable distance between each other, French table cloths, room lit by lily-shaped wall lanterns for that homey effect. Hardly anyone came in now. In fact, the shop was devoid of customers right that moment. And for the past two hours.
Damn it all. She set down the half-empty teacup she had prepared for herself, trying to ignore the gnawing, sick feeling in her stomach about the injustice of it all.
And she didn't even want to think about the state of the antique shop. Some punk dropped by, but the jerk seemed to be more interested in hitting on her than buying anything, so she had to not-so-subtly drive the delinquent out of the building. That was one customer she wouldn't mind losing to that creep's super-posh *shopping complex*.
"Sis?" Jiras. The fox man came up to her shyly, fidgeting where he stood. He was done arranging some pottery on display at the tea-shop counter, where customers get to choose the chinaware they preferred to drink in. She took pride in that, it was her own idea, not that it helped now. Arranging the pottery was all Jiras had to do for the past few hours. Another unbearably slow day.
"Yes, Jiras?" Gods, it wasn't entirely her fault was it? If Great-grandpa Saichuro could see her now...
"Um," The fox man began uncertainly, trying to meet his female boss' eye, "... I was wondering if I could, I mean, if it's not much of a problem..."
Filia gazed at him patiently. "Hai?"
"Could... Can I have the day off? I sort of... h-have a date with someone, and..." Jiras trailed off, his face a noticeable shade of bright pink through reddish fur.
She blinked. Ah, the hell with it. As if they're going to be busy for another twenty-four hours. "A date?"
Nod.
Filia had to smile in spite of herself, and stood up, patting her shopkeeper at the back. "Jiras, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "So who is she? You're going to meet her here at the teashop, won't you? Treat her here, it's on me!"
Jiras looked at his boss nervously. "Well, I'm afraid w-we're going to meet somewhere else, sis."
The blonde frowned. "Eh? Where?"
The fox man refused to meet her eyes, twiddling furry thumbs cautiously. "...... mumble.........."
"What?" She strained her ears to listen.
".... The... Metallium Shopping Complex.... across the street...."
"WHAT?!?!!!"
Major facefault, people. ^_^*
Author's Rants: Yes, this is going so SLOW, isn't it? Might work on the pace later... Hang in there, I beg of you! ^_^
ZELAS HAS A PLAN...