Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SLAYERS. So there. ^_^
- JUST ANOTHER AU FIC -
Chapter 5 : (All Hail) Zelas' Diabolical Scheme
"Mr. Xellos, I must say, it is truly amazing how your shopping complex has become the number one tea and antique shop in Saillune in just a matter of days!"
The Mazoku grinned into the tv screen, eyes closed benignly. "Nothing to it, Al. Wofpack prides itself in providing quality services to its honored customers. Needless to say, we simply are the best tea and marketing corporation there is!"
"There are some protesters, quite a few, but loud enough nonetheless, who's saying your rendering the Karyu-Ul Copt Dragon Crest Industries bankrupt."
"Business is business."
"I also hear Ms. Filia Ul Copt, the winner of your pre-announced opening promo, returned her prize ticket and refuses to have to do anything with you or your company."
"Ah, but she is still the winner of our little promotion. Ticket or no ticket, she's free to collect the prize! Wolfpack prides itself in keeping with its prize handouts and other terms of promotion!"
"Very gallant of you, sir."
A smile. "I know."
The reporter, a black-haired, unassuming man of thirty-something, smiled into the screen. "Well folks, that's it for our special feature on the hot new owner of the number one cafe and shopping complex in town, Mr. Xellos Metallium! Back to you, Bob."
"Thanks, Al. Still on SNN, here's Elly Wright for the weather report--"
"Turn that thing off."
"OK, Filia-san." The tv monitor was shut down, and the blond woman leaned forward, a determined look on her face.
"We need a plan," Filia declared, fist banging on the table. The other people in the tea shop nodded in silence.
She stood up, pacing, arms behind her back. "That namagomi's store is stealing customers from us, for nearly a week now. We have to do something about it." To finalize her statement, she stared at her five associates. Lina leaned on her chair, legs crossed, shrugging. Zelgadis stared on, morose as always. Jiras and Gravos sat behaved in a corner, afraid of another explosion due to a certain blond lady's temper tantrums. She nodded to Amelia, who produced a flowchart, hanging it on the makeshift board at the wall adjacent to their table. The sharply dropping red line that stood for market sales and net profits told them all they needed to know about the situation.
Filia frowned, gazing at each of her friends. "Does anyone have suggestions?"
The room remained silent.
"Come on, people?" The blonde pleaded.
"We could lower our prices," Amelia offered.
Lina put it down, shaking her head. "We can't do that. Rates are rock bottom as it is." Thinking a moment, a lightbulb seemed to flash right beside her head. "I know!" The redhead declared triumphantly. "We could form heckle groups to spread unpleasant rumors about Wolfpack. That'll destroy the competition!"
The rest of the room's occupants sweatdropped simultaneously. "We can't do that," they all said.
Filia nodded her assent. "As much as I hate that namagomi, I wouldn't stoop that low, Lina."
Lina pouted. "Aw, but it'll definitely solve our problems, ne?"
"Or get us a libel suit, which is the last thing we need right now," Zelgadis interposed.
"Sorry, Lina-san."
Filia turned to her two remaining assistants. "Jiras? Gravos? Anything you'd like to share with us?"
Apologetic head shakes. "Sorry, sis."
"Zelgadis?"
The said Chimera seemed to hesitate for a moment. He sat up. "We could try better advertising," he blurted out. "Beat them at their own game."
Silence.
"That could work," Lina surmised slowly.
"Indeed," Filia said, nodding. "We could try that. Good idea, Zel."
"Well, what's our promo?" Amelia inquired.
Filia paused. "What?"
"Well, if we're going to advertise, we'll need some sort of promotion, right? You know, production gimmicks, bonuses, special prizes..." the dark-haired young woman trailed off.
"Yes, I guess..." Filia acceded.
"So, uh, what is it?"
Collective silences.
"If we'd come up with a nice gift prize, or a tv commercial, or if we could get a big star to endorse us," Amelia went on.
The blond lady shook her head. "We don't exactly have the budget for any of those," she sighed dejectedly. Useless. A big star... Where and how could they even get a movie star to-- Wait...! Now the lightbulb reappeared, this time beside Filia's head. Her face put on a triumphant expression.
The rest of the occupants looked nervously at their boss, before she turned excitedly to the redhead. "Lina-san!" Filia exclaimed happily.
"Um, Filia?"
"Thank you, come again to Filia's Teashop!" Gourry cheerfully bade the latest wave of fan/customers to walk out of the shop. At the same time another wave of customers, mostly female, crowded around the blond action/movie star. Not a few waved notepads and an assortment of Filia's merchandise, waiting for autographs. The young man complied with a rather sheepish smile.
A group of SNN reporters stood right outside the building, cameras and mikes in hand.
The video cam zoomed in to Gourry and his mob of adoring fans.
"As you can see," the reporter said, "Apparently Dragon Crest Industries, in retaliation to lower sales thanks to the opening of the Metallium Shopping Complex, had gotten celebrated movie star and Oscar winner Gourry 'The Beefcake' Gabriev to endorse their company. And it seems to be working. The shop has been crowded with swooning fans from all walks of life eager to meet their hero..."
"This is going well," Filia exclaimed happily, as she entertained another customer eager to buy a teacup for the movie star to sign.
"I guess," Lina warily agreed, trying to keep from frowning as yet another horde of female fans stormed into the shop and around her current boyfriend. She nodded absently to a customer as she purchased an earthenware dish. It had gotten so busy that even she had to help out in the store. The redhead stared, amused, as a rather dazed Jiras, trays of tea and biscuits on either hand, weaved around the tables, serving the refreshments.
"Hey Lina!" Gourry waved to her from across the room, holding up a stuffed toy in the shape of a jellyfish some fan gave him. The redhead sweatdropped, then waved back. Who was she to be jealous, anyway? She was far more intelligent and beautiful than any of the girls swarming around him right now. She concentrated in helping Filia with the pottery.
Beside her, Filia glanced at the redhead, aware where her attentions had drifted. The blond woman was grateful to her friend. She had agreed to this, after all. She felt kind of bad having to use their relationship just to save the shop, but...
The store door swung open, and they got ready to greet the next batch of customers to come in. Only this time, it wasn't a crowd of lovesick females.
Lina frowned slightly. The haggard, spiky-haired man wearing tinted glasses and surrounded by men in black suits was Danny, Gourry's fussy agent. He seemed upset about something. But then again, he always was upset about something. She watched as Danny dodged and ducked his way around the crowd, frantically waving at the blond man signing autograph books and coffee mugs.
"Gourry-san! Hey, G-san!" The agent's dry voice yelled from among the crowd.
The movie star looked up to see his agent (hey, he remembered! Those intelligence pills Lina insists he take must be working!) obviously flustered, waving frantically and pale in the face. "Oh, hi, Danny," Gourry greeted as he signed a delicately painted teacup.
The said agent was tearing at his hair in despair. "Gourry-san, how could you do this to me, ol' buddy?" he wailed. "We're in trouble, you and I, unless you COME WITH ME RIGHT NOW!!!" With this, Danny grabbed his talent's hand, and gestured to his lackeys to take the movie star away. The crowds shouted their protest.
"What is the meaning of this?" Filia intervened, Lina following close behind. "He's here to endorse the teashop!"
Danny peered at the blond woman. "Uh, sorry, blondie... but he's already... NEYOUCH!!!"
"Um, Lina, I don't really think Danny will be able to breathe in that position..." Gourry remarked cautiously, observing the redhead grip the spiky-haired agent by the collar of his pristine maroon shirt.
"Fine." The lawyer gave in, releasing the agent not-too-gently. "Why the hell are you here dragging off MY boyfriend?!" She demanded.
"I was *about* to tell you that." Danny replied in exasperation. "He can't endorse Dragon Crest."
"What do you mean?" Filia asked.
The agent looked over at Gourry pleadingly. "Man, don't tell me you've forgotten again!" The movie star gave him a blank look. Danny sighed. "You've already signed an endorsement contract with Wolfpack!!!" he screamed finally. "You're supposed to be there right now, signing autographs! It's in your schedule, remember?!"
The blond actor's face brightened in recollection. "Oh yeah, I remember now!" Gourry surmised, even as the men in black suits who were Danny's appointed body guards carried him bodily away and out of the shop. "Well, see ya, Lina, Miss Filia! Sorry, but I gotta go now! But if you want to see me, I'll be just across the street!" the movie star waved in departure.
Needless to say, the entire dining area sweatdropped, not withstanding the interesting facefaults one blond woman and one spunky redhead awarded to the floor.
"Gourry-sama!!!" screamed the fans. In an instant, the teashop found itself empty of customers as the hordes of adoring fan girls swarmed out of the room, following their idol to the direction of the Metallium building.
"Jellyfish brains," Lina remarked wearily, slumping in her seat.
The phone rang.
"I'll... get it," Filia said, racing upstairs and taking the receiver.
"Hello, Fi-chan!" An irrepressibly cheerful and annoying male voice greeted from the other line. And she had a good idea who.
"Namagomi!!!" The blonde screamed.
"Just called to know how you're doing," Xellos the Mazoku business lord continued jovially. "Also to remind you that if ever your company reconsiders the need to sell out to us, we'll be more than happy to back you up. What are old friends for, ne, Fi-chan?"
"Who're you calling your friend, you creep!" Filia was about to explode. "The answer is NO! I'd rather die than sell my father's company to the likes of you!"
"I'll leave you time to think about it, of course," Xellos went on undaunted. "Feel free to stop by the shopping complex yourself. We're having a discount sale and all, to celebrate the success of Wolfpack's opening! Be a dear and drop by now and then, ne?" Click. The line went dead.
Filia was fuming. "The nerve!" The blonde gripped the receiver so hard it looked like it was about to break. And it did, unfortunately. Filia stared at the broken pieces that used to be the telephone receiver in her palm. Oh, darn, she thought, as she descended down the stairs to join Lina and the others sitting miserably in the dining area.
"So, Miss Filia, are you saying that you are totally against selling your family's company to Wolfpack Corporation?"
Filia glared into the screen. "Absolutely," the blond woman answered. "It is against everything my family stands for. And I would rather die than have that nama-- Mr. Metallium take over ownership of Dragon Crest."
The female reporter nodded thoughtfully. "So the merger is off? There wil be no negotiations to sell out?"
"Not to Wolfpack."
"Well, thank you, Miss Filia." The mousy newscaster turned to the screen. "That's it for the stand of Dragon Crest's current owner, Filia Ul Copt, on Wolfpack's proposed merger with the local company. Only in SBC-12, exclusive. Back to you, Alice."
"Thanks, Lou. Now, let's do a quick rundown of the current stock--"
Smirking, Xellos shut off the tv monitor, leaning back on the leather highback chair of his expensive three-room corporate suite at the topmost floor of the Metallium Shopping Complex. It was fun meeting Filia again, after all these years. It had been some time since he'd had so much fun annoying somebody.
It had been ten years since he left Saillune with Zelas-sama. Hardly anybody remembered the Mazoku family now, not that they'd care. The Mazoku had grown rich in a period of years, the Wolfpack Corporation expanding into several big countries all over the world, a multi-billion dollar business conglomerate the world over. Most of it thanks to him of course. Success was sweet, but it was made so much sweeter by the fact he could flaunt it at Fi-chan's face.
She hadn't changed much, had she? Same long, silky blond hair, crystalline blue eyes, delicate face. Prim and proper disposition. A disposition he so loved to ruffle, poke and provoke her until she lost control of her temper and she'd be screaming at him, chi fires blazing in her eyes. It was fun watching her reactions. He couldn't explain why but her anger had a rejuvenating effect on him, strengthening him, soothing him.
Ah, the memories.
A knock on the door. The glass panel slid open, and a man dressed in the prim black and white butler suit bowed respectfully at the purple-haired man. "Call for you, sir," the butler informed him. "Your mother..."
He nodded, dismissing the servant. The man bowed once more and slid out of the room. Sitting up, Xellos tapped a few keys on his computer. A few beeps, and an image of a gorgeous blond woman with perfectly-tanned skin apeared on the monitor, wine glass in hand.
Xellos bowed his head. "Zelas-sama..."
"Xel-kun!" The smooth, throaty voice of the woman greeted from the other line. "Well, how's my boy doing?"
He smiled. "I'm fine. How's Tahiti?"
"Great, just great. A little too hot this time of year, though. But I'm having the time of my life here. Got an island resort a few miles away, beautiful place. I'm thinking of buying it..."
"If you deem it best..."
"Well, yeah," Zelas continued, her tone losing some of its sense of humor. "Anyway, that's not the reason I called you. I suppose you've already met up with the owner of that small-time company we're buying?"
Xellos nodded. "Yes, Juu-ou-sama. But she -- I'm afraid she refused to sell out and withdrew our merger," he finished, a hint of apology in his voice. "I'm doing something about it, though."
"Karyu's great grand daughter as stubborn as her old folks, eh?" Zelas said, chuckling softly. A pause, taking a drag out of her favorite cigarette. "No matter. Listen, Xel. I need you to get our hands on that little family business of theirs. Just think of the possibility!" The woman waved her hand away. "They don't know it yet, but that company's a potential gold mine, given someone develops it properly," the blonde went on. "And I want that someone to be us." Another pause as she put down her wine glass. "I need you to do everything in your power to get that dragon girl to sell out."
"Everything, Mistress?"
"Everything." Another pause. The blond woman seemed to consider deeply what she was about to say next. She shifted suddenly in her seat, crossing her long, shapely legs. "Xel-kun," she began, "This great grand-daughter, Filia, I believe, is still single, isn't she?"
"I do believe she is quite single, Mistress." What was she getting at?
A sneaky smile crept up Zelas' carefully made up face. "Good, very good. I need you to do something for me, Xellos. It'll solve our problems with the company, and at the same time I think you'll find it... most enjoyable."
Xellos frowned inwardly. His master always had the weirdest plans. Not that he would ever defy her, of course. Aloud, he asked, "What is it, Zelas-sama?"
A smirk lit up his master's face. "I want you to seduce that little dragon girl. Get on her good side, get to know her better. Gain our trust, and she, and her family's company, shall fall in our hands." The blonde concluded. She smiled smugly, letting what she said settle in to her best man. "Well?" She asked finally.
Xellos smile matched her own. "As you wish, Lord Beastmaster."
Author's Near-Insane Ramblings: Could you believe it took five chapters to get this out? No turning back now, though. At this point, do you think it's even worth while for me to continue? Or am I just wasting my time? Feedback, people. Tell me what you think and I'd love you forever. ^_^
THE DATE : A NIGHT TO REMEMBER...
- JUST ANOTHER AU FIC -
Chapter 5 : (All Hail) Zelas' Diabolical Scheme
"Mr. Xellos, I must say, it is truly amazing how your shopping complex has become the number one tea and antique shop in Saillune in just a matter of days!"
The Mazoku grinned into the tv screen, eyes closed benignly. "Nothing to it, Al. Wofpack prides itself in providing quality services to its honored customers. Needless to say, we simply are the best tea and marketing corporation there is!"
"There are some protesters, quite a few, but loud enough nonetheless, who's saying your rendering the Karyu-Ul Copt Dragon Crest Industries bankrupt."
"Business is business."
"I also hear Ms. Filia Ul Copt, the winner of your pre-announced opening promo, returned her prize ticket and refuses to have to do anything with you or your company."
"Ah, but she is still the winner of our little promotion. Ticket or no ticket, she's free to collect the prize! Wolfpack prides itself in keeping with its prize handouts and other terms of promotion!"
"Very gallant of you, sir."
A smile. "I know."
The reporter, a black-haired, unassuming man of thirty-something, smiled into the screen. "Well folks, that's it for our special feature on the hot new owner of the number one cafe and shopping complex in town, Mr. Xellos Metallium! Back to you, Bob."
"Thanks, Al. Still on SNN, here's Elly Wright for the weather report--"
"Turn that thing off."
"OK, Filia-san." The tv monitor was shut down, and the blond woman leaned forward, a determined look on her face.
"We need a plan," Filia declared, fist banging on the table. The other people in the tea shop nodded in silence.
She stood up, pacing, arms behind her back. "That namagomi's store is stealing customers from us, for nearly a week now. We have to do something about it." To finalize her statement, she stared at her five associates. Lina leaned on her chair, legs crossed, shrugging. Zelgadis stared on, morose as always. Jiras and Gravos sat behaved in a corner, afraid of another explosion due to a certain blond lady's temper tantrums. She nodded to Amelia, who produced a flowchart, hanging it on the makeshift board at the wall adjacent to their table. The sharply dropping red line that stood for market sales and net profits told them all they needed to know about the situation.
Filia frowned, gazing at each of her friends. "Does anyone have suggestions?"
The room remained silent.
"Come on, people?" The blonde pleaded.
"We could lower our prices," Amelia offered.
Lina put it down, shaking her head. "We can't do that. Rates are rock bottom as it is." Thinking a moment, a lightbulb seemed to flash right beside her head. "I know!" The redhead declared triumphantly. "We could form heckle groups to spread unpleasant rumors about Wolfpack. That'll destroy the competition!"
The rest of the room's occupants sweatdropped simultaneously. "We can't do that," they all said.
Filia nodded her assent. "As much as I hate that namagomi, I wouldn't stoop that low, Lina."
Lina pouted. "Aw, but it'll definitely solve our problems, ne?"
"Or get us a libel suit, which is the last thing we need right now," Zelgadis interposed.
"Sorry, Lina-san."
Filia turned to her two remaining assistants. "Jiras? Gravos? Anything you'd like to share with us?"
Apologetic head shakes. "Sorry, sis."
"Zelgadis?"
The said Chimera seemed to hesitate for a moment. He sat up. "We could try better advertising," he blurted out. "Beat them at their own game."
Silence.
"That could work," Lina surmised slowly.
"Indeed," Filia said, nodding. "We could try that. Good idea, Zel."
"Well, what's our promo?" Amelia inquired.
Filia paused. "What?"
"Well, if we're going to advertise, we'll need some sort of promotion, right? You know, production gimmicks, bonuses, special prizes..." the dark-haired young woman trailed off.
"Yes, I guess..." Filia acceded.
"So, uh, what is it?"
Collective silences.
"If we'd come up with a nice gift prize, or a tv commercial, or if we could get a big star to endorse us," Amelia went on.
The blond lady shook her head. "We don't exactly have the budget for any of those," she sighed dejectedly. Useless. A big star... Where and how could they even get a movie star to-- Wait...! Now the lightbulb reappeared, this time beside Filia's head. Her face put on a triumphant expression.
The rest of the occupants looked nervously at their boss, before she turned excitedly to the redhead. "Lina-san!" Filia exclaimed happily.
"Um, Filia?"
"Thank you, come again to Filia's Teashop!" Gourry cheerfully bade the latest wave of fan/customers to walk out of the shop. At the same time another wave of customers, mostly female, crowded around the blond action/movie star. Not a few waved notepads and an assortment of Filia's merchandise, waiting for autographs. The young man complied with a rather sheepish smile.
A group of SNN reporters stood right outside the building, cameras and mikes in hand.
The video cam zoomed in to Gourry and his mob of adoring fans.
"As you can see," the reporter said, "Apparently Dragon Crest Industries, in retaliation to lower sales thanks to the opening of the Metallium Shopping Complex, had gotten celebrated movie star and Oscar winner Gourry 'The Beefcake' Gabriev to endorse their company. And it seems to be working. The shop has been crowded with swooning fans from all walks of life eager to meet their hero..."
"This is going well," Filia exclaimed happily, as she entertained another customer eager to buy a teacup for the movie star to sign.
"I guess," Lina warily agreed, trying to keep from frowning as yet another horde of female fans stormed into the shop and around her current boyfriend. She nodded absently to a customer as she purchased an earthenware dish. It had gotten so busy that even she had to help out in the store. The redhead stared, amused, as a rather dazed Jiras, trays of tea and biscuits on either hand, weaved around the tables, serving the refreshments.
"Hey Lina!" Gourry waved to her from across the room, holding up a stuffed toy in the shape of a jellyfish some fan gave him. The redhead sweatdropped, then waved back. Who was she to be jealous, anyway? She was far more intelligent and beautiful than any of the girls swarming around him right now. She concentrated in helping Filia with the pottery.
Beside her, Filia glanced at the redhead, aware where her attentions had drifted. The blond woman was grateful to her friend. She had agreed to this, after all. She felt kind of bad having to use their relationship just to save the shop, but...
The store door swung open, and they got ready to greet the next batch of customers to come in. Only this time, it wasn't a crowd of lovesick females.
Lina frowned slightly. The haggard, spiky-haired man wearing tinted glasses and surrounded by men in black suits was Danny, Gourry's fussy agent. He seemed upset about something. But then again, he always was upset about something. She watched as Danny dodged and ducked his way around the crowd, frantically waving at the blond man signing autograph books and coffee mugs.
"Gourry-san! Hey, G-san!" The agent's dry voice yelled from among the crowd.
The movie star looked up to see his agent (hey, he remembered! Those intelligence pills Lina insists he take must be working!) obviously flustered, waving frantically and pale in the face. "Oh, hi, Danny," Gourry greeted as he signed a delicately painted teacup.
The said agent was tearing at his hair in despair. "Gourry-san, how could you do this to me, ol' buddy?" he wailed. "We're in trouble, you and I, unless you COME WITH ME RIGHT NOW!!!" With this, Danny grabbed his talent's hand, and gestured to his lackeys to take the movie star away. The crowds shouted their protest.
"What is the meaning of this?" Filia intervened, Lina following close behind. "He's here to endorse the teashop!"
Danny peered at the blond woman. "Uh, sorry, blondie... but he's already... NEYOUCH!!!"
"Um, Lina, I don't really think Danny will be able to breathe in that position..." Gourry remarked cautiously, observing the redhead grip the spiky-haired agent by the collar of his pristine maroon shirt.
"Fine." The lawyer gave in, releasing the agent not-too-gently. "Why the hell are you here dragging off MY boyfriend?!" She demanded.
"I was *about* to tell you that." Danny replied in exasperation. "He can't endorse Dragon Crest."
"What do you mean?" Filia asked.
The agent looked over at Gourry pleadingly. "Man, don't tell me you've forgotten again!" The movie star gave him a blank look. Danny sighed. "You've already signed an endorsement contract with Wolfpack!!!" he screamed finally. "You're supposed to be there right now, signing autographs! It's in your schedule, remember?!"
The blond actor's face brightened in recollection. "Oh yeah, I remember now!" Gourry surmised, even as the men in black suits who were Danny's appointed body guards carried him bodily away and out of the shop. "Well, see ya, Lina, Miss Filia! Sorry, but I gotta go now! But if you want to see me, I'll be just across the street!" the movie star waved in departure.
Needless to say, the entire dining area sweatdropped, not withstanding the interesting facefaults one blond woman and one spunky redhead awarded to the floor.
"Gourry-sama!!!" screamed the fans. In an instant, the teashop found itself empty of customers as the hordes of adoring fan girls swarmed out of the room, following their idol to the direction of the Metallium building.
"Jellyfish brains," Lina remarked wearily, slumping in her seat.
The phone rang.
"I'll... get it," Filia said, racing upstairs and taking the receiver.
"Hello, Fi-chan!" An irrepressibly cheerful and annoying male voice greeted from the other line. And she had a good idea who.
"Namagomi!!!" The blonde screamed.
"Just called to know how you're doing," Xellos the Mazoku business lord continued jovially. "Also to remind you that if ever your company reconsiders the need to sell out to us, we'll be more than happy to back you up. What are old friends for, ne, Fi-chan?"
"Who're you calling your friend, you creep!" Filia was about to explode. "The answer is NO! I'd rather die than sell my father's company to the likes of you!"
"I'll leave you time to think about it, of course," Xellos went on undaunted. "Feel free to stop by the shopping complex yourself. We're having a discount sale and all, to celebrate the success of Wolfpack's opening! Be a dear and drop by now and then, ne?" Click. The line went dead.
Filia was fuming. "The nerve!" The blonde gripped the receiver so hard it looked like it was about to break. And it did, unfortunately. Filia stared at the broken pieces that used to be the telephone receiver in her palm. Oh, darn, she thought, as she descended down the stairs to join Lina and the others sitting miserably in the dining area.
"So, Miss Filia, are you saying that you are totally against selling your family's company to Wolfpack Corporation?"
Filia glared into the screen. "Absolutely," the blond woman answered. "It is against everything my family stands for. And I would rather die than have that nama-- Mr. Metallium take over ownership of Dragon Crest."
The female reporter nodded thoughtfully. "So the merger is off? There wil be no negotiations to sell out?"
"Not to Wolfpack."
"Well, thank you, Miss Filia." The mousy newscaster turned to the screen. "That's it for the stand of Dragon Crest's current owner, Filia Ul Copt, on Wolfpack's proposed merger with the local company. Only in SBC-12, exclusive. Back to you, Alice."
"Thanks, Lou. Now, let's do a quick rundown of the current stock--"
Smirking, Xellos shut off the tv monitor, leaning back on the leather highback chair of his expensive three-room corporate suite at the topmost floor of the Metallium Shopping Complex. It was fun meeting Filia again, after all these years. It had been some time since he'd had so much fun annoying somebody.
It had been ten years since he left Saillune with Zelas-sama. Hardly anybody remembered the Mazoku family now, not that they'd care. The Mazoku had grown rich in a period of years, the Wolfpack Corporation expanding into several big countries all over the world, a multi-billion dollar business conglomerate the world over. Most of it thanks to him of course. Success was sweet, but it was made so much sweeter by the fact he could flaunt it at Fi-chan's face.
She hadn't changed much, had she? Same long, silky blond hair, crystalline blue eyes, delicate face. Prim and proper disposition. A disposition he so loved to ruffle, poke and provoke her until she lost control of her temper and she'd be screaming at him, chi fires blazing in her eyes. It was fun watching her reactions. He couldn't explain why but her anger had a rejuvenating effect on him, strengthening him, soothing him.
Ah, the memories.
A knock on the door. The glass panel slid open, and a man dressed in the prim black and white butler suit bowed respectfully at the purple-haired man. "Call for you, sir," the butler informed him. "Your mother..."
He nodded, dismissing the servant. The man bowed once more and slid out of the room. Sitting up, Xellos tapped a few keys on his computer. A few beeps, and an image of a gorgeous blond woman with perfectly-tanned skin apeared on the monitor, wine glass in hand.
Xellos bowed his head. "Zelas-sama..."
"Xel-kun!" The smooth, throaty voice of the woman greeted from the other line. "Well, how's my boy doing?"
He smiled. "I'm fine. How's Tahiti?"
"Great, just great. A little too hot this time of year, though. But I'm having the time of my life here. Got an island resort a few miles away, beautiful place. I'm thinking of buying it..."
"If you deem it best..."
"Well, yeah," Zelas continued, her tone losing some of its sense of humor. "Anyway, that's not the reason I called you. I suppose you've already met up with the owner of that small-time company we're buying?"
Xellos nodded. "Yes, Juu-ou-sama. But she -- I'm afraid she refused to sell out and withdrew our merger," he finished, a hint of apology in his voice. "I'm doing something about it, though."
"Karyu's great grand daughter as stubborn as her old folks, eh?" Zelas said, chuckling softly. A pause, taking a drag out of her favorite cigarette. "No matter. Listen, Xel. I need you to get our hands on that little family business of theirs. Just think of the possibility!" The woman waved her hand away. "They don't know it yet, but that company's a potential gold mine, given someone develops it properly," the blonde went on. "And I want that someone to be us." Another pause as she put down her wine glass. "I need you to do everything in your power to get that dragon girl to sell out."
"Everything, Mistress?"
"Everything." Another pause. The blond woman seemed to consider deeply what she was about to say next. She shifted suddenly in her seat, crossing her long, shapely legs. "Xel-kun," she began, "This great grand-daughter, Filia, I believe, is still single, isn't she?"
"I do believe she is quite single, Mistress." What was she getting at?
A sneaky smile crept up Zelas' carefully made up face. "Good, very good. I need you to do something for me, Xellos. It'll solve our problems with the company, and at the same time I think you'll find it... most enjoyable."
Xellos frowned inwardly. His master always had the weirdest plans. Not that he would ever defy her, of course. Aloud, he asked, "What is it, Zelas-sama?"
A smirk lit up his master's face. "I want you to seduce that little dragon girl. Get on her good side, get to know her better. Gain our trust, and she, and her family's company, shall fall in our hands." The blonde concluded. She smiled smugly, letting what she said settle in to her best man. "Well?" She asked finally.
Xellos smile matched her own. "As you wish, Lord Beastmaster."
Author's Near-Insane Ramblings: Could you believe it took five chapters to get this out? No turning back now, though. At this point, do you think it's even worth while for me to continue? Or am I just wasting my time? Feedback, people. Tell me what you think and I'd love you forever. ^_^
THE DATE : A NIGHT TO REMEMBER...