|
|
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SLAYERS. I'm just
a bored, loveless, 17-year-old fan girl... Just Another AU Fic
Chapter 17
The door to the teashop opened. Jiras
bowed slightly as the customer entered.
"Good morning, do go on an' make yourselves comf--
Sis!" The foxman exclaimed.
"Ohayou, Jiras," Filia greeted warmly, stepping
up to his post by the counter. Definitely a far cry now
from the drunken wraith she had been last night. Fresh as
a daisy, in fact. She'd gotten up, deposited the rest of
her meal to the disaster area that had been her kitchen,
bathed, dressed, and groomed herself to her usual elegant
presentability. She had to admit, she was almost feeling
alive again.
Thanks to him.
Not that she'd go out and admit it, of course. Though she
did wonder why he was so hasty in leaving this morning.
It was almost as if he'd been shocked or something.
She shrugged inwardly. That would have to wait. For
now... she had a shop to run. If only for two days.
But that would be enough, wouldn't it? No good moping
around her house the whole day and waiting for disaster
to strike. Better to face it head on, doing what she's
been doing for six years -- running her family's
business. She'll go down fighting, if she had to.
And she will.
She took a once over at the well lit dining area. Really,
she had to thank Jiras and her staff for carrying on
while she was busy wallowing in useless self-pity. Quite
a few customers were already there, giving the blonde
acknowledging glances before going back to the paper and
sipping their tea.
"Me an' Gravos didn't think you'd be here, with all
that's happened," he went on in a hushed tone,
eyeing her watchfully. "Are you sure you're feelin'
fine now, sis?"
She smiled at him reassuringly. "I am, now. Don't
you worry, Jiras. I'm just going in to the kitchen to fix
myself breakfast," she told him.
"OK, sis. Gravos left with three of our trainees to
oversee the latest arrival of supplies."
The blonde nodded in approval. "Good."
"And Miss Amelia went to meet with Lina-tachi and
Mr. Greywers an hour ago."
"I know," she replied, pausing at the doorpost
to the shop kitchen.
Jiras leaned over the counter, self-consciously rubbing
the tip of one furry ear. "Just so you know you
needn't worry about a thing, sis," he continued,
fidgeting. "We'll go on an' do our best, all of us,
and no matter what that new guy says, or shows to us,
we'll be behind you all the way." He nodded in
earnest, gazing at her with his one good eye. "Just
thought you oughta know that, Oneesan." The fox man
finished.
Filia fell silent for a moment. When she turned it was
all she could do not to reach over and hug him. She
stared at her assistant with bright eyes, and smiled.
"I know." She whispered. "Now let me get
my morning cup of green tea."
"Alright, sis."
She paused just before opening the door. "And
Jiras?"
"Yes, sis?"
"Thank you," she said simply, and stepped into
the kitchen.
*~*
"Yes, it's me. Inverse," Lina
nodded, cradling the receiver closer to her ear. "I
wish to make a connection to Lyzeille. To a Miss Martina
Xoana. Yes... Thanks."
The redhead waited for the call to be put through,
inwardly wincing. This was the last thing she really
wanted to do right now. Really. Ah, but duty calls. Filia
better appreciate the sacrifices I'm going through for
her, she thought, lightly tapping her fingers on the
desk. She better give me an all-you-can-eat at the
teashop for two weeks! ... Scratch that. Maybe three--?
"Hello?" An annoying female voice crooned over
the phone, breaking away her thoughts for moral
compensation.
Lina forced a smile on her face. Better deal with this
quickly. "Hi there, Martina, it's me--"
"Lina Inverse!!!" Martina exclaimed. "Ooh,
this is a surprise indeed. So you're still alive?" A
tinned little laugh resounded over the line. "Ooh,
and still single, I'm sure. Watch out, darling, you're
going to be an old maid. But you know that already, don't
you?" Another laugh. "Don't even ask how
Zangulus and I are doing. You just interrupted our
morning--"
The redhead gritted her teeth. "Listen, I called to
ask you if you could do me a small favor," she cut
in. And not to receive details on your sex life, she
added mentally with a sweatdrop. "Would you--"
"What?" Martina inquired with mock incredulity.
"Would I what?" She gave another laugh that
seemed to give no other effect than to grate the
listener's ears. "So this is why you called! You,
the great Lina Inverse, is asking for my help! What, got
another case you can't handle? The big city finally took
its toll on you? Such a pity," she gave another
little laugh that could easily pass for a snicker.
"Oh, but I guess I could spare a few minutes of my
precious time for your precious little favor. After all,
as First Investigative Sergeant of the Lyzeillian Police
Force, what else could I do? Well, Lina darling?"
"Oh, thank you, Martina," she answered in false
cheeriness. "Look, it's no big deal, really. I just
want you to run a little background check on a certain
guy named Heigel Kaiser."
"Kaiser? And who would that be? Your potential
boyfriend?" Another laugh.
"No. Just a guy a client of mine is after."
"Right," Martina agreed with extra-syrupy
sweetness. "Is that all?"
"Think you can handle it in one day? I need the info
tomorrow."
"Of course!" the minty-haired woman answered in
indignation. "With the power of the monstrous
Zoalmagustar, I can accomplish anything! And far better
than anything you can do, Lina Inverse," she
finished, cackling happily.
Lina sweatdropped. "Yeah, yeah," she replied
boredly. "Thanks a million, nice to hear from
you..." And goodbye, she thought, putting down the
phone as Martina started to call out "Now where were
we, Zangy--" followed by clanking sounds that may
just be chains or handcuffs with a slight shudder. *That*
was something she could really do without.
She stood up, packed the few papers she needed in her
sleek gold plated briefcase, and was off to the corridor.
Now to catch up with Zel and Amelia.
Yes, Filia better appreciate this.
*~*
Fools. Aged idiots.
Heigel contented himself with those murky thoughts as she
nursed a bottle of white wine in the dim room. Always
this. Always doubters. Always snotty, pampered brats.
But wasn't this his time to shine? Finally, after all
these years of enduring being branded a bastard? A
mistake-- the mother was a slut, a whore, died one --
father was a closet drunkard, a gambler. When the old
fool died he'd left nothing to his name but a dusty old
box of pictures and papers. His legal wife was mercifully
dead when this was found out.
Heigel had been enraged to learn of this -- and to find
that despite his education, his careful breeding, how
hard he had worked to be a passable Kaiser -- all this
fell to nothing.
He looked into the glass, examining the miniscule
reflection of himself on the clear liquid. He'd bleached
his formerly brown hair a shocking blond, to pass the
clan's fair-haired, blue-eyed standard. His father took
custody of him after his mother died, introduced him to
his wife -- who took it in, took it calmly, and coldly
ignored him the rest of her life. Less than a year later
he was shipped off to boarding school, and then later to
another boarding school; anywhere but home. They told him
it was for his education but Heigel knew better. It
wasn't hard to figure out he wasn't wanted. He didn't
mind.
If anything, he reveled in the freedom it gave him, to be
always away from home, adequately sustained. He threw
himself completely in his studies, traveled the world,
never passed up any opportunity to enrich himself, to
mold himself into the ideal of a gentleman he knew he
should be. And it paid off, coming back home an elegant
young man, well-bred, cultured. Civilized, as his
stepmother had commented over dinner. He had smiled at
her as he thought of stabbing her with his steak knife.
Stupid woman, with skin so frail, so wrinkled, like
crumpled paper.
He'd bide his time, he thought. They were aging, wouldn't
last that long, and if they did, he could arrange things
-- and they didn't have any other children. Once they
were out of the way he was sure he'd inherit everything.
What he didn't foresee, of course, was his father's own
ruin.
He lifted the glass. Why bother recounting all this?
Didn't matter now. He was finally taking over. He was
finally getting paid for his hard work, his perseverance.
It was by a pure stroke of luck he managed to recover
that dusty old deed from among the cobwebs of his
father's old file cabinet. And to burn the copy of a bond
issued by the bankrupt idiot to Saichuro.
Heigel frowned. That was what bothered him the most, if
he was to be bothered at all, as perfect as the situation
was. He only burned a copy. Not the original.
Damn Moreau, that old fool, he thought irritably. He had
to go and stir the matter up. Worrier, too old, too
nervous. It was a mistake to bring him along. The old man
was content with managing matters back home in Lyzeille.
Heigel should have gotten a younger lawyer, surely less
experienced, but daring, more easily manipulated, a more
eager accomplice.
Accomplice. He smiled at the word. But this was no crime.
This was what he deserved.
*~*
Author's Rants: Hiya again! Oh, look,
another chapter where nothing really happens... I know,
it's so slow, and this fic is turning into a BOOK, but I
can't help it! It's a disease, I tell you! And cameo
appearances of minor Slayers characters have that nasty
habit of popping in during inspiration. Oh well, but this
WILL be finished within two months. Really. (crosses
fingers) Hopefully? ^_^
Filia: (reading through her lines) 'Go visit Micachu's
Realm at http://www.dreamwater.org/amespare/.' (looks up)
Excuse me, Mica-san, but why would anyone want to visit
your webpage?
Mica: (THINKS) Because it's... cute?
Marcus: (hints) Because she posts her Xellia fanfics
there, too?
Jiyuu: (sweatdrops) Because she's a show off, and a poor,
miserable soul hungry for attention?
Wyrd: (bored) Because she's insane.
Filia: (putting down script) . . . No comment. (brightly)
Listen, why don't we... just continue with the fic?
Xellos: (teleports in, GENKI) My, I didn't know you were
so eager to get on with the story, Filia-san!
Filia: (suppresses blush) It's not that. The sooner we
start, the sooner we finish...
The rest: Riiiight.
(group hops off to Chibilandia... *lalalalala...)
OOH, SHAMELESS PLUG... -_-;;; CAN'T YOU TELL I'M
DESPERATE? ^^
Xellia page? Previous
|
|
