CH6
Regina laughed softly, lifting her teacup and sipping from it. Phil smiled in return. She wasn't really that bad, certainly had a charming wit and sparkling personality. He sipped his own tea as silence settled over the small table. They were taking a day off, doing 'bonding' as Amelia had suggested. All three of them seated at a table set up in the gardens.
Amelia had been quiet, but attentive, listening and speaking when spoken to, being very polite, despite the fact that Phil KNEW what she thought of his remarrying. She was trying at least, and that was what counted for him. His eyes traveled to his beloved youngest daughter, watching as the sunlight glittered off her mid-back length hair and bright blue eyes, though they seemed to hold a hint of fatigue lately. "Any word from your friends?" he asked.
"No, daddy," she sighed, setting her cup down, "It's like they dropped off the face of the world. I hope they're alright... but knowing Lina-san, she probably got them into something they couldn't handle."
Regina looked on with interest, sipping her tea, a slight smile hidden behind the cup. "Perhaps you should go find them?" she offered finally.
Amelia shook her head, "I wouldn't know where to start." Taking a breath, the princess straightened, "I think I'll go for a walk, though," she smiled at her father and stepmother. "Please, enjoy yourselves." With that, she took a last sip from her tea and set the cup down. Standing gracefully, Amelia made her way off into the garden, moving into the maze of eight-foot tall hedges.
"Such a well behaved girl," Regina murmured, gaining a grin from Phil.
***
Her lips curled back into a vicious sneer, "Got you now!" she snarled and slammed her hands down over a small green frog, squashing it into the ground.
Amelia stopped, going pale a moment and blinked, "How do you keep getting into the palace?" she asked, slowly making her way forward to stand just within polite distance from the other girl who was still clad in a silk almost shapeless nightgown.
Ailema slowly turned her head to stare up at Amelia with wild cornflower blue eyes. "I live here."
Prudence dictated that Amelia not say anything more about that subject. "What're you doing?"
"Hunting," the crazy girl said rather cheerfully in return. She was kneeling in the flowerbed next to the hedge wall in the center of the maze, almost her whole front covered in mud.
Amelia chewed on her lip and dared to ask, "Hunting what?"
"THEM!" Ailema stated triumphantly, lifting her hands and showing the princess a small frog, one that was perhaps a centimeter in diameter. "They were the ones who ruined it," Ailema hissed, staring down at the creature for a moment before shoving it into her mouth and biting down hard, chewing a few times, the girl then spit the carcass out. "Leprechaun Frogs."
The princess felt rather nervous, this poor girl was highly insane. "They're so small.. how could they do anything like- what happened to the clearing?"
Ailema straightened, some drool tinged with frog-blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth. "They only look like that in the day.. the only time you can kill them. At night, they become man sized, with claws, and penises- "
Amelia blanched. What a disgusting mind this poor girl had. To have delusions of such things.. and about FROGS.
The girl, however, continued talking, "They eat things.. favorite things. They ate it.. I know they did. I can't find it anywhere, so I know they ate it. I'll kill them all!" Thankfully, the girl's attention was distracted from the princess and she went back to hunting 'leprechaun frogs'.
Shivering, Amelia turned and made her way out of the maze. She'd just have to ask her dad about Ailema as well as what else she'd been thinking of to ask him. Though the second part was probably wishful thinking, after all, Zelgadis wouldn't ask her to marry him.. but on the off chance that he did... She smiled to herself, thoughts of Zelgadis drowning out the disturbing encounter with the crazy girl.
***
"I don't like it," Zelgadis muttered after sipping his coffee and setting the mug down on the rough wooden table, "Mazoku lords just don't make peace treaties without SOME ulterior motive."
Lina glowered, "I KNOW that, Zel. But there's not much we can do about it now, nor is there any way we can undo what's already happened. It works to our advantage anyway. Dynast is one less Mazoku we don't have to kill. At least not for the moment."
The chimera sighed, rubbing his forehead. "In any case, we should be leaving soon." Lina sighed.
"Still having those dreams?" she asked, watching as he nodded ever so slightly.
"They're.. easier to deal with now that I know I'm doing what I can." He glanced around nervously to see if any of the other occupants of the inn had heard Lina's words. There weren't many others in the place, and none were looking their way. The only suspicious looking person was seated in the far back corner near the stairs up to the rooms. He was sitting with his back towards the rest of the room, wearing a deep purple cloak with a hood pulled over his head. Zelgadis assumed the person was male anyway. The shoulders were a bit too broad to be female, though the traveler MAY have been a somewhat husky woman.
Folding her arms, Lina set them on the table, leaning forward slightly, "Zelgadis, did you ever stop to wonder if perhaps there's a different reason you're having these dreams?" She was rewarded with a deep glower. "Like maybe.. you're in love with her?" He said nothing, his brow simply twitched slightly. "Just wondering if you'd thought of that. Either way, Amelia should be able to straighten you out." Lina sat back and smirked at her companion.
Zelgadis pushed himself to his feet and stalked out of the inn. She'd leave him alone for a bit, finish her breakfast, and maybe he'd have gotten into a better mood and thought about what she said. It was her hope he would, anyway. The other possibility was that he'd leave her. But she could catch up if he tried to do that, she knew where he was going. Despite her words, he'd still head towards Seyruun.. just to make sure Amelia WAS alright.
In the back corner, the hooded figure lifted a white gloved hand, gesturing for the waitress to attend him.
***
Regina laughed softly, lifting her teacup and sipping from it. Phil smiled in return. She wasn't really that bad, certainly had a charming wit and sparkling personality. He sipped his own tea as silence settled over the small table. They were taking a day off, doing 'bonding' as Amelia had suggested. All three of them seated at a table set up in the gardens.
Amelia had been quiet, but attentive, listening and speaking when spoken to, being very polite, despite the fact that Phil KNEW what she thought of his remarrying. She was trying at least, and that was what counted for him. His eyes traveled to his beloved youngest daughter, watching as the sunlight glittered off her mid-back length hair and bright blue eyes, though they seemed to hold a hint of fatigue lately. "Any word from your friends?" he asked.
"No, daddy," she sighed, setting her cup down, "It's like they dropped off the face of the world. I hope they're alright... but knowing Lina-san, she probably got them into something they couldn't handle."
Regina looked on with interest, sipping her tea, a slight smile hidden behind the cup. "Perhaps you should go find them?" she offered finally.
Amelia shook her head, "I wouldn't know where to start." Taking a breath, the princess straightened, "I think I'll go for a walk, though," she smiled at her father and stepmother. "Please, enjoy yourselves." With that, she took a last sip from her tea and set the cup down. Standing gracefully, Amelia made her way off into the garden, moving into the maze of eight-foot tall hedges.
"Such a well behaved girl," Regina murmured, gaining a grin from Phil.
***
Her lips curled back into a vicious sneer, "Got you now!" she snarled and slammed her hands down over a small green frog, squashing it into the ground.
Amelia stopped, going pale a moment and blinked, "How do you keep getting into the palace?" she asked, slowly making her way forward to stand just within polite distance from the other girl who was still clad in a silk almost shapeless nightgown.
Ailema slowly turned her head to stare up at Amelia with wild cornflower blue eyes. "I live here."
Prudence dictated that Amelia not say anything more about that subject. "What're you doing?"
"Hunting," the crazy girl said rather cheerfully in return. She was kneeling in the flowerbed next to the hedge wall in the center of the maze, almost her whole front covered in mud.
Amelia chewed on her lip and dared to ask, "Hunting what?"
"THEM!" Ailema stated triumphantly, lifting her hands and showing the princess a small frog, one that was perhaps a centimeter in diameter. "They were the ones who ruined it," Ailema hissed, staring down at the creature for a moment before shoving it into her mouth and biting down hard, chewing a few times, the girl then spit the carcass out. "Leprechaun Frogs."
The princess felt rather nervous, this poor girl was highly insane. "They're so small.. how could they do anything like- what happened to the clearing?"
Ailema straightened, some drool tinged with frog-blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth. "They only look like that in the day.. the only time you can kill them. At night, they become man sized, with claws, and penises- "
Amelia blanched. What a disgusting mind this poor girl had. To have delusions of such things.. and about FROGS.
The girl, however, continued talking, "They eat things.. favorite things. They ate it.. I know they did. I can't find it anywhere, so I know they ate it. I'll kill them all!" Thankfully, the girl's attention was distracted from the princess and she went back to hunting 'leprechaun frogs'.
Shivering, Amelia turned and made her way out of the maze. She'd just have to ask her dad about Ailema as well as what else she'd been thinking of to ask him. Though the second part was probably wishful thinking, after all, Zelgadis wouldn't ask her to marry him.. but on the off chance that he did... She smiled to herself, thoughts of Zelgadis drowning out the disturbing encounter with the crazy girl.
***
"I don't like it," Zelgadis muttered after sipping his coffee and setting the mug down on the rough wooden table, "Mazoku lords just don't make peace treaties without SOME ulterior motive."
Lina glowered, "I KNOW that, Zel. But there's not much we can do about it now, nor is there any way we can undo what's already happened. It works to our advantage anyway. Dynast is one less Mazoku we don't have to kill. At least not for the moment."
The chimera sighed, rubbing his forehead. "In any case, we should be leaving soon." Lina sighed.
"Still having those dreams?" she asked, watching as he nodded ever so slightly.
"They're.. easier to deal with now that I know I'm doing what I can." He glanced around nervously to see if any of the other occupants of the inn had heard Lina's words. There weren't many others in the place, and none were looking their way. The only suspicious looking person was seated in the far back corner near the stairs up to the rooms. He was sitting with his back towards the rest of the room, wearing a deep purple cloak with a hood pulled over his head. Zelgadis assumed the person was male anyway. The shoulders were a bit too broad to be female, though the traveler MAY have been a somewhat husky woman.
Folding her arms, Lina set them on the table, leaning forward slightly, "Zelgadis, did you ever stop to wonder if perhaps there's a different reason you're having these dreams?" She was rewarded with a deep glower. "Like maybe.. you're in love with her?" He said nothing, his brow simply twitched slightly. "Just wondering if you'd thought of that. Either way, Amelia should be able to straighten you out." Lina sat back and smirked at her companion.
Zelgadis pushed himself to his feet and stalked out of the inn. She'd leave him alone for a bit, finish her breakfast, and maybe he'd have gotten into a better mood and thought about what she said. It was her hope he would, anyway. The other possibility was that he'd leave her. But she could catch up if he tried to do that, she knew where he was going. Despite her words, he'd still head towards Seyruun.. just to make sure Amelia WAS alright.
In the back corner, the hooded figure lifted a white gloved hand, gesturing for the waitress to attend him.
***