Within the safety of the room, Tabby sat heavily down upon her bed and looked out the window to the indigo sky. Little stars were already twinkling abroad and the moon was full and silvery. She actually wanted to go back out, but didn't want to risk the troubles it might cause. A sigh left her and she pushed herself against the wall that her bed leaned upon. From here she contemplated her journey and the transcript. As she collected her thoughts, she also collected the blanket around herself until she was firmly cocooned within its warm folds.
Just before she drifted off there was a soft knock on her door. Another followed when she didn't answer right away. For a few slight moments she blinked away her sleepiness and pulled herself out of bed. Upon opening the door she found the chimera standing there, a light smile touching his lips.
"Finally got away from them?" Tabby asked, stifling a yawn with her hand. Slowly she backed away from the door to allow Zelgadis to step inside.
"Yes, though Lina and Gourry are downstairs eating once again." Even after all the time he'd spent with them, the amount and time they spent eating still exasperated him. Without waiting for Tabby to offer it to him, Zelgadis sat in the small chair in front of the table with the washbasin. "So, about this transcript?"
Tabby nodded and crossed the room to her nightstand. From underneath she produced her traveling pack and then she dug through it until finally she pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded twice. This she handed to Zelgadis and stood over him as he unfolded it.
A few moments passed in silence as he read the language over carefully. "Well," he finally said, turning the paper back over her, "you got the parts right about the Lady of Faith and the village in Ralteague. This thing even gives you directions on how to get to that place."
"What's the place called? I never could find any other place names, or at least nothing that was capitalized." Tabby suddenly wished for another chair, so she wouldn't have to keep standing like this. "Before you answer," she added hastily, "move your chair over by the bed, so I can sit down."
Chuckling, Zelgadis did so and waited for the sorceress to sit before he did. "Now, I think the place is called Rorfinia and it is right close to the outskirts. It would take you a month to travel there, even on horseback." The chimera looked up, his sea blue eyes searching hers. He knew she would do nearly anything to get her hands on the Sword of Ruin, but traveling a month straight? Not even Lina had pushed them that far.
Slowly Tabby nodded, noting the look on his face. "I'll have to make a lot of stops then, won't I?" she said, whistling a bit.
"Are you going alone?"
"Well, I can't go at all if you don't translate the directions for me."
Before Zelgadis could say another word, there was a sound outside Tabby's door. This sound progressed into a knock, a hard and loud one that Tabby could already identify. "Hold on!" she called to the person behind the door, "I'm coming." Then she slipped past Zegladis and went to the door.
When she pulled it open, there stood Valgaav in all his splendor. He was still dressed in the same clothes she had seen him in earlier, a pair of brown buckskin pants and shoes with a bleached shirt of the same material. A black leather vest he wore over that and headband that was black as well. He smiled softly at her, still looking uncharacteristically. The smile was almost out of place on his on his mostly stern features. His cat-slitted green eyes wide and bright.
"Mind if I come in?" he asked, looking over her shoulder to the chimera who sat still in his chair.
Tabby turned to look over her shoulder at Zelgadis who looked rather unhappy to see Valgaav. But she knew she couldn't just send him away, it had been months since she'd last seen the Ancient Dragon and his presence was all too welcoming for her. "You don't mind do you, Zel?" she asked quietly, hoping he'd say yes for her sake.
"If you don't, Tabby, I don't." Zelgadis leaned back in his chair and smiled at her. He could tell that Tabby wanted Val's company.
Smiling lambently, Tabby stepped back and allowed Valgaav in. He gave the chimera a scathing look as he stood near to him, waiting for Tabby to take a seat on her bed again. "Sit down, Val," Tabby told him, patting the bed beside her. "Zelgadis and I were just discussing this new transcript I found."
"For the Sword?" Suddenly Valgaav looked interested, even as his eyes scanned the practically bare room he now occupied.
"Yup, Zel tells me that there are directions to this little place called Rorfinia." She gave Zelgadis a warm smile as she said this.
"Really now? What's in Rorfinia?"
"The Lady of Faith, it says." As the two talked on for a few more moments, Zelgadis could tell they were good friends. Even if Valgaav was usually so severe and intimidating. Tabby didn't seem at all afraid of him and Valgaav looked simply happy to be sitting with the sorceress. For once he felt strangely comfortable around the half Dragon, despite the remembrance of all the times they'd been on opposing sides.
Finally Tabby turned back to Zelgadis, her face practically glowing. "Does it say anything else?"
He turned his eyes to the paper again and scanned it once more. "Well, this Lady of Faith seems to know the whereabouts of the Sword and how to get past what guards it. It doesn't say anything else though. Just the directions to Rorfinia."
Contemplating this, Tabby nodded in a sagely manner, then she said, "Well, I guess I'm heading to Rorfinia then, when I leave here." More to herself, she added, "Pity I have to go by myself..."
"You don't have to, Tabby," Valgaav said quickly, he was sitting cross-legged beside her and still smiling. "I could come with you, Teague might even come along."
Again the two fell into discussing things without Zelgadis, but for some strange reason he didn't mind. He rather liked seeing Valgaav in an actual state of calm, it was a far cry from the angry, angsty half Mazoku he usually saw. While they talked, he simply sat back and listened enjoying the chatterboxes they'd turned into. The two were much more civil than Lina and Gourry, who Zelgadis remembered were sitting just beneath this floor somewhere, eating their hearts out. He slung one leg over the other and hummed to himself.
"Hey, Zelgadis!" Tabby snapped her fingers just millimeters from his nose and giggled when he blinked and looked as if a Fireball was coming his way.
When he'd regained his composure, he asked, "What is it, Tabby?"
"I was wondering, well... if maybe you wanted to travel with us?"
His eyes widening, Zelgadis contemplated this. What would Lina and the others say? Surely, Lina would disapprove of him going anywhere with her cousin, and especially if that cousin happened to be traveling with Valgaav. A skeptical look appeared on his face. "I'm not sure, Tabby. I'm traveling with Lina and Gourry and Amelia right now. They might not like it if I suddenly change course. And, I've no idea why I'm saying this, but no offense, Valgaav, Lina would be even unhappier that I was traveling somewhere with you."
Tabby sighed a long sigh and leaned against the wall. "Well, it's not like if you go with me, you're gonna be all buddy buddy with him. You'll be going with me."
Zelgadis tilted his head in thought again, understand what Tabby was saying.
"And you are permitted to make your own decisions, aren't you, chimera?" Valgaav interjected. "Or do you need little Miss Lina's permission to do anything?" At the look that surfaced on Zelgadis's face, Valgaav sneered and scooted back against the wall next to Tabby.
It seemed as if the decision had been made for him with that remark. "Maybe I'll just invite them all to come," Zelgadis spat at the Dragon Mazoku. Then softening a little, he added, "That is of course if you don't mind, Tabby. This is your journey after all."
Tabby bit her lip. "I guess we'll just have to see, Zel."
Just before she drifted off there was a soft knock on her door. Another followed when she didn't answer right away. For a few slight moments she blinked away her sleepiness and pulled herself out of bed. Upon opening the door she found the chimera standing there, a light smile touching his lips.
"Finally got away from them?" Tabby asked, stifling a yawn with her hand. Slowly she backed away from the door to allow Zelgadis to step inside.
"Yes, though Lina and Gourry are downstairs eating once again." Even after all the time he'd spent with them, the amount and time they spent eating still exasperated him. Without waiting for Tabby to offer it to him, Zelgadis sat in the small chair in front of the table with the washbasin. "So, about this transcript?"
Tabby nodded and crossed the room to her nightstand. From underneath she produced her traveling pack and then she dug through it until finally she pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded twice. This she handed to Zelgadis and stood over him as he unfolded it.
A few moments passed in silence as he read the language over carefully. "Well," he finally said, turning the paper back over her, "you got the parts right about the Lady of Faith and the village in Ralteague. This thing even gives you directions on how to get to that place."
"What's the place called? I never could find any other place names, or at least nothing that was capitalized." Tabby suddenly wished for another chair, so she wouldn't have to keep standing like this. "Before you answer," she added hastily, "move your chair over by the bed, so I can sit down."
Chuckling, Zelgadis did so and waited for the sorceress to sit before he did. "Now, I think the place is called Rorfinia and it is right close to the outskirts. It would take you a month to travel there, even on horseback." The chimera looked up, his sea blue eyes searching hers. He knew she would do nearly anything to get her hands on the Sword of Ruin, but traveling a month straight? Not even Lina had pushed them that far.
Slowly Tabby nodded, noting the look on his face. "I'll have to make a lot of stops then, won't I?" she said, whistling a bit.
"Are you going alone?"
"Well, I can't go at all if you don't translate the directions for me."
Before Zelgadis could say another word, there was a sound outside Tabby's door. This sound progressed into a knock, a hard and loud one that Tabby could already identify. "Hold on!" she called to the person behind the door, "I'm coming." Then she slipped past Zegladis and went to the door.
When she pulled it open, there stood Valgaav in all his splendor. He was still dressed in the same clothes she had seen him in earlier, a pair of brown buckskin pants and shoes with a bleached shirt of the same material. A black leather vest he wore over that and headband that was black as well. He smiled softly at her, still looking uncharacteristically. The smile was almost out of place on his on his mostly stern features. His cat-slitted green eyes wide and bright.
"Mind if I come in?" he asked, looking over her shoulder to the chimera who sat still in his chair.
Tabby turned to look over her shoulder at Zelgadis who looked rather unhappy to see Valgaav. But she knew she couldn't just send him away, it had been months since she'd last seen the Ancient Dragon and his presence was all too welcoming for her. "You don't mind do you, Zel?" she asked quietly, hoping he'd say yes for her sake.
"If you don't, Tabby, I don't." Zelgadis leaned back in his chair and smiled at her. He could tell that Tabby wanted Val's company.
Smiling lambently, Tabby stepped back and allowed Valgaav in. He gave the chimera a scathing look as he stood near to him, waiting for Tabby to take a seat on her bed again. "Sit down, Val," Tabby told him, patting the bed beside her. "Zelgadis and I were just discussing this new transcript I found."
"For the Sword?" Suddenly Valgaav looked interested, even as his eyes scanned the practically bare room he now occupied.
"Yup, Zel tells me that there are directions to this little place called Rorfinia." She gave Zelgadis a warm smile as she said this.
"Really now? What's in Rorfinia?"
"The Lady of Faith, it says." As the two talked on for a few more moments, Zelgadis could tell they were good friends. Even if Valgaav was usually so severe and intimidating. Tabby didn't seem at all afraid of him and Valgaav looked simply happy to be sitting with the sorceress. For once he felt strangely comfortable around the half Dragon, despite the remembrance of all the times they'd been on opposing sides.
Finally Tabby turned back to Zelgadis, her face practically glowing. "Does it say anything else?"
He turned his eyes to the paper again and scanned it once more. "Well, this Lady of Faith seems to know the whereabouts of the Sword and how to get past what guards it. It doesn't say anything else though. Just the directions to Rorfinia."
Contemplating this, Tabby nodded in a sagely manner, then she said, "Well, I guess I'm heading to Rorfinia then, when I leave here." More to herself, she added, "Pity I have to go by myself..."
"You don't have to, Tabby," Valgaav said quickly, he was sitting cross-legged beside her and still smiling. "I could come with you, Teague might even come along."
Again the two fell into discussing things without Zelgadis, but for some strange reason he didn't mind. He rather liked seeing Valgaav in an actual state of calm, it was a far cry from the angry, angsty half Mazoku he usually saw. While they talked, he simply sat back and listened enjoying the chatterboxes they'd turned into. The two were much more civil than Lina and Gourry, who Zelgadis remembered were sitting just beneath this floor somewhere, eating their hearts out. He slung one leg over the other and hummed to himself.
"Hey, Zelgadis!" Tabby snapped her fingers just millimeters from his nose and giggled when he blinked and looked as if a Fireball was coming his way.
When he'd regained his composure, he asked, "What is it, Tabby?"
"I was wondering, well... if maybe you wanted to travel with us?"
His eyes widening, Zelgadis contemplated this. What would Lina and the others say? Surely, Lina would disapprove of him going anywhere with her cousin, and especially if that cousin happened to be traveling with Valgaav. A skeptical look appeared on his face. "I'm not sure, Tabby. I'm traveling with Lina and Gourry and Amelia right now. They might not like it if I suddenly change course. And, I've no idea why I'm saying this, but no offense, Valgaav, Lina would be even unhappier that I was traveling somewhere with you."
Tabby sighed a long sigh and leaned against the wall. "Well, it's not like if you go with me, you're gonna be all buddy buddy with him. You'll be going with me."
Zelgadis tilted his head in thought again, understand what Tabby was saying.
"And you are permitted to make your own decisions, aren't you, chimera?" Valgaav interjected. "Or do you need little Miss Lina's permission to do anything?" At the look that surfaced on Zelgadis's face, Valgaav sneered and scooted back against the wall next to Tabby.
It seemed as if the decision had been made for him with that remark. "Maybe I'll just invite them all to come," Zelgadis spat at the Dragon Mazoku. Then softening a little, he added, "That is of course if you don't mind, Tabby. This is your journey after all."
Tabby bit her lip. "I guess we'll just have to see, Zel."
