Three hours later, Tabby blew out the candles on her nightstand and crawled into the inn's bed. The sleep that followed was dreamless and calm and she woke up feeling refreshed the next morning, just as the sky turned from gold to pale blue. Still sitting in her bed, Tabby stretched and yawned and kicked the covers off. She dressed quickly, after pulling herself out of bed and then headed downstairs for breakfast. Only two familiar faces had greeted her, those of Amelia's and Zelgadis's, and Tabby surmised that Lina and Gourry had decided to sleep in. Smiling, she asked to join them, to which both agreed.
As Zegladis sipped his coffee and Amelia nibbled at her toast, Tabby called over a waiter and began her order. By the time she finished he had filled up an entire paper on his little notepad. A confused look had appeared on the young boy's face and when he looked at the kitchen, he looked as if he might wet his pants. But he still tipped his head and told Tabby her order would be up in a few minutes.
"Now, that I've ordered I can properly say good morning," Tabby chuckled after watching the waiter stumble off. She gave Amelia and Zelgadis another smile and leaned comfortably back in her chair.
"Good morning to you too, Miss Tabby," Amelia replied. "That poor waiter boy, he's going to have to carry all that back..." She looked worriedly back at the kitchen.
"Oh, he'll be fine," said Tabby, and she leaned forward again to rest her elbows on the table.
A few silent moments passed between the three before they heard a grumble from the stairs. Lina was slowly making her way down and Gourry was trailing behind her. The two made their way down and joined the other three at the table, Lina snapping her fingers for service. The same waiter came back and looked positively petrified of the sorceress and swordsman. Still, he took their orders, filling nearly three sheets before he went back to the kitchen to have them filled. Amelia was again looking worried and Zelgadis simply continued to sip his coffee silently.
Taking a deep breath, Tabby decided to broach the subject she knew Zelgadis had not even talked with Amelia about. "So, Lina... what are you planning to do once this contest is over?"
Lina smiled, one eye closed in a wink. Then putting her hand behind her head and laughing, she replied, "Well, I hadn't really thought about it yet. Thought we might go treasure-hunting or something, but there's really nothing planned."
Tabby nodded. "Well, I've a question for ya. Actually, for all of you." Sweeping her arm across the table, Tabby emphasized this point.
"Shoot," said Amelia. She was already looking intrigued, her dark blue eyes wide with interest.
"Well," began Tabby with a small smile, "I wanted to know if you all would like to accompany me to Rorfinia?"
"Ror-whatia?" Gourry put in just as the waiter stepped up to the table.
The boy was carrying a rather large tray in his right hand and a pitcher in the other, no doubt filled with the juice Tabby and Lina had ordered with their meals. It looked as if he was sweating profusely, suggesting that the tray was as heavy as he looked. Somehow he managed to balance it in one hand as he set the food before them. "I have to make another trip back," he replied quietly when Lina looked up angrily at him. Not all of the food was there, because there was too much to fit on one tray.
Narrowing her eyes at him, Lina finally gave in and nodded. She still looked as if it were the waiter's fault that he had to make more than one trip. Still, she dug into what had been brought, hoping to get some before Gourry ate it all.
For once, Tabby wasn't eating what was before her. Instead she watched those across from her with mild interest. It was always amusing when one could actually see what they looked like when they ate and for Tabby this was almost like looking into a mirror. Her bright, pinkish eyes, much like Lina's were alight with happiness when she finally turned to her own food. Once she started her locomotive eating, there was no stopping her. Zelgadis even had to stop drinking his coffee long enough to look up, noting that since there were now three eating like starved wild animals, it was quite a show.
The conversation did not continue for some time, whilst the Inverses and Gourry finished their meal. Finally, Tabby leaned back in her chair, patting her tummy and sighing happily. A few moments later, Lina did the same and Gourry after her.
"Now, what is it you asked us?" Gourry for once brought things back to the original subject. His bright blue eyes were glowing because of his full stomach and he reached back into his alarmingly long blond hair and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I want you all of you to come to Rorfinia with me!"
"And what is this Rorfinia, Miss Tabby?" Amelia set down her toast and focused her attention on the second red-headed sorceress. The short princess tossed her cape back behind her shoulder to get it out of her way, fluttering the ends of her short black locks in the process.
"It's where the Lady of Faith is located," and Tabby explained everything she had learned from Zelgadis's translation of the transcript. They all looked on with interest, except perhaps for Gourry, but then again he always looked confused.
Lina nodded in all the right places and as soon as Tabby finished, she asked, "What's the catch?"
"Uh, wha? Catch?" Eyes wide, Tabby laughed. "There's no catch."
Raising one eyebrow, Zelgadis shook his head. "Tabby, you're forgetting someone."
"Someone?" But suddenly she knew exactly who Zelgadis meant. She sighed in defeat. "I guess if there is a catch, it's that Valgaav is coming with me..." Tabby closed her eyes tight and waited for the tirade that was sure to come.
And quite suddenly it did. "Valgaav!?" Amelia was the first to exclaim. "But, but he's the most unjust person I know! How could you let someone like him accompany you on your great journey, Miss Tabby?"
"Yeah, what's the big idea, Tabby," Lina fixed her glare on her cousin. "Well?"
"Guys, you don't understand, Val's my friend..."
"Friend!?" If Amelia kept shouting like this her face was boung to turn blue, because it was red as a fresh rose right then. "How can a fiend like that be your friend!?"
Very suddenly Tabby wished she could curl into a ball and disappear. She cleared her throat and held up her hands in surrender. "Look, I told you before it's a long story. Just know that Val's my friend, and even though I know you don't like each other I can personally guarantee that as long as I'm there he won't try to harm you or anything."
The only person that looked convinced was Zelgadis. Tabby knew that was only because of what he'd seen the previous night. The rest of them hadn't seen that side of the half Dragon. She sighed again.
"You know, she's actually right," Zelgadis finally spoke up in Tabby's defense. He set down his coffee cup, for it was finally empty, and addressed the other three. "It may sound odd, and I really don't know why I'm defending such a cretin as Valgaav, but he actually is quite different around Tabby. I'm sure the you noticed outside the inn last night when he actually hugged her."
Lina raised an eyebrow, but nodded as she remembered it. "That did seem a little out of character for him. Tabby, are you sure it's such a long story of how the two of you met?"
"Eh, heh, well, it's certainly too long for us to sit here and discuss. If you go traveling with me, I could tell you then. But I know you should be getting off to that contest soon..." Tabby hoped this diversion would work, she surely didn't feel like getting into the story. Not that it was unpleasant, just that she hated telling it.
Much to Tabby's enjoyment her distraction worked. Lina cursed realizing that she was nearly late for the sorcery contest and then grabbing Gourry, she yelled at the others to follow and then ran out the door. Chuckling to herself, Tabby left a few gold pieces on the table to pay and then walked out to go after them.
As Zegladis sipped his coffee and Amelia nibbled at her toast, Tabby called over a waiter and began her order. By the time she finished he had filled up an entire paper on his little notepad. A confused look had appeared on the young boy's face and when he looked at the kitchen, he looked as if he might wet his pants. But he still tipped his head and told Tabby her order would be up in a few minutes.
"Now, that I've ordered I can properly say good morning," Tabby chuckled after watching the waiter stumble off. She gave Amelia and Zelgadis another smile and leaned comfortably back in her chair.
"Good morning to you too, Miss Tabby," Amelia replied. "That poor waiter boy, he's going to have to carry all that back..." She looked worriedly back at the kitchen.
"Oh, he'll be fine," said Tabby, and she leaned forward again to rest her elbows on the table.
A few silent moments passed between the three before they heard a grumble from the stairs. Lina was slowly making her way down and Gourry was trailing behind her. The two made their way down and joined the other three at the table, Lina snapping her fingers for service. The same waiter came back and looked positively petrified of the sorceress and swordsman. Still, he took their orders, filling nearly three sheets before he went back to the kitchen to have them filled. Amelia was again looking worried and Zelgadis simply continued to sip his coffee silently.
Taking a deep breath, Tabby decided to broach the subject she knew Zelgadis had not even talked with Amelia about. "So, Lina... what are you planning to do once this contest is over?"
Lina smiled, one eye closed in a wink. Then putting her hand behind her head and laughing, she replied, "Well, I hadn't really thought about it yet. Thought we might go treasure-hunting or something, but there's really nothing planned."
Tabby nodded. "Well, I've a question for ya. Actually, for all of you." Sweeping her arm across the table, Tabby emphasized this point.
"Shoot," said Amelia. She was already looking intrigued, her dark blue eyes wide with interest.
"Well," began Tabby with a small smile, "I wanted to know if you all would like to accompany me to Rorfinia?"
"Ror-whatia?" Gourry put in just as the waiter stepped up to the table.
The boy was carrying a rather large tray in his right hand and a pitcher in the other, no doubt filled with the juice Tabby and Lina had ordered with their meals. It looked as if he was sweating profusely, suggesting that the tray was as heavy as he looked. Somehow he managed to balance it in one hand as he set the food before them. "I have to make another trip back," he replied quietly when Lina looked up angrily at him. Not all of the food was there, because there was too much to fit on one tray.
Narrowing her eyes at him, Lina finally gave in and nodded. She still looked as if it were the waiter's fault that he had to make more than one trip. Still, she dug into what had been brought, hoping to get some before Gourry ate it all.
For once, Tabby wasn't eating what was before her. Instead she watched those across from her with mild interest. It was always amusing when one could actually see what they looked like when they ate and for Tabby this was almost like looking into a mirror. Her bright, pinkish eyes, much like Lina's were alight with happiness when she finally turned to her own food. Once she started her locomotive eating, there was no stopping her. Zelgadis even had to stop drinking his coffee long enough to look up, noting that since there were now three eating like starved wild animals, it was quite a show.
The conversation did not continue for some time, whilst the Inverses and Gourry finished their meal. Finally, Tabby leaned back in her chair, patting her tummy and sighing happily. A few moments later, Lina did the same and Gourry after her.
"Now, what is it you asked us?" Gourry for once brought things back to the original subject. His bright blue eyes were glowing because of his full stomach and he reached back into his alarmingly long blond hair and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I want you all of you to come to Rorfinia with me!"
"And what is this Rorfinia, Miss Tabby?" Amelia set down her toast and focused her attention on the second red-headed sorceress. The short princess tossed her cape back behind her shoulder to get it out of her way, fluttering the ends of her short black locks in the process.
"It's where the Lady of Faith is located," and Tabby explained everything she had learned from Zelgadis's translation of the transcript. They all looked on with interest, except perhaps for Gourry, but then again he always looked confused.
Lina nodded in all the right places and as soon as Tabby finished, she asked, "What's the catch?"
"Uh, wha? Catch?" Eyes wide, Tabby laughed. "There's no catch."
Raising one eyebrow, Zelgadis shook his head. "Tabby, you're forgetting someone."
"Someone?" But suddenly she knew exactly who Zelgadis meant. She sighed in defeat. "I guess if there is a catch, it's that Valgaav is coming with me..." Tabby closed her eyes tight and waited for the tirade that was sure to come.
And quite suddenly it did. "Valgaav!?" Amelia was the first to exclaim. "But, but he's the most unjust person I know! How could you let someone like him accompany you on your great journey, Miss Tabby?"
"Yeah, what's the big idea, Tabby," Lina fixed her glare on her cousin. "Well?"
"Guys, you don't understand, Val's my friend..."
"Friend!?" If Amelia kept shouting like this her face was boung to turn blue, because it was red as a fresh rose right then. "How can a fiend like that be your friend!?"
Very suddenly Tabby wished she could curl into a ball and disappear. She cleared her throat and held up her hands in surrender. "Look, I told you before it's a long story. Just know that Val's my friend, and even though I know you don't like each other I can personally guarantee that as long as I'm there he won't try to harm you or anything."
The only person that looked convinced was Zelgadis. Tabby knew that was only because of what he'd seen the previous night. The rest of them hadn't seen that side of the half Dragon. She sighed again.
"You know, she's actually right," Zelgadis finally spoke up in Tabby's defense. He set down his coffee cup, for it was finally empty, and addressed the other three. "It may sound odd, and I really don't know why I'm defending such a cretin as Valgaav, but he actually is quite different around Tabby. I'm sure the you noticed outside the inn last night when he actually hugged her."
Lina raised an eyebrow, but nodded as she remembered it. "That did seem a little out of character for him. Tabby, are you sure it's such a long story of how the two of you met?"
"Eh, heh, well, it's certainly too long for us to sit here and discuss. If you go traveling with me, I could tell you then. But I know you should be getting off to that contest soon..." Tabby hoped this diversion would work, she surely didn't feel like getting into the story. Not that it was unpleasant, just that she hated telling it.
Much to Tabby's enjoyment her distraction worked. Lina cursed realizing that she was nearly late for the sorcery contest and then grabbing Gourry, she yelled at the others to follow and then ran out the door. Chuckling to herself, Tabby left a few gold pieces on the table to pay and then walked out to go after them.
