Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Slayers. Never claimed to...
- Theater Time Again -
Chapter 2: Star-Crossed Lovers?
Crisanta led them to the eastern district at the edge of the city. The area was crowded to say the least; people, actors, actresses and theater people all, hurried about, some plainly clothed, others bedecked in the fanciest costumes, some carting rolls of cloth and carpeting and other such goods. Several tents of varying shapes, colors and sizes now stood in the previously empty lot, put up as they were by the theater groups who were to stay in the city temporarily to participate in the annual Theater Festival.
The Slayers, consequently, were now safely inside one particular tent. It was that of Teatro Luna, and it was there that the gypsy Crisanta lent an ear on their current dilemma.
"Namagomi!!!"
Chuckle. "Slow!"
"I'll show you!!!!"
"Will you keep it down, please?"
The rest of the group shrugged, sweatdropping, and turned back to Crisanta.
"So let me get this straight," the dark-eyed gypsy reiterated, "You want to get in the Cyrillan Royal Palace to see the Phoenix Tear?"
Lina nodded. "That's right."
"But you can't, because only those with invitations can come in."
"Uh-huh."
Crisanta smiled, taking out a roll of parchment from somewhere behind her. She unfurled it with a single flap, holding it aloft for all to see. "Well, guess what this is!"
The rest of the group stared at the scroll. Stamped at the bottom of the fancily detailed script was what looked like a wax crest detailed with vines, roses... and a flaming bird.
"That's the royal crest of Cyrilla!" Amelia exclaimed.
Lina snapped her fingers. "Then that's--"
"The official pass to get in the Palace, yes," the gypsy girl finished for her.
Gourry held thumb to jaw. "So with that, we can freely get in and out of the royal palace, right?"
Crisanta nodded agreeably. "Right."
"And we can see the Phoenix Tear?" Zelgadis put in.
"Yup."
Two pairs of eyes glinted in the dim light of the room.
"Out of the way, Zel!!!"
"Lay off! I need this more th-- OWW!"
The gypsy whistled innocently as a Chimera and a flame-haired sorceress collided head on with each other on the spot where she was not a few seconds ago.
"Mr. Zelgadis, are you alright?" Amelia asked, looking worriedly at his swirly-eyed spot on the floor.
Crisanta cleared her throat, tucking back the parchment into who knows were. "Unfortunately, I cannot give our theater company's pass away so freely."
"Ow, come on?" Lina winced, rubbing the side of her head. "Felt like I slammed into a wall." She turned to Zelgadis.
Zelgadis: *cold glare*
The gypsy girl shook her head. "I can't."
"We did save you, didn't we?" the redhead continued. She gave her best cutesy smile. "So be a nice little actress and give us the pass."
Head shake. "... I can't."
"Come on," Lina said a little too sweetly, fangs showing.
Crisanta grinned nervously, backing away, but still shook her head, sweatdropping. "Er, look, c-can't we make a bargain here? I mean, I need your help and--"
A ball of light appeared between the sorceress' hands.
"Wait!" The gypsy held out one hand, the other quickly procuring--
...
Zelgadis' eyes bugged out. So did Amelia's. Lina collapsed on the floor. Gourry stared blankly. Filia and Xellos temporarily looked up from their adversarial activities, noticing the shift in atmosphere, and... Well... Blinked.
All eyes had settled on the promotional poster the young woman held in one hand. Or, to be exact, what was ON the poster.
...
And to be even more exact, just WHO were on the poster.
"... Is that...?" Zel-kun began, not really sure he was seeing right.
"Filia-san... and Xellos-san?" Amelia finished for him.
"OK..." Lina added helpfully. "Now I am freaked out."
Blink.
Crisanta beamed cheerily on, oblivious to her audience's reactions. "Yes, they really look like them, don't they?" she said, making cute sheepish poses all around the room. True enough, the couple portrayed upon the glossy sheet of paper bore an uncanny resemblance to the two. Nevermind that the female had long blonde hair with twin bangs and big blue eyes, or that the tall guy hugging her close to his chest had dark purple hair cut ala chili bowl fashion; the girl was also tall and slender, facial features delicate, and who apparently was her lover had the same pale complexion, narrow eyes, and pointy little nose.
Gourry scratched his head, puzzled. "Um, Lina, why is Xellos hugging Filia in that picture?"
Twitch. Twitch. Twitchie.
"THAT'S NOT US!!!" A very irate dragon and a Mazoku with a cheek twitch yelled at the same time, just as the hapless blond swordsman developed three huge and near-consecutive head bumps and collapsed on the dusty floor, K.O.'d.
"Baka," Lina muttered tiredly, nerve pulse appearing on the side of her head.
*~*
"Oww, that hurt, Lina," Gourry whined, tapping the side of his head, after Amelia revived him when they noticed he was down longer than usual. "I was only asking..."
"Filia hit you harder," the sorceress retorted back.
The blonde dragon folded her arms. "I did not!" She pointed to Xellos cross-leggedly floating a few feet apart of them. "That filthy creature did."
The corner of the Mazoku's violet brow twitched at 'filth'. "So typical of dragons to blame others for their own faults," he let off coolly, teleporting right beside the former priestess, "ne, Filia-san?" He retained his wooden smile, though a bit strained, and winked infuriatingly at her.
"Eeek! Stay away from me, you namagomi!" The blonde shrieked, sidestepping away.
Zelgadis shrugged, and turned to Crisanta. "So you tell us the lead actors for your play happen to look like those two?" he asked, jerking his thumb at the fuming dragon and Mr. Genki Purple Head himself.
The gypsy bobbed her head in affirmation. "Yes. See, that is why I need your help."
"Our help?" Amelia blinked. "On what?"
Crisanta sighed. "... On our play," she finally let out, staring at the floor.
Lina's ears perked up at the word. "... A play?" she repeated, vague, bitter memories of the last time she found herself participating in such as... as...
"'The Fall of Lina Inverse, Enemy of All Who Live'?" Zelgadis read aloud the book the gypsy girl showed him. He sweatdropped.
"My, so they have a play in honor of Lina-san?" Filia inquired, taking a look at the manuscript, and generally ignoring the Mazoku making faces behind her back.
"I would hardly call it that," Zelgadis interceded. "This must be the fifth adaptation or so..." The Chimera stopped, looking warily on at Lina, a very pronounced nerve pulse appearing on the side of her head.
Crisanta snatched the book and tucked it back under her clothes. "THAT'S what the rival theater group will be presenting," she amended, smiling placatingly. She drew out another book, almost as thick as the other one, bound in red leather covering. "What our group will present, however, is this!" With a fluorish, the gypsy showed them the title of the play.
"'The Love Song'?" They all said as one. Mutual sweatdrops appeared on each of their heads. Glances were exchanged. Polite smiles were pasted on the faces of two young sorceresses, a swordsman, a Chimera, a dragon and a Mazoku.
"Yes, The Love Song!" Crisanta happily went on, oblivious to their less-than-thrilled reactions. Sighing dreamily, she clutched the book to her chest, and produced the poster she showed them earlier, holding it aloft like a banner. The surroundings shifted into pastel-colored, lacy, twinkling shades, and stars appeared in the young gypsy's eyes.
"A tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, meant to be together, yet separated by the awful cruelty of fate," she said in a heartbreakingly melodramatic voice. Suddenly darkness envelops the room, until a single spotlight shines on the gypsy. "Dante, son of a nobleman and respected by all, a youth of great wisdom and gentility..." The shadows shifted, and Crisanta crossed to the other end of the room, the spotlight following her through. "Lyseria, a maiden of common ancestry, yet gifted with a voice as pure as her heart, a gentle soul of surpassing beauty..."
Like mist, the shadows parted, dissipating back into the pink, twinkling dreamworld. A sigh. "Music doth draw these two together, and fate doth draw them apart. How so will they fare upon the thread of fortune? Dare they deny what beats upon their very hearts?" She struck another pose. "That is our presentation," Crisanta finished, bowing deeply.
Surroundings return to normal.
Amelia was clapping, a dreamy look on her face. Zelgadis turned away. Lina was sweatdropping. Gourry had fallen asleep. And what of Xellos and Filia?
"Oh, Miss Crisanta, what a beautiful story!" the dragon exclaimed, applauding happily.
Xellos squirmed a bit, and rubbed the side of his head. "So do they end up doing double suicide as what usually happens in such tales?"
Crisanta sweatdropped. "Um, not to spoil the story, but no, at least, not technically..."
"Well, what does the play have to do with us?" Lina asked, still not sure if all this was because of that extra plate of dumplings she had an hour ago. "Aside from your lead actors looking like Xel and Fi, I mean." They all looked at the two individuals mentioned, then back to the now popular poster.
"Yare yare," Xellos remarked, "So there's somebody out there who looks very much like you, Filia-san? I pity the poor girl."
The dragon glared at him, but retained her composure. "As I do the poor fellow who resembles you," she smoothly replied. "But then, you do have the reek and stench unique only to those of your kind, so I can't say it's a lost matter for him." She shrugged, and cocked her head to the side, content that the said Mazoku was visibly irked by the insult. Well, if physical assaults would not get to the namagomi, her verbal assaults will.
"But that's just it!" Crisanta declared just before Xellos could put a word in. She shook her head. "You see, our lead actors -- Eric and Sylvia -- they... uhh..." she broke off, hesitating, a frown breaking upon her features.
"What happened to them, Crisanta-san?" Amelia asked, gently prodding her on.
The gypsy looked up to them. "See, it's rather embarrassing for me to tell you all this, but..." she sighed again, as if deciding it would be good to let it out at last. "They ran away," she finally said in a rush.
"What?"
"Just this morning. I think the proper word is 'eloped'. Papan found a note outside our tent, telling him not to worry, they were off to discover the new world together, acting just didn't appeal to them anymore, and they're so sorry about the festival and the competition--" she broke off again, bowing her head in despair.
Zelgadis frowned. "So you're telling us that your lead actor and actress ran off together?"
Crisanta nodded.
"Oh, that's just terrible!" Amelia exclaimed.
"Ditto for me," Lina put in. "Running away days before an important event..."
"Rather irresponsible of them, wasn't it?" Filia inquired.
The gypsy stood up, smoothing down her skirts. "You do not know Sylvia and Eric," she said, shaking her head wryly once more. "Very impulsive, those two. And the fact that they are both easily swayed by their emotions, their dreams -- well, it helps a lot in their acting -- but in real situations, they easily get out of hand." She sat down again. "And look what mess they have made! Now our theater company would not be able to particiapte in the competition!" she wailed.
"I know of a certain dragon with a very loose hold over self-control," Xellos commented off-hand, right where Filia could hear. Said former shrine maiden fumed, and was about to say something nasty to the Mazoku, when she suddenly found herself -- and said purple-haired demon -- suddenly glomped by a teary-eyed gypsy.
Gourry snored in the background. Everyone else in the room tried not to sweatdrop.
"But then I found you two!!!" Crisanta continued, deep brown eyes filling with adoration and hope. Xellos squirmed. Filia blinked.
Gourry snored.
It suddenly dawned on the rest of the tent occupants just what the cute gypsy girl was getting at.
"Oh, no..." Lina began. "Not again..."
But the look on Crisanta's eyes confirmed the sorceress' fears.
Filia blinked again. "Miss Crisanta... you mean, we... I and the namagomi... you want us to fill in the lead roles?"
The gypsy nodded.
Silence.
Gourry yawned awake. "Uh, did I miss anything?"
*~*
Author's Rantings: Um, I should accredit the 'Mr. Genki Purple Head' title to the fic written by Miss Battlejoy. And uh, listen to this while playing Bakuretsu Hunter's ending song Mask. Trust me. Where were we again? Oh, yes, inputs, comments, and suggestions are most welcome. Have you not figured out I live solely for reviews? ^_^ E-mail me at aki_ross_143@yahoo.com, as I check it most often.
And as Mica in cold-blooded bitchy mode is apt to say:
YOUR SILENCE IS DEAFENING... AS WELL AS DISCOURAGING... SO TYPE UP!
... Please? ^^
- Theater Time Again -
Chapter 2: Star-Crossed Lovers?
Crisanta led them to the eastern district at the edge of the city. The area was crowded to say the least; people, actors, actresses and theater people all, hurried about, some plainly clothed, others bedecked in the fanciest costumes, some carting rolls of cloth and carpeting and other such goods. Several tents of varying shapes, colors and sizes now stood in the previously empty lot, put up as they were by the theater groups who were to stay in the city temporarily to participate in the annual Theater Festival.
The Slayers, consequently, were now safely inside one particular tent. It was that of Teatro Luna, and it was there that the gypsy Crisanta lent an ear on their current dilemma.
"Namagomi!!!"
Chuckle. "Slow!"
"I'll show you!!!!"
"Will you keep it down, please?"
The rest of the group shrugged, sweatdropping, and turned back to Crisanta.
"So let me get this straight," the dark-eyed gypsy reiterated, "You want to get in the Cyrillan Royal Palace to see the Phoenix Tear?"
Lina nodded. "That's right."
"But you can't, because only those with invitations can come in."
"Uh-huh."
Crisanta smiled, taking out a roll of parchment from somewhere behind her. She unfurled it with a single flap, holding it aloft for all to see. "Well, guess what this is!"
The rest of the group stared at the scroll. Stamped at the bottom of the fancily detailed script was what looked like a wax crest detailed with vines, roses... and a flaming bird.
"That's the royal crest of Cyrilla!" Amelia exclaimed.
Lina snapped her fingers. "Then that's--"
"The official pass to get in the Palace, yes," the gypsy girl finished for her.
Gourry held thumb to jaw. "So with that, we can freely get in and out of the royal palace, right?"
Crisanta nodded agreeably. "Right."
"And we can see the Phoenix Tear?" Zelgadis put in.
"Yup."
Two pairs of eyes glinted in the dim light of the room.
"Out of the way, Zel!!!"
"Lay off! I need this more th-- OWW!"
The gypsy whistled innocently as a Chimera and a flame-haired sorceress collided head on with each other on the spot where she was not a few seconds ago.
"Mr. Zelgadis, are you alright?" Amelia asked, looking worriedly at his swirly-eyed spot on the floor.
Crisanta cleared her throat, tucking back the parchment into who knows were. "Unfortunately, I cannot give our theater company's pass away so freely."
"Ow, come on?" Lina winced, rubbing the side of her head. "Felt like I slammed into a wall." She turned to Zelgadis.
Zelgadis: *cold glare*
The gypsy girl shook her head. "I can't."
"We did save you, didn't we?" the redhead continued. She gave her best cutesy smile. "So be a nice little actress and give us the pass."
Head shake. "... I can't."
"Come on," Lina said a little too sweetly, fangs showing.
Crisanta grinned nervously, backing away, but still shook her head, sweatdropping. "Er, look, c-can't we make a bargain here? I mean, I need your help and--"
A ball of light appeared between the sorceress' hands.
"Wait!" The gypsy held out one hand, the other quickly procuring--
...
Zelgadis' eyes bugged out. So did Amelia's. Lina collapsed on the floor. Gourry stared blankly. Filia and Xellos temporarily looked up from their adversarial activities, noticing the shift in atmosphere, and... Well... Blinked.
All eyes had settled on the promotional poster the young woman held in one hand. Or, to be exact, what was ON the poster.
...
And to be even more exact, just WHO were on the poster.
"... Is that...?" Zel-kun began, not really sure he was seeing right.
"Filia-san... and Xellos-san?" Amelia finished for him.
"OK..." Lina added helpfully. "Now I am freaked out."
Blink.
Crisanta beamed cheerily on, oblivious to her audience's reactions. "Yes, they really look like them, don't they?" she said, making cute sheepish poses all around the room. True enough, the couple portrayed upon the glossy sheet of paper bore an uncanny resemblance to the two. Nevermind that the female had long blonde hair with twin bangs and big blue eyes, or that the tall guy hugging her close to his chest had dark purple hair cut ala chili bowl fashion; the girl was also tall and slender, facial features delicate, and who apparently was her lover had the same pale complexion, narrow eyes, and pointy little nose.
Gourry scratched his head, puzzled. "Um, Lina, why is Xellos hugging Filia in that picture?"
Twitch. Twitch. Twitchie.
"THAT'S NOT US!!!" A very irate dragon and a Mazoku with a cheek twitch yelled at the same time, just as the hapless blond swordsman developed three huge and near-consecutive head bumps and collapsed on the dusty floor, K.O.'d.
"Baka," Lina muttered tiredly, nerve pulse appearing on the side of her head.
*~*
"Oww, that hurt, Lina," Gourry whined, tapping the side of his head, after Amelia revived him when they noticed he was down longer than usual. "I was only asking..."
"Filia hit you harder," the sorceress retorted back.
The blonde dragon folded her arms. "I did not!" She pointed to Xellos cross-leggedly floating a few feet apart of them. "That filthy creature did."
The corner of the Mazoku's violet brow twitched at 'filth'. "So typical of dragons to blame others for their own faults," he let off coolly, teleporting right beside the former priestess, "ne, Filia-san?" He retained his wooden smile, though a bit strained, and winked infuriatingly at her.
"Eeek! Stay away from me, you namagomi!" The blonde shrieked, sidestepping away.
Zelgadis shrugged, and turned to Crisanta. "So you tell us the lead actors for your play happen to look like those two?" he asked, jerking his thumb at the fuming dragon and Mr. Genki Purple Head himself.
The gypsy bobbed her head in affirmation. "Yes. See, that is why I need your help."
"Our help?" Amelia blinked. "On what?"
Crisanta sighed. "... On our play," she finally let out, staring at the floor.
Lina's ears perked up at the word. "... A play?" she repeated, vague, bitter memories of the last time she found herself participating in such as... as...
"'The Fall of Lina Inverse, Enemy of All Who Live'?" Zelgadis read aloud the book the gypsy girl showed him. He sweatdropped.
"My, so they have a play in honor of Lina-san?" Filia inquired, taking a look at the manuscript, and generally ignoring the Mazoku making faces behind her back.
"I would hardly call it that," Zelgadis interceded. "This must be the fifth adaptation or so..." The Chimera stopped, looking warily on at Lina, a very pronounced nerve pulse appearing on the side of her head.
Crisanta snatched the book and tucked it back under her clothes. "THAT'S what the rival theater group will be presenting," she amended, smiling placatingly. She drew out another book, almost as thick as the other one, bound in red leather covering. "What our group will present, however, is this!" With a fluorish, the gypsy showed them the title of the play.
"'The Love Song'?" They all said as one. Mutual sweatdrops appeared on each of their heads. Glances were exchanged. Polite smiles were pasted on the faces of two young sorceresses, a swordsman, a Chimera, a dragon and a Mazoku.
"Yes, The Love Song!" Crisanta happily went on, oblivious to their less-than-thrilled reactions. Sighing dreamily, she clutched the book to her chest, and produced the poster she showed them earlier, holding it aloft like a banner. The surroundings shifted into pastel-colored, lacy, twinkling shades, and stars appeared in the young gypsy's eyes.
"A tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, meant to be together, yet separated by the awful cruelty of fate," she said in a heartbreakingly melodramatic voice. Suddenly darkness envelops the room, until a single spotlight shines on the gypsy. "Dante, son of a nobleman and respected by all, a youth of great wisdom and gentility..." The shadows shifted, and Crisanta crossed to the other end of the room, the spotlight following her through. "Lyseria, a maiden of common ancestry, yet gifted with a voice as pure as her heart, a gentle soul of surpassing beauty..."
Like mist, the shadows parted, dissipating back into the pink, twinkling dreamworld. A sigh. "Music doth draw these two together, and fate doth draw them apart. How so will they fare upon the thread of fortune? Dare they deny what beats upon their very hearts?" She struck another pose. "That is our presentation," Crisanta finished, bowing deeply.
Surroundings return to normal.
Amelia was clapping, a dreamy look on her face. Zelgadis turned away. Lina was sweatdropping. Gourry had fallen asleep. And what of Xellos and Filia?
"Oh, Miss Crisanta, what a beautiful story!" the dragon exclaimed, applauding happily.
Xellos squirmed a bit, and rubbed the side of his head. "So do they end up doing double suicide as what usually happens in such tales?"
Crisanta sweatdropped. "Um, not to spoil the story, but no, at least, not technically..."
"Well, what does the play have to do with us?" Lina asked, still not sure if all this was because of that extra plate of dumplings she had an hour ago. "Aside from your lead actors looking like Xel and Fi, I mean." They all looked at the two individuals mentioned, then back to the now popular poster.
"Yare yare," Xellos remarked, "So there's somebody out there who looks very much like you, Filia-san? I pity the poor girl."
The dragon glared at him, but retained her composure. "As I do the poor fellow who resembles you," she smoothly replied. "But then, you do have the reek and stench unique only to those of your kind, so I can't say it's a lost matter for him." She shrugged, and cocked her head to the side, content that the said Mazoku was visibly irked by the insult. Well, if physical assaults would not get to the namagomi, her verbal assaults will.
"But that's just it!" Crisanta declared just before Xellos could put a word in. She shook her head. "You see, our lead actors -- Eric and Sylvia -- they... uhh..." she broke off, hesitating, a frown breaking upon her features.
"What happened to them, Crisanta-san?" Amelia asked, gently prodding her on.
The gypsy looked up to them. "See, it's rather embarrassing for me to tell you all this, but..." she sighed again, as if deciding it would be good to let it out at last. "They ran away," she finally said in a rush.
"What?"
"Just this morning. I think the proper word is 'eloped'. Papan found a note outside our tent, telling him not to worry, they were off to discover the new world together, acting just didn't appeal to them anymore, and they're so sorry about the festival and the competition--" she broke off again, bowing her head in despair.
Zelgadis frowned. "So you're telling us that your lead actor and actress ran off together?"
Crisanta nodded.
"Oh, that's just terrible!" Amelia exclaimed.
"Ditto for me," Lina put in. "Running away days before an important event..."
"Rather irresponsible of them, wasn't it?" Filia inquired.
The gypsy stood up, smoothing down her skirts. "You do not know Sylvia and Eric," she said, shaking her head wryly once more. "Very impulsive, those two. And the fact that they are both easily swayed by their emotions, their dreams -- well, it helps a lot in their acting -- but in real situations, they easily get out of hand." She sat down again. "And look what mess they have made! Now our theater company would not be able to particiapte in the competition!" she wailed.
"I know of a certain dragon with a very loose hold over self-control," Xellos commented off-hand, right where Filia could hear. Said former shrine maiden fumed, and was about to say something nasty to the Mazoku, when she suddenly found herself -- and said purple-haired demon -- suddenly glomped by a teary-eyed gypsy.
Gourry snored in the background. Everyone else in the room tried not to sweatdrop.
"But then I found you two!!!" Crisanta continued, deep brown eyes filling with adoration and hope. Xellos squirmed. Filia blinked.
Gourry snored.
It suddenly dawned on the rest of the tent occupants just what the cute gypsy girl was getting at.
"Oh, no..." Lina began. "Not again..."
But the look on Crisanta's eyes confirmed the sorceress' fears.
Filia blinked again. "Miss Crisanta... you mean, we... I and the namagomi... you want us to fill in the lead roles?"
The gypsy nodded.
Silence.
Gourry yawned awake. "Uh, did I miss anything?"
*~*
Author's Rantings: Um, I should accredit the 'Mr. Genki Purple Head' title to the fic written by Miss Battlejoy. And uh, listen to this while playing Bakuretsu Hunter's ending song Mask. Trust me. Where were we again? Oh, yes, inputs, comments, and suggestions are most welcome. Have you not figured out I live solely for reviews? ^_^ E-mail me at aki_ross_143@yahoo.com, as I check it most often.
And as Mica in cold-blooded bitchy mode is apt to say:
YOUR SILENCE IS DEAFENING... AS WELL AS DISCOURAGING... SO TYPE UP!
... Please? ^^