--- A Slayers Fanfiction by Winged Dancer.
"Really, Xelloss, your idea of a date is... disgusting." A young woman with golden hair falling down her back stated, frowning. "If you were searching for a cheap entertainment, you could've taken me to the park again!! Or to the movies. They are not that expensive, you know."
"But Filia, deary, honey, sweetie, peach-pie, little darling…"
"Stop using those dumb pet names!!" The blonde snapped, getting irritated, but making the purple haired youngster smile even more than he was already.
"Please, Filia, are you telling me you don't like the idea of visiting a freak show? What's so bad about it?"
"In God's name, Xelloss, how can you find the thought of watching those poor captive animals amusing?" Filia asked, brushing her hair back with a hand.
"Well, if those animals were stupid enough to be caught…"
"Xelloss, watch your vocabulary!!" The blonde hissed.
"…then they deserve to be shown in these shows." The man continued, wrapping his arm around the woman's waist. "Come, Filia - I'll take you to the park later if that's what you want, but we already told Amelia we'd see her here."
The blonde sighed. "Alright then. But promise me you'll watch your vocabulary? And you'll behave, too?" She asked, looking up to meet his eyes.
"Mmmh…" The man next to her thought, "Alright - but only if you promise you'll let me use whatever words I want when we are alone…." As he said that, he gave her bottom a playful squeeze.
"Xelloss, behave yourself!! We are in public!!" Filia couldn't help but giggle as she slapped Xelloss' hand away.
"Doesn't that make it even more exiting?" The young man replied, trying to hug her.
"Miss Filia!! There you are!!" A new voice interrupted.
"Oh, Amelia!!" Filia set herself free and ran to greet the second girl. Amelia was wearing a long white skirt that covered down to mid-calf, along with a light blue blouse and a white hat. Filia's outfit had been picked by Xelloss; her fiancé, and therefore, was a little more 'risqué': a dark blue skirt just above her knees along with a white blouse. Her legs were earning many looks of surprise and want, something that bothered the blonde but made Xelloss quite happy.
"Well, it seems we are set now." The purple headed boy commented after greeting the black haired girl. "Should we go in?"
"I'm not sure of this, Mr. Xelloss…" Amelia commented as they walked towards the entrance, marked by a wide poster that simply read 'Messon's Fair of Creatures'. "Don't you think some of the animals there could be… dangerous?"
"Why, of course, Miss Amelia!!" The man answered, smiling happily. "But, they are all caged; and," He added, lowering his voice. "We have our magic, in case we needed to defend ourselves."
Amelia nodded. Sure, they had their magic, and Xelloss was most probably the strongest user she had ever met (His family, the Metalliums, was owner of incredible secrets that were never told to others), but Filia only had one attack spell, and she was, she had to admit, not the best sorcerer out there; her specialty being curative spells.
"Come in, my friends!!" A rather handsome boy called to them as they neared the entrance. "For only three silver pieces, all the wonders of creation are for you to see!! What do you say, my fair ladies? I promise, there are some pretty things in there - you'll be bewitched by the unicorn and enchanted by the pixie; the siren will fascinate you with her song!!" The two women opened her eyes at that. "Oh, but be wary - some creatures are not as friendly. Cerberus' heads bark at strangers, the harpy is always trying to scratch people, and some moody chimeras need to watch their manners… what do you say, my friends? Three silver pieces - and you'll watch marvels and abominations!!"
"Nine silver pieces it is." Xelloss deposited the coins on the man's hand. "And it'd better be worth it, my friend."
"It'll be, sir. Please step in - and be careful of those hidden in the shadows."
Giggling with excitement, the two women quickly stepped inside, looking around, not sure of where to go. As their nature dictated, they searched for the unicorn first, and quickly found it: The beautiful white mare's hide was pure as snow, shimmering in the light, the horn shining as a pearl.
As the two ladies swooned over the horned horse, Xelloss walked around on his own, smirking as always.
For three silvers per person, he had to admit it was a nice job; and whomever was the boss had to be pretty skilled with mind-control spells to be able to fool both Filia and Amelia. Of course, it helped that the two of them wanted to see what the boy advertised.
"Women." The young man snickered. "Say you have a unicorn and they'll be willing to pay whatever you ask."
For him, however, it was very easy to see past the spell - the unicorn was only a white mare, 'Phobos, the winged Terror' was only a grown crow, the pixie was a colorful butterfly, Cerberus was a big, one-headed dog that would surely be able to kill someone with one bite, the siren was a poor girl with false wings sown to her back.
"Why, the man behind this has read Homer, it seems!!" He said to himself as he stopped in front of the fake siren's cage. The girl smiled at him and walked up to him, all of her chest exposed, her dirty yellow hair falling down her back. Reaching out a hand, she started to hum a sad song.
"Ah, my lady…" Xelloss smirked in a rather malevolent way. "Tell me, what is it that attracts people to you? Your song, I was told. But maybe those fake wings hanging from your back are the only thing worth… or maybe your body, my dear?" Snickering at the girl's confused and sad eyes, he continued. "You would've attracted my eyes, had we met in a city, had you been wearing some clothes. But like this - you are worth close to nothing."
Turning around, he continued his visit. While some things were fakes, there were some others that were true. The 'Giant Spider', for instant, was indeed a giant spider, most probably brought from a far-away country from the South. Or the hissing cockroach, that one was true, for instance. The harpy was not fake either - the bird sat at it's perch, looming and watching, hissing at whomever got too close. The Cyclops was, surprisingly enough, true as well - a robust man with only one eye. He was not a monster, but a cripple.
Something caught his eye, at the very end of the 'Fair'; a cage that was just a little apart from the others. He walked up to it, looking inside… a man that looked about his age, but had his entire body covered by blue stone. He could sense no spell emanating from his body, but, who could've been powerful enough to make such a creature?
Leaning slightly, Xelloss read the placard at the bottom of the cage:
A breed of different species. (Components unknown)
A 'Chimera' is also a lie. However, your eyes are not mistaken - this 'man' is a living rock!
Xelloss couldn't help but snicker at the description.
"Very well, my 'living rock' friend…" He started, looking at the creature inside the cage. "Tell me - why are you here? You don't seem easy to catch."
Inside, the creature only growled, turning around.
"Ah, so you don't want to be disturbed…" The purple haired boy continued. "A shame indeed. Here I thought that maybe you'd talk - you look much more interesting that that silly siren, too."
"Xelloss? With whom are you speaking?" A feminine voice called from behind.,.
"Ah, Filia, Amelia!! Perhaps you'll like to meet Mr. Living-stone?" The man cried, moving so the women could see the thing inside. The 'thing' turned around again, but ignored the two newcomers.
"Livingstone?" Filia asked, peeking at the creature.
"Or Living Rock, take your pick."
"Mr. Xelloss!! That's not a nice thing to call people!!" Amelia scolded.
"But he wont tell me his name, Miss Amelia!! How am I supposed to call him then?"
"Xelloss, don't mock the poor thing." Filia continued with the scolding, earning a dirty look from the man inside - needless to say, he didn't like to be called a 'thing'. "It's bad enough for it to be kept like that, and you come to make fun of it!!"
"Aah - I see you youngsters are interested in the chimera." A new voice said behind the trio. They turned to see a amiable-looking man wearing a white shirt with spent brown vest and pants looking at them. "Interesting, isn't he? Yes, my friends. He's a male - haven't got the female, or else I would have many little chimeras around here." The fat man joked, laughing. "The name's Messon; James Messon, owner of this fair. I'm pleased to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine." The three young adults replied at the same time while Xelloss shook hands with the man.
"I hope you've enjoyed what you've seen so far - ain't my creatures beautiful? Even the most horrible ones have a piece of beauty inside, at least I seem to think of it that way. It's… the mystery surrounding them." Mr. Messon continued, looking around at the cages. "How were these creatures created? Who created them, too, and with what purpose? It wasn't easy, to get them all… but every one is worth it."
"Yes, indeed." Xelloss commented, observing the chimera again, with a hand under his chin. "And, tell me, how did you manage to catch the unicorn? I've been told that only pure virgin maidens can get near them. Oh, that would leave you out of the picture, Filia…"
"Xellos!!"
"Bwa-hahahaha!!" The man laughed heartily at the blushing blonde. "Yes, only sweet young maidens can get close those fine horses - and it was my young daughter the one that helped me with it; she lured the unicorn in the open and I captured it."
"Oh…" Amelia sighed. "That's a cruel thing to do. Poor thing!! I heard once that unicorns die in captivity… shouldn't you let it go, Mr. Messon?"
"Don't fear for it, my lady." The bald man calmed the girl, smiling. "She has lived for years with me now - I reckon she even likes the place now."
"Of course she likes it." Xelloss butted in. "I've yet to know a simple mare that doesn't get used to a cage."
"A simple mare!!" Mr. Messon exclaimed. "A simple mare, the lad says!! It's almost insulting the pretty, calling her that way!!"
"Ah, but I'm only stating the truth." The young man answered, smiling mysteriously, and earning curious glances from Amelia and Filia. "Don't you agree, my Chimera friend? That pretty mare has a nice spell on her, but spell or no spell, all horses get used to the stable."
"…a spell?" Filia gaped, looking at her fiancé. "What do you mean, Xelloss?"
"My Filia - look at the mare yourself, but look at it carefully. I'm sure you'll see what I see as well. Try looking at the 'Siren' as well, and the Cyclops and the Pixie and Cerberus. Many caged lies."
The blonde woman turned around and almost ran towards the white mare's cage. Amelia, after throwing one questioning glance at Xelloss, followed suit.
Having lost his amiable face, the man threw a dirty look at the purple haired youngster, ignoring the grin that was forming on the chimera's face.
"I don't know how you've seen through my spell, but I admit defeat when it hits me in the face." The bald man stated curtly. "I'm willing to give your money back if you promise not to spread what you've seen today."
Xelloss smirked at this. "Not at all, my friend - I paid nine silver pieces to have some fun, not to see magical creatures. Discovering your lies was fun, I wasn't thinking of asking for my money."
"Ah. You are a strange one, boy." Turning to the Chimera's cage, the man continued: "What do you say about this one? Mighty hard to catch, and harder to keep caged. But worth every penny - there are few people not interested in seeing a man with stone instead of skin." Taking a rather large wooden pole, the man poked the creature inside the cage. "Come on, my friend - you haven't introduced yourself to the guests."
"Leave me alone, you bastard." The chimera snapped, pushing the stick away.
"My, strong words!!" Xelloss exclaimed, happy. "I had been waiting for you to talk. What took you?"
"I don't have to answer to the likes of you." The blue man answered, as moody as anyone could be.
"Xelloss!!" The two women came back. "You - you are right!! The siren is just a girl… and the Cyclops!! The Pixie and Cerberus are not that bad, but…"
"How could you do that to them?¡" Amelia cried, clenching her fists. "They are human, just like you!! And yet you - you have them in cages, as if they were animals!!!"
The man however, ignored the black haired girl. "You should watch your vocabulary, Chimera, there are women nearby. Ah, I know you hate me… I know you love to see me humiliated like this, my trick discovered. But even now, I'm still the master." Chuckling, the fat man asked: "Tell me - what do you wish to do?"
"You dare to ask…" The Chimera started, almost hissing in anger, "You dare to ask me what do I want to do with you?¡ To kill you, you bastard!! I don't care anymore to make you suffer as I have, I only want to see your blood covering my hands!"
"My… God." Filia exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.
"…revenge, sweet revenge, mh?" Xelloss muttered, smiling darkly.
"It… he can talk!!" Amelia cried, making the Chimera look at her with fury.
"Yes, miss, I can talk." He cried, his tone being rather insulting. "And don't you ever call me 'It' again, if you want to live."
"I'm - I'm sorry, I just didn't - "
"You just didn't what? Didn't think that the 'creature' was intelligent enough to speak? Who's the stupid one, I wonder?"
"Hahahaha, easy there, Chimera!!" Mr. Messon laughed, poking the man's rib with the pole again. "Don't you fret, miss!! Behind those bars, he's as good as nothing!! Look at him - he just likes to scare people to feel important and powerful!!" As he said that, repeatedly poking at the enraged chimera with the stick, the man's eyes were losing their cheerful twinkle and were gaining a hateful spark. "Look at him!! No better than an animal. Even a limp dog would make a better pet. I was no surprised to see him wandering - whomever created him was surely smart to dump such a piece of garbage."
"How dare you…" The Chimera hissed, launching himself at the bars, making the two women step backwards. "I'll kill you!!" He screamed, even though the bars were already giving him electric shocks. "I'll kill you some day, and you know it - !! I'll get out of here and the first thing I'll do will be killing you!!" The shocks were too strong at that point, and the man was sent flying to the other side of the cage, screaming in a mix of pain an rage.
"Let's go." Xelloss took the girls by the shoulders, guiding them out of the fair.
"That was… impressing." Filia said, exhaling. "I can't believe all those creatures were fake."
"And I can't believe it took you two so much time to realize that." Xelloss shrugged, smiling again. "You two are magic users like me - you shouldn't have had any problem seeing through that spell."
"I guess that's because we wanted to see those things." The blonde sighed. "I was so excited I had seen an unicorn!! What a shame it was a fake…"
"I… I want to set them free." The raven haired girl stated.
"Eh? What do you mean, Amelia?" The other girl asked.
"I want to release them all! The animals, and specially the humans don't deserve to be treated that way!! You saw how the chimera reacted - they must receive horrible treatment!! And, above everything, they are humans beings, and they have the right to be free!! I can't stand watching something like that."
"But what are you proposing, Amelia? We couldn't possibly sue the man, since we can't prove that he placed an spell over the animals…" Filia started. "And, that Chimera looked dangerous… it might be better for it to be caged like that."
"No, it's not better." Amelia frowned. "I'll think of something - but I can't allow these things to happen."
"But we can't do a thing about that!!"
"Now, now, Filia… I'm sure there are plenty of ways to liberate those creatures." Xelloss interceded, as if thinking.
"What? Xelloss, what do you mean…?"
"Would you really help me, Mr. Xelloss?" An excited Amelia asked.
"Why, of course… it's not nice to have those things caged like that, isn't it?"
"Mr. Xelloss!! They are not 'things'!!"
"Right, right - humans, I'm sorry." Xelloss shrugged, not being really sorry. "It's just that - imagine all the chaos that'll be formed if all the creatures come out? Everybody would be scared, screaming, panicking!!" The young man started to laugh at the idea.
"…you are being weird again, Xelloss." Filia scrunched her nose. Her fiancé could, at times, be extremely… freaky.
"Sorry, sorry." The purple haired man stopped, cleaning away a small tear of laughter. "Now, what do you say we go to the park? I'm sure we're bound to find Lina and Gourry there, and perhaps they'll like to hear about this story?"
Notes: Ironic, how a piece that I believe achieves more than others I've written seemingly passes unnoticed, while others that I personally don't think so high of are better liked.
I want to thank my sole reviewer, Ameria - thanks for your comments, and don't trust my taste so much ˆˆ It can be gaudy and simple at times.
Lastly, if you are reading this and thinking 'Feh, there aren't many cuss words', remember this is set in the thirties or so, so any little insult is big enough to cause a few shut-ups.
WDR
