Lina heard a knock on the door. She frowned. Now who can that be?
"Hello?" She called out cautiously, creaking the door open a crack.
"Konichiwa, Lina-chan!" Exclaimed the Trickster Priest.
"Xellos! …What are you doing here?!"
"Ah, I decided to help you with your little quest, since it's pretty cold out and I don't really have anything better to do at the moment."
"Well then why didn't you just teleport to a doctor in the first place, and save us four hours of blundering around in the snow?!"
"Oh, I can't just go around waisting my powers like that, Lina-chan! And besides, it's cold out and I don't have much energy."
Lina snorted in disbelief but stepped back to allow him entry.
"Well then what are you doing here?"
"Well, I was walking nearby when I saw this little cabin out in the woods. Naturally, I decided to investigate."
"Humph." Said Lina. "Well, since you're here, can you help me start a fire? The wood's too wet and it's really frickin' cold in here."
"Can't you start it yourself? I would think a good fire ball would dry it right out."
"I tried, but it still wouldn't light for some reason, and I don't wanna burn the cabin down."
"That's odd. Are you sure that you did it correctly?"
Lina bashed him into the splintered wooden floor.
"Of course I did! Lina Inverse doesn't make mistakes, you stupid fruitcake!"
"My deepest apologies, Lina-chan!" He gasped. "I was just wondering since you should normally have been able to do it easily, honestly!"
"Better be…" She hesitantly released him, allowing him to dig out the large splinters of wood deeply imbedded in his face.
"Well, are you gonna get a fire going or not?!"
"Alright, alright Lina-chan! No need to get angry!"
"Well then make it snappy!"
Xellos waved a hand at the pile of damp pieces of ceder in the fireplace. Nothing happened.
"Xellos, I'm warning you…"
"I'm sorry Lina-chan, I'm not sure what's wrong … there appears to be some sort of spell on the wood preventing me from lighting it on fire."
By this point Nel has Phibrizo in headlock, choking him to prevent him from saying anything. She decides that it's time to start hitting the tranquillizers.
"Well then break the spell!"
"I could try … but I might just end up burning the cabin down, like you were worried about!"
Lina frowned. "Oh, all right … but what are we supposed to do now?! It's freezing in here; I need to get warm somehow!"
"Well, the first thing we need to do is get you out of those wet clothes."
"WHAT?!"
"If you don't take them off, you might catch a cold."
"But … but you're…"
"I'm what, Lina-chan?"
"Oh, don't 'chan' me! I am not taking off my clothes in front of you, got it?!"
"Who said anything about that? I'll be turned around the entire time, promise!"
"Since when do keep your promises? I don't care what you say, Xellos; I am not taking off my clothes!" Retorted Lina, and then blushed slightly thinking about how that sounded.
"But if you don't, you might get sick … and you don't really want to be standing around here all wet, do you?"
"Well … I guess not…." She replied, feeling her resolve begin to weaken.
"Hmmm … and I guess I'd better get out of my wet things too."
"WHAT?! You're a mazoku; you don't get wet!!!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too … I'm just as cold and wet as you are, thank you very much."
"I know for a fact that you're not."
"Oh? Have you ever been a mazoku, Lina?"
"Uhh … well, no … but I've read lots of books on them, and I know that I'm right!"
"And who wrote those books?"
"The authors…"
"Who were…"
"…"
"Humans, Lina! Which means that they couldn't have known either."
"But they did research on this kinda stuff! And they … oh, just strip already."