(((.-) Zel ||~.^|| Xelloss {{$.$}} Lina ((.^)|| Gourry ((^.^))Amelia
Seyruun High Jinx
Chapter 23
THE SLAYERS
The band knew Friday would be difficult. They kept lunch
banter to a minimum. Half the band, Amelia and the choir girls, after being
unable to listen to Val's taunts and arrogant sneers about their costumes or
hair or perfume, had departed. Zel buried his nose in a book and pretended to
be 'into it'. Xelloss was entertaining Gourry, Kiki and anyone else watching
him by balancing as many pieces of lunch ware one on top of the next as inhumanly possible.
"Ahhh, I gotta couple more plates and a cup and
some other...stuff here," Gourry offered.
"Can you put his entire lunch tray on top without everything
falling?" Lina asked encouragingly.
"No! Not yet! This plate must be centered with precision…There, there, ahhh….cool, eh? Now Gourry's tray will be a
challenge…unless it's placed eeeeever so
gently," Xelloss said.
Zel put his hands over his ears. He knew that once the tower was completed, it
would come down...and Xelloss was running out of building blocks.
"Ah, ha! You got it! Oh, hi, Amelia, got up the
courage to return?" Lina chuckled.
"Well, Zelgaaaaadiss' still here so,"
Xelloss began.
CRASH! BANG! BANG! CRASH!
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Mr. Xelloss! I didn't see what you were doing.
Sometimes I'm so clumsy!" Amelia cried. She did help him pick up the mess
and return the dishes to the counter.
"Is it all over?" Zel asked while removing his hands from his ears.
Yes, it was a very low key day.
Thankfully, the school part passed swiftly, until last period drama
class. The first oddity the students
noted in play practice, was that the props were
missing, a throne, some cups…
"I found something! Whoa, guys come take a look as this!" Lina
shouted.
One of the recently painted backdrops was pushed up against the wall and the
cloth portion was pinned in place by a dozen or so arrows. Zelgadiss rushed to
the scene, followed by some other squealing kids.
"Lina! Over here! A box of
archery equipment. I think it's
the stuff Kagome said was stolen," he said, while searching through the
box.
Gourry took one look at the damaged set, turned around and called to the
teacher. Zel continued to look around for clues.
"Here's another backdrop. This one's torn," he muttered. An arrow had
been used to tear a canvas from top to bottom. He pulled out the arrow and
examined the point, shaft, and feathered tail. "A hair!
Green, mint green. Lina! Who has mint green hair at
the school?"
Val loped over to Lina with impeccable timing. "You find somethin'?"
"Got green, Zel!" Lina shouted.
Zel held up the hair. "Nope. This one's wavy. Who else has hair your
color, Val? I found this hair caught in the feathers on an arrow. It may have
come from the one who did all this...or just someone who was on the archery
team."
"That Martina chick. Her hair's the same as mine.
But she's not here anymore. But you know, if the teacher sees that 'clue',
he'll try and dump it all on me!"
"Don't worry. I'll keep it wrapped in this paper and track down the guilty
party."
"Martina?" Xelloss repeated as he bounded into the group. "W-Where?"
"Relax, lover-boy, she's not here, but one of her hairs may
be," Lina smirked. "How do we get a hold of her? Stop twitching! I said she's not here!"
"How would I possibly know?"
He put his finger to his cheek and rolled his eyes significantly. "Oh, all right…What do you want… home
phone, cell phone, e-mail? S-She keeps
calling and bugging me every so often, you know…" he muttered on
uncomfortably.
"So you say…I'll take them all
anyway." Lina smiled, triumphant again.
"It's true! Why doesn't anybody believe me!"
Xelloss stomped his foot in anger.
"Settle down! Sheesh! I believe you don't want
her pestering you. I was just teasing.
Um…sorry…?" Lina was using
her conciliatory tone of voice for a change since she was still trying to get
the proffered numbers from him.
"Why would Miss Martina steal archery equipment?" Amelia wondered.
"Or want to hurt so many people by tearing up the sets? What did we ever
do to her?"
"I have NO idea," Zel answered, shaking his head. "Then again,
it might have been someone else. One hair isn't much to go on. However...Xelloss?
I want to talk to you...at the locker
later? All right?"
"What is it?" Amelia asked.
Lina knew Zel was onto something, but now wasn't the time for discussion. "Come on Amelia. Practice lines with
me?"
The teacher was a basket-case until everyone reassured him that the canvasses
were a pinch to repair and that the show would go on as planned. Kids practiced
lines and they ran through a couple scenes before the bell rang.
At their locker Zel and Xelloss had a quick discussion. Zel began hurriedly,
before the others joined them. "Xelloss, do you think that that shadow
chump, the guy dropping off the notes, and the one that did that to the play
and archery stuff...could all be Martina?"
"Nooooo, but it's possible. But… why? I was nice
to her. Nicer than anyone else..."
"Yeah? How about the transfer? No, don't tell me!
Forget it. Besides, if she did all that,
she was targeting lots of kids besides just you." Zel wanted no denials or
defense posturing on his friend's part right now, just information.
"T-Transfer? Yes, I see…you think I had something
to do with that, don't you? Well…I
didn't…" Zel wasn't paying him any
attention, so Xelloss returned to the current mystery. "It's crazy though. All
that for stupid mess…for what? If she didn't want to transfer, why did
she actually go through with it?"
"Well, keep that possibility in the back of your mind. We'll talk more later, right now I have to schlep fifty pounds of books,
bags, and equipment…ah…thanks for carrying that. You don't have to, you know…" But this time Zel let Xelloss help him out
to the van, and he smiled.
The Amelia van toted the band to Amelia's, where they spend half an hour
packing up equipment. The backup singers were in charge of costumes, while
Gourry took charge of loading up. Val and Xelloss took down and packed the
drums, while Zel checked for cables, effect processors, microphones, and other
miscellaneous details that he cared about. Lina lorded
it over all the rest, directing traffic and ordering everyone around who looked
lost. Then they were whisked away to the middle school gymnasium.
Amelia checked in at the office to get the all-clear. The van pulled up to the
gym's double doors, and Gourry started to unload the amps and costumes. Filia
and Sylphiel draped costume bags over each arm and carried them off to the
stage area. Xelloss and Val hauled box after box into the room and onto the
stage.
"When we can afford it, I want roadies to do this," Val complained.
"Getting soft?" smirked Zelgadiss, cables roped around his neck and arms
weighted down with instrument cases.
"Yeah...and when this is alllll over, I'd like
to soak in that hot tub at the mayors…" Val smiled dreamily.
"No argument from me!" laughed Lina as she loaded Zel down with one
more cable.
"Hey, Lina! Carry it yourself!" grumbled
Zel.
"Hey, yourself. You guys wanna build up those
muscles to look all buff and all...here's your chance!" said Lina.
"I never said I wanted to look…oh…well…"
Gourry entered carrying the last box of 'stuff'. "Just mic
heads, Val. Ah, what are you lookin' for?" he
asked.
Val looked around. "Somethin's missing. I'll be
back." He loped back to the van and whooped with joy. "Yes! I thought
I remembered ta put it in!"
Xelloss shook his head again wondering what to do about the broken tom-tom
head, when Val returned with his prize. The skin was a little worn, but
serviceable. "There, used ones are cheap, but it'll do the trick."
"Thanks, Val, I'd forgotten that I'd torn that drum head the other day
until we were here packing up today," Xelloss said thumping himself on the
head. How could he have forgotten?
"Yeah, I figured you had enough on your mind. "
Val smiled.
"Oh, yeah! Sure! Okay! Ooopsie!
CRASH" Xelloss sputtered, as he knocked over his cymbals.
He was embarrassed because of the unexpected sensitivity. No one had said a
word to either Zel or himself about their family changes.
"Shit, you're weird," laughed Val as he continued to replace the drum
head.
"Val? You sure you want to stay? Kinda boring…" Lina asked.
"So is another fencin' tour-na-ment,
heh, heh. Go on… I can play some tunes. Even brought a book, see?" Val
laughed, waving his history book around.
So the van once again pulled away and dropped off Zelgadiss and Gourry and
their friends at the GW (Gundam Wing) Tech
High School where Inu attended. The
original location had an overflowing boiler problem, so the match was
reassigned at the last minute. Zel and Gourry had changed clothes back at Amelia's
so, with absolutely no time to spare, they took their positions with their
coach and other team members. Amelia, Filia, Sylphiel, and Lina wished them
luck and turned to search for seats in the bleachers.
The match was tied halfway through, when the teams broke for rests and water.
Gourry helped tape Zel's right wrist and Zel applied some ointment and tape to
a cut over Gourry's eye. Van looked exhausted, but driven to fight on. Zangalus
was angry over some call and wanted to take on the referees. Gourry offered his
mild temperament to the cause, and Zangalus knocked him to the ground. It took
both Zel and Van and the coach to pull off Zangalus and quiet him down before
the next set, or he would be ejected.
Inu fought like a demon possessed and was the only person able to keep Zangalus
at bay. Van beat Inu's team partner with some effort, tying their match. Gourry
and Zel had both tied against their opponents as well. In the end the final
results of the match were determined by much deliberation; Inu's team against
Gourry's, sudden death.
Zel checked the time. "Gourry! If you want anything to eat before you play
music, we MUST end this fast, get it?"
Gourry grinned and nodded. Oh yeah, food!
Gourry flew into the match hungry for…the
win, of course, but more importantly for his dinner. His serious
countenance baffled the opponents as much as he furious attacks and
bone-numbing blows. Zel held his own, focusing on protecting himself from
either a wild Gourry shot or an intended Inu one. Inu shouted some ancient
sword attack and blasted toward Gourry. Gourry grinned savagely and bellowed an
attack chant of his own. Gourry evaded Inu's point by millimeters then swirled
and knocked Inu's foil out of his hand. Game, match,
championship over. Gourry and Zel had won. They shook hands with Inu and
his partner, and, to the astonishment of the coach and crowd, they raced out of
the gymnasium without the prize.
"Come on Lina!" shouted the lanky, blond kid on the run. "We gotta get dinner!"
After making the necessary stop to buy burgers, fries, drinks, and salad, the
van returned to the middle school gym. The band met backstage for a quick
dinner.
"What took you guys so long?" complained Val.
"The other team was good and we kept tying. If Gourry's appetite wasn't so
acute, we might still be there…by the way, we won," replied Zel.
"How's the sound system working?"
"Good enough for this crowd," Val sneered, surveying with disgust the
middle-school kids 'dancing' in hesitant clusters in the dark gym. To him,
these were just little kids.
To Amelia, however, they were friends and acquaintances. She was only a year
upwards of some of them, of course.
"So…Mr. Zelgadiss? Shouldn't you and Mr. Gourry
be getting changed?" Amelia asked.
Zel had forgotten about that. He needed a shower too. Panic was setting in.
"No problem. We'll shower here! It's a gym, right? I've got towels…ahhh, Zel? That's okay, I'll get the clothes. Hey, don't worry! I'll stand guard so no one
comes in. Ahhhhhhh, Amelia! Where's the boy's locker
room?" Gourry chattered on without a care in the world.
Zelgadiss never used public showers. The thought of exposing his scared body to
the scrutiny of his peers was horrible enough to fill a month's worth of
nightmares. It was bad enough that he
was a rather small guy with a youthful body, compared to the full-grown and
manly body of Gourry, for instance, but the deformation of his skin made things
worse…much worse. Gourry understood. Automatically without the need of a word
of caution he canvassed the showers for other kids, found a handicap stall with
relative privacy, and set up his friend within. No words were exchanged, and
they were unnecessary. Zel was eternally grateful to his friend's sensitivity,
and Gourry was happy to be of service. Fifteen minutes later, they joined the
rest of The Slayers for a greasy, delicious dinner.
Val was chatting with Filia, complaining about Sano's eccentricities.
"Every night it's homework, work, work, dinner, cleanup, more work…unless
it's Friday or Saturday...then it's party time. And his weirdo dojo friends.
Yeah all of you geeky guys are weirdoes, you
especially, drummer-boy!"
Xelloss scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue. He and Val had just
spent the last few hours together setting up and watching the equipment. In
private he and Val spoke civilly to one another, often joking about one
another's singularities. So anything going on now was just for show, for Filia,
and he let it pass with no hard feelings. Friendship was that way sometimes and
he was learning the ropes, at last.
Lina watched the exchange, relieved that the two 'friends' had reached some
kind of understanding. The lines were drawn and both seemed unwilling to cross
them, at least not right before tonight's gig. Everyone was a bit on edge,
excited, or nervous. Gourry had to restrain her from slapping Amelia, who was
so excited she squealed and chattered away inanely. Sylphiel seemed busy
pulling down her skirt and feeding Gourry French fries.
Only Zel seemed calm, no not calm, actually…down hearted. He must
be terrified, Lina
was thinking. Time to go cheer him up! No, no, no...psych him up.
"Hey, Zel! Come sit by me a min, okay?" she
smiled cutely.
sigh He pretended not to care, but
did as he was told. "I'm sitting. What do you want?"
"Okay, you know the song order.
I'll engage the audience in brilliant, witty, chat while the rest setup
between songs. And I'll introduce you
all, like we practiced, but when do you think I should do that? In the beginning? No?
Near the end, you think? Okay..."
"Ooooooooo, guess what?" Amelia broke in. "They have the fog machine working! I'll
flip the switch before your song, Mr. Zelgadiss. It's sooooo
moody. And the lights. I'll use the diffuser and make
you all soft and blue. Isn't that perfect?" She bounced away before Zel
could puke.
"Eh, don't worry…if she remembers, you'll barely be noticeable drifting in
and out of the fog. Most likely she'll be hard-pressed to remember the words to
the songs or simply go into shock. You know, Zel, this'll be fun once we get
out there. It's what we once dreamed of doing. So it's like a dream come true!
Maybe I'll even meet a prince. Maybe you'll fine a cure, who knows? But here
tonight we have a chance to something cool we've always wanted to do…and get
paid doing it! So…can I have a smile or something…? A tiny vote of confidence
will do." Lina held his eyes for a response.
"It's time to get on stage. Give'em hell,
Lina." Zel smiled lopsidedly and pulled Lina to her feet while she
struggled to keep her modesty.
"Damned short skirts!" she muttered sporting a faint blush.
"Yeah!" chimed the chorus girls.
"Look fine to me!" laughed Gourry striding to the stage.
"Then you should try wearing
one!" snipped Filia.
"Good idea! We'll get the guys out in dresses for our next gig!"
hollered Lina as they reached the noisy stage.
"Lina!" shouted Val, but his voice was lost to gym's acoustics.
"Helloooo everybody!"
Lina screamed into the microphone. "It's sure great to be back at the old
middle school! We're called the SLAYERS and our first number is..."
The band began with Lina's mainstay number GET ALONG.
They cooled down the tempo with a solo of Sylphiel's which they'd just worked
up, called ALONE.
Between each song Lina kept up a friendly banter, giving the band time to
regroup and retune. The next song was a very strung
out version of Val's rocker, complete with tiny, shiny wings. The crowd went
wild, as did Val.
Midway through the song, Amelia turned on the fog machine so
that by the song's end the wisps were becoming visible. Zel had removed his
leather jacket, revealing his soft, ivory poet's shirt
beneath. He sat on a stool center stage as the lights turned down emitting an
eerie blue-green. His scars were nearly invisible, but his hair glowed
lavender-silver. He truly looked like a chimerical creature from the Faerie
realm. For all his apprehensions earlier, he pulled off the song flawlessly and
was rewarded with 'ooooos', 'ahs', and girlish
squeals.
As Val pulled the stool back to his keyboards his chuckled, "Now you're
breaking some hearts!" and slapped him on the back.
Zelgadiss blushed and hid a smile as he concentrated on setting,
and not fumbling with, his guitar effects dials.
Lina took back the microphone while Amelia directed a fan to the stage to clear
the air. The next couple of numbers were popular pop songs that they hadn't
written, but that all bands were expected to be able to churn out at dances.
Lina said as much.
Gourry sang his rocker amid screams and squeals from both the boys and girls of
the audience. His charm was captivating. Lina was the crowd pleaser, though,
with charisma overflowing! Val and Zel started the introduction to Xelloss'
song knowing that the evening was a success. Chimes, slide guitar, real 60's
sound that was new to these kids. More girls' squeals and we were nearly home
free.
Lina chose this time to introduce the band individually:
"First, our saucy trio of harmonizers…
Filia Ul Copt, Sylphiel Nels Lahda, and Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun!
Cheers and wolf whistles
Aaaaand next… the handsome guy on the bass is…
Gourry Gabriev!
Cheers and squeals
Theeeeen there's our baad-boy
on the keyboards…
Val Gaav!
Cheers and oooo's, ahhhhh's
From another time and space… our guitarist...
Zelgadisssss Graywords!
Cheers and gasps and squeals
Hidden behind his drums…stand up for the girls now…
Xelloss the Mysterious!
Cheers and squeals
And, me, your hostess for this evening… the one and
only…
LINA INVERSE!
Cheers and wolf whistles
THANK YOU! THANK YOU, everyone! You've been a teeeeerific audience.YEAH! Before
we go, we have one last piece for you…EXIT RUNNING!"
Lina closed out with EXIT RUNNING. She brought the house down. The time was 9:00 on the nose, and so, the band took their
final bows.
Xelloss returned to his kit collapsing the cymbals first. He was on his knees
looking for a dropped wingnut, when he noticed a few
extra pairs of feet standing nearby. He glanced up. Five barely teenage girls stood giggling and staring unabashedly.
"Uh, yes?" he smiled and looked up in amusement.
"You are...Xelloss?" one of the braver girls asked. "I…um…we… just **love**..."
"…~*P*U*R*P*L*E*~…!" they
giggled some more.
"Really? It was once my favorite color." His
smile revealed that he was obviously enjoying the attention.
"Did you go here? I mean, when you were younger?" asked a perky,
dark- haired girl.
"Noooo, I, ahhhh,
skipped some of middle school and…I'm..." he wondered how to get around
that 'years in the hospital' stuff.
"Are you new around here?" asked the first girl.
"Not really, but I didn't attend this school."
"Is it natural?" asked a
timid blond as she reached out and touched his hair.
"YES!" he laughed, shaking it some. "What did you think?"
"Ooh! Did you see his eyes? They're purple too! My faaaavorite
color! Isn't that amaaazing?" cried another
girl.
"So...Xelloss? Do you want to go someplace...for
a soda or somethin' with us? After you put your stuff
away?" asked the first girl.
Xelloss' jaw dropped.
Zelgadiss wiped off his fender and set it tenderly in its case and locked it
safely before chasing down his other equipment. He turned away from his case on
the floor, when he saw several pairs of shoes nearby.
"Ummm, hi!" waved a tiny, black haired
girl.
"Hello?" Zel answered succinctly, brushing by her to get to his
amplifier.
"Wow, ummm, like, I don't remember you going
here," giggled another midget blocking his escape route.
"I did. For a year, almost…probably before your time…excuse me...my
cable." He tried, barely.
"Ooooo, you're hair is soooo cool. What stuff
did you use on it?" asked a taller redhead.
"I don't. Now, if you don't mind..."
"Natural lavender? Gawds!
He's sooo hot!" cried a girl who was,
thankfully, out of range of his laser vision, but not, sadly, out of ear shot.
"Are you reeeeally an alien? I've always
believed you guys were real and now…I've actually met one," squealed
another girl with a dreamy expression.
"Yes. Yes I am. And I eat little girls like you for…Ouch! Don't pull my
hair!" he yelped and tried to disentangle the girl's fingers from his wiry
mess.
"Ummm, Zelgaaa, Zel-da-giss, ummm, how do you say
your name again?" asked the tiny brunette.
"Zelgadiss.
Zel will do. Now, please, I need to pack up."
"Umm, Ze-ell? We just
wanted to know giggles…see we're going to get something to
drink? And, ahh, wanna come with us?" she
finally spit out.
Zel stood speechless and staring like a deer caught in the car's headlights.
Amelia was parading a fan-group around, introducing them to each of the band
members. She'd left Zel and Xelloss to the last, since they seemed surrounded
by groupies of their own. Val was too scary for this crowd to cozy up to and
Filia was practically glued to him anyway. Gourry was imprisoned by Sylphiel on
one side and Lina on the other.
"Mr. Xelloss? I'd like you to meet some friends of mine. They'll all be
freshmen next year. Oh! I see you've meet Miss Stacy and company. Well...Mr. Zelgadiss? I'd like you to meet
some…Yes, excuse me, Miss Carlie, he's a VERY good
friend of mine, and I'd like him to meet my old friends." Amelia was
determined to get her way.
Then Zel did a very nice thing. He brushed by the middle schoolers
saying, "I have other plans, but thank you for asking," and then
putting his arm over Amelia's shoulder he asked, "I need your help finding
the rest of my equipment, all right?"
"Right!" she answered with enthusiasm and allowed herself to be
directed out of the fray. This 'closeness' was not lost on the groupies, who
cried, "She's sooo lucky!"
Val, Filia and Lina approached the Xelloss fan club. "Listen, girls,"
Filia began, "I hate to break up the party, but he's got work to do so,
like...shove off."
Xelloss frowned at her then looked to his groupies. "She's right! I have
to put this all away, but you can help! You…Mary?
Would you and…Trisha, thanks, roll over those cases, please? And…Muriette? You can loosen some hardware like
this. Right! What can you do…? Jolline, you hold this bag and collect all the little
parts. Thanks everyone!" He smiled affably then turned to Filia and
smirked, "I have it all under control now. Maybe you can go and intimidate
someone else, Filia."
I was nearly 10:00 before the van
began dropping off the band.
"Hey, that was great, right?" shouted Lina.
Everyone agreed.
"Smooth as silk, I'd say. Amelia, we get paid, when?
The check's in the mail, right...So, Filia, you and
Sylphiel have a football game tomorrow? At 4:00?
So…we can get in a band practice/lunch combo, okay? Thursday's the Mayor's
thingy tryouts and the play is gonna take lots of
time Friday and Saturday next week…so I'd like to practice tomorrow, Monday,
and Wednesday, if possible. Good. See Ya!"
she yelled as she bounced out of the van and up the steps to her front door.
Saturday late morning Gourry and Val roamed a GABRIEV CO.
construction site for project materials. Getting 'stuff' was a Val
specialty, but doing it legally was a new pleasure, less stress. After a
successful mission, the bounty hunters stashed their treasure into the back of
Gourry's borrowed pickup truck, and ferried it all over to the captain's
hangout, Zel's house. The captain was pleased. The captain's grandfather was
less so.
"Zelgadiss! What's all that commotion going on in
the garage? Is that you out there? Who's that with you? Who,
that dim-witted Gourry fellow and the convict kid?" Rezo announced
in a none-too-pleased voice.
Zel sighed and continued ignoring him. Eventually he'd give up and go away.
Wrong.
"Worthless boy, answer me!"
"Yes, grandfather, I'm in the garage. Gourry, VAL, and I are working on
some school projects, and then we'll leave you in peace and quiet for band
practice. We might be back after that, though. There's a lot to do, so...if
you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work." Zel walked away, praying
that was sufficient to buy him some privacy. It was and Rezo left him to his
tasks.
"Who was that, your gramps?" Val asked in his disinterested manner.
"Yeah, so this stuff will do nicely, thanks guys. I'll measure it later
and stuff it into this other thing…ribosomes…?"
"I'm on it already!" groused Val, not a morning person for sure.
"I'll have 'em for ya
Monday A…M…"
"Good. Now for your project. I have marked out this long paper with hatch marks like Gourry asked
for. I also printed this stuff off the internet, about 40 events for you to
choose from. The most important ones I marked on back. Let's see...here's one! I marked about 7 or 8
so you guys can look over the rest and choose what you want to use, then we'll
cut them out and glue them at the marks and...it's mostly done! Just some
titles and stuff, all right?"
Val and Gourry sat aghast. "You did all this, already? Cooool,
Zel!" Gourry said at last.
For the next hour the boys enthusiastically dug into their tasks. The timeline
was well fleshed-out and the endoplasmic reticulum? Well, it was measured. Time
for band practice and lunch!
Zel recommended that they stop at the market for pasta and sauce and bread and
apples to take to Xelloss' place. Gourry drove the three, with Zel crammed into
the center of the front seat. "Good thing you're small," Gourry
observed. "Or we wouldn't all fit!"
Zel gave him a dark look.
"Hey! You're not that...sorry, didn't mean nothin'
ya know? We can't all be Nordic giants, eh? You're
probably…ahhhh, can't tell, but it's…ahhhh,
different..." Gourry's voice faded into the roar of the engine and
pounding rain.
"Different, yeah that's me. Here's the market. Val you and I can get
everything. Gourry, you don't need to come, but if you think you must…oh, all
right then, we'll all go," Zel muttered tragically. He suspected that he was of mixed race, but
his grandfather had never shared anything about his parent's backgrounds and
Zel would never dream of pressing him for that kind of information, so his
heritage remained a closed book, which he didn't want others opening.
The trio were the first to arrive. Xelloss answered
the door remarkably dressing
in sweats and sporting mussy hair.
"Lunch time already? Damn!"
Zel set up the hot plates and a pot of water. He poured the sauce into a
smaller saucepan and located a breadboard and knife. "Xelloss?
We'll need bowls or plates...paper would be great. We didn't pick up drinks,
you have enough?"
"Yep. I've got paper under the cabinet. I'm taking a shower," he
announced and disappeared.
"He musta stayed up half the night getting his
kit set up all by himself," Val mused aloud.
"Probably wanted to be sure everything was here and accounted for, what
with all his assistants and all," Zel smirked.
"Who'da guessed he'd be such a hit with the
little girls? Course, so were you," Val grinned lewdly.
"Knock it off!" Zel glared. He turned his blushing countenance away
and focused on setting up his equipment.
Gourry chuckled softly and practiced his bass. "You sure made Amelia's
night, ya know?"
"What! What?" Zel was flustered.
"All her kid friend's think..." Gourry began to illuminate his
clueless friend, lost in the dark.
"Nothing! I-I just needed to get back to work and
she was…kind enough to assist. That's all!" Zel said defensively.
"So don't be so touchy about it then!" Val warned him. "It's
okay to like Amelia. She's a nice kid. And she certainly likes you!" Val
ducked a flying beanbag chair that nearly knocked an unprepared Xelloss over as
he came out of the bathroom.
"Shit! What's you're problem THIS TIME?" Xelloss shouted as he
recovered.
Val was on the warpath. "Oh, he's getting' all de-fen-sive
about girls likin' him even though he's a freaky
geek."
"VAL! Damnit! I said, knock it off! I-I gotta get this thing tuned!"
shouted Zel.
"How about you? How was it havin'
a bunch of girls drool'n
over ya for a change?" Val turned to Xelloss.
"Okay." Xelloss would ignore
the other reference for now. "I
think we're accumulating a fan base. That's good, right? I thought they were
kinda cute, but, alas, too young. Maybe next year," said Xelloss calmly
diffusing the Val-bomb, he had thought.
"Humph, by then they'll be lookin' for us 'real'
men types. For now they like the girly guys," Val
continued to taunt.
That struck a chord, or at least a discordant one blasted from Zel's guitar.
Next thing Val knew, Zel had sunk a fist into his gut.
"That little guy sure can move fast," mused
Gourry opening the door for Lina.
Lina took in the situation in a second, and then decided to ride this fight out
for now. Xelloss was laughing, his back turned to the door, so he hadn't
noticed Lina's entrance.
"Zelgadiss, don't mind him, He's just jealous because he likes Lina, but all he can attract is that stuck-up Filia
rah-rah girl...and you've got girls hanging all over you, including Liiiii...Helloooo, Lina! You just get here?" Xelloss blanched.
Val pried Zel off of him and tried to fling him into Gourry, but Zel swung and
landed another strike to Val's midsection. Val had had enough, he was ten
inches taller and nearly 100 pounds heavier, so he brought his superior size
into play and bowled Zel to the ground and pounced. Zel gasped as Val's weight
knocked the air out of his lungs. Val used the opportunity to punch Zel a
couple of times before he had to block one headed to his own nose.
Lina had seen enough. She kicked Val into submission, screaming, "Don't
kill him! He's our lead guitarist and friend, you idiot!"
"Owww," Val complained.
Amelia's voice could be heard as she and Filia greeted Sylphiel outside.
"Now get up both of you and look friendly before you get Filia and Amelia
all worried…shut up too...did I not say that before?" Lina ruled, Empress
of all, sometimes kind and merciful, and other times tough and imperious,
whatever the situation called for.
The boys did as told. Zel checked on lunch and called out, "It's ready!
Everybody grab a plate and help yourself!"
The cause of the fight over and forgotten, the day
progressed as usual. Better than usual, because Lina had come up with a new
song. Amelia claimed it to be 'made for her'. It was high spirited enough, so
she was awarded her first song, STAND UP. Val learned the tune and started
picking it out on the keyboards. Zel and Lina talked arrangement, while Amelia
and the other singers practiced the lyrics. Xelloss excused himself to 'go get
some cookies' at the bakery, and left.
When he returned with three dozen cookies and a gallon of milk, the rest were
ready for a break. "Thanks, Xelloss, just what I needed. How did ya guess?" asked Lina, cozying up and batting her
eyelashes.
"Uh…you were working hard and deserve the best, Lina!" he smiled,
pleased with attention from Lina.
Zelgadiss noticed Gourry staring at the couple, then
joined them. "Xelloss, just tell her she can only have three like everyone
else," he smirked at Lina, who, in turn, glared back at him.
"Do you like this kind? Yes? Well, you can have one…okay, two of mine
then. Next time I'll get more!" Xelloss grinned as Lina practically
purred.
Zelgadiss shook his head. Didn't she know how much this bugged Gourry? And
didn't Xelloss know she was just 'playing cute' to get his food? Why did his
friends feel they needed to play games like that? He sat off by himself, trying
to feel aloof and above it all.
"Mr. Zelgadiss? Aren't you having any cookies?" asked Amelia politely
as she sat next to him on the beanbag. He shifted his weight to look at her and
the beanbag sank unexpectedly in the middle, sending Amelia and Zel colliding
into one another.
Zel's quick reactions failed to prevent her warm, soft body from contacting his
own, and her hair was in his face. She raised her head and was face to face
with a blushing Zel, whose free hand was gripping her shoulder. For a second she
thought (hoped?) that he might kiss her.
"AH! Sorry! I over compensated there...just a second...umm...sorry. W-what were you saying?" Zel moved off
onto the floor and hid his face. He had liked the way she felt, and was
self-conscious by his feelings and stupid reaction. Worst of all, he could tell
that she was embarrassed too, and everything he seemed to do or say was making
it worse. He could tell she felt badly about causing it all, as if she was
attacking him or something. What could he say, and not make things worse?
By the time he had thought everything through, Amelia
had fled the scene and gone to the bathroom to recover her dignity. One quick
glance around told him that no one else had noticed, the entire scenario
lasting only a couple seconds.
Zel sat head in hands thinking, in his own way of self-imposed punishment. What is
my problem? Why couldn't I have simply laughed it off and helped her back up or
something? Val would have had a quick retort, Xelloss a goofy remark, Gourry a
friendly word, but not I... What if it had been Lina? Well...that would have
been…she would have pushed me aside and pounded me. Filia would have laughed
and continued talking. Sylphiel would have looked self-conscious, but pretended
nothing had happened. But Amelia...does she really (gag )like me? Why do I react the way
I do? I could have simply sat there and continued to chat...holding her like
that, well maybe not quite so close but...that would have been nice…
"Hey, Zel, get out of your head and pick up your guitar. We are
WAI-TING!" shouted Lina with all her customary tact.
The band rolled over a few more new possibilities and turned over the costumes
to Sylphiel for cleaning and safe-keeping. Monday and Wednesday would be short
rehearsals for the Mayor's Ball try outs on Thursday. As everyone was cleaning
up and packing to go, Zel collected his courage and sought out a moment to
speak to Amelia alone.
"Amelia? Ah, could I talk to you...outside…now?" he forced out.
"Y-yes!" she smiled and followed him out the door a ways off.
"I'm sorry I reacted to that little…accident like that. I'm such a jerk," he began, looking away
into the leafless trees.
"Oh, no! Mr. Zelgadiss, I'm just so clumsy and
lost my balance. I should have sat onthe floor or a different beanbag chair anyway."
Amelia rushed to his rescue.
What he liked about her, he noticed was that she was really short. It made him
feel tall in comparison. He looked down at her and made his decision. In a
step, he was close to her, he bent his head and awkwardly
brushed her lips with his own, crushing his nose.
His heart was slamming against his ribcage so hard he barely heard Filia
calling, "Amelia? Where did you go? Aren't you coming with Sylphie and me to the game?"
Zel jumped a foot and released his death-grip on Amelia's shoulder. She was
white as a sheet.
"Oh, there you are, all ready to go to. Okay, bye guys see you
Monday!" called Filia, who linked arms with the shell-shocked girl and led
her away to Sylphiel's waiting car.
Zel slumped against the wall of the house. "Oh, Gods… what have done
now?!"
Val and Gourry found him staring at his worn shoes slouched against the house.
"Hey, ahhh…you shouldn't stay out here without a
coat or somethin', you're shakin'!"
said Gourry with concern in his voice. "Ummm,
wanna go back to you're place and do the project stuff?"
Zel woke up out of his daze and nodded absently, then followed Gourry and Val
to the pickup. He hardly muttered a word the rest of the afternoon. He applied
his energy to completing the projects, although it was clear to the other guys
that his mind was elsewhere. They did not pry.
"Zel, I gotta say, you are the master of projects. I learned more about
doin' projects and about these guys in a few hours workin'
with you than all my years in school. You oughta be a
teacher or somethin'..." Val smiled. That was
something coming from him.
Gourry offered them both a ride. Zel thought he might walk home but Gourry
insisted. He dropped off Val first. "So I'll keep the project at my place
and bring it in Monday, right?"
Val nodded and waved them off. As Gourry pulled away he said to Zel. "I, ummm, wanted to talk to you...ummm…awhile.
You have some time now?"
Zel looked up with surprise. Gourry wanted to talk to him? Must
be serious. "Ah, yeah."
"Play pool?" Gourry asked.
"No…but I'd like to learn!" Zel smiled.
Gourry pulled into a parking space at a local pool and pizza joint not far from
Val and Sano's place. They walked in and claimed a table. Gourry got a game set
up and showed Zel the basics. Angles and reflections were like geometry and Zel
grasped it all immediately. He'd found a new passion, pool.
After awhile, Gourry picked his time and began to talk. "Ya know, when I first met Lina we were skating, Val and me
and some other guys, at the park. Yeah, she'd been over to my house to kick a
soccer ball 'round with Joey a few times, but she was too small to mean nothin' then… But
later…I guess Val and her knew each other some and I thought maybe there was somethin' there...so I laid back. I guess what Xelloss said
today about Val likin' her and all…? Yeah, that was
probably right on...though I think Lina kinda pushed him away. So when school
started, there was Lina and Val, then you entered the scene. You and Lina were
really close. You had me worried…still kinda do…but…yeah, I know, you know each
other too well…"
Zel smiled. "Yeah, well, I just
won't let her get away with her manipulative stuff, but I don't have much
influence over her."
"I don't know…she talks about you all the time, but now that
we're all…ahhh… around each other a lot…? Well, she
hasn't gone on about you as much…but…"
Zel looked at his friend who seemed to be struggling with words. "So, is
there a problem? You two seem to get along…fine."
"Oh, yeah, we do! But I kinda don't worry 'bout Val or you much now,
but...Xelloss...she seems different around him. I think he looks at her
different too. I kinda feel sorry for the guy, but I don't really trust him.
Not around Lina. I…wondered if…ahh…well, you talk to him more…do you think…ummm."
"Gourry, Lina's a special person. Lots of guys like her. I'd be a liar if I tried to deny it, Val less so now
anyway, and Xelloss, that's tough. He does, but he's barely in the real world
sometimes. I think he likes Kiki, but doesn't know what to do about it. I mean,
who does?" he muttered. "Anyway, Lina is just…awakening to her
feelings, and you're on her mind…that's all I can say,
understand? Give her time, and just be yourself, I guess. She seems to
relate to that."
"Really? That's good news. So what's up with…ahhhh…you and Amelia today?" Gourry said casually, but
gave Zel a 'look'.
Zel set down the pool cue and sighed one long deep significant sigh. "I
kissed her, I think, kinda."
Gourry chuckled, "You think?
That's your problem, you think too much."
Zel hung his head and sighed again.
Gourry prompted him. "So…did she say anything? She didn't hit you, did she?"
"No. Filia barged outside just
after…and I had stepped back so…then Filia just took her away. I was…terrified!
I have NO idea what she was thinking then or what she's thinking now, but if
she ever talks to me again…she probably hates me for that. I'd just told her
what an idiot…no, a jerk I was then I
just…Gods, I wish I could I could 'undo' everything today. You know, your laughing
isn't helping…" Zel moaned.
"I don't think she'll hate you, Zel. I think you scared the hell out of
her and when she comes to, she'll be on the phone with all her girl
friends…She's at the football game, right? Don't worry. Call her tomorrow
and…"
Zel was shaking his back and forth, eye(s) wide with fear. "Not the phone!
I couldn't. I'll wait till Monday and…see what happens at lunch."
"That's how you get yourself all sick.
You'll be a mess by then. Better
to call and get it over with sooner," Gourry advised.
Zel lined up another shot…missed! "I'll think about it…all night."
Gourry won the pool game. They left in better humor than when they entered, and
Gourry dropped Zel off at his home, He said as Zel opened the door, "Ahhh, thanks for all the help...on the project
and…all…thanks for listening."
"Sure, you're welcome, it was fun, really…and I…well, thanks for listening
too. 'Night!" said Zel.
Sunday was homework cram and catch-up day. After Zelgadiss had read the same
page three times without remembering what he'd read, he thought about Gourry's
advice. He sat and stared at the telephone awhile. He dialed a number and got a
hairdresser's 'closed on Sunday' message, the first time.
"Mayor Phil Seyruun's
residence, Amelia speaking. May I help you?"
"Hi…it's Zel. Do you have a minute?"
"M-Mr. Zelgadiss? Hold
on. Okay, I'm in my room now, much quieter than the kitchen. Our team lost
yesterday…umm…How are you?"
Team?
Oh…football…"I-I'm fine. I just wanted to say…something…about
yesterday…I, um..."
"Oh, that's okay! You were just trying to make me feel better. I'm sorry I
rushed off like that, but Miss Filia was in a big hurry. It was nice
though."
"What? Oh, well…I was…Filia kind of interrupted before I...we could talk.
I didn't want you to be mad about…that…and hate me or anything. gasp
for air So I called to say…that."
"Oh, I wasn't mad. Surprised, but
not mad. I don't think you could make me mad.
Listen I gotta go back to my homework.
See you Monday?'
"Yeah, Monday...bye." click
Zel was shaking but his stomach didn't hurt so much, and he finished the book,
remembering everything. About 2:00 in
the afternoon his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey! Wanna come over and see the addition? Roof's on," Gourry asked.
"Yeah, sure.
I'll be there in a few minutes. Bye."
The temporary staircase was a scary affair up from the garage to the new
multi-room addition. Gourry took it two stairs at a time. Zel, suffering from
vertigo, clung to the wobbly banister and crept one step then the next. At the
top the windows were in but the interior was still plywood and framing.
"Here's my room. Look, I can see
Lina's from here. Your house is...right over there behind the trees and
Xelloss' place is…somewhere else. There's the school bell tower."
"This is cool, Gourry. What a view! You really deserve it,
though...eighteen years of sharing rooms and all…"
"Don't remind ME!" Gourry chuckled. "This will be a bathroom,
just plumbin' so far, but the fixtures are comin' next week. I'll have stairs from the outside to my
room. That was Lina's idea…safety, ya know!"
"Right."
"I'm supposed to work on it over the break." Gourry began.
"Maybe I can help? I have no idea how..."
"I can show ya how to put up sheet rock."
"What? Oh, sure…why not?"
"You can fix lunch."
"Right."
"So."
"So…is there any other way back down?"
"You can jump out the window," Gourry suggested opening it wide
enough to look inviting.
"Gotta rope?"
"Come on, I'll carry you."
"Gahhhhh, no! I'm going…just slow, don't
push...I'm moving."
"I didn't know stairs bothered you. Don't you have them in your
house?"
"Yes! But they're covered with carpeting…light doesn't show through
between the steps…there are banisters to hold onto that don't wiggle around!
All right, that's over. I'm going home. The place looks…promising, Gourry.
Thanks for the tour. Monday!"
Monday morning announcements included: The upcoming Cultural Fair for Sophomores to be displayed the week after winter break, play
rehearsals Friday and Saturday, Chess club Wednesday, Congratulations to the
fencing team for winning the city-wide tournament Friday night!
( ((.~)) Zel |||^.^||| Xelloss |{{^.^}}| Lina |((.^)|| Gourry ((^.^))
Amelia and |)).-((| Val!
End Seyruun High Jinx Chapter 23