I will also admit that it lets you mix strange things together, like elements from traditional Japanese culture and the canon universe's psudo-European world. As for how this will progress, I honestly have no idea. I've got a growing rabbit population, and they seem to be the same breed as the one from Monty Python, too. I'm just sticking to seeing which ones survive as I continually edit what vague notes I have about how this might go. (Don't worry, nothing will come from out of nowhere.)
Lauren-sama, I had been wondering. I've gotten to the point that when you miss a chapter, I become worried if you're having problems or that I maybe managed to write a completely terrible chapter.
I hope that you didn't mind them not being as you expected, though Zel's forwardness was mainly due at first to how he perceived the situation and later on it was caused by too much alcohol. Amelia, on the other hand, has had several years to adapt to her situation, and some of the reasons why she's not as unhappy about it as one might expect get explained later. I will be trying to continue things in the tone of part three, no matter what, because I really don't want this to be angsty and that seems to be the other choice.
Thank you for yet more dark chocolate, Kioku! Thank you for sending it gently this time.
Nearly everybody seems to be enjoying the explanatory notes. I will admit that they are sometimes written purely as a 'fun fact' type of thing, because there's sometimes stray facts about the 'world' of the story that can't be put directly into the story and I want to get some use out of them. I'm glad you enjoyed the bit where Amelia accidentally did a Xelloss imitation, and I'm pleased that you think I managed to keep everybody IC.
Slayers is the creation of Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I don't own it; they and a lot of other people do. I'm not making any profit off of this story.
By Ryo Hoshi
Chapter 4 Interlude, At the Ball (1)
Zelgadiss was glad that he was so good at imitating a statue. Hauk was obsessed over getting his master's tuxedo adjusted perfectly, and this afternoon was no different than any other time when he had to dress formally. He always wondered why his valet seemed to think that, if Zel could simply dress impeccably, social success would instantly follow. As far as Zelgadiss could tell, he could turn up wearing a toga made completely out of sacking and it wouldn't matter to most of the people at these social events.
As always, he was dressed as plainly as he could convince Hauk was permissible. A nice standard tux was all he wanted to have to deal with, and it would be a bad idea to try to attract attention at the fete, particularly now. He didn't have to make a show of trying to convince some woman to be interested in taking him for, mainly, his money.
At least having a concubine spared him from having to still cope with that, even though he'd not had sex with her since he took her virginity (and lost his own to her) a week ago.
Sipping at the rather horrid punch, Zelgadiss reflected that it was perhaps a good thing that he had an excuse to leave early. The fete celebrating the opening of the set of parties celebrating various winter holidays was the same as it had been the year before, and the year before that. He couldn't quite understand why he had ever looked forward to being old enough to be invited to these things.
The fetes, held by Lady Pyralis for as long as anybody could remember, almost always looked the same, just like Lady Pyralis. It was somewhat easier to deal with Lady Pyralis's changelessness, though, since nobody expected the regal mazoku lord to age. The only hint of why the fete didn't change at all over the centuries, except in its attendance, was the legend that the long-dead Lord Pyralis had always loved it.
As a result, it was almost completely true that after having been to one of them, you might as well have attended each and every single one of her fetes. Spring or fall, summer or winter, the only changes aside from the mandatory seasonal changes in the weather and the flora were in who was there. The only reason Zelgadiss kept attending them after that realisation was the simple fact that, once you were old enough to go, people would expect you to be there.
Unfortunately, this year the Gold Diggers seemed to be interested in him. None had approached him yet, but their tendency towards underestimating his hearing had already warned him that some of them had changed their minds. Apparently, they felt that since he had a paid mistress they'd be off the hook when it came to performing 'wifely' duties.
"Hey, Zel!" called a welcomed voice. Not waiting for any indication that she was welcomed, Lina Inverse approached Zel's otherwise peaceful corner with a tall blond man in tow. "How'd you like your birthday presents?"
Zelgadiss sighed, and hoped that Xelloss's traditional spiking of the punch would happen sooner than usual.
Lina, he quickly discovered, had an amazingly complete list of what Zelgadiss had gotten for his birthday for somebody who had seemed too busy eating to notice, though she had been there at the time. She had managed to ask him about every single one of them, except...
"How have you been enjoying Rezo's gift of a concubine?"
Zelgadiss looked at her for a moment, stunned by not only the question but Lina's boldness. "I...I've been enjoying her company. She's a very nice woman." There was an awkward silence, and he decided to change the subject. "You've yet to introduce your friend, Lina."
Lina seemed as relieved as he was by the change of subject, and smiled. "This is Gourry Gabriev, my fiancé. Gourry, this is Zelgadiss Greywords, my friend."
The man's blue eyes focused on them, having thankfully been watching other people instead of paying any attention to the earlier conversation, and he smiled. "Nice to meet you, Zel."
"It's an honor to meet you, too, Gourry," he replied nearly automatically. "You're already engaged, Lina? What a surprise."
Lina glared at him, and he knew that if he was anybody or anything other than a chimera she'd have hit him. "My father and sister ran into him and really liked him, and decided he'd make a wonderful husband for me." It was clear that Lina was less than happy with the selection and the process used.
Zelgadiss decided that it'd be healthier not to suggest that perhaps they had felt that finding any man willing to even consider marrying her was miracle enough, and that it'd be unreasonable to ask for more than one.
Zelgadiss realized that Xelloss had already arrived when he noticed Xelloss's presence at his elbow during a lull in the racket of the party. It was a bit of a surprise to discover that he hadn't noticed Zelas Metallium and her small, yet elite, retinue arrive. Zelas was almost always dressed in what was certain to soon be the height of women's fashion, the few exceptions having always been when by some fluke the incoming fashions flattered few if any.
Her son, while disinclined to be subject to the fickle tides of fashion, was always stylishly dressed. He had also become quite notorious as a ladies' man, and his recent marriage to one of the daughters of the Temple of Ceified had been quite unexpected. The gossips had been quite active in betting how long he'd stay faithful to her, and all agreed that it certainly couldn't be a marriage of love.
Zelgadiss wasn't sure if he agreed with them as he noticed that Xelloss's somewhat unusual silence seemed to be due to the fact that his wife was off talking animatedly with several of her cousins from the Temple. The expression of Xelloss's face was not one that made him think that Xelloss liked seeing his wife paying so little attention to him. However, it quickly faded and was replaced by his normal cheerful expression as he noticed that Zel had finally become aware of his presence. "Ah, Zelgadiss... I've been meaning to ask you, how have you been enjoying Rezo's birthday present to you?"
The corners of Zelgadiss's mouth twitched. Xelloss would of course ask that before asking how Zelgadiss had been enjoying his choice, which was a rather interesting sex manual with even more interesting illustrations. "I've never been given a better present."
Xelloss's grin became definitely authentic at that. "Have you made use of my present yet? After all, you do have the opportunity to do so, now."
Zelgadiss shrugged slightly. "I haven't felt any need to do that yet." That would be partially true, really, since he had no intention of having sex with his concubine again if he could help it. Any ideas on sexual positions to try with her would be wasted, and would only make it harder for him to keep from doing more than just cuddling with her.
Xelloss's smile twitched, and returned to its normal, possible-faked look. "Well, do tell me if you find it useful when you do get around to trying it."
Zelgadiss nodded noncommittally, and further discussion was prevented by Lina and Gourry's return from the nearest source of food with their prizes. Lina, of course, chose the topic.
The 'temple children,' as you might guess from how Filia is referred to, are the descendants of what was left of the Golden Dragon race after various causes combined to severely reduce their numbers. One of these happened to be an internal religious war, which was won by the followers of a break-away sect that believed that they should have much more to do with the humans, and the current system of Temples to Ceified and the local Dragon King below Ceified is based mostly on that prophet's ideas.
Perhaps the most important to us is the fact that they will happily take in any children who are given to them and will raise all the children at any particular temple as their own, even if they are not. It seems that they do not really consider who a person's exact parents are except when it comes time to marry, and then the sole reason that is considered is to prevent incest. This, however, is not a particular worry since generally the children of any given temple will marry their 'cousins,' children from another temple. (The family terminology is used within the people attached to the temple extensively, but rarely by outsiders. This is unimportant outside from the fact that it will make a difference sometimes in how Filia refers sometimes to others.)
Meanwhile, mazoku reproduction methods may or may not be different in this universe from how they are in the canon. I don't actually know. What I do know, however, is that some bureaucrat a long time ago, from behind what must have been a very tough desk decided, to insist that everybody who wants to get their essential papers in proper order you must have two parents. This ruling has outlasted the man.
Many mazokus' official papers have them listed as bastards, since they are allowed to only have one parent named as long as you don't claim that the person is both your sire and dam.
Reviews and dark chocolate would be really enjoyed, and will encourage me to work harder on this story.
