"I still don't get it" said Gourry.
"Jellyfish! You never get it" retorted Lina. After Lina had rounded up all the members (barring Xellos) she had tried to explain Zel's situation. Filia understood, but Lina decided to give up hope of Gourry figuring it out. Assembled company turned around when they heard the door creak open. Amelia came out followed by a much recovered Zelgadis.
"So, err, Zel?" stammered Filia. "Are you ok?"
Zel just sighed and said "This is why I didn't want you to know, I knew you would treat me even more like a dangerous freak."
"That's not true Mr. Zelgadis! We're just worried for you."
"Uh, Lina?" stammered Gourry, "I thought you said Zel had turned into a monster."
"I always was a monster" growled Zel. "Just leave me alone."
"Wow, really? Hey Lina wh-OUCH, what was that for? OUCH, hey cut it out." (mass-facefault, barring Lina and Gourry)
"I'm going back to bed" said Zel, but as he turned around Amelia latched onto his shoulder.
"Not yet Mr. Zelgadis, we need to talk about this."
"NO" said Zel, but it didn't sound like Zel, Zel's voice normally sounded sophisticated, composed, and detached, but this voice was like heavy stone slabs, hollow, and deep. Everyone gasped at Zel in shock. Zel had always appeared elegant and slender, even thought he was made of stone. This Zel however, looked like a heavy-built statue of a Nordic giant, seven feet tall and over three feet from shoulder to shoulder, very stocky, but with blurred facial features. Filia and Lina stared in shock, Amelia was suspended from the ground by Zel's biceps, and Gourry was intently studying the wood pattern on the table he was sitting at.
"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia hazarded.
The golem gave no sign of comprehension, but stared blankly ahead.
"Yo, Golem," shouted Lina.
"YES MISTRESS?" grated out the huge construct.
"Ms. Lina? What's going on?" squeaked Amelia.
"Well," started Lina, "Golems are mindless constructs that usually only respond to commanding authority figures. A golem won't respond unless you speak as though you are its master. My guess is that Zelgadis was trying to bury his emotions, which encouraged the golem to surface."
"How do we change him back?" asked Filia.
"We can't," answered Lina, "only he can do that. "All we can do is wait."
"Um, Mr. Zelgadis?" asked Amelia, trying to get the golem's attention.
"Amelia, first of all if you are deferential to a golem, it won't hear you, second, that's not Zel. Until we find a name for it, just call it golem" said Lina. "Like this, Golem, put Amelia down."
The golem slowly lowered Amelia (who was still hanging from its biceps) to the floor, then stood back up and waited for its next command.
"Golem," said Lina, "get Zel."
The golem somehow contorted its features into a pained expression and slowly reverted back into Zel. But this Zelgadis was different than usual. This Zelgadis, was human.
"Jellyfish! You never get it" retorted Lina. After Lina had rounded up all the members (barring Xellos) she had tried to explain Zel's situation. Filia understood, but Lina decided to give up hope of Gourry figuring it out. Assembled company turned around when they heard the door creak open. Amelia came out followed by a much recovered Zelgadis.
"So, err, Zel?" stammered Filia. "Are you ok?"
Zel just sighed and said "This is why I didn't want you to know, I knew you would treat me even more like a dangerous freak."
"That's not true Mr. Zelgadis! We're just worried for you."
"Uh, Lina?" stammered Gourry, "I thought you said Zel had turned into a monster."
"I always was a monster" growled Zel. "Just leave me alone."
"Wow, really? Hey Lina wh-OUCH, what was that for? OUCH, hey cut it out." (mass-facefault, barring Lina and Gourry)
"I'm going back to bed" said Zel, but as he turned around Amelia latched onto his shoulder.
"Not yet Mr. Zelgadis, we need to talk about this."
"NO" said Zel, but it didn't sound like Zel, Zel's voice normally sounded sophisticated, composed, and detached, but this voice was like heavy stone slabs, hollow, and deep. Everyone gasped at Zel in shock. Zel had always appeared elegant and slender, even thought he was made of stone. This Zel however, looked like a heavy-built statue of a Nordic giant, seven feet tall and over three feet from shoulder to shoulder, very stocky, but with blurred facial features. Filia and Lina stared in shock, Amelia was suspended from the ground by Zel's biceps, and Gourry was intently studying the wood pattern on the table he was sitting at.
"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia hazarded.
The golem gave no sign of comprehension, but stared blankly ahead.
"Yo, Golem," shouted Lina.
"YES MISTRESS?" grated out the huge construct.
"Ms. Lina? What's going on?" squeaked Amelia.
"Well," started Lina, "Golems are mindless constructs that usually only respond to commanding authority figures. A golem won't respond unless you speak as though you are its master. My guess is that Zelgadis was trying to bury his emotions, which encouraged the golem to surface."
"How do we change him back?" asked Filia.
"We can't," answered Lina, "only he can do that. "All we can do is wait."
"Um, Mr. Zelgadis?" asked Amelia, trying to get the golem's attention.
"Amelia, first of all if you are deferential to a golem, it won't hear you, second, that's not Zel. Until we find a name for it, just call it golem" said Lina. "Like this, Golem, put Amelia down."
The golem slowly lowered Amelia (who was still hanging from its biceps) to the floor, then stood back up and waited for its next command.
"Golem," said Lina, "get Zel."
The golem somehow contorted its features into a pained expression and slowly reverted back into Zel. But this Zelgadis was different than usual. This Zelgadis, was human.