Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!
Chapter Eight
Xelloss' Journal, Part 3
"Life is not a rehearsal, there is always an audience in attendance somewhere." —Zel to Xelloss
Zelgadiss heard the beeps, but ignored them this time. He didn't have that much more to read of Xelloss' story.
You see, I kinda have this problem (oh yes, just ONE more! Bear with me, huh? I mean, it's not as if you don't have any either! And besides…I have to live with me forever)-- I can't really tell a lie. I mean, of course I can, just not convincingly. At least, not without really getting into my part and acting it all out perfectly. Most of the time, I go to great efforts to avoid situations where I would need to avoid telling the truth. There's just something inside me that absolutely hates to lie. So, even when I convince myself to try it, that little part of me totally sabotages the effort. I've learned that it's totally pointless to even try.
It's even hard for me to do the good, old-fashioned lying by omission. You know, not telling an untruth, but just not telling, period. I struggled with my inner demons as I thought more about sharing my innermost thoughts with Zelgadiss. Opening up to Zelgadiss, I determined would go something like this: "Hey, I know you think I'm kind of weird but I'm really smart like you but I got this ADD problem and a bit of OCD and I'm a victim of abuse and too many drugs from that time in the mental hospital…And I'm getting a little depressed about how totally screwed up I've managed to get everything in my life...but, other that that, I'm doing fine. Great. Everything is just okay-dokay! Wanna be my friend?"
Cool, eh? That's right. You got it. Lame-o. Even I don't like the sound of me, when I put it that way! So I came up with the perfect line to answer all the prying questions, "That's a secret!" 'Course that also makes me an annoying fruitcake— Lina's pet name for me, I believe. And she's a friend now! Imagine what the people I don't hangout with call me! Well…I don't have to imagine. I've heard it all. Anyway…on with the story!
Zelgadiss was hired by Zelas to take care of me while he was at a conference…with Rezo, his father! I remember nearly losing it for good when I found out! I was so mad and hurt.
Later, it dawned on me that what Zelas and Rezo had really given me an incredible opportunity. A chance to make a close friend. As soon as I realized that, a sudden sense of panic overcame me. I realized I was totally clueless just how to do that. I'd never had any relationships in my life before--well just Lain, but even she had been only a marginal friend-- much less a really close, best-friend type relationship.
I had no idea what to do! I just knew that somehow I needed to find out what it was hiding inside him, because he was not very happy either. Yes. Pondering that idea for a while, I realized that deep down I wished that he could know me better. The real me...not the faggy geek (Val's nickname for me for a short time…see what I mean?) that he surely thought I was, that I'd been tagged with. It seemed really important to me for him to see who I really was. The real me: the one that nobody knew.
And then he could help me with Lina! Geez...what was I thinking? What a really scary idea, even if it was actually possible for me to accomplish!
Sometimes I have to wonder if my head really was messed up permanently!
Still, I was determined to show him a good time while he was staying over, and make a supreme effort to impress him with my computer setup and my ability to buy us dinner and get around. Heck, that was usually the easy part for me anyway, the computer. That seemed like the only way I was gonna have a chance with him...I had to show him we could work together...that I wasn't an unnecessary risk in his life. I just couldn't stand the thought of him worrying I was gonna be a problem for him. No, I wanted him to appreciate me for who I was, and what I was capable of doing, under the right circumstances. He was hopelessly shy and painfully awkward around other people, but I never doubted my own abilities to get past that and get us on common ground.
Computers… when it came to stuff like that, I simply knew I could do it better than most. If I really had to...
What I was really most worried about was trying to figure out how I could avoid confirming his suspicion that I was indeed a complete geek and a total nutcase...and a total waste of his time. I didn't act like a total fruitcake most of time, did I? I asked myself. Hmmm...No, I decided.
At least I don't think I do. Do I?
Well, you know how that weekend went, yeah, um… right. Me knocking him down a hill in the park and knocking myself out! He ended up taking care of me! Ah, well…we did learn some things about one another and become friends in spite of my best laid plans gone awry…
Okay, well then there was another rough memory.
We were at school and it was time to test out some of the video making software he had already installed and been working on for some time. I had been allowed to handle the camera and take a few shots. Then he lent me the manual to read for the week, but I had a surprise for him…tricky bastard that I thought I was!
When I realized that he was finally aware of my presence, Zelgadiss let out a little smile and gave me a shy wave. I took that as an opening for me to approach him and speak.
"Uh...hey...uh, Zelgadiss. I read the book you gave me last night. You can have it back now, if you...uh...need it, or anything." Then I cautiously handed it back to him.
He gave me an odd look, "You're going need it to read the rest of the chapters, aren't you?"
I must have looked confused. "Uh, well...no...Uh...I mean, um...I read the whole book last night, actually. Twice." Now, I was the one who was confused, he got mad at me!
"I haven't the time to argue with you. You really do need to read through it a few times to completely understand it. Plus, you'll probably need to keep it for a reference to help guide you through the first few steps of the project." He must have seen the downcast look on my face because he sighed and said, "Listen, I'm not pissed with you, all right?"
Suddenly worried that he was trying to give me any easy out...assuming I would bail on him the first chance I got, I smiled cheerfully. "Well, uh...thanks, but I really don't think that I'll need it any more. I really have read it all the way through two times. I should be okay without having it to refer to; I mean, I have pretty good recall for stuff like that."
"Are you playing me for a fool?" at least that was what that hard look he gave me asked. But he couldn't see anything in my eyes to tell him that I was jerkin' him around there...
"What are you? Some kind of speed reader or something?" Zelgadiss asked me with a little surprise.
"Something like that, I guess," I said. Now I was really embarrassed, but I never blushed like he did as a dead giveaway.
"And, you think you have everything in that book in your head now, huh? Well, we'll see what you can do with it, all right?" he gave me a somewhat malicious little smirk.
I sat down, and looked over at him nervously. He was daring me to fail, or show off!
"Open MovieMaker," he said, "And go to the recent files list. Open the image labeled practice still' and we'll have a look at it."
I easily accomplished that with a few clicks. So far, so good.
"Ok, now I want you to practice on this image. First, I want you to pull up the histogram and have a look at it. Tell me what you see," he directed me.
Two more quick clicks, and I was right there.
"Uh, well...let's see," I answered, "The tonal balance is pretty messed up. You can see how the histogram is all spiked up in the dark range...which means the image is too dark, and it has too much contrast, and not enough balance through the middle tones. Whoever shot this really blew it. I mean, if you spot metered it correctly, you'd never have this problem..." I went on.
"Well, thanks for the critique, next time I'll try and do a better job when I shoot a picture? But obviously, I'm not a professional' like you are," he said dryly.
Ah, no…I had insulted the guy and self-esteem wasn't his strong point either. Luckily, I was wrong about Zelgadiss. He was a tough one.
I discovered this when he went on saying, "But, you're right. So, what about the image? What are we gonna do to fix it?" he asked.
"Should be pretty simple," I replied. After a few more clicks, I had done basically the same things that he would have done.
"So, what else would you do to get this image ready for production?"
"Well, I might crop it a little differently...maybe sharpen up some of the details?" I suggested aloud, but mostly to myself.
"All right," he said, "do whatever you think is needed and we'll print it out. Then, we'll print out the edit I did on it yesterday, and see how they compare."
"Damn," He muttered to himself. He was standing there right beside me, looking over as we compared the two images (He and I are about the same height, give or take a growth spurt). Nevertheless, I felt that his was clearly better, despite his reaction.
He gave me a curious look.
"Uh, well...heck! What is it, Zelgadiss?" I finally asked quietly, in frustration. "I mean, the way you keep staring at me...like I know the answer to some question you have in your head. It kinda freaks me out when you do that mind-reader thing. If you want to know something, just ask me, okay? I'm really not as much of a geek as you must think I am. I mean, just because I'm, uh...well, you know.."
"Odd?" he supplied.
"Um…yeah… It doesn't mean, um...it doesn't mean that you can't just talk to me like a normal person, okay?" I said, with a little indignation.
Shit! He was a little embarrassed at being caught staring at me, and he blushed slightly (now who's the shy one, Zelgadiss?).
"Sorry. I guess I'm just a little curious about you," he said, honestly. "Here you come out of nowhere, and you're like some kind of freaking genius or something! You read a two-inch thick software manual in one day, and memorize it. You say you've never used MovieMaker before, but look at this print! It's far better than mine, and that annoys me some...it's really not quite as easy as you just made it look!"
I stood there gaping like an idiot at his outburst. "N-no! Yours is b-better! Really! The composition works better because of your cropping. And I think your coloring is far subtler. You have a real artist's eye. I have just… studied technique."
Well, I was right and he knew it! He seemed mollified by my honesty and accurateness. He prized those traits and hated any form of deceit, I learned.
"I'm getting the impression that you are a…talented guy. But, I have to say that I'm also confused, because you totally hide it. You could be one of the smartest and most popular guys in the whole school, yet you're like a shadow around here...almost totally invisible."
I was floored. I must have given him the strangest look, like the mere idea of what he had just said was totally ridiculous. "I just keep to myself. I'm not a real social' person, I guess," I said quietly.
I could see that this was going to take a little work, this friendship thing. And, at this point, I was totally intrigued. I just had to know more about him. And let him know what made me tick. Somehow, I managed to toss an entire lifetime of fears and inhibitions completely aside. I was determined to be the best friend a guy could have.
"Zelgadiss, c'mon. Let's go home!" I suggested. "I've seen enough for one day."
He gave me a surprised look. "Oh…all right. But I have to stop at the locker first. We have practice today so I have my guitar to carry and…"
"I'll take the camera and maybe I can get some live shots on the way!" I said. Well, I probably giggled because I was so excited.
He looked confused.
So I added, "It won't be a problem. Just trust me, okay?"
I could tell part of him wanted to, but his conscience was giving him a hard time.
"Just think of it as a field lesson for me. I won't drop it!" I promised with a smile. Again, I looked into those big blue eyes of his and tried to will him the faith to trust me.
"Well...uh...I guess so...but if anything happens to that camera, I have to pay for it," Zelgadiss muttered.
"Cool," I replied, before he could finish that thought. "Grab your stuff and follow me. And don't worry, everything's going to be all right!"
"Ok...fine," he said.
"I'm really not so bad, now that you've gotten to know me, right?" Gods I was soooo needy sounding!
I looked long and hard into his eyes, trying to figure out just what he really was thinking. But, I couldn't find anything in there except caution...and a little ray of hope. "So...uh...you didn't really answer my question, you know..." I prompted him, and giving him, I know, an anxious look.
But he still didn't have an answer for me. Just that stare.
"Umm...Zelgadiss? You're doing it again. You know, that mind-reader thing?" I pointed out. "Like I said, it kinda freaks me out when you do that, okay?"
He let out a big sigh. "Sorry. It's just that...sometimes...well, I just can't help it. I don't really know why, but I just can't. There's just something about your eyes...and the pain I see in there, inside your head," he said, giving me one of those intensely serious looks of his.
He stopped in a panic, as soon as he realized where his mouth was heading with this conversation. He was opening up and revealing his inner thoughts to me! I immediately gave him a worried glance, afraid that he may have somehow sensed what was going through my head...but all I could see was a growing look of concern in those hooded blue-green eyes. Then he put his head in his hands, and tried to fight off the wave of nausea that was wracking his stomach at that moment.
"You okay?" I asked. "I didn't mean to...well, you know...uh...I just couldn't understand why you were...I mean...um...I just appreciate you being my friend and all and talking to me like this, okay?"
I felt his hand gently touch my shoulder, and it shocked me right to the center of my heart. I couldn't help but flinch noticeably. That one small gesture was all it took to turn my entire life upside down.
I began to cry.
I didn't want to...hell, I tried desperately not to...I knew that he just hated that…weakness in a guy, but I just couldn't hold it back anymore. I could see my whole carefully planned cool existence slipping away from me. All of a sudden, I just couldn't seem to stop myself from falling apart. I was losing control...all my walls were crumbling around me, and I felt helpless to stop it. I was afraid. Okay, scared to death, really. What if he really could see me, and hated me once he did? I was making him sick, wasn't I?
Of course, speaking of walls, Zelgadiss' were still miles high like a fortress protecting his inner sanctum. I'd only made a tiny crack in one. Yeah, I didn't even seem to have the common sense to respect those walls he had so carefully built up around himself over the years. Everyone else did...but maybe I was just too damn desperate to let them get in the way of our friendship. Somehow, he had managed to hurdle over a few of mine like they weren't even there!
Well, I may have gotten the order of events and a few of the words mixed up, but that was the way I remember it. Lots of little vignettes played out over time. Just parts of the big life-play we're all in where some are so important that they can change a person forever. As Zelgadiss once put it to me when he was being in one of his rare effusive moments:"Life is not a rehearsal, there is always an audience in attendance somewhere."
Oh, and he told me later that it wasn't me, just the lack of food and stress of life that was getting to him. He was doing some journal writing of his own to work out his problems.
Ah, another Lina memory…ready? This one just happened, so I know I have it right. Here goes…
I found myself standing at the front steps leading to Lina's domain and stared at that stupid door. For a long time. Suddenly, I felt like a contestant on some insipid game show, and it was my fate was hidden behind that stupid door...But what was my fate? Ridicule and hate? Pain and humiliation? Or?
No, I shouldn't even let myself pretend for a moment that we could actually become...um...well, you know...could I? I mean, that was just too stupid and far-fetched an idea to even...no. No way! I was just visiting to make sure she's okay, right? Just to let her know that I'm concerned about her...in a friendly sort of way, I told myself. After all, I knew all too well how easily I tended to confuse wishful thinking with reality. I had always had this ability to see the wonderful possibilities in things, only to end up disappointed with the final version of things reality had presented me. Seldom had the real world lived up to my fantasies. Well, okay...more like never, especially when it came to romance. Plus, as I has mentioned before, I had this overactive libido working against me. That just kept getting me into so much trouble. I mean, it was like I was abnormal or something. Zelgadiss and Gourry never seemed to be bothered much. They could admire women from afar and keep their hands to themselves and mouths shut. Val at least has talked to me about his…cravings…which are about on par with my own so I wouldn't feel quite so alone with that problem.
But, after a great effort (and a little more self-delusion), I summoned the courage to take another step forward. Now, I was beginning to feel a little bit ridiculous (well, it takes some people longer than others, okay?). My resolve strengthened again, and I went right up those steps, and pushed the doorbell.
Please gods, let nobody be home...please, please, please! Perhaps she'd gone out? Oh no... No. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway...approaching the door. Those were her less-than-dainty footfalls pounding to the door.
I really wanted to run at that point, but my feet just wouldn't let me. Stupid feet!
Oh shit! Now what was I to do? I almost passed out completely when she opened the door.
I told her I needed to get some things off my chest, and not my shirt, ha ha! I was just trying to break the ice but nearly got my nose broken instead.
She let me in and offered me milk and pie. That was nice.
Afterwards we went to her front room to listen to the latest CD I'd burned with new music. At that point we just sat, or she did while was lying down on the couch and chit-chatted about our musical, some ideas, stuff like that. The safe stuff.
"Good, you're smiling again," she smiled in return. "For a minute there you looked like something might be seriously wrong. Kinda pale, you know?"
"Nothing that a few minutes alone with you doesn't cure every time," I said smoothly. Mistake. This was Lina I was talking to, not some airhead.
"Listen," she started.
And I always did… to her. Everything she said, I heard, I remembered, so that I could replay it in my head when I was alone and sad or just needed to hear a friendly voice, well…hers anyway.
"I'm not ready for a boyfriend right now, ya know? Nothin' personal. You…you're as good as the next guy, no I didn't mean that. You're better than most guys. I got nothing against you, it's just...I hate being touched or fawned over and I'm not the romantic type AT ALL, got it?"
I turned on my side and gave her the sincerest look I could manage in return. "I ah, Lina...I swear, I um... I mean, I'm really flattered that you even spend time with me. "
"You should be!" she said. "Now tell me something I don't know."
Funny girl. "Uh, you know...um...uh, I go to counseling. I've been going off and on, mostly off, since I was like in second grade. It's not that I'm totally messed up or psycho or anything...it's just...well, I have ADD...Attention Deficit Disorder, actually...and it helps me to cope with it. So now ya know another of my dirty little secrets. You must think I'm even more messed up now," I said glumly.
"No, I think you're just real," she replied. "You're one of the few people I've ever met who doesn't try to be something he isn't...you aren't perfect, but you don't pretend to be. I'll admit you're pretty well hidden inside your goofball personality most of the time, but you are for real. See, most people think you're acting all the time, but that's not so, you just have a complex personality. What you see is what you get, at the moment. I totally respect that, " she said sincerely. "But, you don't strike me as the super hyperactive type."
Okay, so she's not a great psychologist, but it sounded so good coming from her I couldn't disagree, could I?
"No," I laughed. "ADD can be with hyperactivity, or not. I'm mostly not. I guess I'm more of the shy, daydreamer type of ADD, you could say. But, it's ok...sometimes I think it's as much of a blessing as it is a curse. I have some unique talents...ADD people are well known for their creativity, and their ability to see things in a different light. You know, people like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison?" I asked. "Both ADD people."
"Wow, I guess that's cool enough," she agreed.
I was heartened a little bit by her apparent understanding. But, I knew I had one more question that I really wanted to ask her...well, needed to ask really. I wasn't sure how she would react, but I just had to know.
She gave me a strange look, but didn't say anything. Like Zelgadiss, as though she were trying to see something that wasn't quite in focus on my face. Only hers were like red-hot coals boring right through to my heart. Then I passed out.
The next time I opened my eyes I made the mistake of sitting up too fast and feeling dizzy. I laid my head back against the pillow again, and stared at her ceiling for a minute. I took a deep breath, and suddenly I noticed it...the scent...the smell...of her. Since I had awakened in the room, it had been scratching at the back door of my consciousness, but only when my mind relaxed enough to let it creep in. I could smell her cheap shampoo, which got me to thinking that I'd like to buy her something nice for her hair, a henna conditioner. Suddenly my head was spinning again with so many different emotions... I was lying on Lina's bed in Lina's room. And she was sitting in a chair looking anxiously at me.
"Xelloss? Are you awake? Are you okay? You really had me scared for a minute there, fainting away like that! You must have been digging you nails into your arm so hard you made it bleed. See? I put bandages over them to cover them up, obviously, but … Wow. You're damned lucky I'm strong and caught you before your head hit the floor! Not something that head of yours needs, right? Heh, heh…"
"Uh...Lina?" The world had regained its customary shape and outlines by the time she'd finished her monologue. "I, uh… I have to go...I'm really late, Zelgadiss'll probably kill me as it is... but, I really want to know something...and I don't wanna piss you off or anything...or make you feel threatened in any way...but, well...um...I hope it doesn't bother you that I'm, ah… attracted to you...uh...physically ...you know, sexually...I mean, I like you as a person too—a lot—but, I just can't help it...how I feel about you, ya know? It's like I don't really have a choice about it...I just do, okay? I just want you to see me. The real me and know…that how I feel is real and only for you. But, I don't want you to feel strange about it, and I don't want to let that stop us from being friends, okay?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed, figuring that it would be harder to cry that way. I tried my best to prepare my heart for the awful truth of the rejection that I was sure would follow. Hadn't she already told me a thousand times that she wasn't ready for a boyfriend relationship?
After I'd waited for what seemed like a really long time, I opened my eyes and turned my head in her direction. She was staring blankly out the window again, and I could see a little moisture in the corner of her eyes.
Tears, Lina's tears. Oh, Gods…I could have taken nearly any form of punishment but that! "Uh...you know, Lina...I mean, if it really bothers you, then I'll just do my best to put those feelings aside, okay? I just want us to be friends. That's more important than anything to me, really! Can we remain friends, please?" I begged.
She just turned and looked at me. Our gaze locked together again for a long while...and I was totally hypnotized by her fiery red eyes. I could literally feel her searching every nook and cranny inside my soul...looking desperately for the answer to a mysterious question. A very important question, it seemed, but one I didn't know the meaning of.
She remained totally silent, still searching my eyes desperately as I sat there. I could sense a battle raging inside her again, and it began to scare me a little. I noticed one small tear run down her face, and I decided maybe it was time for me to go before I fell apart.
"Uh...well, ok then...don't worry, it's no big deal, really. Um...I'll see you tomorrow, Lina. You...uh...take care of yourself, okay?" I said hesitantly.
All I got in return was that same desperately, intently searching gaze. And another small tear. And then as I was about to walk out the door, she whispered. "Give me ten years. Where ever, what ever…come back and ask me again, then. Now, get the hell outta here."
Then she slammed the door on me.
I was so…shocked, thrilled, confused? What had she just said? Ask her again in ten years…what? To be friends. Oh, surely not just friends. She must have meant…that I could tell her I loved her and ask her how she felt then. In ten years. TEN YEARS!
T E N Y E A R S !
I only have to wait ten years for Lina to decide that she loves me too! Only ten! Why, that's nothing! I've waited nearly twenty just to find my heart's desire. Ten more, that's sooooo easy. That's half that time! I can wait knowing…hoping. Hoping… what?
Well now…that's a secret! Mine!
Zelgadiss closed the journal, his hands shaking. He had gripped the book so hard. Lina. Oh my. Had she any idea what she had done to Xelloss? Ten years, dammit. She probably thinks it will put him off for good! She has no idea that she's sealed his devotion to her. Oh…joy… On the other hand, maybe she means it. They were on pretty good terms on that hayride. Has she told Gourry the same thing? Not that he knew. Gourry was still plugging along, waiting for her to grow up and notice him. Well, Xelloss had something to look forward to for awhile, then. And, hopefully, Zel thought, he would not be around to deal with the outcome of all this.
"Come in," Xelloss called from inside his room. He knew it was Zelgadiss by the way he rapped lightly.
Zelgadiss stepped in and looked around for a place to sit. Xelloss dove for his bed, leaving the computer chair available. The room was lit with candles, unscented. The flickering gave Zel a jumpy feeling at first, but as soon as he'd stopped moving around, the air stilled and the candles glowed quiescently, as they are meant to.
Xelloss watched his friend set his journal on the table.
"I read it all."
Xelloss nodded. "You're still talking to me, so I guess we are still friends, right?"
Zel nodded. Then he noticed that the table was littered with brochures and Internet printouts on skin treatments. "What's this all about?"
"Just what it looks like."
"You are considering having your back and chest treated." There. Zel said it first. "Why now?"
Xelloss shrugged.
"What's going on in there?" Zel pointed to Xelloss' head.
It was Xelloss' turn to sigh, deeply and long. "I just want someone who…well so that when I kiss them, they kiss me back and when I tell them that I love them…that they say they love me too…and when I…"
Zelgadiss cut him off, "I get it. I think you're expecting too much, too soon. You're a high school kid one year out of a mental hospital, Xelloss. You have some…many problems to deal with—serious ones. Do that now, and you'll probably have your dream in ten years or so. So, what's with that look?"
Xelloss answered, "You do expect me to wait ten years to have sex with a girl."
Zel raised an eyebrow, "I didn't say that, but I thought you might. I know you're morally attuned to the marriage first scenario, which always amazed me considering your parental guidance, but I don't think that's…well necessarily practical. I imagine that you'll experiment…some…first. That's what dating's all about. Learning about feelings and getting along and all. I think you'll have some…close encounters before the real thing. I don't think that you'll not 'be in love' with whomever you…choose along the way either. But…"
Xelloss smiled. This was a real conversation he was having about important things with Zelgadiss. Wow… "What about you?"
"Me?" Zel looked up and met Xelloss' gaze, unprepared with a ready answer. "Uh…"
"The skin treatments…" Xelloss prompted him.
Zel may have looked relieved to know that was all. He stood and walked over to the mirror, pulling off his t-shirt as he went. His disgust with his appearance was reflected back upon him. "I'll never get over what happened that day. What it did to my body…my face. Too much of my feelings of self-worth were tied to my looks."
"I never expected you to admit to narcissism."
"I've come to that conclusion about myself. I'm not particularly proud of it either."
"You could try a few of these skin therapies."
Zel turned to Xelloss, "So could you."
Xelloss nodded, "That's what I've been thinking about."
"Even if it means hospital rooms again?"
"I'm thinking differently. After Eris. After she… She was repulsed, actually, by the scars. I had to convince her that they didn't go down, you know… that he hadn't cut off anything important!"
Zelgadiss chuckled, "That…must have been uncomfortable!"
Xelloss sniffed, "Certainly not very romantic! So…it re-stirred my interest in researching the current possibilities out there. There are quite a few, though fewer for my deep, carved marks than for your more flush, chemical burns. The course of action for the discoloration is very mild and quick. You'd see some results in a few weeks. I have more of the uneven scar tissue built up."
Zel nodded. "I have that too, though, not so much, as you said."
"And the sun tan fades it out a lot. That's why I believe those treatments might really work for you! Peels, laser…"
"Adams wants to do skin graphs also, he told me. You too?"
Xelloss nodded, "Too many places, and I can't imagine going through recovery from that. I don't know if my psyche could handle it. The 'sanding' stuff, maybe. Does that make sense?"
Wincing at the thought of skin graphs, Zel simply agreed, "Yeah…"
"You still haven't answered my question," Xelloss said with a twinkle in his eye.
Oh that…sex. Zel stared at his reflection a moment longer, then pulled his shirt back on. "If the opportunity ever arises, I'll deal with it then, but since it's highly unlikely in the near future it's…not on my mind."
Xelloss laughed aloud, "Like I'm gonna believe that shit! You are not im-muune!" --said in an imitation of Val's voice.
Zel blushed. "I wish I was."
"And that…concludes the entertainment portion of our evening!" Xelloss giggled.
Zelgadiss returned to the brochures, uncovering a stack of photographs. "Xelloss? What are these?"
End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter Eight.