Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!
Chapter 42 Wedding Bell Blues
When there is no wind, row." – Portuguese Proverb
"Hello, Agent Rodimus here..." The rapidly aging man sighed heavily and sat back more fully in his chair. "They found something significant on clan property, but I was unable to intercept. Worse than that, they may have seen my car, panicked and... I may have caused Mr. Agares to over react and draw attention to... Yes, he got a speeding ticket, I believe. I have to say, he showed great restraint and nothing more came of it. Yes, the kids are all back together. I'll do what I can, but whatever it was, it was turned over to the chief of police first of all. No, its back in the hands of Greywords and Metallium at this time. I understand. I'll do my best. Yes, ma'am."
He dialed a different number. "Zolf? Yeah, she wasn't too surprised. Now? Well, would you like to steal whatever the boys are playing with in their rooms? No, me neither. They'll have to set it down or leave it sometime. Right. Bye."
"McGywn had the fingerprint-photos pulled from the box and downloaded to us. After this, I'm going to suggest to Milgasia that the clan relinquish their records to the Seyruun police department. Why should we have to do their dirty work for them? Okay, so can we run some comparisons? How're you coming along with that program?" Xelloss nagged continuously from his room until Zelgadiss found it fit to respond.
Zelgadiss, at his terminal in his room next door, shouted, "I can get it to run, but it fails on reading the clan data–- surprise, surprise. I'm going to have to re-format the images from the settlement."
Xelloss knew that that meant waiting for Zel to code a conversion program and run thousands of records through it. "Shall I go heat up dinner and bring you some?"
"Feed Beast first."
"Okay," Xelloss smiled a half-smile and tottered off, leaving his intense friend to his work. "Oh, dog-geeee...time to fill your gut. Why people want dogs, I don't know. Eat, sleep, and slobber. Oh, don't look at me that way. I know you're about deaf and nearly blind as well. The day you become incontinent, you die, understand? I hope someone does the same for me someday. Okay, now for my
meal."
They had success a few hours later. "All right, it's halfway done converting the records. I'll take that dinner offer now."
Xelloss joined him in his room with two plates of Mrs. Shearer's casserole, set them down, and then returned with tea and a plate of bread a minute later. They waited, watched the screen, and munched in silence.
"Done. I'll try one image-print and see if there's a match," Zel muttered as he typed.
Seconds later, Xelloss brought up the details of the record matched. "Bin-go! That was quick...Val Agares. I guess that's no surprise. He handled it for sure."
"Finding that match is a good thing. It proves the programs are all working. Now the second image..." Zel said.
Again, a match was detected in seconds. "Huh? That can't be right. Mrs. Saunders?" Xelloss shook his head. "She's no spy. I can't imagine her idling away the hours on a mountaintop outpost without the rest of the clan noticing."
"I think we should give her a call and see what she says, but first I want to run the last set of prints." Zel typed a few commands then waited, this time far longer than the previous runs. "Ah, no match." He sounded disappointed. "Val and Julian's aged grandmother are it."
"And a mystery-person." Xelloss pointed out that possibly not all the other clans were on the database. "I'll call Filia first..."
Filia thought Xelloss was nuts, and became offended when he insinuated that Milgasia may have married into a family of traitors, Slate in particular.
"I'll try Milgasia next," Xelloss said.
"No, wait. Let me call Mrs. Saunders. She has a different perspective," Zel suggested as he used the database to locate her number. "There it is... Hello, this is Zelgadiss Greywords, a friend of Val and Filia's... Yes, and of Xelloss, too. Wedding? Oh, yes Milgasia's, they told me about that. Nice. You're right, though, I didn't call about that. I was calling about...a box. Well, I was hoping you could tell me 'which box'."
He listened while she described dozens of boxes, from soup to nuts, and then stopped her abruptly.
"Do you recall losing a metal one? How big? When...? Interesting. Well, would you recall any markings on it? I see, well...it may have been found, but nowhere near your home. If it's the same one, it's been used for duplicitous purposes by some unidentified other person. No, I don't know who, but we are pretty sure it was no one in your clan. I was wondering, would you know if all the clans kept records of their members, with fingerprints? Oh? You are certain? That's helpful. No, we're not sure it was another clan member at all, but that's where we're starting. Just a minute, Xelloss would like to talk to you."
While Zel began a call to Milgasia on Xelloss' cell phone, Xelloss requested that Mrs. Saunders keep this phone call confidential. He continued listening and chatting in a friendly tone, then said good bye.
Milgasia was explaining to Zel, "I understand the previous clan leader here tried to establish a single database for years, but a few of the clans on the outer fringes never complied."
"Would that include the ones we visited last summer– where your wife and family are from?" Zel asked.
"Yes, possibly. Why?"
"Why, ah..." Zel was unsure how much to reveal.
Xelloss was not. He took the phone and said, "We are trying to ID some fingerprints. We've managed to verify that they do not belong to anyone from Seyruun or the clans on your database. Oh, Luna sanctions all this, if that helps. We want to prove it's not clan before digging into the syndicate records."
The keyword here was 'Luna'. Milgasia said he would get the information and get back to him via e-mail.
In the meantime, Zel opened the recovered book and scanned for dates. "Mrs. Saunders told me she lost a gray, steel document security box a number of months ago, just before she and her daughter left on holiday last summer. She kept important documents in it, but when she'd taken it out last time, her daughter spilled her soft drink on it. She'd washed it off and left it on the window sill to dry, and then it was gone. From what I can tell, the entries begin about that time, no sooner. See, there's some mention of the heat and lack of water '...spring's running low.' Val mentioned a spring where he collected water. But nothing here in the beginning about rains. Looking, more recently it says '...missed due to snow closing road.' Unless we can decode the time and date signatures, it's the best we can do."
"Okay, so we'll work on that and in the meantime assume Mrs. Saunders is innocent. That means the outpost hasn't been used for long-- for surveillance. Let's assume Milgasia gets nowhere with those other fingerprint records. We need to find another way to nail the culprit, right? So, how about I get Val in on this? We'll devise information leaks to feed Jillas and Gravos, and then trace where it goes. Val told me Milgasia and he couldn't get them to live on settlement but that they agreed to act as go-betweens."
"For money, of course."
"Oh yeah, but they're cheap. I'll cover that," Xelloss smiled.
"Sure, spread the dirt with dirty money."
"Absolutely! Manure for manure!"
Zel smiled and shook his head. "Time to decode this baby. Hey, wait..." he turned over a few pages then scrutinized one, "Here's something important from the police fingerprint techie– he wrote: 'prints #1 and #3 were found on both articles, but prints #2 were only on the exterior box.' Well, that helps exonerate Mrs. Saunders; hers were #2."
"Terrific! Okay. While you work on the deciphering, I'm going to finish scanning in the pages into the computer and then try to condense the information into some sort of useable form," Xelloss said, then left with the dishes.
He had to keep busy to keep his mind off his own problems. Over and over he tried to convince himself to let go of the 'Lina dream' and accept that he was a week away from becoming a married man. Did he want to choose flowers? No. He'd choose carelessly or go for dead ones. He had done the ring business and that was enough, oh...and he had secured Nels Lahda to perform the ceremony, much to the man's surprise. That had been awkward to explain. The head priest was clearly not thrilled with the situation, but agreed out of friendship for the boy. Normally, the head of the White Shrine of Seyruun did not condone forced marriages.
Mayor Phil had offered his estate for the affair and his cook's services for the catering, all of which Kiki's parents had accepted gratefully. They wanted everything to be legitimate, but cost-efficient and small in size– providing little room for something to go wrong.
And then there were the clothes. Xelloss invited Zelgadiss, Val, and Gourry to join him and buy new suits. So mournful a group they appeared-- choosing all-black suits, shirts, and ties-- that the salesman asked them who had died. Xelloss smiled and replied, "I'm getting married," to which the embarrassed man muttered, "My condolences."
Xelloss paid for the men's and women's attire, giving Kiki free-reign to choose 'whatever you want' for Lina, Filia, Sylphiel, Amelia and herself– with the caveat 'Just not purple, please, and don't stint.'
The girls spent a morning locating and fitting dresses. Had the occasion been more joyous, it would have been a flawless day out. Kiki had her dress already. Her veil, Amelia's mother's, was exquisite and borrowed for the day. By noon, they settled on a restaurant for lunch and a well-deserved rest.
"Isn't it wonderful that we can all wear lavender?" Amelia declared as openers.
Lina passed on commenting, choosing to devour two portions of chili in a row.
"And that we found matching shoes was, like, too cool!" Sylphiel upped the ante.
"It was generous of Mr. Xelloss to pay for all of it, don't you think?" Amelia thought aloud.
"He can afford it," Filia assured her unnecessarily. "And as long as he's footing this bill as well, I'll have dessert."
They laughed and traded light banter for a bit longer. Then Kiki sighed, "But now that it's certain to happen, I realize how unprepared I am!"
"Have you talked to him about all this?" Sylphiel asked. "He's pretty open about stuff and he likes to talk."
Kiki shook her head. "I can't talk to...a man about those things."
"Xelloss is pretty savvy, Kiki." Filia wanted to be reassuring, but was curious, too. "Have you two ever fooled around?"
Kiki flushed immediately and shook her head. "Non..."
"Oh, well, do you know about his scars?"
"Y-yes, he showed me. They were terrible." Kiki looked up at Filia. "Have you?"
"Fooled around?" she chuckled slightly. "No, not much...not with him at all! But we've all seen nude pictures of Xelloss and he's nice looking, once you get past the mutilation."
Kiki looked at Amelia. "You?"
"Me? Ah, not really. I tried to get Zelgadiss to notice me once..." Amelia giggled and told the story of her mis-adventure. "But it mostly shocked him."
Filia smiled slyly. "But you saw him right? Zel-bob wasn't dressed when he pulled off the covers."
Amelia's turn to blush. "Well, it was dark...but yeah..." She giggled nervously a little more, "Guys look so weird!"
Sylphiel concurred. "And they're so self-conscious about it! 'Am I big enough?', like girls care about that... Well, it's true!"
"Yeah, they're pretty floppy and stupid-looking without clothes," Filia agreed. "Women are much neater and sleeker. I'd never want to do male nude paintings. So, back to our Zel... Is he covered, like totally, with those burns?"
Amelia nodded, "I think so, I wasn't really looking. I wasn't! I mean, I didn't give him an up-close examination. There wasn't time and...I was so yucked out by the way he felt. I mean, his skin's not smooth and he's got sharp bones. He's a normal guy and all but..."
"Like I said, they should keep their clothes on," Filia summarized.
Lina had been absolutely silent the entire time, until now. "Right."
"So, what's Gourry like?" Filia asked, turning the attention to Lina.
"Gourry? How should I know!"
"You've stayed over at his house...with his parents gone and don't forget that night in Atlas City, you two alone...all night," Filia was teasing, but Lina did not take it well.
"Nothing happened! " Lina snapped. "We watched videos and he made food. Rodimus was there, too, you forget, but nothing woulda happened anyway."
Sylphiel wanted to calm her down. "We know. You don't think of him that way, do you? It's not like he's your boyfriend."
"Yeah...that's...right," Lina muttered.
"You spend more time with Mr. Xelloss, don't you?" Amelia noted cheerfully.
"Is he still...?" Filia stopped herself in time. Kiki was sitting right there. "He once liked Lina, you see, Sylphiel too, that was after you left last year. He's never dated them, though." Then she informed Kiki about the nude photos, so she didn't get the wrong idea. Filia thought it was best if everything was out in the open, at least the past. She even contributed her 'Xelloss lost his room keys' story and how upset he was in the morning when they'd overslept and her parents had caught him sharing her hotel room.
That led to an 'Amelia and Xelloss' story, then one from Sylphiel. Even Lina enjoyed telling about a few of her adventures with Xelloss. Before long, Kiki had learned a great deal about her future husband, mostly endearing. He was caring and loving, silly, and outrageous, but never cruel or demanding. She felt bunches better, she told them, thanking them all for the afternoon. She could face the upcoming nuptials a bit better, she said, and promised to confront him about her fears right away.
Filia closed in on Amelia, though for more details on Zelgadiss. "Come on, I'm really curious, Amelia!"
"Miss Filia!" she demurred. "It really was dark!" She wasn't about to give away any of his intimate secrets.
The stipulated day arrived with the late winter sun breaking through the fog long enough to signal the change from morning to afternoon. Gourry had driven Lina to Amelia's earlier (way too early in the morning for her tastes), where she and the other girls dressed in Amelia's room and the boys dressed...someplace downstairs. They had 'done up' each other's hair and tried their best to calm Kiki's nerves.
Now, Kiki's friends lined up on either side of the paved walk which ended with a stark, coal-black, wrought-iron arch. The girls looked pretty in their knee-length, lavender dresses and hair put up with a few flowers pinned in. Pretty, but starting to shiver as the wind picked up. They stood awkwardly facing the boys, who in comparison looked dark, despondent, and devastatingly handsome. Amelia and Zelgadiss were first, then Sylphiel and Gourry, then Filia and Val, and Lina was last, by choice. Aside from the Mayor and Nels Lahda, only Kiki's parents were to be present. Xelloss had made Rezo promise not to come and Mrs. Gabriev had to be escorted out of town by her husband, she'd been so determined to come.
Lina was grim and growing more uncomfortable by the minute. She had wanted to say something to Xelloss; she wasn't sure what, but something. He hadn't stopped by her house all week, a first in she couldn't remember how long. She found that she had actually missed him, his humor, his acumen, his- and this was the hardest to acknowledge- attention. He had other things to do and other things on his mind, for sure, but never so much as to completely forget about her... before.
Lina's eye's traveled over to Gourry, standing tall and serious-looking. Black was too harsh on him, she thought. Dark blue would be better, like the evening sky, his hair a sweep of stardust. He must have felt her gaze settle on him, because he turned his head slightly to see her face. He smiled and nodded.
He should have felt terrific this day, he told himself. Xelloss was marrying Kiki; the battle for Lina was really over. But, Gourry found, as glad as he was to have his competition eliminated, he could imagine how awful Xelloss must be feeling– not just about getting married to someone he didn't love, but to lose Lina, forever. That, Gourry could attest to, would be horrible. It was sobering, so much so that his heart was heavy for the man he called friend, and he couldn't consider his own good fortune in that light, not this day. He turned and saw Lina's troubled eyes on him. She was appraising his solid figure in his new suit and it made him feel good to be admired. He smiled tentatively, and then looked up as Nels Lahda appeared.
Lina scanned her other friends, wondering how they were taking all this. Sylphiel dabbed at her eyes. Was she crying? Lina didn't blame her this time, though; she felt like someone had died. Like when her father died, her mother left, her best friend lay swathed in bandages, Hokuto... It was better when it was she who was at death's gate. Everything was golden light and soft. This was gloomy, dreary, and stinging cold. Her attention shifted; poor Amelia. She looked drawn and pale despite Filia's attempt to add a little 'blush' to her cheeks for color. Lina noted that Amelia kept trying to catch Zel's eyes, but he was off in outer space. Ah, Zel...Lina figured he was about to faint; he looked ill or nervous or both. She couldn't stand looking at his suffering expression any longer for fear of breaking down herself. Better to watch two clan-kids. Val and Filia were so caught up in each other; it shielded them from the devastating emotional turmoil aggravating the others.
Lina sighed and thought, "Lucky them."
Xelloss was not proud of this event. He had wanted no one to come, but the other Slayers, he was unable to persuade under any circumstances to just leave them alone. He noted the time. Nels Lahda had taken up his station at the head of the line, under the arch. Time to go. Xelloss strode from the house, determined to 'get this over with' as quickly as possible- painlessly, was impossible. He reflected on his evening before. He and Kiki had talked late into the night, by her parents permission at her house. She was scared the death of 'intimate relations' with him and he wasn't looking forward to initiating sex with her either. What a start to a lifetime of wedded bliss! It was no wonder that he came to stood under the arch looking as dark as the proverbial storm cloud.
Alternatively, Kiki floated up the lane like a breath of fresh air. Her face was completely covered in a fingertip-length veil, and so, her expression was indecipherable. It wasn't until she stopped at Xelloss' side that the trembling of her hands, gripping a pair of lilac-colored lilies, was noticeable.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to join these two young people in holy matrimony," Nels Lahda intoned flatly.
"Unholy," Lina said under her breath, but Zel could hear her.
Zelgadiss was sweating bullets. He had what was perhaps the key to the end game here. But was it? Was he the one to do this? Could he? His eyes met Amelia's and he stole strength from her resilience and perseverance. He stepped to her side and whispered a few words.
Nels Lahda continued to speak, but as he parted from Amelia's side, Zel's heart was pounding so hard he couldn't hear the words. It was now...or forever hold his peace...
"I've listened to this long enough," Zelgadiss shouted abruptly. "And I can't let this fiasco continue any longer."
All eyes had turned on him. He wasn't sure he could pull it off, his plan. His scheme to force Kiki to break off her engagement to his best friend Xelloss had been concocted after his run-in with Miwan, cemented into place with dire warnings by Luna, but he had summoned the courage to act only moments before– 42.5 seconds to be precise-- in a desperate need to do...something. But, after drawing all eyes on him, he had doubts the size of elephants. Make that Olliphants. He wasn't certain he was that convincing of an actor or if he had the guts to take the next step or, if he did, that it would have the desired effect or that he would survive it when it was all over. And if he managed to last to the end of the traumatic situation, then Xelloss just might kill him. Hell, he just might kill himself, forget Xelloss!
Just prior to shouting out those words drawing all the attention to his next utterance, he had whispered a brief, hopefully explanatory message to Amelia. "I have to do something. Trust me, Amelia; pray to Cephied that I can carry this off..."
She had opened her mouth to question him, but seeing that his 'act' was already in process, she clammed up and watched the show. And it was a show. Where Zelgadiss ever found the courage to do it, she did not know. Perhaps their last talk together where she expressed Kiki's sorrow over her situation and Xelloss' dogged determination to do 'the right thing,' had sent Zel over the edge. She didn't know, but she did trust his heart to do the right thing by his friends. She just wasn't at all as certain about his logic. Where had he stowed all his reserve and aloofness?
"You can't do this...to me!" Zelgadiss shouted, his voice catching with emotion. He stepped forward and looked Xelloss directly in the eye.
"What is it, young man? What are you talking about?" Kiki's mother asked. As an aside to her husband who was frowning, she added in their native language, "He is a rather abrupt and rude young man. It's too bad he couldn't be more like his brother."
Nels Lahda looked up from his ceremonial book. "Zelgadiss, this is not the time... This is a serious breach of protocol."
Zelgadiss straightened, his posture rigid with tension. He had heard the woman's comment and its cruelty solidified his resolve. He ignored Nels Lahda completely. Still fixing his brother with his eyes, he went on, "It is not right or fair. I can't let you do this, Xelloss. Not..." Zel drew his breath, "...after all we've had...together."
At this point, Xelloss gave him a quizzical look and asked, "Really? What do you mean?"
"I know you've tried," Zel began again. He turned toward Kiki. "He really did, but after you left last year, he finally gave into his true self, knowing you'd never return. And now, I can't let you take him away. I just can't. You...you will find another guy. You're so pretty and charming...but, as you can see, I'm not so lucky. I don't get so many second chances, so I'm going to...to fight this time."
Amelia's eyes widened as she filled Zel's true meaning in between the lines he'd blurted out. He was shaking, she could see it. And now, yes, she could tell by Xelloss' odd expression, as the blood left his face, that he had caught the drift too. Oh her poor, brave, dear Zelgadiss... She hoped Xelloss would play along.
Zel drew another, a deep shuddering breath, and dove at Xelloss, kissing him firmly, but briefly on the lips. Xelloss hadn't been expecting that. He did understand the gist of Zel's rant, but the kiss, no. That, he was unprepared for. It was over quickly, but he grabbed onto Zel's shoulders and held him close. He rapidly whispered into his ear, so softly he knew no one but Zel could hear, "Not convincing enough. Even the French men kiss each other longer than that."
Zel heard, but he was so flustered that the only part that stuck in his brain was the 'French' part, which was fortunate, actually, because in the next instant, Xelloss returned to deepening the kiss, transforming it into something far more erotic. Xelloss rammed his tongue past his teeth, scouring his mouth with a blazing hot kiss that brought the house down.
There were a lot of gasping sounds followed by faltering starts of conversation, and then...
"Are you saying that you and...Xelloss are...?"
"More than friends? Beyond mere brotherly love?" Zel managed to say after parting from Xelloss' grasp. "We've been living together for over a year now. He tried to change, for Kiki, but he can't. He'll never feel for her like he does...for me!"
"That's true," Xelloss said. He gave his friend an odd smile, and then wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Well, it was true! Zelgadiss was like his brother, Kiki his sister–totally different feelings. His free hand was holding tightly to Kiki's still. "Try as I like, there's really nothing I can do about it. I was just born this way, when you think about it..."
Now, both Kiki's parents began to shout, her father yanking her arm and pulling her away from Xelloss. "C'est un scandale!" her mother screamed, followed by a stream of disparaging comments.
Xelloss was speaking in French, rapidly and furiously. "It's not so bad... pas mal..."
There was a frisson of excitement along with a douse of queasy apprehension running through Zelgadiss. Would it work? After all this, was it enough? He wished now that he had studied French instead of German.
"My...mother? I'm certain she was aware, but Kiki couldn't have possibly known, Monsieur. Why...I've really only fully come to grips with it myself just recently..." Xelloss explained.
"Like about two minutes ago," Amelia whispered into Lina's ear with a wink.
Okay...Lina was catching on to the game going on. Val, standing arms folded and wearing an amused look on his face, probably did as well. Sylphiel was in shock, and Gourry, who had caught her as she fainted away, was completely flummoxed.
Filia was not amused. "Oh, come off it Xelly, I had you pegged from the beginning and you know it, but Zel...by Cephied, I don't...I can't...It's just not... Xelloss! It's all your fault! You did this to him! You perverted our poor Zel!" She screamed and ran up to him to pound him good and hard with both fists.
Xelloss caught her by both wrists and held her arms apart. "I can assure you, he'd just as much a player here as I am...more, probably." He opened his eyes wide, scaring the bejebees out of her, and then winked in jest.
Val had to lope off away from the others before bursting into laughter. Zel...Zel! What an act! Shit! That had to work! What parents would make their daughter marry a guy with a live-in boyfriend? That would be way too complicated! Ah, Zel...how are you gonna look yerself in mirror later, huh? Ha, ha, ha...
Xelloss had grappled successfully with both the struggling Filia and Kiki's French-babbling parents. And was now standing confidently beside a very nervous and red-faced Zelgadiss, explaining his complex sexual orientations, his total disinterest in fathering children ever, ever, ever, his on-going relationship with Zelgadiss, with a supply of details that were far too personal for Zel's liking (What birthmark on my butt?), and his confusion about where they should go from here. And this was odd, because Xelloss had never been able to navigate around a sea of so many lies before and carry it off convincingly!
Zelgadiss was glad to be alive, barely. He was focusing on a passing cloud, (or was that the fog burning off?) wondering what it would feel like to be a vapor. Yes, just vaporize on the spot, never to be seen or heard from again. That would suffice. That would be good. The knot in is stomach clenched up. Oh, joy... He hoped he wouldn't puke on his shoes. Then he found that he was no longer looking at the clouds. He was staring straight at Amelia, and she flashed him a brilliant smile and thumbs up. Sigh...well, he hoped all would be well. He wouldn't look at anyone else. Not just yet. In particular, not Xelloss.
Damn, would he never stop talking!
Eventually, Xelloss did. Kiki's parents were tearing up some document, demanding some other one, which Mayor Phil, still holding a valid lawyer's license, was quick to supply. With a flash of pens, some kind of deal was being formulated, signed, sealed, and finalized.
Kiki, temporarily forgotten by her parents, hurried over to say a few words to Xelloss and Zelgadiss. "Oh, so clever and brave you are Zel-ly. Thank you. Xelloss, don't worry, you and I...we will talk tomorrow, I promise. Oops! Here comes mama and papa. I have to go now. Bye, bye!" she whispered rapidly, and then kissed them both lightly on the cheek before hurrying off, following her parents to their car.
"Well," Xelloss smiled at Zel. "That's that!"
"Oh? So...the engagement and wedding is called off then?" Zel asked. He looked worn to a thread.
"Yep. They tore up the pre-nuptial agreement they'd made us both sign. And, for a right smart sum of money I am off the hook." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Thanks, that was...an unbelievably generous...amazingly ..."
"You'd better be talking about my idea and not the...kiss," Zel grumbled with a frown.
"Yes!" Xelloss laughed aloud. "Gods, that kiss was crap, Zelgadiss. Really, you just haven't the right moves and you're hard as a rock. I prefer my partners on the soft side, actually, and with hair that won't put out my eye and..."
"All right, that's all..." Zel waved him off. "I'm going home to sleep. About five years. Yes, or more. That ought to be enough to wipe this day out of my memory."
Xelloss was continuing his talk as Amelia, Lina, et al were joining them. "Really, Amelia, you have your work set out for you. He really needs to loosen up and... Hey! Ouch!"
Zel landed a couple punches to his stomach, just hard enough to stop the jabber.
"Oof! Okay!"
Zel gave him one more shove, "I'm leaving, so if you want a ride..."
Amelia threw her arms around Zelgadiss and said, "That was wonderful of you Zelgadiss. Daddy just explained how Xelloss and Kiki are free again. And it was all thanks to you..."
Zel stood awkwardly, unsure where to put his arms. Phil, he could see, was looking their way.
Val laughed, "That and Xelloss' winnin' score at tonsil hockey!"
Zel blushed ten shades darker. That did it. He would never live this day down, unless... He had a thought and decided to act on that one too. What did he have to lose? He looked down into her eyes.
Amelia thought Zelgadiss wanted her to release her grip on him, and so, began to loosen her hold when he brought his arms down and hugged her in return. Before she had the chance to say anything he drew her closer, dipped his chin slightly, and kissed her solidly on the lips. He softened his touch, pressing gently, just as he had learned from his experience with Xelloss, and then moved his lips gently, enjoying the tender contact a moment longer before parting from her. "That's better," he whispered as he pulled back. He caught her stunned but pleased expression, smiled slyly, and said to everyone else, "Now, I am going." He turned and stalked off.
"Wait for me!" Xelloss chortled and ran to catch up.
"Well," Lina brushed off her hands on her dress. "Show's over. Time to go home. Thanks, Amelia for the picnic, but I gotta tell you, the dessert was a bit hard to swallow."
Amelia laughed, "Sorry! I'll have something better next time, although, it might not be so sweet." Wow! Zel had kissed her in front of all his friends and her daddy, too! And what a kiss!
Lina gestured with both arms flying, "Gods, I hope not. My teeth are aching as it is!"
"It's my stomach," Filia groaned. "...that's taken a decided downturn."
"And my head..." Sylphiel moaned.
"Mine don't feel so good either," Gourry said with a mournful tone.
"Eh, well. You're givin' me a ride, right?" Lina asked with a jab to Gourry's rib cage.
He smiled, "Sure thing, Lina. But, I don't get it. So, Zel likes both Xelloss and Amelia now?"
Lina looked up baffled. "Ah, sure. Zel likes us all, Gourry, but that was all just an act to get Kiki's folks to stop the wedding. Lucky for him it worked, right?"
Gourry grinned, "It did? Then, that's great! I think I can eat some now, then. How 'bout a hot fudge sundae?"
"Me too?" Sylphiel cried out.
"No, yer riding with me," her father sighed. "You have school work to catch up on if you're going to be preparing more for that musical."
"Same with me and Filia," Val said possibly to make Sylphiel feel less left out. "We're headin' out to the settlement and got work, too."
"Oh, ah...yeah," Sylphiel smiled and hurried over to the chair where she'd left her coat and purse. "Bye everyone!"
"Good bye everybody!" Amelia shouted and waved until the last of her friends were out of sight. She turned when she heard a familiar gravelly chuckle behind her. "Daddy?"
"Those were some opportunists, those people. Oh, not the girl. She's a sweet heart, but her parents. They were out to secure themselves quite a family fortune. Too bad, actually. I thought she and Xelloss made... a nice young couple."
"But too young to get married, Daddy!" Amelia insisted.
"Oh, well, yes, she was. But he...well, I think he's almost ready to take on a responsibility like that, with the right girl, of course."
"Of course." Amelia nodded and smiled. "And I thought Zelgadiss was very brave to take a chance like that...and all."
Mayor Philonel shook his head with a bemused smile, "That boy just amazes me at times. I once was troubled... concerned that he was too cold, that his heart was damaged and that he was unable to feel strongly about someone other than himself. But, once again, he's proven me wrong. He feels strongly and has become more and more outspoken as well."
"He warned me, just before he ran up to Mr. Xelloss and...kissed him. Just so I knew, in case...so I wouldn't be too shocked and to be sure I'd trust in him. He warned me, Daddy, not Miss Lina. I think that means that he...likes me in a special way now, don't you think so?"
"Yes, he was considering your feelings as well so you'd not be hurt unnecessarily. Yes, my darling daughter, I think you are right. He must care for you deeply as well." He looked down at his little girl and smiled. Zelgadiss' mother was younger than her when he was born. His little girl wasn't so little, and what he thought had been puppy love in her eyes, was growing too. That young Greywords had better treasure her deeply! "I'm going in now. Too much excitement for me today!"
"Me too!" Amelia cried out. "How about we make hot chocolate and read by the fire? It's really cold this afternoon!"
"Ah, now that's the best idea I've heard all day. My darling, daughter...lead on!"
"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods!" Xelloss was repeating, half laughing, half crying.
Zelgadiss shook his head and drove on. "After you call and cancel your honeymoon hotel reservations, do me a favor and call Luna and give her the news. Save my ass, all right?"
He could make out the sounds of Xelloss fumbling with his cell phone. "Luna? Yes! YES! I am a free man again! Who? Zelgadiss..." Zel could feel the smile aimed his way. "Zelgadiss was superb! He played his role quite convincingly, although if they'd all stuck around a moment longer they would have caught him planting a monster kiss on his little princess– claiming his prize. Oof! Hey...okay, he's right here next to me in the car so I can't speak freely...what? Okay, I'll tell him. Thanks, bye now!"
Xelloss sighed. "She says 'you are off the hook', but I don't know for what. Do you know for what?"
Zel shrugged. "Ah, probably my waiting so long to get you off or letting you get into the fix in the first case– take your pick. She doesn't think the three of us take good enough care of one another. If we're not better, I have this sinking feeling she's going to move in and take control."
"The hor-ror!" Xelloss giggled. "Next call! "Hello! It's me and I'm free!"
"Who are you talking to now?" Zel took his eyes off the road long enough to catch Xelloss mouth 'Re-zo'. "No, don't tell him what I did, Xelloss!" he groaned.
"Zelgadiss got me out of it. How? Well, he told them we were lovers and that they had no chance of ever seeing grandchildren. It was great. I am so relieved. Ah, Dad? Dad? Hel-loooo-ho, Re-zzzo-ho! Hmm, that's odd. I don't think he's hung up."
"He's probably fainted, or...had a heart attack. Ha! Xelloss, you killed him! Xelloss, father-killer for the fourth time!"
"Ah, no. He heard that, Zelgadiss, and he says that it wasn't funny. He was shocked, that's all. It's all right, Dad, 'cause he started making out with Amelia after Kiki and her family tore off. Oh, yeah, Ole Phil was there, too. Who knows what he was thinking! Not that it matters since Zelgadiss was already banned from the mayor's place..."
"NO! No, don't tell him about that!"
"If you insist..." Xelloss said to Rezo, and then smiled over at his brother, catching his glare. "Zelgadiss, he says he heard that too and now I have to explain. Dad? Okay, see a few weeks ago..."
"Noooo..." He moaned and pulled into their driveway. "Didn't my good deed buy me any good karma?"
"Amelia came over to our house for a visit, but we were...in chem lab so Val let her in. Unbeknownst to Vally-boy, she had a plan and as soon as he had slunk back into that cave of a room he lives in...No, he painted it 'sand' because the cleaning crew refused to enter it when it was black. Creeped them out, they said. Well, of course, it bugged me, too! But it's still a dive, regardless of the color. He has no design sense, which is odd for an artistic guy like him. Did you know he wants to go to art school? He did? Really? No, I didn't know he ever talked to you. Well, that's nice. I know, too bad about Zelgadiss, but at least you have us. Back to what? Oh, yes, Amelia..."
"Gods...no..." Zel slammed the car door and ran up to the front door of his house. He refused to listen to that retelling.
"So she had this stupid idea to take off her clothes and lie in wait for Zelgadiss to return and find her irresistible...who gave her that idea, you ask? Sylphiel, I believe. Yeah, figures, huh? Next? Well, Zelgadiss took a shower and climbed in and found Beast had shaved his legs, ha, ha... Well, I wasn't there, but they tell me nothing happened. They talked and he took her home. Unfortunately, not only was Amelia trying to get the amorous attention of our boy here, but she was in a rebellious mood against her 'daddy darling' as well! She told the ole boy what she'd done, and then Phil had a fit and tossed Zelgadiss out on his ear. Yes, sad affair, but I think he's easing up. Both of them! Zelgadiss' problem? Well, I think it's love avoidance, I mean, he has desires... Oh yeah, he's told me about those, He just can't admit he loves the one that loves him. Why? Because he's ashamed of his body, for one, and... Well, the cure...is not so great, at best, although he's showing some improvement lately. Me? I haven't tried yet. It doesn't seem to put off that many girls...and well, we both hate hospitals and skin grafts take a long time. We just have no free time. Maybe after the musical... Okay, I promise to drag him to the doctor then. He's so easy to force into uncomfortable situations. No, I was joking. No, you can't get him on this phone. He left long ago and went into the house. Okay, well, thanks...okay, good bye."
Zel was inside making a pot of tea. He heard Xelloss enter the house, then collapse on the couch in a combination of hysterics and tears. The teakettle whistled and he poured the hot water over the pot of loose leaves. While waiting for the tea to brew, he fed the fish and changed Beast's water bowl for a clean one. Xelloss had quieted; his breathing coming in shuddering gasps. Zel poured the jasmine-scented tea through a filter into two mugs, added two spoonfuls of sugar to one then carried the two mugs into the living room.
"Here." When Xelloss didn't move, he wondered if had fallen asleep. Then Xelloss sighed and sat up.
"Thanks," Xelloss said gratefully as he sipped his hot drink. "What a day, huh?"
"One I am glad to say that is over. Want to go over more of that data or play a game?"
"Game... Then dinner."
"What time is it?"
"Almost midnight."
"Let's go get the girls," Xelloss suggested cheerfully.
"What? Now? We just left them! Why would they want to see us again this soon, Kiki especially? Look at the time, I said MIDNIGHT. They are probably asleep and most certainly aren't going to be allowed out with us or anybody. Sometimes, Xelloss I wonder about you..."
"It will be fun. Come on!"
Zel shook his head, but Xelloss looked determined. "Xelloss, you are nuts."
With a tilt to his head, Xelloss replied, "I can't do this without an accomplice. Besides, what have you got to lose?"
Zel opened his mouth to list his strong points, but then... "Not a thing. All right, lead on. What are we doing exactly?"
Xelloss laughed and snatched up the car keys. "Kiki's first. I'll climb to her balcony... What's so funny? I can do that. There's a fire escape. Gabriev Construction...safety first..."
"Fine. So, Romeo, you'll climb to her room then what...kidnap her?"
"Yep! Then on to Amelia's."
"Great..."
With some difficulty, Xelloss got his girl. She was giggling as he stuffed her into the back seat of the sports car. "Warm enough?"
"No, my feet, they are bare and this is a light robe, not a coat!" she acknowledged in mock anger.
"Poor baby. You're sitting on a blanket. Wrap up!" Xelloss said in response then started up the engine. "Amelia's... next stop on this route tonight!"
Zelgadiss was now regretting his earlier attempt at spontaneity. Why was he doing this? How was this not going to end him up in more trouble? Then when the mansion was in sight, he realized that he should have been thinking more about how he was going to achieve his goal. "There's a new security system installed. I can't just 'climb a wall' or throw rocks at her window," he muttered as Xelloss parked in a hidden spot. Zel smiled. "Got it!" He called her cell phone number.
"Amelia, it's me...Zel. No, no emergency, but...can you come down to the front door without setting off all the house alarms? I'll tell you then. Bye." He looked over at Xelloss. "Be right back."
A minute later, he and Amelia were running hand-in-hand, him pulling her along, to the car. "What's going on? Why can't I have shoes? It's cold. Kiki? You're here, too?"
"Just get in and be quiet," Zel whispered and silently closed the door after taking his own seat up front. "Done," he said smugly, his eyes revealing how much satisfaction he felt keeping up with Xelloss.
"Cool. Back to the house by way of the FrostyCone 24-Hour takeout!" Xelloss giggled and drove off.
"Ice cream? At midnight? Oh, Mr. Xelloss..." Amelia shook her head. "Daddy will kill me, if he finds out."
"I won't tell," Xelloss smiled.
Not much later, they were enjoying their sundaes in the kitchen of Xelloss and Zel's house. "So, why is it that you guys get to be dressed while we must freeze to death in our night robes? It is not fair, is it Amelia?"
Zelgadiss watched as Xelloss crept up from behind Kiki and wrapped his arms around her. "Better now?"
Kiki giggled, "Yes, but that's not what I meant."
Xelloss' eyebrows shot up. "You want us to...disrobe? Here? In the presence of young, impressionable, ladies?"
She giggled at his silly act and shook her head.
"Mr. Xelloss! You shouldn't even joke about that..."
"Oh? And this coming from," he dropped his voice, "the mysterious bed stalker herself."
"Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia blushed and looked scandalized.
Zel stopped him from teasing her further by diverting the conversation onto another track entirely. He noticed Amelia was yawning. "Xelloss, I think it's time to take them home now. It's late."
Xelloss checked the time. "You're right. Everyone done? Wasn't this fun?"
"It was unexpected," Amelia replied with a yawn.
The car passed by the park, a dark patch this late at night, and then turned the corner onto Kiki's block. Zel's jaw clenched, "No...watch it, I hear sirens, Xelloss."
As they slowed to a stop in front of the house across the street from Kiki's place. An emergency van screamed up the lane closing fast. Two police vehicles were forming a road block at the opposite end of the street, while another was already parked in the drive. A next-door neighbor dressed in nightclothes was being escorted back to their home by a lady officer. A plain-clothes cluster of detectives disappeared into the house.
"W-What's happening?" Kiki cried out.
"Someone must be hurt," Zel said tentatively. "Stay here and we'll go see."
"It's my parents! I must go, too!" She insisted, dropping into her native tongue to Xelloss as he helped her out of the back seat.
Amelia hopped out as well, and all four kids crossed the street to the house. No one seemed to notice them until they were inside.
"Mama! Papa!"
A tall, dark-haired detective spun around, "Where did she come from? You... I know you. You're the Slayers kids, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Detective Laytner from Sairaag? Um, this is Kiki. This is her house," Zel explained.
"Hello, Kiki. Ah, Ryo and I are now assigned here in Seyruun by your new Chief of Police, special request. Now, you stay here until we know what's going on. Hey, you, ah... Xelloss! Ah, not that guy!"
Xelloss had disappeared. He found what he was looking for in an upstairs room. "They're both dead. Shot once in the head, right?"
"Who?" Ryo stood and whipped his head around abruptly. "Who? Oh, ah, Xelloss, correct? What are you doing here? You shouldn't be..."
"Ryo? From the concert, yeah. I know, but I'm right, aren't I, about the murder? Or should I say, execution?"
Their eyes met, dark brown and purple. "Yes. That puts you in a bad position, Mr. Metallium."
Xelloss shook his head. "I didn't do it, if that's what you mean. Ask Zelgadiss or the girls. Kiki...she's downstairs and these are her parents. We've all been together since around midnight. Come here, I'll show you something."
They met Dee Laytner and the others downstairs. "Don't let her go up there," Xelloss said to Zel in passing. "Kiki, your parents were shot. I'd say without a doubt it was a syndicate hit."
He held a sobbing Kiki to his chest as two policemen stormed over. One man pointed an accusatory finger at him and declared, "Oh? And what makes you the authority around here. I think you outta be arrested."
Xelloss pressed his lips together in a fine line, exhibiting a great deal of control, Zel thought. Zel took over. "His name is Xelloss Metallium, and you are standing in what was once his house, mine too for a short time. It was destroyed by the syndicate, if you recollect. Does this ring a bell? He explained to everyone at the time a few sure signs like...the locks on the doors. You'll find those blown out with a particular brand of explosives. Just ask him, he'll point out all the trademarks for you."
Ryo looked Xelloss in he eye again, "Show me."
Xelloss nodded and started off.
The outspoken cop wasn't letting him off so easily. "Why should we believe you? A punk like you...?"
Xelloss hesitated for only a moment then answered in a low, measured voice, "My mother was in charge of the entire Western quadrant of the syndicate, sir. For a time, I worked for her in a double-agent capacity and another called Hell Master Phibrizzo. But not any more. So, you see, I have had a great deal of experience dealing with them." He turned on a heel and led Ryo to the door, pausing to point out some markings made when the locks were damaged. He pointed out a few plastic tubes discarded in the bushes by the door.
"I'd like to recommend that you come downtown and give a training session on the syndicate. What you've told me in the last few minutes nearly doubles what I knew. I'm sure you could teach everyone more. "
"I don't know, Ryo," Xelloss hedged. "Take it up with your chief first. I try to keep a low profile and I think he prefers that I do, that we all do...the Slayers. But, I would be happy to share what I can."
Ryo caught that 'what I can'. He wondered more about Xelloss' current ties to the syndicate, but decided to leave it for now. They rejoined his partner, Zel, and the girls.
"What do we do now?" Xelloss wondered aloud.
"We all go to my house. Kiki will stay with me. Daddy's got to be informed immediately." Amelia had no doubts.
"Her father's Mayor Philonel," Zel finished.
Dee and Ryo spoke to the officer on duty, giving him a few instructions, and then followed the kids out the door. Dee pulled Zel aside and told him, "We'll follow behind in our car, so drive slowly and don't try to get away- not that I don't trust you. There's a safety issue here, both yours' and the girls'. Also, we'd like to speak to the mayor as well."
"Fine."
Xelloss and Kiki rode with the detectives, while Zel and Amelia led the procession. Another memorable and tragic day. What made it even worse was that Zel couldn't shake the disturbing feeling that Xelloss had something to do with all of this, as terrible as it seemed. Killing her parents was another way out of the wedding contract, and midnight panty-raids were not the common occurrence for them. But that was ridiculous, thinking that way, wasn't it! Xelloss wouldn't order hit men to take out Kiki's parents. He had condemned the syndicate over and over. He wouldn't use them. No. No. No. But still, the coincidences were mounting up.
He stood by Xelloss in the mayor's mansion. "What?" Xelloss asked him. "You were about to ask me something?"
Zel thought about asking him directly, but then, what kind of friend would that make him? Xelloss wouldn't have included him in some illegal plot, not without telling him first. Would he? "No. Nothing." Zel shook his head and wondered where his life was heading. He was in a daze, only catching snippets of the conversations going on around him.
"Her Aunt and Uncle live above their business, Polly's Pies and Pastries," Xelloss informed Ryo.
"Take her upstairs, Amelia-dear. Kiki, you may stay in Gracia's empty room," the mayor said in his loud-enough-to wake-the-dead voice. "Ah, Mrs. Andrews, sorry we woke you up...Yes, some chamomile tea for the girls would be wonderful."
Zel was pressed to say a few words, but he knew he wasn't making sense and wisely shut up. When Phil addressed him, he attended, however, "It was fortunate your prank was timed so well, or we wouldn't have our dear Kiki with us tonight." Then to Zel's shock and consternation, the big man enclosed him in a bear hug the likes of which nearly compressed Zel to cornflake thinness, and wept profusely over his shoulder. There was nothing he could do but wait him out.
He felt Xelloss pry them apart. He was speaking to Dee and Ryo, "We'll be going, then. The band has no gigs for a week or so, but we have rehearsals that might take us as far as Mosquita. Other than that, McGywn has all our numbers. We're easy to locate."
Eventually, Zel was back in his car, Xelloss at the wheel, and they were wheeling down the hill, past the fancy houses, past the best neighborhoods, out to the edge just this side of the wrong side of the tracks– home.
"Huh?" Zel shook his head. He must have fallen asleep.
"I can't sleep after all this, how about you? Wanna soak some in the hot tub?"
Zel nodded, semi-alert. "Sure."
He eased himself into the water with a sigh, and then opened his eyes to find Xelloss staring at him. "What?"
Xelloss was mindful of Zelgadiss' sidelong glances and odd behavior. He was rather perceptive and no dullard. He suspected a couple problems which could be troubling his friend and decided to settle them now and not let him sleep on them. Zel sleeping on a problem was sure to drive him into his shell.
"Want to tell me what's on your mind, or shall I just guess," Xelloss began.
"What do you mean? Nothing, lots...nothing to talk about."
"Oh, really? Why were you suddenly a self-conscious when we started getting undressed, for starters? Think I'm going to attack you? No? Well, that's good. I realize how difficult a thing that was for you to do today. Yeah, I do," Xelloss reassured him.
Zel shook his head and looked away. "It's not that. Well, all right, a bit of that. That was really embarrassing for me, Xelloss. I want to pretend it was nothing, but it took all my nerve, and then some..."
"A Luna threat?"
"Yeah, that pushed me over. Even so, I was wavering, until I looked at Amelia, of all people. One of her 'do the right thing for justice' speeches came to mind and then she looked at me. You know, for the first time, they made sense to me. So, I felt I owed her a warning, then just...went for it."
Xelloss smiled, "Of course, you didn't tell her that."
"No, there hasn't been a moment and now...with this awful shooting thing. The time is past."
"There will be other times. Tell her, Zelgadiss; it will be a turning point for you. But...I want you to look me straight in the eye and say nothing's changed. You can't do it, can you? And I know it's not about the kiss or the birthmark, which I made up of course, or any of that. You're not self-conscious suddenly around me, you are...feeling guilty. You're not sure you trust me."
Xelloss waited, until he was sure Zel wasn't going to admit his deep-seated fear. "I didn't do it. It was just a coincidence, Zelgadiss. That's all. Hey, it certainly occurred to me that knocking them off would solve all my problems; I'll grant you that! But had it been my plan, I would have had them offed way before my supposed wedding night. Think about it! I had no, absolutely no, 'N. O.', inkling that you were going to pull a stunt like that and stop the wedding. And... So, I couldn't have pre-planned the ice cream raid that may have saved her life. I fully expected to be married and on my honeymoon. Killing them after the fact wouldn't have altered the contract one iota. Zelgadiss, look at me. I didn't do it."
Zel sighed. Of course, he couldn't have, but he knew that. When he looked over and saw the yearning in his friend's eyes-- 'Please believe in me!', they said. "Your right, you couldn't have...wouldn't have done something so terrible, so desperate. I just...I felt guilty even considering the possibility. I'm sorry."
Xelloss smiled and sank neck deep into the bubbling, hot water, closing his eyes and relaxing at last. "You...are forgiven."
Zel was afraid to close his eyes. He might drop off to sleep and drown. Instead, he leaned his head back and looked up through the mist rising of the tub. "Thanks."
"So..."
"So...?" Zel wondered.
"So, how was that kiss you laid on Amelia? Learn anything from the skilled expert?" Xelloss peaked out from under his bangs to catch Zel's perturbed expression.
"Learn? From whom? You? You think I learned some move from you? Don't flatter yourself!"
Xelloss was laughing, until he managed to snort water up his nose.
"Serves you right, asshole," Zel grumbled. "Hey, let's shut this down and go in before you hurt yourself."
"Okay. It has been a long day, hasn't it?"
"Far too long and far too eventful." Zel stopped just inside the door and shut off the outside lights. "Xelloss, so who did kill them, and why?"
"My guess? The person who set up that contract. Her parents broke it and I don't think that was okay, so they paid the price for failure."
"But who?"
"I wish I knew. Zelgadiss, they are getting closer each time to getting someone dear to us. We can't protect them all, all the time. I hope we have the luxury of time while preparing for the musical. I hope we have the chance to execute our plan. It's getting more and more complicated, what with the clan infiltrator, Grauscherra, Auntie Dolphin...maybe more. I can't figure out how they interrelate! I can't see all the cards and..."
"Xelloss! Calm down. Get a grip. No one expects you to know it all. It's late and you are way overdue for a good night's rest. Believe me, it will all come together eventually, and we'll all be there to see it, too. Yeah, well, sleep on that and call me in the morning," Zel ended with his customary smirk.
"Yes, Dr. Zelgadiss, I will," Xelloss smiled in return.
Then they departed to their own rooms. But Zel was troubled. He had never seen Xelloss so unsure of his grasp of details. It was no time for him to start coming apart at the seams. Zel hoped the syndicate would just lay off a little while longer...
The next morning, Val drove by the Gabriev's to pickup Gourry. They'd made arrangements to use the company paint room, which was ordinarily empty on Sunday, by phone the night before.
"Yo."
"Hey, Val, do you wanna get paint, too? The only stuff there will be basic appliance whites and beiges."
"I stopped on the way into town from the settlement. It's in the back. All the colors in the rainbow," he grinned.
Val found the huge industrial hanger and drove right up to the main doors.
"Keep it running," Gourry told him as he jumped out of the Suburban with the keys. "You can drive it right on in."
Val parked his car then followed Gourry to check out the equipment.
There's tape and paper for the windows and trim, power sprayer, detailer, 'bout everything you could want, if ya know how to use 'em," Gourry smiled, "which I do. Val, you sure 'bout this? Yer car's nearly new. Paint's good."
"Shit, yeah. Look at it! It looks like it's fer a rich middle-aged dude ta take his buddies out huntin' once a year. I want it to look more... me."
Gourry understood. "Okay, it's yer car. So, first we mask off what yer don't want paint to get on. Then we cut out shapes for the..."
"I don't need no shapes. Mask's okay, though."
By lunchtime, the first coats were done. Flames were leaping from the nose of the car up the hood, around the sides, and even licking at the top. Where there weren't brilliant red/orange/yellow flames, there was silvery-sparkle smoke. Val was pleased with his car's transformation.
Gourry looked over a few tough spots and satisfied with the job so far suggested, "Let's go get somethin' to eat while it sets up, then we can top-seal it a couple times."
Gourry's mother had packed them a basket of food and drink, enough for five kids. The two friends divided the contents evenly and dove in hungrily.
"Sure gonna be hard to find someone to replace yer mom," Val commented.
Gourry gave him a quizzical look, "Why would I wanna do that?"
"When you get married. I meant, you'll have to find a chick that can cook like this or you'll starve. Dude, here take part of mine. I can't believe how fast ya eat."
"I'm learnin' ta cook, just in case."
Val thought that through. "Oh, yeah, if yer still con-si-derin' Lina, you'd better learn real good. She ain't much interested in the kitchen, 'cept ta eat."
"Hmm," Gourry agreed, mouth filled. His cell phone buzzed and he tossed it to Val to answer.
"Yo. No, it's Val. Want me to get him? Okay...What? No, yer kiddin' me. Uh, that's ... awful. Hold on... Gourry, Kiki's parents were murdered last night, but she's okay. Here!"
Gourry caught the phone and listened to his mother's recitation. "Zel and Xelloss were with her and Amelia? Pretty late. Yeah, lucky...That's terrible. I'm glad she's got Amelia now. Ah, we got more to do here, then it's gotta dry... 'Kay. Thanks, bye."
"Mom'll come get us when we're done. Yer car'll need to dry here overnight where's there's no dust. I don't know...it's hard to think now. Kiki...there's another one whose life's been messed up by..." He looked up and caught Val's eyes. If he was going to blame Xelloss, he changed his mind. "...that syndicate bunch."
Val muttered, "We'll get them all, Gourry."
"Yeah, before they get us."
From the Authors:
Where are the pictures?
Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.
KS
End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 42.