A/N: Whee, thanks for the reviews! Let's see here...

Jass- Ah...lack of brain power hm? Understandable- I half live through that every single day. Thx for your support anyhow.

ilikesaddleshoes- heh, tis been so long, I'd almost forgotten I've read your stuff before (I liked it too). Yay! Chocolate bunnies! --Munch munch--= --eccentric sugar high--

JoyCrux---holds 'attention' in hands...hmmm...what should I do with this? Ooh, let's feed it some L/Z sap! XD I'm glad you think so- writer's naturally improve over a course of time, though (usually) And the reason why unfinished stories are the most interesting, is because the time between when another chapter is posted, creates more suspense added to the story itself.

Well, hope you came back to read another chappie- and hope you like it! (tis short though) Please review; I'll be eternally grateful!

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers(.) Triple (Period)(.) See? Count 'em!

Chapter Six: Birthday Dinner

Naga hiccupped. "Lina's no royalty- hic- she's just a maiden from some hic backwater country."

Luna frowned at the older princess. From out of nowhere, she produced an unmarked flask and teacup. She poured a substantial amount of liquid into the cup and wordlessly offered it to Naga. Thinking it was more alcohol, she quickly took it and gulped it down. If Naga hadn't already swallowed it, she would have spit it right back out, as the vile taste registered. She wrinkled her nose with distaste. "Ugh. What is this?"

"Sober Restoration Tonic. You need it. Extensively. If I find that you've been drinking again, I'll be sure to give it to you again, whether you want to or not."

Zel interrupted Naga's coming retort. "Hold on- I don't get this. Is Lina royalty or not? And also, why are you even telling us this?"

Luna couldn't help but grin again, though, technically, she had never really stopped. "Let me put it to you this way: Lina herself isn't of royal blood, but she, under the right circumstances, has every right to this castle and the surrounding country. That's all I'll say. Lina knows her story; you can ask her if you still want to."

An eerie silence hung over the small crowd. Suddenly, the kitchen door opened with a bang, before a red blur flashed by them, heading to the residential wing. All heads turned towards that direction, wondering what it was, while at the same time knowing that it could only be one thing, or one person- Lina. Luna frowned, putting a hand to her throbbing temple as she excused herself to slowly follow the blur. The four post-travelers exchanged worried glances. They all wondered if Lina was all right. Zel's demonic senses could smell the blood that came from her, but decided not to be the one to verify the others' worries.

Upon walking over to the only table in the room, and sitting down to the right of the table end, Naga commented, "Oh, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. If anyone can handle my arch-rival, besides me of course, it's Luna. Come on, let's all sit down and get to know each other while we wait." The others stared at her, sweating slightly. Being sober must make her depressingly serious as well. Eventually, one by one, they took their seats, each waiting for the other to say something.

As it would turn out, Amelia got out the starting sentence. "So, Gracie, what have you been doing all these years?"

"OO HO HO HOH HO HO!" It seemed that not even sobering up could stop her from letting out her… irksome laugh. Being right next to her, Amelia was forced to wince, the sound echoing within her ears. "I have been conquering endless adversaries in the name of justice! No one could stand up to the might of Naga the White Serpent! OH HO HO HO HO HO!"

Although he was situated across the table, three chairs down from Naga, Gourry still cringed. But then, something clicked in his head, and he brainstormed furiously to find out just what it was. Half an hour into Naga's boasting rant, he had it. Interrupting without a second thought, Gourry proclaimed, "Now I remember! Lina once said that she had a traveling companion before she met me! That was you, right?"

Amelia and Zel sighed, while Naga seemed temporarily baffled. Zel decided to fill Gourry in. "Gourry…weren't you listening? She just said that. Naga also said that they were constant companions, on…erm…the path of justice."

Gourry shook his head quickly, giving himself a headache. Nevertheless, he objected. "No, no, that can't be right. I remember now- Lina said that her on/off companion was a constant bother, and so she always tried to avoid or get away from her. Also, she said that this partner was great for conquests, because she distracted their opponents while Lina took 'em out."

Naga interjected, starting with another bone-chilling laugh, "OHOHOHOHO! Of course! We were partners! We took out the baddies together! Then, she tried to run off with the prize money, and I kept trying to get it back! Ah, woe is me- being taken advantage of by the horrendous bandit killer!"

A mysteriously familiar voice whispered, "A Serpent that lies, is a serpent that's sure to earn no pie."

Having already been leaning back to emphasize her laugh, the sudden statement startled Naga to a point where her chair came crashing down, taking the occupant with it. "Lina!"

They all stared at her. Though it was nothing overly fancy, Lina wore a sleeveless, crimson, satin dress that hugged her figure, along with liquefied blood earrings, an assorted red-gem necklace, red pumps, and a solitary ruby ring, on her left ring finger. Although that ring was what caught Zel's attention the most, everyone else was concentrating more on her…figure. As if it had been altered in the last hour, Lina's petite, but noticeably better endowed body filled the dress out quite nicely.

She wrinkled her nose with a frown as she saw them staring at her. Walking towards her seat, next to Gourry, across from Amelia, she muttered, "What? It's my eighteenth birthday- Onee-san made me wear it."

"And it fits you oh so well, Lina-chan."

It was Lina turn to be startled, but regardless of that, she forced herself to instantly stand rigid in front of her chair. Mirroring her, Naga had come to a standing position, before becoming stock-rigid. Following suit, the rest stood as well, though not as unwillingly or rigidly. At the door just now entering, was the Crown Prince Philionel el de Seyruun, and just barely behind him, with a playful smirk, was the last speaker- the one and only Luna Inverse.

Lina and Naga remained frozen until the pair had seated themselves in the last remaining seats, and Luna "nudged" Lina's foot. As if her whole foundation had collapsed beneath her, Lina fell back into her chair. Naga did the same, but though she was still nervous, she had held together better. Then again, she wasn't in as a fearful position as Lina was under her sister's eye. Again, the remaining diners sat down at the same time, wondering why their friends were acting so strangely.

Prince Phil laughed jovially before spreading out his arms in a welcoming gesture. "I see you have made it all here safely- that's good. And Lina-san! I hear it is your birthday today, is it not?"

A light blush played against her cheeks as she gave a small smile and nodded. In an equally small voice, she said barely above the tone of a whisper, "It is- today and tomorrow at least."

"You don't say? A two day celebration? Why, that's stupendous! That settles it then! We shall hold a ball tomorrow night in your honor, complete with a full cuisine buffet! How does that sound?"

Lina smiled slightly. "Doable. Strenuous I suppose, but doable." She had said this so softly that Phil had failed to catch all of it, though he got the general gist of the affirmation.

"Splendid! I'll have them start the preparations at daybreak! Now, where would our dinner be?"

Lina suddenly sat straight up. "Allow me." Slowly, she raised her hands high above her head, took a deep breath, and made two small, quick claps. Instantly, the previously bare tabletop was covered with dozens of succulent dishes in the center of the table, while an empty dish and clean utensils lay before each diner. The dishes in the middle varied from a stack of assorted ribs, steaks, and other nameless meat to a compilation of vegetable entrées to fruit baskets and then several uncommon variety dishes. It appeared that though some were easily prepared, others looked like it took a lot of work into making it. Lina smiled brighter as she gestured to the food. "Dig in!"

Gourry, Zel, Amelia, and Naga were stupefied, having traveled with Lina for a long time, and never having seen her cook, or the fruits of her culinary labors. Therefore, the taste was not guaranteed to be good, though it smelled close to heavenly. Feeling both brave and hungry, Gourry took the first bite, from one of the more unique dishes, a variant of stir-fry and thin slices of meat. He blinked a few times, chewed a few times, swallowed it, and stared at the diminutive sorceress beside him. "This is great!" As he helped himself to more, triggering the others to eat as well, he garbled, "With this kind of talent, munch it makes me wonder gulp why you always settle for inn food or anything else that we eat on our travels!"

With amazing restraint, Lina ate as well. After they all gave their initial praise, all except Luna, Lina replied back, "Thanks. I really owe it to my sister though. If she hadn't taught me the fundamentals, and if she weren't here now, I never would have even attempted doing this."

Luna smiled softly as she took a bite from the food she had accommodated onto her personal dish. After swallowing, she put in her two-cents, which was really worth a lot more to Lina. "True, but you did this all by yourself. I'm rather surprised, to be honest. I never knew you had it in you."

A look of positive giddiness passed through Lina's expression, and lingered for a few moments. The next few minutes were relatively silent as they all ate in peace. Whenever one dish was emptied, Lina asked if anyone wanted seconds. For about three times in a row, four or five of the plates were refilled by a simple wave of her hand. When everybody had had their fill, Lina verified it, before literally clearing away the dishes. Tantalizing them, a three-tiered apple, peach, and blackberry pie replaced all the food. It was separated like a wedding cake would be; a substantial board separating each layer. In this case, it had been used to divide the pies, as to not smash any of them over each other. A stack of smaller dishes and a set of spoons lay innocently beside it. With another small smile, Lina asked if anyone was up for pie. As the saying goes, "Dessert is for a separate stomach altogether," and "There's always room for dessert." That said, everyone agreed to it, and soon, there was nothing left of the pie except the crumbs at the bottom of the plate.

None too surprisingly, the hefty meal had made them all sleepy, so one by one, they all excused themselves for bed. First, Naga…then Amelia…followed by Gourry…and Phil. After whispering something in Lina's ear that she mutely nodded to, Luna left as well, leaving only two people at the table. Zel offered, "I'll help you clean up." Lina smiled but shook her head. She had it covered; with a wave of her hand, the dishes were gone- cleaned and set into the tall cabinets in the kitchen. A moment of silence passed before Zel commented in an attempt for conversation, "You look…um…really nice tonight."

Lina grinned then, her previous stature apparently revisiting. It was gone again when Lina winked and replied, "Thanks. You want to know something?" Zel blinked and focused on her. "Save for the earrings, necklace, and shoes, this is essentially my sleepwear."

Zel stared. After another speculative moment of silence, he managed to mutter, "Isn't that…erm…a bit…fancy for sleeping in?"

Lina shook her head and stood up. Walking over to Zel, she held up his hand, and lightly brushed the back of it against her stomach. "What do you think?"

For a brief spell, Zel's mind was filled with rather lecherous thoughts, but he shook them off to really feel the fabric, despite his stone skin. He nodded. "You're right; it may not look like it exactly, but it feels like it'd be great to sleep in."

With a furtive smirk, she bent down enough so that her lips were parallel to his ear. In a soft, playful whisper, she asked, "Do you want to try it on?"

Immediately, a noticeable blush presented itself on Zel's face. He muttered, "I- I doubt it'd look as good on me as it does you."

Just then, Lina let out a hearty laugh, no, it was more like a child's giggle. "Oh Zel, I was only kidding! Though, if you're interested, I think I have some clothes of the same material that might fit you…"

Lina caught the obviously bewildered look on his face and laughed aloud again. Letting out a soft sigh, Lina patted Zel's shoulder lightly before whispering. "Ah well, perhaps another day. Tomorrow's going to be a big day, rest well, Zel. I wish you the best of dreams."

Zel turned to wish her the same sentiments, but she was already gone, her lithe figure swaying down the corridor. Exhaling deeply, Zel smiled and followed her. Indeed, Zel sensed that tomorrow would be very interesting.

That night, Zel had what he later surmised to be the best dream he had ever had. The reason why probably amounted to the presence of Lina, and certain scenarios that played themselves out with him by her side.

A/N: Ahhhh…- A wee bit o' L/Z, just a wittle wee bit for now. Oh, and just so you know, when Naga arrived in Seyruun, she pretended that she wasn't at all related to the royal family, and for the sake of reputation, Phil agreed to it. Still, Naga feels nervous whenever her father enters, since you know, she ran away from home and hadn't seen him in so long (some things take a while to get used to). – Sighs happily – Please review, the big event is going to be…hmm…heh…in the next chapter. (But the best part is in the epilogue, trust me).

Alright, I'm going to set a goal. If I get four reviews per chapter until I say this story is finished, I'll post the sequel for you. I can't tell you what that will entail just yet, because the story isn't over, and there are key facts in there that you should know first. Agreed? Alright, let the mass reviewing begin! (and please, for the sake of not cluttering, think of something to comment on in your review, anything's fine)