Author's Notes: Okay. This is the first fanfic I ever wrote. It dates circa '98 or '99 and I was an unashamed newbie. In other words, beware of bad Japanese usage, fandom clichés, stupid puns, and OOC-ness. It was written for a lark—try not to take it too seriously.
Disclaimer: Slayers and Men in Black are properties of their respective owners.
Slayers in Black
The redhead looked up from the parchment to the building. It just looked like some run-down shrine to her. But according to the directions written on the parchment, she was in the right place. The sorceress scratched her head. Whoever sent her this message was absolutely insistent that she come. It could be a trap. But even if it was, she wasn't very worried. After all, she was the beautiful sorcery genius Lina Inverse. And so, curiosity led her inside.
The room she stepped into was nothing like the building's exterior. The chamber was large and clean. Off to the side were a few chairs. In the back of the room was a desk manned by a small brunette (who, Lina noted to her displeasure, was more greatly…endowed despite her apparent youth).
Lina approached the desk. "Um…excuse me?"
"Yes?" asked the receptionist, whose nametag read "Hi! My Name is…Amelia". "May I help you?"
"Yeah. I got this message…"
"Oh!" Amelia snatched away the paper Lina held out to her. "How wonderful. Would you be a dear and please wait for a sec?"
"S…sure." Lina went over to one of the chairs at the side and sat down. And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Lina got up and walked over to the receptionist. "Excuse me…"
"Could you be a dear and hold?" Amelia asked, cutting her off. She then returned to the ever-important task of filing her nails.
Lina sighed and went back to her seat.
Two hours ticked by.
Screw this! Lina thought furiously. She got up and marched over to the receptionist. "Now listen here…"
"Could you be a dear…"
That was the last straw. "FIREBALL!"
Amelia coughed from beneath the ruins of what used to be her desk. "First door on your right," she croaked. "Go straight down the stairs. Can't miss it."
"That's more like it," Lina smirked.
She found the door with relative ease and proceeded to follow the staircase down through a winding labyrinth until she reached a long hallway with one door at the end. Shrugging, Lina opened it and went in.
She stepped into a circular, well-lit room. Lining the wall were several doors.
"Great," Lina muttered. "That stupid receptionist didn't tell me what door to go into. Oh well, might as well leave."
But as she turned to go, she realized she forgot which door she had come in from.
"….."
Shrugging her shoulders, she began a sophisticated process of meticulous investigation to find the door she came in from.
"Eenie meenie minie moe!"
She knocked on the last door her finger pointed at. CREAK. The door directly behind her opened.
"My, you're late," chirped a familiar voice.
"You!"
Standing before her was the receptionist, still slightly charred from their last encounter.
"But how did you…?"
"Oh, we defenders of justice have many ways to travel," Amelia boasted, striking a pose. "But c'mon. The boss was expecting you a while ago."
Amelia led Lina through yet another series of winding passageways. Lina was exasperated. This was taking forever! And she hadn't eaten yet!
"We're here!" Amelia sang. She opened the door. Lina gasped. The room they stepped into was pure white, with some large screen in the back. Several people, all of whom were dressed in similar black suits, were busily working at their desks.
"Right this way," said Amelia.
Above the other desks was one small hovering chamber. Amelia flew up and opened the door, waiting for Lina to follow suit.
"Ray-RAYWING!"
Lina looked around the chamber. From the outside the windows looked completely darkened, but inside she could see what was going on outside with remarkable clarity. Directly in front of her was a desk. Behind that desk was a high backed chair.
"Welcome, Lina," said a voice. The chair swiveled around.
Lina's large eyes grew even wider. The color drained out of her face.
"Miss Lina?" asked Amelia, anxiously, "are you all right?"
"It can't be…" whispered Lina, her eyes still transfixed on the person in the chair.
"Surprised?" asked the figure in the chair.
"Nee-chan?"
"Good! You still remember me, little sis!"
"But- but-!" Lina sputtered, "you disappeared years ago!"
"That's right," Luna said cheerfully. "And this is where I've been all along."
"Why didn't you tell Mom or Dad? They're worried sick! And why is it that nobody remembers you leaving? And why-?"
"That'll all be explained later. But first…" Luna smiled slyly.
Lina cut off her sentence. "Oh, please don't hurt me, Nee-chan!" she begged on her knees. "What did I do to deserve this after all these years?"
Luna's face connected with the desk. "That's not why I brought you here! Honestly, you make it sound like I used to torture you when we were little."
Lina shot her a sour look.
"Rather than explore that," Luna said quickly, "let me tell you the reason why you are here."
"Yeah. Why AM I here?"
Luna smiled. "Why, to join the SIB, of course."
Zelgadiss sighed.
For the past hour he'd been trying to ditch his Took-him-on-as-a-rookie-but-now-he's-full-fledge-agent-but-he-still-follows-him-around partner.
"Hey, Zel," cried the tall blond man following him, "look what this does!" The blond man pulled out a silver device.
Zelgadiss kept staring out the window and put on his shades until the familiar bright flash occurred. Why was he always stuck with the idiots?
He turned around. Once again, Gourry managed to neuralize himself. Actually, Zelgadiss was kind of surprised. The Neuralizer was designed to make people forget. And yet, no matter how many times Gourry flashed himself, he never seemed any different.
"Ooooo, pretty colors," Gourry cooed.
Before Zelgadiss could pummel the bumbling idiot, he heard someone call him.
"Zelgadiss!"
"Yes, Miss Luna!"
"Please report to my office immediately."
"On my way." But he didn't leave before he wrenched the Neuralizer away from Gourry. No telling what he might do with it if he was left alone with it.
Zelgadiss hovered in front of the door to Luna's office.
He sighed and straightened out his tie. Then he prepared himself for the great undertaking: he plastered an extremely fake-looking smile onto his face. Luna "encouraged" in her own special little way a friendly work environment. In other words, she pulled him aside one day and threatened to Dragon Slave his ass if he didn't start smiling the next time he visited her office.
Oh hell, he thought. He opened the door.
"Mr. Zelgadiss!" cried a familiar voice. He quickly stepped aside. Amelia charged Zelgadiss for a warm embrace, but was moving too quickly to stop in time. Needless to say, she neatly exited the door and there was a dull thud. Large sweat drops formed over the Inverse sisters.
"Is she all right?" asked Lina.
"Don't worry," said Zelgadiss peeking his head out the door. "Gourry broke her fall." He quickly closed the door and turned around.
The resemblance was uncanny. Albeit, the newcomer looked a little bit more rough and tumble, but the main characteristics were the same: the sharp ruby eyes that captured the light in certain ways, especially when something sinister was about to occur; the arrogant, intelligent look they had on their face. Although, Zelgadiss noted, the newcomer was considerably less…developed than his boss was.
Luna smiled. "Ah, see? That wasn't so bad now, was it?" asked Luna, noting the chimera's forced smile.
Yes, he wanted to reply. But he kept his tongue. "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes. Zelgadiss, as of today, you will have a new partner," said Luna importantly. "Allow me to introduce my little sister Lina Inverse."
Sisters? That made sense.
"My dear sister may be immature and hot-tempered," continued Luna sweetly, apparently oblivious to the daggers Lina was glaring at her with, "but she's powerful and very intelligent. I'm sure you'll find her a capable and worthy partner."
"Then what about…?" Zelgadiss began.
From below Luna's office they could hear a faint shouting, "Zel! Hey, Zel! Where are you?" CRASH!! "I'm OK!"
"Oh yes," Luna muttered. "Him." Luna couldn't believe that she forgot about him. He was the reason why she made her office floating in the first place.
"Remind me why we have him again," said Zelgadiss, the smile long-gone by now.
"Because," Luna answered ruefully, "the SIB pride themselves on having the best in the areas of sorcery and swordplay. And despite that empty head of his, he's still a genius with a sword. Anyway," she continued, a bright smile returning to her face, "now you'll have two to deal with. But don't worry. You may like having Lina around."
"You're a chimera?" Lina's voice broke in.
"Yes," responded Zelgadiss curtly, his fists tightening in anger.
"You're treading dangerous ground, here," hissed Luna.
"But, I thought that those kind of experiments were-"
"Illegal, yes," snapped Luna. "But unfortunately Zelgadiss had an…accident done to him by his great-grandfather."
"Great-grandfather?"
"Didn't you know? Our Zelgadiss is a direct descendent of Rezo, the Great Red Priest. As it were, he's a fine example of both sorcery and the sword so I'm sure he'll be of great assistance in showing you the ropes. Now," Luna turned to Zelgadiss with a meaningful look, "run along, you two, and take the time to know each other. You'll be spending a lot of time together."
"Follow me," Zelgadiss muttered to Lina, holding the door for her. As soon as she exited, he started to follow when he was stopped by a cheerful call: "Zelgadiss?"
"Yes, Miss Luna?"
"Smile, dear, smile."
Zelgadiss made a point in giving her a big frown as he slammed the door shut.
Soon it would be time.
The night sky glittered with thousands of bright stars, some arranged in constellations. Because they move so slowly, it is a little known fact that the stars are actually moving, even as they are being watched. But soon, soon the stars will have moved into just the right position. They waited 10 thousand years for the stars to achieve formation. They could wait just a little longer.
He tilted his head back and laughed. Soon.
Lina followed her stoic guide as she got a tour of the underground lair. She habitually fazed in and out while the chimera- Zelgadiss? droned out the names of places they were looking at. However, her ear did catch the words: "suit you up."
"What?"
"We need to get you into proper SIB attire," Zelgadiss said for the umpteenth time. Wasn't she listening at all?
"Hold up," said Lina. "I'm not joining anything until I know what's going on. What the heck IS the SIB anyway?"
"The SIB stands for the Slayers In Black. We're an organization of swordsmen and sorcerers founded by the Knights of Ceiphied centuries ago to monitor mazoku activity in this world. Currently, your sister Luna, being the Knight, is the head of this organization."
"Yes!" cried Amelia, popping out of nowhere. "We fight mazoku in the name of Justice and all that is good!"
Zelgadiss punted her out of the way. "Sorry about that. Just ignore her."
"Do we get paid?"
"Not much."
"Then why the hell should I join?"
She had him there. He himself didn't really know why he was here. Fortunately, he came up with an answer for her, "Because Luna wants you to."
She was silent. Ha, got you there, he thought.
Several moments passed. "Fine," she finally muttered in addition to some language that should not be repeated.
Zelgadiss lead her into a room with a glowing sphere floating in the center. "Place your hands on this," he said, indicating the ball.
Lina shrugged. She removed her gloves and complied. In a second an intense burning sensation scorched her hands. "YAHHH!" she screamed pulling her hands away. Zelgadiss' sides shook with silent laughter as he watched her frantically blow on her hands.
"YOU!" She glared at him. "Why didn't you warn me about that?"
"If I did would you have put your hands on it?"
"Heck no!" Lina fumed. She stared back at her hands. The pain was gone, but apparently the ball did nothing to her hands. She blinked. It DID do nothing to her hands!
"Wha-?"
"The spell of the sphere hides your fingerprints. It's essential so that no one can trace us, especially the mazoku we monitor."
"Oh." She really couldn't argue with that logic. You didn't want mazoku to know you were tracking them. And she definitely didn't want the mazoku to track her. "Did it hurt for you?" she asked hoping to numb her own pain by laughing at his.
"No," came the disappointing reply. "I'm a third golem. My skin is stone."
Lina pouted.
"If it's any consolation, you did better than either Gourry or Amelia."
Lina laughed as she got a mental picture of that annoying receptionist screaming her head off. "Who's Gourry?"
"You'll meet him soon enough," said Zelgadiss. "Now, about your gear…"
He led her to a room full of lockers. He opened one and pulled out a black suit and handed it to her.
"No color?" Lina asked disappointedly. "This is gonna clash with my hair."
"Shut up and put it on," Zelgadiss grumbled. Besides, he thought, black suits her just fine.
Lina stepped into the dressing room. In a moment clothes came flying over the curtain and landed on Zelgadiss' head. He sighed. He gathered them off his head, folded them neatly and stashed them in the locker. She may want them later.
Lina pulled the back the curtain. "Well?" She emerged fully dressed in the suit similar to his own only tailored to her body. I knew black would look good on her, he thought.
Out loud he said, "Looks like mine."
"Sure," she said. "But you know what the difference between you and me is?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of shades and put them on. "I make this look good."
Zelgadiss almost smiled.
"What do we need these for anyway?" asked Lina indicating her shades.
Trust me, you'll need it, he thought. As if to prove his point he heard someone call to him.
"Hey, Zel! Look what I found!" cried the bumbling blond waving yet another neuralizer in his hand.
Where did he get that one? Zelgadiss wondered. Slyphiel most likely. He made a mental note to remind Slyphiel to NEVER give him another. He put his shades on. "Lina, don't take your shades off."
The familiar flash came again. "1003, today alone," Zelgadiss muttered. "A new record."
"What is that thing?" asked Lina.
Zelgadiss wrestled the neuralizer away from Gourry yet again. "A neuralizer. It's a SIB device that emits a light spell that wipes away certain memories."
"I see. Another precaution thing, I suppose. No wonder nobody could remember how Nee-chan disappeared. But still," she said, turning her attention towards Gourry, "he doesn't seem to be affected."
"You need brain power to have memory," said Zelgadiss ruefully.
"Anyway, when do we eat around here?" asked Lina.
Zelgadiss checked his watch. It was indeed lunchtime. "What do you want?"
"MEAT!" cried an enthusiastic Gourry.
"Not you!" growled Zelgadiss. Gourry's face fell.
"MEAT!" cried Lina. Gourry brightened. Zelgadiss sweatdropped. Oh, no. Did L-sama make TWO of them?!?
"And fish!" continued Lina. "Lots of fish! And eggs! Sausages, too! Can we also get some spaghetti?"
Zelgadiss sighed. This partnership definitely wouldn't work out.
"Hey," said Gourry, noticing Lina for the first time, "who's the rookie?"
"Gourry this is Lina Inverse, Luna's little sister. Lina- Gourry."
"Sister, huh?" asked Gourry. "Hunh." Gourry scratched his chin, deep in thought. "You're sure a lot flatter than she is!" he concluded brilliantly.
POW! Lina's fist made contact with Gourry's face. He went flying through the titanium walls.
Hmmm… thought Zelgadiss. Maybe this partnership could work after all…
The house lay in ruins. The house had once belonged to a prominent albeit aging mage. Unfortunately, his age seemed to have caught up with him. There was no way he could have protected himself from his ambitious pupil. The apprentice towered above the old man's lifeless form. Pity, he thought. He really had been a good teacher. He taught him well in the lore of the four worlds. In fact, it was from this pathetic old man that he learned of the mazoku portal. But, the old man absolutely refused to give him the scroll detailing the prophecy. So what could he do? He HAD to kill him. He just wouldn't have listened otherwise. Thanks anyway, old man, he smirked, picking up the scroll. Too bad your senility just wouldn't let you think clearly. He unfurled the scroll and began reading intently. He smiled maliciously. Everything was just within his grasp.
Zelgadiss couldn't believe his eyes. He could barely believe how much Gourry could put away. But Lina…. It was like Thanksgiving for 10, nay, 20 people. And the two of them competing for food was like warfare.
"Aren't you having any, Zel?" asked Lina, her mouth full.
Zelgadiss looked nervously at his nearly empty wallet. "Maybe later." There was no way his measly paycheck was going to cover this. He wasn't being miserly. But the amount they ate wasn't exactly proportional to the size of his pockets. Unless…
Gourry, there are times when I'm glad you're an idiot, thought Zelgadiss, pulling out the neuralizer he previously wrenched away from his oafish partner.
"Here's your check, sir," said a waiter. "How will you be paying for this?"
"Like this," replied Zelgadiss, putting on his shades. Lina got the idea and flashed him an impish grin while she also put on her shades. Gourry was still polishing off the rest of the food. Not that it mattered, anyway. He was never affected by it.
The waiter blinked. He could have sworn that there was a flash. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember where it came from.
"Keep the change, my good man," he heard someone say. He was also faintly aware of the chairs scraping on the floor as 3 black suits walked out. But he was too busy staring at the sunspots to notice that they left without paying.
"Zel," teased Lina. "Such a bad boy. Do you always dine and ditch?"
For some reason, having her call him Zel wasn't as annoying as when Gourry did. "No," he said stoically. "Besides, I didn't eat. And don't tell your sister what I did."
Lina smiled. She was beginning to like this chimera.
"Did you have a nice lunch?" asked Amelia when they returned to headquarters.
"It was great!" cried Gourry. "Thanks a lot, Zel!" he said, heartily slapping the chimera on the back and forcing him to fall a few steps forward.
"Next time you should take me, Mr. Zelgadiss," pouted Amelia, trying to keep her jealousy at a bare minimum. "People are going to think that we broke up."
"We were never dating!" shouted Zelgadiss. Whoa. That came out a little more hysterically than he intended it to.
"Did Luna leave any messages?" he asked, in an effort to cover up his embarrassment.
"Hmm?" Amelia turned back towards him. "Now that you mention it, she did leave a message." She fumbled around the messy desk. Lina peered over at all the papers on the desk. All of them were covered with hearts saying: "Amelia Zel forever" or doodles of herself as some kind of superhero with a giant "J" on her chest. This is one sick puppy, thought Lina.
"Here it is!" sang Amelia holding up a pink note covered with hearts. "It says: Take Amelia out on a date!" Sweat drops all around, including Gourry.
Gourry sidled over to the desk. "No it doesn't," he said reading the note. "It says: There's a new presence in magic. Check it out."
Now that she mentioned it, Zelgadiss could feel a presence. It definitely wasn't familiar, but it was certainly powerful. He glanced over at Lina. He could tell she sensed it as well. And Gourry… c'mon. Was Gourry ever aware of anything?
"Let's go."
Lina whistled. "Nice. What is it?"
"Another SIB exclusive. We call it the LTD," said Zelgadiss gesturing towards the sleek black car (yes, we know cars aren't invented around this time, but they're the SIB. They get neuralizers for cryin' out loud! Besides, what's a MIB story w/o the LTD?). "Get in."
"Shot gun!" shouted Gourry.
"Not a chance," said Zelgadiss. "You're sitting in the back."
"But I called it," pouted the swordsman.
Zelgadiss sighed, took out a lollipop and threw it into the back seat. Gourry dove for it. As soon as Gourry sailed passed him, Zelgadiss snapped on the child lock (didn't know they had those on the LTD, didja?) and slammed the door shut. Then he opened the passenger door and waited.
"Hold on. I'm not getting into anything until I know what it is," said Lina.
"The LTD is merely a mode of transportation. Think of it as a horse without the smell."
Lina looked incredulously at the vehicle. She still didn't trust this thing. But, Zelgadiss seemed to. So…
Lina immediately liked the feel of the plush seat. Leather interior, Lina noted. Nice. She heard the door next to her open and Zelgadiss got in. He took out some keys and used them to turn on the ignition. Then the car started moving.
"Hunh? What's going on here?" cried Lina startled to see them moving.
"Just relax," said Zelgadiss somberly. "We're just driving."
The LTD sped off towards the horizon.
They arrived at a very run-down store. The wooden sign was all but deteriorated but one could still faintly make out the characters: "Xellos' "
"I know this store," said Lina. "It's just some second-rate magic store."
Wordlessly Zelgadiss got out of the car and entered the store. Lina shrugged and followed. Gourry sat happily sucking his lollipop.
The cracked brass bell attempted something of a tinkle as the door creaked open. Dust blanketed the shelves holding all sorts of useless odds and ends. Leaning behind an equally dusty counter stood a man with short purple hair and smiling eyes. A face looking oddly like this: . The man brightened with the two arrivals.
"Oh, good morning, Miss Lina," said the man who we all know to be Xellos. "I have a special deal on shrunken heads, buy one buy another one!"
"Cut the crap, fruitcake," said another voice behind her.
Xellos brightened. "Mr. Zelgadiss!" immediately Xellos disappeared from behind the counter, reappearing with his arms wrapped around him. "Long time, no see! Give your favorite second-hand store clerk a hug!"
Lina could see the chimera's usually cool demeanor readily starting to gain steam. If she didn't get Xellos off of him, there would be serious trouble. "Get off of him, Xellos," she snapped.
"Oh?" Xellos disappeared, much to Zelgadiss' relief, and reappeared wrapped around Lina. "Jealous, my pet? Don't worry. You're still the queen of my heart. If I had a heart…" Lina was about to scream when Xellos' head toppled to the floor. Bewildered, Lina saw Zelgadiss standing behind the now head-less Xellos, sword in hand.
"Pervert," spat Zelgadiss. He bent down and picked up the head. "Tell us what we want to know!"
Lina stood in shock. Zelgadiss just killed the store clerk! Although, she reflected, he did deserve it. But what's he doing? He's not going to be able to answer.
To her surprise, the ever smiley-eyed head said, "Thanks so much! I had this crink in my neck like you wouldn't believe. And I thought you didn't care."
Zelgadiss gave the head a vigorous shake. "Who is this presence in the rip last night? And why is Dekarc's presence missing?"
He's a mazoku? thought Lina. But it all makes sense now. Only a mazoku would sell those cheap charms for such a ridiculous price!
"Oh," Xellos said, the smile gone. "What you felt last night was the presence of Xaibar, the apprentice of Dekarc. Our friend Xaibar has gotten very strong in the last few days."
"And where is Dekarc?"
"He's dead."
What? "When? By whom?"
"Last night. By Xaibar."
Last night? Of course, the Fifth Night. Xaibar must have done it to steal Dekarc's powers. "Why?" demanded Zelgadiss.
Xellos cracked open an eye. "That is a secret."
Zelgadiss screamed in rage as he threw the head against the wall.
"Ow…" whined Xellos.
"C'mon, Lina, let's go," muttered Zelgadiss. "He's used up his usefulness."
"What about him?" asked Lina pointing to Xellos.
"He'll pull himself together all too soon."
And sure enough, Lina saw the headless body walking around the store while the head shouted directions: "No, to the left! No, more left! Too far…"
Xaibar was walking along the road when he heard the scream. He followed the sound until he spied a group of bandits ganging up on the fleeing girl. She ran straight into him.
"Please, sir, help me," the girl begged, clutching onto his sleeve. She screamed again as the bandits came closer, latching even tighter onto him.
The leader of the bandits stopped at the sight of the strange man with their prey. He called the others up. "Hey," he leered, "looks like the pickin's be good today." He readied his sword and advanced menacingly.
Xaibar waited until they approached. Pushing the girl out of the way, he unsheathed his sword. All the bandits attacked at once. Xaibar licked his lips in anticipation as he felt his blood flowing faster. With a flick of his wrist, he neatly severed his first opponent's arm. The blood spurted out of the man's flowing veins. The bandit watched in horror as he saw his hand still gripping his sword fall to the ground. The man's screams echoed throughout the forest. Out of the corner of his eye, Xaibar watched this man suffer, amused, as he beheaded another bandit. One by one, each bandit fell, his life either cut short by the most gruesome blows or slowly bleeding to death by decapitation. At last the boss was the only one left. This boss was supposedly the best fighter around this vicinity. He didn't stand a chance. Xaibar approached him slowly. The bandit readied his sword. Xaibar tossed his away. Huh? The bandit thought confusedly. Then Xaibar charged. Xaibar came at him with such a speed that the bandit didn't even know that the mage was in front of him until he felt his sword being wrenched away from his hands. Xaibar stood in front of him, smiling wickedly and holding the bandit's sword. He held it in two fingers and snapped it like a twig. At this moment, the bandit felt death at hand and, for the first time in his life, fear. He turned to run, but two hands on his neck prevented him. Xaibar had the bandit by the throat and lifted him off the ground. For a few moments, the bandit struggled in the air, the life being choked out of him. Xaibar removed one hand from the bandit's throat. He waited patiently while the bandit regained steady breathing, enjoying watching this victim's pain, his fear. Then he ripped him in half. The scream of the bandit was brief, but intense. So it would have to do for now, thought Xaibar. He had enjoyed that. He could have easily dispatched the group with some spell, but he had wanted to see the suffering. He wanted to feel their fear and pain. So he made it as long and painful as possible. Too bad it ended all too soon.
He heard a rustle in the bushes behind him. The little girl he saved emerged. He approached. The girl immediately backed away, frightened out of her mind. "Th…thank you for saving me," she stammered. She backed against a tree and stayed there, petrified.
Xaibar smiled and placed his hand on her head. He then lifted the girl into the air by her hair. Completely ignoring her shrieks, he plunged his other hand into her chest and ripped out her heart. He watched it beat a few more times in his hand before it stopped. He then tossed aside the heart and the corpse and wiped his hand with a handkerchief. He smiled again. I wonder if this is what the mazoku portal will feel like?
The LTD sped along the road.
"Why would Xaibar want Dekarc's powers? What could he possibly be after?" Zelgadiss mused aloud.
"What makes you think the information Xellos gave you was reliable?" asked Lina.
"He may be annoying, but he's never lied before."
"He's a mazoku. Why is he helping us?"
Zelgadiss glanced at her. "That," he said, "really IS a secret."
Lina turned her face forward and returned to thinking. Then she saw the scene in front of her. "What-?"
Zelgadiss swore. The LTD screeched to a halt. Before them laid the bloodiest pile of corpses he had ever seen. Not a trace of magic anywhere….
"Oh-NO!" Lina screamed. "Zel, look!" She pointed to the corpse of a young girl who apparently died of….
"Who could do such a thing?" demanded Lina through her tears.
Luna was not pleased. First there was the troubling news of Xaibar and his apparent ambition. Then there was the even more disturbing news of what Zelgadiss had just seen. She turned back towards her somber agent.
"You didn't feel any presence of magic anywhere?"
"The wounds inflicted weren't done by spells."
"Then perhaps it's Xaibar."
"Perhaps." After all, people as twisted as Xaibar usually didn't need any reasons for…what they did. "But what is he after?"
Luna opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by an incoming message.
"Boss," another agent spoke, "we're monitoring an unidentified mage coming through this town. His clothes are stained with blood…."
"That has to be him," said Luna. "Keep tracking him and prepare to…"
"Let me at him," broke in a rough voice. Lina marched up to Luna's desk and stared straight into her sister's eyes. "Let me kill him."
"It's too dangerous for your first mission."
"I said I want this one!" There was a moment of silence. "Why did you bring me here if you weren't going to let me do anything?" she asked quietly.
"I just don't want you to get hurt."
"I can take care of myself."
Luna sighed in resignation. "Fine. Zel, you're going with her."
Zelgadiss nodded and the two started to leave.
"Oh, and, Zel," called Luna, "get Lina a weapon."
The steel cabinet contained the greatest armory that Lina had ever seen. Zelgadiss handed Gourry a hilt without a blade. "Sword of Light." Lina's eyes sparkled. Zelgadiss picked up his favorite, a blade with the gold hilt in the shape of a battle-axe. Lina licked her lips in anticipation. Wordlessly, Zelgadiss tossed her a dagger.
"Huh?" This definitely wasn't what Lina was expecting. "No fair! You get that while I get this steak knife? And Gourry's an idiot but he gets the Sword of Light!"
"You've never seen Gourry fight."
"Well, you haven't seen me fight."
"Exactly." Zelgadiss and Gourry turned and headed towards the garage.
"What am I gonna do with this? Spread butter?" she muttered as she followed them.
Xaibar picked up the mug of ale. He savored the sensation as the alcohol burned down the back of his throat. A clothes change and a shower followed by a cold beer was just what the doctor ordered.
"Can we talk to you?"
Xaibar turned around to face wall of three black suits. One was a tall blond handsome, though blank looking, man. There was also a man who looked, rather odd. Like he was made out of stone or something. The third was some redheaded kid.
"Can I help you?" asked Xaibar all-too-innocently.
"Care to step outside for a moment?" asked Stone Boy brusquely.
Xaibar shrugged, downed the last of his beer, and complied. Outside he folded his arms and waited. "Well?"
"Do you happened to know anyone named Dekarc?" asked Stone Boy.
Xaibar stiffened. How?
"That's right," said the redhead. "We know all about your little business with Dekarc. And with that little girl you left for-"
"So," cut in Xaibar, "you saw my work. It was quite impressive, wasn't it? But it's nothing compared to what you're going to get!"
Immediately the three black suits drew their weapons. Stone Boy and Blondie had two intimidating swords. The kid had…a steak knife?
"What are you going to do, eat me?" laughed Xaibar.
"See! Even he's laughing!" Lina hissed at Zelgadiss.
"That 'steak knife' just happens to have a spell on it," said Zelgadiss through clenched teeth.
"...oh."
Unfortunately, Xaibar also heard that. "Spell, huh? Well, then. I'll just have to keep you from using it, won't I?" So saying, he launched an energy bolt at Lina.
"Look out!" All three agents scattered.
"Light, come forth!" Gourry charged the sorcerer, a column of light dancing in his hands. Lina couldn't believe it. That jellyfish-for-brains fool, man! can he move! The swordsman moved with agility and skill that his usually blank self hid very well. But even with tremendous skill, Gourry had visible difficulty in landing a blow on the sorcerer.
Gourry grunted in pain as one wave of Xaibar's hand sent him flying into a rock face. From behind, Zelgadiss leapt into the air, bring down his sword for a killing blow. "Astral Vine!"
"Don't make me laugh," Xaibar sneered, easily blocking the attack. He continued to dodge Zelgadiss' advances until the chimera came within a foot of him. Xaibar lifted his hand and a powerful blast sent Zelgadiss flying. Zelgadiss weakly picked himself up. If I didn't have this stony hide, that blast would have killed me!
I gotta help them! Lina thought desperately. She glanced at her blade. Yeah, right. I don't even know how to use this thing. But I do know a trick or two…
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…." Xaibar heard a vaguely familiar incantation. He turned around. That little brat was casting something. He smirked. What could that child possibly know? His stomach turned as he watched the ball of energy appear in her hands. That bitch! She… And sure enough, he heard her cry, "Let all the fools who stand before us be conquered by the power that you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!"
He managed to block some of it, enough to save his life. But that didn't stop the force of it from hitting him. "You- little- you'll pay for that!" he shouted and began his own spell.
"Lina! Use your blade!" cried Zelgadiss.
Lina whipped out the blade and cast a reading spell over it. Aha! Wish I known that sooner.
In the next instant several things happened: Xaibar launched a full frontal attack on Lina. Lina chanted the spell of the blade and sent it flying in Xaibar's direction, not even noticing the movement of her opponent. But Zelgadiss did. Ignoring the fact that he felt like he was run over by a herd of buffalo, he ran towards Lina and tackled her. The two rolled to safety as the ground where Lina had been standing exploded. Xaibar was not as lucky. The speed-and-strength spell Lina had cast on the knife had been effective. Xaibar stared in utter amazement at the blood dripping from his shoulder and at the silver blade lodged in it.
"Impossible," he whispered, staring at the blood on his fingertips. "NARRRGGRH! I don't have time for this," he screamed. He turned his angry eyes at Lina. "But know this, this isn't over yet. The mazoku will make you pay!" With the last threat echoing in the air, he retreated in a puff of smoke.
Mazoku thought Zelgadiss. What is he up to? His thoughts were interrupted by a voice from beneath him. He turned his head and found himself face-to-face with Lina.
"Thanks, Zel," whispered Lina.
"Um, yeah, sure. Don't mention it," he stammered.
"Zel?"
"Y-yes?"
"Could you get off of me?"
"S-s-sorry," he blushed and backpedaled off so quickly he fell on his rear. "Ouch." That fall made him realize how sore he was. He glanced around at the destruction around him and saw a very beat up Gourry coming back to consciousness. "Better get ourselves back to HQ."
"But what about Xaibar?" asked Lina.
"I've got a hunch on him. But first…" he got up and started walking towards the LTD, "we have (ouch) to see (ouch) Slyphiel."
"Oh, no! Gourry-sama!" The pretty young medic came rushing to the side of the injured swordsman. She latched onto him. "Who could have done this to you? My poor dear…"
"Ouch," grunted Gourry lying down on a bed.
"Oh, sorry," mumbled Slyphiel. And she then noticed the even more beat up chimera being supported by a young girl. "Oh! Hello. I guess you're new here. I'm Slyphiel the SIB medical officer," she said brightly holding out her hand.
"Uh, hi. Lina Inverse," said Lina, shifting her hold on Zelgadiss to take her hand.
"Oh? How nice! Luna's sister!"
"Um, Slyphiel…" came a very pained voice.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Zelgadiss," said Slyphiel.
Zelgadiss sat down on another bed and the two injured men removed their shirts. Lina, coming out with a few bruises but otherwise okay, took a seat off to the side and watched while Slyphiel first administered healing spells on Gourry and then on Zelgadiss. Slyphiel then came to inspect Lina for injuries.
"Um, Miss Lina? Are you okay?" asked a very concerned Slyphiel.
Lina broke her gaze from the chimera. "Of course," she answered quickly. "Aside from few bruises, I'm fine."
"Well, that's not-, I mean that's great, but what I meant was…you're, um, drooling." Slyphiel smiled a knowing smile and began to heal a very bright red sorceress.
"The mazoku?" Luna asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"What…how many days has it been after the Fifth Night?"
"About three."
"Then he's going after the prophecy," Luna murmured to herself.
"Ma'am?"
"Dekarc was a master magician, but he was also a specialist in mazoku lore. Among the stories passed down was a prophecy that every 10,000 years the stars would be aligned. At this time the mazoku portal could be opened with the Dragon's Staff. Once the portal was opened, the mazoku have a free passage to flood our world and basically take it over."
"Why would anyone want to do that?" asked Lina.
"Because the one who opens the portal will become endowed with the powers of a mazoku lord."
"It all comes down to a power trip," murmured Zelgadiss.
"Exactly," said Luna. "Now we know what he's up to. We have to get the Dragon's Staff before he does. Thanks to Lina here," she smiled proudly at her little sister, "Xaibar got put out of commission. At least for a while. I'm putting all agents on alert, but I have a feeling that you two, er, three, have the best chance of finding it. Soon as you do, destroy it. Dismissed."
Xaibar set up camp in a cave. That little brat had hurt him worse than he thought. Looks can be deceiving, he thought grimly. Who would have thought that this little toothpick could drain my energy? He flicked the Lina's dagger away from him. And who would have thought that insolent little whelp was so, he winced at the memory of the Dragon Slave, powerful? But this incident only strengthened his resolve. It was that kind of power he was after, and once he opened the mazoku portal, he would have 1000 times that power. Still wincing in pain, he reached over and pulled out his maps. The Dragons Staff was a few days within his reach. It was all the time he needed. A mere setback, thought Xaibar inspecting his wound. But this certainly won't stop me.
Xellos looked up from his counter when he heard the bell on his shop door tinkle as it opened. However, all he saw was a blur before he found himself face to face with a pair of shiny black shoes. So shiny, in fact, he could see his reflection. I'm a damn good-looking mazoku if I do say so myself, he thought smugly.
"Stop being an idiot, fruitcake," he heard a voice above him bark. Xellos came to the frustrating conclusion that Zelgadiss once again lopped off his head. And without giving him the time to say anything either!
"Okay," said Xellos, "first time was cute, but the second time it's just annoying."
Zelgadiss gripped the head by the hair and lifted it to his eye level. "Where's the Dragon Staff?"
"That is a se-"
"You tell me where it is or I'll tell Filia you've been cheating on her. And I know for a fact that her swinging arm is improving quite considerably," Zelgadiss growled.
"Hah! You've got nothing on me! Why would my schnookums ever believe you?"
"Lina," Zelgadiss called.
Lina clasped her hands to her chest. "Oh, Xellos," she swooned, "don't you remember that night when you held me in your arms? Was that night of passion just nothing to you?"
Xellos' and Zelgadiss' jaw dropped. I guess I'm a pretty good actress, she grinned. Although, if I keep this up I'm gonna barf.
Zelgadiss felt himself flush. He shook his head briskly. Concentrate, you moron! "Tell us now or Filia meets your new mistress."
"You wouldn't dare!" cried Xellos, his headless body pointing his finger at the disgruntled agent.
Shoofm Zelgadiss' blade made a clean cut and Xellos' hand toppled to the floor. "Try me."
"Hmph!" Xellos fumed. The decapitated hand gave Zelgadiss the birdie. Lina promptly kicked it across the room. It landed in the wastebasket. "GOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!" she crowed.
"What makes you think I'll tell you now?" fumed Xellos.
Suddenly, Zelgadiss smiled. An actual smile. Whoa.
"Why, hello, Filia," he practically purred.
To Xellos' head's dismay, a striking lady with long blonde hair bearing a vicious looking mace entered the shop. "Xellos, dear? I need you to fix my mace." She blinked as her brain registered the scene in front of her. "Xellos, why can't you ever keep yourself together? Zelgadiss," she smiled brightly at the newcomers, "what brings you here?"
"Actually, Filia, I'm here to bring you some disturbing news. Xellos here…"
"GototheHiddenValleywherethesunandmoonintersectthereliestheDragonStaffcan'tmissit," gasped Xellos.
"Thanks," said Zelgadiss. With that he drop kicked Xellos' head into the wastebasket.
"GOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!" Lina crowed again.
Zelgadiss flashed her a Victory sign and led the way out, leaving a very confused Filia to digest the entire scene.
Xellos sighed. This job was costing him an arm and a leg, er, hand and a head.
Xaibar entered the Hidden Valley. He heard they were supposed to make great salad dressing here. But he wasn't here for that. He looked around. Off to the side he saw a pile of ruins. He brushed off the dust settled on the stones. Yes. The stones bore a carving of a blazing sun. The moon, the moon. Aha! Off to the side, he saw an cluster of trees, where the branches crossed to make the shape of a crescent moon…
Zelgadiss was intently driving the LTD, determined to beat Xaibar to the Dragon staff. His sapphire eyes blazed as he kept them trained on the road. The only other thing he focused on was the roar of the engine. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Wait…that wasn't any engine sound he ever heard before. He glanced at his two companions…and nearly crashed the car.
"Where did you get those?" he asked, indicating the fresh bowls of crisp salad Lina and Gourry were obviously enjoying. Furthermore, there seemed to be a salad bar complete with different bottles of dressing set up in the back of the LTD where Gourry was sitting.
"When you stopped for directions," answered Lina.
"When…but I only stopped for a minute!"
"So what's your point?"
Zelgadiss sweatdropped.
"Hey, Lina," called Gourry from the back seat, "trade you the ranch for the 1000 island."
"Okay," Lina happily accepted. She started to sprinkle the ranch onto her salad when she caught Zelgadiss' disapproving look. "Oh, don't, Zel," she cutely pouted. "Here. Try some." And before he could protest, Lina shoved a forkful of salad into the sulking agent's mouth.
It was a remarkably good salad. The lettuce was crisp and the dressing cool and creamy with just the right amount of seasoning. He would have to come back for some more later. But at that moment, Zelgadiss saw what he was seeking. He slammed on the brakes and the LTD skidded before coming to a halt. As the dust began to clear, Lina saw the silhouette of a man approaching. The man appeared to have an extra long appendage. No, wait. That's a staff. Oh no…. (What were you thinking, pervert?)
"Xaibar," she growled, crushing the fork she held in her hand.
Zelgadiss was actually pretty tempted to run him over with the car. But nooooo. He was a good guy and for some dumb reason good guys were supposed to fight fair. I'll get whoever made that rule. "Let's go," he said to Lina. The two agents got out of the car. And then Zelgadiss let Gourry out of the back seat.
Zelgadiss unsheathed his sword. "Astral Vine!" The blade of his sword glowed a deep red.
Gourry pulled out his hilt. "Light, come forth!"
Lina, this time sans steak knife, pulled out a menacing looking blade. "This is more like it," she grinned.
Xaibar, not to be outdone in attack, recited an incantation. "I will not go down so easily," he said to the three agents. Out of nowhere, a tiny figurine appeared in his hands. "Meet my little friend."
The three charging agents went sliding into the ground. "You play with dolls?" asked Zelgadiss huge sweatdrops forming over his head.
"Shut up!" fumed Xaibar throwing a tantrum. "Besides," he added calming himself down slightly, "he prefers the term action figure. Now," Xaibar commanded turning to the doll, er, action figure, "attack, Chibi-Me!"
"CHIBI-ME?" the three agents echoed.
"Where have I heard that before?" mused Zelgadiss.
"I know!" cried Gourry in an unprecedented moment of brilliance. "Austen Powers! You should have seen that movie with me, Zel. I loved it."
"You would," muttered Zelgadiss. He remembered what he heard about it. (Note: This is not to bash on any Austen Powers fans, it's just Zelgadiss' usually sour point of view on comedic things).
"Biter," said Zelgadiss, indicating Xaibar.
"Yeah, how'd you know that Mini-Me was a biter?" asked Gourry.
"What's a movie?" asked Lina, who wasn't following this conversation at all.
Neither was Xaibar for that matter. So he politely cut in, "Could we please get back to our story? I'm supposed to be on a tight schedule."
"Oh sure, sure, sorry," all three agents concurred.
"Now, attack, Chibi-Me!" The doll, er, action figure charged them with amazing speed. However, having Zelgadiss' fist in his path of flight slowed him down quite considerably. Chibi-Me picked himself up and shook his head. No more Mr. Nice Action Figure, he thought furiously (yes, this doll can think). He closed his eyes and focused all his energy into his body. The SIB watch in horror as the ACTION FIGURE (Chibi-Me nods in appreciation) grow to gigantic proportions.
Xaibar laughed his maniacal laugh (as villains will do) and said, "Well, like I said before, I'm on a tight schedule. So, have fun with Chibi-Me while I'm gone." With that Xaibar made his exit.
"You call this thing 'Chibi'?" demanded Lina.
Not-so-Chibi-Me looked down on them from his towering position. He smiled viciously as he raised his fist in the air and it came slamming down upon them. The earth shook violently and debris scattered everywhere. Gourry charged the giant and was promptly flicked away.
"DRAGON SLAVE!!" cast Lina. The large blast emitted from her hands completely engulfed the area. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left. Moments later, stuffing out of a doll began to rain on them.
"That's it?" asked Lina. "Talk about your anti-climax."
"We should have just done that to begin with," muttered Zelgadiss. "Come on, Gourry. We have to go catch Xaibar."
The SIB boarded the LTD. "Lina," said Zelgadiss, "do me a favor."
"What?"
"Push that red button off to your side."
"This one?"
"Yes."
Lina complied. The trunk of the LTD opened to reveal two engines. Lina shrieked in surprise as she was thrown back in her seat by the force of the engines.
"Now," said Zelgadiss while he concentrated intently on his driving, "we lost the staff. But the staff is merely the worldly key."
"Meaning…"
"Meaning the staff only acts as a pole to channel the energy that opens the portal. The amulet in the head of the staff is really the heart of the power."
"So we have to destroy that?"
"It would seem so."
Lina sighed and rolled her eyes, "Good, because just destroying the staff wasn't hard enough."
Zelgadiss smiled and shrugged. "Could be worse."
Xaibar touched down on the clearing. Directly situated in the center was a stone pedestal. He walked over to it. Yes. The moment he had been waiting for was now approaching. He raised the staff over his head, ready to plunge it into the center of the pedestal. Instead, he felt a bone-crunching force as something slammed into him. Xaibar fell to the ground; the staff flew from his hand landing a fair distance away, hitting the ground with such a force something fell out of the head of the staff.
"No!" screamed Xaibar. He turned around angrily at his assailant. "You!" he shrieked angrily at the redhead who always seemed to get in his way. "You. Die."
Xaibar launched a bolt of energy at Lina. Gourry jumped in front of her. "Light, come forth!" There was a large flash as light met light. The bolt of energy dissipated.
"Thanks, Gourry," gasped a very grateful Lina Inverse.
Not this time, bitch. Xaibar chanted a spell, a spell that would change his form into the very thing that brat would fear the most. The heat surged through his body as it changed form. The transformation was complete. Xaibar opened his eyes and looked on himself. "You've got to be kidding me," he said. He had indeed changed. He was now a 50 foot tall slug. He turned to Lina. "You're scared of slugs?" he asked incredulously.
"YAHHHH!" was the only response he got as he watched the redhead disappear leaving behind twin trail of fire.
"Guess so," he murmured. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Stone boy running for the amulet. "No!" screamed Xaibar as he slithered over to Zelgadiss' position. (Slugs may not travel very quickly, but big slugs cover a lot of ground).
Zelgadiss shifted his sword into one hand as he bent down and picked up the amulet. "Now time to destroy this thing," he said to himself. He paused. When did it get dark here? He turned around and was confronted by a gargantuan gastropod. Hoo boy were the last words going through Zelgadiss' mind when the slug wrapped its appendages around him and swallowed the chimera, the amulet and his sword whole.
Gourry watched in horror as he saw his partner disappear down Xaibar's throat or body or whatever that thing was. He charged the slug, sword in hand yelling, "Don't worry, Zel! I'll save you!"
Slug-Xaibar turned and watched the swordsman approaching. When Gourry got close enough, he wrapped his appendage around the sword's hilt. The light flicker out and the hilt disappeared down Xaibar's mouth.
Lina was running for her life. Nothing grossed her out more than a slimy slug with those little antennae on their head. Did those things even have eyes? At any rate having one in front of her was bad enough. But having a 50 foot one trying to kill her…well that was just too much. And so she continued to make tracks until she heard Gourry's shout. She stopped and turned just in time to see Zelgadiss disappear down the hatch. Lina's breath caught in her throat. Damndamndamn she thought as she ran back towards the clearing.
She returned just as Gourry's hilt also made it down the hatch. "So," Gourry asked desperately as she approached, "now what?"
"Good (pant) question (pant pant)." She paused for a few moments to catch her breath. "Ow, stomach cramp."
"Hit 'im with one of your spells!" cried Gourry.
"Can't. Too dangerous for Zel," she muttered. "But we have to keep him from opening the portal. HEY!" she called to Slug-Xaibar. "If you want to open that portal," she grabbed Gourry, "you'll have to go through him! Now, Gourry, go on!" she gave him a shove forward.
"Hey, waddya think you're doin'?" shrieked Gourry.
"Shut up and be a man!" she retorted.
"Oh, please," said Slug-Xaibar. He calmly flicked Gourry out of the way.
Once again Lina felt her knees getting wobbly. Where can I get a huge can of salt? she wondered. Or at least a ten-foot pole. Wait! Pole… Lina began to race towards the fallen staff. She raised the staff over her head and struck it upon the ground with all her might shattering the staff into several pieces.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!" cried Slug-Xaibar. After a moment of thought he quickly amended that. "Ah, well. No problem."
Lina froze in the middle of her victory dance. "What?"
"Yeah, I still have the amulet right here," he said indicating his belly.
"You suck."
"Yeah, well…"
"Well, nothin'. If you're not careful you're going to get one bad belly-ache." There was a faint hum. Lina smirked, "Too late."
"Wha-?" asked Xaibar before he exploded. Slime and entrails flew all over the place. When the debris settled all that was left were three tired, slimy agents sitting on a hill of…stuff.
"What did you just do?" demanded Lina as she tried futilely to brush some entrails off her suit.
"I used the Sword of Light to give myself some…breathing space," said Zelgadiss.
"Oh. But still," said Lina spitting out some entrails, "did you really have to do that?"
"It was worth it," he said pointing to the amulet. "Besides, I really love this sword," he added, patting his blade. He turned around and brought its gold hilt upon the amulet, reducing it to a pile of dust. He smiled, "Not bad for a first assignment, eh?"
Lina sighed with relief. Slyphiel got them a new change of clothes and medical attention. And most importantly, a shower. She was feeling like her old self again. As they left sick bay she heard Zelgadiss say, "By the way Slyphiel, it's against company policy to give Gourry a Neuralizer."
"Well done, you two, er, three." Luna nodded approvingly. "So, you're sure the portal hasn't been opened."
"Positive, Nee-chan. Otherwise the end of the world would have come by now."
"Smart-ass," Luna said affectionately. She turned to Zelgadiss. "And the amulet?"
Zelgadiss walked up to her desk and coolly dumped a pile of dust on it.
Luna frowned, although she couldn't say she was exactly displeased. I'll have to get Amelia to clean up later. "Well," she said brightly, "you two deserve some R&R. I'll contact you if your services are needed again. Dismissed." To punctuate her final order, the high backed chair swiveled around.
The two agents glanced at each other, shrugged and also turned to leave. Once again, before Zelgadiss left he heard Luna's voice stop him. "Zelgadiss."
He glanced back. The high backed chair had not moved.
"Didn't I say that you'd like having her around?"
Zelgadiss blinked. He wondered what she could possibly mean and decided not to go down that road. He turned to leave before she stopped him again. "Zelgadiss."
He sighed. "Yes, Miss Luna?"
"Smile, dear, smile."
The door slammed. Luna smiled for his sake.
Lina was waiting for him on the ground. "So what now?" she asked eagerly.
"Well…" he began nervously, "Luna did say to take some R&R so….."
"So…" Lina prompted.
"Wanna go see a movie?" he asked quickly, the color rising to his face.
"A movie?" asked Lina. "Oh! That thing you were talking about earlier. What is a movie anyway?"
Zelgadiss smiled. "Trust me, you'll like it."
"Can we also get something to eat?"
"Sure. We can get some popcorn, nachos, hot dogs, candy…" the list went on for a few more moments. With each item listed Lina's gem-like eyes grew bigger and brighter.
"Great," Lina agreed enthusiastically. She grinned, "It's a date."