2005
GRAVEYARD SHIFT
CHAPTER 12 – Bowled Over –
"Did you know that:
On average, people fear spiders more than they do dying? However, statistically you are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by the bite of a poisonous spider."
"I never thought of you as dumb, but Lina, what the hell were you thinking letting that monster paw you like that? And after all my warnings! He doesn't really want you." Luna was holding back some of her fury now. She and her younger sister had been screaming at one another for ten minutes already, and she was getting no place that way.
"You mean, he doesn't really want you! I don't need you to lecture me about my friends or my choices!" Lina told her older sister. She could tell that she hurt Luna's feeling with her first remark, and so she eased off as well. "I know Xel's a bit of a lech, and that he's nearly ten years older than me, and that 'he did you wrong' so he's evil incarnate, but..."
"Are you actually trying to debate this?" Luna threw up her arms in disgust.
"But I report to him at work, he's a friend, and I like being around him," Lina finished. "He's funny and smart and different. I can handle the hands; I'm not going to sleep with him. It's just a lark, okay? I'm not you. I'm me, so leave me alone!"
Luna shook her head, "He's persistent. You're out of your league with that guy."
"I'm tougher than him any day. Besides," Lina smiled coyly and flipped her hair around, "I have a boyfriend, of sorts, who ought to be calling me any second, and it's not Xelloss."
"You do?" This surprised Luna. Her little sister had always been a tomboy-type with no interest in boys at all. It had taken a few minutes, but Lina's other statement finally soaked in. "What did you mean by 'report to him' at..."
"Yeah, kinda a boyfriend, if you have to put it that way at all..." The rest of Lina's comment was interrupted by the ringing phone. "I'll get it! Hi. Yeah? I can do that, sure. Okay, later." She set down the receiver. "That was him. Gourry. You know, tall, blonde, and good-looking guy at the athletic club. Graduated this year. We're going to catch a movie tomorrow, maybe something else earlier. See? So, butt out!"
"Lina, what is your work?" Luna repeated.
"Oh, I pick up dead bodies and haul them to the funeral home. Pretty light stuff, so far."
While Lina and Luna were arguing in the front room, Amelia and Nahga were having it out in the kitchen. "I told you never, NEVER to have boys over when father or I'm not here," Nahga was scolding her younger sister. "Who knows what might have happened if I hadn't come in when I did? That man was working his moves, I'll tell you. He'da had you out of your clothes and, well... He's way too mature for you and moody with a bad temper, and is generally too low-brow, what with his disgusting family business and all."
Amelia was bristling with indignation. "You don't live here any more, and you are not my mother! I wasn't here alone; I had friends over. And Valgaav is nice to me. He didn't do anything but kiss me, and I practically had to be the first to do that. And daddy knows about his film work, and, although it's not much yet, he'll be a superstar in no time!"
"Film work?" Nahga's asked in wonder, then it occurred to her that he'd been lying to Amelia about his true job. Her eyes narrowed as an evil grin slashed her face. "Oh, ho, ho, hooooooo! Film...? Ohhhhhh hooooo... Is that what he told you? Well, add 'liar' to that list of attributes."
"Well, I haven't known him long, but Valgaav is no liar, Gracie. I was at the theater when he and his cousins tried out and I heard the director tell them to come back, AND that's where they were running off to when you so rudely interrupted us!"
"Actor! He fixes up dead people for funerals! His father is Gaav Rubyeye. Come on, you know... Rubyeye Mortuary!" Nahga whooped it up.
At that moment, Luna and Lina thundered in, Luna shouting, "My stupid little sister is working for Gaav with Val-boy and Xelly-pit! She's driving corpses around!"
"Oh, ho, hooo! Mine thought Vally and Xel-poo were film stars! She even got daddy to help them get a job in a play!"
"What a hoot!" Luna and Nahga fell into one another's arms, and laughed til they cried.
Lina and Amelia looked at one another. "So, you work with Mr. Valgaav and Mr. Xelloss ...at a funeral home?" Amelia asked.
"Ah, yeah, and Zel, too. They wanted to keep it a secret because it's not so glamorous, I guess. I think it's intriguing and engrossing...not gross at all. I was going to tell you soon, Amelia, if Val didn't. Ah... sorry you had to find out this way."
Any hurt Amelia may have felt at being excluded vanished. She was a cheerful girl willing to think the best of everyone and of their motives. "That's okay. I'm glad I know now, and I think I understand why he wouldn't want me to know. But, do you think they are still in the play, too? I mean, I know they're really in a play. I saw them try out for it."
"Yep. And Zel is training with Val, and Xelloss has been showing me what to do and we're on a bowling team... OH..." It suddenly occurred to Lina that Gourry and others would be expecting her and Zelgadiss to play with them, as was usual. "We aren't in the same bowling league as you anymore."
"You mean, you and Mr. Zelgadiss will be bowling against Miss Sylphiel and me... and now Miss Filia, too? Oh, that's horrible! Even with Miss Martina and Mr. Zangalus and Mr. Gourry on the team... Oh, Miss Lina! Does he know you're not on his team?"
"No. I guess I gotta tell him when we go out tonight." Lina was not looking forward to that.
Over ice cream sundaes, Lina broke the news to Gourry. "Ah, about my new job..."
Gourry looked through his bangs catching her expression. This is what he had been waiting for. "Uh, huh."
"I work the graveyard shift with Xel, Val, and Zelly at the Rubyeye Mortuary and Funeral Home. Amelia knows, and now you. The guys wanted to keep their job quiet because they figured we'd think they were weird, and we'd all avoid them."
"Oh," Gourry mulled that all over. "You work in a...funeral home, you say?
"Yeah, I just got hired to pick up dead bodies and bring 'em in. Zelgadiss is learning all the cool stuff. Val's in charge and Xel is a pathologist, but he takes orders from Val."
"You like it, then?"
"Oh yeah, what's not to like, ya know? Mystery cadavers with unknown causes of death...like this one guy I hauled out of a tank of water. He may have had something to do with Zelly's accident, at least he thinks so."
"Sounds dangerous, Lina. If murder's involved, you shouldn't go out alone. I could help out."
"Really? That would be nice, but Val says Xel will go with me for training, then Zelgadiss. Anyway, what I was getting around to was telling you... was... about the bowling league."
"Oh, yeah," Gourry brightened. He looked forward to playing with Lina on his team this time. "When's the first game? Filia decided to join up with Amelia and us."
"Weeeel... It's like this... Zelgadiss and I are in a new league, with Val and..."
"Don't tell me-- that Xel guy, too."
"Yeah, him. In fact, Val's dad, who owns the place we work, hired Xel just for his bowling, or so they say. It's hard to say if that was really true or not, but even though Val says it's just a game, his dad takes it pretty seriously. We play tomorrow!"
"Oh," his mouth tightened and he stared into the distance.
"Hey, we can do other things together. Maybe we'll meet at a game or two?"
"Yeah, there's that." Gourry couldn't hide his disappointment. "I was thinking we'd see each other everyday once it was summer, what with no school for either of us. But so far it hasn't been more'n once a week or twice, sometimes." He glanced sideways at her, unhappiness in his eyes.
"The summer's not over. Who knows, right?" Lina didn't want to talk gloom and doom. She was of the moment and craved excitement and action, and food, of course. "Say, wanna see if you can beat me on the pinball machine over there?"
"They got one of those? Yeah, sure." Gourry wanted Lina to be happy, regardless, but he could not afford to let her escape so lightly. "But I want you to set aside some time for us. Can you do that? I want Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, when we don't have league games. That okay with you?"
His face was eager, but the shadow in his eyes betrayed that her acceptance mattered to him, and he be no means took it for granted. This was pre-arranging social engagements, things to do together for pleasure, not just a casual date now and then. It was the first time he had done such a thing, and they were both suddenly acutely aware of it. It meant that they were indeed boyfriend and girlfriend.
Lina found herself blushing; the color was hot in her cheeks. She wanted to behave with lightness, as if his offer meant nothing unusual, and she was not managing it. She was awkward again.
"Well, yeah. I guess I can do that. Mostly."
She saw the light in his eyes, the pleasure in his face, and suddenly Lina was absolutely certain how very much it mattered to him, how much she mattered to him. Not just a conquest, not a personal challenge, but a treasure. She was his greatest treasure, a daunting realization. Her eyes swept over his features. His handsome face was dusted with fine golden hair, heavier over his upper lip where he shaved. He was waiting for her to give him a sign of how she felt. Lina leaned forward very quickly and kissed him on the cheek.
Before she could step back, his arm tightened around her and he turned his head slightly so that he could kiss her on the lips. He was very gentle, but he had no intention of letting he go until he was ready.
It wasn't until she was home and lying awake in bed mulling over the events of the day that Lina wondered how she could justify juggling both Gourry and Xelloss. She had feelings for both men, different ones and overlapping ones and totally confusing ones. Xelloss made her laugh. He was witty, sophisticated in the ways of the world, a PhD, sexy, and enigmatic, concealing much of his life and his innermost thoughts. Gourry made her feel comfortable. He was dependable, uncomplicated, working up the management levels in an athletic club, sexy, and open, concealing little of his life or his innermost thoughts.
She decided that she could have them both, for awhile anyway, and see how they wore with time.
After the stomping around pretending to be a zombie for a few hours, Zelgadiss parted ways with his cousins to pay his friend Gourry a visit. He dropped by his house, but Gourry was not in. He was out with Lina. That was nice, Zelgadiss thought, and sat on the curb wondering what to do with himself. He blocked Amelia from his brain. It had been a blow, especially to what little self-esteem he had left, to stumble upon Valgaav and Amelia together. A car's headlights flashed in his eyes as it turned the corner and left speeding away.
For an instant, Zelgadiss was stunned by the brightness, and then he had a burred vision of a balcony and an older man talking to him. A file was shoved into his arms. "Take this to him. NOW! It's urgent. He's been waiting for this information all morning... the racquetball court. Listen, here's the pass code, mine." The phrases were jumbled, but the words clear. Another glint of shiny at the man's neck and a few parting words and his memory cut off. "Tell him Dilgear sent you."
"Dilgear!" Zelgadiss gasped. "Dilgear gave me a folder. He had on that medallion. I remember that!"
On entering Seyruun Center, the bowling lanes building, and most conspicuous person there was a fiery redhead.
Lina pulled out her shiny orange ball with golden flecks, polished to a brilliant finish, and strode confidently to her lane approach. She began a recitation beneath her breath. She was a tad superstitious, and believed that repeating a few magical words before her release would propel the ball on a deadlier course.
Aloud she yelled, "Fireball!" and send the ball spinning powerfully toward its goal, the pins at the end of the alley.
The pins flew; one crossing over to the next lane. "Yes!" she punched the air with glee. "Nothin' but deadwood!"
Lina was what was referred to as an 'area bowler'; a player who uses instinctual, subconscious adjustments as they release and throw the ball. "More common in today's bowling environment where power is often better than accuracy," Gaav explained unnecessarily to anyone that was listening. "And this was one humdinger of a powerful delivery from the newest little lady on our roster!"
The Honorable Philonel Seyruun nodded in agreement. Lina had been a member of his daughter's team; his team. Phil was this year's local youth bowling league official and Amelia's team coach and Amelia's father. He had been listening politely to Gaav's boasting, and now it was his turn. He loved all these kids, even the ones he didn't know or no longer played with him. He was an optimist and always thought the best of his fellow human beings.
"Look at that Zelgadiss fellow. Used to play for us, he did. He's playing the third arrow." Phil grinned with pride. The term 'arrow' referred to the lanes' targeting system, tinted markers embedded some fifteen feet from the foul line. He was describing to Gaav the angle, or line, Zelgadiss was using. "Mind you, he looked perfectly normal when he played for us."
Zelgadiss was feeling a bit low. He had hurried to see Amelia after his 'revelation' that Dilgear had handed him a folder before the accident occurred. He had hoped she could try the hypnosis again so that he could get to the bottom of the mystery. However, he hadn't been able to get past her sister, who had answered the door and told him to 'beat it!' He wasn't certain if Amelia herself had told her to say that. After all, Amelia had Valgaav to fixate on now, so why bother with the 'freak?' He chose a ball at random and automatically hurled it down the alley, arrow straight and on target.
Gaav shook his head. "Kids these days. Look at what my son does to his face, for the gods'sakes! Good looking young man like him painting himself like a...a...the gods only know what!" He gestured toward Valgaav, eyes lingering on the young man's excellent bowling form and long reach.
Phil nodded in understanding. Despite his harsh words, Gaav's entire demeanor expressed admiration for his son. He turned back to see the pins fly. "Strike! That's my...your Zelgadiss. And now, Martina," but her coach couldn't find the words to introduce her. He sincerely hoped that she wouldn't fall face down on the foul line, or send her ball careening into another lane, as she was apt to do in the past.
Observing Martina for a few minutes, all Gaav had to say was, "Pin bowler."
Coach Phil nodded in agreement. She was guilty of looking at the pins to aim and throw the ball. Better bowlers spotted or line bowled, like Zelgadiss. "She has drive," Phil said succinctly. "Looks like your son is next up. Fine boy."
Gaav glowed. Valgaav had hardly said a word since entering the building. He was a consistent and powerful bowler, thanks to the rock climbing which had contributed to his upper-body strength.
Xel, who had overheard what the older men were saying, although it would take a deaf person to miss a word, snickered in Lina's ear, "I wonder if he would feel the same way, had he walked in on his daughter making out with that 'fine boy'?
"You know coach Phil is Amelia's father?" Lina asked. She allowed Xel to touch her arm, but after that she avoided further physical contact. He made her arm tingle, her heart pound. She avoided his gaze; his eyes could be mesmerizing. They had certainly enticed her to let him get closer to her at the pool party than she'd allowed any guy, ever. It excited her to be so close to him, and it was going to be a long day, longer whenever Gourry showed up.
"I make it a point to know everything I can about my friends. Watch Valgaav, now. He is so psyched-out about impressing his dad that it's funny." Xel was pleased that Gourry hadn't shown up yet. She seemed a little stand-offish to him. He wanted to secure Lina's attention without interference.
Lina turned to watch the serious young man choose a pearly gray ball from a bag.
"He is zoned," Gaav remarked, as he concentrated on his son's approach and release. "He throws a semi-roller."
It was the most popular shot at the time, where the ball tracked outside of the thumb and finger holes. A semi-roller tracked lower that normal causing the ball to spin quicker. With it, he could generate more length at the expense of some power, of which he had a surplus.
"Looks like a semi-spinner," Phil said, preferring his term over Gaav's. "What a quality shot!"
It was a fine performance, honed by years of rigorous training and coaching from his father. It was a shot in which everything, the approach, release, etc. all came together in perfect timing and balance. In practice, it had nothing to do with score or results. 'Quality shots', not 'pinfall', was the goal. Valgaav, though, could bring down the pins as well.
"You are...awesome," Zelgadiss told his cousin. "Maybe I should take up rock climbing?"
Valgaav shrugged. "You'd be good. You're light and flexible and well-coordinated."
"Yeah, not to mention this new thick hide of mine can hardly be scratched," Zelgadiss said.
"Is that so? Couldn't hurt, then," Valgaav avoided further comment on Zel's appearance. He didn't want to participate in his cousin's self-pity party. "You're welcome to come with me and Sylphiel next time we go."
"I'd rather go with just you."
Valgaav looked askance at his younger cousin. "She's not judgmental."
Zel felt a blush heat his face. "I know."
"She's not afraid of personal contact."
Zel put his head in his hands, "Shut up, will you? She has no interest in me. Never will. She's a nurse and it's part of her job not to flinch at the slight of...accident victims." He stopped and noticed that Valgaav's attention was focusing just above his shoulder.
"Hi, Amelia."
Zel tensed. His stomach cramped up. He wished himself at the far end of the building.
"Hi Mr. Valgaav! Hi, Mr. Zelgadiss!" She directed her conversation at the tall green-haired young man, whose amber eyes were following her with unwavering attention. "I just wanted to tell you how impressed I was with your bowling technique. You are so sure and strong. You're great too, Mr. Zelgadiss, but I've seen you play plenty of times before."
Zel tried to disappear. He sank further back into his plastic chair, folded his arms across his chest, and then grunted something in reply.
"Thanks. You okay? Your sister cooled down yet?" Valgaav asked.
"Yes. She had no right to yell at us that way. I told her I could...like... whoever I wanted to and have friends over whenever I wanted to and not have to answer to her."
Zel cringed. She 'liked' Valgaav. She just said so. Amelia, who had always had a crush on him, now liked someone else. And it was obvious that he was not someone she wanted hanging around, but why not tell him that herself? Why use her sister to do her dirty work? He wallowed in despair a second longer. "Excuse me," he mumbled, and shot out of his chair to find the men's room.
Amelia moved to avoid being cut down. "Anyway, I'm sorry if she chased you off again."
"She didn't. I didn't go back," Valgaav told her.
"Really? Oh, well... I wonder who it was that she sent away? She wouldn't say. Oh, well, I gotta go get back to my team. Isn't it great that we get to play our first game together this way?"
"Yeah, sure," he said. Although we wished they could be playing on the same team instead of opposing ones.
"Oh, look! Gourry and Sylphiel finally made it!" Amelia cried out and ran to greet her tardy teammates. Valgaav stood, and then followed Amelia.
"Oh, here come our other players at last! Gourry, Sylphiel! Catch your breath, relax. The other team is up right now. Everything's all right," Coach Phil reassured them.
Gourry was the consummate athlete who competed in several sports developing lifestyle habits which enhanced his overall performance, including specific dietary and training regimens, emotional and stress management, and psychological preparation. He arrived with a virtual armory of no fewer than ten bowling balls, and Sylphiel.
"My car wouldn't start," she said in apology for their being late to arrive. "Gourry-dear was already on his way and had to turn back to get me. I'm so glad he had his cell phone with him and...he's so kind." The last was said with a sigh, or perhaps she was just out of breath from running in.
When Valgaav looked over Gourry's collection, it was with great admiration. He articulated an entire sentence, his first so far that day to anyone but Amelia. "Heavy duty arsenal, dude."
Gourry explained, "I've been collecting of balls since I was five and could pick one up. Each ball reacts differently so that I can adjust real fast to changing lane conditions."
Meanwhile, Xel was watching his own perfect strike go down with a smile on his face, hands in his pockets– cool and calm, relaxed and self-assured.
"You got a lot of wood with that dull axe," Filia said to Xel.
He turned to her voice, shrugged in acknowledgment, and then retrieved his signature blood red ball from the ball return. He knew from her tone of voice that she used the 'axe' term for a bowling ball in a derogatory fashion, but it didn't faze him. He had found his groove. "Triple," he smiled. Three strikes in a row, the first two from his warm-up.
"Turkey..." she returned. It meant the same thing as 'triple' in bowling lingo, but not the way she said it.
"I think I'll go for a four-bagger." He smiled, and then turned his back on her to wink back at Lina. Throwing four strikes in a row was nothing new for him, but uncommon an event in the first league game of the season. It proved he had nerves of steel, or no blood flowing through his veins.
"Give it the Fist of Justice, Amelia!" Phil shouted, demonstrating with an enthusiastic punch of his own.
Amelia was mostly a straight player, who relied on accuracy at the expense of power, which meant that she didn't hit many strikes, but picked up nearly every spare. She brought two balls. One, the pink, was for fixing her mistakes. She chose her favorite pearly-blue ball, which wasn't to heavy to begin the game, and practically tripped on her approach up the runway. She caught herself in time, returned to good form, released the ball, and followed through completely. Unfortunately, her slip-up resulted in a slow ball.
"Ooooooh, rats! A puff ball!" she bit back her anger, and then smiled, "Sorry guys. I'll do better next time."
"A creeper!" Zangalus said disparagingly, and then moaned for added emphasis. Her slow ones were never powerful enough to make strikes.
"Baby split. Just get the spare," Martina said sullenly. The 2-7 split was doable, and Amelia was particularly adept at getting all her spares, but it wasn't the vivid, exploding strike that they needed. Without Zelgadiss on the team, Martina figured they were doomed. Lina, well, Martina was happy to have her on a different team. Lina was a good bowler, too good ("The little show-off.) Martina wanted to be the best female on her team, and now she had that chance.
"So, aren't ya gonna say hello to me?" Martina asked Valgaav pointedly.
"Hel-lo." He looked at her still-green hair. "Any luck selling your script?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I gotta taker. Lina's never gotten anyone interested in her stuff. Too highbrow, I told her. People don't want to be educated. Bor-ring. They want terror, romance, sex...you know..."
He cut her off. "That mean we don't gotta finish reading it?"
She stuck up her nose and turned away in an attempt to snub him. "It can mean anything you like. If this thing's a success, like it should be if the clowns give it the proper treatment it deserves, then I'll be rich. I got more ideas flowing from me all the time, anyway."
"Or the landfill will be enriched," a voice muttered in his head. "That's great," he muttered and stepped back to watch the far more appealing Amelia.
Amelia opened her second bowling bag and produced her working ball. This was a special ball with great spin that could produce a lot of action among the pins, breaking up splits when hit on the nose.
"You do the job for me, okay?" Amelia whispered, and then kissed the ball and sent it flying down the alley. "Yes!" she cried out. "I covered the five pin! Yay! I made the spare! That's a mark for me."
Valgaav congratulated her, and said hello to Sylphiel. Had Eris been there, it would have been her turn next, but instead, she was skipped and the opposing team was up again. "Good luck with that ball," he said to Sylphiel. "Could use a quick shine. Grab another and I'll take it over to the cleaner for you."
"Thanks, Valgaav, that's so nice of you, but I don't think it'll matter. I'm still rattled from my stupid car." She chose a different ball at random anyway.
Sylphiel sent her first ball into the gutter with a moan. "Not a good start."
Afraid of lofting the ball, she had released it with a cross-over swing. She had had a problem in the past of throwing the ball too high above the lane bed. Her next roll looked good. It was heading for the kingpin with plenty of action; an apparent perfect hit for a strike, but one pin was left standing.
"Tap," Zangalus declared succinctly.
"A blow," Martina said with undisguised disappointment.
"That's okay," Amelia patted her friend on the back. "You just got here and didn't have time for a warm up. You'll do better next time. I'm sure of it!"
"Thanks, Amelia." She looked around, and missing Zelgadiss asked, "Have you seen Zelly today?"
"Yes, I was talking to him just a minute ago and he took off to the men's room suddenly. He wasn't looking like he felt too good. I think he feels bad about not being on our team. I mean, it was very sudden for both him and Lina to jump teams, though I guess they really had no choice, their coach being their boss and all... Anyway, we were really lucky to have Filia join up!"
"I guess. Poor Zelly. I'll go talk to him, then, wherever he went."
Ironically, Vurumagen was stuck playing 'the graveyard', a derogatory term for the bowling lane that was notorious for low scores. The surface was rougher and it was more central, probably over-used. Valgaav, Xel, and Zelgadiss were smart enough to get to the center early enough to claim the better lanes. Not that it mattered that much; he was the team's worst player, even worse than Eris, who had not shown up yet.
"No Eris, Valgaav's gone to 'the dark' side, and where did Zelgadiss go?" he asked Xel as he chose his ball. "Our team grows smaller by the hour."
"Bathroom." Xel looked at his watched and thought he'd been gone too long. "You're up."
"I am?" Vurumagen checked his pants.
Xel laughed aloud, "Go roll the ball into the gutter or something."
"Been there, and done it all," Vurumagen said half-jokingly. "Better have Val go check on Zelly before he changes teams. Not that Valgaav could jump teams, but it's plain that he's smitten with one or two of their female players."
"Don't worry about them. Think about your game," Xel recommended. He smiled. There was a time he had sex on his mind as much as Vurumagen, and not too long ago, either. Now he looked at Lina and felt something deeper gnawing at him. A deeper need. He pushed the feeling down and shivered.
"You okay?" Lina asked.
"Spooky," Xel said, and pointed toward Vurumagen to cover for his real feelings.
"I guess," she said weakly. She knew the man 'dressed and made up the corpses', but Xel carved them up. Which was the spookier?
First, Vurumagen rolled a 'railroad', an ugly split.
Xel winced, and then commented aloud, "High hit."
It was a solid, but too hard of a hit on the head pin near its front center, leading to the failed strike attempt. Gaav was about to put in a suggestion, but he stopped and listened to what Xel was telling Vurumagen instead.
"Try this stance to correct for your hook." Xelloss demonstrated and had the other man repeat, imitating his move as best he could.
With a hook, Vurumagen's ball, which had initially moved straight down the alley, curved towards the pin from left to right ( he was a lefthander ) on the latter part of the lane. "Oh, I see. Yes, I can correct that and get the spare, I think."
He nearly did.
His score was displayed on the automatic, illuminated screen, while Filia took up her ball. Lina was preparing for turn, wiping off her ball and talking to it, so Xel idled over to offer Filia some unsought advice.
"Go for the King pin, the number 5 pin," Xel clarified for good measure. "It is a key pin to producing a strike. A light pocket hit or a deflected one would leave this pin still standing for a miss, so give it all you've got."
She frowned. "I don't aim for pins. I'm a line player, you cretin. Now go away and keep your wits for your own game." She missed the strike, but made a difficult spare with flair.
Other players took their turns, and Zelgadiss returned surreptitiously to roll another strike, then took a seat in the back next to Vurumagen.
Lina destroyed two pins on a spare pickup in an amazing demonstration of power bowling. How a tiny girl like her could send a ball rolling and spinning with such fury, no one understood. Xel wrapped an arm around her as he lead her back to her seat, while Gourry stood to take his turn. Xel turned and smiled, meeting Gourry's eyes. The war was on.
Vurumagen's next shots were not bad, but he missed his spare.
"It looked fine. I don't see how you blew that," Zelgadiss said tactfully, for him. He had no desire to irritate the man who had hired him.
"Not my day. But last night was marvelous," he smiled and dragged a hand through his wispy lank bangs. "You could make an improvement in it for me."
Zelgadiss hid his rising blush with his fall of silver hair. He didn't know who made him feel more uncomfortable today, Valgaav or Vurumagen. He wanted to hate Valgaav and blame him for everything that was going wrong for him, but couldn't. Vurumagen was the only person who was attracted to him, and he was a man, for gods'sakes. "Sorry, I'm not...like that."
"I know, honey. I was just pulling your leg. Trying to get your mind off your troubles."
Zelgadiss shook his head and closed his eyes. "Impossible."
"Well, don't look up. We have company and she's not here to see me," the man snickered and turned his attention to the opposing bowlers. "Now, who is that one? Zangalus? What a name..."
"Hi, Zelly. I got here late and didn't see you until now. The team's not the same without you."
Zelgadiss felt a soft warm hand on his, which startled him to react. First he looked up. She was standing in front of him; he was seated. "I miss you," she repeated in a quiet voice.
Her gentle, caring disposition cut through his defenses. His forbidding scowl succumbed to her charms and transformed into an expression of wonder, like magic. "Sylphiel?"
Her green eyes softened as she smiled back. "Uh, huh. Can I sit here for a while?"
"Ye-es," his voice cracked.
"Zangalus is what I call 'a Cranker'," Coach Phil told Gaav. "He's a power player with an exaggerated arm action to impart a massive hook."
Gaav nodded with interest.
Phil took that to mean he should continue, which he did. "His hard-hitting, big hook shot spins faster than the average speed player's, but that usually means he's less accurate and relies more on power for his scores."
Gaav rubbed his chin, feeling the beginning of stubble forming. "You don't say... Gangly feller."
Gourry disliked Zangalus and his bowling style, but kept his mouth shut about it. Zangalus had graduated in his class, and now was working full time at a job gifted to him by his father. Sure, the guy was only a car salesman, but Zangalus hadn't had to do a thing to get where he was. Gourry had worked for everything he had, and worked hard. Honest hard work. Not like that slimy, greasy-haired teammate of his. But, Gourry wouldn't say a derogatory thing about anyone, unless severely pressed. Instead, Gourry would prove his superiority with excellent form and skill.
Zangalus started deep inside line A, the strike line favored among the big hook players. He stood on a high numbered board and aimed for a lower numbered board, which for a right handed player like him meant that he started his delivery on the far left of the approach. Often he did well this way, but this time the ball hooked excessively and took the path to the pocket.
"Oooh... it's taking the scenic route," Lina observed.
Xel, comfortably ensconced at her side, laughed at her wit. She quickly met his eyes, giving him the chance he'd been waiting for. "You know, after this," he wiggled his hand to incorporate the entire game. "We should go out for something to eat."
"Yeah," she agreed, but then wondered who all he meant to out with-- all of them, or was it just to be the two of them?
Gourry looked over at Lina chatting with Xel. Although he was sure that he and she had an understanding, her continued intimacy with her co-worker disturbed him. If he let it, it might affect his game.
Zangalus' complaining interrupted what Lina was going to say to Xel next. "It's a running lane! My ball hit the lanes and ran left! Too much oil over there, see?"
Gourry hated whiners, especially one that blamed his mistakes on the lane conditions. It was embarrassing to him to have one of his teammates act so childish. Against his instincts, Gourry decided to help the other man.
"Try using a suitcase grip," Gourry suggested. He illustrated by picking up one of his bowling ball bags. "Holding the ball like you would the handle of a suitcase reduces hook." He didn't add that he thought the lane condition was just fine.
Zangalus bit back any remark he might have made had they been alone, and took his next shot. He altered his grip slightly, as Gourry had suggested, and made his follow up throw. The ball stopped its strong hooking action before entering the space between the 1-3 pins, which for a right-handed bowler was called 'the pocket', and blasted the pins helter-skelter.
"The ball died," Zangalus gasped in amazement, meaning the hook was gone completely.
"Got your spare!" Amelia and Martina cheered together.
Zangalus shot Gourry a look of alarm, wondering if he would be obliged to go thank the guy, but Gourry wasn't paying attention. His thoughts were elsewhere, across a few lanes.
Later on, Vurumagen shot another split.
"Cherry pickin' cherry picker!" Gaav announced. "You're better than that. Just picking off the front pins an' leaving the back one on a spare attempt– you call that bowlin'? Where is your mind today, boy?"
Vurumagen was nonplused by the nearness of Gaav's powerful jaw. The single gold-coated canine with its embedded diamond glittering amongst a row of teeth the size of piano keys was only mildly disturbing to a man to could make a head with half its face blown off look like it had just left the beauty salon.
He rolled his eyes and flung up his pale hands. "I really can't say what my problem is. First tourney jitters, I suppose." To get the attention off his poor performance, Vurumagen pointed out the other team's weakest player. "I am not alone. That young lady is having her problems, too. I don't know which is worse, her off-balance stance or her skin-tight, lilac pants. Poor thing."
Sylphiel had missed her spare and looked crestfallen, but this time Zelgadiss, next in turn, graciously retrieved her ball, and handed it back to her. "I can offer a few pointers, if you'd like."
"Okay," she said through a faint blush. "Take your turn first, though. I'll cheer you on."
Zelgadiss was in fine form, and he had a two-coach cheering squad for encouragement.
"Look at him 'throwing rocks'!" Coach Phil whooped, forgetting Zel was no longer on his team for a moment. "He's piling up strikes with a speed ball."
"Leaving nothing but deadwood!" Gaav finished. "Agile and quick." Hiring the blue-hued young man had been a good business decision, a warm gratifying feeling.
"That's a double. Two consecutive strikes." Phil gestured broadly and struck his fist into the palm of his hand. "He just pounds away! Always has consistently hit his mark, though. Like that other fellow on your team, Xel."
Which turned out to be a good thing for Gaav, because Eris was a blind score. When a league bowler was 'blind' and unable find his or her way to the league game, the bowler's average was simply used, as if he or she just bowled that score, when figuring the team's total for each game. With Vurumagen's off night and Eris' below par score, Gaav would need Lina and Zelgadiss to show well.
Martina slipped and fell, but her ball rolled on to give her a tough split. She cleared the remaining pins, making her spare. If you could suffer her stupidity and stubbornness, she was a tolerable teammate.
Xelloss hit his fifth strike.
Amelia made her spare.
"Nice for you," Lina said coolly as she got up for her turn. "I gotta follow that?"
Her words hit him like a slap in the face. Xelloss raised his eyebrows in surprise. He certainly hadn't been expecting Lina to say something like that. He had anticipated a warm, upbeat greeting filled with praise, admiration, and perhaps a touch of astonishment. "I'll work harder, and miss next time," he muttered under his breath.
Lina had been rolling her signature 'fireball' strikes. This time her run ended with a 2-8 split. She stood fuming over her turn of luck.
"You can get this spare. Just watch out for the sleeper. See? That hard-to-see one in back, hidden by the pin directly in front of it," Xelloss warned her.
She nodded dismissively. She didn't really need the help. She was completely wired and in the zone with very consistent high scores. That last shot was just a fluke. She whispered a different little phrase over this ball, lending it the supernatural powers required to take down the remaining pins for the spare. She danced all the way back to her chair, catching Gourry's eye, and giving him a friendly wink.
Gourry grinned in return and gave her a sporting 'thumbs up,' which Xel observed. A sharp pull in his chest pained him. He suddenly hated Gourry for causing him a moment of jealously. He decided to do something about that, but he'd have to wait for the opportunity.
Filia proved to be a welcome asset to her team. Coach Phil was first to categorize her. "Now that young woman is a 'tweener.' She shows with more accuracy and less power than a 'cranker' like Zangalus, but also with more power than a straight player like Amelia."
Gaav had his own term. "I prefer the term 'stroker', personally. She has a fluid unforced motion after releasing the ball, unlike a 'cranker' who usually 'hits up' on the ball at the release."
Filia was shaping up to be one of the best on the team, when she was focused.
"Strike!" she heard the voices roar in approval behind her as she watched the pins drop with satisfaction.
"Very nice form, from the rear angle," Xel complimented her in passing as he moved to speak to Vurumagen at the ball return. He wanted to coach the man a little before he took his next shot.
"Thanks. I just picture your face on my mark and hammer it every time."
As Filia passed by Xel, her bare arm grazed his forearm. "Ecuuuse me," she said, snapping her arm away as if she had encountered acid.
He chortled, "Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
They exchanged nasty smirks, and then she returned to her seat.
Sadly, on his next third turn Vurumagen rolled poorly again, managing to leave the 1-2-4-7 pins were still standing after the first ball.
"Clothesline!" Gaav and Phil simultaneously shouted.
Unfortunately, he was unable to clear them all, and so it was another blow for him.
"Three splits in a row," Vurumagen moaned.
"Buzzard Three!" Gaav growled. "You can see them 'circle-ing' the score pad." (Note: the symbol for a split is a circle.)
"Turkey buzzard," Vurumagen sighed dramatically, the back of his hand limp upon his forehead, eyes closed in pose of dismay.
"Well, my man, that closed out the beer frame. Looks like you'll be buying the drinks at break," Gaav clapped Vurumagen on the back, instantly forgiving the man for his poor showing. Their team was ahead, regardless.
The 'beer frame' had been pre-designated; the player with the lowest pin count up to that point was on to buy everyone on the team a round of some type of refreshment.
"Everyone done with the frame? Break time, then," Gaav announced. He and Phil congratulated one another on their team's performances, so far, displaying good sportsmanship and humor. No hard feelings. This wasn't an important game for either man; Gaav considered it a warm-up for the game against his sister, Zelas, coming up.
Both teams, having agreed to a short break, had regrouped at the refreshment and snack bar. After forking out for his team's drinks, Vurumagen joked, "I am having an out of money experience."
That loosened things up, and the conversations started. Filia asked Zelgadiss, "So how's the play coming along?"
"The play? Oh, yeah..." Zelgadiss clicked back to reality. Having Filia around was disconcerting. Having Amelia around was disconcerting. Having Sylphiel around and treating him like he was a desirable male human being was disconcerting. Having all three girls close at hand and having feelings for them about to burst out at any minute was disconcerting. "We just had a practice. It's okay." But I'm not, he thought.
Valgaav sympathized with his cousin's situation concerning Filia, although he didn't know that Zelgadiss had any lingering interest in Amelia. He did understand that being faced with an 'ex' in social situations was uncomfortable, and imagined that feeling like an alien at the same time had to be a miserable experience. What Zelgadiss needed, Valgaav figured, was a diversion. He sidled closer to Xel, and whispered a plan in his ear.
Xel smiled and nodded. They had put on a few 'acts' in clubs while in Atlas City, for the fun of it. Val had suggested one of them, and Xel agreed. "How about we give you a preview of what's to come?" Xel announced. "We'll do a few lines from our play, okay?"
Both teams clustered around as Xel and Valgaav fell into a comedy routine. Xel flicked a pretend cigar and waggled his eyebrows 'Groucho Marx'- style, and Valgaav played the straight man, or in this case, the lady nurse.
Xel started it off. "We need to get these people to a hospital!"
Valgaav held a hand over his heart, and in a shrill falsetto cried out in mock distress, "Oh no! What is it, doctor?"
To which Xel replied, "It's a big building with a lot of doctors, but that's not particularly important now."
The group laughed spottily and groaned. Valgaav and Xel continued without stopping.
Xel asked, "Nurse, did you take the patient's temperature?"
Val replied, "No. Is it missing?"
Xel threw up his arms, "Forget that one. Nurse, tell me how is that little boy doing-- the one who swallowed ten quarters."
Val shook his head, "No change yet, doctor."
Val cleared his throat to silence the giggle, and continued in his false female voice. "Doctor, there is an invisible man in your waiting room."
Xel replied, "Tell him I can't see him now. Next!"
Valgaav said, "Doctor, there's a man in the waiting room with a glass eye named Brown."
Xel rolled his eyes, and asked, "So, what does he call his other eye?"
"Oh gods this is awful," Lina moaned, although she was grinning all the while.
"I can't believe their delivering these idiotic jokes in a play. It's got to be the stupidest thing ever!" Filia decided.
Valgaav was not discouraged, and began feeding Xel the one-liners in a slightly different routine. He started by pounding himself on the head, and said in his normal voice, "Doctor, it hurts when I do this!"
Xel shook imaginary ashes off his cigar, and said, "Well, don't do that."
Val stopped. "Okay. So, doctor, what should I do if my temperature goes up a point or more?"
Xel threw up his arms again, "Sell!"
Valgaav grabbed Xel's arm, "Doctor, you must help me. I'm under so much stress, I keep losing my temper with people."
Xel tried releasing his cousin's death grip from his arm. "Okay, tell me about your problem."
Valgaav frowned, his expression turning dark as he growled, "I just did, didn't I, you stupid bastard!"
Filia caught herself chuckling at their silliness along with everyone else. "Aren't you in any of this?" she asked of poor Zelgadiss.
"Er...ah...not...yet." For a minute there he had forgotten his problems.
Xel put a hand to Val's forehead, and then took it a way. "Have you ever had this before?"
To which Valgaav replied, "Yes, doctor!"
"Well," Xel smiled ruefully, "you've got it again."
Valgaav asked, "Tell me, doctor, if I give up wine, women, and sex, will I live longer?"
Xel looked at him with a serious expression, then answered, "Not really. It will just seem longer."
Before their audience could recover from that one, Valgaav asked Xel, "Well, doc, what does the X-ray of my head show?"
Xel replied, "Nothing."
"Really?"
"Really. Absolutely, nothing." Xel waggled his eyebrows and bit at his cigar.
"Oh, then, doctor, should I file my nails?"
"No, throw them away like everybody else."
Valgaav wrung his hands with worry. "Doctor, my tongue tingles when I touch it to a cracked walnut wrapped in used toaster oven aluminum foil, what's wrong with me?"
Xel raised an eyebrow comically, and stood back a ways, pausing before saying, "You have far too much free time."
"Say, doc...How can I lose twelve pounds of ugly fat?"
Xel answered with a smirk, "Cut your head off."
"Doctor, I have a problem. I feel unhealthy and depressed."
Xel paused a moment to get where Valgaav was going with this, then satisfied that he knew how to respond, continued. "You should cut down on drinks."
"I don't touch a drop."
"You should cut down on smoking."
"I don't smoke."
"You should stop taking drugs."
"I don't do drugs."
"You should cut down on..." He thought of the word that was appropriate. "... Womanizing."
Valgaav sniffed indignantly, "Haven't touched a woman in my life."
Amelia giggled nervously.
Xel tossed his invisible cigar to the sky, and brushed off his hands. "In that case, get yourself a drink, learn to smoke, do some drugs, and find a hot girlfriend!"
Valgaav caught his father's eye. The man was pointing to his watch. "Look here, doc! You've already removed my spleen, tonsils, adenoids, and one of my kidneys. I only came to see if you could get me out of this place!"
Xel glanced at the clock, and saw that it was time to get back to the match. "I am, bit by bit." He turned to his audience and bowed. "And that's all for today, folks!"
"Yay!" Amelia and Sylphiel cheered. "That was terrible, but you guys made it funny."
Martina had been in the ladies' room and managed to miss all but the last few lines. "There was more? And I missed it? Ah, crap! That wasn't my fault; I had to go, you know? Can you guys do it again sometime?" She hung on poor Valgaav's arm, and whined all the way back to the chairs. Xel had skipped off at the first sign of Martina to remind Lina of their dinner date.
Unfortunately, Gourry was showing Lina one of his bowling balls, his new one, apparently, and fully monopolizing her attention.
"It really depends on your style but in my case I've found that I do better with a reactive-resin ball that is sanded with 600 grit wet paper on most lane conditions. If the lanes are bone dry then I'll use a polished plastic ball," he was telling her.
Fascinating stuff.
"Oh yeah? I didn't know that," Lina admitted.
Xel sighed, and thought to himself, "If that's the best that guy can do, I need not worry."
Sylphiel and Zelgadiss joined them. Xel smiled. It appeared that she was gripping Zelgadiss' arm. How cute! Xel listened in on what she had to say.
"There are some really good yoga stretching exercises which are very beneficial to bowlers. Also a squeeze-ball and hand-grip are good for fingers and wrist. A 10lb dumbbell is good for arm curls... ah... Some deep knee bends are good for legs. Push-ups are good for the shoulders..."
"Sounds like you have really liked the job at the club. You going to miss it?" Zelgadiss asked.
"It was hard to decide. Part-time work at the hospital wasn't much fun, but I learned a lot. When I was there when you were hurt, well, I decided that if a full time job in physical therapy ever opened up, I'd take it. And it did! It pays about the same but I get great benefits and I like helping people."
Zelgadiss asked, "So, when do you start full-time?"
"Monday. And I meant what I said. I know your accident was a horrible thing to go through for you, but it helped me decide what I really wanted to do most."
She was so earnest that it caused a flash of heat rise to his face. He had no idea what to say, either. But before he could muster up some clumsy reply, Amelia bounced over, eager to get Lina and Sylphiel together for a planning session. Zelgadiss was left standing with Gourry.
"How's it goin'?" Gourry asked him.
"Weird. I don't know how to explain it."
"Sure, life's like that a lot for me. We can talk while we finish the game."
"I think I'll pass. Sorry, I want to talk, but not here. Too many...ears. I'll catch you later."
After that the rest of the game flew by. Gourry took his turn. He was mostly 'On,' meaning on target and on line. He was a player that consistently hit his target and scored well.
Xelloss had hit his fifth strike, and now his sixth in a row.
"Six pack. Six strikes in a row!" Gaav roared approvingly. He was pleased that he was getting his money's worth from his nephew, an expensive employee. "See how he opens up one of those Turbulence holes? That extra hole creates air movement and causes the pins to fly around and mix better."
"He's very impressive, Rubyeye," Phil frowned. "Where's he from? Don't know the name."
"My sister's boy. 'Course he's all grown up now, but he's still a kid to me. He hales from Wolfpack Island."
"Wolfpack Island!" Phil was shocked. The place was veiled in mystery. Once a colony for a cult of Satanists, it had been converted into a high-security prison for dangerous inmates the other jails couldn't handle and an insane asylum for the terminally hopeless. "That's no place for a boy to grow up!"
"No, but somebody has to run the place, provide the services, bury the dead," Gaav said in a low voice his eyes holding Phil's steadily.
"I suppose you're right..."
"Xelloss spent most of his childhood being shuffled between relatives when his father moved out. Xel lived withhis fatherbefore going to college. Been in Atlas City ever since, except when he worked summers on the island. He's mine, now." Gaav rubbed his chin. His eyes found Valgaav and followed his movements a moment. He was watching the youngest member of the opposition's team, Amelia. "Got my boy outta a few tough spots in Atlas City," he said absent-mindedly.
Coach Phil was looking in the same direction. "There's my girl. Give'em the Justice Fist of Power stroke!"
Amelia pulled out her favorite ball, and pretended she hadn't heard him. It was a little embarrassing to have her father shouting at her like that.
"Ah, not the 'pumpkin'!" Martina groaned. "Not another soft-hitting ball. Put away the marshmallow. It is sooo ineffective!"
"You're right!" Amelia shouted. "No guts, no glory!" She asked and was given one of Filia's balls, and played more aggressively than she had ever played before, finishing the game with all strikes from that point on.
"That's my darling daughter!" the coach shouted. "She 'XXX'ed out!'"
Martina rolled her last ball, setting the ball short by either intentionally or accidentally releasing the ball behind the foul line. She was able to pick up the spare for the final shot of the game. As it turned out, Martina turned in a Dutch 200; a game of exactly 200 by alternately rolling spares and strikes.
While the final scores were being compared and discussed, Xel cozied up to Lina's side to remind her about going out to dinner.
"Oh, yeah, about that..." Lina began, unable to look him in the eye. She had not agreed to going out with just him.
"Hey, Lina!" Gourry loped up to join the crowd, as in 'two's company, three's a crowd.' "Ready to do somethin'?" as in 'something with me, your boyfriend.'
"Ah... well...about that..." Lina hedged some more. Now her promise was coming back to her. She hadn't meant that she owed him every free minute, especially after a game!
Xel's smile faltered. "Excuse me?" He was certain he had secured Lina for the evening, and now this other guy was honing in on his plans?
"Okay, so I told everyone else. You all ready to go guys?" Amelia said just bubbling over with excitement.
Valgaav added, "I guess we're all walking to the Italian restaurant around the corner."
"Uh, huh," Amelia nodded. "Miss Sylphiel and Miss Lina, and I planned it all out. I hope you can come, too, Mr. Xelloss."
"How nice. Thank you." He looked down at Lina, more than a trifle annoyed. "You have a short memory."
"Hey, nothing was firm, and a girl can change her mind, you know? Besides, no one runs my life for me, but me. Come on, guys! Let's go!"
End Graveyard Shift Chapter 12