Chapter 2

The scene was static. Gourry and Naga looked at each other and, around them, the whole world seemed to hold its breath. The screaming had subsided and the drunks had receded into the background. Only the drip of beer broke the moment.

Oh, Cephied. Was it so obvious? If that crust had noticed… Naga's cheeks began to turn the color of strawberries and pomegranates. But she turned her head away. She was not going to be embarrassed. Not in front of that huge asshole.

So the sorceress changed her strategy. Naga hit the table with her palm and shouted: "So what if I like Lina? Any problem?"

"None," replied the boy.

"That's what I thought," she said.

"Okay."

The conversation was followed by an awkward, uneasy silence. It was a silence plagued by the smoke of the tavern, by the distant murmur of drunks.

In the silence, Naga opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water, like a hoarse parrot.

"How…?" she finally said, "how did you find out?

The mercenary shrugged.

"I'm observant," he replied.

"And do you think Lina…?"

"No."

She didn't love her or she hadn't noticed? Naga did not finish the sentence, but the answer was forceful. No.

"Lina has a good eye for gold," continued the big man, "but for other things, she's totally blind."

Naga nodded to herself and went for a drink, forgetting that her beer had ended up on the floor. She clicked her tongue and raised her hand. She asked for another one.

The beer arrived and the foam filled the glass, wetting also the soft silence.

"Besides, you already know Lina," Gourry said with a sigh.

"She does what she wants," they answered in unison. Naga slipped a swear word in between but, essentially, they both said the same thing.

The two looked at each other. The mercenary had a goofy smile on his face, but she still wasn't fucking amused by all of this.

"Tell me," she said as she raised the beer to her lips, "does she shoot fireballs at you too?"

"All the time! And not just me, sometimes she even tries to blow our friends' asses too."

"What? Did you say that Lina has friends?

"Oh yeah. Sometimes we are accompanied by a grumpy boy named Zelgadis and a cheerful girl who looks a bit like you. You have the same hair color and even a face that…"

"HO HO HO HO. Well, all the girls want to look like me, boy. But not all can. What did you say her name was?"

"Amelia."

There the body of the sorceress tried to spit and drink at the same time. Confused, the beer spewed out of her nose in a painful stream. When she regained her composure, she took another long sip of her beer.

"Just as I said, boy. I'm sure we don't look alike at all."

The boy just shrugged, twirling the bracelet he was wearing on his right hand a couple of times. It was brown leather and a green gem dangled from one of the straps.

The hostel had been emptying as the hours passed. Now there was hardly anything left but empty glasses on the table and a couple of drunks at the bar.

"Hey, aren't you tired?" Why don't you go for a walk?"

But Gourry gave her another of his big smiles and replied: "I'm fine here, thanks."

She narrowed her eyes. At times like this she no longer knew if the kid was dumb or he was just pretending. Naga gave the mercenary another look. She wanted to tell him to go to hell, and, at the same time, she also wanted to ask him a lot of questions. She weighed the options for a moment, and in the end, curiosity got the best of her temper. "In that case, I have two questions for you."

He took his eyes off the bracelet.

"How come Lina ended up traveling with you?"

"Well, at first I had something she wanted. The Sword of Light."

That explains everything. Lina's greed was almost as famous as her flat chest.

"And that's why she is still with you?"

"Oh no. I lost that sword a long time ago."

"Then…?"

"Now she says we're going in search of a new sword."

"But you already have a sword. You brought it this morning."

"Yes."

Talking to that guy was exhausting. Naga didn't understand. She didn't understand anything. Why the hell was Lina still with him then? She went to open her mouth again but a red flash snuck into the bar and her words died before touching her lips.

"There you are."

They both turned and Lina appeared in their field of vision. She had disheveled red hair and a huge sack in her hands.

"What are you two doing here?"

For a moment Naga feared the words that would come out of Gourry's mouth. But the mercenary gave him one of his stupid smiles and, without further ado, said: "Not much. Naga and I were talking about beers." Then she waved her hand at her friend's sack. "A good loot, I see."

"Uh, it's no big deal. A few coins, but no magic books or jewelry. But I'm exhausted. That bandit camp was further away than I expected."

"Time for bed then?"

"So it seems. We're leaving, are you coming, Naga?"

"You go ahead," she yelled from the bar, "you know I don't leave until closing time."

Lina gave her a smile and walked down the hall with her huge blonde giant watching everyone of her steps. But, before she disappeared, something caught the attention of the White Serpent. Something dark stood out against Lina's white glove. It was a leather bracelet, identical to the one the mercenary wore. Then something clicked in her head and Naga finally understood why Lina kept traveling with that lanky man.

The girl stared as her life, her secret love, got lost down the hall as she cursed that stupid blond giant and, above all, as she cursed life for being such a bitch.

The next morning Naga woke up hungover, her mouth dry and the bitter aftertaste of the beer still on her lips. She didn't know how many beers she had had last night. She had lost count after the tenth. Her head ached and her ears rang. They sounded just like someone banging on a door.

"Naga! Naga! Wake up."

"Ugh," she growled.

"We have to leave the histel in twenty minutes." Come on up.

The White Snake tried to signal her body to move and at the end, somehow. she slithered off the floor onto the bed.

Twenty minutes later, Naga almost looked like a functional adult. She had been able to get dressed and walk downstairs with barely a stumble in the attempt.

Downstairs, the bar was deserted except for a short girl with red hair.

"Hey, dwarf! Where is your blond giant?"

"He's paying the bills."

Naga caught up with her and Lina looked up at her friend. "So…what did you think of Gourry?"

"He's a complete idiot. You were right about the 'jellyfish brain' part" she answered "but what do I know? He doesn't look like a bad lad."

Lina managed a smile. "He's a complete fool. "But, I don't know, you just get used to it."

"I'm sure of it."

For a moment, Naga's eyes seemed to cloud over. And, before Lina could realize it, great laughter rumbled through the room. "HO HO HO HO. I'm sure you miss me now, right, Lina? I understand. No one can beat me as a traveling companion."

"Yes, yes," answered her friend. "Whatever you say."

"Well, when do we see each other again? At your wedding?

"In my what? Naga!"

The sorceress's raucous laughter filled the bar again as Lina's face took on a playful pomegranate red. She stormed out of the bar and Naga followed her, still laughing. Outside, a blond boy was waiting for them.

"Lina!" Her friend called. " You owe me 10 gold coins."

"What?"

Her face returned to its usual tone as her mouth fell open in a circle of surprise.

"It was your turn to pay, Lina. Now you knew it."

"The hell it was, Gourry! This time it was your turn."

"But I paid…"

Thus, Naga watched them walk down the path as her voices trailed off and a bitter feeling rose in her throat. She knew that her thing with Lina was over, hell, she knew that there had never been a thing to begin with. And yet, she couldn't help the nausea, that burning sensation in her stomach. Her discomfort rose through her body. It was going to take a while for her to get over it.