Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer here, I wish I owned Slayers and everything with it, but I don't. If I was making money off this, I'd be rich...but I'm not. I'm just a poor college student with too much free time. Also, the song "King of Wishful Thinking" is the full property of Go West.

A big thank you to everyone that has commented so far! Don't worry if updates are slow, I intend to stick with this story. I'm just slow due to health reasons. (Just bug me and I'll get to work!)

Blind Leap of Creativity - Chapter 4

"Annoying mortals…" Zelgadis mumbled, shooting a glare at yet another woman.

Hastily she turned away, flushing in embarrassment. Leaning over to her friend, Zelgadis could just make out the word 'dangerous' before he was out of earshot. With a bit of effort he ignored the comment, letting his eyes go back to watching the sidewalk in front of him.

The whole afternoon had been that way. People would look, look again, then outright stare. Others made hushed comments between each other, shooting dark glances at him. At times he felt ashamed, but he would always remind himself that these people didn't know any better. As a whole humanity was a fearful, superstitious lot, treating anything even slightly different with contempt and hatred.

"Fools. They probably don't even rate a muse…too blind to see beyond themselves."

Still muttering , Zelgadis didn't notice the girl crossing in front of him. It wasn't until he'd collided with something hard enough to fall back a step, that he looked up. The following panicked cry helped to grab his attention.

Looking down, he noticed a young girl sprawled out on the pavement. Surrounded by a variety of combs, brushes, and bottles, she cared more about gathering her things than anything else. Never one to waste materials, Zelgadis couldn't keep himself from helping.

"Sorry about that, I'm usually more attentive."

The girl fixed him with a wide-eyes stare, then smiled brightly. "No no, it's my fault! They told me I shouldn't carry so much, but I didn't have time to go back." Grabbing the last of her things and shoving them in a bag, the girl stood. Extending a hand, her smile widened a notch. "Hi, I'm Amelia!"

Dredging up a smile, Zelgadis returned the handshake. Giving Amelia a quick look for any bruises from the fall, he was forced to up her age by several years. What he'd originally taken for youth was actually a petite frame. Using his artistic eye, he judged her to be around Lina's age, give or take a year or so.

"Zelgadis." Pausing, he picked up one of her bags. "Sorry again for the trouble. Did you need help carrying these?" Deciding it was the least he could do, Zelgadis picked up a second bag.

"Yes, thanks!" Came the instant reply.

Grabbing the other two bags, Amelia started off, raven hair bouncing with each step. Briefly Zelgadis wondered how one person could hold so much energy. Then again, he wondered the same thing about his fellow muses. Compared to most of them, he was more fit for reaper duty than for creative inspiration.

"Umm…just how far is your car?" Zelgadis thought to ask, noticing that they'd already walked a block.

Amelia looked back at him. "Oh, I don't drive. I prefer walking, much healthier!" She slowed her pace a bit, falling into step alongside him. "We're heading back to my apartment."

Zelgadis paled a notch. "Your apartment?"

If he had ever questioned her innocence, Amelia destroyed his doubts with her blank look. "Are you okay?" When he nodded, she continued. "Sure! I share a place down the street with a friend. We're both going to the same college."

Swallowing a sigh of relief, Zelgadis began having second doubts about his little outing. People at a distance had been fairly easy to deal with, while his meeting with Amelia had posed a bigger challenge, though still something he could manage. Now the encounter was being extended, and he would have yet another person to meet. Shifting his grip on the bags, Zelgadis made a vow to keep his little trip from Lina. If she ever learned about his afternoon, she would never let him forget it.

"Don't worry, it's only another block or so."

At Amelia's comment, Zelgadis looked up, nodding to let her know he'd heard her. The two walked in silence for a bit, Zelgadis watching the sidewalk, Amelia taking in every sight around her. The girl had an obvious enjoyment of life, along with an active interest in everything she could see. In many ways he wished Lina was more like Amelia. If she would only approach certain things a bit differently, it would make his life a lot easier. Then again, if he wanted an easy life, he would have asked to be the muse for someone with Amelia's carefree nature.

The tinkle of keys being drawn caught his attention. Looking up, he watched Amelia unlock a brightly painted door. Following her inside, he closed the door, then helped unload her bags. What he had thought were groceries turned out to be hairstyling supplies. Glancing at a neon-labeled can of styling gel, he flashed Amelia a look.

"Hairstylist?"

If possible, Amelia's face brightened by ten-fold. "Yes! My older sister is a model, and she used to always ask me to fix her hair. Now I need to finish college if I want to work on a professional like her." There was a pause while she gave a faint smile. "More people should follow their dreams. There's no one happier than my sister when she's on stage."

"Or you when styling someone's hair?" Zelgadis cut in smoothly.

Blushing a bit, Amelia looked away. "I can tell you're an artist…"

"Oh?"
"It shows. Most people don't believe in dreams or careers filled with joy. Not these days. The creative ones…well, I don't need to explain it to you."

Even as Zelgadis was working up a reply, the sound of a door opening interrupted their conversation. With a squeal of joy, Amelia dashed off to meet the new arrival, leaving him to follow at a more leisurely pace.

Rounding the corner between the living room and entryway, Zelgadis caught the last of a hug between the hairdresser and the newcomer. Assuming it was the roommate Amelia had mentioned, Zelgadis prepared himself for another greeting.

Pulling her attention away from Amelia, the new arrival gave Zelgadis a warm smile, the type mothers had always used to let guests know they were truly welcome. Letting her smile linger a bit, the taller woman took one of his hands in her own, giving it a firm shake.

"Oh, sorry!" Amelia suddenly jumped in. "Sylphiel, meet Zelgadis…he helped me carry some things back home. Zelgadis, meet my roommate Sylphiel. She's an artist too!"

Fighting off a sudden strong urge to run, or simply vanish then an there, Zelgadis met Sylphiel's smile with one of his own. "I know Amelia…we've already met."

"Thanks Filia, see you Monday!" Lina shouted, making sure the blond would hear her over the starting car.

Giving a short wave through the open window, Lina drove away. It wasn't too far to her place, but she planned to stop off and grab some food before heading home. She honestly had no idea if Zelgadis would be hungry, but just enough of Sylphiel had rubbed off on her that she wouldn't leave it to chance. Muse he might be, but she knew he needed food.

Feeling a bit bad at leaving him alone all day, Lina added another stop to her list. It would cost a bit, but a bag of the local special blend seemed the perfect peace offering. It didn't hurt that she enjoyed the drink herself.

Grinning at the thought of killing two birds with one stone, Lina flicked on the radio. Turning up the volume in order to hear the music over the loud whoosh of open car windows, she recognized the melody to 'The King of Wishful Thinking'. Joining in with the happy-toned refrain, Lina was pleased with herself at remembering the words to the old 80's song.

"I'll get over you…I know I will, I'll pretend my ship's not sinking. And I'll tell myself I'm over you, 'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking…"

When the musical interlude cut in, she dropped out of the song. At one time she'd had her heart set on being a singer, but fate had different ideas. The talent shows were the final nail in the coffin though. Lina knew she had a temper, but compared to some of the backstage mothers…well, she seemed nicer than Sylphiel in comparison. By the end Luna had bailed her out, fighting off the verbal attack of one woman that just wouldn't let Lina get away with beating her daughter in one competition. After that her dreams of singing had died quickly.

"Art was a good replacement…but even that just isn't the same."

Letting the wind swallow her words, Lina was happy to see the local grocery store drift into view. Shopping wasn't her favorite chore, at least not this far from payday, but it would distract her. She didn't like thinking about the past, it did more harm than good on average. Smiling at the prospect of a good meal, Lina let the emotion carry her away. Right now she had things to do, and an annoying muse to get home to.

Twenty minutes later, Lina unlocked her front door while juggling a heavy bag of groceries. Safely tucked away in the middle of the bag was her surprise for Zelgadis.

"Zelgadis…his name sounds so stuffy." Grinning wickedly, she decided to give him a nickname. "I'll have to call him Zel from now on. It'll probably drive him crazy."

Still laughing at the thought, Lina locked the door behind her. At first she thought nothing of the silence, but by the time she was finished putting everything away, it was starting to get to her.

"Hey, anybody home? Helloooo…" Lina shouted up the stairs, but didn't get a reply. "Hey, if you're sleeping in my bed you're a dead man…er, muse!"

Charging upstairs, she threw open her door with a loud 'hah!' sound. Met by an empty room, she quickly gave the rest the same treatment, with the same results. Twenty minutes later she realized he wasn't there.

Flopping on the couch, Lina gave a loud sigh. "If he's not here, then either he's gone back to wherever it is he came from…" Narrowing her eyes, she considered the only other option. "Or else he's ignored me and gone outside."

Standing up abruptly, she flashed the door a look heated enough to set the painted wood ablaze.

"You'd better be gone Zel…or so help me, you're a dead man when you get back."