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.
Another big thanks to everyone that has commented so far! Updates may be slow now and then, but 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 5
Forcing himself to smile, Zelgadis accepted the offered cup of coffee. Sylphiel sat across the table, a bright smile on her face. Briefly he wondered if she would try hugging him again.
It had been embarrassing, standing in the hall, Sylphiel hugging him like one would a lost pet or child. Again he'd thought about vanishing, but realized it wouldn't help in the long run. He did owe her…a hug was a small price to pay.
"Hm?" Zelgadis looked up, realized she'd asked him a question.
"Coffee is still your favorite drink, right?" She glanced at the untouched cup in his hand.
Looking at the drink himself, for the first time he had no desire to finish it. Though Sylphiel was wonderful when it came to anything edible, he remembered all too well her habit of adding sugar to everything, including his coffee.
"Yes, it is." He paused, searching for an excuse to leave. After a moment he caught sight of a wall clock. "I'm sorry Sylphiel, but I need to get going." He blushed in embarrassment, realizing how that sounded. "Not that I don't want to visit! I know we have a lot to catch up on, and I know how you love having company…" He coughed, calming his nerves. He looked foolish, rambling like a child caught red-handed. "Can we try this another day?"
The woman pounced on the offer before he had time to regret it. "Certainly! What about next Friday? There's a concert scheduled at my college, and a good friend is performing. You used to love music…" She paused, and he nodded.
"I still do."
She smiled, continuing instantly. "Perfect! Will you meet me back here Friday, around 6?" She paused, frowning. "I know you followed Amelia here, but do you actually know how to get here?"
He gave her a light smirk. "You forget who you're talking to. Now that I know you're here, I can find my way back."
Sylphiel laughed softly. "I should know better than to doubt you Zelgadis.
Standing up, he gave a polite thanks for the afternoon. Just before leaving, he gave her an odd look. "Yes Sylphiel, you should." Then he vanished, not bothering with the front door.
- - -
Lina didn't bother waiting for Zelgadis to finish appearing. With a sudden lunge she tackled him around the knees, throwing the muse to the floor. Fully appearing, Lina almost laughed at the look of shock on his face. When the shock turned to annoyance, she remembered her mission.
"YOU!" She yelled, shaking him a bit. "Just where in the hell have you been?"
He managed to regain enough composer for a sharp retort. "Why, did you miss me already?"
Instantly Lina let him go and backed away. "God no!"
Gradually Zelgadis climbed to his feet, unconsciously straightening his clothing. When he finally looked up, Lina speared him with a dark glare.
"You went outside."
He paled, though his response was calm and casual. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
Crouching, she came up with a leaf between her fingers. "This is a leaf…a leaf that obviously did not come from this house. Unless your little Museland is full of the exact same tree in front of this place, you've been outside."
Zelgadis bristled at her comment, but didn't comment on it. "Fine, I went out."
"Idiot!" She snapped, bonking him on the head. "Did you ever stop to think first? What if someone found out about you?"
He gave her a long look. "So? You've already proven that I can't exactly be hurt, and if worse comes to worse, I'll just vanish."
Lina looked at him, mouth open in surprise. After a minute she closed it, then fell back on the couch. "Hmm…you've got a point there. Still, I don't have to like it."
"I didn't ask you to. You aren't my caretaker." He took a seat himself. "Anyway, how did your painting go today?" He asked, changing topics.
"Don't think for one minute I'm letting your off that easy!" She started. Then she did a double take. "What did you just say?"
"How did your painting go this afternoon?" He shot her a look. "And before you ask…I'm a muse, remember? It's my job to know when you paint."
What could she say to that? "Ah, I see."
"Not a bad effort by the way. Lacked that spark though."
Neither of them saw it coming. In an instant Lina was on her feet, arm drawn back and rapidly moving forward. Her hand hit his face at full force, hitting him hard enough to tilt his chair back a bit. Rocking forward, his hand flew to his face, eyes wide in shock. When the narrowed in anger, she cut off any response with a look of death.
"You can pick on me all you want, shoot off any snide remark or sarcastic comment…I don't care. There are two things you can't do. Don't pick on my friends, and don't pick on my art. You do either, and next time you'll get worse than a slap."
Zelgadis stared at her a minute, but didn't say anything. Just when Lina expected him to get angry, or just disappear entirely, a smile of excitement lit his face.
"That…that emotion! That's the very quality you need to paint!" Grabbing her hand, he practically dragged her upstairs.
He left her standing in front of a blank canvas, brush and palette already in hand. Various warm colors dotted the board, the fiery tones complementing her mood perfectly. Selecting a blinding red first, briefly she wondered about him, about his job. At times like this, when he was caught up in the passion of his work, he really fit the image of a muse. He might even know parts of her better than she did herself.
By the time brush hit canvas, her anger was fading. The thought that he understood parts of her so well…it didn't really scare her anymore. It was almost nice to think someone could relate, would actually support her. Her sister had never really tried, and her friends just seemed to already be at this point she was still struggling to reach. She couldn't ask them, her pride wouldn't allow it. But here was someone that knew exactly what she was lacking, and he wanted nothing more than to teach her.
"Separate your current emotion from your work! You're focusing on anger, you can't lose that spark just because your mood is changing." Zelgadis snapped, standing a bit behind her and off to one side.
For a moment Lina's anger started to return, but quickly she realized he was trying to teach, not pointlessly criticize. Thinking of him as a teacher helped put things in perspective, and gradually she started to understand what he was pushing her toward.
For his part, Zelgadis studied both Lina and the canvas, occasionally nodding or muttering to himself. Every so often he would prompt her one way or another, coming up with an idea or direction for her to try. They worked that way for four hours, neither noticing the passing time.
At the end, Lina used the very last of her paint, amazed at Zel's ability to predict what she would need. Looking over at the muse, his brows drawn together in concentration, his breathing shallow from distraction, she couldn't think of him in a formal light anymore. It was obvious that he really wanted her to succeed, to improve. In the creative world, that earned a lot of respect, and a good amount of trust.
"Well, what do you think?"
While Zel looked the painting over with a sharp eye, Lina looked it over herself. Using every shade of red and orange she had, along with quite a few yellows, the painting was a tangle of warm hues.
Again, like the last painting he'd influenced, this one has a fantasy tone. On one side stood a woman, the jagged speared of yellow-white arcing from her hands marking her a mage. She wore a fancy robe in reds and oranges, each bit of cloth and gold jewelry showing off her wealth.
At the other side of the painting stood a dragon, crimson scales glinting dangerously. A blast of flame extending from it's jaws toward the woman. Fire mixed with lightning, leaving an eye-catching battle of light and force hanging between the two. While the battle between the two was interesting, it was a few certain details that caught Lina's eye. Beneath the dragon, hidden almost entirely by a wing, one could see the scattered remains of broken eggs. Lying between jagged bits of shell were the tiny bodies of unborn dragons, eyes closed and forms still.
Looking back up, Lina realized where the spark of the piece lay. The dragon, a mother to the dead, held a mark of pure hatred in her ruby eyes. The emotion was clear, and with it Lina knew the mother would happily die, if only to see the human fall first.
Suddenly Zel spoke up. "Not bad for a fantasy piece. It's a bit out of your element, but you pulled it off wonderfully. You should be proud Lina."
Turning, he gave her a warm smile. Without words he was thanking her for listening, and also congratulating her on a job well done. Smiling back, Lina flashed him a victory sign.
"Thanks Zel! I almost hate to say it, but I couldn't have done it without you…thanks."
"No problem Lina, it's my job." He started to walk out of the room, then caught himself a few feet away. Looking back, he gave her an odd look. "What did you call me?"
"Zel. You looked like you could use a good nickname."
He chuckled, shaking his head a bit. "I should have known."
Once downstairs, after checking to make sure Lina was out of hearing range, Zel smiled. "Thanks Lina….thanks."