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.

A big thank you to everyone that has commented so far! (More C&C is always welcome) Sorry for the delay on this chapter, thank you for your patience! Also, big thank you to Kasai to Kasumi for pointing out the Sylphiel name mess at the end. (Dratted spell-check...evil I say! l's)

Blind Leap of Creativity - Chapter 10

It was sheer luck, though he probably didn't realize it - probably, because who knew what other powers a muse had access to - that Lina returned home to find a sleeping Zelgadis. All thoughts of a long talk fell apart as she stumbled across the muse passed out on the couch, oblivious to the world.

Lina almost felt a bit responsible…though any guilt over the matter was instantly suppressed. Sure, she'd been getting up at inhuman hours every morning…but she'd been trying to avoid Zel, not wake him up. Was it her fault if he was a light sleeper?

Maybe he was worried about you. What if he wanted to talk, to explain that night at Sylphiel's?

Lina snorted at the thought. Then any lost sleep was his own doing. I'll talk to him when I'm good and ready, not before. He's lucky none of his little ambush ideas succeeded, assuming he had any planned at all.

Looking down at Zelgadis, she was forced to revise her opinion of him. He might have looked innocent just then, but he'd obviously done things that went against any harmless image he gave off. If he could pull off the kind of attack he'd managed on Eris, he could notice her avoiding him and try to correct it.

Bristling a bit, she started to turn away, then stopped herself. She was letting other people form her opinions…something Luna had long ago taught her to avoid. She wasn't Sylphiel, wasn't anything like her. Hadn't she beaten up people when they deserved it? Hell, she drove a paintbrush into Zel's leg shortly after meeting him. If they had met in the kitchen instead, wouldn't she have done the same with a knife? And Xelloss…who knew what kind of motives he had behind that little history lesson of his, assuming any of it was true to begin with. His arrival was too convenient, perfectly planned to affect her opinion.

"You have the devil's own luck, Zelgadis. I'm starting to calm down, and by tomorrow I'll be ready to hear your side of things in a better frame of mind. Whatever your reason for being so sleepy, be grateful for it. It saved you from a nasty argument tonight."

Shaking her head a bit in amusement, she turned to leave. Halfway into the kitchen she noticed a familiar shape out of the corner of her eye, sitting in the middle of the table. Without missing a step she grabbed the mug, altering her course a bit. She slipped it into place in the cupboard, never noticing the price sticker on the bottom, nor the plastic bag in the garbage. Turning off the light behind her, she decided to turn in early for a change. She'd need all her wits for the next day.

- - -

"Rise and shine, muse-boy! You already got one night's reprieve, don't be greedy now"

Two sapphire eyes snapped open instantly, any sign of sleep having fled in favor of the terror now reflected in the blue orbs. It certainly didn't help that he was being shaken rather roughly.

"What in the hell?" Then he focused on her. "Lina!"

The next moment Lina was holding air. Without missing a beat she turned a smile on a chair across the room, her smile only widening in satisfaction when he winced. It was obvious that he expected violence at any moment.

Guilty conscious, eh Zel? Serves you right for that little stunt at Sylphiel's. Now we're even.

Aloud, she chose a slightly different approach. "Bit jumpy, aren't you Zel? Anything you'd care to confess?"

When he noticeably paled, she swallowed her laughter…though it wasn't easy. "It was an accident, I swear!"

She blinked at him, smile fading away. Then she blinked again, starting to frown. He tried burying himself in the chair, as if the cushion would suddenly spring up and devour him. It would hurt, but at that moment anything sounded better than another round with an angry Lina.

Several things happened at once then; Zelgadis woke up enough to remember that he was indeed a Muse, with all the powers and benefits that came with it, Lina realized that the scales weren't quite even, and both knew something violent would occur as soon as Lina finished jumping across the coffee table.

As Lina's elbow started on a direct course for the top of Zelgadis's head, he decided to use the same trick he had at their first meeting. He was a Muse, and as such could choose just how much of himself to commit to the mortal realm. That first night she had caught him off guard…this time he'd avoid her attack completely. Having decided that, he still couldn't keep from closing his eyes, tensing slightly in preparation of her attack.

Instead of hearing the satisfying sound of a curse from Zelgadis, or feeling the jolt of her blow connecting with his head, Lina found herself face down on the chair cushion; one arm pinned awkwardly beneath her, the other wedged oddly between herself and one arm of the chair. Tilting her head up a bit, she caught the hazy outline of Zelgadis's shirt. Looking up a bit higher, she caught sight of a company tag…the kind usually sewn on the inside of a shirt.

Zelgadis snapped his eyes open for the second time that day, this time prompted by a shriek from Lina. Instantly he was on his feet, looking for something dangerous. When the room turned up empty, it finally dawned on him to check the chair.

He was met with an amusing sight; even the threat of further violence almost wasn't enough to keep him from laughing. At the very least he did allow himself a victory smirk.

He had to be laughing, Lina was sure of it. With a bit of struggling she freed herself from the awkward position, flopping down in the offending chair. She sent a glare of death at Zel, rubbing the kinks out of her arms.

"You have one chance to apologize you pervert, and you only get that because I'm still trying to get the feeling back in my arms."

His mouth fell open in shock. "P-pervert!? Where you get that?"

Lina crossed her arms, then hastily uncrossed them with a curse of pain. "Think about our positions back there for just a moment. Really think about it, from an outside perspective."

When he blushed bright red, she nodded a bit. "Exactly. Ghost or not, I should kill you for that little stunt."

It was his turn to glare. "I'm a Muse, not a ghost. They're only second-rate spirits at best. You're comparing humans to monkeys."

Opening her mouth to retort, at the last moment she changed her mind. "No, I will not spend the day bickering again!" She cut off Zel with a look. "We're going out today. We have some things to talk about, but not here."

"Will a public place keep you from attacking me?"

She regarded him with narrowed eyes. "I don't know, will a public place keep you from being an idiot…not to mention keeping your hands to yourself."

He blushed again. "I'm sorry, all right?! I didn't mean for that to happen…but I'm not going to sit around and just let you hit me whenever you feel like it, either."

It was her turn to feel embarrassed. "I'm sorry, okay?"

He stared at her in shock. "What was that?"

A couch cushion smacked him in the head with a loud whoosh of air. "Just shut up and get ready. I still haven't eaten breakfast yet because of you -" At her glare he cut off whatever he'd been about to say. "Bottom line, lunch is on you."

- - -

"Weren't you the one that originally forbid me from going outside?"

Lina ignored Zel's grumbling. The muse had started sulking the moment he stepped outside, hunching into his leather jacket - an old fashioned bomber-type, specially swiped from the local community theater just for Lina, even if it was two sizes too big - as much as possible. For the first time she was actually starting to hate that it was oversized. Between the jacket, its large collar and equally big hat, he looked too much like a kid playing dress-up.

"Aren't you the one that proved me wrong? You dug your own grave on this one, Zel…now you get to suffer."

He slid into the empty booth, fixing her with a dark glare the moment she slipped into place across from him. She could almost hear him screaming that he hated social settings.

That, or he's already decided that he's getting chewed out. Well, he was in for a slight change of pace then.

"Do you bicker with all your assignments like this?"

The question, asked causally over the rim of an over-large fold out menu, caught them both by surprise. Belatedly Lina cursed her mistake, while Zelgadis looked more like a deer about to meet a semi head-on. Swearing softly, Lina snapped her fingers, breaking the growing tension.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way." Sighing a bit, she set the menu aside, meeting his gaze directly. "I want to talk to you about some things, more than just that night at Sylphiel's. We did a lot of talking after you passed out, but I learned some other things a few days later that didn't help."

"So you were avoiding me?"

She shrugged. "Yes and no. It scared me a bit, the idea of you having a violent side. You don't look the type." He made a negative sound, but she plowed on before he could say anything. "Part of me wanted to kick your ass to the curb, make sure you never set foot in my home, got close to any of my friends."

"But?"

"But I'm just as bad in my own way, aren't I? Okay, so you messed up some girl who was trying to kill Sylphiel. Justified cause in my book. I've hurt people for far less…would hurt them just as much in a similar situation. It's a bit intimidating, but I also respect you for it."

Their waitress arrived then, putting a hold on the conversation. Without blinking Lina ordered several items, restraining herself in favor of their talk, while Zel stuck with a simple cup of coffee. Scowling, Lina added a bowl of soup to his order. Once the woman was gone, she glared at him.

"You don't eat enough, it's weird. A bowl of soup won't kill you…unless you're even stranger than I thought."

A few moments later his coffee arrived. He added what he wanted, smiling after the first sip. "You never answered my question." He murmured, quiet enough that Lina would have missed it if she hadn't been waiting for him to say something.

She made a face at him. "Okay, okay…I'll admit it! I was avoiding you. Happy now?" At his resulting smirk, she rolled her eyes skyward, swallowing her annoyance…though it wasn't easy. "I had no idea what to say to you. It isn't everyday I find out a muse once saved my best friend's life. How do you thank someone for that without sounding cheap?"

He raised an eyebrow, staring at her. She expected him to hit her with another sarcastic remark, or maybe accuse her of lying. Something in her face must have reassured him, because he made a slight contented sound, then went back to his drink.

"You said things, plural. What else was there?"

Lina opened her mouth, but her mind went black. Using her own drink for a cover, she sipped her soda, mind in overdrive on what to say. Hadn't she planned on confronting him about the past? Possibly throwing her newfound information from Xelloss in his face? There were so many little things she wanted to know…yet every instinct screamed at her not to bring Xelloss, or any of his information, up just yet. But she was brutally honest, always had been…why was she stalling now?

"Well?"

The soft inquiry caught her off-guard, and she went with the first thing to come to mind.

"Just how did you become my muse anyway? Sylphiel mentioned something about you working for her, and getting punished for saving her ass."

Halfway into another swig of his coffee, Zelgadis choked, coughing violently. Things only became more complicated with the arrival of their waitress. By the time things settled down, they were both silent again, each giving their meal an absurd amount of attention.

After a good ten minutes of silence, Lina decided that enough was enough. "All right, you've stalled long enough. Are you going to answer my question or not?"

He ignored her, flagging down the waitress for a refill. Furious, Lina had a brief debate on how to handle the situation. Nothing felt sweeter than clobbering an annoyance, but that wouldn't get her answers. That left trickery, yet another thing a beautiful, young art student like herself excelled at.

If you can't beat 'em…blackmail 'em.

Lina plastered a cheerful smile - the one that usually sent her co-workers fleeing in fear, they knew her moods…that much cute was deadly - and turned to the waitress.

"Kira," Then she turned a bit, catching Zel's eye. "Is Sylphiel working this shift?"

The young girl smiled, nodding. "She's just starting , came in ten minutes ago…though you must've recognized her cooking. You want me to get her?"

Lina's smile turned sly when she noticed Zelgadis pale a bit. "Sure. Zel here," She gestured at Zelgadis with a wicked shine in her eyes. "Is an old friend. I'm sure Sylphiel would love to visit on her break."

"Okay, I get the hint." He hissed, grabbing her arm.

Reflexively she twisted away, cheering in triumph. "Never mind, Kira. We'll just swing by her place later. Don't want to bother her during work."

The woman nodded, pink-dyed pigtails bobbing energetically. "Sure thing, Lina! You working later today?"

"Nah, I took a few days off. College stuff. I'll be back next week."

A few minutes later Kira was off to help another table, and Lina wasted no time in hitting Zelgadis with one of her death glares. "Are you going to answer now? Or do I come up with some other way of backing you into a corner?"

He grumbled a bit, mostly for show. Stubborn he might be, but not suicidal. If there was one thing he had learned from Lina so far - usually by way of physical violence - it was that she had certain lines that one should never cross…especially if they wanted to stay in one piece. She wasn't going to back down on this, and he didn't want her hounding his every breath for the next week or more.

"I helped Sylphiel for years…broke several rules during that time." He paused, looking away for a moment. "…I don't really know why they chose you, managers never seem to tell their workers why they're given one assignment instead of another. I've seen enough of humanity to know that's a universal problem." At her nod, he continued. "I assume it was due to your talent in art. After leaving Sylphiel, they handed me your folder the next day, asked me to follow your painting, help you expand your technique and subject matter, find flaws and the like." He smirked a bit, meeting her stare. "There was a particular need to increase your imagination and emotion."

"Taunt away, Zel…I have a loooong memory."

He coughed slightly, moving on. "Most of the time you didn't need help…but those two faults only seemed to increase as your technical skill did. I was about to give up, until the night you finally listened to me."

"Why did you appear, anyway?"

He shrugged, leaning back, meal long finished. "To be honest, I have no idea. I've tried asking the higher ups, but I haven't gotten a response yet. Either they're ignoring me, or they haven't gotten my messages."

"Can't you just…zap yourself there or something?"

He frowned at her, sighing in exasperation. "No, I can't just zap myself there! If I could, don't you think I would have already?"

"Geez, I was just asking. Really Zel, you're a bit too high strung."

He made another strangled sound, before crossing his arms and burying his head in them.

"Overly dramatic too."

"Shut up." Came a muffled reply.

- - -

"So…do you plan on telling me anything else?"

They'd been walking for some time, having left the restaurant hours earlier. At first Lina had considered just driving home, but it was still fairly early, and she wanted to take another shot at getting some answers. There was a fair-sized park not far from her place, the kind of park aimed more at joggers and bikers rather than children. It had seemed like the perfect place to resume their conversation.

Leave it to Zelgadis to clam up on her. The muse hadn't said a word the entire time, instead looking at their surrounds with a thoughtful gaze, enough that Lina wasn't sure how to interrupt. Her stomach had solved the problem for her. After a brief stop at a nearby hot dog cart, she decided to take advantage of the change in mood.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"You've been living in my house for a while now; I know your first name, your job, and not much else. I have a recommendation from Sylphiel; to be honest though, you earned more trust from your defense job than any kind things she told me. Don't you think you owe me some answers, Zelgadis?"

He threw up his arms in frustration. "You shouldn't have seen me in the first place! I broke the rules when it came to Sylphiel…but you didn't need that much help. Any muse worth his title could have helped you from the shadows."

His outburst startled her, Zelgadis was usually the calm one between the two of them. Even startled, she noticed his hesitation. That was the second time he's hedged on something important, steered the conversation in a slightly different direction. There was also the issue of his being assigned to her. Either he'd been completely in the dark about it - not that she'd put creative truth-telling past Xelloss - he was lying, or both muses were partially correct.

I hate mind-games. At least a punch solves something directly.

"Zel -" The sight of a familiar blond jogging toward them derailed Lina's train of thought.

"Lina!" Filia called, waving.

Dressed in an outfit that practically screamed 'jogger', Filia approached the pair, stopping a short distance away with a series of tired breaths.

"Hey Filia…I didn't know you jogged here."

"Usually…don't. Gym…closed today."

Lina sighed. "Catch your breath, then we'll talk."

Smiling in gratitude, Filia followed the advice. A short time later she looked, and sounded, more like her usual self. "Sorry about that."

"Not a problem. I wonder where you get the energy though…especially with all the running around you've been doing this week."

Immediately Filia's eyes lit up. "That's right! You're coming to the concert tomorrow night, right?"

"Sylphiel picked up some tickets last week. Don't worry, we'll be near the front as always. Nothing but the best seats for an Inverse!"

"Will your…friend be attending as well?"

Without missing a beat, Zelgadis nodded. "Certainly, I wouldn't miss it. Both Lina and Sylphiel have often praised your singing."

While Filia blushed at the comment, Lina stared at him open-mouthed. Even when he had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing, the look on her face was worth it.

"Care to introduce your friend, Lina?"

Shooting Zelgadis a heated glare, one he met with his best look of innocence, she gestured at him. "Filia, meet Zelgadis. Zelgadis, this is my friend from college, Filia." While the two exchanged greetings, Lina had a sneaky idea. "Zelgadis is actually an old friend of Sylphiel -"

Filia cut her off with a wide-eyed look, grabbing her elbow and pulling her aside. "Don't tell me you're letting her snag another one, Lina! Sylphiel already has so many chasing her…would it really be so bad to go after one yourself?" She whispered, looking past Lina a moment to eye Zelgadis.

Standing a few feet away, Zelgadis wondered what the two women were talking about. About the time he'd worked up the nerve to interrupt, Lina suddenly let out an angry screech. The next moment a blur of crimson was hot on the heels of a fleeing Filia, shouting at the blond the entire way.

All but forgotten, Zelgadis shook his head. Of all the things in this world, I never thought I'd be thankful for the chaos that seems to follow her around! It might be a pain at times…but I can always count on it for a timely interruption!