Bear with me please! This was a very, very, VERY hard chapter to write. My fluids were running thick as far as the creative aspect was concerned and it even put me behind schedule. Therefore, if one finds that there is some character... straying... please forgive. -bows- I really do not wish to upset. I do not own Slayers, Major League Baseball or other things in this fiction because I am not important. Carry on.

Juu-ni

Condolence For A Redhead! Cynicism For A Chimera?

"Are you sure that we should do this Amelia?"

"I am sure Mr. Kurt. It is the only thing we can do at this point."

"Lina is going to be so mad at us."

"It doesn't matter. It has to be done."

Amelia and Kurt walked up to the hotel door arm in arm. They both appeared nervous as Kurt went and knocked on the metal door with the brass knocker that was there. Both parties gulped at the very idea of what could be waiting beyond the doorway.

"Lina? We know you are in there," Amelia said when they received no answer. She went and crouched down so that she could try to see if there was light filtering out from underneath the door. Sure enough there was and the door had even been locked up. Amelia hopped up from the rug and ran off down the hall, telling Kurt to stay where he was.

"Lina," he sighed, knocking again on the door, this time with his knuckles. "Come on and let me in. It's not as if we were strangers."

"Go away," Lina snapped. Kurt shook his head and knocked again, only to get the same reply. He then leaned up against the hallway wall and patiently awaited Amelia's return.

"I'm back," Amelia announced when she jogged down the hall a few minutes later. She was brandishing a small, golden key and used it to open the door. "I pretended to be Miss Lina and got the spare room key." Carefully she went inside and looked around to find Lina sitting on her bed, blankly staring at the wall. Amelia, followed closely by Kurt, went and stood between Lina and the wall and tried to get the redhead's attention. It was no use though, for their friend was unresponsive and dangerously stoic.

"Lina," Kurt asked slowly. "What happened out there today? Are you alright?" In a very brotherly manner, he knelt down and held Lina's shoulders so that he had no choice but to look into her placid eyes. Tell me Lina, what is going on?" There was a long pause before Lina could choke out what she wanted to say.

"I… don't… know," she managed to whisper. "That pitcher… I don't know what he did, but whatever it was, it made sure that I couldn't move. I simply froze."

"We know that you froze," Amelia said softly. "What Mr. Kurt and I wanted to know was the reason to why you froze up there at the plate to begin with."

"I told you that I don't know!" Lina yelled angrily, standing up brusquely. "Do you really think that I know what happened if I ended the game early?"

"Miss Lina! You don't have to be so harsh on us for trying to be your friends!" Amelia snapped back. Kurt stood up and backed away from both Lina and Amelia, for they were both so mad that they could have started to throw punches.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Lina shouted.

"We only want to help you!" Amelia retorted.

"I don't need help!"

"Yes you do!"

"You aren't even supposed to be here!"

"Neither are you!"

"I at least I am not traveling around the country with my boyfriend and sharing a hotel room with him!"

"At least I have a boyfriend!"

"You stupid little kid!"

"We're the same age!"

"I don't care! You look like you are fourteen!"

"Umm… girls?" Kurt asked meekly, trying his best to intervene. "Can we please stop this fighting? It isn't exactly a good thing for the people around us to hear you two screaming at the top of your lungs."

"Stay out of this," Amelia and Lina growled at the same time, shooting Kurt a set of killing glares. He cowered slightly as the girls' auras ignited and threatened to burn him to a crisp.

"Fine, then I'll go back to my room," he said, backing off towards the door. Amelia gave a frustrated sigh and followed him out the door. Right before closing the door behind her, she gave Lina was appeared to be a look of absolute loathing and worry. Once the door clicked shut, Lina collapsed down onto the bed and glared evilly at the ceiling. Her expression meant death for all who dared to cross her at that moment. Lina's bottom lip quivered slightly, as if something that wanted to come out for years was being pent up inside. Without the slightest sound, Lina turned off the lamp next to her bed and laid down, burying her face in the fluffy pillow.

Lina Inverse you damn sissy-girl! she yelled to herself. Don't you dare start to cry! You have not cried since you were little... don't start again now... damn wuss... you are going to find out what in the Hell was going on back there whether you like it or not! Lina Inverse shall defeat Gourry Gabriev!

Choking on her tears, Lina went to sleep, angry at herself for yelling at Amelia and angry beyond all reason at the man named Gourry Gabriev who had turned her into a fool.

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Zelgadis looked at his watch and grunted with disapproval. Frances was late. They had arranged for her to come over that night to his house for what she called "a bit of fun". In all actuality, the evening would most likely satisfy Frances's desires in the end, but Zelgadis first wanted someone to simply talk to and quietly watch a movie with. He knew that getting even a movie out of Frances would be an accomplishment all by itself, let alone keeping her away from his bed.

"I'm here!" Frances's voice called out from the front door as she walked in. Her auburn hair was down in soft curls and she wore a long pink skirt and a white shirt. Walking through the house, she found Zelgadis already laying down on the couch in the living room, the movie credits of North By Northwest already playing on the television.

"There you are," Zelgadis said blandly as Frances walked into the livingroom. He did not see the annoyed look on her face as she glanced at the television screen. "I was beginning to think that you were going to bail out on me."

"Can we do something other than watch old movies?" Frances pouted. She hated watching the films. Sometimes, it seemed as if all she and Zelgadis did was watch old films... almost as if it was some strange version of foreplay.

"I just got the Lord of the Rings Trilogy the other day; the extended versions at that. Would you rather watch one of those?" Zelgadis suggested, sitting upright on the couch and looking over at Frances. "How about it?"

"No."

"Pirates of the Caribbean?"

"No."

"Last of the Mohicans?"

"No."

"Ocean's Eleven?"

"I said no old movies."

"Come on, I have the newer version too, you know," Zelgadis said, looking over at his girlfriend. She did not look too pleased with him. "Okay then, no movies. What do you want to do then...?"

"You know what I want to do," Frances said slyly, a hint of lust in her voice. She went and sat down next to him and put her arm around his waist. She seductively tried to look into his eyes and bring him to her, but what she received was a cold, hard stare.

"Is that all you ever think about?" he asked, his voice like a shard of ice.

"No... what would make you think that...?"

"Your mind is incredibly one-track you know."

"What's with you lately?" Frances snapped, standing up and looking at Zelgadis in disgust. "You've been such a prick these past few weeks..."

"Maybe you're the one who's acting differently," Zelgadis said, closing his eyes and leaning backwards to rest into the couch.

"No. This has been happening ever since your grandfather died," Frances protested. "I'm not the one who turned into a jerk."

"Well, if you don't want to be around anymore, then just leave already," Zelgadis said monotonously. He looked over at Frances and studied her face. It had gone paler than pale.

"...what...?"

"You heard me. If you really think I'm that big of a jerk, then I don't want to see you again until we get back to work on Monday."

"Fine..." Frances said, tears forming in her eyes. "Good-bye! I don't ever want to see you again! You won't even see me at work because... I quit!" Her eyes were alight with fire as she turned on her heel and stormed out the door. Zelgadis could hear the car door to her Corvette slam and the tires squeal as she sped off.

Uh-oh, he thought when he couldn't hear Frances's car anymore. I need to hire a new secretary. I am such an idiot. Storing the thought into his memory, Zelgadis leaned back into the couch again and turned the movie back on. He wanted to watch the movie and he was going to watch it, Frances or no Frances.

He still felt like a jerk though.

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A week had gone by since Frances had quit her job as Zelgadis's secretary and the prospects of finding a replacement were not very bright. In a day and a half he would have to leave for Sydney, Australia for a business meeting and was worried that he would be leaving the office without order to be held. Out of sixty applicants that had applied in response to his advertisement, none seemed qualified. They were all boorish or flippant in his mind and not a single one was able to complete all of the office tasks that Frances had done. Some might have been able to file, then crash and burn when it came to using computers. Others were computer geniuses without any notion for what a filing cabinet was used for other than storing outdated floppy discs. Then, there were the ones who knew nothing and pissed him off by even applying.

This is definitely not my week, is it? Zelgadis thought as he looked at the picture frame on his desk. The photograph inside was of him with his grandparents and mother when he was about nine years old. He examined the joyous features of his mother's face carefully as he tried asking her memory the question again. The old picture said nothing and instead just gazed back with stony silence.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Zelgadis looked over at the door and noticed a shadow of someone standing outside filtering through the crack at the bottom between the door and the floor.

"Come in," he answered, directing his vision to the top of a pile of rejected applications on his desk.

"Mr. Graywords, I am here about the job opening," a female voice said. Zelgadis looked up to see a young raven-haired woman standing before his desk, holding out an application.

"Fine," Zelgadis replied icily, snatching the paper from the woman. She sat down and looked hopefully at him as he skimmed through the writing. "Have you ever worked as a secretary before?"

"No, sir, but I have handled paperwork on occasion at my last job in a hardware store."

"It says here that you have computer training. What kind?"

"Microsoft Office," she replied. "I also learn quickly, if there is a program you need me to become familiar with."

"It says here that you live all the way out in Nowhere. That sure is pretty far away to commute from, don't you think so?"

"I am moving to the city before long. I decided it was better job-wise here in Portland. Right now, I am just staying with a good friend of mine."

"How are your office skills? Can you file, take telephone calls, deal with visitors...?"

"All of that, sir," the woman replied, bowing slightly. "I am very energetic too. It takes a lot to get me down!"

"Alright then Miss... Seiryuun," Zelgadis said, pausing a slight bit to read the woman's surname on her application. "When can you start?"

"Seriously!"

"Yes. Is it possible to begin right now?"

"Of course!" she said excitedly. "I just have to tell my friend that I won't be back at the apartment until later." She walked out of the room, pulling a cell phone out of her pocket and pressing some buttons in order to call her friend.

At least she seems like she can actually do something for me besides sit there, he thought as he looked over the woman's application again. Hmm... I wonder if I can send her to things concerning the baseball team. That way, I don't even have to be anywhere within a hundred feet of the stadium. I think that would be a wonderful idea, since I am going to be stuck with that blasted thing for five damn years... Then, a voice from outside cut Zelgadis's thinking off abruptly.

"Mr. Kurt!" Amelia squealed so loud into her cell phone that her new boss could overhear with ease. "I got the job! Now I can find my own place and I won't have to move in with you or Miss Lina! Isn't that great?" There was a slight pause before she began talking again. "I have to go now. I don't know when I'll be back. Good-bye!"

"That your boyfriend?" Zelgadis asked solemnly as Amelia came back into the room after putting away her cell phone. She looked at him sheepishly as he face blushed pink.

"Kind of..."

"I guess that doesn't matter too much right at this very moment," Zelgadis said, briskly getting up from behind his desk and walking over to a filing cabinet. "I have an international conference to attend within the next forty-eight hours and you need to know all the ropes plus some before my departure."

Oh no... Amelia cried internally when she saw the multitude of papers that came out of the messily-kept drawer Zelgadis opened in the cabinet. This is definitely going to take longer than I though.

Things To Know

Lina: Yeah, she sort of lost her sense of reason when she went up against Gourry, so she might not seem very Lina-ish.

Movie List: I do not own the greatness that is rightfully bound to Tolkien, Jack Sparrow, Daniel Day Lewis and his Frontier Hero Greatness or Frank Sinatra/Those-Guys-Who-Annoy-Me-In-the-Remake.

No More Frances: -points pencil at character- Write-off. Heh. I did everyone a favor. The chimera is fair-game 'Melia! Go and get him! Now, will good ol' Frances ever come back? Nehszriah hasn't decided yet.

The Job Interview: One of the most interesting parts of the chapter, since I've never gone through one myself. -sighs- Another way I am just fudging real-life things in my fictions. I am also trying to figure that Zelgadis is not exactly orthodox in anything, so it should be alright for me to conduct life this way.