Untrue: Meg's exams are still going on, and she owns Slayers.
The morning after I fell, I slipped again on an elevator and got a deep scar on my ankle.
"It's starting to feel really good!"
Er, those were quotes from Slayers.. Great, I think. Or Gorgeous.
Updates will probably be a lot faster now that exams are over. Thanks to the people still reading! I've made a few changes and edits in the previous chapters, including Xellos tossing Lina a really limited map, just to cover some plotholes. Sorry!
Taka: Unreliable as usual.
Ral: Yup.
Anne: True...
Meg: Not you too, Anne!
Xellos spotted the approaching Slayers while sitting among the shady tree branches, and proceeded to phase before them just out of the sight of the gatekeepers.
"Hello everyone! Is everyone all good?"
"Yes, Xellos, so let's be honest and start answering questions."
"Oh? Honest?" Xellos looked over at an exasperated Filia who was shaking her near-empty purse.
"Those guards over there," Lina said, gesturing towards the intricately patterned gate. 'What kind of people do they keep out?"
"Well..." Xello's mouth curled in a slight grin. "We'll find out, won't we?"
One of the the guards saw them trying to pass the gate.
"Excuse me, sirs and madams! Please record your names and partners here on the list." The guard handed them a clipboard with rows of loopy signatures and refined handwritings.
"...Partners?" Filia frowned.
"Didn't you know, dear? Amorteria's grand gates keep out the commoner filth and unproductive layabouts." Xellos promptly took the papers and scrawled aliases of himself and Filia, registered as a couple before handing them back to the guard.
Filia stiffened at the word and spun her head with difficulty to cringe at Xellos.
"Zenith and Sore Necker." The guard read, blinked and looked up to examine Filia, or as the papers stated, 'Sore', before turning back to Xellos. "Sore. That's an interesting name. You must love her very much."
"She's a diamond," Xellos agreed, ignoring the jibe and Filia's outraged look.
"Hey Lina, I thought Filia was a Golden - oww.."
"And who might you three be? One of you certainly can't enter without a spouse."
"Uh..Uh.. I'm this guy's partner!" Lina looked around and grabbed onto Zelgadis' arm.
"'This guy'??"
"Then who's he?" The guard said, pointing the pen at Gourry who was utterly confused.
"I'm Gou - "
"He's Fi - Sore's son!"
"What?!"
"He's your son?" The guard widened his eyes incredulously at Filia. "You're sure you're not like, his sister or something?"
"No, no - can't you see their hair? They're both blond!"
"Like I said, are you sure you're not his sister??"
"No, my good sir, dear Gout is certainly our beloved son." Xellos smiled even wider.
"Our!?"
"I'm sorry sirs and madams, but I think you should really make up your mind who's married to who and who's the son of who."
"We're NOT married!!"
"You're not?" The guard raised an eyebrow. "But you even have the same surnames!"
At this moment, another guard approached them, and his uniform looked strikingly familiar..
"Ah!! It's you!" Lina said, recognising him first. "You're that guard from the town entrance!"
"So I am," the guard gave a quick bow and introduced himself. "Angel. Derard, it's my shift now. I know these people, don't worry."
The guard named Derard nodded and left, but not before casting an odd look at the Slayers.
"So.. I hear that you couples haven't tied the knot yet?" Angel glanced at the papers and chortled. "Sore Necker..."
"Ah - no, we're more of, engaged, really." Xellos hastened, covering Filia's mistake, but not quite so successful with her obviously furious expression. "We're planning to have the ceremony in the Amorteria town church..."
"Oh, so you're settling down here after all?" Angel's eyes brightened. "That's great! Well then, you probably ought to know that engaged couples have a period of ten days to stay on the streets before being chased by some other handsome men. After that...let's not be too sure, shall we?" Angel winked his sapphire eyes.
Filia reddened a mumbled something about Xellos not being handsome.
"So you two are engaged as well, and this kiddo here's your son, yes?" Angel was tapping his thatch hair with the pen, turning towards Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis.
"Uhh...yeah.. I guess. Thanks." Zelgadis said, rubbing his neck in an awkward gesture.
All the better for an opportunity to take the mace, Xellos thought, now that Gourry was their son.
"No problemo. So what're your names?" He flashed them a faultless smile.
"Uhh.. This here is our son, Gout, I'm Zelgan and this is my..darling Li - Li.."
"Lina?"
"How - what'd you...?" Lina was instantly alert.
"Well... you look like a 'Lina'. Say, would you happen to be Lina the Sorceress, Dragon Spooker and Enemy of All Who Live?"
"WHAT?!"
Zelgadis coughed. "Excuse me sir!? Of course not! My..beloved... is this young lady here, Lynnette!"
The guard Angel nodded gravely and stared pointedly at something yellow.
"Quite young, indeed..."
Lina threw a punch that fortunately was taken by Zelgadis' hard arm.
"Ouch!.."
"Your surnames?"
"Uhh..." The three Slayers wondered aloud.
"I'll just put in something generic, okay?"
"Um," the same three echoed.
"Alright then. Zenith and Sore Necker - " Angel stifled a laugh - "close friends of Zelgan, Lynnette and Gout Um."
The Slayers sweatdropped.
Guard Angel turned to a nearby table with a tank on top sporting white flowers that resembled roses. he took four and handed them to the 'couples'.
"These are cockade flowers. You'll have to wear them somewhere near your collar while being ..unmarried.. in Upper Amorteria, for the want of a better word. They'll begin to rot and blacken quite fast a little before a fortnight, so you don't want to be caught having no establishment and wearing black cockades. Or the next time you see me I might be chasing you down, and we don't want that, do we?"
"Of course," Xellos answered smoothly. "But I assure you that ten days is more than enough time for us."
"Ahh, I see..Is that so?" Angel suddenly changed his expression of joy and warmth to serious and grave, bending forward slightly. "But you'll find that Upper Amorteria will be rather hard to get out of once you...get in. You want to be ... sure ... absolutely so."
Xellos darkened his look and nodded with a touch of malice. "Absolutely."
Angel stood up straight again and switched back to his sudden and happy laugh. "Well then! Off with you lot. Don't get lost, now!"
And he shuffled them past the gates and waved at them in a friendly manner through elegantly gilded heart-shaped iron bars in gold.
"WHAT in the name of Ceiphied was THAT, you rotting little piece of garbage?"
"Yeah, seriously, what was that?" Gourry said, trying to keep up (both mentally and physically) with the group.
"Ehe..Well..."
"We're waiting, Zenith." Zelgadis drawled. At least he got to choose his own name.
Xellos turned around to face the rest of the Slayers.
"Do you remember when I said something about Amorteria having a very special way to expand?"
"Uh huh," Lina nodded.
"Well, this is it!"
Lina downed him in a swift punch.
"Itai..."
"That's for not telling us beforehand."
Filia missed her mace at Xellos' face, but her kick in the shins caught fast.
"That's for making me your partner."
Zelgadis swung his fist downwards on Xellos' shoulder which looked like a friendly pat to the passing nobles.
"That's for knowing something about Amelia and the monster we're supposed to catch but not telling us a thing."
Gourry scratched the side of his cheek, confused, and punched Xellos in the head so hard he fell.
"Ah! Ow..Aw come on, you too, Gourry?"
"Uhh...oh well."
"Just what do you mean by 'oh well'?!" Xellos stood up, rubbing the side of his head and pouting.
"Back off. The whole thing's your fault." Lina folded her arms.
"It...just felt like the right thing to do, I guess!" Gourry said, smiling and carefree.
Lina put a hand on Gourry's shoulder and began to continue walking, with Zelgadis and Filia following suit.
"Nice one, Gourry."
"Huh? Er, well, I suppose...sort of..."
"Maybe it's because that namagomi named you Gout, Gourry." Filia too put her hand on Gourry's other shoulder.
"Well, maybe...I guess..."
Xellos brushed the dirt and dust off his clothes and caught sight of the rapidly vanishing Slayers.
"Hey, wait up!"
The Slayers continued walking quickly. Xellos sighed a puff of air.
"Aw, come on..."
"Lina, you can't be serious!!"
The Slayers, not including Xellos, was in the 'Amorteria's Fine Clothesmakers / Since Our Beloved Town's Establishment'
"Aw come on Filia, we're going to a Lord's party! Gotta look nicer for the occasion, no? Hehe.."
Lina was examining herself in the mirror wearing an elaborate dress of wine red. It looked expensive, felt expensive and even smelled expensive.
"Be practical, Lina. You're not planning to fight in something like that, are you?" Zelgadis was in a simple white suit that was relatively cheap, comfortable and inconspicuous at the same time.
"Oh, right..."
"Hey Lina, what d'you think?"
Gourry stepped out of the changing room in a fashionable black swallowtail, professional and smart (the clothes, not him).
"Everyone, please! We don't have the money to splurge on all of this!"
"Not half bad, Gourry!..But like Filia says we really should cut cost. In five minutes, everyone get back here in something under fifty okay?"
"Lina!!"
"Okay, under thirty..."
In the end, Zelgadis ended up with his usual robes to fund Lina's new-found simplified version of a youngster's polonaise , saying it was a "formal white robe of sorts anyway", Gourry took the simple white suit Zelgadis had tried on and Filia just took a simple top to wear over her usual pink dress.
Xellos, on the other hand, projected whatever style, material or colour of suit he preferred when he met up with the Slayers in their new outfit. Which was a tuxedo that looked very wrong until Lina said to "take off the stupid bowtie you halfwit" and Filia said to "(please) change the (fascinatingly) repulsive shade of rubbish (green)". Later, unhappy and pouting with the criticisms, he just turned the whole thing pink for everyone to stare.
Lina complained about how Xellos should have provided funding for the stupid journey. Xellos retorted that any money he got would've been illegal gold. Lina said he could've been nice enough to spare a few coins 'or something'. Xellos, pouting, refused by saying, "Don't wanna."
"Whoa, it's really big, Lina.."
"Yeah...it's huge..!"
"This is comparable to the dragon statues!"
"What dragon statues?"
"Shut up namagomi."
"You two..."
"It's to be expected of a Lord's house, after all."
"Well then, shall we?"
The Slayers entered the mansion from which walls hung chandeliers to its full and on floors stood vast carpeted spaces that was filled with dancing and food. The party was open to all, but Upper Amorteria only had so many inhabitants, which was not nearly enough to fill the gigantic room.
"All right!" Lina's eyes glimmered at the buffet table. Then she coughed and turned to everyone.
"Now, everyone understand -we're not here to have fun. We're here to keep a lookout for Amelia, make sure she doesn't make any trouble and watch out for the witch in white. Remember - this is a very critical part of our rescue mission."
Everyone nodded.
"Filia and Zelgadis, go keep watch and do some asking-around with the people and get some information about Amelia. Flatter them, appeal to them, dance if you must. We're giving all we've got to find Amelia."
Filia and Zelgadis nodded again.
"What are you and Gourry doing then?" Though Zelgadis already knew the answer.
"Patrol the dining tables, of course! Hahaha..."
"It's not 'hahaha'!! Seriously, are you even really trying to save Amelia?"
"Oh come on, if you think about it, only Gourry and I can eat so much while talking to all the other guests."
"What's Xellos doing then..?" Zelgadis continued his sweatdrop.
"Oh, Xellos - just hang around and spill the beans when you think the time is right."
"Eh?! Why don't we just eat with Xellos then?"
"Because, Gout dear, I'll probably scare everyone away."
"And there you have it. Everyone meet back here in half an hour if nothing happens."
"Ok." Everyone nodded.
Zelas was massaging the side of her heads. She bit her lip and flashed her sharp teeth. Her thumb hardened against her index, her fingers balled up tightly into a fist. She was displeased. Annoyed and displeased.
Her arm muscles tensed as there came the knocking sound again. It was followed by soft scratches that were besieging her ears. She could stand it no longer. Eyes filled with either hatred or a lack of sleep (not that she needed it), her head spun towards the source of her discontent.
She stared at the egg. The egg stared back - not that it could stare or anything, but it just stood there humming on the glass. An annoying green light flashed every now and then, which caused her to flick her eyes involuntarily at it. The dragon inside was awakening.
Zelas gripped the sides of her throne. How was she supposed to drink?!
That stupid egg occupied the only remaining glass that she hadn't shattered out of sudden bursts of anger from the annoyance it posed, or out of pure sleeping habits which included lots of slumping around, especially after a good long drink. Eventually a good glass was pushed off the armrest and forgotten as it lay in pieces on the floor.
Zelas began grinding her teeth. She would put the egg on the floor, the cold hard floor. Can't go wrong with the floor - it was stable and it usually didn't shatter. Then she chewed her lips - no, the egg wouldn't sit upright then. The heat would change.
What Zelas didn't know was that Val was actually quite tired of sitting up all the time, and was hoping to be laid sideways for a while. But what Zelas did know was that the egg fitted better on the glass upright and that it would begin rolling all over the place if it was placed sideways.
Maybe she would cut the glass into two laterally - yes, it was a good idea. She could drink from the bottom part and the egg could sit on the upper part, supported by...supported by what, exactly? And moreover she didn't like short, stumpy cups. And what if she cut wrongly? She was still miffed from drinking, and there was a good chance she was going to cut a little off - in which case the egg wouldn't balance, topple over and roll into places she'd rather not follow, or it she didn't cut smoothly then her lips would bleed. While the drinking of red wine and blood was tempting, it made no sense to drink her own blood.
She examined her long fingernails, manicured and just the perfect shade of red, just the perfect edge curve, just the perfect length, and really just perfect. She raised her right index elegantly - if not lazily with style - and examined its thickness.
Better not risk it, she thought. It'd be a pain to try and re-project it if it broke or changed in any way.
First things first, though. Get the egg out of the parfait glass.
Her toned fingers clasped the bottom of the glass, and lifted it to her other hand. Then she tipped the glass.
The egg didn't fall.
WHAT?!
She started tugging and pulling at the egg - as gently as she could, which wasn't really gentle at all, but she tried not to crack the egg in her vice grip. It wouldn't come out!! What did this egg think it was , huh?!
Then she accidentally scratched the side of the egg that wasn't protected by the parfait glass. At the same time, a hole was poked through the glass. She decided not to risk it after that - who knows what'd happen if she let her anger get the better of her.
This was stupid, she decided. Like Xellos said, she should really just smash the egg and continue drinking in peace. But also like Xellos said, would she like to raise an egg? Her mind spun in a whirl as she tried to understand exactly what Xellos was intending.
Then Xellos phased kneeling in the shadows at the door.
Speak of the devil, her mind echoed numbly.
She gave a small nod to acknowledge his presence.
"Lina-tachi are at a Lord Emel's party, where the two are expected to turn up next. I am certain Amelia, the princess of Sei - Are you alright, my Lady? You seem troubled."
Beastmaster Zelas rubbed her temples again and let out a sigh. Being drunk heavily had its shortcomings.
"I couldn't take the egg out to drink," she said simply.
Xellos blinked. He took the glass and slowly twisted the egg out. It seemed to have a dent around the middle, but it was hardly noticeable. Then he snuffed out a nearby candle, waited for it to cool slightly and placed the egg on it. It set in comfortably as there was a slight depression in the candle from melting from the centre.
Looking around, he spotted another casket of wine bottles. He popped one open, sniffed it and presented it to Beastmaster Zelas.
"Would my Lady care to drink from the bottle?"