Ghost Slayers
Chapter Thirty
By Relm
"What do you think Miss Filia is going to say when she finds out what I did?" Amelia asked Sylphiel nervously as the two of them walked around the university. They had asked a few people about the book and so far no one had been helpful. More likely the book had been in Xellos' possession the whole time it had been at the university. So the best place to check was Xellos' classroom. Which happened to be in use with Val teaching Xellos' class.
"I'm sure she'll be happy to know her step brother is going on a date. Who knows it might make him a happier person." Sylphiel tried to assure Amelia.
"But it's my sister! Miss Filia can't stand my sister. What if my sister and Mister Val hit it off and get married? Miss Filia would kill me!" Amelia cried out in horror.
Sylphiel didn't want to, as Amelia was very upset at that moment but she couldn't help it. She just had to laugh.
"Miss Sylphiel!" Amelia protested. "Stop laughing at me! This is serious!"
"I'm sorry Amelia." Sylphiel tried to suppress her laugher into a giggle or two. "But your sister is an... acquired taste. I really don't see her and Miss Filia's step brother hitting it off enough to get married. More likely they will hate each other. You have nothing to worry about."
Amelia let out a sigh. "I hope so."
"But you should warn her soon though. If he talks to Miss Filia and she knows nothing about it Miss Filia might tip him off about that little lie we told." Sylphiel suggested.
"That's right! I'd better call her." Amelia got out her cell and dialled up Filia's number.
"Hello?" Filia answered her phone sounding very annoyed.
"Hi Miss Filia how are things going?"
"Lina went off to the bank leaving me with the ghosts. So far I've managed to stay away from that idiot Xellos but if I leave him alone too long he's going to cause trouble."
"Well that's too bad. Perhaps I shouldn't be bothering you now." Amelia laughed nervously right before Sylphiel jabbed her in the ribs. "Ouch! Um I do have something I need to tell you... and you might not like it."
"Go on." The sound of Filia's voice sounded like she was already not impressed.
"Okay you remember my older sister and how she's back in town? Well she called me up and she has to go to some charity thing to go to and she needed a date-"
"Amelia! Get to the point!"
"I asked your step brother if he'd take my sister to the charity thing and he said yes."
"Wha-what? Val is going to take your sister out on a date? How the hell did you manage that?"
"Miss Sylphiel may have made him believe that Mister Xellos was originally going to take Gracia but he had to turn her down because he's sick."
Amelia could hear Filia let out a heavy sigh. "So if he calls me to ask about your sister then I'm to confirm that Xellos was going to out her."
"Only if he calls."
"And what am I to say when he calls me to yell at me for you setting him up with your crazy sister?"
"Then you can tell him I'm very sorry?" Amelia laughed nervously. "Who knows they might end up liking each other."
"Amelia that's not likely to happen and you know it. And if by some freak chance they do hit it off I will probably kill either her, you or both of you." Filia didn't say anything more than that she just hung up the phone.
"So how did she take the news?" Sylphiel asked once Amelia was off her phone.
"If they get married Miss Filia is going to kill me."
"I'm sure everything will be fine." Sylphiel smiled reassuringly at Amelia.
"NOW READ THOSE CHAPTERS AND NO SLACKING!" Val yelled as he stepped out of the classroom. "Oh good you're still here." Val walked over to Amelia and Sylphiel. "What does your sister look like?" His voice was loud and authoritative.
"Um... she's tall with long black hair and blue eyes." Amelia stuttered. "Her name is Gracia."
"Okay." And with that Val turned heel and went to head back into the classroom.
"Wait!" Sylphiel called out to him. "You only came out to ask what Miss Gracia looks like?"
"It would be stupid not to know the appearance of the person I'm going to go out with. Why are you two here anyway? Neither my step sister or that annoying Lina Inverse works here anymore. And you can't have come just to ask if I could take out your sister. So why are you here?" Val glared at both Amelia and Sylphiel intensely.
"We're here looking for information about a book." Sylphiel started to explain shying away from Val's glare. "It's an old looking book with red writing. Mister Xellos might have had it in his possession yesterday."
"Yeah he had it alright. Interrupted my class just to annoy me with it! I think he took it to Phibrizzo afterwards." Val mused while thinking back to yesterday.
"Thank you very much! Enjoy the rest of your day!" Amelia did a quick bow before she and Sylphiel took off.
Val just looked at the two of them with a puzzled look on his face.
...
Filia let out a sigh as she went to look for Xellos, Zelgadis and Slimer. It wasn't as thought Slimer or Zelgadis was causing Filia dread. She was used to Slimer's antics and she didn't have anything against Zelgadis. But Xellos was a different story.
She wanted to spend her time avoiding Xellos but Lina had ordered her to watch him. So she had no choice.
When Filia found the 'ghosts' they were in the locker room. It appeared that Slimer was showing Xellos things while Zelgadis stood there annoyed. Those things in question was spare clothing. In particular Filia's spare clothes.
"You'd better not be a bad influence on him!" Filia growled stomping her way into the room.
"Who are you yelling at?" Zelgadis asked a raised eyebrow.
"Xellos of course!"
"Okay but it was Slimer that led up here and stared pulling the clothes out." Zelgadis motioned to the pile of clothes on the floor covered in green goo.
Filia glared at Slimer. "We've talked about this you little green cross dresser."
Slimer grinned innocently while his 'halo' appeared over his head. And by halo it was of course a ring of Slimer's gooey flesh separated from his head and floated above.
"That's amazing!" Xellos exclaimed in awe staring at what Slimer did. "What else can he do?"
"He can put those clothes in the washing machine!" Filia order Slimer pointing at the washing machine in the corner of the room.
Slimer scoped up all the clothes in one bundle and floated over to the machine.
"Please tell me he didn't try them on." Filia pleaded to Zelgadis.
"I told him not to but that Xellos guy kept egging him on." Zelgadis explained much to Filia's dismay.
"Ne Zelly you're so mean." Xellos went to ruffle Zelgadis' hair.
Zelgadis smacked his hand away violently. "If I could pick something up I'd hit him with it."
Xellos smiled like a cat trying to look ever so innocent.
Filia just shook her head.
"So where's Lina?" Zelgadis wondered ignoring Xellos.
"She went to the bank."
"What? Did Amelia or Sylphiel go with her?"
"No Lina went by herself."
Zelgadis couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why would you let her go alone for? She was almost killed yesterday!"
"My you seem quite concerned for that woman. Do you two share a similar relationship to Filia and I?" Xellos suggested wiggling his eyebrows.
"WE DO NO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP YOU PIECE OF GARBAGE!" Filia screamed in Xellos face. "And I didn't willingly let her go alone. You can't exactly tell Lina what to do especially when she's the boss. I wanted to go with her but she wouldn't let me. According to her Xellos may be connected to me like you are to Lina. So f he gets spooked he may appear where I am. And she doesn't want that to happen at the bank." Filia explained.
"You see we are connected." Xellos got up right behind her and put his left hand on her butt; or he would have if his hand didn't go right through things.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKK! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Filia screeched trying to his hand away from her while throwing random objects at him.
Xellos roared with laughter at Filia's feeble attempts to maim him.
Zelgadis shook his head before smacking Xellos upside the head.
...
Lina was in quite a good mood as she pulled up into the bank with her two cheques in her hands. With those cheques she could finally get ahead of some of the bills.
The first thing she noticed when she got into the band was that it was busy. There were several people in line (many irritated) with only two tellers serving clients. Both tellers appeared to be very stressed.
'Someone probably called in sick.' Lina observed as she got in line.
Ordinarily getting stuck in such a long time would put Lina in a foul mood. But she didn't have anywhere to be so she was fine with waiting.
...
Sylphiel and Amelia waited patiently for Hellmaster Phibrizzo to finish teaching his class for that period. It didn't matter what the day's lesson had been about the students always left looking very grim.
"Professor Phibrizzo can we talk with you for a moment?" Sylphiel called out to the professor from the hall once the class was over and all the students left.
"Please come in. I have a free period and they can always be so boring if you don't have anything planned." Phibrizzo motioned for Sylphiel and Amelia to come in.
"Professor Phibrizzo we'd like to speak to you about a book Mister Xellos might have shown you yesterday."
"Ah yes the Mglahan replica. Fascinating book. You could really feel the evil coming off it. Xellos wasn't sure how it ended up in his cabinet. Did the book belong to you?"
"No it was in the custody of a client of ours. We're trying to track down where it has gone." Sylphiel cryptically explained. Technically Zelgadis wasn't a client but Sylphiel wasn't about to tell Phibrizzo that there was a man eating book on the loose.
"Why don't you ask Xellos?"
"We have and he doesn't quite remember when he saw it last." Amelia offered up. It wasn't exactly a lie, Xellos didn't remember, but then he didn't remember anything.
"Xellos forgetting something? That's a bit out of character for him." Phibrizzo mused.
"Well he er is sick so that could be the reason." Sylphiel stumbled over her words.
"Oh my I wonder if that's because he caught a 'draft'." Phibrizzo let out a very odd giggle at his suggestion. "More likely the book is still in his class.
"Mister Xellos' class is being taught at the moment. So we can't get into the room."
"Oh? Who's teaching it?"
"Miss Filia's step-brother Val." Amelia explained.
"Marvellous! Shall I cause a diversion so you two can sneak into the room?" More odd laughter bubbled out a Hellmaster Phibrizzo.
"No that's quite alright. But we should be going. Thank you for your time." Sylphiel bowed in respect before she and Amelia left the classroom.
"He gives me the creeps!" Amelia hissed once they were in the hall.
"He may be odd Amelia but he did give us confirmation about the book." Sylphiel chided.
"That still doesn't tell us where the book is now. In fact we don't even know if Mister Xellos was attacked on campus. For all we know he brought the book home and it attacked him there!"
Sylphiel frowned. "Well how about we check the parking lot? If Mister Xellos' car is still there then we know he never left the school."
"Good idea."
...
Filia spent her time looking back and forth between Xellos and Slimer. At this point in time she trusted neither 'ghost' because of their recent actions.
"Shouldn't Lina be back by now?" Zelgadis wondered out loud trying to look at the time on Filia's watch. But it was hard as the golden haired Ghost Slayer had her wrist turned downward making it hard to see the watch.
"It hasn't been that long. Don't worry about her she'll be fine." Filia insisted trying to calm the ghostly librarian.
Zelgadis frowned. "Well what if something happened while she was driving? What if she passed out and crashed the car?"
"Zelgadis she'll be fine! Why are you worrying so much?"
"When it was your body responsible for almost killing someone you tend to get a bit paranoid about that person's health." Zelgadis mumbled. He still felt very guilty about what had happened.
"Lina doesn't blame you and besides, she took the Ghost Slayersmobile. It's a big boat of a car. If she crashes it she's likely to cause more damage than inflict it."
"Great so that means because of me she could hurt someone else." Zelgadis whined.
Filia shook her head. If she could she would have hit Zelgadis over the head. "Would you stop being so melodramatic? Everything is going to be fine!" Filia insisted once again.
Because Filia and Zelgadis were so absorbed with their conversation they hadn't noticed that Xellos had snuck off behind them.
"I'm not being melodramatic! I am very justified in my concerns! You can't tell me you aren't worried at least a little bit!"
"Of course I'm worried but this is Lina we're talking about. She's always doing things she shouldn't. Worrying about her is pointless." Filia advised Zelgadis.
"Well I can't help it. Hey where'd that idiot go?" Zelgadis wondered realizing Xellos wasn't in sight.
"Oh if that piece of garbage is harassing our neighbours I'll beat the crap out of him!" Filia exclaimed with clenched fists.
"What can you do to him? You can't hit him." Zelgadis observed.
"But you can."
"It's not like I have any weapons at my disposal."
Filia eyed Zelgadis for a moment before coming to a realization. "You are wearing a belt."
Zelgadis looked down at his waist and noticed that she was right. "What do you know, I am. Okay then let's go find the idiot."
As Filia and Zelgadis turned around to leave the room Xellos popped up from the floor while throwing his jacket in the air. "BLAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He yelled with childish delight.
Filia jumped while shrieking and Zelgadis of course vanished.
"Hmmm... interesting... where did he go?" Xellos mused.
...
When waiting in a long line it was always a nice feeling when you were at the beginning of it and know you were next. Lina was quite happy to be next, the line seemed like it moved so slowly. 'Yeah I'm next!' Lina thought with glee as she waiting for one of the tellers to finish with their client.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Zelgadis screamed popping up right next to Lina.
It was bad enough when something magically appeared in a room unexpected. It was worse when said thing ended up looking like a ghost. And worst of all when the ghost was screaming their head off.
"A GHOST!" One person screamed.
Chaos erupted in the busy bank as everyone ran to get away from the ghost in the middle of the room.
Lina however just stood there groaning.