Here you go. Have a nice transition chapter with some extra gossip thrown in. Yeah! ...uh... As usual, I don't own anything- I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!
8-Monday Morning Warrior
Lina stirred a spoon around in her tea, staring down at it in contemplation. "If the boys don't get down here soon, I'm going to go ahead and start eating without them." she commented.
"Lina, don't be so impatient." Amelia scolded with a yawn. "You can wait for them just a little bit longer. The restaurant usually doesn't even serve breakfast this early, but they were nice enough to let us in and give us tea while we wait. At least be grateful for that."
Lina sighed and rested her chin in one hand. "I am grateful for that. I'm just… impatient- and hungry too."
"I know… but cheer up! They said that the snowstorm finally passed last night, and the sky looks like it's going to clear up today."
"Hmph, that'll be a relief. It'll be nice to see the sun out for a change-"
"Good morning, ladies!"
The professor's voice interrupted the conversation as he joined the two girls at the table. Zelgadis followed, looking particularly irritated.
"May I sit here?" The chimera placed a hand on the chair next to Amelia, making sure to ask before he sat down. If he was going to save face, it'd be much less embarrassing to have her refuse his request than for him to simply sit down and make her get up and move.
"Of course you can!" Amelia smiled brightly, confusing Zelgadis, but he was happy to sit next to her nonetheless. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"I slept well last night!" Pestis interrupted with a big smile on his face.
"Oh, don't you start that! You told me that you'd be fine in the chair!" Zelgadis hissed, clearly upset about… something.
"But the chair made my back hurt." Pestis whined. "After all these years, I've developed a bad back, you see…"
"No, no, no." Lina interrupted him, sticking her spoon in his face. "If you want to complain about back pain, let me tell you a thing or two about back pain, because I -"
"Never mind your health problems- you should have woken me up!" Zelgadis cut Lina off.
"But you weren't taking up the whole bed…" Pestis replied. "…so I thought that you wouldn't mind if-"
"You don't crawl into other people's beds, Pestis!"
Lina and Amelia both started giggling, and even the glare they received from Zelgadis couldn't shut them up.
"Wow, sounds like someone had an eventful night…" Lina murmured through fits of giggles.
"Oh, you think that was it?" Pestis questioned. "We should tell you all about our lovely threesome."
"HE'S JOKING; HE'S JOKING!" Zelgadis could see the two girls about to delve into uncontrollable laughter. "Honestly, Pestis; don't joke like that. Someone might think you were being serious."
"Oh, but I was!" Pestis replied with a coy smile. "Would I lie to you guys?"
Lina giggled again, still trying to regain her composure. "In all seriousness, though, where exactly is my husband?"
"We let him sleep some more." Zelgadis replied. "He told us he'd rather skip breakfast and stay in bed during that time, so neither of us objected. If Gourry is willing to skip a meal for something, you know it's important."
Lina frowned, but nodded in reply. "I hope he's alright. That's not like Gourry… I don't understand; he seemed fine last night."
Zelgadis and Pestis exchanged a glance, but neither said anything.
"How long do you think it'll take for us to get to Ti Toh?" Amelia finally asked.
"Well, I can't comment on the state of the roads," Zelgadis spoke, digging a map out of the bag that he'd thrown over the back of his chair. "but if we travel all day and night like we did coming from Seyruun to Zephilia, I'd say… mmm, six or seven days at the very least. Maybe more, depending on what we run into on the way. The best place to catch a boat would be in Zoana, and I can't even imagine how long that might take."
"That's too long." Lina whined.
"Oh, do you have a better idea? What do you plan to do, Ray Wing yourself all the way there? You can't exactly do that, can you?"
Lina scowled and slouched lower in her seat. "I don't like the sound of this, though."
"Hey, at least we're not travelling on foot! Right?" Pestis spoke up. "Even if it's still not quite as timely as we'd like-"
"Oh, you have no room to complain. You can just teleport places." Zelgadis scolded.
"Hey!" Lina jumped up and grabbed Pestis' arm. "You're a Mazoku, right? You can travel over the astral plane! Go get my son and bring him back here! That would solve everything!"
"No, it would not!" Zelgadis jumped up as well, leaving Amelia and Pestis sitting, looking rather helpless. "Lina, you do realise that Azarel is a threat, not just to Zara, but to all of us? If Pestis showed up demanding to have Zara back, that might make things worse- it might even put Zara in greater danger than he's in now."
"Zelgadis is right, you know." Pestis nodded in agreement. "Azarel wouldn't be very happy if I were to show up."
"But…" Lina stammered. "…I thought that you said you two were close!"
"I said that we were once close!" Pestis responded. "We've… uh… sort of grown apart, it seems. I don't know how Azarel would react to seeing me…"
"If I had a friend I hadn't seen for years, I'd be overjoyed to see him!" Lina argued.
Zelgadis glared at her. "Yeah; just like you were overjoyed to see Amelia's sister, right?"
Lina suddenly got quiet.
"...I think… I'm going to go check on Gourry… if the restaurant opens while I'm gone, just order me one of everything with extra walnuts on the pancakes, will you?"
Lina stood up and headed back towards the hallway of the inn. "H-hang on a second!" Pestis called. "Can I come too?"
"Uh… sure." Lina nodded. "That's fine with me."
Pestis managed to catch up to the sorceress, following her down the hallway. "I apologise if I'm intruding, I just wanted to talk to you about something."
"It's no problem, I promise." Lina waved her hand back and forth. "But what is it? Is it a conversation that Gourry can join too?"
"Yes, if he wants to, he can. I just… wanted to ask you about Amelia. That's all."
"Oh." Lina paused for a second. "…so we're going to be talking about Amelia and Zelgadis behind their backs now, huh?"
"Amelia is so much more agreeable this morning, though!" Pestis exclaimed. "Last night, I asked Zelgadis to explain to me what was going on between them, since there seemed to be such animosity, and he gave me a decent explanation-"
"Zelgadis told you what happened?!" Lina grabbed Pestis by the shoulders. "Amelia wouldn't tell me at all! She didn't even seem to want to give me a hint!"
Pestis blinked. "Really? That's so weird… I'd think that she'd be eager to vent about whatever she's mad at Zelgadis for…"
"Wait, what?"
"You know!" the professor responded. "Zelgadis told me that he made a mistake that ended up getting Amelia mad at him. Or… that's what I heard."
Lina blinked. "That's… uh… the opposite of what I heard."
"Huh?" Pestis adjusted his glasses in confusion.
"Amelia told me that she'd done something wrong and it got Zelgadis really angry with her… so angry that he didn't trust her anymore. That's what I heard."
"That's… odd. Why the conflicting stories…?" Pestis scratched his head. "I don't get it. Did Zelgadis do something wrong, or did Amelia do something wrong, or…?"
"Maybe they both did something bad, and they've both forgiven each other, but don't think that the other has forgiven them…?" Lina ventured.
"Okay, now you're just confusing me."
"Sorry, sorry. Sometimes I think out loud and it sounds confusing to other people. Just ask Gourry." Lina replied, finally reaching the door and knocking a few times before opening it. "Gourry? You in here?"
There was a muffled sound from the bed near the door as they entered, and Gourry shoved his head under a pillow. "…please… just five more minutes, Lina…"
"You don't have to beg, idiot. I'm not here to drag you out of bed. Pestis and I just came to check on you. I was worried." She sat down next to him and began gently running a hand through his hair. He pulled his head out from under the pillow again.
"…y'know, Pestis… I like this much better when Lina does it…"
Lina stopped and looked up at the professor, down at Gourry, and back at the professor. "…what is he talking about? What were you guys up to last night?"
"I-I just thought his hair was so pretty, and it reminded me of a puppy, and I love puppies, so…" Pestis quickly responded.
"Don't worry so much, Lina…" Gourry murmured. "The only one he actually flirted with was Zel…"
"Pestis!" Lina snapped. "Should Amelia and I be concerned that you're plotting to steal our husbands?!"
"No, no, no, no, no!" Pestis waved his hands around. "It's just, y'know, male bonding… right?"
"Wrong." Gourry muttered.
"I wouldn't know." Lina shrugged.
"Okay, well… that's not the issue. The issue now is the fact that Zelgadis and Amelia told conflicting stories."
"They did what?" Gourry sat up with a yawn.
"Zelgadis said that the whole fiasco was his fault, while Amelia said that the conflict was created by something that she did." Lina responded. "Apparently they both think they did something awful and that the other won't forgive them for it."
"We probably just need to tell them what we've heard!" Pestis replied. "They just need to hear it like you just put it, and then-"
"No. Stop. We can't just blurt out to one what the other told us in private. They confided in us, Pestis." Lina interrupted.
"And yet here you two are discussing it anyway."
Lina gave Gourry a soft punch in the arm to quiet him. "Besides that, they need to work this out on their own."
Pestis sighed sadly. "I suppose you're right… I want so much to help them, but if I do everything for them, it won't bring them any closer to each other. It's like back at the ruins- I can give them a push, but the rest is up to them."
"I… don't know what you're talking about, but it sounds pretty good." Lina nodded. "Even if Amelia is being more civil to Zel because of my advice, she still doesn't expect him to forgive her. If she doesn't believe that they'll be able to reconcile, then they're never going to get anywhere…"
"Personally, I think it's better to just stay out of people's business." Gourry offered, leaning back onto one pillow. "It's less hassle that way."
"There may be some truth to that." Pestis spoke, moving toward the door of the room again. "But I, for one, am too fond of getting involved in people's business to stop now. Are you coming back to breakfast, Lina?"
"Uh…" Lina sent a glance back over at Gourry. "We just got here. You can go on ahead. I'll catch up in a few minutes."
"Okay, then." Pestis ducked out, pulling the door behind him. "Don't have too much fun, okay you two?" he added with a wink before closing the door entirely.
Lina sighed. "Having fun? Honestly, that man… I knew he was intelligent, but I never knew he was a crazy pervert on top of it."
"You should've heard him last night." Gourry murmured. "The thing was, he was just joking around- trying to get information. He managed to scare an explanation out of Zel about the fight with Amelia, and once Zel gave him the information he wanted he suddenly became serious again. I'm so used to you, Amelia, and Zelgadis- when you guys want something, you demand it outright. I've never seen anybody with such roundabout methods… except maybe for Xellos."
Lina shuddered. "I'd take Pestis over Xellos any day. At least he's fairly agreeable. What do you think of him?"
"To tell the truth, I'm kind of afraid of him." Gourry responded.
"So is that why you decided to skip out on breakfast today?"
"...no." Gourry sat up again with a sigh. "I'm just not hungry."
"And why not?" Lina crossed her arms. "If you're not hungry, there's got to be something wrong. Will you tell me what it is, at least?"
"...I... well... I just... I feel like..." Gourry stammered, not quite sure what he wanted to say. He groaned and clenched the pillow tighter. "I should've done something-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop right there." Lina didn't let him get any further. "You'd better not be talking about what happened to Zara-"
"B-but I could've-"
"-because you weren't even there-"
"-I might've-"
"-and even if you had been, you can't be sure that it would have made any difference-"
"-but maybe-"
"-so you'd better drop the subject-"
"-but Lina-"
"-before I have to physically slap some sense into you."
Gourry finally closed his mouth, inching away from Lina ever so slightly.
"What is it with you men and your damn egos?! You're worse than Zelgadis sometimes!"
"Lina, this is not about my ego, this is about my son-"
"No, it's not. If it was about your son, you wouldn't be sulking in bed- you'd be doing something to help get him home again!"
"B-but I was responsible for him, Lina! Don't you get it?! I should've been there to make sure that nothing like this happened, and-"
SLAP!
"So what?! So it did happen!" Lina snapped at Gourry, who was still rubbing his cheek where she'd struck it. "So maybe you weren't able to protect him like you wanted? So what?! Nobody's perfect, and if you spend all your time dwelling on the mistakes that you made, you're never going to have the chance to succeed again!"
"But now you're going to be in danger too-"
"Don't worry about me! Besides, you'll be there to protect me, right?"
"But what if I can't? What if something like this happens again? Especially now with the baby-"
"You'd better not give me any excuses about the baby!" Lina huffed. "Look at our past! How many battles have we won and how many Demon Lords have we defeated? Now take our combined strength, talent, and dumb luck, and give it to a child- the kid would be unstoppable! You have nothing to worry about!"
For the first time that day, Gourry was able to give a small smile. "Well... I'm not too sure on whether or not dumb luck is genetic..."
Lina gave him a pat on the shoulder. "For our purposes, it sure can be! What do you say?" Her expression and tone softened considerably. "Please don't beat yourself up over this. I hate to see you so upset, especially when there's no responsible culprit that I can punch without hurting you even more. Got it?"
"Alright, Lina. I think I've got it." Gourry nodded. He painfully rubbed his cheek again, and Lina leaned over to kiss it before jumping up and motioning toward the door.
"Now, are you going to join us for breakfast before we leave? Zel said that the journey might take up to 7 whole days- I'd hate for you to embark on such a long journey with no breakfast to keep you going."
"Yes, yes!" Gourry jumped out of bed and rushed over to gather his belongings. "I'll be right there!"
"That's the spirit!" Lina chimed.
Zelgadis had been accurate when estimating the travel time. It was early morning on the 8th day of their travels when they finally reached the capital of the Kunan empire. Another snowstorm had detained them near the coast of Zoana before they could board a ship to take them to Ti Toh's port, but it only lasted a few hours and was over before they had the chance to panic and start devising a back-up plan.
"So, we're here. Now what?" Pestis asked, staring at the surrounding city in awe.
"That doesn't matter." Lina groaned. "All I care about right now is that we're off that gods-forsaken ship."
"Are you okay now, Lina?" Gourry asked in concern.
"Now I am! I've never been that seasick before- I don't even get seasick! I thought I was going to die!"
"You weren't going to die, Lina." Zelgadis scolded. "Pull yourself together, would you?"
"I have pulled myself together! I'm perfectly together." Lina crossed her arms defiantly. "We just need to come up with a plan of action. I say, let's go ahead to the Temple of the Aqualord and see if they've seen any sign of Azarel. It's likely that the kids were able to get here before we did, what with us leaving a day later and all-"
"-and they probably didn't have someone who needed to stop every twenty minutes or so-"
"HEY! That's not my fault!" Lina grabbed the back of Zelgadis' cloak. "Can you maybe show some sympathy for the girl whose son got kidnapped and taken across the continent?"
"She's right, you know." Amelia spoke up. "There's no reason to be upset with Lina over something like this. I think it's a good idea to go ahead to the temple to see if Azarel has paid them a visit."
"So, where is the temple?" Pestis questioned.
Lina, Amelia, and Gourry all turned and pointed in the same direction.
"You can't miss it." they all responded in unison.
"... that thing?! All the way up there?!"
All three nodded together.
"That's... quite a hike." Zelgadis murmured incredulously.
"It's just like the servants of the gods to place themselves on a literal pedestal, above everyone else in the city." Pestis huffed, crossing his arms indignantly. "The nerve of them sometimes just rubs me the wrong way."
"Funny," Zelgadis spoke as the group began walking in the direction of the tall hill in the distance. "With your outlook, I would have imagined that you'd be a fan of the gods."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, the gods are pretty swell guys- er, dragon... lords... whatever. But what I can't stand are their high-and-mighty followers. Servants of the gods so often think that, just because they do it in the name of some ambiguous higher power, that they have the ability to scorn and ridicule perfectly innocent people just to fuel their bigotry and prejudice." Pestis sighed sadly. "...if only all the servants of the gods could be as pure and just as our beloved Amelia..."
"Oh, I'm really not as pure and just as you make me out to be." Amelia gave an embarrassed laugh. "I try, but..."
"Not to deny what Pestis has said, because I agree with him wholeheartedly, but," Lina began. "can we please get a move on? The sooner we get to the temple, the sooner they'll be able to serve us breakfast!"
"It's always your stomach, isn't it?" Zelgadis sighed.
"Hey, I'm hungry too!" Gourry added. "C'mon, let's go! Before breakfast turns into brunch!"