Try Ep. 1 Pt. 1
The day before the delegation's embarking was bright, the wind promising a good start to the voyage the next morning. Hood up and face covered, Zelgadiss was walking among the people helping get the ships ready, wondering if he could find a captain with whom he could barter passage to the outer world. Any ship would welcome a strong worker, especially one who had navigation skills and had any sort of talent in the magical arts... but none so far had sounded too enthusiastic about letting on board one who looked as he did.
Still, he figured, if none would let him on as a legitimate passenger, he could always stow away.
Halfway along one of the docks, Zel's thoughts were interrupted by a rather shrill harangue from along the harborside, followed by the sound of dishes crashing to the ground. A rather familiar voice in a very familiar tone, in a familiar situation. A wry smile tugs at his lips, hidden, as he follows the voice to its owner.
"Good grief," Zel says, seeing Lina and Gourry at standing at a recently-overturned table. "You two never change." He figures that Gourry had asked some obvious question and Lina, never having much patience to begin with, had tried to explain it to him. With less-than spectacular results. "I haven't see you guys in a while."
Lina turned, face brightening as she calls, "Zel!" quickly followed by Gourry's smile, "Zelgadiss!"
*~*~*
"Yeah, it has been a while since then, hasn't it?" Lina asked, as they looked over the busy harbor from the city bell-tower. "You doing all right, Zel?"
He turned to look at her, smiling slightly. "I suppose. And you guys?" He chuckles. "I can't imagine you two ever looking sad."
"...you looking for a fight so soon after getting here?" Lina growled as Gourry looked on in bemused apprehension.
"Uh, no," Zel relented, slightly abashed.
Gourry abandoned any attempt at understanding the previous exchange, asking cheerfully, "So, did you come to see the boats sail off to the outer world too, Zel?"
Zel paused, wry, and looked back out at the ships making ready. "Yeah..."
"Yeaaah," Lina said, smirking at Zelgadiss. "Lemme guess. You're thinking there might be some magical item in the outer world that can cure your body, right?"
"Yeah," Zel admits, watching the seagulls riding the thermals. "Well, with a body like mine..."
"Yeah, it's hard for you, isn't it?" Lina says, a knowing look in her eye.
"It's nothing. I'm patient." And for now, he is.
"But they're sending delegates from a lot of kingdoms, right? Can you just slip in with them?"
Trust Lina to think as he does. "Maybe, and if that doesn't work, I can try taking my own boat."
She smirked, looking over to see that Gourry had dozed off. "I see you haven't lost that never-give-up spirit, Zel."
Zel grinned wryly at her. "So what're you guys doing here, anyway?"
Lina leaned back against the parapet, pulling out an envelope, "We're here to check out an offer I got in this letter."
"An offer?" Zelgadiss asked, eyeing it.
"I've never heard of the person who sent it to us, but the pay they're offering can't be beat!"
It figures Lina would think of payment over everything else, Zelgadiss thinks to himself, too smart to say it outloud.
"I'm prepared to find out if it's all a prank, though," Lina shrugs as the bell in the tower they're on begins to toll, deafeningly. Zel covers his ears at the noise, as Gourry wakes with a start, slipping off his seat.
"Who's there?" Lina asks, as the ringing fades away. A strange woman in white, with blond hair of a length to rival Gourry's walks out onto the bell-tower balcony. Zelgadiss automatically puts his hood up, eyeing her warily.
The woman smiles serenely at them, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I am the one who sent that offer."
"You mean," Lina starts, less distrusting that Zel but still wary.
"Yes, I am the 'Filia' who sent you that letter, Miss Lina," she said, then turned to Zel. "And you must be Mr. Zelgadiss Greywords."
Zelgadiss disliked being caught off-guard by strange people, but he disliked strange people knowing who he was even more. He said nothing.
"And you, Mr. Gourry Gabriev," the woman said, smiling at Gourry's blank look.
"So you've done some checking up on us," Zel said at last, leaving his hood up for the time being.
"Yes, as far as how you destroyed Hellmaster Phibrizzo," she answered, calmly.
Lina closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, grinning at Filia. "Now I get it. So, knowing what you do about us, what kind of offer do you have?"
"Well... I've come to talk to you, to confirm how powerful you really are," Filia replied.
"How powerful we are?" Zel asked, eyebrow raised.
"Well, you see..." Filia started, before looking over her shoulder in startlement.
Because for whatever reason, Gourry had lifted up the back of Filia's skirt.
"What are you doing, Gourry?!" Lina shrieked, causing Gourry to flail.
"It's not what you think! I was just looking in here!"
With a yell, Filia stepped away from Gourry, pulled a giant mace from under her petticoat and swung it into Gourry's face with a resounding CLONG!, sending him ricocheting up the rest of the belltower, into the bell, and out into the harbor.
She stood, panting with exertion, as Lina and Zelgadiss looked out, trying to see if Gourry resurfaced or not. "Wha-wha... WHAT JUST HAPPENED???" Lina exclaimed, incredulous.
With a sob, Filia fled, leaving the mace to fall onto the balcony where she had stood, cracking the stone.
*~*~*
That evening, Gourry lay on a couch, making small sounds of pain.
"Serves you right, pulling a stunt like that!" Lina handily dismissed his complaints.
"But," Gourry replied painfully, talking from under a bag of ice," I'm telling you- ow-ow-ow-ow-ow..."
"You gutless-" Lina started, in disgust.
Zelgadiss sat at the table with Lina, holding Filia's mace. He was calmer than the other two, but still blushing slightly. "But, why did you... you know... do that? Were you really that interested in flipping her skirt up?"
Gourry started from his position on the couch, incredulous. "F-flipping her skirt?! Don't be ridiculous! I just wanted to see what was in there!"
Zelgadiss eyed him, then tested the weight of the mace against one of his hands. "Isn't that... usually the point of flipping a girl's skirt?" He asked as delicately as he could.
"No! I saw a tail!"
Lina raised her eyebrows in surprise. "A tail?"
"Yeah! That girl had a tail!"
"Hm," Zel said thoughtfully, "And that's why you looked under her skirt, I see..." He smirks to himself. "I thought you had finally given up on Lina for not being sexy at all and were finally going after another girl..."
Lina bristled, yelling in Zel's face. "HOLD IT, BUDDY! What's that supposed to mean?"
Rather than answering, Zelgadiss took the mace and tossed it to Lina so she had to catch it. The weight of it pulled Lina to the ground, cracking the tile. "What?! What is this thing? It must weigh a ton!" She exclaimed, trying to get her hands out from under its handle.
"Besides being very attractive," Zelgadiss explained, "that girl swung this around without breaking a sweat. Meaning, at the very least, she's special somehow.
Getting her hands free, Lina put one to her forehead, shaking her head slightly. "Well, we can't be too shocked at running into someone with a tail in this world. There are werewolves and fish-people too, after all."
"A girl with a tail is a very suspicious person, though," Zel said, thinking back.
Gourry, looking faintly troubled, said, "Do you also get the feeling we're involved in big trouble, now?"
Lina made an uncomfortable sound in her throat, looking out at the benighted ships. "I guess so. ...I wonder if we'll even get that money she promised..."
*~*~*
Still, he figured, if none would let him on as a legitimate passenger, he could always stow away.
Halfway along one of the docks, Zel's thoughts were interrupted by a rather shrill harangue from along the harborside, followed by the sound of dishes crashing to the ground. A rather familiar voice in a very familiar tone, in a familiar situation. A wry smile tugs at his lips, hidden, as he follows the voice to its owner.
"Good grief," Zel says, seeing Lina and Gourry at standing at a recently-overturned table. "You two never change." He figures that Gourry had asked some obvious question and Lina, never having much patience to begin with, had tried to explain it to him. With less-than spectacular results. "I haven't see you guys in a while."
Lina turned, face brightening as she calls, "Zel!" quickly followed by Gourry's smile, "Zelgadiss!"
*~*~*
"Yeah, it has been a while since then, hasn't it?" Lina asked, as they looked over the busy harbor from the city bell-tower. "You doing all right, Zel?"
He turned to look at her, smiling slightly. "I suppose. And you guys?" He chuckles. "I can't imagine you two ever looking sad."
"...you looking for a fight so soon after getting here?" Lina growled as Gourry looked on in bemused apprehension.
"Uh, no," Zel relented, slightly abashed.
Gourry abandoned any attempt at understanding the previous exchange, asking cheerfully, "So, did you come to see the boats sail off to the outer world too, Zel?"
Zel paused, wry, and looked back out at the ships making ready. "Yeah..."
"Yeaaah," Lina said, smirking at Zelgadiss. "Lemme guess. You're thinking there might be some magical item in the outer world that can cure your body, right?"
"Yeah," Zel admits, watching the seagulls riding the thermals. "Well, with a body like mine..."
"Yeah, it's hard for you, isn't it?" Lina says, a knowing look in her eye.
"It's nothing. I'm patient." And for now, he is.
"But they're sending delegates from a lot of kingdoms, right? Can you just slip in with them?"
Trust Lina to think as he does. "Maybe, and if that doesn't work, I can try taking my own boat."
She smirked, looking over to see that Gourry had dozed off. "I see you haven't lost that never-give-up spirit, Zel."
Zel grinned wryly at her. "So what're you guys doing here, anyway?"
Lina leaned back against the parapet, pulling out an envelope, "We're here to check out an offer I got in this letter."
"An offer?" Zelgadiss asked, eyeing it.
"I've never heard of the person who sent it to us, but the pay they're offering can't be beat!"
It figures Lina would think of payment over everything else, Zelgadiss thinks to himself, too smart to say it outloud.
"I'm prepared to find out if it's all a prank, though," Lina shrugs as the bell in the tower they're on begins to toll, deafeningly. Zel covers his ears at the noise, as Gourry wakes with a start, slipping off his seat.
"Who's there?" Lina asks, as the ringing fades away. A strange woman in white, with blond hair of a length to rival Gourry's walks out onto the bell-tower balcony. Zelgadiss automatically puts his hood up, eyeing her warily.
The woman smiles serenely at them, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I am the one who sent that offer."
"You mean," Lina starts, less distrusting that Zel but still wary.
"Yes, I am the 'Filia' who sent you that letter, Miss Lina," she said, then turned to Zel. "And you must be Mr. Zelgadiss Greywords."
Zelgadiss disliked being caught off-guard by strange people, but he disliked strange people knowing who he was even more. He said nothing.
"And you, Mr. Gourry Gabriev," the woman said, smiling at Gourry's blank look.
"So you've done some checking up on us," Zel said at last, leaving his hood up for the time being.
"Yes, as far as how you destroyed Hellmaster Phibrizzo," she answered, calmly.
Lina closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, grinning at Filia. "Now I get it. So, knowing what you do about us, what kind of offer do you have?"
"Well... I've come to talk to you, to confirm how powerful you really are," Filia replied.
"How powerful we are?" Zel asked, eyebrow raised.
"Well, you see..." Filia started, before looking over her shoulder in startlement.
Because for whatever reason, Gourry had lifted up the back of Filia's skirt.
"What are you doing, Gourry?!" Lina shrieked, causing Gourry to flail.
"It's not what you think! I was just looking in here!"
With a yell, Filia stepped away from Gourry, pulled a giant mace from under her petticoat and swung it into Gourry's face with a resounding CLONG!, sending him ricocheting up the rest of the belltower, into the bell, and out into the harbor.
She stood, panting with exertion, as Lina and Zelgadiss looked out, trying to see if Gourry resurfaced or not. "Wha-wha... WHAT JUST HAPPENED???" Lina exclaimed, incredulous.
With a sob, Filia fled, leaving the mace to fall onto the balcony where she had stood, cracking the stone.
*~*~*
That evening, Gourry lay on a couch, making small sounds of pain.
"Serves you right, pulling a stunt like that!" Lina handily dismissed his complaints.
"But," Gourry replied painfully, talking from under a bag of ice," I'm telling you- ow-ow-ow-ow-ow..."
"You gutless-" Lina started, in disgust.
Zelgadiss sat at the table with Lina, holding Filia's mace. He was calmer than the other two, but still blushing slightly. "But, why did you... you know... do that? Were you really that interested in flipping her skirt up?"
Gourry started from his position on the couch, incredulous. "F-flipping her skirt?! Don't be ridiculous! I just wanted to see what was in there!"
Zelgadiss eyed him, then tested the weight of the mace against one of his hands. "Isn't that... usually the point of flipping a girl's skirt?" He asked as delicately as he could.
"No! I saw a tail!"
Lina raised her eyebrows in surprise. "A tail?"
"Yeah! That girl had a tail!"
"Hm," Zel said thoughtfully, "And that's why you looked under her skirt, I see..." He smirks to himself. "I thought you had finally given up on Lina for not being sexy at all and were finally going after another girl..."
Lina bristled, yelling in Zel's face. "HOLD IT, BUDDY! What's that supposed to mean?"
Rather than answering, Zelgadiss took the mace and tossed it to Lina so she had to catch it. The weight of it pulled Lina to the ground, cracking the tile. "What?! What is this thing? It must weigh a ton!" She exclaimed, trying to get her hands out from under its handle.
"Besides being very attractive," Zelgadiss explained, "that girl swung this around without breaking a sweat. Meaning, at the very least, she's special somehow.
Getting her hands free, Lina put one to her forehead, shaking her head slightly. "Well, we can't be too shocked at running into someone with a tail in this world. There are werewolves and fish-people too, after all."
"A girl with a tail is a very suspicious person, though," Zel said, thinking back.
Gourry, looking faintly troubled, said, "Do you also get the feeling we're involved in big trouble, now?"
Lina made an uncomfortable sound in her throat, looking out at the benighted ships. "I guess so. ...I wonder if we'll even get that money she promised..."
*~*~*