Zelgadis: We seem to have another Amelia headed our way. <(((_-))>
Lina: Well, I don't think she's that bad... ^.~
Zephyre: That's only because she idolizes you! Which goes against a universal code in it's own...
Lina: WHAT was that??? >_<#
Zephyre: Oh, nothing of your concern...
[by Ashieyu]
"I can't believe we had to stay at the same inn with those lunatics," Zephyre said as the two exited the city.
"[Insert starry eyes here] Well I think Miss Lina's cool. She doesn't care what ANYone will do to her and she does whatever she wants!" Atalya said dreamily.
"So she likes Lina Inverse because she's selfish and reckless?" Zephyre sighed. "I thought they would've taught her to look out for people like that at Samite Academy."
"...I hope we meet again..."
"I have a feeling...this is gonna stay with her for a while," Zephyre predicted.
"...And she doesn't let any man stand in her way! That's true girl power there! Even if she didn't have the upperhand against one, she'd still give her all!"
"Atalya...? Why are you up in that tree?"
"Because I've been inspired by Miss Lina! And when I'm inspired I'm full of positive feelings-"
"-Or just full of it."
"-I've got a high off life and to represent the height, I'm standing in my Tree of Inspiration! Now my companion, we must reach the next town! For there are women who also need the inspiration that Miss Lina has given to me!" Atalya jumped off the tree and amazingly didn't fall, but as she walks down the path she trips on a rock.
"And to think, we've only been with Lina for almost a day, and this is the affect," Zephyre started after her. "I just hope no one any worse can influence her."
* * *
Zelgadis was relaxing in a nice little restaurant by the entrance of the city, Septimus. Suddenly, he heard some commotion from outside. 'There's no way I'm sticking my nose in this. If it isn't Lina, then either the people have met her or it has some tie in with them. Either way, I'm sitting this one out.' He took another sip of his coffee.
Atalya stumbled into the door of the restaurant. Zephyre materialized behind her, looking very agitated. "So *pant* do you *pant* think we *pant* lost *pant* them?"
"Knowing my luck from the past day, we probably didn't. I swear Atalya, if you keep you silly speeches on girl power up, you're gonna have every bandit on L.O.N.'s creation after us. Not to mention I have to save your ass everywhere we go," Zephyre fumed.
"I'm sorry Zephyre, but the inspiration is flowing through my every vein, and it's hard to keep it under control!" Atalya started to whale.
"Oh whatEVER! Fine, you're forgiven. Just cut the waterworks before those bandits here you." Zephyre and Atalya took a seat at the table beside Zelgadis's, who wasn't too thrilled.
"Hey, uh, Zephyre...?"
"What IS it?"
"We don't have any menus-"
"FINE. I'll go get some. Just stay out of trouble," she sighed in frustration. As Zephyre walked away, Atalya took notice of Zelgadis. He looks like a chimera...she thought.
Zelgadis could feel her stare. Why'd she have to stare at him anyway...it's not like there weren't worse in this crazy world right? Maybe he was just being so paranoid about himself that he was just imagining it...? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Ah, he felt a little better now. As he opened his eyes, the girl was at his left side. He was taken aback in surprise and fell backwards.
"Oh my, are you okay sir?" Atalya asked.
Before Zelgadis could answer, someone barged in through the door. It was one of the bandits from Spectrum. "A' Boss Byron! I found 'er! The girl that took part in our defeat in Spectrum!"
"Uh oh...," Atalya was scared stiff.
The much larger and a little more IQ-ed bandit boss came in. "Ah, so it is! Good job, Burke. Now, little girl, we'll make you pay for humiliating us."
Atalya grabbed Zelgadis and started shaking him while crying. "Please! You gotta help me! PLEASE, please, help me! I don't wanna die!"
"NO WAY!!! This is YOUR problem. Not MINE, so don't drag me into this!"
"What's the matter, Golem? Are you too much of a pussy to fight?" Byron mocked.
"Yeah, pussy!" Burke repeated.
Flames tore at Zelgadis's eyes and shoved Atalya off of him to stand. "Damu BRASS!" The blast sent the bandits flying out the door and up, courtesy of the slanted building across the from the restaurant.
"ATLAYA!!!" Zephyre scolded.
"I'm sorry!"
"I wouldn't have been this mad if YOU were the only one," Zephyre started toward her and Zelgadis," but you got THIS poor man involved too?!
"I'm really sorry, but you know how bad my spell casting is-"
"That's not the point, though."
"Um, excuse me? But I'm not that poor," Zelgadis tried to explain.
"Fine, but at least say you're sorry," Zephyre told her.
Atalya turned to face Zelgadis with her head down. "I'm sorry for getting you involved, but thank you very much for your assistance." Zephyre took a step.
"I'm really sorry about this."
"Oh it's quite all right," Zelgadis assured them. "I've definitely been through worse..."
"Oh, forgive me!" Zephyr said. "We should introduce ourselves-Zephyre Ravenel."
"I'm Atalya Chastity-Faye Elysia."
"Zelgadis Graywords."
* * *
Lina and Gourry were on their way to Seyruun. They had heard from a traveler that it was the princess's birthday and they were holding a giant feast in the honor of her sixteenth birthday.
Lina came up with the crazy idea to go there and get some food, since they had it in good with Prince Phil. Luckily Spectrum was only a long jump, hop and a skip away.
When Lina and Gourry finally reached the entrance to Seyruun, there were no bustling crowds around the market, no cheerful families taking a stroll to shops or even any suspicious characters stalking people; they were all gathered in the courtyard where some kind of ceremony was taking place. That's when Lina and Gourry spotted Amelia come up to the podium to give one of her speeches on how great the town was for coming to her birthday festival.
* * *
"So why are you wandering from town to town?" Zelgadis asked as they were walking through the marketplace. Atalya was farther up front, sightseeing.
"Well, I don't know," Zephyre shrugged. "I guess for some adventure, and to watch over Atalya. She seems to emit trouble waves wherever we go, but it's not like she does in purpose. Besides, I've got this really strong feeling that's telling me to stick next to her. How about you?"
"Well, as you can see, I'm a chimera-definitely NOT by my own will, so I'm trying to find a cure." There was a period of silence after that. Zephyre didn't know what to say after that, so she kept quiet and watched Atalya. She was so bubbly, optimistic, and cheerful, and energetic and certainly no one she would normally hang around, but something told her to stay with her..."...Zephyre?" Zephyre blinked a bit.
"Huh?"
"How did you meet Atalya?"
"Well, it's actually kind of odd...," she started. "When Atalya was five years old, she was sent to the Samite Academy in Mercadia. She stayed there for about nine years...
~*flashback*~[Zephyre narrates]
It was on a night of her eighth year that she tried to escape the Academy because of numerous reasons, which, she wants me to keep secret. Anyway, on that night, I was also out for a walk. Atalya was trying to escape on a Levitation spell, but as you know, you can only use it so long, so she went down and crashed into me. "Are you all right kid?" I asked.
"I'm fine, but please don't tell anyone you saw me," she begged me.
"Alright. You happen to be trying to escape from that academy would you?"
"....yes..."
"You should know good and well you can't escape the Samite Academy without graduating. You'd better get back before they find out."
But sure enough, a couple of nights later, she was at it again, and she banged into me again. I helped her up. "My, you're a stubborn one. If you want out of here that bad, you know you're gonna have to leave town as well."
"Well, how do you suppose I do that if I only know Levitation and Raywing?"
"You need a whole new 'flying spell'. One that will let you use it a lot longer-"
"-but there's no such thing!"
"That's where you're wrong."
~*end flashback*~
So from then on, I helped her graduate from the academy and we've traveled together.
"Gravitation...," Zelgadis pondered.
"It's Astro Magic. All I know is that I seem to be the only one to know it around here. I haven't come across anyone else who knows it. I don't know how I know it either...but as far as I can remember, I've known it."
"What about your past?" Zelgadis countered.
"I don't know, anything. It's all a blur, and I bet me knowing this magic has something to do with my past. That's one of the other reasons I travel; to hopefully find someone or something that can explain, well, me, I guess."
* * *
"Ah, Lina, it's so nice of you to come," prince Phil lead her and Gourry to the near head of the table for the big feast.
Amelia was very surprised to see her show up. she thought about ordering her priests to get rid of them...they were always so much trouble now, but quickly brushed it aside, for the safety of her priests, because they'd probably get Dragon Slaved from taking her away from the food, and then Dragon Slave her for ordering them to do it. "Oh, Miss Lina, it's uh, so nice to see you well...," she took her own seat beside her father at the head of the table.
~*[insert mindless dribble about how Lina and Gourry are pigs and depth detail on their manners and how much they ate here]*~
Once all of that was over, Lina and Gourry were invited to stay in the palace for the night, since it had gotten a little late. Everyone had partied until the cows came home, and then some.
* * *
The next morning, Lina, Gourry, and Amelia were gathered on the 'breakfast balcony' outside. It was a cool day, where the sun shone brightly, and not a cloud in sight. [Note: It's the aftermath of breakfast.]"So, Amelia, how's it been?" Lina asked as Gourry was occupying himself by playing the 'war of the spoons and forks.' You could here battle cries, cheap attack names and sound affects in the background.
"Well, to be truthful, I'd never thought I'd like a peaceful life so much," Amelia said.
"Come on, you can't be serious. Besides, I met up with this girl who's all for 'girl power',"Lina chuckled. "You should've heard some of this girl's speeches!"
"Wow, really?! She sounds like she has the potential to be an Ally of Justice! Do you think I could meet her Miss Lina?"
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Lina rose to her feet. "Don't you want to spread justice to the cities and towns you've never been to?"
"Well...YEAH!"
"They said they were heading toward the city of Septimus. We could probably make it there before nightfall."
"Well, what are we waiting for?! *pivots legs in stance and points her finger with the other* Let the Hammer of Justice spread to those cities who are in need of an Ambassador of Good to help vacuum the cities that are carpeted in evil!!"
Lina and Amelia are about to go, but stop to see what's holding back Gourry.
"You'll never win Evil Spork! For the Spoon Forces and my Fork Forces have joined together to exterminate you and your evil army to save our loved cafeteria food from your evil plunders!!"
"Uh, Gourry...?" o_o* Lina asked.
"What?"
"We're leaving..."
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," he sighed. "Okay." He picked up the utensils again. "We'll be back Evil Spork, and next time, we won't have to retreat due to uh, technical difficulties! *puts utensils down* Okay, I'm ready!" Lina and Amelia sweatdropped and fell to the ground.
* * *
A husband and a wife were walking down the marketplace of Septimus when they had a dispute over what to have for dinner. The fight got really out of hand, to where they started dissing their families and gender insults. Atalya saw this and took immediate action. She went straight to the town square and started to do some very dramatic poses.
"The only reason why females have flaws is because dirty and cruel men have manipulated our innocence!"
Zephyre sighed. "Oh whatEVER!"
"I can't believe this," Zelgadis twitched. "First I have to put up with a Justice Freak, but NOW, I have to put up with a sexist Justice Freak?!"
"Don't let men discourage you ladies! *large crowd of women gather around the square* For you DO have the power to overcome the obstacles that stand in your way and the man's threshold on you!! One day, we will rise to the top!! So ladies, are we going to just be pushed around and LONGER?!!!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!" said the crowd. Atalya led the army of angry women and started to beat on all the men in the town. Zephyre teleported her and Zelgadis to the top of a building.
"Should we do something to stop this?" he asked.
"Trust me, we should let Atalya and this situation run its course."
In the warm radiance of the sunset, Atalya and the angry mob of women were seen beating their victims.
* * *
Lina and the others were still traveling the dirt path to Septimus even right after the sun had set. "Miss Lina! You said we would reach Septimus before dusk!" Amelia whined.
Lina rubbed the back of her head and put a fake smile on her face. "So I miss calculated a bit. What's a few hours? Anyways, we should see the entrance to the town any minute now."
"I sure hope so," Gourry said, "because I'm getting awfully hungry." Sure enough, Lina was right this time, and they set their feet on to the ground of Septimus.
First of all, they had to find some kind of inn. Luckily, they found one, right near the entrance of town. "All right!" Lina cheered. "Septimus is known for it's convenience, and boy is this convenient!" So Lina and company strolled in. As they were looking around for a table, they spotted Zelgadis on the far side of the room with two other people. "Hey Zelgadis!" Lina waved her arm as she and the others approached the table.
Across the room, Zelgadis looked toward the source of his name. 'LINA?!!! How the hell...'
Zephyre and Atalya looked over also while taking a drink of their teas [Author note: We're Filia-San friendly!]. Zephyre zipped her head around to the other side and spit out her drink because she couldn't believe Lina was here. Atalya was just overwhelmed with joy that Lina was with her again.
Unnoticeably, Zephyre had hit someone, Zelgadis. He sat there, mumbling as tea dripped off his face, but he quickly cleaned it up as they apologized and the rest sweatdropped.
Lina, Gourry, and Amelia pulled up a chair and joined them. "So how's it been Zel?"Lina queried.
"Bad now," he murmured.
"Hey Lina?" Gourry asked. "Why do I get the feeling I've seen these two before?" Gourry was thinking really hard. You had to give the guy credit for trying, though. He had question marks popping up all over his head, that is, until Lina hit Gourry in the head.
"Because you have met them, jellyfish for brains! It's Zephyr and Atalya!" Lina was very agitated.
"Oh yeah!" Gourry remembered. "But, uh, which one's which again?" Everyone fell out of their chair. Lina was crying.
