A warm tingling sensation ran throughout Zelgadis' entire body as Elena massaged the tension from his muscles.
"Almost finished Greywers-sama." She assured him while working out a tightly knotted place in his lower right shoulder.
"Thank you." He felt as if the mere words were inadequate to express his gratitude, but knew no other way. "Elena..."
"Yes, Greywers-sama?" She continued to toil on that knot.
"You didn't have to do this." He sighed.
"Do what, Greywers-sama?" She asked innocently.
"Any of this."
"Greywers-sama - "
"Call me Zelgadis, or just plain Zel." He shrugged. "Anything but Greywers-sama. It makes me feel old."
"All right." She paused. "Zel."
"Why do you do this?" He asked. "Your people, all you try to do is make others happy. Is it that rewarding in the long run?"
"Oh, yes." Bliss rippled through his back like cool silk as the magic unwound itself from his body. "We of Idan have discovered that by giving peace, we satisfy everyone. What better reason is there to live for?"
"I... don't know." He admitted, and lazily opened his eyes. His own peach-colored skin glistening from the jasmine scented oil, greeted him. He drew in a sharp gasp as he examined his arms, then the rest of his body. There wasn't a fleck of blue or a bit of rock anywhere.
"Finished." Elena stood back to admire her handiwork, and was pleasantly surprised at her client's unearthly beauty. His once wire-like hair, impossible to style in any other way, now was like satin waves of lavender. His wide blue eyes were filled with wonder. His wry yet well muscled build spoke well of his years of training and wandering. Pale lips parted as he struggled to find the words to thank her.
He ended up throwing his arms around her in an almost bone-crushing embrace as he repeated "thank you" several hundred times.
Lina was just emerging from the hot springs when she ran into him.
L-sama, the people of Idan are gorgeous. She thought wistfully as he approached. The man's lilac tresses flowed just past the nape of his neck, and his eyes were the electric blue of the sky in the moment between night and dawn.
"Hey, Lina." He smiled, his perfect white teeth completing the angelic aura that hung around him. His airy tenor voice was...
Wait a minute! She froze. "Zel?!"
"Yes?" He grinned again.
"What, who, when, ah, you're... you're... you're..." She stammered. Hot? Handsome? Drop-dead gorgeous? Her mind fed her adjective after adjective.
"Human." He nodded. "Elena did it all. She's wonderful."
"Elena?" Something shattered in the distance. "Sedal's daughter?"
"Yeah." There was another crash. "Beauty, brains, talent..."
"You've got it for Elena?!" Very far away, something exploded.
"She's something really special, you know?"
Somewhere beyond time and space, hell froze over.
"Great. I'm glad you're happy." Lina deadpanned, then headed for the kitchen.
For the next several hours, she sat by the hearth sipping a tea made of Orris Root.
Ameria was curled up quite comfortably when she stumbled upon the entry in her mythical encyclopedia.
"Idan." She read aloud, hear heart pounding in her chest. "This legendary beast draws in the unsuspecting traveler by offering their heart's desire, then... oh my, I've got to tell Lina-san!" She raced out of the room, praying that she wasn't too late. She nearly screamed when she saw who she collided with on her way to warn the red-head. Aged Sedal only smiled and offered her a hand.
"And pray tell what has got you so exited, Seyroon-hime?" He asked.
"Uh... um... ah... nothing?" She plastered a fake grin to her mouth, hoping her blue eyes wouldn't give away her fear.
"Really, now, something has you all worked up." He tapped a spot on the back of her neck. "FORGET." Her eyes glazed over for a moment, then cleared after a few blinks.
"Wha - ?" She looked around dazedly. "Sedal-san? What am I doing here?" Sedal bowed and smirked.
"Oh, Seyroon-hime, you were just on your way to the banquet hall to meet your friends for a midnight snack." He gestured to the corridor that lead to said chamber.
"Was I?" She murmured. "Well then, thank you very much, Sedal-san." She cheerfully skipped down the path the old man had recommended.
Morning found Gourry and Ameria asleep in their respective beds, Lina still drinking Orris Root tea by the dying kitchen fire, and Zelgadis waiting outside for the sun to rise. The glorious pastels of dawn seemed to soothe the faint pain in his head and chest. The soft colors always bathed him in relief.
"Is this what you want to do with your life?" Lina asked, coming up behind him, tea still in hand. "Sit around and watch the sun rise every day, from the same place? You're going to stay here, aren't you?"
"What?" He turned, and noticed the dark circles under her ruby red eyes.
"When the rest of us leave, you're going to stay behind with Elena, aren't you?" She did a splendid job of masking the emotion in her voice. "After all, you've got your cure, a girlfriend, what more could you want?"
"Go take a nap, Lina." He stood, prying the tea cup from her hand. "Worry about that kind of thing after you've slept.
"Okay..." She shuffled towards the exit, then remembered something and turned back. "Don't drink my tea." She added, then left.
Arching an eyebrow, he sniffed the lukewarm beverage.
"Orris Root?" He blinked in confusion.
It was nearly lunchtime before they saw each other again.
"Lina, I know that you're an intelligent and rational being, so I'm going to ask you this straight out." He pulled her aside. "You do realize what Orris Root is used for, correct?"
"Did you drink my tea?" She glared grumpily at him.
"No, I honored your request." He shook his head, then continued. "Why on earth were you taking it? Don't you know - "
"Zelgadis-san! Zelgadis-san!" Ameria interrupted him, sparring Lina the embarrassment of answering the inquiry.
"What is it, Ameria?" He sighed.
"Here's the book I borrowed from you, Zelgadis-san." She chirped, pressing a leathery bound tome into his hands. "Thanks for lending it to me."
"No problem." He shrugged, and stashed it in a sub-dimensional pocket. "Lina, tell - "
"Hey, guys!" Gourry cut him off, and Lina was saved a second time. "Lunchtime, ne? This place has the best food! Let's go!"
"Yeah! Food!" Lina yelled, making a mad dash for the dining hall. Zelgadis sighed and followed the others at his own pace. He would speak with her later...
Late that night, while Gourry was sleeping, Ameria wrote new justice speeches, and Lina soaked in a hot spring while drinking the hallucinogenic aphoristic Orris Root tea, Zelgadis searched through every book he could find for information about Idan.
Finally, he came to the last volume in his collection; An Encyclopedia of the Supernatural. He skimmed the index briefly, but his heart skipped several beats as he saw the listing.
"Idan. See also; emotional parasites." His fingers were hinted with blue as he turned the pages. "This legendary beast draws in the unsuspecting traveler by offering their hearts' desire, then proceeds to devour those positive emotions, making said victim a mindless zombie programmed to act accordingly in order to lure in more people."
He looked at his face in the mirror, then closed his eyes and willed the illusion away.
"It's all a lie. I must overcome it. I have to warn Lina."
Tears streamed down his face, and his stone fist shattered the looking glass.