"I'm sorry sir. The only room available is right next to the bridal suite." The cleck said, embarrassed. "I am truly sorry - "
Zel winced. Much as he wanted Lina to be happy, He really didn't want to be right next door on their wedding night. The walls weren't very thick, and if he felt like he was invading before...
But there was no way around it. He sighed, accepted the key, and turned to leave.
And was swept away by a barrage of emotions, flooding his senses and causing him to fall to the ground. There was fear, hope, despair and loneliness...worry and uncertainty. And behind it all was that stubborn flickering flame that was Lina's trademark.
"Sir? Sir, are you all right?" The concerned Clerk asked.
"Fine, fine," Zel muttered absently. Then he ran up the stairs to where the flood was coming from.
Lina-san was being awful quiet. She hardly ate anything that morning, and she hadn't yelled at Amelia once. Amelia wasn't worried, though. It was her wedding! She was supposed to be nervous.
"Amelia?" Amelia jumped.
"Yes, Lina-san?"
"Could I be alone for a bit?"
"Of course, Lina-san." Amelia left and closed the door.
Suddenly Zel came streaming down the hallway at top speed. Amelia flinched, expecting a rather unpleasant impact, but he slowed when he reached Lina's door.
"Zelgadis-san! Um..." Amelia paused. "Lina wanted to be alone for a while..."
"I'll just let her know I'm here, then, ne?" He replied absently.
"Um, right. I'll...be in the buffet room...." Amelia retreated.
Zel rapped gently on the door. "Lina?"
"Come in," She said quietly. Too quietly. Waaaaaaay too quietly. He opened the door slowly.
Lina was silently brushing her hair in front of the mirror.
Zel took a moment to look around. The room was neat and tidy. There was no broken furniture, not scorch marks, no pieces of glass. She was either very high on valium, or she was very preoccupied. Well, it was her wedding...
The room service breakfast tray was hardly touched.
Come on, we all know Zel isn't stupid.
Zel sat down next to her. "Lina?" He asked quietly. "What's wrong?"
Lina looked up. "It's that obvious?"
"Your food is hardly touched." Zel pointed out.
Lina smiled sadly and looked away.
Zel put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Lina looked up into his face. Her eyes were full of unshed tears. "Oh Zel, I can't!" She hugged him hard, not caring that the chest she pressed her face against was solid stone. Or maybe just not noticing. She always tended to look past it, or forget the curse was even there. "He's - oh, Zel, I love him to death, but I can't marry him! I - I can't relate to him, I can't live with him for the rest of my life! He forgets everything important, I can't hold a decent conversation...what happens when we get old? What will we talk about? What color the sky is??" She sobbed into his chest.
"Then you should tell him." Zel said softly. "He deserves to know."
"How?" She said bitterly, "he wouldn't understand. It would be like kicking a puppy..." She sniffed. "It's not that I don't love him, I just can't marry him! And all this - " Lina gestured about the room, and then on the dress. "Hasn't brought us together, it's pushing us apart. I...spending so much time with him is weird, he feels more like a big brother. And how are we supposed to marry when we've only kissed?"
"You've...only kissed?" Zel asked, surprised.
Lina nodded ruefully. "I get uncomfortable even then, like I'm doing something I'm not supposed to." She sighed. "It's just not going to work."
"Then tell him."
"I'm ....afraid to." She said softly. Zel felt a warmth in his soul that she trusted him enough to admit she was afraid. She hardly even admitted fears to herself.
"Lina." She looked back at him. "Lina, you've always been there for me. You are the greatest friend I have ever had before."
"Z-Zel, I - " She said, blushing, "What are you talking about? I haven't done anything out of the ordinary - "
"Yes, you have." Zel sighed. Lina always tried to hide the kindness she had deep within. He had only caught a few glimpses of it in the open, and usually it would show up quietly in the background where it could do good and not be noticed. She preferred for people to see her as a greedy, immoral child. "I have had very few people I could trust when I was human. My curse has only made them scarcer. Even Amelia, who thinks she loves me, doesn't really see me as a human. You keep forgetting I'm not human."
Lina looked uncomfortable. "I - "
"If so need help telling Gourry, I will. I trust your feelings on this, Lina. If you don't think you mesh, than you don't.
Lina stared at him. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, Zel. Even Gourry. Thank you." She hugged him once more. He couldn't help thinking she's be getting bruises in some very unpleasant places..."Thank you. But I think I need to tell Gourry this myself."
Zel nodded. "But if you need me..."
Lina nodded back. "I know." Then she opened the door and left. Zel followed at a distance.
They met Gourry halfway to his room.
"Lina, I - "
"Gourry, I - "
"Can't." They finished together. Neither seemed to have heard the other. Zel leaned against the wall.
"We're from separate worlds. I could never really understand you."
"We can't relate."
"You're more like a sister - "
"Brother - "
"I can never follow what you find important - "
"You can't remember - "
They stopped.
"Then you - " They said in unison.
"I'm not going to - "
"You aren't - "
"My Gods, Lina, I thought you were going to throw a fireball at me and go into hysterics!"
"I thought you'd get that hurt puppy look that always makes me feel so awful..."
Zel smiled and turned to leave. Better notify everyone of the cancellation.
Lina turned. "Zel!" He stopped. "You're my best friend, too." She smiled that grin that betrayed her fiery soul, The flames on the edges of her psyche.
He was about to reply when the world blew apart.
It didn't really blow apart, per se, but that was what it felt like to all the magic users in Seyruun.
Magic lives in all living things, constantly flowing, changing. Sorcerers and magicians are constantly taking it in, unconsciously, making the parts that leak out into what they call magic.
Someone had just stripped the entire city dry.