Zelgadis was getting really, really bored. He offered to just make a dress appear out of nothing, but nooooo, Cinder-girl here wanted a chance to pick everything out. She had to drag him along, too, because she had no money. How was her supposed to make this all turn into rags at midnight? It was a total waste of good money! He supposed he could turn it invisible, but that would be considerably worse than having them turn to rags.
And shopping was so damn boring!
"Zel?"
"Don't call me Zel. And what?"
"How do I look?" Zelgadis boredly looked over in Lina's direction and gaped. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, then managed to make his vocal cords work.
"You look great." He said, in a slightly shaky voice. She looked at the dress.
"I dunno...maybe the blue?"
"That one is fine, believe me." He looked at the low cut dress that pushed her breasts up to give the illusion they were larger than they were, with the tight pink satin going down to mid-hip and flaring out in a princess cut. It was simple, yes, but simplicity was beauty in many cases. He shook his head and managed,
"Shoes?"
She shrugged. "I haven't found any yet." She twirled. "I dunno, does it make me look skinny?" She asked, looking at the hips.
Zel resisted the urge to thwack her in the back of the head. "You look amazing, okay? Deal with it!"
She smiled and flashed a victory sign. "Thanx, Zel." She looked at her feet. "But what shoes am I gonna wear?"
"I think they're supposed to be glass."
Lina snorted. "What if I trip, or get in a fight, or leap from a balcony or something? I'll slice my feet to shreds!"
"Ummm...you're not really supposed to do that stuff in a dress."
"But what if I have no choice? Besides, how am I supposed to dance in glass slippers?"
"I dunno. It's just in the handbook."
"Well it's stupid. I'm wearing tennis shoes."
Zel gaped. "To a ball??"
"They're gonna be under the dress! Who's gonna know? Besides, I can't dance in heels!" She snorted again. She was good at that.
"You're going to turn into a little pig if you keep that up." Zelgadis leaned back against the bench he was currently occupying. Lina let an indignant noise escape her lips.
"A pig? I'm a pig? Well, If I'm a pig, You'd have to be a prostitute!" She grinned at his expression. "Dressing up like that for the prince. Honestly, you're willing to do anything for money, aren't you?"
"I am not a prostitute!" He all but shrieked.
"Zelgadis is a proooooostitute! Zelgadis is a prooooooooooooostitute!" She sang gleefully, skipping around.
"How old are you, sixteen or five?"
"I'm underage, if that's what you want to know."
"NO! You twisted little screwed up - "
"I already told you, I'm underage!"
"AAAUGH!" Zel threw his hands in the air. "scr - damn this all! I'm leaving. Catch you later, girl." He left in a huff.
"Don't forget, you can get in big trouble without protection!!" She called after him cheerfully. A long string of curses returned. She grinned and shouted "I love you too, hon!" After him, then took out the credit card she had filched from his pocket and paid for the dress.
"CinderLina, Mmy lorgnette."
"CinderLina, my fan."
"CinderLina, more ribbons!"
"CinderLina's no help at all. Very disorganized girl."
Lina struggled to keep from strangling her steps with the ribbons. Don't worry, girl, in a little while you'll be marrying the prince, you're gonna be rich, and you won't have to worry about them anymore.
But do you really want to marry someone who falls in love and asks you to marry them after knowing you for all of ten minutes? Isn't He supposed to love you for you? A voice said in her head.
He will love me for me.
Will he? How do you get to know someone well enough to love them in ten minutes?
It's better than being here.
True.
Lina finished Martina's hair (Making certain it looked positively awful except from the angle Martina was looking at it in the mirror) and grinned.
"Done. Oh, you all look so beautiful!" She gagged.
(Yes, I AM stealing lines from the Cinderella play I'm in. What of it?)
"Don't we?" Naga dumped the tire pump into Lina's hands and smiled.
Well, how else do you think she gets a chest like that and doesn't break in two? Extra points to anyone who gets it.
You just got it, didn't you?
Anyay, So Lina was helping her steps, yadda yadda, she said they looked nice, blah blah, the steps left, and -
The door closed to reveal Zelgadis standing behind it. "You never told me your sister had such gigantic...er..."
"Tracts of land?"
"Yeah."
"Pervert."
"Shut up!"
Lina pulled the dress out of the closet and the sneakers. "Took you long enough to get here." She said, smoothing out the creases and taking it off the hanger.
Zelgadis snorted. "Not like I had a choice. Blamong. What was I supposed to do, walk up to the door and say, 'why hello, miss, I'm here for your daughter?' I don't think so."
Lina shrugged. "It's an idea."
"Then they'd be thinking you hired prostitutes."
"So you are a prostitute!"
"It was an attempt on a joke which obviously sailed right over your head."
"I was joking too."
Glare glare.
"So! Are you going to let me put on the dress?"
"Right, right." Zelgadis left the room.
Lina peered anxiously into the mirror. "I dunno. Do you think he'll like me?"
"I'm certain he will."
"I just get the feeling I don't have enough on top." She bit her lip, dollar signs in her eyes.
Zelgadis sighed. "Speaking of doing anything for money..." He shook his head. "Anyway, You have plenty upstairs to make up for it, okay? If he doesn't fall in love with you, tell me when I pick you up at twelve and I'll slap a love spell on him. But I don't think you'll need it. You're amazing."
"She smiled nervously and clutched at her hair. "I dunno, should it be down or up?"
"Try up. Hold on." He waved his hand, and some miniature roses and baby's breath appeared in his palm. He twisted her hair up and tucked the flowers into it in a sort of tiara shape. "What do you think?"
She looked at the mirror. "Oh, it's lovely!" She turned to him. "This isn't like the hairstyles I give my ssters, where it only looks good at the places I can see in the mirror?"
"Would I do that to you?"
"Is it?"
"No."
"Good." She turned back to the mirror. "I just can't wait to get out of this damn house and these obnoxious people." She pulled on the tennis shoes (Reeboks, of course. Nike sux!) (Did you know that the spell check recognizes those brand names and not the name Heracles? Which is the original spelling of Hercules? What a stupid...) and tied them, yanking the laces tight, and stood up again. "Well...I'm ready. Do I get a big carriage?"
"Do you want one?"
"Not really."
"Then I guess not."
Zel sat in netherspace pondering. On the one hand, he wasn't really supposed to be at the ball. The magic was supposed to take place without him. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if the Prince would fall in love with her in the first place. The manual didn't say anything for actually making him fall in love. He guessed he was supposed to figure that out for himself. And he really wanted to see Lina again in that dress. No! No! Wait! He didn't! Really!
Anyway, so he was mainly pondering away whether or not to go to the ball.
What the hell. It's a party. No one will care if they don't recognize me.
He stood up and waved a hand. A suit of pure black appeared on him, complete with shiny dancing shoes. He examined himself in the mirror that appeared in the exact same way, and grinned. He loved being a nether creature. How did these humans get through the day?
Zel tipped his hat to the reflection, and blinked out of existence in a few sparkles.
Lina sat at a table, boredly listening to the prince rattle on about the newest I Can Read book. She sighed and looked at the clock.
C'mon, isn't it midnight already?
She sighed. Anywhere but here...
Out in a Bahaman island drinking a huge glass of virgin daiquiri, surrounded by gorgeous guys with fans...
She mentally went through quite a few nice fantasies, but shook her head when she came to the one about a certain cute godperson. She smiled at the prince.
"So, what exactly is the meaning of spot's running?"
As he pondered that, she rested her head on her hand and sulked a bit more.
This guy couldn't even dance! He was the classification of blonde bimbo and he...ohhhh, he was dumb!!
Suddenly the room went quiet. Everyone looked to the stairs where a totally drop dead gorgeous guy in pure black walked down the stairs. He flashed a grin to the company, making a total of twenty seven ladies swoon, and walked over to Lina.
"Mind if I steal your date for a bit?" He asked the prince, who nodded cheerfully. Zel led her to The dance floor as the music started again.
"Having fun?" He asked cheerfully.
She managed to get her mouth to work. "Damn, Zel, you look good. You must be one expensive prostitute."
Zel tripped and fell on his face. Lina nudged him with her foot until he jumped back up again and pretended it never happened.
"I am not a prostitute!" He hissed, then recovered his calm demeanor. "I asked, are you having fun?"
She snorted. "The prince is the definition of a blonde ditz. I'd be tempted to not marry him if he wasn't so rich."
"Is that all you care about?"
"Brains?"
"No, money."
She sniffed. "Money's the only thing that gets you anywhere these days. Of course I care about it."
Zel sighed. "I'll go talk with the prince, okay?"
"Yeah whatever."
Ungrateful little snot.
Zelgadis walked over to the prince, who peered at him. "Have I seen you before?" He asked.
Zelgadis swallowed hard. "No, your highness."
"Do you have a sister?"
"No, your highness."
"Oh. Okay."
Zel shook his head and smiled at him. "What do you think of Lina?" He asked offhandedly.
Gourry blinked. "Who?"
Zel pointed. "Oh. I guess she's okay."
"Only okay?"
"Well, she's way too flat chested."
"Oh?" Zel bristled. "Is that what you find pretty?"
"Of course! She's waaay too scrawny, and has nothing on top!" Gourry snorted. "I couldn't see anyone marrying her."
"SAY THAT TO HER FACE, YOU ASSHOLE!" Zel landed an uppercut in Gourry's jaw. He then proceeded to beat the prince black and blue, to the dismay of the palace guards, who couldn't get anywhere near them due to the flying tables and chairs.
Lina dabbed some disinfectant on a cut under Zel's eye. "Really, getting in a fight with the prince over that! What if the guards had gotten to you?"
"I could've taken them."
"You idiot." She put a bandage over the scrape on his nose.
He hesitated. "Sorry for cutting your evening so short."
She snorted. "I was having a miserable time, anyway. Don't worry about it. I wouldn't want to marry an idiot like that anyway, for any amount of money."
"Liar."
"So?"
Silence.
Zel suddenly flinched. "I gotta go, Cindy."
"Don't call me Cindy. Why?"
"I think I'm gonna get fired."
"Punch your boss one for me."