The door of Luna's chamber closed behind them.
"Why don't we go to the cafeteria? You can eat something there and on our way I'll tell you a little about Kayless. What do you say?" asked Ayla
Gracias stomached grumbled and she blushed. "Let's go my stomache is telling me to eat." she told the blond girl smiling a little embarassed. Ayla had to laugh. "Then come" she told Gracia and with a handmove she indicated the woman to follow her.
They walked along long gray corridors, illuminated with some lightspells here and there. They turned here and there and after a while Gracia lost all sences of orientation.
"How do you find your way through this mace" she finally asked.
"I was born here and I know Kayless like the palm of my hand, but I don't know all the tunels, only few do like Lucas, Kaery and Krishak, who are responsible for kepping in touch with the cities around us. Besides what you call mace would be a great atvantedge in case of an attack."
"Oh..." Gracia noded.
"We trade with the neighbouring towns. There's Elwingil to the eats, it's built on a mountain side and from there we get materials to built weapons. There's Atlantis to the north near the ocean, from there we get salt and fishes. And there's Angarah to the southwest. It lies in the woods and from there we get wood."
"You are very orginazed..." Gracia said impressed. She found it hard to believe, it seems so unreal that a place could exist long enough to get orginazed with all these Mazoku around.
"Miss Luna, Alas and Aishan make sure that everything stais in order. Alas is an Ancient Dragon you know." Ayla told her as they reached some stairs that leaded downstairs.
"An Ancient Dragon?" Gracia couldn't believe what she just heard. She was more stuned than ever, "Weren't they all killed?"
"She was very small at the time and was adopted ba a Blue Dragon who kept her hidden." Ayla said meryly.
After the reached the second level of Kayless Gracia looked at her surroundings. There were more people down here and the corridors seemed to be endless. To Gracias relieve they soon stoped in front of a wooden double door.
"Here we are." said Ayla as she pushed the door open.
They entered a huge cafeteria, filled with tables and chairs, there were some people sitting around . Ayla loked around as if she were searching for someone, suddenly she grabed Gracia's hand and dragged her towrds a table were a shorthaired blond man was sitting, two empty plates before him. As they walked closer Gracia could see that his right eye was hidden by a patch and that his hair fell over it. Ayla ran into the man's arms and nearly knocked him out of the chair.
"Hi Ayla! How are you?" asked the man.
"Fine. Here is someone I want you to meet." Ayla let go of the man and motioned "This is my brothe Gourry, he is the most tallented swordsman in the whole world. And this is Gracia, you remember, the woman we found half dead in Slesia."
Gracia bowed very low. "Pleased to meet you and thank you for everything. I'm forever in your dept."
"It was nothing." he answered smiling brightly.
"Sit down." said Ayla grabing a chair.
Gourry stood up and moved a chair so Gracia could sit.
"Isn't he just the most wunderfull cavalier?" asked Ayla.
Gracia was a bout to reply when a short red-haired gril wearing a waitress outfit aproched the table.
"Ayla where have you been? Liah is going crazy with Kazen, we have been neednig your help..." the waitress noticed Gracia, "And who is your friend?"
"Lina, this is Gracia. Gracia, this is Lina Inverse, she is Miss Luna's younger sister." said Ayla.
"Pleased to meet you." they said in unision.
"We would like to order for Gracia... What would you like?" Ayla said turning to Gracia.
"Well..." she said, she didn't want to order a lot because she had no money and food was scarse nowadays and therefore extremly expensive. "Just tell Liah and Lufia that we have a newcomer." said Ayla seeing that Gracia couldn't decide.
"Okay." Lina said before disapeared into the kitchen.
Some moments later an atheltic woman carrying a very angry looking baby came out of the kitchen and headed for their table.
"Oh Ayla. Good that you're here. Here, hold Kazen." she handed Ayla the baby, then she turned towards Gracia, "Welcome to Kayless. I'm Liah and I'm in charge of the kitchen with the help of Lufia. I'll get you something to eat right away, now that I have both of my arms free." she hurried back into the kitchen before Gracia even had time to answer.
"Don't woory she's always like this, she's always busy. It's not easy to cook for 70 people everyday without counting all the travlers that stopped by..." Ayla would have continued talking , had it not been for for a screaming that could suddenly be heared to their right. They turned around and saw a little girl with strange looking purpel eyes and long spiky lightbrown hair worn in a pigtail run towards them.
"Kaery has started a fight with Lidya" said the girl.
Ayla looked complety alarmed. It must be a really bad fight if Edele saw it fit to tell her. Edele of all poeple who hardly ever spoke if not asked directly.
"Gourry, would you show Gracia around after she's done eating. I'll be busy for a while." said Ayla and hurried with Kazen in her arms and Edele away.
"Sure." siad Gourry a little too late, for Ayla couldn't hear him anymore, but he didn't seem to notice.
For a moment Gracia wanted to hurry after Ayla, this was a new place, her sister had was gone, kidnapped by some crazy Mazoku and she didn't know anyone well. Not that she new Ayla well, but she had known her the longest and the girl had a maternal yet playfull air around her, that made it easy to trust her, probably the reason why the children seemed to feel comfortable around her. Then she looked at the Gourry besides her and he smiled at her and she saw in his eyes that she could trsut him too.
At the moment Lina reapeared balancing a full laden try in her hand which she placed on the table . Gracia's eyes went wide.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot pay for all this..." Gracia started to push the dishes from herself.
"Don't worry. There's no need to pay, we have enough food here." said Lina smiling at her, " You have to see the gardens. Gourry, will you take her there afterwards?" she looked at him with a face that said she would not take a no for an answer.
"Sure." said Gourry fast, years of getting hit on the head by that certain read head had taught him not to question her requests.
Gracia was curious about the gardens so when Lina returned to her job she asked the swordsman.
"My father designed them and they are down bellow" Gourry told her.
"Underground?" asked Gracia
"I really don't understand it to well, you better ask Ayla or Aishan or Alas." he said.
Gracia started to eat her soup.
"Hmmm... salt... I haven't had anything with salt in ages. Amelia would love it...." Gracia looked down, as pain crossed her features.
"Amelia?" asked Gourry.
"She's my younger sister and was taken by the Mazoku before you found me." she said.
"Oh.... well don't worry, Luna is really smart, she'll find a way to get her back."
Gracia looked up and saw into Gourry's eyes, so full of hope and trust in his friends, almost like a child's. She had never seen such eyes on a grown up, and not even on many children. Kayless was really an interesting place.
Gracia saw Lina just about to eat a little sandwich from her tray looking around making sure no one saw her.. then a man apeared beside Lina, took the sandwich out of her hand and put it back onto the tray. The man was wearing light brown panths and a matching turtel-neck shirt. But what amased Gracia the most about him was that his skin was blue.
Probably under a curse by the Mazoku..., Gracia had heard that they sometimes used humans as ginea-pigs. She just hoped Amelia didn't find such a fate.
"But Zel! Just one bit." the redhead wailed.
"Lina do you want to get kicked out of the kitchen by Liah again?" Zel asked her.
Lina fumed a bit and then desided it was better to stay on Liah's good side.
"Stop bothering me and go sit over there with Gourry." Lina told him.
Zelgadis looked at the woman with the swordsman.
"Is that his girlfriend?" he asked Lina.
"Gourry and a girlfriend? Very funny! No, she's a survivor from Slesia" Lina said walking back into the kitchen.
Zelgadis aproached the table where Gourry was sitting and greeted him, "Hi Gourry!"
"Hi Zel! Sit down."
Zelgadis didn't wait for Gourry to introduce him to Gracia, for it was likely never going to happen, "I'm Zelgadis Greywords." he bowed.
"I'm Gracia Will Tesla, nice to meet you." she said also bowing.
Zelgadis sat down. Gracia caught her herself staring at his blue skin with little rocks on it. Zelgadis looked at her questionably.
"I'm sorry. I just had never seen what the Mazoku could do to people... My sister was taken by them some hours ago." she said looking down.
"Oh... no, no this..." Zelgadis pointed at himself, "...this wasn't done by the Mazoku. My grandfather turned me into a chimera because I was too weak as a child and would not have survived."
"I'm sorry." she said.
At that moment Lina returned bringing a cup of tea which she placed in front of Zelgadis.
"Thanks." Zel told the waitress and took a sip, "Hmmm... just the way I like it..."
"After 20 years living with you, I should know what you like to drink." said Lina smiling.
Gracia wondered if they were togheter, she would have to ask Ayla or Gourry afterwards. While she was eating, Gourry and Zelgadis had started to talk about swords and weapons. Suddenly the kitchen door swung open and Gracia saw Lina fly trought the air before crashing into a table and some chairs.
"I told you not to touch the food!!" A angry female voice screamed from inside the kitchen.
Zelgadis sighted while Gourry started slowly to crowl under the table. Gracia noticed the he wasn't the only one, the people around her started as well to get themselves into safety. She looked questionable at Zel who only rolled his eyes and took another sip from his tea.
"Four..." Zel started to count, "three,... two,... on-"
"FIREBALL!!!" Lina blasted the chairs and the already destroyed table from her.
Gracia twitched and Gourry grabed her hand and pulled her under the table.
"Wh... What is going on?" she asked stottering.
"Lina's angry" was all the swordsman said looking at the waitress who was attacking the kitchen-door non-stop, but nothing happened to it, it seemed to be magic-proof.
Zelgadis finished his tea calmly and then stood up and walked over to Lina, he murmured some words then touched her forehead with a finger and the waitress colapced unconcious into his arms. Zelgadis picked her up and walked back to the table.
"See you later Gourry, Gracia. I'll better get Lina to our room, it's better if she is as far away from people as possible, for she is going to be very angry when she wakes up." said Zel.
"Will you be alright?" asked Gracia stepping from under the table with Gourry.
"Oh yes, I'm used to Lina, we grew up toghether and we share a room, and besides there's not much that can harm my chimeric body." Zelgadis smiled and walked towards the door Ayla had left, the uncounscious waitress peacefully in his arms.
"Geeh! Why does Lina always get angry when I'm here?" asked Gourry scraching his head.
"You mean this usually happens?" Gracia asked.
"Two or three times a day." he sighted, then he turned towards her smiling, "Shall I show you the gardens now?"
Gracia nodded as she smiled back.