After the group finally arrived at Sailoon in one piece they all dropped into big, comfy beds and slept...after a grand feast, of course.
Waking up the next day Lina was informed that a grand ball would be held that night to welcome back the princess and to welcome the Great Lina Inverse and her Companions. Lina smirked, wondering how her 'Companions' would take the title.
She jumped out of bed and stretched. "Ahhh..." Putting on her sorceress's outfit she opened the door and walked out-
"Good morning, Lina-chan!"
Lina glared at Xelos. "What do you want?"
"Well, I'd like to know what you want, actually. I don't seem to be pleasing you."
Lina stared at him.
And stared some more.
Finally she said, "I want myself back." "Tsk. Can't do that. And why would you want yourself back, anyhow?" Xelos looked puzzled.
Donk
"Lina-chan, that doesn't help me very much..." Xelos commented from the floor.
"Jerk."
She passed by Gourry. "Lina, why is Xelos on the ground?"
"I put him there."
"Oh." That was an answer he could understand.
Breakfast was uneventful, and Lina ate like a pig, which relieved her group but worried the palace chefs.
"More, please!" Lina held out her plate enthusiastically.
"Um, Miss Inverse-"
"Call me Lina."
The chef wrung his hands. "Our remaining food is reserved for tonight's banquet."
"Oh. Then I'll have double portions of dinner tonight, then." Lina smiled.
The chef fled to the kitchen and started calling army surplus stores to see if they had any food to spare.
"Ne, Lina! The ball tonight's gonna be great! It's gonna be beautiful, with lots of decorations and food and music and Zel, you wanna dance with me?"
"No."
"Oh. Well, I'll dance with you anyway."
Zel buried his head in his hands.
"Anyway, Lina, we've gotta get you a dress to wear and maybe even a date!"
"A dress? No thanks."
Amelia looked at Lina curiously. "Why not?"
"Never liked dresses. Pain in the fanny and all that."
Amelia shook her head. "But Lina, this is in your honor...partly, anyway. You've gotta show up! And if you've gotta show up, you've gotta dress up! And if you've gotta dress up, you'll need a dress!"
"Very logical." Zel said mournfully.
"You'll have to dress up too, Zel! Oh, won't it be fun?"
Now there were two depressed faces at the table.
Xelos chose this moment to poke his smiley face into their conversation.
"A ball? Sounds fun! Ne, Lina-chan? Save me the first dance, okay?"
Lina growled in response.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Lina glared at him.
"At least I'm asking."
"Amelia? Can you find a dress for Lina that's not from the children's department? Those dresses never look good on flat-chested sorceresses who could be over 300 years old."
DONK
As Lina stalked away Xelos looked down on Gourry sympathetically. "My dear dizty friend, you've got a lot to learn about what you're allowed to say around her." He glanced at Amelia."You do remember what I said, right?"
Amelia nodded her head enthusiastically. "I was planning on doing it anyway. Now I've got a great excuse!"
Xelos's smile was a little strained. "Great, Amelia."
Amelia beamed. "Ne, Xelos, how about you helping me get a dress for Lina? I'm not sure what would look good on her. I don't even know her size!"
"I do. I've watched her often enough to memorize every inch of her."
Zel snorted.
"And we have to get Zel-kun a suit."
Xelos smiled. "What do you think of that, Zel-buddy?"
"Uh...help?" he replied weakly.
Xelos' only response was an amused laugh.
That night the palace was dressed in all its splendor. Candles were alight, music drifted through the halls, and people got down and partied.
Except for a certain chimera and sorceress.
Zel had been dragged into the party by guards. If he refused, he would be thrown into jail and made a criminal worldwide. The power a princess in puberty had. He sighed resignedly.
Lina had been made the same 'offer you can't refuse'. So here she was, dressed in a pale green dress trimmed with pink that made her red hair stand out. She was also wearing green high heels and her hair was done in an arrangement that somehow involved roses. She looked good, but she felt uncomfortable.
She'd never really understood what other girls went for. They read cheesy romances and dreamed only of being the wives of great and handsome men. They went all to pieces when a cute guy gave them flowers.
Now, if someone had given Lina her own palace and servants and all the bandits to kill she wanted and money and food, her heart would jump. But that hadn't happened yet. And she doubted it ever would. Why would anyone waste that sort of stuff on her?
So she set out to get herself all those things. She wasn't doing too bad, considering.
And she'd stayed away from romance. Why go goggly-eyed over someone who gave flowers to you? Heck, she could pick her own!
"Lina-chan, let's dance!" Xelos had been doing some serious partying before he'd popped that request. It was rather amusing, Lina noticed, to see one of the most evil beings in existence party down like some adolescent human boy. And he'd been drinking a lot of the alcohol available to adults and still wasn't slurring. Mazoku were amazing.
Of course, that didn't mean Lina would dance.
"Go find Amelia or someone else."
Xelos grinned. "Ne, Lina-chan, I want to dance with you." He put extra emphasis on the 'you' but she still didn't get the hint.
By L-sama, did he have to spell out his intentions?
"I don't want to dance with you."
Xelos wagged his finger at her. "But you promised."
"I did not!"
"But you didn't say no, so I could only assume it was a yes!"
Lina hated the twisted logic he came up with.
Xelos pulled on her hands gently but firmly. "Come on Lina-chan! Let's have some fun!" He giggled.
On second thought, maybe he had drank too much. Or maybe not. With Xelos it was hard to tell.
She tried to pull her hands away but found them in a deadlock. Xelos was holding her tight.
He pulled her onto the dance floor.
"What are you doing?" she hissed.
"Dancing with you."
"No, you're not."
"Why not?" Xelos raised an eyebrow. "Just one, please Lina-chan?"
"No."
A concept structured itself in Xelos's brain. "Do you even know how to dance, Lina-chan?"
"No."
Xelos grinned. "Then I'll teach you! Come on, Lina-chan!"
After she was done dancing with Xelos' unique style Lina practically crawled onto a chair.
I can't remember the last time I was this tired!
"Lina? Can I sit here too?"
"Sure, Amelia."
The princess looked great. Princesses usually did. She sat down, careful not to crease her pink skirt. "Don't you think Zel looks cute?"
"..."
Amelia glanced at Lina. "Then what would you consider cute?"
"A bag of gold the size of this room."
Behind them, hidden in the shadows, Xelos sweatdropped.
"I meant as in guys, Lina."
"Guys? I dunno."
"Then what was the first guy you ever had a crush on like?"
Lina smiled and shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I haven't met him yet."
Amelia puzzled that one out. "You've never liked anybody?" she blurted out.
Xelos twitched. There could be where my problem lies. "Nope."
"But, with you travelling so much and all, haven't you met anyone who's even just sparked an interest in you?"
"No."
Amelia looked depressed. "How about romance? Ever think about it?"
"Aside from wondering why girls enjoy stories about it, no."
"Kissing?"
Lina gave Amelia a 'weird' look. "I'm not you, okay?"
"Then what about love?" Xelos hadn't requested her to ask about this, but Amelia was on a ball.
"Love?" Lina thought a moment. "I... don't think I've ever experienced that."
Damn!
"What about your parents?"
"They weren't around much when I was little, so I never understood the thing other kids had with their parents." Lina said, shrugging.
"What about your sister?"
Lina stared at Amelia. "I'm terrified of her. That doesn't match the descriptions of love."
Amelia looked even more depressed. "Ne, Lina, isn't that kinda... sad?"
Lina shrugged. "Can you call what I feel for you guys love?"
Amelia brightened. Xelos brightened as well.
"I mean, I consider all of you very, very important." Lina smiled softly. "More important than myself."
Xelos sweateddropped.
Amelia nodded. "That's a start!" She glanced around the room. "I'm going to dance with Zel now, okay?" Amelia waved good bye to Lina.
Xelos reappeared on the dance floor and danced. But his mind but more on what course of action to take with Lina. Very inexperienced. That's not necessarily a good thing. He thought a moment. But not necessarily a bad thing either.
He chuckled. At least this means as yet I have no competition. , Then, darkly, But that also means less chance for myself.
Frustration gripped the Mazoku general for the first time in centuries. Lina is such a prize... assuming I can win her.
Not for the first time that night he sighed.
Lina watched as Amelia used her own princessly charms and threats to get Zel to dance with her. Lina didn't really understand the fascination Amelia had for the chimera, but then Lina rarely understood such matters. She felt...left out when things like crushes came up. She'd never had one herself, not one she could identify anyway.
Lina blinked. Why did Xelos' face suddenly pop into her mind when she thought about crushes?
She shrugged. It didn't really matter.