The blonde young woman strained her eyes to see the red head soceress sweeping about the door to small shop with a broom, with a toddler sitting at her side.
"Lina?"
Lina turned with a relieved look as she saw the visitor. "Hey. Filia. You here to pick up Val-chan?"
Filia lifted the skirts of her ukata as she walked up the step to her restaurant to where her son sat. "Actually, I'm taking him to Syphiel's tonight." She paused and looked quickly around, before turning back to Lina again. "I obviously can't take him with us THERE."
Lina nodded in agreement. "Mm. Though I wonder how even Syphiel will manage. He's already too much for myself, you know."
Filia laughed gently. "Syphiel is good with children, Lina."
"And I'm not?" Lina retorted.
"Let's leave it at that," Filia murmured as she lifted Valgarv off the floor. "I'll be going now. Thank you again!"
Lina rolled her eyes. "Why do you even bother? You make me do this everyday."
Filia shrugged, struggling with Val in her arms as she managed a small wave. Lina smiled and returned the gesture.
It must be late, she thought as she pulled her chain watch from inside her sleeve. Ten-thirty. She walked back inside her restaurant, shutting the door behind her. Grabbing a rag from nearby, she began wiping down the tables.
Distractedly, her thoughts soon wandered to the events that had happened that day. Customers had come in and gone, just like typical days. Nothing significant could really happen in a lowly restaurant like her own. Suddenly, she remembered the blue eyed boy,... man, who had come in during the afternoon. He was very... very... hmm. Well, there was something about him that made him significant in her mind, and it wasn't just his great looks. Even Gourry looked nice, and she felt nothing more than friendship.
Perhaps it was the way he spoke, so careless, yet full of unknowing sincerity. Who was he, anyway? she wondered.
Woah, hell. What the hell am I thinking? I'll probably never see that guy again in my life, and here I am, wondering who is and what he does. Males will NEVER play a large part in my life, anyway. My life has already been destined to avenge Luna, and it's going to stay that way. Love will not be anything to me until the day I dragon slave the Japanese government into nothingness.
She clenched her teeth. If that day would please come soon.
Lina wrapped the white band around her waist several times, and finally tied it tight near her navel. Slipping on the typical navy blue clothing of the ninja dojo from which she had descended, she searched anxiously for her black mask.
"Where the hell did it go?" she muttered, tossing another skirt across the room.
She ravaged through her disorganized drawers, and suddenly, a smile lit her face, and she grabbed the black piece. Tying it around her face, she leapt hurriedly onto the roof, and zipped past walls and homes, to finally reach the shrine. Shit, I'm late again. She slipped quietly around the stone torii, and found the small congregation all seated in wait. Gourry smiled at her, and Filia gave a look of motherly disaproval.
Lina apologized sheepily, and quickly sat to take her place.
Zelgadiss was having slight differculties in finding the 'bloody group of rebels', and had no clue whatsoever as to where their hideout was located. Where the hell is the shrine anyway? he mumbled angrily through clenched teeth.
This was the fourth time he had circled the beach, and still he couldn't find any sign of a religious setting. Maybe he should have looked for it earlier that day, when the sun hadn't set yet.
It's so damn cold, he complained mentally. Just what the fuck am I going to do?
At that moment, he noticed a faint light glimmering in the distance. A sign of hope, he tread through the went sand toward the slight shimmer among the trees. Fucking hell, it's so dark, maybe I should have brought a lantern or someth - OUCH! FUCK!" he swore in a harsh whisper.
He reached out to touch the object he had run into. It was the stone torii. Was this the....? He leapt on to the roof of the pole, and grinned slowly in an evil manner. "Found the bloody motherfuckers..."
There they were, all huddled among a single white lantern.