Zelgadis looked up at the voice, startled. Then, a deep red blush spread across his covered cheeks as he saw just who was talking.
The redhead girl just sat next to him, her ruby eyes questioning. Zelgadis allowed his eyes to travel downward, taking in the red bikini she wore. There was something on her stomach, but it was hidden by her arms. His blush deepened as his sapphire eyes moved back up to her face, and caught sight of her chest.
They weren't big, her breasts. In fact, on most girls, her chest would be considered woefully small. But on her tiny frame, they were perfectly proportioned. Her bikini, instead of trying to make her chest look bigger than it was, just showed the fact she HAD breasts.
Finally, Zelgadis looked back at the girl's face. A wave of familiarity crashed through him at the sight of her red eyes. Red eyes... I remember someone... important...
The chimera mentally shook his head. It wasn't as important as he thought. Probably one of the people Rezo healed. Memory booted him in the back of the head, and he coughed. "I'm sorry," he said to the now miffed girl. "I thought you looked familiar."
"You still haven't answered my question," she replied pointedly. "Are you Zelgadis Greywords?"
"And why do you want to know?" Zelgadis asked, his eyebrow raised as he raised his mug to his lips.
In response, the redhead placed her arms on the table. The thing on her stomach ended up being a red dragon tattoo. "I am the Red Dragon Sister. It's just... the Knight of Cepheed demanded that I talk to you."
Coughing, Zelgadis put his mug down. "That's nice," he said as he remembered to swallow the tea first, then talk. "What is it that you want to talk about?"
"Does that mean that you really are Zelgadis?" the Red Dragon Sister asked, teasingly. Zelgadis glared at her, and she raised her hands in a peace sign. "Sorry. Sheesh..." She relaxed, thinking. Finally, she said bluntly, "Did you used to travel with a girl named Lina Inverse?"
Memory rolled over, curled up, and went back to sleep, dead to the world. "No," he said shortly.
Her eyebrow rose, her curiosity piqued. "It sounds like you know something about her, though."
Stir, roll over again, sleep. Zelgadis decided he didn't like that feeling memory was doing. "I, like you, have heard the rumors."
But is that it?
Zelgadis jumped slightly as the mental voice slithered through his head. Is that all? Lina Inverse stirs more than the memory of rumors. Who is she?
"Oh." The girl slumped in her chair. "I was just wondering..."
Lina-chan...
Dragon Spoocr.
Zelgadis opened his mouth, then closed it again. There really was nothing he could think of to say to her. Something inside of him jumped up, incessantly prompting him to invite the under clad girl on his journey.
And deeper than that, two eyes opened, a smirk reflected in the depths. The eyes closed again, knowing it wasn't time to awaken yet. Soon.
"OHOHOHOHOH!"
The Red Dragon Sister winced, and looked over at the cackling woman. Zelgadis followed her gaze... well, not exactly. His got stuck somewhere around the bouncing flesh barely restrained by a black bikini top. The woman tossed a coin at a waitress, who just tilted her gaze, if she could see behind the layers of fuchsia hair, to the sky. The waitress whispered something, then put a gracious, empty smile on her face as she filled a mug with beer, and placed it in front of the woman.
The black clad woman looked around, and tilted her head as she caught sight of the Red Dragon Sister. She picked up her mug, and walked over. "Hey," she said, pursing her lips, "do I know ya? You look familiar."
With a quick look over at Zelgadis, and smirking at the deep red blush that was spreading to the edge of his hood, the Red Dragon Sister answered, "I don't believe so. I'm the Red Dragon Sister. You two can call me Red if you want."
The woman's eyes widened. "I'm not goin' back! You can tell the others I'm not!" she insisted heatedly, her blue eyes wild.
Red sucked in a breath, her ruby eyes opening wide. "You... Hey, is your name Naga?"
"Not goin' back..." she muttered to herself. "Don't wanna..."
A pale hand shot out, and slapped the woman soundly on her cheek. "Snap out of it!" Red snapped, shaking her hand. "I'm not gonna take you back. But I could use your help."
"Excuse me," Zelgadis said, finally tearing his gaze away from the overbuilt, under clad woman. "I'm going to have to get going on my journey. It was nice meeting you, though, Red." The chimera stood up, ready to leave.
Red grabbed his hand. "Sit back down, Zel. I still want to talk to you."
Cheer up, Zel!
Hey, Zel, where are you going?
The laughing voice... the same pitch of the Dragon Sister...
"The name's Naga."
Both Red and Zelgadis turned to the woman. "Huh?"
She downed her drink, and slammed it down on the table. "I am Naga, the White Serpent, a powerful sorceress," she replied rather proudly. "Glad to meet you two. And I'd like to know more about you, Red, so I'm coming along!"
Red nodded. "Same here, Naga. Well, Zel, I hate to say it, but you have some company."
The chimera shot her a look. "I travel alone, thank you."
The red tressed girl rolled her eyes. "Your face is beautiful, Zel. And besides, I don't care whether you're a s-slug," she said, stumbling over the word, as a mixed look of fear and confusion crossed her face, "or a Mazoku, or even the chimera you are."
Lina's fear...
Naga turned to Zelgadis, looked into the part that was not covered by the hood and mask. "Nice looking chimera. You got lucky, boy."
Zelgadis growled slightly. "Alright. Fine. Whatever." He picked up his rapidly cooling mug. "Let me just finish this."
Red smiled cheekily. "Hey, I haven't eaten much anyway." She looked up at the waitress at her elbow. "I want everything from the first page of your menu."
As things change, the more they stay the same...
Zelgadis mentally shook his head. There was something disturbing about these flashes of memory...