As the newly arrived pair stepped off the vanishing platform, they faced the native foursome. Thrythlind planted his staff in the ground, gripped the top in both hands and leaned his chin on it in an inquisitive position. Immediately across from him, Lina was fiddling with her sword hilt and smirking smugly.
"You didn't happen to..." they both started simultaneously, then ceasing and narrowing their eyes. Reiko scratched her head and Zelgadis stamped his foot. Both felt this was odd, familiar somehow.
"Who are you?" Lina and Thrythlind asked simultaneously. "Hey! I asked first."
"There's something odd about this," Reiko and Zelgadis declared in chorus. Then they blinked and looked at each other and their partners even more perplexed.
"Miss Lina, this is kind of weird," Amelia said. "What's going on?" Gourry just gaped.
"Okay....growl...Stop that!....I SAID stop that!!!" They both growled one more time and then began gathering power and mana.
"Darkness beyond Twilight" "Keeper of Secrets"
"Crimson beyond blood that flows" "Dark son of the bright serpent's brood."
"We need to find out if they've seen the demon!!!" Zel and Reiko shouted suddenly. The flows of red and green ceased as the two mages seemed to calm down and look toward each other thoughtfully.
"This is a bizarre situation," Zelgadis noted.
"It certainly is."
"As the princess of Saillune it falls within my duty to negotiate this diplomatic situation. Oh, this is SO dramatic!!" Amelia screeched, then calmed down and entered her normal pontificating voice. "Since we are the native and just residents of this world it is your duty as outworldy visitors to introduce yourselves first." Gourry, Zelgadis and Reiko stared at the little princess in amazement for a full second before continuing to do anything. Nobody noticed Thrythlind and Lina talking off to the side.
"Well, I'm Reiko Satomi," Reiko introduced herself. "And macho-mage over there is Thrythlind Hardwulf."
"I see, well Miss Satomi," Zelgadis began. "I must say that I'm intrigued to make your acquaintance. I am Zelgadis Greywars, and the bitchy little sorceress is Lina Inverse. That is Princess Amelia of Saillune, and the long jockey is Gourry."
"Huh? What's a lawn jockey?"
"I see what you mean."
"Odd, considering what I just said about Lina, I should be a tiki torch by now."
"Thryth hasn't gone into one of his explanation lectures either."
"This could be bad."
"Very," Gourry agreed They all turned to see Lina and Thrythlind talking about magic, the expressions of curiosity plastered across their faces. Considering the very few possibilities, everybody knew what had probably inspired the conversation.
"So we've established that you were going to open a rift in space into which most of the area would catapulted."
"Hmm, well you were planning to scorch the area for miles around by channelling a massive amount of energy into this world."
"Hmmm," their voices merged into one and that was the most terrifying sound the other three had ever hard. Until the next few sentences.
"Hey I wonder what would happen if the spells met," they shouted it aloud. TThen, to the horror of the onlookers, they started casting again.
"Kori Kiri!!!" "Freeze Arrow!!!" Both mages were suddenly encased in ice.
"Oh cc-c-c-cc-ome on now!"
"N-n-not f-f-f-fa-fa-f-fair," Lina whined.
"Perhaps we can continue this conversation a little more civily now," Zelgadis noted.
"Or at least with out the danger of having our atoms scattered across reality."