Lina looked like she was about to explode.... Her face turned bright red and her eyes narrowed and became slitted glittering rubies of fire. "Xelloss..." Her voice hissed, soft and dangerous, making the Mazoku Priest open his eyes in surprise and slight anxiety. "I would seriously think about what might happen to you if you play with me." She gripped his wrist and held it tightly to emphasize her point. "You may like pain, but if I kill you, you won't like it I'll wager."
Xelloss' eyes were wide open in surprise at Lina's show of ferocity. He seemed for the first time in his life, to be speechless. He gazed back at her, his amethyst eyes searching her face for any signs. Finally, he sighed and his eyes slit back to their smiling ones. "Wakatta, wakatta Lina-san." He chuckled lightly.
She released him and leaned back. "So. You'll answer my questions now?"
"To an extent. I'll do what I can." He said, opening his eyes again. "But there are certain things that even I can't disclose."
She nodded slightly, then sighed. "Ok, first off.... Why were you so beat up and nearly dead? What happened there?"
He closed his eyes as if thinking for a while, not answering her immediately. Then when she was about to poke him, he turned back to her. "Let's just say I fought one stronger than I and leave it at that."
She frowned. "How about we don't leave it at that." She crossed her arms scowling. "Details here, I need details."
He shook his head. "I'm afraid that's impossible at the moment." Lina raised a fist and rolled up a sleeve, but he raised his hand to stop her. "Lina-san. I am being truthful. I will tell you later when I am allowed to."
She sighed and let her fist back down. "Right..... Ok, so you won?"
"Luckily."
"How did you manage that?"
"Sore wa himitsu desu."
"BS."
"Yare yare Lina-san." He said smiling lightly. "I told you I'd tell you what I could."
She sighed a frustrated sigh. "And I ain't learning much."
"You just have to ask the right questions."
"Right...." She scratched her head in thought. "Ok... so, what's the deal with your daughter?"
"In what manner?"
Lina sighed. He was so frustrating to talk to. He skirted issues, didn't answer directly, and riddled with her, even in his weakened state. "Ok, what I mean is how did she.... Come about?"
Xelloss opened an amused eye at her. "Honestly Lina-san, I didn't think you were THAT innocent."
Her face turned beet red and she gritted her teeth trying to quelch the urge to fireball the bastard. She took one look at his face, and immediately cooled down. "Feel better now?"
"Much, thank you."
She sighed. "So?"
He shook his head. "Let's just say it was a challenge."
Lina fumed. "Is that all she is to you? A challenge?? Don't you care for her? She's your daughter for crying out loud."
He looked her straight in the eyes. "I never said that I don't care for her. I do. I raised her myself not knowing the full responsibilities of a child, which is why I turned her over to acquaintances of mine to raise so that she could have a 'normal' life so to speak."
Lina stared at him in shock. He sounded sincere.... Not that he loved her, but that he did at least care for her welfare. Considering Mazoku had no feelings of love and affection, that was a big step for him. "So.... I see..." She mused nodding in understanding. "What about the mother? Why not leave her with her?"
"As I said before, her mother doesn't know about her. It was a..." he threw a stolen glance at Lina, "...secret operation. If the mother were to find out..." He looked thoughtful. "I'd be in worse trouble than if I'd called your breasts small."
Lina blinked, blinked again, and clutched her hand in a fist, her eyes closed and her eyebrow twitching. "I'd....say that's..... fairly bad." She managed through clenched teeth, determined not to let the Mazoku get a rise from her anger. "But I thought you enjoyed things like that."
"Once and awhile yes."
Lina stared at him, her eyes still flickering flames as a result of his 'statement'. "What?"
"What I mean is..." He sighed and sat up slowly looking a bit better since he'd been regaining more energy from her anger. "...There are certain things that even Mazoku don't want done to them."
Lina frowned trying to picture what that might be in her mind, then decided that image was better off left untouched. "Ok. So moving on...." She decided it was best to move away from the choice topic, being that it was uncomfortable for both of them. "Her Mazoku form..... she can shift back and forth when she likes?"
"It would appear so." He looked up at her. "You most likely know more than I. She'd barely begun showing any powers or talents while I cared for her, so I have yet to learn her mature abilities."
"I see..." Lina mused. "But her other side is unpredictable when it does manifest. She murdered a whole band of thugs in town today."
Xelloss sighed with a proud smile on his face. "My little baby's all grown up...."
Lina made a disgusted face. "Right.... But for me and Amelia, it was gruesome."
"No doubt, that is why we're called the EVIL race Lina-san."
She sighed in frustration. "Yeah yeah." Then she recalled something. "She used a knife...."
At that he frowned. "A knife? Now that is odd....." He looked thoughtful. "Normally we don't resort to mundane weapons.
"I know, that's why I mentioned it." She frowned. "Come to think of it, they did die too quickly though."
"Poisoned no doubt." He answered with a nod. "It would be a tactic preferable."
Lina contemplated that. A poisoned dagger that killed it's victims with one scratch before they could react. Come to think of it, that was rather effective and impressive. Deadly however if one should slip and cut oneself.... But being a Mazoku, she might not have that trouble. "She would have inherited some of your powers, right?"
"Who knows."
She scowled. "No games Xelloss."
"It's the truth Lina-san. No one knows what sort of powers she would have. She may have inherited some, she may just have complete unique ones."
"Hmm...."
She was interrupted at that moment by the door opening, and Zel and Gourry entering the room with Amelia. They'd been downstairs having a drink and talking, and they wandered over to the bedside to join Lina and Xelloss. "How's it going?" Zel asked quietly. "No word from her yet?"
"Look's like you're a bit better Mr. Xelloss." Amelia piped up.
Xelloss smiled lightly. "Yes, thanks to Lina's temper, I'm much better." This only made Lina scowl more. "And no, she hasn't come back yet."
Lina sighed and stood up stretching. "Maybe we should go and search for her..."
Xelloss stretched and winced a bit at the effort, having misjudged his condition. "No need, she's coming now." At that moment, the door opened, and a rather bedraggled rain-soaked Zallia stood there in the doorway looking like a half drowned rat.
Everyone stared for a brief moment, and the only words were from Xelloss. "My my, taking a shower in your clothes dear?"
She glanced over at him dully, and scowled. "Shut up." And with that she walked inside and peeled off her sopping wet cloak and wrung it out.
Lina blinked, then walked over to her. "Are you Ok? What happened?"
She sighed and turned around to see everyone's worried eyes on her. "I snapped out of it over a lake is what happened." She growled. "I panicked and fell in."
Everyone exchanged glances, and Amelia stepped forward handing her a warm blanket. "Here Miss Zallia." She said kindly. "Don't catch a cold."
She took it with a grateful smile. "Thanks."
Lina crossed her arms and glanced at the others, then back to her. "So.... Are you gonna be Ok? What happened back in the street there?" She asked cautiously.
Zallia sighed as she rumpled her hair dry. "Well... when I use my Mazoku half, I sort of lose control of it..... I remember what happened, and everything, but it's like I can't really control the demon I become....." She sighed. "It usually ends once I calm down."
Xelloss chuckled. "I need to teach you how to control it, daughter dear."
She threw a glare at him. "Don't call me that."
He pouted. "Why not? Don't you love your Daddy?"
"No." She said flatly. "I don't even know you." She vanished suddenly in place, then reappeared almost instantly dressed in dry clothes, her hair and everything dried up well. "There. Much better." She said handing the towel back to Amelia.
They blinked, exchanging glances, then shrugged among themselves. "Well.... He may be right though Zallia." Lina said gently. "Has anyone ever trained you in how to use your abilities?"
She sighed. "My foster parents did some.... But not a whole lot." She glanced over at her father with a dark look. "But you're probably right.... I hate losing control like that."
Xelloss in the meantime had gotten out of bed and was standing holding onto the wall for support. "It would be best. You have no idea what could happen if you lose control." He smiled darkly, his eyes opening and glittering at her.
She flinched and snapped a glare back at him. "I have a fair idea." She growled then crossed her arms. "So fine, I'll concede this one time."
The others glanced among themselves, and gathered their things. "Well, we're heading off downstairs for a bit, then we're continuing on to Saiirag." Lina said. "We're going to see how Sylphiel is doing and how the reconstruction of the city is."
Xelloss nodded. "We'll be about an hour or so, then join you."
She scowled, and Zel threw Xelloss a dark look. "Who invited you." He hissed.
Xelloss merely smiled and waggled a finger. "Now now, don't be that way Zel-kun!"
Lina just put a cautionary hand on his shoulder and ushered him out of the room. "I wanna keep an eye on him. And he still has to answer questions."
Zel scowled angrily. "I'm not traveling with him."
"Fine, leave then."
Zel nodded. "I will..." He threw a violent glare back at Xelloss, promising dark and painful things to the cursed Mazoku.
Xelloss merely wagged a hand bye bye and grinned, accepting that glare with relish as the others left. Once the door closed, his entire demeanor changed. He grew much more serious, his eyes slitting to violet glimmering gems, and his whole body sagged slightly. He slid down to seat himself on the floor leaning against the wall. "God I hate trying to hold up that farce." He sighed quietly and rubbed his temples.
She rolled her eyes and seated herself next to him. "Yeah yeah, you really shouldn't pretend to be so well when you're not you know." She just watched him calmly. "So.... What are you going to teach me today Daddy?"
He smirked quietly, laughing aloud. "How long are YOU going to keep up your farce?"
She shrugged. "As long as I want."
He snorted and winked at her. "Daddy's girl you are." They both laughed, an eerie laughter that echoed across the walls. "So. Do you want to learn one of the most powerful attack spells I know?"