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Kitsune Lina
Breaking News Zelgadis sipped his coffee and stared out the door, waiting for Amelia and Lina to walk through the door. He thought back to the scene from the previous day and worried a little more. Upon entering town they had quickly discovered a large gathering of people around a particular wall. A number of the crowd appeared to be bandits and other ne'erdowells. Intrigued, Zelgadis had approached cautiously to see what the excitement was about.
"Ha, look at that," somebody laughed.
"Do you think we can believe it?"
"Either its true and banditry is safe again or its a hoax and we're no better off than before."
"Yeah, life should get easier without the bandit killer to stomp us into the ground." That caught Zelgadis's ear, he heard somebody stop behind him and turned to see Gourry standing there.
"I don't like the way they're talking about Lina." The swordsman commented. Zelgadis moved forward a few feet and looked at the paper tacked to the wall that was causing such a fuss.
"Lina Inverse has lost her magic."
"Damn it," Zelgadis muttered as he worked his way out of the crowd. "Somebody is playing with Lina again."
"Should we go back to find Amelia and Lina?" Gourry asked.
"How would we find them?" Zelgadis asked. "We'll meet them as we planned and work from there." Zelgadis watched the growing light outside and continued waiting. Amelia hadn't said at what time in the morning the girls would get there, just that they would be there in the morning. Amelia yawned and stretched, she'd had the last watch of the night, and now it was time to gather the camp together and leave for town. Zelgadis and Gourry would be waiting for them.
"Come on, Miss Lina," Amelia said, yawning. "We have to get going." She kicked the bedroll lightly and frowned. "Miss Lina?" Amelia sat down to more thoroughly shake the...ex-sorceress. Her first attempt proved that whatever was in the bedroll, wasn't Lina. Amelia opened the roll and found a collection of leaves and twigs.
It didn't take much more looking for Amelia to discover that the rest of Lina's gear had been taken, including the manacles and their key. Pinned to Amelia's bag was a short note.
"Zel's right I shouldn't travel with you, don't tell them anything, I'd rather they think I just lost my power than let them know this. - Lina." Amelia sighed and realized that Lina was probably hours gone by now.
"I didn't act very tolerant last night," Amelia thought to herself. "I'd better go meet Zelgadis. Lina knows how to take care of herself." She scanned about the campsite one more time before packing up and heading for the next town. "There was a woman selling lake dragon cuisine here two days ago, do you know where I can find her?" Lina asked the shop-owner in front of her. He squinted at her, but with the hood of her new cloak up, couldn't recognize the sorceress that had caused so much havoc on the day Lina mentioned. The armor and weaponry also helped conceal the sorceress's identity.
"Yeah, an obvious fraud," he answered. Lina tried to avoid growling in irritation. "Left after she got one customer, some sorceress with an attitude."
"Do you know where she went?"
"Yeah, I think she had a room in that inn over there," the shopkeeper pointed across the street. "Quite a shame, good cook going by her product, shouldn't have to defraud people."
"Thanks," Lina said reluctantly. She looked up to the sky and saw that it wasn't yet afternoon, she had plenty of time. The transformation back to completely human form hadn't been much less painful than the transformation to a fox girl. She was trying to figure out why the first night went by without her noticing it still. This line of thought ended as she approached the innkeeper.
"Someone selling food across the street?" the innkeeper repeated. "Oh yeah, I remember her, that crazy green-haired girl with the weird laugh. Lina's eyes narrowed.
"Where can I find her?"
"She left town yesterday I think," the innkeeper answered. "She said something about needing to pass some news along. Something about the bandit killer losing all her power." Lina restrained herself from attacking the man and left the building.
"Martina, of course its Martina," Lina muttered. "Amelia?" Zelgadis addressed her as she entered the Dragon Ball Inn. "Where's Lina?"
"She left on her own last night, I don't think she wanted to be a burden to us," Amelia didn't like to lie, but it wasn't her secret to let out.
"What is wrong with her Amelia?" Zelgadis asked. "I've decided that it is some kind of curse, the fact that someone is running around telling everybody that Lina has lost her bagic proves that." Amelia had seen the signs and crowds, and didn't like the look of them. Lina could be in quite a bit of trouble.
"You'll have to ask her when you next see her," Amelia told him. "Where's Gourry?"
"He's still asleep. You think we will see her again?"
"I hope so," Amelia admitted. "I'd like to apologize, I don't think I treated her well last night. Our behaviour might have something to do with why she left."
"Perhaps I was a bit callous," Zelgadis admitted.
"Where is this next cure anyway?" Zelgadis rolled his eyes at her.
"I want to talk to a certain hermit that lives north of here," Zelgadis answered. "He apparently knows something about beating ones own curses." Xellos rubbed his head and grumbled a little underneath the smile. That woman got to him far too easily. Why the world did he put up with that when it didn't involve something his master had asked him to do. Too make matters worse, as far as he was concerned, he was actually now considering how to get back into the dragon maid's good graces. Or at least as close as he could get to being in her good graces.
Xellos's planning stopped when he saw the poster.
"Lina Inverse has lost her magic." The mazoku's eyes widened and he glared at the sign angrily.
"That is an ugly rumor," he muttered. "Usually I like ugly rumors, but I'd prefer they weren't about my friends." The purple haired mazoku appeared in front of the gathered men and women and glared at them.
"Would someone mind telling me who put this up?" Xellos's smooth voice ran chills down the spines of the gathered citizens and bandits. "Well?"
"It was some green-haired girl, strange laugh" one of them told him, frightened. Xellos teleported away and frowned.
"That Martina girl again," Xellos snapped. He was angry, and not all because of the situation he imagined Lina to be in. He wasn't about to admit it, but he was looking to get back a little at Filia. Let her be ignored for a couple of days and then consider...what...consider that he seemed to accept things from her that would get other people killed.
No, this was nothing to do with his personal affairs. This was him going off to help a friend pure and simple. Now he had to find Lina and the others.
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