Sep. 9th, 2010 02:13 am
Vows (2/?)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
savvyliterateTitle: Vows (2/?)
Series: Slayers
Characters/Pairings: Lina/Gourry
Rating: M
Summary: In the middle of the night, Gourry gets an unlikely visitor ... and it changes everything.
Note: If you look very closely at the new cover of novel 15, you can see that Gourry's actually wearing a robe, not a shirt. I modeled his outfit after Japanese fanartist FMK's interpretation of the 15th novel cover. What's more interesting is after I wrote this chapter, I went to get the links and noticed the comic where Lina and Gourry go through similar movements as in the chapter. Unintentional, I swear! Great minds just think alike.
Vows: Chapter 1
The bandits never knew what hit them ... at first.
They had been enjoying a rather hearty meal of roast beef sandwiches, fried chipped potatoes, copious amounts of ale, and various sweets. Some of their girlfriends had come out from the closest village and a few had gone off for conjugal visits. It was a very good day to be a bandit.
Then the fireball hit.
It incinerated the tree behind their boss. It was followed in quick succession by a torching of the tents they slept in, along with copious amounts of destruction, taunting, and finally a Flare Arrow that singed the boss's rear. As they fled screaming into the hills, the remains of their dinner - along with the loot they left behind - were scooped up and carried off.
It was, all in all, a nice haul for Lina Inverse.
"That was way too easy," Lina muttered as she and Gourry headed back to the road, her cloak much heavier than it was when they first arrived. "No cliché speeches, no insults to my rather magnificent figure, and they gave up rather quickly." She gave an exaggerated sigh. "We're going soft on them, Gourry! They need to be on their edge, ready to face any challenge! A girl likes a little variety in her routine, you know?"
Lina waited for the smartass remark ... that never came. With a grunt, she glared at Gourry, whose eyes she swore looked even more vacant than they tended to be. "Gourry," she said. When no response came, she scowled. "Gourry!"
Still no response.
Throughly annoyed that she was being ignored by her partner of all people, Lina snarled and tripped him up. With a yelp, Gourry landed face first in the dirt - complete with a scraped-up nose and a sore lip from where he accidentally bit it.
"What is with you, Gourry?" Lina demanded, striding in front of him. She placed her hands on her hips and affixed what she felt was her sterned look. "You've been out of it all day! You barely contributed anything to the fight. I mean, really, only disarming 20 men? You at least have their best swordsmen pissing their pants. And, if that wasn't bad enough, you haven't been listening to a word I said! You're not even listening to me now, are you? Gourry!"
Gourry snapped his head up at the sound of his name being screamed in his face. He blinked, then surveyed their surroundings. He really hadn't been paying that much attention to what they were doing. His mind kept drifting back to that strange dream. It had to be a dream. The red-faced screaming sorceress looked nothing like the battle-weary woman who'd passionately kissed him in his dream. Maybe, he thought, the hormones he'd been trying to keep at bay for years were finally getting the best of him.
When he didn't respond, the anger drained from Lina's face. She crouched, shoving her hand under his bangs. "Are you sick?" she asked. "I knew there was something off with that beef tenderloin we ate last night."
"I'm fine," Gourry smiled at her. He closed his eyes and found himself leaning into her touch ... until she jumped to her feet and she tugged on his hair to force him up as well. "Ow, ow, ow!"
"Then where have you been all day? You're nowhere near this empty-headed on a daily basis."
"It's just a dream," Gourry replied, and he forced himself to believe it. "I had a really weird dream."
"Oh?" Intrigued, the last of the anger dissipiated. Lina tilted her head. "What was it about?"
"Nothing." Gourry affectionately ruffled Lina's bangs. "Just a bad dream."
"OK." Not quite believing him, Lina gave up on the matter ... for now. She had ways of making him talk. She started down the road and he fell into step beside her. "It's a good thing we brought in a good haul today." She plucked at the yellow shirt that was far too small for her. She hadn't worn it in a couple of years.
Gourry glanced down at her, and for the first time noticed that her clothes were different. "That shirt makes you actually look like you have breasts."
"Really?" Pleased, Lina puffed out her chest with pride, then snarled. "I should hope this thing's small on me! I got it when I was 13! It's five years old!"
"Then, why are you wearing it now?"
She sighed. "My tunic and leggings shredded when I washed them last night. I think the battle against Luke was the final straw for those clothes."
Gourry plucked at the patched sleeve of the blue shirt he wore. "Yeah, we are pretty hard on clothes."
"Tell me about it." Lina kicked at a pebble and sighed at her boots. Like the rest of her wardrobe, they were also worn and she could tell that the soles were thin. She wasn't that snobby about her wardrobe by any means - but they could afford nicer clothes. "Guess with the whole deal about Luke and Millina, we didn't have time to replace anything."
"Yeah. All my socks have holes in them."
"Mine too." Lina gave Gourry a wry smile. "Your grandma never gave you a lesson on darning socks in all that advice she gave you, did she?"
"Well, she did say to make sure I wound up with a woman who knew how to darn socks." Gourry grinned back at her. "So ... do you?"
Lina snorted. "Hell, no! My sis taught me a lot of things, but she declared that sewing and knitting needles were dangerous projectiles in my case." As Gourry laughed, she bumped hips with him. "Darn your own socks!"
Unconsciously, Gourry draped an arm around Lina's shoulder as they laughed together, tugging her closer. Lina nearly tripped over her own feet in surprise. She nearly called attention to it, but for the first time that day, Gourry didn't look worried. She mentally shrugged and decided to go with the moment. It actually felt pretty nice. Their steps still in time, after a moment, she slipped her arm around his waist and they walked like that together until the next town came into view.
-----
The town was a fairly good size, and Lina secured them a single large room with twin beds to save extra money for clothes. As they headed out, Lina tossed Gourry a small sack.
"What's this?" he said, weighing it in his hand. He was surprised to feel a good amount of coin in there.
"Your share of the haul. You need clothes too, pal."
Gourry poked the bag open and let out a low whistle. "You never give me this much."
Lina's shoulders stiffened. "I can afford to be generous once in awhile," she muttered under her breath. "Now if you don't want it ..."
Gourry smirked and tucked the bag away. Lina was pretty good about sharing whatever money they came across, but it was usually a 60-40 split. This was definitely a bit more. "Thanks."
"You mean thank you, the most kind and benevolent and beautiful sorceress you've ever met," Lina said with a grand sweep of her arm.
Gourry bit back a laugh. "I wouldn't go that far."
Lina glared. "Which of that isn't true?"
Gourry wisely didn't answer.
They headed to a large tailor shop that also featured ready-made clothing. Lina immediately bypassed the racks of dresses and headed for ... she sighed deeply ... the clothing aimed at young boys. She much preferred to have her clothes custom-made, but they were pretty desperate. Regular men's clothes were far too large for her.
But, as she quickly found out, the boy-sized tunics were finally too small for her.
"About time," Lina told her chest as she made her way back to the women's clothes. She scowled at the dresses. "Nothing, nothing, nothing," she said with a growl, then gave up for the moment. She headed to the men's clothing where Gourry was poking through some shirts. "Find anything?"
"This and that," he replied. He frowned. "I normally don't pay a lot of attention to what I wear."
"I can tell. The blue thing's getting kinda old. What about this?" Lina tugged out a long white sleeveless robe lined with blue and held it up to him.
"It needs to go under my armor. And that's silly." Gourry wrinkled his nose a bit at the garment.
"It can! Look, go try these on." Lina grabbed a pair of trousers off another rack and shoved them in his arms.
"These aren't even my size. And this is practically a dress!"
Lina snarled. "If, you haven't noticed, we're in Zefielia now and men wear these sorts of robes here. Just go with it."
Gourry complied after reaching over Lina's head to snatch a pair of trousers in the correct size.
Lina headed for the clothes aimed at wizards and scholars next and had much better luck there. She found a long robe the color of her old clothes that she liked, and immediately set it aside. She found a long yellow sash and an interesting leather breastplate that was aimed at travelers. She headed back to the boy's clothes for a pair of shorts to counteract the Elemekia weather and picked up a few undershirts from the women's side, then headed to the dressing area to assemble her outfit.
Gourry emerged from the curtained-off area, tugging at the color of the robe he wore. It wasn't bad. The material was nice and snug where it needed to be, but he felt naked without his armor on. He rolled his shoulders and picked up the breastplate he had stacked neatly with his thigh guards outside the changing area. His armor had taken quite a beating during the fight with Luke, and he doubt that it would hold up much longer.
Something shiny caught his eye, and Gourry noticed there was another shop attached to the tailor. A gauzy curtain hung in the door separated the two. Curious, he pushed aside the curtain and saw hundreds of small gems danging from wooden stands arranged on counters.
"Welcome!" a cheerful voice greeted him. Gourry squinted and saw a small woman perched on a stool on the other end of the room. "Hi!" he told her.
"You must be shopping in my sister's place." The woman scooted off her stool and headed to him. "These are my magical pendants and amulets."
"Magical ... " Gourry's eyes lit up. "Oh, like how Lina says the gems she wears have magic!"
"Exactly!" the woman said. She tapped a cane at some of the pendants, causing them to sway gently. "Only a very talented sorcerer can imbed a powerful enchant in a gem and have it actually work. I do happen to be one of the best."
"Lina's pretty good as well," Gourry told her. "She does stuff like that all the time."
"Oh, ho! And where is this Lina?"
"Think she's trying on clothes ..." Gourry looked over his shoulder, but the curtain had fallen back into place, and he couldn't see into the shop any longer He frowned at his own outfit. "This getup is silly."
"Oh? Come here, young man." The woman beckoned Gourry closer until she could grab a fold of his robe. She rubbed it between two gnarled fingers, then nodded. "This is made of dragon hide. It will protect you as well as that breastplate you stacked outside my room. Tougher than anything. If your girl picked this out for you, she has some sense."
"Really?" Gourry eyed his clothes again with a new perspective. It did seem a bit different from his cloth shirt. A bit heavier than leather, but not bulky like armor either. "But, it's long."
"Men move with long cloaks all the time. You'll be fine." The woman let the robe go. "You're in Zefielia now. Best magic users in the known world. Everything in my sister's shop is enchanted in some way. You won't be without protection by any means."
Feeling a bit better, Gourry looked at the woman's wares. "So, these go with your sister's clothes?" he asked, pointing to one of the displays.
"You can say that. Want something for your Lina?"
Gourry felt his cheeks grow red and found that he couldn't look the woman right in the eye. "Maybe," he conceded after a moment.
"All right." The woman hefted herself onto her feet, leaning heavily on her cane. Gourry moved to assist her, but she waved him off. "Tell me about her," she ordered. "Why are you two together?"
Gourry hesitated a moment. How could he even begin to summarize all that they'd gone through? He couldn't remember it all. He frowned, bit his lip, then finally said, "I promised to protect her for the rest of my life."
"Ah. And your reason for being in Zefielia?"
"Well, Lina's from here, and I suggested we go see her family. It's grape season, you know," he hastily added when the woman arched her eyebrow.
"Boy, you do know what it means to go meet a girl's parents in this country, don't you?"
Gourry nodded and wondered if he was the color of Lina's hair yet.
"Thought so. Here." She plucked two leather strips off a rack and thrust them at him. "I tailor my choices to the wearer and his or her intention. I refuse to sell to anyone with evil in their hearts."
Gourry chuckled and thought of Amelia for a moment. He held up the straps and the world suddenly stopped as he recognized the emerald gems dangling from them. They were the same as in his dream, he realized, laying them in the palm of his hand. It took a moment before he realized the woman was speaking to him. "Sorry," he managed. "What was that?"
"Pay attention, boy," the woman said with a thump of her cane. She pointed at the gems. "Those are for protection. Not only that, but with the right spell on them, you will know when she is in mortal peril and she will know when you are the same. Put a drop of your blood on one, and a drop of hers on the other. Recite the spell, then exchange them. You have access to a sorcerer?"
"Lina does magic."
"Fine. Then give her this." She handed Gourry a piece of paper. "She'll know what to do. Fifty silver, please."
Gourry's head snapped up. "But, I ..."
"They're yours," the woman informed him. "They've been waiting for you. Fifty silver, please."
-----
"There you are!" Lina bounced off the bench she'd been lounging on when Gourry came back through the curtain. "What was taking you so long? Never mind. Turn around." She lifted her finger and spun it in a circle. Blushing still, Gourry did as told. She paced around him slowly, nodding after a moment. "Premium dragon hide. You'll move easier in that in this climate. I'll cast some spells to make it stronger, maybe add a gem to your belt. What you got there is worth more than any breastplate. Let's pay and go."
Lina spun on her heel and Gourry realized that she was wearing the same outfit from his dream. He opened his mouth, words on the tip of his tongue when the older Lina's voice filled his head. Gourry, you have to let me go without any questions. Please. To protect both me and the younger Lina sleeping next door. His mouth automatically snapped shut, and he followed her to the store owner, silently handed over money and arranged for his old armor to be scrapped. He followed Lina out with his sword on his back, feeling odd without the breastplate and thighguards. Still, Lina said this was stronger than any armor and he believed her.
"Much better," Lina crooned as the cool air hit her legs. She sighed in relief and beamed with pride at her new breastplate. It gave the effect of having a bit bigger chest - not that she was going to complain. "Let's get some food and ... Gourry?"
Gourry had stopped in the middle of the street. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and squinted into the distance. "Hey, there's someone coming," he said.
"I imagine so. This is a pretty big retail area for Zefielia."
"No, I mean, someone in a rush. I think that's Saillune's seal on his bag."
"Really?" Intrigued now, Lina joined Gourry and they watched as the rider grew closer and the seal more prominent. He was on a white horse that had been ridden so hard that it was covered in lather. The rider and horse blew by them, then halted, whirled around and came galloping back to them.
"Are you," the rider wheezed, struggling to catch his breath, "are you Lina Inverse?"
Lina and Gourry exchanged a look before Lina replied. "Yeah, I'm Lina Inverse."
"This is for you." He handed a large envelope to her. "From Princess Amelia."
"Amelia!" Lina immediately tore open the envelope. "She never usually ... hmm ..." Her brow furrowed as she read the letter. "How long until they get here?" she asked.
"Even if we depart immediately, they'll already be here when you arrive. But, the princess said that they are willing to wait as long as possible to meet with you."
"Fine, then." Lina folded the letter. "One moment. Might want to water that horse before it collapses."
"Right, Inverse-san." The messenger dismounted, his legs wobbling slightly from being in the saddle so long. As he led the horse to the closest trough, Lina grabbed Gourry's arm and steered him away from the growing crowd. She handed him the letter. "Tell me what you think of this."
Gourry took it and squinted at Amelia's neat handwriting. "She didn't write it in standard," he said and handed it back to Lina.
"No, she didn't. This is old Saillune, a language they don't use very much except for honors, burial rites, things like that. Basically, the letter is informing me that there's a delegation coming from the southern lands and they have reuqested to meet with me."
"Southern lands?"
"Those beyond the barrier." Lina tugged at Gourry's sleeve and pulled him over to a board where news was posted. She tapped on an item. "While we've been searching for a sword for you, countries such as Saillune and the Coastal States have been sending expedition ships to the areas that were once encased in the magical barrier caused by the demon lords. When Phibrizzo was defeated, the barrier fell."
"Why hasn't anyone talked about it?" Gourry wondered.
"We really haven't been anywhere that had an interest in it. Ever since Millina died ... well, we were involved with all that mess involving Luke and the Shabrangidu piece. It's been nearly two years since Phibrizzo fell. Besides, when do you bother listening to the news?"
Gourry laughed. "You have a point!"
Lina rolled her eyes, but grinned at him all the same. "I remember hearing not long before you got the Blast Sword that Saillune had made first contact. But, I also heard that some of those nations were exploring up here themselves - and that they don't use magic."
"Really?" Gourry blinked, surprised. "I thought everywhere had magic users."
"I'm not sure, but I think technology, not magic, is what's prominent outside the barrier. It makes sense. All magic knowledge was contained within the barrier when it was set 1,000 years ago. In any case ... It appears that my reputation has gone beyond the barrier!"
"And, that's a good thing?"
Lina stomped on his foot. "My reputation isn't all bad," she grumbled.
Gourry howled and hopped around on one foot while Lina stomped off to speak with the messenger. He nodded to her, and headed into the inn. Lina whirled around and scowled at Gourry. "We're heading to Saillune in the morning. I paid for that room, and I'm not giving it up. Besides, from here on out, everything's on Prince's Phil's dime." Her expression brightened considerably. "We're going to get a carriage and everything! Ah, the life of luxury! Actually, we might as well test the royal seal now. Let's eat!"
Series: Slayers
Characters/Pairings: Lina/Gourry
Rating: M
Summary: In the middle of the night, Gourry gets an unlikely visitor ... and it changes everything.
Note: If you look very closely at the new cover of novel 15, you can see that Gourry's actually wearing a robe, not a shirt. I modeled his outfit after Japanese fanartist FMK's interpretation of the 15th novel cover. What's more interesting is after I wrote this chapter, I went to get the links and noticed the comic where Lina and Gourry go through similar movements as in the chapter. Unintentional, I swear! Great minds just think alike.
Vows: Chapter 1
The bandits never knew what hit them ... at first.
They had been enjoying a rather hearty meal of roast beef sandwiches, fried chipped potatoes, copious amounts of ale, and various sweets. Some of their girlfriends had come out from the closest village and a few had gone off for conjugal visits. It was a very good day to be a bandit.
Then the fireball hit.
It incinerated the tree behind their boss. It was followed in quick succession by a torching of the tents they slept in, along with copious amounts of destruction, taunting, and finally a Flare Arrow that singed the boss's rear. As they fled screaming into the hills, the remains of their dinner - along with the loot they left behind - were scooped up and carried off.
It was, all in all, a nice haul for Lina Inverse.
"That was way too easy," Lina muttered as she and Gourry headed back to the road, her cloak much heavier than it was when they first arrived. "No cliché speeches, no insults to my rather magnificent figure, and they gave up rather quickly." She gave an exaggerated sigh. "We're going soft on them, Gourry! They need to be on their edge, ready to face any challenge! A girl likes a little variety in her routine, you know?"
Lina waited for the smartass remark ... that never came. With a grunt, she glared at Gourry, whose eyes she swore looked even more vacant than they tended to be. "Gourry," she said. When no response came, she scowled. "Gourry!"
Still no response.
Throughly annoyed that she was being ignored by her partner of all people, Lina snarled and tripped him up. With a yelp, Gourry landed face first in the dirt - complete with a scraped-up nose and a sore lip from where he accidentally bit it.
"What is with you, Gourry?" Lina demanded, striding in front of him. She placed her hands on her hips and affixed what she felt was her sterned look. "You've been out of it all day! You barely contributed anything to the fight. I mean, really, only disarming 20 men? You at least have their best swordsmen pissing their pants. And, if that wasn't bad enough, you haven't been listening to a word I said! You're not even listening to me now, are you? Gourry!"
Gourry snapped his head up at the sound of his name being screamed in his face. He blinked, then surveyed their surroundings. He really hadn't been paying that much attention to what they were doing. His mind kept drifting back to that strange dream. It had to be a dream. The red-faced screaming sorceress looked nothing like the battle-weary woman who'd passionately kissed him in his dream. Maybe, he thought, the hormones he'd been trying to keep at bay for years were finally getting the best of him.
When he didn't respond, the anger drained from Lina's face. She crouched, shoving her hand under his bangs. "Are you sick?" she asked. "I knew there was something off with that beef tenderloin we ate last night."
"I'm fine," Gourry smiled at her. He closed his eyes and found himself leaning into her touch ... until she jumped to her feet and she tugged on his hair to force him up as well. "Ow, ow, ow!"
"Then where have you been all day? You're nowhere near this empty-headed on a daily basis."
"It's just a dream," Gourry replied, and he forced himself to believe it. "I had a really weird dream."
"Oh?" Intrigued, the last of the anger dissipiated. Lina tilted her head. "What was it about?"
"Nothing." Gourry affectionately ruffled Lina's bangs. "Just a bad dream."
"OK." Not quite believing him, Lina gave up on the matter ... for now. She had ways of making him talk. She started down the road and he fell into step beside her. "It's a good thing we brought in a good haul today." She plucked at the yellow shirt that was far too small for her. She hadn't worn it in a couple of years.
Gourry glanced down at her, and for the first time noticed that her clothes were different. "That shirt makes you actually look like you have breasts."
"Really?" Pleased, Lina puffed out her chest with pride, then snarled. "I should hope this thing's small on me! I got it when I was 13! It's five years old!"
"Then, why are you wearing it now?"
She sighed. "My tunic and leggings shredded when I washed them last night. I think the battle against Luke was the final straw for those clothes."
Gourry plucked at the patched sleeve of the blue shirt he wore. "Yeah, we are pretty hard on clothes."
"Tell me about it." Lina kicked at a pebble and sighed at her boots. Like the rest of her wardrobe, they were also worn and she could tell that the soles were thin. She wasn't that snobby about her wardrobe by any means - but they could afford nicer clothes. "Guess with the whole deal about Luke and Millina, we didn't have time to replace anything."
"Yeah. All my socks have holes in them."
"Mine too." Lina gave Gourry a wry smile. "Your grandma never gave you a lesson on darning socks in all that advice she gave you, did she?"
"Well, she did say to make sure I wound up with a woman who knew how to darn socks." Gourry grinned back at her. "So ... do you?"
Lina snorted. "Hell, no! My sis taught me a lot of things, but she declared that sewing and knitting needles were dangerous projectiles in my case." As Gourry laughed, she bumped hips with him. "Darn your own socks!"
Unconsciously, Gourry draped an arm around Lina's shoulder as they laughed together, tugging her closer. Lina nearly tripped over her own feet in surprise. She nearly called attention to it, but for the first time that day, Gourry didn't look worried. She mentally shrugged and decided to go with the moment. It actually felt pretty nice. Their steps still in time, after a moment, she slipped her arm around his waist and they walked like that together until the next town came into view.
-----
The town was a fairly good size, and Lina secured them a single large room with twin beds to save extra money for clothes. As they headed out, Lina tossed Gourry a small sack.
"What's this?" he said, weighing it in his hand. He was surprised to feel a good amount of coin in there.
"Your share of the haul. You need clothes too, pal."
Gourry poked the bag open and let out a low whistle. "You never give me this much."
Lina's shoulders stiffened. "I can afford to be generous once in awhile," she muttered under her breath. "Now if you don't want it ..."
Gourry smirked and tucked the bag away. Lina was pretty good about sharing whatever money they came across, but it was usually a 60-40 split. This was definitely a bit more. "Thanks."
"You mean thank you, the most kind and benevolent and beautiful sorceress you've ever met," Lina said with a grand sweep of her arm.
Gourry bit back a laugh. "I wouldn't go that far."
Lina glared. "Which of that isn't true?"
Gourry wisely didn't answer.
They headed to a large tailor shop that also featured ready-made clothing. Lina immediately bypassed the racks of dresses and headed for ... she sighed deeply ... the clothing aimed at young boys. She much preferred to have her clothes custom-made, but they were pretty desperate. Regular men's clothes were far too large for her.
But, as she quickly found out, the boy-sized tunics were finally too small for her.
"About time," Lina told her chest as she made her way back to the women's clothes. She scowled at the dresses. "Nothing, nothing, nothing," she said with a growl, then gave up for the moment. She headed to the men's clothing where Gourry was poking through some shirts. "Find anything?"
"This and that," he replied. He frowned. "I normally don't pay a lot of attention to what I wear."
"I can tell. The blue thing's getting kinda old. What about this?" Lina tugged out a long white sleeveless robe lined with blue and held it up to him.
"It needs to go under my armor. And that's silly." Gourry wrinkled his nose a bit at the garment.
"It can! Look, go try these on." Lina grabbed a pair of trousers off another rack and shoved them in his arms.
"These aren't even my size. And this is practically a dress!"
Lina snarled. "If, you haven't noticed, we're in Zefielia now and men wear these sorts of robes here. Just go with it."
Gourry complied after reaching over Lina's head to snatch a pair of trousers in the correct size.
Lina headed for the clothes aimed at wizards and scholars next and had much better luck there. She found a long robe the color of her old clothes that she liked, and immediately set it aside. She found a long yellow sash and an interesting leather breastplate that was aimed at travelers. She headed back to the boy's clothes for a pair of shorts to counteract the Elemekia weather and picked up a few undershirts from the women's side, then headed to the dressing area to assemble her outfit.
Gourry emerged from the curtained-off area, tugging at the color of the robe he wore. It wasn't bad. The material was nice and snug where it needed to be, but he felt naked without his armor on. He rolled his shoulders and picked up the breastplate he had stacked neatly with his thigh guards outside the changing area. His armor had taken quite a beating during the fight with Luke, and he doubt that it would hold up much longer.
Something shiny caught his eye, and Gourry noticed there was another shop attached to the tailor. A gauzy curtain hung in the door separated the two. Curious, he pushed aside the curtain and saw hundreds of small gems danging from wooden stands arranged on counters.
"Welcome!" a cheerful voice greeted him. Gourry squinted and saw a small woman perched on a stool on the other end of the room. "Hi!" he told her.
"You must be shopping in my sister's place." The woman scooted off her stool and headed to him. "These are my magical pendants and amulets."
"Magical ... " Gourry's eyes lit up. "Oh, like how Lina says the gems she wears have magic!"
"Exactly!" the woman said. She tapped a cane at some of the pendants, causing them to sway gently. "Only a very talented sorcerer can imbed a powerful enchant in a gem and have it actually work. I do happen to be one of the best."
"Lina's pretty good as well," Gourry told her. "She does stuff like that all the time."
"Oh, ho! And where is this Lina?"
"Think she's trying on clothes ..." Gourry looked over his shoulder, but the curtain had fallen back into place, and he couldn't see into the shop any longer He frowned at his own outfit. "This getup is silly."
"Oh? Come here, young man." The woman beckoned Gourry closer until she could grab a fold of his robe. She rubbed it between two gnarled fingers, then nodded. "This is made of dragon hide. It will protect you as well as that breastplate you stacked outside my room. Tougher than anything. If your girl picked this out for you, she has some sense."
"Really?" Gourry eyed his clothes again with a new perspective. It did seem a bit different from his cloth shirt. A bit heavier than leather, but not bulky like armor either. "But, it's long."
"Men move with long cloaks all the time. You'll be fine." The woman let the robe go. "You're in Zefielia now. Best magic users in the known world. Everything in my sister's shop is enchanted in some way. You won't be without protection by any means."
Feeling a bit better, Gourry looked at the woman's wares. "So, these go with your sister's clothes?" he asked, pointing to one of the displays.
"You can say that. Want something for your Lina?"
Gourry felt his cheeks grow red and found that he couldn't look the woman right in the eye. "Maybe," he conceded after a moment.
"All right." The woman hefted herself onto her feet, leaning heavily on her cane. Gourry moved to assist her, but she waved him off. "Tell me about her," she ordered. "Why are you two together?"
Gourry hesitated a moment. How could he even begin to summarize all that they'd gone through? He couldn't remember it all. He frowned, bit his lip, then finally said, "I promised to protect her for the rest of my life."
"Ah. And your reason for being in Zefielia?"
"Well, Lina's from here, and I suggested we go see her family. It's grape season, you know," he hastily added when the woman arched her eyebrow.
"Boy, you do know what it means to go meet a girl's parents in this country, don't you?"
Gourry nodded and wondered if he was the color of Lina's hair yet.
"Thought so. Here." She plucked two leather strips off a rack and thrust them at him. "I tailor my choices to the wearer and his or her intention. I refuse to sell to anyone with evil in their hearts."
Gourry chuckled and thought of Amelia for a moment. He held up the straps and the world suddenly stopped as he recognized the emerald gems dangling from them. They were the same as in his dream, he realized, laying them in the palm of his hand. It took a moment before he realized the woman was speaking to him. "Sorry," he managed. "What was that?"
"Pay attention, boy," the woman said with a thump of her cane. She pointed at the gems. "Those are for protection. Not only that, but with the right spell on them, you will know when she is in mortal peril and she will know when you are the same. Put a drop of your blood on one, and a drop of hers on the other. Recite the spell, then exchange them. You have access to a sorcerer?"
"Lina does magic."
"Fine. Then give her this." She handed Gourry a piece of paper. "She'll know what to do. Fifty silver, please."
Gourry's head snapped up. "But, I ..."
"They're yours," the woman informed him. "They've been waiting for you. Fifty silver, please."
-----
"There you are!" Lina bounced off the bench she'd been lounging on when Gourry came back through the curtain. "What was taking you so long? Never mind. Turn around." She lifted her finger and spun it in a circle. Blushing still, Gourry did as told. She paced around him slowly, nodding after a moment. "Premium dragon hide. You'll move easier in that in this climate. I'll cast some spells to make it stronger, maybe add a gem to your belt. What you got there is worth more than any breastplate. Let's pay and go."
Lina spun on her heel and Gourry realized that she was wearing the same outfit from his dream. He opened his mouth, words on the tip of his tongue when the older Lina's voice filled his head. Gourry, you have to let me go without any questions. Please. To protect both me and the younger Lina sleeping next door. His mouth automatically snapped shut, and he followed her to the store owner, silently handed over money and arranged for his old armor to be scrapped. He followed Lina out with his sword on his back, feeling odd without the breastplate and thighguards. Still, Lina said this was stronger than any armor and he believed her.
"Much better," Lina crooned as the cool air hit her legs. She sighed in relief and beamed with pride at her new breastplate. It gave the effect of having a bit bigger chest - not that she was going to complain. "Let's get some food and ... Gourry?"
Gourry had stopped in the middle of the street. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and squinted into the distance. "Hey, there's someone coming," he said.
"I imagine so. This is a pretty big retail area for Zefielia."
"No, I mean, someone in a rush. I think that's Saillune's seal on his bag."
"Really?" Intrigued now, Lina joined Gourry and they watched as the rider grew closer and the seal more prominent. He was on a white horse that had been ridden so hard that it was covered in lather. The rider and horse blew by them, then halted, whirled around and came galloping back to them.
"Are you," the rider wheezed, struggling to catch his breath, "are you Lina Inverse?"
Lina and Gourry exchanged a look before Lina replied. "Yeah, I'm Lina Inverse."
"This is for you." He handed a large envelope to her. "From Princess Amelia."
"Amelia!" Lina immediately tore open the envelope. "She never usually ... hmm ..." Her brow furrowed as she read the letter. "How long until they get here?" she asked.
"Even if we depart immediately, they'll already be here when you arrive. But, the princess said that they are willing to wait as long as possible to meet with you."
"Fine, then." Lina folded the letter. "One moment. Might want to water that horse before it collapses."
"Right, Inverse-san." The messenger dismounted, his legs wobbling slightly from being in the saddle so long. As he led the horse to the closest trough, Lina grabbed Gourry's arm and steered him away from the growing crowd. She handed him the letter. "Tell me what you think of this."
Gourry took it and squinted at Amelia's neat handwriting. "She didn't write it in standard," he said and handed it back to Lina.
"No, she didn't. This is old Saillune, a language they don't use very much except for honors, burial rites, things like that. Basically, the letter is informing me that there's a delegation coming from the southern lands and they have reuqested to meet with me."
"Southern lands?"
"Those beyond the barrier." Lina tugged at Gourry's sleeve and pulled him over to a board where news was posted. She tapped on an item. "While we've been searching for a sword for you, countries such as Saillune and the Coastal States have been sending expedition ships to the areas that were once encased in the magical barrier caused by the demon lords. When Phibrizzo was defeated, the barrier fell."
"Why hasn't anyone talked about it?" Gourry wondered.
"We really haven't been anywhere that had an interest in it. Ever since Millina died ... well, we were involved with all that mess involving Luke and the Shabrangidu piece. It's been nearly two years since Phibrizzo fell. Besides, when do you bother listening to the news?"
Gourry laughed. "You have a point!"
Lina rolled her eyes, but grinned at him all the same. "I remember hearing not long before you got the Blast Sword that Saillune had made first contact. But, I also heard that some of those nations were exploring up here themselves - and that they don't use magic."
"Really?" Gourry blinked, surprised. "I thought everywhere had magic users."
"I'm not sure, but I think technology, not magic, is what's prominent outside the barrier. It makes sense. All magic knowledge was contained within the barrier when it was set 1,000 years ago. In any case ... It appears that my reputation has gone beyond the barrier!"
"And, that's a good thing?"
Lina stomped on his foot. "My reputation isn't all bad," she grumbled.
Gourry howled and hopped around on one foot while Lina stomped off to speak with the messenger. He nodded to her, and headed into the inn. Lina whirled around and scowled at Gourry. "We're heading to Saillune in the morning. I paid for that room, and I'm not giving it up. Besides, from here on out, everything's on Prince's Phil's dime." Her expression brightened considerably. "We're going to get a carriage and everything! Ah, the life of luxury! Actually, we might as well test the royal seal now. Let's eat!"