Unhealthy Obsessions and Massive Property Damage!

“Well, let’s get a move on,” Rofellos said as he flew ahead of them.

“Alright! Levitation!” Mina shouted and followed him. She paused a second to ask, “Are you coming, Leigh?”

“No,” he replied. “And I don’t think you should either.”

“Why not?” she asked as she landed.

“Think about it.”

“Well, I think I will stay here,” Vincent said.

“What’s the problem?” Mina asked. “We kill Lina. Simple.”

“Yea, that’s what we’re here for,” Rofellos muttered. “Yeah.”

“What is it with you and killing Lina?” Vincent demanded.

“You might be able to handle Her-Whose-Name-Is-Not-To-Be-Mentioned-On-Pain-Of-Death, but not Gourry, the Justice Princess, or her other party members,” Leigh warned her.

“I told you,” Mina retorted. “Once she’s dead, I won’t be called Dragon Spooker anymore and people will stop fearing me!”

“I doubt that very much,” Vincent muttered.

“I don’t really feel like killing anyone today, Mina,” Rofellos told her.

Mina pouted. “You two were so into it a minute ago!”

Leigh managed to be heard over the overlapping conversations. “Or they might think you are her, and that you killed a faux Lina.”

At the same time, Rofellos suggested. “We can go and ‘talk’ with her.”

Mina glared at Leigh and shouted, “I don’t look like her either!”

Leigh calmly replied, “People know her reputation and a small bit about what she looks like. For all they know, she is six-six.” He added a smile, hoping to cheer up Mina, but he only got Rofellos to laugh.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m still going to kill her for ruining my life!”

“You seem to be doing fine to me.”

“Except that I keep getting mistaken for her every time I say my name!” Then Mina ignored him and turned to Rofellos, smiling evilly. “I like ‘talking.’”

“Well, we can talk her to death and you can lead that campaign,” Vincent interjected sarcastically.

Rofellos shrunk away from the sorceress. “Maybe we should just not talk with her today,” he said, but he was eclipsed by Leigh.

“What is getting yourself killed going to do for your life?” the swordsman demanded.

“I won’t die. It’s that simple,” Mina replied and smiled evilly.

Leigh nodded skeptically. “How do you plan on not dying?”

“I’m better than her.”

Meanwhile, Rofellos was becoming more scared of the sorceress’ obsession, and Vincent was bored enough to stop pretending to be politely interested.

“She supposedly has the protection of the Lord of Nightmares,” Leigh told Mina.

“How would she have gotten that?!” she demanded angrily; she’d heard the stories of Lina Inverse’s world-ending Giga Slave, but nothing about her being protected by God Herself.

“How would I know? I’m not the Lord of Nightmares,” Leigh replied.

Mina laughed sardonically as she tried to pull off being nonchalant about the whole situation. “I don’t care. I’m still going!” she shouted. “You!” She grabbed Vincent’s wrist again. “Come with me!” she ordered as she marched toward the palace again.

“What?” he exclaimed in surprise.

“I’m not going to help you get killed,” Leigh told the obsessed sorceress.

“I told you. I won’t.”

“Whatever,” Rofellos muttered; he seriously doubted anyone, short of a dark lord, could take on Lina Inverse and survive.

Mina, ignoring the others, demanded, “What’s wrong with you, Vincent? You like killing.”

“Nothing,” he replied and sighed in defeat.

“Well, we might as well go,” Rofellos told Leigh. “Seems like we won’t get anywhere with her if we stay here.”

Instead of replying, Leigh started chanting. “Defense,” Mina said simply as she brought up her white magic barrier. Rofellos flew up, instead, to get away from the melee.

“Don’t while I am near,” Vincent warned him as he drew his katana.

Ignoring him, Leigh shouted, “Demona Crystal!” Icy fingers of fog formed out of the ground, but Mina, having an affinity with water magic, knew the best way to deflect the spell; it bounced off her barrier with little harm to anyone.

“I said no,” Vincent growled. He flicked his wrist, causing his katana to slit Leigh’s throat, but it was little more than a paper cut.

Leigh ignored the pain and grinned again as he shouted, “Vice Freeze!”

Rofellos landed next to Mina, intending to defend her. She cast Defense in anticipation, but it was unneeded; Leigh’s spell only summoned a ball of water, which promptly melted into a puddle of water as it fizzled.

“Aqua Create! Vice Freeze!” Leigh cast spell after spell, hoping to keep her off-balance.

“Windy Shield,” Rofellos cast as Mina maintained her Defense; Vincent got out of the line of fire.

When Leigh’s Vice Freeze again failed, Mina got fed up; it didn’t help that Aqua Create had gotten her soaked. “Fine,” she said. “Shadow Snap!” She withdrew one of her daggers and threw it at Leigh’s shadow; it landed at his heel, completely her paralysis spell.

“Lighting,” Leigh muttered, negating the effects of her spell by temporarily erasing his shadow.

“Laphas Seed,” Mina growled; she was going to take care of this and then get the Dragon Spooker with no more delays.

Quickly, Leigh muttered the incantation for Counter-Spell; luckily, Mina’s deficient concentration allowed him to successfully counter her spell. Mina’s concentration had been interrupted when Rofellos placed his hand on her shoulder and cast Mono Volt.

“Can’t you see that I’m trying to save you from making a fatal error here?” Leigh demanded as he walked over to the fallen Mina. When he noticed she had been knocked unconscious by the combination of water and minor lightning, he sweatdropped.

“That was extremely interesting, as usual,” Rofellos commented as he joined them. Then he saw what he’d done. “Heh. Whoops.”

Suddenly, a guard, summoned by the noise, charged out of the palace. “What’s going on here?” he demanded.

“Um, nothing,” Rofellos replied.

“What’s that then?” the guard asked and pointed at the unconscious sorceress.

Rofellos quickly picked Mina up and tried to prop her in a standing position. Nervously, he replied, “She is just fine. We were just about to leave.” He looked at his companions. “Right guys?”

The guard gave him a skeptical look as Mina slid out of Rofellos’ grip and fell back onto the ground. He fumbled as he tried to pick her up again.

“Well, that worked well,” Vincent said. In a falsetto, he added, “Oh, my hero!”

“I think I’m going to have you arrested for disturbing the peace,” the guard said. Then he added, “And assaulting Lina Inverse.”

“Bad boys,” Vincent chided them sarcastically.

“Raywing!” Rofellos shouted as he levitated and took Mina with him. He looked for a place out of the guard’s reach to land.

“Guards!” the guard shouted. Suddenly, ten more poured out of the palace doors. One of the guards did a double-take when he saw Mina.

Leigh stayed on the ground to argue with the guards. “She isn’t Lina Inverse!” he shouted, almost getting annoyed as Mina about it. “Lina Inverse is in there!” he declared and pointed into the palace behind them.

Meanwhile, Vincent decided to use the distraction to his advantage and jumped over the palace wall. Unfortunately, it was too tall for him and he impacted with it.

“He’s right,” said the guard who had done the double-take. “I saw her inside a few minutes ago,” he continued, not quite as sure.

“Then who’s she?” asked the guard in charge; he gave Rofellos an annoyed look as the air shaman hovered over his head. “And get back down here!” Rofellos obeyed and landed with Mina still unconscious in his arms.

“So logically,” Leigh said, “she is not Lina Inverse. Her name is Mina Sanverse.” He pointed angrily as he warned, “Don’t even laugh.”

But the guardsman in charge didn’t even have that in mind; instead, he looked confused. “Right. Lina Inverse.”

Leigh was beginning to have a taste of what Mina went through. “M as in Maul! S as in Salami! Not L and I.” He sighed and then continued. “Mina, not Lina! Sanverse, not Inverse!” He mushroom sighed in frustration.

The guard continued to look confused. “Well, we’re still going to have to take you in,” he told them.

“Don’t make me,” Rofellos said warningly.

“For what?” Leigh demanded as the guards surrounded them.

“Just stop already,” Vincent said. “I do not want a conflict.”

“For disturbing the peace,” the guardsman replied. “I already told you!”

Rofellos, being faster than everyone else, cast Raywing and lifted Mina into the air; they landed on the palace’s roof as Vincent said, “Please do not force me to kill you. Can I walk out of the gate? Because I am not in the mood right now…”

At the same time, Leigh cast Demona Crystal again. The guardsmen, not used to going against spell casters, were caught unawares as the icy fog seeped out of the ground and froze four of the guards in their footsteps. Leigh seized the moment and cast Raywing. “Hey, Vincent, want a ride?” he asked, but he was ignored.

“Welcome,” Rofellos greeted when the swordsman joined him.

“Hey! Come back here!” the head guard ordered as most of the able-bodied guardsmen ran after Leigh.

The smart guard who had realized Mina was not Lina Inverse shook his head as he muttered, “You should have gotten Lina to take care of them. These budget cuts get the stupidest guards…” He may have been talking to Amelia in his mind as he regarded the one the party had left behind.

“Well then?” Vincent asked the remaining guards as he cocked his head in interest.

The head guard looked at him as he finally realized one of the disturbers of the peace remained behind. “Well then. It looks like you’re answering for everyone else,” he said as the guards, minus the smart one, closed in.

“Who’s that?” Vincent asked as he went to draw his sword.

“Please, don’t try to escape,” one of the guards asked as they surrounded and grabbed Vincent.

Meanwhile, Rofellos, meaning to rescue Vincent, aimed Mono Volt at the guards. Unfortunately, the moment the lightning spell struck the guards was the moment they captured Vincent, and the electricity flowed through all of them; everyone fell to the ground, unconscious.

“You always do that!” Leigh chided as Rofellos sweatdropped. “You blast the people we aren’t trying to hit!”

“Um, oops.”

“Just like that poor tavern patron!” Leigh finished as he sighed.

Rofellos put Mina down and flew to collect Vincent; Mina regained consciousness. “What the? What am I doing up here?” she demanded, startled. When she realized she was on the palace roof, she smiled. “Dam Brass,” she said just as Rofellos landed with Vincent.

A red ball appeared and caused a small, but devastating, earthquake when it struck the roof. Whoever was not fast enough to cast a flying spell fell through; namely, this was Vincent, who managed to be unharmed.

The party found itself in a partially destroyed room. On one side were the remains of a statue of a woman. The floor was inscribed with a white pentagram, and while there were several pillars in the room, there only seemed to be one way out.

After recovering for a moment, Vincent got up and walked out the door. “I think you want to go that way,” Mina told Vincent as she pointed up. “That way’s into the palace,” she added as she indicated the way he was going.

Rofellos landed next to Mina, but Leigh stayed outside the palace. “You, who wish for destruction, shall be destroyed…” Eerily, Leigh was repeating the words the Lord of Nightmares had used four years before in reference to another person stupid enough to challenge Lina Inverse. He flew off, but not before he felt something large and metallic hit the back of his head and heard the words “My line!”

Back in the palace, Vincent drew his sword. “I doubt that,” he said to Mina and continued into the palace.

“Dammit, get back here!” Mina ordered; she did not want to get caught prowling around the palace until after she’d destroyed the Dragon Spooker.

Vincent didn’t listen to her. He found himself in the presence of Prince Philionel, the ruler of Seyruun, who was busily engaged in eating lunch. “How do I get out of here?” Vincent asked as he quickly sheathed his sword; he wisely ignored the Prince’s almost Lina-esque table manners.

“How did you get in here? Are you part of my darling Amelia’s party?” he asked.

“Yes,” Vincent lied. “Can you help me?”

Rofellos entered, flying, at that moment. “Why hello,” he said as he landed.

“Who are you?” Prince Phil asked the two of them.

“Vincent,” he replied impatiently. “Directions, please.”

“I am Rofellos.”

“Are you looking for Lina?” Prince Phil asked.

Just then, Mina walked in, shouting angrily. “What the hell are you-” Then she saw Prince Phil. “Oh. Hi,” she said feebly as she curtseyed; Rofellos took the cue and bowed.

“Well, there she is!” Prince Phil said, making the common mistake, and smiled.

Vincent sighed heavily, and then told the prince, “She is here to harm your daughter and Lina.”

Mina glared at Prince Phil, instinctively knowing he had made the common mistake, but she didn’t correct him. Instead, she shouted at Vincent. “I am not!” Then she turned back to Prince Phil and sweetly asked, “Where am I supposed to be?”

“Please help me out of this hellhole I was dropped into,” Vincent pleaded.

A man, dressed in stylish shades of grey, appeared before him with the sound of rushing air. He smiled evilly, and somehow made his eyes appear to be smiling too, even though his eyes were closed. “I can do that pretty easily,” offered Xelloss, the Trickster Priest.

Leigh, perhaps having a change of heart, flew back to the palace and poked his head into the hole. Instead of saying whatever else he was going to say, he shouted, “Have fun, kiddies!” Then he flew off again, not knowing the danger in which he had just put himself.

Xelloss glared, as if looking through the walls, after Leigh with both of his violet, cat-eyes open – a bad sign; something had obviously upset his plans. He teleported without even being slightly mischievous.

Rofellos was startled by the Trickster Priest’s sudden appearance. Vincent, on the other hand, appeared to be annoyed; he commanded a ball of Protoplasm to appear in his hand and squeezed it like a stress ball. Since stress balls had not been invented yet (Isn’t it a bad idea to use something that doesn’t exist yet to describe something else in a story?), Rofellos was slightly disturbed to see the little green, gel ball being used in such an odd manner.

“That was different,” Vincent commented, not noticing the strange look he was getting from the air shaman.

Not at all unnerved by Xelloss’ sudden appearances, Prince Phil helpfully replied, “The way out is that way.” He pointed.

“Thank you,” Vincent replied and hastily walked in that direction before anyone noticed.

Prince Phil continued. “Amelia is waiting for you at the edge of the city, Miss Inverse.”

Mina got visibly annoyed, but she kept her cool. “Good. Thank you,” she replied politely. Then she levitated, picked up Vincent, and flew back toward the hole in the ceiling. “Coming, Rofellos?” she asked.

“Don’t do that,” Vincent hissed.

“She is going to hurt someone,” Rofellos muttered to himself, but he flew after her anyway.

“Put me down!” Vincent ordered.

“Do what?” Mina asked as she looked down; they were out of the palace and several hundred feet above the ground. “I don’t think you want that…”

“Put me down!” Vincent shouted even more commandingly.

The three of them caught up to Leigh, though accidentally. “Dammit!” Mina shouted. “I forgot to ask which end!”

“Which end of what?” Leigh asked.

“Vincent, I don’t think you want that!” she told him. Then she answered Leigh. “The city.”

“Yes, I do,” Vincent replied through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, Ara appeared next to Leigh; the same sound heralded her entrance as the one that had accompanied Xelloss. “You know, I told you to stay away from her, but do you listen?” she demanded of Leigh.

“Who’s she?” Mina asked.

“Hi, Ara!” Rofellos greeted.

“I tried, Ara!” Leigh declared helplessly.

Vincent, perhaps thinking she was talking to him, said, “I am trying but she is like a dog. She can’t take a hint. Please, help me!”

Ara, hoping to shut Vincent up, ordered, “Just drop him.” Mina shrugged, but she obeyed; Rofellos quickly flew and caught him. “Dammit,” Ara exclaimed. “You caught him!”

“Don’t,” Vincent warned Rofellos instead of thanking him.

Slightly irritated himself, Leigh replied, “I tried to freeze Mina here to keep them from going in, but noooo!”

Ara narrowed her eyes warningly at him; it was almost as frightening as when Xelloss opened both his eyes. “Just stay away from them. I’m not warning you again,” she hissed.

Leigh muttered, “This sword is less helpful than Crainte Vomir.” Louder, he declared, “It’s not my fault!” He sighed.

“Then you put me down,” Vincent ordered Rofellos, who was busy listening to the conversation. When the air shaman didn’t reply, the handsome man started beating him with his staff; Rofellos flew low and dropped Vincent onto a rooftop. He returned and listened to the rest of the conversation.

“Bring that up with my brother,” Ara retorted.

Leigh sighed angrily. “Well, if he would deign me with his presence more often, maybe I could get more than a five second conversation with him!”

“I will tell him that,” Ara said. “I will return in a few days. Don’t make me come back sooner with your stupid antics,” she warned him coldly before she teleported, leaving a void in her wake; Leigh glared at the air where she had been. Then he sighed in defeat and hung his head.

“Does anyone want to explain what the hell that was?!!” Mina demanded.

“Long story,” Leigh replied.

“I’m listening.”

Meanwhile, Vincent walked into the nearest tavern, intending to get very, very drunk after his day.

“Remember what I said about the Mazoku, Mina? How we tracked one here?” Leigh asked.

“Yeah.”

“Ara was the one that ‘hired’ us.”

“You didn’t say anything about being hired,” Mina pointed out angrily. “What did she mean about avoiding ‘them’?”

“Avoid Lina and company,” Leigh replied. “Like I warned you.”

“Why?” Then she looked down at the ground several feet below her and suddenly felt sheepish for having a conversation so high. “Can we finish this conversation on the ground?”

“Um, sure,” Rofellos replied and smiled since it was the first word he’d managed in the entire conversation.

“Where’d that other guy go?” Mina asked in curiosity when they’d all landed.

“I dropped him on a building.”

Mina shrugged when she couldn’t find him. “Oh well.”

“Good riddance, I say,” Rofellos exclaimed.

“But…he wanted to kill Lina with me!” she protested.

“I bet he’s off somewhere getting drunk,” Rofellos said.

“Am not,” Vincent suddenly said from inside his tavern; he did not know why.

“Why do you think that?” Mina asked.

“Just a guess.”

She nodded and then suddenly exclaimed, “That reminds me… Mono Volt!” She grabbed Rofellos to make sure the lightning didn’t miss him. “How do you like that?”

The air shaman sizzled slightly from the spell, but it didn’t affect him as much as Mina had hoped. “Icicle Lance!” he shouted as he pulled back an imaginary bowstring. Leigh took the opportunity to discreetly sneak off before he got attacked too.

Mina deflected the spell with Defense once more, and then withdrew one of her daggers. “Shadow Snap!” she shouted and threw the dagger perfectly at his heel; Rofellos easily negated the spell with Lighting. However, Mina had been using it as a distraction while she reached into the subspace that all anime women have and retrieved her mallet; she struck him with it.

Rofellos was dazed for a moment, but then he tackled Mina to the ground. In retaliation, she bit him. Both of them decided it would be a good time to cast Mono Volt. Unfortunately, Mina’s spell fizzled when Rofellos’ hit her a second before she completed it.

“I hate it when you do that,” she muttered as he laughed. She sat up a moment later and exclaimed, “Fine, I’ll win this way!”

“That’s what you get if you mess with-” Rofellos fell to the floor, snoring, as Mina finished her Sleeping spell.

While Rofellos was asleep, Mina quickly shaved his head with one of her knives and gave him a Mohawk. When she had styled it just right, she cast Counter-Sleeping and whistled innocently as Rofellos awoke. “Hey, sorry about the spell. What do you say we go find Leigh and Vincent?”

He felt slightly different, though he didn’t know why. “Why did you do that?” he demanded in reference to the Sleeping spell; he had not yet noticed his hair.

“Because I’m sick of you casting Mono Volt on me!” Mina retorted. Quietly, she started to cast Tranquility in case Rofellos noticed his new style.

“Arc Brass!” Rofellos shouted suddenly; he still needed to top Mina somehow. Then he cast Windy Shield as he ducked under something.

“Dammit! Defense!” Mina shouted as she cowered away from the rain of lightning, blocks wide, the air shaman had called. “You’re worse than I am with property damage!” When the spell ended, she ran over to Rofellos, who stepped away from her in trepidation. “Where the hell did Leigh go?” she demanded.

“Um, I don’t know,” Rofellos replied nervously.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” she chided.

“Yet,” Ara’s disembodied voice added, causing Rofellos and Mina to jump.

“What the?” Mina asked as she searched for the source of the voice. Then she spotted Leigh. “Oh, there he is.”

Leigh had been one of the unfortunate victims of Rofellos’ Arc Brass. He glared at the sky, and then at Rofellos when he realized who must have done it.

“Um, hello there,” Rofellos said nervously as Mina walked over and healed Leigh. “I don’t seem to be very popular today,” he muttered.

“Flare Arrow!” Leigh held his arms out in front of him as a single arrow appeared between them. Rofellos dodged, but it was unnecessary.

“Freeze Arrow!” Mina shouted as she mimed pulling back a bowstring; her ice spell struck Leigh’s, they cancelled each other out.

Leigh sighed. “Fine,” he muttered and flew over to Rofellos so Mina would have a harder time interfering.

“Don’t make me,” Rofellos warned Leigh.

“Don’t make me,” Mina hissed back as Leigh pulled out a fish and wielded it.

Vincent, having gotten nicely pissed, exited the tavern. Even in his drunken state, he managed to spot the party and quickly ducked around a corner before they could see him.

“Freeze Arrow!” Rofellos shouted.

“Flare Arrow!” Mina shouted a second later. Unfortunately, her aim was off and she completely missed Rofellos’ spell. Instead, she struck just inches above Vincent’s head. That was enough for him, and he quickly, but discreetly, ran away.

Leigh blocked the Freeze Arrow with his fish. “Frozen fish sticks!” he laughed.

“-Take mercy and make us calm like the sea… Tranquility!”

“I am really starting to hate that spell,” Rofellos muttered. However, he discovered that the spell was a lot easier to learn than he’d originally thought.

“Oh, why?” Mina asked with a smile.

Leigh took one look at his frozen fish again and cracked a joke. “You did that just for the halibut, didn’t you?” Everyone promptly face-faulted.

When she recovered, Mina urged, “Come on. Lina Inverse is at the edge of the city!” She started walking, but then she realized that she still had no idea which end she was supposed to be on; she sighed.

“Which edge?” Leigh asked, much to Mina’s annoyance. “And did you not listen to Ara?”

“She warned you, not me,” she retorted.

Leigh sighed in frustration again. “Fine, go have fun dying. I’m not intent on joining the fun,” he growled at her.

Mina discreetly put Leigh between herself and Rofellos when she noticed the air shaman rubbing his hair. Rofellos noticed the absence of hair, as well as the odd styling of what was left, and demanded, “What happened to my hair?!!”

Mina, pretending not to notice Rofellos, asked, “Why are you avoiding her anyway?” Then she quietly chanted Tranquility, hoping that it would have enough power to cool his anger.

“Because she is dangerous and even more so with her party,” Leigh replied.

“Mina!” Rofellos bellowed.

She whistled innocently and then replied, “What?”

Leigh turned around and saw Rofellos’ new style. “Did you do that?” he whispered; Mina looked innocent in reply.

“I hate you,” Rofellos muttered, managing to make the phrase into one word.

“I can handle Lina,” Mina assured Leigh as she tried to get the attention off Rofellos’ hair.

“Her, maybe, but as I said, what about the rest of her party?” Leigh asked.

“How much worse can they be?” Mina demanded. “The swordsman lacks his sword,” Mina said, referring to Gourry’s lost Sword of Light. “And the Justice Princess is an idiot. That leaves the Chimera and Lina herself.”

“What about the priest?” Leigh asked, referring to Xelloss, who was probably the most dangerous after Lina Inverse.

“He’s only using her, right? Why would he care if she’s dead?” Mina insisted. It just proves I’m more powerful, and therefore a better pick.”

“Let’s not forget the Lord of Nightmares’ favoritism thing,” Leigh reminded her.

In a slightly reluctant voice, she muttered, “I can fix that…”

“Really? You can convince God of something? I’d like to see that chat.”

“No, you don’t,” Mina replied quietly.

“I don’t what?” Leigh demanded. “Want to see you chat with God?”

Luckily Rofellos, who had grown tired of the conversation, chose that moment to wander off; Mina used his exit as an excuse to end the uncomfortable line of questioning. When she caught up to Rofellos, she asked, “Where are we going?”

Leigh sighed. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you, Mina.” Then he followed as well.

“I don’t know,” Rofellos replied. “Just somewhere.”

“Sounds good,” Mina agreed.

Then Rofellos shouted, “Raywing!” and flew up to try to find Lina.

Mina shouted up at him. “I guess you don’t want to kill Lina with me?” She sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyway since I don’t know where she is now. I’ll just wait ‘til she gets back to the palace.” When Rofellos suddenly swore, Mina asked, “What?”

“Nothing,” Rofellos replied and continued to search for Lina.

Leigh walked over to Mina and whispered to her. “I just don’t want to see you risk your life for something like this,” he said with concern. “Think about it, Mina. She has at least one person up on us, and they can all cast spells, except Gourry. Probably better than Roff or I can.”

Mina ignored him since to think about it might spoil her self-confidence. Instead, she suggested, “Listen, it’s getting late. Why don’t we go to a tavern for the night?” With a smile, she added, “I’ll pay for it!”

Rofellos landed. “Sounds good.”

“How about this one?” Mina asked after a while, coincidently pointing to the tavern Vincent had retreated to earlier.

“Um, sure. Why not?” Rofellos asked as they entered.

Leigh sighed and caught Mina for a second so he could whisper to her. “Trust me,” he pleaded. “Ara warned me off. She must have a good reason.”

Mina, who didn’t trust Ara at all, replied, “You never know…” Then she headed straight for the bartender and said, “Three rooms.” She looked back at the party in case they disagreed and repeated, “Three?”

Leigh shrugged, and then whispered to Mina again; he was not going to let her off that easily. “I…I just don’t want to see you get hurt…”

Mina raised an eyebrow in surprise and whispered back. “I’ve only met Ara that one time. I don’t know if I can trust her, but I know I can trust my own abilities.” Then she smiled and loud enough for everyone to hear, added, “But thanks for the sentiment.”

“I know Ara pretty well, and I’m sure she is more powerful than I am,” he said quietly, so that Rofellos wouldn’t hear.

Slightly scared of what the conversation might be about, Rofellos turned to the bartender and asked, “Can I have my room now?”

“Can we continue this later? I’m having a hard time hearing you, Leigh,” Mina requested with a smile. To the bartender, she said, “Three rooms. Your best.” Then she plunked down a large bag of gold onto the bar.

Leigh sighed, again defeated. “Alright. Later then,” he agreed.

Mina caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to look. “Hey, it’s that guy!” she shouted when she spotted the handsome man.

“That guy?” Leigh asked.

“Vincent?” she replied, not sure if that was his name. Vincent fell off his stool, but remained asleep, as he had been before the party had arrived. “Looks like he’s drunk,” Mina said. She turned back to the bar. “Bartender, give him a room, too, I guess.”

“Am not,” Vincent muttered in his sleep.

The bartender nodded as he took her money. Regretfully, he informed her of a slight problem. “Up the stairs and to the left, but I only have two rooms left, ma’am.”

Mina turned to her friends. “So how are we splitting the rooms?”

“I guess it’s up to you,” Leigh said. “You are paying for them…” He managed a little smile as he hoped he didn’t have to room with Vincent.

Meanwhile, Rofellos had walked over to Vincent and used Mono Volt to jolt him awake. Vincent jumped and exclaimed, “What was that for?” Then he realized who his attackers were. “Ah! Not you people again! Man, why is it always me?” he asked thin air and then sighed in defeat.

“Since I’m a girl, I guess I should have my own room,” Mina started, but she was interrupted by Rofellos.

“Want to share a room, Mina?” he proposed as a joke.

To his surprise, Mina took it seriously. “Um, okay. I guess I can’t stuff the three of you in the other room,” she said with a smile.

Leigh’s eye twitched in disgust at the prospect of rooming with Vincent; Rofellos twitched in sympathy.

“What’s the matter?” Mina asked.

“Good morning,” Vincent said groggily as he waved at Mina.

“Morning? It’s night, Vincent…”

“Ah, well, good night, then.”

Leigh leaned over to Mina’s ear again. “I do not want to share a room with Vincent. I’d rather sleep in the hallway.”

Vincent closed his eyes and started to sleep. Mina kicked him, rudely awakening the poor, handsome man. “That’s what your room’s for!”

“Wha that?” Vincent asked half-coherently.

Mina ignored him and turned to Rofellos. “Rofellos, would you mind rooming with Leigh instead?”

“Sounds fine with me,” Rofellos agreed.

However, Leigh didn’t. “I never said that,” he said into Mina’s ear in a voice that sounded like a wink. “I’d be honored to be your protector for this evening.”

“I go to sleep now,” Vincent muttered. Drunkenly, he asked the bartender, “Where nearest room?”

“The miss paid for a room upstairs on the left,” he replied. “The first two doors.”

“So which one am I in?” Vincent asked the others with a yawn at the same time Leigh had complained about sleeping arrangement for the second time.

Mina glared at Leigh. “Make up your mind!” she ordered.

“I think I just did,” he replied.

“Thas good,” Vincent slurred.

“You guys decide which rooms. Meanwhile I want a drink,” Rofellos told them and sat at the bar. “I would like some red wine, please.” The bartender immediately poured him a glass.

Mina sighed and said to Vincent. “Pick a room. We’ll sort this out ourselves.”

“Okay then,” Vincent agreed and walked into his “room”: the bathroom. “Odd rooms,” he commented.

Mina sweatdropped. “Maybe someone should help you…”

Leigh chose that moment to whisper to the sorceress again. “You may choose your roommate, but I would be, as I said, honored.”

“Who needs help?” Vincent demanded.

“I don’t want to stick either of you with Vincent,” Mina whispered back. Then she said to Vincent, “You do!”

Leigh smirked at Mina’s comment before quietly adding, “Nor would I.”

“Oh, I get it!” Vincent slurred, trying to appear sober.

“Rofellos,” Mina said as she turned toward the bar, “would you mind sharing with Vincent?” Then Mina gave Leigh a sharp look as she chided him. “Leigh, stop whispering! It’s rude!”

Rofellos flinched. “Um, sure.”

“Sorry,” Leigh apologized to Mina.

The sorceress, seeing Rofellos’ reaction, said, “Never mind. I’ll room with him.” Gently, she grabbed Vincent arm, put it over her shoulder, and let him toward the stairs. “Ouch, he’s kinda heavy,” she muttered and decided that she’d better use Levitation.

“We sleep soon?” Vincent asked hopefully.

She winced from his breath. “Not with you,” she hissed.

“I float. Cool.” He paused for a moment before adding particularly drunkenly, “Room spinning.”

Rofellos muttered to himself as he sipped his red wine. “Guess I’ll stay down here a bit.”

“You’d better not throw up on me,” Mina warned Vincent as she led him to their room.

“I won’t. I promise,” Vincent slurred. “I will go to that room now. Good night,” he said as he attempted to bow; he fell over instead.

Mina rolled her eyes. “Here,” she said as she helped him to bed.

“Thanks.”

“You’ll behave and stay right here, won’t you?” she asked him. When she realized that he’d fallen asleep again, she muttered, “I guess so.” Mina returned downstairs just as Leigh was leaving.

“I’ll be back soon, Roff,” he told the air shaman and left to wander the town.

Mina sat beside Rofellos at the bar. “You going to eat anything?” she asked.

Rofellos looked at her. “Hello,” he greeted.

“Hi.”

“I am not really hungry,” he replied.

“I am,” Mina declared and ordered the special.

Leigh walked in, having decided that he wanted a pastry before he pondered on his long walk. “Hi guys,” he said and the others greeted him.

“Vincent? …is safe in bed,” Mina said. “That is his name, right?”

“Yea,” Leigh replied. Then he asked the bartender, “What kind of pastries do you have?”

“Pastries?” the bartender repeated in surprise. “Why would we sell those?”

“Vincent Cloud…Cloud…Cloud-something,” Mina muttered as she tried to remember his name.

“You sell food, so I thought you might,” Leigh replied.

The bartender shook his head in regret. “Sorry.”

“I guess I’ll have to try to find a late-night bakery,” Leigh said in disappointment.

The bartender shrugged unhelpfully. “I don’t know of any.”

“Darn,” Leigh said. “Will you have some for breakfast? If not, may I purchase items to make some?”

“I think I’ll have some too,” Mina agreed, “after I’m done with this.” She held up her plate with a smile.

“I can have the cook make some since you paid up front and so generously,” the bartender offered, grateful for Mina’s generosity.

“Thank you,” Leigh said as he pulled out a small topaz stone. “Here is for the extra effort. Cherry, please?”

Mina’s eyes widened. “Where did you get that?”

The bartender was just as surprised and barely managed to reply. “Of course. A lot of them,” he assured Leigh.

“Thank you.” Then Leigh turned to Mina. “I am a mercenary. This is some of my pay,” he told her.

“You,” Mina said to the bartender, “I’d say, owe him at least twenty-five, if not forty pastries for that. Not counting man hours.” At that moment, she sounded very much like Lina Inverse.

“Mina, may I talk to you in private for a moment?” Leigh asked her.

“Sure,” she replied and followed him out the door.

A good distance from the tavern, Leigh stopped and said to Mina, “They don’t know this…” He paused. “In fact, you are one of the few I have told. I told them I work to support my family back home. It’s not true.” Mina raised her eyebrow in surprise; she was about to ask a question when Leigh continued. “They were killed years ago by a man. I am in search of him.” He took a breath. “You remember the one I told you about, Ueiko? I thought he was the one for a while, but he turned out too young to be the one to do it.”

“Then who did?” Mina asked with concern.

“I’m not sure. I have some-” He wasn’t sure how to phrase it. “-Friends looking into it.”

“That woman?” Mina guessed.

“One of them, yes,” Leigh replied. “But don’t tell anyone I told you this. I have gathered a small fortune, as you can see from the topaz back there.”

“Yes, that is quite a lot,” she said. Then she asked the question that bothered her. “But why can’t I tell the others?”

“I thought I’d tell you since you asked, and I thought I could trust you.”

Mina relaxed and smiled. “Thanks,” she said, truly touched.

“I told them that I was on a search, and I don’t want them to know I lied to them.” He paused a moment. “I don’t know why, but I feel…” He trailed off.

“Feel what?”

Leigh shook his head, sending his long, beautiful, sea foam green hair swaying. “It’s nothing. Never mind,” he said and blushed.

“Oh,” Mina replied, red rushing to her cheeks as well; she had suspected a better response.

Leigh looked at his feet as he decided to continue. “It’s just that I feel that I can trust you. I haven’t felt that in someone for a long time…”

“Thank you,” Mina said, suddenly finding her feet very interesting as her face turned the color of her hair; this was definitely not like her.

After a few moments of silence, Leigh said, “So… Can I get you something? Do something to reimburse you for the rooms perhaps?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” she assured him. “I don’t mind, really. It’s kinda one of the ways I remind myself that I’m not Lina, since she’s legendary for her greed.” She paused before adding, “Although, I’d like to think I was generous before this.”

“Aha. Well, then I guess I will just have to find another way to pay you back…”

“No, it’s okay. Really.”

“What is your favorite pastry filling?”

Mina laughed as she remembered the filling Leigh had wanted earlier; it was also her favorite. “Cherry,” she replied. She shivered as the wind picked up. “Hey, it’s getting sold out here. Can we go back inside?” she asked.

“Well, then I will make sure to share in the morning,” he told her as he led her back inside.

***

Rofellos sighed when Mina and Leigh left. He drank the rest of his wine unenthusiastically.

Ara suddenly appeared on the barstool beside him and started eating Mina’s food. She threw down the fork and exclaimed, “How can she eat this?” She looked at Rofellos and flashed him a smiled. “Hello, Rofellos,” she said and whispered directly into his ear using a sensual voice. “You know, you really shouldn’t trust this new woman you’ve found, Rofellos.” She used his name in an irritating fashion, as if she owned it.

“I honestly don’t know if I should trust anyone,” he replied quietly.

“Including me?” Ara asked with a practiced cute pout.

The air shaman smiled deceptively. “Well, maybe you.”

“You’re lying,” Ara said, calling him on his bluff. “And you’re not very good at it. But not trusting people is a good philosophy.” She smiled mysteriously again as she added, “Just a warning, but she may be as dangerous as Lina Inverse herself – and her party.”

“Interesting concept,” Rofellos told her. “I will keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said as she smiled mischievously. “But always keep away from Lina Inverse and her party.”

Man, she smiles a lot! Rofellos thought. “I will try,” he assured her.

“But who is this new guy you’re with?” Ara said in normal speaking tones.

“I believe he is just a drunkard,” he replied.

“He was not drunk when I talked to you earlier,” Ara pointed out. “Or to Leigh.”

“That’s true. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a drunkard.”

Ara laughed, but it had a slightly evil undertone. “It also doesn’t mean that you’re mean-spirited since you pulled some nasty pranks today.”

“I guess I did,” he conceded. “Now that I think of it, they kind of seemed stupid.”

“No!” Ara refuted. “They were quite…delicious.” She licked her lips as she smiled evilly.

Just then, Leigh re-entered the tavern with Mina in tow. He headed straight for the bartender and while handing him another, nicer gem, whispered, “Here, I want you to take some of those pastries to her in the morning, also. I want a bottle of your finest for her dinner tonight and some hot chocolate in the morning too.” The bartender nodded.

Interesting, Rofellos thought when he saw Leigh.

Ara noticed the swordsman and the sorceress, but she only acknowledged one, “Oh. Hello, Leigh,” she greeted unenthusiastically.

Leigh looked at her and missed whatever message she was trying to send. “Hello, Ara.”

“Um, hello, guys,” Rofellos greeted them nervously. He wasn’t sure how to take Ara’s warning or the couple’s absence.

“How are you?” Leigh asked Ara.

“Doing this. Doing that,” the priestess replied nonchalantly. In a serious tone, she got down to business. “My brother says that Zoragath should reveal himself tomorrow if things go better than planned. If not…” She shrugged, and then continued, “We wait a little more.”