The door of Luna's chamber closed behind Ayla and Gracia
"Why don't we go to the cafeteria? You can eat something there and on our way I'll tell you a little more about Kayless. What do you say?" asked Ayla
Gracia's stomach grumbled and she blushed. "Let's go, my stomach is telling me to eat." she told the blond girl smiling a little embarrassed.
Ayla had to laugh. "Then come" she told Gracia and with a hand move she indicated the woman to follow her.
They walked along long gray corridors, illuminated with some light spells every-so-often. They turned here and there and after a while Gracia lost all sense of orientation.
"How do you find your way through this mace" she finally asked.
"I was born here and I know Kayless like the palm of my hand, but I don't know all the tunnels, only few do like Lucas, Kaery and Krishak, who are responsible for keeping in touch with the cities around us. Besides what you call mace would be a great advantage in case of an attack."
"Oh..." Gracia nodded.
"We trade with the neighboring towns. There's Elwingil to the east, it's built on a mountainside and from there we get materials to built weapons. There's Atlantis to the north near the ocean, from there we get salt and fishes. And there's Angarah to the southwest. It lies in the woods and from there we get wood."
"You are very organized..." Gracia said impressed. She found it hard to believe, it seemed so unreal that a place could exist long enough to get organized with all these Mazoku around.
"Miss Luna, Alas and Aishan make sure that everything stays in order. Alas is the last Ancient Dragon you know." Ayla told her as they reached some stairs that leaded downstairs.
"An Ancient Dragon?" Gracia couldn't believe what she had just heard. She was more stunned than ever, "Weren't they extinct?"
"That's why she's the last! She was very small at the time and was adopted by a Wind Dragon who kept her hidden." Ayla said merrily.
After the reached the second level of Kayless Gracia looked at her surroundings. There were more people down here and the corridors seemed to be endless. To Gracia's relieve they soon stopped in front of a wooden double door.
"Here we are." said Ayla as she pushed the door open.
They entered a huge cafeteria, filled with tables and chairs, there were some people sitting around. Ayla looked around as if she were searching for someone, suddenly she grabbed Gracia's hand and dragged her towards a table were a shorthaired blond man was sitting, two empty plates before him. As they walked closer Gracia could see that his right eye was hidden by a patch and that his hair fell over it. Ayla ran into the man's arms and nearly knocked him out of the chair.
"Hi Ayla! How are you?" asked the man undisturbed by the girl's impulsiveness.
"Fine. Here is someone I want you to meet." Ayla let go of the man and motioned "This is my brother Gourry, he is the most talented swordsman in the whole world. And this is Gracia, you remember, the woman we found half dead in Slesia."
Gracia bowed very low. "Pleased to meet you and thank you for everything. I'm forever in your dept."
"It was nothing." he answered smiling brightly.
"Sit down." said Ayla grabbing a chair.
Gourry stood up and moved a chair so Gracia could sit.
"Isn't he just the most wonderful cavalier?" asked Ayla.
Gracia was about to reply when a short red-haired girl wearing a waitress outfit approached the table.
"Ayla where have you been? Liah is going crazy with Kazen, we have been needing your help..." the waitress noticed Gracia, "And who is your friend?"
"Lina, this is Gracia. Gracia, this is Lina Inverse, she is Miss Luna's younger sister." said Ayla.
"Pleased to meet you." they said in unison smiling at each other.
"We would like to order for Gracia... What would you like?" Ayla said turning to Gracia.
"Well..." she said, she didn't want to order a lot because she had no money and food was scarce nowadays and therefore extremely expensive.
"Just tell Liah and Lufia that we have a newcomer." said Ayla seeing that Gracia couldn't decide.
"Okay." Lina said before disappeared into the kitchen.
Some moments later an athletic woman carrying a very angry looking baby came out of the kitchen and headed for their table.
"Oh Ayla. Good that you're here. Here, hold Kazen." she handed Ayla the baby, then she turned towards Gracia, "Welcome to Kayless. I'm Liah and I'm in charge of the kitchen with the help of Lufia. I'll get you something to eat right away, now that I have both of my arms free." she hurried back into the kitchen before Gracia even had time to answer.
"Don't worry, she's always like this, she's always busy. It's not easy to cook for 70 people everyday without counting all the travelers that stop by..." Ayla would have continued talking, had it not been for the screaming that could suddenly be heard to their right. They turned around and saw a little girl with strange amethyst cold eyes and long spiky light-brown hair worn in a pigtail run towards them.
"Kyra has started a fight with Lidya." said the girl.
Ayla looked completely alarmed. It must be a really bad fight if Edele saw it fit to tell her. Edele of all people who hardly ever spoke if not asked directly.
"Gourry, would you show Gracia around after she's done eating. I'll be busy for a while." said Ayla and hurried with Kazen in her arms and Edele away.
"Sure." said Gourry a little too late, for Ayla couldn't hear him anymore, but he didn't seem to notice.
For a moment Gracia wanted to hurry after Ayla, this was a new place, her sister had was gone, kidnapped by some crazy Mazoku and she didn't know anyone well. Not that she new Ayla well, but she had known her the longest and the girl had a maternal yet playful air around her, that made it easy to trust her, probably the reason why the children seemed to feel comfortable around her. Then she looked at the Gourry besides her who he smiled at her and she saw in his eyes that she could trust him too.
At the moment Lina reappeared balancing a full laden try in her hand which she placed on the table . Gracia's eyes went wide.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot pay for all this..." Gracia started to push the dishes from herself.
"Don't worry. There's no need to pay, we have enough food here." said Lina smiling at her, "You have to see the gardens. Gourry, will you take her there afterwards?" she looked at him with a face that said she would not take ‘no’ for an answer.
"Sure." said Gourry fast, years of getting hit on the head by that certain read-head had taught him not to question her requests.
Gracia was curious about the gardens so when Lina returned to her job she asked the swordsman.
"My father designed them and they are down bellow" Gourry told her.
"Underground?" asked Gracia
"I really don't understand it to well, you better ask Ayla or better Aishan or Alas who are responsible for the gardens." he said.
Gracia started to eat her soup.
"Hmmm... salt... I haven't had anything with salt in ages. Amelia would love it...." Gracia looked down, as pain crossed her features.
"Amelia?" asked Gourry.
"She's my younger sister and was taken by the Mazoku before you found me." she said.
"Oh.... well don't worry, Luna is really smart, she'll surely ask Xellos to help her find a way to get your sister back."
Gracia looked up and saw into Gourry's eyes, so full of hope and trust in his friends, almost like a child's. She had never seen such eyes on a grown up, and not even on many children. Kayless was really an interesting place.
Gracia saw Lina just about to eat a little sandwich from her tray looking around making sure no one saw her as a man appeared beside Lina, took the sandwich out of her hand and put it back onto the tray. The man was wearing light brown pants and a matching turtleneck shirt. But what amazed Gracia the most about him was that his skin was blue.
Probably under a curse by the Mazoku..., Gracia had heard that they sometimes used humans as guinea pigs for crazy experiments. She just hoped Amelia didn't find such a fate.
"But Zel! Just one bite." the redhead wailed.
"Lina do you want to get kicked out of the kitchen by Liah again?" Zel asked her.
Lina fumed a bit and then decided it was better to stay on Liah's good side.
"Stop bothering me and go sit over there with Gourry instead." Lina told him.
Zelgadis looked at the woman with the swordsman.
"Is that his new girlfriend?" he asked Lina.
"Gourry and a girlfriend? Very funny! No, she's a survivor from Slesia" Lina said walking back into the kitchen.
Zelgadis approached the table where Gourry was sitting and greeted him, "Hi Gourry!"
"Hi Zel! Sit down."
Zelgadis didn't wait for Gourry to introduce him to Gracia, for it was likely never going to happen, "I'm Zelgadis Greywords." he bowed.
"I'm Gracia Will Tesla, nice to meet you." she said also bowing.
Zelgadis sat down. Gracia caught herself staring at his blue skin with little rocks on it. Zelgadis looked at her questionably.
"I'm sorry. I just had never seen what the Mazoku could do to people... My sister was taken by them some hours ago." she said looking down.
"Oh... no, no, this..." Zelgadis pointed at himself, "...this wasn't done by the Mazoku. My grandfather turned me into a chimera because I was too weak as a child and would not have survived."
"I'm sorry." she said.
At that moment Lina returned bringing a cup of tea which she placed in front of Zelgadis.
"Thanks." Zel told the waitress and took a sip, "Hmmm... just the way I like it..."
"After 20 years living with you, I should know what you like to drink." said Lina smiling.
Gracia wondered if they were together, she would have to ask Ayla or Gourry afterwards. While she was eating, Gourry and Zelgadis had started to talk about swords and weapons.
Suddenly the kitchen door swung open and Gracia saw Lina flying trough the air before crashing into a table and some chairs.
"I told you not to touch the food!!" An angry female voice screamed from inside the kitchen.
Zelgadis sighed while Gourry started slowly to crawl under the table. Gracia noticed the he wasn't the only one, the people around her started as well to get themselves into safety under the tables as well. She looked questionable at Zel who only rolled his eyes and took another sip from his tea.
"Four..." Zel started to count, "three,... two,... on-"
"FIREBALL!!!" Lina blasted the chairs and the already destroyed table from her.
Gracia twitched and Gourry grabbed her hand and pulled her under the table with him.
"Wh... What is going on?" she asked stuttering.
"Lina's angry." was all the swordsman said looking at the waitress who was attacking the kitchen-door non-stop, but nothing happened to it, it seemed to be magic proof.
Zelgadis finished his tea calmly and then stood up and walked over to Lina, he murmured some words then touched her forehead with a finger and the waitress collapsed unconscious into his arms. Zelgadis picked her up and walked back to the table.
"See you later Gourry, Gracia. I'll better get Lina to our room, it's better if she is as far away from people as possible, for she is going to be very angry when she wakes up." said Zel.
"Will you be all right?" asked Gracia stepping from under the table with Gourry.
"Oh yes, I'm used to Lina, we grew up together and we share a room, and besides there's not much that can harm my chimerical body." Zelgadis smiled and walked towards the door Ayla had left through, the unconscious waitress peacefully in his arms.
"Gee! Why does Lina always get angry when I'm here?" asked Gourry scratching his head.
"You mean this usually happens?" Gracia asked.
"Two or three times a day." he sighed, then he turned towards her smiling, "Shall I show you the gardens now?"
Gracia nodded as she smiled back. A good thing about looking around this strange town was that it kept her from worrying about Amelia.