Even with Gourry holding her arms back, Lina was still flailing wildly, screaming like a wildcat.
"Miss Lina, please, take it easy!" Sylfiel cried, holding up her hands. "It's really not that bad..."
And, really, it wasn't bad. It wasn't as if her face was covered in hideous rotting scars or anything. But, instead of her habitual red-and-yellow "sorceress suit", she was now wearing a very frilly and very purple dress.
Which she hadn't actually put on.
"Calm down, Lina!" Gourry tightened his grip on the sorceress, who growled in protest. "Jeeze, will ya cut it out? You're hurting my arms!"
"How the hell did I end up in a goddamn dress?" Lina shrieked. "I didn't even bring a dress! I wasn't even changing out of my frickin' outfit!!"
"Well, then, why not change out of it?" Gourry asked.
She stared blankly at him, then went limp. "Okay. Put me down."
He did, and she retreated behind the nearest tent. For a few minutes there were some tearing sounds, and then a slight wail. "It won't come off!"
"Try magicking the fastenings?" Gourry tried, then, noticing Sylfiel's astonished look, added, "What? Seems like the logical thing to do."
"That didn't work. I'm going to see if I have some scissors in my tent."
"Okay. If anybody needs me, I'll be fishing for some lunch."
Lina only grunted in acknowledgement, so he set off immediately. Sylfiel sat down and buried her face in one hand. This didn't make any sense! First the food that came from nowhere, then Gourry-dear's sudden understanding of the female mind, and then Miss Lina's strange dress...
Suddenly she heard footsteps, and stood up.
And stared. Was that Lina running up towards the campsite? It couldn't be; she was still in her tent, trying to get rid of the dress...
And what was that pale streak zooming up on her?
She clapped a hand to her mouth. She was finally beginning to understand... she should watch, just to make sure, but she was getting a vague idea of what was going on.
"Gotcha!"
She heard shrieks of laughter, and sneaked closer to the source of the noises. When she was within about twenty paces of the sound, just behind Amelia's tent, she peeked around the edge. At first she could only see a blur of silver and red--then she realised, Lina (or whoever she was) had leaped on Zel's back and was tickling him unmercifully.
"Will you cut that out?"
"Never! Lina Inverse does not surrender! C'mon. Say it. Say it!"
"All right, all right! Uncle!"
Sylfiel watched them, and felt her heart sink. He looks so happy, she thought. I've never seen him this cheerful. But that can't be Miss Lina...
"...I wish we could do this more often," Zel was saying.
And then the revelation hit Sylfiel, and she realised exactly what was going on.
