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______Lina came downstairs to the main dining area where Gourry was already waiting on her.
She sat at one of the tables and plopped the crystal ball in front of her. Casting a location spell,
she brought up an image of Peisha and Jason sitting outside an abandoned building that was
just a block or two away from the inn.
______Lina looked up and her eyes met Gourry's, "ready to deal with the little delinqueints?"
______Gourry nodded and stood up, taking the lantern from the center of the table.
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____________It was about an hour later when...
______"You'd better be done with this now," Jason said grouchily as he started out of Peisha's
room.
______"Done with what?" She asked with her most innocent face.
______"Sneaking out at night, and even considering what that crazy old man you call a soothsayer
said," Jason hissed across the darkened room. "Now, go to sleep before we get caught."
______Peisha stuck her tongue out at him.
______"You're impossible..."
______"No," Lina said swinging the door open wide. "Both of you are impossible. You know better
than to go out this late."
______"But," Jason began.
______"No buts." Lina growled. "Go to bed now. You both have to pack tomorrow."
______"P-p-pack!?" Peisha squeaked in panic. "We-we aren't in that much trouble... are we?"
______"We will talk in the morning. Bed. NOW!"
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______The next morning, the Gabriev family sat around a table in the back dining area of the
tavern they ran. The children, Peisha and Jason sat quietly, completely focused on their hot
tea. Gourry calmly sipped his coffee after having downed a ridiculously large portion of eggs,
bacon, toast, plus two fresh oranges. Lina, having consumed an even larger amount had just finished
clearing the table and sat down next to Gourry with a fresh cup of coffee in one hand.
______"Well," Lina said cheerfully. "I hope you two are all packed and ready to go."
______"You really meant it!?!" Peisha looked up suddenly in a dewy-eyed panic, almost spilling her
tea. "MOM!"
______Gourry looked at Lina and smiled knowingly.
______"Ok," Jason said calmly. "I give. What are you two up to now?"
______"I want to go to Seyruun." Lina said matter-of-factly.
______"Wha-!?" Peisha said, still completely in dewy-panic mode.
______"We haven't been there in a while," Gourry smiled. "And besides, Li--" He trailed off as Lina
suddenly kicked his shin as a reminder. "I mean, your Mom and I have some old friends to visit."
______"What about our punishment?" Jason ventured queitly.
______"Oh, we'll deal with that when we get back; I don't want to be late." Lina said, waving one hand
in a dismissing motion. "There's a festival this week!"
______"Oh." Jason sweatdroped nervously. "Okay."
______"Jason, you go help your Dad with the horses, unless you're not packed yet either." Lina seemingly
ignored her son's comment.
______"Yes ma'am." Jason stood up quickly and bowed then looked to Gourry, who followed suit. Both
males headed out to the stable.
______"Peisha, come on." Lina said as she stood up.
______"Come where?" Peisha said, obviously having ignored most of the conversation in favor of her own
imagination.
______"Upstairs," Lina said exasperatedly. "To your room. To pack?"
______"Alright." Peisha sniffled loudly.
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______"Are you excited?" Lina said as she stuffed the last outfit into Peisha's pack.
______"Yeah!" Peisha giggled as she danced around the room. "I mean. Seyruun! The city where one of
the real, live Slayers lives! Wow! I wish I could talk to Queen Amelia! It would be sooo amazing!
I bet she has some amazing stories that were never recorded anywhere!"
______"I would expect so. She was there after all." Lina told Peisha calmly.
______"You know what?" Peisha stopped dancing and looked seroiusly at Lina. "I really do wish that I
could meet her. She probably knows what happened to the other Slayers, and all about that final spell
that Lina Inverse cast. The one the soothsayer said would be broken, and it was going to be up to
Jason to fix."
______"Yes, I'm sure she knows a great deal about that spell." She's the one who found it in the
Seyruun royal library after all.
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______"You girls finally ready?" Gourry called to his wife and Peisha as they came out of the tavern.
______"Hai!" Peisha yelled excitedly as she ran over to her white horse's side and mounted.
______Jason shook his head and smiled at his younger sister from atop the black horse that he was riding.
Gourry helped Lina mount her brown horse, then jumped onto his identical mount.
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