"You�re going to what?" Zelgadis looked down the table in amazement.
	"Settle down.  I�ve been traveling for a few years now and I thought
I�ve had too many life threatening disasters.  I�m going to start a
restaurant, my passion.  Besides, I�d get all the free food I�d ever
need," Lina set her cup down and shrugged.  "I�ve gotta do something. 
After defeating Shabragnido and preventing his rebirth I don�t know how
many times, I need a break."
	"Don�t you always take a break, though?" Gourry asked shoving in another
mouthful of sausage.
	"I mean a longer one than usual, Gourry," Lina sighed.  "It�s time for
me to try something completely different.  If it falls through, I can
always blow it up for fun or something."
	"I was expecting something like that," Zel commented to himself.
	"What was that, Zel?" Lina picked up her fork menacingly.
	"Nothing," he shook his head slowly.  "I just can�t picture you as a
restaurant owner."
	"It�s a new adventure, Zel.  Look at it like that and it�s not so
strange," Lina smiled.
	"Yeah it is," Gourry sat back and yawned.
	"What do you mean by that?  Is everyone trying to tell me not to do
this?" Lina looked innocently at them both.
	"No, it�s just that you settling down is like Shabragnido spreading
flower petals at my feet," Zelgadis stood.  "I�ll be outside."
	"Fine, but don�t expect me to call on you for any help," Lina called out
dejectedly.
	"Good enough, but who are you going to get to manage your books? 
Amelia?"  he opened the door and stepped out into the bright morning
sunlight.
	"He�s got a point.  Could you really stand spending day after day with
her?"  Gourry pushed his empty plates away.
	Lina thought hard, for about two seconds, and was out the door.
	"Zel!  I changed my mind!  You can work for me!"  
	"I knew that would get her," Gourry stood, paid the bill, and followed
her out.
	The air was clear and crisp.  The winter sun shone brightly and played
hide and seek behind wispy clouds.  The town market was already filled
with housewives buying this and that or shopkeepers selling their wares. 
These people were oblivious to the impending disaster that was to brought
upon them.
	Gourry spotted Lina and Zelgadis heading back.  Lina was yelling at him
and he was taking it calmly.  Gourry braced himself for the attack and
walked bravely on.
	"I can�t believe you�re refusing!  I thought you just said you�d be
managing my books!" Lina fumed at him.
	"No, I just asked who you would get to manage them.  I didn�t
volunteer," he explained shortly.
	"I want you to manage them, Zel.  I can�t trust Amelia or Gourry.  No
offense."
	"None taken."
	"So you�re the only one left.  Come on, Zel.  You have to do it."
	"Can�t you get Sypheel or never mind.  But pick someone else."
	"Ano, Zel.  You�re the only one left," Lina smiled happily.
	"Get Sypheel!  I hate bookwork," Zelgadis crossed his arms and gave a
look of conversation over.
	"Zel�."
	A week later, Zelgadis sat behind a large wooden desk scribbling madly
into a figures book.  Gourry was going through applications and Lina was
stocking up on all the good food she could find.  Or at least, anything
she could eat.
	"Ano, Lina.  Why don�t you go buy food instead of eating it?" Gourry
looked up momentarily from his seemingly endless pile of unemployed
people.
	"I need�my -strength, Gourry.  So-I�m, wow that�s good, getting ready,"
she took a huge bite out the drumstick she was holding.
	"Do you have a cook yet?" Zel glanced up from his book.  "Or can any of
you cook well enough to feed all the people who will be coming?"
	"I thought you were handling that," Lina�s eyes went wide.
	"I�m only here to manage books remember?  Gourry�s in charge of
applications," Zel went back to his figures and grumbled something about
impending catastrophes.
	"Ano, um, let me see, ah!  Here we go.  Cooks and waitresses," he held
up a stack of papers triumphantly.
	"What happened to waiters?" Lina asked skeptically.
	"Um, here they are.  They fell out of the pack," Gourry held up an even
fatter set of forms.
	"So do we have a cook or not?" Zelgadis asked as he erased another
number and replaced it.
	"Um, yes and no.  We do have a cook, but he won�t be available until
next week.  After he finishes up some business at the jail."
	"We�re hiring somebody from the jail?" Lina dropped the chicken she was
eating.
	"Yeah, I guess so.  It�s either that or this other girl-" Gourry began.
	"Hire her! I don�t want anyone with a prison record in here!" Lina
cried.
	"Hai! Approved!" Gourry picked up a huge red stamp and punched the page.
 "She�ll be here tomorrow."
	"Good enough.  Go through the waitress and waiter papers.  I think
that�s all we have left isn�t it?" Zelgadis put down the nub of a pencil
and rubbed his eyes.
	"I think so.  Isn�t that right, Gourry?" Lina turned to him.
	He nodded and Lina went back to eating, "We�ve got busboys and a janitor
and a cook.  Waiters and waitresses are the only people left."
	"Good.  I�ve finished most of this, so I�m going upstairs.  Good night,"
Zelgadis trudged through the kitchen and went above.
	The place they had leased came cheap and was a great deal.  Although,
the agent they had used never mentioned anything about how much they had
to pay him.  The downstairs had a huge kitchen and dining room.  It came
with a living room also, but they had knocked out the wall and it gave
them more space.  Upstairs were nine bedrooms situated on a long hall
that ran through the middle of the upstairs.  Each room had a lock and
its own key, so privacy was allowed.  
	Zelgadis yawned and walked to the end of the hall.  He took out the
large brass key and inserted it into the lock.  He was just about to turn
the handle when a loud shriek resounded from downstairs.  He rushed down
and ran into the dining room.  Lina sat on the floor with a blank
expression on her face.
	"Is she ok?" he looked around the room, but only he and Gourry were
there.
	"I think so," Gourry fanned Lina furiously with a stack of papers.  "I�m
not sure what happened."
	Lina moaned and rubbed her head, "What happened?"
	"You screamed and fainted.  Are you ok?" Gourry�s face was lined with
worry.
	"Yeah, I guess so.  Wait a minute. What did you say about two seconds
ago?"  Lina sat up.
	"We�re gonna have to pay extra for that girl I hired," Gourry shrugged. 
"No big deal."
	"No big deal?!  I have to pay her!  How much does she want?" Lina rose
to her feet, her eyes blazing.  
	"She only said that she wanted three more silver pieces per week since
she has to come a long way to work here," Gourry shrank back.
	"Oh, that�s it?  I thought she�d asked for something else.  Nothing to
worry about then," Lina dismissed the two guys with a wave of her hand.
	"Nothing to worry about except an intense loss of sleep.  Get some sleep
everyone.  It�s almost dawn," Zelgadis shook his head and went back
upstairs.
	"He gets so grumpy when he doesn�t sleep,"  Gourry stood and put the
stacks of applications on the table.  "I�ll go through those tomorrow. 
Good night, Lina."
	"Night," Lina sat down at the table and smoothed her hair out.
	She poured herself a cup of coffee and rustled through the mounds of
papers.  There were people here who were trying to get a job as manager
and as head waiter and everything.  She pulled those out and put them
aside.  Lina reached into the endless heap and removed one application. 
She read it over and rested her head on the table.
	"Lina, Lina, wake up.  Lina, it�s almost noon,"  Gourry shook her and
only received a muffled reply.
	Zelgadis thought for a second and then went into the kitchen.  He
emerged a minute later carrying a pitcher of water.  
	"Lina, get up now.  The applicant is already here and she�s waiting
upstairs," Zelgadis stood poised with the kettle.
	"Go away, I don�t wanna fight him anymore," Lina grumbled and swatted
him away like a fly.
	"Do you want to do it or should I?" Zelgadis offered the pitcher to
Gourry.
	"You go ahead.  I�m not going to make her mad at me," Gourry shook his
head.
	"Lina, wake up," Zelgadis held the water poised over her head.
	"Go away," she turned her head and soon was fast asleep again.
	"Sure," Zel then poured the ice cold water on her.
	Lina shot up and wiped her dripping face.  She looked at Zelgadis and
noticed the now empty pitcher.  Her face turned red with anger.
	"I warned you," he shrugged and left for the kitchen.
	"I�m going to fire you!" Lina shook her fist at him.
	"Who are you going to get to replace me?" came the reply from the
kitchen.
	"Well, I�ll find someone.  There�s hundreds of applicants here!"
	"Ano, Lina?" Gourry looked through the pile.  "There aren�t any
applicants wanting the position of bookkeeper."
	"Shut up, Gourry.  I know that already," Lina wrung out her soaking wet
cape and sat back down.
	"Are you ready for the applicant yet?" Zelgadis walked back into the
dining room.
	"Yeah, whatever.  Bring her in," Lina waved her hand and rested her head
on the table.
	Zelgadis went upstairs and a few minutes later appeared with a tall girl
in a waitress outfit.  Lina closed her eyes and was about to drop back
off to sleep.
	"May I present Lana Inverse," Zelgadis sighed and went to his desk.
	"It�s Luna.  Hi, Sis.  I never thought you�d start a restaurant," there
was ice in the pretty voice.
	Lina sat up. Fear danced across her eyes.  Sweat began to form in beads
on her face and she slowly stood.  She turned and stared into the very
unhappy face of her older sister, Luna Inverse.
	"I don�t think you�ve forgiven me yet, have you?"  Lina smiled
nervously.
	"Not in this lifetime," Luna crossed her arms.
	"I thought so.  See ya!"  Lina was gone in a puff of smoke and dust
signaled her trail down the street.
	In her place was a note.  It read simply: "I quit!"  Zelgadis picked it
up and crumpled it into a wad.
	"I guess that means you�re not hired."

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