Slayers Week

"Fiiiinally," Lina murmurs, shucking off her boots and tossing them without a care of where they might end up. Reaching up, she pulled off her hair tie, carding her fingers through heavy red waves to run her nails over her scalp, encouraging blood flow after a long day of having a high ponytail. Peeling off her breeches and canvas shirt in exchange for a cotton tee and bicycle shorts, Lina ambled her way to her freezer, pulling out a stack of frozen pre-prepped meals Zelgadis had made for her a while ago.

Today's dig had been long and fruitless, so much so that despite repercussions, Lina had been sorely tempted to just Dragon Slave the whole ancient temple down back into rubble and dust. It was only the fact that Filia and Gourry both were still in the gods-forsaken thing that Lina resisted. That, and after Xelloss dusted off the runes, the temple had the annoying tendency to suck up any magic and spell cast in its perimeter. If it wasn't for the fact that Xelloss and Filia increasingly came out of the ancient stone hallways looking half-withered and exhausted, Lina would feel a little spiteful that she wasn't allowed the convenience of a light spell and had to trudge along with the heavy spotlights attached to power obnoxiously long extension cords.

Lina's only comfort was the obviously worse inconvenience on the oldest members of the dig team and the blessed silence, given both were too exhausted to argue as frequently. Anything that could stop Xelloss from instigating was a good thing in everyone's books. It lowered Lina's temptation to fireball her way through magical and mechanical traps both, at least.

Setting the oven to preheat, Lina clicked on the television, tossing the remote back on the counter. It was Amelia's turn at the ruins for the evening relic cataloging and transport, so there was no one here to nag Lina about the background noise while Lina sat at her computer desk. Dumping frozen squares of prepped food on a baking pan, then dumping the mess of empty tupperware into the sink, Lina tosses everything into the oven before it dings.

Yawning, Lina stretches, grabbing a soft hoodie thrown over the couch and shrugging it on. The faint whiff of cologne means it's one of the guys' hoodie, a quick look down shows it's Xelloss' with its faded Zelas sigil. Filia and the priestess at the dig sight would probably faint and get all scandalized if they saw it, but the Dark Lords have really gained a foothold in capitalism in recent decades. Lina has seen more than a few cars sporting Monster royalty decals, and she was sure not every driver was some dark sorcerer.

Even she had to admit, the sigils did make for some cool clothing prints, as much as she'd never wear this outside. Lest Xelloss get smug and goad Filia into transforming and getting yet another public peace disturbance fine.

Padding her way over to her desk, Lina plops heavily into her chair, swinging around as she turns on her PC. Waiting for it to boot up, Lina buries her nose in her stolen hoodie, breathing in the scent of cologne and old-old-old magic. That peculiar smell all monsters and dragons and a few beast men had. Screens lighting up, Lina logged in and immediately opened up Discord. Clicking over to her personal friends' server, she ran her eyes down the list of people online, quirking an eyebrow and snorting at one in particular.

DragonSLAYER: hey, @mysterious_swordsman, is this where your stoney butt has been all day?

WolfPriest: My my, skipping out on work? Who knew Mr. Zelgadis had it in him :)c

Lina rolls her eyes, somehow not surprised Xelloss had been lurking just to instigate.

Typing dots pop up on and off at the bottom of her screen before finally, Zelgadis replies.

mysterious_swordsman: if you must know, lina, i finished lock and spell breaking back at the museum. until your team brings back more, i get to stay in my office rather than join you in the dirt.

DragonSLAYER: lol must be driving you crazy.

mysterious_swordsman: you have no idea. i started playing that gods forsaken tile matching game Amelia is obsessed with to pass the time.

Almost immediately Gourry burst into the chat with a flurry of smiley emojis.

lite-bringer: oh hey! you too? whats your friend code? me and amelia are trying to get that friend bonus reward

Lina scrunches her nose and makes a face, scoffing aloud. "Of course, Gourry would fall for that pay2win garbage." Shaking her head, Lina laments just at the oven dings it'd reached temp, "Zel, I thought you were better than this."

Swiveling around in her chair, Lina sent a sticker with a disappointed figure shaking its cute little head in shame.

DragonSLAYER: with the amount of people falling pray to that money vacuum, i'm starting to think some dark lord or another is behind it

To which Xelloss reacted with a very worryingly cheerful emoji.

mysterious_swordsman: just don't tell amelia that

JUSTICE PRINCESS: Tell me what, Mr. Zelgadis? Oh, wait.

JUSTICE PRINCESS: MISS LINA don't be mean! Not everything you don't like is some ancient scam.

WolfPriest: Aren't they though, Miss Amelia? :)c

JUSTICE PRINCESS: AHHHHHH NOOOOO MR XELLOSS

JUSTICE PRINCESS: I will sing at you, the next time we're alone in the temple

Laughing, Lina pulls her legs up on her chair, resting her chin on her knees, amused at the flurry of sickened, green-faced emojis Xelloss sends in response to Amelia's threat. To be frank, that'd give anyone psychic damage, but Lina is pretty sure that would kill Xelloss, especially in a magic-sucking hole like that.

lite-bringer: :((((((( sooooo friend codes, anyone?

Rolling her eyes fondly, Lina cracks her knuckles, then her neck before putting her hands back on her keyboard. Stomach gurgling with hunger, Lina's nose twitched at the good smells beginning to emerge from the kitchen.

DragonSLAYER: i have one better. for everyone not in the middle of a dirthole and/or not currently in front of a pc: who wants to join me for a treasure hunt in SLAYERMMORPG? i'm gonna log in as soon as my dinner is done heating up. thanks for that btw @mysterious_swordsman

mysterious_swordsman: np. and yeah, i can probably get away with using company time for a short bandit raid or two. we'll consider this practical anthropological research.

Lina bit back a snort, positive Zelgadis must be bored out of his mind if he was considering slacking off this bad.

JUSTICE PRINCESS: Mr. Zelgadis! ... Well, I'd scold you, but that's only bc I'm jealous u.u;

DragonSLAYER: haha, don't worry, I'll play with you when you're home. so who else is in?

lite-bringer: me!

WolfPriest: I'll join. I wanted to vandalize the Dragon Temple anyway.