The sun was low in the sky when Lina awoke, feeling refreshed. She couldn't recall the last time she'd had such restful sleep. She sat up slowly.
"Sleep well, Lina?"
Lina smiled: yup.
"Ready to go back?" Was that melancholy she heard? Was he getting all depressed again? She'd fix that.
Lina nodded, then pointed in the direction of the inn and cocked her head to the side questioningly.
"Oh, yes. Our little prank," Zel smiled, though it was tinged with...regret, maybe?
Zel surpressed a sigh. Suddenly his joke about eloping didn't seem so funny. He wasn't quite sure why...at least, that's what he tried to tell himself. "Don't worry," he said with somewhat forced cheer, "I have a plan."
Lina smirked, then stood and dusted the grass and such off her leggings, which really--Zel stopped that thought as quickly as possible.
Lina picked up Zel's cloak. She frowned: one side was peppered with grass and such, and the other was decorated with a few stands of her bright hair. She started to dust it off when Zel stopped her.
"Don't worry about it," he told her, and took his cloak. He halfway unfolded it, then draped it over his shoulder. "You ready?"
Lina shrugged lightly: guess so. She then paused, looking thoughtful.
"What's wrong?"
Lina shook her head: nothing. She gestured in the direction of the inn, then at herself and Zel, then pantomimed picking something up, then looked at Zel quizzically.
"Ah, yes, our joke. Well, I suppose carrying you over the threshold would be in keeping with it...if you don't mind, that is."
Lina nodded, a bit more vehemently than she'd intended to.
The two stood, looking at each other a long moment. Then Zel moved his hands as if shrugging, though he didn't move his shoulders. Lina nodded, then rather shyly wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up again.
It only made sense, after all, the both of them reasoned, since Amelia or Gourry could conceivably see them coming. It was necessary to keep up the charade. But that was all, of course.
Zel used the same Ray Wing trick to deal with the dishes, and rather absently sent them toward the kitchen, not really caring if the dishes reach their destination or not.
The two came to rest right next to the inn's front door. Since Zel's hands were otherwise occupied, Lina reached over and turned the handle. Zel used his shoulder to nudge the door open.
Amelia looked up from her seat at the bar, where she was nursing her fourth...or was that sixth...well, she was nursing a mug of ale. Just as she had every time the door had opened since Zelgadiss and Lina had left, she looked for her two missing friends. This time it was them! Amelia set her mug down on the bar and rather clumsily stumbled off the barstool. She trotted toward the door, running into several people as she did so.
Zel saw Amelia heading towards them with all the grace of an inebriated one-legged troll. He nudged Lina slightly and nodded at the approaching princess. Lina grinned, then rested her head against his, playing her part perfectly.
"Zelgadiss-san! Zelgadiss-san! Lina-san!" Amelia warbled as she finally made it to the couple.
"Hello, Amelia," Zel greeted seriously, and Lina turned and buried her face in the crook of Zel's neck so her expression wouldn't give the joke away.
Amelia grabbed Lina's left hand, causing Lina to whip her head back around and glare.
Amelia breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no wedding ring on Lina's finger. "It was a joke, wasn't it? You two were never planning to elope, ne?"
"Not at all," Zel said smoothly, unfazed. "Apparently Lina must be able to say 'I do'; she can't just nod. So, we're going to wait until she's entirely well again."
Lina nodded in agreement, though she was biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. She gestured at Amelia with one hand. The little princess just looked at Lina blankly.
"We're going to have a real wedding," Zel translated, mentally applauding Lina for this new twist. "And Lina wants you to be the maid of honour."
"Wha...but...maid of...you're serious..." Amelia babbled, overcome. "I...I gotta go," she mumbled before running back to the bar and chugging the rest of her ale.
"She'll be quite annoyed with us when she's sober enough to see through our act," Zel commented absently.
Lina shrugged as best she could, given the fact that Zel was still holding her.

___________

--Elizabeth, Trickster Priestess ~_~