Special Prosecutor Xellos Metallium lounged in a large, well-stuffed leather chair in his posh Rratsnek hotel room. He wore Urlich’s best smoking jacket over his usual pants and Url’s favorite house slippers on his feet, which were propped up on a hassock. On a small, round table to his right was a smoldering pipe and a glass of Port. Xellos didn’t smoke, so the pipe was merely keeping up the image of Urlich’s fine, silk smoking jacket. He’d been careful to choose a flavor of tobacco he knew Urlich hated so his son would know he’d borrowed the jacket and be delightfully furious over it. He did like Port, though, and was on his second glass. The remains of his cheese and crackers snack occupied a small pewter dish between Port and pipe. Newspapers and tabloids from Rratsnek and other cities were draped over the chair’s arms, across Xellos’ lap and stacked on the floor at his feet. He held another in his hands. On his face was a very amused smile.
        "’Special Prosecutor: Rapist?’" He read aloud the headline of the tabloid he held. "Oh, this one should be juicy! I hope they include lots of gory details!" He giggled a bit, then began reading the article aloud: "’Sources in Seyruun allege that Special Prosecutor Xellos Metallium twice attempted to rape Crown Princess Amelia: Once in her own bed in the Royal Palace and again on the road to Rratsnek. The Law Council of Rratsnek, which appoints the Special Prosecutor, issued a statement last night that it would look into these allegations. Prince Phileonel of Seyruun, through his Press Secretary Jessica Fox," Xellos snickered at that play on words, "’said: "We are shocked and appalled that such a perverted fiend should be allowed to preside over a case that impacts thousands of people. We hope the law-abiding city of Rratsnek will remove this person from the case immediately and prosecute him for his crimes against our innocent young Princess!" The Special Prosecutor was unavailable for comment.’"
        Xellos paused with a puzzled look on his face. He checked the date on the paper, verified that it had published that morning then frowned some more. "’Unavailable for comment’? But I’ve been very available! And I heard nothing about plans to remove me as Special Prosecutor! Who wrote this piece of garbage?"
        He tucked the paper under his arm in a huff, willed himself into a more presentable outfit and headed for the door. "Not available for comment, indeed! I’ll give them more comment than they bargained for!"
        Naga saw Xellos leave his room with the newspaper under his arm and a miffed look on his face and quickly ducked back around the corner before he could notice her. She held a crystal ball to her lips and whispered: "He took the bait! Want me to follow him?"
        Urlich appeared in the crystal, looking none too happy about being that close to Naga’s face. "No, he’ll see you. Leave this to me. Return to the room to await further orders."
        Naga raised an eyebrow. "’Orders’? No one orders Naga the—"
        "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just do it. I’ve ordered a cask of beer for you, ok?"
        "Aye-aye, SIR! Naga the Serpent, over and out!"
        Urlich disappeared as soon as he broke contact with Naga and reappeared in the shadows of the building across the street from "The Rratsneck Informer", the tabloid that had claimed to be unable to reach Xellos for comment. Truth of the matter was, Urlich had paid the editor (who was also the reporter on the story) not to try. He’d also diverted the Law Council’s messenger and paid him off to tell his bosses that Special Prosecutor Xellos had been informed of their investigation into his alleged activities with Princess Amelia. They’d all be in big trouble if that got out, but no less than Xellos would be after all the shit the Lina Inverse Defense Team had thrown hit the proverbial fan. One thing hadn’t changed since he’d practiced in Rratsnek centuries ago: Money spoke louder than the Law.
        Xellos appeared outside the "Informer’s" offices, mounted the steps and went inside. Urlich twitched when he saw what his father was wearing and swore to get him for it later...or just burn every piece of his wardrobe his father had worn and start over. He fished up his crystal ball and activated it. Phileonel’s spy Nergus, a Priest of Seifeid, answered the call from his post in the "Informer’s" men’s room.
        "On deck, Nergus," Urlich said.
        Nergus nodded very seriously, put the little crystal in his jacket pocket and left the bathroom on his secret mission. He emerged just in time to see a disgruntled Xellos (in a very nice suit he’d nicked from Url’s wardrobe) storm up to the receptionist’s desk.
        "Madame," Xellos began, "I demand to speak with the person who wrote this article!" He slapped that day’s edition of the "Informer" on her desk and pointed to the offending article. "I have been in Rratsnek since midday yesterday, and no one from your paper has attempted to contact me for comment on anything, much less the issues addressed in this article! Furthermore, this bit about the Law Council investigating me is an outright lie. I’m sure if the Council was investigating me, I would have been informed—which I have not! Now, where is this—" he checked the byline "Muggie Batweather?"
        The receptionist cleared her throat and looked at Xellos over her cat glasses without the least bit of recognition in her hard, gray eyes. "I’m sorry, Sir, but I didn’t catch your name."
        "Xellos Metallium! Special Prosecutor Xellos Metallium! Who else would the Law Council investigate, if they were investigating someone? Don’t you read your own newspaper?"
        She was unimpressed. "One moment, please, Sir. I’ll see if Mr. Batweather will see you." She got up and left the reception area through a door behind her chair. The sign on the door read "No Admittance: Employees Only". Such warnings would not ordinarily have deterred the Chief Priest/General of Beast Master, but Xellos was trying to be civil, so he let her play her little mortal power games, collected his copy of the "Informer" and sat down on one of the wooden waiting room chairs. The little reception area was sparse but comfortable, with four identical wooden chairs along the wall to either side of the front door, directly across from the receptionist’s desk. There were low tables in the corners at the ends of the row of chairs and on the tables were copies of the "Informer". Portraits of the "Informer’s" editors since its founding fifty years ago hung on the walls. The receptionist’s heavy wooden desk dominated the room and was only somewhat softened by a vase of fresh-cut flowers that sat on top of it. It certainly wasn’t softened any by the woman, herself, which improved Xellos’ opinion of the place enormously. Happy humans were no fun at all. He’d take the cranky, put-out ones any day, so he spent his time plotting ways to put her out even more.
        Nergus sat down on the other side of the door from Xellos, exchanging a brief, cordial smile and inclination of his head before picking up a back issue of the "Informer" to read. He was dressed in plain clothes, not his priest’s garb, and was trying very hard to act like an ordinary citizen. He crossed his legs and laid the paper on his thigh to read. After a few seconds of that, he realized Xellos was staring at him, so he looked up and smiled at him again then went back to reading. Xellos didn’t stop staring. "Is there something I can help you with?" Nergus asked.
        Xellos chuckled. "I was just admiring your jacket. I’ve always had a weakness for yellow, myself. Where did you get it?"
        Nergus smiled in relief. "I bought it in Seyruun years ago. I travel quite a bit, you see."
        "Seyruun, you say?" Xellos nodded. "Have you been there recently?"
        "No, I haven’t." Nergus chuckled. "Looks like I’ve missed a lot, eh?"
        They shared a laugh at that until the receptionist returned and interrupted them by clearing her throat. "Mr. Metallium, I’m afraid Mr. Batweather is extremely busy with another interview. He asked me to apologize and tell you that his reporters did make a sincere effort to contact you but were kept away by the staff of your hotel. If you have a complaint, please take it up with them. As for the Law Council’s investigation, I have the Press Release right here." She held up a piece of paper with the Law Council’s seal at the top of it, along with the words "Press Release". Xellos got up to have a gander at it. After reading the first few sentences, he tried to take the document from her, but she wouldn’t let go. "I’m afraid that’s our copy, sir. You’ll have to request your own from the Law Council office."
        "Madame, I am the Special Prosecutor! I can order you to—"
        "Not if you’re under investigation, Sir," she smirked, "which this document clearly says you are. Now, Mr. Batweather also said he’d love to have your comments on any of issues in his article if you have time later this evening."
        Xellos leaned across her desk and gave her his most evil look. Much to his delight, she failed to be intimidated by it. "I will be preparing for a very important case tonight, Miss--?"
        "Farley," she told him, "Nina Farley. And you won’t be preparing for any case if the Law Council removes you."
        Oh, such a clipped voice! Her face aged long before its time by stress and dealing with annoying people! That tight frown, those hideous glasses, that dreadful hairdo and suit in a color that couldn’t be less flattering! Xellos thought he might be in love. "Miss Farley, please interrupt Mr. Batweather again and tell him I will not give his paper any interviews whatsoever during the course of the Lina Inverse trial—which I will still be prosecuting, since I am innocent of all allegations against me--if he refuses to speak to me right now."
        Her tight, little frown got even tighter, and she allowed herself a brief, annoyed sigh. "Very well, Sir. I’ll be right back."
        She retreated through the door again, and Xellos watched her go. "Dreadful suit," he thought with a giggle. "Where is Url when I need him? He really should see this."
        This time he stuck around to listen through the door, using his superior Mazoku ears to hear the entire conversation. Three raised voices came from the other side of the door, one male, two female. Apparently, Miss Farley had interrupted, not an interview, but an intimate moment. What had he missed last time she’d gone in to talk to the man? He loved her all the more for not caring about her employer’s pleasure. "What a woman!"
        "Sir, he is the Special Prosecutor…for now," Miss Farley said, "and I’m sure he doesn’t care about your wick getting waxed! If you don’t speak to him now, he will never give you an interview. Now pull yourself together and go talk to him!"
        "Miss Farley, you are out of line!"
        "Yes, Miss Farley!" The other female mocked. Xellos imagined she was under Batweather’s desk, doing him the big favor at the time of Miss Farley’s interruption.
        "Don’t make me go to your mother again…"
        "Oh ho!" Thought Xellos with delight. So there’s someone jerking Batshit’s chain, is there? Mommy-whipped. This just got better and better.
        "You wouldn’t dare!" Growled Batweather.
        "You’re on thin ice with her as it is, Mugwuggle!"
        Xellos almost choked. "’Mugwuggle’? His name is ‘Mugwuggle’? Oh this is just way too good to be true!"
        "I told you not to call me that! I hate that name!"
        "’Mugwuggle’?" The other female snickered. "Oh gods, is she serious?"
        Miss Farley ignored her once again. "You deserve that name! It sounds like a worm, and that’s just what you are. Now get out there and do your job! You can tend to your teeny weenie anytime, news won’t wait!"
        "Teeny?!"
        "Oh, honey, it ain’t that," said the wick waxer. "Maybe if you had a man once in a while, you wouldn’t be so uptight or wear those awful clothes!"
        "Kitty, shut up," Muggie sighed.
        Xellos was willing to bet Muggie’s weenie was teeny, since he was dead positive Miss Farley called ‘em as she saw ‘em. Why was this woman the receptionist and not a reporter, or even the Editor in Chief? He was sure she’d make a fine one. Oh no, not an Editor—a Mazoku! She’d be marvelous! Cold, cruel, refusing to take anyone’s shit, even if they were supposed to be her superiors. Pity she didn’t seem to have any magical abilities. Oh well, maybe she’d agree to have dinner with him, or something. He’d have to dress her better, of course…something from Zhara’s closet, perhaps? No, she couldn’t dress. Taking Nina shopping was out of the question, since it would appear he was playing favorites with the local gossip rags, and great fun as that might have been, he couldn’t get himself in any more danger of being removed from the case than he already apparently was. He had to prosecute Lina’s trial, or those dreadful humans would hang her, and Eileah would return to Zhara before he could capture her. Furthermore, Lina was no good to him dead, so he had to make sure she survived this somehow…and was deeply in debt to him for it, of course.
        Miss Farley returned looking even grumpier than before, making Xellos wish all the more that he could have dinner with her. "I’m sorry, Mr. Metallium, but Mr. Batweather simply can’t—"
        "Do his job responsibly?" Xellos purred with a sly smile. "I could hear every word, and I think you handled the situation superbly, Miss Farley. It makes me wonder why you’re the receptionist here and not the Editor in Chief. There’s nothing a flock of reporters needs more than a no-nonsense person like yourself to crack the whip over their heads."
        She faltered for a moment, clearly not sure if she should take him seriously, then apparently decided he was sincere and shrugged. "Mr. Batweather is the owner’s only child and heir to this newspaper. It would be inappropriate for anyone other than him to be in Editor in Chief."
        "He’ll run the paper into the ground, and you know it," Xellos replied. "Then it won’t matter if he’s related to the owner, or not, will it? The paper will go under, and it will be all his fault…then the owner will have to turn to you, the only person on staff she can really trust to be responsible and honest. What is the owner’s name, by the way?"
        Miss Farley smoothed her mouse-brown suit and sat down. "Edwina Batweather, the wealthiest woman in Rratsnek and its most respected publisher. She founded the ‘Informer’."
        Xellos looked around the room and gestured to the pictures of former Editors. "Were they all family members?"
        "Uncles, nephews, cousins…yes."
        "Oh. I see. Too bad, then. I wonder if she knows her current Editor in Chief spends the paper’s profits on prostitutes?" He scratched his chin. "I wonder if the other publications in Rratsnek know…"
        She showed the most emotion he’d yet seen at that suggestion. "You wouldn’t! You can’t! Mr. Metallium, I beg you, please let me speak to Mr. Batweather again. I’m sure I can convince him—"
        "No, I don’t think you can," Xellos interrupted with a meaningful smirk. "But if you find yourself in need of a job before the Inverse trial ends, you can find me at the Golden Gryphon Hotel, room 175. I shall be visiting the Law Council offices first, but that shouldn’t take long as I am completely innocent of the charges against me."
        With that, Xellos left the offices of the "Informer", Miss Farley still protesting to his back. He was sure her next step would be to chew out Mr. Batshit. He hoped she’d quit and turn up at his hotel that evening. Just because she didn’t use magic now, didn’t mean she couldn’t be trained…and what if she couldn’t? What rule said all servants of Beast Master had to be powerful magic users? If she liked her administrative job so much, maybe she’d be amenable to doing it for Beast Master? Shabranigdo knew that woman couldn’t organize herself now that she’d begun muscling in on Phribrizzo’s and Garv’s territories. Xellos giggled as he passed Urlich’s hiding place just after Url had vacated it. The idea of Zelas Metallium having a personal assistant who couldn’t dress and wore cat glasses was absolutely delicious.

        Urlich appeared in the room he shared with Amelia, Gourry, Naga and Lita, peeled off his coat and tossed it onto the desk. He pulled his crystal ball out of its pocket and contacted Nergus, who had left the ‘Informer’s" offices just after Xellos did.
        "I told Miss Farley I’d come back later, since this was obviously a bad time," Nergus explained
        "Good thinking, Nergus. Did you find out anything interesting?"
        Nergus grinned. "Yes, Sir! It would seem the Editor in Chief of the ‘Rratsnek Informer’ spends the paper’s profits on whores! He had one in his office the whole time we were there, and his prissy receptionist didn’t care one bit! She just went right into his office and said her piece!"
        "Dad must’ve loved her…" Urlich muttered.
        "He offered her a job!"
        Blink. Blink. Blink.
        "What kind of job?"
        Nergus shrugged. "He didn’t say. He just said she should come see him at his hotel if she needed a job before the Inverse trial ended. That’s all he said."
        Urlich frowned. "Hmmm…that’s useful information…"
        "Wait! Xellos also said he was heading over to the Law Council’s offices to verify that they were investigating him. They’re bound to find out their messenger never reached him, and if they question the messenger, then…"
        "He’ll spill his guts if they can pay him or threaten him more than I did. He’ll talk if he knows what’s good for him. I hate to admit it, but given the choice between my wrath and my father’s, I’d take mine. Oh well, those are the stakes in Rratsnek, and everybody knows it."
        Nergus blanched a little at Url’s casual dismissal of the messenger’s fate. "What will they do to him?"
        Urlich shrugged. "Toss him jail on contempt charges. No big deal. Don’t worry about it. The name of the game is winning, Nergus, don’t forget that. We’re right, they’re wrong, and if I lose, Lina Inverse hangs, and your Princess goes to the Big House with her reputation ruined forever." He frowned. "Hm, I guess Seyruun would declare war on Rratsnek, then, and this town doesn’t exactly have a standing army, so they’d have to hire mercenaries, probably from my sister. Then I’d have to choose sides, and…well, Zhara is my sister and a helluvalot less annoying than your Princess. Nothing personal Nergus, it’s family. I’m sure you understand."
        Nergus got even paler as his imagination conjured vivid images of what Prince Phileonel would do to punish Rratsnek for unjustly imprisoning his "little girl" and ruining her good reputation. Then he imagined what kind of mercenaries Zhara Metallium, Lady of Marrigan, might provide, and his stomach clenched. Seyruun’s finest, even backed up by her most powerful priests and priestesses, would be hard-pressed to defeat an army of…monsters.
        "I’m doing this for world peace, Nergus," Urlich lied with an incredibly straight face, "and I know you priests of Seified are all about world peace. Right?"
        "Right," Nergus replied with a resigned sigh. "I’ll do anything to help my Princess clear her good name, too."
        Behind him, Urlich could hear Amelia revving up for some kind of speech, though he couldn’t tell if she planned to ream him for lying about the world peace thing, or praise him for it because she actually thought he meant it. He decided to nip any kind of rant in the bud and wrapped up his conversation with Nergus. "There’s a good man, Nergus. Thanks for your help."
        Urlich broke contact and turned to see Princess Amelia’s eyes brimming over with tears, her hands clutched beneath her chin and the beginning of some hero-worshipping speech on her lips. Damn, she actually bought that world peace bullshit he’d fed Nergus. He glared at her. "Don’t even start, Princess."
        "But, Mr. Urlich," Amelia sniffled happily, "I didn’t know you were going to all this trouble for the sake of world peace and to clear my name! Oh, Mr. Urlich, you’re wonderful!" She threw herself at Urlich before he could jump out of the way and sobbed into his shirt.
        "I’m not…doing this…" Urlich told her as he tried to pry her off of him, "…to save the world…or your…bloody name! Get off me! I’m doing it…to—dammit, Princess, I said GET OFF!" She didn’t. "Oh criminy. Gourry, a little help, please?"
        Gourry looked up from his flagon of beer and belched. Naga giggled and saluted him then tottered to her feet and made her way over to Urlich. She wrapped her arms around Amelia’s neck and pulled. "Ged offa him, ‘Melia! He duzzen ligke Prinzezzes!"
        "Gack! Naga, you’re choking me! Let go!" Amelia pulled at her sister’s arms to no avail. "NAGAAAAAA!"
        That got Gourry on his feet. "Naga! Let go! You’re hurting her!" He pulled on Naga’s arms from behind the big woman then realized he’d do better if he was behind Urlich, so he changed positions. No matter what he did, however, he was unable to budge Naga’s grip on Amelia’s throat. Lita, meanwhile, watched the show from a chair by Urlich’s desk, not quite sure what she could do to help.
        "You guys, stop it!" She cried. "Naga, let go! Amelia’s turning blue!"
        "Iz a good color for ‘er!" Naga declared and hugged harder.
        "I don’t believe this!" Urlich snarled. He grabbed hold of Amelia then disappeared, leaving Naga and Gourry grabbing air. He reappeared behind his desk and plopped Amelia into the chair, just in time to see Naga collapse into Gourry’s arms and both of them slide to the floor. If Lina could see it, she’d fireball them both, he was sure. Amelia choked and gasped as she tried to restore circulation to her neck. Meanwhile, Urlich hauled Gourry and Naga off the floor and threw them onto the nearest of the two beds. "I don’t need this!"
        "But you were the one who bought her the beer," Lita reminded him in a timid voice.
        He spun on her in a rage. "And it won’t be happening again!"
        "I tried to tell her…" Gourry began just as Naga faceplanted into his lap. He turned bright red, made a disgusted noise and jumped out from under her, leaving her face down on the quilt.
        "She’ll suffocate like that, Gourry!" Amelia exclaimed and rushed over to turn Naga’s head to the side so she could snore—er, breathe.
        Gourry blushed again. "I’m sorry, Amelia, she scared me."
        "Well, it was an accident," Amelia replied. "I won’t mention it to Lina if you won’t."
        "Me?! No way!" Gourry backed away from Naga and Amelia, waving his hands defensively between them and himself.
        Amelia glared at Urlich. "You either, Url."
        Urlich put on his best innocent look. "Did I say something?"
        "You were probably thinking it," Amelia grumbled.
        "Was not! Give me a little credit sometimes, Princess. Here I am, trying to save everybody’s ass, and you’re accusing me of being an instigator! I’m wounded."
        "Sure you are," muttered Amelia as she went back to sit behind the desk.
        Urlich glared. "And if you’ll all give me a moment to think, I’ll bet I can come up with yet another brilliant plan to get Xellos off the case, and Lina out of prison."
        "Actually," Lita offered in her most timid voice, "I’ve been thinking about, you know, the trial and everything, and I think I might have a, um, you know, solution…type…thing…um…never mind."
        Urlich turned on her as she spoke, put his hands on the arms of her chair and got his face close to hers. When her train of thought sputtered out, he prompted her: "Tell me about your solution type thing."
        "Oh, no, I don’t think you’re in the mood right now…" Lita stammered and tried to get away from him, only to find herself trapped in the chair.
        "Tell. Me."
        Lita gulped.
        Urlich gave her a tight smile. "Really, I’m very interested in your idea, Lita. Tell me. Please."
        "Oh, um, well, I was just reading all those charges against Lina and, um, you know, talking to Amelia, Naga and Gourry about their travels with Lina, and, um," *fidget-fidget* "I just thought, well, that…um…well, it seemed to me that…"
        "SPIT IT OUT, ALREADY!"
        Lita bit her lip, and tears sprang to her big, green eyes.
        "Damn, she’s crying," thought Url, "I hate dealing with crying women!" Urlich took a deep breath and forced himself to smile. Unfortunately, he forgot to keep his lips closed over his fangs this time, so his smile only succeeded in scaring Lita even more.
        "Um…um…um…" *fidget-fidget-fidget*
        Amelia came around the desk to stand beside Lita’s chair and give Urlich a severe look. "Mr. Urlich, you’re just trying to scare her with those fangs! She’s only trying to help, and I think her idea’s a good one, so you should listen to it!"
        "I’m trying to listen, but she won’t spit it out!"
        "That’s because you’re being Scary Dragon Urlich, not Nice Regular Urlich!" Amelia retorted.
        Urlich paused. "’Scary Dragon Urlich’?"
        Amelia smirked with an aloof toss of her head. "That’s right."
        "So you have names for my moods?"
        "Uh-huh. Now you’re Sarcastic Xellos Urlich."
        "And what am I when I’m wringing your Royal neck?" He held up his clawed hands and moved them toward her throat.
        Amelia paled and backed up a couple steps into the desk. "Um…then you’re, um, Homicidal Lina Inverse Urlich."
        Url tried to keep a straight face but a snicker got through. Over by the bed, Gourry totally lost it. Urlich quickly pulled himself together, back to Scary Dragon Urlich. "I’ll tell Lina you said so."
        That comment sobered Gourry up in a snap, and put Amelia into panic mode. She shook her head vigorously. "No, Mr. Urlich! Please! She’ll kill me!"
        "One less problem for me—"
        "And, um, one more charge against Lina," Lita told him. "I don’t think you could get her off for that one…um, murdering the Crown Princess of Seyruun, I mean. There’d be a war…wouldn’t there? Do you think Zhara’s magic could beat Seyruun’s and its army?"
        Urlich spun on her with a vicious retort on his lips then realized she was absolutely right and stuffed his hands in his pockets instead. "Ok, you have a point." She did, too, and though Url’s money was on Marrigan, he realized, just as Nergus had, that the repercussions of such a war would be devastating…and not just to Seyruun and Marrigan. He took a deep breath and tried very hard to look patient and polite. Judging by Lita’s expression, he was only marginally successful. "Why don’t you tell me about that idea you had, huh?"
        "I’m not trying to do your job, ok?" Lita began. "I was just thinking about, you know, Lina’s bandit killing habit and, um, well, it seemed to me that, um…"
        Urlich closed his eyes and bit his lip impatiently. "Yes…?"
        "ThatLina’sprovidingacommunityservice!"
        The only sound for a few moments after that declaration was Naga snoring. Urlich stared keenly at Lita, who cringed away from him. Amelia sat on the desk with a smug look on her face. Gourry came over to stand on the other side of Lita from Amelia. He looked at Urlich with an expression that was only slightly less smug than the Princess’. "I never would’ve thought of it like that if Lita hadn’t put it that way. I mean, when you watch Lina in action, it doesn’t look anything like community service. More like…maniacal greed."
        Urlich spared Gourry a thoughtful glance then put his hands back on the arms of Lita’s chair with a wicked smile, white fangs glittering in the light of the chandelier. She closed her eyes with a terrified whimper as he leaned in close, then, much to her surprise, gave her a quick little kiss on the forehead. "Now, why didn’t I think of that?"
        Lita’s eyes fluttered open with a start. "It makes sense?"
        "Perfect sense," Urlich agreed and went to sit behind his desk. "Lita Sorez, you’re a genius. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this angle, myself!"
        "Told you!" Amelia crowed.
        "Yes, you did," Urlich replied and patted her on the back. "So what kind of Urlich am I now, Princess?"
        Amelia turned on her butt to look into his face then grinned. "Now you’re Clever Regular Urlich. So, is that the defense you’ll use? That Miss Lina was providing a community service by killing bandits?"
        Lita raised her hand and cleared her throat to get Urlich’s attention. "Um, she also puts most of the money she steals back into the community because, um, well, she does eat a lot, doesn’t she?"
        "She sure does!" Amelia giggled. "Well, Mr. Urlich?"
        "Get off my desk, Amelia, I have a lot of work to do."
        "HURRAY!"

        Just before suppertime, as Urlich was down in the prison telling Lina about Lita’s big idea, Miss Nina Farley knocked on Xellos’ door in search of a job. She was introduced to the mighty Beast Master, who immediately told her to get a better wardrobe if she proposed to be Personal Assistant to someone of her stature.

ZOTR 31