"What do we do?!" Chichiri pounded his fist onto the table furiously. He felt it was his fault Lina was gone. All he had to do was stop her, but it was too late now and she was no one to be found. The tornado had not left their empire in any devastating sate, in fact, it had only hit a few small farmlands, which was a relief considering its unusually large size. Now, the few unfortunate farmers whose crops had been ruined had been given just enough money to satisfy the repairs, but they knew they could never harvest cash crops in the same bustling manner as they had before. The sight of their own spilled potatoes from the storehouse and uprooted stalks of corn mixed with broken glass and stray pieces of hay brought them to this disheartening reality.
"Tell Zell," Tasuki said simply. Just like that...really as if it really were that easy. Chichiri knew the consequences for he was scared shitless of what Zell would do (and in his mind he imagined Zell's hands tightly coiled around his neck and strangling him for his stupidity. He would shudder at the thought), and he was still envious of Zell just because he knew Lina still loved him. Oy, what a soap opera.
"What do we tell him!? 'Sorry, Lina jumped right into the heart of the tornado and we haven't seen her since!'... hope he kills you first," Chichiri muttered sarcastically. Silence overtook the table once again, until there was a knock at the door and... speak of the devil! There was Zell, standing in the doorway and taking a good look around at everyone.
"Oh...crap," Tasuki broke the silence and everyone glared at him in temporary hatred. He clasped his hands over his mouth a little too quickly and Zell could almost immediately tell there was something suspicious going on.
"Where's Lina?" Zell asked. His intentions for coming here were very straightforward. If Garden had become anything without her, it was hell. He would kill to get her back, and at this point it seemed like he'd have an excellent opportunity to warm up with the group sitting around the table. "I know I'm not obligated to be here...but look, I miss her and I want to know where she is." It must have seemed strange for Zell to have been standing there. The others, dressed in elegant Ancient Chinese garments with beautiful bright colors embedded in the soft silk robes, made Zell, wearing a casual ebony T-shirt with the words "HELLFIRE" in thick red letters across his chest and his normal somewhat torn jean shorts, seemed like a complete outcast.
"There are strong winds around these areas," Hotohori said, almost dreamily. The others knew he was trying to give Zell a hint, but Zell--as if he were supposed to pick that up right away--just stared at him like he was a little dull.
"An occasional tornado," Nuriko gestured his hand with a girlish little flick. Zell glared at them, hoping for a direct answer now. A few of them stared at him with utter fear in their eyes; this was it--the daydream to become a reality where Zell Dincht would jump up on the table and take them all on with one hand behind his back.
"Alright, enough crap, You'd all better tell me what happened right now," Zell's fingers were already curling into a ball, the veins on his foreman beginning to become a little more distinct.
"The truth, Mr. Zell...person...she's gone. That strange tornado got her," Miaka shrugged and looked at him hesitating. Smart, Zell wouldn't hurt a girl. Zell was on the verge of exploding completely, his arms were shaking and his voice was raspy to hold down the anger.
"Thank you," he said as calmly as he possibly could, but the anger was hard to suppress. "For telling me the truth." Then he turned around and walked out.