The SLAYERZ left the club and emptied out into Crossroads Square.  They were silent for a moment, realizing that they were in an impossible situation.  In 3 hours, they had to perform a show they'd only done once, minus the last song! 
        "Lina!" shouted Filia, with an armfull of red flyers and a roll of tape.  "We're almost done!  I'm going to make sure all our fans will be here tonight!  I can't wait to hear 'Resist'."  The band all looked at each other, then at their manager/PR dragon.  Lina sighed and broke the bad news.
        "Filia, we just found out," she paused, seeking better words, "um, we had to change our whole show around."
        "WHAT?!?!?!?" Filia cried.  "Why did you have to change your set?  It was perfect!"
        "Well, hehheh," gulped Lina.  "We got word that the record producer has heard all the other stuff, and wants to hear new material."   Filia was not satisfied.  Lina continued "Oh don't worry about it!  We've got it all figured out!  We're using one of Zel's new songs."
         Filia's eyes glowed and wisps of flames flickered behind her.  "I spend 2 weeks planning out that set!  You had it down perfectly!  I can't believe you changed it without talking to your manager!"
         "Well, don't blame us!" interrupted Gourry.  "Xelloss said he wanted to hear some new material."
         "GOURRY!!!" the other all moaned.
         "Oh, Mr. Gourry!" wailed Amelia.
         "Oh, brother, this is it," sighed Zelgadis.
          Filia started to enflame in the middle of the square, causing people to stare, then walk away briskly.   "YOU TOOK THE ADVICE OF THAT ROTTEN GARBAGE?????  HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU!!!!!  HE'S PURE EVIL!! HE'S TOYING WITH YOU!!! HE'S GOT YOU UNDER HIS SPELL!!!!"  She started to morph into a dragon.  "XELLLLLOOOOOSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Immediately, she towered over all in her dragon form.  She breathed heavily as she searched the area from her position.
          "Filia, relax!" said Lina non-chalantly.  "We've been in worse spots before.  And Xelloss knows what he's talking about!  He was our manager for a long time!  We know he doesn't steer us wrong.  Well, except for that time...... and when..... er, anyway!   We just need to look this over and we'll be awesome tonight!"
          Filia suddenly returned to her human form, daintly holding a pink, paper, to-go cup filled with tea.  "Well," she harruphed with finality, "I've done all I can.  I've set up the posters, called all the radio stations, and we can sell the CD during the show.  Just do what you must...."  She glared at them all one last time.  "But you'll all be the ones on-stage, not me!  If you fall on your faces, I won't be there to pick you up!  Now, IF you'll excuse me, I have to talk with your next gig, that is, IF I can get you anymore after tonight!"  With another humph, she went on her way.
          The SLAYERZ all of a sudden realized what they were up against, and Lina quickly made plans.  "OK, guys, here's what we do!  Take your music and memorize as best you can!  Do whatever you have to, but come back here knowing 'Resurrection' cold!  See you here in 2 hours!"   They dispersed to practice however they could.
          Lina marched proudly down the sidewalk, feeling accomplished in her duty as band leader.  She thought how everyone would thank her, Filia would apologize for her lack of faith, and Xelloss would give them a big fat contract.  Then reality hit her -- "I LEFT MY BASS ON THE STAGE!!!"   She fretted and tried to figure out what to do.  She wasn't going to give Valgaav the satisfaction of seeing her grovel to get on stage and retrieve her instrument.  She loped down the block and after a moment lifted her head to see .... DUM DA DA DUM!  A Milan's Music Center seemed to pop up on the corner.  Lina exploded with delight as the thought, "All I have to do is sneak in, avoid the salespeople, snag a bass, and practice behind some amplifiers.  No one will know the difference!"  She dashed to the front doors, and instantly her eyes were flooded with her most cherished treasure: a huge sign stating "NEW EQUIPMENT!"   She slowly panned her gaze around the store filled with amps bigger than her and guitars worth more than she made all last year.  Neon signs shouted out the manes of people she'd love to marry, like Jackson, Fender, Ibanez, and Gibson.  She realized she was getting a bit star-struck and regained her composture.  Swiftly, she snaked around amplifiers and music stands and various store employees who stood around in a drooling daze wondering what Trey and Jerry would have sounded like together.  She saw the section of bass guitars and rubbed her hands in preparation of the final move.  She slipped between some racks of synths and reached form behind to touch a copy of her beloved Ibanez SR400.  It didn't have 5 strings, but it would have to do.  Yet as soon as her fingers grasped it, she heard the Reaper's Call.
          "Ibanez!!  Nice one!  Great for the hard stuff!  I'm Jeffrey!  Do you have any questions about it?" said an unjaded, pimply-faced, novice salesboy. 
          "Er, uh," stalled Lina, trying to figure a way out of this.  "Yeah, uh, it's a great instrument!"  Sweatdropping, she thought, That's the best I can think of?  "No questions from me, thanks!"
          "Great!" said Jeffrey.  "I'll ring it up for you so you can take it home now!  Ya need an amp?"
          "Well, uh,  I just, um," fumbled Lina.  "I just want to try it out first."
          "Oh, OK!" said Jeffrey.  "Here, why don't you try it on this Fender Bass Amp!"  Before she could protest, she was plugged in and started playing.  Lina did a few scales, then skillfully put the music sheets down so she could spot them out of the corner of her eye, and practiced 'Resurrection' as Jeffrey looked on.    After about 4 minutes Jeffrey looked at his watch and announced "Well, you sound great with it!  You must take it home!"
           "OH! Well, um," stalled Lina again, remembering that she hadn't finished paying for the bass she had now, "Well, let me think about it a few more minutes, I'm not too sure....."
          Suddenly a giant dark being appeared behind Jeffrey wearing a mysterious hood and.... a nicely matched blouse and skirt combo?  The figure's matronly voice bore down on Lina.   "You know, Jeffrey is SUCH a CONVINCING salesman, you should take it home right now!"  The figure brandished a HUGE mallet then laid it across her arm.
         "Uuuhhhhhmm...." quaked Lina, trying to get out of this situation.  "Say!  Let me try that Yamaha over there!"  The figure disappeared, and Lina went through her charade another time.  Jeffrey once again stopped her.
          "Wow, that one fits you like a glove.  This must be the bass for you!"
          "Er, I don't know," stalled a cocky Lina.  "How well do you think this will hold up after a few months?"  The mysterious dark figure reappeared behind Jeffrey once more and answered Lina's query.
          "Very well, I should say.  Why don't you BUY it now?  Jeffrey is SUCH a GOOD salesman, isn't he?"
          Lina gulped.  She hadn't expected the specter a second time, and she made her eyes capture another guitar.  "Hey!  I've never played a Jackson bass before!  I want to try that one!"  The figure disappeared, and Lina whispered to Jeffrey, "Who the heck is that popping up behind you?!?"
         "Oh, that nice person?" replied Jeffrey.  "Just some tourist who comes in here every day.  I seem to have good luck in deals when she's in the store, which is actually almost all the time!"  Lina sweated at the psychotic situation and immediately started to practice under scrutiny again.

          Meanwhile, Gourry was jsut walking down the sidewalk beating the air in front of him, thinking of the song.  His eyes were closed, concentrating so well that he didn't hear the other people's criticisms of his rehearsal techniques.
         "HEY!  WATCH IT!"
         "YOU JERK!  WATCH WHERE YOU'RE SWINGING THOSE THINGS!!"
         "Mister!  Look out!"
         "Hey, Blondie!  What's wrong with you?!?"
         "OOUUCH!!"
         "You Okay, Gramma?"  However, Gourry didn't catch a slight curve in the sidewalk and KLONG! ran right into the lightpole.  He leaned on the pole and looked behind him, dimly realizing all the destruction he'd caused.  He thought for about 20 minutes about what to do instead.  Then, suddenly, a faint Christmas-tree-light popped over his head!  He saw that the garbage was just taken away and there were empty garbage cans all ove rthe sidewalk.  In a matter of seconds, he engineered a heavy-duty carting-container version of his drum set and started banging away.  Once again, he wasn't paying too much attention, just focusing on the drumming.  But after he finished his first run, he saw a whole mob of people in front of him, enjoying his custodial carcoghanie, who then erupted into applause.  Gourry stood, dumbfounded, and wiped his forehead with his arm.  The movement knocked his hi-tom, a large soup container, off its perch, and it fell in front of the set, opening up.  Before you could say Ping the spectators had filled it to the brim with change and small bills.  Gourry noted this, shrugged, and started playing again, happy as a clam.

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