DB Sommer wrote:
And now we go back to a series I haven't touched on in a long while:
That sounds so wrong, for some reason.
After regaining his feet, Tofu removed the ring from the Kinjakan
Now where'd they find that nifty little item?
From Act One. Kiima gave it to them for Ranma to use against Akane.
and tossed it to Nabiki, then pointed to a marker blazed onto a nearby
tree. "We can be in the village we set out from by night,
I think most people refer to it as 'nightfall' in this case.
Righty-o.
The older man turned to look at the thin spire of ice, jutting out
>from above the white cloud that seemed impossibly far away. It stood as
a memorial to the fallen youths. "I don't know. Who can say what the
future holds."
holds?
Not a question. He's just noting that they can't know.
Nabiki was lost in thought. She had the will. There were factors
against her, but there was some potential. And where there was a will...
Oh. This happened a while ago, I guess?
Yeah.
She grabbed a robe from a hook, and threw it on, closing the door
softly behind her. Once the door was closed, the light began increasing
in brightness slowly, allowing her time to adjust. She stared at the
lights for a long moment, remembering the lights of her childhood, and
their simple harsh brightness.
And of course, she remembered the coat hangers Kasumi used to beat her with
when she was bad. She sighed. Those were the good old days.
Tofu: That explains so much.
"Hmm..." he mused, frowning at the electric lights. "I wonder if
they're learning not to see me."
Eh?
Technology vs. Magic.
"It's a common enough theme," Tofu said slowly. "Heroes aren't
always stopped merely by death..."
Oh, it's been my experience they are. More often it's the bad guys that come
back to plague the heroes again.
It hurts because it's true....
metallic turtle pendant at his neck. "Yo," he said, his eyes traveling
up and down, exploring her body shamelessly.
"Mine's much better,' he said with a smirk.
Implied, not stated. :)
She shrugged indifferently. "It's been happening more lately. My dad
is, too. We think I might be, but aren't sure. Some of our friends from
Hmm. Not sure what it is, unless they're taking about mutations or
something.
Fey.
He blinked, his eyes seeming to nearly glow for a moment in the
sunlight. "'S about the Ranma, ain't it?"
Heh. I guess there's only one reason to go out there.
Well, the only reason someone Fey would risk it.
He glanced over, his wings flapping once irritably. It was an odd
thing, to not be a part of the cycle. Without needing to burn himself
out over ten years... "When we are alone, Herb, please address me as
Saffron."
Herb: How about Hot Ass instead?
Saffron: I'd rather you didn't.
Herb: Oh, come on, now--
Saffron: Wrong fic.
Hebr: Oh. Right.
"Yes, of course. You are a not pillar, though I am. Cologne was not,
nor is my wife."
Hmm. A pillar? Odd choice of words.
Goes back to EAST. Ties in nicely with Act V, I hope....
"'Shia Hai'? 'Sea o' Summer'? Got yer classic irony, there.
Heh. True
Ah, it worked!
She brushed a strand of her hair out of her face and grimaced
unhappily. Unruly, unkempt. It would have been shorter for her tastes,
except that they had decided she should look more like one of the
Japanese girls to make Tendo feel more relaxed.
Good thinking.
In theory.
Qinghai. That much was known. Would she knowingly provide weapons that
could damage her allies?
No.
Heh! Correct.
Death is an odd thing, when one is bound to a dead body. Akane found
it best to contemplate silently... though there was never and response
'an' instead of 'an' perhaps?
Or 'a' instead of 'and', yeah. That would be good.
Was he her lover, come to protect her in the end from herself? Or
was he her jailer, protecting everyone else from her?
Little bit of both probably.
Akane: Too bad spirits can't be spanked.
Ranko grimaced, wondering at the stares she attracted. She wore
skin-tight body armor; Tendo Heavy's very best, which was much more
revealing than anything that the locals seemed to be familiar with.
But that happens with you let Biiko design your body armor
Heh!
"That's in Kelvin, not Fahrenheit or Celsius."
Oops. ^_^
Very oops.
Shia Hai took a long drag from her cigarette, staring at the
hand-typed
Err, hand-typed? Shouldn't it be either typed or hand-written?
As opposed to printed. I'm NOT sure about this one, though.
report on the desk before her. The room was locked, the
security disabled, and the typewriter inaccessible to all but herself.
No wires or connections to tell anyone what she had typed, aside from
those she delivered the note to herself.
Oh. Now I see.
So then, it does work?
Once done, and satisfied, she crumpled the older papers into a ball,
and tossed them into the rubbish bin,
Should burn them. Can uncrumple notes and go through garbage. Can't
reconstitue ashes.
Well.... Keitaro might be able to do that anyway.
And with her gone, a small flying creature crawled through the
narrow gap in the window, making a beeline towards the trash bin before
leaving again.
Ah ha. Now I see.
Tamago has a surprising resistance to cold.
Shia Hai said that there was a lot of paperwork involved
Oh, there was some paperwork involved, all right.
Hehe!
Keitaro shrugged, gesturing towards Ranko with the pipe, clean as
the day it was made, with no signs of singing or tobacco upon it. "Don'.
Jus' liketa have this aroun' for stuff like that."
Heh. Cute. Wonder if it's Happi in disguise or something.
Makes you wonder, eh?
Not that Keitaro didn't seem to have his share of secrets, but she
trusted him.
He makes no secret about having secrets.
I rather had fun with creating Keitaro as a character.
Collecting herself, Shia Hai explained, "We can only allow one...
esteemed warrior such as yourself to set foot within this perimeter.
Shampoo: You need to learn to lie better.
Shia Hai: You want me to be a better liar?
Shampoo: ....
Ranko watched attentively, as the woman slowly worked her way deeper
into the structure. Shia Hai and a pair of her guards followed he woman
the woman
Eeeep!
Shia Hai signaled her guards, preparing for the part of the plan
that was nothing more than a gamble.
Hmm. But will it pay off, I wonder.
Possibly.
One of the guards stopped to move the Amazon, encased in ice as she was.
If Miss Tendo's plan worked, then perhaps she could be used, too.
Hmm. Hopefully poor Pu ain't dead from the cold.
Er....
"Oh, shit. They just put themselves in the middle of two angry
Dragons." He contemplated silently for a moment, debating his options.
Getting out might be good.
Duty.
First and foremost, he needed to protect the Tendo girl. That was
the important part. Retrieving Ranma, in any form was the second task
that he had been entrusted with. Not nearly as important as protecting
the living, but still very important. Keeping Herb from committing an
act of war was not on the list, but he was supposed to keep things level.
That would be useful, yes.
Generally, yes.
Nice work. I'll be eager to read more when I get the chance
Glad you liked it, then, and thanks for the C&C!
D.B. Sommer