well, this was just me making notes... oh well.
============================
A Different Art, chapter 3 "It's a nice day for a white
wedding..."
Ranma 1/2 by R.Takahashi, other char by other people and i
could see a LOT of crossover possibilities with this one.
NOTE: this is just meant to be amusing. Not Epic, not Great
Literature, not Canon, not Akanecentric. Can't deal with the
"nots" then save us both some frustration and read... well
"Hearts Of Ice" is mainly canon, sort of, and manages to at
least touch base with the other three.
"Don't go to the dwarves for answer, for they will tell you
they don't know, don't care, and will likely throw a party
to celebrate this attitude. On second thought, maybe you
*do* want to go to the dwarves..." -Selman the Halfling, "An
Adventurer's Guide To Shadar" 851 6th Age.
---------------------
"So, Ranma, explain," Nodoka said while looking askance at
her son.
Akane was upstairs, recovering from her ordeal. Where she'd
gotten the pet pig from, nobody was quite sure. There were a
few suspicions, but after a hesitant attempt to tell Akane
that her newly acquired pet might actually be the pervert in
question, and Akane's rather vicious response (flattening
Ranma) - nobody else was going to bring it up.
That left Nabiki (currently a pygmy owl that was
impatiently waiting for the water to be heated up) perched
on Kasumi's shoulder. Kasumi was looking a little "out of
it" due to the events of earlier this morning, as well as
having one sister sitting on her shoulder and another sister
having decked her fiancee less than fifteen minutes ago.
Shampoo wasn't sure WHERE she fit into all this, but had
noted that in a HTH fight she could take Akane. Akane could
take out Ranma. Therefore, Ranma in a strictly physical
battle would fall to Shampoo fairly quickly. Various
possibilities occurred to her. Using Formula 110, or just
dragging Ranma off to receive the Kiss Of Life (followed by
some more kisses and some quite etchi activity to consummate
the marriage), or a number of other scenarios kept coming
back to the same problem. When he could get to spellcasting
again, she might find a worse fate than being a plush toy in
store for her. Indecision racked the Amazon, so she was just
listening for now.
"Unnngh," said Ranma, holding an ice pack to his head.
*"Are you sure I can't eat her or the pig?"* The huge dog
asked politely of everyone before seeming to go back to
sleep.
Kasumi replied no. Eating Akane or her pet was not an
option.
"Son?"
"Yeah," Ranma took a deep breath and held up one finger on
the hand that wasn't holding the icepack. "Okay. I gotta go
back because the 'mother' who raised me and taught me magic
is there."
"Mother?" Nodoka frowned. It was logical that someone
raised Ranma, but she was less than thrilled with the
concept of someone else having that title in Ranma's life.
Ranma gestured, and a translucent image formed. Everyone
else stared. Ranma's gaze was more wistful.
"She's... not human, is she?" Nodoka said hesitantly.
"No. In fact, the only humans I'd heard of in the Seventh
Age were other people who'd been lost in time or across
dimensions like myself. Never met any of 'em," Ranma said.
He'd seen the Emperor but only at a distance. "Elves,
dwarves, orahm, tor, ogrii, halflings, burrowers, nymphs,
dragons, Amazons..."
"Amazons?!" Shampoo naturally seized on the opening.
"Delphins Amazons, I don't think you're related. They're
taller for one thing." Ranma shrugged. "Anyway, humans are
viewed as mythic creatures for the most part. Lijra's the
one who raised me, and she's what they call an ardrow. One
of a group of religiously persecuted elves from offplane,
who settled in Aramar where some evil goddess of spiders
couldn't reach 'em."
Nodoka looked over the lean woman with the black skin,
white hair, amber eyes, tapered pointed ears, and wondered
exactly what kind of mother this elf would have made.
"Second," said Ranma adding a second finger to the first,
"is duty. I'm currently an Emeraldrank mage working for the
Imperial Palace, part of a Company of troubleshooters.
Sapphirerank, the next official ranking among mages, is
*real* important. You're getting into raw power there.Then
there's Diamondrank, and beyond that's Namerank. Lijra's at
that level. Ya get to that level and you're mentioned by
name in treaties between kingdoms, things like that. So I'm
on leave now 'cause the diviners said that I had things to
get tied up back here before I take the next Ordeal.
"Third," Ranma indicated with another finger joining the
first two, "is that THERE is home now. I've spent quite a
few years learning magic with Lijra, then with Kharon, then
finally at the Lonely Tower. I've spent years perfecting my
skills with the Art serving first among spelljammers and
going to places like Waterdeep on Toril or the Rock Of Bral.
Then dimension hopping to places like Rehaven and Sigil. But
I've always come back to Aramar and the empire of Shadar
because it's *home.* It's all a part of me, now.
"The Festival Of Life, the Amazons' Sadie Hawkins race
(Imperial dispensation not to be a participant helps one
enjoy it!), the Flight Of Dragons, Dwarven Summerend, the
mouseling Party Of Fine. All the temples and priests and
magic." Ranma set the icepack aside and they could see the
longing in his eyes. "It's where I belong now."
Nabiki hopped down as Kasumi pulled the teakettle off a
burner. A moment later, and a restored to human Nabiki was
quickly dressing.
"What about your family here?" Nodoka asked with apparent
calm. "What of your fiancee?"
"That's Mister Tendo's idea," replied Ranma. "I didn't hear
anything about it before I got here. Kasumi-chan is nice,
and I really like her, but when I return home could you see
her coming along?"
Kasumi blushed and studied her hands. (He thinks I'm nice?
He really likes me? But, could I leave Japan? What about my
family? Who will clean up after Father? Who will cook for
them or fix Akane's messes? What kind of kitchen would there
be in that tower?)
Nodoka noted Kasumi's reaction, also that Nabiki was
blushing slightly, and the pensive look that Shampoo was
giving. (Interesting. Perhaps my son is manly to have so
many girls interested.)
Nabiki had no trouble with the "bedslave" curse while an
owl, but had almost slipped her iron control and glomped
Ranma. Regaining control and trying to concentrate on
something else, she wondered if the customs of this other
world were significantly different from Japan.
"Fourth," indicated Ranma, apparently not noticing other
people's discomfort, "there's so much I have *to do*!"
"This 'Lonely Tower' that you mentioned," Nabiki said as
she tried to focus on something besides how much she wanted
to pounce on Ranma, rip his clothes off, and make mad
passionate love right there on the dining room table. Other
than fast breathing, a slight flush, and that she was
staring at the table as if it had personally offended her,
there weren't any clues to the others. "Uhm, that's your
home?"
"Oh yes." Ranma nodded and changed the image to the tower
he had shown the two sisters earlier. The spiraling tower,
looking vaguely Arabic, thrusting up from the peak of the
mountain that seemed an island among the sea of forest
surrounding it. "I was granted the land of the tower by the
Emperor for services done. Me and a few friends had to clean
it out first, but it's a nice little place."
"Clean it out?" Kasumi asked curiously, thinking about
thick dust and cobwebs being attacked by a number of maids
with feather dusters.
"Yeah, there were kuei and ghouls in the lower levels,"
Ranma chuckled. "Giant spiders and other vermin in the top
levels. Then there's the dwarven caverns underneath, and
THEY had to be cleared. Goblins, y'know. Anyway, the White
Temple should be done purifying the site by the time I get
done here."
"Kuei?" Nabiki said, images of hungry ghosts managing to
cool her ardor momentarily.
"Giant spiders?" Kasumi said, turning pale as her image of
a group of maids dusting out cobwebs was replaced with huge
bloodsucking spiders being held at bay by spear-carrying
housemaids.
"White Temple?" Nodoka said with a frown. Hopefully he
hadn't gotten too much religious instruction, it could have
stunted his manliness.
"Yeah, some good folk there. Not good warriors, but good
folk." Ranma smiled at a private joke. "Anyway, the White
Temple are batting clean up. By the time they're done, that
tower will be safer from evil influences than most places."
"Oh," Kasumi thought about it, and decided if it were
safe... it probably needed a woman's touch though.
"I don't get an idea of the scale from this, it's kind of
fuzzy," observed Nabiki.
"The mountain's only eight hundred feet tall. The forest
isn't much, some old trees but the tallest ones are sixty
feet tall tops. The tower itself is only five floors, about
seventy feet across." Ranma looked apologetic. "I'm only an
Emeraldrank, after all."
"..." Nabiki considered the worth of such land and space in
terms of the real estate she was used to: Tokyo Japan.
Kasumi wondered how difficult such a place was to clean,
and how big the kitchen was.
Nodoka wondered if her son was sufficiently manly, and
should she mention the contract that Genma had signed?
"So, anyway, I've still got to cure this curse. Once I've
got that fixed I can cure Nabiki's since they're both
Jusenkyo curses." Ranma pointedly looked up at the ceiling
in the direction of Akane's room. "AND someone else's if
Akane will let me."
"Ranma," Kasumi steeled herself again. "What kind of curse
are you referring to?"
"Hmmm? Oh, I've got a couple of curses. Comes with the
territory mainly. The one me and Nabiki share is a Jusenkyo
curse. Transformation curse, water aligned, old faerie
magic. Doesn't look like spirit-magic will be effective, so
the next thing to try is air or wood."
There was much blinking.
"So, you turn into an owl too?" Nabiki held her cooling tea
and tried not to look suspicious.
"Uhm, no. It's worse than that. I originally thought it was
Spring Of Drowned Girl, because it looked like I just
changed genders, but the Guide told me that it was Spring Of
Drowned Amazon. Okay, I thought that wasn't a big deal. It
turned out it WAS a big deal, though."
Nabiki was tired of waiting. She threw the tea.
Ranma changed, as he had indicated, into a girl. What
nobody had expected was that the transformation was from
embarassed boy to damn-near-hysterically panicked girl. "Hot
water, hot water, hot water! Quick!"
Nodoka had serious doubts about the manliness of her son.
"What's the big deal, Ranma-kun, at least you stay
*human.*" After spending time as a pygmy owl, Nabiki was
much less impressed with Ranma changing into a busty
redheaded girl.
"You don't understand. This body is magically unstable! If
I even accidently rhyme, a spell will go off. If I so much
as sneeze, I could trigger a wild surge! I think it's
possible to spellsing in this form, but I'd rather try and
juggle fireballs. It'd be safer!"
Shampoo asked why everyone was back to speaking Japanese.
As she was asking this in her native tongue, nobody else
quite understood.
"Also the spells near me tend to either dispel or twist."
Ranma was passing her previous state of panic and
approaching apoplectic.
Soun had finally recovered enough to rush in. "Well, that
isn't so bad, and now that your mother is here we can hold
the wedding immediately!"
"Quick! Hot water before something happens." Ranma shook
her head at Soun. "Mister Tendo, I never agreed to this
marriage thing, what of your daughter's happiness?"
<FLAM!> Purple flames gouted in midair.
"That didn't rhyme," noted Nabiki as dozens of big yellow
rodents appeared out of the purple flames and went racing
off across the backyard.
"Wild surge," said Ranma with a wince. "Looks like a
crossdimensional tear. Well, it could be worse, like if it
affected your Jusenkyo curse."
<PHOOM!> Nabiki was limned in sparkles. "KASUMI! Get that
hot water!" It was Nabiki who was now in Full Panic mode.
"What did you do?!"
"I don't know!" The redhaired girl looked exasperated AND
scared now.
"SAOTOME, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY LITTLE GIRL?!" Soun began
to manifest his demonic head attack.
"I don't know! Something about her owl curse! All I know,
it's probably, oh thanks Kasumi." <SPLASH>
Nabiki twitched. (I'm really batting 100 here. First I go
poking around in a magical lab, and get hit with a curse of
raging libido, then I try to get a few photos, and get
cursed to turn into an owl, then I get impatient and now...)
"Uhm, Ranma, how do I find out what's happened to me?"
Kasumi splashed Nabiki.
"Whooo?!"
"All it did was change your coloration, Nabiki." Kasumi
smiled at her sister, making a mental note to research what
pygmy owls ate and try to stock some of it. Maybe a nice
travel cage for long trips...
"Whewwwwww!" Nabiki-owl looked relieved, then held up one
of her wings so that she could inspect it. "Whoo-whoo!"
(Hmmm. No color vision in this form. I hope I don't moult.
Hmmm. I could use a nice mouse right about now, wonder if
Kasumi could stock a few.)
"Well, son, I have some bad news," Nodoka said, pulling a
piece of paper out of her sleeve and handing it to Ranma.
"Hmmm?" Ranma looked it over. "What does a 'man among men'
mean in this context?"
---Shadar, 7th Age---
Multitask vessels like Osprey class ships were rather a
jack-of-all-trades approach. IE: it did a number of things
fairly well, but none of them exceptionally.
Osprey class ships were rated 25 tons in the "Djinn's Guide
To Ships" and had a single sail vertically, plus a set of
wing-sails to the side. They could land in water, though
they wallowed, and it was normal for them to be set down on
the ground. Their cargo capacity was quite limited, compared
to the huge Albatross or Dragonsclaw class ships
particularly. Smugglers and couriers tended to favor the
smaller and more manueverable designs like the Peregrine or
the Ferret. Warships ranged from the nimble Dragonfly II to
the fearsome Kraken.
Thurin Kaille had served aboard a Ferret once, a Kraken on
another occasion, but tended to favor ships like the Sword
class. Ships that were built sturdily, had a number of
weapons, and could be used to ram when needed. You couldn't
ram in an Osprey and there was only one weapons turret.
The dwarf stared at the orders, cursed briefly, then called
Stormshadow in. If ANYONE knew more about what was going on,
it would be that damn sneaky elf. Or Yusef the Short, but
the Bazaar was quite a ways off and the information
specialist/barber was likely to require details of the
finished mission as part of his payment.
"You've read it?"
Thurin jumped and turned around. "Don't DO that!"
The elf smirked from where he was sitting. In the Captain's
chair, naturally. "So what did you want, Captain? The
mission objective is pretty clear."
"Who are we waiting for?"
The elf raised an eyebrow. "A cleric, healer I think, and
an Amazon - probably from House Rising Sun."
"A pacifist and an Amazon," Thurin groaned. "Do you know
WHY we're going after Ranma? And get your boots off my
desk."
Stormshadow shrugged, but took his feet off the desk.
"Officially, I don't know. Unofficially, one of the
Emperor's espers had a 'seeming' that Ranma needed to get
back and go through his Ordeal and soon. That's the rumor at
least."
"Let me guess, one of the ninjas from China Grove?"
Stormshadow nodded and relaxed a little into his chair.
"Yup. Got it one. So likely the Amazon's either from the
espers or is a ninja."
"I thought YOU were one of the Emperor's ninja."
"Who, lil' old me?" Stormshadow did his best to look
innocent. "Do I *look* like a Delphins?"
"True, if you WERE a male Delphins, you'd be surrounded by
a half dozen wives and likely not allowed to step outside
for danger of something happening to you." Thurin actually
chuckled at the thought. All the sentient races had
different ratios of male to female, and that affected their
marriage customs. He himself hadn't seen his wife in five
years, but doubted that with the other four husbands that
she missed him. Elves had a four-one female to male ratio,
dwarves were one to six, most of the halflings were
one-to-one or two-to-one, but the Delphins were
twenty-to-one even using magic to encourage male births. As
for nymphs, they never aged and lacked males of their own
species.
Silvara knocked hesitantly on the door. "Sir, the Delphins
has just come aboard."
Thurin and Stormshadow exchanged a glance. Silvara
sounded... amused? It had taken Thurin awhile to place the
chrome-colored nymph, he'd actually served aboard a ship
with her and Ranma about three years ago.
Stormshadow was deep in thought when an idea forced itself
through. "Oh no. Don't tell me it's Garr."
"Ah, Stormshadow, you're already there? Yes, it is."
Silvara's voice indicated further amusement.
"Get him belowdecks before we get mobbed," Thurin said,
covering his eyes with one hand. "If the Southern Cross
finds out HE'S aboard..."
"We'll have Amazons trying to sneak aboard and hide to the
extent that our weight allowance will be overwhelmed,"
Stormshadow lost his smirk. "And don't YOU go doing
anything, Silvara, you know how easily spooked the boy is."
"Awww, that's no fun."
"So we've got a Tracker, that'll make some of this easier."
Thurin admitted after a moment. "With his ability to 'find'
things, it might not take long. Providing the cleric shows
up before word gets out that Garr of Rising Sun is aboard."
Stormshadow groaned at another thought, the customary smirk
quite absent. "I think I know what the hurry is on this
mission."
"Huh? Well, enlighten me."
"Garr is the same age as Ranma, right?" Stormshadow shook
his head, not believing he had missed this. "Both are at the
marriageable age for the Delphins, right? And Delphins are
the closest match for human in general makeup, right? Want
to bet that the Amazons petitioned the Emperor for Ranma to
be included in a certain Coming-Of-Age rite?"
Thurin blanched. "Not the Race? Oh, by the Seal. I actually
feel sorry for the boy."
------Tendo-ke, Nerima------
Akane flumphed back onto the bed. "Honestly, P-chan, where
did Kuno come from?"
"Bwee!" (Clearly we are meant to be together, as soon as I
vanquish the foul sorcerer who has done such a thing!)
"I was just taking you in to warm you up, then he appears
and tries to MOLEST me!" Akane shuddered. "At least he
didn't hurt you!"
"Buqiii! Snort!" (Ah, to worry about me so. Your love for
me seeps out behind the vile spell that the sorcerer Saotome
has cast upon you! Do not fear, for I am with you!)
"And trying to tell me that Kuno was right here! Honestly,
I don't see what Kasumi sees in that creep. I don't see
Kuno, do you, P-chan?"
"Bwee?" (Alas, my poor Akane, how terrible that both of us
have been laid low by the demon's spells. You with this
bewitchment that has you denying your love for me. Myself
with this horrible shape. How can the Heavens not weep or
resound in anger at this injustice?)
"I don't either." Akane sighed and stroked P-chan as he
crawled into her lap. "I've got to do something, P-chan! If
I don't, he might marry Kasumi! She has no clue about him!"
"Biii?! Buu... Biii!" (You mean he really isn't secretly
pursuing you? How dare he ignore the grace and tidy beauty
of my love! How... dare... he? Oh, Akane, how strong and
soft your fingers are as they stroke me. I cannot wait to
return to human form that you may do so properly!)
"You like being scratched there, P-chan? That's my baby."
Akane continued to rub along the mid spine of the pig
snuggling into her lap. She had to save Kasumi! (He may not
be a 'foul sorcerer' but he's *completely* wrong for Kasumi.
I KNOW! I'll tell Doctor Tofu, he'll beat Ranma up, and
we'll be rid of him!)
-----------------------------
"So, because I'm cursed to turn into a girl, and I'm not
'sufficiently manly' by these Japanese standards, I'm
supposed to put a knife in my own gut, swirl it around some,
and then act stoic while you cut my head off?" Ranma
blinked. "You know, I thought that the DWARVES had some
weird customs but this just blows them out of the water."
Kasumi noted that Ranma's mother was quite serious, and
looked at first as if she would faint. Then, in accordance
with samurai ancestry, the steel began to show. (Mother or
not, she is *not* going to kill my iinazuke on a snap
judgement!)
Nabiki-owl merely sped off to find some hot water. She
REALLY needed to be able to talk.
Nodoka nodded, unwrapping her katana. "Honestly, I cannot
see how you could be sufficiently manly..." <CLONG>
Lest anyone think differently, that last was the sound of a
bonbori "slipping" out of the hand of a certain Amazon and
knocking the woman in question unconscious. "Oops, Shampoo
clumsy today. Very sad. Maybe make up for lapse with ancient
Amazon custom of washing hair of prospective mother-in-law?"
"No, Shampoo," Ranma said with a certain distracted air.
(This makes absolutely no sense. Is this really my
homeland?) "I'll have to admit that 'manliness' isn't
something that I gave much thought to. The standards of each
race and subculture is a bit different, but acting like a
Southern Cross Amazon on shore leave after a five year
mission doesn't fit into any sort of plan on MY agenda."
Shampoo looked disappointed as she tucked the bottle of
Formula 110 away.
"What's going on?" Akane came down, looking askance at the
group. Introductions had been made when Ranma had been
trying to explain something about P-chan.
Kasumi swallowed. "Errr. Ranma's mother says that because
he isn't sufficiently 'manly' she's got to kill him."
Akane blinked. "Well, admittedly, he ain't much..."
"HEY!" Kasumi and Shampoo protested this assessment.
"...but that seems a bit harsh." Akane pondered for a brief
moment whether she ought to support this action anyway, as
it would at least save her sister.
"Shampoo ask that Airen put spell back in place that let
everyone speak Amazon dialect. Shampoo having trouble
following conversation."
"Not enough manna for me to cast much, Shampoo." Ranma
looked at his unconscious "mother" (still trying to get used
to the idea he had one) and at all the girls, finally
focussing on the pig rubbing his head against Akane's
breast. "You know, she's really gonna be ticked when she
figures that out."
"Why do you keep picking on P-chan?" Akane grumbled at the
boy. She liked the vaguely exotic pet, and P-chan seemed
cleaner than most housepets.
"Bwee!" (The foul sorcerer cannot cast spells currently?
Alas that I am stuck in this foul shape, though held tightly
between the soft white mounds of my True Love. Ah, what an
interesting contrast, that I experience the hell of
frustration and the heaven of my love's affection at the
same time!)
"Well, I'd better go replenish my manna. There's a couple
of tricks for that." Ranma winced as there was *always* a
tradeoff, but things were going too quickly to take his time
with any of it.
-----the Wildhorse-------
"The first thing is to report at the Imperial Palace," Garr
informed his Captain.
Thurin grunted. He hated court appearances.
"I'm to stay on the ship, for obvious reasons."
Thurin grunted again. They'd barely escaped the dock after
a horde had been sighted heading their way. Damn
overprotective Amazons. Especially the young ones. Garr was
an okay kid, but once the rumor had gotten out that there
was a MALE of their species possibly going into danger...
"Frosty will also stay behind."
Thurin frowned at this. "He could go. He's able to
shapeshift again."
"He's even less comfortable in the Imperial Court than you
are."
"Not possible." Thurin couldn't believe anyone hated all
that crap more than he did. Even a Healer priest.
"After that, I expect we're going after Ranma."
Thurin smirked. "Nope."
Garr blinked and sat back. "OK. Why not?"
Thurin's smirk turned into a grin. "Because, this didn't
come from the Emperor. That elf has come up with three
rumors he's overheard since we got aboard this ship. That
we're going after Ranma because he's needed for a prophesy,
because of the Race, or we're going to go rescue him from
Wyndlace. No. This bears the markings of being of the work
of the Third Empress."
"In which case, anything obvious is not going to be
correct." Garr cocked his head. "Actually I was hoping the
bit about the Race was true. He'd take some of the heat off
me."
"Wishful thinking."
-----------------------------------------
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unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
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