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----- Original Message -----
From: "Christopher J Olsen" <GAMERS@prodigy.net>
To: <ffml@fanfic.com>
Subject: [FFML] [FFML][Ranma/Saber Marionette J][Lime]Strangers in a Strange
Land: Chapter 13
It was getting close to dinnertime when Nabiki walked back into
Otaru's apartment. She hesitated before heading into the restaurant.
Looking around, she spotted Ranma flirting with the customers as usual,
the men around her talking and laughing cheerfully. Nabiki noted that
the crowd was larger than the night before, and smiled slightly, marking
up the profit margin the restaurant would be making in her head.
And, considering Ranma's employers, payment is likely.
...
Nabiki smirked at her. "So start me one. I'm good for it, Saotome,
trust me."
Ranma shrugged. "OK, I guess you are." She turned to tell Cherry
what Nabiki's order was.
Yep, I guess.
Nabiki put a hand out, stopping her. "I need to talk to you later,
OK Ranma?"
...
Nabiki glanced around the room, shaking her head. "You sure do know
how to pack them in, Saotome, I'll give you that. I'll have to talk
Otaru into giving you a raise if you keep bringing in customers like
this."
Ranma shrugged, smiling smugly. "Hey, what can I say, am I cute, or
what? I know what guys like, and I'm not afraid to use it."
Shades (again) of the mirror-double story arc.
...
Ranma frowned. "Yeah... I guess I should tone it down a bit, or
maybe try to explain things to Akane. She's got nothing to be jealous
about anyway." Ranma shook her head. "Not that I can figure out why
she would be jealous anymore. I mean, it's not like she wants anything
to do with another girl, right?"
Nabiki frowned back. "I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you,
Saotome. You think there's something wrong with a girl liking another
girl or something?"
Ooohhh... a bit defensive, are we Nabiki?
Ranma blinked. "No... not really. I mean, I'm a girl now, I
guess, and I sure don't like guys... not that way, anyway." The petite
red head looked curious. "Why do you ask?"
Nabiki's eyes widened for just a moment, then narrowed again so
quickly Ranma wasn't quite sure if it had happened. "I'm thinking about
Akane, you moron. If you think it's weird for two girls to get
together, what do you think that would make her feel like?"
Good point. For Ranma's (psyche at least) it's fine to like girls.
Akane, on the other hand, has a few problems.
...
Nabiki smiled. "Don't get your pants in a bunch, Ranma.
pants? (or would it be boxers? Don't get your boxers in a bunch)
Anyway, it's a cute change from the usual 'panties'...
I think
that you're not fighting anymore because there isn't anyone trying to
force you two together... and I think Akane's not as unwilling as you'd
think for you two to become a matched pair of perverts together."
Cute phraising.
...
Nabiki looked at Ranma in some surprise. "You seem to be pretty
confident in her, don't you?" She smiled slyly. "Nice to see that you
believe in the one you love."
Ranma started to protest, then sighed. "Ah, forget it. I can't
fool you anymore, can I?"
This is interesting. I'm glad you got this out of the way before
what happens (or doesn't) in 14.
Nabiki shook her head. "No, you can't. So, when can you start
training me?"
Ranma sighed. "I don't have any choice, do I? Akane would kill me
if I let anything happen to you because I didn't want to help." She
frowned. "But if Lorelei wanted a bodyguard, why didn't she ask someone
like me? I can handle just about anything that comes. I'm the
strongest marionette on this planet, right?"
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Strongest ego, anyway.
Interesting question. Since the marionettes are constructed
using similar materials, one would guess Nabiki is correct
(since Ranma has the smallest defacto 'muscle' mass.) Now
Ranma (and Akane) MAY be able to use their muscles more
effectively, however.
Sure you could
take the job, Ranma. Sitting around, listening to Lorelei talk to
scientists for hours on end, watching her work in a lab, waiting around
while she gardens, following her into the bath...."
...
Ranma grinned. "I'm on it, Cherry-chan!" The petite red head
skipped off to work the customers again, and Nabiki went back to her
meal. Several minutes later, Akane walked in, visibly steaming over
something.
Nabiki picked up on her sister's mood at once. "Job hunt didn't go
well, I take it?"
Akane sniffed angrily and sat down next to her older sister. "You
could say that. Half the places I tried they couldn't seem to
understand what it is I wanted, or thought I was broken or something.
The other half wanted to know who they would be paying for me! Some of
them kept looking around for my "master' as if it was all one big
joke." She shook her head. "There was one or two that were willing to
'rent' me... I almost did take one job, until I found out what he
wanted to rent me for! I should have known when he kept asking
questions about the quality of my manufacture and my programming."
Nabiki's eyes widened. "You're not implying what I think you're
implying, are you?"
Are you REALLY surprised, Nabiki? It IS what you
were built for, after all.
...
Nabiki articulates a lot of important concerns. She would make a
great spokes(woman? Thing?) for a movement to get rights for
marionettes.
************************
...
Nabiki's eyes widened. "Eep!" In a flash she whipped her hand out
of her panties, then grabbed her blankets to cover up again.
Thus the 'Lime' rating. (No, not THAT Lime)
...
Nabiki flushed. "None of your business!"
Akane put her finger to her lips again. "Shh! I'm sorry, it just
sounded like something was wrong."
Nabiki frowned. "If you must know, something was wrong."
Any way to set off the was in that sentence? I'm sure Nabiki
would emphasize it in dialogue.
...
I won't comment too much on what was discovered. So, Nabiki might
become a sensei as well it seems.
***********************
...
Akane shook her head. "Spar with me, there's a difference.
Besides, all he's... she's going to do today is go over the basics. I
could teach you that much myself."
I'd like to see Akane try to teach.
...
Nabiki shrugged. "That's just about everything I can remember.
What do we do now, sensei? Aren't we supposed to stretch or something
first?"
Ranma shook her head. "No... these bodies don't need to warm up to
work... I figured that out a while back. Also we're not going to have
to do any work building up your muscles... that saves us some time.
Strength training is kind of pointless when you're mechanical."
Good point.
Ranma
frowned. "What you've got to do is learn the basics all over again.
The only way you're going to get any better is for your form to be
perfect. You've got most of the basics down alright, but you've picked
up a lot of bad habits too. The hard part will be getting you to get
rid of them."
...
An hour later, Nabiki was bored out of her mind. She had been
throwing punches the whole time, with Ranma coaching her the whole
time. At the least she wasn't getting tired, and it did seem to be true
that the way Ranma had shown her seemed a whole lot better than how she
had used to do it.
"I've got it, I've got it." Nabiki growled after Ranma corrected
her stance slightly for what must have been the hundredth time. "I've
been doing these perfectly for the last half hour. Let's move on to
something else, OK?"
Ranma looked her in the eye. "Perfectly?" She nodded. "You're
form is fine... now. You're right, you have been doing them right for
the past half hour."
Nabiki groaned. "Then why didn't we go to something else yet?"
Ranma shook her head in dismay. "I thought you were going to take
this seriously?"
Nabiki frowned. "I am... I'm still here, aren't I? Do you really
have to waste my time just to see if I'm serious about this?"
Ranma shook her head. "I am not wasting your time. If you had just
stopped when you had gotten it right the first time, you might have gone
back to doing it the wrong way tomorrow. This way, you'll remember how
to throw a punch the right way, in your muscles...." Ranma blinked.
"Or will you? Darn it, I keep on forgetting these bodies aren't human.
Does muscle memory even work like it's supposed to?"
Interesting bit of psychology.
...
End Chapter 13
Thanks.
Kevin D. Hammel
========================================
khammel@mail.anime.sobhrach.com
kevinsff@pacbell.net
http://www.fanfic.net/~khammel/
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