Right but I thought we were talking about prosecuting him for actually doing it (which he didn't), not for threatening to do it.
Grounders10's Forgotten Files and Drabbles (Worm, Ranma, etc.)
- Thread starter Grounders10
- Start date
- Location
- Best England - United Kingdom
Pinkie Pie as befitting her status as a self aware 'toon is alive, dead, three fillies in a trench coat, three colts in a trench coat, a vamppony, a zompony, @Grounders10, me, you, yes, no, all of the above.
ConfusedPotato
Unverified Verifier
- Location
- Australia
You forgot none of the above.
- Location
- Painting, Peach's Castle
In the context of criminal prosecution, one can be charged for planning a crime and committing that same crime seperately.
In this case, he planned and committed one bombing, lied about having massacred tens of thousands of lives in that same bombing as a threat, and then prepared to bomb a second shelter that was filled with people.
...Honestly, at this point, why are we even discussing the exact nature of the crimes he would be charged with? I'm pretty sure he's just gonna be some very ugly masonwork until he's nothing but a footnote in middle school history books of how much of a horrible monster he was and of the foolishness of the Turian's aggressive colonialization from the era.
And that's assuming he could get out at all. He's just a random Turian, after all, he's not some sort of god or spirit. Unless he's let out by someone else, he will probably just stay there until his statue crumbles under the weight of time.
- Location
- Best England - United Kingdom
In the context of a War Crimes Trial Desolas* Arterius if he wasn't going to spend the rest of entropy as rather ugly masonwork would have only one chance of avoiding the deepest, darkest pit that the court could find or the Hemp Fandango is if he somehow managed to convince the court that the bunker had lost protection as a civilian target**.
*Huh I've only just notice the pun in Desolas name Desolas=Desolate.
**By this I mean the real Rules of War not the turian's bullshit of nO cIvIlIaNs In cOmBaT zOnE!
*Huh I've only just notice the pun in Desolas name Desolas=Desolate.
**By this I mean the real Rules of War not the turian's bullshit of nO cIvIlIaNs In cOmBaT zOnE!
Alayne
The Reader
- Location
- Home of the Vikings
That's the thing though. The turians don't have civilians. They do have non-combatants. People that have removed themselves from the combat zone. Sealing yourself into a bunker counts.
So he would have been crucified in a turian court for that as well.
notably the stated reasoning for the boom means uhhhh... it very much hadn't.
Second Dyne's The Charm: Prologue
New
Grounders10
Nine-Tailed Kitsune
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada, Mars
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A Ranma ½ x Girl Genius Crossover
Second Dyne's The Charm
By: Grounders10
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Prologue
Breakthrough
-0-0-0-0-0-
A Ranma ½ x Girl Genius Crossover
Second Dyne's The Charm
By: Grounders10
-0-0-0-0-0-
Prologue
Breakthrough
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It had been raining for over a week and a half, and the forecast said it would be going for another week easily. Of course, the world moved on regardless of the rain and Nodoka Saotome certainly didn't have time to waste waiting for an entire week. Too much to do, too many things that needed her attention. Such was the life of an inventor.
She sipped from her thermos. Strong and dark just as she liked it. She drummed her fingers on the window of the SUV as it bounced through a pothole in the street.
There were a lot of those down this street. Then again, they were near Furinkan High. The High School was infamous for its violence which often spilled over into intense martial arts duels in the surrounding area. It was nothing new for the area. Unlike most of Tokyo Nerima was famous for its local Martial Arts scene and held frequent tournaments for improbable and obscure martial arts.
She had visited more than a few over the years keeping an eye out for her husband. The styles themselves interested her less than the energies the practitioners channelled. Ki was a fascinating phenomenon from which life seemed to spring. She had the barest personal interaction with it from her husband and her lessons on self-defence.
It didn't stop her from assisting with her Mother's many experiments in that field.
She sipped her coffee.
The SUV bounced through another pothole.
Lightning flashed through the sky, followed by the crack of thunder.
She raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to the glass looking up at the darkening evening sky. More flashes of lightning traced jagged lines across the sky. They were odd though. For all their jagged paths they seemed to have a direction… Yes… In fact…
"Three… two…" she whispered, "One."
Lightning crashed down on the roof of Furinkan High School, just visible a block away between the houses to her right. To her intrigue the thunder rolled on and on as a constant stream of lightning struck something atop the school. She leaned forward and tapped her driver on the shoulder.
"Change of plans, Howard. We're going to the school," she told him. He nodded.
"As you wish," he said, "Your mother won't be happy, however."
"My mother is not here," she replied sharply, "Now, get me there. I want to investigate this anomaly." She leaned back in her seat as the SUV accelerated and straightened her pleated skirt before undoing the buttons on her tight business jacket. She would need to move quickly once they stopped.
The SUV took the corner on two wheels. Nodoka barely noticed as she pulled her loose hair back into a ponytail and retrieved a pouch of convenient tools from under the seat. They would, hopefully, be of use.
Street lights abruptly popped and showered the street with a flash as they took the next corner. A transformer exploded into sparks as she hastily replaced her high heels with a pair of hefty combat boots that she had slipped under the front seat just in case some months ago. Then the SUV squealed to a halt outside the closed gate of the school yard. Above thunder roared as the storm vented its wrath into the machine.
"We're he-" the closing door cut her driver off as Nodoka closed the door behind her, already running for the gate, a belt of tools bouncing on her hip as she sprinted for the gate. A grin was on her lip as she jumped, grabbed the top of the gate, and kicked off the bars allowing her to use the smooth metal bars atop the gate as a fulcrum. She let go at just the right angle and sailed another dozen feet away from the gate. Her boots splashed in the large puddle that took up half the courtyard. Then she was away, arms pumping as she rushed the door.
It was possible that her escort was calling for her to slow down, but even if they hadn't been getting drowned out by the fury of the storm above, she still wouldn't have stopped. Her blood was pumping in her ears as she slipped a lockpick from her tool belt before reaching the door. The door was unlocked and she slipped it back into its pocket as she threw it open and sprinted in, slowing only slightly as she looked about for the stairs.
The thunder was significantly less loud inside the school, but she could still hear it bouncing off the walls.
She found the sign pointing to them at the same time she found a dozen students in lab coats stampeding down the steps.
"Run faster! We don't want her to seeee-" She snagged the one shouting at the others and spun him above to face her.
"What's going on up there?" she demanded as she slammed the lanky boy up against the wall.
"Let me go you-" He choked as his eyes focused on her. "Oh lord, it's like she gained a decade," he whispered under a whimper.
"What. Is. Going. On?" Nodoka repeated, enunciating clearly for the poor boy. Clearly someone the science club had taken pity on given how slow he seemed.
"It-It's Saotome!" he sputtered. Nodoka felt both eyes go up as she heard her Husband's last name. Well her own last name, officially, as well. For now, anyway. She schooled her thoughts quickly as the boy continued, "He's nuts! Gone mad as a box of crackers ranting about the weather!"
One of the other boys who had slowed down on seeing their intrepid leader, as much as a clear lackwit could be a leader, got restrained, and spoke up, "She forced us to disassemble the science lab after school! Then carry everything up to the roof!"
"We tried to run," another said, "But she's just- Just-" This boy's eyes were wide with horror as he shuddered.
"Mad. Totally mad," a fourth said, earning nods.
"He's still up there, ranting at the sky," The first said under her grip, "We're getting the hell out of here. Someone else can deal with whatever demon has possessed him."
"Oh I can't imagine it's that serious," she said, noting how they referred to this 'Saotome'. Both male and female, interesting.
"Well if you're crazy enough to… to…" The one in her grip trailed off as she smiled at him. "Oh gods, you're just as mad as she is."
She patted him on the head and let him go, giving him a push towards his friends. "Madness is relative," she chided, though she'd admit having a Spark made it guaranteed. "Straight up the stairs here?"
"Right on the roof," the second boy said as they pulled their friend behind them. She didn't wait anymore. They could easily leave the building if they had half a brain cell between them.
She took the stairs three at a time, her long legs eating at the steps rapidly. They also ate the walls as she kicked off the wall of the first landing rather than attempt to take the corner slower. With every flight the sound of thunder grew louder until she slipped disposable earplugs from her belt into her ears.
Proper protection could prevent many improper injuries.
She slammed bodily into the crash bar of the roof's door and skidded to a halt in the rain.
The machine was large, though she had seen and helped build larger in her time. A dozen lightning rods of copper, likely cannibalised from the building's electrical systems, pointed toward the sky from a jagged column of computer towers and what might have been the casing of a large boiler. Heavy cables ran along the ground to what were clearly battery boxes of some sort that filled half the rooftop space. From them, wires ran off the roof in a dozen directions.
And between her and the machine, silhouetted black in the searing light of the raging storm, was a girl. Nearly a foot shorter than her, she had one foot planted on a school chair, with one arm raised and shaking a fist toward the sky. Her hair seemed to be half loose and half tied off in a braid. Large earmuffs protected her ears. If her lips were moving, impossible to say from behind but Nodoka couldn't hear her if she was.
Her eyes didn't stay on the girl for long as a flash of arcing electricity bounced between several of the battery boxes.
"Oh no," she whispered into the storm before lunging forward. She grabbed the girl before throwing both of them through the stairway door. The girl bounced up in an immediate handstand before landing on the top step. No longer silhouetted, her red hair shone as vibrant and radiant as Nodoka's own. An impossibility in this typically dull world.
Unless certain impossibilities were true.
A look of rage was on the girl's face -- as much as could be seen through the tinted goggles she was wearing -- as Nodoka kicked the door shut and threw herself to the side, clamping both hands down over her ears. The younger girl took a step forward, clearly angry words on her lips before all prior noise was drowned out by an explosion that blew the door off its hinges. A door that caught the redhead head-on and carried them down the steps.
Nodoka winced as her ears rang from the proximity of the detonation, though relief was coming with alacrity in the silence. She stood up and peered out the doorway. A jagged flaming hole that was being swiftly flooded out was left where the machine had stood. A rod of copper was quivering in the concrete floor about a foot from the doorway. She shook her head and turned back to the steps where the impossible girl was shoving the door off her on the landing below.
She plucked the earplugs from her ears and started down the steps, her eyes taking in the other redhead. She seemed dazed, perhaps a touch confused. Certainly disoriented and the air of madness she had been radiating had seemingly evaporated.
Oh how she knew what that felt like.
She offered a hand to the girl, who hesitantly took it as she looked around with widening eyes. Nodoka pulled her up before gently removing the large pink earmuffs. "Hello there dear," she said with a reassuring smile, "Are you alright?"
"I- yeah, yeah," the girl said, patting herself down, an action that only served to highlight her lack of a bra. She restrained a tisk of disapproval. "I- What just happened?"
Ah, the confusion of coming down of one's first experience with the Madness of being a Spark. She slipped a flashlight from her pouch and lit it up. The girl winced again as it was shone in her face and the briefest flash of anger appeared before vanishing. It reminded her of her, though younger than herself when she broke through
.
"Something very good, but also very risky, dear," Nodoka said, brushing the girl's bangs aside so she could examine her face. She found one so similar to her own staring back with a rapidly more cognizant expression.
What had Genma gotten up to?
"My name is Nodoka Saotome, who might you be?" she asked the girl she was certain was somehow her daughter. Perhaps time travel was to blame? A child she'd yet to-
"Ranma Saotome," the girl said, derailing that line of thought quite nicely, "Saotome, really?" Her voice sounded odd.
"Yes, I'd ask what the odds were, but I'd say they were fairly high," Nodoka replied as she eyed the girl with red hair that, as she recalled, should have been a boy with black hair. She'd certainly taken after her side of the family for beauty at least. "Tell me, dear, when did my Husband Genma decide that travelling all the way to Jusenkyo was a brilliant idea?"
"Hus…" Ranma's eyes widened as Nodoka turned the flashlight around and pointed it at herself.
"Yes, we've been married for just under two decades now, though I haven't seen him since he ran off about, oh… A decade ago. With you," Nodoka said, brushing Ranma's hair behind her ear.
"You're my mother?" Ranma exclaimed, her voice jumping an octave as she stepped back into the wall.
"That I am, and I see you have finally taken after me in a much more important way than appearance," Nodoka said.
"But- I thought you were dead or ran away," Ranma said, running a hand through her own hair. The action undid the last bit of the hair tie and the braid came apart into scarlet waves across her shoulders. "I mean, I wouldn't have blamed you. It's pops, he's… Eh…" She shrugged, which did nothing to encourage confidence in her husband. "But…"
Nodoka rolled her eyes. "It was shortly after I had my own breakthrough. Quite late, but one develops their Spark when they develop it and not a moment sooner," she said.
"Spark?" Her son turned daughter asked.
Nodoka paused. "Did he not tell you about that?" she asked carefully. The frantic shake of her head was all the damnation she required. "It seems that there is a lot I need to share, but simply put, Spark is a talent for invention and innovation in spite of the laws of nature or common sense. Those with its gift can work wonders and horrors in equal measure, and I'm afraid at times tend towards a little bit of madness… Such as building a device to do something to the sky…?"
Ranma's eyes lit up. "You mean my Stormbreaker Three Thousand?" She said eagerly before coming up short with a blush. "Sorry. I- My brain is just racing with all these ideas and I got so caught up in it and- oh gods what did I do?" She bolted past Nodoka and up the steps to stare out at the roof. "What happened?"
"It seems to have exploded," Nodoka said as she climbed the steps, "Not unusual for a first invention. Or so my mother says. From what I can tell you had insufficient capacitors and not enough lines to offload it to the main."
Ranma grabbed her hair and tugged at it lightly in frustration. "But I went over it a dozen times! We redid the power system and everything twice!" She growled. Nodoka wrapped her arms around the young redhead from behind and rested her head on the younger's. She stiffened under her touch.
"This is normal for a first invention, my dear," she whispered, "Don't be disheartened. I'm guessing you intended to dissipate the storm?"
"Yes!" Ranma pulled forward out of her arms and turned around. Hints of madness danced in her eyes. "I'm sick and tired of the rain! Every time I go out, it's use an umbrella Ranma. Or Pop starts our spars by kicking me into the rain. Or someone thinks it's a brilliant idea to hide the umbrellas. 'Oh, but Ranma it's just a little bit of rain.' 'Oh Ranma, don't worry about it.' Stupid perverted jerks just want to see me in a wet shirt! Like they can't just find a magazine!"
Ah. And rather than sensibly take it out on her classmates, she'd decided the sky needed to pay. A smile of some pride formed on Nodoka's lips. Yes, she was certainly one of theirs alright. Her daughter. Though not doing either was probably the responsible action. They'd have to work on her self-control.
"Why don't we head downstairs? Our family home isn't terribly far from here," she said, "And I'm sure you have many questions." Madness shifted to curiosity and she knew she had her daughter.
"Yes," Ranma blurted out, before blushing.
"Then come along. We should go before the police decide to investigate," Nodoka chided, turning on her heel and hurrying down the steps. The soft padding of her daughter's feet was nearly inaudible beneath her own steps.
They found the gates wide open with Howard waiting beside the SUV. He held the door open for them, not even raising an eyebrow as Ranma climbed in. The door closed behind them and Howard quickly took the driver seat.
"You're pretty quick," Ranma said to the Smoke Knight in the front seat, "But you could be quieter." Nodoka blinked and then smirked as she caught sight of his widening eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Howard, meet my son, Ranma Saotome," she said, delighting in watching his eyes widen just a touch more, "I'm told there was a visit to Jusenkyo at some point."
"I see. A good evening, young master," Howard said, inclining his head in the mirror just a touch.
"... Are we rich?" Ranma asked, turning to her.
Nodoka stifled a sigh. She was really going to have words with her husband it seemed.
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The answer, it seemed, was yes as Ranma stared at the fifteen-foot-tall front gate. Writ across the bronze finish was a giant crowned Trilobite. It wasn't the only thing she noted. The guard in the gatehouse was only one of the people watching the perimeter of the large estate in the middle of Nerima. Not exactly in the middle, more just to the side away from the hustle and bustle. Certainly away from her normal adventures.
And this was certainly shaping up to be an unusual adventure. Her mind buzzed with thoughts as she counted off the guards -- fifteen on the ground another thirty in the trees and on roofs -- and the other hidden security measures -- five concealed weapons emplacements, sixteen slots that likely contained some sort of barbed wire or perhaps a simple trip wires, and of course the usual bollards. None of that accounted for the even stranger hints of other traps whose nature she couldn't guess. As the gate groaned open and a loud bell rang out she noted what had to be a minefield just behind the walls.
The long driveway led through a winding line of hedges -- in which she could see the hints of further traps concealed within the foliage -- before finally arriving in a large open courtyard before a Manor house. To the left was a garage, to the right a garden. Both seemed minimally boobytraped compared to the other areas.
Of course, her mind wasn't only on counting the traps and personnel -- another forty had been visible along the driveway. Perhaps it would have been before this afternoon, but not now. No, now she had ideas about how the mines worked, what sort of weapons were being hidden, how she could make the SUV go faster because the ride was boring, and trying to puzzle out where she had gone wrong with her weather machine that afternoon.
It was wrong. So, so wrong. She didn't think about machines, or feel curious about the principles of electricity, or even wonder what her mother looked like.
And now she did.
She'd been angry that afternoon after someone had, once again, been dumb enough to hide her umbrella. She'd already been a girl at the time due to an accident during lunch, and simply hadn't cared enough to turn back at the time. However, rather than resign herself to a run through the rain something had snapped. Something very, very, very deep inside her had snapped. Like a dam had crumbled and ideas had flooded forth.
Ideas for machines. Machines that could make the sky pay for her discomfort.
Ranma ran a hand through her loose hair as 'Howard' stepped out of the car and began to walk around it to let her out. She didn't normally lose her temper so much that things blurred together. After the Hiryu Shoten Ha she'd prided herself on her self control. It was no small thing for her to lose control like this and vow to…
She was pretty sure she'd been trying to suck the storm into the power grid which, in retrospect, probably wasn't the best idea. Barring the lack of equipment rated for such a stunt, she doubted the power grid was rated for swallowing storm fronts whole.
"Is everything alright?" the woman who claimed to be her mother asked.
That was another thing. Her 'Mother'. What were the odds of meeting your own mother out of the blue at a school when you couldn't remember seeing her before in your life? Admittedly the machine had made quite the beacon. It couldn't not be one, but still. Her 'Mother'. Admittedly the resemblance was uncanny. They had the same shade of hair, a vibrant red that seemed even brighter since her 'breakthrough'.
As a Spark. Whatever that was.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ranma said, waving her off. It didn't work as the older woman raised an eyebrow. Then the door was opened and another servant other than Howard held out an umbrella for her as she stepped out. On the other side her mother received the same treatment. They'd likely been warned ahead of time somehow…
Probably by the other three ninja-like servants who had been trailing the SUV.
They were rather good at the whole stealth, ninja thing, but she was better.
Her mind flicked back to the question of relations. If this was her mother, then why had they gone on a decade-long trip. Genma was in many ways Happousai's student, albeit far more subtle than the old perv and frankly Nodoka was a stunning lady who couldn't have even hit her forties yet.
Her 'Mother' stepped around the vehicle and smiled as she leaned an umbrella against her shoulder. "Shall we? Your Grandmother will be curious to meet you," she said.
"Assuming we're actually related," Ranma finally voiced.
"The odds of you looking like me, having a Spark, and somehow not being related to me as my child are extremely slim," the older woman said dryly, giving her umbrella a little twirl as if to spin the topic off into the distance.
That was a point, given that she'd never even heard of a Spark before she'd run into Nodoka. It was rather likely she was her mother… But still, she'd have thought her old man would at least mention her own mother.
Then again it was Genma and he was clearly hiding from something. Maybe the Spark? She'd just tried to kill a storm, who knew what her mother might have gotten up to at her age?
She fell into step with the older redhead and marched up the steps to the very wide five-storey manor house. Visible guards stood on either side of the double door, along with another dozen that had concealed themselves around the area. Honestly, it was a little ridiculous how many there were. Even the Kunos didn't keep this many people standing about for guard duty.
The double doors were surrounded by a mural of steampunk machines, gears, and what looked to be electricity. Written in what she was fairly sure was Latin, though the letters looked a little odd to her eyes. Then again, she didn't exactly know Latin herself.
It didn't stop part of her from trying to puzzle it out.
Progress was minimal by the time they stepped through the doorway -- held open by the guards -- and she put it aside as she took in the hall beyond, and it was a Hall. Statues of bronze men in seventeenth and eighteenth-century European garb stood on pedestals to either side. Their faces were a mixture of pride and madness as they held up a variety of strange metal items. Most of them were beyond her ability to explain other than the handful of swords mixed in… Though one might have been some sort of Tesla Coil. A thirty-foot high vaulted ceiling was painted with a fresco of…
Ranma tilted her head in puzzlement. Were those monsters? Robots? Robot monsters?
"It is rather confusing, isn't it?" Nodoka said, looking up with her as she absently handed off her umbrella to a servant. "I've never quite understood my mother's taste in art, but then she isn't exactly native to here."
Ranma blinked. "She's foreign?" she asked. It did fit with the style of the house and the uniforms of the guards and the statues and art. Was she European? English? No, not quite right. Central Europe? She'd spent a little time in France during the Chardin incident -- just remembering it sent a shudder down her spine.
"Very foreign, but we've lived here my entire life," her 'Mother' said as the woman turned in the hall as she appreciated the wall hanging and statues. She glanced down at the colourfully patterned rugs atop the tiled floor.
Ranma glanced about. The place was lavish, with gold trim everywhere and what furniture was in this entrance hall was very finely made from what she could see. This was…
How did her father get involved with people like this?
"How did you and Pops meet?" Ranma asked, snapping Nodoka out of her distracted thoughts. A smirk crossed her mother's face.
"Isn't that a question you should ask before you get into a stranger's car?" she asked with some amusement.
Ranma shrugged. "Not like I'd have much issue leaving if I want to," she said, "You've only got forty-nine guards here." That made her mother blink and glance around at the empty hall. Ranma gestured to the ceiling as she started pacing, "There're small circular grooves in the fresco which are likely some form of trap. My money is on a gas dispenser of some sort. The Statues are very nice, but I've heard ticking coming from them and despite the fancy uniforms I can still spot joints on them. I'm sure they're quite formidable."
Her eyes swept the floor. "I could hear a slight splashing coming from under the floor as we walked in. It's intermittent so some of this floor is covering deadfalls into some sort of fish tank."
"Piranhas actually. Mother created a genetically modified version that always feels hungry but doesn't actually require much food," Nodoka said absently, "I've always preferred sharks."
"And I'm guessing due to the pattern that most of the floor is actually covering a variety of deadfall traps as well," Ranma continued, pushing aside the question as to why her possible Grandmother would need a hall full of man-eating fish traps.
"Very good Analysis, though you are missing a few things," Nodoka said with a wide smile.
"Oh?" Ranma raised her eyebrow, her curiosity now peaked. To her disappointment, the older woman shook her head.
"I'll leave it to you to find them. Consider it a challenge," she said before starting toward the archway at the end of the hall, "Come along, Mother is likely taking dinner right about now. She'll want to meet you."
Ranma followed, her eyes glancing about for what she might have missed. Firing holes perhaps? Hidden panels with more things like those statues?
"Your father and I met in my last year of High School," Nodoka said as they left the hall. Her voice was nostalgic. "I was just an ordinary girl, not yet a Spark and he was a talented travelling martial artist. Very talented. Enough that he even managed to sneak past my mother's Smoke Knights -- those guards you've mentioned -- to leave me letters and gifts. I think that's part of what made my mother give approval when it came time to be married."
"Putting the old perv's teachings to use," Ranma observed. She didn't doubt for a second the old perv could break through the security she'd seen so far.
"Hmm, yes him. I wasn't upset to hear they'd locked him in a cave. Happousai bothered me more than a few times," Nodoka tisked, "But he taught your father well enough." She scoffed and shook her head. "We met in the park. He can be charming when he wishes to be."
Ranma nodded, her eyes scanning the hallway they were in. Carpeted, with more traps of course. Was the entire manor just one gauntlet of traps?
"At least, he could be. It has been a decade. How is your father?" She asked, pausing with one hand hooked into her tool belt.
Ranma rolled her eyes. "Fine? Was he already bald when we left?" she asked.
"Sadly yes. He lost his lovely hair rather abruptly and I was trying to find a cure for it when he ran off," Nodoka sighed.
"Well he's still bald. We're living with the Tendos at the moment," Ranma said.
"Ah, Soun and Kimiko. I haven't seen them since before…" She shook her head, "How are they? I believe they were expecting a third daughter…?"
Ranma hesitated. Her mother stared at her expectantly.
"Is something wrong?" the older redhead asked.
"Mrs. Tendo passed away years ago from an illness," Ranma said, watching her mother carefully. A look of horror passed over her mother's face.
"What?" she asked, her voice squeaking.
"I think it was cancer, but they don't talk about it much," Ranma said, shaking her head.
Nodoka swallowed and nodded. Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I- I see," she said, turning away for a second. A cloth was pulled from a pocket and she dabbed at her sides. "I- How are they?"
"... It's a bit complicated. Why don't I explain as we walk?" Ranma suggested. Her mother nodded and started walking again. After that display, and its involuntary nature, she was pretty sure that this was her mother. The odds of meeting her like this were far too long for her taste, but life was weird that way and she'd seen strange coincidences since coming to Nerima.
Mother. She eyed the woman as they walked. She'd never thought much about it, but what was it like having a mother? Having a father was a combination of relentless irritation and half-baked advice that sometimes worked out. Unless it was Martial Arts, in which case he was usually a little better.
Usually.
She followed her mother through an archway into another hallway then up a spiral staircase that led to the second floor. They passed more than a few rooms as they walked, and servants. There were a lot of servants who made sure to clear a path for them. Finally, they found a second staircase -- she had to wonder if they were set so far apart in case the building was attacked -- and shortly after her Mother waved for her to stop at an open door.
"Wait here for a moment," Nodoka said before stepping into the room. Ranma stepped up closer to the door but didn't stick her head around the corner. That was a classic way to get caught snooping. "Mother? Are you in- There you are."
"Nodoka, dear… Why are you dressed for hard work? I sent you to pick up a few things, not fix a clank," an older, though quite strong woman's voice said. She had an accent that Ranma couldn't place.
"Something came up, Mother," Nodoka said, with a tone of apology.
"Something came up."
"Yes."
There was a moment of pause before her Grandmother asked with a biting tone, "Well are you going to stand there or tell me what came up?"
"Yes, Mother. Ranma, would you please come in," Nodoka called.
Ranma's mind buzzed with questions and ideas as she hurried inside. An older woman, in perhaps her late fifties though she looked somewhat younger with not a hint of grey in her blazing red hair, was sitting at a small dining table beside the window of a neatly decorated sitting room. It was notably less ostentatious than the rooms on lower floors. Her half-finished meal was sitting on the table. A well-dressed middle-aged man with grey hair and… A second pair of arms holding clipboards.
Ranma boggled at the man for a moment. The robot statues, the traps -- including the markings for more gas nozzles in the dining room's ceiling -- could all be explained. The Kunos had similar after all. But extra arms? She couldn't think of an explanation for that which made sense.
"Ranma?" the woman exclaimed, staring at Ranma for a moment before turning to her daughter. "Did you hit your head? Or have you somehow managed to forget that you gave birth to a boy? Oh, this has to do with that daft artificial mind project of yours doesn't it?" She tossed the hand towel in her hands onto the table hard enough to send it rocking back and forth.
"Jusenkyo is involved, Mother," Ranma's mother interjected, "A little over a year ago Genma took them both there. They were both cursed."
"You've tested it?" Ranma's grandmother demanded sharply.
"Well… No, we hadn't gotten to that," Ranma's mother admitted, earning a tisk of irritation.
The older woman shook her head in clear disappointment. "Always test claims first. I can understand your excitement, but getting ahead of yourself can get you killed. Especially when we travel to Europa," she barked, before doing the one thing Ranma had been expecting and tossing the contents of her teacup over Ranma.
The moment the liquid touched her skin it was like her head was filled with cotton balls. As he expanded into his clothes properly it was like he'd been concussed. The buzz of ideas and thoughts that she had been getting used to vanished like they had never existed while the world seemed to drain of colour. It was impossible, but compared to before it was like the vibrancy of the world had been reduced to black and white. Not literally, but nothing popped anymore. Nothing stood out.
He stumbled, grabbing a nearby chair as he shook his head trying to clear it. What was going on?
"Ranma?" His mother shouted, rushing to his side. She gently pushed him into a chair. "What's wrong? Talk to me?" She was somehow wielding one of those magnifying rods with the light that doctors used as she shone it into his eye.
"I- I feel foggy," he said after a moment, shaking his head, "The buzzing stopped." Over her shoulder he caught sight of his probable Grandmother's eyes widening in surprise before she grabbed a pitcher of ice water.
"Nodoka, move!" she barked, and his mother barely sidestepped the contents of the pitcher before they washed right over him, and washed away the fog over her mind.
Ranma coughed as colour returned to the world. Even sound and touch felt so much more alive as she wiped the water off her face. "What- What the hell was that?" she demanded, her temper flaring, "What did you do to me?" She surged to her feet angrily, stomping a foot hard enough for something under the carpet to let out an ominous crack.
"Speaking like that to your grandmother is most inappropriate-" The middle-aged mutant started up before she fixed him with a glare that made him swallow nervously.
"Be. Silent," she hissed.
"Yes. It would be best for you to stay out of this. In fact, Tanaka, please clear the room. No servants. Family only," Ranma's Grandmother said as she smoothly retook her seat, "And send up some extra food. I imagine Ranma is quite hungry."
Ranma's stomach chose that moment to growl, inserting embarrassment into her burning anger. She glanced away, flushed.
"Exactly. Please, sit, you too Nodoka," the oldest woman in the room said as she returned to her food.
Ranma fixed her Grandmother with a disgruntled stare as she took her seat.
"What happened, Mother?" her mother asked, leaning forward against the table.
"Jusenkyo happened," the older woman said before turning to Ranma and to her surprise, favouring her with a smile. "Welcome home, Granddaughter."
"I'm a guy," Ranma replied, earning a surprising scoff from the older woman.
"For now, perhaps," she said, "But Jusenkyo has dealt you with quite the unfavourable hand it seems."
Nodoka shook her head. "You can't possibly mean what I think you mean," she said.
"And what do you think I mean? We both witnessed the same thing. It's quite clear the spark abandoned her the moment she returned to being a him," Ranma's Grandmother said.
Abandoned her? Well… If the Spark was the source of her ideas and her enhanced perception then that would make some sense. Though why something like that would be limited to her girl form and not shared between both was a good question. Ranma worried on her lower lip as she turned the puzzle over in her head.
Injuries passed over just fine. Both sides grew normally. He and she shared physical conditioning.
"So why not a Spark?" she asked aloud, both older women turned to her.
"Why not a Spark?" her Grandmother asked. This close, and with her temper waning a touch, Ranma could see the family resemblance, though the older woman lacked the roundness in the face that both Ranma and Nodoka shared. Her Grandmother had much higher cheekbones and sharp edges.
"I mean, both forms share everything else. Injury, exercise, growth, at least as much as is possible… So why not a Spark?" she asked.
"Think about it for a moment," Her Grandmother said as she sliced up a large steak, "You've just answered the question after all."
Ranma frowned. What did she mean by… Oh. "'As much as is possible'," she whispered, "So… Do I not have a Spark as a guy or is there something with magic that means I need to breakthrough twice?" She twitched at the thought. Losing her sense of reason for a day and ripping apart her school while bullying the science club to work for her had been exhilarating, but also in hindsight not exactly an experience she wanted to have again.
"Who can say? What I can say is that your female form seems to be a Spark while for now your male form does not," Her Grandmother said, "Curious. Very curious. If you weren't family I would be tempted to run a few experiments." She took a bite of her steak.
"Mother, we've talked about that," Ranma's mother said.
"Hmm, yes. Your squeamishness. Mind you, it is what makes this world so comparatively pleasant. Being surrounded by people with morals and ethics. It's far more peaceful than back home," Her Grandmother said, earning a resigned sigh from Nodoka. The older woman shook her head. "Now, it's time for an introduction. Ranma, I am Katarina Sturmvoraus nee Blitzengard of the House of Valois."
"That sounds European," Ranma said.
"Hmm, yes it does, but I'm afraid I'm from rather… further afield, than that," Katarina said, "For you see, it is not this world's Europa I, nor this property, come from."
Ranma stared. "Excuse me?"
Her Grandmother smiled mysteriously. "My dear, I and your mother come from another world entirely. One where people like us are commonplace. Where science for the sake of it is the order of the day. One far less staid and peaceful than this world," she said, "And with your help, we may just be able to return at last."
-0-0-0-0-0-
The school was closed when Ukyo Kuonji reached it after walking through the light rain. She had wondered as much when she'd turned the corner and spotted the crowd of students gathered around the gate and several police cars. Curious, she pushed her way through the crowd until she reached the caution tape perimeter. A few officers were keeping an eye on the crowd while another was shouting over the confused students.
"Your school is closed for the day. Please, head home immediately," the officer said, "You will not be in any trouble for missing class. Please keep an eye on the local news stations, a statement will be released shortly on what has happened."
"Ukyo!" The okonomiyaki chef was jostled to the side as a slightly shorter girl with dark blue, nearly black, hair pushed through next to her with an umbrella. "What's going on?" asked Akane Tendo. The other girl was something of a romantic rival, what with them both being tacitly engaged to Ranma Saotome, but they usually got on fairly well.
"I have no idea, I just got here," she replied, adjusting the giant metal spatula on her back as it bounced against the back edge of her umbrella. She glanced around for the familiar black-haired boy, but there didn't seem to be a sign of their mutual fiance. "Where's Ranchan?"
"I was hoping you knew," Akane grumbled before grabbing her by the arm and pulling her back through the crowd.
Once they were out of the crowd and under the awning of a nearby corner store Ukyo asked, "What do you mean you 'hoped I knew'?"
"He never came home yesterday. No one has a clue where he went," Akane said, looking frazzled, "And now the school is closed… Are those police officers on the roof?" She pointed up at the chain link fenced rooftop.
The chef followed her pointed hand to the roof. Great chunks of the fencing were missing or torn to pieces while the distinctive uniforms of police officers could be seen alongside several firemen and someone wearing a hard hat.
"What the hell happened?" Ukyo wondered as her eyebrows rose. That wasn't a small thing.
"I have no idea," Akane said, "Did the officers say anything?"
"Would they? It's an ongoing investigation," she asked in reply. Akane frowned.
"I mean… If the school's wrecked, and Ranma's missing…" Akane trailed off.
"Ranchan's gotten involved in something again," Ukyo finished. It certainly fit the pattern, and this time she had no intention of staying out of the fight. Not like the last few times. She would be involved. "Let's get back to your house. We're going to need some help to try and track Ranchan down."
"Yeah… Ugh, Ranma, where are you?" Akane grumbled as they raised their umbrellas and hurried back into the rain aiming for the Tendo House.
"Getting caught up in something he shouldn't, sugar. Again," Ukyo replied. Akane grunted her agreement and silence fell as they ran.
-0-0-0-0-0-
The bed was far too soft. Not because it made sleep impossible, but because it made Ranma very much not want to get up again. She let out a small sound of contentment as she cuddled her pillow. This was so much better than the Tendos. Hell, it was so much better than the Chardin's and they were rather wealthy. Best of all, the only strings it came with were ones she was born with and they didn't include marrying anyone.
She had spent much of the evening and into the night talking with her Mother and Grandmother. The topics had been many, from science to personal history to science to genealogy to science to reminiscing about her mother's younger days and finally, back to science.
Ranma was starting to think she had taken a liking to science.
But that had been the night before and it had been exhausting and thorough. She had to be, after all, their claim of being related was ridiculous but apparently true. Finally convinced she hadn't hitched a ride on impulse with a stranger pretending to be family -- as opposed to a stranger who was family -- Ranma had asked after a bath -- which had included the disturbingly unpleasant experience of being dull and witless -- and followed it up shortly with bed and sleep.
Just as the sun rose.
Now she didn't want to leave the bed, content to cuddle the fluffy pillows until she fell back to sleep. Unfortunately, it seemed others had different thoughts.
The doors of her new room swung open nearly silently and the redhead pulled her covers tighter as a cohort of maids stormed the room. The one in charge, a Japanese woman with greying black hair and crows feet, strode to Ranma's side.
"Excuse me, Young Mistress, but it's time to get up," she said as she attempted to pull back the covers.
Ranma mumbled something and curled tighter.
A maid threw open the windows to reveal the dreary cloudy day sunlight. Others were laying out clothing on the modest round table elsewhere in the room.
The leading maid tisked. "Young Mistress, your Grandmother desires your presence, as such you must get up," she chided.
Ranma cracked an eye open and stared at the older woman with a surprising amount of venom. All she wanted was to relax, be comfy. "Go 'way," she grumbled before closing her eye.
"Very well. The hard way it is," she sighed, snapping her fingers. Maids swarmed the bed on either side and in moments Ranma's bundle of bedding was lifted from the mattress, her included. "To the bath!"
Ranma's eyes flew open as the maids, chanting apologies, carried her out of the room over their heads like a sacrifice. "Wait! I'm up!" She shouted as she attempted to struggle out of her cocoon only to find that she had no leverage to work with.
"It is nice to see you awake, young Mistress," the leading maid said before snapping her fingers again, "I'm sure your grandmother will be happy to see you. Once you're dressed." The Maids did an about-face, spinning Ranma above them in the process, and marched back to the bed.
Ranma didn't so much as bounce, as sink when she was tossed onto the bed. She emerged from her bundle of bedding a few moments later and gave the older woman a stink eye. "Who are you?" she asked as she brushed the sleep from her eyes.
"I am Michi Hase, the senior maid your Grandmother has assigned to you, Young Mistress," the maid said as she bowed. Other maids were already pulling aside the blankets and nudging Ranma out of bed.
Why were they calling her 'Young Mistress'? Had her Grandmother not mentioned the curse? The redhead yawned as she was practically pulled out of bed and deposited in the seat of a brass-rimmed makeup vanity. A maid set to work on her hair with a brush.
Ranma decided to bring it up with her Grandmother after she'd woken up properly.
"Nice to meet you," she said, yawning again.
"Your Grandmother has requested your presence in her laboratory, as soon as possible," Michi said.
Why did she want her in her laboratory? "Where is her laboratory?" Ranma asked, the faint buzzing of ideas in the back of her head slowly returning to life as she woke up. They'd talked about quite a bit the night before, but was this about one of the many topics from then or something new?
"I will be showing you the way, young Mistress," Michi said.
"Fine, but you better not try to shove me in a dress," She replied after another yawn.
Twenty minutes later, Ranma found herself walking down the main hallway from the entrance hall toward a far door wearing a t-shirt and shorts pulled from her mother's old clothing. They were a touch snug up top, but better at the hips than Akane's were.
Michi held the door open for Ranma as she stepped out onto an ornate stone bridge decorated with brass gargoyles, only for what little tiredness there was to disappear as she looked up and up further at the European castle that loomed overhead, utterly dwarfing the manor house. Michi held an umbrella over them to keep the light spitting rain off them.
"Um…" Ranma said intelligently as her mind swirled. There had been no sign of a castle on the grounds, let alone one large enough to compare with skyscrapers. Curtain walls of giant marble blocks that were as tall as the manor encircled it, which should have been visible from the street. The dozen-odd towers and their interconnecting bridges and small buildings that all stood above the walls should have also been visible so…
It couldn't be seen from the road, or the drive. It loomed well over the entire property but if she… Yes, from the edge of the bridge where it met the manor, there was a distortion. A ripple in the air ran the length of the building before becoming too faint to properly track. A field of some kind. Illusion? No, but perhaps some kind of hologram? That's what it was called with science, wasn't it?
She hummed, producing an overlapping two-toned effect absently. Her mind was occupied with how such a thing was possible as she absentmindedly followed the maid toward the tall gates of the castle. The same crowned trilobite as the front gates sat in the center of the curtain wall gate in brass.
So lost in her thoughts she was, that Ranma barely registered walking through the gate and across a courtyard to the central keep with its four towers. A large tracked vehicle, far larger than any tank she had ever heard of, filled much of the space while another gravel path led off toward a different wall. More traditionally uniformed troops with bright red and white jackets and body armour jogged through the courtyard singing along with their sergeant's marching song.
The surrounding buildings were bustling with people visible in windows and strange machines clanking about. Her attention wandered only slightly as a four-legged bronze machine with too many reaching arms filled with crates walked in front of them and Michi quickly pulled her back from stepping into its path.
The fact it seemed to run on a large steam boiler while also lacking a driver was very strange to Ranma. There were much better sources of power than a steam engine in this day and age. Though, the signs of weathering suggested it was probably decades old. Enough that it had likely come with her Grandmother.
"We are not far now, Young Mistress," Michi said as she opened the door of the main keep.
"Hmm," Ranma glanced her way with a touch of irritation.
The room beyond was more of an overt fortification than the Manor's entrance. Tight, with clear firing lines and covered in just enough ostentatious decoration Ranma almost couldn't spot the many traps hidden amongst them. What exactly they did she couldn't say and she didn't particularly care enough to waste her time speculating. The field around the castle was a much more interesting topic to her.
They took a set of stairs down and Michi stopped by a large set of double doors to either side of which stood a pair of robots. Made of bronze with smooth, round bodies and egg-like limbs, their short fingers held large guns at rest. Their shifting collections of photoreceptors adjusted to stare at Ranma and Michi before one reached over and opened the door revealing more steps leading down in a spiral. Flickering fluorescent lamps lit the long staircase.
"Welcome. The Mistress. Is. Expecting you," it said in a heavily synthesised voice.
Ranma nodded as she followed Michi down the steps. They let out into a large vaulted chamber over thirty feet tall. Massive machines filled much of the space. Wires ran in bundles suspended from above. Pipes led from one machine to another and an entire segment of the room seemed walled off by dozens of see-through vats filled with green liquid and a variety of unidentifiable occupants.
Small robots zipped and scuttled about the room carrying parts or papers from one place or station to another alongside hundreds of men and women dressed in lab coats or overalls. It was a mass of chaotic movement that had Ranma's head spinning as she tried to take it all in at once. To understand everything she was seeing. It was, unfortunately, impossible. Her education left her unable to identify even a tenth of what was going on as more than 'some guy welding or poking things'.
Ranma tugged on the end of her braid in frustration. Why didn't she pay more attention before? She wanted to know how these things worked! Even watching them gave her ideas but at the same time, she was barely sure where to start.
She let out a frustrated sigh. Why did this bother her so much now? She hadn't cared before and now she did. Was that the Spark? An insatiable need to know? A hunger for knowledge that she'd never experienced before?
Michi led her through the chaos with the grace of long practice before they dipped through a smaller door and then through another a few meters down the hallway.
"Here we are," Michi said as they reached the end of the hallway. She knocked on the door.
"Come in," Katarina called through the door.
Michi pushed the door open and stepped aside. Ranma nodded and walked in. The maid closed the door behind her leaving her in a room not entirely dissimilar to the main laboratory, though on a much smaller scale.
Work desks and machine tools filled much of the room with racks of tools, and shelves full of materials and parts filling out the rest. A table that looked not out of place in a morgue sat beside a large empty glass vat while CRT displays and assorted electronics surrounded a large desk in the far corner. It was there that her Grandmother was seated, looking up from some paperwork with a sandwich in her free hand.
"Ah, Ranma, how did you sleep dearie?" she asked warmly as Ranma carefully made her way through the room.
"The bed was amazing," she replied as she paused to examine a strange collection of metal coils, "But I'd have liked some more sleep. We were up late." It was better than the time she'd practised for the fight against Kodachi. Perhaps the device was some sort of electrical generator? Though she couldn't think of what the glass bowl was supposed to do…
"It's already nearly one in the afternoon. Much longer and you'd have to take up a nocturnal sleep cycle," the older woman chided, eliciting a blush from her.
"I've had worse," she mumbled, "so, you wanted to see me, Grandmother?"
"Yes… Hold this for a second," Katarina held out a bronze disk with a couple of blinking red lights on it.
Confused, Ranma accepted it, only to yelp as something stabbed her hand. "Ow, fuck!" she dropped the disk straight into her Grandmother's waiting hands.
The older woman glanced at the disk, now with its lights glowing a solid steady green. "Excellent. You are family," she said with a smile before dropping it on the desk without further thought.
"That hurt!" Ranma hissed angrily, glaring at her Grandmother who smiled back apologetically.
"My apologies, Ranma, but as I've told your mother, always verify," she said gently, reaching into a drawer of her desk. The spray bottle she produced held a faintly glowing green liquid. "Let me see that hand."
Ranma hesitated before, far more cautiously, holding out her hand. The spray stung, but after a few moments the small puncture in her hand was sealed. A folded ball of tissues wiped the remaining blood away.
"There we go, good as new," her Grandmother said, patting her on the back of the hand. Ranma stared at the spot, examining her hand closely.
"How did you do that?" she asked as she ran a finger over the spot. It was a touch warmer than the rest of her hand.
"A mixture of chemicals designed to promote a very brief burst of rapid cellular growth. It was quite a pain to get it to stop causing cancer or abrupt immolation of the recipient's local area, but the formula has been stable and safe for nearly a decade now," Katarina said with pride.
Ranma nodded slowly. Chemistry was not a strong area for her and her knowledge of medicine was limited to first aid and what pressure points she'd picked up over the years. "So now that you've stabbed me," she said, letting a touch of irritation show, which in turn seemed to cause some amusement in her Grandmother, "Is there another reason you asked for me?"
"Yes. This," her Grandmother said, placing a jewellery box on the desk. Ranma took it carefully and opened it.
"A wristwatch?" she asked while holding up a very pretty silver wristwatch decorated with small gemstones and crowned trilobites.
"Of a sort," her Grandmother said, "You see, we have someone in our employ that has also gained a Jusenkyo curse. Theirs was more voluntary than your own and was intended to give them a form they felt was more appropriate for themselves. As a gift your mother and I made that item. Well, another of the same item. It should grant you some control over which form you're in."
Ranma stared at the wristwatch in shock. "It can allow me to control the curse?" she asked.
"Yes."
Only one word stood out in her mind.
How?
Evidently, she'd said it aloud as her Grandmother laughed. "Jusenkyo curses are curious things. They're nearly entirely self-contained energy patterns that exert macro-scale alterations on biology when exposed to the correct stimuli. I could spend hours just talking about how they do so, or how it regains its otherwise negligible energy loss from the host's own Ki, but the short answer to your specific question is we create interference. If the energy pattern doesn't register the correct aetheric material pattern, in this case, water over forty-eight degrees centigrade, it won't trigger… And yes I can have the notes made available to you if you're curious," her Grandmother finished as Ranma started bouncing in place as she listened.
"YES!" Ranma pumped a fist before blushing hard. "I-" She lowered her fist hesitantly.
Her Grandmother frowned. "Is something wrong, dear?" she asked.
Ranma licked her lips and ran a nervous thumb over the wristwatch. "It's just… I've never been interested in science before," she admitted, "And now I am and it feels…"
Her Grandmother nodded with an understanding smile. "You'll get used to it," she said, placing a hand over Ranma's, "I promise. Now, why don't you put it on and I'll walk you through how to get it set up properly?"
It turned out that despite being practically miraculous as far as Ranma could tell, the device was very simple to use. It was, of course, a very accurate clockwork wristwatch, but it also had two buttons to control her curse. One which flicked the interference on and off, and another which prevented the other one from being triggered accidentally. Of course, she could also just remove it if she wanted to.
"Thank you, Grandma," Ranma said as she admired the workmanship of the watch, "But why give this to me? I'm used to changing back and forth and I'm really a guy so…" The 'its a little fancy' bit was left unsaid.
"And do you still want to be a boy most of the time?" Her Grandmother asked. Ranma flinched. "Your male side has not, for whatever reason, broken through. Your mind reverts to a pre-spark state when you change. I saw how you reacted to it and the maids mentioned that you appeared quite disoriented after your bath last night."
Ranma clutched the wristwatch as she swallowed nervously. "... It's not the most comfortable," she admitted weakly, "All my ideas just vanish and it's like the world loses all its colour and vibrancy. I feel…"
"Witless." Ranma glanced sharply at her Grandmother as the older woman gave her a commiserating look. "Europa was a dangerous place. It likely still is and it is not unheard of for Sparks to suffer brain damage and lose all ability to be Sparks. Their testimonies are very similar to what you've just described."
"Oh…" Was that what her original form was now? Damaged? Broken? Defective? It felt that way. It was an ugly feeling that gnawed at her. "I don't like it. I don't like feeling broken," she said finally, "But I'm not sure I want to be a girl all the time."
"Then this gives you a choice," her Grandmother said, gesturing to the wristwatch, "from your Mother and I to you."
"Thank you… Where is Mom anyways?" Ranma asked.
"Picking up your school records. She'll be responsible for arranging for some proper scientific education as well. A Spark's work is only as good as their foundational knowledge," her Grandmother said, "And I'm sure the thought of being able to bring your ideas to life is exciting."
Ranma couldn't help the grin she gave in return or the thrill that ran through her. It was like the very idea of building and inventing and testing was akin to the high she got in a good fight.
"For now, while your Mother's away, let's try and bring a few smaller ideas to life," her Grandmother said before gesturing to a corner of her workshop where a neatly organized table, which stood out from the clutter of everywhere else, sat with boxes and racks of tools and parts around it. "That workstation is yours, Granddaughter. Show me what you can do."
The opportunity to bring some of her ideas to life combined with the innate undercurrent of challenge to her Grandmother's words was exciting enough Ranma didn't even give a second thought to being called a 'Granddaughter' as she descended on tools and parts and ooh what was this for?
-0-0-0-0-0-
"Sakuma… Sakurai… Sasaki… It should be right here," Nodoka muttered as she flipped through the filing cabinet in the back of Furinkan's offices. Technically she wasn't supposed to be in there, but with the police cordoning off the building to everyone except the staff she didn't really have a choice but to sneak in. Admittedly she could have asked Howard to do it. Smoke Knights were trained for espionage and stealing a copy of Ranma's educational records would have been childs play.
Which is why she had decided to do it for both the practice and the excitement.
Slipping by the police had been easy and the side doors weren't locked any more than the front door had been. Her problem wasn't getting in. Her problem was finding the records. The office had divided the records into boys and girls and when she'd failed to find her son's records in the boys cabinet she'd checked the girls. It made some sense she supposed that some teachers might identify Ranma as a girl more than a boy depending on which form they saw more often. There was just one small issue with that theory.
The file wasn't there either.
"Where is it?" she muttered, feeling her ire starting to rise. She quashed the impulsive urge to tear apart the Vice Principal's computer to build a clank that could redo the search for her. Or perhaps she could bully one of the staff- no, no too risky with the police on site. Though…
"Computer," she muttered. Perhaps they kept Ranma's records entirely digital. If Ranma was any bit as rambunctious as his father had been at his age then perhaps they found it easier to keep than a large folder. It would make printing it out easier at least.
She closed the filing cabinet, though not before taking a glance at the folder for 'Tendo, Akane'. The girl who was her Husband's pick for their child. The list of violent acts committed against other students, and even teachers, was exceptionally long. Clearly the girl was either a violent maniac, or one of those Hero types her mother occasionally complained about when one of her out of house projects went sideways. Her grades were fairly good, however, so whatever the reason for the many incidents she at least kept her priorities straight. Ukyo Kuonji's file had been with the boys for some strange reason and had its own interesting notes about violent behaviour and operating a business on school grounds without permission.
She was sensing a trend in her husband's choices.
Slightly distracted, Nodoka stepped out of the filing room and promptly bumped into a child.
"Wah!" The small brunette girl in an oversized sweater dress cried out as she tried to stabilize the glass bowl full of fish in her hands.
Nodoka immediately reached out using a hand to catch the edge of the bowl. They both stared at it as the water wobbled and slowly stilled. She noted the pair of fighting fish inside.
"I'm so sorry, dear. Are you alright?" she asked the girl.
"I'm fine… I don't recognize you. Who are you?" the girl asked with a frown as she looked up at Nodoka.
"No one important. Is your mother around here? I'm surprised they even let someone bring their daughter with them since they've stopped the students from coming in," Nodoka said, standing up and eyeing the office. She didn't see signs of anyone else. No police officers or teachers.
"I'm not a student, I'm a teacher," the girl said with an indignant huff, "And I don't recognize you which means you're not supposed to be back here! Who are you?!" She stamped her foot hard.
Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure who you take me for, but I have never heard of a school hiring someone as young as you," she replied sternly. Honestly, children these days.
The girl ground her teeth together before holding a hand over the bowl of fish. There was a rush of something from the bowl in the blink of an eye, the little was replaced by a grown woman. Tall, with wide hips and large breasts that were covered by the suddenly undersized sweater dress.
"I am Hinako Ninomiya, English teacher. Who are you?" she demanded with a stern tone, flicking a coin up and down in her free hand.
Nodoka eyed her for a moment. Judging by the sort of people who attended this school and her confidence there was a solid likelihood that Ms. Ninomiya knew how to fight though… She fought the urge to demand how she did that. It was clearly something with Ki, everyone who did strange things did it with Ki other than her mother. Which meant she was likely a better Martial Artist than she was.
"Nodoka Saotome. I'm here to make a copy of my son's academic record, but I can't seem to find it," she said honestly. She hadn't altered anything nor taken anything, so she couldn't be said to be cheating or stealing. The best they could get would be trespassing and being a school they were likely to simply escort her out.
To her bemusement, the other woman groaned. "Of course you are," she said, "I see where he gets his delinquent habits."
"I'm afraid any habits he has he either developed himself or gained them from my Husband," she replied with a small smile, "I'm afraid we only just reunited after the decade-long training trip that my husband took him on. Without permission."
"I see," Hinako said, flicking the coin up and catching it, "And why are you so curious about your son's records that you would sneak past a police cordon just to get access? You could have waited for the school to reopen, or at least until the police left."
"Because my son awoke a talent from my family in his female form," she replied, crossing her arms in front of her. She surreptitiously tapped the transmitter in her wristwatch, tapping out a Morse code update to her guards. Assuming they weren't hiding somewhere in the room with them. "It benefits from a solid grounding in the sciences and I wanted to know sooner rather than later. Now, where are his records?" She asked as though she hadn't just been caught trespassing.
"I should be handing you over to the police since you've broken in during their investigation," Hinako huffed, "Fortunately for you, I am paid to deal with delinquent students, not their parents. If you're looking for Ranma's records the Principle keeps them in his office."
"Which is where?" Nodoka asked.
"Somewhere. He changes it constantly and dares the students to find it whenever he institutes another of his games," she said, rolling her eyes. She set her bowl of fish down on the secretary's desk and sat on the edge of it. Every few seconds she'd sweep a hand over the bowl.
Nodoka tapped out an order to find the principal's office. Manpower would be best here. However, she also had an opportunity. "What sort of games?" she asked. A principal who set out puzzles for his students to solve was one who clearly cared for his students.
"The principal likes attempting to put in place unpopular… dress codes for the students. Usually hairstyles," she said, "He knows they're unpopular as well and usually hides in his office promising to cancel the whole thing if the students can get whatever get out of rules card he's hidden somewhere in the school." She sounded quite unimpressed by what seemed to be a very good team-building exercise for the school. Threatening to impinge on students' personal styles would go over poorly amongst those used to having choice, but would also provide a strong motivation for them to work together.
"He often gets the other teachers involved in his games," she continued, "Forcing them to dress up in various costumes. Sometimes dressing as decoys, other times as statues of himself, or… Well, we would be here a while if I said everything I've seen over the last few months."
He did sound a bit like one of her mother's stories. A more tame and subdued version of some of the madboys of Europa. "Well it sounds like it could be far worse. An unconventional method of building unity amongst the students," she noted, "That doesn't answer why he would be keeping my son's records in his office, however."
"Ranma is normally the one who stops him," Hinako replied, crossing her own arms, "My apologies, Mrs. Saotome, but you seem to have mistaken his goals as somehow altruistic. Principal Kuno's actions are born from a fascination with Hawaii, far too much free time since he pushes his work onto the Vice Principal, and a need for attention. He has to date sent more than a dozen students to the hospital with coconut-shaped bombs, had trained lobsters to assault students with hair clippers to enforce his preferences, and utilized RC planes as impromptu hair clippers as well."
Nodoka blinked. "Lobsters?" she asked, holding her hands apart, "Like this big?"
"Roughly," the English Teacher replied.
Nodoka considered. That seemed a little… Underwhelming, but also something of a waste. He definitely reminded her of a Europan Madboy, however. Even if he didn't seem to have the Spark of invention, he definitely had the madness.
Her wristwatch tapped her wrist with Morse code, 'Found Principal's office on second floor. Stop. Contents appear to be spatially expanded. Stop. Office filled with jungle. Stop. Local Fauna aggressive. Stop.'
Nodoka paused, then tapped out a single word, 'Lobsters?'
'Yes.'
Well then. 'Violence Authorised.'
"This does seem a bit much for a school event," Nodoka said, keeping in mind that most people probably wouldn't find it as exciting or acceptable as herself or her mother. It was likely the students absolutely hated them.
Hinako ran a hand over the fish again. "Mrs. Saotome, he has also managed to drag myself into his games once or twice on the side of the students. I do not enjoy being threatened with hair clippers," she said.
"I see… So, my son," Nodoka switched topics, "How is he doing in your class?"
"Better than he has been," Hinako said, "I have taken to tutoring him personally in order to ensure it. He still underperforms in class compared to my preferences."
"At what level would you rate his English?" Nodoka asked, concealing a smile at the arrival of a morse message announcing the acquisition of her son's records beneath a concerned look. She had little worry about Ranma's language abilities. As a spark, especially one that seemed to be quite strong, she would pick up new languages just fine.
"Conversant, but quite rough. He has issues with accents," Hinako said.
"Is there a particular aspect of them that bothers him?" Nodoka asked.
"Rs and Ls seem to cause a great deal of trouble," Hinako replied.
"I'll make sure he doesn't slack off on his English lessons while we work on his sciences," Nodoka said, making a show of checking the time, "I should be going."
Hinako blinked. "Not going to continue searching?" she asked.
"Oh if he moves his office all the time, it could be anywhere and I do have other things to do today," Nodoka replied, "I'll have to wait for the school to open for inquiries. In the meantime, I'll have to see about conducting a test of his science knowledge."
"Do you have a certified science teacher?" Hinako asked.
"I am very well versed in the sciences. I'm sure I can handle running a test," Nodoka assured her as she turned away, already plotting her course out of the building.
"It just so happens," Hinako continued, "That I am also a certified Science teacher through grade twelve."
Nodoka paused. "Is that an offer, Ms. Ninomiya?" she asked.
"It can be," the other woman replied.
Well, it would be nice to have someone else conduct the test, and realistically there was little chance of Ranma knowing more than a high school student on any topic. "Why don't we continue this conversation over lunch?" she suggested before gesturing to the open air. Hinako blinked as a large folder appeared to materialize in Nodoka's palm. She flicked open Ranma's academic record with a hum. "I'm sure you'd love to see the details here as well."
"... Delinquent indeed," the woman who had been a child noted before smiling, "I would. There's a cafe just down the street. Shall we?" She picked up the bowl of fish.
"Let's," Nodoka agreed. This was bound to be informative and perhaps she would even be able to enquire about that intriguing transformation. Oh to be young again. It was a fascinating possibility.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Bracers were a decorative piece that Ranma often wore. Once, perhaps, they could have had some utility, but in the here and now they were more fashion statement than protection. Unless she was dealing with Mousse. Then she needed them to help deflect his weapons, but that was one crazy Amazon out of a small city of crazies.
"Thinking a lot smaller than your first design," her Grandmother said as Ranma held up the finished prototype, "Most people attempt to scale things up on their second project."
The bracer was intended to be one of two. Primarily made from Bronze, with inner layers of soft leather and silk to cushion it, it had a single large trilobite -- which her Grandmother said was the badge of her Grandfather's House -- with a small crown above it near the wrist. Decorative dragons intertwined down the length of it which provided many little nooks and crannies to hide the true purpose of the bracer beyond just protection: tool storage. Nothing large and heavy, but numerous small tools such as screwdrivers, lockpicks and other miscellaneous items, including a small needle launcher built into the trilobite. Her Grandmother insisted it had to have some weaponry in it and the replaceable stock of poisoned needles coated in a potent, albeit non-lethal, paralytic would do just fine. There was even a spot to slot in her wristwatch on the inside of the bracer to better protect it.
"Somehow, I don't think I'm ready to try and top my Stormbreaker attempt," Ranma said, shaking her head, "I haven't actually learned anything that could help solve its inherent power containment issue…"
"There are many things that can be done… Such as not using batteries assembled from miscellaneous cleaning supplies and school computers," her Grandmother said dryly, earning an embarrassed chuckle from Ranma.
"Well, yes... But I was thinking maybe I aim a bit higher next time," the younger redhead said. Weather control would probably be more stable than simply destroying the storm, not to mention she could do so in a smaller area and leave most of a region untouched.
Or focus it all in one spot.
The thought of levelling the Kuno's house with a singular lightning strike was very cathartic.
"But that will be a while, as you said. You need the basics first," Katarina said as she checked the time, "For now, let us have some lunch. Did you even eat before you came down?"
Ranma shook her head and fought a blush as her stomach growled. "They dragged me straight to you," she said as she examined the tools on the wall rather than look at her Grandmother.
"Then it is overdue," her Grandmother said, "Let's leave the bracer here for now. We can test it later, after lunch. Oh, and don't forget your watch."
Ranma glanced at the wristwatch on her wrist. She'd put it on to keep from changing while working. Everything getting dim would have ruined her ideas. She ran her other hand over it. "Grandma," she said, "You said there was another person with a curse that this was made for?"
"Not that one, but one like it," her Grandmother said as she waited by the door.
"Who was it?" she asked directly.
"You wouldn't know them," Katarina said, "But, perhaps its time for you to."
Ranma frowned. "What?"
"Konatsu, please show yourself," Her Grandmother said.
Ranma yelped and jumped back as between blinks of the eye a dark-purple-haired girl her age appeared kneeling before her Grandmother. She was dressed in the same purple uniform as the other ninja-like servants had.
"You called me, Your Highness?" the girl, evidently Konatsu, asked.
"I did. Ranma, meet Konatsu. Konatsu, meet my Granddaughter, Ranma," Ranma's Grandmother said.
"Greetings, Young Mistress," Konatsu said, turning on the spot in a blink so she was kneeling toward Ranma, "I am pleased to meet you."
"... yeah, nice to meet you too," Ranma said, staring at the girl as she clutched her hammering chest. She hadn't sensed a single thing from the girl before she appeared. Nothing. At. All. Admittedly, this far into her Grandmother's castle she hadn't really been looking in the first place, not like when she had arrived. But still, compared to the others this Konatsu was on a completely different level.
"Konatsu joined us six months ago after an incident with her step-family. A particularly ugly group of kunoichi," her Grandmother said, "In the aftermath, our Smoke Knights brought Konatsu back with them. She had proven to have an exceptional talent for their techniques, on top of her already substantial Kunoichi training. There was one little issue, however."
"Issue?" Ranma echoed. Her heart was slowing down and she eyed the girl before her for signs of how the girl had snuck up on her.
"Yes. While raised as a Kunoichi and indeed identifying as one, she was born a man," Katarina said, "It was in pursuit of a solution to her issue that my people uncovered the existence of Jusenkyo." She examined her nails. "Examining the samples acquired has been an interesting experience. The key, however, were the samples of source water they acquired from a place called 'Jusendo'. Close examination revealed its secrets and together your mother and I designed that wristwatch. While I'm sure we could have rendered the curse permanent or changed its method of trigger, this has proven to be an acceptable middle ground."
"I am quite grateful for the gift, my Lady," Konatsu said with a smile visible despite keeping her head down.
"Talent and loyalty deserve rewards, dear," Katarina said, placing a hand on Konatsu's shoulder. "She is by far our most talented and capable Smoke Knight… And now she is yours."
"What?" Ranma blurted out. Even Konatsu looked up with visible shock on her cute face.
"Every member of our family is assigned their own Smoke Knights. Bodyguards, spies and assistants ready to do their bidding and theirs alone," Katarina said, "Konatsu is our best and of the right age. She will be your first Smoke Knight. Do take care of her. Talent like hers comes around only once a millennium."
Konatsu bowed nearly to the floor, practically prostrating herself. "I will endeavour to be worthy of this honour, Lady Katarina," she said, "Lady Ranma, I am yours."
Ranma stood frozen, shooting glances from Smoke Knight to her Grandmother and back again. "I- Um… Get up. Stop prostrating yourself," she finally said, forcing herself to accept that yes, this was indeed happening. A retainer. Like she was a Kuno or something… Though her Grandmother had rambled about a Sun King or something in the Genealogy discussion the night before. It had been a bit late and she probably should have been listening a little more closely at the time.
Konatsu rose at her urging. "She will be your shadow, always ready should you need her," Ranma's Grandmother said, "And to intercept any attempt on your life. As unlikely as such a thing would be to succeed in the first place if the rumours of your abilities are anything to go by."
"I don't need someone following me around!" Ranma protested.
"Every Spark needs an assistant or bodyguard at times. Even if only the once in their life," her Grandmother replied, shaking her head, "In this family even someone as talented as yourself will find yourself in impossible situations often enough to appreciate more hands to make the work easier."
"Hrm," Ranma crossed her arms and huffed.
Her Grandmother clapped her hands together. "Now, why don't we get something to eat and you can tell me a few stories about your life. I'm sure you've experienced some interesting events while travelling," she said before turning to the door.
Ranma followed with her arms still crossed. "Travelling was rather boring most of the time. Nerima is a lot nuttier," she said, nodding to Konatsu as the other girl opened the door for them. She noted how the Smoke Knight followed closely. She was going to have to get used to having a shadow.
Well, she'd see about that.
"Then stories from your time here. Surely you've encountered something that no one would believe without being there?" Her Grandmother asked.
"Well… There was this one time Ryouga showed up with these mushrooms, and thinking about it I really want to know what they're made out of. So much more useful than I'd thought… Anyways, he showed up only he was six-years-old again and…"
-0-0-0-0-0-
Xian Pu, known more commonly to the locals as Shampoo, smiled and shot a wink at the boys at the next table as she smoothly caught a flying bowl of Ramen and deposited it without a missing drop on the table before twirling to the side in that way that caused a little extra bounce in the right spots and sent her purple hair swinging. They weren't her Airen, but they paid better when she put on a little show. A lot better. It was also half the reason they were always so busy when school was out. The other was her Great Grandmother's Ramen.
She caught a bowl on the back of her hand and guided it up her arm with a bow that led to her other hand and then onto the table. She followed it up with a backflip to catch another couple bowls and deposited them lightly at the correct table. Scattered applause rang out like it always did. Putting an extra twist into her spin she concealed a grin as she basked in the praise. This was why she enjoyed being a waitress.
She was just catching her fiftieth bowl of the lunch rush as the door banged open and a familiar voice shouted, "Where is he, Shampoo!" The Amazon absently caught another bowl.
"Where who?" she asked, shooting an annoyed look to the door where her two 'rivals' were standing. She noted the presence of the elder Tendo and Saotome menfolk.
"Ranma!" Akane barked as she stomped into the cafe. Customers pulled the bowls off tables and scooted into corners as they got ready for what she knew many considered the usual floorshow.
"Airen not here. Not been here for week now," she said, putting one hand on her hip as she absently caught another bowl of Ramen. She blinked. Where did this one go again… oh right. She flicked it through the air and it slid to a perfect halt in front of its orderer.
Flawless again.
"Are we supposed to believe that?" Ukyo asked. The okonomiyaki chef had her baker's peel in hand and leant against her shoulder. "Every time something happens and the rest of us haven't a clue it's somehow tied to you lot."
"Be that as it may," Xian Pu glanced over her shoulder as her Great Grandmother hopped onto a counter, "Son-in-Law hasn't been here in days and neither I, nor my Great Granddaughter have done anything. Oi! Part-timer! Have you seen Son-in-Law?" she shouted into the kitchen.
A very distant and annoyed, "NO!" drifted out of the backrooms.
Xian Pu frowned and tapped her lips. "Is Airen missing again?" she asked with a pout. She ignored the lovesick noises several of the weaklings in the nearby booth made.
"The boy hasn't been seen since school ended yesterday," her father-in-law said. She wasn't exactly fond of the big man, but he was a good fighter. Genma Saotome walked passed her to the counter where her Great Grandmother was. "Are you sure you haven't seen him?"
"Not so much as a hair," she confirmed.
"And if we checked the back?" He asked,
Her Great-grandmother snorted. "And if we had him tied up in the back we'd already be on our way home, not serving ramen. Speaking of which," the tiny old woman disappeared from the counter, "ORDER UP!"
Xian Pu sprang up, catching the bowls and easily depositing them with a spin and a smile. "We not see, Airen," she said to the other girls. She smirked. "You have good judge… Good choice. You realize Airen come to Shampoo first if he leave." She revelled in the glare Akane sent her way. She could feel the rage roiling inside the other girl just waiting to be unleashed, but she knew Xian Pu was her better. She wouldn't act, not unless Ukyo did as well.
"Let yourself be delusional if you want, sugar," Ukyo scoffed, "We both know he'd come to his old friend first."
"'Least Spatula Girl understand she just friend," Shampoo fired back.
"Ugh! Both of you quit it! He's missing!" Akane shouted, stamping her foot. Tiles cracked across the room and dust fell from the ceiling.
Xian Pu shuffled back slightly as Ukyo took two steps away from the imminent volcanic eruption. Ah. It seemed that Akane was just a little more pissed off than she'd thought. "Airen not just vanish into nothing. Where you see him last?" she asked.
"School. Someone had hidden his umbrella again and he said something about making them pay before running off. I went home," Akane said blandly.
Xian Pu listened with one ear as she caught another bowl and pranced down the top of the divider before hopping down to deliver it to its proper table. "Kitchen Destroyer just leave Airen alone?" she scoffed. You never left Airen alone if you could help it. Otherwise he'd get up to all sorts of mischief.
"Its not like this is the first time this happened," Akane replied, "Every time it rains some idiot decides he'd rather see Ranma as a girl in the rain. Stupid bloody perverts." A few giggles rolled through their customers, many of whom went to Furinkan. They quieted down as Akane turned her glare on them.
"Now, girls," Akane's father said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Let's try and focus on the important bit. If Shampoo hasn't seen him, and the last you two saw was the school and now the school is shut down due to the incident-"
"School have incident? When?" Xian Pu asked.
"Last night. We don't know the details yet," the old man said.
A sudden outburst of coughing drew attention as one of the nerdy kids in the corner started choking on his noodles. The collective attention of the group of martial artists caused the entire group, nearly a dozen strong, to try and pull deeper into the corner.
Xian Pu idly skipped over a nearby table and smacked the choke boy in the chest. He coughed up a couple of noodles onto the table. "Aah, oh god that was- Thanks," he coughed.
"Hmmm," Xian Pu stared at him and glanced to the other nerdy kids. With a wide smile she leaned forward and pretended to ignore how all their eyes promptly dipped with her. "Shampoo is thinking," she said, pausing for effect before placing a light hand on the choking boy's shoulder, "You know things about Airen." She squeezed.
"Aaaah," the boy panicked, "Owowowowowow." His friend immediately piled in with denials and pleas.
"He doesn't know anything!"
"We haven't seen him!"
"Don't hurt him."
"We know nothing. Nothing!"
"Saotome tried to blow up the storm last night."
Everyone stopped and stared at the coke-bottle glasses-wearing boy in the deepest corner. He adjusted his glasses. "What? It's the truth," he said.
"Airen did what?" Xian Pu asked, letting go of the first boy.
"... Blow up the storm?" That Akane sounded just as confused as she felt was cold comfort.
That seemed to open the floodgates and the entire group of nerds started talking at once.
"Complete nuts-"
"... and cackling like a loon."
"Challenged the storm to a duel!"
"Called me fat and said I'd never find love."
"Disassembled the entire laboratory. How we're going to replace…"
"Rolled me down the stairs…"
"There was a woman just like her!"
"...like this monstrosity from a 1960s horror film…"
"... and melted down my favourite chair!"
A piercing whistle cut through the babble. Everyone turned to Genma who quite calmly walked to the table.
"Let's start from the beginning, one at a time," he said, pointing at the boy Xian Pu has grabbed. "You, start first." He slammed both hands on the table hard enough to crack the finish. "And you better tell the truth." The nodding heads brought a too-too wide smile of satisfaction to Xian Pu's face.
-0-0-0-0-0-
A/N: Hi everyone! Ranma's back and well, she's got a few screws loose as you can see ^^;. This was a fun one to write. Thanks once again to my patrons for their support. Every little bit has helped.
No skit today, both Gekkou and myself are kinda brainfried for one reason or another. I hate headaches. ;-;
- Location
- Elsewhere
Clearly the girl was either a violent maniac, or worse, one of those Hero types.
Sparks have much better relationships with Violent Maniacs than Heroes.
Choking.
I assume two of those reasons are the Covid and flu vaccines.
- Location
- Best England - United Kingdom
You two should curl up in each others tails... partly for your own comfort and partly so we can coo at the cute image of a pair of kitsune curled up in each others tails.
- Location
- Europe
Indeed, especially if they take a copy of ALL of Earth it's know-how, with them.
Just think, Space-X, done the spark style.
Fun to read as well.
- Location
- Australia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Konatsu has the right body, an order of ninja (or close enough for legal purposes), and a mistress to loyally serve. Girl is living the dream.
Sturmvoraus nee Blitzengard of the House of Valois.
Is this Tarvek's supposedly long-dead mother?
Is Nodoka Tarvek's sister?
Wow. Depending on when (if) they return to Europa, that could get messy.
If they return to Europa, that will get messy. It could even if they don't.
That family is full of snakes.
But if they traveled by air, would that make them Snakes on a Plane?
I should fear for the future. Instead I just can't wait to see it.
So finally, a potential ranma konatsu buddy fic... with potential of nodoka/hinako shenanigans...
And...
You have all these potential, *hero* types bent on saving ranma.
Unlike alot of your other stories things can get to a head alot faster due to Genma knowing where ranma is... and since it's genma, the potential for a honest explanation of where ranma is and whom they are with would likely be left out of any tale he would use to prod those, *heroes* into action.
Of course there's also the light sprinkling of a transgender themes with konatsu and potentially ranma which is often ignored in your stories.
But I can't help feeling a since of dread due to there being 2 different works, one a lost chapter and a new work released so close to one another.
And...
You have all these potential, *hero* types bent on saving ranma.
Unlike alot of your other stories things can get to a head alot faster due to Genma knowing where ranma is... and since it's genma, the potential for a honest explanation of where ranma is and whom they are with would likely be left out of any tale he would use to prod those, *heroes* into action.
Of course there's also the light sprinkling of a transgender themes with konatsu and potentially ranma which is often ignored in your stories.
But I can't help feeling a since of dread due to there being 2 different works, one a lost chapter and a new work released so close to one another.
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Plus, I haven't kept up with Girl Genius in years, but wasn't there a whole prophecy about a marriage between the Heterodynes and the house of the Storm King?
The Trilobite noted several times is a Heterodyne symbol.
My guess is: unnamed grandfather is Agatha's son, grandmother is Tarvek's daughter, and this takes place in the future of GG canon.
- Location
- Ylisse
Yeah, that's a Spark all right. They should do it as a family. Help them bond.
I think the transgender themes in Ranma are far more acceptable due to A. It being magic thus yes you can magically change genders, B. Played for laughs/ annoyance, and C. It's a really old property before the issues really took hold on the modern culture.
No idea about konatsu
Well, I'm not going to dispute that... even when I was closeted the things I used to write way back had transgender themes if from a closeted standpoint. So it can be easy to slip that stuff in unintentionally.
My comment was more about the minor straight washing of ranma in various works by grounders where ryoga is set as a possible match for locked ranma.
Granted it's not overt and they are extremely well written... and I'm not complaining...
alot of trans issues come with a fair amount of angst and as grounders has stated in one of thier threads they don't really do angst.
And again I'm not complaining, my intent was praise for a slightly different take.
My comment was more about the minor straight washing of ranma in various works by grounders where ryoga is set as a possible match for locked ranma.
Granted it's not overt and they are extremely well written... and I'm not complaining...
alot of trans issues come with a fair amount of angst and as grounders has stated in one of thier threads they don't really do angst.
And again I'm not complaining, my intent was praise for a slightly different take.
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