Ranma would have landed with a grace that surprised even himself, making not even the slightest sound. Unfortunately for him, he found himself directly above one of the many shallow pools that dotted the gardens of Tepet Soun's estate. He managed to twist himself in midair to minimize the sound of the splash before he landed.
That did not help as much as it might have, as a young woman had been sitting in the garden near the pool he fell into. By the time he had stood, she had as well and was standing a cautious distance away in a defensive martial arts stance. Ranma quickly fell into a stance of his own as he observed the woman. She didn't seem to be much, if any older than himself, and much to his good fortune she did not appear to be an Exalted. Her stance betrayed to his eyes a great deal of training, but he noted that her dark hair was long and unbound - a sign, he felt, that she'd not been in many real fights. Long hair just gave your opponent another way to get a grip on you.
"Who are you?" the woman asked, her eyes narrow.
Ranma thought about the matter, and decided the best option was to tell the truth, or at least a part of it. He wasn't a very good liar, anyway. "Ranma. I'm looking for my father, Genma." Even as he spoke, he glanced about, looking for a way to escape. It was pure luck that the woman hadn't called for the guards already.
To his surprise, the woman relaxed, but only slightly. "Why is the Wyld Hunt after him? How does he know my father?" she demanded.
Ranma chose only to answer the second question. "I'm damned if I know, lady," he said. There! With shocking speed he leapt out of the pool and past the woman. With a bit more luck, he'd be able to lose her, find his father, and get out without being caught.
The woman was startled for only an instant, whirling around and grabbing at Ranma's arm. She wasn't quite fast enough to get a good hold on him, but she did get a grasp on him, throwing his slightly off balance. He stumbled as he landed, and the woman was upon him moments later. He fended of her first few strikes with an ease that clearly infuriated her.
Ranma had to admit that in her position he would be more than a little irritated himself. The woman was good, good enough to have been a challenge once. But since his... change, he'd discovered that he was far faster and stronger than he'd ever hoped to be before. The young woman wouldn't stand a chance of landing a blow unless he got sloppy.
"Stay still!" she growled as Ranma slipped around a hard, fast punch. Her words reminded Ranma that he was in no position to sit around playing with her. Any moment might bring servants alerted by the sounds of fighting - or worse, Dragon-Blooded.
Ranma broke away, heading for the doors to the estate’s main building. He'd not be able to search thoroughly, but he could still manage a brief run through the estate without getting caught, he thought. With any luck, he'd run across his father.
A wordless growl in her throat, the woman followed, and Ranma cast about for something to delay her. As he raced through the doors, his eyes and hands found something. He lifted the well-used Gateway board that had been set up by a window overlooking the garden. Without slowing he hurled the game board at the woman. That ought to slow her down, he thought as he slipped through an ajar door into the next room.
There was fortunately no one in this sitting room, and Ranma quickly sniffed the air, hoping to determine the direction of the kitchens. Knowing his father, he'd be there.
A low growl behind him alerted Ranma to the fact that the woman was catching up again, so Ranma picked a direction without further thought and fled...
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(Posted Fri, 25 Jun 2004 00:45)
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