Though twins and modeling the same school uniform, the two handled themselves very different and wore their hair differently.
One shifted fluidly, and at times Sakura thought the girl had left only to realize she was still there a moment later. Some trick of not being seen?
The other seemed more solid than her sister. More centered and whenever she moved her feet were grounded fairly solidly. Warrior, said that stance.
She was also being sized up by both of the elves. Again, it was more obvious from the second one than the first.
Aware of how tense she was, Sakura forced herself to relax. Calm. Quiet. Centered.
"Sakura-chan," said Nodoka, "what do you think of these?"
Sakura yanked her attention back to the accessories Mrs Saotome was going through. "I don't really think those are my style."
"Ah," said Ranma's mother, putting the odd charm bracelet back on the shelf.
"Oh, if you're looking for something like that, you should get one from Ranma-dono," said Tarja, speaking up. "Maybe something with an exorcism ward on it."
"An 'exorcism ward'," repeated Sakura.
"Yes, stylish and useful," said Tarja with a nod. "After all, Musashi himself was known to improvise weapons. Against supernatural menaces, one should always keep a weapon in reserve."
"You've fought supernatural menaces?" asked Sakura, figuring the two for fourteen year olds.
Tajra laughed and Tarja smiled indulgently. "Depends on your definition of 'supernatural' and 'menace' - most of our own race are somewhat less than pleasant in deed and have great magical powers at their beck and call."
"Tell them about our adventure with Ranma in the city of Waterdeep," suggested Tajra. "The mind flayer disguised as a merchant."
"Ah," said Tarja, leaning back against a display case and looking off in the distance. "It was a mere two years ago that my sister and I were being transported from our distant village to a place under the city of Waterdeep, in a region known as Undermountain, to a place known as The Promenade Of Eilistraee. Whilst passing through, we decided to stay at an inn - thereby venturing on the final leg of our journey refreshed and ready for the perils of the deeps and the lawless undercity known as Skullport. It was at that inn, named the Drowsy Dragon, where our Master realized something was most amiss..."
The room had been put together quickly by experienced people. It was sturdier than most similar rooms, but anyone familiar with a high school locker room would immediately recognize it as being typical of such things. The lockers themselves were fairly cheap, meant to be wreckable and imminently replaceable. Considering some of the abilities of those to be sent here, the fire extinguishing system was uprated and a riot-control system was also added.
Finally it was done in shades of pastel and pink, with mirrors aplenty. It was a girls locker room after all.
The workers had left, the doors and windows were locked.
Therefore movement within the room was distinctly not of human origin.
A pale shape formed in one of the mirrors, looking about at the room as if trying to fathom its nature.
Another and another joined it, until five vague and out of focus shapes flitted about the room.
"So after that I chopped off one of those tendrils and it let me go," continued Tarja. "Tajra buried three more shuriken into the back of its skull but as it was undead we were really in a bad situation. Fortunately the noise got Ranma and this winged elven cleric we had with us to come running. When they were done all that was left of it was a burning grease spot and the tendril I still had in my hand."
"That's quite... a story," said Sakura.
"Yeah," agreed Tarja, rummaging in a pouch and pulling out an odd leathery purple thing. "This is that tendril here. See the barbs at the end, that's how they suck brains out."
THUD!
Tarja and Tajra spared a glance at where the salesclerk was currently lying flat out on the floor.
"What got into her?" asked Tarja.
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(Posted Thu, 08 Jul 2004 09:41)
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