What differentiates a summoner from others is their understanding of the universe. Summoners can comprehend some arcane manner in which the spiritual world functions and apply that knowledge to transport spiritual beings to themselves for a limited amount of time and to contain those beings. This is accomplished through various sets of sounds, motions, and diagrams that are created according to those arcane laws. Most summoners are willing to share their knowledge and even attempt to explain it, as those who are not (or cannot become) summoners simply cannot understand it.
While a number of summoning rituals include appeals or references to a variety of deities and religious systems, it appears that process is not, in fact, any more religious in nature than creating a painting or refining chemicals. Most of the spirits summoned are associated with objects or aspects of nature, such as emotions, natural cycles, animals, or plants. While summons call upon creatures referred to as demons and speak of being able to summon angels, the authors have not been presented with any proof that these 'demons' are anything but the reification of negative qualities or the various forms of entropy and decay.
From The Big Book of Extraordinary Humans
Nabiki hurried after her sister, catching Kasumi at the bottom of the stairs.
"Kasumi, I'm not a Satanist," Nabiki protested.
"Of course not, Nabiki," Kasumi replied, her voice indicating she was just humoring Nabiki. "But if you were, I want you to understand that I only judge you by your deeds, not what people say about your religion." Nabiki sighed, Kasumi had the idea in her head and wasn't going to let it go. "I do have to ask that you not leave the arcane circles, that have some other explanation than summoning demons, where Akane might stumble upon them. She might get the wrong idea, and cleaning up after yourself is an important part of holding your own rituals."
Nabiki just watched Kasumi walk off.
"Why didn't you explain things?"
Nabiki spun around to see Ranma floating slightly above the stairs. Pulling her gaze upward to meet the redhead's eyes, Nabiki whispered her response. "Quiet, you; I don't need Kasumi figuring out anything more. And what was I supposed to say? 'Oh, Kasumi, sure I'm summoning demons, but for nonreligious purposes. Somehow you're okay with it since you think I'm a Satanist; please extend this miracle tolerance to doing it to blackmail fellow students.'" She then stalked upstairs, past Ranma, to change out of the oversized tee she used as a nightshirt.
Ranma followed, floating through the closed door. "Why didn't you do that before?" Nabiki asked as she pulled on her clothes.
Ranma looked blank, but after a few moments realized what Nabiki meant. "I, uh, forgot?" she offered weakly. Nabiki just stared at her. "I mean, I'm used to being out where the trees block me and all, and it's not like I go around popping through people's walls when I'm in a town."
"Fine," Nabiki replied curtly, then hurried to breakfast. That would shut up Ranma, the redhead knew better than to speak when others were about. Nabiki didn't want to talk right now; Kasumi of all people had figure her out. Sure, the elder sister didn't get it all right, but Nabiki'd left a lot of clues. Why hadn't her sister decided Nabiki had made a friend? That was, after all, what essentially had happened. But no, Nabiki couldn't make friends; it had to be religion.
These thoughts occupied Nabiki through breakfast and on the way to school. Only when Ranma spoke again did she focus on her surroundings. "Nabiki?" Ranma asked.
"I'm not upset with you, Ranma," Nabiki preemptively explained. "I just needed some time to myself to deal with everything."
"Nah, don't worry about that," Ranma responded. "It's just that you're going to school, right? Well, I need to get back or Pops'll eat all the food, and your school is pretty boring and all..."
"So you want hot water," Nabiki finished the redhead's thought. "Well, I guess I better. Look what happened last time you were bored in school."
Ranma waited until he was pretty sure that Nabiki would be getting out of school, then poured cold water on himself. Nabiki sure was better company than his father. When the classroom resolved it around her, Ranma knew she hadn't been right. Nabiki shot Ranma a look that she decided meant 'behave'. Well, even if Ranma was a little early, that wasn't so bad.
Not wanting to stay on the wrong side of Nabiki's hairy eyeball, Ranma floated outside and began practicing all over the front lawn. It was still a little odd, how she could push off against the grass but fell through the cement paths. When students began to dribble out of the building, Ranma perched on a branch of an out of the way tree. Two boys ended up hanging out below her. One was average except for his slicked down black hair. The other one was short with glasses. Ranma mentally dubbed them Slick and Specs.
"How much did she take you for?" Slick asked.
"Half my allowance," Specs answered bitterly, "just because I needed a little help on a test. Like I'm the first person to use a cheat sheet."
"You got off lucky," Slick responded, "she came down on me like a ton of bricks after getting photos of me with my second girlfriend."
"Last year she was nothing," Specs complained, "and now we can't touch her. She's got something on everyone who might put her in her place."
Slick snorted. "Forget that," he said waving his hand as it didn't matter. "I'd take a reputation as a two-timer as a fair price for breaking a couple of bones. It's her sister you have to watch out for; she promised to cripple any guy who lays a finger on her family. That's why we only could use words before."
Ranma growled to herself. She'd been a little upset to hear Nabiki was blackmailing people, but these guys certainly deserved some pain. A playboy and a cheat threatening her friend just because they'd been caught? Ranma floated down, then slammed the two idiots' heads together. After both feel to the ground, she dislocated all four shoulders. That'd teach them!
Ranma decided to just float over the school gate. That way, even if she didn't catch Nabiki as the schoolgirl exited the building, Nabiki would spot her. When Nabiki did exit the building, she was amongst a clump of people, and Ranma had to float over her to keep near. Nabiki seemed like she was worried about Ranma keeping pace; the girl kept looking up as Ranma pretended to walk over the schoolgirl's head.
Soon after leaving the school grounds, the students dispersed and Ranma could float next to Nabiki. "So, I guess you managed to pass the time without me," Nabiki remarked.
Ranma shrugged. "I practiced my martial arts," she replied. That was how Pop said to fill any spared time.
"Well, it didn't end up with me seeing the nurse again, so I approve," Nabiki said with a grin.
"Hey, you said not to do that again, so I didn't," Ranma replied, a little hurt. Sure, she wasn't the smartest cursed martial artist around, but she usually learned from her mistakes, right?
"And I said you did well," Nabiki returned. "I just don't want to have a bunch of tests at the hospital. Or for everyone to think something else is wrong with me." The last sentence was muttered, but Ranma heard it anyway. Unsure how she ought to respond, the spirited ended deciding to ignore it. As they passed through a more populated street the pair fell into a comfortable silence. Eventually, Nabiki led them to a public park. Nabiki ended up sitting in an isolated copse of tree where they could talk without Nabiki appearing to have an imaginary friend.
"So, uh," Ranma began hesitantly, "I heard you were blackmailing some people."
"Some jerks," Nabiki instantly replied. She paused to let Ranma speak, but the redhead remained silent. "Look, soon after Mom died, all the other students decided I was weird and stopped being my friends. Then they started harassing me. Well, when I found a book that actually explained how to summon spirits, I decided to deal with them.
"The price for beating everyone up was too high, and I really just wanted to be left alone. So, I used imps to find and photograph the jerks secrets, then told them what would become public if they kept at me. For a little revenge, and as long as I was threatening them, I demanded a monthly payment as well; a girl's got to look after herself, you know? Anyway, I've got stuff on most everyone now, so they don't dare touch me."
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(Posted Fri, 08 Apr 2005 04:43)
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