If nothing else, it was rather embarrassing to know that he was still holding out for a marriage between her or her sister and Ranma Saotome, even after Akane's little... barbarism display.
Not that she wouldn't have been willing to give it a shot herself. The guy was cute, and was loaded beyond belief. Had he come to her first, she would have likely immediately agreed, especially considering he was a prince. Wealthy, hosting all sorts of parties, and bearing a hot body were all things that she really liked, and she was sure that she might have been a real good candidate for the job he was offering.
Still, she was a realist. After what had happened, there was little chance that he would give the sister of the one who hit him a chance. So, she'd had to make do with what she had, and that was a lot. However, her father was intent on ruining her fifteen minutes of fame. As she was trying to set up a nest egg during the time when she could, he was risking arrest in trying to fight for those stupid tickets.
And no matter what, she was not about to let him ruin himself, and his family's reputation any further. Sadly, it was time for the child to parent her parent, and that meant curtailing any chance that he could have of thinking that he could succeed in this most dangerous endeavor.
"Are you sure about this?" Kasumi asked as she handed her sister her jacket.
"Yeah, I am," Nabiki confirmed. "They've still got some ambassadors waiting around, so I have a chance of at least bringing word that I want to talk to them."
"But they already have distanced themselves from us..."
"Not enough for Dad to understand. But even then, I have to make certain that we can finally have things so that he won't be trying to figure out how to get us over there to marry that prince, but keep him from moping at the same time."
"How can you do it?"
"I'm not quite sure at the moment. It's sort of figuring it out by the seat of my skirt at the moment. Somehow, I'll manage it though. Maybe I'll get us jobs with his people to repay for the kindness of not calling a feud, or giving some sort of magical oath that will stop this cold. I don't know just how I'll manage it, but I will. Otherwise Dad will be trying to marry us off to Prince Ranma for the rest of his life."
Her sister sighed, but relented. "Then you will take care of yourself, won't you?"
"I always do."
There was something rather amazing about taking a bath, at least from Ranma's perspective. Only then could one relax wearing nothing and no one would complain. And it had the added bonus of letting him have the heat from the water seep into his bones, which was great after his training sessions, or a stressful day of work.
But his bathing facilities were not quite what he'd asked for. To him, a nice couple of tubs and a washing area would have been fine. For those who had been designing the place for him, it was too simple for their tastes. After much talk, he'd managed to suggest that they find ways to give him a well appointed space that wasn't overdone. What he got was a rather quietly dignified space that both he, and the innovative builders had been satisfied with.
He was glad that they pushed it though. This was a place where he could lean out and totally unwind in complete comfort. Instead of a simple bath, it was a place to relax, and as he leaned back against the side of the tub, he closed his eyes, and hoped for no further shocks.
"Hello."
Jolted by the sound of a feminine voice speaking in his bathing room, Ranma shot to sit straight up, and let his eyes snap right open. He didn't have to look far though, as he could see a pretty woman wearing a simple dress that ended at mid thigh, and little boots. Of course, the shimmering wings on her back that flittered as she floated marked her as not being human.
Then again, so did the fact that she was small enough to hold in one hand.
"Lilica," he sighed as he looked at the pixie, and tried to cover up. "What do ya think you're doin'?"
"Visiting my old buddy. What else? You've been busy all day..."
"I know, but what did I say about coming in on my baths?"
"'Don't'?"
"Ugh... Do you think that ya could listen then?"
"Hmm... Why?" the pixie asked, and shook her head in confusion. "You know, you big folk can be rather strange at times. All uptight, you know."
"And you're rather free."
"Exactly! In any case, this was my first chance to see you. I mean, with that nasty spider thing, the attack before that, and these brides, I haven't had a chance to stop by."
"Well, it is good to see ya, even if you have odd timin'."
"Glad that you think so. Just don't think that I'm going anywhere. I'm planning on staying right with you."
"You're staying?" he asked. "In here/"
"In general. Humans... ANYway, I'm always around, but now I'll be making sure to stick like glue to you. This way, I can help you see which ones are nice, and which ones are definite losers."
"You will?"
"Uh-huh. Remember, I'm your friend, and friends stick together."
"You've been doing that ever since I caught ya way back then."
"And I plan on still doing it. Who knows what will happen if I don't. You might wind up as boring as Kinari, or worse yet, Mylea."
Ranma raised a brow despite himself. Lilica had always been rather put out by his majordomo's attention to detail, seeming lack of emotion, and apparent obsession with efficiency. But then, nothing seemed to ruffle Mylea, who's dark hair, oddly amber eyes and pale skin never seemed to change in anyway. No one was quite sure what she was, but the current rumor was that she was some sort of demon bound to serve the Prince. Whatever her species, Mylea had proven that she was a solid worker, intelligent, and completely loyal to Ranma Saotome.
That put him in between Lilica and Mylea, as the former couldn't understand the other's dour expressions, and the latter couldn't let a pixie fool around with the important things of her Prince's life.
Knowing that there would be another battle of wills coming, he sighed, and tilted his head back while:
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(Posted Thu, 21 Apr 2005 03:23)
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