The young woman sat apart from the audience and watched the ongoing tournament with appriciation. She had visited her home many times before her teacher had declared her apprentenceship over and sent the lass on her way, but always missed this annual contest of skill. She could not help feeling a touch rueful about being merely a spectator when her agemates were the ones battling it out upon the Challenge Log, but she did not delude herself by thinking she would have made it past the second round considering how little time her studies left to hone her physical combat abilities.
#In any case,# Shan Pu thought as she clanced at her two companions, #I see why I am needed here.# She sat at the place reserved for the judge who insured no sorcery was used in this contest. To her left was the dozing form of the nominal judge, a woman even older than her great-grandmother and more to the point bordering on senile. Behind them was nearly half again her weight in 'lucky' weapons and various charms of the sort the elder had been missing since before Shan Pu was born (indeed, she only needed to expell three women from the competition because most of the contestants honestly either did not know they were actually enchanted or did not realize such minor spells were forbidden). Finally, to her right was a five year old boychild whose grandmother the old judge/sorceress had taken a dislike to for reasons even she had forgotten.
"[And we are _it_ as far as true mages come among the Joketsuzoku.]" Shan Pu hissed under her breath as she rechecked the wards that would locate and track any magic within the villiage festival grounds. Her people knew magic of course, ritual spells that anyone with the wit to follow directions could perform given time, but the inborn gifts needed to sense and tap the arcane powers both within and beyond this world were rare in general, and far _too_ rare for even a boychild with little more than (admittedly extraordinary) mage-sight to not be trained in it's use.
"[San Fu,]" piped the gap-tooth lad as he pointed towards the feast awaiting the winner, "[that woman an' panda are all glowy too!]"
"[Eh?]" Shan Pu started from her brooding and looked to the travelers about to devour the prize, "[AIYA! HOLD!]" A cry of startlement was followed by a command and gesture, then crimson beams of solid light lept from her hands to restrain the would-be thieves.
******
"[Presicely _what_ is the meaning of this?]"
Shan Pu stood before the bound outlander, her pet, and the Guide that resided by Jusenkyo. Alongside her was both the head judge and the little boy that spotted them.
"[Would you beleive they were hungry and couldn't read the sign?]" The Guide muttered apologetically in Mandarin.
Everyone blinked at the growling of two stomaches. "[Somehow, yes.]" the Head Judge noted in the same language.
"[Apologies, Elder]" Shan Pu said politely while staring closely at the girl in ill fitting garb and her well trained panda, "[but perhaps these intruders should be questioned directly...]"
With her left hand Shan Pu touched her lips and ears, with her right she made an arcane symbol and pointed at the bound pair. Suddenly a large glob of water from the hot springs halfway across the villiage leaped directly at the bound pair.
"[... _Both_ of them.]" she concluded, staring at the portly man and well formed youth before her.
"[See, I told you they were magic!]" squeaked the boy.
"[So you did.]" Shan Pu replied, "[It looks like you can see such things bettern than even me.]
"Now as for the two of you," she snapped in flawless Japanese, "Did you have the slightest idea that you were about to feast upon the first prize for this contest?"
The two men shook thier heads, and the magical aura they bore unknowingly continued to glow white.
"[The Guide is correct,]" Shan Pu noted as an aside to the elder judge as she dispelled both bonds and truth-spell, "[they had no idea what they were doing.]" The older woman raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed that one so young had taken whatever lessons she had on the difference between action and intent to heart.
"Howd'ya _do_ that?!?" the younger of the two Nihonjin blurted.
Shan Pu turned towards him and took a _long_ look at his well muscled, atheletic young form. "I am what you would call a Mage," she said with an appriciative smile, "my name is Shan Pu."
"You that wizard th' Guide was talkin about?" Ranma asked almost desprately as he bounced to his feet, "You know Jusenkyo? Can ya do some sorta cure?"
Shan Pu could only blink in suprise for a moment as his despration sank in. Having been trapped as a gerbil once for nearly a week early in her studies she could empathize with being forced to bear a form not one's own (although part of her was somewhat offended at his eagerness to be rid of a woman's form). In the end, she said:
(SPELLCASTER GENERAL'S WARNING: Underestimating the arcane power of Jusenkyo can be hazardous to your health.)
"I am sorry." she finished as they boy howled in dispair.
It had been nearly a year since that young Shaman, and the boys here were all too intimidated by her to perform at all. [Poss. Lemon/Lime]
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(Posted Sun, 15 Jun 2003 16:49)
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