Ranma perked up instantly. Being a hero rocked! "Thank Kami-sama!" he murmured, already looking forward to his future time as a complete male.
"Not so fast!" Urd warned. A sudden beep cut off her next words. "--you. Oop--" Another beep sounded. "Hang on a sec." Then there was a click, and silence.
"Figures," Ranma muttered, waiting for Urd to come back to the phone. Still, a partial cure was light years beyond no cure, he realized.
Another beep, and Urd's voice returned. "Sorry about that," Urd said dryly. "Father says you're welcome."
Ranma winced. "Oops," he mumbled. "Uh ... hehe ... didn't mean to do that."
"Ah, I'm sure he's just teasing," Urd said dismissively. "Anyway. Let me explain how the seal on your ID card works. If you press the seal, you'll switch which form you're in. Or, if you prefer, you'll just stay in your current form even if you get splashed. Think about which you prefer, and then press it. It'll make a clicking sound when you've got it. That lasts about an hour, or until you want it to stop."
"Whoa," Ranma breathed. "That's a nice partial cure! Is there another catch?"
"Yep! Glad you asked. Now, your virtue is linked to that seal. If it wanes ... your control goes away. If your virtue increases, and as you lead by example, you'll get better control of your curse, and be able to ignore changes longer."
"I can deal with that," Ranma said after a moment. Behaving to avoid the curse was fine in his book.
"Alright. Last thing I can think of ... your card will represent whatever is easiest for the person who views it to respect. This could be a police badge, or an employee badge, though people who don't trust you won't believe your ID -- it can't make up real information, just look authentic. But if you press the merit tab, you can show off your accomplishments to other people. That's what was done to convince your mother you were a 'man among men'. Now, anything else?"
"Nah," Ranma said, slightly stunned by that last minor revelation. "I've bothered you long enough. Thanks a ton, Urd. I..." he hesitated, swallowing nervously. "I really mean that."
"No problem," she said, giggling slightly, as though embarassed. "Um ... say, I'll drop by at some point in the future to check up on you. Gimmie a call if you need anything, okay?"
"Okay," he said. On a sudden impulse, he added, "Rest well."
Urd laughed a bit more loudly. "You too, Sweetie." He blinked at the nickname, but before he could say anything else, the line clicked off. He closed the phone with a sigh, and looked at the cube contemplatively. "This ... could take a while," he mused, tapping the 'Saotome Hotaru' field.
Information flooded across the screen. He picked out the details he saw as relevant, and considered Hotaru's vital stats and health. In general, it was pretty straightforward, and offered helpful instructions for how to help her improve her stamina. It hinted at shiatsu techniques, herbs, and specific types of exercises that could help, but didn't name them specifically.
"Wouldn't be heroic if it were all spelled out," he mused, eyes scanning across the screen. "Still, could be pretty easy. I bet Tofu-sensei would know about herbs and shiatsu. The ol' ghoul, too. Hmm. This exercise sounds like some of Ucchan's training." After another moment of glancing over the screen, Ranma spotted the kanji for 'close' in one corner, and idly brushed his finger through it.
The light compressed instantly, and Ranma was left with an idle data-cube. "Handy," he murmured, stowing it under his pillow. After he turned out the lights, he lay on his bed, and mused over what he'd learned so far. There was more to read in the data-cube, but he wanted to give himself a little bit of time to adjust to what he'd just learned, and plan a course of action appropriately.
So far, things were looking good, though. And it was starting to worry Ranma that it couldn't last; the close call with Akane's dinner wasn't nearly close enough to be really dangerous, in Ranma's mind. That thought made him strangely uncomfortable.... But still. He could imagine worse threats easily.
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(Posted Fri, 15 Jul 2005 06:49)
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