She could feel the eyes on her as she and Shampoo moved to meet the representative, and knew that none of them liked what she was about to do. However, they didn't have much of a choice, given the alternatives. Those who had wanted to fight had learned a harsh lesson, and a lot of them had been the reactionaries who opposed contact with the outside world. They had been the ones who'd wanted to protect their way of life from ever changed, and struggled against any attempt to have regular contact with the outside world. Well, they'd all learned what the cost of such closed mindedness was, though only those still alive got to be able to see how that continued.
Now she was going to have to greet the official, who was the latest in a succession of them, not that most of them had wanted to be there. She remembered the first one that they had been 'sent', and who had been full of belief in the 'cause', and how they should be rejoicing that they'd been 'allowed' to join in the 'great future' that the Chairman was bringing about. That one was at least someone understandable, and actually wasn't the worst. A later one had been mean about everything, and had seen himself as being superior to some 'backwards barbarians'. Then there had been the one who was a good little soldier, and had tried to enforce everything. The one that they had to deal with now was someone who understood that this wasn't exactly the best of assignments, and that he was stuck doing rather unimportant work.
Of course, as she got off of her staff to approach the stocky man in the military uniform who was coming in the front gates, she saw that there was someone else with him. "Welcome to our village."
"Hello. You came rather promptly," the official said simply.
"As quickly as we could. We would have been here, had we known that you were coming."
"I thought that since you were having your festival, I might check it out."
"With company?"
"But of course. This is my new assistant."
"How do you do?"
"Depends," the younger man said with a shrug, unable to stop leering at Shampoo's ample curves. "Though, the company is better than I thought."
"Really?"
"It might make things... pleasant."
"Within the proper forms, of course."
"How can...."
"'We do otherwise'?" the official said, shooting his subordinate with an admonishing glance, though Cologne did spot him peeking over at the way the cloth stretched over her great granddaughter's bosom.
"Indeed," the Elder told them, pointing her staff out at the village. "After you."
The official nodded, and led his subordinate along, with the younger man trying to get a good look at Shampoo's behind.
She fought the urge to sigh over the fact that putting a man into a uniform didn't make him mature, and followed after them.
Ryoga had been certain that he'd been walking along on a street that was brighter. But as he looked it over, the shadows had seemed longer than he'd have expected. It'd been brighter a little while ago, until he'd turned that one corner. Now, he was seeing buildings that looked to be a bit different, and the air was a bit off. But the people did seem to be a bit nicer.
"(Well, hello there honey. You're looking rather good. Want to have a nice time? Only fifty bucks for a quickie,)" said a woman in a halter top and fishnet stockings.
He didn't need to understand the words, to hear the purr that she'd put into her words, and get a nosebleed.
Ranma looked out from the hiding spot that he shared with his father, and frowned. From where he was, he could see men in military uniforms walking around the village, poking their heads into people's houses, and even letting themselves into some. One of them was leering at just about every girl over fourteen, with special attention paid to Shampoo. A part of him wanted to go and whap the pervert, but that would cause more problems than it solved. However, he did have the comfort of knowing that she could certainly handle herself.
He did have to worry about other things though, as his father was apparently not as concerned about keeping quiet as he was.
"Oooh.... My stomach...." Genma groaned, holding his belly.
"What's with you?!" Ranma hissed, turning to glare straight at his father's face. "Why are going on like this?!"
"I'm not feeling well, boy!"
"I know that! But I don't think that you want those guys to know about it!"
"Why not? Those women should have something to help settle my stomach."
"I'm not talking about them! There are guys from the Chinese army here!"
"Really?"
The pigtailed boy fought the urge to snarl in frustration, whipping back to look out at the representative, while:
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(Posted Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:16)
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