Sitting down on the couch, Genma frowned as he tapped his foot impatiently on the carpet. “What’s taking them so long, boy?” He pointed to the clock. “It’s almost nine, and I’ll be damned if we have to pay another fifteen hundred Yen!”
“Pops...” Ranma said in exasperation as he turned to look towards his old man. “Will you just give it a rest? I was told that they needed to do one more thing with Britanny before they let her go this morning.”
Genma snorted. “Sounds to me like it’s a scam. They’ll return her to us, just one minute after nine and BAM!” He slammed a fist into an open palm for emphasis. “They got ya...”
His shoulders shrugging, Ranma let out a small groan. “Let’s just try and be patient, all right?” True, it felt odd for him to be the one to say that, but he wasn’t in any mood to rust the woman that was to be his slave... especially after what he found out from her last night.
Arms crossed over his chest, Genma snorted. “You know how it is with all these places... they’ll try to bleed every Yen from you that they can...”
“Actually, it seems more like you’d be the one bleed us of every Yen we have...” said the receptionist as she came out from a set of double-doors and into the lobby area. She looked to the pigtailed teenager. “Ranma Saotome?”
Hearing the call, Ranma nodded his head. “Yeah.” He turned about face towards the woman. “What’s going on?”
Smiling, the woman said, “Your slave is ready. May I present to you... Cheetah!”
It was then that two women wearing similar nurse-like garb came out, each pushing open a door and holding it open. And then she came out. The werecheetah was dressed in one a green one-piece, one that only covered her torso, leaving her arms and legs bare, (especially since it was a thong in the back). Around her neck was a thick black leather collar, a silver-like metal tag on it with the kanji of ‘Ranma’. There was also a long leather leash connected to the collar.
Ranma just stared wide-eyed. They really groomed her nicely... she didn’t look anywhere near as haggard as she was when he woke her up last night.
And then there was Genma, who noticed there was another woman behind his son’s slave. She was carrying a travel bag with a Slave’s Sigil on it. Obviously some toiletries and small things for the feline Lycanthrope. Good. They wouldn’t have to spend so much on her right away.
“Here she is, all ready and set for your use Mr. Saotome,” the Receptionist said cheerily as she took hold off and then offered the leash to him.
“Okay...” Ranma said slowly as the werecheetah walked up to him, holding her leash out obediently. Reaching out with a hand and gently taking a hold of the leash, the pigtailed teen asked, “You okay, Brii... Cheetah?”
“Yes, Master,” the werecheetah replied with a nod of her head, acting submissive to him.
Ranma sighed as he held her leash. “All right...” he looked past her and towards the other woman. “So... we’re all right to go then?”
Nodding her head, the receptionist of the slave kennel told him, “That you are. Good luck with your responsibilities of being a slave owner.”
“Wonderful!” Genma cheered as she stood up from the couch. “Then we’ll just have her grab all our things to carry and we’ll be on our way!”
The pigtailed teen’s eye twitched at that declaration from his father. “Pick up your own bag, Pops!” Ranma shouted as he lead the werecheetah to and out the door as the walked off.
As they got a good block from the slave holding area, the Lycanthrope leaned over to her owner’s ear. “About time... I was beginnin’ to think they’d never let me go,” Britanny whispered. She did not enjoy her time at that place, since for her, it wasn’t a chance to rest up.
Walking along the streets, Ranma nodded his head as he held his backpack slung over one arm, while his other reached out to hold Britanny’s leash. “Sorry about all this...” he apologized to the woman as he led her along like she were some pet. He was used to Slaves walking behind masters, after seeing it all around him... but he knew it had to be some sort of level of degradement, for Brit to have to be on a leash.
“It’s all right,” Cheetah assured the younger man. “We have to keep appearances in public places. It sucks, but better than me being put through that ‘reconditioning’ crap.” The magical being involuntarily shuddered as she remembered what she went through.
Although he understood that this was better than Britanny having to go through more of those treatments, Ranma sighed. “Not fair to you though...”
“Eh, after a bit we can act normal...” Britanny assured her owner. They just needed to get to someplace with privacy.
Again, Ranma nodded his head. “True, true...” he came to a stop at a crosswalk as he awaited the walk light to turn on...
...which gave his old man just enough time to catch up. “Darn it, boy!” Genma shouted as he was trying to carry his backpack, the camping gear, and now the slave’s gear. “What was the big idea, leaving me back there with all this crap!?”
His eye twitching, Ranma turned to look at his father. “I didn’t like how you were giving my slave orders so soon. I just got her back.”
“She’s a slave!” Genma retorted. “And she’s a full-use one for life. She can handle heavy manual labor.”
His eyes narrowing, Ranma told his father, “I’m the one who gives orders Pops, not you! If you wanted a slave you should’a won!” He wasn’t normally so outspoken against his father, but Britanny wasn’t a slave, well, not in mind-set. He couldn’t bring himself to allow his father to use her like one.
Although she looked perfectly calm, Britanny was holding back the urge to give the old fart a razz... she had to keep up the act for now.
Staring his boy down, Genma pointed out, “Hey, I’m the one that had to deal with all the real challenges. The smelly guy with the ratty old gi, the Russian Wrestler, and the whiney homosexual with tall blonde hair wearing a tight woman’s shirt! What did you get? Some high-school kid whining about flames, a Muay Thai Fighter that had a thing for saying, ‘ora ora’, and some shmuck in a pink gi. A PINK GI!”
“Hey, that guy’s gi may have been pink, but... but...” Ranma smirked. “Okay, HE was laughably pathetic, but the guy in the orange shorts with the tall brown hair was a challenge.”
Britanny REALLY was trying not to laugh. ‘That guy was a putz.’ She may have been stuck in the holding cage area, but the guy watching over the slaves had a TV set in the back and she and two others had been close enough to watch. She saw how Ranma took care of that idiot.
“So you see my point!” Genma said as he dropped the bags. “I worked hard and am still recovering. Your slave can take a small load off my back by at least carrying her own stuff.”
Making a show of thinking about it, Ranma said, “Gee... I don’t know... she’s going to start being my slave full time now... she may need a few days to adjust to see how we do things first, Pops...” a small vindictive smirk appeared on the pigtailed teen’s face as he added, “And didn’t you always tell me a real man does his own work?”
“Yes,” Genma said. “Now be a real man and take care of your slave,” the lard-ass commanded as he dropped the large satchel by his son’s feet. “And here’s your slave’s things... you’re going to be in charge of grooming and feeding her, and making sure your slave does her work.”
Ranma frowned a little. Damn, this was just like his old man... to push all the work onto other people. Well, this time, Ranma had to admit that the old goat did have a point... sorta...
Leaning over, Ranma craned his arm down and looped the strap of the satchel over his arm. He lifted it up with ease, noting it wasn’t too heavy. Must have only had the bare necessities in it.
Seeing what Ranma was doing, the werecheetah couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Master can I help you with that?” Britanny offered.
Looking at Britanny curiously, Ranma asked, “Think you can handle it?” He didn’t want to push her to do any work, but he couldn’t just openly not have her do anything. He knew his old man would have a fit.
“Of course,” she responded with a smile.
Ranma nodded as he held up the woman’s bag to her. “Careful now... it’s a little heavy...”
Rolling his eyes, Genma snorted in annoyance. “Boy, it’s lighter than our bags. And she can lift twelve times what we can!”
Turning to give his father a glare, Ranma held it for a few seconds before turning back to the werecheetah, holding her satchel up.
Reaching out for it, the werecheetah took the satchel easily and slung it over her shoulder. “Anything else I can lift for you?”
Ranma nodded his head. “You don’t have to if you’re not ready...” it was the best he could think of to say, ‘you don't have to’.
“I don’t mind, I live to serve,” she replied as she gave her master a smile, playing in character.
Considering what she said for a moment, Ranma handed her his backpack as well. “Thank you...”
Taking the backpack from him, Britanny shouldered Ranma’s pack with ease as she slung her own satchel over her back.
“Great!” Genma said as he saw the Lycanthrope now carrying the gear. “You can carry my backpack too!”
“Oh no, Pops!” Ranma shouted as soon as he realized what his old man was doing. “You can carry your own crap!” Turning to face his father completely, he told him, “You made me your pack-mule whenever you could, so now taste your own medicine!”
“Hey!” Genma shouted. “Neither of us has to be the pack-mule now that we have a slave. So why not give your old man a break? How could you deny your father after I’ve been the most understanding and concerned parent I could be?”
His eyes narrowing, Ranma shouted, “Cause you never gave me one, that’s why!”
“Only because I’m molding you into the greatest artist of your generation,” the old and ‘wisened’ martial artist proclaimed. “There’s no gain if there’s no pain.”
Ranma just stared at his father for a long moment. “Then take your own advice, ya old fart!”
Genma raised an eyebrow. “The point of this training journey is to better you. I am already good.”
His left eye twitching, Ranma harshly told his old man, “So far it seems to fatten your belly pretty good.”
Genma nodded his head. “I’ve earned it in my older age.” To emphasize this, he pat his abdomen with his right hand.
“So letting your kid starve to feed you face full is ‘earning’ it?” Ranma asked, a harsh tone to his voice as he openly glared at his father.
“Not when you put it like that...” the portly martial artist admitted in a low grumble. He hated when his boy remembered stuff like that. “Why would you even think that?”
“BECAUSE YOU ATE ALL THE FOOD!!” Ranma shouted at the top of his lungs
Although he was surprised for a moment, the portly martial artist regained his composure surprisingly quickly. To justify his actions, he explained, “But you never starved. You fasted at times, but you ate too.”
Rolling his eyes at that, the pigtailed teen huffed and turned to look away from his father, disgusted by the only relative he had in this world. “Fasted my ass. That was your excuse to cover up that you ate all the food while I was off training.”
His eyes narrowing, Genma frowned at his son’s rather accurate accusation. “Ranma, could we not have this sort of discussion out in public? If you want, we still have some earnings from that tournament. We can get a bite to eat at a restaurant of some sort before we look to see if there’s another one going around.”
Realizing his father was just trying to get them out of the public eye, Ranma was annoyed... but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take his old man up on the offer to get some decent food. Britanny could use the meal as well. “Fine, fine... I’m hungry anyway, so let’s eat.”
Genma nodded his head energetically. “I’m way ahead of you, boy!” He proclaimed in a might voice as he shouldered his own backpack. With the light turned, he started to walk with the traffic of people crossing the street. “C’mon, boy. I remember seeing something along this way when we came running into the city.”
“Sure thing, Pop.” Turning to look at his slave, Ranma nodded towards Cheetah, whom followed him as they ran after Genma.
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(Posted Wed, 02 May 2007 21:31)
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