“I guess, but why are you interested in someone with a curse like mine? You’re definitely cute enough to find a normal person.” When Ranma finished she had a blush on her face as she remembered how Mir looked naked.
“Simple, I think I can trust you because of your curse. I think someone like you would protest passionately against certain experiments. That is not to say that you don’t have other good points, but that is what cinched it for me,” Mir explained while sporting a small blush because of Ranma’s compliment.
“I don’t mind,” Ranma said. “When would you like to go?”
“Tonight?” Mir asked with a smile.
“I can try, I kinda have to sneak out, because pops will try and stop me, and force me to marry someone of his choice. All to, in his words, ‘unite the schools,’ but he tends to talk in his sleep when drunk. So I know that he actually means to live off any money I make,” Ranma said.
“What,” Mir said in a flat voice. Meanwhile thinking, if his father thinks that he will take away the first person in my four hundred years I am interested in…
As Mir’s expression darkened everyone backed away from her slightly.
Meanwhile Ranma was thinking, /what have I gotten myself into? She seems nice, but I can tell that there will be trouble when she is angry.
Mir smoothed her expression when she noticed the slight trace of fear on Ranma’s face. “Sorry, it just made me angry that he was trying to exploit his son that way,” she explained partially.
Akane walked in, past a hidden Tofu, at this point, and said, “Sorry, I overheard you talking, and wanted to offer my assistance in distracting our fathers.”
Mir gave a small smile as she responded, “thanks, but who are you, and why do you want to help?”
“Oh sorry, my name is Akane, and the reason why I want to help is that I don’t see Ranma and my sisters or me as a couple. No offence Ranma, I think we can be great friends, but I have enough trouble with Kuno NOW. Imagine what he would do if I got engaged? He would probably attack you at every turn, and since you can’t defend yourself physically in that form, it would cause unnecessary hardship for you. As for my sisters, you’re not rich enough for Nabiki, and Kasumi already likes someone,” Akane explained.
“Err thanks, I think,” Ranma said while scratching the back of her neck.
“I had better get back to the house to start the distraction,” so saying she started out the door. She paused and asked, “by the way Cologne wanted to talk with you, so you want me to send her in?”
“I guess,” Ranma said shrugging.
“How can a toiletry want to talk with you?” Sierra asked.
“Oh, Cologne is the name of an old Ghoul,” Whap, “Ow, what was that for?” Ranma responded, rubbing her head after Cologne removed her staff from it.
“What’s this about?” Shurelia asked politely to try and head off Mir’s temper.
Before Cologne could respond, Ranma explained about the psychotic Amazon laws, how they applied to her, and filled them in on the conversation their arrival interrupted.
Lyner’s normally easygoing face set itself in a glare at Cologne as he responded to the story, “You’re lucky your group doesn’t live on our tower. It would have been wiped out ages ago, and any Amazon attempting to force those laws on others would have been arrested, right Shurelia?”
“Yes, murder is strictly punished on, in all sections of our tower,” Shurelia agreed.
“Our traditions have lasted for over three thousand years, and have never failed. I personally have seen them in action for three hundred years,” Cologne said.
“I and the tower I administer are over seven hundred years old, and in all that time I have NEVER seen it necessary to murder someone out of pride. In fact I have never seen the need for pure murder at all, corporal punishment yes, and attacks on criminal strongholds sure, but never just killing for such stupid reasons,” Shurelia said scathingly. “We have also changed our laws to adapt with the times.”
Ranma paled at the implications of Shurelia’s speech. “Shurelia?” she said.
“Yes Ranma?” Shurelia responded.
“My cursed form seems to be based off of you, so will I live that long?” Ranma asked with a shaken voice.
“I don’t know, it’s possible though,” Shurelia said.
Mir imperceptibly perked up at this. Due to the time she spent sealed away creating viruses, she was in fact part virus. This all but guaranteed her a far longer lifespan than normal Beta-type reyvateils. The fact that her perspective partner has that potential as well makes him/her FAR more attractive.
“Anyway,” Cologne said. “I wanted to ask you something, Ranma.”
“What do you want, Old…” Ranma paused and looked at Shurelia before he continued, “sorry, what do you want ghoul? whap “OW!”
“I want to ask you, since you have people here that know how your magic works, to teach some of my tribe in exchange for immunity to our laws, and what aid we can supply,” Cologne said.
After the old woman said that everybody but Ranma burst out laughing.
“What’s your problem?” Cologne asked irritated at the response her request sparked off.
Lyner was the first to catch his breath, and so he responded, “teach? Bwahahaha. You can’t teach a person song magic, they have to be born a reyvateil to use it.”
“And, how do you know we don’t have one of these reyvateils in our tribe?” Cologne asked angrily.
Sierra took over as she caught her breath, “There are three types of reyvateils, Origin, Beta-class, and third generation. Betas and Origins are both artificially created in a lab, and third generations are born from a pairing of any of the types of reyvateils, and a human male. Of course since all reyvateils are female, all men are human. Since you are too stubborn to catch up to the world outside your tribe, I’m assuming that you are technologically inferior to what we see out the window. And what we see out the window shows that the technology OUTSIDE your village is inadequate to create a reyvateil. In short the chances of you having one in your tribe are between zero and no chance in hell.”
“What exactly are reyvateils?” Cologne asked her anger cooling as she realized that they had a point.
“An artificially created side branch of humanity, which is fully capable of interbreeding with normal humans. Genetically ninety-nine point eight nine percent identical to normal humans, the only difference is a small gene sequence that the Y chromosome in men deactivates. The only physical differences are what looks like a tattoo somewhere on their body called an installer port, and the ability to channel symphonic power, and the binary field to produce song magic,” Shurelia explained.
Ranma paled as she touched her tattoo, and realized what it really was. She also realized that it was true; she wasn’t quite human in her cursed form. The disturbed girl leaned toward Mir and asked quietly, “Is that true?”
“Yes, although the location of a reyvateils installer port is usually kept secret except when two people are close. If a reyvateil is close enough to a person she usually allows him or her to put special crystals called grathnode crystals into her. This increases the power or her songs. I wouldn’t recommend it with you because I have no clue what would happen if you changed to male. I know Shurelia removed hers shortly before the experiment,” Mir whispered back.
“Why is that?” Ranma asked.
“Because grathnode crystals act similar to a mild poison in a REYVATEILS body, which is designed to take them. Imagine if a long crystal recrystallizes when you change to your male form, it could easily skewer an internal organ,” Mir responded.
Ranma winced at the thought, but remained quiet.
Cologne frowned at the description of what reyvateils are, as she responded to Shurelia, “so, in order to get the magic in the tribe we would have to adopt a reyvateil into the tribe?”
“Yes, but I can’t think of any that would join your tribe with the laws you have, even if we can get home and back again. Plus you don’t have the necessary support for any third generation reyvateils born into your tribe,” Shurelia explained while Ranma and Mir started to leave the room.
“Wait,” Lyner said as he removed a midsized box from his storage space. “Shurelia thought you might need this, it’s a portable dive system,” as he said that Lyner handed it to Ranma.
Ranma, walked out behind Mir struggling under the weight of the box. As they got to the lobby a set of hands took the box away.
“Let me carry that for you Ranma,” Akane said.
“Thanks. Not that I mind, but I thought you were going home early?” Ranma replied
“Saw Kuno prowling about so I decided to stay, and If this is the least bit valuable I wouldn’t leave it around the house, Nabiki or your father would probably steal and sell it,’ Akane commented.
Ranma stopped as she remembered the conversation between Ryoga and sierra, and the fact that the technology in that box is irreplaceable. She turned toward Mir, and asked nervously, “would you like to try it?” and upon seeing her face darken she continued, “You into me I mean. I don’t know why but I think I can trust you. Also Akane’s right, we need to set this up somewhere safer than the house I’m at.”
Mir’s face brightened as she heard that Ranma felt that she could trust her like that, and replied, “Sounds good, where do you think we should set it up to try it?”
Tofu, who was cycling between eavesdropping on the fascinating conversation with Shurelia, checking on Shampoo, and now eavesdropping on Ranma’s group stepped in, and said, “I was on my way back here to check if I had more patients waiting when I overheard you talking.; If you wish you can set that up in a spare room I have. The room has a few comfortable chairs and a lockable cabinet that you can put it away after you’re done.”
Ranma looked at Mir, who nodded. Not that Mir particularly trusted the doctor, but it seemed he was telling the truth, at least about the safe place to dive and store the equipment.
“Sounds good,” Ranma Replied.
“This way then,” Dr. Tofu said as he started to lead them to the room.
Ranma and Mir followed, though not without a suspicious look from the latter.
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(Posted Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:39)
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