Ranma stopped at the entrance to the Nekohanten and opened the door while Akane shuffled off to the side. This was mainly to allow the elders to go in first. Some would take this as a sign of respect. Some as chivalry towards females. To Ranma it was a buffer to what he would normally expect on entering the restaurant.
Shampoo hummed cheerfully as she bounced from table to table, passing out orders and refilling drinks with graceful efficiency when the bell rang to announce new customers had arrived. Twirling in place she smiled brightly. "Welcome to Nekoha-" Her greeting was cut off when she saw just who it was who had arrived though. The panda was always an unwelcome sight. Her Ranma's mother however tended to be the herald of strange news. Then the other woman with the interesting shade of hair that reminded her of Kom Pac's back in the village. Then came 'Pervert Girl' Akane, it was always fun to call her that and rile her up. Lastly, in came Ranma. "Airen!" From the look on his face, she could see something had happened but she didn't have a clue as to what.
In the space of the few blinks it took to settle those thoughts, she was not idle. Rather she had passed out the remaining orders with a flurry of speed and found herself presented cheerfully in front of the Saotomes. Damn. No clear path to give Husband a proper greeting. Her smile didn't falter as she looked over the group again and made a bow towards Nodoka. "How can This One help you honored Mother?"
"Grandmother. This is Shampoo." Ranma said from the back. He needed the space between them so he would not sound like a bundle of nerves. At times he could sympathize with Doc Tofu, He needed the distance from Shampoo to think clearly. He had to admit it to himself but he had been starting to look forward to Shampoo's greetings and cheerfulness even with all the denials he had to yell to try and keep property damage down. "Shampoo, can we see Cologne."
The young Amazon's eyes opened a bit wider as she looked at the new woman again. That the woman was examining her at the same time and had a smile on her lips was noticed. Husband's grandmother? "Of course! Shampoo goes get Elder in moment." She gently ushered the party to a large empty table with several chairs to spare and vanished into the back.
Those gathered at the table could hear a slight ruckus from the kitchen, the sound of a splash and a lot of angry quacking that was ended by a heavy door slamming. Lady Seto glanced around and saw how none of the customers payed any attention, as if this was not an uncommon occurrence. A minute later, the vertically challenged Amazon Elder made her appearance, hopping along to the table and settling into one of the free chairs across from Lady Seto and Nodoka. Shampoo followed her with a tray of tea and cold drinks to pass around.
Ranma, with a light cough to punctuate it, rolled into the important introductions. With a hand towards his family he started clearly, "Elder, you know my mother Saotome Nodoka. This is her mother The Lady Kamiki Seto Jurai," he glanced to Seto and she gave him a nod. "Lady Seto, this is Elder Ku Lon of the Joketsuzoku and her great-granddaughter Xian Pu."
Hearing Ranma actually not mangle her name for once made Shampoo perk up happily as she bowed from her position behind Cologne.
Outwardly, Cologne was calm, cool and collected as she appraised Seto, noting the woman's noble look, the quality of her clothing and youthful features she would have been jealous of at forty without a hint of her true age. Inwardly was a different matter as she wanted to beat her face against the table. Son in law making a proper introduction? Royal Title? It figures. Of all the things, the boy has to have value to people of power. Perhaps it was for the best we didn't just cart him off, such may have caused even more trouble. Cologne dusted off a technique she hadn't had to use in quite a while. She bowed humbly towards Lady Seto. "I greet you Lady Kamiki. What brings you by to my humble establishment?"
Lady Seto smiled sharply. "Well, when I learned a young woman was attempting to force my grandchild into marriage, how could I really resist coming along to see for myself. Though. I must say now that I'm here I can't for the life of me see why such an attractive girl would have to resort to the likes of drugs, potions and spells," Spells being spoken with some amusement in her voice, "to try and capture his attentions. Perhaps I should have asked for a bit more background. Xian Pu, would you please be good enough to tell me how you met Ranma?"
All of the perky girls earlier happiness seemed to drain from her with that question. With a shaky smile she could barely mutter the only words that came to mind. "Is complicated?"
Seto quirked a brow at the sudden change in the girl's demeanor. "I take it one of you made a very poor impression?" Shampoo could only laugh nervously in response.
"Saying it was a rough meeting would be putting it lightly." Came from Ranma as he glared at his still panda shaped father.
"Ranma, she spent half a year trying to kill you." Akane said incredulously. I hope this works.
The two elder females on the Saotome side of the table heard that and frowned. Both also noticed the hard look from Ranma was not directed towards Shampoo.
"Why is this the first I've heard of this?" Nodoka asked in hard tones as her eyes tracked towards her husband as well.
"Why," Lady Seto began as she shifted her gaze from the panda to Shampoo, "would she do such a thing? I thought you made mention of her having to wed you if she was defeated by you?"
Now it was Ranma's turn to get sullen but he pressed on with an explanation. "My old man isn't the only one who got a curse. Mine sort of conflicted with some a the Amazon laws."
"What is it you turn into then?" Seto was more than slightly curious.
Not seeing an easy way to say it, Ranma took a glass of cool water from the table and drizzled a bit onto this head, shifting from male to female. "And considering that hot water to reverse the curse is hard to get in the middle of nowhere, I ran across a law that Amazon's have for female outsiders. The 'hunt them down and kill them if they beat you' kind a laws."
"What absolute barbarism!" Lady Seto's eyes were hard as she directed them towards the Amazons across the table. They did not have the 'it was a misunderstanding' look, they had the 'we've been found out' look. Although Shampoo seemed to have a degree of remorse, it probably came more from the feelings she held for Ranma now and not the idea that her initial actions were wrong. But amazingly enough Ranma seemed to hold no ill will against the girl. By Tsunami, she could swear from those little looks he would give her that he was even worried for her. "There's more to this." It was not a question at all but a statement to prompt further information.
"Um." Ranma was freaked the hell out. She could sense Ki levels rising from her Grandmother now that she was apparently riled up. "When she tracked me here from China she tried to ambush my girl side but didn't know I was really a guy. When she tried to follow Akane to get to me, then attacked her for trying to protect 'girl type Ranma' I accidentally beat Shampoo to keep her from hurtin Akane. I didn't mean ta beat her, just wanted her to stop tryin ta get at Akane but that's when she gave me the kiss of marriage as a guy. Bit later she tried to get me ta help kill myself, least till I tried to tell her 'boy' and 'girl' Ranma were the same. Even told her I was really a girl so she would stop trying to hurt Akane to try and marry me. I kind a thought she was gunna kill me but she left instead. Then she came back with the elder here an they've been trying to drag me off since." Ranma was rambling a bit at the end, a bit preoccupied examining her grandmother's aura. The power flowing off Lady Seto made it feel like a ticked off Herb was at the table now, male form to boot.
"Really." Seto had a white knuckle grip on her closed fan and her eyes were narrowed dangerously.
Of course, the visible arcs of electrical energy around her and the lights in the restaurant brightening were further clues about her mood. Clues the other patron's all seemed to notice as they left the yen for their meals on tables and vacated the building with all due haste. Nodoka wanted to be upset with the Amazons at the moment but was occupied trying to stop Genma from running away from her mother but found herself being dragged towards the door as he tried flee. Akane quietly sat with her fingers crossed and hoped that Shampoo and Cologne would run away and leave Ranma to her.
Cologne herself was racing trough damage control options as quickly as she could. This woman was a total unknown and was putting out enough power to make her sweat. THIS is the stock the boy comes from? Time ran out when Seto stood up.
"Laws that force such a senseless and stupid loss of life. I shall not tolerate such being held against my family." She held her fan, actually her 'key' to her ship Mikagami, as if it were the hilt of a sword and manifested what looked to be a glowing blue ki blade and leveled it across the table towards a wide eyed Cologne. "What defense have you for your actions?" Some of the seriousness of the moment was stolen away by Ranma leaning over the table and closely examining the energy blade of Seto's sword. "Ranma dear, please sit back while I handle this business."
"Oh. Right." Said the slightly chagrined martial artist as she fell back into her seat. "Sorry."
"What we did we did in full accordance with our laws-" Cologne began in her wisest tone of voice only to get cut off by a sharp interruption from Seto.
"Then I shall follow the laws of my own people with the elimination of a threat to my family!" She may have looked deadly serious but inside she was snickering. Time for a show! She swiped at Cologne with her energy blade. The elder jumped up and back over the chair as the back was sliced cleanly off. Springing onto the table and rushing in with fantastic speed, Cologne rained a barrage of blows against Seto's defenses only to find them all blocked by a gracefully wielded open fan in Seto's off hand. Both parties sprang back and stared at the other.
Seto glanced to see that Ranma had pulled both Akane and Shampoo away from the immediate danger zone. How sweet! And Genma was even nice enough to take Nodoka outside to watch trough the window. She then held back the urge to laugh as Ranma started snacking on the abandoned food nearby and watched attentively as she went back to exchanging blows with Cologne. The wider arching sweeps with Seto's energy blade were used to herd the elder into the path of her fan strikes, which were blocked by a staff. Eventually she swept down and took the legs from the table, leaving her opponent to spring off to a nearby chair some distance away. Trying to capitalize on her opponents distance Cologne tossed a barrage of chopsticks at Seto as if they were throwing needles. She gaped like a fish as they impacted harmlessly against some sort of spherical energy shield that flickered into view with each impact.
Cologne lost the advantage of range a moment later as an extended hand from Seto, now missing one fan, glowed and a bolt of pale energy lanced out towards the Amazon elder. Sproinging away at high speed, Cologne noted the heavy burn where the beam struck. She as thankful there was no larger explosion but was sure it was due to Seto holding back. Peering at her opponent's stance, Cologne made a lunge at an opening in Seto's defenses. She lanced out with her staff for a pressure point strike only to find she had to pull back and attempt to parry a slice from Juraian warrior. Much to the old woman's shock her attempted parry saw her staff being reduced to a half dozen small chips of wood, as if the reinforcement techniques that held up against the sharpest blades were nonexistent.
The Elder retreated as her opponent maintained her position. In her estimation, things were not going well. She was fairly sure bringing the building down wouldn't even scratch the woman with that shield. That blade was as dangerous as Ranma's ki claws when he was under the neko-ken. And she was lunging at her pretty damn fast! With a quick roll side Cologne cleared the arc of the blue blade and the chase was back on.
Ranma was drooling over the techniques she was seeing. The shield alone would put her so far beyond her opponents it wouldn't be funny. Well funny for her but not anyone else, she was sure of it. Granny would be awesome to train under!
A lengthy spree of contained destruction later and Cologne was once again at standoff distance with Seto, much of the dining room furniture worse for the effort. Seto 'stood' about a foot off the floor with her shield active, not a hair out of place. Cologne was outwardly mussed yet uninjured, mostly thanks to her speed. A spare cane from the kitchen held in her hand was nicked and smoking.
"You impress me Elder Cologne, there are few who can give me a good warmup." Seto's expression was steely and she spoke with absolute certainty of that point. After all, one does not live five thousand years hunting space pirates and train an emperor in the arts of combat without being damn good. "I offer you a chance to surrender before I decide to get serious. Though, As a consolation I shall graciously forgive young Shampoo her antics in trying to snare Ranma. Any further attempts to wed him however, simply must allow for Juraian traditions to be followed."
Cologne was fuming on the inside but could see she had precious few alternatives. She was sure that should this Seto grow more serious, she would have to flee or face certain defeat. Maybe if she could attack on open ground with plenty of backup, she could overwhelm that defense with ki attacks but in close quarters like this she had no hope. With a sigh the old woman lowered her weapon. "Very well. I concede. Shampoo. The Kiss of Marriage is annulled. If you wish to continue to pursue Ranma or not, it is up to you."
Shampoo, who was sharing a booth with Ranma and Akane, looked puzzled. "What that mean, 'Juraian' traditions?"
Genma was in the next booth over uncomfortably, the discomfort mostly from her death grip on his fur, holding his wife and trying to sooth her nerves while her mother made such a spectacle of things.
"Jurai law allows for multiple marriage. By accepting a Juraian wedding both you and Akane can marry Ranma."
Shampoo was around the table in a heartbeat to pin Ranma between her and Akane, latching onto his arm and snuggling against him while ignoring his nervous laugh. She had already planned to share Ranma with her amazon sisters Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung. If it would mean she could be with Ranma sooner she wouldn't mind having to share with Akane... much. It was just that the greedy girl had made it clear she wanted Ranma all to herself early on. Shampoo asked what was an obvious question to her. "That mean we have share with spatula girl also?"
Akane banged her head into the table causing Ranma to look over to her with concern.
Well, at least I may still get those great great grandchildren. It will be such a pain to get them back to the village though. Cologne, looking rather drawn, shuffled off into the back to fetch Mousse to sweep up. Maybe I'll get lucky and the blind fool will be able to put on a show and cheer me up, it's to late to catch my soaps now.
Seto looked between the three. "Spatula girl?"
Ranma nervously tugged her pigtail a bit as she answered. "Ukyo Kuonji, my best friend. Though that almost didn't survive what the old man pulled on her, engaging me to her and then running off with her dowry. Now she's been trying to get me to marry her, even though Pop and the Tendo's have been pushing for me an Akane to get together."
"You have a third girl who wants to marry you?" Lady Seto smiled brightly and clapped. "How wonderful!"
"Hit yer head a bit hard Akane?" Ranma asked the girl in a concerned tone as she groaned.
A heavy sigh was her only reply, not bothering to lift her head just yet. She focused on one thought at the moment. Stupid genie.
Lady Seto slid into the booth across from Akane, Ranma and Shampoo. "Ranma,"
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(Posted Sun, 01 Sep 2013 23:08)
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