Bonded to it's mistress, the situation changed, and Neith quickly constructed a personality based on it's owners own - somewhat. This was influenced by the spirit's own nature (it was a Espionage and war spirit, after all) and on the fact that it was drawing more from it's owner's subconscious mind than her conscious.
It was also influenced by it's system status check.
The main library of Techniques was badly damaged during it's last attempted 'realignment' - most of the skills it had been provided with were going to have to be reviewed. Neith couldn't trust the memories contained in the gem with Mina's life; Not on a bet, not on anything. Especially the spell library; She was going to have to make due with making things up as she went along, which was markedly less efficient. -some- of the skill packages might be trusted - 'Police Woman', 'Spy' and 'Samurai', for instance, looked okay. Others might be okay after some review. Most of them would have to be ditched for being too badly corrupted to be used and reconstructed from scratch.
That was irritating.
The Secondary weapons systems were also damaged. Luckily, that was repairable. Unluckily, that repair would require replacement parts, the only sources of which were back on Magellan Castle, N+1 lightyears from earth.
That was incredibly irritating.
A careful review of the 'damage' to the additional weapons indicated that it was very possible that several of them had never actually been finished.
That was infuriating.
But worst, it's main Energy amplifier seals were cracked. *That* at least would heal itself - in time. Lots of time. The Secondaries were enough to run the basic assimilation of weapons, healing, and basic disguise pen functions on, and the salvage Neith had recovered from the burned out Crescent Compact helped - but it still left the overall result unacceptably below par.
Especially when the Mercury Armor was challenging her.
'born' with the influences of these unpleasant discoveries, well, Neith was...
It would be polite to say that Neith was irritable.
It would be accurate to say that Mina's new Guardian Spirit was a bitch - at least, for now. (eventually, that would be moderated. At the moment, however, the guardian spirit was too angry at the mess it's constructors had left it with to be nice.)
So when Minako went rigid with surprise at suddenly perceiving both Neith's mental presence in her head, along with all of the data about what it was that had suddenly appeared in her head, Neith acted, seizing brief control of her mouth to snap.
"Super Venus Armor Project Zero One, not that it's any of your @#(^% business you piece of Mercurian cybertrash!"
This was followed by mass horrified staring from the profanity, Setsuna's narrow eyed glare and leveled keystaff - and Minako clapping one startled hand over her mouth and blushing the color of a tomato.
Not because of the cussing, but because she immediately realized just who's mind Neith had learned those words from.
Symbiote, however, had another reaction entirely - neither horror nor anger, but a grim and level stare. "Impossible. The Venusian Armor Project was not completed before the Fall. Please try again."
No $(#^% Holmes? I wouldn't have guessed that from the bloody great -Bleep-ing holes in my weapons loadout!
Minako tried to turn even redder at Neith's answering - unvoiced, this time - thought, and didn't remove her hand from her mouth until she was certain Neith had turned to carefully managing her 'healing' - and she'd received a short mental apology for taking over her voice.
Then the hand came off - and the blond found the attention of the whole room on her, and more importantly, both Symbiote and Setsuna holding powered up attacks on a leash. "She agrees with you. Um..My super weapon is unarmed? Mostly unarmed? Sortofkindamaybebutnotreallyunarmed? justnotasarmedasitcouldbe? Setsuna, stop pointing your staff at me!"
Oh, please, we can be more assertive than that! Tell her to put it up before we shove it up her -
"NO! I am not going to say that to Setsuna!" Minako's Shriek brought the otherwise chilled Outer Senshi back up from where they'd been trying to get warm - and caused Setsuna to eyetwitch.
Symbiote could hear her soft mutter of "I can still kill it right now, I don't have to put up with it, I don't, but that would change history..oh damn..it *is* her.." and turned slightly to regard the guardian of time, who slowly lowered her staff. "It's...not necessarily impossible, you know. The Magellan Palace had impressive shields, and it wasn't attacked before the Moon Kingdom. Their scientists might have gotten far enough to make it work..."
Haruka scowled, ignoring Minako who seemed to have subsided to a private muttered argument, and asked, "Is there any way to check?"
Ami hesitantly said, "I think so. If it really is the Venus Super Armor system..It wasn't technological, so neither I nor Symbiote would be able to hack it, but it did have an Identifier magically..Setsuna?"
The Guardian of time groaned and simply shook her head. "I have a better idea...Mina, does your...guardian have another name?"
The assembled Senshi turned back to Minako and stared. Minako scowled petulantly at the wall.
Or rather, Samurai Minako of the Shisengumi, did: sometime durring her arguement her clothes had been -shfited- to the garb of a period Samurai, gold and white Hakama with red pants, and triangle flashes of silver lining the sleeve cuffs.
The Samurai Senshi of Love and Beauty's answer was concise and short..but the twitching smile of admiration hovering about her mouth ruined the effect. Forget powers - the ability to instantly change her fashions to nearly anything she could imagine and permission to do so was worth miracles. "She says it's Neith and she's the Guardian spirit of the Armor and hence, me. (Woosh. Okay, don't wine Neith! I like this. It's cool.)" Minako turned from the wall and assumed a begging expression at odds with her current outfit. "Can I keep it Please!?"
Setsuna groaned. “I’m convinced. I’ll find the test spell and confirm it, but..that’s probably it..”
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(Posted Tue, 18 Mar 2003 03:40)
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