The old woman looked up at him, seeming to consider something. "Maybe. Possibly."
"What can you teach me?" Ranma asked, not seeing a hint of martial arts in this old woman.
"I'm not sure what sort of fighting skills you're referring to, but if you were lucky enough to be my student - you'd learn witchcraft."
"Ya mean flying around on a broomstick, cackling over a cauldron, that kinda thing?" Ranma asked, making appropriate gestures.
"That sounds more like wizardry," said the witch. "My name, by the way, is Casia."
"Sounds like a watch maker," responded Ranma.
"Lad, I have friends in the watch, and you wouldn't cut it," said Casia. "I'm not sure you could handle witchery anyway. You've got damn little discipline, hardly any self control, enough pride for a bloated bureaucrat, and the scruples of a lawyer."
"HEY! I ain't no lawyer!" proclaimed Ranma. "You take that back!"
"Hmmm? Sorry, I hadn't meant an insult that was more an evaluation of your abilities. Mind you, there's a pool of life energies raging within you that would make you a very powerful witch if you could learn self-control."
"I got..." Ranma blinked, catching the reference. "Life energy like chi? Witches use chi?"
"If that's what you want to call it, yes," said the old woman.
"What kinda techniques can ya use chi with?" Ranma asked, his previous dismissal of the woman as a non-martial artist forgotten.
"Oh, a properly trained witch can do many things," said Casia as she reached out with her magic and made some fallen branches dance at her command. Then with a slight groan she lifted herself up off the ground to hover there briefly. Finally she called up a ball of witchlight.
Ranma had quickly realized that he might be able to do a Moko Takabisha or Hiryu Shoten Ha, but if the local martial artists (or chi users) could do this sort of thing... "Those common manuevers?"
"Your phrasing is strange but yes, most witches know how to do these things and quite a bit more. Truthsensing, curing warts, calming fears, speaking to animals, sensing emotions, and the like." Casia nodded. "More advanced witches can do a number of other things as well."
"Well in that case," said Ranma.
(Posted Mon, 19 Jan 2004 12:20)
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