Gold, Power, and Black Trousers
Based on the creation of Rumiko Takahashi, Ranma 1/2
written by Riverburn
Version 1.1
Gold, Power and black trousers ... and a bit of coincidence. Ranma and Nabiki recall events that led them to their controversial, unlikely and quite uncommon bond that is not quite fluffy, but a wild clash of wills
A short Story where Ranma and Nabiki have a business meeting. Regardless of the 1.1 version, still unpolished
"So tell me again how exactly you talked me into this?" demanded a frustrated female Ranma wearing a breathtaking, characteristically red silk cheongsam with a flowing gold serpentine dragon its mouth ending at her bosom.
"What are you complaining about, I'm wearing the exact same thing," a bemused Nabiki answered. She had to admit, the dress looked super on Ranma.
"One," Ranma said, holding one delicate finger up ending in a painted and manicured nail. "You are not wearing the exact same thing. You are wearing the normal version; I'm wearing the pervert edition. Two," another finger followed showing a same expertly manicured nail, "You happen to be a woman, I happen to be…" before Ranma could finish his phrase Nabiki talked right over her.
"A woman as well, and quite a specimen I must say. How do you get your breasts naturally so firm and voluminous without having them sag?" Nabiki asked in apparent wonder. One could question the sincerity, but it at least got Ranma push her breasts forward and looking proudly at her bosom, seemingly forgotten what she was talking about.
"Yeah, they are quite round, aren't they. Quite firm and big as well," Ranma began mumbling, unnecessarily pushing her breasts upwards to accentuate them. Suddenly she froze as she realized what she was doing. "There, you did it again, that's how you got me into this bloody dress in the first place," Ranma suddenly exclaimed, pointing one of her perfectly polished nails balefully at Nabiki.
Nabiki grinned, and shook her head. "But you do look good in that dress Ranma. I got these two similar dresses at a discount. I could never fill up that dress like that like you could," Nabiki said with an encouraging smile.
She had no problem admitting that this was not only to convince Ranma but plain truth as well. Ranma had grown into a healthy beautiful looking woman. The red hair, frank look and general annoyance whenever she was wearing revealing woman clothes, which men misinterpreted as hard-to-get, made her an insanely pretty asset when trying to close deals.
Nabiki herself was wearing, as Ranma exclaimed, the demure version. Where Ranma's was rather stretchy and accentuated all her marvellous curves, Nabiki's was more loose, both due to the dress itself as due to her more modest (but certainly not undersized) womanly attributes. In addition, Ranma's dress went from the hips straight down and generously accentuated her hips, and would've been very restrictive for her legs, if it weren't for the side slits that went up just under Ranma's black lace panties. Nabiki's dress on the other hand was more traditional and from the hips widened into a simple dress with subtle beautifications.
Another difference was the top. Although both made to emphasize the bosom, and had exactly the same colour, Nabiki's closed at the back with a zipper; Ranma's closed at the front with buttons.
At those buttons Ranma was currently looking at. She was trying to find a not-exactly-missing button. She mumbled something about returning it or fixing it herself.
"Leave it Saotome, it's supposed to be that way," Nabiki said stroking the soft fabric, trying to undo Ranma's fidgeting.
Ranma gave her a sceptic look, "Look at this," she said irritably. "You can see my breasts through this opening."
"Exactly," replied a smiling Nabiki.
"Now, come'on, we're already late as it is. Being fashionable late is one thing, arriving twenty minutes late on a contract deal is another," Nabiki noted, checking herself one last time in the mirror.
"That's something I don't get," Ranma idly wondered, still trying to hide her revealing breasts. "Usually you talk me into wearing tight business suits whenever you need a contract signed. Why are we wearing dresses for a contract deal?"
"Because," Nabiki replied, adjusting some make-up in the mirror. "This guy has an obsession for dresses, and more specifically Chinese styled dresses. I doubt it'll hurt my credibility if we show up like this. Besides, at this hour you're not supposed to wear a business suit."
"Alright," Ranma exclaimed suddenly chipper.
Nabiki turned around to look at a confident smiling Ranma, looking her straight in the eyes. This was one of Ranma's most characteristics smiles, almost completely identical to those when he still lived in Nerima. A smile usually reserved for combat. A small lopsided smile, eyes that sparkled, eyebrows came together at the bridge of her delicate nose, but sprang up from there.
Nabiki swallowed hard, and had to concentrate to keep her face as straight and neutral as possible.
"What now?" she asked outwardly perfectly calm, but inside getting a tad hot. It wasn't just Ranma's confident masculinity that set her off, but the intelligence in those eyes was obvious.
"We'll get that contract for you," she said, her voice crystal clear, her confident smile shining, her eyes warm and almost radiating positivism.
"Of course we will," Nabiki replied with one of her own small smiles. Contrary to Ranma's her smile was calculated showing only a subtle sign of confidence whereas Ranma might be accused of arrogance. It wasn't always certain she'd get the contract. She missed quite some in fact.
With Ranma's help though, she hadn't missed any as of yet. Admitted, at first Ranma did more damage than good. Certainly the first time when he – at that time a she – wanted to beat up the second party. Ranma – Nabiki soon learned – meant when she said she didn't lose. Contracts were included, and Ranma invented the Anything Goes Saotome closing deals school of martial arts.
"Just so you know"
Ranma walked over to Nabiki, grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the door.
Nabiki felt electricity surging through her body as Ranma touched her hand. She followed steadily trying to regain some momentum. Sometimes she wondered about the boy turned girl.
It was easy to talk him into doing things in Nerima, it was easy when she first met him in Hong Kong, and it is still easy now. Ranma's naive, no matter if he's sixteen, eighteen or twenty-four. Ranma however, is not an idiot like he was when he was sixteen or eighteen. He knew pretty well what he was doing.
He or rather, she knew she was going to a business meeting to help her close a deal. She also realised she was not to fight, not to insult or anger the second party, and of course to look pretty. Five things the original Ranma might overlook
Another situation where he was well aware of was he was doing was his infuriating cocky smile. Men are expected to be confident. Indeed, women wait for men to come to them, something that requires self-reliance. Hence, confidence and poise is something they try to master from an early age. Take into account that women usually are attracted to confidence, and you have the reason why testosterone exists.
Ranma brought this art to a whole new level. Nabiki wouldn't be surprised if there was the Anything Goes Saotome look smug school of martial arts. The way, regardless of gender, he could look so damn cocky, so male was mind-boggling. Combine that with a natural incredibly handsome face and eyes that radiated intelligence (though not always supported by his actions), and he was, to coin the phrase, simply irresistible.
There were women who were attracted by sensitive men, some by caring, or men with humour and other yet felt attraction towards intelligence. Nabiki wanted a man who was as much man as she was a woman. Strangely enough, Ranma was such a man.
Nabiki was someone who placed a value on most things in live, if not all. Now, whenever Ranma flashed that macho overconfident smile of his, she felt heat spreading over her whole body. It was, after she had ripped his clothes off his body and tested her wares thoroughly, then that Nabiki priced Ranma. Safe to say, he was the best deal she had ever made.
It was simply amazing how thoroughly he satisfied her in every sense of the word, and the price she had to pay satisfied her even more. Who said you couldn't make a deal that had both price and product turn into profit – regardless if that was a contradictio in terminus?
Nabiki wasn't a woman who'd use the word love. Love would mean that Ranma had control over her. Not a romantic way to describe love, but then Nabiki was the last person to admit she had a romantic soul.
If she were to admit a price that wasn't essentially profit it'd be control. Ranma had control over her. The simplest example was that smile of his. One flash and she was on him like a bunny on steroids. But others things as well like dinner, movies, music, channels – those small things that you decide together. Ranma only had to mention he felt like okonimiyaki, and she felt herself thinking of a good okonomiyaki restaurant.
In a way, it was still a lucrative price. She eagerly surrendered control when he'd smile his Ranma smile, that didn't need explanation. But the smaller things like choosing a restaurant in function of what he felt like was in a way very gratifying. Of course, when she felt like pasta, they were going to eat pasta, but then Ranma was always perfectly okay with that.
She always thought that if she'd have a relationship it'd be based on lust. Though there was certainly a lot of that going on, sometimes smaller things also were just nice. Like eating out, or watching a silly show on the telly, or just cuddling.
"Now that's one hell of a TV screen!"
Ranma's awed comment interrupted Nabiki from her musing. She looked though the rear window at the new Orgean skyscraper boasting a twenty-meter long video screen.
"You've seen bigger in Hong Kong"
"Yea, but it still amazes me. I'm usually in the mountains; you don't even have a silly black and white telly there." Ranma turned back to Nabiki smiling. Ranma liked driving in a limousine through the busy illuminated city.
"Saotome, you're usually with me."
"Exactly, and you're lately not always in the city."
Ranma slumped down, enjoying the comfy limo seats.
"True enough."
Nabiki took a pensive sip from her vodka, while looking at the city zooming by.
"So, which sucker are we gonna scam now?"
Nabiki frowned and regarded Ranma authoritatively, shaking her head as a teacher.
"Saotome, for the umpteenth time, we do not scam our customers, we close a deal with them. Your idea of capitalism might be a tad negative, but that's no reason to think that every contact is by definition a scam."
Ranma snorted. "That's why we need to look pretty for him to sign!?"
"Looking pretty won't convince him, but it'll ease his mind." Nabiki smiled shrewdly. "See it as you fighting a girl. You don't hit girls, which gives girls an enormous advantage over you."
Ranma thought this over for a second before turning back to Nabiki.
"Alright then, so what kind of deal are we trying to close?"
Nabiki crossed her legs, and got more comfortable, taking another sip from her expensive vodka.
"The first party..."
"The guys that hire you?" Ranma asked, interrupting her.
Nabiki sighed, and gave Ranma a warning glare. "Yes, the guys that hired me, they make posters, and are expanding. While waiting for their new fixed cost complex to finish, they steadily want to increase production. So they're going to outsource this."
Ranma was drinking a simple soda, and while listening playing a bit with the ice-cubes. "And now you're going to try to make a deal to outsource this."
"Exactly, and please be careful. I've spend an awful lot of effort on this one. It was hard to find a poster company willing to bare the extra weight, let alone make a cost-effective deal."
Ranma gave her a confident smile and a thumbs up. "No worries. That deal's practically made!"
Nabiki smiled back at the glamorous looking redhead. She scooted closer, pushed aside part of Ranma's dress, and placed her hand on her naked knee. She leaned over and gave Ranma a sweet drawn-out kiss on the lips.
"I'm sure it is!"
Nabiki's eyes shone evilly in Ranma's own arrogant ones.
The place was a rather typical expensive restaurant. Classy but without anything unique, safe maybe that what they did, they did extremely good. The waiters were well-trained professionals that were both beautiful to look at as fully clothed and not meant to touch or provide any other service then to serve food.
It was a place where business deals often occurred. Because of its professionalism, dirty manipulating tricks didn't really work. Stuff like hookers were a big no-no in this place. Actually, Ranma was once almost thrown out. Only her big mouth and obvious resentment of the term "prostitute" made the proprietor relent (as well as the apparent property damage the furious redhead was willing to inflict on the place when Nabiki told Ranma what they meant with 'escort')
The man they had an appointment with was pleasant looking man, well in his forties with black greying hair. He had a fairly muscled posture but not intimidating. He was clearly of Eastern Asian descendant, more to the point, Chinese – which was not unusual in Singapore. He introduced himself as Fuhua, and his wife, a very pretty raven-haired woman somewhere in her late thirties, Meifen.
Nabiki noted with a smile that mister Fuhua appreciated Ranma's dress as well what made the dress curve.
"Saotome Ranma," Ranma offered in reply to Mr Fuhua. Though Ranma said her name just as Meifen, Fuhua and Nabiki did, Ranma's frankness and loose behaviour gave her introduction something blunt. Both Meifen and Fuhua seemed oddly pleased by that. It surprised Nabiki, usually her business partners were slightly offended by Ranma's over assertive, open and blunt character, still she pinched Ranma softly when they took their seats.
Ranma yelped and balefully looked at Nabiki "What was that for?" she rubbed her knee ostentatiously.
"I hope we have no made you wait too long?" Nabiki began diplomatically, ignoring Ranma. She was late, but he knew she was going to be late.
"Don't you worry about that. Tell me how are you?"
"I'm doing very good indeed, thank you for asking. And how are you?"
The conversation was shallow and courteous, both Nabiki and Mister Fugua inquiring about the other's well-being both on personal as professional level.
Through all this Ranma didn't say a word, and obviously bored, scanned the restaurant for the umpteenth time. Since she came here often, she knew it through and through. She picked up her glass and contemplated its content, then held it in front of the candle looking at the effect of the flame through the semi transparent blackish liquid.
Though Nabiki introduced Ranma as her colleague and business-partner, Ranma had no interest in this whatsoever. She joined because Nabiki had asked, but she had no idea what possible positive influence she could have on a meeting like this. For crying out loud she had insulted and challenged her customers on more than one occasion.
Then there were all those smiles and pleasantries. Ranma had tried to look pleased and content – just like Nabiki and the other businessmen – trying her damnest best to smile, but she just couldn't muster one for more than her attention span allowed.
Some other restaurants had playgrounds for the little kids. She wasn't a kid, and her pride wouldn't allow her to even near or look at it. Still it had been fun when she found herself looking at a silly Disney film, until Nabiki had dragged her back to her seat that is. Ranma had wailed and said she wanted to see what the evil witch would do, but Nabiki would have none of it. Hence Ranma had sulked that entire business meeting. For some reason Nabiki didn't mind and she had gotten her contract.
But there was no playground here, only some flatscreens showing information about Singapore Exchange. Surprisingly Ranma had a faint idea what all the numbers on the screen meant. In a rare strange mood, Ranma wanted to know a bit more about what interested Nabiki. She had blinked, and blinked again, she even went as far as to check his temperature. Eventually, after Ranma proposed to just drop it, she had explained a bit about "economics". He had listened, and though he didn't understand most of what she had said, he understood some things.
Regardless those numbers could hold her attention for very long. She turned back and saw Nabiki still talking pleasantly with Mister Fuhua about some nonsense.
"Boring, isn't it?"
Ranma suddenly looked in front of her where the sound had come from, and saw the raven-haired woman looking curiously at her. She had completely forgotten about her. She had a small smile and a rather weird glint in her eyes.
Ranma sighed "Incredibly. I don't understand why they just can't sign the bloody paper and be done with it."
This got the woman to giggle softly. At the sound of giggles, Nabiki turned looked at Meifen for a second before turning back to her conversation.
"Neither do I," she said with a big smile.
Then she continued asking her what she was drinking. Ranma held up her drink, showing the black brown colour of her beverage.
"A simple Coke" as Ranma smiled, the woman in front of her also smiled.
"You should try something else" She had a very sedated voice, but regardless had a certain edge. It was hard to say if she was suggesting or commanding Ranma.
Ranma laughed awkwardly. "hehe, sorry, I don't..." but before she could finish, Meifen had already given Ranma her glass and with her own hands direction the glass to Ranma's lips.
Ranma didn't notice both Nabiki frowning at Meifen unnecessary help, or Meifen's hand around her own. The taste was good, Ranma concluded. Very good. It tasted a bit like coke, but tougher, and with a very nice aftertaste.
Unconsciously Ranma licked her lip – not gone unnoticed by Meifen – looking happily at the drink.
"That's good. Tastes a bit like coke, also has the same colour. What is it?" Besides Ranma, all three noticed her sudden cheeriness.
"Picon mixed with a good sauvignon."
"Oh, well" Ranma smiled and felt strangely like laughing. "That's good then"
"I bet it is Saotome," mentioned a not too amused Nabiki.
"So tell me Ranma Saotome," Ranma turned her head at the sudden mention of her name. "I hear you are Miss Tendo's business partner?"
Ranma looked at the man with big round eyes, having no idea what he was talking about when it suddenly hit her "ehm, Yea I am"
"And what is it what you do?"
Ranma opened her mouth but no sound came out. She looked around her at Nabiki, who carried a big smile, at Meifen, who seemed curious as well, and then back to the man who had a gentle smile.
"Investor?" Ranma smiled awkwardly
The man nodded slowly "aah, interesting. You're private investor?"
"ehm no? Nabiki knows about it too," She tried hoping the man would stop asking her things.
"So it is a joint obligation deal?"
Ranma noticed Nabiki was nodding her head, hoping she'd say just 'yes', but Ranma felt somehow that the man was making fun of her.
Ranma's eyes took a dangerous glint "What are you insinuating pal?"
Ranma knew what an obligation was, and she knew what 'joining' meant, so it must've meant something like having obligations towards each other which would assume a relationship of sorts. Nabiki had often told him not to tell about their relationships. Her partners usually didn't have a problem with lesbianism, but she wasn't really, and didn't want to be regarded as one. Ranma couldn't but agree.
"ehm" The man began to sweat not understanding what he had said to set the young woman off like that. "That you two share obligations towards a fund or bank or somesuch organisation?"
Ranma's slammed her hands flat on the table. None of the service people looked up, it wasn't the first time. "What? Are you now implying we're some kind of escorts for the bank?"
Mister Fuhua had no idea how the young redhead in front of her could make that conclusion, but obviously, from the way she was staring menacingly at him, she could.
Since Ranma's first idea when hearing the word obligation was it's quite literal meaning, namely as duty or responsibility, and not the more economic term, namely a dept from an organisation towards a private or legal person.
Ranma didn't had such a positive view of banks, and having obligations towards such a crooked organisation could only mean one thing in her book. Something bad, really bad.
Before the man could endanger his life even further Nabiki intervened. "No, Mister Fuhua simply meant that we have something like stocks"
Ranma relaxed, but still regarded the man warily "oh," she took another gulp from her drink, frowned a bit at the strange taste and put it on the table again. "That's alright then."
Ranma wasn't however going to back down now.
"So what do you do Mister...?"
Ranma had already forgotten the guy's name.
"Fuhua, Mister Fuhua," he replied all smiles. "I make and sell posters for supermarkets"
Ranma however wasn't going to be convinced. "And what's on those posters?" Ranma's tone implied lots of posters with scantily clad ladies. Mister Fuhua humoured her and answered her with a same pleasant smile.
"Usually food or other products they sell"
"Aha, so you admit," Ranma suddenly exclaimed with a victorious smile, taking another gulp from her drink. "You've got other products on your posters. So tell me, what kind of other products are those?"
The man considered this for a second. "ehm, stuff like laptops, PDA's, bikes, microwaves, dishwashers."
Ranma was looking at the man expectantly but when nothing came, she slumped down. There was nothing she could imply.
Nabiki however gave Ranma a gentle elbow in the ribs. "Ranma calm down, Mister Fuhua just sells innocent posters, nothing to worry about."
"It is so sweet of you though to make sure that my husband's business isn't fishy" this came from a kind of drowsy smiling Meifen who was regarding Ranma in a way that made Nabiki's smile widen in an effort to disguise the grimace she actually wanted to show.
Ranma of course felt good at the praise. "That's normal, wouldn't want to do any business with jerks."
"You're right, people should care more for whom they are working for," the woman added.
"I do that all the time," replied Ranma, feeling very good, and taking and swig from her drink.
"I bet you do," the woman said smiling widely. "So what do you actually do?"
Ranma giggled. "Me?" and took another sip from her drink. "I safe the world"
"So you work for a humanitarian organisation?" asked Mister Fuhua again with that same encouraging smile. Ranma blinked as she regarded the man who didn't seem to have another other way to ask questions.
"What? No, I safe the world"
Nabiki had to strain a smile. "Miss Saotome here has her own idea of saving the world. She's quite picky on whom to safe."
Ranma glared at Nabiki. "What's that supposed to mean? I safe plenty of people."
"I bet she does," agreed the Meifen woman, getting a glare from Nabiki and a smile from Ranma.
This all convinced Ranma to take another swig from her drink. She noticed it was empty, and asked for another one. Nabiki looked at the drink, and at a grinning Ranma, and asked for the same thing. She noticed Meifen grinned, but choose to ignore it.
"What kind of people?" asked an eternal curious Mr Fuhua.
Ranma scratched her head, trying to find some way to answer this question.
"You know, all sorts of creatures"
"Creatures?"
"Yea, you know, like ghosts, spirits, watercreatures, all sorts of creatures."
"You're a priest?" asked the man incredulous. This got Nabiki to laugh out loud.
"What?! No, no, I don't work as a priest," Ranma said heatedly. Then she relaxed back in her seat. "Besides, if I was, I couldn't be hanging out of Nabiki here."
This stopped Nabiki's laughing dead on. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"A priest would have little business with you, now would he?"
Nabiki glared at Ranma's remark, at his grin, before remembering her place, and tried to relax again.
"Let us not get distracted. Maybe we could talk about what we came for." Nabiki smiled brightly, and demurely clasped her hands, looking at Fuhua, who in turn was incredulously looking at a frank Ranma.
"I'm intrigued, why would a priest not want to do anything with Miss Tendo here?" Mister Fuhua's question was genuinely curious this time.
"'fraid I can't tell you why." Ranma's grin said enough to fill a book.
Before they could continue their conversation, drinks came. Mister Fuhua was the only one not drinking a strange black, brownish drink. Ranma gladly took a swig from her drink, Meifen took a demure sip herself and Nabiki held her nose above the glass before turning to Ranma with an incredulous stare. Ranma grinned back at her.
"Please do Miss Saotome, we're all very curious," insisted Meifen, curiously looking at the pair of females in front of her.
Ranma looked for a moment at a frowning Nabiki. "Can't, she'd kill me"
Nabiki groaned, and took a sip from her drink, deciding that it was pretty good. It had a strange taste, almost like cola, but tougher. She knew it had alcohol in it, she also knew Ranma was drinking the same stuff, and she knew that Ranma had as much resistance to alcohol as the average lightweight kid.
But she couldn't very well take the beverage from her business partner.
"I wouldn't do something silly as that, now about the contract." Nabiki's attempt at changing the subject again failed miserably as Mister Fuhua was showing an interest in what Ranma was saying.
"You two have a pretty close business relationship, if she would kill you for a mistake."
"Business is serious business for her," Ranma said casually, taking another sip.
"It is, it most certainly is," agreed Fuhua. "You do not think business is serious?"
Ranma frowned and contemplated the question a bit before answering. "Not really, sure a lot of money depends on it I guess, but still. I sometimes compare it with fighting. Ya know, you always want to win, and business is the same I guess, you also want to win. But if your sole goal is to win, you lose perspective."
"But that doesn't make it less serious does it?"
"Sure it does." Ranma had the attention of all three other table occupants. Even Nabiki was interested in what her partner had to say.
"If you take it too seriously, you lose perspective. That's how I win my battles. Now, you gotta know I always win, no matter what. Usually my flexibility is more than enough, but sometimes I gotta get creative, and with a deadset serious mindset it ain't gonna work. So I guess it's the same with business. If you only think about the stupid signature, you ain't gonna get it."
Nabiki observed Ranma openly. She knew Ranma wasn't stupid, and this wasn't the first time he showed a tinkle of intelligence. Still, it didn't stop her being surprised whenever he did. It also didn't stop the heat washing over her. Intelligence much like confidence was a rather potent aphrodisiac with her. Of course it had to be Ranma who possessed both and juggled them like a drunk sailor.
Mister Fuhua regarded Ranma with a pensive stare for a moment. "That is an interesting theory Miss Saotome. Am I to assume you can fight?"
This got the Saotome man-turned-woman flexing her arms. "Can I fight? Mister, I'm probably the best."
And Ranma flashed his Saotome grin. She heard Nabiki choking on her beverage, the woman across her gasped and Mister Fuhua simply nodded in understanding.
Worried about Nabiki, Ranma began gently massaging Nabiki's back, and giving her some of her own drink to calm down some. Nabiki took the offered glass, and almost downed it on one go before returning it to a peeved looking Ranma who hadn't expected that she'd almost completely empty her glass.
Ranma didn't notice the fire burning in Nabiki's eyes, but then Nabiki was good in appearing cool, and Ranma was getting slightly off track. The Saotome heir was unknowingly pushing her buttons. Showing intelligence, showing the Saotome smirk and then to top it off touching her gently. Luckily Nabiki was nothing but professional. She cleared her throat, pushed her chair forwards, clasped her hands, and coolly regarded the rest.
Nabiki note though that Meifen probably did know her state of mind, if the small secret grin meant anything.
"So, what kind of style do you use Miss Saotome?"
Ranma gave Mister Fuhua one of her lopsided smiles. "The Anything Goes Saotome school of Martial Arts." Mister Fuhua could easily place the capitals that Ranma placed on each word.
"So you have an own Family school?"
"I sure do, one of the most powerful schools there is," Ranma stated as if it were a fact of the world.
"Interesting, and can you combine your family school with your business?"
"Sure I can," Ranma replied pleasantly, taking another sip. "Heck, I'm good, I can do whatever I want" that also was said as if it were a fact.
"Anything you want?" drawled Nabiki.
Ranma scowled. "Sometimes I can use a little help, but I bet I'd be able to figure it out myself eventually."
Nabiki took another healthy swig before gently laughing. Slowly her laughter died out to be replaced by a standard pleasant smile.
Nabiki turned to Mister Fuhua with a "So about those contracts."
"In what business are you two actually partners in? I assumed you were colleagues of some sort, or maybe a lingering contract deal, but I've got the feeling you've got quite an unusual business deal," Mister Fuhua said, ignoring Nabiki's pleas to get the contracts signed.
Ranma blinked blankly at Mister Fuhua "uh, what's our business again?" Ranma asked Nabiki curiously. "I know it has something to do with gold"
Nabiki massaged her temples and groaned. "We invest gold"
Ranma took another sip "exactly," she said with a smile. She looked at her glass, noticed it was empty and waved wildly at a waiter, pointed to her drink and raised three fingers. The waiter nodded signalling he understood the command.
"Gold is very beautiful indeed," the woman added. "What do you do with your gold?"
"Invest it?" Ranma answered, not knowing what more could be said about the gold. He gave it away, got money and that was that, nothing to it.
"But you don't make anything with it, like jewellery? It is a very lucrative business."
"Wouldn't know what to make with it actually," Ranma said hesitatingly. She glowered at Nabiki's grinning.
"Can we share your pleasure Miss Tendo?" The woman asked slow and warmly.
Ranma stared at Nabiki for a second, trying to figure out why she was laughing. Nabiki stared right back, deep into Ranma's eyes. Then it hit Ranma. "NO, she can't," she yelled decidedly.
"But she must," Meifen declared.
Nabiki contemplated telling. On one hand, she really felt like it. it would teach the martial artist. On the other hand, it was not professional; it was not on the subject and had in fact absolutely no business here.
"Miss Saotome has some of the most excellent and personalised jewellery created from her gold" Nabiki turned to Ranma with a pleasant smile. She took another healthy swig from her glass, while holding her glare, Ranma also took a sip from her glass.
"You're noz supposed to tell them," Ranma drawled frustrated with Nabiki.
"Miss Saotome, it is only decent to tell our partners what you do as business. Since you did have some wonderfully jewellery made, it is only fair to tell them," replied an amused Nabiki. Okay, so it was not professional, but something was clouding her mind. She was still hot, and now she was getting tipsy as well.
"Unfair." Ranma turned away from Nabiki, held her glass high together with Meifen and took another mouthful of alcohol.
Nabiki nodded, turned back to Mister Fuhua, and once again tried getting the contracts signed. "As much as my partners business interests me, I propose we go over the contracts and see if we can get them signed."
Meifen wouldn't let her though, and drilled Ranma some more. "What kind of jewellery do you make Ranma? you don't mind if I call you Ranma do you?"
Nabiki noted with grinding teeth the pleasant smiles the woman was direction at Ranma. She tried to keep her cool, tried to keep everything professional. She wanted to drink some courage but found her glass empty. She signalled a waiter for refills.
"Is no problem, but I don't make jewellery, but I once asked someone to make me a horse I guess."
Ranma stared at her glass thinking about the golden ornament of a wild jumping horse, a symbol of complete and utter freedom of movement to her. Someone suddenly grabbed her braid and with a forceful grip turned her head.
Ranma's braid was bound by the golden ornament in question.
"Oh, it's there. Haha, I forgot."
Nabiki sighed while holding Ranma's pigtail, showing the dazzling golden clasp in the form of a prancing horse. Both Mister Fuhua as Misses Meifen looked in awe at the small, subtle yet powerful image of the strong free horse.
Meifen was the first to speak. "Why a horse if I may be curious?"
"I'm a horse," Ranma declared with a grin.
"Miss Saotome means that in our native language, her name literally means "Wild Horse". Miss Saotome also has a tendency to live up to the name."
"Why do you say that?" Meifen asked genuinely curious.
"Hmm, I am not sure that is my place to discuss. The contract however is something I can discuss. Mister Fuhua what do you..." Nabiki's voice faltered, and tiredly she leaned her face on her hand, leaning on her elbow. Mister Fuhua was not paying attention.
As a matter of fact, mister Fuhua was in shock, looking at Ranma who was wildly grinning, and looking at Nabiki. Nabiki followed mister Fuhua's gaze, and saw Ranma looking rather weirdly at her.
Her grin was as wide as possibly could be, and kind of goofy.
"Something I can help you with Miss Saotome." Nabiki's reply was cool and distant, but she felt anything but. The way Ranma was so brashly looking at her with such an open honest heartfelt joyful grin that was not a little tinted with alcohol was making her nervous. Any moment now Ranma was going to say something stupid.
"I livess up to my name, don't I?" Ranma drawled, looking at Nabiki as if she was the most amusing thing.
"Yes, you... well, you do all sort of crazy stuff, or so you have told me." Nabiki was getting flustered, and noticed with not a little apprehension that both Meifen and Mister Fuhua were getting curious. She needed some cheap courage and found it in the form of her alcoholic beverage. She was getting lightheaded, but she didn't care.
"I do lots of crazy stuff," Ranma agreed, nodding towards the other two. "You should see all the crazy stuff I do."
Normally, Nabiki wouldn't worry too much. So what if Ranma felt like telling about all her crazy adventures. Ranma however was always turning to her, grinning from ear to ear. She was afraid she was going to include her in his crazy stories, and that was the last thing she wanted.
"There wouldn't be any chance we'd get back to the contracts is there?" Nabiki slurred, alcohol playing with her mind.
She wanted to curse when both ignored her and had their eyes set on a grinning Ranma. However, you don't curse on a business meeting, hence Nabiki didn't curse. She very much wanted to though.
"What sort of crazy stuff are you talking about Ranma?" asked Meifen curiously, a slight smile on her lips.
"I'm quite curious myself, if you don't mind us asking Miss Saotome." Mister Fuhua, contrary to Meifen, didn't really know what Ranma wanted to tell.
"Is no problem," Ranma began, slurring heavily. She took another sip from her drink before continuing. "Well, I had soooooo many adventures, I should be old"
Ranma picked up her spoon, and looked at herself. "But I'm sooooo young, only my face looks really weird." Ranma dropped the spoon and began laughing about the spoon distorting her face. Mister Fuhua and Meifen also joined, Nabiki wanted to stay cool, but had to stifle a giggle.
"Anyways, loads and loads of adventures, but that's all boring, nothing new, all in a day's job, day in day out, le travail, dons wanna bore you with all that." Ranma's slur was hard to understand, and her Chinese suffered, still both woman and man across her urged her to continue.
"BUT," Ranma began suddenly. "It was Nabiki here that talked about my wild side. Now, don't get me wrong." In mid sentence Ranma suddenly stopped and took another sip.
"Don't get me wrong, she also had adventures, and she's seen me being wild in them, but that's not what she means."
Nabiki suddenly realised with dread what Ranma was about to tell.
"She's talking about another wild side of me."
Ranma emptied her almost hall full glass in one go, and turned towards Nabiki. Nabiki herself turned to Ranma, who was getting red in the face, and was about to intervene, trying to make sure Ranma didn't say anything outrageous.
The moment she faced Ranma however, she felt two lush warm lips on her own. She was so taken aback by Ranma's sudden kiss that she didn't know what to do, and just let Ranma kiss her. The problem however was that she herself had been drinking quite a bit, so her drowsy mind took over first and she began to kiss the redhead back.
It took a while before her ratio could get anything in edgewise between the alcohol and above all the pleasure. So after only twenty seconds Nabiki broke the kiss. Dazed she stared at a wildly grinning Ranma. Her eyes followed Ranma seizing her drink and taking a sip. Her eyes rested on her drink when Ranma had put it back. She then drank the rest herself.
"I can't believe you did that!? hic." It was arguable if Nabiki was at the moment angry. She tried to sound so, but it just didn't seem to work.
"Haha, you've got the hiccup again, you always do when you drink," Ranma found the whole situation hilarious, and made that clear by laughing loudly.
Mister Fuhua in the mean time pointed at both Nabiki's and Ranma's empty drinks. He whispered something in Meifen's ears. She smiled and ordered four glasses of picon.
"I hic don't hiccup when I hic drink," Nabiki pouted, not sounding really convincing, not even to her.
"Yea you do"
"I do not," and as an afterthought she hiccupped.
"Sure ya do. I mean, you remember, two weeks ago when we had all that sake. You hicced the whole evening."
"I hic had water down the wrong throat"
"nono, we didn't drink water. It was even more fun in bed"
"That was not fun, you made fun of me hic"
"Of course I did. And then you began hitting me with pillows, while hiccupping." Not able anymore to hold her laughter Ranma burst out laughing.
Nabiki indignantly watched Ranma. Something in the back of her mind there were some voices calling her to remain cool, cold and controlled. More to the front were voices telling her that she liked her drink, that Ranma was an arse, and that she didn't like him making fun of her, even more on the front was the conclusion that yes Ranma was hot, and so was she.
"So whszz if I... I hic hiccups, at least I can drink more. hic" And as to proof her point she took another big swag from her drink, not even bothering to think where it came from.
"Suresss, but I'm cheaper."
Nabiki pondered this for a second. "So are you hic when you're drunk and male."
At Ranma's surprised big eyes and splutters Nabiki couldn't help but laugh.
"You, youz just spoiled my reputation in front of thessse... thessse people." Ranma's wide eyes, and openly shocked voice showed how upset he was. The fact that she was still slurring undid the seriousness of her accusations though.
"What? hic These people don't know about your reputation in bed? Or if you need to tell me something," that last part was added with a dangerous glare
"Haha, they don't know, they don't know. But if they did, and they won't, BUT if they did, my reputation would be gone." Ranma crossed her arms under her bossom, and crossly observed Nabiki. "What do you have to say for yourself!?"
"You've got a hic big bosom." Nabiki was openly looking at Ranma's bosom that Ranma had pushed up while trying to look cross. Ranma also observed her bosom. Both women stared a while at Ranma's bosom.
"I've got a nice bosssssom," Ranma eventually slurred, grinning.
"Yea hic," Nabiki agreed, grinning madly. "Very nice."
"It's bigger than yours"
"It is not hic"
"It is"
"It is not hic"
"It is"
"It is not hic"
"It is"
"hehe hic, I'm feel a bit dizzy now," Nabiki slurred, swaying a little in her chair.
"Well, my breasts are still bigger, whether you're dizzy or not"
"Who do you think has the biggest breasts?" Ranma had now turned to Meifen.
Meifen gave both women a pleasant smile before answering. "I think the two of you have wonderful bosoms."
"shee, she prefers mine."
"she didn't hic say that."
"Yea she did."
"No she didn't hic"
"Yea she did."
"No she didn't hic"
"Do you know what she does drunk?" Ranma suddenly turned back to the two people on front of her.
"I have no idea, but I hope you will tell us," answered a very amused Mister Fuhua.
"She hiccups," Ranma answered dramatically, as if it was a great and terrible mystery.
"We noticed," said an also amused Meifen.
"Well, you wanna hic know what Ranma here does?"
"No, what do I do?" asked Ranma, turning back to Nabiki.
"He goes to the kitchen and plays with hic water."
"You know what Nabiki also does when drunk? Dance around naked with too loud music"
"Well then, do you know what Ranma does when drunk? He joins me dancing, and dances with me all over the flat... also naked"
"You also go to the strangest places to dance."
"You stop dancing at the strangest places hic to do something else." This made them both blush.
This continued for a while before Ranma accused Nabiki of one the more horrendous things.
"Well, you know what else Nabiki does when she's drunk? She feeds stray dogs." Ranma suddenly stopped for a moment, thinking this over. "Although that's kinda sweet of her."
"ain't it? hic" Nabiki slurred, grinning at Ranma.
"Yea," Ranma answered, and kissed Nabiki again. This time Nabiki didn't mind and gratefully accepted the kiss.
Somehow, it didn't take long after that before the meeting was. In fact, it was Nabiki, with Ranma in her arms, who had ended the meeting. She excused herself, said that the contracts would have to wait, and practically ran off.
"Good morning Miss Tendo and Miss Saotome. I hope you have had a wonderful good night sleep, and don't suffer too much from alcohol's after-effects. I called you to let you know I've signed the contracts and handed them over to your superior, who of course was very happy with your achievement. I look forward to our next meeting."
Dazed, Nabiki rammed the save-button.
"Message deleted"
She groaned when she realised she had pressed the wrong button, but didn't really care. She crawled back into bed, into the arms of a very handsome black-haired man who was sprawled on her bed.
It was good that the contract was signed, but if it wasn't, she didn't think she'd care. Last night was wonderful, one of many wonderful nights she had already experienced with Ranma, and one the of many yet to come.
In thoughts, she hadn't noticed Ranma opening one eye. He observed her, assured she didn't had any clothes on, and then went for the kill.
Nabiki was surprised when she felt someone kissing her she thought was still lost in dreamland, but didn't object in the least. While still liplocked, Ranma slowly guided Nabiki on the bed, and positioned himself above her.
Sleeping, as it were, was a never-ending business, and Ranma and Nabiki needed a lot of it.