Banpei rapidly entered the home and rushed to his masters side. The robotic creation knelt before her, his enormous and permanent grin etched on his face filled most of her vision.
Skuld reached towards his chest and opened one of the plates that kept his insides covered. She prodded about for a moment before removing a telephone chord. She drew the chord out and unplugged the receiver from the phone, she then hooked Banpei up to the telephone device proper. She set the receiver off to the side.
"I need you to contact all of the individuals on this list. You are going to call them and deliver a message. After you deliver the message,
you will summon the individuals involved into the foyer and provide them with one of these." She continued to speak as she held up something that looked similar to a television remote. The device had a small cheat sheet glued to the back that explained to the use how to change their clothes or summon other possessions they may need using the remote. The words "Party Favor" were embossed on the top of the device.
"Record Message. "You have been cordially kidnapped to celebrate Urd and Sousuke as they prepare to leave on a trip. Please accept your free Party Favor device. End Recording." Skuld tapped her lip with her finger for a few seconds before shrugging. "Good enough."
"Banpei. Activate." She continued before crossing her arms and watching.
The mechanized humanoid before her began to rapidly make phone calls as lines of energy radiated from beneath the creatures feet. The blue snaking lines of energy were being used to power chain summoning spells as each message was delivered or not.
Skuld leaned back against the wooden table and watched.
Person after person rapidly found themselves standing in the middle of the reception room that Skuld had magically prepared. The first to appear was Kurz Weber, he was wearing a combat suit and looked extremely confused. "What the hell?" He questioned as he looked about the room.
The next to land was Tessa Testarossa, she too looked confused as she stood in her uniform. "What is going on?" She gazed about the room.
"What happened?"
The number of people appearing in the room began to rapidly increase exponentially. Melissa Mao, Shinji Kazama, The Nekomi Auto Club, and more began to filter through. Each one looking just as confused as the next.
After a few seconds, a television remote like device would appear in their hands with instructions on how to change their clothes, receive gifts, and other interesting bits of information.
A large number of rough looking men in military uniforms also appeared in the room, they had been tied up and placed against the wall. Skuld approached Tessa and spoke as she pointed at the group. "I broke up your fight. All of the Arm Slaves are located outside. Those are the guys you were fighting." She placed both of her hands behind her back and swung onto her tip toes in a back and forth motion. She looked quite proud of herself.
"Thank you." Tessa replied with disbelief. She knew Sousuke had gotten involved with someone who Melissa referred to as a member of a "Witches Coven" but this was fantastically ridiculous. "What is going on?" She asked as she looked about the room, it seemed to have continued to enlarge as more and more people appeared.
"Give me just a second to finish getting every one here. I will explain every thing." Skuld smiled sweetly. "Feel free to use your Party Favor device in order to change clothes and prepare yourself." She gestured at the device in Tessa's hand with an encouraging smile.
Tessa gazed downwards at the device that had found its way into her hand. She turned it over and found some instructions. She read them,
shrugged, and turned the device over. She quickly located the clothing button and pressed once. Her uniform disappeared and was replaced with a strapless party dress. She continued to press it, and watched in amazement as her clothing switched from outfit to outfit.
The Captain was so amazed that she began to press other buttons. She could feel her face tingle as makeup was applied. Her hair would stretch on her scalp as different hair cuts and trims appeared. She made her way over towards a mirror and began to change her look until she was satisfied. She chose to have her hair up, her makeup tasteful, and a beautiful long red dress that flattered her figure immensely.
"I need this for my fighters." She breathed. The idea of swapping equipment in the middle of a battle raced through her mind as she began to formulate other ways she could use this tool to be a more effective killer. "How do I get one of these?" She breathed before setting the device in her pocket. She hoped it wouldn't vanish as she noticed others around her cycling through looks and clothes using their device as well.
The party goers had rapidly broken off into clumps and groups of individuals who knew each other. Some of them looked excited while others wore thinly veiled looks of terror on their faces. Each of the individuals began to speak excitedly amongst themselves as they continued to experiment with the device they had been provided.
Skuld waved her hand at the floor and steadied herself as the ground below her began to elevate in a pillar like formation. The Goddess cleared her throat before speaking over the din. "Greetings to each of you. I am Skuld, and I would like your attention for a moment." She laughed internally as she thought of how formal she must sound. "It is with great pleasure that I welcome each of you. You have been summoned here today to participate in the going, I mean, celebration of Urd and Sousuke." She faltered for a moment before recovering. "Your presence here is indicative of your importance in their life. Except you guys,
the only reason you are here is because I didn't know what to do with you." She spat the last part as she gestured with an accusatory finger towards the pile of soldiers who remained bound near the wall. "You guys suck." She stated before returning to a smile and gesturing at the crowd.
"I see that most of you have figured out how to use your Party Favor.
Those of you that have not shoul M." She pantomimed turning an object over in her hand and pointed down into the palm of her hand. A moment later Skuld rubbed at her wrist with a pained look. The amount of magic she had used had taxed her severely and since she still wore limiters, she could feel the damage it was doing to her body.
"Refreshments will be served shortly. Please feel free to mingle. Urd and Sousuke will be with you all shortly." She finished before jumping down off of the raised pillar and moving towards the exit. A pained look creased her face as she made it to the hallway.
"What is happening? Belldandy questioned as she met Skuld at the door.
She looked surprised as she looked over the young Goddesses shoulder into the room of people. "Did you summon them all here?" She queried.
"We are having a party for Urd and Sousuke." Skuld replied defiantly.
She almost dared Belldandy to engage her as she puffed up as large as she felt she could muster.
Belldandy smiled softly. "Oh my! I should prepare refreshments for every one." She mustered the effort to perk up and began to gesticulate with her finger tips as she summoned drinks, food, and all of the accouterments necessary for a party. "If you see Keiichi, please tell him to meet me in the party room." She asked Skuld sweetly as she walked past her.
"Will do." Skuld replied as she steadied herself on the wall. She breathed hard before steeling herself and making her way forwards in order to gather the other members of her family.
"Hey guys." Shinji Kazama proffered as he approached Kurz and Melissa .
He seemed trepid as he waved at them .
"Hey." Melissa replied. She was now sporting a Chinese Cheongsam with her hair up as well. "What's going on Shinji? We haven't seen you in a long time." She continued.
"Yea. School. So do you guys know what is happening?" Shinji inquired.
The young man gestured around the room with his hands in order to emphasize the strangeness of the situation he had discovered himself in.
"One minute I am working on homework between rounds of playing Arm Slave Killer 2000 and the next I am here."
Kurz snorted with delight. "Sousuke is banging some Witch or Goddess or something." He cackled with glee as he rapidly pressed buttons on his remote causing himself to momentarily appear like some kind of gaudy panderer. His purple suit and gold cane hurt eyes as people began to look at him. He pressed the button a few more times before deciding on a tuxedo under the narrowed eyes of Melissa Mao.
"Oh wow." Shinji replied. He gazed down at the device in his hand and began to change clothes as well. He finally decided on a button up shirt and a pair of nice dress slacks. He noticed the well stocked bar that appeared and pointed at it. "Any one for a drink?" He asked.
"Me!" Melissa exclaimed as she rocketed forward while gesturing towards the bar with a military hand sign for 'approach'. Her arm bent at the elbow with her hand flat, she made a chopping motion upwards from the waist.
The group made their way to the bar. A strange robot rose as they approached, his giant beaming smile and "Banpei" name tag was disarming.
"May I take your order?" The machine spoke in a mechanical tone.
"Hennessy. In a glass. Cold." Melissa spoke.
"Ditto." Kurz grinned.
"Me too." Shinji shrugged as he had never drank.
"Belay that last order." Tessa spoke. "Sorry. I don't think you can hang with the soldiers." She continued. "Mix our drink with coke." She raised two fingers and looked at Shinji as he nodded at her with a relieved look.
"I'll take one as well." An aristocratic feminine voice spoke as a beautiful woman approached. "Mishima. Sayoko Mishima" She offered her name as she approached the group of soldiers.
Kurz grinned wide as he spied the woman. He reached towards the drinks being piled up by Banpei and extended the glass to the woman. "Kurz Weber." He offered back as he handed her the glass.
Mao rolled her eyes at the antics of Kurz. She bristled however as she watched the woman smile and saddle up closer to Kurz. "Melissa Mao." She growled as she extended her hand, a sharp look in her eyes.
"Ouch." Sayoko exclaimed as she winced and smiled at the woman. She had extended her hand and regretted it immediately. She wondered if this was what it felt like when you put your hand in a bear trap.
Melissa smiled threateningly with a dangerous glint in her eye. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She continued before releasing her grip and thrusting the young girls hand down and away.
"The pleasure is all mine." Sayoko replied with a placating grin. She understood that this was not a fight she should engage in. Melissa Mao was not a person who would be easily intimidated as someone like Belldandy may have been. Her self confidence and the dangerous glint in her eyes told Sayoko everything she needed to know.
It was at that moment that Shinji exclaimed aloud. "Sousuke!" He positively beamed as the young man rushed forward to grab his hand and pull him into a back patting hug. "It's been forever." He continued.
Sousuke returned the affection with a pat of his own before releasing and stepping back to stand beside Urd. "This is Urd." He introduced the Goddess with a warm smile and a loving gesture towards her. His smile looked almost frightening as he seemed to grimace and bear his teeth more than grin. The protective stance he held near the woman told Shinji more than words.
Urd flipped her hair with her hand before extending the other towards Shinji. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She spoke graciously as she fluttered her eye lashes and pressed her chest out.
Sayoko rolled her eyes as she watched Urd. "Yes Urd, we all know, you are beautiful." She spoke exasperatedly. Urd shot her a chagrined smirk as Melissa Mao snorted.
"Maybe we will get along." Mao piped up as she smirked at Sayoko.
"Drink?" Kurz questioned as he held up his glass and swished the dark liquid around. He looked pointedly at Sousuke as he pointed at the glass with his other hand.
Sousuke extended his hand towards Banpei and pointed. The robot handed him a bottle of sake which he passed to Urd before extending his hand again. He took a bottle of Hennessy and a glass before motioning with the bottle toward a row of tables. "Shall we?" He inquired.
The group made their towards the tables. Sousuke, Kurz, and Shinji began to move the tables out of the way as they made a circle with the chairs.
Each of them taking their place on a seat, with Urd taking her place in Sousukes' lap. He poured the amber liquid from his bottle into the glass and sat the bottle down on the ground before placing his free hand around Urds waist.
"So what is this all about?" Shinji inquired as he took a dainty sip of his cocktail. He raised the glass towards Tessa and bowed his head lightly to signal his appreciation in helping him decide on the drink.
She smiled in return.
The group in their entirety turned their gaze on Sousuke and Urd. Their questioning looks were mixed with equal parts curiosity as well as worry. The sound of glasses clinking filled the air as others milled about around them.
Sousuke looked down towards the ground and sighed. He seemed to be thinking before lifting his glass to his lips and taking a deep swig. He held the liquor in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. The strong liquid didn't even cause his forehead to crease as he had taken to drinking when ever he felt particularly poorly.
Urd felt the need to protect Sousuke and began to speak. Just as she opened her mouth she felt him squeeze her side stiffly. He looked at her before shaking his head in the negative. "It's OK." He stated.
"We are going to die." He spoke aloud with resolve in his voice.
"Mistakes were made." He swished his glass for a moment before downing the rest in a single gulp. He placed the glass on the floor and made eye contact with Tessa. Reaching down he gripped Urd's wrist and raised her hand to show her sleeve like tattoo.
Shinji smiled disbelievingly before taking a sip. "Ha. Ha." He rolled his eyes as he gestured to the Goddess. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"Oh Sousuke." Tessa and Mao breathed in unison. Their knowledge of Sousuke much deeper than most, they knew without a doubt that he was in trouble and any thing he said would undoubtedly be without jest.
"What happened?" Tessa inquired softly. She leaned forward to lay eyes on the intricate designs that covered the Goddesses arm and hand. "What did you do?" She growled accusingly at Urd.
"It was my fault. Not hers." Sousuke replied with finality.
Urd was not amused as she looked back at Sousuke. "It takes two to tango soldier boy." She barked back.
"Regardless. There is no room for casting blame. We shared what amounts to an illegal union." Sousuke spoke.
"Numerous times." Urd interrupted causing Sousuke to smirk as he cast his gaze on her.
"Numerous times." He confirmed before turning his eyes back on the group. "What we did is punishable by death in her world. This is our last great good bye." He reached down and picked up his glass and bottle, refilled them, and then proffered the bottle to Kurz as he extended his hand towards Sousuke."
Kurz lifted the bottle to his lips and took several deep drafts,
grimaced, and then took one more drink before passing the bottle to Mao who took a deep swig as well. The soldiers barely even blinked as they drank from the bottle straight.
Shinji knew now why Tessa would state that he couldn't hang with the group as they drank. They handled liquor as though it were water. He could feel his eyes watering as he watched the soldiers taking turns quaffing down the amber liquid.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt. Can I just get this straight?"
Sayoko raised her hand as she leaned forward in her chair. "Urd and you slept with each other and that means you have to die?" She queried.
"Sounds right." Urd replied.
"So Belldandy and Keiichi, they haven't?" She made a circle with her left hand and placed the index of the right hand within the circle lewdly.
"No." Urd scowled.
Sayoko leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and let out a long whistle. "I don't even have enough 'whats' for all of this." She spoke before looking off into the distance with a thousand yard stare.
"What can we do?" Shinji questioned as he rubbed at his face. The minuscule amount of drink he had consumed had began to fill his cheeks with heat. His eye brows felt heavy and numb.
"Nothing. Just celebrate our time together tonight." Sousuke replied causing Melissa to slam her glass into the floor. The glass shattered and she stood fiercely. "The hell with that! Who do I have to kill?" She growled. "You point them out as they could and I will split them from asshole to mouth." She continued to rage as she reached between the slit of her dress and withdrew a bayonet she had hidden with a strap to her thigh.
Kurz nodded as he lifted the leg of his pants to reveal an ankle holster and firearm. "You got my gun as well Sousuke." He spoke encouragingly as he lifted his glass with the other hand.
Shinji felt so inspired that he needed to express his solidarity as well. "I will burn this mother fucker to the ground!" Shinji shrieked,
his voice cracking, as he stood as well. He swayed for a moment before catching his balance.
"Calm down there killer." Melissa laughed as she turned towards the young man. "I don't think we need to go that far just yet." She extended her hand and pulled Shinji into a half hug, helping him steady against her powerful body.
Skuld approached the group as she noticed the exclamation, she had returned with Belldandy and Keiichi who were currently entertaining some of the other guests including the auto motive club.
"Oh my God." Shinji exclaimed softly as he spied Skuld. "Who is that?"
He inquired to Mao as he tried whispering towards her. His attempts at subtlety lost in his drunkenness.
"Skuld". The young Goddess introduced her self as she cast a side long scowl at the man. She felt that he reminded her of a much nerdier version of Keiichi if that was even possible."
"Hello again Skuld." Mao nodded before helping settle Shinji back into his seat. Skuld grimaced as she realized she had chosen the seat closest to the severely inebriated Shinji.
"What's up?" Skuld inquired as she looked around at the sullen faces.
"This is a party you know. If you all don't start looking cheery I am going to take things into hand." She grumbled as she looked about. "Eat something." She demanded as she pointed towards another robot slowly meandering amongst the crowd with snacks held above its head.
Sousuke smiled and worked to change the subject. "How is things going at Mithril?" He offered.
"Good." Tessa replied. "We were finishing an operation just a short while ago. Search and destroy. I guess that changed though." She shrugged as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder towards the group of prisoners being held off to the side. "I have no idea what to do with that group now." She smiled.
"Hey Urd." Came the voice of Tamiya and Otaki as the pair meandered over to the group. They had escaped the conversation with Keiichi and gravitated towards the rough bunch that seemed more interesting. "What are you guys talking about?"
Before Urd or any one else could reply, Tamiya broke away from Otaki and approached Tessa. "My lady." He gruffly exclaimed as he extended his hand towards her. "What a visage of beauty." He continued as he dropped to one knee as to be at eye level with her.
"Hello sir." Tessa replied as she took his hand in hers daintily.
"Please. Call me Tamiya." The giant of a man urged as he grasped her hand with both of his. His grip dwarfed her tiny appendage. "What name did heaven bestow on this Goddess?" He queried.
Kurz rolled his eyes as Mao shot him a grin. The entire group watched with fascination as Tamiya did his best to flirt with the commander of their unit.
Otaki shifted uncomfortably before grabbing a chair and sitting down.
He fired a fleeting look at Sousuke with a sheepish grin. He hoped that Tamiya was not going to find himself in a ditch or worse.
To the surprise of every one there, Tessa leaned forward and batted her eyes before motioning for Tamiya to take a seat next to her. The pair became lost in conversation as they seemed to fade out of the circle into their own circuit. The sound of laughter and giggling could be heard from the pair as Tessa began to share her drink with Tamiya.
Kurz wore a wide grin as he kept glancing between Tessa and Mao.
He seemed almost giddy as he kept catching Maos' eyes with his. He couldn't stand it any longer and held up both thumbs before doing a little shuffle dance in his chair. He seemed more excited about their conversation than they did.
Sousuke rubbed at his face with one hand as he began to stroke Urds long luxurious hair with the other. "I love you." He spoke to her before leaning forward and planting a kiss on her shoulder.
The Goddess in his lap turned at the waist to look down at him before leaning in for a deep and passionate kiss. She held his face in her palms for several seconds before releasing him. "I love you too." She replied. "Oof." She exclaimed as a shoulder shoved her out of the way.
World Of Elegance stood to the side of Urd having shouldered her way forward. She bent at the waist and planted a kiss on Sousuke quickly before scowling at Urd. She leaned over and bit Urd on the arm, stuck out her tongue, and then twirled around to sit herself on Sousukes other leg with her arms crossed. She crossed her legs and stared forward with a look of finality on her face.
"Whoa." Shinji breathed as the rest of the group had turned their attention to the antics playing out before them.
"World Of Elegance." Sousuke offered as he gestured to the beautiful Angelic being. "She is Urds' Angel." He explained as he reached out to stroke her hair. The Angel visibly relaxed as he placed his hand on her.
"Dude." Kurz breathed as he looked at the pair. "I understand why it is illegal now. There is no way a man should be allowed to be as lucky as you." He flinched as Mao struck him in the chest with a backhanded slap.
Sousuke watched as it almost seemed that every one in the circle had paired off with someone. Otaki had wandered off to speak to Kyoko, one of Kanames' old friends that had showed up. He wondered why she had been invited. Tessa and Tamiya had excused themselves and were standing near a table taking turns trying different snacks. Mao and Kurz had vanished. The most interesting fact was that Skuld and Shinji were deep in conversation with each other.
"So how did you meet Sousuke?" Skuld inquired as she sipped on a wide rimmed glass full of orange juice. "You two met at school right?"
"Funny enough. He caught me trying to steal his ex-girlfriends panties."
He placed a hand on the back of his head as he grimaced. "I'm not a pervert though. I was being black mailed." He hurriedly exclaimed as he noticed the harsh look that Skuld wore.
"Blackmailed?" She questioned before taking another sip. She was leaning forward with her elbows resting on her crossed legs. She seemed to be enjoying the conversation with the still inebriated man.
"Yea. Some guys at school had stolen all of my photo albums and threatened to burn them if I didn't get her underwear for them. Sousuke caught me, helped me out of a tight spot, recovered my albums, and handled those guys for me." He replied. "Sousuke is a really great guy.
He would give the shirt off his back or the blood in his heart for you."
"I see that." Skuld nodded. "He grows on you." She confirmed with a chuckle. "He is a pervert and an idiot. But he has his uses."
"Pervert?" Shinji looked incredulous. "No way. He never once acted untoward any one during school. He only cared about being useful."
Skuld shrugged. She had a strange feeling in her gut and she felt a little worried. She was having some very strange thoughts about the man she was speaking to. She wondered what he looked like without his glasses.
The conversations continued as others filtered by to greet Sousuke, listen to his story, and generally figure out what was happening or how they found themselves in their current predicament. It was some time before a scream echoed from the entrance to the room.
The Goddess known as Peorth stumbled through the door and into view. Blood gushed from a head wound that almost appeared as though she had been scalped.
"Belldandy!" She cried out as she rushed into the room. She casted glances over her shoulder towards the entrance as she seemed to be looking for something with terrified eyes.
"Help me! Please!" She cried out.