I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series
On board CMV Skidbladnir, unknown location
'That insufferable wolf!... Acting as if he owns the place!'
Marching straight to the room that the rebellious canine and his accomplishes were occupying, Odal was struggling to remain calm; something that was easier said than done. He had never anticipated some of his robots to join the temperamental wolf in whatever he was trying to achieve by stealing his resources, and if they managed to waste them, then all his efforts would've been for nothing.
After all, the time for preparations was already over. As soon as he made his presence known, Asgard was most likely looking out for any suspicious activities and that made everything way harder for him. It was still possible to get some extra resources in order to build more robots and all sorts of machines he needed, but, stealing them was far too risky and in certain cases, he could lose more in the process than he'd actually gain.
With the element of surprise gone and considering the overwhelming odds against him, Odal had no delusions that pushing his luck too far was way too risky. Getting overconfident after a success was a common recipe for disaster, given that he had very few real allies and one of them actually lost her memory. Even though it was uncertain whether Ilmr would've joined his cause, he hoped that having some common interests could help her accept his proposition. However, the actual outcome turned out to be one that nobody really expected and right now, they still had no idea what to do with her.
Even worse, the whole situation was threatening to turn their first victory into a pretty empty one. With Ilmr in such a state, Celestin was the only one they could depend on, although… he was in a pretty bad condition as well. At least, Odal hoped that they'd be able to recover from all that, but, having to deal with mutiny was too much for him right now.
"Alright! What's going on here?"
Stepping into the room, the dark haired rogue's expression changed from an annoyed one to that of utter shock. His robots had set up a miniature production line already and working hard at making all kinds of equipment within a tiny amount of time.
"Oh! There you are!" Walking confidently towards the stunned god, Fenrir wagged his tail as he observed the robots working non stop to prepare the weapons and modifications for their suits he had ordered. "I wondered when you were going to visit us! We've already started our preparations, as you can see. There's a new line of close range weapons, some improvements on the existing guns and even a series of absolutely cool modifications on the exoskeletons that won't just make them more effective in combat, but, they're going to make everyone who sees them jealous!"
"But…"
"You don't need to thank me just yet! Once you'll see my wolf pack in action, my modifications will become mandatory for the rest of your forces!" bragged Fenrir, wagging his tail happily. "Just look at that chainsword for example! What's cooler than a sword that's also a freaking chainsaw? Even if someone questions its ability to cause damage, nobody will doubt that you're absolutely nuts and won't stick around to deal with you. Although, I'd like to note that this bad boy can cut through metal like a hot knife through butter!"
'He's right about one thing… he is nuts. Totally and undeniably crazy…' Watching in disbelief as the wolf went on with a wide variety of weapons that were painful to even look at; let alone use them.
"So, as you can clearly see, we've got a great variety of tactical situations covered," said the tiny wolf with pride.
"What about the fact that you've asked nobody's permission?" insisted the rogue god, feeling that the canine had completely missed the most obvious issue here; not that it surprised him at all.
"A permission to do what? You said that they weren't finished, didn't you?" countered Fenrir. "Someone had to do that, and given how busy you are will everything else going on, I decided to be that person. Either way, it would've required you to use some resources and there's no way that could've been avoided…"
"That's not the problem here! Listen... no matter how much you try to make it look nice, this is a case of insubordination!" said Odal, narrowing his eyes at the wolf pup.
"I've got your sorry behind out of that prison and even try to turn your creations into a force to be reckoned with and this is what I get back in return? Complains? You're trying to get others to help you and when they decide to do just that, you get all touchy!" shouted the wolf back at him. "If you want to be the same kind of control freak like the rest of the bureaucratic gods, then do everything by yourself and let me go back to where I came from!"
"I'm not interested to sign some boring reports. Still, I'd appreciate if you told me what you're up to, or we're going to fail because of poor communication. If everyone does anything they want, this entire effort is doomed, regardless how much help we have," explained Odal to the hot tempered canine. "You also wanted to become the leader of this squad, right? Tell me, then… Can you do any good if they refuse to listen to you and do whatever they wish?"
"No…"
"Then it's the same for me. Keep the reports for those who care, but, put some effort to tell me what you're up to," concluded the rogue god.
"Okay, I got your point," grumbled Fenrir reluctantly. "Still, can we go on with this plan."
"Fine, I don't see a reason to waste what you've already made. Keep working on those modifications and weapons, and inform me when you're done." Letting a sigh, Odal turned to leave as soon as he got a nod from the little canine.
'I really hope I won't come to regret this… Anyway, I've got to check on Ilmr and see if there's any progress at all.'
XXX
Tariki Hongan temple, yesterday
"You wished to speak to me?"
Frigg had to admit that she was mildly surprised when she heard the Eldjotunn's request. Surt was a demon of few words, at least until someone had managed to annoy him enough to start throwing insults around. Even that was something relatively new, as he used to simply use violence and kick someone so hard for disrespecting him; although with the Doublet System in place, he was far more careful these days.
"Yes. That's the whole purpose of this visit, after all."
Watching him sit mid air just like Hild would've done, the elder goddess was fairly certain that whatever he had in mind was troubling him enough that he subconsciously started to act like his former teacher; perhaps the one thing that made him feel safe in a way. "Then what is it? Before I can provide an answer, I need to hear the question first."
"Of course, I'm not here to play mind games and for that very reason, I'll go straight to the point," said Surt, looking around to make sure that they were indeed alone and none of the assorted celestials were listening in. "Do you know anyone by the name Njorun?"
Centuries of being part of Asgard's political scene had given her the means to maintain her composure even when shocked and this was no exception. That was a name she had never expected to hear, not after so many millennia and to a certain degree, one she hoped she'd never actually hear ever again. Still, whatever the goddess stood for in the past, Frigg couldn't blame her for. They were on the same side after all, and even fought side by side when her former father in law decided to forcefully take over Vanaheim; a realm he had considered as a rogue nation, only because its people wanted to have some form of representation in the council.
After the contact with demons became public knowledge and their existence could no longer considered as a highly classified secret, paranoia started to set in. Borr, the Daitenkaicho back then was absolutely terrified that his counterpart would either conquer them through his military might, as demons were far more ruthless at that point of time, or that the freedoms he provided to his citizens would entice the otherwise oppressed celestials. Having to follow a strict set of rules set by himself and his own father before him, Borr had done everything in his power to force all celestials to adhere to a certain stereotype and prevent those who wished to abuse their powers for their own profit and self gratification; especially when it came to their relations with mortals.
Still, despite his original intentions those rules were very strict and punishments were an almost daily phenomenon. Under these circumstances dissent was inevitable, but, as long as this was the only way of life celestials knew, all was well. However, that changed the moment when an alternative, less strict lifestyle was now available and Ymir's offer to allow any and every celestial full citizenship should they swear their allegiance to him and his kind, terrified Borr. The rules became brutally strict to prevent any thoughts of joining the enemy as he called the demons. But no matter how hard he tried, he still saw turncoats everywhere; such was his paranoia at this point that he was lashing out to punish everyone, even if they were perfectly loyal.
Perhaps Ymir was right in his assumption that celestials were control freaks and the idea of losing that precious authority over the rest of their kind was far too much for their leader to accept. Yet, Frigg couldn't help but shake her head at how far he had gone, especially when her home realm wished to be anything more that a simple colony and turn into a fully fledged part of the broader celestial nation. The Daitenkaicho not only turned down the request for having members of Vanaheim as Councilors, but he actually took that as a rebellion and ordered the Fighting Wings to bring an end to it by any means necessary.
A fateful decision that inevitably led to a civil war and one of the darkest chapters in their entire history. While many wished to present the conflicts against the demons and a greater disaster, in Frigg's opinion those misguided fools were most likely too young to experience the madness that had robbed them of all common sense. Former friends were trying to kill each other, families were torn apart and the worst part was that it could've been prevented.
When Odin decided that enough was enough and put an end to his father's rule as well as his life, he was left with the task of fixing that entire mess. And while successful to a certain degree, many amongst the celestial population of Vanaheim felt that it wasn't enough. Only a few of them were allowed to members of the two Councils and their demand of having some of the existing Councilors and commanders of the Fighting Wings put in trial for war crimes when they ordered the unprovoked attack against them was eventually turned down.
Most had accepted it as a compromise, yet for some it was absolutely unforgivable and this led to the entire First Valkyrie Division of Vanaheim to desert and join the demons. Ymir was more than ecstatic to have an entire division of trained warriors under his command and to reward them, he offered the newly converted demonesses a whole realm just for themselves; Muspelheim.
While the means he used to perform the conversion were were a well guarded secret, they resulted in the characteristic appearance of the fire realm's citizens and over time more of his people migrated there and joined the former goddesses who became the founders of modern Muspelheim. Prideful and with a strong sense of military tradition that stems from their days as Valkyries, those traits still persisted and defined their society to date. More importantly, their intense hatred of the Councils and their role in the civil war had led them to ruthlessly hunt them down and exterminate them with such an obsession that couldn't be described in words. Only after they killed most of those responsible, did their thirst for blood quench and they assumed a less aggressive stance towards Asgardians.
Interestingly, there was a rumor that Muspelheim's higher ups deliberately tried to avoid any contact with troops from Vanaheim at all cost, unless there was a serious enough reason and normally they opted to move around their positions.
"Hello!... Are you still there?"
Blinking hard as she was brought back from her trip to the memory lane, Frigg realized that she must've been quiet for quite a while. "My apologies… Still, if you know enough about your realm's history, given your position… you should already know the answer."
"If I did, then I wouldn't be here asking that question, would I?" countered Surt, getting a feeling that he was probably wasting his time with her. "Do you know her, or not?"
"It's not that easy, I'm afraid. A lot of that information is highly classified and under a protector spell. I simply cannot say too much or provide information in any meaningful way," admitted Frigg. "Still, I must ask how you happen to know that name…"
"She showed up with Ymir and claim that they're Hild's parents," said Surt in a deadly serious tone, enjoying the surprise on the goddess' face.
'Njord's sister did what?! And.. with... Ymir?!...' Opening and closing her mouth a few times, Frigg was genuinely shocked to the point where she had momentarily lost her ability to come up with any kind of response at all. Pausing for a moment to regain her composure, the elder goddess tried her best to calm herself down. "Hold on a moment… are you telling me that, Ymir is still alive? That's impossible! Odin…"
"Killed him? Well, either he's a zombie, or your husband and his brothers kind of failed. Now, don't get upset, but… only humans think that corpses move around and want brains for a snack," said the Eldjotunn with a snort. "Plus, your hubby is supposedly dead, too. We.. both know that's not true, though…"
"I… let's just say that I won't refuse that. This… this is too hard to believe though…" admitted Frigg as she still struggled to accept what she was being told.
"Especially if you consider that your granddaughter is also Ymir's," laughed Surt as, he found the whole situation a bit too funny. "Oh, I just wished I could see Odin's face when he realizes that his so-called daughter is actually that guy's child."
"Eh?! Y-You're right! Urd-chan is…" Rubbing her temples as she felt an approaching headache, Frigg really hoped this was some sort of an elaborate prank or just a lie. "Tell me that you're joking…"
"Nope. I'm still working to make sure that their story is accurate, but… as a friendly advice, I'd recommend you to inform a certain stepson of yours to keep an eye out. Considering who his former father-in-law is, I wouldn't be too careless if I was in his position," said Surt with a big grin on his face. "Someone may still want revenge or something."
"Don't even joke about that! I… I need a drink!" said Frigg as she reached under her robes for a pewter flask that was attached to a garter and took a long sip in a really unladylike manner. "That's better!"
"Uh… what about my answers?" tried Surt, ignoring the goddess' reaction to the news.
"I said that I can't reveal much, didn't I? Now, I need a moment to recollect my thoughts before I go back with the others." Taking another swing for her flask, Frigg had to admit that carrying some whiskey with her was one of the better ideas she had in quite a while.
"Fine… see if I care…" Turning to leave, the disappointed lord of Muspelheim stopped before he reached the door. "Say… you're not going to treat your granddaughter any different from now on, right?"
"Normally, I'd kick your sorry ass for even suggesting such a thing, but, I've got enough of a headache already," shot Frigg back at the dark haired demon with a sideways glance.
"My sorry… what?… That's some strong stuff you're drinking there, goddess," laughed Surt at the uncharacteristically impolite Frigg, a rare sight for anyone who knew her.
"Thirty years old, single malt too. Urd's not the only one in the family who likes her booze," said Frigg as she took another sip. "You may go now, I'll join you and the others in a moment. Just let me collect my thoughts for a few minutes."
"Fine."
XXX
Tariki Hongan temple, present day
As the resounding sound of combat could be heard from outside, Frigg had to agree that the rose goddess was doing an excellent job at holding her ground against Lind. It seemed that, Peorth was actually serious about getting that Valkyrie license and that was something the elder goddess could respect. In many cases the initial enthusiasm of doing something new would typically go away after a short period of time, especially when it came to such a physically and mentally demanding training regime one had to take just to pass the basic qualifications.
'It seems that's she's not the delicate rose everyone thinks. Ah… this brings back memories of my own training as a Valkyrie cadet…'
Shaking her head, Frigg had to admit that since yesterday she had spent far too much time remembering past experiences and events. It was Surt's fault, of course, but, thankfully that demon was no longer around. He had gone back to his ship and remained in position above Mars until the whole mess was sorted out and that worked perfectly fine for the elder goddess.
At least, he was apparently kind enough to allow Urd to remain here for the time being, given that there wasn't anything else for her to do on board Naglfar. More interestingly, he had specifically instructed her to try and go back to her previous routine, although, she was not to turn into a goddess. As part of her training, before they even got to the point of learning more spells, it was extremely important for the Norn of the past to get used to her demonic powers.
So, Urd had to do everything she normally did, only as a demoness and no matter how simple it sounded in theory, in practice it was whole different matter altogether. To begin with, Mara was supposed to stay together with her as the only other demoness around and qualified to help Urd understand what was going on in her mind; although, it was probably just an excuse to keep the so called couple together, as Excalibur aptly put it. Which by itself was a rather interesting situation, given how overwhelming it must've felt for the blonde to stay in a house full of goddesses.
Far worse was the sudden interest Peorth and even Belldandy had gotten after they've heard the sentient weapon's comments and started to tail the so called couple, hoping to see if anything spicy was going on. A valiant yet utterly pointless effort given how obvious they were; unlike herself who managed to stay out of sight long enough to observe her granddaughter's interaction with her potential partner. Even Excalibur did a better job, although that was primarily due to his shapeshifting nature.
However, right now the aforementioned Norn of the past was busy helping or... torturing her sister and their brother-in-law, as they tried to make some progress with their training. While teaching them was supposedly Belldandy's job, at Urd's request the younger goddess relented and allowed her elder sister to supervise today's lessons. Which… was a pretty traumatic experience for those involved.
The sheer amount of radiating demonic energies from the hybrid's body were enough for Skuld's hair stand up, and even Keiichi could feel a cold chill run down his spine while mistress Urd continued her demonstration. Dressed in something that vaguely reminded them of a human teacher, the Norn of the past smiled as she glanced towards her two wide eyed pupils who only remained in place due to sheer terror. "So, class… who wants to try to levitate this pebble?"
Said pebble was for some reason equipped with a huge gaping maw and making crunchy sounds as it tried to bite the buxom demoness next to it, before she whacked it with her ruler, making it let a pained yelp. "Hush!"
"Should we run?" asked Keiichi to the young goddess next to him, keeping his voice as low as possible.
"You think that's a great idea? Just look at her clothes! She's dressed completely in leather!" countered Skuld, staring at her sister's attire. While it did resemble what a female teacher would wear on Earth, it was all made out of shiny, tight leather, giving her a rather intimidating appearance; not that the whip attached to her belt made things any better. "She looks like something out of those BDSM settings."
"Uh… Skuld?... How do you even know that term?" asked the baffled Keiichi, getting all red as he pondered just what kind of manga was the little goddess reading lately.
"Mind your business!" was the sharp reply, refusing to elaborate any further mostly to spare herself some unnecessary embarrassment. 'I just took a glimpse at one of those manga, mister I have a whole collection of dirty magazines in my drawer… Hm… I wonder… Does he still have them?'
"Ahem!" Clearing her throat pointedly to get both their attention, Urd turned the unruly pebble that was biting the hem of her mini skirt back into a normal one, before she addressed her two students. "Now class, if you want to change subjects and study the finer details of reproductive arts, I'm all game! Just give me a second to get some reference material and..."
"NO!"
"Then, stop talking to each other and pay more attention to what I'm trying to teach you!" said the half demoness behind narrowed eyes. "If I let you slack off like Bell does, it won't take more than a few days for you to go back to your routine and forget about the lessons. This means that you need a more strict teacher!"
"Uh… is this what's the whole outfit is all about, miss Urd?" asked Keiichi, raising his hand, trying to recall some of earlier days as a student.
"Yep! I thought it would convey the message that I'm not to be taken lightly," replied Urd with a big smile.
"That and to avoid looking like a middle aged woman, considering what a teacher would normally wear," added Skuld with a chuckle, earning a pointed look from her elder sister.
"Who's a middle aged woman you little brat? I'm a perfectly proportioned, sexy lady!" said Urd, striking a pose in her tight outfit. "Especially up here!"
"Moo!"
"What did you say?!" Grinding her teeth, Urd stared at the defiant Skuld who apparently didn't seem as worried as she was moments ago. Given that it was evident that her sister hadn't lost her mind yet again, but simply messing around with them, the goddess of the future was content to play their favorite kind of game.
"You heard me! What's the point of flaunting about your chest, anyway? You know all too well, that I'm not going to be like this forever!" Flinging what seemed to be insults to each other was a weird kind of game, but, for the two sisters it was something they could only do together. Anyone else involved would've taken offense at such things said to them and believe that they were serious. The truth was different and considering how the celestial society valued politeness and acting in a proper manner, such outbursts were frowned upon, or at the very least taken as a childish display of immaturity.
"Yes, but, even then... I'm the big sister!" Smirking, the Norn of the past crossed her arms in a very provocative manner, pushing her chest up for her rebellious sister to see, much to Keiichi's embarrassment. While the young mortal was far more accustomed to such displays, there was still a nostalgic feeling of the time Urd used to mercilessly tease him and that alone was enough to make him blush.
Although the same couldn't be said about the primary target of the half demoness' teasing. Skuld's cheeks puffed up in annoyance while her brows came together, watching her sister boast about her seemingly better looks. "Who cares if your boobs are bigger?"
"Oh? Looks like someone started to learn new words here!" laughed Urd, patting her sibling's head, leaning forward in a conspiratory manner. "I guess that's to be expected to a certain degree. Puberty is no less difficult for immortals that it is for humans, Skuld. Your powers may have slowly woken up, but, there's still the mental part of the process and… it seems that it's about to begin too."
"What are you droning about? I don't get it," said Skuld, crossing her own arms as she stared back at her sister.
"Either you don't want to admit it or haven't noticed it yet. You're no longer acting like the crybaby you used to be, Skuld. To begin with, you approach grown up stuff in a less immature way and it also seems that you're also aware what oneesama is doing when she takes her panties off," said Urd with a wink, glancing over at Keiichi who was about to pass out from the embarrassment.
"Hm… dunno… She takes a bath?" countered the Norn of the future, tilting her head, even if she knew what her sister was getting at.
"No, silly! She's having s-..."
"Neesan!..."
Letting a startled gasp, as the goddess in question decided to show up in the living room where the lesson was taking place, Urd worried that her demonic side had gone too far and now she was about to get scolded and for a good reason. "Uh… B-Belldandy… This isn't what it looks like…"
"Huh? You mean, you're not teaching them about magic?" asked the confused brunette as she tilted her head. Apparently she either hadn't heard that last bit, or chose not to pay too much attention to the half demoness' teasing. Urd was playful to begin with and once her personality switched, those tendencies only intensified. Sure, the goal was to get the more difficult part of her mind under some semblance of control and while she hadn't gone berserk, her teasing got worse.
"Um... o-of course I'm teaching them! I wanted to see how Keiichi could levitate a pebble," said Urd, backtracking the point where was was actually acting like an instructor. Considering how far she had to go, the Norn of the past really started to realize that she was having too much fun with her silly jokes and she was probably just getting in Belldandy's way; wasting both hers and her student's time without getting the necessary results.
"Oh, that's perfect, neesan! How about you let them have a short recess so that we can have a cup of tea? With things being so hectic yesterday, we never got enough time to speak and I'm not sure when you're getting back, so… How about we talk now?" asked the brunette goddess with a smile; one that made it too hard for her sister to say no.
"Sure thing, Belldandy!... Okay, class, you heard her! We're having a short recess!" Smiling at them, Urd decided to see what her sister wished to talk about, as she followed her in the kitchen, leaving Keiichi and Skuld behind.
Waiting for his eldest sister-in-law to get out of earshot, Keiichi turned to the youngest one. "You think she's okay? I mean… she likes to mess around with us, but, isn't that a bit too much?"
"Not really. She may be acting a bit strange, but, that's hard from losing her control. I've seen that and… well…" said Skuld with a frown, shaking her head. "That wasn't pretty and let's leave it like that. I think she's doing an excellent job at keeping her demonic side from going crazy like she did before. Give her some more time and it's going to be impossible to tell which side is really in control."
"There's no if in there," said Keiichi with a smile.
"I know my sister, and she's definitely going to do it," was the proud reply, although the young goddess, before she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"Nothing… it's just that… Whoever watches you two interact with each other won't probably think that," said Keiichi with a smile.
"Whoever really knows us won't actually think that," countered the little goddess. "We're both so similar that when I was younger it frustrated me to no end. I wanted to be like Belldandy, and yet I just… couldn't no matter how hard I've tried. Instead, being like Urd came so natural to me that I no longer try to deny it. Heh… I bet once I'll get older, I might even wear revealing clothes like her, too!"
"I'll be looking forward to that, Skuld," said Keiichi with a big smile, one that started to disappear rather quickly once he noticed the goddess' dark expression. "Uh… what's wrong Sk-..."
"Looking forward?... Oh, I get it! Now that oneesama is all touchy feely with you, your perverted mind wants more, huh?" Reaching for her blouse to get a bomb out, the Norn of the future was trying to hide the fact that she was blushing a bit, too.
"W-Wait a moment, Skuld!..."
XXX
"Here, neesan." Offering her elder sibling a cup of green tea, Belldandy sat opposite of her in mid air, imitating Urd's posture.
"Thanks, Belldandy. I hope you're not mad about… well…" started the half demoness, before she was interrupted.
"Please don't think too much about it, Urd. I know that despite appearances, things are very different for you and I don't want to make them even worse by acting all jealous because of a joke or two. Actually, it might even be kind of beneficial as I'm trying to get rid of that nasty habit of mine and… this is an opportunity for practice," admitted the Norn of the present with a sigh.
"Are you sure you really want that? Who knows… he might end up doing... things with me," said Urd with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm fairly certain that he's not going to give into the temptation," said Belldandy without any hint of doubt present in her voice. "And would you really try to go that far?"
"No, I won't," admitted Urd with a sigh, taking another sip from her tea.
"Besides, I'm keeping him more than satisfied."
Spitting her tea, Urd coughed the rest of the liquid that went down the wrong pipe, staring at her otherwise innocent looking sister. A statement like that was far too audacious by Belldandy's standards, at least not while she's sober. "Well, well… someone's really enjoying the merits of married life, I see. Care for any details, dear sister?"
"I'd rather not. Um… it is kind of a private matter, although…" Pausing to gather her thoughts, Belldandy took a breath to calm herself before she went on. "Could you give me some tips?"
It was at that point when Urd had to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't experiencing a weird dream or something along those lines. While she did offer her sister some very basic information during her honeymoon, the Norn of the past doubted that, Belldandy would ever ask for more; especially on her own volition. "You… do?"
"Yes! Actually, I've written down some of the questions I have here," said the brunette, summoning a book labeled as 'Lover's manual vol. 1' and walked next to her sister.
'She even has bookmarks placed on that thing… Is this reality? Am I finally going totally nuts?' Shaking her head, Urd wondered just how more bizarre this could actually get. Still, a smile formed on her lips, feeling that no matter how strange the situation was, her sister came to her for advice. "Alright then! Let's start, and…"
"Keiichi, you pervert!"
"No! I didn't mean it like that!"
"And keep it short, before those two blow the place up once again," finished Urd as the voices from outside the kitchen made her feel that something interesting was going on. "At least, they're getting together even better than they used to."
"Are you sure? I'm perfectly aware how you and Skuld like to play with each other, but… Keiichi's another matter," said Belldandy with a frown, glancing over in their direction. "He's just a human after all, and if it gets too far..."
"Skuld's not thick enough to throw him anything more than her regular smoke bombs, Belldandy. She may act as if she's not fond of him, but you should've already known that she's the biggest tsundere out there," laughed Urd. "Well… Except for Ma-chan, that is."
Making a mental note about the blonde demoness, Belldandy attempted to avoid mentioning too much about her, just in case her sister got too defensive. "I was talking about her powers, actually. I'm fully aware about her bombs and the far more powerful she's got in her disposal, if she was to get serious. But, with her powers growing, she might feel tempted to use them and since she doesn't control them too well…"
"Still, I doubt that she would do something as irresponsible as to experiment on him. Skuld's not the little girl we knew anymore, Belldandy. She has grown a bit and handles matter in a more mature way than she used to in the past, making it less likely to act in such a childish manner," explained Urd, scratching her chin. "Her obsession with you has subsided somewhat too, given that she acknowledges the need for you and Keiichi to get intimate and doesn't freak out. Sure, she's not going to ask you what's your favorite position, but…"
"Neesan!"
"You got the idea," finished the half demoness with a grin. "I guess she grew up too fast, huh?"
"Maybe. Although part of me worries that she's merely trying to emulate us in a way to treat her as grown up, something she always wished for. I won't dismiss her progress as nothing of importance, but, I still have my reservations, Urd; she's far too young." Letting a sigh, Belldandy stared at the floor for a moment, unsure where she wished to continue. "I must admit that there's also a part of my that got spoiled by her constant affection and will miss it once she spreads her wings and moves further away from us; no… from me."
"Honestly? She's merely the goddess of the future and in a way did manage to grow up sooner than either of us. I was far too stuck in the past and my origins to wish to move forward, while you are far too complacent with what the present has to offer and wish to maintain the status quo. Skuld… had always wanted to move forward and used you as both an example and a much needed source of stability," said Urd after a few moments of thought. "Yet, I no longer desire to get stuck in that mire, you're also willing to embrace new things and Skuld managed to get a glimpse of the future, instead of her childish daydreams. We may be the Norns, but we're not all that different from the other immortals, we just like to do things at our own pace."
"I must admit that you're absolutely right about that, neesan. I'm too happy with what I already have to move forward and for once, I'm the only one who still refuses to move on," said the goddess of the present. "However, I'm thrilled that you've started to overcome your own reluctance to accept your other side. After all, I don't see any ill effects from it; meaning that your fears were largely unfounded."
"Perhaps… It's still a bit early to be sure about that, but even then, it's not going to be without problems in the long run. I have no idea how close I can get to my mother without raising her hopes too much," admitted Urd, looking at the floor. "I do want to do more things with her, and yet… I know that I won't stay like this for too long."
"Your mother knows it as well, Urd. If you worry too much about it, you'll only end up wasting this opportunity. Like you just said, you're stuck in your past and like me, you need to move on slowly," said Belldandy with a reassuring smile. "If nothing, this experience should teach you that there's nothing to fear from your demonic side and restoring your relationship with Hild can continue even after you return back to us."
"I know that already, Belldandy. It's just that… I don't know… She might want to keep me and I'll end up having to chose between her and my life as a goddess," said the half demoness.
"It may not be my place to say it, but, your mother had already made that decision a long time ago. If she wished to keep you, then she would've done that while you were young. Instead, she allowed you to become a goddess, fully aware of the implication behind that decision. It's against protocol to say this, but, I must admit that no goddess would have the mental strength to send her daughter away in such a fashion, Urd," said Belldandy with a frown. "It's one of the reasons mother respects her; neither she, nor anyone else in our family would've done what your mother did without coming to regret it. Others may dismiss it as a sign of indifference, but… you know better than that."
"I do and that's what makes it more difficult, actually. If she simply didn't care, I would've raised the middle finger and turn my back to her without any care in the world. But, I knew that she did and tried every excuse I could find to keep a certain distance. I suppose, some wanted to see this, either as a means of proving my allegiance or as a petty way of getting back to my mother. She is the Daimakaicho after all and that naturally comes with her position," said Urd averting her gaze. "Playing the loyal goddess is easy and ensures a certain level of approval from others, yet, I was never truly accepted. At least, I wasn't considered suspect, although, I have little doubt that the Fighting Wings has a far more detailed folder about me than some of our criminals; and that has nothing to do with my misadventures at all."
"Some never gave you a chance, even if you tried your best, that much I know and I always tried to ignore. You were aware of it and me acknowledging it would've only made it feel worse. Although, I must admit that sometimes I worried that you thought less of me because of it," admitted Belldandy with a sigh. "Part of the reason some goddesses look so perfect, is that they stay clear of anything that would put them in a position where they'd have to make any difficult decisions. Actually any topic that could sully their name was something they'd wish to avoid at all costs," explained Belldandy.
"You're a dummy, you know that? If that was the case, you'd just avoid me in general and get it over with. Besides, only idiots try to avoid trouble to stay perfect and innocent," laughed Urd, floating closer to her sister to kiss her forehead. "We're immortals and it's merely a matter of time before we get in a tight spot. No matter how great someone's act is, the facade will sooner or later crumble and the higher you are, the greater the fall will be. That's one of the thing that pisses me off with the demons."
"Uh… What do you mean by that?"
"They may be selfish, uncaring and opportunists, but… you don't have to worry about such matters in their society. Sure, some will pretend that they like others to gain their favor, yet they're allowed to be themselves on their everyday lives. Hell, they don't actually care whether you're a full blooded member of their race, a hybrid or even a freaking goddess! As long as you work for them, all is good and let you enjoy the full benefits of being a citizen of their realms," said Urd with bitterness evident in her voice. "I was technically accepted In Heavens, and yet nobody was far too happy to deal with me. Other goddesses often whispered behind my back, saying things like 'oh this is the dark and white one' as if I was anything too different from them. On the other hand... the moment I stepped on Muspelheim, I could just blend in the crowd and nobody would give me any weird looks. It's not fair!"
"That's not a bad thing, Urd. Try to see the positive side, instead of the negative. You can enjoy the rest of your time there, instead of feeling like an outsider," said Belldandy with a hopeful smile.
"Yes, but… the fact that it's easier there than it was for me in Asgard kind of troubles me," admitted the Norn of the past. "At any rate, enough with that kind of depressive stuff… Let's focus on something a bit more pleasant."
"Oh?"
"Have you already forgotten?" asked Urd with a giggle, pointing at the book the goddess was still holding in her hands. "The tips…"
"Oh!" Blushing profoundly, the brunette approached her sister, not daring to speak louder than a whisper while confiding her in such matters.
"Well, the first thing is…"
XXX
"This is a very unlikely place for a demoness to hide."
"Who says that I'm hiding?" Taking a swing from her bottle of sake, Mara cast an annoyed glance towards the synthetic who decided to intrude her privacy. She had resorted to retreat to the main temple, where she could find some peace without having to deal with all the other goddesses. "I just have no desire to become Urd's test subject for her lessons. What about you?"
"Well, I must admit that my reasoning was very similar," said Excalibur, scratching his head. "I worried that I'd end up involved into something silly, so, I decided to come here. Wasn't expecting to find you, though. Didn't you have some base here on Nekomi?"
"I do. However, I'm under Surt-sama's orders to remain in the general vicinity of Urd and going to the other side of the city, could get me into serious trouble," said Mara with a frown. "Which kind of sucks, since I'm stuck with more goddesses I'd like to deal with."
"Although, you sure like to deal with a certain one of them," said Excalibur with a grin that made the demoness growl.
"Not you too..." grumbled Mara, her canines poking out of her crimson lips. "What's up with everyone who suddenly think I've got the hots for Urd? We've been like that for… what? Centuries? Millennia? I don't even remember!"
"That may be, but… remind me when was the last time she was a demoness?" countered Excalibur with a raised eyebrow.
That made the blonde pause and as much as she wanted to bring up the Lord of Terror incident, it was more of a possession, than a genuine switch of power sources. "Uh… Okay, I get your point. Still, what makes you think that I like her?"
"The fact that she nearly ravished you and yet you didn't run away?"
"That doesn't count! It was merely a case of… her losing control for a short bit," insisted Mara, looking away to hide a blush as she recalled that particular memory.
"I do remember a moan or two there and my voice analysis routines indicate that you were the source of it," countered the synthetic, causing the demoness' blush to intensify. "And let's not even forget your sudden change in clothing, too. You're wearing much tighter and revealing outfits ever since you started to hang around Urd. Oh, and lipstick too!"
"And your point is?"
"Well, I merely wanted to point out that should you wish to have some… time with Urd, all you need to do is tell me and I'll find another room for the night," offered the smiling synthetic. Although, his smile was far too big for someone who simply wished to be a genuinely helpful guy.
"Oh yeah? I can send you to Hell…"
"Been there, already. Well… of the realms anyway, I might try to get to some others, but this isn't really important right now," said the synthetic, enjoying the scowling expression on the demoness' face. "What is important is to help you… release some stress, I guess."
"Oh, you're going to be such a great help," said Mara with an evil grin, forming a ball of fire on her palm, getting up from the temple's floor. "I'm really going to enjoy…"
"This?" Before she could react, the synthetic offered the irate demoness a pair of tickets that made her pause and stare at them.
"Huh? What in Niflheim's name are they?"
"Tickets for a local amusement park. Don't look at them like they're lucky charms or something; just ask her to go together!" said the synthetic, trying to explain his idea. "It's actually a rather popular place to go on a date. So, why don't you try it?"
"A… date?! Are you nuts?"
"No, I'm a highly sophisticated synthetic life form. Nuts are not included in my design; neither metallic ones nor those of the edible variety," said Excalibur in a level tone, before he pointed at the tickets. "Just tell her to go together and try not to seem too happy, or she might think it's a prank."
"Don't give me advice you stupid robot! And I don't need your help either!" countered the blonde with a huff.
"Very well… I'll give them to Belldandy and Keiichi instead." However, before he got the chance to make a step towards the house's direction, the tickets were already gone.
"No way! Tell them to buy theirs!"
"Excellent! Then try to ask her as soon as possible; tomorrow even!" said Excalibur with a smile. "Nobody knows how long we're going to stay here and they will be utterly useless once we go back to Muspelheim, so, use them before that happens."
"That's easy for you to say!" objected Mara, narrowing her eyes at him. "This isn't something so simple! If I just walk up to her and ask her to go to an amusement park with me, she's going to laugh her ass off! I mean… going to a bar is one thing, but… This is way too cute!"
"Isn't that the whole point?"
"Isn't that too cheesy?"
"No. Something like a bar is nothing different from the usual stuff, so, there's nothing special about it. Besides, remember that she's a goddess too, meaning that they're suckers for cheesy stuff; although I'd appreciate if you didn't tell that to her. Try to get her into a situation she might actually like and recognize from her favorite shows. Utilizing material from things she's familiar with can further improve your odds whenever you propose anything out of the ordinary as it not only appeals to her, but, implies that you approve such things, too," explained the sentient weapon.
"You think so?" Scratching her chin the blonde demoness was having some hard time to come to accept all that. "It still feels cheesy, though…"
"For the record, I never said that it wouldn't. Yet the goddess you like also happens to enjoy cheesy stuff and as such… deal with it and get it done; soon too."
"Hey, who said I like her?"
"Right…" Predicting that this would end up in an argument, the synthetic opted to use plan B, which stood for bogus. By cleverly masking the real goal behind some seemingly plausible explanation and removing any references to any romantic concept, he expected that the blonde would buy it. "Remember that given how stressful it is for her to be demoness on a constant basis, blowing off some steam is important. As such, you may have one excuse for your recommendation to visit the local amusement park."
"Hey… that could work!" With a huge grin that the synthetic could only classify as utterly goofy, Mara was suddenly feeling a bit more confident about the entire situation and the possibility of pulling it off.
"That's right! And not forget that there are a lot of things for a demoness to enjoy in an amusement park, too! All those guys who fail to win a fuzzy bunny in a targeting game for their girlfriends, those silly people who find the haunted houses scary, or the poor suckers who can't even win any kind of game while a bunch of kids next to them do without breaking a sweat!" It was ridiculous beyond words that he was even trying something that lacked any semblance of logic and even common sense. Yet for whatever reason, this kind of strategy seemed that was actually working.
"Hey, I never thought of that! It works! Alright, I'll do it!" proudly announced the demoness, much to the sentient weapon's surprise.
'Now look at that! A plan that received a success rate of 3.2% actually worked. Either I'm that good or I simply got lucky; either way works for me too.' Smiling at her, Excalibur was relieved that despite all odds or even logic, he had somehow convinced the blonde to agree to this plot. "Great! Go and ask her as soon as…"
He didn't even had the chance to finish his sentence as the demoness rushed out of the temple and towards the residence that was located next to it. Happiness had turned to worry when he realized that he was dealing with an individual whose ineptitude at pulling certain plans was almost legendary.
As such, he did the only sensible thing that anyone else in his position would; he ran after her.
XXX
Giggling to herself, Urd was immensely amused by the fact that her sister had finally gotten to the point where she was actually interested to expand her knowledge in the fine art of lovemaking and even she couldn't help but blush at some of the topics. Belldandy on the other hand, looked like a lobster, given how red her face had gotten and for the most part the Norn of the past struggled not to laugh, worried that such a thing would cause the reluctant brunette to run away.
'Good for you, Belldandy! I knew you were my sister, but, it's always nice to see it with my own…'
Just as she was to go back to the living room in order to resume her magic lesson with Keiichi and Skuld, the front door opened wide, revealing a smiling Mara; which by itself was quite the spectacle.
"What is it, Ma-chan? Is it already time to go back?"
"No! I've got something for you!" said the uncharacteristically happy demoness as she presented her the two tickets she got from Excalibur, who was in the meanwhile peering over the door with a worried expression; almost as if he was watching a freight train about to collide.
"Uh… those are tickets," said Urd with a raised eyebrow. "And for an amusement park?..."
"Yep! I want to go on a date with you tomorrow!" said the blonde, utterly oblivious as to how blunt she sounded. She was so focused into getting it done that for a moment she wasn't even aware of what she was actually saying.
"EH?! Come again?!"
"Ah, I thought you'd say that! You see, I know that you've been too frustrated as of late and we could use this as an opportunity to have some fun!" proudly exclaimed the demoness.
'Frustrated? Fun? What kind of fun?… Does she mean it literally, or she has something else in mind after that?' With the recent discussion between her and Belldandy, Urd's mind easily wandered to some more titillating topics giving an alternative interpretation to the blonde's words. "Wait a second, Ma-chan… Isn't that a bit too…"
"Oh, come on… I even have the tickets! It's going to be fun!" insisted the demoness, trying to make her friend concede and accept her offer.
Letting a sigh, Urd had the feeling that she was probably seeing too much into this and offered a nod. She had no idea how or why Mara came up with this, but, if she had to be honest with herself it sounded like fun and was something she'd like to try while she could. "Alright, we can try it… I guess it won't be that bad.."
"Really? Yes! I'm going to beat you on every game they have!" said the demoness with a grin.
"Oh, really? We'll see about that… Ma-chan." replied Urd, her lips curling up as she found it hard to resist teasing her.
"You're on!"
"Of course!"
Staring at the two demonesses, Excalibur couldn't help but shake his head at how ridiculous that exchange was. It was so different from what was considered as the norm in situation like this, yet it somehow worked for them and that was the important thing here.
'This sounds less of a date and more like what they used to do, but… Oh, well… let's see how it's going to work for them. Who knows, it could be something good.'
XXX
Naglfar's CIC, high above Martian orbit
'This is so much better than TV!...'
Struggling to contain his laughter, Surt observed the video feed on his console. Initially he had been skeptical to let that synthetic do this kind of job, yet it had apparently worked and as such, all was well as far as he was concerned.
'Now who's the happy couple? That's going to teach you a lesson you little rascals… trying to act all indifferent and… huh?'
Noticing the portal that materialized next to him, Surt immediately jumped off the captain's chair. There was only one who had the authority to teleport directly into the CIC without triggering any of the ship's defenses; and she loved to enter in the most dynamic way possible.
"Hi! Missed me?"
"No. You missed me… or rather my head." Hiding behind his chair as the miniature form of the Daimakaicho, the lord of Muspelheim's reflexes had proven to be as sharp as ever, narrowly avoiding what would've ended up in either a kick or a body slam.
"Aw… you're no fun!" Taking a seat on his chair, Hild's childlike avatar glanced over at his console, wondering what her subordinate was up to this time. She knew that keeping an eye on him was imperative, if she wished to avoid any more incidents while he and his ships were here. The last thing she needed was giving him enough time to come up with a plan to get into a fight with the celestials, although, what she saw if front of her were not tactical maps; it was the image of her daughter and Mara. "Uh… keeping tabs on your student?"
"Yep. She and blondie are going on a date tomorrow," replied Surt with a grin, waiting the demoness' reaction at those news.
"Wait... what? How?"
"Oh, I just asked that robot of hers to get a pair of tickets with some money I gave him and make the blonde ask her out," said the Eldjotunn.
"You of all demons managed to get my daughter to date anyone in… less than a day?" Urd's reluctance to get a lover was almost legendary for someone as flirty as her. Even the few ones she did try to date ended up as big failures and lead to nowhere, making Hild wonder if her daughter would even find that special someone she so much needed. Still, having all that orchestrated by the one who was often considered as her most romantically inept subordinate was ironic beyond words.
"Well... excuse me for getting stuff done," was the sarcastic reply, as the demon took some offense at her surprise.
"Hm… This is too big. I've decided! We're following them, tomorrow!"
"But… We can also watch them from here!"
"It's not the same!" countered the Daimakaicho. "Besides…"
"Yes?..."
"I want to go to an amusement park too!" was the cheerful reply of the childlike avatar, that actually appeared to be very fitting for someone of her current appearance. "So, you're getting me there and I won't take no for an answer!"
"Fine!…" Letting a tired sigh, Surt shook his head as he couldn't believe what kind of a mess he had gotten into.
'Great... What have I gotten myself into?…'
AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.
There are a few things that I'd like to note for this chapter.
The war between Asgard and Vanaheim is not my idea, but was an actual event in Norse legends. The gods of Asgard (Aesir) and those of Vanaheim (Vanir) were engaged in a war and in this case, I tried to find a plausible way to make it work, considering the rest of the world in this story. While I had dropped some hints about Njorun's nature and the fact that she was familiar with some of the hazardous material Ratatoskr was moving around, this is the first time that her origins were exposed.
She's a former goddess and a Valkyrie who simply wasn't satisfied with the conclusion of the war between her realm and Asgard, causing her to go to Ymir's side; something that eventually lead to Hild's birth, quite some time later. To avoid any confusion, Njorun is now a demoness, not a half goddess and the method involved to change her nature resulted in her characteristic appearance (the same can be said about the rest of the demons of Muspelheim).
This is another way of explaining why Hild is listed as a Valkyrie in Norse legends while she's a demoness in AMG. Of course, that's simply an excuse, since the real reason is that the author chosen to use her as a demoness and not a goddess.
Other examples of gods who were undergone that procedure were Odin (he's got a demonic eye here) and Hrym (he's half a god/demon hybrid at this point), but, the procedure was never complete and stopped way before they were fully converted (although it went much further for Hrym). Of course, those were examples of an unregulated and far more dangerous method of conversion, unlike the more controlled procedure that Ymir used for the Valkyries (it still uses the same means).
Let's not even get at how funny some relationships are due to that. Especially for Tyr who got Ymir as a father in law (well… former father in law to be more precise).
While Urd is temporarily back in the temple, she's now a demoness and has to adjust to a somewhat different way of thinking if she wishes to maintain control of herself. It seems unimpressive, but this is a very important part of her training, instead of just throwing spells around. After all, that would only make her even more dangerous than she currently is and totally unproductive.
Finally, there's the whole date thing, which sounds a bit goofy in the way it was executed, but, then again considering who was involved into that, I think it did sound right at this point of time.