Megumi watched, considering, as a cat padded its way up to Ranma in the back yard. The fact that he flinched out of his exercising when it meowed at him was amusing but beside the point of why Megumi was watching him. The fact that cats talked to him was…well, just rather strange.
And it wasn't the only strange thing about the couple she roomed with.
Midori's humming and singing in and of itself was perfectly normal, but Megumi had started to notice that the garden they'd been getting compliments on starting tended to spring up when she was playing around places.
When Midori had first bought the place, she'd heard that she might have to get someone to remove the sakura tree in the front as it was dying. Now the tree was thriving, and was even blooming early.
The tree was one of Midori's preferred play areas in the front yard.
Nabiki's oddities were not so obvious. She was, in many ways rather normal and average in personality, and nothing inherently preternatural seemed to happen around her. The only thing was an unusual tendency toward whims to pick up things that later turned out to be useful.
If Megumi thought to ask Nabiki about why she was buying, say, an aluminum funnel, then the typical response was "just in case" though she rarely said what the just in case was. In the funnel's case, it was apparently "just in case Keiichi needs to put oil in his bike while visiting and has no oil filter."
Nabiki liked playing games with people's minds, though. So, it could have just been that she kept the oddball items around for the moment they'd be useful in someway just to confuse the heck of people like Megumi.
Still, that last event reminded the Morisato girl of the message she'd received earlier that day. She walked out to interrupt the conversation Ranma was having with the cat, something about wanting to know where the good tuna was.
Ranma seemed as confused on the subject matter as Megumi did.
"Hey, Ranma," Megumi said. "Where're Nabiki and Midori?"
The martial artist looked away from the cat for a moment and then back down.
"Gimme a moment," he said, scratching his head. "Nabs is out shopping for some
CDs for Midori. Maybe one of those little digital things."
"An I-Pod?" Megumi said.
"Yeah," Ranma said. "That. We're supposed to get her music if we can."
"Oh," Megumi said. "Expose them to the arts early and stuff. Beethoven and Mozart and stuff?"
"I dunno," Ranma said. "I'm not much up on pop idols."
Megumi scrunched her brow together and started to explain classical music, but thought better of it. Too much to say and too little knowledge of depths of ignorance she'd be stepping into.
"You think they'll be back soon?" Megumi asked. "Belldandy said the Nekomi Motor Club are going to be over at the temple for a meeting and were wondering if you'd like to come over."
"A college party?" Ranma asked. "With Midori?"
"Well, the more rowdy guys graduated a while back," Megumi said. "It'll probably be a pretty laid back meeting."
"Belldandy told ya?" Ranma asked, considering.
"Yeah," Megumi said, equally surprised. "If it had been Urd, I wouldn't even have mentioned it. But Belldandy would probably have to be pretty sure that nothing inappropriate is going to happen if she suggests it."
"That's what I thought to," Ranma said. "I'll talk to Nabiki about it."
"Okay," Megumi said, turning to walk back inside. "I'm going to be doing some homework for a bit, probably head over there in two or three hours."
"All right," Ranma said looking back down at the cat. "I don't eat out of garbage cans, I'm sorry. No, I haven't been able to afford to go out to eat much. There's a barbeque place down the street. Can't ya ask another cat?"
Megumi rolled her eyes and wondered again what was going on with her roommates.
****
Megumi found herself walking with the Tanakas to the temple. There had been a brief discussion between Ranma and Nabiki, but eventually they'd come to the idea of going to the meeting.
Megumi had more than a little suspicion that they had reasons for visiting other than just for the fun of it.
Keiichi's sister had definitely noticed the markings that the Tanakas shared with the Norns and was also aware that weird stuff happened around Keiichi and Belldandy's home as much as it did around her new place.
Though, she had to admit, that her weird seemed to be a much more mild variation of the weird that happened in her brother's life.
"So how're your new jobs," Megumi asked.
"Mine's going very well," Nabiki said. "Ranma seemed to have a bit of trouble last night."
"Anything serious?" Megumi asked.
"Animal control," Ranma said, crossing his arms over his chest, and his daughter's legs for that matter. Up on his shoulders Midori copied the gesture.
"What, they were looking for stray cats or something?" Megumi asked.
"Something," Ranma said. "Took me an hour to get rid of them."
"And he did it without breaking any bones, too," Nabiki said, snickering.
"Hey," Ranma said, though he probably knew it was just teasing. "I don't fight people that don't ask for it and can't take it."
"I like Daddy's new job," Midori declared in a sing-song tone.
"So what's going on with this meeting thing?" Nabiki asked.
"Just another concept machine," Megumi said. "They're running an all night planning session on how to approach it."
"What's the concept?" Nabiki asked.
"They're trying to improve on the motorcycle from the Dark Knight movie," the older girl said.
"Isn't that just a motor-cycle?" Ranma asked.
"Well, yeah, but the engines are in the wheels and there's a lot of work to go into making them operate together," Megumi said. "Like I said, it isn't going to be that rowdy. Though it might get strange considering some of the Motor Club people…and Skuld."
"Skuld?" Nabiki said. "Is she allowed to help out?"
"Well," Megumi said. "She's very smart for a kid, post-grad level herself really, but she has a tendency to...well…go overboard is the only way I can explain it. If Keiichi is there to reign her in, she's very useful. Otherwise, she starts trying to build stuff outside our resources."
"Any reason to call us over?" Ranma asked.
"Because these things are usually fun," Megumi said. "I'll probably be helping the Motor Club, but they'll be snacks or movies or games for everybody else."
"Sounds good," Nabiki said.
****
"Welcome!" Belldandy declared proudly as Megumi and her roommates walked into the temple grounds and started up the path toward the main building. "Megumi, Keiichi and Sora are in the main room, I think they're already drafting basic design plans."
"Right," Megumi said, moving past. "Catch ya'll later."
Belldandy watched her dash on and then turned a friendly smile toward the young gods.
"Good evening," she said. "I'm glad you could come."
"Hiya, Belldandy-san," Midori declared, waving, from her perch atop her father's shoulders.
"Hello, Midori-chan," Belldandy said.
"Yeah, it sounds like a good break from things," Nabiki said.
"Well, we do have some of our own work to attend to," Belldandy noted.
"Yeah, we figured there might be something," Ranma said. "What's up?"
"We thought we could discuss spells and programs," Belldandy noted. "Oh, and Urd has organized an itemized list of the promises you are currently bound to."
Ranma and Nabiki groaned slightly.
"Don't worry," Belldandy said. "I'm sure this will not prove problematic."
"Are we safe discussing that stuff while everybody is here?" Nabiki asked.
"Actually, Urd has a solution for that as well," Belldandy said, and her face looked a little doubtful.
****
"And here it is!" Urd declared showing off a brightly colored hard-bound book titled "Gods and Goddesses". "The best thing to hit the shelves since they printed the thirty-three recipes for a philosopher's stone!"
"That looks sort of like one of those role playing games," Nabiki noted questionably.
"Indeed it does," Urd said, nodding. "And here's the best part:" she leaned forward conspiratorially, "it's not a lie."
"Ohhhh," Nabiki said with a smile similar to Urd's for a moment.
"Now," Urd said. "On to characters."
With that, Urd passed out a stream of papers to Ranma, Nabiki and then Midori. Belldandy smiled at them pleasantly as she came into the room from the kitchen with snacks.
"Now," Nabiki said, looking over her "character sheet" "What do these classes and categories mean?"
"Classes describe your power level and Category describes whether you're licensed to operate on earth or not," Urd explained.
"So, what are the classes and categories then?" Ranma asked.
"Well, there are first class gods, like Belldandy," Urd said, directing a hand toward the serene middle-sister of the Norns. "They have the most expansive responsibilities and also tend to have a lot of power and control over that power."
"What are you?" Nabiki asked, indicating Urd.
"Urd is a second class goddess," Belldandy said. "In her case, she has a good deal of potential and power, but less control. Alternately, it could indicate someone with a great deal of control, but not much power yet."
Nabiki and Ranma looked down at their sheets again.
"And third class?" Ranma asked.
"Beginning gods and goddesses, such as you," Urd said. "Gods and goddesses that have recently reincarnated, such as our sister. It means your power is within mortal limits and your region of responsibility is local to wherever you happen to be."
"Within mortal limits?" Nabiki repeated.
"Yes," Belldandy said. "Initially, a divine nature does not imbue much more power than you already had to begin with. You've probably noticed that yourselves."
"Yeah," Ranma agreed. "So, ya gotta earn the rest of the power?"
"Yes," Belldandy said.
Ranma nodded with a little smirk.
So, he still had to work for what he could do.
That suited him just fine.
"What's that?" Midori asked, pointing down at the paper she was holding. "Af…fili..a shun? I don't have one?"
Nabiki stared at Midori as the little goddess displayed again that she was, in many ways, more mature than even her physical development.
"Oh," Belldandy said. "The heavenly department you are part of. Currently, you only have tentative associations as you have not officially taken part in any of the departments. You shall have one as you grow older Midori-chan."
"Okay," Midori said, nodding and smiling at the kind goddess.
"So, I've got…the Earth Assistance Center?" Nabiki asked.
"That's right," Urd said. "And it's going to make your superior Peorth. If you make that relationship official."
"Oh, won't that be wonderful?" Belldandy said.
"And Turn a log?" Ranma asked.
"Tir na Nog," Urd corrected. "Protectors of magical, terrestrial creatures."
"So…" Ranma said. "Would that be like a bunch of shape-shifters living in a small apartment complex?"
"Exactly," Belldandy noted. "I'd also note, Ranma that the Valkyries have shown interest in you."
"What's that?" Ranma asked, looking to where that was listed.
"That's the war-goddesses," Urd said.
"What?" Ranma sputtered. "Aren't there any war gods, as in male?"
"Several," Belldandy noted. "But the Valkyries are the most elite unit of battle-trained deities. Given your dual-nature, I would at least consider it."
"Would I have to be a girl while I'm doing my Valkryie stuff," Ranma asked.
"What's the matter, Ranma," Nabiki asked. "Don't think your woman enough?"
The martial artist sputtered at Nabiki in response.
"And now," Urd said as she reached over to turn the papers off the first page. "We come to the promises."
Both Gods and Goddesses sweated nervously as they noted the number of promises they had acquired.
****
Megumi peeked in at the gather in the other room and noted them sitting around a table with a role-playing game and some papers.
"Well," she said. "I guess that's something to do…"
Still, she had been hoping on catching them at something that might explain the weirdness of their existences.