Lights! Camera! Action! A New Challenger Arrives!
Akane walked to the rear gate of the Tendou property with head held high and determination in her stride. She was acting as the official representative of the Avatar of Light and would not betray the trust Ranma had placed in her. And once she showed how well she could do in the role, Velgri would have no choice but to overlook the way they'd gotten off on the wrong foot and acknowledge her value!
Reaching the rear gate, Akane took a deep breath and opened it, words of greeting on her lips for the unfortunate demon that was here to challenge the Avatar. But instead of speaking, Akane stopped short and stared at the throng of nearly a dozen people noisily chatting and milling about a respectable mound of boxes, bags, and what looked like audio and video equipment to her untrained eye.
Shaking off her surprise, Akane drew herself up tall and imperiously addressed the crowd. "Who comes to challenge the Avatar of Light?" When the people continued with their numerous conversations and showed no signs of noticing her, Akane scowled for a moment and noisily cleared her throat. When no one seemed to notice that, Akane growled softly, then took a deep breath and shouted, "Who co—"
"Finally!" exclaimed a woman with small horns on her forehead and wearing an expensive looking business suit. "Were you planning on slouching in that doorway, letting us just stand in the street all morning while you gawk at us?"
"I was not slouching!" Akane retorted, thrown off balance by the sudden unexpected attack.
"Yes, because your posture was the most important part of that," snapped the woman waspishly. "Just how long do you intend to leave us standing out here like unwanted beggars?"
Akane stood there for a moment, opening and closing her mouth before shaking herself, "Oh, err... please come in and wait for the Avatar in the dojo."
With a toss of her head and a dissatisfied sniff, the woman walked through the gate and toward the nearby dojo, a harried looking younger horned woman holding a clipboard full of folders and wearing a messenger bag scurrying after her. Following them at a casual pace and looking as if she didn't have a care in the world, came a very attractive young woman dressed in some sort of costume of green spandex, complete with a sparkling cape. Akane stared at her for a moment before quickly moving out of the way as the rest of the entourage came through the gate in a bunch. Looking more closely at the members as they passed, Akane noticed that two men—or demons, she supposed, going by barbed tail one of them sported—were lugging bulky video cameras and bags full of accessories, an older woman with horn rim glasses was carrying a large black case and a collapsed canvas chair, five men were wheeling in carts loaded with lights, boom microphones, and metal poles, and sullenly bringing up the rear was a girl around Akane's age. She had limp, black hair, dark eyes with equally dark rings around them, and was wearing beige cargo pants, a red t-shirt bearing the image of a black raven, and a bulky backpack.
What the hell is going on here? wondered Akane until she was broken out of her daze by the horned woman's sharp voice carrying from the dojo, "Did that stupid girl send us to wait alone in this empty room?"
Grimacing, Akane hurried into the dojo and announced, "I am Tendou Akane, the Avatar of Light's representative. The Avatar is currently indisposed and will be with you shortly."
"Fine," snapped the woman as the other members of the group started setting their equipment and baggage near one of the walls. "In that case, go fetch us an urn of coffee, three dozen donuts, two cappuccinos, and a large half-caff no foam soy latte."
"What?!" demanded Akane, "I'm the representative of the Avatar of Light—not some, some lackey!"
"Please," sneered the woman, "a representative has actual authority. You're clearly a gofer with delusions of importance who's been sent out to tend to the people of significance. An actual representative would have the authority to speak for the Avatar and would be negotiating a time for our challenge, not dithering about and taking drink orders."
"I do have authority, and I am not dithering about or taking any drink orders!"
"Is that so?" purred the horned woman. "Well, in that case, you must be here to stall while the Avatar cowers in some little hidey-hole, hoping we'll get tired of waiting and go away, so she can finally slink out without having to fight her challenger."
"What?!" shrieked Akane, flushed with rage, "the Avatar isn't afraid and she isn't hiding!" Thrusting her finger at the horned woman, she shouted, "She'll fight her challenger anyti—" before abruptly clapping a hand over her mouth, cutting herself off as the blood drained from her face. After a moment, she lowered her hand and roared, "Cut that out!"
"Cut what out?" demanded the Avatar of Light as she ran into the dojo.
"Oh, your representative was just telling us you'll fight challengers anytime, anywhere," drawled the horned woman.
As Ranma turned to her with an incredulous look, Akane cried, "I was not! She tried to trick me into saying that—but I didn't fall for it!"
Ranma took a deep breath and let it out. Plastering a smile on her face, she cheerfully said, "Thank you for your help, Akane, but what I really need now is for you to find Velgri and have her come here. Can you do that for me?"
Glaring at Ranma, Akane ground through gritted teeth, "I think I can manage that..."
Ranma nodded, and losing her fake smile, said in a serious voice, "Thanks. It really would help," as she warily eyed the small crowd in the dojo.
Akane smiled slightly at Ranma and headed for the door, only to be brought up short when the horned woman called after her, "And don't forget the coffee, Acne!"
"That's Akane!" shouted Akane, "And I'm not your damned lackey!" Resuming her journey to find Velgri, now muttering with her head down, she made it out into the yard and several feet away from the door before being interrupted again, this time by someone bumping her shoulder hard. Looking up to see the girl with the raven shirt scowling back at her, Akane growled, "And what's your problem?"
With a clenched jaw, the girl said, "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Brandy, the damned lackey."
Flushing in embarrassment, Akane quickly stammered, "Er, I didn't intend any insult toward ... lackeys..."
"I don't care what you intended," sneered the girl. "This is not over between us, Tendou Acne," she promised as she brushed past Akane and headed into the dojo.
"It's Akane! Or is my name too hard for you people?"
"Yes, such names are far too difficult for a simple yet industrious people such as us lackeys," spat the girl as she walked through the door.
"That's not what I—gah!" Throwing her hands in the air, Akane gave up on talking to any of the demons and ran off to look for Velgri.
oOo
Inside the dojo, Ranma looked around, taking in the small crowd before turning to the horned woman in charge and saying, "Ok, exactly who's challenging me?"
The well-dressed horned woman snapped her fingers and the young woman in green spandex strode forward, and striking a heroic pose and determined expression, declared, "It ends here, Ava—"
"That's enough, Angela, save it for later," interrupted the horned woman with a raised hand, causing the woman in green to shrug and walk back to the side of the room where someone had set up a table with some bottles of water. "Right," continued the horned woman, "now that your annoying servant has left, let's get down to business. I'm thinking an outdoor location on a sunny afternoon—something paved, maybe with an open lot or storefront. Maybe something a bit run-down or abandoned. Do you have someplace like that or do I need to send my people out to find one?"
"Yeah, I think I got a place or two," said Ranma. "Look, what's with all these people and needing to fight in a place like that, anyway?"
The horned woman took a cigarette from a gold case and put it between her lips, whereupon a flame blossomed on the tip for a moment before dying out, leaving the end glowing orange. "Isn't it obvious, darling? We're making a movie—don't worry, we'll do your death justice; your friends and family will be proud. I'm Bebe, by the way."
"Riiiiight..." said Ranma, deciding to humor the madwoman.
"In fact, I'll be sure to invite them to the premier. It'll give them closure. And be great publicity, of course."
"Of course..." echoed Ranma dryly. "So, does this afternoon work for you?"
"A fast worker," murmured Bebe, "I can appreciate that. Normally, my people would spend at least a day or two talking with your people, but I've seen your 'people', so I understand completely. Yes, today will be fine. Give us an hour or so beforehand to make sure the site and lighting are good, and if they are, we can get this over and done with."
"Can't wait," said Ranma, starting to feel like she could use another shower just from talking with the woman. "Are you going to wait here or leave and come back?"
"We'll wait here."
Ranma glanced around. "Um, you gonna need anything?"
Bebe flashed a shark smile. "Kind of you to ask. No, I'll just have the lackey fetch some things."
"Uh, I don't think Akane's going to be available..."
"Oh dark, no," exclaimed the horned woman with a slight shudder. "I'm talking about mine. She, at least, knows how to get something done. Usually."
"Ok... I'll let you know when we decide on a place," said Ranma as she quickly made her escape from the dojo.
A few seconds later, the woman with the clipboard walked over to Bebe. "I thought scene 27 called for slaughtering the Avatar's family and friends."
"Oh, it does," replied Bebe as she took a puff of her cigarette, "but a few are always missed. We'll round them up, bring them to the premier, and then torture them to death live in front of the audience. It'll be great publicity."
"Wow! that's brilliant," exclaimed the younger woman. "And I'm not just brown nosing—I really mean it this time!"
Bebe just smiled faintly and made a mental note to have the girl flogged once the Avatar was dead.
oOo
"Charming place," commented Nabiki as she looked around the demolition site where she stood in a cracked parking lot next to the Avatar of Light and Velgri.
Ranma shrugged. "They asked for someplace paved and run-down. This fit the bill and isn't near people or anything expensive that can get broken."
"Except for the crane and bulldozers over there. You should try to avoid throwing anything in that direction—especially considering this whole thing is going to be captured on film."
"I'll do that," said Ranma with a frown. Turning to watch the demon crew setting up lights and cameras and testing sound, she asked, "You're sure Akane didn't want to be here?"
Nabiki nodded. "She said unless you're going to be beating up the head demon and her lackey, she'd rather avoid dealing with them anymore."
"Wish I could do the same," admitted Ranma.
"I'll go check on them," offered Nabiki, walking over to the other group.
Nabiki walked past two men, or demons really, adjusting a boom bearing a large microphone, deciding they were uninteresting and probably unable to talk much if they were working with the sound pickups.
She eyed the people working with video equipment, wondering if she could pick up a tip or two, but decided she could probably do as well by taking a tour of a television or movie studio. Ignoring the lackey setting out coffee and doughnuts, she considered the remaining two options for information and entertainment.
The first was a well-dressed woman with small horns on her forehead who was clearly in charge. As she walked around, gesturing at various things while talking between taking puffs from the cigarette in her mouth, a younger woman with a clipboard and numerous papers scurried after her, taking notes. Nabiki could immediately tell she would be a tremendous source of useful information but got the impression she could be rather volatile and was probably as likely to have her booted out as she was to tell her anything interesting. The other choice was an attractive young woman in a green spandex outfit sitting in a canvas chair while an older white haired and red eyed woman in horn rim glasses fussed over her face and hair. Ah, the talent. Probably not as in the know as the woman in charge, but also less likely to guard her tongue. Mentally nodding to herself, Nabiki approached the woman in the chair.
Carding her fingers through her subject's slightly spiky short, frosted blonde hair, the older woman nodded to herself. "All right, dear, your hair's done." Taking a step back, she looked over her work, and clucking her tongue, reached for a small bottle. "We need a touch more cheek glitter, though." Suiting action to words, she applied a touch of silver glitter with a small brush. "Perfect. That just leaves your nails."
As the make-up artist took one of her hands and started working on her nails, the woman in green took a breath and declared, "Try as you might, Avatar, you will not escape the wrath of The Green Streak! Your reign—"
"Green Streak?" interrupted Nabiki, "Really?"
"Wha?" asked the woman, blinking in surprise and confusion.
"Your character isn't seriously named the Green Streak, is she? That makes her sound like a grass stain. Ok, it's not as bad as if it'd be if your outfit were yellow, but this isn't a comedy, is it?"
The woman in green stared at Nabiki, her mouth opening and closing a few times, before she frowned and said, "Hold up, Cassie." When the make-up artist moved away, she stood up and walked over to the horned woman with a determined stride, Nabiki following a couple of paces behind. "Bebe! Why is my character named after a grass stain?!"
Bebe turned toward them and blinked. "Excuse me, dear?"
"The Green Streak! It sounds like a grass stain!"
"Well, you're fast and you're green, dearie. I suppose we could change it to The Green Streaker... that wouldn't require much rewriting."
"What?!" cried Angela, "That's even worse!"
"What do you want me to do, dear? It's a bit late to think of something like this, you know." The horned woman looked around and snapped her fingers a few times. "Everyone! Listen up, everyone, our star has decided five minutes before shooting that she doesn't like her character's name. Does anyone have a better one for her? Quickly, now."
The woman with the clipboard looked up. "Um, The Green Blur?"
"La Racha Verde?" asked a cameraman, promptly earning himself a spot on the To Be Flogged list.
"Speed Demon," said Nabiki with finality.
"Ooh, that's good," said Bebe, nodding in appreciation, "Keep offering suggestions like that and you'll go far in this organiza—" She broke off as the woman with the clipboard started whispering furiously in her ear. "What do you mean, she's not in... Well, then who is—" she pushed the whispering woman away from her and gave Nabiki what was presumably meant to be a friendly smile. "Who are you, dearie?"
"Nabiki," answered Nabiki, deciding that advertising a family relation with Akane wouldn't be a good idea right now.
"And what are you doing here, Nabiki?"
"Over here looked a lot more interesting than over there," replied Nabiki, with a nod of her head over to where Ranma and Velgri were standing around looking bored.
"Oh, no doubt. So, tell me, dear," Bebe said, walking over as Angela headed back to the make-up chair while practicing lines with her new name, "have you ever considered a career in show business? You seem competent, and dark knows I could use someone with a brain in her head working here." Ignoring the scowl of the woman with the clipboard, she added, "And you know, now is the time to get in. Five, maybe ten minutes on the job, and you're already part of the team that's killed the Avatar of Light. You'll be able to write your own ticket, dear. Latte?"
"Sure," said Nabiki agreeably. "To the latte, that is."
Bebe snapped her fingers and called, "Lackey! A latte and my usual!" prompting Brandy to start making her way out of the demolition zone while muttering under her breath. Turning back to Nabiki, Bebe asked, "And what about joining my little team here? I can see you'll go far."
"It does sound tempting," admitted Nabiki, "but I have other commitments at present and plan to remain a free agent for now."
"But what could be more important than fame and fortune? Especially when the alternative is to be on the low end of the food chain once the Avatar is dead. Come dear," cooed the demon, "tell Auntie Bebe what's stopping you from joining the winning team?"
"Auntie Bebe?" repeated the woman with the clipboard in an incredulous tone, before quickly scurrying off at the look her boss sent her way.
"Well, that's just it," replied Nabiki, studying her fingernails, "how do I know your team is going to win? All I know about your champion is that she's fast and seems more interested in being an actor than a fighter. The Avatar, on the other hand, seems fully focused on her job."
"Of course she is, dear. Those who don't excel naturally have to put in so much more effort just to get the same results."
"That's true," allowed Nabiki, "but between opponents who both have natural talent, the one who focuses will crush the other."
"Oh, now you're just being a Negative Nancy. Let me put it plainly for you, dear: if you're on our team before we win, you get power and riches beyond imagination when we do. If you wait until we've won, you'll be lucky if we take you as more than a chew toy. So, what's it going to be?"
"I'll take my chances."
"So be it. Now get out of my way—I'll deal with you after the Avatar is dead. Shoo!" exclaimed Bebe, making appropriate gestures with her hands until Nabiki walked over to stand near Speed Demon again. "All right, everyone," she called, raising her voice, "let's make some magic! How close are we to being ready?" After hearing the various responses, she said in a normal tone, "Inform the Avatar we'll be ready in five minutes."
oOo
"About time," muttered Ranma as the girl with the clipboard went back to her group after delivering the message. Frowning at the sight of Nabiki still chatting with the green-clad woman in the enemy camp, she waved her arm, beckoning her to return. When Nabiki's only response was to look up and give her a cheerful wave, Ranma scowled and beckoned with exaggerated, more insistent motions.
"Let her be, Ranma," said Velgri. "She won't be in any danger there, and it's possible she may learn something useful."
Ranma sent a dark look in Nabiki's direction but slowly nodded. "You're sure she's safe?"
"As safe as she can be. As a close associate of yours, an unprovoked attack on her would be a blatant infraction of the Accords. An attack wouldn't be impossible, but as the aggressor would know she'll be facing a punishment very unlikely to be as mild as a quick death, I consider the chances of such an event to be effectively nil. Other than that, the only other danger would be if she willingly entered into some sort of agreement with them, but I'm sure Nabiki would not be so foolish."
Ranma just hmmed in reply, then walked over to where Bebe was beckoning as the camera, sound, and lighting people moved into position. "That's it, right over here, dear," cooed the woman. "So pretty, and without having to spend hours with people fussing over you. How lucky you are to have your make-up done magically. Now, just stand on this strip of tape—oh, don't give it such a suspicious look, sweetie, it's not going to explode or anything—we're doing a movie, remember? We can't just have the actors wandering about willy-nilly. Oh, we understand you'll have to move around once you actually start fighting, but it's important to start in the right places."
"I'm a martial artist and the Avatar of Light, not an actor," said Ranma flatly.
"Don't worry, dear, just do your best," replied the woman, patting Ranma on the shoulder. "Just go for a 'doomed but fighting to the bitter end' feel. We'll start when I say 'action'. Speed Demon will have the first line."
"Who?"
"The star, darling. A month from now, everyone will know her name. Well, not you, of course... Break a leg. Or two. Oh, what am I saying? Good luck. Ta."
With that, Bebe walked back to her camp, pausing briefly for a word with the woman in green, whom Ranma now assumed was Speed Demon. Looking down at the strip of tape with a scowl, Ranma took up a position near, but not on, it and waited. A few moments later, following some last minute shouted instructions, the cry of "Action!" rang out, and she focused her attention on her challenger, ready for anything.
Speed Demon strode toward the Avatar of Light, determination clear in her posture and expression, as a conjured wind dramatically ruffled her hair. Stopping ten feet from the Avatar, she thrust out her chest and cried, "It ends here, Avatar! No more running—your days of evil are over!"
"What do you mean, 'days of evil'?!" demanded Ranma, gesturing at her uniform. "I'm the good guy! And what's this crap about running?!"
"Darling," called Bebe's voice from the demon camp, "it's a movie. We're making a blockbuster here, not a documentary. Don't worry about lines or anything, just fight as if your life and evil plans depend on it. We'll dub your lines in after you're dead."
"Why am I even supposed to be evil?" demanded Ranma. "Shouldn't the evil guy be the hero in a demon movie?"
"Oh, sweetheart, if you were interested in the plot, you should have said something earlier! Speed Demon here is delightfully evil, but she's posing as a superhero to make the pitiful humans love and trust her. Once they accept her into their bosom, she'll turn on them like a serpent and rip out their metaphorical heart! Well, metaphorical in most cases, at least." Bebe shivered slightly in anticipation. "It will be glorious."
"That does sound interesting," admitted Nabiki from Bebe's left.
"Oh, absolutely," enthused Bebe, "and the production values are incredible, if I do say so myself. The seven minute and forty eight second opening sequence shot without a single camera break will be talked about for years!"
"Well, I hope you have another ending you can use, because your plot is about to be derailed!" cried Ranma as she cracked her knuckles and turned her attention back to her challenger.
"Oh, are we ready now?" asked Speed Demon, looking up from her Game Boy, which promptly vanished. "Right. Ahem. Here I come!"
Suddenly, Speed Demon vanished, Ranma's eyes only having time to widen slightly before they registered a flash of green and her entire body exploded into pain from what felt like a hundred inexpert blows and she found herself bouncing and skidding across the unyielding pavement of the parking lot. Rolling to her feet with a groan, she quickly scanned the area and spotted Speed Demon standing near Ranma's original position, panting heavily and eying her appraisingly.
"You're tough, I'll grant you that," called Speed Demon as she caught her breath, "Most people wouldn't have survived that. But I doubt you'll last much longer."
"Oh, yeah?" growled Ranma as she charged her opponent with the heightened speed of her Avatar form, "Let's see how you take—" And with only the barest flicker of Speed Demon's form as warning, she was once again flying backwards in agony, a second spike of pain shooting through her back as she slammed into the brick wall of a still-standing building. Her vision swimming, she looked up to see Speed Demon over twenty feet away, bent over with her hands on her thighs as she gasped for breath.
"Speed Demon, darling," called Bebe's voice, "don't stand like that—it lacks heroic dignity."
"Try leaning against a lamp post and looking playful," added Nabiki's voice a moment later.
Slowly rising to her feet while trying to will her vision to clear, Ranma shouted, "Nabiki! Stop helping the enemy!" Then seeing that Speed Demon was only now starting to straighten, she cried, "Light Lance!" and hurled a bolt of energy at her opponent, only to grimace as it went wide and slammed into a camera, causing its operator to jump aside as it exploded.
"Avatar, please be a dear and refrain from destroying vital filming apparatus while you're dying," chided Bebe.
Ignoring the demonic director, Ranma kept her focus on Speed Demon, and seeing the determined gleam in her opponent's eyes as their gazes met, jumped up and to the left while curling her body in on itself protectively. That act was the only reason the next attack sent her smashing through an unbroken plate glass window instead of crushing her against the solid brick wall. And then she was lying on her back in a pile of broken glass and shattered counters, blinking up at the discolored ceiling.
Gotta get up, she thought dazedly. She could tell she'd lost some time, but how much? Whatever the actual amount, the answer was undoubtedly 'too much', she thought, as she groaned and pulled herself to her feet using a nearby support, shards of glass crackling under her boots. Leaning against it, she looked around the slowly spinning room, mentally cursing at the lack of cover or places from which she could ambush her opponent. And speaking of her opponent, there was Speed Demon hunched over outside the broken window, slowly catching her breath while cameramen moved into position behind her to line up the perfect shot.
Feeling Ranma's gaze on her, Speed Demon looked up and grinned. "It's over, Avatar!" And Ranma knew, unless she could somehow block our counter the next rush, it was.
As Speed Demon straightened and inhaled deeply, Ranma pushed herself away from the support, reached deep within herself, grasping the power of the Avatar of Light that Velgri had helped find during their training trip, and pulled. As a roaring wave of energy rushed into Ranma's body, Speed Demon vanished, but instead of immediately feeling the pain of hundreds of blows, Ranma saw a green blur appear near where her opponent had been.
In the blink of an eye, the blur crossed half the distance between the two of them as a streak. In another blink, it had crossed half the remaining distance but was now clearly recognizable as an insanely fast-moving Speed Demon; near the window, a bee hung in the air, its wings barely moving. One last blink, and the woman in green charged across the remaining distance and threw a punch. Ranma blocked it.
As Speed Demon's eyes widened in shock and horror, Ranma pushed the other woman's arm to the side and threw her fist forward to slam into her opponent's unprotected stomach—and as soon as it impacted, let it bounce back slightly before slamming it into Speed Demon's chest, then nose, then throat, then repeated the entire chain over and over, each blow hitting with the speed and power only an expert martial artist could impart. And then the power Ranma had called upon drained away, and Speed Demon was suddenly a green blur flying back through the broken window, bouncing and skipping across the unyielding pavement, and finally rolling to a stop before dissolving into golden light that was quickly sucked down into the ground.
Ranma stood there for a moment longer with her fist extended and whispered, "Light Speed," before crumpling to the floor as a wave of exhaustion deeper than any she'd experienced washed over her, and she could do nothing more than lie there, gasping for breath. She wasn't sure how much time passed before Velgri's cool nose pressed against her forehead and she felt a rush of warmth and strength flow into her. Slowly sitting up, she looked over at Velgri, who gave her a vulpine smile and fondly said, "Congratulations on successfully using an advanced ability and defeating your first real challenge."
"Thanks," groaned Ranma. "So, now what?"
As if in answer to her question, Bebe's voice, amplified by a megaphone, called, "Very good, Avatar, dear. Unexpected and undesired, but Bebe gives credit where credit is due. Now, if you'd be so good as to stagger out of the wreckage, we can finish the scene and all go home."
Ranma glanced over at Velgri, who shrugged, then sighed and stood up. She was still tired, but breathing no longer felt like a major endeavor. Her entire body still hurt like hell, though. Taking a deep breath, she slowly limped out of the gutted building and emerged back into the sunlight.
"Cut! That's a wrap!" shouted Bebe, and in a bright flash of light, she, her entire crew, and all their equipment vanished, leaving Nabiki standing alone on the other side of the lot.
"I never did get that latte," lamented Nabiki.
oOo
Akane sighed as she jogged through the park. She knew Ranma was all right, and going by the previous challengers, he'd probably won in less than ten seconds by using a brilliant tactic like shouting, "What's that behind you?!" But, still, she worried. The problem was, she knew if she'd gone to watch, the evil demon and her lackey would have driven her so mad she would have attacked them, probably violating some part of the Accords, or her head would have exploded. Literally exploded in an incandescent fireworks display. Even now, she could almost hear the sneering, sarcastic voice of the dark-eyed lackey…
"Tendou Akane, I challenge you to a duel."
Akane stopped, blinked, then groaned as she noticed Brandy glaring at her from the shade of a tree. "What?" she snapped
"I said I challenge you to a duel for the insult you offered me today. Bare hands, the loser is bound to serve the victor for a week."
Akane raised both eyebrows and folded her arms as she turned to squarely face the other girl. "I'm not agreeing to that."
"Of course, " sneered Brandy, "I could tell from the moment I met you that you were a coward and—"
"Oh, I'll fight you," interrupted Akane, "but the only stakes will be our honor."
"Because you know you'll lose," smirked Brandy.
"Not really. It's more that, for one, only a complete idiot would make any sort of agreement with a demon if she didn't have to, especially over something as stupid as the demon's hurt feelings. And for another thing, loser serves the winner for a week? Why in the world would I agree to that? I mean, if I lose, I'm stuck as your servant for a week—and if I win, I'm stuck having you follow me around for a week. Now, that's a lose-lose situation if I've ever heard one!"
Akane shook her head. "So, no, I'm not going to agree to any terms whatsoever, and especially not those terms, but if you decide you still need to fight me over whatever insult you're so worked up about, just come to the dojo—at a decent hour—and I'll be happy to pound you into the ground. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a jog to finish."
For long moments, Brandy just stared in the direction Akane had gone. Eventually the silence was broken when the image of the raven on her shirt looked up at her and remarked in a male voice, "Well, that didn't work out very well, did it?" causing Brandy to silently shake her head. "I guess she's smarter than she looks, huh?" added the raven, prompting Brandy to nod. When it became clear no other response was forthcoming, the raven asked, "So, are we going home now?"
"No way," growled Brandy. "If I'd come back with a human slave—especially someone who was close to the Avatar—I'd have had it made. If I come back late with nothing to show for it, I'll just be fired."
"Maybe it's just as well," opined the raven. "Things may actually go better for our side with that Akane girl acting as the Avatar's representative."
"Maybe…" allowed Brandy, "but it doesn't matter anymore. I'm not going back empty handed, so we need to start looking for someone who's arrogant, violent, and not too bright."
"I don't know, boss," said the raven as he eyed their surroundings, "what are the odds of us finding someone like that in this Nerima place?"
Author's note (03/30/23): Some of you may have noticed a slight delay between this chapter and the previous one. I do not apologize.
Thanks again to Sunshine Temple for feedback and suggestions.
