Is that how it comes across? .... Okay, I guess I could have explained that better.
Another way to think about it is that Hild is essentially performing one incredibly powerful necromantic feat by calling Alicia's soul back and reanimating her (very well preserved) corpse. Normally, this would mean Alicia would be some form of undead, such as a zombie, liche, or ghoul.
HOWEVER, she has a benefactor in Benjamin who's covering that tab for her by providing additional spiritual energy to cover the 'upkeep' of keeping her body animated until it can support itself once again. Give it about a year or two, tops before her metabolic process is back up to 100%.
Meanwhile, Hild is holding the IOU with Ben's soul as the collateral. He has until the time of his death, whenever that may be, to come up with suitable reparations for the effort that Hild put into resurrecting Alicia. The trouble is that this means that Ben owes her a soul - one that would not typically be destined to Hell as she would get such a soul regardless.
And no, Hild is not giving him any clues as to when that day might be.
This will provide an interesting bit of tension in that while Benjamin has this IOU hanging over his head, he has to be careful about not getting himself killed. I mean, sure, getting killed in the first place would be a bad thing. But once he's clinically dead, even IF Washu were to bring him back, Hild can then say that he belongs to her now because he did indeed die before paying the debt owed.
It's a technicality Hild doesn't mention, but Belldandy is very quick to point it out.
Besides, to my knowledge, Hild is a punch clock villain and the 'Kick the Dog' trope never really applied to her. I could be wrong, though, as It's been a while since I've read AMG.
Though it might be interesting if Alicia does pick up 'echoes' of Ben's painful past experiences. Having that to draw on with only a faint echo of the emotional baggage to go with it might turn her into a little bad-ass to rival her 'big sister'. But on the fun side of things... She can go around telling the other girls that are showing an interest in him exactly what he thinks of each them - both the things he likes, and the parts of them he thinks they can improve.
Hmmm.... To give an idea of how this might work....
Whoops. Got a bit carried away, there. (;^_^)>
Another way to think about it is that Hild is essentially performing one incredibly powerful necromantic feat by calling Alicia's soul back and reanimating her (very well preserved) corpse. Normally, this would mean Alicia would be some form of undead, such as a zombie, liche, or ghoul.
HOWEVER, she has a benefactor in Benjamin who's covering that tab for her by providing additional spiritual energy to cover the 'upkeep' of keeping her body animated until it can support itself once again. Give it about a year or two, tops before her metabolic process is back up to 100%.
Meanwhile, Hild is holding the IOU with Ben's soul as the collateral. He has until the time of his death, whenever that may be, to come up with suitable reparations for the effort that Hild put into resurrecting Alicia. The trouble is that this means that Ben owes her a soul - one that would not typically be destined to Hell as she would get such a soul regardless.
And no, Hild is not giving him any clues as to when that day might be.
This will provide an interesting bit of tension in that while Benjamin has this IOU hanging over his head, he has to be careful about not getting himself killed. I mean, sure, getting killed in the first place would be a bad thing. But once he's clinically dead, even IF Washu were to bring him back, Hild can then say that he belongs to her now because he did indeed die before paying the debt owed.
It's a technicality Hild doesn't mention, but Belldandy is very quick to point it out.
Besides, to my knowledge, Hild is a punch clock villain and the 'Kick the Dog' trope never really applied to her. I could be wrong, though, as It's been a while since I've read AMG.
Though it might be interesting if Alicia does pick up 'echoes' of Ben's painful past experiences. Having that to draw on with only a faint echo of the emotional baggage to go with it might turn her into a little bad-ass to rival her 'big sister'. But on the fun side of things... She can go around telling the other girls that are showing an interest in him exactly what he thinks of each them - both the things he likes, and the parts of them he thinks they can improve.
Hmmm.... To give an idea of how this might work....
Quote:There was a knock on my door and I looked up from my laptop, wondering who on earth this could be. To my surprise, Alicia was waiting for me as I opened the front door.
"Alicia! What are you doing here so late, sweetie? Come on inside before before someone sees you and wakes up your sister."
Quietly, she came inside, her slippers padding on the ground as she hugged her teddy bear close to her chest. As she worked at getting herself settled, I went and put a glass of milk in the microwave.
"Alright, it's only you and me here now. Akemi-chan's already asleep. You can tell me what's bothering you."
Alicia was silent for a moment before the microwave beeped. As I was getting her milk, she suddenly said, "You were thinking about stuff again, weren't you?"
I paused mid motion, then sighed and brought Alicia the warm milk.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," I said as I sat down next to her, leaving the glass of milk on the coffee table in front of her. Rather than say anything, though, she latched onto me, sniffling softly. I put my arms around her and said, "Oh Alicia. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be," she whispered through her gentle sobs. "You brought me back. You made it so I can live with my sister. You made her happy. You made me happy. But as much as I feel what hurts you, big brother, I also feel what makes you happy. And I know that seeing big sister and I together... it makes you so happy that it blots out the pain."
I know it may seem strange for such a little girl to be so articulate, but Alicia had always been ahead of the curve for her age - every bit the budding intellectual that her mother had been in her own youth. And she only grew more sharp and intelligent once she was resurrected. Washu-chan was absolutely certain that my intellect was passively bleeding through like osmotic process. Which probably meant that very soon she would be able to start learning the basic calculations she needed to know in order to become a mage like her sister. From what I heard, Hayate was already working on a Device for her.
A few quick taps on my computer brought up some music - a selection of soothing and uplifting tracks by James Horner. Not only to ease Alicia's reciprocal hurt, but to help me so the feedback effect would be cut off. I then got her to drink her glass of milk, and then showed her what I was up to (this week's expense and income reports - boring adult stuff, but she found it mildly interesting anyhow to see how things behind the scenes worked). I then picked her up and went to Fate and Nanoha's apartment.
Fate opened the door before I could even knock. "Just bring her inside, Benjamin," she said kindly. Alicia was already dozing on my shoulder. As I laid her down in her bed, Alicia sighed and snuggled her teddy bear closer. A quick little kiss on her forehead left a content smile on her lips as she drifted off.
Suddenly, I felt Fate's arms around me.
"Fate?"
"It's alright," she said quietly. "I just want to stay like this for a moment. I am so grateful for you and everything you've done, and everything you keep on doing. You know that you're the closest thing she has to a father?"
It made my heart twinge in a bittersweet way and I put my arms around Fate's petite form and hugged her back. "Yeah... it's hard not for me to treat her like as if she was my own. Every day she seems to become just a bit more like me - she might as well be my daughter now."
"That's fine by me," whispered Fate. "Her becoming more like you... I can't think of anyone better. I love you so much after all - just as much as I love Nanoha."
I couldn't even sigh at that. A love that true I could never berate. Not in a million years. Fate was growing like a weed now - her adolescence had hit hard and fast, and she was turning into a tiny woman before my eyes. While I knew that hormones were a factor, I also knew that there was nothing false about what she felt for me.
I then kissed the top of Fate's head. I would be lying to myself if I said that I didn't feel any love for her. Or for the others, for that matter. She then looked at me with those beautiful ruby eyes of hers. They normally seem more like a brilliant hue of brown, especially when half-shaded by her low-hanging bangs, but once the light caught them, they glittered like the finest cut corundum. She was already so gorgeous, even as a child. She would be breathtaking once she was an adult.
"I need to get some sleep. You do, too. Go on, Benjamin. We still have a lot to do tomorrow."
I rolled my eyes at that. "Oh lordy, do we ever."
Whoops. Got a bit carried away, there. (;^_^)>