Just to inaugurate the new forum.
-- Bob
"In this time and place," Verdandi said quietly, "we are chargedto answer to Another.""Office politics, huh?" I sneered. "Must be a major comeuppancefor you three. Took a big fall, did you?"There was a swish of wind, and my reflexes took over. A momentlater, I found myself holding the shaft of something that lookedlike a croquet mallet by way of Star Trek. Its head was merecentimeters from mine, and Skuld throttled its handle in a double-fisted deathgrip. "We didn't *Fall*!" she shouted as she triedto free her weapon from my grasp. "No one Fell!"I inclined my head toward her as I looked at the other two."Discipline problem, eh?" Then a thought struck me. "Those twoyou sent out of the room. Do they know what kind of creaturesyou are? Or are they living in danger and ignorance?""Megumi's just visiting," Urd said off-handedly. "And Keiichi isBell's...""Keiichi is my love," whispered Verdandi.This shocked me so much I let go of the mallet, and Skuldpromptly nailed me in the foot with it.When I got done yelping and jumping around, I relieved the kidof her hammer and turned back to Verdandi. "Your *what*?""My love," she repeated, almost too softly for me to hear.I blinked at her, then shook my head. "You know, that's...that's..." I *was* going to say something like "pathetic", ormaybe "disgusting". We'd had quite enough of that stuff with theGreek gods, after all; with all the other damage that they do tothe world, deities should *not* play with human hearts. Plus,the relative power levels made it pretty damn likely that itwasn't exactly the most equitable of relationships. Poor guy.Talk about being pussy-whipped. But my danger sense chose thatmoment to smack me on the back of the head, and I realized thatinsulting a god-human relationship to the involved god's face wasprobably not the wisest course of action.Okay, now those who know me and the Warriors will say, "Hey, younever had a problem with Hexe dating men." Well, for all thatHexe is bossy, dominant, pushy *and* an avatar, she is also oneof the most *human* beings I have ever known. When I see herwith a guy, I don't see a monstrous, alien creature of immensepower manipulating some poor schlmazel for its own amusement. Isee a woman with a guy. Say what you will about her abrasive andoverbearing personality, Hexe is a woman first, and a deitysecond. And in my experience, that was *unique*. I had noreason to believe Verdandi's relationship with Keiichi Morisatowas anything but a sadistic and/or exploitative dalliance forher.Anyway, it was at that moment that a shriek erupted from theother side of the door to save me from my own mouth. "Belldandyis *WHO*?"I raised an eyebrow. "I take it she didn't know?"Urd smirked. "Nope," she said as Verdandi pursed her lips andSkuld's eyes grew large."DOES THAT MEAN..." came from the hallway, then Megumi's voicedropped to an outraged mumble."I think," I said, "that somebody's in trouble."The door burst open, and Megumi stormed back into the room,dragging her brother behind her. "Where's this Marllercharacter?" she roared, and all three goddesses jumped, then asone turned to look at her. "Turn *me* into a car, will she?Possess *my* body, will she? When I get my hands on her, she'llbe one dead..." She jabbed a finger at Urd. "You! How couldyou let me think that was just a *dream*, that it was myimagination? Do you *know* what it's done to my self-image?"She whirled on Skuld, who eeped. "And *you*, you're just as bad.You can't believe what it felt like to think I was crazy becauseof all the strange crap that goes on around here because of you!""Why aren't you yelling at Belldandy?" Urd muttered, but Megumievidently heard her.The mortal girl suddenly dropped completely out of rage and intoutter embarrassment. "I couldn't!" she replied, doing some odd,rhythmic twiddling thing with the tips of her forefingers."She's so nice, I'd just feel so *guilty* afterwards."I hazarded a glance at the divinity in question, who simplysmiled a beatific smile. Uh-huh.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
-- Bob
"In this time and place," Verdandi said quietly, "we are chargedto answer to Another.""Office politics, huh?" I sneered. "Must be a major comeuppancefor you three. Took a big fall, did you?"There was a swish of wind, and my reflexes took over. A momentlater, I found myself holding the shaft of something that lookedlike a croquet mallet by way of Star Trek. Its head was merecentimeters from mine, and Skuld throttled its handle in a double-fisted deathgrip. "We didn't *Fall*!" she shouted as she triedto free her weapon from my grasp. "No one Fell!"I inclined my head toward her as I looked at the other two."Discipline problem, eh?" Then a thought struck me. "Those twoyou sent out of the room. Do they know what kind of creaturesyou are? Or are they living in danger and ignorance?""Megumi's just visiting," Urd said off-handedly. "And Keiichi isBell's...""Keiichi is my love," whispered Verdandi.This shocked me so much I let go of the mallet, and Skuldpromptly nailed me in the foot with it.When I got done yelping and jumping around, I relieved the kidof her hammer and turned back to Verdandi. "Your *what*?""My love," she repeated, almost too softly for me to hear.I blinked at her, then shook my head. "You know, that's...that's..." I *was* going to say something like "pathetic", ormaybe "disgusting". We'd had quite enough of that stuff with theGreek gods, after all; with all the other damage that they do tothe world, deities should *not* play with human hearts. Plus,the relative power levels made it pretty damn likely that itwasn't exactly the most equitable of relationships. Poor guy.Talk about being pussy-whipped. But my danger sense chose thatmoment to smack me on the back of the head, and I realized thatinsulting a god-human relationship to the involved god's face wasprobably not the wisest course of action.Okay, now those who know me and the Warriors will say, "Hey, younever had a problem with Hexe dating men." Well, for all thatHexe is bossy, dominant, pushy *and* an avatar, she is also oneof the most *human* beings I have ever known. When I see herwith a guy, I don't see a monstrous, alien creature of immensepower manipulating some poor schlmazel for its own amusement. Isee a woman with a guy. Say what you will about her abrasive andoverbearing personality, Hexe is a woman first, and a deitysecond. And in my experience, that was *unique*. I had noreason to believe Verdandi's relationship with Keiichi Morisatowas anything but a sadistic and/or exploitative dalliance forher.Anyway, it was at that moment that a shriek erupted from theother side of the door to save me from my own mouth. "Belldandyis *WHO*?"I raised an eyebrow. "I take it she didn't know?"Urd smirked. "Nope," she said as Verdandi pursed her lips andSkuld's eyes grew large."DOES THAT MEAN..." came from the hallway, then Megumi's voicedropped to an outraged mumble."I think," I said, "that somebody's in trouble."The door burst open, and Megumi stormed back into the room,dragging her brother behind her. "Where's this Marllercharacter?" she roared, and all three goddesses jumped, then asone turned to look at her. "Turn *me* into a car, will she?Possess *my* body, will she? When I get my hands on her, she'llbe one dead..." She jabbed a finger at Urd. "You! How couldyou let me think that was just a *dream*, that it was myimagination? Do you *know* what it's done to my self-image?"She whirled on Skuld, who eeped. "And *you*, you're just as bad.You can't believe what it felt like to think I was crazy becauseof all the strange crap that goes on around here because of you!""Why aren't you yelling at Belldandy?" Urd muttered, but Megumievidently heard her.The mortal girl suddenly dropped completely out of rage and intoutter embarrassment. "I couldn't!" she replied, doing some odd,rhythmic twiddling thing with the tips of her forefingers."She's so nice, I'd just feel so *guilty* afterwards."I hazarded a glance at the divinity in question, who simplysmiled a beatific smile. Uh-huh.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.