Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Wild Stallion and the Drow ❯ School Daze ( Chapter 8 )

Standard Disclaimer:  Not mine; don't own any of the characters except those I create.

Deep in the Underdark, far from any prying surface dweller's eyes is the city of Ched Nasad, home of a number of middling significant drow Houses, a "conversation" was taking place, between the Matron Mother of House Zauvir and Lolth.  "Your daughter failed.  The raiding party was unable to even put down my renegade daughter's human lover.  I will allow you one last chance, then I fear that your seat on the ruling council will be in jeopardy."

"Then I will see that we don't fail again, my lady."  The Matron Mother of House of Zauvir prostrated herself before the goddess, as Lolth's visage disappeared from the summoning chamber.  She stood, and dusted her robes off.  "Get me Faeryl!"

The eldest priestess arrived short moments after the summons.  "Yes Matron Mother?"

"Faeryl, I need you to contact agents on the surface."  Her eldest daughter's eyebrow shot up at that.  "There are reasons for this…" As the matron explained how's and why's, Faeryl began to smile.  To have a permanent blessing of the Spider-Queen on the house would make Zauvir one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful Houses of the Drow.

The second youngest daughter, Maya, "happened" to overhear her mother's plans.  This does not bode well, she thought, for Eilistraee.  Nonchalantly, the secret priestess of the Dark Maiden strolled through the corridors of her home, away from the summoning chamber.  She had to get to the surface, and find someone who would aid her.

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Morning broke over the former Shinto shrine as had done for generations.  New faces and voices, however, were the shrine's new occupants, as elves maintained a vigilant patrol around the shrine grounds.  But for one resident, there was a usual wakeup call.  "Damnit Eilistraee!  What'ya do that for?  Uncute tomboy," Ranma-onna shouted at her, while her black-skinned fiancée smiled cutely at her, hiding the empty bucket behind her back.  The redheaded martial artist wiped the water out of her eyes.  "You're going to pay for that."  Eilistraee dropped the bucket as Ranma charged at her, ducking under the training sword that the warrior goddess had out trying to stave off her fiancée's assault.  But once Ranma was within her defenses, the pigtailed aquatransexual resorted to a tried and true tactic.  She began tickling her.

 "St…st…st…stop…it!"  Eilistraee said between guffaws.  She dropped the training sword, and began her own tickle attack.  Both parties were so involved that neither noticed three elven-kind-Bereth, Crystina, and Nabiki-looking in, and chuckling at the spectacle of a goddess and her human lover, currently female, in a tickle fight.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Bereth intoned.  "I can imagine what Corellon would have to say about this."  The two females laughed at the elder elf's seriousness.

"Hey Eil-chan?"  Ranma stopped tickling her fiancée.

"Yes, a'mael?"

"I think it's time we got ready for the day."

"I think you're right."  Eilistraee kissed the redhead's forehead.  "I'll see you in the furo."  She got up and grabbed her bathing supplies and change of clothes.  "Bereth, please accompany me."  The elder priest nodded and accompanied her. 

"My Lady, you wish to speak with me?"

"Bereth, I assume my Father spoke with you at some point, which is why you are here, correct?"

"He did."

"Tell me about it, please."

"I maintain a small chapel and community in the Cormanthor.  It was during my evening meditations, when your Father came to me in a vision, asking me to aid you in your establishment of a refuge for good-aligned Drow on this planet.  He also told me to contact my old adventuring companions for their assistance, and that a military expedition from fabled Evermeet was on their way to my chapel.  I sent messages out by way of carrier pigeon to those who I knew of their locations.

"The only one I received a reply from was from Crystina's father, stating that he would love the chance to go riding into battle one last time, but age and duties of his manor required that he stay at home.  Crystina has proven herself a most capable warrior, trained in the Solamnic Code by her father and is, by all rights a Knight of the Rose, save for her gender and mixed parentage."  Bereth smiled grimly.  "It was a shame that she had to prove herself to the commander of the expedition from Evermeet.  May Corellon guide and protect his spirit."

"Bereth, did Father give you any instructions regarding any drow found approaching the grounds?"

"Yes my Lady.  Provide aid to any who appear on shrine grounds and offer nonviolence; be swift against any enemy who would offer violence.  To follow your code, Lady."

"Very good.  Be watchful, and be careful.  This is a 'modern' society.  There are things here that are just fancies and technological oddities on Toril.  Lighting and heat without spells or flame, firearms that don't require reloading after one or two shots, horseless carriages and flying machines, and the ability to talk to someone over long distances, as if they were in the same room." With a wave of her hand, a map of the shrine grounds appeared.  "We have free reign in this forest; the shrine abuts a governmental preserve that is lightly patrolled.

"I assume Crystina is to be in charge of the garrison?"  Bereth nodded.  "Have her keep the patrols no more than a day's fast hike.  Aid any travelers lost or injured-have them brought here if the patrol leader deems it necessary.  We're going to try to be as unassuming and nonthreatening to the government.  Short bows, shortswords, and leather armor for both the troops from Evermeet and from Crystina's father.  If either have a problem with it, they can take it up with me."

Bereth bowed gracefully.  "I understand, and will so inform Crystina."  The priest left to allow the goddess time to clean up and soak before the day actually began.

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"Ranma, Nabiki, remember, today is our first day of school," Eilistraee reminded them at the breakfast table.  The kitchen was becoming more of a military dining facility at that moment, feeding close to two full companies of infantry and two squadrons of cavalry, in addition to the residents of the house.  One of the things that the elves tasked with kitchen duty liked was the gas range, which meant no more open fires.  "No fights if you can avoid it."

Ranma pursed his lips.  "I guess there's no way to avoid it, is there?"

Eilistraee gave him a look.  "No, there isn't.  I know you don't have a penchant for school, but I told you yesterday that I'll not have my fiancé an uneducated boob."  She turned to Nabiki.  "If you can avoid it, I'd rather you not start any betting pools, information brokering, or blackmail.  I will not have one of my priestesses involved in such things.  It will not reflect well on my church.  You have my permission to call me by my name.  It would seem odd for you to refer to me as 'my Lady' or 'Mistress'."  Both teens nodded, as they ate their meals.  "And Ranma," Eilistraee said, looking at the way her fiancé was eating, "we are going to work on eating like a normal person, yes?"

"Why?  Is there food on my face?"

"No, but you need to slow down as you eat.  Your father is not here, stealing the food from your plate, Ranma."

"Hai," he replied.  "I'll try."  The answer didn't sound very convincing to Eilistraee's ears, and she gave her fiancé such a look.  "Ok, ok.  I'll make a good impression on everyone at the school."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Ranma-kun.  The bus will be here very soon."

"Oh…joy," was the pigtailed martial artist's reply.  "May fortune favor the foolish, then."

"Fortune only favors those who make their own luck, a'mael.  I should know, since I know her personally."

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"We have three new students joining us today from Tokyo."  The three in question stood up.  "Go ahead and introduce yourselves," the homeroom teacher prompted.

"Hi, I'm Ranma Saotome, heir to Musabetsu Kakutou Saotome Ryu."  Much to the disgust of the boys in the class, the girls got all sparkly-eyed when they saw him.

"I'm Eilistraee Larethian," Eilistraee said, as she threw back the hood of her cloak.  Much to the displeasure of the girls in the classroom, the boys all began to suffer nosebleeds when they saw her, even in just a schoolgirl's fuku.  Eilistraee saw this and smiled.  *Imagine if they saw me in my usual clothes,* she said to herself.  "Sorry boys," she added, "but I'm engaged," and promptly latched on to Ranma's arm, causing his pigtail to stand straight out in nervous embarrassment.

Nabiki removed the hood of her cloak.  "Nabiki Tendo," she said simply.  The class gave her puzzled look, specifically since she gave a Japanese name, but look like Eilistraee.  "No, Eilistraee and I are not sisters."  She smiled coyly at the class.  It was definitely going to be an interesting semester.

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The trio of new students sat under a tree in the courtyard at lunch.  Homeroom and a couple of other classes were the only classes that they spent together.  Ranma was, as a result of his scores from Furinkan, stuck in remedial classes.  And as a result, spent most of his time trying to stay awake.  "God, I hate school," the pigtailed martial artist muttered, as he looked at his schedule.  "It's like the only classes that aren't going to be boring are gym, history and homeroom."

"Well, a'mael," Eilistraee said, "it's not like you paid any attention to them at Furinkan."  Nabiki nodded, but kept her own council.  She'd had this discussion before with Akane in junior high.

"What do I need to know about physics or mathematics or even the English language?"

Eilistraee softly chuckled with her musical chuckle.  "Ranma, you know how to shoot an arrow, and quite well too, but wouldn't you want to be able to be better at it?  And English is, unfortunately, the common tongue when dealing with non-Japanese speakers.  And I know you don't like free power-ups, so I won't help you with magic.  But I will help you with your studies.  And I want you to apply that impressive ability to learn to your studies."

Ranma finished his bento.  "Alright, I'll do it.  You want to spar before lunch ends?"

"Not today.  There'll be plenty of opportunities later, a'mael.  Besides, it wouldn't help to show off right away.  Like next period."

"Oh yeah, we have gym together."  Nabiki mouthed something that would have sounded like "Baka".  Ranma stuck his tongue out at his fiancée's priestess.

"None of that, you two," Eilistraee said.  "It's bad enough Ranma that you used to do that to your old fiancée.  I won't have you do it to Nabiki."

Both teens nodded at the drow goddess, as the lunch bell rang.  "I'll see ya after classes."  The girls nodded, as the pigtailed defender of the Church of Eilistraee leapt to his classroom, to the surprise of his classmates.

Eilistraee looked at her fiancé and just shook her head.  "I don't know what I'm going to do about him," she said.

"Either kill him or marry him," Nabiki said, jokingly as they walked through the doors to the school, like normal people.

"That's an option that I'm going to have to choose at some point.  I doubt Father will let me get away with a multiyear engagement to Ranma."

The two drow walked into their classroom as Nabiki said, simply, "Talk to Bereth about it.  I think even a go-you need someone other than your lover to talk to."

Eilistraee didn't let her priestess's almost slip go unnoticed, and planned to have a talk with her about it as she sat down at her desk.  She appeared to be attentive to the physics class, but let part of her consciousness think on what Nabiki had said in jest and her reply.  Corellon had been gracious enough to avoid the conversation of when she and Ranma were going to get married, but even a god may lose patience if there's any potential for procrastination.

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