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The Gamble 2
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These characters are not mine and no money is being made from the writing of this piece of work. This is a continuation of The Bet. The Visit In the three days after the conference, the house had carried on normally. Washu found Sasami frequently in the cookbook section of the library and the meals she cooked were better than ever. Tenchi, Balar, Ayeka, and Ryoko were doing well in their lessons. Tenchi had first objected to the others watching with him saying that it was his duty to learn, not theirs. Ryoko stomped that argument flat with one pointed comment. “Oh, so I’m supposed to become a housewife when you become emperor?” Tenchi quickly gave in. Tenchi’s grandfather drilled him just the same as ever, rarely giving compliments on his fighting skill. After dinner, the family could often be found in the library looking through the books that Washu had accumulated over thousands of years. All in all, it was a peaceful three days. *** On the fourth day after the conference, Washu woke up to find a bug looking at her. “AAAAAHHHHH!” she screamed and ran out of the room. Ryoko’s eyes flew open at the scream and she ran out of her room, stubbing her toe on the door in her haste. “What is it?” she yelled. “There’s a bug in the house!” Washu screamed from on top of the kitchen counter. Ryoko stared in disbelief at her mother perching on the counter. “Uh, Washu?” she said hesitantly. Washu shivered on the countertop. Ryoko came down the stairs and Washu pointed. “In the bedroom,” she stammered. Ryoko went into the bedroom and saw a bug perching on Washu’s pillow. She sighed and trapped it under Washu’s empty glass and slid a piece of paper under it. Ryoko carried it out into the living room and put it on the floor. Washu’s eyes never faltered from where it was. “There.” Ryoko said. Breathing in and out a few times, Ryoko took the glass off the paper. The bug lied there on the paper, still. Ryoko pointed her finger at the bug and disintegrated him. “Happy, Washu?” Washu nodded quickly. She unfolded her legs from the counter and leapt down. “Thank you.” She said and went to fix breakfast. Ryoko shook her head as she walked back up the stairs. Greatest scientific genius in the universe, powerful elder goddess, and scared of bugs. *** After breakfast had been eaten, they got a call. Washu’s “phone” made the picture of Funaho project itself into the living room. “Hello, Washu. Hello, Ryoko. I have good news for you!” she caroled. Ryoko ears perked up. “What is it?” she asked. “The broadcasts are going to air Kagato’s crimes today and clear Ryoko again, so you can come over this afternoon.” Funaho smiled. Washu nodded. “It sounds wonderful. We’ll take a short walk and be home by dinnertime. What do you think, Ryoko?” Ryoko nodded and the call ended. *** Washu and Ryoko were walking through the lab, when Washu screamed and ran a good ten feet away. Ryoko looked at her strangely. Washu pointed. Ryoko looked down to find a bug. She sighed. Pointing a finger at the bug, it disintegrated with the power of Ryoko’s gems focused on it. Washu still didn’t walk over. She pointed again and again. Bugs were everywhere. Ryoko’s eyes widened. “AHHHH!” Washu screamed and disappeared. Ryoko looked around for her and then phased outside to the Masaki living room. *** Washu was curled up in a corner of the couch, her eyes wide. “Washu, what’s the matter?” Mihoshi said. “Did something scare you?” Ryoko grinned. “She’s scared of bugs.” “Oh,” Mihoshi said. “Why doesn’t she just zap them out of existence?” Washu unbent and sat on the sofa regularly. “Because, Mihoshi,” she said solemnly, “there are some things that don’t listen to goddesses.” Washu sighed. “I’ll have to plant bombs in there and hope that kills them.” “But won’t bombs destroy your equipment? Wouldn’t it be better to spray for them?” Mihoshi asked. “Mihoshi,” Washu rolled her eyes, “bombs come in two types. Spray bombs that get rid of bugs and bombs that blow up things.” Mihoshi tried to get it, then turned back to the dusting when she didn’t get it. Washu shuddered at having to back inside her lab. Ryoko felt this through the link and offered to put the bombs in. Washu sighed relieved. *** After the bombs had been placed in the lab and lunch had been eaten, Ryoko and Washu stepped through the portal into the same place they had appeared before. Funaho had anticipated this and met them there. “Good afternoon, ladies,” Funaho said smiling. “Hello, Lady Funaho,” Washu said politely. “Where are we going if I might know?” “We’re just going to wander around the market.” Funaho said. “Ryoko, Misaki commented that she loved the way your hair looked at the conference.” Ryoko nodded her thanks. Funaho continued, “Everyone was very impressed at you leaping to Tenchi’s defense like that. A few of the lord and their ladies were agitated though that a princess would be that unruly. I pointed out to them that you may be a princess when you marry Tenchi, but you were a pirate first.” Funaho winked at Ryoko. Funaho led the way out to the street and they started their journey to the market. *** Ryoko had to gasp at her first sight of the “little” marketplace. It stretched on for miles. The streets harbored millions of little shops with overhangs of fabric. Thousands of people filled the streets. “Come on, Ryoko.” Washu said. “Shopping, not gawking.” Ryoko quickly followed her mother. Funaho strode up to one peddler serenely and began to examine his wares. Washu joined her, fingering some of the soft fabric that he sold. Ryoko peered from the side. Washu noticed this and frowned. She wrapped her hand around Ryoko’s wrist and pulled her gently into the merchant’s view. He gulped and his eyes widened. Ryoko defiantly looked at him, asking him to start something. “Ryoko, what do you think of this?” Washu asked, holding up the fabric. Ryoko looked at it and petted it. “Soft,” she whispered. “Yes, I think it’d be wonderful for a pillowcase.” Washu handed the correct amount to the merchant. A small black hole appeared and Washu slipped the material inside. “Oh, Funaho. If you buy anything, I can put it in here and take it out when we get to the palace.” “How thoughtful and useful, Washu.” Funaho said kindly. “I’ll take advantage of it.” The group wandered on to the next merchant. *** After an hour of shopping, Ryoko was sick of being looked at like she was about to destroy something. Washu and Funaho shopped ahead of her and Ryoko let them. She sat down on a bench for a bit and watched the people go by who didn’t notice who she was. “Stop, Thief!” a man’s voice cried out. Ryoko stood up, ready to run. She caught herself and chuckled. Why was she getting up? She hadn’t stolen anything. Already up, Ryoko started to walk after her mother and Funaho. A small boy bumped into her leg and guiltily looked up. A man trudged after him. Ryoko looked at the man with a kind smile on her face. “Your son?” she guessed. The man’s face turned a black look on her. “No! He is a thief who stole from my stall.” He said out loud. Ryoko looked down at the boy that she held by the wrist. He’s only a kid, she thought. He can’t be more than ten years old. “Did you take something?” she asked. The boy looked at her and nodded. Ryoko looked up to the man. “What did he steal?” “He took two gold imangas!” the man cried out. Ryoko knew what imangas were. They were fruit, like the oranges of Earth. Ryoko sighed and rustled in her pocket. “There,” she said handing the man a coin. “That should cover the cost of them.” Ryoko walked away with the boy by the hand. *** She sat down on a bench and told the boy, “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to know some things.” The boy stood warily. “What do you want to know?” he asked. “Did you steal the imangas?” she asked. He nodded. “Good, I’d hate to know that I gave good money to a liar.” “Are you hungry?” Ryoko asked. The boy nodded. “Do you have a place to sleep?” He nodded. Ryoko got up. “Then let’s go get something to eat.” *** Ryoko and the boy ate some kind of sandwich from a vendor while he was taking her back to where he slept. “Have you got a name?” she asked through a mouthful of bread. “Art,” he replied. He was leading her into the old part of town. The part where the material flapped in rags above, the stone was old and crumbling, and disease and rats ran rampant. “In here.” He said. Ryoko ducked under a piece of material and saw Art’s home. Crumbling remnants of a fire in the middle. Bugs ran through the hole in the wall that Art called home. Ryoko sighed. Not a place for a kid to live. “Are you all alone here, Art?” Ryoko asked. She looked around and saw no one. She swore. Out-tricked by a kid! “Lacey, come on. She’s nice!” Ryoko heard Art’s voice say. She looked around to find a small girl, younger than Art, climbing out of a hiding place. Art beamed at her. “This is my sister, Lacey,” he said proudly to her. “You live here all alone?” Ryoko asked. Art nodded. “No parents?” “No, our parents got killed by the Thief Lord.” He spat. “Ryoko!” Washu said frantically. “Where are you?” Ryoko spoke back to her mother. “I’m fine. I found some kids that need a bit of help.” “We’re at the beginning of the market again. We backtracked to look for you.” Washu said. “Ask Funaho if they’ve got a good orphanage around here.” Ryoko said. While Washu asked, Ryoko saw Art give his sister the half of the sandwich he hadn’t eaten. Lacey wolfed down the sandwich. Washu came back and told Ryoko that they had a very nice one that Funaho and Misaki visited regularly. “Fine,” Ryoko said. “Have they got room for two more?” “Funaho says if they don’t, she’ll fund another orphanage to be built.” Washu said firmly. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Ryoko turned back to the kids. “I’ve got a question for you. Would you like to go meet the Queen?” *** Ryoko let the kids gather up a few possessions and she hooked one arm under each of them and flew up. The kids screamed and loved every second of it. She landed right in front of the queen. Funaho smiled as both of the children tried to bow to her and almost fell over. She bent down to their level and asked if they’d like to go somewhere where there were other children to play with, plenty to eat, and Ryoko would visit them sometimes. At her name, both children turned around and looked at the blue-haired lady. “You’re Ryoko?” The boy said. She nodded. “But you’re not mean at all!” he blurted out. Ryoko laughed and held their hands as Funaho led the way to the orphanage. *** The orphanage was unprepared for Funaho’s visit and once they found out that one of the other ladies was the Dreaded Space Pirate Ryoko, they were very flustered. The kids didn’t care though. They asked her for stories about pirates and climbed all over her. The older kids tried to make like they didn’t care, but soon all of them were sitting down and listening to Ryoko talk about battles she had been in. Ryoko subtly changed from bloody battles to the years in the cave and what had happened after that. Kagato, her mother Washu, Tenchi, and every other part of her family. One little girl asked, “What do you do now?” Ryoko smiled and said, “Well, Tenchi just asked me to marry him, so in a few years, I’ll be queen of Jurai.” “Funaho and Misaki are gonna die?” she asked distraught. “No. They’re going to be around, but I’ll be the one in the palace with Tenchi making laws about stuff. Like where to build new orphanages, how many new ships to make, schools, and stuff like that.” Ryoko told them. *** Washu watched her daughter playing with the other children and talking to them like they were adults. Funaho watched as well. They both shared a smile when Ryoko had to leave and she didn’t want to. She promised that she’d be back soon and play with them more. *** After they left the orphanage, Funaho suggested that Ryoko hadn’t seen the whole marketplace. Ryoko prepared herself for more nasty looks and strode forth. The merchants looked at Ryoko with veiled looks of hostility that they dared not show with the queen around. Some of them were of fear, some hostility, some wariness. Sensing that Ryoko was becoming weary of these sort of looks, Funaho steered them into a shop that she knew would be pleasant to Ryoko. This woman and Funaho had been friends for years and would not be impolite to her guests. “Welcome, Lady Funaho!” the elderly shopkeeper called. “And who have you brought with you today?” “Hello, Nani. This is the Lady Washu and the Lady Ryoko.” “Ah, yes. The scientist mother and the space pirate daughter. Good afternoon ladies. Make yourselves at home.” Nani gestured to the shop. “I’ve gotten in some rather good jewelry a few days past and also some plants are over there.” Ryoko’s eyes were drawn to the plants. Huge purple blossoms with dark pink overcoats. Beautiful… “Those are similar to an Earth plant called a fuchsia. They are beautiful, aren’t they?” Nani said to Ryoko. Ryoko nodded, mesmerized by the blooms. Washu was admiring the cloth that the woman had. I wonder if- Washu caught herself. An immense feeling of sadness came over her. Ryoko felt Washu’s sadness and walked over to her mother. “What’s wrong?” she said softly. Keeping her eyes on the fabric, Washu said, “I thought that this fabric would make a nice dress for me.” Ryoko glanced at the cloth. “So? What’s wrong with it?” “It’s not anything wrong with the cloth. The woman who used to make my dresses has probably been dead for thousands of years.” Washu’s eyes began to tear up. *** Once Washu got herself under control, she decided to buy the cloth anyway. “Maybe I’ll find another dressmaker.” Washu considered. Ryoko decided to buy the plant and Washu put it carefully in the portal. *** Funaho led them out of the store and to a small café. The waiter was a brave fellow for he stayed through their order and didn’t blink too much at Ryoko. The ladies ordered their snacks and then settled down to talk. Ryoko wanted to know about the gardens on Jurai and Funaho was only too glad to talk to her about them. Washu sat back and watched and once in a while added her own advice from years of garden shows. Their snack arrived and the ladies ate while gesturing about something they were talking about. Washu teased Ryoko about how she had ice cream on her nose. Funaho accidentally fluttered a napkin in Washu’s face. They had a wonderful time. “Lady Funaho?” a voice came from her right. “Yes?” she said. A woman stood there with her eyes on Lady Funaho. “I know it isn’t proper for me to ask, but I’m worried about the decision of Tenchi, our new crown prince. Ryoko destroyed Jurai once. What’s to say she won’t do it again? What if we can’t come up to her and ask things like we do with you? What if she attempts to hurt us?” Funaho dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “If she’s not hurting you now, why would she hurt you then?” Funaho nodded across the table where Ryoko’s eyes reflected her hurt. The lady’s hand crept to her mouth and she tried to move away. “No!” Ryoko said. The lady froze in terror. Ryoko chuckled. “Won’t you sit by me?” she asked. The lady slowly walked over. “Oh, good grief! I don’t bite!” “Mm-hmm. Sure you don’t.” Washu said eating her ice cream. “I raised you. I know better.” “Mom…” Ryoko said warningly. Waving a spoon in Ryoko’s direction, Washu addressed the young woman. “Don’t worry. She’s lovesick. Harmless as a kitten.” “I’m not going to destroy Jurai.” Ryoko told the woman. “Well,” Ryoko considered. “There’s only one reason I might knock down some buildings.” The woman looked at her with fear. Ryoko continued. “I have a real fondness for gardens. Would you mind if I knocked down some buildings and built gardens?” she asked the lady. The lady shook her head slowly as if afraid to disagree with the mad pirate. “Do you think that would get the people a bit more friendly around me if they saw me digging in the dirt with mud all over my face?” Ryoko grinned. “Ayeka helps me sometimes.” Ryoko started to dig around in her pockets. The woman’s eyes went wide and she looked at Funaho, scared. “Ah, here they are!” Ryoko triumphantly pulled pictures out of her pocket. “Remember, Funaho, you wanted me to show you pictures?” “Oh, yes.” Funaho took the pictures. “Oh, this is lovely, Ryoko.” She admired the pictures and then handed them to the young woman. The woman looked at them, then at Ryoko. “You did this?” she asked. “Yup! Well, Ayeka and I did it together. Maybe I could give it to Jurai as a symbol of goodwill or something. Then I could get started on another one.” Visions of gardens danced through Ryoko’s head. “No.” Washu said. “I am not having you flood the house with your gardens. You can have two at any time. Otherwise, you have to find some other place for them.” “You can put them on Jurai.” Funaho offered. “We’ve got plenty of room.” She tapped her cheek with a long fingernail. “You could even start one in the middle of the square if you really wanted. We have a garden there and it’s well taken care of, but there’s not much variety there. You could put one in the orphanage backyard for Art and Lacey and the other children to enjoy.” Ryoko bathed in the possibilities. The young woman saw the light in her eyes and her fear started to melt away. The person who liked to dig in the dirt and have mud on her face didn’t exactly fit the idea of the horrible space pirate Ryoko that she’d grown up with. *** After the snack was over, the ladies walked back to the palace after waving the woman good-bye. Funaho got a few things out of the portal and thanked Washu and Ryoko for a lovely afternoon. Washu and Ryoko went back to the Masaki house to eat dinner with them. Everyone in the house had enjoyed a normal day so the story of their outing was welcomed. |
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