Another chance - Ranna and Kappei

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

It had been Ranna's hope too.  But at this point it was not going to happen without something unexpected.  Ranna did not want to try to reach out anymore.  It reminded her of the other day.  Kara had accused her of a lack of interest, but that felt like how the other girl considered her.  It had briefly looked like things were improving, but either she misunderstood, or the other girl was too difficult to understand.  Whichever it was no longer mattered.  Kara did not care about her problems.  She made that clear the other day.  She was just some experiment.

She did not care about those rules.  She was not listening much.  At this point she was not even guaranteed to answer questions, unless they were important.  She hoped Kara everything she wanted to today, because she was not likely to come back.

[Nan-Yo]

Kappei had definitely been on to something. Ranna might have been a nice girl, but she was definitely a bit of a spoiled brat. Checking off all the usual boxes, her way of thinking was indeed that of a young girl and not that of a boy. Ranna had been right about Kara not actually caring about her problems, though. The two of them had just met, so she should be happy about even getting this much help.

Stepping out of the elevator as the doors opened again, Kara guided Ranna through a short corridor and into a large chamber.

"You can start undressing. Put your clothes on that rolling cart over there when you're done. I'll prepare the medical tube for you." Kara told Ranna, strolling towards one of several large glass tubes in the large chamber. While the entrance floor of the large building had been all about glass walls and potted plants, this floor level was all iron and bolts. Huge vat tanks of different sizes and large machinery that did who knows what. The place might have been different than other buildings at the academy, but it had its own air of oppression lingering in it. This was a place for magic and science, and it did not care about anyone's feelings.

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

What did it matter at this point?  Might as well let herself be a little lab rat.  Ranna was not thrilled with the random stripping, but the most dangerous reasons not to did not apply here.  She did not expect anything worthwhile to come out of it, just the strange girl indulging in her strange experiments.  Hopefully it would be done quick.

She quickly took everything off and set it where instructed.  She just wanted to get it over enough that she was not especially embarrassed.  Could she feel embarrassed about it with a girl who just did not seem to care about anything?

[Nan-Yo]

"You can keep your underwear and undershirt on, they are normal." Kara murmured, glancing in Ranna's direction as the younger girl got undressed. The school uniform, just like all the clothes that could be bought in the stores at the academy, had all been tailored and sewn with special threads, allowing magic to be woven into them and absorbed. Her underwear and other clothes that Ranna had brought with her too the school had just been normal clothes, bought by her or her mom in the small town where she had been growing up.

"When you are done, just hop up and sit on the rolling cart if you get tired. This is going to take a while." She explained, as she started touching and moving various glowing magical symbols that had appeared in front of the large vat tubes. The idea was that Ranna was going to go inside of one of the large tubes when later, but before that Kara had to prepare it first.

Edited March 26 by Nan-Yo

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Ranna did the partial undressing as instructed.  Stood there, waiting.  She hoped whatever preparation was still needed was stuff that could not have been done ahead of time.  It was going to be extra annoying if there was unnecessary waiting here.  She was not likely to sit, unless her feet started getting sore, for now she just stood there.  Waited, to see what happened.  She did not look towards the other girl, ask her anything.  She just waited to see what would happen.  Would stand or sit there until instructed otherwise.

[Nan-Yo]

Kara had not been joking when she said that it was going to take awhile. One minute of waiting became two, and two became five when Kara finally spoke again.

"You contracted your ailment when you were seven years old, before you started going to school. Is this correct?" She asked, her sudden question breaking the earlier silence. There was a record of the Rangorn family having consulted their local healer about their child Ranna having contracted an ailment, and this had taken place around a month before the first term of school started.

"This was before you started going to school? So you have been afflicted with the curse for more than half your life?" Kara continued, seeking confirmation from Ranna. These questions weren't random smalltalk but were actually important to the check-up itself.

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Ranna just let her thoughts wander, as the time passed.  It took some effort not to think about her current situation though, or what was coming up.  She was still fine standing, it would take longer than that to get uncomfortable.  She was not paying much attention, until the girl’s voice got her attention.

Was she a doctor, or something?  No as someone doing experiments of some sort, it made sense for her to ask something like that.  “…Yes…”. She answered dully.  “Yes.” she answered the second question.  Nothing too awkward yet at least.

[Nan-Yo]

There was another long pause the only sound breaking the silence Ranna and Kara's breathing and the occasional bubbling sound from the multiple vat tanks. Standing there in silence really was a bit monotonous, but Kara was not concerned at all whether Ranna was comfortable or not, she had already told her she could just sit on the rolling cart if she got tired.

Finally after another good five or seven minute had passed, Kara spoke again.

"How does your curse activate?" It was something she had no data on. The fact that Ranna was born male and had a curse that forced him to change sex, was not something that Reiko had been exactly outspoken about. Kara was only aware of what she did know because she had pressed the older sister on information. The rest of the club just had a vague idea and just knew that Ranna had a curse.

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Ranna was still in her own little world.  Imaging ways to get out this, or could have prevented it in the first place.  Maybe somehow getting revenge on that demon.  Put the curse on the demon, make him a girl.  A cute little girl she could torment.  Try to make her think she was a girl, like Reiko and Kappei were trying with her.  A cute little demon girl, with a tail, that seemed right.  She could punish her when she got out of line.

”When I sneeze.”  A short simple answer, in a monotone voice, plain face, no sign of her amusing fantasy in her head that she was using to pass the time and make this slightly more bearable.

[Nan-Yo]

When she sneezed? Well, that certainly made things more difficult, didn't it? Kara had originally played with the idea of activating the curse while Ranna was inside the medical tube since it should allow her to get a reading on what happened when the change happened, but this didn't seem an option now. Sneezing wasn't something you could exactly do on command and it would be impossible to do without the right preparations when she was in in the tube.

"Is that so? What happens if you stop from sneezing half-way through?" She asked Ranna not really interested in the answer. It was a curse so nothing should happen, but the other girl probably didn't know this so she might get worried that she would only change half and half.

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Yes, a cute little demon girl, she punish when naughty and reward when she did well.  If only Ranna could get one of those in her life.  It just felt right.  That would be more appealing to marry than Kappei.  She would even do the wedding as a pair of brides if she had to.  She was starting to think like her sister, in all the things she could do to the little demon.  If she was not so reliant on the fantasy to get through this, she might have stopped.

”Nothing?  Or I change?”  It depended on exactly what was meant by half-way.  It either happened or it did not, whether some precise line was crossed.  She was sure she had number of varieties of ‘half-sneezes’ since the curse.  She was not inclined to try to explain where that line was though, she did not even know precisely.

[Nan-Yo]

Preparing the medical tubes could take a long time and Ranna had already had to wait around twelve minutes, so is he could hardly be blamed for letting her mind wander.  Her fantasies were a bit on the weird side though. The thing that had cursed Ranna back then had never revealed itself to her, nor had the youngest Rangorn daughter ever seen a demon with her own eyes. 

After the Great Cataclysm had happened and the great Upheaval happened, the world had changed, and with the appearance of magic, monstrous beings had also appeared in the world. There had been mainly two types. Ones that had been a direct result of what humans did, and ones that had seemingly appeared on their own accord. These beings were a menace and had along with magic itself, changed the world forever.

The first type, were mainly normal animals, mutants that had been changed through magic and evolved into something else. They were monsters, and beasts that wreaked havoc on the world. These creatures existed all along the lands and made it extremely dangerous to move outside of the towns and cities. The second type was what was referred to as demons. They had appeared with the introduction of Mana and seemed to be alien to the world. Strictly speaking, the term did not necessarily refer to actual creatures from hell, but included all races and beings that mankind now found themselves facing. Among the few that the UNA government had been able to discuss with were the long ears... or elves as they referred to themselves as. What the elves had told the government however, had been more than enough... and it had been decided that it was not something that could be revealed to the populace.

Kara didn't say anything else, acting as if she hadn't heard Ranna's reply as she continued tinkering with the glowing symbols that kept on appearing inn front of her. After another two or three minutes she finally spoke up again, but instead of asking the other girl a question, it was to admonish her. "You really should sit down."

Edited May 4 by Nan-Yo

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Ranna had no idea where the image in her mind came from.  It somehow felt familiar, though she could not understand why, she had never seen anything like that before.  It was just her attempt to imagine the demon in a pleasing form, a revenge transformation.

She was not that bothered by the standing so far.  Though she had no idea how much longer it was going to take or what would happen when it was finally ready.  She was not going to bother asking.  If she got an answer, it was not likely to be appealing.

She did not Immediately react to Kara.  She had heard her before, she had planned to sit when she was ready.  But would she get annoying about it, if Ranna continued to ignore her?  Did she really care or not?  It was hard to tell with the girl.  But after another moment in her little fantasy world, she reluctantly sat, if only to avoid hearing anything else about it.

[Nan-Yo]

Kara was glad that Ranna finally heeded her advice and almost let out a sigh of relief when the girl hopped up to sit on the rolling cart. She hated it when people were being irrational. Sitting down was the right choice here since there had been nothing to be gained from just standing there. For all that the other girl knew, this might take hours.

"So, do you have any sexual fantasies about boys?" Kara asked around a minute after Ranna had sat down. This question probably took the younger girl by surprise, but Kara actually had a good reason for asking. How much did the curse affect the Rangorn girl?

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Ranna was far from surprised.  It was Reiko logic.  The logic of that boy from her class.  A constant question from anyone who learned about the curse and did not immediately dismiss it.  It was one of the least surprising questions the girl could have asked, especially with her acting like the scientist.  Annoying?  Yes.  Disappointing?  Yes.  But not surprising.

”There it is.  Everyone’s favorite question.  Nope.  I’m far more interested in you than any boy.”  She would let Kara interpret that however she wanted.  She did not really care.  It was technically true too.  With all the friction right now, Kara was still more appealing to her sexually than any boy.  Though she had no interest in making a move on her.

[Nan-Yo]

"Does that include both your male and female forms?" Kara elaborated, annoyed with herself for not having been specific enough the first time.

A lot of things had been lost during the Great Cataclysm and Great Upheaval, and the knowledge and wisdom of the past had been one of the main casualties. Lost, but not forgotten. 

Studying the science of the past through the new lens of this new magical world that they now all lived in, they had been able to gain a new understanding and avoid total annihilation.

"Do you act and feel the exact same way you do as a girl when you are a boy?" Kara pressed, not satisfied with the girl's, in her opinion, deflecting answer. Kara did not care about Ranna's sexuality and didn't care whether or not the little girl was attracted to her or not. What she was interested in were the specifics of the curse. 

Before the Great Upheaval, there had been a lot of studies of the body and brain chemistry of man. While these were just things that were not really taught or even thought about nowadays, magical research into the subject had confirmed what had once been known. Females and males were different, and that includes their brains.

So if Ranna was cursed to change sex, this should include her brain too. So, was there an additional layer to this magical ailment? Or was Ranna simply not telling the truth? Once medical tubes were ready, Kara would be able to study the specifics of the curse, but laying the groundwork and extracting data directly from the subject like this also had its own merits.

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Of course she did not care.  Ranna would not have said that if thought it was very likely that she did.  She also did not care this old line of questioning.  Was this studying going to accomplish anything or go through questions that others had already asked?  It was an honest answer as far as she was concerned.  Though Kara had burned a few bridges herself, Ranna was not likely to tell her anything deep inside her, that no one else had heard.  Not that there was anything like that with this question.  But the deeper she probed the more a trust that was not there was required.  "This is a lot of work, to just repeat questions Reiko and others have already asked.  Things would be much easier if that was not the case."  She would not be here.  She would not be in this ridiculous engagement.  She would probably be like so many other girls here.  This all came from the fact she felt the same way, and like with Reiko, like with Kappei,  she was not with someone she felt inclined to reach deep down, think whether there was any chance it was different.

[Nan-Yo]

Kara tsked, annoyed with Ranna dodging her questions and giving her a non-answer again. She had given the girl some leeway because she hadn't been very clear herself at first, but now the other girl was testing her patience. She had told Ranna before that she hated foolishness, and this was nothing but.

"Pretend I have no idea what your sister or anyone else has already asked you." She murmured softly, the annoyance in her voice cutting through the air like a knife through hot butter. Was she really going to have to pry everything out of this girl? Fight for every scrap of information? If that was the case, was it even worth lending Ranna her time? Well, lending wasn't exactly the right term, was it? It was more like a trade. She was helping Ranna with her little magical problem, and in turn, Kara could study the ailment. But that wasn't the point, though. Studying and learning the secrets of everything was what Kara enjoyed, but socializing was not.

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

“I have answered you.”  Ranna did not care how annoyed Kara was, now she was annoyed.  That had been an honest answer.  She pointed out why she was annoyed, but she told her all she had to say about that subject.  But it looked like she had to spell it out.  The girl probably legitimately did not get it.  She was probably very smart, but completely lacking socially.  “I don’t know what you expect, but if you want me to do some deep soul searching, tell you some deep secrets I’ve never told anyone, it’s not going to happen.  Maybe you don’t care about that, but most people are not going to tell someone they barely know those sorts of things.  Only someone they trust, a friend.  You find being around me annoying?  Fine.  Whatever.  I’ll leave you alone after we are done here.  Do whatever tests you want.  But you are probably not going to get answers you like to questions.”  If Kara wanted honesty, that was the honesty she was going to get.  She was letting her do these tests to return the favor of the shopping.  But trying to get her to answer questions like this was another matter.  If she did not put her foot down, she did not know what else would be asked.

[Nan-Yo]

"Are you okay? You seem a bit livid" Kara asked, pausing what she was doing for a bit as she actually turned her head and looked at Ranna. Kara did not have any siblings and had not ever dealt with people young then her. Having been an awkward and rather quiet child growing up herself, Kara found Ranna's tantrum and behavior not only unproductive, but really strange. Maybe the girl was on her period? Did she even have her period? Did she even have periods?

While it was true that Ranna had answered Kara, she had she actually answered the question? It was clear that the little girl was agitated though, obviously not used to dealing with somebody that wouldn't accommodate her. Kara just expected straight forward honest answers. She did not want to waste her time dancing around subjects.

Edited May 13 by Nan-Yo

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Ranna just sighed.  It went in one ear and out the other.  This girl just did not get it.  There was no point in trying to explain it further, she would probably ignore it again.  No, she was not happy.  But it was clear this girl would not get it, if she tried to explain.  It was one disappointment after another trying to interact with this girl.  No more questions.  Just do the experiment already, get this over with.  This whole day was turning out miserable.  She did not much to look forward to either.

[Nan-Yo]

Kara waited in complete silence for over a minute, not doing anything but just watching Ranna over her shoulder. When it was clear the girl wasn't going to say anything, she turned away and started working on the magical symbols again. Maybe the girl was intelligent, but right now she wasn't really showing it, in Kara's opinion. 

"The data for the medical tubes have now been prepared." Kara said after another good, maybe five minutes, having left Ranna alone with her thoughts again. "Please contact your boyfriend and tell him to come over here."

Edited May 16 by Nan-Yo

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Ranna could say the same thing about intelligence.  Social interaction.  Emotions.  That was a completely different area.  Whatever someone like Kappei might have to complain about how Ranna was acting, it was better than being practically a robot, like this girl.  In some ways that would have been easier.  She could have just let everything happen, not caring.  But most people were not like Kara.  She was here because she was not.  She was here, in this mood, because she was stressed out.  Incredibly so.  No one she felt completely comfortable with.  No where she could completely relax, especially now that her room was gone.

This girl would not, could not get it.  Her attempt to begin to explain, completely shot down, ignored.  Was it her last attempt to reach out to Kara?  Perhaps, without Kara taking a significantly different approach at least.

”He’s not my damn boyfriend.”  Ranna muttered.  Not really caring if Kara understood or believed her.  Before activating the bracelet.  “Call Kappei.  The mad scientist’s experiments are done.  I’m done here.”  That was how she felt about the whole experiment thing.  Being in the tube.  As much as she hated what was coming, she was eager to leave.

Edited July 22 by SataiRolePlayingGuy

[Nan-Yo]

Having checked up on the decorators that were customizing the apartment he was going to share with Ranna, Kappei had taken the elevator back down to the main lobby again. 

There was no need for him to be there, but having already done all the other shopping he needed to do, Kappei had decided to wait for there for the furniture to arriarriv

Feeling a familiar tingle, Kappei noticed his pocket glowing. Fishing his communicator out of his coat pocket, he flipped open the lid of the old pocketwatch, and the magical device activated.

"Ranna? Is everything okay?" He asked in a concerned voice. The way his communicator worked, the magic allowed him to immediately know who called him even before he answered. Not all communicators worked this way, but back when Kappei had gotten himself one and another one for Reiko, he had thought it an important and valuable tool. Because of how he was, he had splurged on it and opted for a lot of features that he, in retrospect, thought were pretty useless.

Edited August 26 by Nan-Yo

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Oh, he was going to act concerned now?  Stress over all this marriage nonsense was the biggest thing bothering Ranna.  Kara was just contributing to that.  It was disappointing, but it was not the main cause.  The main cause was there was no one here she felt completely comfortable with.  Leaving this place was just leading to a new source of stress.  But she just wanted to get out.  She did not have energy to deal with Kara anymore.  She would deal with the girl, to the extent she had to in the club, to not cause problems, but that was it.

”Well, I lost my room, I have to get married to my sister’s friend in some sort of arranged marriage.  But I just want to get out of here.”  She was not going to say anything specifically about Kara while she was here.  Even after leaving, she might not say anything to Kappei about that, she would decide later if she said anything to Reiko.