Heh. He had this in the bag. Look at him. Dressed in his finest suit, a bouquet of flowers, tickets to that new chick flick and a box of chocolates tucked under his arm... Face it, Ranma, it's a good thing for the ladies that you aren't going hunting because you'd have 'em in the bag before you even knew what was happening. An uncute tomboy like Akane Tendo didn't stand a chance against a stud like him.
Meanwhile upstairs, Akane looked herself over in the mirror and gave herself a triumphant thumbs up. Makeup? Perfect. Her dress? Cute without seeming slutty. That jerk thought he was hot stuff? Ha! He should see what she was like when she actually tried to impress a boy! She was going to walk downstairs and the instant he laid eyes on her he'd be tripping over himself.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs caught Ranma's attention, and he dialed the charm all the way to ten, then painted an eleven right next to it and pushed it that much further. He was gonna win this contest no matter what happened, because there was no way that particular duckling could turn herself into a radiant swan descending the staircase as if she was a goddess descending from the heavens.
As for her perspective? Ranma cleaned up much nicer than she had expected. He looked so smart in that suit that for a moment Akane hesitated to put her foot on the next step.
However. Both of them reminded themselves that just because the other knew how to make themselves seem more physically appealing - and boy, they had succeeded on that front - that didn't mean anything in the long run. What mattered in the end was who the better date was.
"For you," Ranma said, granting her the flowers with a slight bow. She took them in a rather coy manner, sniffed them and then batted her eyelashes at him. "I tried to find a bouquet as pretty as you, but I see now that was a futile task."
"That's so sweet," Akane said, though internally she gagged. That kind of sappy line always bugged her when it was a creep like Kuno saying it, and the fact that Ranma said it didn't make it any better. However. For the sake of the contest she would absolutely pretend to play along. After all. If either of them insulted the other, then they lost immediately. That was the first rule they had agreed on, after all.
Next, they had to hook arms and stroll outside the front gate while Nabiki trailed after silently. It might seem a little strange to have a third wheel along on a date like this, however... She was being paid to be a neutral observer to keep them from breaking any rules, and she would be the final judge for who won in the end.
"You know, I'm surprised our fathers didn't see us off..." Akane wondered aloud.
"Ah, that," Ranma replied. "I had Kasumi give them some knockout drops while you were getting ready. I don't think they even know we're doing this."
"Oh," Akane said, and then quite genuinely said, "Good thinking. We don't want them getting the wrong idea. This is just a one-time thing."
"Right," Ranma agreed. "Just this one date... Dear."
However, unknown to all three of them there was indeed a fourth wheel on this date, which you could argue might make things go a little bit faster than they were expecting. Nalidiel humphed and hawed as he watched the pair heading out. This early in the series the two of them weren't really over the misunderstanding in the bathroom yet. Akane even still had her long hair! The bowl cut looked much better on her than this.
So, on the one hand it was kind of a nice change of direction. The two of them dating wasn't something that really properly happened in the series. Especially before any of the other "suitors" arrived. Were he of the Ra/Ak ship, this would be making him sing and shout from the rooftops about their inevitability, but if he were quite honest he'd have been rather happy for <i>any</i> bloody couple in the series to get a little resolution. By which he meant action. By which he meant sex. By which he meant anything-goes, all-out fucking.
Though to be fair that may simply be because he was a lust demon, and the franchise wouldn't really get to such a wide audience if it had such, ahem, carnal interests strewn throughout. More's the pity. It would have made things much less tense for all involved if they had.
In addition: This date was ill suited for timing. He'd really wanted to know what was going on with Kasumi, except that he absolutely couldn't leave something like this alone. The potential was too great to be squandered away, and that was kind of the problem with lust as a sin. It leads one easily into taking quick satisfaction over longer-term wellbeing.
However. What was really interesting Nalidiel right now was Nabiki. For some reason hovering near her made him feel a strange sort of energy he had never felt before. It made him feel almost stronger, like all of a sudden he could run a flat mile or jump clear over a small building rather than simply hover over. It made him feel...
<i><font color="green">I'll show her who the better date is. She thinks she can shake me by showing a little leg? Dream on, my girl form is way hotter and way cuter than her.</font>
</i><font color="red">Who does he think he's fooling? I've barely even turned up the charm and he's already flustered. By the end of the night he won't be able to insult me anymore!</font></i>
Huh. What, huh? That was weird! It was sort of like somehow he could both see and hear their thoughts floating in the air right ahead of him. Before he'd pretty much been guessing what they were thinking and giving them little nudges here and there... Could it be that his powers were somehow growing as time went on? He drifted forward towards the pair - And winced upon noticing the text fade away. It felt like sand slipping through his fingers, he couldn't hold onto it no matter how tightly he tried... Except that a few moments later they started to fade back into view as Nabiki walked right through where he was hovering.
Ah! Of course! Nabiki! The hard work he'd done on her must have been paying off after all. She was perpetuating her own lustful state without him having to do anything at all! Look there, he could even see her own thoughts drifting overhead:
<i><font color="blue">By the time I'm done with these two tonight, they won't be able to keep their hands off each other. I have to admit, I'm impressed by how nicely they both clean up.</font></i>
And unseen by the others, Nalidiel allowed himself a slow and certain grin of impending triumph. Very well, Nabiki. It seems as though their intentions happened to align quite nicely. How about if we work together to make that goal a reality?
<hr>
Alright then. So she couldn't actually appear to say or do anything to influence the date for either side's advantage. Her role was to be the judge. Her role was to enforce the rules they had agreed on earlier under her careful and skillful negotiation.
Case in point: The arm-in-arm rule. That was her idea to make them used to being in close proximity so they would become comfortable with at least touching one another. It was subtle, it was clever, it would bring them closer in the long run... Of course, Nabiki had no idea that an invisible demon was scanning her thoughts, and used them as the basis for inspiration to implant the idea in both of their heads that it didn't feel weird at all holding on to each other like that.
As for her future plans for the date itself? Well. If she had any kind of read on them, she should try to play up their pride at every opportunity. Not make suggestions exactly. More like lead them into thinking of ways to make themselves more appealing to the other. As a point of pride. One-upmanship. That seemed to be a bit of a lever for the two of them. All she had to do was pull.
And, of course, up above her a certain demon was furiously taking notes while considering the possibility that maybe humans should be put in charge of that whole "evil" thing. They were so much better about it!
Funny thing, Nabiki noted. It seemed to her as though all of a sudden, for no reason at all so far as she could tell, Akane suddenly rested her head on Ranma's shoulder. Ranma looked at her and she could read his expression like a book with a glass cover: "Huh? Oh, she's trying to throw me off. I'll show her!" Honestly, be a little less predictable. It would be a lot more fun.
Which was when, to Nabiki's surprise, he disengaged his arm and seized hold of her waist so that she was pulled right up against him as they walked down the street. Look at that triumph on both of their faces like they'd won some big victory. Honestly now, if they were being this close without her actually having to do anything, getting them into bed with each other would be easier than she could have possibly dreamed.
A sentiment that Nalidiel also happened to share, as he successfully made Ranma slightly adjust his grip on Akane's waist so that he just so happened to brush it up against her butt... And also got her not to complain about it in the slightest. Isn't it amazing what people will put up with just so they can rub someone else's nose in it, make them eat their own words?
- The two head to dinner first.
- The two head to the movies.
- Nabiki spots something else they can do.
- Meanwhile, Kasumi's behaviour is still weird.
- Something else
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