Blade Wrote:

Note: I haven't, as yet, seen the fanfic referred to. However, the 
facts shown here can be pretty straightforwardly debated without it,
methinks.

Even though Cologne did told Mousse off about marrying Shampoo in Manga 

5,

she had NEVER INTERFERED with Mousse's pursue of her 

Great-granddaughter.  In 

Manga 27(the magic glasses chapter), she SAID IT WAS A GOOD THING FOR
Shampoo to date Mousse!   I AM TIRED OF SEEING WRITERS BLAME MOUSSE'S
FAILURE IN WOOING SHAMPOO ON THE OLD AMAZON!!!!!!!  It was SHAMPOO who
reject Mousse, not her Hiba-chan!!

Alright, this is true enough.  Shampoo rejects Mousse.  Cologne simply
doesn't care, or consider Mousse a credible threat.  But make no 
mistake:
when and if Mousse gets in the way, Cologne disposes of him as 
ruthlessly
and efficiently as she would anyone else.  Note the Reversal Jewel story
in Volume 22 for proof of that.  Were Cologne to think Shampoo actually
WAS falling for Mousse, then I have few doubts she would act to prevent
it.  She cares about her granddaughter's welfare, but only up to a
certain point.  Her duty comes before her feelings.

First, I think you base your views toward Cologne on too much assumptions.
You can't exactly say Cologne was ruthless toward Mousse in Volumne 22.
Sympathetic towards Ranma as much as I do, he was FORCING his way into
Cologne's trap that time.  Genma, Soun . . . hell, even Kasumi would have
done what Cologne did at that point if it was AKANE that attracts Ranma when
wearing the jewel.  Besides, Cologne didn't HURT Mousse that time: she
simply tied him up and locked him away in a duck cage to prevent him from
interfering.   Very mild when compared to what others might do in that
situation.

Besides, she DIDN'T HATE Mousse!!  She had helped in SAVING Mousse 

VARIOUS

times, like when that Japanese deity tried bewitch Mousse (manga 33), 

when

she thought Mousse was under attack from Shampoo's Amazonian techiques
(manga 34) and some other times that I can't remember just yet.

Both times it was at Ranma's behest, however, and that renders her 
motives
suspect.  

How so?  The  time when Mousse was under Shampoo's attacks (or thought he
was) in manga 34 was the GOLDEN OPPOTUNITY TO GET RID OF MOUSSE.  Besides,
Cologne isn't really scared of Ranma, and if what you said was the case, she
could have simply tried to help then purposely screw up.  She can if she
want to.  

The more so because both times she was losing one of her
workers, which she probably can't afford to do.  

Not really.  In one anime episode (I have it in Chinese), Mousse received
this letter from his mother, and Cologne told him to go back home so as to
not have his mother worried about him.  The Nekohanten had been running
SUCCESSFULLY for some time BEFORE Mousse became a worker, and can easily do
so again.  

I might add that
Shampoo showed EXACTLY how much she cares about Mousse (which is to
say not at all) in Volume 33, which again reassures Cologne.  

But still, Shampoo gave him the scarf that she made for Ranma, which was
precious to the girl.  If Cologne is as opposed to Mousse as you said she
is, it would have made her uneasy.  But it didn't, so there :)

Finally,
she treats Mousse like dirt, and as a slave, and he frequently is
resentful of and insults her.  

First, MOUSSE brought that upon himself, chasing after a girl who takes him
for granted (much like Ranma).  Besides, aside from longer working hours,
which Cologne ONLY applied to him AFTER he slacked off when chasing her
reluctant greatgranddaughter, she didn't treat him that bad.  Old Tendo had
beat up Ranma often enough for Genma's faults (see manga 9 for the Ukyou
chapter as an example), at least Cologne didn't do anything that unfair to
Mousse.  

Mousse is DISRESPECTFUL toward her, its true.  But if Cologne WOULD ACTUALLY
BULLY HIM, wouldn't Mousse be AFRAID TO SAY THOSE 
INSULTS **TO HER FACE?!?!?!?!**

No, Mousse DARED to say those things because he knew that COLOGNE WOULDN'T
HAVE TAKEN **ACTUAL** steps to stop him.  That's WHY HE DIDN'T FEAR HER
DESPITE HER STATUS, BECAUSE SHE WAS EASY GOING enought to just reward him
with a whack to the head  (Akane, for one, would have done MUCH WORSE if
somebody dare insult her).  Cologne was ANNOYED with him due to his lack of
manners, but SHE DIDN'T hate him.  Otherwise, Mousse would have been chopped
up and served, or maybe turned permantently in a duck or whatnot.         

Remember, what did Mousse do as SOON
as he figured out the use of the glasses?  Beat the crap out of 
Cologne!  

Cologne is THE HEAD OF THE AMAZONS, and beating HER up WITHOUT KILLING HER
would have been STUPID because shall Cologne tells the Amazon council about
this, Mousse would be toasted.  BUT HE KNEW THAT COLOGNE WOULDN'T, that's
why HE DARED TO DO WHAT HE DID!

Sorry, there is no love lost between the two, even if she

doesn't actually hate him (it's more like contempt).

Cologne was simply annoyed with him because he blames his own failings on
the old woman.  Besides, Mousse was HARRASSING Shampoo according to the
ancient Chinese views with his blind pursuit, and Cologne HAD BEEN VERY
TOLERANT TOWARD A GUY WHO WAS BOTHERING HER GREATGRANDDAUGHTER. 

Bull.  Cologne is concerned with following the law, and what Shampoo
wants be damned.  If she wanted only what was best for her granddaughter 
so bad, she wouldn't have tossed her into Jyusenkyou and dragged her 
back to Japan.  

Cologne was SPARRING WITH HER GREATGRANDDAUGHTER in hopes of making her
stronger.  If she is THIS RUTHLESS, Shampoo would have learned the Hiryu
Shoten Ha(Cologne knew it even as a girl), the Kechuu Teshin Amaguriken, the
Bakusai Tenketsu and VARIOUS OTHER TECHNIQUES THAT HAD BE BE LEARN THROUGH
**PAINFUL** TRAININGS.  YOU GOT HER CONFUSED WITH GENMA!!!!  No, buddy, if
Cologne is EVEN REMOTELY that bad, Shampoo wouldn't have lost to Ranma when
he came to their village.  Shampoo would have been THE STRONGEST FIGHTER
THERE IS IN THE SERIES (which she isn't).

Besides, if Cologne was THAT STRICT with the law, WHY DID SHE ALLOW AKANE TO
WIN LINLIN AND RANRAN WITHOUT ASKING THE TWINS TO KILL HER AFTERWARDS(Anime
episode)?!  She even teased Akane (good-naturedly) about not Honest with her
feelings toward Ranma!

If she thought Shampoo genuinely loved Mousse (a

snowball's chance in hell, but anyway) she would get rid of Mousse,
one way or the other.  If she was feeling magnanimous, she might only
sternly talk to Shampoo on the subject, but that's iffy.

Sigh, too much assumptions and NO proof from neither manga nor anime :)

One more thing, COLOGNE IS NOT the POWER-MAD villain that YOU SET HER 

UP TO

BE!!!  If she is, then she would have made Shampoo MARRY HERB OR 

SAFFRON IF

SHE REALLY WANTS TO STRENGTHEN THE VILLAGE.

Saffron and Herb didn't BEAT Shampoo, though, did they? 

Cologne COULD HAVE make Shampoo fight them now, couldn't she? 

Besides which,
she would probably consider them threats to her power, as Saffron was
even more powerful then her, and Herb was powerful enough to make her 
wary even at a young age.  They would be very hard to control, and
they would both expect their OWN tribes to take precedence over the
Amazons.  

BUT BOTH OF THEM WERE PRINCES!!  Politically speaking, a union with either
of these tribes could hve EXTREMELY PROFITABLE to the Amazons, don't you
think?  Besides, when facing A VILLAGE of Amazons, neither Herb's nor
Saffron's tribes could DARE to expect their OWN tribes to take precedence.
Ranma, on the other hand, CAN GIVE NOTHING TO THE VILLAGE OTHER THAN being a
good warrior, of which the village had already got tons of.  If Cologne was
power- mad, she WOULD HAVE MADE SHAMPOO DUMP HIM!! 

Go to go now, debate with you latter :)

                                                Adrian Wong