Subject: Re: [FFML] [FF][R1/2] Scoop of the Day, Chapter 4
From: KLEPPE@execpc.com (Gary Kleppe)
Date: 10/21/1997, 1:08 AM
To: Raphael See
CC: Fan FictionML <fanfic@fanfic.com>

On Mon, 20 Oct 1997 17:22:49 -0700 (MST), Raphael See <raphael@asu.edu>
wrote:


Chapter Four: Noriko Strikes! 

She can't. She's management. *grin*
	

	Elsewhere in Furinkan High, Noriko's feature editorial was 
causing quite a stir. Ranma was already a minor celebrity among the 
students of Furinkan and the "Informer's" article only served to heighten 
I'm not sure, should that be written "Informer"'s?
	

	"Ranchan... attacking reporters without any reason? I dunno...," 
"... that sounds more like something *I* would do!"

(Above joke is merely to annoy the Ukyo groupies. :-P)

	"Ohayou, Sakamoto,* Suzuki said wearily, trying not to groan. 
Sakamoto,"

	"Sakamoto, this hardly the time to talk about..." 
this is hardly

	Gosunkugi pointed to the copy of the "Informer" sitting on 
Suzuki's desk. "Noriko-san's article is going to bring disaster on us 
all! Who knows what Ranma might do when he finds out??" He reached into 
his book bag and produced another handful of glass bearings. "These 
Spheres of Blessing I brought from home should shield us from danger." He 
hurled the bearings onto the floor. "That fool Saotome!" 

	Suzuki sighed once more and decided that Gosunkugi had finally 
gone and lost his marbles. 

ROTFL!


	When lunchtime arrived, Akane Tendo found herself sitting alone, 
which she found quite unusual. Most of the time, she would eat with 
You use "found" twice here; maybe one of them should be changed to a
synonym.

	Ranma tried to sit up, or at least push her off. "I can't! Your 
stupid glue...I'm stuck!" 

	Noriko sighed inwardly. _Now_ what could go wrong? "Stop 
squirming; you're getting wax all over me!" she snapped. 

I know what's coming.... :D

	"A-Akane! This...this isn't what it looks like! I...I..." Ranma 
frantically tried to get up, to no avail. 

Yup. :)


Note to the lurkers: Raphael asked me via E-mail to come up with some
more distinctive dialog for the Principal, which I've tried to do here:

	"Ah, yes, my note! I'm GLAD you found it!" Principal Kuno said 
"Oh yeah, de note! I GLAD you find it!"

	Principal Kuno withdrew his head. "I read your article in the 
'Informer' this morning," the principal said, a little more quietly 
"I wen' readin' dat article in de 'Informer' dis mornin',"

	"NONSENSE!" Principal Kuno interrupted. "I LOVE IT!" he shouted 
with glee. "IT's about TIME that someone showed the world what a 
delinquent Ranma Saotome is!" 
"IT's about TIME somebody showin' de world wotta delinquent dat brudda
Ranma Saotome is!"

	"Yes, yes indeed! It was a work of art! Say," Principal Kuno 
"It de work o' art, yeah! Say, wahine,"
whispered mock-conspiratorially. "I heard that the 'Informer' is having a 
little bit of trouble financially." He threw his head back and laughed. 
"I wen' hearin' de 'Informer' havin' a li'l bit of trouble financially."

	Principal Kuno stopped laughing abruptly, startling Noriko even 
more than the laugh itself had. "You know, I think I can do something to 
help with the financial situation of the 'Informer.' I mean, with this 
kind of EXCELLENT work, it would simply be a SHAME for it to die because 
of something as petty as a lack of funds," he said, looking Noriko 
straight in the eyes. 
"I t'ink I goan' help wit' da financial situation o' da 'Informer'. Wit'
dis kind of EXCELLENT work, it'd be a SHAME fo' it to die jus' cause it
ain't got da cash,"

	"OF COURSE!" Principal Kuno shouted, causing Noriko to jerk back 
in her seat in alarm. "I don't see how the 'Informer' could have slipped 
by the budget without getting funds. Maybe I was suffering from a round 
of sunstroke," Principal Kuno said, nodding towards the giant lamp high 
"I dunno how de "Informer" wen' slippin' by da budget an' not gettin'
funded. Maybe da kahuna got himself a case o' sunstroke, yeah?"

	"With this kind of work, I really don't think that there should 
be a reason the 'Informer' would lose funding," he interrupted again, as 
"Wit' dis kind of work, I'm thinkin' dere no reason why da "Informer"
gotta go broke,"
if he hadn't heard (or cared) what Noriko had said. He dropped his voice 
to a whisper once more. "Now, you do understand that you won't breathe a 
word of this to any of your crew or, say, Mr. Watanabe. This can be _our_ 
little secret, yes?" he said, a disturbing gleam in his eye. 
"Now, keiki, don' you be breathin' a word of dis to yo' crew, or Mr.
Wantanabe. Dis jus' _our_ li'l secret, yeah?"

	Noriko gulped. 

Noriko's uncomfortability is well-handled in that scene. The Principal
is not usually subtle enough to bother with keeping secrets, but I guess
there's no reason he can't be.

	She flipped a photo and saw a picture of Ranma engaged in combat 
with a bandanna-clad boy with an umbrella. *What the...when was this 
taken?* Noriko looked at the bottom corner of the photo and saw the date 
printed there by Gosunkugi's rather fancy camera. She frowned and looked 
at the calendar hanging on the wall next to her. *Why...that's the day I 
sent Suzuki and Gosunkugi to follow Ranma! Maybe I can get some answers 
as to what happened...* 

	Quickly, she flipped to the next photo to see more combat shots 
of Ranma and Ryoga. *Suzuki and Gosunkugi aren't anywhere to be seen in 
these photos, so they must be behind the camera. So, how did they end up 
the way they were the next day?* 

How does she know Ryoga's name?

	The day's events began to tumble through her mind uncontrollably. 
The fight she had with Ranma, the lecture Mr. Watanabe had given her, 
Principal Kuno's "offer..." *It really _is_ all my fault,* she thought, 
guilt and helplessness threatening to overwhelm her. *None of 
this...would have happened if it were anyone else...* 

I like the moral dilenma here; it really shows the depth of Noriko's
character. Looking forward to seeing how the situation develops further!


Gary Kleppe
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics