On Fri, 7 Nov 1997, Raymond Haney wrote:

note: Shampoo's dialouge may sound totally OCC for her, but I'm of the
opinion that she doesn't talk like a frapping idiot when she's speaking
Chinese.

	Perfectly logical conclusion unless one assumes that she _is_ a 
Frapping Idiot (which she isn't, but let's not start that argument here
again).

	Shampoo stared back, frowning her forehead in concentration. "My English,
not to good," she managed to stammer.
	Betsy sighed, neither was her Japanese. But…..

	Actually I think that if the Hand didn't upload a fair amount
of Japanese into her head she may have picked it up telepathically by now.

	Betsy nodded wearily, "Yes, I just….C." she trailed off as she

tried to

think of a way to explain her psychic powers to the young Chinese girl.
	"You looked like you were caught in a recursive psychic loop," Shampoo
stated levelly. At Betsy's shocked stare, the younger woman just shrugged.
"Combat psionics are an old trick among certain Amazons. Even those of us
who don't have any psychic powers learn about them and learn how to at
least defend ourselves from them."

	....
	Anyone here getting _very_ frightened of crossing the Joketsuzoku?

	Shampoo shook her head glumly. "I don't have the faintest clue. Like you,
all I can remember is finishing a food delivery and suddenly being hit from
behind. Then, I wake up here." 

	Took out both 'Poo _and_ Braddock completely by suprise.  This had
better not be some third string wannabe or I will feel rather insulted.

She brightened. "But I know that Ranma will
find me!"
	Psyloke looked a bit taken aback at her certainty. "Ranma?"
	Shampoo nodded, "Yes, the man I love is a very strong warrior and will
find me. He'll save me! I just know it! Ranma will come and save us both!"

	... I'm not certain about Shampoo's attitude here.  While she has
considerable faith in Ranma I would think that she'd be contemplating a
way to escape on her own and demonstrate her superiority to the Tendo
Weaking.

	"X-Men?" Shampoo's brow furrowed for a moment. "Does that mean they're all
women?"

	Bad pun!  Naughty pun!

	"Mandarin!"

	OK, a first-stringer.  Now I won't be obligated to blow up at you
for resorting to the Damsel In Distress shtick... _yet_.

	The Mandarin reached up and stroked his chin in thought, "Yes, my lovely
little Psyloke, it is I." The rings of power on his hand glinted as he
slowly rolled his fingers.

	Hmm... If I have the timeframe right Mandy kinda blew off his
hands fighting the immortal alien dragons who created his rings by this
point, and the ones the grew back in their place were not exactly...
unnoticable.

 She smiled ferally, knowing that she
would have just enough reach to be able to take him.
	She never got close.
	Without even looking, the Mandarin reached out and blocked her attack and
struck her in the back of the neck, knocking her from the air and slamming
her into the ground as if she were a fly. Shampoo lay on the ground stunned
and gasping for breath.

	Scary part is, he's that good.

      Psyloke laughed defiantly, "Hah! It will take more than a few of your
ninja to defeat the X-Men. They've had much worse thrown at them and
they're still here."
"Of course they are." The Mandarins eyes hardened. "Do you think me a fool?
I know what the capabilities are of your friends. The cadre was only meant
to delay them. Now they, along with a few of your young Japanese friends,"
he spat that at Shampoo, "are already looking for you. I assure you, I have
plans for them and … possibly usage as well. Farewell ladies, when next we
see each other, it will be far to late for any hope of rescue." He snapped
his hand and gestured at the ninja beside him. Bowing, the ninja suddenly
reached into his package and threw a small ball of glass at Psyloke and
Shampoo's feet. A thick cloud of sleeping gas came from it and both women
fell to the ground. Their last sight was of the Mandarin, laughing.

	Let me guess, Lady Mandarin 2.0?
	All in all, not too bad (although I remain instincively leery of
the damsel in distress theme).  With any luck I'll continue writing on a
similar subject soon ^_-.

HTG