Thank you everyone for your ideas and comments on the chapters and in a landslide of a vote I'll remain to keep chapters around 8000 words.

Here's the next instillation. I added numerous Easter Eggs to this chapter, try to find them all if you think you can. Enjoy. :)

A bell sounded as students began packing away books and note pads. "Don't forget to read chapters thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. There will be a quiz on them next class," the professor said to the backs of students as they filed out of the classroom.

Keiichi sighed and let his head drop down on his bag. "This is going to be horrible. I could barely follow the lecture today."

"Don't surrender yet, we have a week to prepare for the exam still," said Lind while standing up out of her seat.

Belldandy followed Lind's lead, also standing. "We can have an evening to study together."

Xxxxx

Keiichi, Lind and Belldandy walked out of classroom among the last few straggling students. Once outdoors the three see Sayoko sitting on a bench in deep thought. As they approached Lind and Belldandy could see the troubled aura Sayoko was giving off.

"Something troubling you Ms. Mishima?" Belldandy asked as the girls all sat together on the bench.

"Oh!" Sayoko turned toward Belldandy looking surprised, followed by a comforted one. "What a relief, a little higher power help is just what I need. I've found myself in a bit of a situation.

"What can we do for you?" Keiichi asked.

Sayoko sighed, "I was supposed to host a fundraiser dinner for the local fancy suits and they were to contribute to the charity donations my company is gathering if they enjoy themselves at the gathering."

Belldandy clasped her hands together in delight of the idea and Lind nodded approvingly. "That's great Sayoko." Keiichi said, but then looked confused. "How is that a trouble?"

"She cannot attend," Lind filled in before Sayoko had a chance to answer herself.

Sayoko looked at Lind and smiled awkwardly. "You told me you could read human minds, but actually witnessing it firsthand is… well to be blunt… rather disturbing."

Keiichi rubbed the back of his head and chuckled a bit. "It's not disturbing," Lind said softly as she turned her head away.

Sayoko sighed to herself at her poor choice of words. "Anyways… Our family is having a formal gathering and skipping out is not an option. If you knew my father you'd understand."

Lind looked back to Sayoko. "We take care of it for you."

"You would? That would be wonderful!" Sayoko cheered. "The fundraiser event is tomorrow. Will you be ready by then?"

"Quite." Lind assured her. "We can send Rist. It will be good for her. She needs to interact more with people."

"Of course she will need to arrive at my office the morning before the event to keep up appearances," Sayoko added.

Keiichi thought about that, an image of Rist sitting at the end of a table, men in fancy suits cowering in fear under the table as she casted spells where the men were once sitting. Keiichi rubbed the back of his head nervously. Lind turned to Keiichi, and shook her head 'no' at him.

"Enjoy your family gathering," Belldandy said as Sayoko stood up and bowed her head to the goddesses before walking away.

Lind and Belldandy stood up and the three began walking toward the motorcycle. "So how exactly is she going to pull this off?" Keiichi asked.

Lind glanced around to see if anyone was watching. Confident they were alone Lind altered her appearance and looked like a perfect copy of Sayoko, though in the same clothing before the appearance switch.

"That's great. Can she mimic her voice also?" Keiichi asked rather interested as he sat down and waited for Belldandy and Lind to get to their usual spots before starting the engine.

"Yes Keiichi-kun, even the pitch of her voice," Lind said before reverting her appearance back to normal. "It's one of the many skills silver wings learn when going through training. Besides fighting we also excel in infiltration, interrogation and other forms of intelligence gathering. Rist is no exception to this."

Xxxxx

"What!" Rist shouted at Keiichi and Lind in the tea room. Urd and Belldandy peaked into the room curiously. They saw Keiichi plugging his ears, in front of him was Rist looking especially angry. "You must be out of your flippin minds if you two think I'm going to impersonate some rich, mortal girl!"

"You will do this, Sayoko has been honoring her end of our agreement, and it's time we do the same in her hour of need," said Lind.

"Sayoko? You mean the owner of that apartment you held be prisoner at? Now I'm really determined not to go because of that forsaken woman," Lind moved faster that Keiichi's eyes could follow when Rist began to leave. With a single action Lind blocked Rist from leaving the room and startling her at the same time with the display of speed. "You're really serious about this," Rist commented before making a distained face. "Ugh, fine~! But you lot owe for this!" Lind nodded and stepped aside. Belldandy and Urd also cleared a path, watching Rist as she stomped off toward her room.

"Poor girl… Well at least she will not be alone in her torment," Urd said as she floated off also, leaving Belldandy looking bewildered.

Xxxxx

Urd sat down in a rather luxurious looking seat and smiled wickedly as she waited, resting her head on her left hand. She hears doors open and she looked up. "You know I punish people I catch trying to sit in that chair," Hild said as she walked up and stood beside Urd with a smile on her face. "Or that's what I normally would perform on the offender. However since I have hopes of you inheriting that throne as the future demon ruler I can tolerate this transgression."

"I'm afraid I cannot accept that as my pride as a goddess, Urd said coyly.

Hild's smile faded a bit hearing that as Urd stood up, Hild taking her daughter's place. "So what can I do for my little Urd-chan?"

"Belldandy delivered your message to me and now she and I would like your assistance in exchange for helping you return here from the gate being sealed," said Urd.

Hild laughed a bit at this. "If I correctly recall it was a silver wing who was responsible the gate. It fell on your shoulders to resolve. I do not owe you or her anything."

"It's funny how everything seems to be our responsibility in your eyes," Urd said sarcastically.

Hild merely shrugged. "What can I say? We demons are the ones who cause messes and those in heaven clean it up, those are the rules to how the game is played."

"What do you think of causing a bit of trouble in heaven then?" Urd asked.

Hild leaned forward a bit showing some interest. "It does sound fun, but the grief I'll catch from the almighty may not make worth doing."

Urd chuckled knowingly. "I figured you'd say something like that. So what do you want in exchange?"

Hild smiled. "I want you to move on down here…"

"Absolutely not, there's no way I will not abandon my pride as a goddess. Pick something else," Urd said.

Hild looked at her daughter offended. "Let me finish. Twenty-four hours. For that amount of time you get this throne and all the privileges that come with it."

"You want me…" Urd pointed at herself. "…to be the Daimakaichō?"

Hild smiled and nodded. "For twenty-four hours."

Xxxxx

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Rist thought to herself as she sat in a limousine. Beside her was a fancy dressed woman with blond hair and blue eyes holding a clipboard, reading off the schedule on it.

"7 a.m. You have your quarterly income report meeting."

"7:35 a.m. you have a private meeting with the CEO of…"

Rist closed her eyes to drown out the woman's voice as she droned on. Rist began to drift off into a sleep. The next thing she noticed as she woke up she had stopped.

", we've arrived," Rist looked up at the man speaking at her, still in a bit of a haze as she sat up. "Let me help you out miss."

"W-wha? Why do you keep calling me that?" Rist asked as she stood outside the car, rubbing her eyes.

The driver and the secretary looked at each other awkwardly. "It's your name miss…"

Rist looked at the mirror behind the driver and in the reflection was Sayoko staring back at her. "Oh… Right, well carry on then." Rist said as she entered the building in front of her, the secretary behind her.

"We need to get you upstairs; you're going to be late for the quarterly report meeting," she said as she followed Rist.

Rist turned when she heard a 'bing' as an elevator door to her right opened and several people filed out. "Better time this right…." Rist thought while eying the woman behind her who was still going on about today's schedule. When the woman looked back down at the clipboard Rist began to walk toward the elevator at a brisk pace.

"And finally tonight you have the charity event to attend to…." The secretary looked up. "Miss?" She looked around panicked. She saw Rist standing in the elevator behind a few others. "H-hold the elevator please!" The secretary pleaded as the doors began to close while she tried her best to run in her skirt.

Rist smiled at the woman as the doors were closing in front of her while ignoring the older looking woman's requests. "This will teach you not to wear such a tight skirt." The doors were nearly completely closed when the secretary's clipboard stopped the doors from shutting at the last second. Rist sighed as the doors reopened to allow the secretary in. "It seems I underestimated my adversary…"

"I-I'm happy to know you're eager to go to this meeting for once," The secretary tried to praise while catching her breath.

"Sayoko can't be here and with her father. If anyone attending the meeting knows where Sayoko really is this mission will be a bust…" Rist thought while on the elevator. "Cancel it." Rist said quickly.

The woman suddenly looked disappointed. "The senior members of the company flew in too…"

"Are you questioning me mortal!" Rist snapped at secretary beside her. Everyone in the elevator stared awkwardly at who they thought to be Sayoko. Rist coughed into her hand. "I am tired and not feeling well, tell those who arrived for the meeting I had other more important matters to attend to."

"O-Of course, I'll have your room here prepared for you right away miss." The secretary said quickly.

"Sayoko has an apartment here too? Well I might as well try to enjoy myself on this mission," Rist thought to herself with a smile. "I wonder if I can hire chefs to cook for me…"

Xxxxx

Urd looked irritated as she stared at Hild. "That's a tall order. To agree I have other conditions. You have to do exactly what I request. Deviate from what I ask even slightly and the deal's off also."

Hild looked like as if she was going to cry tears of joy. "Such bold declarations and spoken without fear of repercussions. Such a fine ruler you will become in the future. It makes a mother feel so proud," Hild said getting closer to Urd in-between sentences and hugging her when done talking. Urd let out a groan but otherwise didn't fight the hug. "Very well Urd, I yield. Tell me your demands."

Urd broke out from the hug by teleporting out of Hild's arms, causing her mother to pout. "Now listen up, we want you to teleport into Yggdrasil when we do. Afterward you are to wait five minutes then attack the Valhalla training fields, making as much noise as possible while doing so to distract heaven's forces in its entirety, Urd explained.

Hild created an image of the field magically and inspected it thoroughly, attack ideas racing through her mind. "The fields are dangerously close to the Valhalla office where a majority of the silver wings on standby status are stationed. It will take the average goddesses from that office about three minutes to respond and after that anywhere between ten to thirty minutes for the officers to analyze what's happening and to recall all the silver wings on assignments at other realms. I can last roughly ten minutes against the first responders before I am overpowered by their sheer numbers and forced to flee; this is assuming the fight goes in my favor. If you want more time than that I'll need to bring some other demons with me. Also once the active silver wings begin to return I will likely get driven out of heaven, even with the added support so if you're not done on your side of things at that time it's your problem."

"She's got a lot of information on this. She's considered attacking heaven in the past." Urd took a moment to second think this plan as she stared at the magical projection of the training fields. "Very well, but the same conditions apply to them as I've explained to you, if any of your people begin to get a mind of their own and deviate from the plan then I won't consider this or any similar agreement ever again."

Hild seemed less than happy about hear that from Urd but agreed with a nod. "I have an idea already who would be useful for this little operation," Hild said while waving away the floating image. "Is there anything else?"

Urd shook her head. "I'll contact you when we are prepared. Keep yourself and those demons you've chosen unoccupied until then."

"Now then Urd-chan, it's time for you to hold up your end of the deal, if you'll follow me. We have an inheritance ceremony to attend," said Hild.

Xxxxx

"Your room is ready for you miss," The secretary said as she sat in front of Rist at Sayoko's desk.

"I'm sorry, this is kind of awkward. What is your name again?" Rist asked.

The woman sighed. "Over worked and underappreciated…" Rist heard the woman whisper to herself. "My name is Tsumugi; everyone in the office just calls me Mugi though."

"You've had a rough day… why not take the day off? You look like you could use a break," Rist said as she stood up and walked around the desk.

"Really?" Mugi asked her. Rist could tell from Mugi's aura the woman was expecting this to be a hoax.

Rist nodded to her. "In fact take the whole week off."

Mugi smiled as she stood up. "T-Thank you miss! I don't the last time I've had time off!" She then, without warning, hugged Rist. "Have you been working out miss?" Mugi asked noticing her usually firm physique.

"Ah, I just got a gym membership, thought I could use some conditioning," Rist said.

"Well I think your fit enough for both of us miss," Mugi commented before bowing and leaving. As she walked down the hall way Rist watched as Mugi's fingers moved in front of her as if she were playing what Rist thought to be a keyboard.

Xxxxx

"And so let it be known that for the next twenty-four hours that Urd has been given all the position of Daimakaichō and the authority that goes with it." Hild said. The demons attending the ceremony whispered to one another, not knowing what to make of this seen.

"My control may only be temporary, but I trust I'll have everyone's full support," Urd said while seeing the looks on the few that actually attended the meeting. Most of them leaving with repulsed looks. The only exception this were four that were watching from the back wall. Urd noticed during the entire speech none of those four so much as frowned. Urd turned around and sat in the throne of Niflheim, she beckoned with a single finger for Hild to approach. "Who are those four, there in the back?" Urd asked.

Hild leaned over to whisper. "Good spot, Urd-chan, those are the four riders; you could call them your generals. In times of war demons are assigned to one of those four based on skill. Of them three are only slightly above par in power but are excellent leaders. The female with the blond hair however, she is someone to look out against. In time she may be able to rival me in power." Hild explained.

"Tell me about her," Urd ordered while nodding toward that woman.

"Her name is Hagall; she is Niflheim's leading illusionist artist. A form of magic rarely practiced here." Hild explained. "Is there anything else?

"The other three are dismissed, Hagall however I wish to meet," Urd said.

Hild then stood back up and looked toward the four. "Your queen has allowed your leave riders." Without any signs of their thoughts the four began to walk out in a neat line. "Hagall!" The blond stopped moving as the other three riders left her in the room. "Your queen wishes to speak with you."

Hagall walked toward Urd, stopping at the first step before the throne Urd was occupying. She then kneeled and lowered her head. "What do you desire of me my queen?" Hagall asked without looking back up.

"I am feeling, thirsty. I want you to personally fetch me some of the finest wines you can find." Urd commanded followed by a large grin on her face.

Hagall looked up, stealing a quick glance from the corner of her eye at Hild who was giggling slightly. "…As you command…" Hagall then turned around and left the throne room.

"How dare you! Hagall-sama is one of the four riders; she should not be commanded like some peon. An insult furthered by the fact that a goddess is the one giving the orders. One demon said hotly among a small crowd of demons who had not yet left the room."

"I agree. I can never accept the commands of a goddess, even if she is your daughter Hild." Another demon said.

Urd laughed, further infuriating the two demons. "Who are you two?" Urd asked between chuckles.

Both demons grinded their teeth together in the frustration they felt building within. For a moment Urd thought they might actually attack by the looks on their face. "Your queen asked you a question. It would not be wise to anger her any further," Hild said in a singsong voice.

"Yui," The first demoness said.

'Ritsu," The second replied.

Urd took a moment to take in the defiant look in their eyes. "Hild." She turned to look at Urd. "Those two seem in need of some rough discipline, wouldn't you agree?"

Hild smiled at the two who were now fearfully hugging each other. "Oh I couldn't agree more." Hild said in a delightful manner as she approached the two. The room seemed to darken, the only source of light around being the red glow from Hild's eye. The screams of the two echo the room, when the room is light again Hild is revealed to be standing beside the two demoness, who now lay on the floor there clothing and skin singed.

"Mhmm… So have we learned our lessons?" Hild said as she stood beside the two.

"Y-yes, Hild-sama." The two said weakly as they continued to lay there.

Urd took a moment, considering the two who were laying there. "I think I will make them my servants, the rest are free to leave." Hild nodded and made a quick hand signal and the group that had remained left rather hastily before they too ended up on the wrong end of a spell from Hild.

Xxxxx

Rist wandered around the office floor, the workers standing aside and bowing to her before going about their assigned tasks. While walking around she took in all the sights and sounds around her. Men and women were working within small cubicles. The sounds of phones ringing, people speaking and the echoes of buttons on a keyboard being pressed down filled the area. She heard an elevator open up and a single black haired woman exited alone and made a dash for her desk, uncharacteristic to everyone else on this floor. Curiously Rist followed the woman to her cubicle. She watched as the woman placed a plastic sheet over her seat before sitting down. Rist raised an eyebrow at this unusual display, still watching from some distance away.

She was so entranced by the girl's unusual actions she is oblivious of the man that was walking up behind her. "Good morning Ms. Mishima." The man said while bowing.

Surprised Rist turned to face him. "Oh, good morning."

"I see it didn't take you very long to notice Mio, she's the office germophobe. She goes through this ritual of her's every morning before she will start her actual work for the day." The young man said.

"Is that so…" Rist said as the she watched Mio clean her desk and telephone with disinfectant wipes.

The man's watch began to beep just then. "Well if you'll excuse me miss, another busy, busy day." Rist paid him no mind as devious ideas popped into her mind. She looked around her and smiled when she noticed someone had left behind a bottle of water.

Rist glanced around casually before taking the bottle. She then walks away with it and sticks two of her fingers in the bottle to soak them as she walks up behind Mio. She then flicks her wet fingers at Mio while making a sneezing sound. "Sorry about that, I have allergies." Rist said as she walks away from Mio who is now stiff with a horrified look on her face.

When Rist is some distance away she breaks out into laughter, heads poking out of their cubicles as Rist walked them and toward the nearest elevator.

Xxxxx

From outside a sound of a crash is heard along with a body falling. Urd and Hild watch in amusement as Hagall stumbles into the room, a cart behind her containing several opened bottles. "Heyuhh Quenshe~ I dun kno wines veary well…" Hagall stumbles, the half empty bottle she was holding shattered besides against the stone floor. "I think I found the besht one, I tried dem all fer you queenshe. Me thinks I should just sleep now."

Hild laughs when Hagall turns over to rest her head on the floor. "What a delightful girl," Hild said while looking through the contents of the tray, returning with two bottles, handing one of them to Urd.

Urd took a sip from the bottle of wine that had been given to her. "Ah… this is the life… More fanning!" Beside Urd was Ritsu and Yui, each demoness waving large leaf like objects toward Urd as fast as they could, fatigue showing on their faces was proof they had been at this routine for some time now.

"Hey Riichan… This kinda reminds me of the time we blackmailed Sawako with those photos," Yui said as her while flapping had simmered down to a struggle to raise her arms from exhaustion.

"It seems karma has bitten us in the rear. Say when were done want to go cause some mayhem? I hear realm 6847 is packed with people that have been scorned and just looking for a little demonic assistance," Ritsu said.

Yui made a joyful squealing noise with Ritsu. "It sounds delightful, I can hardly wait."

"Just another 13 hours to go…" Ritsu cried out.

"Aren't they just so hard working. It makes you proud, wouldn't you agree?" Hild asked while looking toward Urd.

"I do have to admit I'm somewhat curious to see what they can plot against the people there." Urd replied. Hild smiled when she noticed Urd's markings temporarily change from blue to red, then back to blue.

Xxxxx

Rist stepped out onto a large well kept grassy field wearing light brown clothing from head to toe. "Ah, it's good for you to join me Ms. Mishima," an older looking man said while Rist walked up to him.

"Thank you for the invitation Hideki." Rist replied.

"You've been reluctant in joining. I'm a bit surprised after all those stories of how you had no interest in golf." Hideki said as he straightened out from a swing.

"Well what can I say? I thought I might as well give it a chance. Who knows, maybe I might join you more often if I enjoy myself today. So how do we play?" Rist asked while eyeing the various numbered clubs in her bag she was instructed to bring with her.

"Well this is only a practice range. In an actual game there are nine holes and the objective of the game is to shoot your ball into a series of nine or eighteen holes with as little amount of swings as possible," Hideki explained.

"And we use these metal sticks to hit the balls?" Rist asked as she removed one from her bag and held it in her hands like a sword. The wind whistling as she swung it rather closely to the man with a calm look on her face, a contrast to the nervous looks of Hideki as he grabbed hold of the club when it was not moving, taking it away from her.

"Here, I'll demonstrate," Rist watched in amusement as Hideki got into position beside the ball rest on a tee before swinging. The two watched as the ball flew through the air before landing some distance before landing.

"Although it seems simple…" Rist ignored Hideki as she took the closest club in her bag which happened to be a putting club, shaking it a bit in front of herself to get a feel for the weight. "….Developing a sweet swing like mine takes years~" Hideki's speech was interrupted by the sound of a ball being hit when Rist singlehandedly swung the club in identical to how he had moments ago. The club stopping behind her in a rough recreation of what Hideki demonstrated. "Woah…" He watched in astonishment as the ball continued to fly through the air, well beyond the tree line that marked the end of the range.

Xxxxx

As if was being electronically guided the golf ball flew right though a plate glass window, shattering it before continuing on in an apartment kitchen. Like a miniature wrecking ball it shattering several plates that got into its flight path. Two boys watched in surprise and amazement as the ball rolled between them before finally coming to a halt. "What did I tell you two brats about rough housing! This is the fourth time in the last two weeks I've heard you break something!" An angry female voice shouted from another room when the crash was heard.

"Run!" The two boys shouted at each other before rushing out the front door as their mother chased after them both.

Xxxxx

"Like that?" Rist asked smugly.

Hideki was at a loss of words. "H-How…. W-well this isn't a distance game, it's an accuracy one. You need control also to get your golf ball close to the hole you're shooting for," he scolded.

"Alright then, pick out a spot and I'll hit it there," Rist said naively.

"I don't suppose you've been to a horse racing event, have you?" Hideki asked, suddenly losing his interest for showing her how to play the game anymore.

Xxxxx

Urd, Hild, Yui and Ritsu were sitting together, each looking less than sober as they were laughing together. The wine cart beside them. Along the wall, out of the way Hagall was still passed out. Occasionally speaking aloud about whatever it was she was dreaming about currently.

"Oh, oh me next! I got one!" Ritsu said while raising her hand."This is a great one…"

"Hurry ups~ Rii-chan~" Yui said, her voice slurred more than the others.

"Okay okay! So, some humans are at a political gathering and a rather portly looking woman. The woman said to the man beside her," "You are drunk Sir, you are disgustingly drunk." "And so he replies…" "Yes, miss, I am drunk. But you, miss are ugly, and disgustingly fat. But, tomorrow morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."

As the four laughed together, Yui fell over as her drink spilled onto the floor beside, passed out from her excessive drinking. The three remaining girls looked at the now snoring demon before looking at each other. The three remaining drinkers broke out into laughter again. Urd was completely unaware her markings were now remaining a solid red.

"Phew…" Hild said wiping a tear from her eye from all her laughing. "Well let me just say this, we need more politicians like that man down here with us," Hild said with a smile as she took a quick glance at Urd's demon colored markings.

"I'll toast to that," Ritsu said as she filled the cups again. All three of them drank together at the same time. "Things would be a lot more lively I suspect if that were the case."

Xxxxx

In her Valkyrie uniform Rist watched from a building corner across the street as many important looking individuals entered the Pan Pacific Yokohama who had volunteered one of their ballrooms for the gathering. Rist took a deep breath then changed her appearance to pose as Sayoko. "Time to mingle with the capitalists one last time…" Rist said to herself with a bit of disdain as she walked toward the front door of the building herself. "I can't wait for this day to end."

Inside the ballroom she marveled at the ballroom. The ceiling was a finely polished and cleaned stone that had soft blue florescent bulbs that ran the length of the ceiling corners that gave the room a magical feel to the scenery when combined with the candle light from the chandeliers. Above her and to the left were balconies decorated with tan colored curtains tied off in a decorative manner. Half of the room was filled with numerous tables, each designed for six guests, and the other half of the room was cleared for dancing and on stage were live performers for the evening.

"Sayoko really pulled out all the stops to organize this, as expected of the campus queen," Rist thought to herself as the hotel staff moved about the floor. Stepping further into the room she noticed that several of the guests were observing her in less than subtle manners. Watching them she couldn't help but to mentally inform them of proper surveillance methods that don't involve magic. She tried listening in on the various conversations; however the numerous voices and echoes from the building turned any noises into an incoherent melting pot. The only voices even remotely understandable were from those closest to her.

The idea being a bust she decided to forget the ill advised plan before it develops a headache for her as the first couple of the night decides to approach her. The first being was a man rather long in the tooth with a woman in age and close in appearance to Lind that some might consider the two sisters. "Thank you for the invitation to this lovely gathering." The woman said and bowed her head to Rist.

"Ah, I do what I can to give back to society." Rist said sounding uncomfortable already in this situation.

The two smiled back knowingly. "Yes, good publicity is always a good way to get the masses to invest in your stocks, isn't that right dear," the man said and Rist could have sworn there was a hidden meaning to that message given the unusual aura about the man Rist could see.

Rist also noticed a drastic and sudden change in the girl's aura when he addressed her before it slowly fading back to a calm state. "Oh yes, anything to keep you at the top of the stock market," she replied.

The man chuckled a bit while Rist could tell the woman was in serious contempt about something in their relation.

"I hope your enjoying yourselves tonight, Rist said.

"Quite so," the man replied quickly. "Have you tried the wine? It's quite exquisite in flavor," the man asked.

"I have not," Rist said rather bluntly, uncharacteristically to Sayoko normal appearances. The two before caught this and the awkward looks were proof of this. "I cannot be drinking while hosting the event. I have been enjoying some tea instead, Rist said quickly to recover and alleviate suspicions.

"Very good then, tea do you prefer? Pangea, or perhaps White crane?" The woman asked.

Rist shook her head. "Usually I have Lipton Tea."

The two beside Rist seemed taken aback, not expecting that for an answer. "Well… let's leave her to her tea, shall we?" The woman said in a nasty, mocking tone and the man nodded and they both walked off laughing.

Rist scolded herself mentally, watching as the two walked off. "This is exactly why I didn't want to go! Someone formal with better communication skills would have been better suited for this portion of the mission. I already want to strangle these mortals…" Rist thought to herself as she sat down at a corner table, putting as much distance from herself and the guests as possible. She sat and watched as some couples danced together. While others gossiped with one another about whatever was the hot topic of the evening. She sighed; considering this was going to end horribly she sat and thought about what Keiichi and the others were doing right now. All the while wishing the event would end already.

"Such a flower like yourself shouldn't be alone and sad looking." Rist looked up to see an attractive young man standing beside her. "You know if you make that face long enough the lines will stick. How about a dance to help lighten your mood," the man asked while offering his hand to help her up while in the background the current song being performed by the live performers was ending and another was starting.

Reluctantly Rist agreed and the two went out onto the dancing floor and waited until the song actually began. When the actual dancing began Rist found herself out of her element and it didn't take long for her to miss a step and the guy's toes were the unsuspecting victim of the error. "I am sorry… I should go," Rist said feeling completely embarrassed and began to leave the floor until he stopped her.

"How about you lead and I'll follow your movements?" The man suggested and smiled to reassure her. "He reminds me a lot of Belldandy in character," she thought and agreed to the idea. The two started again and this time for the better and continued on to the end without any mishaps. "See, you're not so bad after all."

Rist bowed her head. "Thank you for coming; perhaps you donate some funds for the charity?" Rist asked.

The man seemed to frown at this and he sat down at the nearest chair as Rist joined him. "Don't tease Sayoko; you know I have no money to my name like the rest here."

"Oh… right, forgive me. It's been a long day for me and I am tired, if you'll excuse me," Rist said and left the table. The smile on the man's face faded as he watched Rist walk off.

Rist walked about randomly waving occasionally to guests. "Ma'am, you need to leave, you were not invited and are upsetting the other guests. We'll have to ask you kindly to leave," Rist heard a hotel staff member say from a gathering crowd.

Going around the gathering guests that were forming a circle Rist noticed two men trying to lift a rather round figured woman with disheveled clothing out of her seat as she continued to gorge herself.

"Who is this person?" Rist asked as she continued to watch the staff's futile attempts of lifting her.

"That's Cherie Roseamunt. She was the sole owner of a coal mine. As you can see she has quite the appetite for fine foods. However once the mines dried up it didn't take long for her to eat her way through her fortunes. Now she crashes gatherings like this one to fulfill her appetite," a man beside Rist explained before leaving the gathering ring of men and women.

Rist nodded and approached the staff and dismissed them from the area. "Excuse me Ms. Roseamunt; you are making a rather unfortunate scene. Will you consider conducting yourself in a more refined manner if you wish to remain?"

"EH!" Cherie took a quick glance at Rist before finishing of whatever was in her cup. "You listen to me little miss! I'll have you know I am a very wealthy and esteemed land owner. You all should feel grateful I decided to grace this sorry excuse of a gathering with my presence. Now be a good little lass and fetch me another drink."

Rist sighed. "I'll be happy to do so if you agree to make a donation to the charity."

Cherie shifted in her chair surprisingly fast for someone of her figure. "Why you insolent little brat." Cherie stood up and threw the empty wine glass at Rist who caught it expertly, mere centimeters from her face. The other guests all backed up in reflex while Rist stared at the glass before setting it down on the table.

"I believe the gentlemen of the hotel were correct. You have most definitely worn out your welcome. I'll have to ask you to leave," Rist said firmly, nearly forgetting to alter her voice.

"Those two couldn't get me to leave but by all means miss give it a try," Cherie said as she sat back down in her chair.

"Troublesome mortal," Rist whispered while she grabbed Cherie's arm, dragging her across the floor toward the door. The other guests clearing a path for her as the larger woman shouted and fought to stay.

The young man who Rist danced with either walked out from the crowd and picked up the glass Rist caught before and thought about her catching it before setting it back down. "I don't know about the rest of you however, I for one, would not want to get on Ms. Mishima's bad side given what she just demonstrated for us." The crowd began to whisper among each other. "I think donations to the charity would vastly improve her thoughts toward you," he finished unaware Rist had already decided to leave for the evening.

Xxxxx

Urd looked at the watch, noticing the twenty four hours were up. As she lowered her wrist she saw Hild sitting beside Yui and Ritsu. The two had both passed out from earlier events. "Well that's it. Twenty-four hours have passed; I am free to go now." As she was saying that, an unusual feeling of regret came over her. "W-what did she do to me?" Urd thought.

"So it would seem…." Hild said, unusually sad sounding. "Perhaps we can do this again sometime. It has been a blast partying with you three."

"That would be gr…." Urd caught herself when she felt happy at the idea. "I doubt that will be possible."

"We shall see, take care of yourself Urd-chan," Hild said while hugging her daughter. "Come on I'll escort you to a television so you can return to the earth realm."

Xxxxx

Keiichi, Lind and Belldandy sat together in the tea room. Keiichi read a repair manual, while Belldandy knitted to her own song she humming, and Lind sharpened her axe in the corner. Occasionally blowing on the edge and running a finger along the blade to test the sharpened state of the metal. Each of them were listening to the sounds of the rain outside while enjoying their activities. "I wonder how Rist is doing, she should have returned sometime last night. I'm starting to get worried about her. Do you think we should go find her?"

Lind stopped sharpening for a moment to answer. "She is a silver wing Keiichi. Rist would find it insulting if we went looking for her every time she doesn't arrive on time. Have some faith in her." Reluctantly Keiichi let the matter drop and went back to reading.

The three looked up in surprise when the doors to the tea room opened. Before them was Rist, soaking wet from the rain. She was standing in a hunched over position, her eyes were red with bags below them. "What happened to you?" Lind asked while Keiichi ran out of the room.

Rist lazily turned her head, still standing in the hallway as Keiichi returned with a yellow towel. "Thanks Keiichi." She said sincerely as she wrapped the cloth around her shoulders, then let out a sneeze. "Oh it was horrible! I had no idea Sayoko was so busy. Over the day I used up nearly all my energy at her work place. Then after the charity event, due to maintaining that illusion for so long, I had no energy to teleport here so I had to walk all night through the rain to get back!"

Belldandy hugged Rist. "You poor child."

"Stop your complaining; just consider it a test of endurance. If I could manage it, you could also," Lind said disappointed.

"No wonder you're considered the most violent goddess in heaven," Rist retorted with what little energy she had. Lind stopped running a stone over her axe and looked up at Rist evilly, getting a scared eep from her co-worker.

As Belldandy let go of Rist Urd walked in and stood beside Rist and Belldandy. She looked over to see Rist shivering and exhausted. "Wow kiddo, what happened to you? You look like hell girl." Everyone looked at Urd awkwardly, they all wanting to say something but not sure what to. "What? Do I have something on my face? Stop staring at me like that!" Urd said meanly.

Rist sighed, too tired to argue loudly. "I'm not the only one who looks like hell; you fit that description very nice also you know."

"What are you talking about? Explain yourself!" Urd said now getting annoyed with them for some reason she wasn't even sure of.

"Nee-san…" Belldandy whispered.

Lind handed a mirror to Urd. "Have a look for yourself."

She looked onto the reflection, making a fist in frustration and fury when she noticed the red markings. "That Hild! I knew she was up to something. She must have been hoping for this! "

Keiichi looked worried, "Well this is troubling. I hope it's not permanent."

Belldandy rested a hand on Keiichi's shoulder to comfort him. "Urd is… unique. If anyone can return to normal it would be her."

Lind peaked at Belldandy out of the corner of her eye. "Unique how?"

"Well she…" Belldandy was interrupted by the sound of Urd straining herself as she focused on an object that was not there for anyone to see.

Urd turned around to face the group in a nervous sweat. "Well?" Everyone shook their heads. "I'll never forgive her for this!"

"Maybe your markings will turn blue again on their own?" Keiichi asked.

"It's not that simple Keiichi. We can't just become demon by flipping on a light switch," Lind explained as she went to sit back down. "We will just have to think up causes for this, until we find what is responsible we should continue as planned."

"Easy for you to say," said Urd as she left the others alone.

Rist sadly watched from the hall as Urd walked away, sneezing as Urd turned toward her room. "Are we really going to have her go through this alone?"

Lind took a sip of tea while Keiichi and Belldandy watched her, waiting for an answer. "Of course not, however we can do more for her with Yggdrasil's help. When we go to visit heaven we can deal with it then. Until then she will have to endure. If Hild is responsible; which seems to be the case, then the ordinary measures will not stand up against what she might have done to Urd."

Author thanks:

Thanks to the following for your reviews and ideas.

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