Omake Prologue: Enter the...Yggdrasil?

[Bean Bandit]

Urd smirked slightly at Skuld, and both she and Belldandy heard the reply.

Maybe, but that's what happens when things get too automated. Even heaven learns lessons sometimes.

Out loud, for Keichii's benifit, Urd nodded. "All right. Bell and Skuld...the original ones...were initiating a backtracking program to recruit agents from the point of origin of the attack...but the retrival got interrupted...and botched all at once..."

She trailed off, looking at the strangers in her sister's bodies. "Can you see where I'm going with this?"

[RyderHakubi]

Ryder nodded and replied, "I think I do... we were the agents, right?"

[Bean Bandit]

Bean frowned, and rubbed her chin thoughtfully, nodding. "...But we weren't supposed to be dropped in these...bodies." She glanced down at her dress again, blushing.

"So, the transport was screwed up and for whatever reason, didn't finish." She guessed, looking up at Urd. "But then unfinished downloads on our computers are just aborted...But then Yggdrasil is a bit more than a PC..." she trailed off, mumbling slightly as she tried to work it out.

[Bean Bandit]

Urd raised an eyebrow, nodding. "You're on the right track. Skuld's operation logs show that the unfinished job was adjusted when they couldn't get the bodies through...and hosts were found for each person they recruited...and used. Bell and Skuld were two of the hosts."

Keichii, who still seemed uncomfortable, raised his hand. "Doesn't that make the reason they were brought here invalid?"

Urd shook her head. "No, Yggdrasil's personnel files are sorted by a type of...'mental thumbprint'. Since it's not Bell and Skuld in there..." she replied, gesturing to the two girls sitting at the table with them, "And they aren't a part of our 'multiverse', Yggdrasil is blind to them, and they can't be influenced directly."

The platinum haired goddess turned her attention to Belldandy and Skuld again. "We really could use your help here...but I won't push. Will you help us? You and the others are about the only ones who can..."

[RyderHakubi]

When life gives you lemons...

After a few moments with her eyes closed in deep thought, Ryder slammed her palm into the table and said, "Yeah, I'll do it... There's not much else we could do after all..."

[Bean Bandit]

"Mm."

Bean nodded in agreement, blinking as the long brown hair moved with her head. She frowned and ran a hand through it, internally wincing at how strange it felt, after years of very short.

"Yeah, I'll help. What do you want us to do? And frankly, how many of us are there? And...should we be trusting you? You are can be influenced, can't you?"

[Bean Bandit]

Keichii twitched involuntarily. Watching Belldandy sit differently, act differently and talk differently made him anxious and a little sad, all at once.

Geez...not like this hasn't happened before. It'll get fixed, somehow. He thought to himself. And it's not all bad. Whoever's in there isn't as bad as the Lord of Terror or something...

Still...can't she try and talk with a little more dignity?

Oblivious to the thoughts running through Keichii's head, Urd nodded to Belldandy.

"The truth is...you really shouldn't be able to trust us...or anyone, really. In fact, since we know that they know what Bell and Skuld were up to, I'm a little surprised that nothing has happened yet." Urd admitted.

"Still...the truth is, there's eight people, including you two, who've been brought here. And on that note...the first order of business should be to gather them. Then, at least, we can plan..."

[RyderHakubi]

"If he, she, they, it, whatever knows what Bell and Skuld were up to and did nothing... Maybe this force wanted this to happen.  Sure, we're outside of his influence, but we're so inexperienced in our powers that he can manipulate strong people to take us out, right?" Ryder said as she opened her eyes in a stare almost too cold for Skuld's face.

[Bean Bandit]

Urd nodded. "That's also a possibility, but it would be simpler to simply take you out using Keiichi and I...So...be careful, okay? not only for your own sake, but my sisters, too...But...as for your powers, I can help a little, there..."

[RyderHakubi]

Ryder's eyebrow attempted to go up... but, since Skuld's eyebrow muscles were not up to the task of doing a People's Eyebrow, it didn't work.

Anyway, Ryder replied, "Oh really now..."

[Bean Bandit]

Urd smiled dryly. "Really. Skuld isn't the only one who can do a few tricks. Unfortunately, I can't help you too much with mana use, because only experience and spell knowledge can help you there...but I can give you a few tricks to protect yourselves while you get that experience..."

[RyderHakubi]

With an smile that fit somewhere between Tsukasa and Xellos, Ryder replied, "Oh now... What exactly do you have for us?"

[Bean Bandit]

Urd laughed. "Well, it's not so much what I have, but what SHE has. " she then pointed to Belldandy.

"Oro?" Belldandy blurted, her eyes widening. "I don't know any more than..."

Urd shook her head and stood, walking around the table to Belldandy as Keichii and Skuld looked on. She offered Belldandy a hand, and the brown haired girl warily took it, and was pulled to her feet. Urd smiled reassuringly.
"Trust me. This will work."

Belldandy twitched. "Who are you trying to convince?" she protested.

Urd seemed taken aback. "Hmm...you really aren't Bell." she mused. "Well, just relax..." she said soothingly, placing a soft, tanned hand on either of Belldandy's pale cheeks...

[Bean Bandit]

Bean blushed darkly as Urd put her hands on her cheeks, and Urd's voice sounded in her head.

Y...You're a guy?

Bean's blush, impossibly, darkened.

Uh...yeah. What gave me away?

You're attracted to me. This last thought was accompanied by gentle laughter, not mocking, but Bean still tried to pull away in embarrassment. No, wait...sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Urd added. Just one of the perks of being a Goddess...

...Right Bean thought, embarrassedly changing the subject. So what do you need me to do?

Well, my sister is Yggdrasil backup administrator...for emergencies, when Father isn't available...Which gives her emergency access powers to Yggdrasil. In theory, you should be able to use them, too...they can help you help the others brought here...and well as using them to protect yourself, and Skuld, if need be...

Bean blinked, her cheeks still red from the contact with Urd's hands. Okay. She decided. What do you want me to do to get them? she asked curiously.

Urd smiled. I'll show you what you need to do.

With that, the tanned goddess touched the mark on her forehead to the diamond mark on Bean's forehead, and her fingertips slipped onto the blue triangles on Bean's cheeks.

The two women began to glow softly, with steadily rising brightness as divine code was transferred....

[Bean Bandit]

Urd's voice entered Bean/Belldandy's mind, differently, this time. It was oddly soothing, yet compelling at the same time...Bean couldn't work out why she wasn't afraid to have someone in her mind like this...  First...I'll show you this. Urd told her softly.

Words and numbers flashed through Bean/Belldandy's consciousness, and were instinctively stored to memory.
Those are the access keys to Yggdrasil's personnel records. You can 'borrow' abilites from anyone listed in there, by cutting and pasting to your file...or Bell's file, really. For example...

Bean/Belldandy saw a flash of a red-headed woman...the picture from the file...and then suddenly her own image...and then her mind was flooded with an intimate understanding of 'Anything-Goes Martial Arts'

Oh...wow... She thought in amazement.

The process suddenly reversed itself, and the understanding was gone.

The grin in Urd's voice was almost visible. Cool, huh?

No kidding... Bean/Belldandy breathed.

Now comes a slightly harder one. Urd instructed.you have to put the subject in physical contact with your emblem of office, which is the diamond on your forehead...and use this code.

More numbers and letters flashed through Bean/Belldandy's mind, and were again completely retained.

This will help whoever's been drawn here access the natural abilities and talents of their host bodies...And help them fight alongside you.

Bean/Belldandy nodded, her own glow gathering strength. Anything else?

Just one thing...but this is for just you and Skuld...I can't help you with spell casting, but if you look at this you should get a head start on learning...

Bean/Belldandy was given another address, filling her mind...and the glow slowly faded, leaving Bean standing in the tea room of the Morisato home, wearing a blue dress, and with her forehead pressed against Urd's as two tanned hands rested on her cheeks...