Valmont smiled to himself as he carefully set the Cat of Khartoum in his vault. While he was a bit disturbed at the danger his new step-daughters had been put in - being sacrificed by a cult of all things - they had handled themselves wonderfully and seemed to know how to work as a team as well. Not only that, Bastet's mention of Class 2 beings not interfering with each other had made Jackie uncertain whether or not his group should directly confront Adagio and the others to reclaim the statue...and on learning that Valmont's intentions were to keep the statue where it couldn't be misused had been surprisingly happy to leave it with them. Valmont made a mental note to find some time to talk privately and companionably with Jackie. Plainly they were past being 'business rivals', and it would be good to put any lingering hostility to rest.
He'd designed his vault very carefully. Knowing the sheer variety of magic there would be out in the world, he wanted to be certain that any artifact that he placed there would be as safe as he was capable of making it. As such, it was a perfectly ordinary display room with a light shining on each artifact, with no other visible magic anywhere, and a basic magic concealment charm - one used to conceal active spells - cast over the entire building. No one would be able to tell that the lights were actually pieces of his own demon body, thus placing the artifacts within his own power...and the total absence of any other visible magic would lead to anyone attempting to break in trying to circumvent the concealment charm, only to be confused when it revealed nothing and convinced there was more to it. Idiots would walk in and get caught by his power. The competent would never attempt, convinced the security was greater than it actually was. David Xanatos would never steal from him. This covered all bases.
With the artifact secure, he shifted back into his building to check on the children. As he arrived, Adagio was heading for the elevator in her choker and her own fur. "And where are you going dressed like that?" Valmont asked curiously, without a hint of judgement in his voice.
Adagio stiffened briefly, but then surprised him by smiling warmly. "To drive attendees of a costume party insane with jealousy and lust," she purred happily. "I want to see how close I can push it to a full blown orgy without anyone actually giving in."
Valmont chuckled indulgently. "Have fun with that," he replied warmly. "Anyone I know going to be in attendance?"
"Doubt it," Adagio replied ruefully. "I tried to get Finn to go since parties seemed his scene, but he freaked out about it." She grinned a wicked cat grin. "Was fun to watch though." With that said, she stepped into the elevator.
Chuckling to himself, Valmont followed his magic in the pendants to locate Aria. Seeing her in the gym pushing her new feline body to its physical limits, he decided not to distract her, and instead followed the trace of Sonata's pendant...to the open door of Ratso's room. As he saw what waited him there, he cleared his throat.
"Boss!" Ratso gulped, jerking back as what he held fell to the floor with a clatter. "I-I can explain! It's not what-"
Valmont held up a hand to silence him. Turning, he saw the beaming smile on Sonata's face, then turned back to Ratso. "Ratso, you have my full trust," he began calmly. "Despite appearances, Sonata is certainly a consenting adult...and what goes on between her and another consenting adult is of no concern of mine as long as she is not being hurt emotionally. And that's one thing I know you would never do. I only have two things to suggest for the future."
Ratso swallowed nervously. "Y-yeah boss?"
Valmont levitated up the object Ratso had dropped. "Either use a heating stone in this or plug it in," he said as he handed it back to Ratso. "Curling needs heat, and without thus the iron provides neither."
"Well, she didn't actually want her hair curled," Ratso explained. "She just wanted to feel pampered, and I thought this'd do it."
"Fair enough," Valmont admitted. "Second...either put your clothes back on after the fact, close the door, or get a fur coat of your own."
"Her idea," Ratso pointed out again. "She wanted the possibility someone would walk in on us."
Valmont stared at Ratso, turned to see Sonata giggling wickedly, then turned back to Ratso. "And your not showering after is also her idea to torment her sisters' enhanced sense of smell?"
Ratso rubbed the back of his head as Sonata giggled again.
Valmont sighed, only to smile when he saw the way Ratso looked at Sonata...and the look she returned. Well, I suppose if anyone would really get them, it would be each other, he thought to himself. Turning, he left them to their activities.
Uncle smiled to his guest as he sipped his tea. "Well, that certainly explains things," he allowed as he leaned back in his chair, one hand idly scratching Sweetie Belle behind the ear as she purred in his lap. "I must thank you. Your help made things much easier here."
"I should not let a Boon I grrrranted otherrrrs inconvenience you," Bastet purred back as she sipped her own tea, glancing off to the side where Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were playing in Audrey III's vines looking somewhat loopy, rather than clambering all over the shop. "Cats of this size arrrre not antique frrrriendly."
"Indeed," Uncle agreed, his eyes turning to where Jade and Hsi Wu were curled up to each other in a shared nap, both furry and purring. "Despite his objections, Hsi Wu does not seem to mind that part of things."
"I didn't think he would," Bastet chuckled. "She is the one in denial about things between them, afterrrr all." She set her cup down. "I must say, yourrrr story also answerrrs many questions I had."
"Though it leaves me with one," Uncle admitted. Reaching into a drawer, he pulled out a pouch and set it down. "One I hope you can help me with."
Curious, Bastet glanced in...and found it not only larger on the inside, but full to overflowing with coins in every color, each with runes of various sorts around the edges, various faces on one side, and numbers 5, 4, or 3 on the other. "I am not surrrrprised," she purred. "You have done great good for the worrrld. It is unsurrrrprising you arrre so favored."
"Now if only Uncle could remember how he earned them," Uncle concluded with an odd grin.
Bastet chuckled indulgently. "I would be happy to help with that." Seeing Uncle reaching for one of her tokens within the bag, she waved him off. "Not forrrr a Boon. Just...an act of frrrriendship."
Uncle smiled softly. "The friendship of a Goddess is surely worth more than any Boon," he agreed.
"Well, any of these anyway," Bastet joked as she placed her hand on the bag, reaching in with her magic to read each token's story. Her eyes widened as she discovered just how many were in there. "This...might take a while."
Valmont gently set down his drink on the bar. "I guess we both have our problems adjusting to this new world," he admitted.
"You adjusted easier than I did," Jackie stated as he set his own drink down. They'd bumped into each other there, and continued to pay for their own drinks even as they talked. "You were already trying to use magic before it became 'normal'. I was still trying to figure out how to deal with it."
"And your three new nieces didn't help there?" Valmont asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Half the time I couldn't remember they were magic because of their pendants, so no."
"Ah yes, I'd forgotten about them," Valmont admitted. "But you're adjusting now?"
"I'm getting there," Jackie admitted. "Finding peace with myself has helped."
"That's an understatement," Tiger stated from his shoulder, having taken on the feline form Jackie had gained.
"Hush!" Kitten chided from the other shoulder, still a human in appearance. "Let them talk, it's helping him."
"You don't see us chiming in," a tiny image of Valmont's demon form scolded from his shoulder. "Let them speak."
"Agreed," said a human Valmont from his other shoulder...dressed in the 'siren' garb he'd used to try and open the portal on Christmas day.
Tiger and Kitten took one look at him and burst into laughter.
"Well what do you expect the manifestation of my desire to be a 'family man' to look like?" the Shoulder Demon demanded angrily. "That was the day it became real, after all."
"So is it worth it?" Jackie asked Valmont idly.
"What?" Valmont asked curiously.
"Marriage, parenthood, and all the magical insanity involved."
Valmont chuckled dryly. "Every day...even if the girls can be headaches. Sometimes it feels like Adagio and Sonata in particular are trying in their own ways to break my brain. They haven't succeeded, though." He took a sip of his drink. "Admittedly, Sonata came close when she and Ratso accidentally created a magical free energy device while trying to make tacos."
Jackie's drink wound up over the nearest wall. "WHAAAA? How?"
"An SNL skit they took too seriously, and a visit to 'Uncle Tso Lan' that was too instructive," Valmont explained. "Trust me, don't ask unless you want your head to hurt."
"What, did they try to make Taco Town tacos and shrink them so they could hold them like tacos and fit their mouths around them, and the magic got away from them and fixing it resulted in a contained singularity generating free energy?" Jackie asked facetiously.
"Yes, actually," Valmont confirmed. "You don't seem surprised."
"Remind me to tell you about the fillies, Bill Nye, and Magic School Bus sometime." Jackie opened his mouth to say more, only to let out a wet cough. Something splatted into his hand, and he dumped a clump of short black hairs into a nearby trash bin.
"So the cat form makes things interesting with Viper, then?" Valmont asked teasingly.
"You could say that," Jackie allowed. "When we have time working around the hijinks Jade and the fillies get up to."
"If you think they're troublesome now, wait a few years," Valmont joked ruefully. "Then they'll be teenagers."
Jackie shuddered in fear. "I don't want to think about it. When's our turn on stage?" He gestured to the karaoke area of the bar.
"This song," Valmont stated as he stood up, walking to the stage as a particular song started to play.
Jackie happily joined him as they sang, each thinking about the girl they hadn't known they were looking for.
i like i like hahahaha
Sonata and Ratso? I can see it.
i like i like hahahaha
What? I managed to get to a freshly-uploaded Tatsuro-Fiction chapter with less than a page of comments? What heresey is this?!
I'm really not sure what I can say about this one...a bit curious if we may eventually get a Puss in Boots reference though.lol
why I am not surprised about Uncle having so many high class boons...
Really good choice of song, I can't help but laugh picturing Jackie and Valmont singing this.
Also I know its a long time coming but I hope that Valmont will have an interaction with Starswirl in full Dad mode.
Lastly there is one thing that always bothered me about the last arc of Jackie chan adventures and that's they where searching for the different artifacts used to banish the demons that had lingering Chi on them, but shouldn't there have been two sets of artifacts with chi? One from the original banishment's and the other from the re banishment's that Jackie and his crew did?
Parenthood, a great disaster and a way for enemies to become friends
In the cannon, Valmont was sidelined by his failing finances.
In this version, he's ceased to be a problem due to being less morally objectionable and having come to an understanding with the protagonists.
..... He is more moral as a demon then as the original flavor human. You have to wonder what this says about humanity.....
Nice male bonding for Valmont and Jackie, plus humorous chapter all along. Now can Bai and Viper take the girls shopping together for a day on the town???? I want to see Hsi deal with Jade trying on stuff to see if she can get him to blush.
Let's see, the living talismans seem impossible in this scenario since Dao is...disposed of.
As for the masks, most I assume use shadow magic given their ability to form personalized Shadow Kahn, they'd probably get jobbed by Valmonte, let alone the fact the scenarios where most characters would wear them wouldn't happen in this version of the world.
...I don't want to say it, but are we nearing a finale?
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...she's eleven.
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Dao is not disposed of. He's just been thwarted at every turn.
As for the masks, alternatively wouldn't that suggest they would get worn by other people? Meaning I take that season in a more original direction?
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They were specifically seeking the tools wielded by the Immortals to seal the demons because the act of creating the portals that sealed the demons caused bits of the demon chi to become encapsulated in the Immortal chi bonded to the tools. The Dark Chi stars caused that Demon Chi to awaken and breach the seals, making it possible to extract said Chi for good or evil purposes.
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Which makes Dao both cornered and incredibly desperate. I have a feeling he’s going to do something reckless very soon which is going to have unintended consequences for all.
Fantastic arc Tats. Really looking forward to what you have coming up next.
Now Sweetie and Opal can be best pals!
Adagio would have a better time at any anime convention just watching the awkward teens and adults both see their dreams come true yet not know what to do about it.
More fun if she actually approached one
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but Opal doesnt like anypony, least of all her family. that cat is a literal drama Queen!
a common song theme. I always liked this one. I thought it was by John Lennon but it's not.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lyrics+to+she%27s+always+a+woman&&view=detail&mid=80D904B140AD2C08A1F880D904B140AD2C08A1F8&FORM=VRDGAR
I agree that you're either getting close to a wrap up or going to have to shift to part 2 "Meanwhile, Back on Equestria. Then part 3 could be the wrap up, thus tying into the title
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No, because She Would KILL That Poor Loser From the Sheer Shock & Awe
Ratnota? Interesting...
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One, I'm nowhere close to ending this story.
Two, there is no "Meanwhile Back in Equestria" because, as stated so many times I'm sick of it, Equestria and this world are out of sync time-wise, meaning unless and until a connection between the worlds is made again, no time in Equestria has actually passed.
8645570 Gah, blame my cold medication for making my head woozy and not thinking properly.
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8 seconds that explain my comments
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=saturday+night+live+emily+litella&&view=detail&mid=9C4FD8329329FF4B17879C4FD8329329FF4B1787&FORM=VRDGAR
Yeah dealing with that is kinda important...
Really loved the conversation between Jackie and Valmont.
I mixed up the numbering for class and boons a little while reading so I first thought that uncle had several boons of the highest class at his disposal. But still, a small bag of holding filled to the brim with medium to low boons from gods is still enough to make his life... interesting for a while.
Think Uncle knows how to play Pai Sho?
Sonata's such a clever troll. Didn't expect the subtle ship with her and Ratso.
... Magic School Bus and Bill Nye with those three.
Tree sap levels how high were they? We expecting an over 9000 joke or maybe something a little bit bigger?
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Reread the early chapters.
I like how this is just kind of a general bonding chapter. Nothing like the aftermath of an adventure for characters to get to know each other a little better. And I see we have a new ship of Sonatso... Yeah, I can ship it.
Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Seven
"Bad Day"
Chapter Count: 0
Total Count: 43
"He's Not My Boyfriend!"/"I'm not his Mistress!"
Chapter Count: 0/0
Total Count: 47/6
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My money is on yes, and is a member of the White Lotus.
I loved the bonding that went on in this chapter and now wonder just how the last few arcs are going to proceed as they need several triggers and the major players are all indisposed right now. I doubt even Shendu if he was free would want to be causing any trouble.
It's nice that everyone is having a catnap now from all the action before.
In terms of relationships, Sonata seems to be the fastest and the furriest by far.
I'm certain that pouch has quite a few stories inside of it.
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It then begs the question, who would be the replacements for the Enforcers during this arc? The canon ones are happily employed by Valmont and the ones from the final season also are employed by Valmont, if my memory is correct. I could see Jackel and Hyena from Gargoyles becoming a threat, however they where at last check (from what I remember about the show) high paid mercenaries and none of the remaining villains would meet their required monetary compensation. Of the remaining villains the masks and Drago are possible but I don't see how, yet.
You know, I knew realistically they wouldn't be enemies forever, especially with how utterly competent Valmont is. I saw them probably helping each other from time to time, but full on friendship? The kind of friendship I have with my best friend? I can honestly say I didn't see that coming.
So far, I like it!
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The ones from the final arc are not employed by Valmont.
Other song they could sing: https://youtu.be/5tQRZeWGcb8?t=12
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Speaking of that Arc I'm wondering how you going to make that imperative (or whatever the word is) as without the time travel episode I don't know how Draco is going to become a thing actually now that I think about it I don't understand how he became a thing in the original
great chapter, can't wait for more
Best thing I've read all week. Thank you!
8646124
Many people have said that the best way to get to know what kind of person one is, is to meet them in battle and those two have had enough battles they probably know as much about eachother as if they were brothers.
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Seriously, though, I DO apologize for annoying you. You're a pretty good author & I wasn't trying to troll you. The problem is that you're not the only continuing story that I'm following + I read a lot of short fics every week. I remember the broad outlines of all of them but the details tend to blur & this story is long enough that I don't really want to reread it every week (Hey, I've got over 350 stories that I've downloaded & haven't read yet. Who's got the time to reread things?).
In short, I'm sorry that I'd forgotten that you mentioned this earlier & I'll try to do better.
Valmont's overlooking those who are insane/stupid enough to believe they are capable of doing absolutely anything and are able to achieve said feats through the power of their beliefs. Meaning if Captain Quark were to ever attempt to steal from Valmot's vault, and believe with complete certainty that he could do it because Twilight told him he could, the Demon Sorcerer of Light will be robbed blind. Furthermore, Valmont will be completely unable to comprehend how said robbery happened even though he was starring right at the objects the entire time.
…
I look forward to the day when Valmont and Captain Quark finally meet face to face.
Starting to ship the Dazzelings and the Enforcers? I am intrigued by this development and look forward to where it will go from here. :)
I hope this mean Uncle has found himself a girlfriend.
Oh Jackie getting split by the tiger talisman is going to be so much fun now!
I take it this means the Dark Hand Headquarters no longer has an electric bill. I'm sure the city of San Francisco must be devastated by the loss of this revenue source. :P
This is nice. You know what these two families need to do together to really bond? Go on a shared family vacation together. Like a cruise. :P
I stand by what I said earlier. As fun as this arc was and these characters were, I'm still hoping the Daslings and Valmont will no longer be a focus of the story. Cameos are inevitable, but it really feels like the cast of regulars is getting a bit swollen as is, and I imagine you have no plans on stopping here. Besides, this really felt like a nice farewell story for our favorite criminal mastermind.
8645507
Don’t have to, look at the world and you can tell pretty easy.
LOVED THIS CHAPTER and WAITING FOR MORE!
Chapter One Hundred Sixty Seven
"Aiyah!"
Chapter Count: 0
Total Count: 48
"One More Thing!"
Chapter Count: 0
Total Count: 83
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You are a god amongst men, Tats.
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If I remember correctly she didn't want virgins since they are easy pickings and get attached, no offense but I guess the one at the convention that you describe would be even easier, or be picky about " not character accurate " and tell her she did a bad cosplay
Also loved this chapter . the way you first make it look like they did the nasty , then clarified he was just curling her hair ...but then threw the fact that they did the nasty before the curling was both hilarious and surprising
Are they all hypoallergenic? Cause I believe Uncle has cat allergies.
(claps slowly) nice end for the guys. all that left is a monkey king wrench.
This was a nice sweet ending, though now I am INSANELY curious with all the stories and reasons why Uncle has so many Boons o.o