Hot Springs and Ryokan

[battymynameis]

Guess what, y'all. It's time for a field trip. We're heading to a Hot Springs and an Inn for the weekend, and everyone is invited. This place is huge, and has multiple springs both indoor and out. There's separate bathing, mixed, and even a spot for foreigners and prudes who like to keep their swimsuits on. Table tennis? Got it. Room service? You bet. Massages? Possibly. Ghosts? Maybe.

1. Hot springs: after you rinse off come take a relaxing bath. There are multiple options as to what kind of bathing environment you can have, so please choose wisely. Also, please read the signs. None of the springs will kill you, but if you choose the wrong one you might end up with some... adverse effects. Cursed springs might just be a Thing.

2. The Inn: you'll be here for a few nights so find your rooming buddy and get friendly. Whether bonding over food, games, or even just exploring the place there's certainly something you can find to occupy yourself. Just don't be too curious after curfew. The staff are pretty insistent, but they aren't cops so responsibility for your actions are your own.

Comments

[shieldher]

[It's a field trip, and if Ritsuka is going, so is Mash! She may be unfamiliar to most of you, but finally a new contender appears! Like Ritsuka wasn't going to invite her. She spends a lot of her time staying close to her senpai, but not all of her time. You can find her doing any of the following:]

the hot springs moment . . . of truth

[Literally, not that Mash knows it yet. She's always wanted to try out a hot spring, so why would she pass up this chance? Especially when she has no idea any of them are cursed in any way?

And whatever's happening isn't obvious yet—not to her, and not to anyone who might approach her. She's just soaking in the spring in an entirely normal fashion, unperturbed, glasses off and naked (which took some convincing, but hey, she likes to do things right). What she doesn't realize is that anyone soaking in this particular spring will feel compelled to tell only the truth for as long as they're in it, and probably some short time thereafter, too.

She hasn't realized yet because there's no one around to talk to, and therefore no way to know how compromised she is right now. But if someone else happens to dip into the springs with her? Something's gonna come tumbling out.]


ping pong ding dong

[Another thing on the long list of things Mash has never done is table tennis. As soon as she comes across the tables, she's in. Wrapped in her yukata and weighing the paddle in her hand, giving it a few experimental swishes . . . she looks pretty cutely excited. And maybe a little more competitive than a meek-looking girl like her would be expected to be. Is anyone else around to play? Anyone?! Let Mash play!!]


J-J-J-JINKIES SCOOBS

[It isn't like Mash is the sort of girl to break the rules of hospitality for the hell of it. She'd absolutely planned on complying with the "request" to not explore the premises after curfew. But she also can't just ignore it when she swears she hears the crying of a little girl somewhere out there in the hallway, with a suspicious clarity. She slips out of the room she's sharing with Ritsuka to investigate, doing her level best to step lightly through the halls. One creak could bring down the wrath of the staff. But the suspicious sound is hard to pin down—it seems to come from here, then there, leading her farther and farther from her room . . .

Maybe you're investigating too. Or maybe you're up for a midnight snack, or maybe you're just an asshole who was dying to get a look around this place at night because the hosts were so insistent you not do that. Either way, you're about to have an encounter with at least this girl, and who knows what else lurking in the halls?]

TIME TO TEAR IT UP (ping pong prompt)

[pivotpoint]

[Chidori too is in the modest yukata provided by the inn for after-bath activities. However... she also has to wear a little tanktop underneath because she's a little too curvy for the yukata to stay modest.

When she spots Mash over by the tables Kaname picks up an unused paddle and spins it in her hand.]

Up for a game?

aw yeah

[shieldher]

I'd love to!

[Yesss, her time has come! Mash perks up immediately. She is absolutely going to be out of her league here, and she knows it. That paddle-spinning technique . . . ! Could this girl be an expert?!

Well, she at least looks cool doing it.]

I've never played before, so . . . I won't tell you to go easy on me, but I'm sorry if I'm not much of a challenge either. It looks like so much fun that I've never forgive myself if I didn't at least give it a try.

[pivotpoint]

It's not my area of expertise, so we might be more evenly matched than you think.

[She's just used to also spinning her baseball bat in her hands, so there's a little crossover there. Kaname collects the small plastic ball, and holds it up for Mash to see.]

Did you want to serve first?

[shieldher]

Hmm . . . all right. I'll do my best! Really, as long as I don't hit either of us in the head with the ball, I'll call that a success.

[She holds her hand out for the ball with a sheepish smile. Sports are a whole new kind of athleticism unlike what she's used to. However well she knows the rules thanks to the infodump in her head, and however much she works her body on the battlefield, putting all of it together into a whole new game in practice is nerve-wracking. But it's exciting, too, so why not?]

My name is Mash Kyrielight. Here I go!

[pivotpoint]

Kaname Chidori with the counter strike!

[Dramatically Kaname hits back Mash's serve, but she makes sure to be gentle enough that the volley keeps. She's more interested in actually playing and seeing how long they can go than actually trying to score on the other girl.

Or at least that will be the case until she feels confident that Mash is comfortable enough with the game to actually play properly.]

[shieldher]

[The first serve is clumsy, but serviceable (ha). It does not hit anyone in the head! As she warms up, Mash plays with all the obviousness of what she is: a person skilled athletically and in the basic requirements of this game, like good aim, but not one who knows any technique or has a working sense of how to win. That can come in time. For now, she does just fine volleying the ball back, returning it without any danger that she might score. But it stays in play easily, and neither does she make any incredibly easy openings. Shielder, a defensive player? Say it ain't so!

Either way, it is exactly as fun as it looked, and it doesn't take long for Mash to start getting hype about it.]

[pivotpoint]

[Kaname is all smiles as she plays. Her athleticism has always been a happy outlet for frustration and to let off steam. So even if she's not able to score this is still a Good Time. As they go on and it proves Mash can handle herself she'll start trying to get a point. A little more pep in her step and a bit of flair in the flick of her wrist when she hits the ball with her paddle.]

Not bad, not bad! Think you can still keep up?

[shieldher]

[It happens: Kaname scores her first point, because Mash wasn't prepared for the spin on that ball. She watches it go by with a little gasp of surprise. No!! Well, it's only one point . . . and a learning experience at that. Now she knows what to look out for, kind of! She goes to grab the ball and then to serve it again, in accordance with the rules, determined:]

Absolutely! Don't get too cocky because you have the lead!

[Now that she has the hang of it, this serve is a lot more firm.]

[pivotpoint]

What if I'm just the right amount of cocky?

[She teases. Chidori goes back to allowing a friendly volley again. Scoring so soon after her first point wouldn't be in good sport! Besides, now Mash expects her to be on the offensive. Two in a row is probably expected.]

[shieldher]

[That is absolutely what she expects, and is a little surprised when it doesn't come. At the same time, it's a good chance for her to begin getting the feel of playing more offensively herself: she's seen it in action now, and has a breather. After a little back and forth, she goes for it, swinging harder and aiming at a point that she's hoping is closer to Kaname's body than she's expecting to have to hit. It's not coming to her naturally yet, but she's warming up!]

Then . . . then enjoy it while it lasts! Hyah!

[Also, she's really, really not good at trash talk.]

THRILLER NIGHT

[representment]

[There's more than one out-of-place tagalong on this trip. Maybe even more so than Mash, since even if Mitsunari is familiar with a handful of the attendees the odds that any of them would have invited him are... slim? None???

But here he is. Throwing open one of the doors behind Mash and stepping out, pale enough in his white yukata that he could be a ghost, himself.]

You! Have you the slightest idea what time it is?! Weep silently or move on from your pain!

[shieldher]

[AaaAAAAAAaaahhhHHHHHHHhhhhhh

Luckily she doesn't quite do that. That would definitely get the staff down on their heads. But on the inside, she is definitely shrieking as she whips around in surprise at the unexpected company. Mitsunari may look like a ghost, but could any ghost be this fussy?!

After the initial adrenaline rush, Mash sags in place and tries to still her pounding heart.]

It isn't me . . . please keep your voice down!

[She's in her own eggplant-colored sleep yukata, half blending in with the dark of the halls.]

[representment]

What?

[Whoops, he did get a little loud there, huh... and not even at the culprit. He pulls a sheepish grimace and glances down the hall to make sure nobody else is coming out, then turns to listen for the crying instead. Hard to tell which way it's even coming from. The acoustics in these old buildings, am I right?]

...A child? [Well, he's quieter, even if he seems just as unsympathetic about sad baby tears.] I thought this whole inn was reserved for our group alone.

[shieldher]

[Mash relaxes. At least this guy isn't a ghost or someone about to start a fight in the hallway after midnight. She's not sure the crying is coming from a ghost either, to be fair, but the atmosphere is what it is. The middle of the night in an unfamiliar and nearly silent inn is just going to be creepy, no matter what. If anything, company makes it a little less so.]

I thought so too. I'm a little relieved I'm not the only one who can hear it. I was beginning to wonder about that . . . I can't find where it's coming from.

[representment]

[He folds his arms over his chest and taps a knuckle lightly to his chin as he considers the situation. Everyone else must be a deep sleeper... how nice for them.]

The only place it could possibly be coming from is the innkeeper's room. Do they really expect to stay in business if they let their child squall through the night...? Come, we're putting an end to this.

[She doesn't have to come, but he figures she might want to if she was looking anyway, so... Onward! Time to (quietly!) march down the hall in prooobably the right direction.]

[shieldher]

[It's A Direction, at least, and not the one Mash came from, so it's good enough for her. She's already beginning to get a picture of what kind of guy this is: he's far from the first commanding (bossy) and formal (nerdy-sounding, not that she can throw stones about being a nerd) man she's known. Even the sound of his voice adds to the effect . . . is that her imagination, or isn't it? It works either way. She wouldn't refuse anyway, but she's able to do so even less, following him like she would a certain King of Babylon she'd once taken similar orders from.

Not that she can just go along without question:]

I'm not so sure about that. Do you know where their room is? I guess we'll know for sure if it gets louder the closer we get.

[representment]

-nh.

[His confident strides come to a stumbling halt as he realizes that no, he has no freaking clue where the innkeeper's room is. But it obviously has to be in the building, or they wouldn't be having this problem!

Mitsunari takes a breath to recollect himself before actually looking at Mash.]

That's the idea. [At least IT IS NOW.] We can rule out this hall. It must be either toward the entrance or upstairs.

[If that's where the crying might be coming from, then what's that small shadow that runs loudly down the end of the hall behind him?]

[shieldher]

[Oh no. She catches that mental swerve back onto the road, and while she's too polite to say anything unless they really get into trouble because of it, it's quietly amusing enough that she has to smile. Nothing wrong with playing along for now. Mash opens her mouth to agree, because it does sound logical enough despite the misstep—

But rather than anything coming out of it, her mouth just hangs open for a moment when she catches sight of that darting patch of darkness behind him. Had he heard that? For a moment she can only gesture, but finally—]

Wait! Behind you!

[It comes out a little too loud in her excitement. Here's hoping no one's attention was gotten by that.]

I saw something!

[representment]

[Phew... she didn't call him out, which obviously means she didn't notice his little slip-up. HIS DIGNITY LIVES TO DIE ANOTHER DAY.

But will they survive? Stay tuned...]

Hm?

[He turns his head quick as the hawk his dumb hair makes him resemble, but it's already too late. He narrows his eyes a little, then huffs quietly.]

Are you trying to prank me? [That's what fellow kids do on these kinds of trips, and this would be the best time to do it! Good thing he doesn't buy into that crap.]

[shieldher]

I'm not!

[Fortunately or unfortunately, Mash is too caught up in pursuing the truth! to make much of a fight about that. She just rejects the notion firmly, already moving to push past him and head down the hall in that direction instead. He can follow her or not! She kind of hopes he does, because this is getting pretty freaky, but whatever! Despite her full awareness of the creepiness, though, she moves with confidence—if quietly. Somehow, the idea of being caught and scolded is as bad as or worse than the idea of running into some kind of evil spirit at the end of this hallway.]

Wait for it...

[representment]

[He's pretty sure the crying wasn't even coming from that direction...? Then again, it does seem to be from a new source every time it reaches his ears. Maybe this is why. Someone's running around and doing it on purpose after all.

Well, it's not like he can just go back to bed and leave this be now, can he? He's invested. And he wants to know who the culprit is so he can make them repent. So he follows Mash, quickly catching up and even overtaking her HIS LEGS ARE SO LONG. HE'S ALL LEG. JESUS

And then. THEY TURN THE CORNER.]

2/3

[powerhittou]

[Just in time to run into these idiots.

At least one of them starts screaming.]

OKAY.

[representment]

[This one joins in.]

THE GANG'S ALL HERE FOLKS......

[hackerlad]

[And this one--well okay, no, he doesn't actually scream. But like, you know, it's startling enough to round a corner and suddenly find more people on the other side! Stack that on top of already being kind of hyped up about ghosts...alongside just how jarring a bunch of sudden screams in a dark quiet hallway can be in, general--

Yeah it's less a scream and more a small shout. Hard-coded impulse kicking in before thought does, 9S is grabbing at Masamune's shoulder to attempt yanking him back to safety with one hand, while his other arm whips up.]

--Gah, hey! What the--

[Ah--ah--he just barely manages to stop himself from pulling a sword out of inventory right then and there, but it's a near thing; instead 9S's reaching hand grasps at empty air over his shoulder where the hilt would be, as visceral surprise passes and the faces in the dark in front of them actually begin to register a bit. One of them is entirely unfamiliar, but the other one...well! It definitely puts the possibility of a spirit encounter right out the window pretty quick! Since--]

M-Mash?!