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]

[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?!

[shieldher]

[She throws her arm up too as if she's about to summon her shield, but no! These are friends, not foes! Or at least one of them is, and the other is a screaming boy she's never met, who is probably not a ghost or a danger! Probably.

That sure did give her a heart attack, though. She stumbles backwards in shock and catches her breath, and finally the first thing she comes out with is:]

P-please keep your voices down!

[Which she says very loudly herself, to be heard over the screaming. So . . . maybe not a huge success.]

[representment]

[At least the screaming's shortlived enough. Kind of. After the initial burst of surprise, Mitsunari's the first between the two to shut his mouth, and after a small sigh of mixed relief and irritation he regains his composure like nothing happened at all. He recognizes one of these ghosts and has therefore solved the mystery.]

You see? What you thought was the wailing of an infant was only the One-Eyed Dragon. What a waste of time.

[Not even going to say hello to the newcomers, huh... Charming.]

[powerhittou]

Oi! Who the hell even invited you, Ishida...

[Something about the other girl seems familiar, but he can't put his finger on it- and anyway, with his heart still racing, he's not quite up to sitting and thinking on it right now. He clears his throat and puts his hands on his hips, looking between the other three. So everyone knows the girl but him, huh. That's fine! He doesn't feel excluded or anything!

At least he does lower his voice now. For whatever that's worth.]

What're you guys doing sneaking around after curfew anyway, huh? I almost had a heart attack!

[hackerlad]

Er--right, sorry...

[9S is promptly lowering his own voice too, sounding sheepish enough to hopefully compensate for all three of them. All prospects of danger seemingly averted, 9S releases Masamune's shoulder quickly enough too, folding his arms and blinking between Mash and the new stranger alike. Well, geez...this new guy sure doesn't exactly seem like the friendly and polite type, that huge lack of greeting and an immediate insult in Masamune's direction considered. Looks like these two might know each other? Ah, but it also seems like Mash has been hanging out with this "Ishida" too, so maybe he's alright after all? Still, as 9S can't help but blurt out at the accusation:]

Uh, "wailing of an infant"...? This guy hasn't been crying at all, actually, I can confirm. [Because sure, they might be literally just delinquent roommate acquaintances at the moment--but still!! Assuming that "One-Eyed Dragon" is actually referring to him--and 9S kind of figures it is, considering he's the only party with only one eye visible in this whole lot--he may as well defend Masamune's not-crybaby honor a little bit!!! He just screams really easily apparently, that's not the same thing at all....but anyhow, it's time to look over to Mash again after this.] Aha, I guess we're not the only ones breaking rules right now...you guys should be careful, though! There's cursed spirits going around here.

[Stated gravely, as fact.]

[shieldher]

[Until 9S confirms her suspicions, Mash glowers a little behind the backs of the others—she can't help it! She may be bad at controlling her volume sometimes, but she's not an idiot, and she knows babies crying when she hears them! Not to mention she's pretty sure the darting shadow she saw before wasn't either of these guys. Does she have evidence? No, not even a little . . . so maybe it would be easier to let them hash it out and slip away on her own in pursuit of whatever's really going on . . .

But no, she isn't the only one, thank god. Her eyes widen at the words cursed spirits and nods, keeping her voice down this time, and hoping the other two do the same. That may be a bit too much to hope for.]

Cursed spirits . . . I knew something was going on. The sounds I heard weren't any of you. That's why I woke up in the first place. I should have realized I'd run into other people who heard the same thing.