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

[powerhittou]

[Okay, he definitely wasn't expecting that one. It's a direct hit, sending him spinning like a breaching whale right through the far wall. ...It probably sends his yukata flying right off, too. There's nothing else.

Okay... Now he's interested.

He sits up amongst splintered wood and wipes the back of his hand across his bleeding lip. And grins like an absolute madman.]

Ha! I knew there was something about you the moment I laid eyes on you. [Eye.] You want to get a real party started? Fetch me my Claws.

[Surely if she thinks she knows him, she knows his swords. EVERYbody knows his swords.

Everyone's going to know the seventh sword too if he doesn't put that thing away though. Jesus.]

[pivotpoint]

[Knew?! He acted like she was the most boring human being on the planet! And now... now he looks like he might want to devour her whole. And? Not in the good way? It makes her bristle. She's ready for him should he retaliate.]

Get a grip! If you can't fight me fair like this, then what kind of man are you?

[Besides, did he just tell her to FETCH something for him? God she's gonna beat the shit out of him.]

[powerhittou]

Let me guess... in whatever dream world you're living in, I fight bare-handed?

[Yeah, pass. He's not rising to that bait. It is a shame, though... He wouldn't mind working off some of the frustration at this whole mess in the first place.

He doesn't even hide his disappointment as he stands up. ...And grabs a flat chunk of wood to hold in front of himself. Something something modesty, or whatever.]

Forget it. You've got a strong arm, but it's not what I need right now.

[He's going to rescue his robe, even though it's all gross and dirty now. Boo.]

[pivotpoint]

[Once he's covered himself Kaname has closed the distance between them again. Her fist stops just short of his chest. Her outstretched hand with the dog tag in it.]

If that's the case take this back. I don't know what's gotten into you, but the Masamune I knew I believed in, trusted, and I l— [loved.] looked after. But hey, if this is some weird-ass way of you saying you only need Kojuro that's fine too.

[She drops the dog tag. If he wants he can catch it. She's been holding it out long enough that he should be prepared to.]

If you decide you need me, my room is 24C.

[powerhittou]

[He doesn't flinch, but his eyebrows twitch in an almost-furrow. He shouldn't give a damn, but this hurts. Even without a name to attach to her face, some part of him wants to reach out and touch it and pull her back in.

But he doesn't. He looks down at the sparrows in his hand and lets her go without protest, and that same part of him tears at him in silent agony.]

waits for him at the door like this all weekend

[pivotpoint]

SNAAAKE! IT'S NOT OVER YET

[powerhittou]

[Of course, they can't avoid eachother forever. The resort's only so big. So Masamune takes the initiative to at least see her by choice instead of having some weird, awkward run-in later. Also, he doesn't know where his own room is and figures it might be with this girl, if she is supposed to be his wife or something...

By now he's had a few hours to brood and collect himself and get no closer to figuring out what the hell is going on. At least he also managed to locate the kitchens and help himself to a bottle of their finest sake. He's not a guest, he's a hostage, so he deserves to make this bullshit a little more bearable. It'll make a nice peace offering, too.

When he reaches Kaname's room, he just invites himself right on in. Or tries to. If it's locked, he'll begrudgingly call out to her ("hey, you in?"), but if it's not he's just going to slide the door open and lean against the frame.]

[pivotpoint]

[It's not locked. In fact she just got back from another bath because, uh... reasons. The hot springs here can sure be weird, and she sure had to deal with that. In fact it's made her a little more understanding about Masamune's current plight. Even if it still confuses her. So when he slides open the door he'll find her on the tatami fiddling with her yukata. Those breasts of hers making it difficult for the clothing to sit right. Because of that she's trying a few different ways to fold it so it behaves.

Kaname looks up at the sound of the door. Upon seeing him she slams the cloth together tight as a little color rises to her cheeks.]

Hello.

[powerhittou]

[Oh please, don't put those away just on his account. He doesn't say anything about it, but there's a bit of a lazy smirk on his lips.]

What do you say we try this again? [He holds the bottle up, dangling it loosely by the neck.] I even brought you a present.

[pivotpoint]

[With a sigh she waves him in. After her hands tie and tuck the obi in a hurried and messy manner. Guess she'll just have to deal with the weird way it bunches because her figure isn't as streamlined as other Japanese girls. Even when going to festivals she has to pad her tummy to make that crisp straight line...

So it does sort of loosen and allow a glimpse of cleavage here and there. How troublesome.]

I'll hear you out. Close the door though.

[Can't let the staff catch a couple of teenage drinkers.]

[powerhittou]

[Pff, since when did they put age restrictions on that? Next you'll tell him lopping off heads is illegal too.

Anyway.

He closes the door with his foot and takes a seat next to Kaname, setting the bottle and two small cups between them. His posture's even more improper than usual, somehow. More manspreading? God.]

You know my name, but I didn't get yours. Humour me a little and pretend you believe I don't know it.

[pivotpoint]

[After her experience in a spring that was a little more than unusual Kaname opts to be a bit more forgiving with him. In fact she takes the bottle from in between them and carefully pours Masamune's cup.]

Chidori Kaname. Daughter of an international politician you don't know or care about. Currently living in Chofu, Tokyo but I used to live in New York over in America.

[powerhittou]

[Ah, a political marriage. Yeah, that checks out at least. He raises his cup with the tiniest of nods and takes a long, slow sip. It burns against his throat and the cut on his lip from earlier.]

I won't bother reintroducing myself. Not that I'm familiar with half of the terms or places you think I'm affiliated with.

[He stares down into his drink, tapping his finger against the side of the cup to send tiny ripples over the clear surface.]

...I swear I don't know you, but I've had this nagging feeling we've met. In a dream, or... maybe I'm in the middle of one hell of a crazy dream right now.

[pivotpoint]

[...What the hell, bro? He's not going to be polite and pour hers? Some half-assed peace offering this is. She'll just stare at him with the most passive aggression that she can muster while pouring her own.

Once that's done she'll look forward to the walls of the room filled cup in hand.]

So I had something weird happen to me in one of the springs after we had met earlier, and I think perhaps "crazy dream" is more accurate than anything else. I mean... I was always willing to hear you out, but experiencing what I did made me less angry at you I suppose.

[Because she was being honest. Should he need her she would be here. In this room with her heart wounded waiting for an answer with hope to patch things up.]

[powerhittou]

[Uh, even if he did care enough to mind his manners, he's not going to pour for the girl who punched him. Even if it was impressive. Her passive-aggression has nothing on his petty baby spite.

(He even snorts softly at "I was always willing to hear you out." Is that what she calls it...)]

Oh yeah? So what happened to you? [She at least seens to know who and where she is... Not that he'd know if she was wrong. The springs, though. That's interesting.]

[pivotpoint]

I, uh... [She sighs heavily trying to figure out how to word this.]

When I touch water my body changes now. It's pretty freaky. I took a nap in the spring and woke up different.

[But at least playing around with some water back and forth helped her figure out how it works.]

[powerhittou]

. . .

[He stares at her, expressionless. Seriously...]

Yeeeah. That'll happen when you stay in water for too long.

[And here he thought he might have a clue at last. SIGH. Welp, time to finish this drink off early.]

1/2

[pivotpoint]

Jackass.

[She swipes the small cup from him as soon as he's emptied it. Chidori stomps off to the small bathroom that's connected to her room, and fills the cup with cold water. Then she stomps back out into the room making sure he's looking at her before splashing herself with it.]

[crabeye]

This is what I meant. Do you get it now?

[At least her yukata fits better NOW THAT SHE DOESN'T HAVE A CHEST OR HIPS TO SPEAK OF.]

[powerhittou]

...Oh.

Yeah, I think I get the picture.

[He can't stop staring. In his defense, how was he supposed to predict THIS level of weird?

And is the change... thorough? He hopes he gets to satisfy that curiousity without actually having to ask...

Masamune is sooo not drunk enough for this. But he's getting there a lot faster than he anticipated. He exhales deeply and touches his fingertips to his temple.]

I was by the springs when I realized where I was, but nothing like that's happened to me. ...Hmmh, but something doesn't feel quite right with my body.

This whole damn place is starting to stink of more than just sulphur...

[crabeye]

Hey, maybe your insides changed instead of your outsides? You don't remember how you got here, and your memory of events don't seem to match up.

[She huffs. It's clear she's... not very used to this. Sitting down is a careful act, but she also makes to pour them more to drink - returning Masamune's cup to him. Because damn, she feels like she needs to be drunker for this too.]

[powerhittou]

Another guy with one eye and my name? And the Date family crest on top of that... Hah. That's one hell of a coincidence. [He goes for another sip, but pauses as he remembers:] ...Not only that, you mentioned Kojuro's name, too.

[Here he's quick to hold up his free hand to preemptively silence her.] I don't need to hear a damn word about him to know it'll be wrong. [And he's afraid to find out the extent of it.]

I already saw a couple people who I thought were familiar faces, but they were convinced they led completely different lives. And know the same Date Masamune you do.

[Mitsunari didn't look dead inside?? Still just as friendly as ever, though. Sheesh.

...He can brush that off, but he couldn't bear to face a Kojuro whose memories don't match his own. A Kojuro who hasn't shared his life. He turns his head away and frowns.]

[crabeye]

[Kaname knocks back her small cup and pours another for herself.]

No, maybe you're the one who is wrong. Some scientists say there are multiple worlds like our own existing congruently with changes - big or small. It's a sort of multi-dimension theory that says anything that's possible exists, it just might not exist in our current world at this current time.

Maybe you and our Masamune switched places because of the spring?

[Yeah she's gonna empty her cup again. Which might not be a good idea considering how much of a lightweight she is, but... whatever.]

[powerhittou]

[He can't be one who is wrong. He's never wrong. Kaname is wrong.

But maybe she's right about the switching places thing. It doesn't make any damn sense, but neither does her turning into a guy right in front of him, and yet here they both are. This is one of the weirdest dreams he's ever had.

He silently finishes off his drink, nestled deep in his own thoughts, and even after he finishes he delays before finally standing up.]

So it's just a matter of finding the right spring to switch us back... Probably. Here. [He reaches into his sleeve and withdraws Kaname's dog tag from earlier; he wasn't going to just leave his family crest lying around, even if he didn't know what to do it. Now he's decided it's best to toss it back to her.] I'll save you an awkward conversation with your husband.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get back to-

[...to what? What the hell was he doing before he came here? He casts an uncertain glance to his hands, then the door.]

...back to... Oshuu. [Nailed it. His head is pounding like he's taken a hammer to it, anyway.]

[crabeye]

[Chidori sighs like he's the most exasperating person on the planet. And yet? She gets up to help him. After returning the dog tag to her neck, and bringing the bottle of sake with her, she hurries by Masamune's side to be there should he need help.]

Don't go fainting on me. We're not actually married so it's not like they'd let me into the hospital with you.

[She pushes the door open before nudging him out into the hall.]

What spring were you in? We'll go together.