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]

[Talk about a fast-paced work environment. Mash has seen the inner workings of Chaldea's kitchen before, to an extent, but however many people reside there, it still isn't a real restaurant with paying customers who need serving—and it isn't run by only Emiya. Chaldea Emiya, not this Emiya, whose name is also Emiya, and . . .

Well, that's something she doesn't quite know what to make of yet. It worms its way into her head, but for the moment, she says nothing. It feels like a strange thing to bring up immediately, for, you know, Some Reason that is maybe only 25% conscious right now.

More importantly, she has work to do!

At his orders, she nods and springs into action, crossing to the sink to wash her hands and then to the counter to grab the bread and knife. It feels like so little in comparison to everything he's juggling!]

Of course! You really should put out a call for more help if it's this busy . . . but I'm happy to do whatever I can. My name is Mash Kyrielight. It's nice to meet you, Emiya-san.

[Even saying it feels strange!]

[traceon]

[ His hand slips up to the side of his head at her suggestion, perhaps a twinge of embarrassment in his cheeks. But he was up for the challenge! At the same time? He also couldn't say no to assistance either- especially if it involved cooking. It's a shame that he's never gotten Mash's true name, only knowing her by her class of Shielder through Ritsuka. But, that just made this meeting between the two a little more genuine and spontaneous! Until he recognizes the Chaldea symbol on her tie. If that's the outfit she's wearing, that is. ]

I could have. But it was such short notice. Still, it's not so bad! [ He has help now, right? When she gives her name in kind, his smile broadens a little. ] Yeah, nice to meet you too, Mash.

[ As he pulls up a box of tempura mixing powder, he looks back over to her. ]

Oh, do you want an apron? I wouldn't want oil or stains to ruin your clothes if you're around a fryer.

[shieldher]

[She's wearing a yukata provided by the inn, so the mystery shall remain for at least a little while longer. And, dressed that way, she can immediately see his point. She glances up at him after slicing off the fourth piece of bread and nods, setting down the knife.]

Oh! Please. I didn't even think about it.

[Good idea. Time to grab one of those before it's too late for her poor robe.]

Since you're my cooking sensei for tonight, feel free to give me whatever orders you like. You're experienced in this, right?

[It's pretty obvious. And admirable!]

[traceon]

[ Luckily for her, they had a couple of fresh aprons hung up on a rack along the wall. Not so concerned with the color of it (an apron was an apron in a pinch!), he returns with a light lavender colored one for her. Not a bad coincidence! ]

Here. [ While she takes the apron, Shirou takes the fairly sized cuts of bread that Mash made for him. These would do quite well! He temporarily sets them aside with the rest of the ingredients for the hot sandwiches. And since she's his temporary student for the night? He'll do just that and instruct her with an easy dish! One they'd just received an order for. ] Then, in that case...

[ He puts his hands on his hips, puffing his chest just a little bit with some pride before gesturing over his shoulder to the fillets of salmon a ways down. ]

I'll show you how to make Salmon with mushrooms and butter, wrapped in foil.

[ CUE THE MUSIC. You can do this, Mash! ]

[shieldher]

[She can do this!! Actually, she hadn't expected to get a full lesson tonight, and she's not about to waste the opportunity—so, she nods firmly as she ties on her apron.]

I'd love to! As long as I'm not in your way. At Chaldea, I don't get a lot of time in the kitchen . . . but that doesn't mean I'm not interested. Both for my own sake, and if I ever want to feed anyone else. I can't count on the cooks forever.

[Can she? It's a complicated question. The idea of a future post-Chaldea feels very far away right now, and who knows how she'd feel about it anyway if the time ever came. But now isn't the time to dwell on that, is it? It's worth it enough just to be able to surprise Ritsuka with a meal sometime!

Properly aproned up, she steps up to the row of salmon fillets on the counter, at the ready.]

And that sounds delicious. They look so fresh.

[traceon]

Chaldea...?

[ He pauses only for a moment as he grabs the sake for the first step. He'd heard the name before, and while his expression is more curious than anything, there's still the more pressing matter of instructing Mash! There'd be time for that later. So instead, he simply nods at her eagerness to get better. ]

Yeah. I'm looking forward to the end result. [ A beat. ] Then, first off...

[ He pops the lid on the cooking sake as he steps in alongside her at the row of salmon fillets. Placing them in a baking tray so the next step wouldn't go spilling down the counter, he places the pieces skin-side down to start. ]

Before seasoning, sprinkle the salmon fillets with a little bit of sake. [ Of which he proceeds to do. After patting his hands for a moment, he offers a shaker of salt for his new student. Your turn, Mash! ] And salt them lightly on both sides.

[shieldher]

Here I go!

[She says it a little more like she's heading into battle than salting fish, whoops. She's just an enthusiastic girl! But she's also a quick student and not squeamish about touching the fish, so here she goes indeed, seasoning the fillets as directed.

And, since she was (kind of) asked a question:]

Chaldea is where I live. Senpai—Fujimaru-san comes from the same place. I'm not sure if you're acquainted with her. It's a research base in Antarctica where we're both staff.

[traceon]

[ While he doesn't necessarily laugh (he's tempted to!), Shirou does little to hide the amusement behind her enthusiasm. For the time being, he moves over to check up on another order once she's finished seasoning the fillets for marination. ]

Thank you, Mash. We can leave those to marinate between five to ten minutes before patting out the moisture with paper towel.

[ After he offers those instructions to her, waiting to tell her about the onion, carrot and shimeji mushrooms she can prepare in the meantime, he listens as Chaldea is brought up once more. And then? A last name he recognizes. And it almost comes naturally to him, casually remarking, ]

Ah, you're friends with Ritsuka! [ He thought he recognized the name Chaldea! Since there was a small lull in the business and they had the time, he raises the back of his hand for Mash to see the command seal there. ] I'm a Master too.

[shieldher]

[Whoa, wait! That adds a new dimension to things; Mash's eyes widen in surprise. She hadn't really expected to encounter another Master here. At least he's clearly on good terms with Ritsuka, and so there's no reason to be anything other than fascinated. Honestly, it's something of a relief to have someone else around she can be open with who'll understand the situation between Mash and Ritsuka—she can hardly go around telling just anyone that Ritsuka is her "Master." It sounds a certain way.]

Oh! I didn't realize . . . then I can tell you I'm her Servant without it sounding strange.

[There's pride in her smile. Mash knows she has a truly great Master. Why not feel good about it?

But they are also in the middle of something. She almost forgot!]

—Oh, what else can I do while we wait?

[traceon]

[ Considering Mash's Demi-Servant status, it certainly would have been difficult for a novice like Shirou to ascertain that Ritsuka was her Master. It dawns on him that she must have been the 'Shielder'-class Servant that she'd talked so much about. If he knew Saber's true name, he would have likely gotten to know Mash by her name sooner. But it seemed that the two of them played things safe from the start. After all, it was still the practical thing to do during any Holy Grail War.

Still! He'd be a liar if he said that being in familiar company didn't put him at ease more so. ]

She's a really good person. I have no doubt you two work great together.

[ His own smile is sincere in kind. With how similar she was to him in some aspects, he couldn't help but admire Ristuka for what she'd been able to accomplish, considering where she started. But she didn't do it alone. Not without the likes of Mash and the many other heroic spirits that had joined their side for the sake of saving humanity. Such a cause... How could he not admire the people leading the charge? ]

That's right. [ With that said, Shirou is back to business with the veggies! It really wouldn't take her long to do, after all. ] While we're waiting for the salmon, you can chop the onion and carrot into thin slices. Once you separated the shimeji mushrooms, go ahead and put down a layer of onion and carrot, with some finely ground consommé.

You can pat down the salmon before seasoning them with salt and pepper.

[shieldher]

[Yes, instructions intensify! Now it really feels like she's helping properly. Mash begins work on the carrots and onions with a nod. Knife work isn't her specialty, and the cuts are far from expert, but they're passable, even if her technique could use some work. (And even if she begins to tear up at the onion-cutting pretty quickly, so when she responds to Shirou, she might look and sound a little more upset than the conversation warrants.)]

Yes . . . she really is. Ever since we met—I could sense that she was, and it didn't take very much time at all for her to prove it. She's the kind of person who doesn't even have to think about being good. Or—maybe it's that she doesn't have to think about being human. I think that's worth even more, to me.

[She sniffles conspicuously, but—]

I-I'm all right, it's just the onions!

[traceon]

[ There was a trick to cutting onions without crying. Or at least, a couple of different ones. Slicing them the way that she did, not to mention when her work wasn't the best (still just fine in his eyes!) crushed them more than it did slice them sometimes. That released enzymes that provoked her to tear up. There's a part of him that can't help but be touched by the way that she talked about Ritsuka. She truly was something special, after all.

Then again, this Mash girl seemed the same. At least, in Shirou's eyes. With everything that he'd heard about 'Shielder' and all that. Before he can get a chance to ask her what's wrong (not cluing in immediately to the onions being the culprit just yet,) she corrects him with a cute little sniffle. ]

Ah-- [ And then, unable to help himself, he laughs a little bit. The kitchen was one of the few places he felt at peace in, and bringing a little happiness into the world from here was something he would always accept. ]

You're doing great, Mash. I'll show you how to cut them without crying as much next time. [ As he says this, he waits by her side until she's finished, bringing over some soft tissue for Mash to use if needed be. ] Here. Just make sure not to rub your eyes with your hands yet.

[shieldher]

[Oh thank goodness, she'd just been wondering about how to wipe her eyes without making this worse. She takes the tissue gratefully, laughing, which only sounds a little like she's laughing through tears. It really is funny.]

This is my first time cutting onions. I knew about the effect, but it slipped my mind until I could feel it happening. Thank you! It's more embarrassing than I expected . . .

[She hands the tissue back and then goes to wash her hands properly, still smiling at the minor mishap.]

Sorry to interrupt.

[traceon]

[ Hearing her laugh along with him, he can't help but have a warm sensation spread from his chest. For someone he'd only just met (and being away from the people he usually knew,) Mash was doing a good job at making him feel home, even far away from his own. ]

It's okay. I won't tease you too much over it.

[ Time was fleeting, passing them by in no time flat when it's time for the next step. ]

Go ahead and season the salmon now. Put your layer of carrots and onions down with the consommé on a sheet of aluminum foil, and put the salmon on top with the mushrooms and a chunk of butter.

[shieldher]

Mmhmm!

[All right! It really does sound incredibly easy the way he presents it, and to her surprise, it is. It's interesting: as a person with an encyclopedic knowledge of many things that doesn't necessarily translate into experience or skill with them, Mash feels that there should be something more to this than just following directions. Cooking well has always seemed like a secret art given only to those with a talent for it. And, if she had to do this herself, she would flounder . . . but doing it with someone else, it feels more natural than she would have thought.

She works on layering the ingredients properly, thinking about both that and the revelation that had come before she got distracted by cooking.]

Emiya-san—can I ask you something? What's it like being a Master where you come from?

[traceon]

[ While Mash continues to work on the salmon and layering it up before wrapping the packages for the fillets, Shirou returns to another order of hamburg, placing the finishing touches and checking the internal temperature. Yosh. That should do the trick. As he's plating up for an order out, he goes quiet for a moment or two. Not because it was hard to talk about, but because he has to reflect back over what's happened already.

From the night he was killed and brought back, to the way the moonlight accentuated the beauty of the King of Knights as she asked if he was indeed her Master... So much had happened already, but one thing remained perfectly clear to the very end though, as he plates up and sends out the order. ]

Well, for one, we only have one Servant each. Saber is mine. But...

[ Mash would understand. More than Shirou actually realized, considering she's been to the city he's talking about. He's decided as such that it's alright to share. ]

I became a Master so that what happened ten years ago in Fuyuki wouldn't repeat itself. It's been hard,— [ An understatement, considering all the bad ends times he's nearly been killed already. ] —but I won't give up until I've made it to the end. That way no one else will have to suffer.

[ It was heavier than he would have liked, but it was the truth all the same. Ritsuka and Mash were charged with restoring humanity itself, after all. That being said, however, he reflects back to the girl waiting for him back home with a smile. ]

I got to meet Saber because I became a Master though. And I'm glad for that.

[shieldher]

[Fuyuki. She remembers immediately, turning to Emiya with wide eyes in the middle of laying the salmon down on the bed of vegetables. At least she manages not to drop the last piece. As he reflects back on Saber, she lowers it onto the sheet slowly, letting the words sink in. Saber . . . was his Saber the Saber of Fuyuki, Arturia Pendragon? On one hand, there's no reason to think so. But on the other, it's already enough of a coincidence that Mash feels immediately that it must be true.

But regardless, his feelings for his own Saber are obvious in the way he says it, and Mash finds herself warm with a sort of indirect happiness at that kind of bond. What would it be like, to be Ritsuka's only Servant? But she knows that, even though she isn't, what they have is special and different, and that maybe Emiya feels the same way in his own bond.

She steps back from the now-prepared salmon, meeting his eyes.]

You care about her a lot, don't you?

[Emiya hadn't said Saber was a her, but Mash finds herself already imagining Arturia—though she doesn't realize it's the wrong version she has in mind.]

I'm glad. I can't imagine having a Master I didn't feel the same way about. And—she'd be happy to hear it too. Speaking as Senpai's Servant, I worry a lot about whether she thinks all of this is worth it . . . if a Servant can make their Master feel confident that it is, that means a lot. That's what I think.

[traceon]

A-Ah, [ He blushes. It's nothing heavy, but even if he didn't answer her, that alone was telling enough about what she meant to him. ] well, she is my Servant, after all. But... I do. Saber means a lot to me.

[ It was easier to say to someone else rather than saying something as brave as that to Saber's face (not without getting flustered, that is.) Shirou cared about her quite a bit. Enough so that if he had it his way, he would have been the one protecting her from everything that came their way. But Shirou also understood that things didn't work that way in the Holy Grail War. Although they fought together...

Saber was strong. Very strong. As long as he could fight alongside her, that's what mattered in the end. He takes a moment's pause from preparing the rest of the dish (all that was left was to get the tall frying pan heated and the salmon packets wrapped up for baking on the stovetop,) his smile lifting a bit more as he listens to Mash talk about her Master in kind. ]

With someone like you by her side, I bet it's worth every second.

[ He liked her. He could tell that she was a good person— more than that, actually. And between how Ritsuka talked about Mash and even from just this brief time spent with her, teaching her something so simple as making a salmon dish, he truly believed in what he said.

That, and there was little that could change his mind once Emiya Shirou was set on something. He was stubborn like that. ]

[shieldher]

[Well, now they're both blushing. That's fine! Mash finds it easier to stare down at the salmon's appealing plating (packeting?!) than to look up at Shirou, but whatever, that works too.]

That's . . . w-well, I hope so . . .

[Her mind spins its wheels trying to come up with something else to say on the subject, but it can't. Anything more feels like it's getting into truly embarrassing territory, especially with someone she's just met. And who knows Ritsuka! Better than he knows Mash, at that!

At last she lands on something else entirely. It's no less awkward, but her brain seizes on it as the first alternative to present itself, so it comes out pretty suddenly when she lifts her head again:]

—Emiya-san, is your Saber King Arthur?

[traceon]

[ Fortunately, although Mash's question would eventually come and shift the gears a little bit, Shirou was ready for the next step. He already had a tall frying pan on low heat prepared for her! ]

Yosh. Not much left now. [ He'll step in beside Mash as he nods down at the way she'd set up the salmon and everything on top. ] All we have to do is wrap it up, seal the ends of the foil and put it on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

[ Like so! He works slow with one of the packs so that she can follow suit. The question about his Servant's identity catches him by surprise. At the time of meeting Ritsuka, her true name was a mystery...but... ]

How did you know?

( OOC; Gonna just play it loosey goosey and say Shirou does know since memes. 👍 )

MEME CONTINUITY IS ITS OWN THING . . . thumbs up

[shieldher]

[Sealing up is a go! That may not have been the most difficult prep work in the world, but she still feels nicely accomplished for having done so much of it. And once that's done, she's understandably distracted him from any forthcoming instructions for the next dish, and wipes her hands off with a kitchen towel as she explains:]

I don't know if Senpai ever told you this . . . but the two of us have been to Fuyuki before. Actually, that was the first Singularity Chaldea ever found. That was where I learned how to act as a Servant. And the Saber we met there was Arturia Pendragon. So—I wondered if that part might have been the same, even though the Singularity wouldn't have gone the way your own time did.

plot progression across memes. i'm here for it. lmao

[traceon]

[ Shirou does the same thing, the two of them having time for the salmon to finish up. He'd sent out the other orders too so it seemed like they were sitting pretty comfortably as far as making new stuff went. He wipes his hands on another kitchen towel much like Mash had, patting his hands down on the front of his apron shortly thereafter. The revelation that the two of them had gone to Fuyuki before was definitely new to the boy. He'd thought that Ritsuka coming with him and Saber for shopping and dinner that one day had been her first time.

Not that he was upset that he was never told about it or anything... But it was no wonder that she seemed so familiar with his Servant before. That both of them did. He'd have thought that Arturia had gone from the last Holy Grail War into the one they had currently been in, so hearing that she'd been across their own time as well caught him off guard. ]

I see... [ Shirou sounds thoughtful. They were in charge of restoring humanity, preventing its end and persevering into the unknown future. So the fact they had to visit Fuyuki in their own world and time had him wondering. What had happened to cause them to have to investigate? ] Well, if Saber was there with you, I'm sure things must have turned out alright.

You're both here now. [ He speaks from a place where he knew very little of just what kind of Servants they were up against in that first encounter. Surely, Arturia would have been a great help to them in that time, right? ]