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

[hackerlad]

[Honestly, it's not as if 9S wouldn't normally have at least a few reservations about moving closer to a naked girl in turn himself--but the water's got a pale quality to it here (something about the mineral composition in it?), making it harder to see through and easier to forget about the little things, like awkward nudity or what have you. Not to mention the soothing heat of it all, and the genuine interest of the conversation at hand...with everything combined, he ends up closing the distance without actually thinking too hard about it, eventually settling beside Mash with his back against the edge of the bath. This makes it easier to follow her line of sight from the rafters to the distantly audible strains of Shenanigans off in the distance...ah.....

(Really, 9S is starting to fall under the unfortunate impression that petty slapfights are just, always a thing in places like this...but yeah, it sure is a crowd here, isn't it?)]

Hah, I'd never even read anything about something like this before...never found any records about this sort of thing, anyway. I'd always heard about humans constructing whole facilities to spend free time at--like amusement parks, and things? But a resort dedicated to a bunch of giant hot baths... [He laughs, shaking his head.] I mean, it even sounds kind of weird out loud! To me, anyway? Not that it's a bad thing, either, but I sure don't know how people actually think up things like this!

[His glance shifts back to Mash eventually, though, as his attention does the same; 9S smiles ruefully.]

I mean, I dunno, you did manage to notice me ducking under water for way too long.... [Never mind how that fell a lot more under "looks like drowning" than "looks like he has no clue what he's doing"--] Still, that's fair. I didn't know you were here too! I'd like to think I'm usually pretty good at tracking my surroundings, but there's, uh. A lot of distractions here... [He shrugs, the movement eliciting a bit of a splash, before tilting his head a little.] --Oh, speaking of which, though. What's "table tennis"?

[shieldher]

Oh! I'll show you later, if you want! It's a game where two or four people hit a ball back and forth across a table with paddles.

[Once again, she's kind of hype to describe it; it's fun, after all! She worked up a sweat with Kaname! And anything that's fun is worth her enthusiasm, no matter how mundane it might be for other people. For her, it's a new experience to drink in.]

You hit the ball to one another until someone gets it past their opponent. The rules are a little more complicated than that, but that's the main goal. It's a lot more active than it sounds, once you get used to the rhythm and learn strategy.

[Maybe he'll want to play with her! The thought is exciting. Of course she hadn't won against Kaname, and was a beginner herself, but teaching someone else is just a different kind of fulfilling, and they'll be on more even ground . . .

It's funny: thinking about a silly game where you hit a ball back and forth on a table isn't that different from thinking about the existence of a resort dedicated to hot water in holes in the ground. Mash laughs a little, staring down at the vague shape of her body under the water, marveling at how little she can see of it despite how clean and pristine the spring feels.]

Games like this are another thing people came up with to entertain themselves . . . it's interesting. You're right. I guess we come up with anything we can to stimulate ourselves and make bonds with one another. If we didn't find ways to make the world into an experience, we wouldn't really be the same.