open mingle: the hot springs episode

[izanagis]

Who: everyone!
Where: the hot springs by Astralin's farm
What: food, fun, and absolutely no funny business, i'm sure
Warnings: i'm sure some form of stupid and/or unhinged will present itself, but until then--! nothing!

The onsen

A Japanese-inspired hot springs located near the farm where Chosen are encouraged to relax and soak. There's an indoor area to relax, as well as changing rooms that, for Chosen who have been there in the past, seem to have been recently upgraded, removing cracks between the doors and increasing privacy. Hmm...

[On the morning of October 4th, a quick message goes out over the network:]

Onsen cookout tomorrow (10/5) from noon through evening, hosted by the cooking club.
Bring a dish, drink, or game, if you want.

[Okay, so it's a simple message, but he's a silent protag, so what else do you expect? It lists a location, at least.

Anyway. The rules of the hot springs have changed remarkably little in the almost-year that they've been here, though there are no longer attendants there to enforce said rules—right now, very few locals seem willing to work with, or particularly for, the Chosen. So it's on the honor system. Follow the rules! For honor!

1. Best behavior.
2. The springs are co-ed, so soak at your own discretion.
3. Food is provided, alcohol is BYO.
4. No sex in the hot springs!

Simple.

It's not like the hot springs have gone unused for any period of time, but the springs and dressing rooms have been newly cleaned, restocked with fresh towels and even some snacks.

As the day turns to evening, lanterns light up the area, but the hot springs don't actually have a closing time, so there's no official end time on this gathering. It's temptingly relaxing, but don't fall asleep in the water!]

Food & Activities

The cooking club was organized by Kotone Shiomi, and is frequented by plenty of the Chosen who want to learn how to cook, improve their skills, or...want to help out by, you know. Tasting. It regularly meets in the club building in town, and sometimes club members can be coerced into providing food for events and gatherings.

[Yu has enlisted the help of the Cooking Club to do some kind of potluck-slash-cookout. People are welcome to bring their own dishes (and others are encourage to taste-test and provide feedback—this is for a club, after all!), but there's also a flat-top grill that will be manned throughout the afternoon and evening by different members of the club—or by volunteers, if you'd like.

Just…just don't give anyone food poisoning, okay?

Aside from food, there will be some other activities: decks of playing cards and other games, for some reason a cornhole game, sparklers, and other small activities. Feel free to bring your own, or hole up in the corner with a book or something, we don't control you.

Also, you may occasionally find any number of cats hanging around, as well. They look expectant, like they're waiting for food or a treat or something. Almost as if someone has been feeding them regularly.]

code

Comments

fauna | ota

[nightwild]

i. the food

[Fauna didn't even check the network to know what was going on. She was just passing by, and smelled the food. And that's how she's ended up swiping as much food as she can and finding a corner to hide in to eat. She's gotten a plate, and had filled it up with kebabs, chicken- Anything with meat that came off the grill, she's swiped some.

Unfortunately, this now means as she's sitting on the floor in the corner, she is being absolutely swarmed by cats. She's trying to eat, but the cats seem to be able to tell that she is a bleeding heart, and she ends up almost continually tossing them scraps of her meat. She's barely getting to eat any herself, with how much the cats are bothering her.]

... Come on, I need to eat too...

[And yet, she cannot resist the faces they make, and even as she says it, she starts tossing more scraps to them.]

ii. monster in the bath

[Fauna could use a soak in the hot springs, honestly. Public baths are a godsend for her, and she's stressed and wound up all the time, so something this relaxing is good for her. God knows she could use something to melt her stress- Maybe she can use this to calm down and figure out how to talk to people.

On the other hand... mixed bathing. Coed stuff. It's a mess, because she has complicated feelings about her body. Showing her body without any protection... She'd feel too vulnerable that way. She's nervous about her human body- What if people reject her and say she doesn't belong with it?

Fortunately, she has a compromise. And now there's an armored monster chilling in the water, looking as relaxed as can be. There was no rule against transforming to get into the bath, after all, so she can have a nice soak without having to be naked around people she doesn't know.]

cat time

[coolerjunpei]

[You know. Before the reset, back when a handful of people were snapping at Charles on the network, Junpei would have been too mad at Fauna to approach her first. But, well, the reset happened and nobody died and now she's covered in cats and lamenting about it, so...

Alright. Maybe he's only a little frustrated, not mad. Probably. He has a kebab of his own when he comes over, which he dangles in front of the nearest cat to distract at least one of them.]

Finally met someone hungrier than you, huh.

[nightwild]

[It's cat time! Fauna looks unsure about Junpei's approach- She's not aware of his or Charles' circumstances, but she is aware that she's... not exactly Ms. Popular right now. She's cautious, but...

Still, if he's distracting them so she can eat, she'll appreciate it. She quickly swallows a chunk of kebab- did she even chew?- and nods.]

Seems like it. You'd think these guys had never eaten before, from how much they want my food.

[And she can't really stop herself from giving in when they look at her so hopefully.]

[coolerjunpei]

[Junpei considers just leaving the kebab and minding his business, but, hmm, he's trying this new thing called "not holding a petty grudge," so - okay. He crouches down to actually feed this cat, and another one that pivots to come and get some of this kebab.]

Well, they're strays, probably...

[Cared for strays, it looks like, but still strays used to getting little treats.]

And you did grab a whole feast. [...,] You holding up okay?

[Is she eating enough...]

[nightwild]

... Yeah... I feel for the little guys.

[She eats with one hand, balances her plate in her lap, and uses a free hand to pet one of the cats...

She seems taken off-guard by the follow-up question, though.]

Huh? Me? I'm... well. I'm managing. I'm not sure what I did to piss off all the locals, instead of just the other people stuck here, but it's made it harder to swipe what I need... but I'm still surviving, anyway.

[She doesn't seem to be aware that the locals hate everyone now, not just her.]

[coolerjunpei]

Swiping probably isn't helping...

[One of the cats chooses this moment to climb up his leg, so alright, he's sitting down completely and committing to whatever this cat corner moment is, with only a little muttering "hey, ow, c'mon," at the cat. Jeez.]

But, uh, I think the locals are pretty pissed at all of us. Got a bunch of dirty looks in town the other day and all I was doing was... [uh. pda. um,] just walking down the street.

[Hmm. Well, the angry locals are their own problem.]

You really go out there and kick stuff around?

[nightwild]

Yeah, well... I'd rather they be pissed at me than I starve.

[There's other options, but she doesn't really seem like she believes in that. Still, she listens to him. Why would they be pissed at everyone...?

She doesn't seem to follow the change of topic.]

Kick stuff around? What do you mean?

[coolerjunpei]

[—Did she not...? No, surely she did go out to the terminals, hold on,]

You know, when everybody was going out into the great unknown to do that reset thing. You were kinda flipping out about it, weren't you?

[nightwild]

... Oh, that.

[She sighs, and takes another huge chunk of kebab. She's chewing like she doesn't want to actually admit it, but eventually, she has to swallow...]

I tried, anyway. But Morph and Rogue managed to hold me off long enough for everyone else to do that reset thing.

... I should've fought harder. Done better.

i.

[sinningtree]

[Kurama is never going to shake the allegations of being a stalker if they keep meeting like this. Corners and shadows are kind of just his thing. Which is why when she parks herself nearby to eat, he steps out to make himself known. Especially seeing as she's not being permitted to eat in peace.]

Not feeling very social, are we?

[nightwild]

[This guy? Fortunately, Fauna recognizes the voice, but...]

Pretty sure even if I was, no one would be particularly interested in having me around.

[sinningtree]

[His head tilts at that, considering for a moment.]

I take it that you haven't smoothed things over since the reset, that might take some time. It is not as if you were alone in your approach, I spoke to several others just as against the idea as you were after that broadcast.

[nightwild]

I'm not exactly great at talking to people.

[She bites down on a chunk of meat on her kebab, swallowing... did she even chew it?]

I dunno who else was against it, but... It's whatever. I'm not a social person anyway.

[sinningtree]

[She even eats like Yusuke...]

Talking requires some practice. I assure you, I am not the most social creature, myself. It took me quite some time to navigate human norms, and even now I tend to keep a safe distance from them.

[He says... after hiding in the shadows.]

Where I am from, it isn't unheard of to make friends with one's fists. You're still fairly new, I believe. It couldn't hurt to start small, perhaps make a friend or two at your own pace, in your own way.

[nightwild]

I still haven't figured out how to navigate 'human norms'.

[Is that what we call them now? She doesn't even seem to realize that this might mean Kurama isn't human.]

... I'm working on that. But I'm not hopeful it'll last. As long as I can eat and get through the day, that's enough.

[sinningtree]

They can be quite the challenge. It had never been my intention, however... in my case, it was essential to learn them for survival.

[A pause.]

I suppose I should not be surprised your thoughts on that matter have yet to change. You could talk to Yusuke about it, he was much the same way before we met. Perhaps he will have unique insight to share.

[nightwild]

I tried to learn. But every time I learned, I learned wrong. So I quit.

[She has to muse on that. Yusuke, huh...]

Maybe. Or maybe we can try to blow up the new building there.

[grappler]

[oh, there's Fauna again.

Vi watches her for a minute, eating her own kebab. she looks from Fauna... to the cats. then back at Fauna.]

You know, you don't have to feed them.

[she picks up the nearby bottle of liquor and takes a tiny swig of it.]

They look like they get plenty of food.

[nightwild]

Oh, hey.

[Fauna nods to her.]

... Maybe. But if they're hungry and don't have anywhere to go...

[She's kind of a bleeding heart for the strays, as it turns out.]

[grappler]

[Vi makes a sound that almost sounds like a pffft.]

They're definitely not hungry. They've been begging off of people all night.

[herself included, but. she's not going to mention that!!]

I think they live around the farm. Or... even in the city. They look like they're living it up, at least.

[nightwild]

Yeah, but I can't tell which of them have eaten and which of them h-

[... except, as she talks, one of the cats just... straight-up steals one of the skewers right out of her hand and runs off with it.]

-- Hey!

[grappler]

[. . .

Vi makes no move to follow, instead watches almost boredly.]

Saw that coming.

[she grabs one of the skewers from the table though, and hands it to Fauna.]

Don't let them fool you. They're professional beggars.

[nightwild]

[She just. Takes it with a half-hearted "thanks" and starts munching on it.]

Should probably think of it as a good thing that they're so energetic... Better than them starving.

[grappler]

[she nods a bit, and then picks up a bun of some sort and starts eating again.]

Yeah. Even I wouldn't want that.

[a couple of the cats, a little bored by Fauna, started to slink over towards Vi... meowing loudly as they come.]

Ohhh no you guys don't. I know exactly how much you buzzards have been eating.

[nightwild]

[... Okay, she can't help herself. Watching them migrate towards the most likely source of food, Fauna can't help but laugh despite herself.]

At least they're honest, right?