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.]

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Comments

[nightwild]

... "Talk to people", huh.

[remember how her talking to people went last time, Jumpy. Her voice makes it clear how she thinks that would go.]

Well... Helps them more than what I did.

[coolerjunpei]

[Oh, he remembers!! Practice makes perfect, girl! Still, he won't sugarcoat it: she kinda messed it up bigtime back there, so,]

More like... interview people. Not flip out on them. Or start swinging.

[nightwild]

... It's not like I'm trying to flip out on people.

[She grumbles, but she knows he's right.]

[coolerjunpei]

Sure, just...

[Well, she clearly knows it hasn't been going well for her, so it would be just shitty of him to rub salt in the wound. He sighs.]

I dunno, just work on it, yeah? People around here probably won't hold a grudge for that long...

[nightwild]

Well... Whether they do or don't doesn't affect me much.

[After all, she spends most of her time alone.]

... How are you supposed to talk to people without pissing them off? It seems like most people know all these rules about how to talk, and no one ever told me them.

[coolerjunpei]

[Oh, he is the wrong person to ask about this, his best efforts always wind up awkward. He'll... try.]

Uh... I guess it helps not to assume everybody sucks?

[nightwild]

Mmph. Most people do, though. At least most people I've met.

[coolerjunpei]

Okay, but you see how that's going to start off on the wrong foot with a lot of people, right? If I walk up to somebody like, Hey, I'm Junpei, and you fucking suck but what's up, of course people are going to react badly.

[nightwild]

I don't say that!

... Not unless people give me a reason to.

[coolerjunpei]

Alright, alright, it was an example. But you just said most people suck, so has everyone here really given you a reason?

[nightwild]

I mean, other than that mess of a big meeting?

[She's a little salty.]

... Not here, I guess. Most people here have been pretty honest.

[coolerjunpei]

[Okay, that's progress, he thinks. Maybe.]

Well, what was so bad about the meeting? Pretend I never saw it and explain it to me.

[nightwild]

[She just sort of. Winces. But.]

It was, uh... I mean, you... There was a lot of... There was that AI message, and... There was a ton of arguing? And no one made any goddamn sense.

[coolerjunpei]

[.....Okay, they can work on explaining things, too.]

And...? People argue all the time.

[nightwild]

And...

Look, you know how bad it went! Do we have to do this?

[she's actually the worst in the world at pretending things.]

[coolerjunpei]

Well, no, I guess not. But you wanted to know how to talk people, and usually thinking about messing up the first time helps with the next time. And...

[Mmmm--okay,] You said some shit to Charles that was kind of fucked up, so I'm just trying to get where you're coming from, you know?

[So that he doesn't flip out. Take note of this pro strat.]

[nightwild]

Which... Which one was Charles. I said a lot of shit there.

[helping.]

[coolerjunpei]

[He mutters a quiet jeez, but give him a second to twist and look around, since Charles did come here with him— he literally points over to him once he spots him, but in case that doesn't help:]

That's him. He was talking about people who're dead back home, and you told him they shouldn't stick around.

...And you know how that sounds, right? Not even remembering...?

[nightwild]

[Oh. That one.]

... It's the truth, isn't it? Once you die, you're supposed to move on and reincarnate. It's not like that guy's a Buddha.

[She looks down again. The face of one of her allies flashes through her mind.]

... And someone staying past their time can only ever bring suffering. To themselves, and everyone around them.

[coolerjunpei]

[This is anti-ghost propaganda...]

Oh, come on. He's standing right over there. Does it look like people are suffering?

[nightwild]

Maybe not yet, but... Every time I've seen someone wish to bring back a dead person, or to extend someone's life, it's...

[She puts her kebab back down. This isn't a topic that makes her want to eat.]

... It ends badly. Even King Hades can't do more than....

[She trails off, shaking her head.]

[coolerjunpei]

Okay, and maybe I could start punching everybody here in the face, but until something actually happens, you shouldn't go around telling people they don't count and they should fuck off.

[He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, like, okay. Hang on.]

That's the problem, get it? It's not really about dead people, it's about writing people off as soon as you can.

[nightwild]

[... She frowns. Something about this isn't adding up, but she doesn't know how to express it. There's a feeling building up in her chest, but she doesn't know how to get it out.

She knows this feeling. She's going to end up making a mistake soon, but she doesn't know how to stop it. That's how it always goes when this feeling starts. She can't express what she feels, and it inevitably ends in blowing up.]

I'm not writing people off. But dead people don't get to decide how I live.

[coolerjunpei]

Okay! Okay, but that works in reverse, too. The rules are different here— people who died are still here, so if they can't tell you what to do, then...?

[He gestures, like, yeah? Pick up what he's putting down, maybe?]

[nightwild]

... The rules are different here?

[hold up. hold on. hold up.

why is she making it sound like that had literally never occurred to her.]