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

[jaganshi]

He knows where to butter his bread, aside from his affinity for redheads. No part of Hiei wants to elaborate on how much he gives a shit about the fox's opinion, even when it doesn't make any sense. So in a way, he would be thankful for the fact that his mention of plants as weapons distracts Ange enough that he does not have to elaborate on it, find a way to dodge, or quite simply tell her to mind her own business.

"Carnivorous plants, whips from flowers, blades from leaves. Plants that are harmless in the human world are incredible weapons in the demon world, I think it would be fairly endless within a forest. He once helped me source a plant that keeps its host alive so that you can torture it indefinitely for a gift." Let it never be said that Hiei is not a thoughtful gift giver if he cares about the person he is giving it to even slightly. Or, you know. He just really finds slavers despicable enough, and likes his favor enough with a former king, to source such a rare thing in the demon world.

[entreats]

"Wow. Brutal."

Maybe that's said a little bit too flatly compared to the content of what Hiei is actually saying here - especially when Ange looks like your average teenager. But she's pretty used to these levels of brutality, and the fact that Hiei is a demon makes all of this even less surprising to her.

She knows that this stuff is even more normal to demons, after all. It sounds like something the ones she summons would like.

"If you put it like that, you're making your partner sound like one of the most dangerous people in this entire place."

[jaganshi]

“He deserved it.” He doesn’t elaborate, thinking that Ange will ask if she is curious enough. Hiei and his strange sense of justice and what is and is not acceptable is always a bit of an enigma.

The mention of Kurama being brutal, though, brings a rare lightness to Hiei’s face, a little bark of a laugh. She is far from wrong, though not many people see it at first glance.

Though, mindful of the fact that Kurama is not quite so up front here as he is otherwise, will simply shrug his shoulders.

“He is … different. After his time in the human world.”

[entreats]

Ange seems a little bit more surprised about that latter statement. Not actually shocked or anything, but it's the light kind of surprise that hints at some sort of interest. Her head even tilts to the side very slightly, like she's considering those words now.

"Different in what way?"

.. hm. Maybe a little too personal, she thinks, especially when she wasn't even all that interested in the personal side of it.

So the girl shakes her head, rephrasing her question to make it a little better: "I mean, is it normal for you guys to change after spending a lot of time around humans? The demons I knew always seemed more or less the same, regardless of whether they were spending time with me or not."

[jaganshi]

This is testy ground. Not for Hiei, really, but he knows the sensitivity it takes to navigate around the subject of Shiori. Kurama’s human mother is not a weapon he wishes to give anyone against them, here or in their own world, considering they do not know where all of this will go in the end. Beyond that… he knows his partner’s sensitivity surrounding the subject as a whole.

“He is more human than demon at times.” And that’s all he’ll say about it. Elaborating? Not happening.

“I have not - “ Liar. “ - But I also spend most of my time in the demon world now that I am not jailed in the human world.”

“As for other demons in the human world… I don’t know. I don’t particularly care to track any changes, nor do they approach me.”

[entreats]

There's a hum, like she's taking all of this information in, not even bothering to ask more about the subjects he's being a little short about. Maybe she's picking up on the fact he doesn't necessarily want to say more about those.

Though then there's that last thing, and - perhaps unfortunately for him - she is commenting on that, adding: "Don't you have other demon friends than your partner?"

Ange, are you calling him a friendless loser.. Girl!!!

Then again, it's more likely she doesn't necessarily mean it with any malice, since her tone doesn't contain any of that. The question is probably just accidentally worded a little too bluntly since Ange doesn't know how social nuance works half of the time..

[jaganshi]

Hiei... huffs out a laugh as she asks if he has any other demon friends. It's not only funny because the demon form of 'friendship' was a little bit different than what humans considered it, usually more angled toward who can be a useful tool or political ally depending on what circles you associated in. All the political bullshit he never wanted to be involved in prior to allying with Mukuro and all the business to do with that.

"It isn't that simple." A pause, but then he shrugs. "I do, though."

And then, to deter her from asking about them in turn, or at least try, anyway -

"Only a few are here, though, and they are not the point."

[entreats]

"Wait, they're actually here? In this place?"

Sure, he has partially distracted her from what she otherwise would have asked, that much is true - but maybe this is a question he didn't really want to have to listen to either.

But it's happening. Of course Ange is going to mention that, especially when it stands out to her! After all--

"That many people from your world are all gathered in this place?" It's not necessarily unique, since she knows there are a few worlds like that represented here - but it sure isn't many. There's only about two other ones she can think of, honestly, hence why Ange can't help but ask. Especially when she's always so busy trying to figure out the mechanics of this prison they've found themselves in.

[jaganshi]

"Some are." Not all of them, and that's a good thing for this place. If Mukuro were to be trapped here... he couldn't account for what the former demon king would do, if he's honest. Hiei does not want to protect them, by any stretch of the word, but perhaps Mukuro wouldn't be so quick to decide that these ants weren't worth stepping on as he had.

Hiei isn't about to give her a number, but since she used the term 'many' - he may as well ask her what qualifies.

"What counts as 'many' to you?"

[entreats]

Ange shrugs.

"I'm the only person from my world here."

That hasn't always been the case, but the last time that was different was only during the first month or two months she was here - a long, long time ago.

"I feel like that's the case for many people here. Sometimes it seems like either you're the only person from your world present in this place, or there's a whole group of people from the same place as you. I don't think I know many cases that fall in between those two extreme opposites." Ange pauses, and then the girl adds: "It could tell us something about the way this place works."

Because of course that's what she's after. It's always what Ange is after, wanting more answers than they're being provided. Even if she has to chase them down.

[jaganshi]

"Is there a reason that may be?" Thankfully Hiei hadn't shown up here alone - who knew what the hell he would get up to without the more calm influence of Kurama at hand to keep him from getting himself into something he shouldn't. Or, you know, getting straight to the fun stuff like murdering when he felt like it the first time instead of being held back by sense.

At any rate, it doesn't seem like he's going to be willing to say how many of them are there for the time being. At the rate they are going... he isn't sure why there would be so many of them instead of other people, but he has his guesses along the lines of pure power and ability.

Now, what they would want that for? He hasn't quite laid a finger on yet.

"Or we're banging our heads against the wall over something completely random."

[entreats]

"Could be either, who's to say?" Ange certainly can't tell for sure what's relevant and what isn't in a place like this. Sometimes she's thought something to be incredibly relevant and it turned out to be nothing, sometimes a thing seemed super irrelevant and turned out to be very important.

"It just stands out to me. When it's not like there's someone up there throwing information at us, we have to make do with what we can see and observe with our own eyes. Not much point in me pretending to live some fake life here if I'm the only person here from my world anyway, so I might as well dedicate my time instead to thinking about stuff like this."

Look, most people might not find it fun.

But Ange can't help but sink her teeth into mysteries like this.