[CLOSED] Tidal Waves At The Tolbana Hot Spring

[Rue]

(( don't really have a limit for this thread will post every 24 hour if no one else joins ))

Since Rue has started her climb to the hundred floors she has not once taken a break, however these last few days have been taxing on her. Thankfully their was a Onsen in Tolbana to reminder of home and get some much needed relaxation. Rue sighed as she went over the events of the week, ( I was almost eaten, I was stuck with a two other girls in the labyrinth and got set on fire and almost killed also lets not forget dealing with a murderous kidnapper and his pet. Just one day of relaxation won't hurt my progress, it's for health reasons ). As Rue tries to justify her day of rest she walkthrough the seemly normal Town of Tolbana. The town was fairly empty compared to the Town Of Beginnings I guess their are still very few players willing to go out and risk their lives. The few players that were around were preparing to run the labyrinth as they conversed with the local npc's for the wears and formed parties to explore the husk of the first floor.

(No need thinking about anything else today, but the hot spring. I would have to go out of the city to visit a nice traditional Onsen, but in this world it's not nearly as inconvenient and there will be no one to share it with.) Rue smiled as she excitedly moved to the hot spring. Her eyes lit up as she came to her destination. "Tolbana Hot Spring" Rue was so excited she, as she entered into the hot spring the pure steam washed over her as she entered the main area. The female attendant was wearing a beautiful royal blue kimono with white koi fish adorning the dress. She greeted Rue with a smile and pleasant welcomes. " Good day miss are you are in luck the women's spring is currently empty, please enter to the door on the left". The attendant hands her a small bathing towel and smiles as Rue enters the dressing room. Washing herself and wrapping the towel around her self she enters the bath. The bath area felt as if it was cut of from the rest of the town, there were high wood walls surrounded by bamboo trees and a cherry tree overlooking the bath. Rue quietly admired the view before she folded her bath towel and lied it near the edge of the bath.

Entering the bath see was embraced by the warmth of the bath. Rue could feel her stress from the last few days pass through her as she relaxed in the pure spring. Pouring the water over her head and brushing back her bangs to take in the sights more deeply she leans back and just let's time pass as she forgets her worries and goals even if it's a fleeting moment.

[Janeiro]

During her first few visits of Tolbana Janeiro had been unaware of the surprisingly Japanese method of relaxation on this floor. Only by overhearing a conversation of other players she gained knowledge of the hot spring, inquiring about its location and shortly afterwards paying it a visit for the first time. A feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed her as she entered the modest bathhouse. She payed for her stay and continued to wash herself thoroughly, even though often the game took care of hygiene itself, Janeiro would just feel dirty entering the bath unwashed and not be able to enjoy it properly.
After putting up the mass of her hair in a way that it wouldn't fall down she opened the sliding door to the spring, feeling the stones under her feet as she entered the hot water. Initially hidden behind a plant from her point of view Janeiro was surprised to discover a familiar figure already enjoying the onsen. Without a word, not wanting to disturb the beautiful tranquility of the place already, Janeiro greeted Rue with a smile and a short wave of her hand as she leaned against the stone wall, only head and shoulders being above the steaming water.

[Rue]

Enjoying the spring to herself Rue closed her eyes and listened to the running steam and the Shishi odoshi counting the time away. Hearing the sound of the sliding door Rue quickly brushed her bangs back over her face and opened her eyes to see who it was. Surprised to see that is was someone familiar and a person that she was recently working with reminded her of one of the very reasons she was relaxing for. Janerio would smile and wave at her, Rue found it odd they were not exactly friends and found it odd how she seems to be rather courteous considering how she disliked Rue's way of leading and acting while out adventuring. She is most likely just good manners. Rue smiled and nodded to Janeiro in kind.

Some time passed as the attendant walked in to check on the two girls. Rue ordered Matcha and asked for it to be unmade and asked for two cups. After the attendant left Rue got out of the bath and wrapped the towel around her self. Sitting down in a mat in a Seiza position just as the attendant brings in the tea set. Rue uses the chashaku to place some of the tea into the pot, letting the tea blend with the water Rue begins to place the chawan and chasen at the ready for the tea to be poured and stirred. A small sad smile grows on Rue's face as she pours both cups slowly and delicately stirs the tea. As she finishes with the first cup she picks it up and turns it fully around slowly before placing it down on the opposite side of the tray. Finishing her cup she places one hand on the bottom and the other around the cup. Taking a small sip she sadly looks at the other end of the tray. This Osen was a nice distraction, but it just made her feel homesick and reminded her that she was trapped in a fake world.

[Janeiro]

Even though they had significant differences, Janeiro really did not believe Rue was a bad person, and she was happy to see her being well. She observed the younger girl diligently preparing the tea while Janeiro was still mostly submerged, she did not want to leave yet. The hot water relaxed her muscles and treated her skin divinely. She moved closer to Rue, laying her arms on the stones at the rim and placing her chin on top of them. "Did they manage to get the tea right?" She asked, curiously looking into Rue's eyes. A few meters away, behind the bamboo wall some chatter could be heard, the words hard to make out with the sounds of water, rustling bamboo leaves and the shishi-odoshi drowning the voices.

[Rue]

Placing her cup down Rue face turned to Janeiro who was resting her while looking are her. Looking back to the tea set and thinking back to her Grandmothers lessons. " The tea itself is fine, but they are a few mistake. The leaves that were used a high quality of course, but they a correctly used in thick tea and served in one koicha not thin tea which is served in separate bowls. Also the chawan used are the wrong type these a shallow bowls. We are in the sunken hearth season, they should be deep bowls". Turning back to look at Janeiro with a small smile and calm eyes and tone. " We are not back home so I don't have to be so picky to answer your question without the unnecessary lesson, yes they have the taste right".

The sounds on the other side of the walls grew louder. Rue looked around the room and saw a few instruments that the staff play for their customers. " Their starting to get a bit too noisy I see a few instruments over by the wall and the other tea is not going to finish itself. Would you like some tea and some music to drown out the ruckus"?

[Astiam]

"This Prison May Just Give Us a Chance to Try Anew" ☒ Response ✐ 641 ✉ Embarrassed Astiam

Dane had started to become a regular provider for Astiam to again not only experience needed to reach the next level, but much needed Col also. Also sometimes Dane allowed him to watch and even be apart of that work Dane did in order to produce his products. It just fascinated the Englishman how much work and effort was put into just curing the leather needed to make that armor that protected him. It felt so real the bond and relationship the two made between one another. It almost felt human. This errand that Dane has sent him on today brought him all the way to the town of Tolbana. He ensured a cart filled with items from an order made it successfully to the town without any of the monsters that roamed the first floor causing any hiccups. Except for the occasional boar or dire wolf though it rather went off without a hitch. The products made it safely to one of the few merchants in Tolbana. They mainly only supplied the Players who were headed towards the dungeon, which meant they wanted the best equipment Col could buy. It was only due to the high quality of the products that Dane even asked for Astiam to guard the transport. In fact, this was the first time ever that Astiam had been to the town of Tolbana. He usually stayed near the Plains that bordered the Town of Beginnings, unsure of the dangers he would face if he left the town behind. It was only due to Dane being the requester that he even considered taking the quest. Since he was here now though he was more than excited to play the role of a tourist and visit the hidden treasures that the town held. It was because of that reason that he found his way to the Onsen. Apparently since the designers were mainly of Japanese ethnicity, a few Japanese features and cultural norms made its way into the world of Aincrad. Since Astiam was originally from England he had never heard of an Onsen, he was more than curious to see what it was all about. It took him a few wrong turns and dead end alleyways that he finally found his way to the Onsen. When he entered the main entrance of the Onsen he was greeted by a female. After a few words of greeting it was apparent that she was an attendant at the Onsen. He paid for the entrance into the Onsen and was given a towel to change into according to the attendant. She stated there would be a small changing room before he entered the actual hot spring. Before the attendant could tell him more though there was a large clattering noise that can behind a door with a sign that stated, Attendants Only, above it. The woman apologized quickly and went to check on what caused the ruckus. Impatient as always, Astiam decided to just head into the spring without waiting for the attendant. Without giving it another though he entered into the left door that seem to lead towards the spring. Quickly, Astiam undressed and wrapped the towel around his waist. It was slightly chilly due to getting later in the day and he just wanted more than ever to get into the warm, relaxing water. Astiam rushed out from the changing room into the outdoor hot spring; however, he only took a few steps before he stopped in his tracks. He must have made a wrong turn somewhere because he suddenly found himself in a hot spring with two girls. One was only covered by a small white towel, and the other was completely nude enjoying the warm water. Astiam froze, his face turning a bright red as he was unsure what to do next, or how to react.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Janeiro]

In a setting like this Janeiro felt a lot more comfortable, the lack of tension and distress making her more social than usual. There was still a mild smile on her face as she listened to Rue who definitely knew what she was talking about. "Including such a feature in their game and not consulting an expert for it is a pretty irresponsible thing to do, don't you think? They know they have a very big Japanese player base and most are Japanese themselves... unless it's another cruelty of them only to disappoint those locked in here even further..." She closed her eyes for a moment, relishing her bath. "Don't worry, I like learning. I knew all of that a few years ago when I first learned it but to be honest I have forgotten most of it." Usually Janeiro would have been much more shy about her shortcomings like that, but this piece of home helped her open up even to a someone who was still kind of a stranger like Rue.
Janeiro stared at the tea-drinking girl for a moment. "You're kind of a Yamato Nade-" The sliding door opened, and there stood a naked foreign man barely covered by a towel. Shocked to see a man Janeiro's face flushed red. Thankfully he could only see her head and shoulders, while the water was very clear she still leaned against the stones that covered the rest of her body. In panic and disgust she grabbed the nearest object without thinking while the other arm made sure the most important parts stayed covered, the object sadly being a ceramic cup in front of Rue which was now converted into a throwing projectile, flying in Astiam's direction.
"Why are all foreigners perverts!?" She yelled out.

[Rue]

Rue shakes her head at Janeiro's remark. " It's not common knowledge among Japanese people now a days, the only reason i'm knowledgeable of such things are do to my grandparents. Their were very traditional Grandmother runs a hanamachi and on my vacation and summer holidays I would help her and she would teach me personally and as I got older I'm would assist her teach the new students". lowering down slowly and gracefully Rue would place the cup near Janeiro and raise back up and move back to her tea. "My grandfather taught me the sword. He is master of Hokushin Ittō ryū". Rue's eyes lit up and her the tone of her voice raised slightly." I could never match his ability, his movements and swings are unreal. He did not go easy on me however the training was extremely difficult. Grandmother sometimes would talk about when they met and the times she would watch him compete, but Grandfather was the one who gave me my love of history and a good chance of surviving. Even if i'm using my own combination of Japanese and Western fighting".

Janeiro did not finish her words as she would turn a bright shade of red and in a panic throw her tea at the door. Rue turned to the door to see a man. he was tall, but to Rue everyone was tall and had a foreigner look to him. Quickly Rue passed Janeiro her towel and grab the nearest object that could be used as a improvised weapon. Rue grabbed the chashaku and approached her target. Her relaxed and calm smile returned to a blank cold expression as her Amber eyes glared at the man with an intent to kill. "How dare you try and catch a peek you disgusting man"! As she spoke to him she would rush towards him at his side her left hand angled to hit the mans neck.

[Astiam]

"This Prison May Just Give Us a Chance to Try Anew" ☒ Response ✐ 411 ✉ Embarrassed Astiam

The ceramic cup shattered against his shoulder, waking him up from his temporary state of paralysis. Though normally the force behind the throw was nowhere enough to faze him; due to the fact that he was so shocked by seeing a nude woman, he stumbled back a step or two. "I am so sorry! I thought this was the ..." his words died in his mouth as he gaze dropped down to the woman in the hot spring, her entire figure more visible now after she had thrown the cup at him. No matter how much his mind tried to tell his body to move, or at least close his mouth, it would not listen, just too shock at the sight of a nearly naked lady.  Astiam probably would have stood there like a chump, mouth open and everything for awhile longer, if it had not been for the younger of the two woman charged at him. Thankfully, she was clothed with a towel, wrapped around her torso and waist, even though it seem like at any moment it would come undone due to her sudden charge at him. It was only due to his instincts as a rugby player that allowed him to catapult himself forward into a roll, barely escaping from having his head bashed in with a stick. Unfortunately his roll took him farther than he expected, causing him to end up in the hot spring that the barely covered black haired girl was in.   Astiam's head brushed against something rather soft as it broke through the water. It had took him a moment to shake his hair out from in front of his eyes so that he could open them. It was then that his luck just seem to take a new low as he found himself nearly face to face to the nude dark haired girl. Never before had his face turned as brightly red as it did that moment. Instantly he stumbled on his words as he tried to apologize, "I'm so sorry I did not want to touch them. I mean obviously I would not mind if I did ... but I didn't mean to. I am so so so sorry." Though he was pretty sure that no words were going to save him from the beating he was about to receive. He thanked god though that his towel managed to stay wrapped around his waist, or this would have so much worse.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Janeiro]

Her conversation with Rue had been going really nicely until they were interrupted by the pervert. As that idiot jumped into the water to flee from Rue's rage Janeiro got splashed with more water, forcing her to close her eyes for a moment before she felt something brush against her chest from below. The stranger stood in front of her, mumbling words that only made it worse. Quickly she held her towel that Rue had just given her in front of her body, her face being a mix of fury and embarrassment while Janeiro's eyes started to water. A small corner in her mind still found time to feel bad for her towel touching the water, but the blonde boy had soaked his in the onsen already anyway and it was for the greater good of covering her up. Janeiro trembled, still looking at her offender, wanting to kill him but definitely not touch him at the same time. Finally she jumped out of the water and ran inside, her dark hair getting undone in the process and falling down her back. After properly wrapping the towel around herself Janeiro sat down in a corner, placing her forehead on her knees, the cooling water on her skin slowly making her feel cold.


(read up on age ratings just for the post lol)

[Rue]

As the man groped Janeiro and yell nonsense Rue's expression got darker. "Have you no shame"! Janeiro covered herself and stared down the man with a mix of fury and embarrassment. That room would stop as Janeiro's eye watered and she ran back to the washing room. Rue tried to reach out and comfort her but she ran out to fast. Turning back to the man she tightened her grip and whipped the chashaku at the back of his head. "Stay their i'll be back to finish this later"!

Storming into the washing room she saw Janeiro in the comer curled up with her head on her knees. Rue expression softened as she walked over to Janeiro, sitting in front of her with a worried expression. Rue spoke to her with a soft voice," Janeiro don't sit their your going to catch a cold, come on get dressed will talk to the owner and make sure the pervert gets his punishment". As Rue tired to console her she would put her arms around her self the air from the outside was making the damp girl slightly shiver.

[Astiam]

"This Prison May Just Give Us a Chance to Try Anew" ☒ Response ✐ 626 ✉ Embarrassed Astiam

How bad could a situation get before there seem like nothing could be done to make it better? He thought it was the moment he entered the outdoors hot spring and found himself not only in the area designated for girls, but also walking in when there were two girls already there. It made it worse that one was hardly covered by a towel and the other was completely nude. Except it seem that God was not done playing his little game with Astiam, and had one more trick under his hat before he would be satisfied. That came in form of his head brushing against one of the most sacred parts of a woman. Lets just say on the list of Astiam's worst days this just topped at number one. It seem like it was not just him who just experienced the worst day ever. The black haired girl could do nothing but stare at Astiam. It was easy to notice the mixture of hatred and embarrassment in the blue of her eyes. He would have preferred her slapping him, giving him a good punch in the face, or even drowning him in the hot spring. She did do any of the above though; instead she covered herself with a nearby towel and bolted out of the room without a single word said to the Englishman. That was a hundred times worse than drowning. The younger girl followed after the girl; however, she gave him a threat and toss of that wooden stick which smacked straight into the back of his head before chasing after her. As soon as the girls disappeared into the room connecting the hot spring to the main lobby, the female attendant drawn to the spring by the commotion entered from an employee entrance. "Sir! This is the woman's spring! Get out of the spring before I have to make you get out!" she stated to him, a firm grimace displayed across her face.  She stood there and watched him until he removed himself from the spring. She pointed a finger towards his chest and exclaimed, "Now get out of the establishment before I have to remove you myself!" Without saying another room the attendant spun on her heels and left Astiam alone in the spring. He took a deep breathe before he glanced over to the only exit from the hot spring. It was the same door the two girls went into. "Might as well get it over with," he whispered to himself as he headed towards the room.  Thankfully the two could not seem him when he entered the room, and he quickly made his way to his clothing. He hesitated a moment, debating if he should change or not. One glance at the younger girl that tried to bash his head in with stick made him more interested in leaving than staying any longer than he had to. He almost made it to the door that led to the main lobby; yet, he could not help but glance over at the girls. The one that he had accidentally brushed his head against her chest seem devasted, she had her forehead pressed against her knees just sitting there in the corner of the room. He knew he was going to regret it, but he could not leave without apologizing. He walked over to the pair and gave a light cough to get their attention. He stared slightly above them and extended his cloak to the girl dark haired girl, "I am sorry about what just happened. It was a complete accident that I ended up in the wrong spring. I had entered the wrong door when the attendant was not there; this being my first time here."

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Janeiro]

Janeiro's mind was flooded with rushing thoughts, cacophonous emotions telling her what to believe and feel making her a big mess until Rue's voice cut through them, more caring than Janeiro had known her to be, but in this case it was only natural. She looked up to the younger girl, shivering slightly as the subtle airflow from the opened door made her cold. At that moment she wasn't even sure if she cared about a punishment, she felt like somebody did her an injustice that couldn't be reversed. Footsteps and a cough made her look at a person approaching them, the pervert, even though they still weren't dressed. Hatred immediately returned to Janeiro's eyes even before he began to talk. Unbelievable. Using this excuse to stare at them even longer, even though he pretended to not look. She did not want to touch his coat which dangled dangerously close to her, Janeiro made sure she did not come in contact with it.
"I bet you'd like wearing that coat after giving it to me thinking about how I wore it before! Mr Wouldn't-mind-to-touch-them! How noble! Iroboke!" She yelled at him, quoting his words from a few moments ago when they were in the hot spring. Maybe she would have even tried to punch or kick him, if she did not risk exposing herself again in the process. Instead she stood up, clenching her towel in front of her and went back annoyed and disgusted to retrieve her clothes, quickly starting to dress her still wet body once she was out of sight.
Only then it occurred to her that she could have chosen an outfit she had not deposited here over the menu... Janeiro got angry with herself that she did not think of it. This world was virtual, with some differences to the real world, a fact one could forget sometimes. But it was still her real self here, more than in the real world right now. Her thoughts quickly returned to what just happened and she would guarantee for nothing if that man still chased after her. Hopefully Rue was alright.

[Rue]

Rue smiled more widely as Janeiro looked to her, keeping her calm and gentle voice she kept trying to consul her. Unfortunately Rue attempts at making Janeiro feel better broke down as that Gehin appeared again fury returned to Janeiro as she yelled at him then walked away to get dressed. Rue stood up and faced the idiot, her anger hit it's all time high and a part of her snapped. Speaking Japanese the lithe girl berated him. "Anatatowatashi ga machigatte iru jigoku wa watashi ga naze anata no koko ni wa anata ga watashi ga anata no unmei o kettei dekiru yō ni suru tsumoridatta chikan ga, ima watashi wa anata o korosu tsumoridesu haru ni taizai suru anata ni iimashita"! Her equipment was near by, Rue grabbed her longsword and grabbing it with both hands pointing forward on an angle. Rue's left hand was below the guard. Her right was at the end of the handle her smaller fingers grip the hardest and the pressure decreasing up the hand until with her left index finger resting on the hilt. Her left leg was slightly forward and her right slightly back with her knees slightly bent.

Rue eye's were focused but not filled with rage they were dim and calm, like a pond at sunrise. Swing her sword with her right hand and guiding it with her left the tip of the sword would be directed at the man left inner thigh with an blinding but controlled move.

[Angelo]

I haven't been to a hot spring since..

The last hot springs he went to was an open-air, hot spring deep in the mountains in a beautiful place in Hakone, Kanagawa. Kou went there with his girlfriend last year to the Hakone Onsen, as a vacation spot for the weekend. Oh the memories he made there..

When Kou heard that Tolbana had an indoor onsen, he got rather curious about the place. Although he shouldn't be here and instead should be trying to find his sister, Kou selfishly decided that it would not hurt to take an hour's break here. And so, Angelo began heading over to the town of Tolbana, encountering and dispatching a couple of boars and wolves along the way. Upon reaching Tolbana, which was rather deserted compared to the Town of Beginnings, he set out to search for the bathhouse. Some minor amount of noise sounded a bit into the distance. Angelo set off in that direction, thinking that it would at least lead him to the house or to someone who knows the location.

Right on the money, he soon came face to face to the Tolbana Springs. The rather angry noise that was coming from inside this particular bathhouse was distressing, but for all he knew, it could have just been a family quarrel. Sighing, Angelo moved aside the curtain and entered the premise. The lobby was empty; no one was behind the reception's desk nor was there anyone to greet him.

"Hello.. anyone.." Waiting for about 30 seconds, he paid the amount for use in col and headed over to the men's bath house. Little did he know, in the very next room, a pervert was sneaking in on two scantily clothed females. Just as he was about to go in to the men's side, the kimono-clad attendant came running out obviously in annoyance.

What happened in there?

Angelo stood in the lobby of the bathhouse just curious as to what was happening in that particular room.