r&r&r [open mingle]

[zanarkandian]

Who: Come one, come all! [open mingle]
When: July 8th, mid-afternoon
Where: Hot springs in the Myste Aura mountains
What: A much-needed restful retreat. Maybe a little fun.
Warnings/Notes: Flirting and teasing possible, with a reminder to keep things PG-13 (swimsuits on please!)


Myste Aura's mountains could be imposing to the uninitiated, but they also hid a great many wonderful secrets. One of those, Tidus had discovered, was the abundance of hot springs perfect for unwinding after a tough battle or game. Everyone had had a difficult month, so why not invite them over?

He knew none of the others had much experience in this city or its mountains, so he offered to meet the group in a central location and walk them up. It wasn't too difficult of a hike, and once they arrived they would find chilled shower stalls to each side and three springs for their use: two segregated and one co-ed.

In other words, the perfect setting for a day of rest and relaxation.

Comments

Tidus

[zanarkandian]

a. hiking up

[Tidus greets everyone who asked him for help with navigation. It's a good walk up, but not too taxing. The views, though? They're awesome. The air's a little cooler as they ascend, but there will be plenty of warmth soon enough.]

b. chilling out

[Once things gets going, he settles in the larger spring in the middle, wearing his usual black swim trunks and his small silver pendant. He's content to relax quietly, or chat with whoever wants to, but sometimes? Sometimes he flicks his wrist underwater and casts a minor water spell, letting the water bubble pleasantly above his hand.]

c. wildcard
((anything else? let me know/surprise me!))

hiking

[rivieran]

[ Two good things: 1) Ena knew Tidus, and 2) he'd moved to Myste Aura before her. She was taking a job here and would need to get herself a place sooner or later. Who better to ask than an acquaintance that lived in the area? (the answer was a real estate agent, but that was irrelevant)

She she spots Tidus ahead and currently unoccupied with anyone else, she quickens her pace to stride up next to him. ] Greetings, Tidus. [ She's just slightly out of breath. ] I haven't seen you in a while. How've you been?

hiking

[zanarkandian]

Ena, hey! Glad you could make it.

[He grins and waits for her to catch up.]

I'm good! Things are looking up with the team, and my new apartment's pretty nice. How about you?

chillaxin

[chefbayardee]

[ Hunk's gone with a pair of white-and-yellow swim trunks, as close to the shades on his Paladin armor as he can manage. The color scheme's grown on him. But as much as he tries to think of Vaikuntha as a vacation from his universe-defending, it... hasn't been great at that lately.

So a trip to some hot springs is exactly what he needs. The hike was easy enough, but as Hunk gets ready to head into the spring, he notices those bubbles near Tidus's hand. But knowing this place... ]

Those bubbles aren't coming from tiny little monsters, right Tidus?

[zanarkandian]

[Hey Hunk, long time no see! Tidus lifts his hand in greeting, flashing a little guilty smile at him. He casts up a small water bubble and watches it evaporate.]

Monsters? Nah. Just me practicing.

It's...still kinda weird. I didn't think being a ninja would involve black magic, but it's probably the most useful thing I've learned from them. I just wish I'd paid more attention when the black mage I knew back home was trying to teach us stuff.

But I'll lay off, promise. Come on in, water's fine!

Finn

[hatejakku]

[ Finn, dressed simply in navy swim trunks, was very much enjoying the water. He had waffled on wearing a shirt to hide the scars on his back and shoulder but swiftly realized that he didn't actually care if anyone saw. Besides, the water was doing wonders on his nearly constantly aching back.

He floated in place, leaning back against the rock and dozing. It would almost be peaceful if his Moogle friend, Valli, stopped mucking around. She was currently swimming underwater, only the pompom above the surface, moving in tight circles. She occasionally paused that to come up for air and do the backstroke. ]

((ooc: Feel free to catch Finn and Valli at the hot spring or hiking up the mountain. You can also find him wandering into the co-ed showers if that strikes you. Oh and he'd love to learn a little about blitzball. For a good laugh, flirting's encouraged!))

hiking

[righthandstand]

[Okuyasu jumped at the invitation. Hot springs were always good, especially when asked by someone he know. The point of hitting in hot water was to chat with friends and bond, right? So he takes the next airship to Myste Aura, jumps off with his small bag, and follows the group up the mountain.

From the back, he recognizes the guy from the hospital wing. Okuyasu runs up the dirt path, stepping onto the grass several times to catch up, and when he's within yelling distance:]

Heeeey!

[hatejakku]

[ Finn turns sharply to see who's yelling and... freezes.

Oh, not him. Not him. Why did he look so happy? What was Finn supposed to do?

Unfortunately, he was frozen for too long, and Okuyasu was already approaching. UM- ]

Hi.

just hot spring chilling

[zanarkandian]

[Tidus was doing his best to lean back and relax when a certain moogle brushed past him. He jumped a little, but quickly calmed when he recognized the red pom pom for what it was.]

Heh. Guess everybody's having a good time, right? Well that's good.

[Hey, that was Finn nearby, right? He flashed him a sheepish smile.]

[hatejakku]

[ Finn startled to awareness when Tidus jumped but relaxed when there was no obvious threat. He returned the shy smile. ]

She's not bothering you, is she?

[precognitive]

[ Max wasn't sure if she'd come or not. She hadn't really spoke to many people so it was pretty awkward just inviting yourself. She really did want some relax time though, especially after that whole weird debacle with the Moogles and the PuPus.

So there she was, floating in the water with her two piece on. Feeling more awkward at the potential for glaring eyes. Maybe she should have gone for a one piece. Overthinking again as always.

As she's floating along, she comes close to Finn's proximity and smiles. At least there's a familiar face. She notices him dozing, flicking her hand in the water, splashing it a bit in his direction. ]

[hatejakku]

[ Finn jolts at the water hitting him, but smiles when he sees Max. With a little laugh, he kicks water back at her direction. ] Didn't expect to see you out here. What you been up to?

Ena

[rivieran]

[ This was the perfect opportunity to learn about the city Ena would soon be moving to and relax in some much-needed hot springs at the same time!

So she joins the troupe for the hike up after a quick visit to her future place of employment, and she can be found in either the women's or co-ed bath, leaving one and going to the other when she decides it gets too crowded. She'll be wearing a very light, white linen robe that covers most of her arms and legs when she bathes. But because it's white you might be able to see that most of her body under the robe looks...gray?

Once she's finished in the baths she'll be sitting on a bench a little off to the side, sipping on some nice cold tea to calm down.

Feel free to catch her in any of these places, or wildcard it! Flirting is fine as long as you're ready for some awkward! ]

Baiken

[garyoutensei]

-The climb honestly wasn't that difficult for Baiken, though she really had wished the transport had dropped her off a little closer to the springs, but... She supposed she could suffer a bit more nonsense before she finally got to settle into something more comfortable. Of course she was also confronted by the fact that, once arriving, it was a swimsuits required hot spring. Which meant she had to buy one at the gift shop. What a pain...

Regardless, Baiken eventually made her way to the women's spring. And on top of that, she wore a dark shawl that covered most of her, not removing it until she actually stepped into the tub itself. Anyone paying attention, this was their first real glimpse at what Baiken looked like under her usual gear...

Scars. A lot of them. That was almost expected. But even with it wrapped up to just below her armpit, it was hard not to notice where the deepest gashes were. Whatever had taken her right arm... it hadn't been a clean removal at all. She kept to herself, staying in as secluded a corner as she could manage, pouring herself some sake from her cask and drinking quietly...-

[[ if male characters want threads, they can catch her prior to entering the spring itself ]]

hiking

[zanarkandian]

Tidus greets her with a small smile, balancing a backpack loaded with snacks and various supplies. He's learned enough not to press the exuberance too far. Still, it's good to see her again.

"Hey, glad you could make it. It's just a little further---sorry, springs don't tend to pop up in easily reachable spots around here."

[garyoutensei]

"It's fine...," Baiken grumbled, rolling her neck in place. "But you'd think they'd build a sky car or something. At least for people who can't walk," but she'd probably refuse the whole thing if it was handicapped only. She definitely didn't think of herself that way.

Amanda

[witchwithoutacause]

Well heck, she hadn't been getting out much and she needed to socialize with other people Not Of This World. And heck, the hike isn't all that bad; she was getting more used to hoofing it here anyways, so the rough terrain didn't matter too much.

Of course, the whole point was the hot spring - she'd heard about them but hadn't hopped into any volcanic mountain ponds yet. When in Rome though right? The only real problem was that her swimsuit was of the decidedly athletic, surfer variety, which, yeah, it was pretty comfortable, but lounging around in it felt a little weird.

Oh well. Once she was in the water and spacing out, it didn't really seem to matter.

[zanarkandian]

Tidus was making his rounds to ensure that everyone was all right, when he noticed Amanda looking better. Was she asleep? Best not talk too loud, then.

"Hey, you okay?" he whispered from the nearby rock he'd perched on. It was cold getting out, but that shock to his system was supposedly good for it? Ah, what a strange place.

[witchwithoutacause]

Not asleep, no, but in a bit of a daze. "Yeah. Yeah, super okay," she said slowly.

Euphemia

[euphemia]

a.

[ The journey wasn't exactly easy. Euphemia was not a hiker by any means, so relying on others to get her to the location was important. Thankfully, someone had offered assistance in doing just that. Once there, Euphemia was eager to get out of her traveling clothes and into something a little lighter for the occasion. ]

Why are the springs way up here? [ A question she didn't expect to be answered as she slowly stepped into the spring without watching where she was going. With all the steam, it was inevitable she bumped into someone. ]

Oh! I'm sorry.

b.

[ When the heat and steam of the springs became to be too much, Euphemia decided to park herself somewhere closet to the mountainside to enjoy the views below. It was peaceful and cool, with plenty of room to spare for any who may have wanted to sit and join her. She wasn't opposed at all. In fact, anyone who approached was immediately greeted with a smile. ]

Isn't it lovely here?

[zanarkandian]

Hey, it's okay!

[He gently took her elbow to steady her for a moment. She'd bounced harmlessly off his shoulder thanks to her earlier healing.]

They tried to explain it to me once. Something to do with how mountains are made, and how all the hot stuff under the surface gets pushed up.

[And that's the most she's getting from him. Geothermal science is not anywhere near his strong suit.]

[euphemia]

[ An apologetic smile is given his way, even if he didn't really budge much from her accidental running into. ]

Oh. I see. [ Not the beach, but the heat is still lovely. ] This is an amazing place. How did you find it?

Okuyasu | OTA

[righthandstand]

[Okuyasu joined the co-ed hot springs in his bathing suit, kind of glad that he wouldn't be nearly alone on the men's side but kind of nervous what the girls would think. Would they be scared? Would they tell him to leave? It was a new experience and it might end up being a terrible decision.

He steps into the least crowded corner of the springs and sits down, leaving his arms out and hanging on the rocks bordering the spring itself.]

You think each of these pools got different minerals and shit in 'em?

[zanarkandian]

I don't know, but some of the locals seem to think so.

[He's perched on a rock at the moment, letting himself chill out before getting back in. He points to a few of the different nearby springs.]

The other blitzers swear by that one for getting their energy up for the game. That one's supposed to be for chronic pain. And that one's supposed to be for bonding with people. And this one?

[He dips a finger in the water at his feet.]

Forgetting about worries.

[righthandstand]

Literally or...?

[Because if jumping into that hot spring cures people of pain, Okuyasu would believe it wholeheartedly. It would be like Tonio's stand, only external.]

'Cause gettin' rid of anxiety sounds rad as hell.