RP: YSS Kaiyō Aside: Hanami

[krisslanza]

"Come to think of it, it has been a while since I've gone back to Hell to use one of those onsen... I was young and innocent back in those days, not sure I really appreciated it the same way!" remarked Isuke with a laugh.

Which is to say, she was more or less a child back then. Growing up certainly gave her a better appreciation of a bath. Mostly the company you could get with it. Her wistful thinking was interrupted by Molli's reaction to nudity, which elicited a hearty chuckle from the Lorrfolk woman.

"It'd be stranger to take a bath fully dressed! Hard to get yourself clean that way, eh?" her chuckle turned to a reassuring grin. "Wearing a towel into the bath is a thing some do to preserve some modesty, but honestly, isn't it better to just let everyone get a look? I can at least say, I have nothing to hide!"

Isuke laughed once more, striking up a quick sultry-style pose, drawing some attention to her generous chest contained within her loosely fitting clothes.

"But if you want to wear a towel, go ahead. We're all here to have a good time, right?" she turned her attention to the surprisingly cute and child-like antics of her captain, the Lorrfolk holding up her grabbed sakura petal from a distance to compare it to her captain's skin

 

[Gles]

The comments from Morgana and Isuke made Molli feel even more flustered, so much so that the notion of running away and hiding seemed appealing. "Y'made yer points!" she raised her voice and scowled at the two of them. Being put on the spot like that in front of everyone felt embarrassing and reminded Molli of yet another thing that felt weird about her.

Put simply, the Nepleslian had always been intimidated by nudity. There was no shortage of it in the slums of Funky City, but rather than grow desensitized, Molli developed an aversion instead. The hardest part of basic training in the Star Army had been learning to hide her discomfort at using a communal shower with strangers, and even then, she tried her best to be the last person in. Needless to say, repeating that with a group of people she actually knew was even less appealing.

"S'just...checkin' t'see what's proper," Molli said, trying to play off her social faux-paus with a quick excuse.

 

[raz]

Aiko was quite accustomed to nudity, often stripping down unashamedly in the Kaiyō's armor bay alongside her comrades or happily into the ship's own onsen after a tough battle. Whether the graceful shape of her tall, strapping form was wrapped up tightly in a bodysuit or not never seemed to bother the princess before. But she rarely made any particular considerations for modesty. Being born for military service and then immediately thrust into it mere days after coming into the world had made Aiko quite bold. At least in the company of other soldiers like those she shared the day with now.

Right then, however, as she listened to everyone else talk about getting naked at a hot spring in the hours to come, the great warrior Ketsurui Aiko was struck with the idea that she may have missed something important in life about covering up. A rich pink blush soon formed across her nose as she walked along between William and his ID-SOL bodyguards. Her face remained otherwise unchanged, for on the surface she truly was unfazed. Only deep down beneath a multitude of other ongoing thoughts did the princess wonder if there was some sort of mistake she'd made in all her years, so a small bit of that surfaced to paint her cheeks.

Of course, Aiko herself wasn't totally without some shyness at the prospect of being seen. The setting mattered too, after all, and she sometimes unconsciously brought up volumetric bikinis or scraps of fashionable clothing to protect her own image or the comfort of her fellows during past onsen trips. Still, the reality of Aiko's own experiences didn't stop her mind from wandering and perhaps empathizing a little with Molli's lack of Nekovalkyrja ability.

"Finding enjoyment in the baths is proper, Molli-san, and is the only requirement should you choose to partake," Aiko assured the other girl from behind a grin, unaware of her rosy cheeks while she took great care not to slip and call the Nepleslian woman 'Momo.' It was fine to poke fun of William and attribute silly nicknames to him but quite foolish, Aiko thought, to be cheeky toward her subordinates even during today's relaxed excursion. "Make the experience your personal delight and pay no mind to propriety."

With that, the intense carmine coloring faded away from the princess' cheeks as the fleeting concerns of the past few moments faded once she'd said something to Molli. Aiko was a Nekovalkyrja who lived by her own words, and so had little time to dwell on anything beyond the individual bliss these moments of peace afforded her.

 

[Ametheliana]

Soon they were inside and had been given clean cloths to wipe their hands alongside a chilled sake alongside their seats at the low, wide table. Everybody was close to one another and huddled up in their seiza positions—one William and Aiko knew well from training with their samurai mentor Rei. Though some of the crew were a little new to one another (not everyone had yet seen the rest naked as the conversations beforehand indicated) they had been shoulder to shoulder killing Mishhuvurthyar already that the familial feeling of warriors soon set in.

They had been served a steamed egg dish topped called chawanmushi that came in a small little cup, one for each person. When they removed the lids, steam puffed out and pretty pink flowers peeked through the yellow of the egg. Deeper within the jiggly, savory custard were small scallops that complimented the sweet of the sakura petals with their buttery taste and texture. Hoshi had liked it quite a bit, loudly likening it to slime and looking to Aiko, hoping it would elicit a feeling of chagrin in her XO.

"Has anyone here ever hunted? Whether for fun or maybe part of a survival mission?" Hoshi asked just after a plate had been put in front of everyone. In one corner there were cubes of Yamataigyu beef that a tiny carrot lay across. Next to it on the plate was a small bowl of yellow roe entangled with seaweed and slivers of pink petals, a conch shell with a skewer, and a pinkish red orb of pickled plum next to that. In the center of them all was a sole sakura flower. It all sat atop atop a gold-foiled sheet that completed the look of the meal. She picked up a cube of the beef and smiled wide as she chewed.

"There's some deer that pass through Ryusei Ranch that Tami would practically pay me to hunt. Anyone ever done that?" Hoshi had continued after swallowing her first bite of Yamataigyu beef. The captain shifted a bit and her pink thighs pressed against the Lorrfolk woman's thigh next to her without the captain seeming to notice.

 

[Gunhand4171]

William sat down carefully, attempting to not bump anything. Dmitri had a harder time of it, but William managed to save the Sake before it was knocked over. The two almost took up one half of the table.

At Hoshi's question, Dmitri nodded. "Da, we had to hunt during survival training." William nodded his ascent. "When we did basic, they dropped us several miles from base and made us hike back. Also had to hunt for food the whole way back to the pick up point too. Our drill instructor was a bit of a sadist." He added, shuddering at the thought of his old DI.

William popped the lid on the egg dish and began to eat. Dmitri was slightly hesitant after hearing Hoshi liken it to slime but refused to be outdone by his superior office so he tried a few tentative bites. "This is suprisingly good." He remarke before sipping the sake. "But this is even better!" He remarked before taking another sip. William smirked before taking his own long sip.

 

[krisslanza]

While it had been a while since Isuke had to use such a formal sitting pose, it wasn't one she was unfamiliar with back in her younger days! She had briefly considered if she would just quickly down the chilled sake, but decided it would be best to take it slow and savor it - she wasn't sure if they would just keep handing her refills after all. There was also a bath to look forward to, so perhaps the heavily indulging into sake could wait until later.

"Hmm, can't say I really have. Maybe I had gone along as a like, follower or something, maybe...?" the Lorrfolk's voice trailed off as she searched her memory, before shrugging slightly. "Honestly, I spent a lot more time in places like this before I enlisted. I can't blame them though, I mean, who can resist a ryokan? Or an onsen! Some of the best things in life, in my honest opinion."

Isuke spared a glance down at where the thigh to thigh contact was happening and couldn't help but chuckle softly. She didn't make any move to adjust herself, figuring if it was a problem, it would get pointed out sooner or later. It would seem odd to be concerned over that kind of contact when they were all going to be in a bath naked soon anyway.

"All sake is delicious after all! It's even better after a bath. Although, some like to drink some milk after those as well. Of course, you can also have sake while in the bath..." observed Isuke carefully sipping some sake herself, letting out a sigh of content after sampling the delicious beverage.

 

[Gles]

Molli was diminutive compared to the hardened warriors she was rubbing shoulders alongside, and she wasn't confident that her kneeling position was nearly as graceful. The Nepleslian never liked sitting on folded legs for long, but she kept her mounting discomfort a secret to fit in with her neko crewmembers. The food, at least, helped take Molli's mind off that discomfort. The delicious aroma of steamed eggs and sakura petals was almost intoxicating, and Molli had to resist the urge to ask for a larger serving. A part of that stemmed from the slum dweller mentality to take whatever one could get their hands on.

"Ah've hunted before," Molli said, her face lighting up as she savored the taste of beef. "Loadsa times'n Funky City, when ah weren't an adult. We got loadsa rats this big inna slums," Molli threw her arm out at full length, which nearly smacked a fellow crewmember in the face. "Big 'n mean, real mean. They'll gobble folks alive if they gots enough numbers, so a lotta slum kids like t'hunt 'em. They're good eats if ya chuck 'em in a stew." Molli sounded proud to have something in common with her fellow Yamataians for once.

Sipping some sake to ease the dryness in her throat from that story, she was taken aback by its fruity taste. "Ah'd love t'have somefin like this in a bath, if ah had coves wiv me. Knew ah guy who drowned innis tub after gettin' sloshed."

 

[Ametheliana]

Hoshi was pouring new cups of sake for all those that had imbibed, politely showing the label and holding back her sleeve as she did so. Anyone worried about over drinking or under drinking, alike, didn't have to with her filling the cups as soon as they were emptied or nearing such. Her hand stayed ready to pour over Ketsurui Aiko's cup as she spoke.

"Finish yours so I may replenish it, Aiko-sama," Hoshi said, then her eyes lit up at Molli's recounting. She was imagining rats that could eat Nepleslian children to be as big as dogs and it made her jaw drop. "You can not tell Ashen —the engineer that helped Aratani fix up your new arm— about those! I'm pretty sure he requested bringing a rat on board as a pet, if you can believe that! Next thing I know, he'll find a Delsaurian-sized one to bring aboard under the guise of it being useful and grabbing tools for him or something of the like. If he does, we'd find out as a group how good rat stew is."

"Sounds like I'll be bringing everyone but Isuke along with me on the deer hunt, then, got it," Hoshi's voice kept a soft joviality in between bites. "Hunters like to come to Lark's Hill after a good hunt, so it'll be a good excuse to come back. Don't worry, Isuke, we'll invite you to the ryokan and onsen again even if you don't help out the local fauna and flora. Everybody deserves a good meal and a good soak."

The next dish was one where tea was poured table-side over a small bowl of rice. The delicate white and pink sea bream sashimi that lay over the rice was equally delicate and sweet in flavor to the sakura tea that now pooled in the bowl and was a refreshingly light and simple taste enhanced by the bed of shiso leaves beneath the fish. The captain ate quietly with a smile on her face as she did.

 

[Nameless]

She was fairly new to the ship, and while she had expected something like this to happen eventually, she was not prepared for it to be so soon and on such short notice. Metaphorically speaking, she was being dropped into a warzone fresh from the academy. Though that sounded like the easier situation to begin with. Don't get her wrong, Sif has yet to make enemies from within the crew, but one wrong step here was going to determine how she could be treated by everyone else. If only she had more time to get to know everyone, ease herself into position, have time to gauge their temperaments.

But she did not get that affordance. Perhaps it would have been easier if duties allowed her to leave with the party instead of having to catch up to them. Perhaps she could have skipped altogether. "No, this was a challenge," Sif said to herself as she stared at the reflection upon the mirror, eyes of emerald gleaming with a fiery passion. "One does not simply turn down the company of one's captain, let alone the company of the empire's princess. This was a test, one to measure a maiden's mettle in the face of insurmountable odds. This was a chance to dine with heroes. A chance to form that connection of camaraderie outside the forge of combat."

Sif sighed, taking a step back. "That was it, that was the purpose of this assignment. Her nerves will surely shake but her resolve will not. She will hold firm."

She had left the base on a cab, dressed casually but modestly in plain black slacks and black loafers to pair with. Up top she had a red sleeveless turtleneck tucked into the slacks covered by a black denim jacket that she left unbuttoned. It was a look taken from one of the novels she and Kamiyo had read, and hopefully it was casual enough without being too noticeable. For her icy hair, she kept it in her usual braided ponytail. Now was not the time to experiment on hairstyles.

After a short ride, she arrived at the place where she was supposed to meet the crew, and after introducing herself at the lobby, she was ushered in by the kind owners to where the others were.

She won't lie, seeing her seniors and the princess in such a casual setting was intimidating, and since they were outside a military context, she had no idea what to expect. There was no fallback to decorum.

Calm. Just stay calm, she would tell herself.

Her expression remained neutral, but soft throughout all of this. Her bushy tail would give away little as it was wrapped around her waist as to not get caught in anything, or accidentally knock something over. Her larger and somewhat bulkier Type 33A frame would be worrisome enough without a tail whipping around. She thanked the owners accompanied by a bow and bowed to the crew as well, saying with her voice in a calm and practiced tone and cadence, "I apologize for running late, I hope I have not kept you waiting."

 

[Gles]

Molli's crimson cyber-eyes literally lit up at the sight of a bushy-tailed newcomer bowing and apologizing. The corners of her mouth turned up as the gears turned in the Nepleslian's mind; finally, someone else was fresher than her. Even if she was a neko, Molli still held seniority.

"Least ya 'pologized," Molli gestured with her single arm for a crewmember to scoot aside, then patted the space beside her -- a gesture of invitation. "Butcha can't make a habit of laggin' behind, eh?" she said, eyes furrowed and voice implying a sinister consequence, before the Nepleslian's face relaxed into a sardonic grin. "M'name's Byrne, wanna be m'right arm?"

One cursory glance at Molli would explain the strange request: the right sleeve of her jacket currently dangled flat against her side.

 

[Nameless]

And there it was, the first unexpected deviation thrown her way. Being informal off duty was an expectation she had taken into consideration, but having experienced it for the first time, it was a tiny bit vexing. She can't really respond in the same nonchalant way or she could be viewed as someone who gets comfortable around others too easily. It could cause some issues in the future. She'd just have to stick to the program, be graceful and everything will be okay.

"And I am Sif Ignemar. I'd be happy to provide whatever support I can," she'd respond, before taking notice of Byrne's lack of a right arm.

A missing arm? Perhaps her prosthetics were still being repaired? She only afforded herself a moment to dwell on the missing limb before sitting at the spot Byrne invited her to. So far so good.

 

[krisslanza]

"Ah come now, I may not be a hunter myself, but surely I could come along for the company alone!" teased the pink-haired Lorrfolk with a laugh. "Although, I would not object to simply relaxing in the meantime. I have to indulge myself in a little bit of rampant laziness from time to time, right?"

Isuke chuckled, noting that Hoshi was more then happy to refill cups, made sure to quickly down her first cup to ensure she could get another as soon as possible. It certainly wasn't a bad brand of sake for sure. Then again, she hadn't exactly found a bad brand of sake before...

Upon Sif's arrival, Isuke responded with a polite and welcoming smile to the latecomer. "I don't mind, as they say, its better to be late then not show at all, right? We're all here to relax and have a good time, and anytime of a day is a good time to eat and drink amongst friends!" she paused to down another cup of sake. "And then enjoy a nice bath after."

 

[Ametheliana]

"To make up for all of the orders in the field, I'm glad to be an arbiter of such 'rampant laziness' on this trip, at least," Hoshi said before ladling a spoonful of the most recent dish in her mouth. Some kind of ground meat mixed with vegetables and flower petals all inside of a young kobocha squash. She sat back and looked at her crew as she chewed, making her blue to white hair fall in a water-like cascade behind her.

She got a tickling feeling in the back of her mind and her thoughts went to Hanako, to whom she had extended an invitation to last Hanami. The premier had stopped by Hoshi's ryokan at Kaiko Park and the little pink captain thought back to the woman's flowery language and thoughts. Having struck Hoshi a certain way, the captain felt shivers up her spine and spoke of them aloud lest they keep a nuisance inside of her.

"I felt the spirit of our premier, Hanako-sama, just then. Perhaps she is passing through like a kami to bless our bountiful celebration. Or perhaps to make her way to the onsen to relax as we're about to." Hoshi chewed on a piece of fat as she went on, "I only accepted promotion to Taisa because of her and how she could enter battle and help her crewmen and country no matter her rank stripes. It is scary, getting promotions at my age —20 years old, now— as most of them end up trying to put you behind a desk. Can you imagine!? Pah!"

A look of distaste had touched Hoshi's face momentarily, but then it disappeared as she looked at her crew. A Minkan, Nepleslians, Lorrfolk, then the rest were Nekovalkyrja. Only the Neko were younger than her and a her pink skin turned red with embarrassment across her cheeks and wide ears as she sat back up properly, as if suddenly under supervision of someone higher ranked than she.

"Not so old, I suppose. Not as old as some." She looked pointedly to Molli, William, then to Isuke.

 

[Gles]

"Bath, bath, bath!" Molli's outburst came with a spoon sharply stabbed into her bowl and fished back into her mouth. She chewed loudly, angrily, "All th'yappin' about bleedin' baths makes m'think y'ain't taken any inna week!"

Isuke wasn't the only one eager to strip down and bathe up. Still, her excitement was the final straw that snapped Molli's patience, bringing her insecurities welling up in a bold display of vulnerability. The Nepleslian looked shocked as she realized how badly her voice echoed in the crowded room, and she chuckled nervously, "J-Just...Just jokin'. Y'smell good. Peachy."

Thankfully, Hoshi offered a welcome change of topic that Molli was confident she couldn't embarrass herself by engaging with. "Always struck me as an older lady, Hoshi-Taisa! Yer real mature!" Molli beamed with delight at what she thought was a compliment, not realizing in her excitement that one might take being called old the wrong way.

 

[Nameless]

Sif helped herself to some of the food laid out, taking a calculated amount of small portions as everyone else was talking amongst themselves. Most of it looked very new to her and out of fear of not being able to choose, she would pick out the closest dishes first. She could not offer much to the conversation, having very little life experience out of her mandatory training, and so she simply listened for now, taking in what bits of information could be gleamed from the chatter and committing it to memory.

She'd look to the captain as she said she had felt Hanako's spirit. Sif only knew of Hanako as a well-decorated Star Army veteran, often talked about by her batch. And it would seem that her captain had a connection to her. Or perhaps she meant it more like she looked up to Hanako as a role model? It wouldn't be rude to ask about it, but first she'd have to get herself a sip of some 'liquid courage' as some called it.

But before she would pour it for herself, having accepted the role as her right hand, she would look to Byrne, tapping the Nepleslian on the shoulder with her tail. "Would you like some sake?"

 

[raz]

"On the contrary, Molli-san, I try to avoid excessive bathing," Aiko said matter-of-factly, her eyes closed while she pointed a finger upward toward the ceiling and spoke. She'd already sipped a few cups of sake by then, each graciously refilled by Captain Hoshi as was required of a celebration's host per Yamataian custom, and downed a third after addressing Molli's little eruption. "But partaking in an onsen soak is certainly worth our crew's collective excitement. As I said before, the experience itself—feeling the water's gentle warmth and the steam in your lungs—is the point more so than the attainment of cleanliness."

 

[Ametheliana]

Hoshi's head tilted to the side and her big blues looked to the side towards the Ketsurui princess as she asked, "What do you mean 'avoid excessive bathing,' Aiko?" She couldn't wrap her head around not taking long soaks while they were voyaging in space and away from the pools and oceans that she happily romped in at every convenience when off ship. She found it satisfying to have spent handfuls of years serving with Aiko but didn't know about something so minute and yet all-important as her bathing habits. The revelation that there was still more to learn, even now, had plastered a smile beneath Hoshi's ruddy cheeks.

"Oh, more sake," Hoshi noted as she poured another cup for everyone that needed more, Aiko included. She put a hand up to Sif. "I'm the host, it's my job to fill up her cup, not yours. Relax and get to know us a bit more. Are you a scaredy cat with scrubbing down like our Aiko apparently is?"

 

[raz]

Aiko held her cup out for Hoshi to refill and then took an immediate sip off the top. It couldn't have been any more than a micrometer of the sweet, dry rice wine over the princess' tongue; just a nip to give Aiko the taste of this fine establishment's fine sake. She held her tiny earthenware cup up beside her eyeline between two left-hand fingers and placed the opposite elbow upon on the table, pointing her right index finger decisively at Hoshi with her free hand.

"I fear nothing, and my flesh remains clean of any filth," Aiko told her captain. Disgusting grime or blood and viscera shed by the enemy—be it expelled by a Mishhuvurthyar or Kuvexian or whoever else—would be a stain upon any Yamataian soul should it touch their skin, but mighty Ketsurui Fleet Yards power armors protected all Star Army soldiers from such disgrace. "But I have gone a week or so without 'scrubbing down,' as you say, and been none the worse for it."

Then, Aiko took the moment to imbibe the rest of her current cup.

"Especially after a fight, there is no need to wash away the essence imparted by one's earned glories" Aiko explained, making sure to be particular. "Boss has confirmed to me that the rigors of battle suit my stature well, and I have otherwise heard no complaints from you nor anyone else, Captain."

 

[Nameless]

The hair at the back of Sif's neck bristled when the captain spoke up about the sake, explaining that it was not Sif's job to fill up Byrne's cup. Fortunately the panic didn't fully translate for her tail, which she briskly coiled back around her waist on impulse. She had already committed a cultural wrong in the presence of her superiors. She would put the bottle back down and bowed her head to apologize. "My mistake, Captain."

The topic of bathing habits had, somewhat fortunately, taken the spot of conversation. The downside, she was asked in comparison to the princess' own. Was it too late to bury her head in the sand and return to the ship? When she's found an opening to answer the question, trying her best not to talk over anyone, especially Aiko, she would respond with, "Um... I bathe as needed. Though during training, I had to account for the extra time needed to dry my tail. As for you, captain?" The words were already out of her mouth by the time she processed that it may not have been the best to ask how a superior officer bathes.

Everything's starting to go wrong already, and all without a drop of sake. Perhaps it'd be best if she withheld herself from that liquid courage afterall.

 

[Gunhand4171]

The two ID-SOLs sat quietly, chatting amongst themselves and sharing sake. When Sif arrived William gave a polite nod. The captain broke his silence when Hoshi commented on age. "Now you wait just a minute." He said pointing a finger at the Kaiyo's CO. "We can't all be grown in a day an pop out fully formed."

Dmitri turned to William, a puzzled look on his face. "Boss... Weren't you literally grown in a lab?"

William glared back at the other ID-SOL. "Shut up Dmitri, that's different."

Dmitri smirked. "I'm just saying you were too."

William snatched Dmitri's sake and downed it. "And just like that you lost your drinking privileges." As the topic of bathing came up and everyone began discussing their hygiene habits, it was William's turn to smirk. "Yeah, the Princess is a real stinker. Have to avoid her after a battle or two until she decides to shower. Don't get me started on training together either. I'm suprised Rei didn't throw a bucket of soap at you." He teased.