RP [YSS Azalea II] Episode 1: Fresh Water

As Pierre showered, something occurred to them. They’d been a bit short sighted. Any crew that weren’t Nekovalkyrja couldn’t simply project clothes and just dressing in the same underclothes they’d doffed would defeat the purpose of showering. Most people soaked in Onsen style bathes in the buff, but Sunde had chosen a swimsuit. Maybe the medic preferred a degree of modesty. They couldn’t help but be a little annoyed at their own oversight. “Hey, Sunde,” they called through their privacy screen, “I don’t have anything to change into, I hope that won’t be a problem.”

After hearing Pierre, Kari let the rainbow sparkling water pour over her for a few more moments, taking care to rinse her body from head to toe before shutting it off. "No problem. Unless Asami objects?" Kari dredged up some part of her socialization training she hadn't thought about since she'd passed her classes. "Aha, as I now recall it's proper onsen etiquette to be naked anyway."

Dropping her holographic clothing, a tall pair of tree trunk-like legs brought Kari out of the showers and into the bath area. Rigid-looking cords of muscle coiled like snakes under her snow-white skin, deeply toned from her bare minimum of caloric and water intake combined with rigorous daily exercise.

Emerging from the showers, she looked up at the volumetric windows that surrounded the bath, currently configured to give the impression that the onsen was situated at the top of a snowy hill just as the sun was dipping down over the horizon, casting a golden light across the vista. On one side of the onsen hill, there was a mountain village with an old-fashioned steam engine arriving on a railroad that stretched to the far horizon. A-frame roofs were blanketed in deep snow with twisted trails of smoke rising from their chimneys. On the other side, a series of heavily forested hills gradually grew taller and more jagged until they gave way to mountains that reached up to scratch the sky above.

Kari simply nodded in stoic appreciation at the scenery before sitting by the side of the bath and dipping her feet in to acclimate to the heat. "It looks like the bath is set to snowy mountains, unless someone would prefer something else?"

The snowy landscape, simulated as it was, was a perfect fit for medic. Pierre smiled slightly as they thought about it. “No, it’s absolutely fine,” they said, stepping into the steaming pool and letting their body acclimatize to the heat before lowering their lithe form below the surface. They floated for a moment letting out a sigh, entertaining memories of soaking like this after long ruck marches and field exercises. Being able to soak like this on the daily seemed a little indulgent to the Rikugun officer, but they’d manage somehow.

"No objections from me." Asami said as she showered. The pilot was taking her time as she had just gotten off her workout though she wished she had brought her bathrobe but the room had some for just in case. Though she was wondering if she should ditch the robe and just walk into her room and see Nasrin or even try to find Masato. Asami put the thoughts from her mind and would turn the shower off before walking over to the pool and getting in. For a pilot the woman seemed to hold herself to Rikugan fitness standards.

"Hmm," Kari murmured as she looked at Pierre for just long enough to be awkward before turning and doing the same thing to Asami. When she was done staring at her bathing companions, she settled her gaze on the mountains in the distance. The thought of dipping further into the water made her tail stick out straight behind her, the hair on which puffed out in a wave from base to tip. Just as she had done in the giant pool in the Aquarius Star Fortress, she forced herself to relax and slipped into the water.

Once she was in, her fear of being submersed in water dissipated and was replaced by a nagging sensation that she should say something, without an accompanying idea for what to say. Think, Kari, what would a normal person say in a casual situation such as this? How are you? No, it was past the appropriate time for vapid greetings. It was now time for small talk. Ask about their hobbies? No, she already knew about Pierre's, which put the focus on Asami. Better to bring up a topic to which they could both contribute. Thinking back to her first meeting Pierre gave her an idea, though.

"What is your favourite food?" She asked, trying to make eye contact with both of them before the end of the question.

"Fresh baked bread," Pierre said without pausing to think. "What about you?" They asked as they floated languidly. "And if you say 'protine bars' or 'rations' I'm going to come over there," they added in a mock stern voice.

"Pepperoni pizza no make that a triple pepperoni pizza." Asami said with a smile. "The greasier the better." She turned her head to Kari. "What about you? What's your favorite food?"

As her two bathing companions turned and seemed to be waiting for her reply, Kari realized a few things. As she reflected on what she was realizing, she brought her tail around in front of her in the water and started swatting at it lazily with her hands. Each time she did, it easily flicked to one side and avoided her strikes.

The first thing that she realized was that the question of favourite food wasn't a very good conversation starter. It was a matter of personal taste and as such, didn't give rise to an opportunity to discuss and question further. "I like salmon sashimi," Kari replied. Though she always seemed to be on the edge of annoyed anger, as she played with her tail she seemed to be a kind of distractedly angry now. "It's the texture. It pulls apart into little strands when I lick it."

The second thing that she realized was that when the two of them seemed to be hanging on her words, she felt more than simply obliged to lead the conversation. She felt almost as duty-bound as she did about enacting the Empress' will and pulling her soldiers from the brink of death. It was a frustrating feeling, because she was so ill-equipped to help them in this way. Suddenly it made her grateful for Sadow pushing her to even think about improving her social skills. "Do you two feel like you have a purpose in life?"

Pierre sat up in the water to look at her, resting their elbows on their knees. “Sashimi is pretty great,” they said with a small smile. “As for a purpose–” their soft voice trailed off. “Not a grand purpose, right now it feels like my entire life is wrapped up in this current project, the reason I'm even on the Azalea, but that’s just temporary. After that it’ll be some other acquisitions project or other. But that’s not really my purpose in life, just my job. A job I like, but just my job. If you held my hooves to the fire, I guess, I’d say my purpose is to try to live an interesting life and be true to myself. I mean once you start breathing and forming thoughts, your purpose is whatever you damn well want it to be isn’t it?”

Asami was stretched out leaning against the edge of the back of the onsen and relaxing. She thought hard about Kari's question. "Yes and no." She said and looked at the neko. "I'm a pilot and that gives me purpose but i feel like i have no super gran purpose in life."

There was the sound of soft footsteps followed by the hiss of someone in the shower. A moment later there was the sound of fast-moving feet and a voice rings out " CANNONBALL!" As Yujin completely nude with his hair up in a top knot hairstyle leaps naked into the center of the water, Or if there were someone there to the nearest clear spot hoping to splash everyone there.

Yujin stays under the water a little bit till that top knot slowly works its way out of the water's surface, till Yujin moves to look just out above the water his nose taking an inhale of air as the water hides a smirk.

Before leaving From sparks line of site Ulrix called someone on video. "Hey Thomas we still good to hang out on my next shore leave?" on the other end of the video call a young man with green hair and squared glasses frames with a tired look on his face. responded. "Yeah we can, sorry ive just been a little pre occupied lately, some troubles with the corpersation came up so ive been dealing with that for a bit. just keep me posted and Ill come pick you up when your next shore leave happens." Ulrixes wings fluttered "sure thing bud." hanging up he began heading for the armory to drop off his gear and use the fireing range.

Pierre and Asami each gave Kari something to think about, and just when she was about to reply she was interrupted by Yujin jumping into the bath between all three of them, splashing Kari in the process. Though she was still wet from her shower, somehow getting splashed unexpectedly gave Kari the appearance of a miserable cat until she raised a hand and smoothed back her hair.

"Thank you for joining us, Yujin-hei," Kari said. If she was upset, it wasn't reflected in her tone, which was normally annoyed on the verge of anger anyway. Another clue that she wasn't really upset was that she quickly went back to idly swatting at her tail underwater as she spoke. "We were just discussing our purposes in life. I asked because I was given life and purpose by the Empress, and I wondered how others felt without being brought into existence with a duty to fulfill. Pierre, I think you answered the question I really wanted to ask when you said that one's purpose is whatever one wants it to be. How does one choose? It seems Asami hasn't chosen, so perhaps the question is more practical than my idle musings."

Pierre tried to mirror Sunde's sanguine response to Yujin's cannonball. They almost managed not to roll their eyes. "Welcome to the 'chill zone', pilot," they said sinking back into the water.

Something about what Sunde said rubbed them the wrong way. They weren't risen to anger, more of a sense of academic challenge. Sitting with just their head exposed, they asked, "I'm from Kyoto, well it was Geshrinopolis when I was born, but that's besides the point. I've got parents. They 'gave me life' but it's not up to them to tell me who I should be. That's just not the purpose of parents. Being a Star Army soldier is a job. If being a medic brings you purpose, that's just the result of all the little quirks that make you you. How do you choose a purpose? The same way you choose a new shirt. Try things, some times you like them sometimes you don't. I told you earlier, I went to business school. Being a corpo didn't really suit me so I joined the army. Maybe in five years, I'll decide my purpose is to be a parent, or maybe I'll keep gunning for a position in Rikugun High Command. Then again, none of these are a grand purpose, they're just whims and ambitions. I think Asami's right, grand purposes don't exist. Your purpose changes, day to day, moment to moment. Right now, my purpose in life is to soak in a bath and apparently discuss things that usually only come up a few beers in." They paused, wondering if they'd rambled on too much and decided to refocus somewhat, "I know before I joined the Army, I can't really say I was super passionate about much, maybe that is where I gained a sense of purpose, or more likely I just found things to do that I found interesting and fulfilling. I guess I have two questions. One: what does 'purpose' mean to you? Two: why do you think we need a purpose? I expect a five paragraph essay on my desk by close of business tomorrow." They let out a small laugh, "I'm kidding, a verbal answer is fine." They gave Sunde a knowing look. She would probably have written the essay.

Lifts his head up more and then says " hello there and sorry I was not able to hold back."

Tilts his head thinking about his purpose, then as Pierre rambled on and on in a long-winded answer. That was till he heard Geshrinopolis and smiles some " heh hey I was born there also, but due to father's work, we moved around a lot. As for my purpose, it is the fly the best I can." Tilts his head more and thinks " well maybe that is a goal. If that is a goal I'm not sure what my purpose was, is. " leans back into the side of the pool of water as he relaxes some. "Maybe my purpose was to be a pilot, as I was one when I moved back to Geshrinopolis I got a job as a pilot and now I am a pilot once more in Star Army. Maybe that one is a better purpose?"

It was rude to look over people's shoulders, but when Ulrix had mentioned that name, Spark had instinctively looked over, and now shook her head. Just jumping at shadows, it seemed. She quickly stepped out of the room, headed straight for the XO's office.

"You raise an excellent point, Yujin. What's the difference between a purpose and a goal? I think explaining that difference will help me answer your first question, Pierre," Kari said, looking at each of them in turn. "A goal is something that can be completed, while a purpose persists indefinitely while one fulfills it to a greater or lesser extent. But achieving a goal can help you fulfill a purpose. For example, right now, I am not fulfilling my purpose of being a medic. Except that one of my goals is to build a bond with the crew, which may contribute to being a better medic later when I have the opportunity to fulfill that purpose. As for your second question..."

Kari trailed off and sat motionless for a few moments before she started slowly sliding deeper into the water until her head was submerged to just below her nostrils. At which point she began blowing bubbles in the water as she lost herself in thought.

"Well, you're doing a good job at that goal," Pierre said before sinking into the water for a moment, mirroring the pale haired medic. Popping back up they said, "No need to push for an answer, it's mostly just a thought exercise. I'm enjoying it."

Kari rose from the water just enough that her lips were no longer submerged. "Thank you for saying so, Pierre. I am never certain where I stand with people, socially."

Kari quickly discovered that the waterline was so close to her lips that water splashed into her mouth as she talked, so with an expression of mild annoyance she rose slightly higher in the water before continuing. "I will have to think on it further. Many of our conversations seem to end in questioning of my fundamental assumptions. But this is not unwelcome."

Yujin nods some and then says " that is right um. " he looks through the ship crew list till the image of Kari came up and then said, "Sunde-Hei is it?" Yujin was relaxing more leaning back as he slides back to the edge that he was nearby and leans on it. He was thinking of what was said as he looks around at the 3 others that are in the water also.