30 - Deep Clean

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: The Heavens have issued everyone invitations to a relaxing hot spring vacation.
When: Dec 14 - 16
Where: A traditional onsen hotel on the Far Shore
Summary: The invitations might have looked like an opportunity for a pampered getaway, but this onsen seems a little run down. And shouldn't there be a bigger staff? Is this an excuse to get the new gods and shinki to clean up an old building, or is it an opportunity for a rustic getaway? It's all in how you look at it....






Rustic Baths

Heaven's messenger doves drop invitations off by the doorways of temples throughout the Far Shore in the second week of December. Ornamented with a calligraphed swirl of steam, they invite the residents of each temple to relax at a recently re-opened hot spring in the safety and comfort of the Far Shore's southern fields.

Upon arrival, visitors will discover that the hot spring itself is heavenly. Cloudy waters in every shade from nearly white to turquoise fill pools that are cut cleanly into stone. The hottest baths are filled from pipes ten feet up, with steaming waters cascading down, cooled enough by the fall not to burn. Outdoors, fences cleverly masked with bushes and vines provide privacy for bathers. The indoor baths are set into the floor in solid wooden buildings, for those who would prefer not to brave the elements for their relaxing soak. Other wooden buildings are airier, with traditional sliding paper doors and tatami rooms within for visitors to sleep.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look all that ready to "re-open." The buildings are worn down by time and neglect; sliding doors are off their tracks, paper screens are torn, tatami is worn out, and the landscaping is badly overgrown. This looks more like a haunted house than a luxurious getaway. At least the baths are nice.

Cooking & Cleaning

There's a noticeable lack of staff around the hot spring; the only caretakers for the place appear to be two elderly shinki in plain indigo robes, one man and one woman. The man can be spotted here and there around the place over the few days that their guests are present, industriously scrubbing floors, patching screens, repairing tatami and cutting back bushes. It's far more work than just one person can do, and he'll be eager to explain the tasks and accept any help that's offered.

The other shinki is a slight, stooped old woman who bustles about with fresh towels and robes, lays out futons and pillows for the guests, and cooks three meals a day. She, too, is terribly overworked, and help with the laundry or the cooking will be gratefully accepted! Surely, if everyone works together, they'll be able to make this a wonderful.... vacation?

Spooky Sleepover

For those who take the two shinki up on their offer of hospitality, they will find that the rooms are comfortable, the futon are soft and warm, the stars are beautiful far from the lights of more densely populated areas of the Heavens... and as soon as the lanterns are all snuffed for bedtime, the remote resort starts to feel a little creepy. Strange creaking noises resound overhead. Is that the wind, or someone walking on the roof? What about the shadows cast through the paper screens by the moonlight? Is the flicker of light outside someone taking a flashlight as they go for a late-night walk, or a will-o'-the-wisp beckoning the unwary to their doom? And what about those distant animal howls in the forest?!

Investigate the mysterious noises, or pull the covers up and try to get some sleep. Extra-brave guests could even take the opportunity to light some candles and tell ghost stories.

The Bath's Master Returns

On the 16th, the two shinki will wake all of their guests up promptly at dawn by ringing a big brass bell in front of the dining building. Bursting with pride, they introduce the bath's proprietor, home at last from a long flight: he's a man in his thirties, tall, heavy-set and wearing a trailing feathery cloak, with a red face and a very large nose. (Or is that really a cloak? It could be wings....) He fans himself vigorously with a white feather fan, and welcomes the remaining guests in a booming voice, before inviting them to enjoy a lavish breakfast spread and come back soon!

Guests who have stayed until the final day will find a gift at their place setting when they go inside, especially if they helped the proprietor's poor overworked shinki with their tasks. Comment below on the "Gift" thread to learn what your character found in their package.

In Summary:

• Vacation at a run-down hot spring
• Help the staff get things in order
• Try not to get scared by the spooky surroundings
• Get a present from the bath's proprietor
• Have fun~

Comments

hot springs!

[hellskitchen]

[ At least, Ain thought he had the spring all to himself. Unfortunately for him, Rin decides to take a late night soak too. Especially since this little vacation is so short, he wants to enjoy the springs as much as he can.

The excitement blinds him from seeing Ain's form, and he slides into the pool. Only for his eyes to meet the floating mass in front of him. He jumps,not recognizing his fellow shinki.]

Woah!

[ He starts to back up. His eyes still on the strange thing bobbing in the water. Then something seem familiar about it.Oh...wait! That looks like...?]

Ain?

[abgrund]

[ He's content to just remain in the water like this. It's much like a neutral gravity suspension for him, screening out all the noise from outside. Very peaceful, just like the void...... until a voice sounds and breaks the silence.

If it was anyone else, he might have ignored them; but this is someone he knows. So he rises from within the water, his head and shoulders breaking the surface: ]

?

[ tilts his head a little ]

[hellskitchen]

[Ain seems like he's worlds away. That must mean he's really enjoying the springs. He realizes that he's disturbing the other by getting his attention. My bad.]

Sorry, I didn't know it was you at first.

[Rin looks around the water and sees his pecular outline. Shadowy tentacles underneath the water. Ain has shown him his abilities, and so he knows he can be very versatile. Though for the most part hasn't really revealed his true form either. It seems he always tries to hide under the shroud of shadows.]

You seemed like you were enjoying yourself.

[abgrund]

[ It's a bit odd a statement, he thinks; given how unique his appearance is, surely people would know. Or maybe, that's just because it was dark. ]

Hello....

[ So Rin is here to relax too? He shrinks his tendrils a bit to make space. ]

It's nice to sleep here.

[hellskitchen]

[Well it is dark. Though, Rin will agree that the shinki is certainly unique in appearance. Rin laughs at the greeting.]

Hello Hello!

[ Rin came here to relax, and he appreciates the gesture of Ain making more space for him. Though he says something weird.]

You were sleeping? Isn't this a weird place to sleep? People might think you've drowned. Or even worse you fainted due to overheating.

[ A pause. Since this is Ain, he's talking about]

Can you even drown? Can you even get really hot it makes you dizzy?

[abgrund]

[ Right. Most people will drown in water. He considered this, which is why he chose to come here when it's quiet and no one would panic. ]

But it's comfortable.... and quiet.

[ He pulls his human arms close to himself. ]

I don't feel the heat much... and I don't need air.... so it's okay.

[hellskitchen]

[ Rin supposes if Ain couldn't overhear or need air, then it's fine. Though, it's not any less weird. Maybe even more why he chose to do this under the cover of night, and where people have already gone to bed.]

It is comfortable. I could fall asleep in here too, but I'll definitely drown.

[He's dead anyway, but the possibility of dying again is extremely and embarrassing. Belatedly, Rin realizes what Ain says before, and slowly finds that strange.]

B-but wait, you said you don't need air? Don't you have lungs? [Well he does have tentacles, so maybe he could breathe underwater.]

[abgrund]

[ Ain merely shakes his head in response, pondering the merits of sticking his hands through the hole in his chest just to demonstrate... but maybe, that's too morbid. ]

No.....

[ He needs air to talk, but nothing more than that. ]

I'm not a human, I don't have human parts.

[hellskitchen]

Well...I guess I never thought of it.

[It's not like he hasn't seen the signs. Ain doesn't need to eat or drink to survive. He doesn't seem to sleep either. So breathing really shouldn't be too strange, however it only sets in how inhuman Ain is. He doesn't find himself afraid of Ain, but just even more curious.]

Then, what are you then? Do you remember?

[abgrund]

[ What is he?

He thinks he knows. Or rather, he knows what he used to be - a celestial, made to serve heaven. But he isn't one anymore.

So he shakes his head again ]

I don't know....

[hellskitchen]

Well it's okay. I'm sure you'll figure it out in time.

[ Rin doesn't mean to ask Ain such a hard question. Though, aren't they all wondering who they used to be?]

No big deal if you're not human. I don't think any of us is like that anymore.

[If anything Rin must be clinging to the idea of being human and alive. He realizes he must be thinking dark thoughts, and decides to splash some of the hot water on his face. It does the trick of disrupting his train of thought.]

Anyway, let's get back to enjoying the spring! Or I'll shut up, so you can go back to sleep.

[Whichever one comes first.]

[abgrund]

[ He doesn't really sleep, it's more of him astral projecting so that he isn't really here anymore. But since Rin is here, he can't really do that without being rude. ]

It's okay.

[ Said as a general blanket statement to all of Rin's words ]

Did you like the food?

[hellskitchen]

[ The simple phrase is enough. Since Rin doesn't feel as if he's intruding on Ain, and he's even adding the conversation.

As for the food at the resort? Well, Rin has plenty of things to say.]

I did! The old folks really know how to put some food together, and anyone else who volunteered made pretty good things too! Food is very important to a vacationm y'know. The food is terrible it really puts a damper on the overall experience.

[ Rin is really big on his food! It's like one of his favorite pastimes, eating and cooking seems to go hand in hand. Though it is odd to hear Ain ask such a question since he doesn't need substance to live on.]

Have you tried eating food...just because?

[abgrund]

I made some, [ he says this evenly, closing his eyes. ] I can make them again when we go back.

[ Rin's question takes some time to answer, though. Ain sifts through his memories, thinking. He's eaten some things, but most of them were in the company of people, or they gave it to him. ]

Not really...

[ There wasn't really any motivation to eat otherwise. ]

Why?

[hellskitchen]

You've made some? Where was I? [ Rin looks really disappointed that he missed this. He didn't even know that Ain could cook. Though he looks hopeful when the shinki says he'll make some again.]

Good, cuz I wanna try some. What did you make?

[ Rin shrugs.]

Maybe, you're just curious of what something tastes like? So you want to try it. Something like that.

[ Rin just can't imagine what it could be like to not have an urge to eat anything. Especially when food is in front of him.]

[abgrund]

I did some soup and other dishes... you might have eaten some, too. I made a lot to make sure everyone has something to eat.

[ So Rin probably sampled a few, but he doesn't mind making more. It's strangely comforting, in some ways. ]

I never thought much about tasting.

[ For some reason, it doesn't seem important. ]

Is it fun?

[hellskitchen]

Maybe, I did. Though it's a little different if you know who cooks it.

[Something similar to putting a name to a face. A cooked dish to someone's face. It's not really important, but Rin would have liked to give his compliments to Ain, if he knew.

He raises an eyebrow as Ain goes on to say he's never tried tasting his food.]

It's not so much fun as it is satisfying. You taste your food to make sure it taste the way you want it to, or it's a flavor you were trying to achieve. So if it does match or even exceeds your expectations, it can be really gratifying.

[abgrund]

[ It's similar to what the old woman told him about, albeit in different words. ]

I did give some to the old lady to make sure it was what she wanted.

[ He thinks back to it - she asked him to try some, but it didn't really have any effect on him. ]

I don't think I can taste things easily, either. I couldn't tell, so she helped me with it.

[hellskitchen]

I see...

[So Ain really couldn't taste it. At least the old lady helps him to get the right flavor, but will he be able to make it the same way without the same guidance? It makes Rin wonder what else Ain couldn't do? Did he lack any other.]

I still can't seem to wrap my head around it though. So what about your other senses? You can obviously see, touch and hear me just fine. What about a sense of smell? Do you have that?

[abgrund]

[ Theoretically, if one follows a recipe to exact, they should be able to make the same flavour. It's what he's been doing all along. ]

A little... I guess?

[ He supposes he could do it if he tried, but nothing complex. ]

[hellskitchen]

[ A recipe would help. Ain's dish would be delicious if he follows it to a T, however, it'll lack a unique component. His personality won't really be in it. That's a bit of a shame.]

You guess? [Ain does seem unsure. Maybe he could smell, but it's something he's not conscious of, or maybe if he tries really hard to, he can make it happen.]

It must be really interesting to live in your shoes for a day. Well I guess not shoes but...y'know what I mean.

[Because obviously, Ain doesn't wear shoes. It doesn't seem he has feet either.]

Oh, but what else did you do around the inn? There was tons of shit to do. I'm not sure we'll be finished with everything before we leave.

[abgrund]

[ He lacks a soul. But is the absence of a soul a defining characteristic too? It's hard to tell. ]

I don't know. I'm very different from humans... you might not understand the experience.

[ He thinks back to Feita again, that dream of drowning in darkness. And so he passes onto the next topic quickly, because he's aware it's quite heavy ]

I helped clean up too. I can probably check on Add better with the experience.

[hellskitchen]

That's true. Maybe I won't understand after all.

[ Maybe living Ain's life is beyond his reach, but he still wants to understand the shinki as he is. He's not human, so some things are really difficult for a human to understand. Though, Rin hopes that knowledge could bring the gap.

He smiles as he hears that Ain helped cleaning up.]

That's good. I'm okay when it comes to cleaning, but I don't really like as much as cooking. Though we can definitely help each other out.

[abgrund]

[ There's also the given that one has to understand the void to understand him... and humans, as mortals, don't have minds that are prepared for that kind of experience. It's better for Rin that he doesn't.

But Rin still tries - it reminds him of someone, somehow. ]

Yeah.

[ Helping out with mundane things lets him have a reason to share time with them. ]

I wanted to be a reliable person... maybe with new skills, I can.

[hellskitchen]

You're already pretty reliable. Now you'll be even more so...

[Is there a better word for being extremely reliable? Rin doesn't know, but if he did, he was sure he would call Ain that. Just settle for...]

You're like...ultra reliable now!

[That's not even a thing!]

Look if you can figure out how to fold sheets, you're a fuckin' genius in my book.

[The bane of Rin's existence is bedding obviously.]