[ORP] Obligatory Spa Scene and Obvious Fanservice

[Tori Honoo]

Though she hadn't exactly planned on traveling into the mountains alone, Dove found that she could not make it another day without exploring the rumor of a very popular hot spring she had just happened to overhear a few girls chattering about as she made her purchases on her last shopping outing. Deciding to step even further outside her comfort zone, the young model had packed a light bag and made her way into the mountains, finding herself pleased with what she found waiting for her.

Now, under the warmth of the sun, the chill of the surrounding air, and the heated steam rising from the springs, Dove closed her eyes, content to simply relax in the nearly-empty pools. Though she had expected it to be more crowded, she found she certainly didn't mind the vacancy. Hopefully, the day at the spa would be enough to melt away the past few days.

The water was hot, the staff was respectful, her bikini was beautifully flattering...

She sighed blissfully. She had definitely missed these outings.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Luke was coming whether he liked it or not. After some convincing, pleading even, Emil had managed to persuade his friend. He'd also convinced a few other of Luke's friends to come along as well. Cause this was the kind of thing Luke obviously needed to raise his spirits and to help him get better. A nice relaxing outing with all of his friends! Emil had even suggested that Luke invite his brother if he wanted to, although that was left completely up to the red head himself. He had no idea how to get in contact with Luke's twin anyway.

But now that they were there, the stick thin blonde boy was now in a pair of black and blue trunks and awkwardly peering out at the hot spring. Oh gawd there was an almost naked girl out there. What do. Shuffling nervously, he decided to wait for Luke to show up so he wouldn't have to be out there with her by himself. Cause... you know... he was just shy like that.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Sera had texted a few of her friends - namely Luke, Rosie, Nate, and Akira - about going to the hot springs spa today, after she'd heard about it while she was out. Her mother had even offered to give rides to the friends that needed it, so after arriving, the brunette had shrugged off her outer layers to strip down to the soft pink bikini underneath. Her belongings safely tucked away and Giselle out and invisible as per usual, the girl made her way towards the almost empty pool that looked so inviting.

"You coming in or are you just gonna stand there all day?" Sera asked of Emil as she passed - not that she recognized him in the least, especially from behind - before she slipped in and offered a bright smile to Dove. "I didn't know you were coming here today too!"  

[Suudonym]

No way to escape
Forced from comfort, from shelter
Against all wishes

Luke occupied his thoughts primarily by composing haiku about how much he really really really did not want to go on this little venture (it was a lot). Rather than feeling especially relaxed about the idea of a pleasant visit to the mountain hot springs, he was immediately nervous about the appearance of the dark red line drawn down the length of his chest. His friends weren't exactly leaving him a choice, though; if Emil's persuasive efforts weren't persistent enough, he also had Seraphine pressuring him to come. Eventually resisting became so exhausting that acquiescing was the more logical course of action for self-preservation.

When he joined Emil, wearing a plain black shirt and gray trunks, it was with all reluctance and even more self-consciousness. He was more clothed than most of the women there. Wasn't this just as conspicuous too? There was just no winning. He really wanted to go back.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove nearly jumped out of her skin, startled by the other girl's sudden appearance. Though she turned her face quickly to return Sera's greeting, her eyes went wide, the girl's light pink bikini at first mistaken to be skin. When she realized the girl was wearing a swimsuit-- a rather cute one at that, she noted-- she smiled. "Um, yeah. I heard about it that day we had lunch. A few girls were talking about it..." She looked around, now noticing the others that were starting to appear. "I didn't know there was something happening today... It was empty when I got here," she explained, unsure if she had unknowingly stumbled upon a party of some sort.

Lifting herself from the tub, she instead sat at it's edge, only her feet submerged in the water. "Cute suit," she smiled.  

[BlackPidgeot]

His cheeks pink, Emil blinked over at Sera... for some reason not being as much bothered by her as the other lady that was already here. Still he stammered a bit in his response.

"U-um. Yes? I'm just waiting for Luke."

And there he was, finally. If Emil was going out there with girls, he wanted another guy to be with him.

"C'mon Luke," he said shyly. Not use to being the one to do the encouraging since he was often the one that needed it. He beckoned the red head to come as he finally stepped out shyly, edging away from the girls and picking a spot at the other side of the pool. Yeah.  

[Suudonym]

Sighing lightly, Luke followed Emil as the boy moved, remaining more behind than beside him with his eyes down. He understood that staying in the apartment all day was probably not great for his mental health, but a hot spring of all places? What was wrong with the same old park?

If Emil was being shy about the ordeal, then Luke was downright skittish. He chose a place for himself close enough to the water to avoid being accused of being especially difficult about the whole thing but far enough away that no one could expect him to jump right in or something. Passingly he wondered if Seraphine had arrived before them and raised his eyes to inspect their company - yup, there she was. And Dove as well, either by coincidence or also from Seraphine's invitation. Briefly he raised a hand in wordless greeting.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Me too," Sera admitted as she stood near Dove, about waist-deep in the water. "Guess it was a coincidence we both picked the same day, huh? Oh," she glanced around at the others, "I texted some friends to see if they wanted to come too, that's why."

Speaking of friends (ignoring Emil), she turned to offer Luke a bright smile, a wave, and a "hi Luke!" whilst noting his reluctance to get into the water. Wait, was he even supposed to be in the water at this point? It had been several weeks since his surgery, hadn't it? Nah, he'd be fine. Plus, hot water was good.

"Yours is nice too," she countered as she half-circled before she lowered herself into the water more. Mmm, it felt so nice... "It's from that new line, isn't it?" Even if she couldn't afford all the latest fashions, that didn't mean she stopped keeping up with them.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove looked across as Sera greeted Luke, smiling brilliantly and raising a hand in greeting herself. Once he--and his blonde friend-- had been properly acknowledged, she turned her attention back to Sera, still perched on the rim of the pool. She grinned again, plucking one of the straps close to her collarbone.

"Thanks, and yes!" she said excitedly, tucking the lose pieces of her hair behind her ear and adjusting the back of her messy updo. "It just came in today. A...really late birthday present." At least, that's what the designer had called it as she had asked for a favor. This particular style hadn't been released for retail, yet, and it delighted her to know that Sera was fashion savvy enough to recognize it so quickly.

Looking around the pools again, she asked offhandedly, "Who all did you invite? Anyone I might have met?" Though she definitely wouldn't mind meeting new people and making new friends, she was curious to know if she would be more of an intruder. If she didn't know anyone, and they all knew each other...well. Things would likely end up as they had at the Christmas party, her hopes of making new connections dashed.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

Upon receiving Sera's text, Akira had been hesitant. Joining her on an outing was one thing, but her friends...? He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a social setting surrounded by people. And these were Sera's friends. What if he embarrassed her in front of them? He was still trying to get the hang of how to act around commoners.

Then again...who was to say her friends were commoners? She had a wealthy family and an important background, it seemed. And yet, while the rich snobs of his past society was what he was used to, hadn't he put that behind him for a reason?

At long last, the brunet threw all caution out the window and decided to go. He had come to Kodo to live, not to stay within the boundaries of his comfort zone. Anyway, it was just a hot spring; nothing new. How bad could it be? Commoners or not, surely status wouldn't matter there.

In new, green trunks he'd had to buy for this occasion, Akira entered the place. Emil and Luke were the first people he noticed, but then there was Sera talking to another girl. He stood beside the water for a while before slowly lowering himself in, adjusting to the temperature a little at a time. He didn't want to interrupt the conversation Sera was having, so instead he turned to Emil and Luke, smiling meekly and waving a hand.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Sitting on the edge of the pool, Emil fidgeted nervously, feeling rather out of place. The girls were chatting it up and Luke was a poor excuse for company right now. He had really hoped that getting out and relaxing would cheer him up. It was still early though, so maybe there was hope?

When the girl who was here first seemed to know Luke, the blonde blinked and looked over at his roommate.

"Um... who is that? Do you know her?"

And then another guy showed up, someone else Emil didn't know. When he waved at them, the boy just waved shyly back.  

[Suudonym]

Wow, they sure were enthusiastic. Luke, however, was quite aware that his conversational skills had declined virtually into nonexistence, so he refrained from intruding on their apparent discussion.

At Emil's question, he nodded slightly, "Seraphine. I think you met her once, at the League party a while back. The other girl is Dove. I don't know her very well, but she seems pretty nice." Read: Feel free to go over there and actually enjoy this trip. The young man that joined the growing group was foreign to him, though, so Luke could only acknowledge his greeting with a small nod.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ooh, nice," Sera said as she moved to raise herself out of the water and sit beside Dove on the edge - the better to see her fancy suit with. She liked fancy swim suits, but she also liked more normal tan lines. "When was your birthday?"

Sitting where she was, she had a perfect view of who else was coming in, and so she smiled and waved to Akira when he appeared and moved to hang with the other guys. Typical, she supposed. "Well, I invited him - Akira," she said, raising both hands with one to show numbers, and the other to tick them off, "Luke, and I guess he invited that blonde kid, I forget his name. I invited Rosie too, she's my best friend and she also knows Luke. Uhh.. Nate..." Her brows furrowed as she tried to think of anyone else she'd invited, but she drew a blank, so her expression cleared and she glanced to Dove again. "I think that's about it."  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Hey, aren't you forgetting someone?" came a voice from behind Sera and Dove. A familiar deep toned, masculine voice that didn't seem to match his somewhat feminine looks. Yep, Yuri had shown up

Yuri wasn't exactly enthralled about the idea of going to a spa. Wasn't a spa something that girls did? What the hell were they supposed to do there? It sounded kinda boring really, but Emil had practically begged him to come. And it was for Luke, for the most part. Something "fun" to do with all of his friends. Yuri found that it was kinda hard to say no to a boy with a good cause, and with puppy dog eyes who looked like he might cry at any moment. He had given in with an exasperated sigh. To top it all off, he had to walk the entire way here. He might not have come just cause of that, but after Sera's snubbing... he came just to spite her.

And so there he was, standing behind the two girls with a hand on his hip and that smirk on his face.

Oh, and he's wearing this.  

[Tori Honoo]

"oh, um... It was back in October..." the young woman admitted, rubbing the back of her neck as she watched more people trickle in. She watched Luke and his friend a moment, the newcomer catching her eye. Akira, she labled him silently, listening to Sera's list as she named them. Maybe she wouldn't be so out of place.Sera didnt seem to know the blonde very well, and she already knew Luke...she had at least heard of Rosie...When Nate was mentioned, she pinked, turning her eyes back to the girl at her side.

"You know Nate?" she asked, realizing only seconds too late that there were probably multiple boys with the name in the region. She went on, describing him, "White blond hair, really cool eyes...? Wicked flirt?"

When a familiar man's voice sounded behind her, she jumped a bit, turning to face him. "Yuri!" she smiled, cheeks flushing a bit; their last encounter had been horrific...at least she was in a better mood now.