The Onsen; Saturday Evening.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah was leaving soon; this was an unavoidable fact. There were very few things that she knew she'd have to do before she left, and most of them albeit handwavily woe had already been taken care of.

This certainly hadn't been on her original list, but, really? She'd be damned if she was going to leave without taking advantage of at least one relaxing evening in a natural hot spring. She just had to be grateful that it happened now rather than in a few days when she'd be gone for certain. Emerged in the warm water, she felt a contented sigh, closing her eyes and tilting her head back at an angle that was comfortable for only her and perhaps people with a few missing vertebrae, and relaxed.

As if she needed another reason to not want to leave...


[[ open, of course! Due to computer sharing and an unexpectedly returning fiance *cough*, I might be slow, but I had to do this before she left, especially with this icon! ]]

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[always-damp.livejournal.com]

When Toby heard there was an Onsen in the new part of town, he headed there right after work to scout it out. Disappointed that it wasn't a bathing suit optional facility, he changed before heading into the water.

"Now this is my kind of place," he said, sinking into the warmth and smiling at Lee's girlfriend.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Keeping her eyes closed, Adah managed to keep her sigh restricted to what might seem like nothing more than settling into the warmth of the waters around her. Well. It had been peaceful, quiet, relaxing. Zen, one might even say, although probably not Adah. Still, she figured Toby wasn't exactly the worst company she could imagine. She could imagine much, much worse.

She did refrain from comment, though. The fact that she was sitting there, soaking, simmering, relaxing, seemed, to her, to be enough indication that she didn't think the place was all that bad, either.

[always-damp.livejournal.com]

Toby had no problem talking for the both of them. "The water is like, so perfect. It's that ultimate relaxing temperature." He settled into a corner, smiling blissfully.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

After another silent moment, Adah decided to voice what she was thinking after all. She agreed about the water, its temperature, its relaxing properties. Those had all existed a few moments ago, when she was here alone. Only one thing had changed since then, which meant there was just one thing she had to argue against about the concept of the water's 'perfection.'

"I," she said quietly, "can think of at least one wrong here."

Not that she'd expected Toby to realized exactly what it was.

[always-damp.livejournal.com]

Toby sighed. "The bathing suits, I totally agree." Maybe he should just strip anyway. It's not like people would complain. "It's breaking with the way of the Onsen to wear them. Takes away from the overall effect."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Lifting her head, Adah's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the invitation of light, and stared a moment at Toby. That...wasn't what she thought, but she had to admit that it was an interesting perspective.

That would be...interesting. Adah's eyes shifted to the side, and decided she preferred not to think about this at all. It wasn't like a bathing suit would create that much of a barrier, but the thoughts of sharing warm bath water with certain individuals (no offense to the Lump's intelligent properties, but that was just a slowly simmering stew of body parts waiting to happen) caused a bit of a twitch in her that might have seemed like a shudder, but wasn't. Just a tick, and she shook her head to shake it out.

"I wasn't aware," she admitted. "We don't have things like this where I'm from. Not unless you count something like the YMCA pools, but this seems entirely different. Oddly more sanitary, although the concepts are exactly the same."

Fewer five year old children around the island to pee in the damn things, for one.

[always-damp.livejournal.com]

"Ew," Toby made a face. "I hate public pools. They're always full of kids and pee and old people."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

"And the only difference here," Adah pointed out, closing her eyes again and settling a little deeper, to her chin, "is that it's in a pretty setting and the water is warm and not chlorinated. The population of young adolecants on this island is nearly nonexistent, sure, but there's a decent amount of old people, and they have to love this place. Good for their aching backs and joints."

[always-damp.livejournal.com]

"I like the lack of chemicals. No worry about my hair getting that green tint." He preferred it to shine all dark and wet in the sun. "Dude, there's old people? Or do you mean like the profs?"

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

"Older," Adah allowed, with a slight shrug of her good shoulder, although, really, some of the teachers weren't exactly spring chickens. Besides, she had at least one ace in the hole here. "Besides, have you even met Igor?"

[always-damp.livejournal.com]

"Oh my god, the dude with the..." he motioned with his arms to indicate many disfiguring bits.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah gave a careful nod, trying not to grin. Her eyes were still closed, so she didn't exactly see Toby's gesturing, but she could imagine them with that tone. "Exactly," she said.

[always-damp.livejournal.com]

"Dude, I so don't want to see him in or out of swimwear." The tone was horrified. HORRIFIED.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

"In or out of swimwear," Adah said, "he may or may not have been in here. Something to consider before you start extolling the tranquility of the place or start wishing for more of clothingless option."

[always-damp.livejournal.com]

Toby fell quiet, trying not to think about the water and what might have sloughed off of that creepy dude who gave his body to the unfortunate Hispanic boy.