Session Start: Sat Nov 06 16:18:51 2004 Last time, on Hunters: A couple of weeks had passed since that thunderous five days at the end of January, and the team had done its best to flush the feelings they had generated. Sakura finally showed up and revealed that she had been Ordered away (with all the Princesses) to a leadership training seminar. The team's young friend Princess had arrived at the Agency with Sakura, and invited everyone off to an overnight retreat at a hot springs resort in the mountains north of Tokyo. Sakura had to demur - it seemed that she needed to check up on contacts within a certain shipbuilding corporation - but she strongly encouraged everyone else to go and have fun. Or something. So they went. Taki and Minami were not too big on bathing in public, but they did resolve to enjoy the scenery. Everyone else was just about to go out to the communal springs when Haruko, who had been late for the Agency meeting, caught up with them... [17:50 local time] [session start] * Princess is still hanging on Darkmoon's arm. * Maya isn't too far off from Rin and Princess, just watching them with slight amusement. "Adorable." ^_^ * Lord_Darkmoon is still studiously not looking at Maya's and Kyouko's swimsuits. He blushes slightly at Maya's comment. * Haruko knocks lightly on the door. Who's that? ... eh? Who is it? It's Haruko... am I at the wrong room? No, come on in, Haruko. * Taki grumbles to herself about the combination of Haruko and Princess, but smiles at the other girl. Hi. Um... who is this? * Haruko slides open the door and walks in. Hello, Haruko! Glad you could join us! ^^ * Minami looks up. "Hi." Hi everyone. * Haruko notices the swimsuits. * Lord_Darkmoon introduces. "Haruko, this is Princess. Princess, Haruko. She's a new member of our team." He gestures between the girl at the door and the little girl on his arm. * Haruko offers forth a hand. "Pleased to meet you Princess" We're you all just about to leave? * Princess takes it and shakes it graciously. We can wait on you, it's no problem. Thanks. I'll be quick about it. Alright... * Minami lies on her back and spaces out at the ceiling. Oooh, ceiling. * Haruko takes her bag behind one of the screens. * Taki continues to be on the back porch, quietly ignoring everyone. ... so, Princess. Aside from all that business, how've you been? * Lord_Darkmoon idly opens and closes his Tessen while he waits. Um, I didn't bring a swimsuit... does someone maybe have a spare? Look in the cabinets back there, Haruko. Oh, I didn't notice those, thanks. * Haruko quickly changes, stashing her old clothes in her bag. * Princess begins bouncing around a little, semi-impatiently. Maybe she really can't wait. * Haruko emerges from behind the screen, she has pulled up her hair and wrapped a towel around her waist. "Sorry to keep you all" No, it's fine. The more the merrier. Not a problem. Shall we? Yes! * Haruko avoids looking at Darkmoon. * Princess bounds out the patio door facing out over the pools. * Lord_Darkmoon smiles at the exuberance of the tyke and heads out that way, himself. He waves Haruko and Maya along, once more blushing just slightly at Maya's swimsuit. Have fun. Alright! You two hold down the fort! You aren't coming Mina? * Maya waves, then catches up, staying towards the rear. Nope. * Taki looks away as everyone passes her. The door leads out onto a low wooden deck, which has a couple of steps down to the pool area itself. * Lord_Darkmoon heads down the steps, and takes off his towel when in the pool area proper. He's wearing a black set of trunks underneath it. Leaving the towel folded neatly on a convenient surface, he carefully descends into the water. There is a larger pool, not big enough to swim laps in, but big enough to give hardcore swimmers the idea of doing so. It is surrounded by smaller pools carved out of the mountain itself, in all sorts of interesting sizes and shapes. * Maya whistles, rubbernecking furiously... and then she spots Rin and makes this funny face. * Haruko finds one of the smaller pools with a good view of the mountainside, and slips into it, setting her towel aside. There are high wooden walls off to either side of this commons area, with doors to the segregated pools. Most everyone here is wearing swimsuits, at least before they get into the pools. The crowd is thin, and mostly elderly, though a few young couples can be seen here and there. * Princess settles into the same pool as Haruko, though more slowly. * Lord_Darkmoon takes a deep breath and descends beneath the water, and swims a short distance to the other side before popping up on the other side, head tilted back to let his long hair fall behind him, and not in his face. The water is not quite scalding - once you adjust, it seems absolutely perfect. * Haruko sighs and just relaxes, watching people and the scenery. * Maya continues to glance around for a while, then finally joins Rinada; it takes some time and a few 'yeep!'s before she's finally in and comfy. Isn't it wonderful? ... yeeeeah. ^_^ * Lord_Darkmoon grins. "Hotter than it looks, isn't it, Maya?" He settles back into it himself, getting his shoulders submerged. * Princess gazes out over the mountain, to where Fuji-san is gleaming in the sunset oranges and reds. Rather... but it's nice. * Maya pauses for a bit. "Hey... Rin-kun. Can I ask you an honest question?" Hm? In all honesty... do you think that Leena... ah... likes you? * Princess listens in with shining, interested eyes... ...I... I don't know, actually. She's a friend, and...we've not discussed it. I think...it's just Leena being Leena. She's rather hyper. ^^;; * Haruko tries not to look like she's listening to this. * Lord_Darkmoon looks a bit...embarrassed, or nervous. At least a touch uncomfortable. Especially as he most certainly does not look at Maya's swimsuit, preferring to study the surface of the water somewhere near his submerged twiddling thumbs. * Maya watches Rin intently, listens... and then laughs a bit at the reply. "Always a gentleman, Rin... I like that. I was hoping you had an idea, but I guess we may never know, hm?" ^^ Aheh. ^^; Perhaps. *looks at Maya, like he's going to say something, then looks away again* What made you ask? Just things I see and hear. * Lord_Darkmoon nods absently. "hm." * Princess stands abruptly and claps her hands. Hm? *looks up at Princess, sitting up in the water a bit* Come on you guys! You like each other! Stop dancing around it! ...*bright red* ... a-ah?! I suppose it was too much to hope that Darkmoon-sama would wait for me to grow up... * Maya gets all wide-eyed, complete with faint blush. "N-now, Princess... I'm trying not to get *too* attached to my team..." * Princess settles back into the pool, as the February air is a little nippy. Y-yes. *deep breath, forced formality* We're friends, and work well together, but I wouldn't go that far. Right, Maya? *looks to Maya, turns red again (due to the water, honest), and looks away again, quickly* Aw, you'll figure it out one of these days. * Princess looks quite satisfied with herself. ... ^^; ... if you say so, Princess. ^^; ---and yes! We're friends, but business is business. * Lord_Darkmoon nods in agreement with Maya. It would be traditional, though. You'd be surprised how many Lords end up with their team leaders. It's very romantic. ... ... *sigh* A shame there aren't more Lords. * Princess turns to Haruko. mmm? What about you? Are you dating anyone? * Haruko coughs a bit No, I'm not. * Lord_Darkmoon chuckles, a bit nervously. "Why the sudden Princess Dating Service questions, Princess?" Oh, well... I guess I'm just frustrated. 'Coz keeps chasing my boyfriends away. I've never really had one... They just don't seem interested. Maybe someday... * Maya remains oddly quiet, listening in and trying to pat away that stupid blush. I hope. * Princess stares at Haruko for a few more seconds, then... * Haruko gets a little starry eyed and distant. Oh, I get it! You're Kenji's replacement. * Lord_Darkmoon smiles. "I'm sure you'll find one someday. Anyone who'd let your cousin chase them away--huh?" Surely you remember your teammate? Mmmm. Poor Kenji... I don't know - he seemed... better when I saw him at the Palace. Of course...sorry. *shakes his head, perhaps still a bit distracted or confused. I wonder why* My cousin wanted to examine him more, now that his magic seems to have stabilized. I'm not sure why, though I heard Auntie Athena talking about commercial applications one time... ... Um, who is this Kenji? Kenji is -- was -- the other Lord on our team. Was, yes. It's... well, it's a bit confusing, so I try not to think about it much. He got recalled by the Queen, shortly before you joined us. He was - sort of, apparently - an artificial reincarnation of a dead Lord. ... ew. Is, I mean. He's better than he was - much more centered. ...that's good. He doesn't sound fun. I liked him when we all went to Disney. He just seemed continually uncomfortable about everything. Heh. *tries not to look uncomfortable about anything. Especially not being in a pool with two attractive young Ladies* You've been to Disney?! Was it fun? Well, being better is good. And it was fun until the Ningyo showed up. * Maya looks down as she remembered Princess' rather bad dream. "All in all, though, it was worth it." Yeah, and then I spoiled things with that stupid... dream. What kind of dream? * Lord_Darkmoon pats Princess on the shoulder. "Don't worry about that. It was just a dream." * Princess looks away. "Never mind." I shouldn't have been so cold the next day, though. I'm really sorry about that, Rinada. The world is just a dream.... If the world is just a dream... I don't want to wake up just yet. A voice cuts through the mist rising from the pools. "You would say that, Make-Believe." That's alright, Princess. I understand. ^_^ Maya: Funny you would say... What? * PrincessSqueegee emerges from the haze, and settles into the pool with you. * Lord_Darkmoon 's eyes narrow at that...uncouth statement from the princess. "Good afternoon, Princess." Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. *looks around* I didn't know you guys knew our little Princess. It's a long, business-related story, ma'am. * Haruko looks at Squeegee. Where do I know you from... you look so familiar... * Maya tries not to look like her balloon of off-time happiness was just deflated. * Princess blinks. She's the Queen's right-hand princess, Haruko. Princess Squeegee. *makes introductory gestures* * PrincessSqueegee is transformed, but not in costume. Or anything else. She wears (or doesn't, perhaps) it well. Anyway, Maya, as I was saying, its funny that you would say that. Maya is what the dream of the world is called. * Lord_Darkmoon politely avoids looking at Squeegee's lack of clothing, focussing on her face when he looks at her at all. ... really? Huh. * Maya seems totally oblivious of Naked Princess-ness nearby. * Haruko seems a little jealous of Squeegee after she recovers from the shock of her appearance. Auntie Mayuki! * Princess jumps into the Princess's lap. * Lord_Darkmoon conceals a smirk by lowering his mouth below the water. Hey, little one. I guess you had the same idea as I did. I'm surprised Sakura didn't come with you as well. * Princess frowns. "She was really upset, and had to work." ... yeah, we tried to get her to come. But she said she had business to attend to. I should be too, but I snuck out to a pay phone a few nights, so I'm probably not as hopelessly behind as she is. That was wise. * Maya raises an eyebrow. "And you didn't get in trouble?" Poor Sakura - Her Majesty gave her really strict Orders, and she couldn't stretch them like usual. And no - that's why I snuck. * Lord_Darkmoon shudders. * PrincessSqueegee smiles at Maya. "You seem to have learned the ropes pretty quickly - I haven't had to call you about any of the expensing. Maya works hard at it. Well, I'm trying to do my best to not get on your bad side, ma'am. Just doing my job. In fact, you're not stretching your budget enough... awwww. Do I have a bad side? * Princess blinks. "Yes." * Lord_Darkmoon suffers a fit of coughing that isn't laughter, honest. Eh-heh. ^^; Heh. I'm sorry about canceling your tenth birthday party, honest! You could have TOLD me! Well... that might have been a little rude. But I'm not a monster, not really... *looks at Maya for support*. She's business, but she's fair. I imagine she had a very good reason... so just bear with her, okay? ^^ Ah, well. So what was Sakura up to? As we said, she was catching up on some things these last couple weeks forced her to let slide. She was... oh, who was she talking to? * Lord_Darkmoon shrugs. Oh, well. So you all know each other? Mayuki, would you care to join us for dinner? I'm sure you have your own room... ... I'd be happy to. * PrincessSqueegee looks at the less-than-ecstatic faces around her. "But I'm not staying overnight, so..." Mmmm. * Princess sits and soaks blissfully. Business, I'm assuming? It's back to work tomorrow - I have to check on the investments and make some decisions. * Maya nods, slowly. "I don't envy you your work, but I'm sure it's important." I can't tell you how much help Sakura is. Before she was promoted, I was running everything. All the other Princesses are spoiled brats. ...and if you tell them I said that, you are dead meat. It's hard to build an emp- There's a sudden whooshing noise, and everyone looks towards a small pool about ten meters away - it's started geysering, and yes indeed, there is a Ningyo riding it. ... I was wondering how long it would take for one of them to show up. * Princess doesn't even twitch. She stays almost entirely submerged, smiling peacefully. ... every single time! * Maya stands up, if only to look. AIIE! It's the law of unexpected density. Pff. *leans back in the water* * PrincessSqueegee flicks a hand at the geyser, and the entire column of water is slammed out over the mountainside. The pool it was coming from is suddenly empty, and the Ningyo takes a nosedive into it. * Haruko relaxes slightly at seeing Squeegee on top of things. You think you hear crunching bones as it lands. Would someone go finish it off? * Lord_Darkmoon rises. "Certainly." * Lord_Darkmoon goes over to his towel and retrieves his Tessen, which flashes into a Katana when he picks it up. * Taki looks up from her cards, tossing down a Royal Flush, before dashing out towards the bath area to help. * Minami follows! * Haruko attempts to stay out of sight and out of the way. * Princess still hasn't moved. * Lord_Darkmoon is walking towards the empty pool, the Katana looking somewhat strange being wielded by a boy in just a swim suit. * Minami pauses at the threshold and transforms first before heading out, though. All three of them reach the now-empty pool at about the same time. The mists are swirling and lots of patrons ran away, so no one has a good look at any of them. * Maya just... stares... but finally follows suit, obviously awestruck. * Maya also finds a moment to submerge and transform. Yes. * Lord_Darkmoon walks in, carefully. No sense in being -too- cock-sure. * Taki spots Squeegee and mumbles, "What the hell is she doing here?" before transforming herself. The Ningyo is thrashing somewhat piteously; one of its arms and its tail seem broken. * LadyRoyal doesn't glance back at the others, though she checks for bystanders, and whips out a card. You picked the wrong evening to attack this springs, fish-girl. *makes ready to lop off her head* Just be quick about it, Darkmoon. * LadyRoyal flings a card or two at the Ningyo, going for the broken arm and tail. Bitches. * LadyNightshade lets lose with a couple of wicked combinations of kicks and punches, pink glow readily apparent on her limbs as she strikes. * Lord_Darkmoon shakes his head, and complies with Mysteria's order. His Katana flashes downwards, severing head from shoulders. "Rest in peace." The fish-girl is pummeled and decapitated quickly. The pool begins to fill back up with water, tinted red by its blood. * LadyRoyal wrinkles her nose at the red-tinged water. "Yick." ... well, that was annoying. * Lord_Darkmoon steps lightly over the water, and exits the pool. He shakes his Katana clean - magic weapons are great, especially semi-self-cleaning ones - and turns it back into a Tessen before returning to his towel. Indeed. I wish they'd stop that. * PrincessSqueegee , standing half out of the pool to watch, nods, satisfied. * LadyMysteria starts to make her way back to a spot where she can de-transform and resume soaking. * Princess surfaces properly as the inn's managers come flooding out onto the springs terrace. * LadyRoyal heads back and catches sight of Squeegee. She blinks, surprised, but then shrugs, waves, and goes back to going back in. * LadyNightshade transforms back as soon as it's over. * LadyRoyal transformed first too. >_< Gah. * Taki doesn't even look in Squeegee's direction as she passes the Princess. The management team panics momentarily, then announces that the communal pools will be closed for cleanup. That's too bad. * Lord_Darkmoon sighs, and uses his towel to dry off before wrapping it around himself for warmth while he waits for the other Ladies who stayed outside. ... meh. Everyone out, then? * PrincessSqueegee pulls herself out of the pool. "Maybe I will join you for dinner." Oh, good! The thin crowd slowly retreats to their rooms. * Lord_Darkmoon offers a towel each to Haruko, Maya, Elly, and even Squeegee. Thank you. * Taki grumbles as she hears that and realizes she has to have dinner with everyone. * PrincessSqueegee wraps herself almost-modestly, then ducks into the non- resident changing room. * Haruko thanks Darkmoon for the towel, but has her own. ...what does this place do for dinner anyway? * Maya grumbles and drags herself along. "I wish I knew, but right now anything's good." * Taki sorta hides by Minami and doesn't say anything as she avoids the rest of the girls. So it's back inside to change again. The dressing cabinets offer comfortable robes as well as swimsuits, and Princess pulls one on casually. It's usually pretty simple fare. Oooh, those robes look comfy. ...you've been here before, I guess? How did you think I knew about it? * Haruko waits until everyone else has changed before slipping behind a screen and into a robe. * Minami shrugs. "Dunno." * Lord_Darkmoon is wearing a comfortable kimono, with a purple moon motif. He doesn't even bother going behind a screen, as it just forms around him. Yes - this is a pretty convenient place to get to from where I live. My mother rather likes it - it helps her back a lot. * Maya is quickly berobed and looking slightly less grumpy about the pools being closed. "Mmmmn... stupid Ningyo." It's so much easier when you have a Princess around, though. A real one, I mean - not me. I prefer you, personally. ^_~ Mmm. Do you really not like Mayuki? I knew she could be a bit harsh sometimes... * Taki stands outside while everyone changes, looking around the area, hoping for a distraction. We have our...differences. *shrug* Don't worry about it, it's not your problem. Rin... * Minami hangs around, leaning against a wall. Sadly, the major distraction has already happened, and Taki is dragged along to the dining hall by an enthusiastic girl. * Maya stays quiet, mood still a bit dampened. * Taki tries her best to squirm out of being touched. Sorry, my Lady. I'll be good. * Haruko smiles at Taki, come on, cheer up. * PrincessSqueegee is already kneeling at a long table, waiting for everyone. * Taki smiles back at Haruko with her best, 'look, I still care about you and want to be friends and stuff fluffy bunnies' smile. No, Rinada, I'm not saying... * Maya bites her lip and just shuts up, finding a seat. * Taki takes a seat at the far end away from Squeegee, and hopefully Princess. * Princess plops down not-so-graciously. * Haruko sits down quietly. * Minami finds a seat to Maya's right. Actually, you know it's probably good that we bumped into each other. I did want to talk to all of you. * Lord_Darkmoon waits for the other girls to be seated before he takes one himself, wherever one's left. Concerning? * PrincessSqueegee scoots over slightly to make room for Rinada, then gives Princess a sharp look. * Minami looks up curiously. ...Elly? I need you to keep this stuff absolutely secret, okay? No telling anyone. Not even other Princesses, except maybe Sakura, and only if she asks. * Taki looks up, vaguely interested. Should we really all be hearing this? It seems like we have no choice sometimes... Um, okay? Haruko, this *is* your business. So you need to be hearing this. Ok. * Minami listens. * PrincessSqueegee thinks for a moment. ...okay. I think a couple of you were in the group that snuck into Universal Shipbuilding. * Lord_Darkmoon nods, once. * Taki confirms or denies nothing. ...just Lord Darkmoon? ... What about it? Go on, ma'am. Well, I've been getting reports about the place, but I wanted to hear your impressions about their security. Better than such a facility should have or really needs. You're the best, uh... sneaker of the group. How hard do you think it would be to get back in? If I could breach the initial security zone, I might be able to sneak in there myself. It'd have to be at night... And I don't think anyone else would be capable of coming with me... Hmm. The fence setup does look tough. Here's the problem - we need better intelligence, and it looks like the only way we're going to get it is to plant some bugs. ...I would...like...to go in on any missions into the place. Oh, placing bugs? ... You want me to take care of that for you? * Maya listens in, pursing her lips. For some reason, she's not looking Rin's way. Sakura and I have been debating whether you guys can handle it, or if we need to hire... outside experts. ... I can take care of it. You can imagine why we might not want to trust outsiders, but... ... *studies the table* It would be absolutely essential that you would not be detected. If they even get a hint of something amiss... they'd have a reason to be even more paranoid. Understandable. And then they might find the devices. They might find them anyway, of course, but... But it's all a risk in the end. Best to choose the path with the least chance for error. I need to know, though - can you do it, and what would you need? * Minami glances at Taki sharply, and grins. * Maya opens her mouth to speak, but... leaves it to her, for now. * Taki raises an eyebrow at Minami. * Minami flicks a card out of her sleeve and winks. Just a layout of the base and where you want me to place everything. ...right. How are you going to get over the fenceline? Jump? We have a Lady that can lift me over, don't we? * PrincessSqueegee frowns, thinking. "Do we?" I could. Leena could. But I don't think we want Leena on this mission. * Minami chokes on that thought. Ah. The old heave-ho. ...I hope you're good at landings. I'm the best. *smiles proudly back at Squeegee* * PrincessSqueegee thinks some more, tapping one finger on the table. I'll have to discuss it with Sakura some more, but we'll probably do it that way. Um, Norcliff could probably do it. Norcliff? ...true. You know, my Companion. ... No. ...now there's a thought. ... you have a point, Haruko. No one ever pays any attention to him. The total weight of the items would be a couple of kilograms, though. He is stealthy, and small. I...might be able to get inside with him, to carry the things, if he places them. Might. * Taki looks down annoyed at the thought. Or Taki could still do it. * Minami shrugs apologetically at Taki. "A lookout'd be useful, and he's small." * Lord_Darkmoon nods. Well, if the individual pieces are light enough he could take several trips to place them all. Well, there are multiple possibilities, at least. This is probably a couple of weeks down the road, regardless. * Lord_Darkmoon exhales, depressedly. So how do I get back out? Aren't there any Ladies with powers to lift stuff with their minds and whatever? ...the water. ...you don't know how you'd get out? * Minami glances back at Maya questioningly. See, Norcliff wouldn't have that problem. How big is the largest individual thing he'd need? Yes, but wouldn't it be dangerous for him to keep on going over? Five hundred grams? About. And... yes. It could be a problem. Well if I'm thrown in, I can't exactly get thrown out if the thrower is on the other side of the fence... Please don't say I have to swim. >_< Well, this is just early planning. And what's wrong with swimming? ...hmm. Norcliff can carry 500 grams. It was...only a thought. It is how Leena got out, quite...spectacularly. I don't think Norcliff alone would be such a good idea, but if he were there to help Taki out... ... 'spectacularly' for Leena involves property damage. No offense to her, of course. * Minami winces. "Doesn't it always." * PrincessSqueegee does not comment. I... I'd rather not. There's still the problem of how she gets out, if she doesn't want to swim. If there was some sort of structure I could jump off of. Maybe the crane? That would be awfully high... Anyway, it's early, and maybe Sakura can find someone who could help. Yeah. ...I would prefer that we...never mind. Sakura. In any case, USC has some odd accounts, and money in what appears to be reasonable amounts for the, uh, services rendered is flowing out of them. Can't you like freeze those or something? And... the secondary construction slip is a, uh, hotbed of smuggling. *blushes* ... We can sic the authorities on them then, can't we? Food arrives, in the form of a very large sushi plate. It is all elaborately prepared in the most traditional of styles. And there's been nothing you could do about it? That could get awkward for a lot of people. There would be opposition from almost everyone. * Haruko snatches a piece of Unagi * PrincessSqueegee gathers a plateful. * Lord_Darkmoon takes proper portions, mechanically. He doesn't actually eat. In any case, Sakura was, uh, seeing about enlisting some spies there. * Taki takes a small amount, happy that it's something she actually likes. * Taki nods. * Minami gets food and eats while listening. I meant to talk to her about that, actually. Glad she thought of it herself. * Maya nibbles here and there, listening in. "Ah, politics. I could never deal with that sort of thing..." Same here Maya. ...do not sell yourself short. There is more to politics than...politicking, my Lady. * Minami snerks softly, to herself. Regardless, you're likely to end up being the sharp end of the stick. It just may take some time because if we botch this, we will make an incredible list of enemies. Her Majesty does not want more enemies. Are we considering them to be anything else right now? * Minami comments dryly. "We do seem to rather have a surplus of them at the moment anyway." Oh, no - but what about all the other zaibatsu? They will do as they see benefits them most. If we roll over this one in a show of force - and we don't have some sort of proof of what USC is doing - then they will not believe us. Or trust us. Ever. ... I hate politics. Then we need to start feeling them out for support, before we move. And we must see to it they perceive benefit in our actions. You see why I don't like all this, Taki. Of course. And that's my job. How fun. I don't envy you. * Lord_Darkmoon is speaking in even, forced calm tones. "This company must be destroyed, for our good, and the good of Japan and the world. If the zaibatsu of this company has been out-reaching the other zaibatsu, you could build off that jealousy." * PrincessSqueegee smiles at the boy. "Let me do my job. You think about yours." * Lord_Darkmoon nods. "Of course, Princess. I apologize." * PrincessSqueegee gulps down her plate of sushi and stands. * Minami rolls her eyes. So. Nice to see you, Elly, and good to see all of you. Okay, ma'am. Take care. A pleasure as always, Princess. * Minami waves politely, though doesn't stand. "Bye." Um, It was nice talking to you. Bye. * Princess is looking a little shellshocked, and can barely wave, sort of. * PrincessSqueegee nods, and walks off. * Taki doesn't even smile or wave or anything. Business is done and she can go back to ignoring the other girl. ... mmmn. ...wow. * Minami goes back to eating. Your team really does live in another world. * Lord_Darkmoon takes a single bite of his food, very formally. And puts the utensils back down in their proper place while he chews. * Taki picks at her food with her chopsticks, sorta grazing and not really caring, but not wanting to look at anyone else either. * Princess swallows hard. * Minami shrugs. "You know what they say. It's a rough job, but..." You don't know the half of it, Princess. You don't, really. But... yeah, someone has to do it. It's hard, but I'm sure it'll come out fine in the end. * Princess looks away, and is quiet for the rest of the meal. * Lord_Darkmoon forces a smile and looks at Princess. "I think we're the perfect team for it, Princess. Don't worry, we can handle it. I-- *swallows* I am glad I'm on this team." ...it's a slow evening after that, and the Princess curls up on a bedroll without even going back out to the springs. * Taki sits out on the porch again, enjoying the night air, not wanting to be cooped up with everyone else. * Minami stretches out and lies back on her bedroll until she goes to sleep. * Maya stays awake for a while, sitting on her bedroll and staring at the floor. * Lord_Darkmoon doesn't return to the room for an hour or so. Then goes out to the springs. * Haruko sits aside, recording the latest adventures of the Mystic Warriors to pass the time. * Taki makes her way over to Maya, after sitting quietly for a long while and whispers close to her. "Wanna go chat in the springs?" ... s-sure, yeah. * Taki goes to change into the most modest one-piece she can find and wears a robe over that. * Maya finds... pretty much the same thing she was wearing before, and follows Taki wherever. The three of them trickle back in, much, much later. It's well after midnight, and everyone is at least trying to sleep... when the room is filled by not-entirely-unfamiliar screaming. Gyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! * Haruko turns over in her sleep. * Princess sits straight up, draws breath to howl again, then realizes that she's awake and clamps both hands over her mouth. * Minami shoots upright. * Minami goes to Princess, but stays a discreet distance away, remembering the last time. "Another nightmare?" * Lord_Darkmoon sits up, and looks over at the girl, waiting for her answer to Minami's question. * Princess sits frozen, eyes really really wide, for a moment, then leaps over to Darkmoon and buries her face in his chest as she begins to wail. * Lord_Darkmoon looks surprised for a moment, frozen, then carefully puts his arms around her, and just holds her, making reassuring noises. * Taki rolls her eyes and looks up. "What happened?" It's okay...shh....you're safe, Princess. *gently rubs her hair* * Maya jerks up and awake after a moment, looking around... then sighs and half- crawls over. "Princess..." * Minami blinks and rocks back on her heels as she waits. * Haruko mumbles something in her sleep about calling the orderlies. * Princess doesn't let up for about a minute, then finally pulls back just enough to let Darkmoon breathe. ...I'm sorry, I'm sorry... It's okay...are you alright? Yeah... it was just another dream, wasn't it. ... tell us? * Lord_Darkmoon smiles gently, and nods. "Yeah, just a dream. Do you want to talk about it?" He brushes a tear from her face. "Come on, smile. You're with friends." * Minami pats Princess on the head. "Not the same kind as before, I hope?" * Princess looks away. "Do you really want me to? Last time..." It might make you feel better. *sniff* * Minami nods. * Princess rolls off of Darkmoon and sits hunched over on his bedroll. * Taki shrugs. Please. I'm sure you'll feel---yes, what Rin said. It... well, it was like the last one, sort of. It was... well... I'll get you some water. *gets up, and goes to do that, returning quickly and offering it to the girl* * Princess tries to figure out how to go about this. Thank you. *sips* You're welcome. *kneels formally, and listens* ...there was fire, awful fire. And impossible flooding, and everything seemed lost. And I had to go somewhere... that wasn't there any more. Somewhere that wasn't there? ...yeah. What was really weird is that I knew how to get there. But before I could, someone blocked my path. ...who? * Minami frowns and listens. * Taki quietly listens. He was... a Lord, or maybe something more, and his mask made me do whatever he wanted me to. ... ... * Maya twitches, strongly. * Lord_Darkmoon smiles, reassuringly, he hopes. "Go on." * Taki shudders at the memory. *sniff* And... and... he wanted... was going to... kill me. Eventually. It's okay. He's not here. Go on, remember, it was just a dream. ... There were three knives, and he stabbed me, and I woke up. ...that didn't make any sense. * Lord_Darkmoon smiles. "Dreams rarely do. Do you feel better, now?" * Minami pats Elly's shoulder awkwardly. * Princess looks like she's trying to cheer up. "Just a dream... not even vaguely real." Right. Right. * Taki crawls back onto the porch with her blanket around her to be by herself. * Maya shivers a little. "Yeah. Just a dream..." * Princess smiles, awkwardly, and looks back at Mina. "So... maybe the women- only pools will be open in the morning?"