do you believe in magic in a shared bath's heart?

[dadsandals]

The bath at the mansion really is extensive -- probably more extensive than a lot of them have seen, considering there are literally multiple pools of varying temperatures, probably statues and indoor plants or something for atmosphere, steam rooms, complimentary bath things (everything in the manor is kind of complimentary but shshhh) and whatnot.

On this particularly fine and nondescript day, though -- there's a bit of a commotion whenever you wander in butt-naked for your soak or whatever you like to do in here (you can hang from the ceiling like a bat or something we ain't the judge of you); there's two enterprising wizards flitting about poking at things.

The thing with 🪄 Cid Kagenou 🪄 is that he is Very Into Baths, and Very Into Magic, and thus the Bath Magic is one of the few areas where even his li'l old self can shine. Or not shine, given that they've all been here for 2.5 days (extremely rough estimate) and the miracle is nobody has blown up the mansion trying magic yet. But there is definitely magic happening! Since there's already steam and everything.

And then there's 👓 Yamato 👓. Yamato is Here and enabling himself by watching Cid experiment with various things in the area. Initially he probably would've tried to stop him, but seeing what Cid's been doing has made him want to try some magic experimentation of his own. Pairing a teenager who kind of knows what he's doing with a man who has no idea what's going on makes it even more of a miracle that the mansion has not been blown up yet.

But if you look even closer, you'll spot various small differences:

🛁 all of the water has bubbles in it; the hot bath in fact looks like it has small duck-shaped bubbles just sort of trundling along, occasionally a duck pops and releases a puff of scented air (scents may vary at your discretion)

🛁 the cold water bath keeps turning different colors, maybe they should stop experimenting with it before somebody ends up blue for the week

🛁 some of the statues and potted plants have been slightly altered; nothing too outrageous, but at least one or two statues have been turned into roomba replicas and there's a potted plant with leaves that look like people in the manor's faces in miniature

🛁 the steam room is letting out an intermittent screaming noise that sounds very human, but there's no one in it

🛁 some of the bath soaps are extremely bright and keep on changing colors, as if they were colored like a disco ball (rave! in the bathhouse!)

............. Enjoy your bath!

(OOC: This is backdated to before the South mission so South Wizards get in on the fun too!)

Comments

[1145pm]

Really?

[ DOUBT

He whirls around, if just to look at the collection of soaps and oils and other tinctures scattered around the baths. As he does, Kiryu gets a good look at the tattoo (?) on his left shoulder. ]

There's probably some soap here for sensitive skin. I'll find it for you!

[ :)? ]

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[For a moment Kiryu thinks that's the wizard marking, but then he realizes that no, it's not that. Huh...]

You don't have to go out of your way for me.

[He can't bring himself to be a jerk to someone trying to be helpful. Kiryu is capable of rudeness, but he always caves in the end anyway]

[1145pm]

Too late!

[ He calls this over his shoulder, voice ringing loud and clear through the bath. Is he interrupting others' bath time? Is he drawing too much attention to them? He certainly doesn't seem to mind!

Either way, he returns a few moments later with a couple of bottles in hand. He stares at each label and reads them off as he hands them to Kiryu: ]

Body wash for sensitive skin, gentle scrub for sensitive skin, shampoo for sensitive scalps, rejuvenating oil—

[ He's about to hand off the last bottle when his head snaps up to look at him. ]

What about the steam room?

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[Kiryu has his hands full of all kinds of items. Well dang, this excuse has run its course]

Ah, the steam room...the one that's screaming all the time...

[...hmmmmm...he probably can be there, he thinks]

Yeah, that should do.

[He squints at the stuff he's now carrying]

This doesn't work for that room, as far as I know...

[Specialized beauty products were never his thing, he's guessing from what little he knows! He's staring at the labels like he's trying to find the specific information written somewhere! Old he may be, but he still has plenty of moments of awkwardness. He's always been like that]

[1145pm]

[ Tatara gives an enthusiastic nod. Yes! That one! ]

Then you can use it later!

[ Tatara doesn't really know what steam room etiquette is anyway, so if Kiryu says no, then no!

Either way, he waves Kiryu to follow him as he makes his way into the steam room. C'mon uncle! ]

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[He follows to the steam room and just piles everything right outside, leaving it all there. Probably will pick it back up after coming out. The screaming from inside echoes, as usual, but hey, by now he probably caught onto that there's...possibly...nothing to worry about]

You're doing so much effort one would think you're one of the hosts of this gathering.

[Not that it bothers Kiryu, really. He does approve the bonding times]

[1145pm]

[ The screaming is pretty unnerving, but Tatara quickly learns to tune it out. It's just...another feature! That someone put here in the past week...

As he settles on a bench, he smiles up at Kiryu. ]

Really? I just like seeing everyone join in the fun.

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[Kiryu gets comfortable, closing his eyes to relax while he sits there to soak in the steam]

Unlike your colleague the magic mentor?

[The difference in the tone of the tasks between Tatara and the Wanderer is really noticeable. One is far more sociable than the other]

[1145pm]

[ Tatara bursts out laughing at that. It's pretty obvious how night and day they are, isn't it? ]

I think he'd become a mountain hermit if he had the choice.

[ He sinks into his seat and copies Kiryu, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. The heat is nice. ]

But I like people. What about you, Uncle Kiryu?

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[Uncle Kiryu...being called that gets Kiryu to open his eyes, but he's not offended. It just is far from the first time he gets called something along those lines, so it got his attention]

Depends on the people.

[He's not timid by any means! But also he prefers a more close-knit circle than to be out there looking for longtime friends. Still, something about him makes him become a pillar of the community wherever he goes, so yeah, guess it's inevitable he gets involved with people around him]

[1145pm]

Ooh?

[ And that in turn piques Tatara's interest. He opens one eye and turns it to Kiryu, getting a look at him.

Usually it's a flat yes or no—people are pretty simple when it comes to other people, generally—but a depends isn't always a common answer. ]

Like what kind of people?

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

I have known a lot of people who see others as means to an end. It's frustrating.

I rather be with anyone who is against that.

[1145pm]

Like people who see other people as tools?

[ He leans back into his warm spot, folds his hands on his lap. He's relaxing, but thinking. He thinks about King and Kusanagi and doesn't think they ever used people like that. Wryly, he thinks that maybe his king would've not dealt with people at all, but he was never mean to them (except maybe that one time he smashed Kusanagi's face in for a game—).

A little smile beams over his face. ]

I think it's good to have standards like that. I think that means...you surround yourself with good people who care.

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[The 'good people' part may be debatable, given a lot of the people he knows and considers friends are on the gray side of the morality scale by virtue of having been or currently being anything but law-abiding citizens...but they all have good hearts. They care a lot for their friends and for their communities.

It's hard not to admire the friends he knows, really...]

Yes. It's more like they I stumble into them. It just happens.

[You know how it is! Life takes you somewhere, and then you make ties without having planned to. Happens all the time]

[1145pm]

[ Tatara's definition of "good" is much the same, being that it has less to do with the law, and more to be what's on the inside, how they treat others. That's how he interprets what Kiryu puts down, and it's a lucky thing they're generally on the same page. ]

Are you sure it isn't the other way around?

[ Kiryu's description tickles his memory. His smile widens. ]

It may be that you just attract people like that.

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

I'm not charismatic enough for that.

[It's not even that his self-esteem is bad, he just doesn't see himself as a people's person, hah. He worked in the host industry and all for a while, yet he still doesn't see himself as that interesting to be with, hah]

[1145pm]

It's the people who think that that are the most charismatic.

[ He closes his eyes again, and leans his head back. Mikoto probably didn't even know the definition of charisma, but he oozed it. He knows. ]

Trust me.