Hot Spring Hideaway [Open]

[Yume]

Can't a girl get a moment to herself today?

Don't get her wrong, it was so sweet to see fans camp out in front of the FiRE E&M building in hopes of giving her get well chocolates and flowers. She'd thank each and every one of them if she was able. Unfortunately, that just wasn't feasible, and the warning everyone drilled in her head to be careful because of that sniper that was still at large prevented her from actually interacting with anybody for now.

Even without the fans, people were constantly around her. There was never a moment where she could be alone, not even when she was changing clothes! Security was high and to be honest, she thought that was just too over the top, even for her.

It was such a shame too, since she would really like to get back into work and prepare for the upcoming tour in Suna. Hey, the Hokage said it was alright, so they're going for it.

Instead, she forced her manager to give her a day off--weekend, actually--not that it would require much effort considering the recency of this attack. It was so much better to be finally able to stretch her arms and wander without people crowding around her. Of course, she didn't dismiss the possibility of some undercover guard following along and keeping tabs on her.

She didn't want to stay at home, and she didn't want a damn bodyguard tailing her 24/7. That's when a good idea came to. With a bag slung over her shoulder this evening, Yume turned a corner suddenly into White Oak District. She scoped out for the building she was after, a large ryokan inn, nice and traditional with one of the most relaxing hot springs one could dive into.

She'll be spending the next two days here today. With a happy grin on her face, she checked into reception, eager to settle in and dive right for the hot springs. She ignored all the other rooms within the ryokan as if they didn't exist and plopped her bag right down the centre of her room before making a beeline towards where the hot springs were. Her muscles would do well with some tension release!

 

[Okada Kaji]

Can’t a guy have something go right, just for once?

Since arriving in Konoha for a long-term visit, Jomei expected to have an apartment leased in his name at Katsura Complex. The place was some rundown building usually home to elderly shinobi... However, when young Jomei reported to his new home, he found it in ill-repair. The Complex Manager agreed to pay for his stay at a rather upscale inn for a week or so. Jomei was utterly ecstatic when he arrived to find a luxurious hot spring hideaway tucked into a modest-looking corner of the White Oak District.

The visit to his room revealed an immaculate ode to comfort, which was a total opposite from the cold, spherical steel cage where he stayed on Moon Island. He flung his travel bag onto the bed, and almost jumped in after it… But the young traveler still reeked of sweat and months without a civilized, hot bath.

Nothing sounded more appealing that a dip in the hot spring to cleanse himself from the filth collected in his travels, so he too bee-lined it for the bathing quarters, which were all a weary tenant could hope for. But there was one little, itty-bitty complicating factor that neither Jomei nor Yume expected, here. Unlike the public hot spring found in the Red Oak District, this spring followed a strictly traditional Onsen style, which meant the spring was unisex!

Unaware and presuming himself to be alone, Jomei took comfort in the silence of the empty male changing room (because of course it remains split until the actual spring), and began disrobing. Jomei emerged at the water’s edge stripped down to nothing more than a white towel wrapped around his waist. He set aside some typical bath accessories and proceeded to place his hands together in a single ram hand-seal. Unleashing the innate abilities of his bloodline, Jomei revealed four additional arms from his torso, which resembled the first two, but were red and barbed along the forearms and his knuckles. All things considered, the young shinobi did well for himself appearance-wise, and seemed entirely normal, aside from, you know, the arms.

Still thinking himself to be alone, Jomei charged into the spring with an all-or-nothing mentality and made a big splash into water warm enough to simmer a stew. Embracing the cleansing power of the water, Jomei tested his lung strength and spent a long bout underwater, vanished from sight in a soapy mist.

- Jomei Koyanagi has entered the thread. ​

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[Yume]

Perfect, it looked like she was the only one here. Yume glanced to and fro between the empty baskets of the women's changing room, seeing hers as the only one occupied with her clothes and belongings. With a self-satisfied smile, the girl ambled her way to the baths to scrub herself clean before going into the hot springs in a leisurely pace. Her towel was held loosely in front of her, more specifically to cover the centre of her chest, where that long vertical scar made itself at home

It had been less than a week out of the hospital, sure. But the mark should have disappeared by now, shouldn't it?

Well... There wasn't any point moping about it. She'd just have to try again later. Right now, it was time to relax.

Yume dipped her toes in. Ooh, kinda burns! In a good way, though, in a good way. Happy with the temperature, she slid in with a content sigh, feeling the tensions in her back slowly melt away. She even forgot about the scar between her breasts.

To be honest, quiet days were not the norm for the idol, nor did she particularly enjoy them. But once in a while isn't so bad. As she sank a little further into the water such that her shoulders were submerged, and her legs were outstretched, reaching an odd stimulus gave her pause.

Blue eyes opened within the mist in utter confusion. Yume stretched out her legs again and wiggled her toes for a second, immediately pulling them back to a proper seated position. That... That wasn't her imagination. She could have sworn she poked something soft in the water then.

Rocks weren't soft...

 

[Okada Kaji]

Indeed, it was not the idol’s imagination. There was a long shadow below the surface of the shallow pool, slowly drifting towards the unknowing rising star. As Yume sank into the pool and embraced the relaxing warmth of the pure spring water, an unexpected denizen was drawing closer, and closer.

Jomei had found himself in above his head in the literal sense of course, but figuratively speaking, the sweltering water had boiled the arachninja until he turned beet red. It had not taken him long to cook, and by the time he drifted against the unsuspecting idol, his last few bubbles of air surfaced from below.

When Yume accidentally nudged Jomei, there was a stirring underneath the water and waves rocked away the serenity of their private dips in the hot spring. The arachninja shot backward, away from the idol and upwards, surfacing to revealed him in his reddened form. “Gyahhh… Hot hot hot hot hot” Jomei repeated the chant as he emerged, scolded and resembling a steamed crab with his barbed hands waving frantically. He was in a panic-- partly from the scolding, and partly an absurd reaction to the exposure embarrassment. Luckily, he hadn’t lost the towel. He then tripped and made a wild splash as he foolishly gravitated back towards the center of the water.

Ashamed, Jomei did not turn back to his company and put space between them. He wouldn’t turn around, and though he wanted nothing more than to apologize, nothing but unintelligible yammering escaped his mouth. All six arms were waving in wide circles as Jomei waded across the steamy waves. "Eeeee keee keee keee soorryyyah" he wailed.​

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[Yume]

Rocks don't blow bubbles either. Yume leaned forward to try peer in through the misty water in concern. Did someone come here and pass out from the heat? That wasn't something that was uncommon. The girl wasn't so heartless to leave this unconscious lady in the water and was about to move forward to help her when the stranger emerged from the waters with a yell. Yume stopped moving.

Either that woman has a really deep and husky voice, or it wasn't a woman at all. Moreover, he had two more pairs of arms than he should have.

Yume jolted back startled when Jomei tripped and fell into the hot springs along with his apologetic babble. Her arms instinctively wrapped across her chest, as wide eyes stared in utter loss at the flailing man.

After a while, she couldn't just leave him there to turn from a steamed spider to a boiled one. But on one hand, she was butt naked in the water. Turning to the edge and sacrificing the towel that laid on the edge of the hot springs, she conducted blasphemy by wrapping herself with the towel, while still in the water. The white towel soaked quickly and clung to her skin, but as long as she was covered, it would do for now.

The idol inched a little closer to Jomei, making herself known.

"U-Um, are you alright? Do you need me to get medical assistance?"

 

[Okada Kaji]

The sound of Yume calling to Jomei with concern nearly doubled his embarrassment as he fought to escape the cringe-worthy moment. While he felt as if he had spent six minutes on the grill, the six-armed lad’s concern for his health paled in comparison to more pressing matters troubling him at the moment. Normally, Jomei was not so uncomfortable with his physique, and had grown confident in his body image despite his father’s efforts to instill shame in him for developing what he often referred to as “a freakish mutation which dishonored the Matsui family name." Tonight, that sense of self-confidence was absent and was replaced with a menacing impression of self-consciousness.

As Yume began to follow after Jomei, she’d soon encounter his towel floating in the water as she moved in his path. However, Jomei did not notice the loss, and he didn’t seem to care. “N-nooo, it’s okay” he stammered, anxiously regarding his reddened skin. “I-I’ll be fine, I-I heal fast,” he insisted.

The unexpected empathy shown by Yume was enough to lessen Jomei’s panicking, and the useless flailing ceased. But once he built the courage to turn and face her, he froze in place for a moment… And he began wiping his eyes as if she were merely an illusion brought on by the moment. “W-w-wait a second, don’t I kn-know you?” In fact, he was sure he had seen her before, though he had no idea where.

Already being exposed for his hachiashi mutation, Jomei neglected to spare his other abilities. He aimed one of his many hands towards a stack of rolled-up towels left by the pool’s edge. He fired a string of silvery webbing, and with a strong tug, snatched one roll out to his possession without getting it wet. As he unfurled it and covered what Yume could see of his secret goodies, Jomei began the best attempt at a conversation he dared to muster. “I mean... I don't think we've met, but you look super familiar to me for some reason.” It appeared that Yume would never have a break from her stardom, no matter how where she hid.​

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[Uchiha Arata]

Ryuuichi sighed as he began to strip himself of his shirt in the male changing room. His plan was to get familiar with everywhere in leaf before things got too sketchy. His information said he had been in Leaf to go through the full academy. Thatbwould mean by now he would have to know Leaf like his own home. The best way to experience Leaf would be to do it himself. Why study a map when he could take everything in? Leaf was truly a beautiful place.

By the time Ryuu emerged, he had on only white towel at his waist. Despite his cute face, he surprisingly had a good build going on. Good muscle density, etc. of course he wasn't full blown straight body builder. He didn't have fire hydrants for arms or anything. However, then build he had was sufficient for his age and body type.

As he stepped out he noticed that he wasn't alone, there was a girl and a guy already here. Errr.. spider? Dude had a few extra appendages but that was fine. He seemed to have hurt himself. Was he running and slipped? That's a big no at any pool or hot spring. No running! The girl seemed to be trying to help but the spider dude didn't seem to want it. He figured it would be best to make his presence known than to startle anybody and make the situation worse.

He walked closer to the spring and smiled a heartwarming smile.
"Hello! May I join you guys?"

 

[Yume]

To be honest, with all the mist and obscured vision, Yume didn't notice the towel floating past her either. So when she bravely reached his proximity to help steady him, the eyes accidentally caught sight of his nether regions when he shot out his web to retrieve a new towel. The hot water already reddened her skin, but she felt the heat of secondhand embarrassment rise up her cheeks as she yelped in surprise and promptly turned herself around for his courtesy. Her hands covered her face, with her elbows pressing tightly against her towel to keep it in place in the front.

Like Jomei in his panic, the towel wasn't wrapped so securely during the time. The opening slipped slightly, threatening to bare behind her if she made the wrong movement.

His curious stammering brought the girl out of her preoccupied pit, but then dunked her back in with his words. Slowly, Yume turned her head over her shoulder to look at him, fixing up her own towel in the process. Relieved that he was also family friendly, so to speak, the idol pondered his question.

"A-Ah, do I?" she stammered back.

There was never a time in memory where she lied about her stage identity, even when discovered in public. Of course, in shinobi duty, that was a completely different story. That being said, in this situation right now, was she going to break that principle out of the sake of this embarrassment?

"Maybe I'll be more recognisable with this?" Her hands brought themselves to her signature heart symbol, but only for a short lived second. Because not long after, the towel slipped again from the heaviness of the water and humidity. In that split second, she squealed in humiliation and dropped herself down into the foggy water right up to her chin. Her arms crossed over her chest and Yume barely registered the new person coming into the hot springs.

"Kyaaah! Sure, sure, sure, sure you can join! But can you please get me a spare towel?!"

Ryuuichi, Jomei, whoever! Just get her the towel!

 

[Okada Kaji]

It seemed as if all the redness covering Jomei’s body rushed to his head when Yume confirmed his suspicions. Accidentally, she revealed a bit more than Jomei was prepared for, and the surprise was like the final blow in a barrage initiated by his overexposure to the heat. He made a guttural groan, akin to a death cry as he collapsed into the water. The warm stinging of the hot water slapping his backside again didn’t register to him, as his mind became trapped in the loop, recalling what just happened.

Jomei resurfaced like a human log, floating on his back. He suffered a nosebleed, and his eyes resembled swirling spirals. He was suddenly out of and dazed, so defeated that his hands of tsuchigumo transformation began to revert. All the meanwhile, there was mumbling coming from him, sort of singing the lyrics to “U&Me”, a song his cousin Emi played on repeat during his voyage to the Land of Fire. Jomei happened to know it to near perfection and was recited it with pain and confusion in his voice. At least his towel remained fastened around his waist this time around. So much for keeping it cool, spider.

Before Yume and the new stranger knew it, the four extra appendages had vanished, and Jomei reverted to his normal physique, by most definitions. He was also clearly a victim of heat exhaustion.​

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[Uchiha Arata]

Ryuu didn't really understand exactly what was going on. Everything seemed so... odd. However something he did understand was the request to retrieve a towel, which was a simple task he could do instead of attempt to come to terms with just what was going on. At first he reach and grabbed the towel at his waist before stopping. What was he doing? He forgot he didn't have anything on under it.

Ryuu released his grip and turned around and strutted over towards an area where towels were at. Would one be enough? It would probably be best to grab a few so everybody could have some extras... he nodded and grabbed a stack of five and walked towards the two once more. He set the stack down and grabbed one before striding towards the girl. "So.. would you like it now? Or when you get out? I mean if I give it to you now won't it get wet like your current one?"

Ryuu reached the towel out towards her, having his arm only half extended as he asked his question, ready to take his arm back in case she didn't want the towel at the moment. After looking at her for a few moments, his golden hues gazed around the area a bit more. From the looks of it, it was a unisex spring. That would bring a few awkward situations but, Ryuuichi had no opinion on it.

After his moment of thought he looked back at the girl he'd later know as Yume and simply smile at her. Ryuu seemed to be full of a lot of smiles as of late..

 

[Yume]

"Now is fine, thank you!"

She practically snatched the towel out of the other boy's hands, wrapping it around her body in a swift motion as she simultaneously stood up out of the water. The confused version of her song echoed weakly in the background, causing the idol to turn back towards Jomei. His skin didn't seem to by returning from its redness anytime soon, not by being in the hot water still. It didn't take a medic to recognise that he was not in good shape here.

"Oh no!" she gasped, doubly making sure that her new towel was securely fastened. Yume waded over to him, pulling him along the water towards the edge. Luckily the buoyancy of the water helped lessen the exertion of moving his body. The last thing needed was Yume to also become a victim of heat exhaustion.

"Help me get him out of here, before he gets a heat stroke!" she said to Ryuuichi without so much thought, while attempting to push Jomei out onto the edge. She was not going to be the cause or responsible for a hospitalisation of a civilian. Yuri would never let her live it down. And she'd probably yell at her for taking a hot bath so early after her operation.

Obviously, she didn't know which room he was staying in. Even if she did, there was no way she could move him on her own. Though she asked, at the same time she felt bad that she had to interrupt Ryuuichi's own relaxation time. No one wants to help strangers in need when they don't have to.

Instead of jumping the gun and breaking her back as well as her sternum, Yume knelt down closer to Jomei's level. The fact that he was still breathing made things easier. "Hey, can you hear me? What's your name?"

In an ideal case, he would be conscious and reply and then Yume could work from there, asking if he can stand and walk on his own to his room. If he didn't reply, the girl would start tapping him on the cheek with the back of her hand, before moving onto shaking his shoulder and finally pressing down a knuckle painfully at a spot under his clavicle.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Yume resembled a lifeguard risking it all to save a drowning swimmer as she pulled Jomei back to the pool’s edge. Fortunately for her, Jomei was surprisingly lightweight, and she wouldn’t have too much trouble rolling him onto the water’s edge like drifting log. And as his savior checked for signs of life, Jomei’s eyes stopped their oblivious swirling and became the young shinobi appeared placid and at ease.

It first, Jomei considered pretending to be in need of CPR, but there were risks in taking the idol’s aid for granted and trying a sleazy move. And then there was this other guy. Still unmoving, but showing healthy vital signs and taking full breaths, Jomei’s sight lines shifted over to the mysterious Ryuuichi, whom he hadn’t really noticed till now. Sure that the boy also saw his transformation, Jomei truly felt like the donkey of the day for exposing his secret so carelessly.

“Aye-yah, that sure was a relaxing dip,” Jomei said with a toothy grin as he tilted his head to the side, and began patting his head to flush the water out of his ear canals. Excessive water drained out, so much that it seemed as though the space between must have been hollow. “Maybe a little too relaxing.”

He then collected his composure and sat up. He resembled someone with a bad sunburn, and his fingers were super pruned but other than that he was fine now, though thirsty. Jomei looked about himself, assessing the damages, and then turned his attention back to the idol who saved him, not with lyrics but with action. “Th-Thank you, Yume,” he said first and for foremost, and returned her signature heart-shaped hands gesture. “Saved by an idol… no one is gonna’ believe this one,” he added, and then he laughed heartily. “Normally I’m the one trying to aid others; what a night. My name is Jomei, not the catch of the day...” He was totally attempting a fish reference. “I really owe you one, Yume.”

And then his head swiveled to his right, and his eyes narrowed as he looked up at the other, non-famous stranger. “You know this guy, Yume? What’s he... security? Bodyguard? Your hired help?” Jomei then arose to his feet and looked Ryuuichi in the eye with his worsening sneer and his hands on his hips. “I take it this mix-up is your fault… You really dropped the ball this time.” It was somewhat safe for Jomei to assume that a lad like Ryuuchi only made it into an upscale inn like this one as Yume's paid help, though he was quite wrong.</FONTFACE>​

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WC: 452

 

[Uchiha Arata]

After the towel was swiped from him, the hand remained outstretched for a moment as Ryuuichi didn't necessarily expect her to grab it so fast. No matter. Ryuu withdrew his hand and before being able to do anything else, the female stranger was ordering him around once more. This time however, was to save a life. The man seemed to have a case of heat stroke and as Ryuu ran towards him to help, it seemed as if he was already fine, strange. The strange man almost made Ryuu panic. He hated people getting hurt in front of him, much less dying. If there is anything Ryuu can do about it, he's the guy that'll be there to save somebody, even the life of his enemy.

For the first time since his arrival, the man began to take actual notice of Ryuu and started looking him over. The only thoughts Ryuuichi had were if his towel had fallen or something; a quick check confirmed that his towel was indeed on. After a moment the man finally spoke, though towards the girl. Bodyguard? Security? Was the girl somebody important? If so it would been the most reasonable assumption. Normally somebody like him wouldn't be in a place like this, but due to 'friends' in high places he was able to be here. Before Ryuu knew it, the conversation shifted to an assault on him. Perhaps it was best to go with being her bodyguard? However.. just how would the girl go along with it? Would she point out he is indeed not her body guard? Anything was better than potentially blowing his cover.

"Ah, my apologies sir. It is indeed my fault for this.. incident. I am here to watch over her as well as provide protection as a bodyguard. Seems I have been inadequate with my job."
From the looks of things, the girl didn't seem to be the one 'in charge' if she was truly somebody of importance. Almost like a princess to a kingdom. That would mean she had a boss or somebody higher up than her. If she intended to call him out for not being hired to protect her, he could bluff and attempt to say that somebody higher up hired him. However, there was the lucky chance she would go with it. Wait... couldn't this be a perfect opportunity for her to take advantage of him?

 

[Yume]

Receiving gratitude would be a great feeling... if one was fully clothed. Yume fought the reflex to wave her hands in front of her as a dismissal. "Oh, no! It was nothing really! I'm glad you're okay!" Instead, she kept her hand firmly on her towel, lest another incident should occur. Her laughter was nervous, yet polite, as his fish pun swam over her head.

Not long after, the attention shifted to Ryuuichi. That would have been a given anyway, considering the odd reactions and behaviours he exhibited throughout the entire ordeal. His expression was calm, with a smile here and there. Yume pondered at how it was so very, very odd. Without an ounce of shame or embarrassment on his face, he watched the predicament and lied straight up. There was a name for those kinds of people, wasn't there?

Sociopath.

Or he could just be a ninja. It's hard to tell these days. Yume crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight to one leg as she also examined the boy. If he really was her bodyguard then she's gonna give FiRE E&M's security department a stern talking to.

"No?" Yume answered Jomei. "I don't have a bodyguard. Oppa takes care of that for me. Plus, this is my weekend off..."

They'd have to be really big fans of her to even vaguely remember who Oppa was. The girl swayed to and fro, the novel embarrassment of being near nude having losing its effect on her. Now she was more concerned about this supposed bodyguard that she didn't want watching her. I mean, isn't that real perverted?!

"What's your name and employee ID? I'll call Oppa about it."

Her headset was in the basket in the changing room though. She'd have to leave once she got the info.

 

[Keigo Oen]

Silent. As he should be. As a bodyguard he was to wait until he was needed. Truly. To protect the image of Yume, the one true gem in this village... or so would be instructed to him. He was paid highly for this type of thing, but he was growing weary of the thirst that seemed to linger around these parts. Though she didnt say the word yet, but his body was triggered in the sense of the term body guard being used so aimlessly. There was something oddly triggering with false prophets saying such things, though Tama would address that as needed to be, this was going to be quite interesting. If anyone looked above they would see his mask forming from the shadows, first dim then quite apparent but with no physical form. He was... hanging from the ceiling. Staring at Ryuuichi and Yume. . . Mostly the boy.

"No need. . ." he'd chime out but if they looked in the direction of the voice he'd move to the shadow of Yume before raising up behind her and peering around her didnt matter if his clothes were wet, as his armor and robes were water retardant. ". . .Is everything okay here. . .?", his voice nothing like it normally sounded, but it was obvious that he was using a voice changer to cover up his identity. ANBU needed to do this so they could live the double life... and have a normal life without people running up to them asking for ANBU exams in the midst of their regular daily meals. Though now, Tama would stand next to Yum he was towering to her, even if he was alittle over six feet tall in height. Looking down to her, he'd more or less await her answer, and if she were to tell him to get froggy he would do such without hesitation. There was something odd though...

Tama left one lord for another? Maybe so. He needed to gain more... and the only way was to be the man in the shadows for the most important person in the village. Nevermind the Kage, but maybe there was something to Yume that even she didnt even recognize. He'd be sure to try and bring out the best, which he knew she had... but only time would tell if she could trust him with such information.

 

[Okada Kaji]

It appeared as if the heat of the hot spring wasn’t enough to stop the snowball effect on the calamity that evening. All Jomei sought out was a simple bath on his first night in this strange new village, but ever since he splashed onto that steamy water, his sources of trouble and embarrassment continued to multiply. He considered it a silver lining when he encountered Yume, but that surely wasn’t the case as more denizens of the leaf began to appear.

Jomei’s suspicion could be read on his face as he glared into the eyes of Ryuuichi, thoroughly unimpressed by his lie. Yume didn’t hesitate to expose him, but his ease at owning the lie was unsettling. And once Yume demanded that the lying lad reveal his truth if it existed, both Jomei and the idol might have waited an eternity to hear the truth, if not for the timely arrival of yet another intruder.

“What is with this village” mumbled Jomei below his breath as he looked upward at the masked male, who quickly relocated behind Yume in a flicker of immense agility. He made sure to make his prowess known with the intimidating show, but Jomei seemed unnerved, yet cautious. Jomei knew he was there rightfully and was forthcoming with Yume in his introduction. If anyone had some explaining to do it was the big fat liar.

Jomei took two steps backward, further expanding the triangle shape between himself, Yume, and the first of the two strangers. “Uh oh Lucy,” with no name to call him, Jomei playfully created one for Ryuuichi, “you ‘got some ‘xplaining to do.” The masked man acted as a figure of authority and was certainly over-dressed for a dip in the pool… Jomei was shifting his attention between all three of them but focused on the only person with a confirmed true identity, the musical wonder he knew by name. Only Yume could separate fact from fiction.​

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[Uchiha Arata]

As expected Yume called him out. He had plenty of excuses he could use, but which one would be right for the situation. She asked for an ID number and such, but he was correct in there being somebody higher up to be pulling the strings. However, Ryuu already had a good enough excuse planned. He was going to say he was just hired recently to watch her over her time off, and since it happened quickly, there wasn't time for formalities so he wasn't to get his ID until their return. The excuse seemed rather ideal.

Ryuu may seem strange by not being embarrassed in the hot springs, but that was exactly why he wasn't embarrassed or anything. He was at a Hot Spring. If he didn't want to be embarrassed about seeing nudity and such, why go to a Hot Spring? A pool would be a more fitting place for that where people where swimsuits. However, at a hot spring, nudity was indeed very common, so why the big deal about it?

When Ryuu opened his mouth to speak, another entity had arrived. The being seemed to be of the shadows themselves, staying to them almost as if he was indeed the shadow itself. When he spoke, he cut Ryuuichi off saying there wasn't any need for him to go on about any identification. Might as well take the opportunity and keep it that way. Ryuuichi did however need to attempt to turn the conversation around, it seemed as if he was some sort of bad guy here, the polar opposite of what he truly was.

Despite what his thoughts were, his outward appearance was unphased and unsurprised about being called out. He spoke as if he was indeed speaking the truth, and remained perfectly calm, even under the situation. Almost like how one would be confident while the police were around because they were following the law perfectly and had done nothing wrong.

"Well, it seems none of that really matters now... However I don't necessarily need to tell you anything do I, sir?"

 

[Yume]

She screamed in fright, jumping forward with a couple of hops as Tama raised up from behind her. Through the mist and teary eyes, Yume stared at the newcomer... or maybe he wasn't so new. How long had he been here watching them like that?

A strange sound came from the idol, a cry of defeat of sorts and nothing musical about that. She wanted to drop into a crouch and curl up into a tiny ball, though was still with it enough to remember that she was wearing nothing but a towel. There were risk of things being exposed that she definitely did not want exposed to three males in a hot spring.

Instead, she hugged her arms around herself and hunched over slightly, looking away from Tama who was asking if things were alright. The same defeated sound trailed again from her lips.

"What's going onnn...? Who are you peopleee...?" she cried softly.

Yume wobbled a couple steps away from Tama and partially hid behind Jomei's arm in utter confusion. The remembrance that once again, they were all in nothing but towels. With that thought in mind, now was the perfect time to try edge away from this weird situation. Weird - and that was an adjective putting it lightly.

"I need to go... call Oppa..." Yume whimpered, more to herself than any of the others. Slowly, she ambled towards the exit of the hot spring, having no discernible reaction to whatever that was going to be said of or to her afterwards. While the embarrassment and bewilderment was still visible in her expression and gait, she knew she was going to be damn mad if it really turned out that the company, or even her manager, hired this joke of security for her, let alone actual security.

The hot spring didn't look so attractive this evening. She'll probably go tomorrow morning. Early goddamn morning. Like at three o' clock. Surely nothing absurd will happen at that time.

Now she just wanted to get to the women's changing room and wiggle on back into her yukata.

 

[Keigo Oen]

It was with that cause to pause that he would take a step back from this incident. He was the only one fully clothed, he was the only one that was in any position to... do as he'd been tolf by her scary family members. THey knew how to get what they wanted... and had tactics on how to do that with anyone they saw fit to do it to. So, naturally Tama had survived Jashin but... only to meet a greater more scary evil. It didnt at all matter though, he was going to do what he sought out to do anyways. Listening to the boy for a second, "Lying tongues end up cut out. So stand as if you've done nothing wrong... but stating a lie will always be a lie especially if you're caught in it. Deceit is something that will not be tolerat-.." though at this point Yume would whimper out trying to figure out who everyone had to be. Shaking his head behind his mask he found that this was going to be his chance to explain himself... but he'd wait until she'd go toward the exit to do so.

This was not a spot he wished upon anyone. Honestly as this came about he found himself wishing he could turn back time and leave this place, but he had to be here... he had no choice but to do these things. Why? Those questions would be answered later on. However, it was definitely something he didnt want to endure with possibilities of the damned to happened. Losing your life was... not keen to a shinoobi when you could die without purpose or meaning. He was a Warrior to the heart of his being, and a warrior would have to die on his own... doing something for someone he cared for. And to die in his bed silently into the night with nothing but his jammie jams on, that was inexcusable. Not something worthy of Yukata blood.

"I suggest you put your clothes back on...child... and stay away from this woman..." he'd frown from behind the mask but the mask stayed the same... moving his parts to bow a head at Jomei, Tamashii would turn extending his arm and slinging a black web-like substance to the ceiling before flinging himself up and dispersing into shadowy spiders that seemed to all dissolve into the cracks of the ceiling. Moments after though, he'd appear not far from Yume from a Shadow only allowing his head to appear, as he'd simply state, ". . .Your family sent me. Do not be alarmed." nodding his head he'd await her response to this before going back into the shadows.

[Topic left: Pending on Yume's post]

[Editted the coding error]

 

[Okada Kaji]

Jomei wore an averse look as he remained the witness to growing tension between the two strangers. Even still, both Lucie and the Masked One were practically in a staring match, puffing their chests in a battle of wills. There were practically static bolts forming between them from the friction, and Jomei shrank between them, dipping low to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

He admittedly felt a dip in his enthusiasm once Yume made her retreat from the scenario. She was nice and cute, and it was safe to say that she was the savory scrambled egg of their awkward sandwich and the anchor to their civility. The idol fled in an awkward wobble, clearly flustered by what Jomei considered to be a number of reasons. A bead of sweat escaped his beet red temple as he tracked her bubbly departure. He then swiveled his attention back to the two gentlemen he was left with, just in time to listen to the masked one’s words of advice. While they were not directed at Jomei, he felt a lump in his throat as he wasn’t exactly free of sin, either. But then again, none of them were entirely absolved from the deeds they did in private, but that was neither here nor there.

“Very well then, gentlemen…” Jomei suddenly excused himself once the masked one finished his threat and used some means to make an extravagant exit. Jomei’s eyes narrowed as the stranger seemingly stole his web-slinging routine; was nothing sacred? “I suppose this is my cue,” he continued, turning to address the stranger he’d soon learn to be named Ryuuichi… “¡Hasta luego!” His last words were spoken in the Maruishan language and accent of his homeland. With a grin, he gave Ryuuichi a wink before bursting into a plume of smoke, vanished.

“Phew… that was close” Jomei admitted to himself in the privacy of the changing room. It would have been a real shame if his real secret were exposed on his first night in the leaf. He had to hurry or risk another awkward encounter with the naked stranger and quickly transformed back into his fully-clothed form with uncanny speed. His shirt was on backward but he didn’t care. He left his shoes off for good measure, and dashed through the steamy double doors, destined for his suite.​

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