[Open] It's getting hot in here

[showsnopiety]

Who: Caren and anyone visiting the hot springs!
When: Post dungeon, could be right after fail/success, could be days after
Where: Hot Springs of course
What: There's a hot springs, so now there's a hot springs episode.
Rating: Could be a p-13 and beyond because some people are only wearing towels in this place.





[Win or fail, everyone needed a reason and a way to relax. With the fall of the towers, there was all sorts of good things to come from it. Some would say it was the birds; and others would say it was the hot springs.

The large, large pools of heated water. Sure, they could be used as a way to get all steamed up (or even steam punk) but after all that hard work, everyone deserves a break!

Bring your swimsuits, your towels, your drinks and snacks-who knows, you should be able to find them in the bazaars, or even on Airy. It's time to soak in the heat!]

Comments

[hoasen]

[She certainly is, but at least she's covered! And he's more used to this now? Or at least she hopes so.]

I will agree with it being magic. [It's the only explanation. She moves over to the edge to stand beside him.] Not this particular one. [Is there are difference. But she keeps it vague because it SURE HAS BEEN A WILD RIDE.] The water does feel nice.

1/2

[sediments]

Yeah, it looks so relaxing.

[ He's dipping his hand in the water now, but when he turns his head to look over at her, he catches sight of something fast and black&mdasj; ] Look out! [ —and quickly shoves Vietnam out of the way, one of his arms coming up to ward of the blur: a bird that caws angrily, its talons scratching as his skin before flying off. ]

That was weird...

2/2

[sediments]

[ —Except by shoving Vietnam away, he'd also shoved her straight into the water, and he quickly turns back to the spring once he realises. ]

Crap. Hey! Vietnam! Are you okay?

[hoasen]

[She certainly didn't expect that. He noticed the swooping creature before she did, so she was shoved into the water before she could even duck. Fortunately, it's not completely dangerous, so she was able to settle down and just straighten herself up in the hot water, completely soaked but otherwise fine.]

What was that? [She coughs before pushing her hair out of the way.] A-ah, it is pretty hot. [But now she's dived in here and her whole body is forced to get used to it, it's not entirely bad.

Ah but wait--]

I am fine though! Bolin! But you, what about you?

[sediments]

[ Oh, she's fine. Bolin smiles a little in relief. ]

Sorry about that, but yeah, I'm f—

[ BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE, and Unnamed Bird returns for a second strike, swooping down toward Bolin's with an angry caw reminiscent of the earthbender's troublesome sheep Carrier.

The bird's claws scratch against his back this time, though they don't hurt as much as they do surprise him, startling him enough to send him sprawling face first into the water. ]

Waugh!!

[hoasen]

[This bird! She didn't even have time to react either until he's falling towards the water. So first thing she does is rise up to try to support him, all the while muttering an incantation to blast the bird with a gravity hit to repel it away from them. Good thing Rooks can still move while casting.]

Bolin!

[sediments]

[ Thanks for your help, Vietnam. Bolin grabs her shoulders out of instinct when she approaches him, but he's still a whole lot of weight with a nice enough amount of momentum behind him.

So really, he just ends up tackling her back into the water as he falls. ]

[hoasen]

[AND WITH A GIANT SPLASH, they're back in the water and the bird from far away is probably laughing at them.

At least she's strong now though, so she tries to sit up with her arms still wrapped around him.]

Are you okay? Answer me!

[sediments]

[ There's water up his nose, but otherwise he's fine. His feet haven't quite found their way under him yet however, still struggling through the water to get to the ground so he just pushes his hands gently against Vietnam to manoeuvre himself away in an attempt to put some distance between them. While he tries that however, his hands brush against something soft, and then he's moving away very quickly, balance or no.

Luckily the water is forgiving, and he manages to keep himself upright due to sheer buoyancy, cheeks an awkward pink and gaze fixed on the water. ]

Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry! [ He frowns, scratching at his cheek. ] I was trying to help but man, that bird.

[hoasen]

[She's going to have to pat his back free of water, and try to get him feeling better. Somehow. And she didn't even realise he brushed his hands against her...until he backed away fast.

And then she realised.

O h.]

I-I-IT'S FINE. [Too loud?!] It was that bird's fault, not yours.

[sediments]

[ Maybe she hadn't noticed and the odd volume to her response was just in his head. It certainly sounded plausible. It's not like he'd gotten a handful after all, just an innocent brush, nothing more than what happens in a crowded street. ]

I guess... [ He allows, still a little awkward, especially given the way he's keeping a hefty distance. ] I did push you into the water though.

[ And then fell on her when she tried to help. ]

[hoasen]

[YEAH...yeah just go with that because after this, they'll pretend all the bad stuff didn't happen. At all. The water is helping them forget, right?]

But that was to save me. And I am fine!

[She even pumps a tiny fist to show him she's fine.]

[sediments]

[ A tiny fist... Vietnam is so cute. ]

That's good.

[ Bolin's response is still a little sheepishly embarrassed however, and he's slowly sinking into the water until it's reached just under his nose.

Silently. ]

[hoasen]

[No u.

A-ah, Bolin don't drown yourself from embarrassment, it makes her want to as well.]

D-does the water feel nice...

[sediments]

[ He has to resurface to answer her question, pushing himself back up enough that the water is hovering near his chin. ]

Yeah, it is pretty relaxing after the dungeon.

[ His gaze drops back into the water at the memory. It was his first dungeon, and it had been gruelling without his bending, and frustrating due to the constraints of mana. Every time he thinks that he's adjusting to his own set of abilities, he's shown just how difficult the change is. ]

That was a real struggle. I was really worried that poor Sakura would get too scared...

[hoasen]

[Meanwhile, she sinks herself a bit more so that she's chin level. It's nice and warm here, and as said, very relaxing after such hard work. Her body doesn't recover as quickly as it used to.]

Nothing like it is back home, no? I understand. My situation is similar.

[She frowns.] Sakura is your team mate, no? It sounds you like protected her to the best of your ability. [And they came out of the dungeon fine!]

[sediments]

She's one of the new Heroes that arrived. She's pretty young though... [ Can't be more than fifteen as far as Bolin sees it, his eyes light up as he looks back at Vietnam though. ] Maybe you should meet her! I bet she'd appreciate having an older girl as a friend.

[ Bolin wanted to look after Sakura of course, but he's still a boy, and there's probably a lot that Sakura would be more comfortable confiding in a woman. ]

She's really shy, and doesn't have a lot of confidence... [ He sinks back into the water, tilting his head to keep his mouth from becoming submerged. ] She's probably scared and feels alone.

[hoasen]

[She winces slightly. She's met some young heroes too, some of them pretty spirited though (Agito). But she can understand when someone is young.] To be trapped in a place that expects you to fight while being younger...

[And then a sigh follows.] I think I can relate. [Being shy and self critical.]

I'll definitely meet her! Not just to help her, but it would be nice to be her friend too. Whatever the circumstance. But if it will help, then I will do my best. Especially since you say she is a new Hero. It was really tough when we barely had any power, no?

[sediments]

It sucked.

[ Bolin groans just remembering it. To be honest, it still kind of sucks. He was used to being to wield the entire earth as a weapon, but now he's alone with nothing but his fists and the two weapons he'd been provided.

(And magic, sure. But he didn't have the aptitude for it.) ]

It's rough going... We really have to remember that we're all in it together I guess.

[hoasen]

[She groans after he did, because she sure remembered the first dungeon. That sucked too. Well, it went seamlessly, actually. But what sucked was her own weakness, the lack of body regeneration, and how she turned into stone.

This one? Much better.]

I agree. I suppose with it being so difficult, teamwork is our best bet.

[sediments]

[ Bolin nods in agreement at that, Vietnam definitely has the right idea. ]

Yeah, I'm definitely all for teamwork! It's hard getting Kija to listen though, he's so focused on doing everything on his own. [ It's enough to get Bolin to sigh, shoulders slumping further and seeking the heat of the water. ] It's really annoying, because it's not good for him or the people he's working with.

[hoasen]

[She rubs the back of her head when he speaks of Kija. Because she has an idea.]

He really does try. Adrasteius had some trouble with him once. [Trying to convince him to not waste all of his mana!] He managed to be convinced later, but it was...how to say, he protects on instinct?

[sediments]

It’s annoying. [ Though Bolin doesn’t sound all that aggrieved by Kija’s actions despite his complaints,

He does sit up finally in the water, tilting his head back to rest it on the warm rocks behind him, closing his eyes. ]

But I guess his heart’s in the right place.

[hoasen]

[She nods in agreement, well, to the latter part.] I can see how it could lead to more problems.

You're trying your best too, but you end up having to look out for him because you feel like he's not working well with you, no? [Adra had to bargain with Kija too, just to be able to make sure that Kija doesn't waste all his mana away.]

I'm sure in time, you both will reach some kind of balance. It's harder in the beginning.

[sediments]

I… guess, we just have to get used to each other. [ It’s weird, because Bolin usually works quite well with others.

It’s just that Kija is so stubborn, and all he thinks about is smashing people with that giant hand of his! He needs to be more analytical of his surroundings and allies. Bolin’s often an idiot, but he’s still an earthbender, and that’s made him incredibly conscious of his surroundings so that he’s always aware of what resources he has, and how to use the terrain to his advantage.

He runs a hand through his hair. ]

Anyway, we probably won’t be working too much together. These assignments are random, aren’t they?