Character Resort

Rachel looked between her mother and Jean. "No, I think you should tell her..."

Samira finished, "...about the Grey Men?" Her eye narrowed further. "You don't dive headfirst into the darkest, most oppressed corners of the world without hearing that name a few times. But yes, tell me about the Grey Men. I'm curious to hear you justify your secrets and lies. And tell me you at least told my daughter what she was really getting into."

Evidently, Dante liked to ham it up. Well, two could play at that game.

"You?" said Vincent, pointing dramatically. "You would dare challenge me to a game of ping-pong? Well, then, fair lady, have at you!"

He picked up a paddle and a ball. "Draw your implement of war," he said loudly, "and prepare yourself. You shall have the first serve!" He rolled the ball over to her side of the table.

Xavier mulled Wesley's statement over. "Well, not really, I don't know whe- Wait, when you first met Vincent, he was drinking that Gargle Blaster thingy, wasn't he? Apparently, none of the effects of that are entirely consistent. From what Vincent said, he had already gotten over most of the effects, and was surprised they didn't last longer. But maybe I'm wrong, I try not to get drunk, so I don't know how much alcohol I can take."

“Oh, lovely.” Jean said, completely deadpan, straightening his tie and running his hand through his hair. He huffed, shaking his head in a mix of disbelief and irritation. He had a few leaks to plug, apparently. Looking right at Samira, he spoke with subdued candor, “Yes, to an extent. I made it clear to her that the nature of our organization was clandestine, and exerted control over global geopolitics, mainly through the United Nations though not exclusively. The Grey Men are the main reason why the UN has become as wide-ranging and successful an organization as it is. In fact, we simply wouldn’t be able to do that good we do if not for those same secrets and lies. Tell me, as I too am curious, when the people of these failed states speak of the Grey Men is it in fear? Hatred?”

Wesley glanced sidelong at Xavier. "I don't think alcohol can account for that kind of a reaction. Mild quantities of some kind of psychoactive drug, maybe. Should we see if they serve any?"

edited 26th Oct '11 1:22:27 PM by Gault

Dante smiled, "Well then good sir, may the Fates be merciful, as my victory is assured," She picked up her paddle and ball, soon making arm gestures like she was in some old, poorly translated kung-fu film, and gentle tapped the ball toward Vincent.

Xavier chuckled nervously. "Well, I don't know. I don't want to come back and have to tell everyone that I went to a resort to meet an old friend and wound up getting high or something. That'd just be a little bit awkward, right?"

He frowned in thought. "You know... the way Vincent described it... I'm not sure it was entirely like a high. And it might not be a psychoactive drug, just some other chemical that we haven't discovered yet. Technically, it doesn't even exist in my world, so that could justify different effects."

He glanced at the bartender and back to Wesley. "I'll have to think about it."

Seeing the ball coming toward him, Vincent widened his eyes dramatically. He swung his arm back, preparing the hit the ball, and brought the paddle forward with a battle cry. He tapped the ball lightly, sending it through the air as an easy target.

[Bar]

Coldly, Samira said, "resignation. The oppressed have long come to accept that they have no control over their lives. They're used to submitting before warlords and dictators who claim high ideals, and sometimes even do good upon first taking power, but inevitably fall into darkness. You are merely the continuation of a cycle that began with the imperialist powers, whose legacy was passed on to dictators both foreign-supported and homegrown. I don't care what you are trying to do." She scowled, and said, "do you know what corrupts men? Power and secrets. And you have plenty of both. You are only mortal men, locking yourselves in echo chambers to drown out the voices of those who do not want their lives and destinies decided by arrogant men in fancy suits."

There wasn't a chance in hell Rachel was going to get involved in this discussion. She knew her mother too well. She was not one to give up this sort of thing easily.

[Rooms —> Bar]

Asayu exited the shower, her towel wrapped around her waist, and said, "well, once you've recovered from all that, I'll probably take a dip in the hot springs. Feel free to come by. You might be able to pick up another woman, if you've still got it in you. Variety is good for the soul." Deciding the towel was enough, she left, and went into the bar to see what Rachel had gotten herself into. Her mother was here, and she seemed very displeased with Jean. Probably for completely different reasons then Asayu, of course.

Then she scanned the room. "Wait..." she said, walking over to a familiar figure. "Wesley? You've... time must go differently where you come from. Must be nice to see a familiar face, though?" Then, recalling both her current lack of clothing and their first meeting, she teased, "you do remember I have a face, right?"

edited 26th Oct '11 1:50:55 PM by KillerClowns

Dante made a quick smile as she stood perfectly still before making a full circle, coupled with a battle cry, turning the ball toward Vincent.

Why the hell does it take me so long to type up my posts?!

Yuki stood and stretched. "I think I'm going to soak in the hot spring, see if I can get rid of this soreness before it starts." And if that doesn't work, see if I can score a massage. "I'll see you guys later," she said, picking up her towel and waving as she walked away. She suppressed a laugh as she noticed the trench dug by the force field gun when it kicked up the sand.

After heading to her room for a quick shower to wash off the salt and sand, she headed down the hall and through the warp door to the hot spring. With several nervous glances to make sure no one was watching, she dropped her clothes on the floor and got in the water as quickly as she could without shundo.

Now this... this is nice, she mused as she sank into the steamy water. All I have to do is hope nobody comes in.

Qrlil stepped into her room and took it in. Unlike at the Cantina, the decor wasn't qrtxian in nature, instead seeming to match up with what she had seen in some human works of their standard living places. Not that that was a bad thing, of course; she had always wanted to try living in one of these places.

Shutting the door, she took a moment to consider what she wanted to do next. It wasn't a particularly hard decision - after three months on the chilly rock that was Qlljnr 3, she was looking forward to getting a chance to take in some heat. She thought a moment more, then stroked her fingers over her robe sleeve in a particular pattern. The smartfabric responded promptly: the color drained from her robes until they became semi-translucent (though not transparent), while the material thinned slightly to become more waterproof.

Satisfied with her appearance, she picked up the map and stepped out into the hall, heading to the door/portal near the far end. She would inspect the hot springs/sauna room first, then head out to the beach.

Perhaps I should have brought a chair after all.

[Beach]

P'jwakh looked around, and thought, wait - peace and quiet? How unusual. She re-equipped all her weapons, then sat back in the sand, looking out at the horizon and the waves crashing gently against the beach.

[Beach]

A maid came over, and taking out a broom from nowhere, swept the sand that had been kicked up previously back into a perfect undisturbed state, as if she was repainting the landscape. She then continued to walk around, observing the patrons.

[Bar]

Harrison watched the conversation at the bar. Upon looking out the window, and seeing P'jwakh apparently relaxing, he decided it couldn't hurt to get a drink - free drinks on shore leave wasn't exactly too common, after all.

He walked up to the bar, and took a seat, "I'll have a brandy sidecar." he said to the bartender.

It wasn't long before Virgil found himself standing by the hot springs... Frankly, he wasn't even sure himself how he wound up there... but that kind of thing happened to him all the time. It was usually due to him zoning out the journey to anywhere and basically putting his entire body onto autopilot while he kept contemplative thought. No matter, the fact was that he was standing there, fully clothed, with his suitcase still in his hand and a cigarette in his mouth. Though it took about five seconds before Virgil realised that the Yuki girl from earlier was relaxing in the steaming hot water.

"Oh dear, this is very embarrassing... for you, of course."

Wesley’s head dropped so that he nearly face-planted into the bar as soon as he heard that familiar voice. Speaking with the tip of his nose pressed against the grain of the wooden countertop, Wesley said wearily, “Hello, Asayu. Yes, you have a face.” He propped his head upright on his arms, swiveling to look her in that face. He was grinning slightly. “How have you kept yourself?”

Saliha perked up, placing her drink back down and saying to Wesley, “This is Asayu?”

Vincent continued hitting the ball back and forth with Dante, each of them delivering it in ever-more dramatic ways. Eventually, Vincent stumbled, and the ball bounced off his head and onto the floor.

Picking himself and the ball up, he said, "You're good. I got pretty lucky this game; I'm normally not this skilled especially when I'm, you know..." He absent-mindedly hit the ball to her side. "...being super-dramatic about it."

"You think?!" Yuki shouted, sinking to her chin in the water and covering herself. "You could at least avert your eyes, you perv."

She glared up at him from her position. She had to stop herself from going into combat-analysis mode. Not everything is life-or-death now, she reminded herself. "State your purpose or leave me be," she said finally.

Virgil merely smirked, then took another puff of his cigarette.

"Sorry, I don't particularly have a purpose here... I am where I am, and until I tell myself to go somewhere new, here is where I'll stay. If you're really that embarrassed, then put your clothes back on. You're the one who's naked here, not me."

"I was here first," Yuki said. "I don't need to alter what I'm doing because you stumbled across me, particularly since I was doing nothing wrong. Besides, you're the formally dressed older man looking in on an underage girl while she bathes. Who's more in the wrong here?"

Virgil gave a light chuckle.

"Most likely me, but you see... the thing is... I don't care who is in the wrong here, I'm not moving."

Dante smiled as she caught the ball, with the paddle, balancing it, "Yeah, it's a matter of focus really, but I've had my mind twisted enough so that I can focus on anything while not focusing on it really, just something you pick up."

She put the ball and paddle back on the table, "So, I think Donovan told me about you?"

[Bar —> Hot Springs]

Asayu considered Wesley. He was definitely older now, in mind and body. For one thing, he seemed to have no trouble talking to her any more. "Ah, you've changed. I like it." After a bit silent thought, she said, "hmm... maybe later." Then, out loud, she added, "I was just making sure Rachel was alright. Seems to be. I'll leave her, her mother, and that cretin over there to talk." She smiled at Wesley and said, "anyways, just thought I'd say hi before I went for a swim. Feel free to join me if you've brought a swimsuit." She smirked and added, "or don't care," as she slipped out the door, through the dining room and to the springs.

"Oh," she said, spotting Virgil, "it's you." She'd let him enjoy the view, but if he laid a finger on her... no, she was on vacation. There were other people to do the limb-breaking for her. "Just remember what I said about security. If you've gotta stare at someone, well, I've gotten used to it. And I'm certainly not going to let it scare me. Just leave poor Yuki alone." She tossed aside the towel and slipped in opposite of Yuki. More cheerfully, she said, "fancy seeing you here." She looked Yuki up and down, but after that refrained from staring, looking her in the face as though she were fully dressed. After all, she was clearly a bit young for her tastes.

edited 26th Oct '11 2:58:26 PM by KillerClowns

Virgil looked over at Asayu. He was amazed that she was so quick to take her clothes off in front of him, considering their earlier encounter. Maybe it was that hot water.

"I'm sorry, but what is the purpose of this? Is this... a bath?"

"No, he didn't," said Vincent, shaking his head. "Or maybe he didn't; my memory's a bit spotty from that, and I can't remember much. The things that stand out the most are a facility that yielded a comparison to Halo and getting really angry over popcorn for some reason. Pre-popped popcorn, too."

He spun his paddle around a little. "You know, that happened to Xavier, too," he said, partly to Dante and partly to himself. "I wonder if there's something that causes that. I know it's not interuniversal transportation, or at least not just that. Hmm..."

"What, they don't have nudity taboos on Planet Purple Hair?" Yuki joked, Asayu's entrance finally tearing her glare away from Virgil. She still watched him out of her peripheral vision, but perhaps he would leave if he was being ignored.

"It's called a hot spring," Yuki deadpanned. "Soak in the hot water, relax, you know."

Virgil looked perplexed. He hadn't heard of "Hot Springs" before, and figured it must be a human invention.

"Relax, huh? I guess that seems reasonable, but is it really necessary to remove all your clothing? Or was that just for my benefit?"

Virgil gave a creepy smile towards the two ladies.

[Hot springs]

Asayu shook her head and said, "what she said. Hot Springs. Like in Zavi. Evidently on your world, Japan as well. Plus the Romans, sort of, I think." A pause. "I suppose you've only heard of the last two. But it'd feel strange to take a swim in one in a swimsuit. I can't speak to the Japanese or Romans, but yeah, the people I know best use these as a sort of bath. Usually gender separated, but... well, I think Yuki cares." She shrugged, and said, "me, not so much, as long as nothing uncomfortable happens."

To Yuki she added, "and as for nudity tabboos... well, my people normally do. Me... not so much."

"Oh, and keep smiling like that and..." she paused, remembering where she was, "you'll be dragged out of here by I-don't-want-to-know-what." She'd been initially planning to were his teeth as a necklace, though.

edited 26th Oct '11 3:10:41 PM by KillerClowns

"Hmm... maybe I should give these hot springs a try. I am in need of some relaxation."

Virgil removed his suit and slid into the hot water, a safe distance from the two girls. He left his briefcase at his side, still closeby so no one could snatch it.