[Day 6, Late Afternoon] Once More

[Kakita Sugita]

Kakita Sugita, taking his last chance, sits in the bath, head back on his towel. The whole world could go by and it's questionable if he'd notice.

[Kaiu Seiko]

As much as she didn't like setting foot on the gaijin lands, it was the only way to get to the embassy. And the embassy was the only place to get a decent bath. And who knows when she would next get one.

With that in mind, she rounded up an escort and made her way.

Bath first, she mentally checked off. Then a hot soak.

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

As she entered the bath along side Seiko, Itsuho almost breathed a sigh of relief. While the two hard got some strange looks, they had been, for the most part, ignored. Still, Itsuho hadn't liked the walk, and the bath house at least felt a little like Rokugan. She moved over to the rinsing area and slipped her things off as she sat with the soapy water provided. She took the spounge, wiping herself off. "If I didn't know better, I would guess the grime of most of the crew has been wiped off in this room over the past few days."

[Kaiu Seiko]

Seiko gave a small smile at the Dragon's comment.

"A good bath is the best reason to go ashore, Mirumoto-san. Take it as a good sign of the good sense of our crewmates if they have all made sure to be clean."

Scrubbing herself down, Seiko took her time. She wanted to be very clean before she took her soak.

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

Itsuho seemed to take her time as well, though she seemed to take her time with a lot of things. She went about cleaning not with a sense of luxuriant languidness, but instead with a thoroughness that left every part of her meticulously scrubbed. She was silent while she did, knowing well enough by now that Seiko would appreciate the quiet too.

[Kaiu Seiko]

So it was that Seiko finished first with the scrubbing. For her, scrubbing was important because of the feeling of all the grime being removed. But after that came the soaking in hot water, and that was something a little more hedonistic. While not a pleasure-seeker by nature, it was obvious that the more worldly Kaiu was more interested in pleasure than the ascetic Dragon.

Wrapped in nothing but a towel, Seiko emerged from the scrubbing area and made her way to the hot water to soak. Focused on her eventual enjoyment, she failed to notice who exactly was there already until she had stepped into the water.

Oh.

For a beat, she stood there, looking at Sugita and feeling a bit awkward. Then, as if determined to bull her way through, she let the towel fall to the side where it wouldn't get soaked and slide down into the water.

"Kakita-san," she said, with not a trace of concern in her voice.

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

Despite her slow, thorough pace, Itsuho was not too far behind the Kaiu in finishing. When one wastes no movements, they can finish a longer job in a shorter time. She dropped the towel at the edge of the soak tub, slipping into the water without a care. She spotted the Kakita and offered a bow, not in the least conscious of her state, nor or the Kaiu's tone of voice. "Konnichi-wa once more, Kakita-sama."

[Kakita Sugita]

"Hm...?" To protect the girls' modesty, Sugita was pretending not to notice them until they addressed him. "Oh. Konnichiwa! Both of you. I see we're in the water together yet again."

[Kaiu Seiko]

"Possibly the last time to take a proper bath for a long time," Seiko added, although she was a little confused.

We weren't in water at the same time. So he must be talking about a time with the Dragon and him.

For some strange reason, Seiko felt a kind of pang. She shook her head.

Don't be foolish!

"A pity," she went on. "But at least it means we will be leaving these gaijin lands before too long.'

[Kakita Sugita]

Sugita smiles away, oblivious to any interpretations of what he said. He thought it innocent. "Thankfully! ... Does anyone know where we're headed next?"

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

Itsuho remained oblivious to both sides. "Hopefully Rokugan again, though... even as I say that, the last time the Legion was out in force in Rokugan was the war. If returning back home means facing more danger in our own lands..." She trailed off softly.

[Kakita Sugita]

Sugita lets that worry slide right over his shoulder. "What're the chances of that again so soon?"

[Kaiu Seiko]

"Let us hope that whatever ill that is affecting this place will not reach us," Seiko said, picking a more middle ground of concern. "It seems that at least more than one person has been... not themselves... while at this place."

She studiously avoided looking at Sugita when she said that last bit.

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

The Dragon gave a slight smile. "New experiences can bring out new sides of people. If you don't know yourself, you will constantly discover new things as you go along life's path." She put her long arms up onto the edge of the basin, reclining.

[Kaiu Seiko]

"..."

Seiko did her best not to react to what the Mirumoto had said. It was very much typical of Dragon wisdom, but it struck a little too much like a Scorpion's blade for her comfort.

[Kakita Sugita]

"Right..." That was. Dragon-y. "What have you gotten up to today Kaiu-san?"

[Kaiu Seiko]

"Mostly doing work back aboard the Half Moon," Seiko easily replied. "What of you?"

She was about to ask if he had found any adventures, but decided against it. It seemed... petty. To talk of her work and then suggest that he did none.

[Kakita Sugita]

"Some archery practice. Drinking with Isawa-gunso. Swimming in the bay. Got some tailoring done not long ago. One of the nets needed patched. That's about everything of note so far. Not a bad day."

[Kaiu Seiko]

So... more than I got done...

Despite the fact that she had been working, it felt like Seiko had done nothing all day. To mask her disappointment, she looked at Itsuho.

"What of you, Mirumoto-san? Done anything today of note?"

[Mirumoto Itsuho]

The Mirumoto had been relaxing, her eyes closed. She opened them slowly to look over at Seiko. "Today, Kaiu-sama? I went up to the deck to inspect the damage from the storm this morning, had tea with a Shiba and Iuchi, went for a swim in the bay, and practiced my sword skill. Nothing exciting certainly."