2179/A Hokkaido Soak

A Hokkaido Soak
Date of Scene:	21 December 2024
Location:	Hokkaido
Synopsis:	While on their nebulously schedueld trip to Hokkaido for relaxation, Usagi, Molly, Amy, Chiyo, and Rashmi engage in some good old-fashioned girl-talk.
Cast of Characters:	Usagi Tsukino, Chiyo Sakai, Rashmi Terios, Molly Skyline, Amanda Faust

---

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
So they're in Hokkaido, on a trip Setsuna organized and that everyone gathered for, at a time that doesn't need to be specifically addressed, aside from they're not-in-school-at-the-moment! The place they're staying at has hot springs, because glorious relaxation is what they've come to enjoy, after so-long and so-much that's been happening.

Usagi's been to Hokkaido before, but it was a long time ago, for a family vacation. This is her first time coming with friends, and after everyone's entered the changing rooms and showered off thoroughly, Usagi's handing off towels, making sure everyone has the hand-sized towels that will rest on their heads, as well as a bath-sized towel for modesty until they're in the water.

"Molly-chan, if this is your first time, just make sure you enter really slowly, okay? The water could be pretty hot, so you'll want to let yourself adjust!"

She's not meaning to single Molly out, but, she knows from envious stories that Wako-chan's fiancé Sugata has an onsen at his house, which means Chiyo and probably Rashmi too have definitely had the chance to enjoy a hot spring recently.

Once that's all said and done, and everyone has a towel, they're free to enter the onsen area! This one is an open-air bath, but there's fencing that's around six feet tall, to keep out unwanted eyes, and plenty of natural surroundings - stone and wood and railings to walk along, snow along some of the rocks, and a view of the mountains and trees of Hokkaido beyond the wall. Usagi walks along the path and down the steps, carelessly dropping her towel on a large rock just before sinking in deep (completely ignoring her own advice about entering really slowly). Her skin is very pink immediately, and the towel on the top of her head drapes over her odango.

"Ohhhh, the water is great~!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai was spoiled like that. Having a roommate with a super ultra elite wealthy fiance was not so bad at times. She's thorough in washing off though knowing first hand that her curls could be an issue in and of themselves. Even when damp and holding water they managed to keep a more than wavy curl which stretches her hair out longer than usual. Towel upon her head, and another around her, she makes her way toward the water careful of any icy spots around the edges.

"The view here really is something," she has to add with a sigh of her own. The towel is flipped off in favor of sinking a bit slower into the water. A bit. Not much. She's still quick to dip into the heat enjoying the sudden *warm* from the freezing air.

"And it's so quiet around here, too."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Bathhouses are a luxury one takes advantage of when time and finances allow; the chance to be able to do nothing but wallow in heat and comfort for an extended time? Yes please.

But Rashmi has never been extremely widely-traveled, and until this point Hokkaido has only been a style of noodle soup for her. During the trip up she has -- mostly -- refrained from squishing her face against the window to see the landscape change from city to country to Winter Mountainland.

Actually *staying* in a ryokan, likewise, is something that has been on her bucket list for many a year, and just... Everything about this trip has Rashmi excited enough to vibrate through the floor. Luckily speedster tricks are not part of her powerset, thus she manages to keep it together long enough to change, shower, receive her towels, and step gingerly into the onsen water, towel up until she's up to her shoulders in the water, then just... sit, sink back, and melt.

"...If I was not already *extremely* attached," she says, carefully removing her glasses and setting them on her towel, "I might ask Setsuchan to marry me."

When Chiyo remarks on the view, and the quiet, the redhead utters a quiet laugh. "*So quiet.* That's the second best part."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly has no reason to know why going to Hokaido was so attractive until it was explained to her; and of course her Moms were more than okay with her going on this trip (especially the one who is herself Japanese). She's been as nose-pressed to the window as Rashmi; and naturally, she wasn't about to pass up hot springs. It's cold outside but you can do something without being chilled to the bone by a damp and dreary countryside? Yes please. She would like to experience that.

So she's got her towel bundled up around herself, and pads barefoot along behind everyone else -- mostly to watch how they do it first. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, but only after they demonstrate afterall. So as she gets close to the pool she drops the towel in more or less the same manner as Usagi does, picks a spot between her and Rashmi, and sits down beside the water to lower herself in slowly, as advised.

"Oh wow that's hot for real." She dips her legs in up to her knees, and then just sits there for a moment. "We have nothing like this in England. I feel sad for my friends who still live there."

The purplenette waits for a minute, and then slips down, lowering herself slowly in until the water approaches her shoulders. "Yeah, uhm, this is perfect. I need to be here more often."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Hot springs trip? Hot springs trip! Amanda can't remember the last time, in her past life, that she went on some kind of vacation trip somewhere. Come to think of it, in this life... The past was on accident, Paris was... business. Amy doesn't... get vacations.

    Of course, she's seen stories of hot springs trips in manga. Usually it is somehow a high school trip, and hijinx will ensue as the protagonist has to keep up both of their identities, or they and their friends will still be sorting out how they fit in and how to treat them in their new identity...

    Well, this isn't a manga, this is real life. As similar as they may be at times.

    Amy has never been to a hot spring before. She went to a spa /one/ time and it turned her into a ten-year-old and-- As similar as they may be at times.

    She nods at Usagi's instruction. "Do people actually wear their towel into the onsen, it seems like that'd just get it wet and if this isn't mixed it's not like there's modesty concerns--" A thought flashes through her head of how she'd really prefer to keep trunks on if she was here with other guys a few years ago, "--nevermind." Usagi dropping the towel answers that anyway, so she drops hers by the side as well. Amy dips her toe in, and then doesn't just jump in but sinks in only somewhat slower than Usagi, next to her on the other side from Molly. "Ohhhh it's warm..."

    Others remark on the view and the quiet. "I've never gotten to do anything like this before..." She looks over at Usagi with the towel on her head. "What's the towel on the head for...?"

    Rashmi's comment about marrying makes Amy's head whip around. "Sorry, what?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"It's so your head doesn't get cold," Usagi answers Amy cheerfully, reaching up to adjust her towel. Her twintails have been pinned up carefully in loops around her odango, to keep the long, long lengths of hair from dragging through the water. "Because your head is the only part you keep out of the onsen, you use the towel to keep it from getting too cold. You could get sick that way."

That's what people said, anyway, and she hasn't seen any reason to fact check that.

"I'm feeling bad for your friends back in England too. No onsen for them... but plenty for us. Mmm, if we had a way to do this all the time, it'd be just perfect!"

Soaking, relaxing with friends, no worries, no stress... talk about a good time.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Unlike Usagi, Chiyo's letting her hair flow free--Which means she's going to have to dry it later. It's a choice. Her hair was super curly though so no matter if she let it get soaked, or it just got steam-damp, it was going to need proper drying so she didn't end up with a frizz-fro of doom later.

The little towel is also ontop of her head though.

"That's what I've heard, too, about the towel. Though I use it in case I need to dry my hands off before touching anything that's dry. Like checking a phone or a grabbing a snack."

A grin comes at the mention of London as she smiles fondly recalling her own 'Londoner' that she knew. Who wasn't here at the moment but she could still daydream! "I've heard England's nice, but never been. Philip doesn't talk about it too much." Then again she wasn't sure how long he had been there but he DID have the accent.

Before she can ask Molly any possibly pertinent questions about it she blinks over at Amy's reaction to Rashmi. "I think it's just a figure of speech, Amy. Besides I'm fairly certain Setsuna-san wouldn't be interested in marrying any of us."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Setsuchan organized this whole trip," Rashmi says, blinking at Amy. "And I've never been to Hokkaido *or* a ryokan, so I'm almost grateful enough to marry her. I... Is that not a figure of speech in America?"

Blinkblink.

Shaking her head with a chuckle, she lets her head lean back to the edge of the pool, adjusting her folded towel to let it rest on her forehead. Her hair... cannot not get wet, sadly, as long as it is, but towels are easy to get. "Yeah but there's *got* to be stuff to do in England it's not possible to do here, right?"

Just because she can't think of anything offhand, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy blinks at Chiyo and Rashmi's explanation. "Ah, right, sorry, just... seemed a bit out of the blue? Or... I guess I have heard similar expressions, but..." She shrugs and looks down at the water. "I don't know..."

    Amy also has her hair down, mainly because the ins and outs of choices haven't really been discussed. At the explanation of the head towel she puts hers on. Usagi suggests they do this all the time. "Maybe we could add a hot tub to the shed?" She holds her hand to her chin. "Although... I guess then you need the plumbing for it and stuff... I have no idea how the Shed works... does anyone? Maybe Entrapta will figure it out."

    She blinks at Rashmi curiously. "England... I've never been much of a tourist, I admit. I never really..." She shakes her head and shrugs, but it shows on her face, the awareness that she's not understanding something probably normal and obvious to everyone else. "I was never one for going out to places. But now, with you guys..." She smiles. "This is really special. This is different. Than being dragged away from my computer and everyone I talk to and told isn't this grand, or going someplace and feeling alone. I'm glad, I don't know what I... I want to do something to thank Setsuna-chan too..."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"It's an expression in England," Molly offers to Rashmi, with a shrug of her shoudlers for emphasis, that makes little ripples in the water around her. "And..." She glances about, "Yeah, there's things to do in England that you can't do here. There's lots of old castles all over the place in various states, and... okay I know there's castles here too, but English medieval castles are massive bulwarks of stone and there's just something different about them." She pauses, "There's stone circles that are pretty cool to visit too, but... unless you're gonna sneak in you can take Stonehenge of the list. It's closed to the public now."

Molly stretches, and clasps her hands behind the back of her head, partly to get her arms out of the water for a little bit of heat control. Her earring sways a bit as her fingers brush over her ear -- she's not leaving Starcrash behind anywhere, even here -- and she closes her eyes contentedly. "If we're ever there though, I'll make sure everyone gets fish and chips. Haddock and chips, with tartar sauce. The good stuff, wrapped up in newspaper as it should be."

The purplenette lets herself sink a little lower in the ater, now that her hands are behind her head. "OKay actually I lie. The Roman Baths in Bath -- yes the city is called Bath -- are pretty worth the trip."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Mmm, Molly-chan, you're probably the most able to marry Suna-san of all of us," she considers, as though this is a totally reasonable thought. "I mean, I can't, because I'm going to marry Mamochan and I think marrying someone else too would be bigamy. And Rashmi-chan probably wants to marry Chrono-kun. And Chiyo-chan's got Philip-kun. And Amy-chan is going to be a space princess, but then again, I don't think Hannah-chan would mind sharing..."

She tilts her head back, looking towards the sky and sighing at how pretty it is, this far from the city.

"I would love to go to Bath, for a bath! That sounds fun. I want to travel with Mamochan, and maybe even find his old kingdom, see what it's like now, I'm sure he knows where to go... I think the only place I don't want to go is Paris."

Beryl can keep that one.

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai turns a little shade of red as she sinks further into the water. She dips down just enough that only her nose and eyes are above the water trying her best to hide her blush when mention of Philip is brought up in regards to potential marrying in the future.

The posture only lasts a few moments before she rises up again so she can murmer, "Well I hadn't really thought ahead to marrying, to be honest. I keep kind of waiting for something to happen and ruin it all I think. He really is great though," she assures quickly in case anyone thought otherwise. "It's just how my luck has been with guys."

"He did already express he would prefer I not date anyone else though so that's at least that. Setsuna's not my type anyway."

Lightly clearing her throat she shrugs beneath the water as she shifts to find a spot leaning back against the sides of the onsen. "That's the first question he asked about when I said I was going to become a Star Driver. He wanted to make sure I wasn't going to have to date Wako-chan, Sugata-kun and Takuto-kun to be one."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi cannot help but snicker at the idea of Chiyo having to bond with more than a Cybody to become a Star Driver. "I mean, probably I'm gonna marry Chrono," she says with a light shrug, "*if* something horrible doesn't happen first. But also... It'll probably be *after* your wedding, Usa-chan. You and Mamo-kun've been waiting *way* too long, that'd just a *jerk* move."

Cracking open an eye, she leans her head up just enough to look at Amy, and grins. "Hey... we're glad to have you along, y'know? *Everyone* should get the chance to do something different, with their friends around them."

Drawing in a deep breath, she lets out a deep, gusty sigh, and sinks a couple centimeters further into the bath. "Baths in Bath sound wonderful... But baths in Hokkaido are great *right now.*"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    'Molly is the most able to marry Suna-san' is a sentence Amy has to wonder what will follow it. Oh. They're all taken. And Rashmi's words make her blush a bit -- or maybe that's just the water -- and she smiles, looking down at the water. "So this... this is just part of what having friends is like?" She beams at Rashmi. "It really is great, huh?"

    But, the part of her brain that tries to avoid misunderstandings is urging her to speak further: "Uh. Hannah hasn't been around in ages and it was open anyway," Amy feels compelled to technically correct, "that's how things normally are among Tharkadian nobility, apparently. And I'm fine with that, I think-- I know it sounds like... I know someone who's lucky to find even one person must sound terribly greedy, but I don't, I don't understand why it'd be wrong if everyone's happy, you know? If there's someone else who makes Hannah happy too, isn't that a wonderful thing, after all?"

    Amy looks around at the others; she's pretty sure things are fine in this group, given Usagi's polycule, but there's always that nagging feeling she may be missing something that seems obvious to everyone else.

    She's completely forgotten while explaining how they got onto the subject in the first place.

    And Chiyo's news further distracts her. "You're what? So you'll... have powers again? Congratulations!" Amy beams. "Does that mean you'll get to pilot a giant robot one day?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"I never got to go," Molly admits. "I've seen pictures and whatnot. But when I was living at the orphanage there was never the money for a trip like that, and after my Moms adopted me we did things, but just never got around to that one before we left England." She shrugs, stretching her arms up above her and moving to dip down lower in the water. "I'm not sad. I do miss things from England but it's... honestly it's stuck in the past in a lot of ways, and not the good ways. And there's a lot of... I mean people focus a lot on themselves, and assume that getting what they want has to mean someone else doesn't, and it's just... it's a whole atmosphere and I don't have any plans to ever go back, except to visit."

The purplenette ope ns her eyes, and gazes back in Amy's direction. "I'm with you on that," she agrees, "Personally I think three is best. Why limit yourself to two? But I'm also single and I'm in no particular rush to change that either. It's not like I need to get married in the next five minutes or something bad will happen." She smirks, and shakes her head, "And I really like Setsuchan, and she has a helicopter which hasn't stopped being awesome, but I don't think I'm mrrying her."

And then there's that from Chiyo, and Molly ohs? "Wait, hold up, you're getting powers again?! That's fantastic!!"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Thank you Rashmi-chan!"

Some girls would have made a show of being gracious, of saying someone didn't have to worry about waiting for her to get married first. Usagi Tsukino is not one of those girls, and it's wonderful for her that her friends clearly know that already.

"We're thinking about in two or five years, depending on, you know, things, and maybe even both, and it will be between April and early August, so it's between our birthdays. If it's in two years though, it will be on the Moon, so won't that be a plus?" Yes, of course they've started their wedding planning and she can rattle off a date range! She's wanted to get married for her entire life.

Amy's musings make her blink, and then giggle. "I mean, I'm dating two people, and Mamochan is dating three, so, I don't think I'm like, even allowed to think that's greedy, Amy-chan."

And then, Chiyo is sharing her news with everyone, and Usagi is beaming.

"Have you guys figured out when that's going to happen? It's going to be soon, right? I can't wait to see you in a cool coat like Wako-chan's!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"Oh you two can get married on the moon? But I want to be able to go too!" Chiyo blurts out with a sudden little pout at the thought of not getting to be there. It's breif though as the conversation goes on.

She lifts her hands from the water to press against her cheeks because she was just grinning so brightly that it kind of *hurt* but in a good way. The pressure of her hands just keeps her face from utterly breaking at the smile. "Yes! It's going to be *so cool* and the robot is the twin of Takuto's robot so that'll be neat!" A deep breath is drawn to try and calm herself a little. But really, it was both a relief and exciting to know she was going to have powers again.

"We have to go to Southern Cross Island for me to get the mark from the current driver, but they're pretty sure he'd be willing to hand it over. Apparently he doesn't like being one?" Really that was a crazy thought to her. "I don't know if I'll have a coat like Wako-chans, but probably, I guess. All their outfits are kind of alike." Not as alike as the senshi but enough that it was obvious they were all Star Drivers. Clearly that was *a thing* right? Right. "I'll get a sword too though they said I could probably change it to a hammer if I want."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Absolutely get married on the moon," Rashmi says, raising her head to stare wide-eyed at Usagi. "And if you *can* bring people there then you *know* folks will wanna crowd in. A *royal wedding on the moon?* I mean come o--wups."

There's a moment of panicked flailing and splashing as Rashmi's towel falls off her forehead, but is caught before it can meet its steamy, mineral-watery doom. Sighing in relief, she puts it back into position, then settles in again.

Then Chiyo speaks more about the minutiae of being a Star Driver, and she laughs briefly. "I *absolutely* think you should make it a hammer. I saw Wako-chan chuck *half a spaceship* at Sugata-san, now I'm looking forward to croquet shenanigans."

As Amy and Molly speak of open relationships and more-than-pair-friending, she simply shrugs. "Hey, *I'm* not gonna complain if your heart's got enough room for more than one. Long as you're happy, right? I just don't know how you *keep everything straight,* Usa-chan!"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy blinks at Chiyo as the information is dumped. This is fascinating but she isn't sure what more to say to it.

    She stares at Usagi, first because she said her wedding will be on the moon, and then because one of the most popular girls in school is talking as if Amy is on her level, which is amazing but also she's not sure how to explain how it is amazing.

    It's a little bit like when Hannah talks as if she's some kind of angel.

    But while she's struggling to form words, Rashmi makes a comment and her mouth runs faster than her brain, "Well, clearly not everything is straight, with Ami and with Mamoru's boyfriends..." She can't help grinning at her joke.

Molly Skyline has posed:
"She doesn't keep them straight," Molly points out to Rashmi, "Clearly at least half of them gotta be gay." She grins at her own pun, and puts her hands on the edge of hte pool to either side of her to hoist herself up, and sit out of the water with just her legs dangling in it so she can cool off for a moment.

"This is considerably hotter than any pool I've been to before," she explains. And, then it occurs to her; and she snappoints at Amy, "Jinx, you owe me a soda." She grins mischievously in Amy's direction. "Anyway. Clearly I need to come here a few more times to get used to it." She purses her lips, and considers that point, "Actually, Rashmi-chan, I guess we could... fly here... on our own if we wanted. So there's that option."

The purplenette nods in Usagi's direction, "And yeah, definitely get married on the Moon, that makes all other choices pale in comparison. Most people who want to do something fancy just have like, I dunno, a Pirate wedding or a Viking wedding or something. You could have an Astronaut wedding but... but like so much cooler than even that."

Molly leans back, and glances upwards, gazing up towards the moon, where it's conveniently visible up in the sky. "Man, I'd love to get up there someday. But I've already picked racecar driver as a career, not astronaut. ...So unless they make a racetrack on the Moon..."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Of course you can go! If I can breathe on the Moon, why couldn't you?" This is not rational Usagi! "But, also, there used to be these big domes, and I'm sure there's a way to fix them, so everyone will be able to breathe just fine. I mean, if we're figuring out how dumb Riventon can come, of course we'll make sure all of our friends and loved ones can come!"

It's only natural, right? A wedding is a day to bring people together.

"Plus, you're going to be a Star Driver, and Star is in the name, so duh you can breathe in space." No one bother with telling her that's also not logical.

ashmi jokes about how she keeps it straight and Amy and Molly jokes about how it's not straight, and Usagi both laughs and groans. "It's easier than it look, especially because well, it's not like I share Mamochan time with Tamachan and Kazuo-kun, and Mamochan doesn't share Usako time with Ami-chan. Really, Ami-chan is getting the better deal, because Kazuo-kun and Tamachan have to split their time unless they do things together."

She is certainly not the one sacrificing Mamotime!

"It might get more complicated if we add more people, but, Mamochan doesn't want me to date more boys and I don't want him to date more girls, so that already makes it easier, cause if there's a girl involved, I'm dating her, and if there's a boy involved, Mamochan is dating him."

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"And I already found out that Kazuo-kun isn't dating girls either, too," Chiyo states matter-of-fact with a knowing nod. "So their boy time is always going to be boy time." Of course HOW she knows that goes unsaid because she tips her head back to stare up at the sky as well considering the whole 'breathing on the moon' and domes up there. "Oh good! Yes then of course I'll be there!" Even if she's not sure of the Star Drivers being able to breathe in space.

Talk of the future aside she just grins a bit over to Rashmi. "My last weapon was the mochi hammer so it's at least familiar. I actually Woogle searched 'war hammers' to get ideas for other ones in this case. I mean, I'm not really going to be a Culinary Guardian this time around."

"And if there's domes I'm sure they could put a racetrack or something. Besides, doesn't one of your group also race, Usagi-chan?" Chiyo crinkles her nose a bit trying to recall.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy chuckles at Molly making the same joke, and adds, "Heck, I guess between you and Mamoru isn't always straight now, is it..."

    Jinx! You owe me a soda! Amy blinks at Molly. "Isn't that... we didn't say the exact same thing though! Does Jinx still apply? Has it changed, these days?" She honestly doesn't know...

    She glances back to Usagi. "You'd date other girls? Have anyone in mind?" It feels like a... girl-gossip thing to ask, yes?

    Molly says something... worrying, though, that makes her stare at the purplenette. "Do... do kids these days, I mean, do you... is it... does everyone just take for granted we're staying on Earth, now?"

    Amy looks up at the moon. "...When I was... when I was in high school the first time... I mean... a future where Humanity goes to space seemed so obvious... we'd have, like... people living on the Moon and then Mars... 2030s or 2050s or maybe later, but certainly within our life time it would be someplace you could go..."

    Amy sinks a bit more, head resting against the edge, chin and jaw at water level. "I guess we haven't gone back in all that time... so maybe it seems like we never will."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Well I mean," Rashmi says, "there's a difference between 'we' as in mahou, and 'we' as in humanity, isn't there? On the mahou hand... I mean there's TSAB Space, Star Drivers, there *was* all that stuff we learned about."

Is she hedging, just there? Probably. Beryl's doings are sour to a *lot* of mouths.

"So a wedding on the moon sounds wild but something to absolutely look forward to. On the humanity side...?" Rashmi shrugs, wriggling on her seat. "I think it's taking us a lot longer than it should, but getting us hopeful enough to look back at the stars is a problem for Adult Me. Which is *on* my list, definitely."

Talk of a racetrack on the Moon brings more laughter to her lips. "That would be *awesome,* but wow I cannot imagine how much work that'd be to do. ...And it's true Molly-chan, we *could* fly here but... For me at least it'd actually be faster to go by train."

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Alright," Molly answers, "Next time we come, you take the train and I'll fly. We'll call it a race." She smirks, "Of course that'll be the lowest effort race for you there is, you'll just be sitting there on the train, living the life of Riley while Starcrash and I are hammering it as hard as possible to get there first. Probably in a blizzard or something. We'll probably get attacked by Youmas who don't want us to win because they're evil. Who knows."

The purplenette shrugs, and causes a bit of a splash as she drops back down into the water, this time entirely ignoring the advice to take it slow as she sinks back in up to her shoulders. "I'm sure people will go back to the Moon soon enough, Amy-chan," she muses, "But like... I don't think I personally am one of those people who can manage multiple careers that would be full time for an ordinary person. I am definitely not that smart. I'm like... average IQ at best." She jerks a thumb in Rashmi's direction, "She's the smart one. I'll just learn how to build racecars and then go flying around a track at four hundred kilometers an hour, I'm pretty sure keeping the tires on the pavement will be a full time job at that point."

She closes her eyes again and leans her head back, "Chiyo-Chan, when you've got powers again, we have to have a celebration party for you, right? Usagi-chan, we can make that happen, right?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"If Adora-chan wasn't sad and also probably in love with Catra, I'd climb her like a tree," Usagi says, wistful and honest, as Amy asks in the gossiping tone of teenaged girls. "But she's like, going through it, so I'm being a good friend."

But she can look, dammit. What remains of Oldora's viewtube fitness channel is worth immortalizing.

"I mean... I never thought about living in space until I remembered living in space," Usagi admits, "I'm with Molly-chan - I'm not smart enough for all that, so even if they do get people on the moon with like, science, it's not like I was gonna be there. And now, Mamochan would definitely not like living full time on the Moon, I think."

She scrunches up her nose, thinking about it.

"...honestly, now I'm not sure how to feel about that idea. I mean... I guess I don't own the Moon..."

There is a question she does feel fully equipped to answer though, and that's about parties. "We are having the BIGGEST party! Makochan could probably whip up some amazing desserts so Chiyo-chan doesn't have to cook for her own party, and I'll make the best playlist probably, and we'll hang out!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai stares at Usagi with wide eyes at the sheer, brazen remark of climbing Adora. That was almost as bold as Sugata taking his shirt off in front of her the other day to show off his mark! Not something she expected of either person. "Usagi-chan!" Still she does giggle a bit with embarassment as this was just girl talk and nothing serious.

A nod is sent Amy's direction with the talk of the moon being in the future and seeming far away at the same time. "Maybe we would be there already, if not for all the distractions that Obsidian and that sort are causing. I mean, didn't they start showing up en masse only recently so far as years go? That's all kind of a distraction to actual progress I bet." A little puff of breath is let out.

"When we do get there, I don't think you'd have to live on the moon. If there's a way figured out so that people *could* live on the moon I think how to commute back and forth would also be figured out by then, right? I mean there's not a lot of resources up there so you'd have to, plus everyone's families are here." Those who had families. "And you probably wouldn't get a very good TV signal at least for recent stuff up. You'd miss all the new shows!"

The suggestion of a party causes her to pause about to respond when Usagi beats her to it. "I mean... I don't feel like it's necessary, but it *has* been awhile since we've all had a party. I wouldn't mind being the reason for it! And Mako-chan does make some amazing food, too," she has to agree with an eager nod. It was nice not being the only treat-bringer sometimes!

Amanda Faust has posed:
    They don't seem to have gotten what she was saying. The idea of people living in space, not because they are astronauts but because one day it will be a place habitable by normal people in their daily lives... Is too far. Amy's not sure what to think of that. Chiyo chimes in with more practical points about maybe a civilian moon colony not really being a good place for life anyway, which Amy does mostly nod to. "I'm sure they could get TV up to it. It's only a light-second away."

    But there are other things to think about, like Usagi climbing Adora like a tree. Amy imagines this literally and cannot help smiling.

    "...I used to think I was that smart. Now I know better. So I'm staying here with you girls, except for by magic." She sits up, neck rising out of the water again. "It's strange. I used to think smarts was all I had, but it never made me friends, and now I have friends and I don't know why, but I'm..." She steadies her breath and then smiles at them. "I'm so glad I do."

    She looks to Chiyo. "I'm down for more reasons to get together with friends, I'll be there! What do you wanna do at the party?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"I do not do amazing food my any stretch," Molly admits, "But I know people who do. So I feel like that's good enough. And, I love parties, and you getting powers again feels like an excellent reason to party to me."

Climbing Adora. "Uhm, I don't think I've met Adora," she muses. "What's she like? Aside from hot, obviously. ...I haven't met Catra either, I've only like... vaguely heard of her. She's with Obsidian, right?" The purplenette stretches, and as she does, the towel holding her hair comes undone; the towel meets the mineral-watery doom that Rashmi's towel so gracefully avoided, and purple hair spills loose, most of it getting immediately soaked.

"...Whelp. Good thing I brought a hair-dryer." Molly just shrugs, and tosses the now sodden towel out of the pool, off into a corner where it won't get tripped over. "Should'a known I'd be the one. ...Well, actually, I did know, I brought a hair-dryer."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
The mental image of Usagi climbing Adora like a tree makes Rashmi very, very glad she's already submerged in hot water, because the blush would be visible from orbit otherwise. "...She actually also looks really good in a suit," she points out. "Like... I was *super* distracted at that big ball that Princess D----- had, but I *do* remember that."

Then she pauses, and turns to blink at Molly. "That... is a *really* specific guess at how that race would go. ...Probably not *inaccurate,* but like... *really* specific." The thought does make the redhead chuckle, though, and it's with a smile that she turns to Amy. "Awwww... Amy-chan, we're glad to be your friends too. But don't worry so much about the *why,* honestly. That's a great way to overthink it and convince yourself you shouldn't. *Trust me.*"

The suggestion of a party for Chiyo is greeted with an enthusiastic clap, but she quickly clears her throat. "Probably not karaoke, unless you're okay with *super* bad singing. That's one of those things where like... I'm *awful* at it but that's half the fun of doing it. But awful singing is a little more than some people can handle, y'know?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Amy-chan asked! What was I supposed to do, lie?" She's cackling though, grinning at the blushes on her friend's faces. "She's very tall and blond and fit, so that's the hot part. But she's also kind, and brave, and she's really been going through it, on account of some - some pretty tough things that have been happening here. In another life - well, no, it's Mamochan for me in every life - but in a different life, I bet I could fix her."

Spoken in the dramatic tones of every romance-novel-and-manga-and-drama obsessed girl.

"Catra's with Obsidian, yeah, and she's like, Adora's ex and in another timeline was her girlfriend and I think she really wants to be better but she's got a whole dumb guilt complex."

And then she literally waves all that away, with a hand that splashes a little.

"But that's enough about that! I promise that when the time comes, we'll be able to get you all to the Moon easy; we just need like... probably at least four Senshi, and Naru-chan and the Shitennou would count?"

She contemplates this, then shrugs.

"We could game, if we want! I have a Switch, we could totally do some huuuge Super Smash Bros matches! Or bad karaoke!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai has to consider that a few moments with her head tilting slightly to the side. It only causes her plum curls to dip more into the hotspring water. "I can't think of any girls I'd do that to. I mean... Some are awesome yeah but... And Philip's not tall enough to climb." That's said with a wistful sigh. "I mean there was only one boy I had a crush on that would be tall enough for that and that's one of Mamo-kuns' boyfriends and not ever happening but he always looked so cuddly in a big and tall way." A pause, and she adds, "Don't tell Philip I said that."

Right! Moving on with the topic she chuckles slightly. "Ah, I think karaoke would be fun! Maybe we could play some trivia game or something too? I bet there's a ton of party games that we could do outside of just video games. Not that I'm against them," she adds. "But I'd like to try a whole bunch of games. Like guessing games or something."

"Most of the parties I've been to have been food related, or I've helped out at, so I want to do everything I never got to try before."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy blinks at Molly as the redhead realizes she's in the same boat. "I didn't bring a hair dryer." She remembers her first day in the dorms coming back from a morning shower and realizing the same problem.

    That was a very damp and soggy day.

    Rashmi talks about Adora looks distractingly good in a suit, and Amy looks at her, and at Usagi, and at Chiyo, curiously through acespec eyes, again with that sense of there being something other people understand that she's missing. Although she smiles at the descriptors 'kind' and 'brave', those she can understand!

    She tries to imagine climbing Hannah or Taro literally like a tree but it just seems awkward.

    "All the girls at Radiant Heart look good, but is it really distracting? Wouldn't no one be able to get any learning done?"

    The mention of karaoke makes her smile again! "I'm good at Karaoke when I know the song! Is it really fun to do bad-- wait, did someone say Smash Brothers?!" She stands, grinning and lifting a fist in determination. "Oh I am down!"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"I can also do Karaoke, but I will also guarantee you that I sing like a rusty guitar with overtightened strings being gently plucked." The purplenette glances around at her companions; is she the only one not blushing at the notion of Usagi climbing Adora? It would seem that might be the case. Oh well, best to be without shame. At least some of the time. Sensing Amy's dilemma, she nods in her direction. "You can use my hair-dryer if you need to, Amy-Chan, I'm not territorial about it. Only thing I'll ever be territorial over is gonna be my race car."

On that note, Molly sits up straighter, and her expression brightens, "Which, by the way, my Moms told me at the start of this school year that if I did well they'd buy me a car, so I'll get to start learning how to work on it even if I have to wait for a bit to actually drive it, and I'm happy to report that my grades are all above the requirements they set, so looks like someone's on track for her first set of wheels." She pauses, now finally taking her turn to blush. "And like... I know I'm probably the only one here who's gonna get excited about something like that, but I'm excited."

She holds one hand up out of the water, "Also if we're doing games, then if it's video games I'm ready to kick everyone's butt at Smash Brothers. Or... I mean if you want me to come in dead last we can do trivia, I'm fine with that too."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I also brought a couple brushes," Rashmi points out. "Just in case anyone forgot theirs. ...I think between the five of us, a hair-brushing party *could* be a thing that happens when we're done soaking, come to think of it. Also, Amy-chan! Have you ever tried to braid your hair yet? Because it's a great way to get it out of the way."

"By the sounds of it," she chuckles, "we're gonna have a big list of stuff for Chiyo-chan's party to pick from, we might wanna have it at the Shed. And, Molly-chan that is *awesome!*" she cheers. "I can't wait to see what you do with it! As long as, y'know, it's not 'street racing into the side of a building,' because I'm *pretty sure* it's not like that driving game you taught me."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"A hottie is incredibly distracting," Usagi answers for Amy, with all seriousness, "Like, surprise update of that manga you thought was abandoned levels of distracting."

That might help convey it!

"Philip could be tall enough to climb in your heart," she offers Chiyo magnanimously. "But, outside of that - yes, I said Smash Bros! I have it, and Mario Kart, it would be super fun! And we could totally have a hairbrushing party, but Mamochan would be the one who gets to brush my hair. No offense, but it's as long as I am tall and took a lot of effort before magic got it, and I'm still protective!"

Hair as long as hers absolutely takes careful effort to maintain, and she does most of that effort the night before, because like hell is she waking up early enough for all that work.

And then Molly drops big news, and Usagi squeals excitedly for her. "Molly-chan!!!! That's amazing! That's awesome! You're going to have your own car, and you'll get to like, take it apart! There's a club for that, I'm sure you know - well, it's a motorcycle club, I think, but Hinoiri was totally messing around with an engine, so if you're not with them, you should be! And Chiyo-chan mentioned earlier, but Haruka-san is totally into racing and cars, you could talk to her aboooout it but you probably know that because Rashmi-chan is Suna-san's best friend, duh."

She has to laugh at herself a little.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy stares at Usagi. Surprise update of a manga you thought was abandoned-level? "Really?! ...Wow." And she grins, "I'll take everyone on in Mario Kart, too!"

    Amy smiles at Molly, "Thanks! And congratulations on the car! ...Isn't it normally a big thing for teenagers to get their first car? I guess... less so at Radiant Heart, or in the city in general, huh."

    At this point she realizes she just stood up wearing nothing, and sits down, blushing and looking down at the water again.

    Rashmi's words lift her head. Brushing party? "That's a thing?" She does look almost childishly enthused by the idea. "And um... n-no, I haven't..." she looks away, wondering if it's weird that she hasn't tried to braid her hair yet.

    Amy considers this and looks to Usagi, thinking. "I guess he can come to the party." She raises her hand to run it through her hair, which... doesn't work as well when it's wet. But her smile gets a bit of mischievous smirk to it. "Does he have longer hair when...?"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
"I don't know? I have my hair dryer with me, too. My curls are a bit of a pain at times," Chiyo remarks reaching a hand up from the water to tug at one of her curls pointedly. "But I don't know about a hair brushing party. I guess that might be something done at sleepovers, but I only ever had the one we had at Radiant Heart."

The talk of cars earns a grin though she doesn't show quite as much enthusiasm over it. It just wasn't really her thing. "That IS cool though," she has to admit. "Knowing how something works is really great, as well as having a way to get around outside of the city. I mean you don't really need a car IN the city but it's still cool."

A look flits to Amy, then back to Usagi, before she gets a puzzled look. "Does Mamo have longer hair when what?"

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly watches Amy rise up out of the water, and then sink back down into it, ending with a bit of a smirk, but she doesn't pass any comment on it. "if we're gonna do a brushing party, I am very in," she says instead, "But like... receiving end only. I am terrible at hair-care. However, anyone who wants to brush my hair is more than welcome, I promise you can't do a worse job of it than I do." She lifts a hand to point, "I should probably ask Usagi-chan to do mine, She clearly knows what she's doing. I bet I'd look like..." she trails off, searching for a term. "Well anyway I'd briefly stop looking like a dork. So there's that."

It's at this point that Molly's glasses fog up. What, now? She takes off the round spectacles and dips them in the ater, rubbing at the lenses as she takes them back out and puts them back on her nose. Which, of course, now means she's looking through lenses with water clinging to them.

"Eh, good enough," she mumbles.

And now she beams back at Rashmi, "Yeah, I'm really really hoping for like, a Supra or a RX-7 or something. but honestly even if it's a Honda Civic I'm sure I can make that work." She wrinkles her nose, "Just as long as it's not a Hyundai, that was one thing they got right in Tokyo Drift, as far as I'm concerned. Hyundais are not fast. And, don't worry, even if I street race I don't plan on treating wall-avoidance like it's optional."

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"Trust me, Usa-chan," Rashmi says with a grin, lifting up her now thoroughly-sodden hair with one arm... leaving about half its length still underwater, "I get it. But I mean if you've never *had* your hair brushed and braided, Amy-chan, I'd *love* to show you how it goes. And then I thought 'I'd need someone to take care of mine while I'm doing that,' then it just jumped to 'could make a group activity of it.' Sorry, sometimes I jump a few steps ahead with the planning, *but anyhow.* I'm not... actually sure if I've talked about Haruka-chan's racing career? I know she has one, but Setsuchan probably has the details."

Listening to Molly's plans and hopes, Rashmi bobs her head like she has any idea what her best friend is talking about, but hey; when someone you adore is happy about something, it matters.

Then a thought occurs to her, and she looks back at Amy, then Usagi, eyebrows rising in silent question.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Yeah, it's like that," Usagi nods, glad her comparison worked. And then poor Amy realizes she's been standing and drops down and Usagi hopes she doesn't get too flustered - oh nope she didn't at all. In just a moment of conversation, Amy's all smug and coming up with the perfect reason for Mamochan to be at the party and Usagi glances at Chiyo's confusion and Rashmi's question and smiles, and then giggles.

Then, she raises her chin all smug and says, "Well, when Mamochan used my disguise pen, her hair is chin length, in the cutest bob. It's so not fair, because she's like, so handsome, even though she asked for pretty. I guess being handsome is all like, intrinsic, the way being tall is."

And it's not like she was going to be brag to her friends about making out with her fiancée instead of her fiancé that one time, but well, if it comes up now, she won't deny it, that's for sure.

"A braiding party would be great. Total sleepover activity! Good idea, Rashmi-chan."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    The hair-brushing party is discussed! To Chiyo: "I'm down for more sleepovers too!" To Molly: "Oh mood but, we can learn how to do it right together then! ...You don't look like a dork. ...Wait, maybe I'm a bad judge though..." To Rashmi! Amy just nods, unable to stop herself from grinning and feeling a little embarassed about being so happy about it.

    "My first car was a Subaru." Amy rubs the back of her head. "But I uh, kinda accidentally rear-ended someone and totaled it... after that I stuck with Ford D3-types. So the mechanic can always get cheap spare parts, you know? I left my last car in America, obviously, so my parents could have it as a spare if they needed, and drove it when I was visiting but... it had a bit of a rust problem, and like a couple years before this all started, I heard that it got so bad it had to be scrapped." She shrugs.

    Chiyo asking what she's talking about makes a chill of doubt run down Amy's spine. Shoooould she maybe not have talked about that? Oh no...

    But then Usagi-chan is smiling and giggling' and smug and Amy smiles again, smirking smugly because she's already in on the secret now being shared, although she didn't know the specifics of the resulting appearance. Now she has details to try and imagine it! "Ooh."

    Sleepover braiding party! Yay! Amy still feels like it's so special to be included in stuff like this!

    Amy cocks her head to one side curiously. "It's unfair that he's handsome as a girl? Should he not be? I guess you were more like, cute than handsome as a guy though..."

Molly Skyline has posed:
Molly laughs, "Nothing wrong with a Subaru, I'm glad you enjoyed it Amy-chan. I'm sorry you lost it like that, it sounds like a terrible, stressful way to lose a car. And if you replaced it with a Ford..." she shrugs, "I can't see myself driving anything American, the muscle cars are cool but... don't really have what you need for racing, in my opinion." She pauses, and sighs. "And yeah it's all about racing for me. Sorry."

She stretches, and stands up so she can sit at the edge of the pool with her legs dangling in once more. "I definitely look like a dork 'cause I definitely am a dork. I've been here a year and people still have to tell me how things work in Japan all the time. I keep trying to do things the British way. I'm positive that makes me dork material, but it's okay, I don't mind." She snaps her fingers, "Rashmi-chan, you gotta tell me about Haruka-san's racing career. This is an update I need."

Surely, this is approaching the time where people have been in the water long enough, and staying much longer provokes looking like a prune. Or, in Molly's rather fair-skinned case, a wrinkled lobster. Nobody wants the lobster look. "Anyone wanna do food next? I was reading about the food places in Hokaido, apparently there's a really cool sushi place that I really want to try, if you're all up for it." She bounces up to her feet, stretches, and collects her towel to wrap around herself. "We should definitely do this again before we go home," she pronounces. "Thank you all for bringing me along!"

Chiyo Sakai has posed:
Chiyo Sakai starts to turn red again as Usagi explains exactly what that meant! Thoughts of Mamoru changing into a girl with the pen just cause her to get a few mental images with the breif description Usagi gives. "Oh." A pause, and she widens her eyes as the situation brings up a memory.

"Oh. Oh I *forgot* Phantom also had a girl version when he... I mean back when he was Phantom." And now that she recalled that certainly brings a few other thoughts to mind.

Chiyo dips down under the water enough so that her little embarassed scream/squeal/aaaaah just becomes a series of water bubbles.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"...Wait so it's a *disguise* pen, but... Wow that's a *really* broad interpretation of disguise," Rashmi says. Her head tilts to one side, and one can almost *see* a girl-Chrono in a thought bubble above her head... banished with a quick shake. "...And wait Phan--"

Rashmi just sits there for a bit, processing how... *fluid* themfriends are in her social circle. "Well. Today I learned!"

A hand comes up out of the water at Molly's suggestion, is examined for a moment, and the redhead nods. "Hair first," she says decisively. "Cos Molly-chan you are gonna be a frizz bomb, and the rest of us *need* to get our situation under control before we go out. After though, you *know* I am down to food-tourist!"