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[splendid_solitude]

I'm sorry, but I'm not here right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you when I feel like it.

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[splendid_solitude]

[Bouts of confusion and doubt aside, Asuka picked up a small something to eat later in the event that she needed use shoving food into her face as an excuse not to talk about something.

At worst, she thought, she was simply out with a friend for the night. No big deal, save for the fact she wasn't terribly good with friendship either.

Asuka sighed. She really had to get out more often.]

I've got everything I need. So I think I'm ready to hit the hotsprings.

[samantha_grey]

[Samantha led her up a little path and in behind the bamboo screens. Setting her towel to the side of the pool, she stepped in without any of the gentleness most seemed to give themselves with this kind of heat. There was a wince and then she relaxed, having sunk to about halfway up her calves.

And then, she let her other towel off and draped it onto the rocky side before stepping in a little and starting to settle down, back to Asuka.]

Come on in. The water's fine. [Said with a grin and at least she was covering her breasts with one arm.]

[splendid_solitude]

[Setting aside a great many things, her towel included, at the water's edge, Asuka slid into the spring, launching small bits of heated water into the air and all around her.

It had been over a decade since she had last experienced such a thing, leading the red-haired pilot to flail a bit at the sensation of extreme heat caressing every inch of her exposed flesh.

But after a few moment, she finally manages to relax as her body becomes acclimated to the steaming water. Then a great sigh emanates from Asuka's lips and begins to rise with the steam to the heaven's above, making it seems as if Asuka is finally starting to enjoy herself.]


This brings back a lot of memories... [For a moment, Asuka sinks beneath the water, leaving only her head exposed.] I think it has been over a decade since I've stepped foot in a place like this.

[samantha_grey]

[Seeing her react like that when she went into the water, Samantha tossed the tie to her hair back and dipped under for a moment. Pulling up nearer to where the red-head was seated, she sprawled out on her belly in one of the spots with enough depth that she could get away with it.

The nice thing about the steam everywhere was that it let you 'almost' see everything you wanted without actually seeing it in detail. She was looking over at Asuka with a fairly pleased look, resting her chin on a rock and her forearm.]

I am so glad I took you here. I like that face on you.

[splendid_solitude]

Take a good long look then, because I'm rarely ever this relaxed.

[Such an attitude had been forged over the course a decade and a half spent living from battle to battle. Even in peace, Asuaka's mind was firmly fixed on the fact she must be eternally vigilant, lest something or someone get the best of her.]

Thanks for inviting me out, though. It's actually been pretty fun hanging out with you.

[samantha_grey]

I think I'll take that invitation.

[Again, the look she was giving her after that comment was anything but innocent. She took her time, her eyes scanning over Asuka, starting roughly at the knees and beginning to go slowly upwards. She swallowed a little, feeling heat in her cheeks. After all, it was a bit more active an indulgence, her other hand reaching over to brush along the edge of a kneecap, seeing if she shied away.]

I don't mind the company. You have a pretty good sense of humor, you know.

[splendid_solitude]

That's the first time anyone's accused me of that.

[And as Samantha's hand brushed against her knee, Asuka's face turned rather grim for just a moment as she looked her partner directly in the face.]

Please, don't do that.

[samantha_grey]

[Her hand froze where it was before pulling back slowly and slipping into the water. She looked a little pale and nodded.]

Sorry... I can be a little forward sometimes, and we are still testing the waters.

[splendid_solitude]

[Asuka's mood dropped quickly, rendering her voice distant and stoic as brought her legs close to her body and rested her chin upon her knees.]

I'm just not sure what I want right now...sorry.

[samantha_grey]

[She sighed and rested her hands on the stone, slipping to the side and looking up at Asuka quietly. She smiled over at her, but didn't move to touch.]

At least you're willing to say that. Do you know how many people pretend they know what they want until they can't take it anymore? Just...

You can always tell me no. Always.

[splendid_solitude]

Thanks.

[Asuka tried her best to form a smile in return, but came up with something that was at best forced.]

[samantha_grey]

[She sighed a little. God, she'd mucked that up some, hadn't she? She shifted onto her side while her tail flopped and pulled out of the water. Looking up at her quietly, she grinned.]

Would you like me to rescue from this horribly awkward moment and find something for us to talk about?

[splendid_solitude]

[Asuka nods. Anything to dispel the awful mood hanging firmly over her head.]

Anything you want to know...I'm more then willing to put it out there.

[samantha_grey]

So, [She thought about it a little and tapped her chin.] You spent most of the time alone, saving the world year after year. Did you ever pick up a hobby? Thinking of maybe trying one here?

I hear pottery's soothing.

[splendid_solitude]

Back when I was a kid, I used to play video games when I was bored or lonely. But it's been hard to find the batteries, or time, for that kind of stuff lately.

Do you guys have that kind of stuff around here?

[samantha_grey]

[Success!]

You know... i think there was some guy adverising a market thing with games on the network just today or yesterday. And the televisions in the big houses are set up to allow that.

You might have to go to Utgard to get something imported, but I think you could do something like that. [She tapped her lips, leaning back with her head looking up to the sky.] I lived out on a farm most of my life, so I didn't play many games like that.

[splendid_solitude]

That sounds great, I'll have to see if I can get a hold of a portable system or something.

I bet my skills aren't what they used to be though...

[She had a very specific item in mind, one she had owned in her youth and had spent many long hours with ignoring the world around her.]

Really? I wouldn't have pegged you of all people as a farm girl.

[samantha_grey]

If it's like riding a bike, you'll be fine.

[She might be able to get that as a present in an event too.]

Well, I didn't pick up the farm accent. [As she snickered, the laugh had a rough tone to it.] Mom was Irish-blooded and moved to the farm to get away from dad. I only spent time with her for almost nineteen years. Learned herbs, medicines, potions, magic, stalking possoms and small game... and how to get eggs from pissed off chickens without getting pecked to death.

Spent the rest of my life fighting crazy people with powers and hiding from my dad.

[splendid_solitude]

Sounds like you've had quite the life. But wait, does that mean your demon blood comes from your dad's side of the family?

As for me, my dad is German and a few other thing and my mother was Japanese. And I've pretty much been a pilot for as long as I can remember.

[samantha_grey]

Yeah. Dad was an incubus, mom was human. Totally human. And it wasn't all bad. It was really nice when it was just mom and me. We were really close.

Did you spend much time with your parents, or did you spend most of it with pilot trainers and such?

[splendid_solitude]

Only when I was little, I mean about a decade ago I still talked to my dad on the phone from time to time. But we never were really together as a family.

I got used to it, though. And it's not so bad being alone all the time, you know. It gives you plenty of time for hobbies and all sorts of other things.

[She sighs.]

But at this point, I think it's most likely that my entire family is dead.

[samantha_grey]

[She looked over at Asuka for a long time, listening as she talked about it. She wasn't the most empathic sort, but this was hard to miss. Rising a little from the water, she rested on one of her elbows.]

Asuka... have you ever cried about this?

[splendid_solitude]

About my family? Maybe, when I was a kid. But I don't need to now.

<small[Asuka was stern in gaze and body language as she sat in the steaming water, signaling that she would budge no further on the topic.]

[samantha_grey]

... [She looked like she thought about pressing her luck. And then, she nodded. If that was how Asuka wanted to handle it, it was how she wanted to handle it. It had taken years before she'd cried about her mother's death.]

Fair enough. [She looked back at the sky.] You should let me know if you get ahold of one of those video games. You can kick my ass at it.

[splendid_solitude]

[That was a smart move on Samantha's part, for the barrier Asuka had erected between her heart and the rest of the world was strong as steel and reinforced by two decades worth of pain and anguish.

As her friend backed off, however, Asuka managed to restore a bit of her former cheerfulness as she stretched, raising her arms above her head and attempted to relax once more.]

Trust me, you'll be the first to hear about. Now the only question is what kind of game to get...maybe a fight game?

[She did ever so enjoy beating the living hell out of things when she wasn't feeling all that well, after all.]