[The Norkari Mtns.] Chalet du Sommet Minuit

As Jun speaks, Naoki listens, occasionally taking sips of her drink. Interesting that she doesn’t speak of Valear as anything more than a sex object. Well. It would be sort of strange- in the context in the metaphor, to say that the cauldon is ‘a good listener’. Or ‘companionable’. Or any of those sorts of descriptors, really. But still! The metaphor was getting stretched as it is. She could have alluded to something other than his sexual prowess. Naoki hopes, having learned better, for Jun’s sake, the man has something else to offer. That the relationship develops into something beyond whispering sweet, romantic nothings and the occasional roll in the hay. Jun deserves better than just that. But again, and somewhat frustratingly, the matter is tabled for now.

Naoki continues listening as Jun goes on, smirking slightly but not making any move to prevent Jun from resting her head where she pleases. “You might like Kate, then. Gardening is… that’s her thing. It’s her area of expertise, and her skills in that chosen field of hers are nigh-unmatched. I’ll admit that I am subject to a fair amount of bias, but I’d say she’s the best. There’s a greenhouse…”

With a lazy sort of motion, Naoki waves in a direction off to their left with her mug.

“Attached to the rear of the Chalet here, in addition to her primary shop in Isra. She does all sorts of things in there with plants I can’t even begin to identify. … It’s amazing. When you say the word ‘gardening’ I think of… small things. Vegetables. Herbs, little hand-shovels. But she’s got these massive leafy things in there with flowers larger than she is. Vines around every which way, wrapping themselves around anything that stays still for too long. I’m convinced some of the plants are semi-sentient, the way they react to her.”

Here, Naoki pauses for a moment. Probably in pleasant recollection, if the light smile is anything to go by.

“As for me… it’s not quite that I haven’t tried. I have, on a few occasions. It’s just not quite as… interesting? Fulfilling? I don’t find gardening as enjoyable as all that, though. It’s dirty work, for one thing. I’ve grown a healthy distaste for dirt. That, and it’s not… I mean. It is a science. But it’s one that I have a hard time wrapping my head around. I work in numbers. Numbers, and words, and things that can be quantified and expressed and studied. Mathematics, logistics, politics, economics, those sorts of things. Botany… Botany is almost comparable to medicine. You can standardize your approach all you like, but in the end, it’ll always come down to personal appraisal and judgment. I find it difficult to make decisions about things when I don’t understand them. To draw a comparison, I understand Isra’s economy, even though I don’t have an intimate knowledge of each individual portion of it. But I don’t understand a Narslimmus- or whatever else she has in there in the same way. I can be told about plants. When and how much to water, and such things as that. And following those sorts of instructions aren’t any more difficult for me than anything else. But when it comes down to applying my judgement to something in front of me, alive, I flounder. When I can’t be assured that my decision is at least the best one I could make at the time, I have trouble making any decision at all. And… for things like gardening, where the lives of the plants lie in the balance, that trait works against me. I can appreciate nature, but don’t ask me to maintain it beyond the simplest and most mundane manner of gardening.”

Before addressing Jun’s inquiry about her family, Naoki takes a few moments of silence. It’s considerative sort of silence, as she decides on and formulates her response.

“Well, you’ve met Artemis, have you not? And you’ve visited The Midnight Sun? That’s the entirety of my ‘family’, past and present, as I would define it. I have no knowledge pertaining to the circumstances of my birth or ancestry. If I even have either of those things. I, as I understand myself, was brought into this world alone. As such, I’ve made do with the cards I was metaphorically dealt. And that was Artemis. She and I are alike in that manner, and have adopted each other, forming a unique sort of relationship I’ll not go into further.”

Another, longer section of considerative silence as Naoki ponders how to proceed.

“And… as for… ‘my people’...”

Naoki trails off again before continuing in a decidedly factual and almost expressionless tone.

“As far as I’m aware, I am one of a kind. There are individuals who are similar, sure. I know a woman; Ms. Cynder. She’s nice enough; named one of her children after me. She’s essentially an anthropomorphic cat, with blue fur all over. Her children- which she had with Alden, they look very much like small, blue-eared versions of myself. More adorable than should be permitted by Isra’s laws, in my opinion. And while it may be tempting to simply take that at face value and assume that I was conceived in the same way, there are a number of small differences. You’ll notice…”

Naoki turns, rising in her seat to face Jun head-on, moving a lock of hair to the side in order to display her face clearly.

“I have no whiskers, and no facial markings of any sort. My pupils are circular, not slit-shaped, and I cannot purr any more than you can. If I recall correctly, Alden’s children do have whiskers and slit shaped eyes. And I’ll be damned if my namesake didn’t purr when I held her. Cheeky little bugger, she is.”

Leaning back down into her seat, Naoki cups her mug with both hands, drawing the warmth out into her palms as she continues, allowing a touch of emotion to make its way into her inflection at the same time.

“The same can be said for other cat-like individuals. They’re never quite the same. My particular set of features is just that. Paticular. I’ve had myself looked at by some of the more talented medical minds of our generation. As far as anyone can tell, I am distinctly unique on the face of this world.”

“A being all my own, sharing characteristics with some, but kinship with none.”

On that somewhat somber note, Naoki stops speaking. Leaning further back into her seat, she contemplates another draw from her mug, but shelves both the idea and the mug, setting it off to one side and allowing her to gaze off into space unimpeded.

"Mother." Skarlet's voice calls down the hall as she searches for Naoki. She would find Naoki and Jun, she had sense the two people as she walked down the hall but she didn't know the second. "Hello. I am Skarlet, Naoki's daughter. Who would you be?"

Skarlet was dressed in her usual casual outfit.

Jun would find that Skarlet's hand was cold like a corpse. Her pale skin and red eyes may also be noticed. Skarlet smiles in return. "Hello, Jun. I help run her old business, the Midnight Sun. I spend a lot of time going from there to here and my boyfriend's place The Saucy Maid. I wasn't aware we had a sauna here? What's a sauna?"

As Skarlet enters the room, Naoki raises a hand in greeting, “Ah, Skarlet, good to see you.”

Seeing as the two have gone ahead and introduced themselves to each other, Naoki fields Skarlet’s inquiry.

“A sauna is a special sort of room built to experience heat sessions. The sort that I prefer function by dropping water onto stones heated with fire magic, creating steam. The room fills up with steam, and the idea is such that you sit or lie on benches and relax. I’m rather partial to the heat, and participate in regular sauna sessions to de-stress. Rather than take my word for it, I invite you to join Jun and I for a session right now.”

Leaving her book and mug on the table, Naoki rises from her seat, and after taking a moment to stretch, begins to meander toward the hallway, expecting Jun and Skarlet to follow. As she walks, Naoki’s earring glimmers slightly as she responds to Jun telepathically.

“Yes, perhaps, and there are some benefits of being unattached, but I meant the literal definition of kinship. The things you’ve taken for granted, having a mother, a father, a clan; those who care about you, and protect you. I was given none of those things. I can envy those who were freely given what I have had to fight tooth and nail to earn, and kill to protect. I have done so, and built a family I am proud of, but it hasn’t been easy. It’s nice to be idealistic about that sort of thing you described, and I appreciate your confidence in me, but I doubt you can truly empathise in this case.”

Leading the way down the halls, Naoki guides the group in the direction of one of the Chalet’s numerous saunas.

Jun unconsciously shrugged. Only Naoki would understand. But it was a slight gesture so Skarlet probably wouldn't notice.

What matters is that you have a family now Madame Naoki. She smiled for real.

Jun was excited to check out the sauna for the first time, so excited that she forgot that she was going to be half naked in front of her employer and the employer's daughter. But hey, what could go wrong?

As they step around the wall divider and into the preparation room, Jun suddenly realizes why she probably should have been hesitant after all. Changing in front of others wasn't that big of a deal. Her family wasn't prudish, though they weren't overly liberal either. Changing wouldn't be an issue. But there was one thing she would have trouble with.

Scars. They weren't especially numerous, nor did they render her naked body grotesque (Vaelar certainly didn't seem to mind it), but she was still self-conscious about them. Jun would ultimately ensure that she was perfectly hidden behind a curtain while the others changed into a towel. Sigh.

***

When it was time to actually enter the sauna, she walked along the concentric stone seating area until she got to the side opposite the entrance. There she sat back and tried to relax. Her posture was a bit odd though. Her legs were tightly held together, as were her hands, almost as if she was cold. She leaned back and braced herself for the hot steam.

I'm being silly. No one is looking at them. They're not that big a deal. They're not...

Moving into the preparation room, Naoki responds to Skarlet’s inquiry.

“That would be the idea, yes. You could choose to use a towel, wrapped either around your waist or beneath your elbows, but I find that detracts too much from even heating. Instead, I prefer to place a small cloth across my face, like this one.”

From one of the shelves, Naoki selects a towel only slightly larger than her own outstretched hand. After displaying it, she places it on one end of the bench, evidently intending to utilize it.

“You figure, the concentration of blood is higher in one’s head, so insulating it some helps to balance that out. I’m not qualified to speak at length about the powers behind it, but I find it most comfortable, and would suggest it. Try what you like, it isn’t as if this will be your only opportunity to experience the sauna. And one can always things off.”

To punctuate that statement, Naoki undoes the loose knot holding the front of her robe shut. (Which is apparently her only article of clothing.) While it would be breathtaking to allow it to cascade down the curves her figure and crumple to the floor, this- with only Skarlet on her side of the barrier, is neither the time nor place. And the floor is a bit wet, besides.

Instead, she carefully removes the robe, folding it dutifully before placing it on one of the shelves intended for holding such things. Bending at the knees, Naoki picks up the cloth she placed onto the bench, and follows Jun into the sauna proper completely unabashedly, trusting Skarlet to proceed in at her own pace.

Always skilled with prioritization, Naoki first casts a glance in Jun’s direction, taking an appropriately appreciative but not quite awkward amount of time to observe her posture, figure, and… scars. Interesting. It stands to reason that Jun would have been significantly harmed, what with the sorts of adventures she fills her time with. But she also hangs out with the likes of Miss Lum, whose restorative magic- as far as Naoki is aware, is unmatched. If Jun is wearing scares, that would seem to imply that she’d like to be. Perhaps she’d speak about them later. If not, though, Naoki figures, she won’t be too terribly disappointed. The primary reason Naoki might care to discuss it, beyond simple curiosity, would be to develop the discussion into a philosophical one starting in the realm of one’s body and its role in… things. And that line of conversation could be initiated with a less potentially-touchy subject.

Regardless, Naoki’s gaze doesn’t linger as she turns away with a slight smirk. The only scrap of cloth in her possession, is held casually in her left hand as she bends at the waist, down to address the rune panel embedded into the floor. At her touch, water springs from some hidden tap in the ceiling. Down, through the center of the room like a pillar it falls, diffusing through the grate with light splashing sounds, and down onto the rocks below. Upon making contact with the rocks, the water evaporates essentially instantaneously, suggesting that the rocks are quite hot. The steam billows back up through the grate with little to no apparent effort, being a gss and such. It continues to billow all the way up to the ceiling, filling the room with steam.

With a satisfied sort of sigh, Naoki straightens, takes a moment to observe the process to ensure there are no apparent issues, and, finding none, nods to herself. With the sauna properly begun, she wastes no time in stepping off to the left side of the room and up to the uppermost ring of benches. Moving into position, Naoki decides to begin this session on her stomach. Because variety. Folding the cloth in half once, she sets it down toward one end of the bench before settling down into a lying position, folding her arms up around her head, resting the side of her face on the back of her upper hand with feet pointed down toward the opposite wall.

After attaining this position, Naoki’s eyes shut softly, and her breathing slows and deepens. Though she seems perfectly at ease, one ear remains trained in Jun’s direction, while the other is pointed in the direction of the door, anticipating Skarlet’s entry.

Jun's eyes suddenly fluttered open with life."You do?"

At first she looked at the scar with wonder, but as the seconds went by she smiled. Somewhat shyly she removed her towel.

(She wasn't quite as voluptuous as the others, but at least all that walking around kept her fit. Her skin was a little darker around her face and arms. Her limbs were toned but not bulky. She had gained a tiny bit of weight since settling down and working for Naoki, but it wasn't really noticeable to anyone but her. A somewhat pedestrian body perhaps compared to the other two, but she was proud of it.)

Now all the scars were in full view. They really weren't that bad.

She started to point to the various scars and explain them to Scarlet. "I got this one fighting a titan in Gomrath. This one here's from a wraith near Medan. I got this one in a friendly magic duel, and this one was from when I was in a volcanic cavern. I got this one from when I was little. It was a dumb incident with my cousin and a bear. I don't really like talking about it. Oh,this one is from..."

She went on like this for a bit.

"Sorry, I'm really weird about my scars. I'm proud of them, but I'm also worried people will judge me for keeping them, so I feel insecure sometimes about revealing my body."

She leaned back again and finally took in the warmth of the sauna. Small beads of sweat and condensed moisture were beginning to form on her face. "So what's your story Skarlet?"

As Jun’s towel drops, Naoki sit sup up slightly to rest her chin on the back of her folded hands, watching as ss Jun goes on to describe the source of each scar, Naoki’s eyes follows along, digesting the information. Her expression is one of polite and pleasant interest, watching with a casual air of attentiveness. Though it isn’t particularly useful information, persay, it’s interesting information to be sure; Naoki is always pleased to learn more about her closest compatriots.

As Jun finishes, Naoki turns her gaze upon Skarlet as she relates the abbreviated version of her life story, obviously omitting the more personal portions prior to her transformation. It’s rather pleasing, she muses, to see Jun and Skarlet apparently getting on rather well with each other.

After Skarlet concludes her bit, Naoki thinks to herself for a moment. Now would be a fine time to make a contribution to the conversation. But what to say. Insecurity regarding one’s body is a foreign concept, she isn’t at all qualified to speak to Jun on the matter. A comment on how cute she finds the scars would add a sexual undertone to the room that isn’t yet present, and one that Naoki- unusually enough, isn’t keen on creating. It would be pleasant to do this again, after all, and saying something like that in Skarlet’s presence might give her the wrong idea.

With this in mind, Naoki opts to steer the conversation in another direction.

“Let me hit you with this line of inquiry, Jun. I’d like to know more about The Expanse, from your perspective. You’ve not spoken to me much about it without any larger context, and I would be willing to bet that you have a unique perspective, between being a native of the region, and having journeyed so much of the world to have a very wide frame of reference with which to compare it to.”

Settling back down, Naoki rests her right cheek on the back of her hand, looking sideways to Jun for a response.

Skarlet was starting feel hot and began sweating, since her body was cold, it heated up faster than the other two women. "Ah, it's really hot..."