Monday Mingle - Baby It's Cold Outside So Come And Take A Dip

[lil_tanuki]

Remember Veldona Ski Resort?

Well it's not done with you!

In the middle of the cold snap, on the coolest days possible, it has done some remodeling.

The hot springs have been cranked up to a piping steaming mess. The water is warm and the smell of sulphur is in the air.

Natural bubbles are forming on the water, as people are visiting once more.

That's right, it's time. For a hot springs visit in the middle of winter!

Experience lovely Veldona Hot Springs this week at the Duck! Swimsuits optional. Come in, splash around.

Comments

Kotomi Ichinose | Clannad | OTA

[dandeliongirl]

Having been earlier than most once her break during the weekend began, Kotomi Ichinose had managed to land a spot in the hot springs, which was taken in part by the medicinal status the springs gave. His recommendations had been clear: Spend time often in other worlds to diffuse the magic and prevent it from taking over her body to shape it beyond mutation. Hot springs preferred.

This is why Kotomi now sports smaller horns, but it also happily skinny-dipping in the water, towel over her forehead, with a bust... much larger than what her uniform could hide, orbs peeking from the water.

Every so often, her eyes glowed violet from the magic infused in her.

Re: Kotomi Ichinose | Clannad | OTA

[shimmer_on]

Luckily for Kotomi, Sunset had no worry about public nudity. In fact, it was a taboo that she was completely okay with considering where she had come from.

Stepping into the water with her towel bundled into her hair, she slid into the water and sighed. It was a second day at the springs and the first had been ahead of her friends, a nice talk with a new Rainbow Dash who was surprisingly asian, Filipino no less, and oh the new girl that Twilight liked. "Hi, Kotomi right? I'm Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle's friend."

[dandeliongirl]

Kotomi glanced up as soon as she noticed burning red-and-gold hair. Did this girl have her hair dyed like Sunohara? It didn't look like it, since the steam didn't seem to fade her hair colors the slightest.

For her part, Kotomi is used to baths shared among either those of the same gender or family. Which is why she happily greets Sunset Shimmer, bowing slightly from her seat in the water.

"Hn! My name is Kotomi Ichinose. My hobby is reading books. I would like to be friends with you." As soon as Sunset descends further into the water, Kotomi leans forward with a smile, "Twilight-chan told me about you, I had been eager to meet you. I'm sorry it is not in a library or someplace we could eat and read together."

[shimmer_on]

"Same here, I heard good things about you from Twilight." Sliding in to sit next to Kotomi after bowing in kind politely, she sighed and leaned back, relaxed.

"I'm glad you and Twilight are getting along, she makes so few friends outside our circle, it's tough getting her to talk to new people. She can be so shy around newcomers sometimes. But getting her to meet new people, its really the best thing for her. Thanks for being her friend." Said Sunset.

"Oh and I heard you got infused with Equestrian Magic too? Lemme know if you need a top-off any time, I'll help out with that." She gestured to the necklace she wore in the bath. "I always wear this thing no matter where I go. It's not the same kind of magic that Twilight has, but it's from the same source."

[dandeliongirl]

Kotomi shuffled to give Sunset sitting space, which probably had to be quite a bit, since she would probably get a little too close to Kotomi's buxom body nonetheless, either sharing a seat or above the water within shoulder distance. It becomes a little hard to tell what the blush is for, after Sunset mentions Twilight's good words on her.

"Hn! I am more than happy to be friends with her. She is really, really intelligent and kind. We read together, we spend time together..." Kotomi put a hand over her chest, closing her eyes as she contained her own glow, "I think... she was the reason I got infused with a start in magic. I'm still managing it, learning about it and treating myself to channel it well. I think getting a crystal myself would be a big investment for now."

She then smiled to Sunset, offering a hand under the water, "but I would welcome a top-off..."

[shimmer_on]

Sunset grinned a little, shifting her hand to grasp Kotomi's as she glowed a warm crimson color, her color mingling with Kotomi's own. "Don't worry, it'll take a second. We've shared magic before, Twilight and I."

"But back to Twilight. I'm glad she's happy with her. She's such a worrywart, I'm glad she's a wonderful girl with a great friend. She needs a good friend to keep her attention focused after all. She can be so silly when she's being hyper focused on different things." said Sunset. "Thanks for being there for her."

[dandeliongirl]

Kotomi's cheeks turned red when Sunset held her hand. Sunset's red color glowed, and began to glow alongside another light that emanated from her own chest! A violet light, glowing brighter with her own irises... then, the colors seemed to merge into a warm magenta color...

"I... I am more than happy to be helping her all the same," Kotomi says as she feels the energy surge in, which felt a little like being suddenly hugged by a new friend, making Kotomi's own body warm up even with the onsen waters surrounding her. She felt like a charging battery.

"We... we both do have problems making friends and focusing too much on what we like. I will try to help her focused on good things... but... but I'm sorry if we end up becoming too hyperfocused on reading and experimenting..."

Kotomi's irises glowed a brighter purple the more magical charge she had coming in.

[shimmer_on]

"Oh that's quite all right," replied Sunset, giggling at Kotomi's friendship. "At the very least, Twilight has someone who she could do things with that isn't just me after all. We share the same interests but we work different jobs after all, so we never get a chance to hang out at her tech shop."

"But I'm glad you're helping out. Maybe later on we can study together."

[dandeliongirl]

"I... I would like that as well, Sunset-san..." Kotomi's glow from her eyes became as bright as LEDs, putting her energy at a full charge as she felt her heart beat rapidly in timidness and thrill over being given this much power. When Kotomi's eyes stopped glowing even brighter, it had finally become the sign she was fully charged.

She blinked awkwardly. Her violet irises gleamed even when she blinked. She felt like a full battery.

"I think I'm fully charged, Sunset-san," Kotomi said, then held Sunset's hands. The hands of the newly adept girl felt warmer, "what spell should I try with this?"

[shimmer_on]

"One exercise I used to do, was to move water," said Sunset when she gestured to the water in front of them. "And look, we're in a lot of water. Try twisting the water in different ways, turning it around in different directions, shapes and sizes."

She grinned. "Or you could try mind reading, but that's my kind of deal. I'm sort of the mind-reader of the group to be honest."

[dandeliongirl]

Kotomi blinked. Reading minds? Telepathy was real? In hindsight, of course it was. With the wide array of abilities magic had, it would simply be a matter of reading the neural pathways, decoding them from every path through the brain, deciphering them, and turn those readouts into readable information. It was a supernatural ability... but...

She shook her head with her eyes closed, then opened them to purple-glowing eyes, "hn. We respect the privacy of people. It wouldn't be right for me to use it."

If Sunset Shimmer still reads Kotomi's mind, she would see a supercomputer performing complex equations at a lightning speed, affection towards her friends from Hikarizaka and the new ones she had made, and oddities. Mainly centering around a lack of social skills and a lack of knowledge about why being barefooted is so bad.

Kotomi then rose her hand above the water, forming ripples over it... then curled her fingers, making a mass of water collect into a pile for a single second, before gravity forced the water down, sending waves to the bodies of both Sunset and Kotomi (the latter cushioned from the movement by two very obvious reasons).

Amazing. Kotomi rose it higher, tried again, and this time pulled even more water up, then moved it around the pool, testing it, almost smiling, realizing she could create electromagnetism at will.

[shimmer_on]

"Understandable," said Sunset. "With great power, yadda yadda. I'm a touch mind-reader, I can read people's memories and minds when I touch them, and I can pick up on strong emotional states when I'm close by them. It gets a little disorienting at first if you're not used to it, but at the same time, I'm sure you won't need to worry about it, unless someone overcharges the group."

She nodded, watching Kotomi's progress with a grin. "You're picking up the water movement pretty well. I'm not surprised, you and Twilight are really alike. Both prodigies in your own right. I'm very happy to share this kind of knowledge with both of you."

[dandeliongirl]

It was a simple process. Maybe sometime she could do it, or even let her own thoughts be read, but... with slowness, and patience.

Maybe Twilight could, come think of it.

Kotomi's hand lifts itself, pulling the water up, then waves downward, pushing a wave from the center. She then pulls the water to the left, then to the right... and finally, she finishes off by making bubbles appear in a drawn pattern underneath the water with the tip of her finger.

By now, Kotomi's eyes lose their brightness, having spent her magical energy, but she giggles, amazed with herself! She suddenly dives forward to hug Sunset!

"Thank you so much for lending me that energy. I hope I can do even more with it as time passes."

[shimmer_on]

Sunset hugs back, laughing as she lets Kotomi hug her with a warm smile on her face. "Hey no problem, I love helping people out. It makes me happy to see new friends enjoy the things we give them. And I'm sure Twilight is happy with it too."

She grinned, adding, "Besides, I think Twilight needs the boost. She's so much more happier when you're around lately."