that's where we wanna go to get away from it all (now closed)

[notimpervious]

Who: Dr. Temperance Brennan, Kate Galloway, Maketh Tua, Seel har Parasiel, Drake Holloway, Bianca, George Lass (now closed!)
What: Brennan needs some chill a break
Where: Love's hot springs
When: August 14
Warnings: Nudity and nsfw language in the form of the correct terms for certain body parts, probably. Child soldiers etc in the thread with Maketh. Allusions to child abuse in the thread with Seel.


[This is not Brennan's first time visiting the hot springs, but it is her first time going to use them for their intended purpose. Some days prior, she had visited to take some water samples and do as best an analysis as she can with so little equipment available. Whatever she did yielded good results that she is willing to rely on (because she did the work), so she is satisfied that the water is clean enough to soak in. (No offense meant, Love!)

So on the 14th, she throws on a bathrobe she found in the shops (it's electric blue with knives embroidered on it -- it was the softest one she found, very comfortable, the design is irrelevant) and takes the walk from the spire she's living in, across the river, and to the springs. Once there, she takes off the robe, hangs it on a peg, and settles into a nice bubbly pool. There is of course no better way to enjoy hot springs than in the nude, so... sorry and you're welcome, Hadriel.

Now and then when she starts to overheat, she'll walk over to one of the cool showers to regulate her body temperature and then head right back into one of the pools.

Feel free to run into her at any point. She has no shame and is happy to chat, even if she might accidentally insult you in the process (sorry!).]

Comments

[dreamsallotted]

[This was definitely not Seel's first trip to a hot springs. But, his previous trips were in the form of a sulfur pond that made his entire town smell like rotten eggs and made all the vegetables taste acrid. As a result, who would ever want to visit, harass or kill them? Problem solved. These hot springs were much better. There was no horrible smell and as far as he knew, they weren't being used to water vegetables.

Seel didn't even think about whether it was safe. There were few things poisonous to his species, although the thought that it might not be the same here hadn't crossed his mind. He just needed a break. He'd been killed on the 8th, the first in a string of brutal murders that were still going on, and come back yesterday. He still wasn't exactly dealing with it well. He wasn't even sure why, what had been the point of killing him? What about him had set B off? Or had it just been opportunity? He'd gone soft, thirty years as a politician, instead of having to fight for his life. Seel hadn't been paying attention.

He slipped off the robe he'd found in the spiral he once again lived in. Apparently getting murdered meant you could move back in. Go figure. Hanging the robe on a designated hook, he went to slip into the water. While Seel might pass as an androgynous human with his clothes on, there was no mistaking him for human with them off. While it looked like he possessed both a modified, alien version of a penis and vagina, with feathered, petaled shaft.

He stopped just as he sunk into the water, sighing at the hot water hitting his skin. ]

I hope you don't mind the company?

[He could always find another way to relax if she'd rather be alone. He didn't want to unwind by making someone else uncomfortable.]

[notimpervious]

[Until Seel spoke to her when he settled into the water, Brennan had not intended to do more than nod and smile at him. Nudity does not bother her, and his would not be the first naked male body she has seen. She was even prepared not to mention his extremely unusual anatomy, out of respect for someone who is evidently not human and very likely imersed in different cultural mores.

However, since he figuratively opened the door--]

No, I don't. [A smile, a pause, and then--] You are not human, are you?

[...she hesitates to call his shaft a penis, though that has more to do with not wanting to set off some cultural taboo.]

[dreamsallotted]

[Brennan was lucky then that most Wraeththu culture had no qualms about nudity or beauty in general. Seel believed that that the body was as much of a piece of art as a sculpture or a painting, and to not treat it with the same regard or appreciation was disrespectful. There was no shame in beauty, only modesty.

He let himself enjoy the feeling the water against his skin, trying to relax after a rather hard resurrection. The water was lovely.]

That obvious? [He smiled, teasing a little.] I used to be. About fourty-five years ago, I was a human boy.

I'm Seel har Parasiel. I don't think we've met.

[As she can probably surmise, he is perfectly comfortable talking to her butt naked.]

[mismanagement]

[It seems that the polite thing to do - at least in Hadriel - is to wear a bathing suit or something equivalent when using the hot springs. Maketh prefers knowing what the rules are in every situation and carefully weighs what breaking them will get her.

She's resting with her eyes closed when Brennan returns from the showers and blinks in surprise.

Apparently not everyone else follows the unwritten rules. Hmm.

It doesn't bother her. The Imperial military trains its cadets coed in all things and she's long since grown used to nudity. Maketh has her hair pulled up into a loose bun, up out of the water, and nods politely.]

Doctor Brennan. What a surprise.

[notimpervious]

[She gives him a wry smile.] The human penis is not as... elaborate as your reproductive organ.

[She would do well among Wraeththu. She's adaptable that way, and she is frankly very tired of the puritanical attitude her society has regarding sex and nudity.]

You-- mutated into another species? [Now she's very curious.] I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan. I'm a forensic anthropologist, but I did graduate work in social anthropology, hence my questions.

[She has been told on many occasions that she can't Just Ask Things, but old habits die hard, so here we are.]

[notimpervious]

[How is Brennan supposed to know what the unwritten rules are of a society as hodgepodge and mixed together as theirs? She has been assuming that the wide variety of species and origins here means the people here have collectively agreed that puritanical views on nudity and sex are outdated and unnecessary. Besides, there are plenty of cultures in which hot springs are enjoyed completely naked, so who could possibly tell her she is wrong and have her actually agree with them?

She looks up as she steps back into the water, settling with a sigh into the hot touch of it against her cooled skin. Her hair is also in a bun, but it is decidedly lower on her head.]

I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or sincere, so I am unsure how to respond.

[mismanagement]

[Maketh raises an eyebrow. She's feeling content and calm inside her skin, and in no mood to move anytime soon. The last time she was in the hot springs, however, she got into a decidedly childish fight with Hux.

She doesn't intend to repeat the experience with Brennan. It wouldn't be professional at all.

One can get away with attempting to drown Hux, after all.]

You may consider it sincere, for now. I am off duty, Doctor Brennan, and do not wish to spend the time arguing.

[Her shoulder has been bothering her again and Maketh wants to just relax for a little.]

[dedikated]

( Kate doesn't so much visit the hot springs - after all, why would she ever need to relax or unwind - but rather passes them by, mid-run, a blur in the steam that curtains around the place.

So, it's not out of modesty that she winds up, fully clothed, by one of the hot springs while Brennan's heading back from the showers. Just coincidence.

That said, she probably shouldn't have worn this hoodie if she decided to run this way. )

Knew we should have got th' cafe.

[braveoff]

[ Drake knows Hadriel pretty well at this point, between his own need to get the lay of the land and patrols for the guard. But he's not paying much attention to where he wanders today, feeling restless and thoughtful. And so when he winds up by the hot springs he seems almost surprised to run into other people -- he's never actually been here at a reasonable hour, when people might actually be using them.

He spots Brennan when she's heading back from the shower into the pool, and averts his eyes so quickly he's not certain why she looked familiar... only glancing back once she's under the surface of the water again and it's not creepy to check where he knows her from.

Oh. She was his.... sister. During the mindfuck. Right. It looks like she has company already, but he finds himself wandering over to her, curious. ]

Hey. Temperance, right?

[notimpervious]

[Such a propensity towards violence. :|

Brennan nods and gives Maketh a smile as she settles back against the rocks, the water coming up to just above her shoulders now.]

In that case, I ask this with curiosity, not animosity: why is it a surprise to see me here?

[notimpervious]

[As she places one foot in the water, Brennan frowns at Kate.]

A cafe?

[Never mind she's a little chilly just standing here like this, no. Kate's statement has her attention.]

[notimpervious]

[By contrast, Brennan is not disturbed at all by him being there, so she just gets into the water without even stopping for a moment. It's only when he calls her by her name that she looks up, shooting him a casual, friendly smile.]

Yes. [A pause... she knows him.] Drake? How nice to see you when we are both our real selves.

[braveoff]

[ He's just polite okay! Being fully dressed when someone else is naked is almost always a little awkward. He smiles back, though, seemingly casual as well. And he's very good at keeping his eyes on her face. ]

Yeah, good to run into you again... and I've gotta wonder, how much of your persona in that world was true?

[ He's considering the water as well, now... it looks like everyone's enjoying it... ]

[dreamsallotted]

[Seel can't say he's ever been a subject for dissection before, but he has been there to guide boys through the process of what will happen to them and or how they had changed. It was easier for some to accept than others. ]

Ouana-lim. That's what we call it. And yes, it is a bit different than a human penis, I can vouch for that. The soume-lam I'm told is a little different than a human vagina, but I never had any experience with on so I can't really say.

[Luckily Brennan, Seel doesn't care if you ask questions. He'd be more curious if you didn't. Human modesty and all that. Good to know you weren't subject to the same abhorrent belief system. He was grateful. Seel liked humans, but some of you could be so backwards.]

A forensic anthropologist. I can't say we have many of those where I come from. What is your expertise in? And I welcome any questions. Yes, I used to be human. I became Wraeththu when I was twelve.

[notimpervious]

[Hey, at least he's looking at her. There are some who would talk to her with their back to her. This is good!]

Ah, that. Well... I am as unskilled socially as I was that false world, but I do not teach at that level. I speak the students and faculty at universities, and I teach graduate courses, so they are decidedly less-- entertainment-based than the classes I taught that week. The costume, however, I did wear once -- it was for a children's science show that was filmed in the lab where I work.

[She isn't embarrassed by it. She's more bothered by the fact that she wore it for teenagers in the false world. At least for children, it makes sense to dress up that way.]

I hope that you are as kind in reality as you were when you were my brother.

[braveoff]

You weren't so bad socially, I've known way worse. Just very blunt and literal. You kinda... remind me of my mother, actually. Maybe that's why the gods made us family?

[ He grins, remembering the costume, then responds to her last comment. ]

I hope I am, too. I mean, I think I am, but that's not the kinda thing you should really be allowed to judge for yourself. You'll just have to find out.

[toiletseat_girl]

[George usually goes to the hot springs at "off" times. either very early in the morning or very late at night. she's awkward about her looks, her body, her sexuality, just in general awkward about everything related to herself and other human beings. so of course the one day she doesn't go at a weird time of day is the time she nearly runs headlong into a naked Brennan. of course]

--shit! I'm sorry. You okay?

[mismanagement]

I would have thought you would be gathering data.

[There's little benefit to being in the hot springs, other than relaxation.]

[notimpervious]

I have been, but that is not the sole focus of my time.

[She has learned over the years that thinking only about work leaves her protected from the world, but also isolated, lonely.]

Relaxation promotes better critical thinking by allowing the brain to process information subconsciously. You yourself are not always on duty. It is the same for me.

[wormintheglass]

This is actually Bianca's first visit to the hot springs; but without Rey, there's no longer any need to avoid them.

She's found a satin-ish bathrobe in black, and wears her throwing-knives slung over it in their harness on her way to the springs. One can't be too careful.

Her two spotted hyenas slink at her heels. She slips her robe off and she stands there, proudly nude, enjoying the cool air on her skin and also posing for a long moment. Then she drops her knives to weight down her robe and turns to offer the lady in the water a smile before she slips in next to her.

"I am Bianca. I don't believe we've met?"

[notimpervious]

I was worse. [But her friends have helped over the years.] Oh? Then your mother must be an intelligent, caring person.

[Brennan has always cared -- it's just been limited to only a handful of people. That circle has expanded now, and she finds she does not mind.]

Yes, if you praised your kindness, you would prove you are the opposite. [Her smile widens.] Your assessment tells me that you probably are nice. You were a good brother. I believe we can be friends now that we are ourselves. So let me begin by asking, are you really a police officer?

[notimpervious]

[Brennan steadies herself by trying to steady George, ironically enough.]

I'm fine, I'm fine. Are you? There is no need to rush; it looks like there aren't many people here besides us.

[She pays little mind to the fact that she is naked, facing George, who might be uncomfortable with this. Surely if George were uncomfortable, she'd let her know somehow, right? People are typically not shy about trying to shame people who have no shame.]

[notimpervious]

Bianca's display earns Brennan's admiration. For one thing, Bianca is quite beautiful. For another, Brennan is reminded of an undergraduate anthropology class where she learned about a culture whose men did just that: stand proud in the middle of the village, almost completely naked, for their fellows to admire. (They also then gathered to toucch the person on display, with laughter and cheering, but Brennan is not going to go that far with a stranger whose culture she does not know.) All in all, it's good to know she's not the only one who is unashamed to be naked in a hot springs.

"We have not." Brennan returns the smile. "I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan. I have been here for a month now." She glances over at Bianca's hyenas and nods in appreciation. "They're very beautiful. Not common as animal companions, where I am from."

[mismanagement]

[Maketh smiles briefly.]

No, I am not.

[Though sometimes she thinks it would be better that way.

Then, curiously:]

Does your world lack social taboos around nudity?

[notimpervious]

Oh, no. Quite the opposite, in fact. [Brennan rolls her eyes even as she smiles a little.] Most major cultures have taboos even around nudity netween members of the same sex. In the country I am from, this stems from the strict, hyperreligious views of the earliest English colonists. "Puritans" - the name implies their aim, to be "pure" per their interpretation of their religious text.

I find it unnecessarily restrictive and overall damaging to individuals' view of themselves. I also find it ascribes sexual meaning where there is none. For example, I am not attracted to you, nor am I trying to seduce you by being naked. Yet the culture I was raised in would work to make this situation uncomfortable because it so often equates nudity with some degree of sexual intent.