"Well unless they moved em, the baths are located under each of the temples. There's six total, if you include the outdoor baths," Reishi explained.
Jake just smiled, "any hotsprings, I loved those when I lived in Japan. There was this one joint with man-made ones and the cutest Geisha..." Jake trailed off from there with a grin.
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Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
Reishi grumbled slightly, "Yes there are outdoor hotsprings. However, the male and female baths are located at opposite ends of the temple grounds. And those weren't real geisha."
(OOC: It's true, there's only about 200 actual geisha in Japan and very few if any are under age 30)
Jake just shrugged and looked around more, "and those animals, I assume this one of those 'eat only what you grow' places?"
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Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
"Yes, as I explained earlier, you have to grow your own food. Don't assume the guys herding sheep and farming crops are pushovers either, there's a reason they're allowed metal tools," Reishi said.
Jake raised an eyebrow with a grin, "So...we gotta fight the hearders for the animals?"
@Shotgunbadger
Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
As the group walked along the bridge and through the gate, which had opened before them, those with enough attention would notice a drastic change with Hotaka.
He seemed to grow taller, inch by inch, not stopping before he had reached at least seven and a half feet. His flowing gray beard did the opposite, shrinking together into a finely arranged Fu Manchu.
His pupils, however, were still noticably missing, his eyeballs ghostly pale as always.
Arraivin at the other end, he stopped and stratched as the tempest master walked ahead, handing him his walking stick.
"Ahhh." Hotaka took a deep breath. It felt good to become a little more like himself again. The old man had his advantages, as he wasn't very noticeable on long journeys, but walking hunched over all the time was pretty annoying.
The Tempest Master climbed a set of steps, stopping at the top step and turning about.
"You have chosen the Path of Strength!" he announced, "And if you think this will be easy, you are mistaken! Wearing the colors of the Tempest is a privilige, not a right! It must be earned, just like everything else here!"
He tapped the walking stick on the ground. A heavy gong sounded.
"Your training has now begun. It is here you will spend your first night. Strength comes from within, and you will learn to harness yours..."
((Cliche, but it had to be done for the Tempest school. 
First night is the harshest of all, to see if you've even got the guts to stay even if the most basic things are denied to you. Pretty standard, really - all the new students get is water, which must be rationed, and you sleep on the rocks at the Temple gates. If anyone has something else to add to these, keep 'em coming. 
))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Jake laughed at the teacher's words and laid on a large rock, tossing his jacket over him as a makeshift blanket.
"Kay bro, I'm turnin in then, tell me if you get anymore "test" ideas!"
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Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
The large rock Jake was laying on shattered. "Who said anything about sleeping?" Xander replied, his jovial tone turned deathly serious. He leveled a heated gaze towards him. "You will stay up all night."
Reishi turned and grinned at Jake, "You can try, but you'll fail. Try an' figure it out for yourself, goat boy."
With that, Reishi leapt away from the Tempest group.
Jake just smirked, "cool, I've pulled all nighters with the Hellions, lemmie guess, I gotta do push-ups all night or hold a staff with two full water buckets in a squat?"
@Shotgunbadger
Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
(OOC: Bunny hop up the temple stairs with two water buckets balanced on your back while humming Beethoven's fifth symphony!)
Halven turned to his small troupe. "While my methods are perhaps not as... difficult... as those of my counterpart, do not assume that the Mountain school is a cake walk. Seeing as the Mountain teachers have not arrived yet, I will personally be seeing to your first night of training. Those who wish to take baths, you may now do so. However, you are not going to use the Mountain baths. No, there," he said, pointing to a waterfall near the Mountain temple structure, "is where you will be taking your first bath." When Megumi snickered, he turned to her and stated evenly, "Is there something funny about my method of training?"
"It just seems a bit cliche, Halvan-sensei," she responded. "I was expecting something a bit more... original."
"Some traditions are cliche; those things need to be thrown out and replaced with better traditions," Halvan countered. "But then there are the traditions that are there for a reason, and those we must respect and honor. This tradition is one of the latter."
"Forgive me sensei, but I'm a teacher here for Mountain." Wack Jack wakled up to him and bowed.
"It's an honor to teach."
Back at Tempest Light Strike sat down on the rocks comfortably.
He could tell they were all looking at him as he sat there.
"What, I learned how to survive worse before."
[ QUOTE ]
"Those who wish to take baths, you may now do so. However, you are not going to use the Mountain baths. No, there," he said, pointing to a waterfall near the Mountain temple structure, "is where you will be taking your first bath."
[/ QUOTE ]
Yin was actually quite anxious to get started, but ambition was something to be watched lest it prove your downfall. His traveling robes were quite dusty from his long walk and the water would refresh him quite a bit. Thanks to his training the pain in his back was pretty much gone by now.
"Thank you Sensei," Yin bowed to Halven, walking over to the waterfall. Nakedness had never been taught to him as a taboo, so the boy carelessly stripped out of his robes and hopped across the rocks to the falls. His feet remained sure-footed on the slippery rocks as he stood under the falling water.
Yin changed to a one-legged stance and pressed his hands together in front of him, bowing his head to meditate while the water washed the dust and dirt from him.
Halven looked surprised as Jack spoke up. "Oh, yes, you are. I'm sorry, I must be getting old. So hard to keep track of everything nowadays. Well, then, I'll be off to allow you to get acquainted with your new students." At that, Halven began walking away towards the Mountain building, shaking his head sadly and muttering to himself. Snippets of his mutterings could be heard by the asembled group, "...just not doing as well as I used to... ...maybe time I passed the title on..." Then he rounded a corner and was gone.
OOC: That's my way of apologizing for having the memory span of a fish, both in game and out...
-----------------------
Gerden simply shrugged at the mention of an all-nighter and sat down on a rock. "Anything else we need to do in the meantime, or is it just a 'don't go to sleep and don't die' kind of thing?"
Kagura, still in her bathing suit, walked up to Halven and tugged on his robe.
"Need clothes..." she said.
This is not what I expected, Yuri thought to herself. Then the boy ran off into the waterfall mist, nude. Uhg, they cant at least have separate waterfalls for something? she thought after Halven walked off muttering to himself.
Yuri shakily took off her over clothes, leaving on the clothes she had underneath which was a pair of undies and her chest wrapped tightly almost resembling a boy. She rested on her knees at the edge of the water and washed her clothes on the rocks. Yuri didnt have to look to know what Fang Yin was doing under the waterfall but still decided to ask. What do you think youre doing? she said almost laughing, Why are you in that stance?
[ QUOTE ]
What do you think youre doing? she said almost laughing, Why are you in that stance?
[/ QUOTE ]
"It is a form of meditation," Yin answered, opening his eyes to look over and bow toward Yuri. "Back at my temple I was taught that, as one can find their center through meditation, the body can also find its center as well. This aids in achieving perfect balance; a most important skill. This stance is meant to focus both my mind and body. The water just provides a distraction to be overcome."
Most of it was just reciting the lessons given to him by the masters at his old temple that he had memorized and taken to heart.
Yuri just smiled and splashed some water on her face. I realize its a form of meditation, she said as she continued washing her clothes, but youre not going to get very clean that way. Soon she had finished washing her clothes and was preparing to hang them up on a branch or something. If youd like, I can wash your clothes for you. It would only take an hour or so for them to dry.
[ QUOTE ]
If youd like, I can wash your clothes for you. It would only take an hour or so for them to dry.
[/ QUOTE ]
"I thank you most kindly, but I will simply shake the dust out of them for now," Yin answered, smiling. "I have some others I can change into should I feel the need. I also apologize for misunderstanding your earlier question. You are quite right; this is not an adequate bathing technique. I was merely taking a few moments to calm myself before continiuing."
Yin lapsed out of his stance to stand normally on the rock.
"However, I am quite anxious to explore our new home, so I think that is enough meditation for now." Diving into the water, Yin stayed submerged for a little, wiping away the remaining dirt from his skin. Finally he resurfaced, sputtering a little and rubbing his eyes, actually resembling the 11-year old boy that he was for a moment. His hands detected the faint feeling of stubble as he ran his hands over his head. He made a mental note to shave it again later.
Kagura moved away from the Mountain Master and began to undress.
Reishi and her companions knew little about the girl, she spoke little and apparently didn't even have a name until Reishi herself gave her one just a few hours ago. What they did know was the girl had little shame.
And the other students would learn this too, as the young girl dove, naked, into the cold water of the waterfall basin.
Yin waved happily at Kagura, swimming about the pond lazily and simply enjoying the water.
((Sorry for the short post. All I could think of right now. 
))
Jake smiled as he made his way to a hotspring, stripping and leaping in.
"Whoooo! This hits the spot!"
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Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
Jake looked back at Yuri's comment. "Yea I wanna get all decked out in Tempest colors and get a good bath in before I start kickin [censored]."
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Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer