Hakumeido 1

[19:19]	<[huh]Youmu>	Who takes care of the flowers? I do.
[19:19]	* Merry	looks something between ambitious and inquisitive.
[19:20]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	grabs a hold of the "marshmallow" and blows a puff of air at it.
[19:20]	<Merry>	W-oooooow... Are you like, the garden boss or some- Yikes!
[19:21]	* Merry	feels a sudden pressure in her expletive deleted
[19:22]	<[huh]Youmu>	Could you please not fool around, especially with something like that? Your ghost half is a part of you, and should be treated as such.
[19:23]	* Merry	pushes her legs together
[19:23]	<Merry>	W-well... Maybe... But, isn't it good to find out about these things now? You got one too, don't you? Can you tell me anything about them?
[19:24]	* Merry	has the attention span of a goldfish
[19:25]	<[huh]Youmu>	It's your ghostly-half. Whatever happened to you, you're only half-dead. That's your dead half.
[19:27]	* Merry	's inquisitive look wanes with a silent little "oh", as she settles and looks down at her knees.
[19:28]	<Merry>	oh yeah... I wonder how I died...
[19:28]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Well, if that's all the questions, I think we'll move on to the next order of business.
[19:29]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	's eyes get locked onto a small blue flame floating by.
[19:30]	* [Tet]Mao	tries not to sound overly relieved.
[19:30]	<[Tet]Mao>	As you wish, m'lady.
[19:30]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	As for your duties...
[19:32]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Mao, you will help Youmu with the cooking. Kuzuha, you'll assist Youmu with the cleaning. And Merry, you'll help Youmu with the gardening.
[19:32]	* Merry	peps up.
[19:32]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	tries to snatch it out of the air, but it simply dissolves reappearing at another corner of the room they're in.
[19:32]	* [Tet]Mao	starts to bow, then catches herself.
[19:32]	<[Tet]Mao>	Er...
[19:33]	<[Tet]Mao>	Beg your pardon, mistress, but will you allow me to verify these duties, to be certain I have understood them?
[19:33]	<Merry>	...That's, great, really. I dunno if I mentioned it, but I used to be a gardener back when I was... alive...
[19:33]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Of course.
[19:34]	<[Tet]Mao>	I am to assist Miss Youmu in the kitchen. Correct?
[19:34]	* [huh]Yuyuko	nods.
[19:34]	<[Tet]Mao>	Merry is to assist Miss Youmu in the garden. Correct?
[19:35]	* Merry	's attention wanders off again for a moment, but soon catches back to the talking lady. Wow, her breasts are bigger than... than...
[19:35]	* [huh]Yuyuko	nods.
[19:35]	<[Tet]Mao>	And Kuzuha is to assist Miss Youmu in general cleaning..?
[19:36]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Hmm...Cleaning...
[19:36]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Cleaning...?
[19:36]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Cleaning~&#9834;
[19:39]	* [huh]Yuyuko	nods.
[19:39]	* [Tet]Mao	glances at Youmu.
[19:41]	* [huh]Youmu	is staring fixedly out the window.
[19:42]	* [Tet]Mao	turns back to Yuyuko and completes her earlier bow.
[19:42]	<[Tet]Mao>	I see. Please excuse my ignorance.
[19:44]	<Merry>	Okay... When do we start?
[19:45]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Tomorrow.
[19:45]	<[Tet]Mao>	What do you wish us to do until then?
[19:45]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	tries to mimic Mao, and again, slams her forehead onto the table. She keeps it there after impact.
[19:46]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Become acclimated with your new home. I want to get to know you all, who will be working for me from now on.
[19:46]	* Merry	lifts Kuzuha off the table and sweeps her head, eyes still fixated on Yuyuko.
[19:47]	<[Tet]Mao>	Understood.
[19:47]	* [huh]Youmu	is trying very, very hard to ignore all of you.
[19:48]	<Merry>	Ah, that sounds great. Miss Youmu(she's said her name, right? right) will have to show me how she tends her flowers, because, well, I've never seen anything like it. It's amazing.
[19:49]	<Merry>	I mean, I know taking care of them isn't too hard as long as you got the proper water and light, but... there's so many. And I didn't see a single wilted flower!
[19:50]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Oh, Youmu's wonderful with flowers.
[19:50]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	I'm sure she'd be delighted to teach you how. Right, Youmu?
[19:50]	* [huh]Youmu	nods once, stiffly, not removing her gaze from the window.
[19:50]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	See?
[19:52]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	slides over to Youmu's side as the girl stares out the window and grabs the "marshmallow" right beside her, squeezing it with both hands.
[19:54]	* [huh]Youmu	claps a hand over her mouth, stifling a cry. She looks at Kuzuha furiously, her face beet-red.
[19:55]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Isn't it wonderful, Youmu? They're already so attached to you!
[19:55]	* [huh]Youmu	lets out a long sigh.
[19:55]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	giggles nervously as Youmu stares her down.
[19:55]	<[huh]Youmu>	It is indeed, miss.
[19:55]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Ehehe...I made you mad.
[19:56]	<[huh]Youmu>	P-please, don't touch me like that.
[19:56]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	scoots back over to where she was previously.
[19:57]	* Merry	keeps an eye on Kuzuha and her own ghost-thing.
[19:58]	* [Tet]Mao	is thankful she doesn't have one.
[20:00]	<Merry>	So...
[20:03]	* Merry	can't think of anything to say
[20:03]	<[Tet]Mao>	Are we dismissed, mistress?
[20:07]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Oh, yes. Whenever. You can explore, do anything for today. Just don't be late for dinner, which means you've got about three hours to burn.
[20:10]	* Merry	stands up and looks at the others.
[20:10]	<Merry>	Okay then. What do you want to do?
[20:12]	* [Tet]Mao	looks the other two maids over. (I suppose I should get to know who they are, if I'm going to be working with them...)
[20:13]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	looks up at Mao.
[20:13]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	I don't know, haha. This place seems so big.
[20:14]	<Merry>	Well, if you're not doing anything, I'll just go look at the flowers some more. You can come, if you want.
[20:14]	<[Tet]Mao>	If we are to dine with the mistress tonight, I, for one, do not wish to do so still bearing the day's perspiration.
[20:15]	<Merry>	Perspiration? Do ghosts sweat?
[20:15]	<[Tet]Mao>	May I inquire as to the location of this mansion's bath house?
[20:15]	* Merry	sniffs under her arms.
[20:15]	<Merry>	...guess so. Yeah, a bath would be nice.
[20:16]	* [huh]Yuyuko	points.
[20:16]	* Merry	looks.
[20:16]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Take the hall north, it should be at the end. You can't miss it.
[20:18]	<Merry>	Okay! Do you two want to come with us? We're supposed to get to know each other, after all. And I can't think of a better place to do it!
[20:18]	* [huh]Yuyuko	laughs softly.
[20:18]	<[huh]Yuyuko>	Sorry, but I've already bathed.
[20:19]	* [Tet]Mao	rises to her feet and bows again.
[20:19]	<[Tet]Mao>	With your leave, then.
[20:19]	* Merry	looks disappointed.
[20:21]	* Merry	turns to Youmu, pushing her forefingers together.
[20:22]	* [huh]Youmu	shakes her head.
[20:22]	<[huh]Youmu>	I need to prepare the dinner.
[20:22]	* Merry	looks disappointeder.
[20:22]	* Merry	turns to Kuzuha.
[20:23]	<Merry>	Oh well. You want to come and keep Mao company?
[20:24]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Where?
[20:25]	<Merry>	To the baths. You know, it's those big things full of hot water.
[20:26]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	flops down onto the floor on her stomach.
[20:27]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Hmm...Oh, all right.
[20:27]	* Merry	frowns.
[20:27]	<Merry>	You fall over a lot, don't you? Did something happen to your legs when you were alive?
[20:28]	* Merry	oh, and helps her up too.
[20:28]	* [Tet]Mao	lifts Kuzuha by the scruff of her neck.
[20:32]	<[Tet]Mao>	Please excuse us.
[20:32]	* [Tet]Mao	drags/carries Kuzuha along, down the hall to the north.
[20:32]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Bye bye, Miss Yuyuko!
[20:32]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	waves
[20:33]	* Merry	just sort of stands there for a moment, before chasing them down.
[20:33]	<Merry>	H-hey, wait for me!
[20:37]	* [Tet]Mao	finds the changing room, just where the mistress said it would be, and deposits Kuzuha rather unceremoniously on the floor.
[20:37]	<[Tet]Mao>	Are you able to undress yourself, at least?
[20:37]	* Merry	has caught up.
[20:41]	* Merry	has a implacable familiar feeling, though she can't quite ascertain what it might be. Could possibly be why it's implacable.
[20:41]	<Merry>	Well, if she can't, I can~
[20:44]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	rolls around on the floor. Ah, it's so nice and cool!
[20:44]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Don't worry, I'll be fine.
[20:44]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Ahaha!
[20:48]	* Merry	shrugs, slips off her kappougi and heads for the baths. It's a big hotspring-thing, isn't it?
[20:49]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	begins peeling her clothes off and wonders for a moment if she should keep her sword with her.
[20:52]	* [Tet]Mao	unfastens the two buttons near her collarbone, draws in her arms, and allows the garment to fall to the ground. She then takes the coiled leather whip that was wrapped around her waist under the garment and removes it as well, recoiling it to hang from a hook on the wall.
[20:53]	* [Tet]Mao	slips off her panties and follows Merry into the next room.
[20:58]	* Merry	finds a big hotspring-thing. There's hot water and steam and everything. She slips in slowly, playing around a little bit with her ghost in the water.
[20:59]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	shrugs and wraps a towel around herself and brings her sword along.
[20:59]	* [Tet]Mao	grabs a cloth, a bar of soap, and a pail, filling the last item with wellwater.
[21:01]	* [Tet]Mao	sits at the edge of the springs, lathers up, and begins washing herself meticulously.
[21:05]	<Merry>	Hmmm... So, what did you do before you died? Where you a soldier or something?
[21:05]	<[Tet]Mao>	Something like that, yes.
[21:05]	* Merry	floats around on top of her ghostly half.
[21:06]	<Merry>	Did you fight monsters a lot?
[21:06]	<[Tet]Mao>	Exclusively.
[21:07]	* [Tet]Mao	slows down her scrubbing for a moment. And resumes.
[21:08]	<[Tet]Mao>	You were a gardener, did you say?
[21:09]	<Merry>	Wooow... I've heard a lot of scary stories about mutant monsters from my village... Things like people becoming infested and turning into huge bug hives and growing extra heads and growing spikes out of their bones all sorts of weird stuff...
[21:11]	<[Tet]Mao>	Hmm.
[21:11]	<Merry>	Huh? Oh. Yeah, I tended to plants a lot. Really I was more like a farmer, but I always liked growing flowers.
[21:12]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	arrives at the edge of the bath, removing her towel and folding it neatly to put her sword on as she dips herself in.
[21:12]	* Merry	hears Kuzuha, and calls her over.
[21:13]	<Merry>	What about you, Kuzu? What was your life like?
[21:15]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	makes her way over to the two already engaged in conversation.
[21:15]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Life?
[21:16]	<Merry>	Like, before you died. Do you remember?
[21:16]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	...I'm dead?
[21:16]	* [Tet]Mao	facepalms.
[21:16]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	her eyes begin to grow wide as she starts patting herself all over the body.
[21:17]	<Merry>	Hmm. I think so, yeah.
[21:17]	<Merry>	The green-haired lady told me I was dead, but she couldn't take me yet. So she sent me here.
[21:19]	* Merry	sighs.
[21:19]	<Merry>	It's kind of weird, I can't remember everything about it. Like, if I try to think of my mom's name, I can't seem to do it.
[21:23]	* Merry	pitches an elbow up and rests her head in her hand, looking like a mopey dope.
[21:23]	* Merry	on her ghost-thing, even
[21:23]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	is now checking on ever strand of hair on her head, a worried look stuck on her face.
[21:27]	<[Tet]Mao>	Sometimes, things are best left forgotten.
[21:28]	* Merry	frowns some more.
[21:28]	<Merry>	But... some things I don't want to forget.
[21:29]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	I can't be dead! I didn't even fall down all those stairs on the way up here!
[21:29]	* [Tet]Mao	turns around to stare coldly at Merry.
[21:29]	<[Tet]Mao>	Can you be sure?
[21:29]	<[Tet]Mao>	If you cannot remember what they are?
[21:33]	<Merry>	That's the thing... I can't remember stuff like names and places and what people said. But I can remember stuff I've done, and I remember I wrote about things a lot, but I specifically remember I planted an Amor behind some bushes after my first time. It's one of the few things that's clear to me.
[21:35]	<[Tet]Mao>	You remember all you need. The names and conversations of people you will never see again are hardly worth consideration.
[21:36]	* [Tet]Mao	turns back away.
[21:36]	<[Tet]Mao>	Dwelling on the past is a fool's errand.
[21:38]	<Merry>	How do you know I won't see them again?
[21:38]	* Merry	inquires.
[21:40]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	makes a watergun with her hands and squirts at Merry's ghost-half having forgotten figuring out whether she was alive or dead.
[21:40]	<[Tet]Mao>	I do not know for certain. But the only chance would be after they had died themselves, and the netherworld is too vast a place to make that "likely".
[21:40]	* Merry	ignoring Kuzu for the moment, responds:
[21:41]	<Merry>	But that one girl... Youmu, yeah, she said because of this thing, I'm only half-dead. So what does that mean?
[21:41]	* Merry	pokes her ghost-half, which squeaks in some awkwardly creepy fashion
[21:43]	<[Tet]Mao>	Only just that. I do not believe the phenomenon is yet fully understood.
[21:43]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Ahaha! What a funny noise!
[21:43]	* Merry	sighs.
[21:43]	<Merry>	Being dead is kind of aggravating.
[21:43]	<[Tet]Mao>	You are dead, but only a part of your being has passed into spirit form.
[21:44]	<Merry>	Hmm... I came here in that funny robe, I wonder what that means...
[21:45]	* [Tet]Mao	reapplies soap to the cloth and holds it up over one shoulder.
[21:45]	<[Tet]Mao>	Could one of you wash my back, please?
[21:46]	* Merry	lets herself off of the ghostly marshmellow and swims around a little bit.
[21:46]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Okay!
[21:46]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	makes her way over to Mao.
[21:47]	* [Tet]Mao	hands over the washcloth and leans forward slightly to give Kuzuha easier access.
[21:47]	<[Tet]Mao>	Thank you.
[21:48]	* Merry	swims over to the others and makes herself comfortable.
[21:48]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	, after stretching her arms and cracking her knuckles, and lays her hands on Mao's shoulders and begins kneading with her thumbs.
[21:50]	<[Tet]Mao>	A-ah... no...
[21:50]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	...Huh?
[21:50]	* [Tet]Mao	squirms out from under Kuzuha's touch and reoffers the cloth.
[21:50]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	realizes she has a washcloth in her hand.
[21:50]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	...h.
[21:50]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Oh.
[21:50]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Right, sorry.
[21:51]	<[Tet]Mao>	I... suppose I appreciate the thought, but... yes, you understand.
[21:51]	<[Tet]Mao>	It's all right.
[21:51]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	begins the proper procedure to wash a person's back.
[21:53]	* [Tet]Mao	remains as still as she can while still speaking.
[21:53]	<[Tet]Mao>	I notice you carry a sword.
[21:54]	<Merry>	Hmm, I bet that feels nice...
[21:54]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Mmhmm, I do.
[21:55]	<[Tet]Mao>	Have you been trained, that you recall?
[21:56]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Why would I forget? I'd be no good if I did.
[21:56]	* [Tet]Mao	chuckles.
[21:56]	<[Tet]Mao>	I suppose you're right, at that.
[21:56]	<[Tet]Mao>	What school?
[21:57]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Ehehe, the name's kinda long, so I completely forgot about it.
[21:59]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Master was really proud of his long name.
[22:03]	* [Tet]Mao	frowns. That's not terrible conclusive, but, well... what can you do?
[22:03]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Miss Konpaku has swords, so I'm kinda glad about that. Maybe I can ask her to spar with me once in a while.
[22:05]	* Merry	chimes in.
[22:05]	<[Tet]Mao>	Hmm. That would be interesting to watch.
[22:06]	<Merry>	Yeah, I want to learn about flowers from her too. I don't think she likes me much, though... Guess I'll have to work on making a good impression.
[22:06]	<[Tet]Mao>	Actually...
[22:07]	* [Tet]Mao	stops herself short. Gossiping is poor manners.
[22:07]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	I don't think she could hate you. She's just one of those super serious people who take their job seriously &#9834;
[22:08]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	tilts her head, as she continues to scrub Mao's back.
[22:08]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	I could be wrong though.
[22:08]	* [Tet]Mao	reaches back and places a hand on Kuzuha's.
[22:09]	<[Tet]Mao>	I think that should be enough, thank you very much.
[22:09]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Eh? Ah...Okay...
[22:10]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	backs off from Mao before sinking herself into the water.
[22:11]	* [Tet]Mao	takes the cloth back and sets it aside. Taking the pail in both hands, she stands up and upends it over her head, letting the cold water rinse away the soap from her skin.
[22:11]	<[Tet]Mao>	Brr-!
[22:12]	* [Tet]Mao	hurriedly sets the pail back down on the floor, turns around, and steps over the edge into the bath.
[22:13]	* [Tet]Mao	lowers herself down gradually, further and further, until she is completely submerged.
[22:13]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	executes a dead man's float.
[22:14]	<Merry>	I suppose so...
[22:17]	* [Tet]Mao	suddenly breaks her head back through the surface of the water, gasping for breath.
[22:17]	<[Tet]Mao>	Ha... hahahahaha!
[22:18]	<[Tet]Mao>	What a curious existence! I wonder what would've happened if I'd let myself drown?
[22:18]	* Merry	sits up on the edge, ignoring any sort of modesty.
[22:18]	<Merry>	...huh. I dunno. You think if I did it, the other half of me would die?
[22:19]	<Merry>	Actually, I wonder what all the dead can do the same as the living... Miss Yuyuko mentioned dinner, so I guess we still eat. Though I'm not really hungry.
[22:20]	* Merry	messes with the marshmellow ghost once again, petting it like it's a cat
[22:21]	* [Tet]Mao	shakes her long, wet hair from its current position, scattered haphazardly over her shoulders and breasts, so that it hangs down her back again, at least for the most part.
[22:21]	<Merry>	The only thing that feels different is this thing... hehe, it's kind of funny...
[22:22]	<[Tet]Mao>	You know, that's actually a pretty good idea. I've never heard of someone trying that before.
[22:23]	<Merry>	Trying what? Drowning yourself after you're dead?
[22:24]	<[Tet]Mao>	Yeah. Would that actually bring the rest of you into form?
[22:24]	<Merry>	Hmm. I dunno. I kind of like having my own... uh... what should I call this thing?
[22:26]	* [Tet]Mao	ignores the question and turns to look at Merry, sitting cross-legged on the bottom of the bath, her shoulders and neck sticking up into the air.
[22:30]	<[Tet]Mao>	Just think of it! Our understanding of this afterlife would grow exponentially! Whole new avenues of study would be opened up!
[22:31]	<Merry>	I still don't understand everything about my earlier life...
[22:32]	* [Tet]Mao	tuts.
[22:33]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	pops her face out of the water with a very loud gasp for air.
[22:33]	<[Tet]Mao>	I told you not to worry about the past, didn't I? These are new experiences!
[22:33]	* [Tet]Mao	half-stands out of the water and places both her hands on Merry's shoulders, looking her square in the eye.
[22:34]	<[Tet]Mao>	You've got to live in the present, and plan for the future...
[22:34]	<[Tet]Mao>	...so, come on, then! The halls of scientific academia await!
[22:34]	* Merry	hangs her head.
[22:34]	<Merry>	yeah... I guess...
[22:34]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Ooh! I've never seen you so lively before!
[22:34]	* [Tet]Mao	yanks Merry bodily from the edge of the bath and dunks her underwater.
[22:36]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Wah! Be careful!
[22:36]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	catches the Merry ghost before it followed its other have into the water.
[22:38]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	[*other half]
[22:38]	* Merry	wahs before glub-glubbing into the water, but doesn't put up anymore resistance. Her body sinks as she exhales.
[22:39]	* [Tet]Mao	holds her down for a second or two before letting go and backing away.
[22:41]	<[Tet]Mao>	[retcon; Gaatz's idea is funnier]
[22:41]	<Merry>	[dammit, make up your mind]
[22:41]	<Claudia>	[I fucked your sister. How does that make you feel?]
[22:41]	<[Tet]Mao>	[D:]
[22:42]	<[Tet]Mao>	[Just make with the grabbing, ya crazy dyke]
[22:45]	* Merry	just when she thinks maybe Mao has let her guard down, she shoots out a hand, pinches, and twists. All three movements nail their mark: one Mao boobie. As a matter of fact, it's a bullseye, inadvertently turning into a titty-twister. But who am I kidding.
[22:45]	<[Tet]Mao>	GyaaAUUUGH!
[22:46]	* Merry	holds tight.
[22:47]	<[Pyg]Kuzuha>	Oh my...
[22:47]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	looks at her hands. Ewww, getting kinda pruney there.
[22:48]	* [Tet]Mao	jumps back and away, hitting the edge of the bath, the twisted teat escaping Merry's grasp by virtue of damp slipperyness.
[22:49]	* Merry	gets yanked enough to break the surface, as well as Mao's grip, and sucks in some air.
[22:49]	<Merry>	Haaah! hah... Hehe, how do you like that? Guess we know now that purple nurples still hurt, huh?
[22:50]	<[Tet]Mao>	Hehah... hahaha! See? We're understanding more already!
[22:51]	* Merry	smiles.
[22:51]	* [Tet]Mao	slumps down some to let the hot water wash over the injured nipple, rubbing it for good measure.
[22:52]	<[Tet]Mao>	Hell of a grip for such tiny hands...
[22:52]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	, not wanting to interrupt the two girl's fun time, decides to leave before she gets any more wrinkly.
[22:52]	<Merry>	You're kinda cool, you know? Sorry I thought you were a downer before. I guess I haven't really adjusted quite yet.
[22:53]	<[Tet]Mao>	Oh, that... y-yeah...
[22:53]	* [Tet]Mao	looks away awkwardly.
[22:53]	* Merry	looks around.
[22:53]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	climbs out of the bath and wraps herself in the towel again as she takes her sword and steps back into the changing area.
[22:54]	<[Tet]Mao>	Well... must almost be dinnertime, by now. We should probably get dried off and dressed.
[22:54]	<Merry>	Hmm? Oh, looks like Kuzu's leaving. You wanna- yeah.
[22:54]	<[Tet]Mao>	...yeah.
[22:54]	<Merry>	hup...
[22:55]	* Merry	stops for a second.
[22:55]	<Merry>	Did you hear that?
[22:55]	* [Tet]Mao	reluctantly lifts herself out of the steaming water and into the cool air. She cocks her head and listens.
[22:55]	* Merry	shrugs, and clambers out of the water.
[22:55]	<[Tet]Mao>	Nothing out of the ordinary.
[22:56]	<Merry>	Yeah, I guess not...
[22:57]	* [Tet]Mao	crosses over to the far wall and takes a large towel from the shelf. She begins rubbing vigorously at her hair as she enters the changing room.
[22:57]	* Merry	literally shakes herself off, then recalls her ghostly-half and tries to use it like a towel, but all it does is squeak like she's washing windows.
[23:01]	* Merry	follows Mao, finding the ghost to be mostly useless for drying off
[23:03]	* Merry	wanders around naked until she finds a towel, dries off, puts her clothes back on, puts her hair up, etc etc, within minutes she's well on her way to having dinner.
[23:03]	* [Tet]Mao	spends most of her time on her hair; drying her body goes by quickly. Before she dresses herself, though, she takes a white comb out of a pocket sewn into the inside of her dress and begins... well, combing her hair with it.
[23:04]	<[Tet]Mao>	I won't be long behind you.
[23:04]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	has already finished dressing back up and fastens her sword back on her hip.
[23:04]	<Merry>	Huh? oh. I'll wait if you want.
[23:05]	* [Tet]Mao	doesn't seem to be in anything resembling a hurry in this task.
[23:05]	<[Tet]Mao>	I do not wish to keep you. Go on ahead.
[23:07]	* Merry	shrugs.
[23:08]	<Merry>	Whatever you say. Hmm, I wonder if I could get a pair of shoes here...
[23:08]	* Merry	wanders off
[23:09]	* [Pyg]Kuzuha	also wanders down a randomly chosen hallway.
[23:10]	* [Tet]Mao	eventually gets her hair back into order, wraps her whip back around her waist, slips on her qipao and steps out of the changing room.
[23:10]	<[Tet]Mao>	Ah...
[23:10]	<[Tet]Mao>	...I forgot to ask about the dining room...
[23:10]	<[Tet]Mao>	...um...
[23:11]	* [Tet]Mao	looks around, but everyone else has gone.
[23:11]	<[Tet]Mao>	*sigh* Well.
[23:12]	* [Tet]Mao	picks a direction and starts marching. Maybe she'll get lucky...