smash_logs | I miss video games

I miss video games

Who: Errybody
What: HOT SPRINGS: HOT SPRINGS EDITION
Where: Hot springs. Different hot springs. Not the hot springs that turned everyone into six year olds.
When: March 25th - March 29th
Warnings: Cursed springs. Sex swapping.

Right outside the resort is the main attraction, a collection of natural hot springs, separated by gender with a co-ed spring in the middle. Despite it being late March, there's still a dusting of snow on the ground, making the warm springs all the more inviting.

If the main resort area is too crowded for you, there are whispers of a secluded, private spring down a secret path. It's supposed to be very nice--if you can find it.

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It wasn't what he was expecting. He hadn't hated it, of course, but it wasn't exactly on his list of priorities. But since everyone else was having a good time, there was no reason he couldn't do the same. That meant, housing a cig between his lips, shutting his eyes, and slipping his arms behind his head.

Heaven, if such a place existed, and it was easy to question just such a thing.

Any other time, perhaps he would have gone hunting for the ladies and undoubtedly, he had his plans to do exactly that. At some point. Yet, that didn't seem to be quite as high on his list of things to do as it was to simply take the time to think.

Though perhaps the ladies would come to him. To his general location, at least. At least it was probably a lady. There was the undeniable sound of someone slipping into the water near the man with a fairly lady-like "ahh," but by the time Snake might have cracked an eye open to peek, there was just a lot of hair floating at top as whomever it was decided to slip entirely under the water. Hello.

And his moment of peace was interrupted.

By... a lot of hair. A lot of hair. And it wasn't his. Unless he somehow magically sprouted hair like a chia pet. And as he looked down to himself, he knew very well that wasn't the case. The fact that he had to entertain the thought was probably a good sign he needed that time to relax.

He squinted as he eyed the hair because he knew very well he wasn't on his own. It could have been worse. It could have been a kid who canonballed into the water. He probably would have choked the kid before tossing them out, too. Again though, certainly didn't seem to be a mere kid. So he decided to watch. And wait.

She couldn't stay under the water forever, right?

Nope, not forever. He didn't have long to wait before Blue resurfaced, pulling her hair back with her as she ran her hands over it. She made a move as if to stand up, but only got half of herself out of the water before she shivered and sank back down to her shoulders. The crisp, cool air seemed that much chillier now, which was more or less what she had been going for. Mission accomplished.

It was at that point that she finally opened her eyes again. Hadn't there been someone else there? She hadn't really taken a good look at who it was before she went pool diving.

"Oh! Hello, Mr. Pliskin," she greeted cheerfully once she saw him.

Oh. Oh. He knew her, didn't he?

They'd met briefly before. He didn't know her well, had never really carried on extended conversation aside from the one time previously. Even that hadn't been much beyond introductions and the explanation that he was the instructor for the box class. And she had likely already known it at the time. He was difficult to miss when he walked out amongst the public.

He eyed her for many long moments and then finally spoke up again, "...Blue?" He was pretty sure that was it. It just went to show that even though he knew of plenty of girls, some were definitely more important than others. Like Blue.

The fact that he had remembered her name despite their brief contact seemed to please her immensely. Her smile brightened and she nodded. Blue had never considered herself to be anyone that would stick out in a crowd, even back home when she was a champion, and didn't think herself very memorable. Thus this was probably a bit more pleasing than it should have been, even if Snake hadn't been completely sure about it.

"Yes! Ah... I hope I haven't interrupted you or anything."

If she thought she interrupted him, she was probably going to leave. And considering he hadn't yet stuck his foot in his mouth, he didn't mind her company. Mostly because she hadn't smacked him. Again, however, he hadn't said anything worth being smacked over.

"No," he replied somewhat succinctly. As he began to relax again, he took his eyes off of her. "Not at all. If you had, you're a good distraction." Because she wasn't doing canonballs into the hot springs or annoying him. "You enjoying the springs so far?"

Casual conversation, go. Because there was no way he could be anymore socially awkward than he already was. Right? Right.

He was far less socially awkward when she wasn't finding him in boxes, so for right now everything was perfectly fine. Blue laughed a little. "Well I'm glad to hear that, I think, hehe."

The trainer moved back through the water to settle in against the spring edge near him. "Definitely enjoying them," she continued the conversation as she found a nice little spot and set her head back. "It's been a while since I've been to one... They're really nostalgic."

It was mostly because he didn't have to play instructor. Snake wasn't really a teaching man. He wasn't particularly good at it. He wasn't really into it, but he guessed it was only slightly better than freezing his ass off in Alaska. (But maybe he missed the dog sled racing a little. Mush.)

He didn't take his eyes off of her when she began to move, mostly because he didn't know where she was going to. She still looked young and he was going to guess he had something of a womanising reputation after the stupid ordeal with Eli went public. The wrong pair of eyes could catch a glance of him and make the wrong idea. It'd be a disaster, to put it lightly.

"Nostalgic, huh?" he asked. "Yeah. I guess it could be." Had he ever been in hot springs before? He had a hard time believing he hadn't, but he couldn't say he had a lot of memories that he wanted to hold onto.

"Uh-huh." She gave a very pleasant sigh, and continued to talk about the topic out of habit. "It was a nice little town I stayed in once, right next to a volcano. Their springs were pretty lucky though, since usually the ones near volcanoes are boiling hot! Not the best for taking a dip."

It was about then that she realized that she might have been prattling off about something he didn't particularly care about. Blue glanced over at him curiously, looking a teensy bit sheepish for it.

"But, ah, is this maybe your first time to one, Mr. Pliskin?"

She was right. Partially. She was prattling on. Was he listening, entirely? No, not really. If anything, he was a little more distracted by the locks of brown that were framing her face and too short to successfully pull back. Her words drifted into his ears, found no permanent home, and left a little after, the only thing remaining being the slight echo of her voice.

He realised he didn't know anyone else who sounded like her. Unique, at the very least, though with the mousy brown hair, he could have mistaken her for any number of women. At least from the back. He guessed there was more to it than just a simple glance, though.

"Eh," he almost answered without much else. "Nah. Just a luxury Alaskan dog racers or soldiers can't afford."

This was already becoming quite the informative chat. Her thoughts were already buzzing with questions to follow up on, and she was scooting a bit closer to him as if the closer proximity would allow her to absorb more facts about him. It was mostly because he was interesting. Getting to know someone and their stories was always rewarding, but there was something special when they could hook you in without really trying.

"Alaskan dog racers..." There was the hook. "Do you have a sled team, Mr. Pliskin?" Line and sinker were dogs. Always. Blue was leaning in eagerly with a bright and honest curiosity in her expression. It faltered for a moment when she considered the fact that she had not seen a whole pack of canines on campus that she did not already know. "Or did, I suppose... What was that like though?"

It was weirder because he wasn't intentionally wrangling her in. He hadn't been looking in the direction of flirtation and oddly enough while he had little trouble getting female attention - most of the time - this girl picked up on him (with interest) without a single line put before her. She was... genuinely interested in him and he was having a typical conversation. Something the way he would have with Samus, except less sarcasm, less cynicism, and less dry humour.

He blatantly stopped whatever thought process he was on and looked down to her. Somewhat wide eyes. Genuine eyes. Snake wouldn't have called himself smart, but he had his moments. And the man was observant. One had to give credit where credit was due.

"Yeah." It was a simple way to answer. The best way he could think up immediately. "Did. I'd do it again. Probably will if I ever visit Alaska. It's not an experience I know how to describe." Because that was going into feelings territory and only certain times called for a discussion on the heart, even with something simple. "Feels good."

I guess. Because he was pretty sure that sounded really stupid.

It was a little like talking to Red, she realized. Another man of not-so-many words. Blue wondered if maybe the similarity extended further, and he would open up even more if she found the right topic. What on earth that could be, Blue really wasn't able to guess at this point. As straight forward as Snake seemed like he could be, there was a lot to him that seemed very covered up. She wondered just how much of his story she'd be able to find out, someday. Somehow.

For now, his response seemed to please her, as short as it was. Blue smiled brightly for him as she replied, "I bet! It seems really rewarding... I'm a little envious." Of course, she probably could have convinced some of the team to try it out, but they were very mismatched in size and speed. It probably would have turned into a venture of Jock trying to pull ahead and maybe that was a little more trouble than it was worth. Still quite a sight to envision though.

"I hope you'll get to go again, it would be nice..." She eyed him a moment before tentatively speaking again. "May I ask what took you to Alaska in the first place? Are you the traveling sort, too?"

Envious? Just what kind of girl was Blue? Aside from one who seemed to have a fondness for dogs. Probably animals of all kind. She was a girl, after all. And not the same kind of woman as Instructor Aran. Idly, Snake found himself wondering if Samus liked dogs too. He couldn't shake the notion that he thought she did...

Tapping at his chin, his free hand moved so he might take a drag from his cigarette and he took a few more moments before he gave her a response. Probably better to give more than three words for conversation.

"Something like that," he admitted in a vague fashion. He didn't really want to get into his mercenary work. "I've seen a lot of places. Done a lot of things." I've got an impressive resume. "I was living in Alaska before I came here and at first wasn't sure what I was going to do. Finding the dog sled racing was kind of a fluke. Didn't expect to like it as much as I did." Do. Whatever.

"Can't really do that here, though. Gives me something to look forward to when I visit."

The brief quiet gave her time to study him carefully, taking in some more of his details. The strength of his jawline, slightly mottled by whiskers and the signs of stubble here and there. The way his cheeks hollowed with the drag of his cigarette, creating sharp contrasts between bone and skin. His hair was somewhat long, and Blue wondered if that meant he had been out of the service for a while. (Still assuming he had meant the traditional military, of course.) She wondered if that was what had given his eyes their weariness.

Except it was wrong to say they were just weary. They were sharp, too. Somewhat intense. Blue couldn't say she had met very many people at all that had a gaze quite like that. Maybe that was why he seemed so interesting.

"Mm, yeah, it'd be a bit hard to re-create it here. Maybe next winter... though that still wouldn't be quite the same. It's probably better to keep it as incentive, yeah. I think it's a good one to have."

Blue leaned back against the rocks again, settling her hands on her knees and maintaining the closer proximity to him without a second thought. "I guess you were able to see a lot of places as a soldier then, huh?"

If he took notice of how she eyed him, he ignored it. Well, at least he tried to. If he was going to be honest, it'd mean admitting that not many people did that. Usually, he was the one doing the eying. Or someone who knew him. Like Ocelot. That man seemed to like giving him the third degree and that was to be expected. Sort of. More on Snake's part because of the extended history.

But then Snake did look like his father. And if there was one thing Big Boss and Ocelot had, it was a past.

Finally turning his sights back onto her, he thought about what she said. Recreating, hm? Was it the action that made the difference or the location? The memories tied to said region? Did he even really put that much faith into memories? He wanted to say he didn't, but the truth of the matter was that every night when he put himself down to sleep, he always thought about the history of things. And sometimes there were nightmares.

He didn't move, even when she did and finally nodded. "Yeah. You could say that." Finishing his cig, he stubbed it out and made the effort to not flick it elsewhere. And he didn't fish for another one either. "In a service like that, you come out more worldly. Hardened, but worldly. You get a better understanding for people, cultures, society. Things like that."

Then he peered sidelong to her, "You not get out often?"

That lined up well with how Blue had thought it all worked. In her mind's eye, for every chance of something awful to sinks its claws into you, there was another chance to see something lovely. What the ratio of awful and good was probably varied with the place, and the time, and the entire reason for being there in the first place. Of course, she realized how naive of a sentiment that was overall, considering it was probably possible to only see the things that darkened the heart and become blind to what little good did try to break in.

Sitting next to someone very clearly a man that had seen his fair share, they seemed like very childish thoughts.

Blue tilt her head away from him, though she was still watching him quite curiously with raised brows that betrayed her surprise. "Do I seem like someone that doesn't?" The brunette chuckled a bit and shook her head.

"It's actually the opposite, I probably get out too much." She tapped her fingers slightly, musing. "I think being here at the school has been the longest I've been in one town for... Gosh, ages, probably."

Her expression had shifted into something much more thoughtful as she spoke, reflecting on just how long it had been. Time always seemed to flit by so fast in the moment, but thinking back on it made it seem like forever. A funny thing, that.

"It's a bit like remembering how to stand still."

"Not really that. More like-" he interjected himself to think about how he wanted to address her question. "-completely different ends of the spectrum."

Worldly in her own sense of the word, he guessed. She probably had never seen a war. Had probably never watched anyone die. Had probably never dealt with anything close to the Patriots or the kinds of things Snake had seen. But those kinds of stories weren't really for girls not from war.

Perhaps he was underestimating her, however.

"So you travel a lot," he observed. "And it sounds like you don't visit home often." Leaning over, he tried to get a better look at her, "What keeps you here, then?"

Different ends of the spectrum, was it? That was something she could agree on. It was probably something very true, without a doubt. The world could seem very different to people watching it through different eyes. While she might have seen it beautiful, it did not change the darker needs it kept.

She would still leap at the chance to hear his stories. Probably she would cry. That's just how Blue was. Every story was important, however. She would still be happy to listen.

Blue shifted slightly as he leaned over, aware of him looking at her much the same as she had to him. She certainly didn't mind, but she couldn't say she was used to it. There really wasn't anything interesting to look at, she thought. Blue looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment, considering the question.

"I have no idea."

At least not anything concrete. Wanting to catch up on lost time with friends was certainly a driving factor. Letting her Pokemon live a bit of their lives for themselves for once was one too. Blue pursed her lips slightly, unsatisfied with the not-answer she had given.

"A change of pace, I guess. I've spent more time away from home than at it, so I'm not even sure if it's still home... I suppose I'm selfishly wondering if anyone will remember me if I stay a bit longer. But that's silly, isn't it?" she asked, watching the man intently.

He got a slight... pleasure, he might have said, from the way she shifted. Not because he was making her uncomfortable - which he wasn't sure if he was - but because it seemed a slight double standard. She could eye him all she wanted, but... Whatever it was, it made him smile. As well as he could, though. Sincere smiles still looked a little funny on his face.

His eyebrows lifted when he heard her and after a moment, he gave something of a curt nod. In hindsight, if she'd asked him the same question, he would have said the same thing. He wasn't exactly sure what kept him at the academy other than trying to remember everything that had happened before. And when he did remember everything, would he just go back to Alaska? He wasn't positive, but it certainly seemed like a possibility.

He sat back again, resting on the palm of his hands as he listened. "It's not silly to want to be remembered." It was a fairly direct form of reassurance. Had he wanted to be remembered? Maybe a little at first. Perhaps things were... 'fun.' Maybe. Before he knew what he was getting into. People remembered Solid Snake with certainty. Meryl had even called him a hero. It was a lot of expectation to live up to.

"Can't say for sure, but I wouldn't be quick to forget you. And this is - what? - the third or fourth time we've talked."

It was far more of a reassurance than Blue would have admitted she might have been seeking. She glanced away for a moment, though the slight rosey hue that was blooming across her cheeks was hard to miss this close beside him.

"You're very sweet," she said with a light laugh before she smiled back at him again with all sincerity. "That actually means quite a bit to me, really." Blue brushed a bit of her hair back behind her ear, looking very comfortable as she looked out over the water despite how open she was being and the blush that was still sitting there.

"Even if it's just for a little bit... It's nice to be a bit more than just a passing background character in someone's life, I guess. Or I guess it's just nice to have at least a bit of the same impact as they had on you, even if it's not quite the same at all."

"You're very sweet."

She was totally and completely talking about the wrong guy. At least he was thinking it. Surprise flashed in his expression briefly and his immediate response was to look aside. Sweet, huh. It wasn't something people called him. And in a way, he didn't like it. But it was only her. He could tolerate it if it was only her who called him that.

And if it was just that one time. No more after that.

"So you want to mean something to someone," he commented with some observance, as if he was trying to put her feelings concisely. "Isn't that what everyone wants? Even the people who don't admit it do."

He guessed distantly he wanted that, too. In one form or another.

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I miss video games

Various Times - 03/25 ~ 03/29 - Co-Ed Springs

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HUFFS

YOU RUN THAT MARATHON.

TRIPS ON A ROCK

NO I'LL CATCH YOU

SAILS INTO YOUR ARMS

MWLAH MWLAH

SLOPPY MAKEOUTS

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