Sikura smiled as Mei patted her head and continued to blush. "Beautiful? Me?" Her eyes were on him as she continued to look at Mei before looking to the floor. She wondered how Jack would react to Mei calling her beautiful and hoped he really did like her.

He glanced from one girl to the other..all this chit chatting was not getting them to the hot springs. "Well..Let's goooo!" He whined a bit, grabbping Mei's hand and then Sikura's hand and practically pulling them out of the room. His tail twitching anxiously behind him a bit as he dragged the girls into main area of the inn and then out the back door. He stopped. "Right..the snow..I forgot it was snowing...Oh well. If we catch a cold then it was worth it, ne?" He glanced at the two girls and continued on towards the scent of warm water.

Her eyes went to Jack as he grabbed their hands and pulled them to the hot springs. Sikura nodded as she smiled and caught some snow in her hands. "I've never been to a hot spring..." She said softly as she looked around the area.

Mei laughed at Sikura’s response, shaking her head. “Oh you silly girl, you know how enticing you are.” She teased back, glancing towards Jack as he suddenly gripped their hands. She let herself be pulled along without a word, shaking her head at the excitement of him. “Yeah sure… “ She mumbled then started forward. As Sikura spoke she smiled a little, murmuring “You’ll love it…even if you wont be able to see Jack quite yet” She grinned then, whispering the last in Sikura's ear as she passed.

She looked at Mei as he face flushed. "Mei..." Sikura whined a little bit as she followed the woman. Her eyes went back to Jack as she pouted at little bit. "You shouldn't have told me that. So how do these hot springs work?"

"It's wonderful and amazing. Calming and relaxing." He purred softly as he spoke. Obviously he had missed the hot springs of his home country. He had let go of Sikura and Mei's hands now. Jack purred softly once more as he moved towards the hotsprings. Not a whole lot on his mind but the warmth and the relaxation that were soon to come. Jack didn't purr much and the little bit of purring he had done had stopped rather quickly. "How do they work?" He smiled a bit. "The water is usually warmed from vents in the ground under the spring that are somehow connected to nearby mountains or underground lava." He shrugged.

As Akio sat in the hot spring's water he heard the voices coming near and turned towards the entrance, at first he didnt see anyone so he just turned his attention back to relaxing and letting his head dunk into the water and back out making his hair go straight down covering his eyes.

Sikura smiled as she looked at Jack and listened to what he was saying. "Seems you really like these hot springs." Her eyes closed as she remembered his purr. She said and stopped near the entrance for the woman's side.

Mei simply chuckled at Sikura’s response, her hands in her pockets as they neared the spring. Once there she paused, looking up at it and beginning to chew her lip. She was unsure now… it seemed there was so many people here…she would have to stay in one gender longer then she thought…even if it made the truly dual gendered soul squirm… “Well race you there…” She murmured as she raced into the hot springs to hide her discomfort. She would begin undressing quickly before disappearing in the water, her body still fully female…

"In my country every inn had them..and even rich people had their own." He shivered for a moment and smiled when Mei ran off towards the spring. "You'll have to go with Mei. Boys and girls aren't allowed to bathe together." He pointed a bit to the side some. "I'll be over there." He smiled at Sikura and started towards the boy's side of the hot springs.

Akio turned around as he noticed Jack walking in, he didnt say anything and just turned back around, closing his eyes and slowly sinking down deeper into the water.

Her eyes went to Jack as he walked off towards is side of the spring. Sikura nodded as she walked towards the women's side of the spring. She looked at Mei as she stripped and blushed as she did the same thing. The angel revealed her body of curves and many scars as she folded her wings into her back.

((too late for me?))

Mei sighed as she closed her eyes and melted into the water a bit, focusing just on putting on her usual show. She’d learned, the hard way… that it was better to pretend she was well…. Truly a she, normal…She glanced up as Sikura entered, her eyes flowing over the curves and scars appreciatively. Honestly she’d always found Scars fascinating even…sexy… so seeing them revealed only made her smile. “Aww shy sexy angel.” She teased at the blush.

Those ears twitched a bit as he looked over the spring he would soon be in. "Akio-kun, is the water very pleasing today?" Jack grinned behind that mask and began to pull what little clothing he did wear off. First things to go where the sleevelets that covered his arms. Revealing a multitude of long and short scars. All very deep and thick. Next things to go were his pants and low heeled boots. Revealing the scars on his thighs, hips and if he turned around, on his butt. Jack shivered a moment before stepping into the water. He did not remove that mask from his face, keeping his lips and throat covered with it..but he also had no intention of putting his head under water.

She looked over at her companion and tried to cover herself with the towel. "I'm not very sexy." Sikura said as she sat down in the warm water as she piled her hair on her head. Her blue eyes were on the water as she thought about Jack...and how he was naked on the other side of the divider.

Akio kept his eyes closed looking turning towards Jack, but gave a soft quick smile. "Test it out for yourself." he said happily, sitting in the water trying to rid every thought he had at the moment.

Mei closed her eyes, leaning back a moment and simply sighing softly. “Yes you are….as is Jack but…that you are aware of.” She chuckled a little but there was a note of sadness in it. “Neither one of you see yourselves at all…” Mei muttered to herself, shivering as her muscles relaxed one by one.

((Hey sorry I'm at work Will be on in about an hour))

Jack purred for a moment as he entered the water and sat down with his back pressing against the rim of the pool like spring. His purring stopped rather quickly though and that tail of his was wrapped around his waist. His eyes were on Akio. "Something troubling you?" Jack frowned just slightly behind that mask.

((okays ^_^ see you then XD))

Akio still kept his eyes closed and still leaning against his wings, he slowly raised his head up opening his eyes and looking at Jack. "No..." he said and lowered his head back down to the water, he was truly lying about how he felt at the moment. He couldnt get his mind off of himself being branded a fallen to heaven, he couldnt even remember why he was branded a fallen.

Sikura looked at Mei as she moved over near her friend. Her eyes showed a bit of confusion but she knew Mei was right. "I know. My beauty though gets me in trouble and I only want one guy to see me as sexy." She said as she looked at the water.

Just as neither saw Mei at all she thought absently as Sikura spoke the last, looking up as the angel drew close. “Yeah, too bad Jack seems to be oblivious.” Mei murmured with a chuckle, winking at Sikura to show she knew exactly who she meant. She then glanced towards the water, relaxing again as she closed her eyes. She began to relax again, the dragon unusually relaxed from the warm water so that for once Mei could be too…

Those ears twitched and Jack frowned deeply. He could hear the lie in Akio's voice..he could always hear it when people lied. Their voice changed just slightly, though nearly impossible for human's to hear such a change. The nekojin shrugged a bit. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." He looked up at the sky. "You still have your wings and the feathers are white, most fallen either lose their wings or their feathers turn black. I've been wondering about that, though. Obviously you couldn't have done anything horrible, you got to keep your white wings." Jack inhaled deeply. "I think, maybe your just being tested, and you've got to try your best to be as good as you can so that you'll be welcomed once again to your real home."



][brb, gotta clean the fish tank.][

Her eyes closed as she nodded and rested near her friend. "This is nice. I can see why Jack loves these hot springs." Sikura said as she looked up to the falling snow as the moon peeked out from behind the clouds.