Miyazaki Town

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In every major burg, there is a section of town devoted entirely to a certain demographic group. Some are even famous for their displays, such as San Francisco is for it's Chinatown, or New Orleans for it's French Quarter. And Marina is no exception from this, especially for being located in a place as weird, wild and wonderfully varied as Underhill.

Such venues as Valhallasburg "BEST BEER AND WENCHING IN TOWN", Little Chernobyl "Come for the borscht, leave with a healthy glow!", Bally!kill "OCH! BEST HAGGIS IN TOWN..." and last but not in anyway the least... Miyazaki Town. With two tourists slowly walking down the empty streets in the afternoon sun.

Comments

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Ok, that was unexpected... Except something about this is naggingly familiar of a certain fox they both know well.

"...not to be rude but what are you, and why were you shaped like a bench?"

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The creature shifts its weight from foot to foot nervously. "Um... no reason..."

...is that statue across the street giggling?

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...If it is, it's going to be recieving the look all mothers can produce on whim. One long wry glance at it before Dot smirks at the fuzzy thing standing before the two of them.

"It's prank the tourist season isn't it?"

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The statue shifts to become another creature similar to the first, but this one is dressed in a kimono and has long hair tied up in a bun.

"Young woman," she says with a good-natured chuckle, "it's always 'prank the tourist' season here."

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"You know, I really should have been expecting it too." Dot says, giggling a bit and shaking her head. Really, she should have, what else could you expect with travel advice from a Kitsune?

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The kimono-clad creature whistles sharply, and the street bursts into life. Dozens of entities, humanoid and otherwise, burst forth from the buildings or stop pretending to be inanimate objects. They gather in a circle around the two sprites and bow politely. "Welcome, honored guests!" they cry in unison.

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With equal politeness in the actions, both of the sprites bow to the gathered group of greetings. "Thank you...We've heard a good deal of wonderful things for visiting here and had to make a visit during our honeymoon."

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"You should see it after dark," says Kimono Creature with a wink. "Now, what would you like to see first? The White Fox Shrine? The Floating Gardens? Porco's House of Endless Tempura?"

Bob speaks up. "Actually, we booked tickets for the bath house..."

"Ah, of course, of course!" She turns and gives a quick command (in Japanese, naturally) to a taller furry thing standing nearby, who scurries around the corner. "Your transportation will arrive shortly," she says to Bob and Dot with another bow.

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Personal transportation.

No wonder this place has such a great reputation around Marina! Dot beams at Bob for a moment, as if saying 'see, I can choose a good relaxing destination'.

-Thump- "MRRRWWWWEEEOOOOWR."

That is ofcourse, before the huge cat-thing leaps down in front of the two of them.

...Are those seats inside of there, with windows????

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Fur-covered seats, even.

"...uh..."

The giant cat-thing looks at them expectantly, as if to say Well? I ain't got all day, people!

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"Bob?" Dot murmurs, very, very quietly, before pushing him onto the bus first.

...What? If anything happens he's got defenses! She's pregnant for goodness sake!

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"Ack!" Bob stumbles but manages to stay upright. He walks gingerly across the floor (the furry, breathing floor) and sits down, very carefully, on the seat closest to the front.

For a long moment, he's perfectly still, waiting for something to happen.

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"I think it's okay, Dot."

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After another split-second of thought, Dot gingerly follows him on board and settles in next to him. Behind her the wall closes upwards with a fuzzy-sounding -thhhip- and the cat mrowls again.

-bing- -bing- -bing- "Bathhouuuusse..."

"...I'm having trouble figuring out if this beats Milliways for weird experiences." Dot says, glancing at Bob as they take off, climbing over rooftops.

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"Give it time," says Bob. "We just got here ten minutes ago."

He glances out the window, then does a doubletake at the white dragon keeping pace with them.

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For that matter, Dot peers out to see what Bob is staring at.

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She's given it enough time. Unfortunately before a witty-reply is made, the cat-bus drops back down to street level and begins bounding around....is that a walking slime with a wooden bucket for a hat?

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And what's up with the herd of giant boars covered in mud?

Finally, the cat bounds to a stop and the door -thhhip-s open to reveal a wooden bridge with a tall red building on the other side.

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"Mountain Hag Bathhouse...." Meows the cat as the two sprites step off and across the bridge, amid dozens of other bath-goers. The closer they get, the more the building seems to loom over them. Upclose the entire place is huge...

"Welcome! Welcome, welcome to our baths!" Singsong the various ladies (some of them look very...insectlike) greeting the people at the door.

"Have to say this..the service here is top notch."

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"Sure seems to be popular with the locals," Bob remarks. He's staring as much at the other patrons as at the architecture of the building itself. These people make the welcoming committee from before look positively mundane by comparison.

Just inside the door is a wide foyer lined with elaborately painted screens. A fat little man with a wide, flat face waddles up to them and bows. "Welcome, welcome! What is your bathing pleasure for today?"

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...Yeh, that half-naked radishman is hard not to stare at.

"What do you have in the way of cold baths?" Dot says to fat little man, smiling. "The colder the better!"

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Half-naked? Try 95% naked. At least.

"Ah, then you will want our Yuki-onna Glacial Soak Special!" says the little man with a knowing nod. "The finest arctic meltwater, in a room carved from the heart of an iceberg. A very rare treat indeed!"

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"OoooOOooh."

Bob, you are so getting nudged a bit, while Dot goes through her kimono band to take out the energy credits. Laini did finally get back with the exchange rate on them.

"Will this be enough to pay for the both of us?"

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The little man's eyes bulge. More so than before.

"...that will be suitable, yes," he says after a moment's boggling. "If you will kindly remove your shoes, I will escort you to your bath directly."

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"Ofcourse..." And being a sprite, it's very easy to remove one's shoes. Just a click of the icon aaaand...tada.


~~~~

Minutes later, and after some fussing on the part of the husband. "Look, she's my wife, she's pregnant, and you've only got one ice-room. I'm staying with her. Thank you." They are getting some higher-quality treatment than expected.

Never thought they'd be getting massages from the same girl at the same time.

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"I take back anything bad I might have said about coming here," murmurs Bob. "MmmmmMMMMmmm..."

That was the kind of moan that Dot has only previously heard from Bob in bed.

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Bob isn't getting a verbal response, just a raised eyebrow as Dot lifts up her head to look at him.

Memo to self, take some massage classes if they offer them.

"I think we may have to come here again sometime..."

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"No argument here," says Bob vehemently without looking up or even opening his eyes.

The sudden commotion at the far end of the hall, however, does make him look up.

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It also causes Dot and their eight-armed massuesse to look up as well. There seems to be a great deal of shouting, almost chanting before it drops off in a sudden shout and a heavy silence.

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For all of five seconds. Then a distant rumble sounds off through the bathhouse, soon followed by joyous laughter as something as huge as any river explodes out of a bathbooth in the farthest corner and zooms around the cavernous ceiling.

"...better ask what -that- guy had in his bath."

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And Bob bursts into a gale of laughter.

Yeah. They'll definitely be vacationing in Underhill again.