Identity Crisis

[Taison Brodoc]

"Ahhhhh..." Rikku sighed, sinking further and further into the theraputic waters the valley has been known for. "What a nice way to spend the day... Wouldn't you say, Kurogari?"

The dark zoid was crouching, as if in a resting position. "For a chick maybe. I don't see what's so special about sitting in hot water."

"Don't be like that! C'mon in! It feels good!"

A nightmarish thought of a 50-something ton fox leaping in and causing a tidal wave made her think twice about antagonizing anymore.

Kurogari looked up into the orange-pink dusk sky. "Hey birdbrain! What are you doing?"

Rikku's Buster Eagle disrupted its circling pattern and called back, "Who you callin' birdbrain, moron?!"

"I'll show you moron! Come down here!"

As the fox and eagle bickered back and forth, Rikku draped her arms onto the land.

"Be quiet! Or I'll make ya'll be quiet."

Kurogari and Shippou both scoffed and commenced the arguement.

'Meh. As long as we're here, I don't really have to care!'

Intertwining her fingers on her brown hair, Rikku shut her eyes and soaked in the gentle heat.

[The Crimson King]

"Whaaaaaooo. Nonononono," Nico said as he struggled to stop the Bio Liger from crashing to the ground... head first. Suffice to say, he was unable to do so, and the Zoid fell to the ground with a thud as the head made contact with the soft dirt. Nico instantly received a headache from the slip up, along with a sore neck, and hurt shoulders... was it just a coincidence that he had tripped into the Misty Valley Springs; where the hot waters were rumored to sooth pain and hurt? Maybe if he had tied his boots before slipping into the Bio Suit, he wouldn't have tripped... but who knows.

"Misty... Valley... Springs. Soothe your pain in our hot springs," he read aloud as he stared up at the sign that hung above them through the main screen. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in his head, and he instinctively jerked his body up. It was weird... a split second before he even moved, the Bio Zoid began to get up, and it got up fast. 'Wait... it just moved before I even told it to... or even moved myself,' Nico thought, a shiver running down his spine. He tugged on the collar of the Bio Suit; it was getting pretty hot in there.

It's about time you got it! Oh... and you should really consider tying your boots.

He sat still in the Core of the Zoid, not moving or anything, and said, "So... I'm supposed to move and you will move?"

That's one way of doing it... I guess. Didn't you read the manual?

"You didn't come with a manual," he said as he leaned his body forward, the Zoid slowly moving forward until he was inside of the Misty Valley Springs.

As he followed the road, springs started appearing, a faint steam rising from them. He continued until he spotted a Shadow Fox and a Buster Eagle, then parked the Bio Liger beside the Fox. He placed the helmet on a hook to his right and then released the hatch to the core. Wiggling his way out of the suit, he was soon out of the hatch, and standing on the ground below the massive Zoid. He then proceeded to ignore the person that was already in the smaller spring, strip down to his swimming trunks, and slip into the hot, soothing water to the left of him.

[Taison Brodoc]

With instinctive exhale, she felt the water level rise enough to barely crest her chin.

'Mmm...someone musta got in. Meh, I'll be alright.'

Kurogari cleared his voice loud enough to be heard, but Rikku was too busy...doing nothing.

'Not the most perceptive person ever...'

As the Fox's pilot nodded her head on tempo with a song no one else heard, Kurogari stood and crept a little closer.

"Hey..." he whispered.

Nothing.

Huffing under his breath, he tried to get her attention once again with the same response. But this Shadow Fox learns from trial-and-error relatively quick. For his final attempt, he tapped Rikku's shoulder closest to the other bather.

"Wha-"

She looked over and...saw the new guy. His jet black hair was pretty outstanding against the rest of the surroundings. Nonetheless, he was a guy and she didn't want to cause a scene, so she did what any other human would...

Disappear under the water.

With an intense gasp, she dove under valiantly.

'Okay...' she thought. 'I did not think that one through. At least I was low enough so he didn't see my-'

She was staring dead at his silver swimming trunks. In response, she slowly rose her head back into the air, stunned. Making sure she moved a little to the right, she crossed her arms before her and sighed with bass, "Whassup?"