"Ah. Finally! This water feels wonderful!"

After myriad events leading up to this point, Nadine had finally managed to find one of the hot springs she had heard so much about in the rather magical land of Sidhiel. As far as she knew about the island, it was rather mysterious and full of magic - home to a bunch of elves who more or less didn't care much about people who weren't elves. Of course, she might have misunderstood that last point - the elf she talked to seemed quite nice after all - but all she cared about at this point was the warm water of the spring. Compared to most hot springs, this one happened to be a little less steaming and hot. Considering she was with child - two specifically - that was probably a good thing. She'd made sure to keep herself wrapped loosely in a towel (it made it feel a bit more pleasant and one could never tell if anyone might show up out of nowhere).

"Ahhh."

Sighing again in pure enjoyment, Nadine leaned back against the edge of the spring. It wasn't like the ones in the cities on the continents - those ones often had paving and decorations - but it was much better - completely natural. It had been too long since she could properly relax like this, and she was going to do everything she could to make sure she enjoyed every possible moment.

"Well, you look like you're enjoying yourself, my Lady."

"Wh-what?!"

The sudden, melodic voice surprised Nadine out of her relaxed reverie, and she looked about in worry. Looking directly to her left after searching in every other direction, Nadine was caught off guard again as she found another woman in the hot spring with her - right next to her.

"Hello!"

The other woman - an admittedly beautiful blonde with sparkling blue eyes - smiled at the Oracle and giggled rather reassuringly.

"I'm sorry to have surprised you, but I thought now would be a good a time as any to say hello."

Nadine cocked her head to the side - still rather worried.

"H-hello.."

Nadine's hesitant greeting was instantly somewhat regretted as the woman wrapped her arms around the Oracle - which caused Nadine to squeak out in surprise once more.

"Well, aren't I just lucky! You're quite adorable, you know! I don't know if any other fairy could be so lucky as to have a bond with someone like you!"

Letting go of the shocked Oracle, the fairy continued smiling as she took hold of Nadine's hand instead.

"I am Whym, my Lady."

Nadine, in all her uncertainty, felt relaxed every time the woman spoke.

"Whym?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm a glimmerwing - a fairy if you will. It's only just begun, but you and I will probably have a nice like relationship. If everything works out, I will be your bonded companion!"

All this information just served to confuse Nadine, who suddenly felt rather hot, but that certainly wasn't because of the water.

"Y-you mean like a familiar."

"Yes, I suppose you could say something like that, though from what I know of typical familiars, they usually don't talk. I could be wrong on that. This whole familiar thing is not so familiar to me after all. Ha! I made a funny!"

Whym began giggling again - a flowing, musical sound that Nadine couldn't help but enjoy.

"Well…" Nadine started. "My name is Nadine. Certainly, I have never really dealt with familiars before either, and I thought the way familiar bonds worked was something altogether different."

Certainly, she thought things including a pact or a magical spell or something that was cast by the one wanting a familiar had to play a part. This was all rather strange and confusing.

Whym nodded. "Yes. I understand. Well, I don't understand, but I understand that you don't understand, and I don't understand either, so I guess we both understand each other. Understand?"

Nadine just stared.

Whym stuck her tongue out. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

A nervous swallow filled her throat as Jesgil undid the bandages around her arm once more, carefully looking them over. The scabs on them looked to have been almost healed, but still she was scared. Would they leave scars behind, permanently reminding her of what slept inside her consciousness? A fearful reminder on what fierce power sleeps within? Well, at the very least, she was not going to even try with how funny the air felt. Thick with mana that it affected other casters in the area, often tripping them up in what they were trying to do. Best be careful with it.

Getting the thoughts off her arm out of the way, Jesgil stripped the rest of the way down before covering herself up with a towel provided by the locals before entering the spring area, greeting by the hot water's mist and two entities: a human and a fairy, though the later looked it was not not exactly entirely there. "I hope I am not interrupting anything," Jesgil stated, announcing her presence before stepping forth to the spring and seeping in, a relaxing sigh escaping her lips. "These waters feel so good. It feels wrong not being outside these walls, helping the others with the conflict, but I would rather not try it with the current oddities."

As she spoke, a small, faint meow echoed behind her before the form started to collect shape. It was house cat. A large one at that with bright blue eyes and fluffy white and grey fur. Turning over to the guest, she watched it head over to the water's edge before pawing at it. While the cat was hollow-appearing, the water did ripple from its touch, as if it had the power to interact with this world. "And the oddities increase yet again," she chuckled off.

The spring was peaceful, but that tranquility would soon be disturbed by the appearance of a certain eccentric arcanist. In the middle of the hot spring, the water began to bubble rapidly as somebody floated to the surface. A face emerged from the steaming water, red as a beet with a hollow reed in her mouth. Who knows how long she had been down there? Wiping the condensation fogging up her goggles, she blinked before spitting the reed breathing-tube out. "Hot springs are the best~ They're even big enough for me to paddle around and kick without anybody else! Oh…" The small oni now realized that a few other people had arrived while she was mucking about on the hot spring's rock bed taking mineral samples. A small glass vial filled with water and sediments corked at the top floated up due to the cork's buoyancy. "That's where you went–almost thought I lost it down there!" She then tried to pick it up but quickly let go. "Ow ow ow!! Drat, the glass heated up and got too hot!" 

She then tried without much success to grab it by the cork, but her movements in the water kept pushing it around. "Hrmm…come on. Let me take you… Whew, is it just me or is it getting hot in here?" Myouga was feeling a little woozy, and fanned herself with her hands. For somebody her size, sitting in a hot spring for too long wasn't good. She'd better get this glass tube and take a breather before the heat made her pass out. "Aha! Success!" Triumphantly holding the vial by the cork, she raised it high into the air for all to see. Dog-paddling over to the side of the spring, she reached over to pull a wooden tray that had some miscellaneous things of hers. She had borrowed this from a friend of hers, and planned to give it back once she could use magic normally again. Inside the tray was a pile of her clothes, her hat, and some snacks wrapped in paper. 

Putting the vial down, she fished around pulling out things from the tray until she found what she wanted. With her towel at last, she came out and sat on the rocky ground in her bathing suit. It was more like a sleeveless shirt and shorts, but that was what she had outside of her regular stuff. The rest of her was still red as a lobster, and she laid flat on her back as she cooled down from soaking in hot water for too long. While she was resting, a strange chimeric creature the size of a large hare poked its head from the rocks. The weird silly sprites that had been flying around her had disappeared when she came to Sidhiel, but she wasn't upset. Maybe they were bored and went home. Unbeknownst to her, a new magical creature was now tailing after her. It had the body of a rabbit, antlers, and small bird wings. Sticking its nose into her pile of possessions, it stole one of her rice crackers and began stuffing its face.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-wha…?"

The sudden appearance of two other people and more unusually transparent and odd looking creatures sent Nadine's spring-soaked mind into a flustered frenzy.

"Uh… I… Uh… Ah… Ffffffmmm."

She hadn't expected others to be so close, or already here - nor did she expect them to just start speaking to her nonchalantly as if they had already known each other for some time. Not that she had any problems with meeting new people - she just had no idea how to respond to the sudden shift in her relaxing time. Suddenly very self-conscious of her naked except for a towel body, Nadine felt it was time to get out of the spring and cool off. She was feeling a little strange from the sudden company, and she was glad that her belongings were an arm's length away past the wet stone and ground.

Making sure that her bathing towel was wrapped tightly, though not too tightly - around her body, Nadine unsteadily rose out of the spring and took light steps towards her bags. Her silken robe was on top of the lot, and she grabbed the light purple garment and quickly wrapped it around herself - face beet red. She noticed Whym - rather unashamed of her body - lean forward against the edge of the spring - chin on her folded arms against the stone. She smiled warmly.

"My lady, do you not like meeting other people?"

Nadine shook her head. "N-no. It's not that. I just didn't expect to be set upon by anyone. In hindsight, I suppose that's silly since the springs here aren't exactly private so to speak."

Folding her hands over her belly, Nadine shifted her gaze towards the other two women who had shown up - she was quite happy that there were no men….. yet. She wouldn't be able to overcome the embarrassment of a situation such as THAT.

"S-sorry if my reaction was disheartening, but I honestly thought I was alone here."

Bowing her head slightly - too embarrassed to move herself too much - Nadine introduced herself.

"I am Nadine. I am something of a healer, I suppose. I might have something for heat exhaustion if either of you end up sick from being in the springs too long."

She tempered her embarrassment with a smile - hoping to calm herself down. It really was no big deal to meet people… she'd just only ever let one person see her au naturale before, and he was gone.

A blank stare came from Jesgil as bubbles began to rise from the center of the pool before what looked to be a young girl, bathed cooked like a lobster, arose from the center of the spring before trying to handle hot glass full of hot water while in hot water in a very comedic fashion. It was not meant to be a show, but it certainly was entertaining to watch, just like one of those plays where the actors hurt themselves on purpose. Slap stick, she thought they called it. Still, as entertaining as it was to watch, she could not help but be concerned with her condition. She could try and wave a mist of ice above her, but what if it came out as much more? And what of the temperature shock?

Though it seemed the shock of the sudden guest as well as her own arrival seemed to have triggered a sudden reaction with the third woman, who at the time, thought she was perfectly secluded before being met by a sudden squad, though it seemed the small pixie aimed to relax her a bit. At the very east she bowed to them to apologize for her rude action, but Jes was quick to wave it off. "Do not be too bothered about it," the Draconian replied back, standing up at the shore of the spring before returning a bow to her, one arm cupping her stomach while the other rested along her back. "The name is Jesgil. You can call me a traveling maid, helping those who look to be in need," she stated before returning to her proper stance. "As much as I would like to aid those with the lupin issue, I fear its affects on the magical world would tamper me as well."

As she spoke, the cat spirit stopped pawing at the water before letting out a small, "Mrew," before pushing onto her hind legs and pawing at Jesgil's leg, stealing her attention away. "You want to play, little one?" she asked, holding out a couple fingers as if to let her sniff them. The response, however, was the cat shoving her face into them.

"Oh…that's really neat! Um, sorry if I'm not as excited as I should–I think I soaked for too long. Blegh…." Having a small body and not the best physical constitution meant overheating did a number on her. She really should've been more careful. It was easy to get distracted when you were focusing on having fun. For once, Myouga was feeling regret. Feeling too warm and lethargic was terrible. She'd totally forgotten how bad she suffered in Ignius outside her house since she usually had plenty of cold snacks and ice to keep things comfortably cool indoors. The oni listlessly laid on her towel as her skin was gradually returning to its normal color.

This was why there were warnings and restrictions at hot springs regarding children. Their small bodies would heat up much quicker than adults, and they would be in danger of falling unconscious from heatstroke. Myouga was too uncomfortable to notice any discomfort or embarrassment the other ladies had. She was doing her best to speak in complete sentences at the moment.

One of them was a healer, and one of them was a maid. That was pretty swell, and she needed at least one of those right now. "Hey…do you have any melon juice…or…coconut water? Cold ginger ale…or lemonade is good too." Ahh, she really wanted something cool. Some shaved ice with extra helpings of boiled sweet mung beans drenched in syrup, or frozen fruit would be great. Whining to herself, she spread her arms out in hopes of letting the heat dissipate from her faster. The jackalope was now rifling through more of the arcanist's belongings, still not satisfied with the rice crackers. It pulled its head out from the pile with a mouthful of caramel, the paper wrapping sticking out from between its fuzzy lips. It returned to search for more edibles, finding what seemed like endless amounts of various treats and delicacies stowed away.

Just how much food did that little mage have stashed in her things? The rice crackers were expected, and the candy not unusual. But when it pulled out a partially pressed blueberry danish, that was when things were turning strange. Was there a portal to an entire bakery hidden in there? 

The taller of the two girls she just met called herself a traveling maid. Nadine put a finger to her lips out of curiosity.

"A traveling maid? What a curious, yet intriguing occupation. It certainly sounds adventurous."

A smile crossed her lips at the thought. She wasn't a maid, herself, but she certainly made her way in the world helping people in any way that she could - usually through healing, comfort, or preparation. She was quite happy with what she did in life. The smiles of those she assisted made it more than worth all the time spent traveling and worrying about this and that or something or another.

"I suppose you could say I more or less do the same thing, although no doubt with different parameters for expected duties. I suppose my life has been more or less dedicated to helping and supporting others."

She rests her hands on her belly - certainly, her life was always going to be spent caring for others one way or another. She wasn't sure how she'd manage, but the years ahead would be enjoyable nonetheless.

A smile on her lips once more, Nadine reaches out to Whym; the fairy woman smiled and took Nadine's hand happily. Her body seemed to magically wrap itself with clothing as she got out.

"Thank you, my Lady." In her current form, Whym was around the same height as Nadine - if slightly taller. She certainly had a very womanly figure - no doubt converse to her fey form. Her ears were pointed like an elf's, but a fair bit longer, though they were hidden for the most part under her long golden locks. "I hope your bath was not to harsh on you?"

Nadine shook her head - catching a glimpse of the shorter woman continuing to mess around. At least, that's how it looked at first glance, but apparently, the girl was rather uncomfortable and red. Sure enough, she asked for something cool to drink and Nadine stifled a giggle as she carefully bent down to look through her pack. As she rummaged through her belongings, Nadine eventually found the wooden box that held her foodstuffs. She pulled out a wooden gourd that had a short tube-like protrusion on the top with a stopper. Tugging on the stopper, Nadine offered the now-opened gourd to the smaller girl.

"Here's some water diluted with coconut water, as well. It won't be unbearably sweet because of the dilution, but it'll still be nice. It's still cold because of where it was in my bag. I drink quite a bit of it due to my current…. situation."

The oracle wasn't worried about sharing. She had plenty.

More than plenty.

"Sorry, but I don't exactly carry that on my person, and if I did, well…" She looked down at the simple towel that draped over her body before gazing back up with a nervous chuckle. Most of her stuff was packed away in storage where the dressing rooms were and she did not think having anything on hand would have been really necessary. Nadine, on the other hand, seemed ready and provided her with some coconut water, explaining she had it for her situation. Though her head tilted slightly in confusion, once she gazed down it made perfect sense.

Even though she had herself covered up, her stomach did not want to be hidden as it stuck out in front of them, and the moment she realized why, a gasp escaped her lips. "Oh, congratulations!" Jesgil exclaimed. "How much more do you have to go do you think?" To her, it was an innocent enough question, and the excitement of new life seemed to have pushed away any nervous thoughts.

After getting an answer, her gaze moved back to the red girl, watching her taking in the drink while the jackalope spirit was digging through her things. The thought of being careful washing out of her mind, her eyes closed as her tongue clicked, "Awaken, my blood, and grant me your frost, " in a draconic language, her ears shifting and morphing before them as more ridges and points took shape at the helix as it stretched and branched out, before finally holding a hand under her lips and blowing out a simple breeze, ice particles escaping her breath. The more she let flow, the more she let them rain on the smaller woman to help cool her off…

Unfortunately, the breath was quick to escalate with the flux and coat her in a shell of ice, almost freezing her solid, making Jesgil open her eyes to utter shock! "Oh dear! I am so sorry!" Panic was quick to dress over her expression as she pulled herself out of the water, towel and decency be damned at this point if things got uncovered as she hurried to the other's side. Her gazed washed over as she tried to solve the problem of thawing her out. She knew no fire magic, and even if she did, it would not help if she broiled her instead. As she did, though, a torch light finally blazed over her head, and in a mere moment, Jesgil grabbed the frozen woman before tossing her back into the hot bath to melt the ice away.

Ahh, sweet relief at last! "Thanks…" As the arcanist reached for the coconut water-filled bottle, a cold gust of wind came her way. With magic going haywire as is, that cool breeze ended up making Myouga flash-frozen! The greedy jackalope who had been busily going through an entire larder's worth of snacks suddenly stopped its munching and stared with ears alert and wings spread out in shock. The small oni had no time to think as she was put on ice. Well…at least she wasn't complaining about heatstroke anymore? The maid's quick thinking had the oni popsicle tossed back into the boiling waters of the spring, thawing her out in minutes. 

"C-cold cold cold…Hot hot hot!!!" Myouga exclaimed as she went from shivering to flailing, splashing above-warm water everywhere. Thankfully she wasn't thrown into the deep end, so she paddled to the side and crawled out like a sand crab. She wasn't red anymore thanks to the icy shock making her body temperature plummet, and the hot spring brought it back up again. But it made her feel queasy, and she got up to walk to the side behind some rocks…where the other two heard her empty the contents of her stomach. After she was done, she came back like nothing had happened. The jackalope was no longer concerned, and continued rifling through her things. "Whew…I feel better already." Now bright-eyed and awake, Myouga turned to get a better look at the other two. One had pretty reddish hair and was really tall, while the other one was very round with shiny blond hair. There was even a fairy too, when she gave the area another look around.

"Thanks for your help! I dunno who froze me, but good thing we're right next to a hot spring huh?" A silly grin spread across her face as she smiled at the three. All's well that ends well, according to how Myouga saw it. While most people would be upset over being turned into an ice sculpture then haphazardly thawed out immediately–to her it was perfectly acceptable. She'd totally do that if she had to cool somebody down too. "Hello! I am the great and magnificent Myouga! Though…not today. The rabbit's making it hard for me to express my greatness and I only want explosions to happen when I decide to, not the other way around."