Myouga was relieved that the girl wanted to come along. For a moment there she had thought she'd scare her away with her enthusiasm. People tended to start smiling politely and slowly walk backwards or attempt to imply that they had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. "Crowds aren't so bad, as long as nobody's out to take your purse. I've never been somebody for dancing either, so that's one thing we have in common! Usually when I attend parties I go there for the food." The arcanist conveniently omitted the part that she would go whether she was invited or not, just for a chance to sample the buffet. After all, somebody had to eat the food prepared–it would be a shame to let such things go to waste. The rich were notorious for their lack of consideration of their wanton excess, having more than they needed and letting it rot than give it to those who wouldn't mind the blemishes on the fruit or the less appealing cuts of meat. It wasn't like she went to parties to fill only her own stomach. Once she had successfully smuggled several pastries, sausages, pieces of cheese, and fruit in a couple of trips from some lord's anniversary banquet. The anniversary in question was his pet cat's, and he had made a grand affair just for the sake of a sour-faced feline. She had been working on a spell that would create a portal that would connect her pockets to a set location that would receive the things she stuff into them, so she could stow away more food without arousing suspicion. She called it, the 'pocket dimension' and it would be perfect to send things to another location without having to go through a courier service and risk it getting lost or damaged. It still had a few kinks that needed working out before it could be considered reliable enough for use.

The girl called 'Princess' asked her name, which was long overdue for an introduction. "Hm, me? I'm a professor at the Mage's Academy in Iria–Myouga Ryou! Bet you never heard of me before, huh? Or maybe you have, I dunno. If you were a student there you probably have. I'm kinda famous you know!" More like infamous, but she never bothered with trivial details. She did a little dance of joy when Princess decided she wanted to try out the springs right now. "Oh, perfect! But I can't just let you waltz into the jungle with your skin exposed. Those mosquitoes and bugs will have a field day once they smell you. And lucky for you, I happen to be a certified expert in getting to places in a short amount of time!" With a wave of her hands, a swirling portal appeared. The lights showed the view of a place in the tropical jungle before a waterfall and several steaming pools surrounded by vibrant foliage and flowers. "Aren't portals great? You can go anywhere you want in ten seconds or less! And for someone like me making as many as I want won't isn't a problem." She waited for her new friend to go through first, as she had planned to buy a basket of flowers to use in the hot springs before rejoining her. For a normal person it would be a long hike from the village to the spot where the thermal springs were, but with portals at her disposal that would only take a few minutes.

- True, majority of food from most parties is wasted right after. Personally, I would give the "leftovers" to the peasants, however it wouldn't have any logical sense. They would have to eat right after the party, since such prepared food tend to rot in a day or two. Instead, I just let my cooks know to make half of food that is planned to be made. Well, that;s when I was a princess of the land… Anyway, there still have been some leftovers, but still a lot less than from normal parties. That means less ingredients, what means less money spent on preparing parties, what gives us more money to spend on more important things like improvement of fields, or running up better equipment for soldiers. - And now let's name it  "How to success as Princess 101" and sell it around the world. You know, for money - what means better army, right?
Blue haired girl was walking and talking in the same time, still looking back at her companion. Even if slowly, she moved - Step by step, towards the shadow of tropical forest. Her back already started to hurt - sun was making sure that Lilith won't have a pleasurable day on beach, like, never. Unless she would come at night - What wasn't the worst idea probably. Gentle waves stroking the white sand of beach, soft breeze cooling down whole place, beautiful moon above, shining with it's silver plate…

- So you take dishes from parties with usage of magic? Another point towards not liking mages. I may or may not know you, I'm not an enlighten person after all. I like to read during travels, but… I don't think this form of knowledge could compare to yours, Dear Iria. But, who knows, perhaps I pose other useful things as a hunter.  - She chuckled quietly, eventually endings under one of the trees. She was tired as never, and walking towards a waterfall… thorough that whole jungle… once again…
And then, a portal opened up in front of her. She looked into it with blank stare, keeping quiet for a while.
- I'm not going through it. No way. I shall die bitten by giant mosquito and my dead body shall be food for the trees, but there's no way I will go with teleports. Nope. - And she walked aside, keeping away from that… thing, still keeping her blank stare.

"Well I don't use magic to take the food. I just use it to make it easier to take more in less time. I mean people would notice if a gaping vortex suddenly began sucking up the dishes like a living vacuum. Then I'd get banned, which would be a bad thing because I like crashing parties an'd getting free food." Myouga liked the way this girl thought. Practical and sensible, and efficient too. If all the nobles in the world were like that, then people would have to worry less about corruption and more about whether or not militant factions would be pulling territorial disputes. Most rulers did not like the idea of another group having a standing force large enough to rival their own, and that's when heads started rolling. Good thing she lived in a place where they had one person from every level of the social strata instead of a royal house in charge. Nisshoki was the best place in the world, and Myouga was proud to be a citizen.

Myouga found the girl's vehement refusal to use magical conveniences like portals to be puzzling. She wasn't one of those types that screamed 'witchcraft' when things happened and she couldn't understand them, was she? "Uh…so you don't want to use the portal? I mean…sure you can walk there but it'll take hours and you'll get lost. And I'm not really sure if you understand how mosquito bites work. You normally don't die from just getting bitten, it's the diseases and parasites they give you when they bite you that's the problem. There's some pretty awful blood-borne diseases you can pick up from insects…especially if you aren't from the area. There's stuff that can make your skin break out into boils that itch and bleed when you scratch, terrible fevers that give you the chills until you die from dehydration, diarrhea, nausea, jaundice, leprosy, worms that grow inside your stomach and leech your blood from the inside…just to name a few. It's not gonna be a quick death, trust me. And if you die, I can't resurrect your corpse."

Even for a mage like her, she knew the basics of  jungle safety. Always tuck in your trouser legs into your boots and seal them tight to prevent fleas, ticks, and leeches from getting at you. Don't touch brightly colored animals or plants, they're likely lethally poisonous. Don't drink water without boiling it first. Use a stick to make sure you don't accidentally grab a snake instead of a vine. Don't swim in the water, or you'll probably die from snakes or flesh-eating fish, and many other things. "Hey, why are you so scared of using portals? I'm not gonna pull a fast one on you and send you into the volcano if that's what your worried about." Maybe she would figure out why the girl was so adamant on taking the hard way around when she had a shortcut right in front of her.

- I know how to survive in such environments, trust me. I may look like a Complete dumb pile of skin and bones, but I can handlu myself just fine. And I know how the mosquitos works, it was form of metaphore… Giant ones live for away from there after all. - She said, turning around to the girl once again. She gently started to clean her sword from sand with her Glove, making sure to noc cut herself. - Look, few hours ago I was hanging out with a sorcress called Natalii de la Flame. And guess what, she asked me if I couldn't help her with a simple teleportation spell. She said She will throw me at the second end of the field, hundred meters away. And just look where I am - At the sunny beach of volcano Island. Believe me or not, this is DEFINETLY not one hundred meters.away from my starting position. - She left a soft sigh, putting her sword in the leather scabbard, strapped on.her belt.- I believe this will work, and I don't want to be rude or anything, but… Ugh… - She rubbed back of her head gently. It was causing pain actually, her muscles were painful to move around in any way, not even taking about such stretching. She was a bit embarrassed to be honest, and the mage proffesor girl could tell that pretty well from her actions. - I just don't want to end up in some random place once again. I'm pretty Lucky to meet a girl like you after what I have passed. I will call that a reward for my troubles. Just… I'm not really sure if I should trust magic things like this… It never liked me, and I never liked magic. Are you sure that I will end next to a waterfall, not on the other end of the world?

Listening to the girl's explanation for her distrust of the portal, Myouga winced. "Oh…that's awful. First of all, never ever agree to volunteer for an experiment when it comes to teleportation–especially from a novice. Where I teach you don't start by teleporting people, you start with inanimate objects. Teleportation is a very precise art, and it's not the same as magically flinging something. You need to know exactly where you plan to teleport yourself or something else, and have a good level of finesse and control over your magic. If you don't, you get accidents where people have been found suffocated inside walls or two people fused together to the point where it's nearly impossible to separate them. You're very, very lucky that you landed here instead of the ocean with all of your parts accounted for."

Hearing the girl's doubts, she addressed them accordingly. "This here portal isn't just some random hole that spits you out somewhere random. It's a door through space and distance. And like a regular door, once you go through you arrive at a specific place. How this works is that I imagine a place I have been to before, and I make a 'door' that lets me arrive there when I walk through. I know where I'll be going once I pass through the door, and the door only closes it when I want to close it. If you're still not keen on entering, I'll prove it to you." Myouga entered through the portal, and could be seen on the other side. She was standing in front of the steaming pools of water and waved. The portal stayed stable even though she wasn't on the same side as before, and she came back through with a flower in her hand. "See? Just like a door. I've been doing this for years. There's no way I'd be able to be a professor at the Mage's Academy if I couldn't pull off simple spells reliably." 

- It's not like I'm going to even TRY magic by myself. And I can tell you it's already too late to listen to your words - actually, since you tell me about it, it's already too late. I wouldn't meet you other way… However I think that meeting you is a good omen. Hey, I'm not dead on the beach thanks to you, my Dear. - She looked once again at the portal entrance, unsure if she should use it or not. Well, Iria was quite convincing person, not that Princess was hard to convince into anything when you was nice towards her. Oh well, such type of person after all.
- Peeeeeerhaps it's a door, but tell you what, travelling through space and space or whatever you call that isn't my thing. Hey, it's time after all, messing up with time is a bad thing, isn't it? And what if I will end up as nineteen years old lady with a rusty sword after passing it? And why y– Hey! Don't pass it when I'm talking! - Princess looked at the space outside the portal, scratching back of her head. Well, the girl behind it seemed to be quite fine actually… Oh well. She left a hard sight, strapping her belt a bit harder, like it could change anything. Well, Blue felt a bit more confident about passing the strange portal thanks to that, so it actually worked.

One quick move, long step or even a jump - and Princess was on the other side. Sound of the waterfall has somewhat surprised her, as she looked around in confusion. She was in hella lot different place now - there was no sand, no sea, only gentle moves of leaves above her. She looked back at her new companion, squinting her eyes gently.
- Point for you, sorceress. Point for you.

"Well?" Myouga grinned, looking at the girl who had doubted her moments ago. "What'd I tell you? See, totally fine. If you don't believe me, check your weapon and see if anything's changed." It was oh so satisfying to see the look of amazement and surprise when people realized she actually knew what she was doing. To be fair, it was their fault for setting their expectations so low. "Like I said, I'm a professional! I'd bet my tenured position as a professor on it!" Pleased at how things had progressed, she closed the portal and opened a new one, this one inside the village. "Be right back, I'm going to get the flowers for the hot spring bath! Take your time~" With a wink and a grin, she disappeared through and Blue was now alone. Myouga didn't want to risk having an animal pass through her portal into the village or vice versa, so she was quick to close it behind her. 

She had conveniently sent herself in front of the market place, and she strode down the stalls until she found what she was looking for. Paying the merchant, she thanked him in the local language and reemerged through a portal in front of the hot spring pools a few minutes later. Holding a large woven basket above her head, it was brimming with delicate flowers of all colors and shapes. She then threw it into the water, basket and all.

Princess did draw her sword, now weighting it in her hand and inspecting carefully as Iris suggested. Nothing happened with it, however Blue wasn't looking liked convinced about all of those teleports and portals. She sighed, now letting her blade rest once more in leather.
- Maybe it does work, but I still don't trust this sort of magic. I don't trust magic at all, but that's the other thing. Now, come back safe. - She waved gently towards her new friend, as she disappeared behind the circle of another portal. One second later there was only memory from that entrance, and Princess was all alone once again. Well, maybe except for a bug life that was surrounding her from all directions. And birds singing quietly up above the green trees. And maybe an eventual animal passing behind the visible part of jungle.
Actually, Blue looked around once again - she wanted to take a good look at her surroundings. So yes, hot springs - Big natural bath in the middle of volcano island. That actually explains why such place is a thing, after all magma was quite… close to the surface. Green jungle was the main thing that was visible - however, there was a bit of free space around the water surface. tall tropical trees were giving a really nice shadow over the clean blue, gently bubbling water. Blue-haired girl walked a bit closer to the surface of water, crouching nearby. She already took off rest of her clothes, now those were laying pitted on nearby stone. Wearing nothing but her undergarments - and a knife strapped to right leg - she let her left hand slide down into the hot water, deeper and deeper… eventually she would touch the bottom, her arm surrounded by water nearly to her shoulder as she was bending over the hot bath. Seems like a good depth to just sit and relax. When was the last time when she have done such thing?
Not wasting any more time, she sat on the stone edge, eventually letting herself fall into the liquid of life. She let the water reach her belly, then chest, shoulders… eventually ending on her neck. Her body relaxed a little already, even if she still felt pain from her jungle trip. She closed her eyes…

And then Myouga arrived once again, dropping a whole basket of flowers into the hot spring. A smell of exotic flowers started to fill up the air, together with gentle mist  right above the ground. Princess looked back at her friend, smiling gently.
- Shall I look away for now?

"Gimme a second." Myouga took off her clothes starting with her cloak and hat, then her dress, and finally her slippers and trousers. Underneath she had a cotton smock and a pair of white breeches, all in white. With her clothes now off, she leaped into the hot spring causing a splash. "Ahh it's sooo warm!" Using her hands she scooped a handful of flowers and tossed them about, making a shower of petals over her area. The water's warmth was nice and toasty like the underside of a kotatsu, and she let herself float to the water's surface as if she were in a pool. It was just like the smaller heated pools in the bath houses, sans the flowers. And unlike the bath houses, you couldn't bring your own shampoo or bathing products or else you'd taint the water.

After spending a few minutes soaking in the heat, she puttered around in the hot spring using the woven basket to scoop up the spring's contents and let it drip down in a downpour through the basket's weave. She then started to sing an Ataiyan song about summer rainy days, her cheerful voice standing out against the twittering ambient noises of the jungle. Once she was done, she climbed out of the spring to rest on the rocks around. "Whew, I can't stay in the water for too long. I'll get too warm, and then get sleepy." It was one of the few downsides of being who she was. Her small stature and build meant she had to spent only ten minute intervals in hot springs at a time to avoid the risk of her body temperature rising too high. Other kids soon grew out of it once they were adults, but she was a special case. Sure it wasn't fair, but she'd rather not make her parents worry about her suffering from hyperthermia and heat exhaustion. As she let herself cool down, she dipped her feet into the water and used her toes to move floating flowers around, creating ripples.

Princess raised her arm up in defensive stance, covering her face from water coming from Myouga's jump. She gave off a small laugh, eventually moving her fingers apart to look at her swimming friend. She found her action somewhat irresponsible, however.
- You do know that jumping into water like this is not really a smart idea, don't you? - She started, letting her hand drown into the water once again. She had a calm look, and even calmer appearance - but a little curve on side of her lips showed off that she was enjoying the natural bath. And the flowers! Really nice thing to sit in, let's be honest. - About year ago, I had a bunch of soldiers under my lead. Youngsters, just like me right now. - She closed her eyes, as she add a bit of dramatic tone into her voice. - After a whole day of constant march you don't really think about anything but some rest, not talking about such luxury as bath. However, we decided to set up a camp alongside the lake. As you can guess, I let my subordinates to swim a little. - She paused for a longer while. Her head slowly moved back, as she let it rest on the stone behind her. Pause in such place had a really dramatic, and it could be a sign that Princess knew how to hold her listeners in uncertainty. Not that she like to talk much, anyway.
- It didn't took long for a bad thing to happen. You know, water is a dangerous place, and you may never know if depth of it is a foot, or twenty. A group's apothecary named Jack decided to jump into the water without checking it first. Lucky for him, he just broke his leg - but who knows what could happen if the cliff wouldn't be just a half meter in height.
She raised her head again, now seeing her companion sitting on stones. She nodded gently in response to her comment, now looking back at the petals that started to surround her petite chest. she picked up a bunch of them, water pouring between her fingers as she lifted her hand up a little.
- You won't have anything against me sitting in the bath for some time, then? I kind of don't want to get out… So warm there…