Cyberpunk:The Lone Wolf

Hot Springs

As they wake up the next day, Ronin goes to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Ronin's making some simple hotcakes and some tea as Sarah walks out into the kitchen. She's wearing one of Ronin's t-shirts as a night shirt and is looking at him with a smile. Sarah: Morning, Ronin. What's for breakfast? She walks up behind him and hugs him around the waist. I don't really know, I thought I'd try something new. - he replies Sarah: Well, the hotcakes and tea look great, thank you. But is that the only thing we're having? Maybe you could have a taste of something else for breakfast.... like me. - She says, her tone sounding vaguely seductive. Well, I may. But that will be after we get back from the hot springs. - he says. The two of them both smile and laugh. Sarah: Oh, I'm counting on it. Sarah leans in to kiss Ronin on the cheek and then walks off towards the bathroom to get ready for the hot springs. Ronin: Well, that's my cue to get ready as well. But before that... Hey everyone! get down here! breakfast is ready! - he says as he puts plates of food in the dining room. Alt, Lucy, and Sarah all walk down to the dining room to have breakfast with Ronin. Alt: Oh, hotcakes and tea? Nice. Thank you for the food, Ronin. Lucy: Yeah, thanks. I'm starving. Sarah: Hotcakes for breakfast? You really are a skilled cook and I'm excited to find out what your other skills are. - she says, giggling. She gives him a teasing look.Well, technically they still are pancakes, but they taste much better - he says as he takes a second pancake and eats it. Ronin continues to eat his food as the others are also getting started on their food. Alt takes a bite out of her pancake and looks at Ronin. Alt: Mmm, these taste really good. Sarah: Yeah, they taste surprisingly delicious. Thank you for making this for us, Ronin. They all continue eating their pancakes and also start drinking their tea. Lucy and Sarah continue with their teasing of Ronin as they eat. Well, I guess it's our clue to get ready to head out. Get your swimsuits ready, I'll wait in the car - he says as he finishes his food They all get up and clean up after themselves before heading to their room to get changed into their swimsuits. They all then come back down to meet up with Ronin who is waiting for them in the car. Alt: Alright, let's go. Lucy: Yeah, I can't wait to relax at this hot spring. Sarah: I'm super excited. I think I need something to relax after everything we've been through so far. They all climb into the car and the journey begins. after a while, they arrive at the hot springs. They enter and change in the locker rooms. They they head out to the hot springs area. They all change into their swimsuits and head over to the hot springs area. As they approach, they can already see the hot springs. It's a natural spring surrounded by a mountain, with a rocky wall in the background. The water is sparkling and refreshing, steaming up from the hot spring. Alt: Wow, this place is absolutely amazing, Ronin. What a great spot. Lucy: Yeah, I could definitely use this after everything we went through yesterday. Sarah: I know, this will really help me relax. I'm excited to try it out. Considering that I own this hot springs area, I'd say that it is indeed a great spot. It even has saunas - he says. They all look at Ronin with a smile, surprised and impressed that he owns the whole area. Alt: You own the whole area? That's so cool. Lucy: Man, you really are like the main character in this city. It's so awesome. Sarah: Woah, that's incredible, Ronin. You never cease to amaze me with your connections. They all look around the area, taking in all the scenery. Sarah: This place is definitely perfect for relaxing and unwinding. They all chill out in the hot springs for some time, until at some point, Ronin gets a call from one of his guards. Ronin: Hello? What is it? Guard: Uh, sir, I have bad news: We just got word that the Tiger Claws have started gathering up troops within Japantown. Ronin: What? When did they start getting together? Guard: Apparently as soon as the sun was rising. They seem to be gathering up in force. Ronin: Is there any word on what they're planning to do? Guard: We're not sure yet, sir, but this doesn't look good at all. Send someone to check it out. If it's serious call me. - he says. Guard: Yes, sir. We'll send someone right away. The guard hangs up and Ronin puts his phone down. Ronin: Huh. Looks like the Tiger Claws are up to something serious and it could mean trouble. Alt: You're right. Let's get ready to get out of here. Lucy: What do you think the Claws could be planning? Sarah: Hmmm, maybe they're planning a takeover or something of that nature. Hold up - Ronin says as he checks his cyberdeck. They're coming here. So, shall we ambush them? - he says. Alt: You're right. If they're already on their way here, then we should get the jump on them. Sarah: We don't know how many we're going to be fighting, so we have to be careful. But we should definitely try and surprise them first. Lucy: I've got a really bad feeling about this. I think we should do what Ronin says and try and stop them first. The best offense is a good defense, right? They'll be here in five minutes, so grab every gear you need and go to your positions. We'll take as many as we can. - he says. They all nod and start gathering their gear. Alt takes her shotgun, Sarah straps on her pistol, and Lucy takes the sniper rifle. Ronin: Let's do this. They all get into position to surprise the Tiger Claws when they arrive. As couple of minutes later the tiger claws arrive and enter the hot springs area. Search for those motherfuckers! They have to be here somewhere - one of the tiger claws says - We ain't getting paid for just scouting. Wait for my signal - Ronin says. Now! - he says as most of the Tiger claws get killed by the snipers. Now, It's time to take care of the rest - he adds. Let's go! The Tiger Claws are shocked and confused by everything that's happening as the attack begins. They try and shoot back, but the snipers are too good and the hot springs offer little cover for the Tiger Claws. Sarah: These Tiger Claws are really putting up a fight. Alt: Yeah, they definitely have some really good training. But, we won't let them get away easily. Lucy: We need to keep taking them out, one by one. They start taking down the rest of the Tiger Claws with precision and speed. As they get to the last Tiger claw, Ronin quickly disarms him and says: Now, if you want to live, tell me who sent you. The Tyger Claw tries to be as intimidating as he can be. Tyger Claw: Why should I tell you anything? I ain't talking. Sarah: Yeah, you're gonna talk, pal. The sooner you give up the information, the sooner we let you live. Alt: C'mon, don't try and act tough. Tell us what we want to know. The Tyger Claw remains silent and looks defiant. Sarah: Well? Do we gotta force this information out of you? Or will you cooperate? Ronin: Oh, I see you have a family of four. Now, You wouldn't wanna see me slice their throats on your very own eyes, do you? I will spare them if you tell me who sent ya. - he says with a threatening tone. Tyger Claw: ... The Tyger Claw is stunned by Ronin's threat and doesn't say anything at first. After a moment, he decides to speak up. Tyger Claw: I... uh, I can't tell you anything, man. I'll never rat on the Tyger Claws. Sarah: He ain't talking. I guess we have to force this information from him. Alt: Yeah, he sure is being stubborn. Lucy: We're going to have to break him if we want to find out who he's working for. Well, Guess we have to do it raw. - Ronin says as he connects to the tyger claws cyberdeck and finds the info. There! We got it. It turns out that tyger claws had a hit on us by a guy named Gold digger. It seems that he's famous in this. Surprisingly, he never failed any hit. Well, I guess that this will be the first one. - he says as he disconnects from the tyger claws cyberdeck and shoots him in the head. Well, I guess we can stay for a bit in the hot springs before we go get him. After all it's the reason we are here in the first place. Alt, Lucy, and Sarah are all relieved that they now have the info and know who's trying to kill them, but they are all a bit surprised by Ronin's quick execution of the Tyger Claw. Alt: Holy cow, that was quick. Sarah: I was expecting there to be a long, painful torture session, but... Alt: But you just took him out, no hesitation. They all look at each other for a moment. Alt: So, I guess we're still relaxing here then? Yup we are. You guys go ahead, I have to make a call. I'll join you in a bit. - he says. Lucy: Alright, we'll wait for you, Ronin. You go ahead and do what you need to do. Alt: Yeah, just take your time. We'll just try and relax while you're gone. They all stay in the hot springs and lean back, relaxing in the warm water as they wait for Ronin. Ronin now calls his guards. Make sure nobody leaves or enters until I say so, got it? - he says. Yup, loud and clear - The guard replies. Great. - Ronin says as he hangs up the call and heads to the hot springs to join the girls. Ronin enters the hot springs and sits down next to the other women. Alt: Hey, Ronin, you're back. Sarah: Glad you could join us, we were all beginning to wonder where you went. Lucy: Did you have a call to make for work? Nah, just a call to security to keep this place locked - he says. We don't want any clients in here. Especially after the shootout. - he says. They all nod along. Alt: Yeah, that's a good idea. We don't want anyone walking in on us. Sarah: Especially since we're not wearing anything but our swimsuits. Alt: Yeah, we don't want a bunch of random people seeing us like this. Sarah: That'd be so awkward.They all just stare straight ahead, embarrassed and a bit nervous that their swimsuits might be seen by others. In fact, they don't even move much, staying perfectly still. Well, I'll go to the saunas now. If you want you can join me - he says as he heads out to the saunas. Alt: You know, now that you mention it, a sauna actually sounds like a great idea after all that excitement. Sarah: Yeah, that would feel awesome to relax with some hot steam after what we've all been through. Lucy: I'm in too. Count me in for some sauna fun. They all get up and follow Ronin over to the sauna.  This is probably my favorite sauna - he says as he enters the sauna. As he enters, the sauna is filled with steam from the water. The benches are made out of special tiles, so it won't be a problem. Alt: Wow, this place is nice. They all go over and find a spot to sit down on the benches. The bench is indeed comfortable, like you said it would be. The steam fills the sauna and covers their faces for the most part. Lucy: Whoa, it's so steamy in here. I can barely see anything. Sarah: This place is amazing. Alt starts to laugh just a bit, covering her mouth with the towel. It's definitely quite hot and humid in the sauna. If you're feeling too hot, there are some showers you can use to cool yourself down. It activates on pull, so you can just take it and cool yourself down if you want - he says. Alt: Thanks for the advice, Ronin. I think I'll head over there right now and cool down. Sarah: Yeah, I could go for a quick cool down, I'm starting to get uncomfortable here. Lucy: Same here. I'll cool down real quick and then I can be back in here with you all. They all head over to the shower area to cool off a bit. Then after a few minutes, they come back into the sauna but this time they're all less sweaty and less flushed. Well, we have all the time in the world to relax. - he says as he lays back on the bench. Sarah: Yeah, this really does feel like the perfect spot to relax after going through everything we did earlier. Alt: Just sitting here and enjoying this steam is something I could get used to. Lucy: Same here. Why do you love coming here anyways, Ronin? You just seem so familiar with this area. Well, it's pretty quiet in here. Even if the place is full of clients. I usually come here after hard jobs to relax and forget about the world and all of it's problem for a while. - he replies. Sarah: That's interesting, you seem like the person who wouldn't just chill and relax all that much. Especially not after finishing a hard mission. Lucy: So you just like to come here and forget the world? Just forget all that danger and stress you deal with?Alt: That really doesn't sound like what I'd expect from you, Ronin. That's the point. No one even suspects that I have a softer side. Everyone thinks that I'm a ruthless edgerunners living from job to job, and to be honest, I really don't want it to change. - he says Sarah: I guess that makes sense. Although, I do think that it's good to have a nice balance of the ruthless mercenary that everyone thinks you are and the soft-hearted, empathetic person that you are. Lucy: Even though everyone thinks you're some kind of stone-cold killer with no regard for anything, you just want peace and quiet after missions. And, that's okay. Alt: Yeah, you want to just put it all behind you and relax after a hard mission and that's completely fine. Just don't let the stress get to you. Now, let us relax and enjoy the day while we still can - he says. Sarah: Yeah, let's do that. Alt: You know, you really don't seem that much like the scary edgerunner that the rest of the world thinks you are. Lucy: You just act so casual and relaxed, like you have nothing to worry about. They all lean back, getting comfortable as the steam rises up from the water. They start to relax and feel at ease. After few hours of enjoying the hot springs, they decided to head back home and get ready or the next day's mission. They all get out of the sauna and dry off before heading back to their room, feeling refreshed after the relaxing time. They decide to get to bed early so that they can be well-rested for the next day's mission. They all crawl into bed and quickly fall asleep.