Bring Your Imp to Hot Springs Day

It was late. A lot of the shops Ari passed had already closed for the night, and the lack of artificial light meant the glow of the nearby crystals and bioluminescent plants stood out all the more. A cool breeze ruffled his fur, and Ari pulled his Angora-inspired scarf closer around his neck. 

More specifically, he pulled the hot pink faux fur tighter around the imp draped over his shoulders and hiding from the brisk night air.

He’d only found her - did imps have genders? At the very least, this one acted like a lady of high society, so Ari treated her as such - a few days ago. The club he worked at had been using sparklers as photo props all month as a homage to Mochi Moon, and since the month was almost over, Ari had been sent home with extras. He’d lit one up walking home the other night, and the crackling pink light had drawn the attention of a type of imp he’d never seen before. It looked like a Sceil, but with four legs and a set of wings as well. It had hesitantly moved closer to him, eyes seeming to flicker between him and the sparkler, until it was close enough to touch. They had stood in silence together, watching the sparkler glow until it flickered out. “I’ve got more in my bag that I’ll share with you, but I want to get home. Coming?” Ari was surprised to see that the imp had seemed to understand him perfectly, as it had jumped up onto said bag, curled the lower half of its body securely around the strap, and let Ari carry it home. He’d kept his promise, and lit another sparkler to light their way.

The next morning, Ari had brought it - her, Miira - to the Imporium to get an expert opinion. Hutch was excited to see her up close. A ‘Ryudra’, they’d called her. Apparently this type of imp had started showing up only recently, as if the energy of this year’s Mochi Moon festivities had specifically pulled them into existence. Hutch had offered to take her off of Ari’s hands. Had offered him carats, even. But in the few short hours that Miira had been in his home, Ari saw her display obvious intelligence, and the way she nested in his jewelry box showed him that she was a kindred spirit when it came to having good taste in accessories. 

Ari pulled himself out of his reminiscence as he realized that he’d arrived at their destination. 

On colder nights, Miira had abandoned the metal and gems that made up her usual bed and crawled over to Ari, curling up beside him and not settling until he made sure she was warm. He hadn’t realized that imps could even feel the cold, but Miira definitely preferred to be cozy. So, in the spirit of the season, Ari had decided to bring her with him to a hot spring. 

The entrances for this particular cluster of springs were clearly marked, and it was obvious which way he was supposed to go; up the small bun-sized stairs, and not through the large walkway that succubuns in their doll forms were using. Miira grumbled in annoyance as Ari exchanged her fluffy pink hiding spot for a simple white towel. “Shush. In a few minutes you’ll be thanking me.” Leaving his belongings behind in one of the baskets that had been readily provided, Ari continued his way up the staircase. It led to a collection of small pools that were very obviously made to serve bun forms specifically, elevated above the few larger pools filled with doll forms in varying levels of modesty. 

Not for the first time that week - and, with the wide selection of eye-candy in front of him now, likely not for the last time that night - Ari mentally lamented about his lack of talent for shape-shifting. His gaze flickered to a bun who's doll form was just his type as they stepped into the pool. Well, when I’ve finally mastered my doll form, I definitely won’t be bringing Miira with me to a place like this, that’s for sure.

Ari chuckled softly, putting his Ryudra-occupied towel down on a nearby pile and delicately extracting Miira from its folds. He quickly surveyed the bun-pools before choosing one that only had one other bun in it. As he got closer, he realized that this bun had brought their Loafki, which was gently bapping at the water with one of its paws. It chirruped and hid behind its owner’s ear as Ari approached. The other bun opened their mouth to apologize, but Ari flashed them a charming smile and held up his precious cargo. “May we?” At their nod, Ari gently stepped into the pool, still holding Miira safely above the water. 

“Look, it’s like the bath at home, but it’s never going to get cold.” Miira leaned down and sniffed delicately at the water, then reached her foot down as a tester. Then, apparently satisfied, she slipped out of Ari’s arms and began gracefully paddling around the pool. After a minute or so, the other bun’s Loafki came out of its hiding place and came as close to the edge of the pool as it could without going in, touching noses with Miira when she swam over. 

The other bun had placed a warm towel over their eyes and seemed to be content to almost-nap, but Ari found himself watching fondly as Miira dove, twisted, and splashed in the steaming waters, her disgust with the cold night air forgotten for the moment. She came over to nuzzle against the fur on his chest before swimming off again, and Ari realized suddenly that he had decided that he was keeping her. He could envision the sarcastic look his best friend was going to give him when Ari told him… As well as the soft relief that would come with knowing that his haughty socialite of a littermate would no longer be alone on nights he wasn’t working. 

And maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.