Private Finished They say we are who we are, but we don't have to be.

It was finally here. The opening night of Yoka's Yokoso Onsen and Ryokan.

After months of work and planning, a few disastrous tests, and a lovely weekend for a soft opening, the Hotel and Spa was finally open for business. To celebrate, Yoka was having something of an open house. The entire garden was decorated in paper lanterns and faerie lights. There were stations with fresh fruit, infused waters, and light fanfare.

Several people from the city took advantage of the shuttle service to arrive, and though the was a slight semblance of formality to the event in the quality and serving of the food and the music being played by a small classical group, the entire atmosphere was relaxed.

Yoka herself was dressed in a yukata with her hair pulled up in a braid that looked more elaborate than it actually was. Her feet were bare save for some ankle bracelets and rings on her toes. She was chatting with the people who came by to visit the location, explaining the services, offering tours and drinks, and the entire while she was letting herself enjoy this.

She was taking a break and went to grab another sparkling water when she noticed someone she hadn't spoken to yet.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked the guest.



ooc: if you'd rather a different opening, feel free to have her talking to a random NPC or something if this doesn't work. Let me know and im happy to make any edits!


@Ashes

“Thank you,” Yoka said. She didn’t recognize the person she was speaking to but that wasn’t exactly unexpected for Yoka. There were many people she knew by name, not appearances, and then there were many people whose appearance could change every afternoon. Plus, this event was open to all.

“The goal was relaxation and just being,” Yoka explained, motioning to the floating lights. “I am not sure how long you’ve been on the island, but I find it can be quite busy here sometimes. Busy isn’t quite the word I want, but perhaps you can understand what I mean. With such magic and wonder and excitement, I think it is easy to forget how beautiful just the simple things can be.”

With this, Yoka picked up one of the small plates from the table and popped a strawberry into her mouth. The fruit was as red as her lips.

She offered her hand out to the woman.

“I am called Yoka,” she introduced herself. “It is a pleasure to have you at my event.”

Though the wording was a little rough, Yoka laughed. She knew exactly what the young woman meant. She also found that she could relate very easily to the just being part.

"I'm not much one for sitting still myself," Yoka admitted. "Meditation is great, but so is dancing, or gardening, and I do not see why the two can't be combined."

She took another moment to steal a glance at the young woman. She was beautiful. lithe. mysterious. A name like R and a promise of death.

Yoka liked her.

She laughed again, the corners of her lips twitching upwards into an easy grin like a shark.

"I can assure you that I am quite hard to kill," Yoka said. She tapped her own head. "It's all my stubbornness. But no need to worry, R, i'm satisfied with something other than hot stuff to call you. You'd think on a magical island you wouldn't have to worry about cat calling, but it still exists, and sometimes from actual cats."

Since she said she had only been on the island for a few months, Yoka made a guess then, "Are you a student at the academy? Or just moving here for the atmosphere?"

She didn't meant that in a sarcastic way. Many people did come here to be at home with their abilities.

Yoka was surprised that she could relate so easily. She took a sip of her drink, which for all intents and purposes looked like and smelled like and even tasted like champagne, but was really just a cider. Yoka was not a big drinker, especially not on a night like tonight. It was a celebration, but she needed to stay alert. She was never certain who was watching.

"I felt that way when I came here," she agreed. "Admittedly, the outside world was a little bit different, then. There were different expectations on the roles and the place of a woman. But here? I could be whatever I wanted. I could own whatever I wanted. I didn't have to play pretend, to please anyone else...unless I wanted to."

She did have to agree about the classes. Yoka had finished a MA not too long ago. She'd been expecting more magic, more flash, more pizazz.

"There's a lot more paperwork than I anticipated, though," she admitted. She remembered what she needed to fill out to get someone to come and cast some high-level security spells for her. She regretted not going to law school instead.

"Do you have a direction or area of study in the academy?" Yoka asked. She was the kind of person to make snap judgement, to go on her gut feeling and re-evaluate later. But that didn't mean she wasn't up for collecting information.

Yoka was quite comfortable talking about how long she'd been on the island and, well, the fact that she wasn't human. She knew many on the island still tended to pretend they were. Human forms were useful. They enabled her to get around in the world. For the students who intended to return home after their study, it made sense.

But for Yoka, this island was her home now.

"Yes, well over a hundred and fifty years, although I don't spend all my time here," Yoka explained. "I have properties in the states and a few in Europe, and I like to check on them from time to time."

As to what life was like living on the island...?

"Certainly less restrictive," she agreed. "I'm sure you'll get tired of hearing this from well-meaning folks, but..."

Yoka put on a serious face, like she was pretending to be an older, whiter man. "Those years will fly buy, kiddo."

Yoka rolled her eyes.

She couldn't hide the flash of interest in her amber eyes when the young woman mentioned stealth magic. She also caught the sigh, and Yoka had no reason to think it was anything other than the sigh of someone who was studying all day.

"That sounds considerably interesting," Yoka said, and indeed, the interest in her voice was undisguised. "What drew you to that area of study? This is my last school question, I promise."


She'd added the last part with a smile and another sip of her drink. Her long nails looked like claws on the glass. Yoka was a predator on the hunt.