17th of Spring, 514
It was Tydus' first venture outside of Riverfall's land boundaries since he had first been moored after the shipwreck. The Pod was finally able to breathe in relief, the ships that each Tempest needed acquired through means of varying intrigue, but what mattered was that a path was now open to the Pod. Each Svefra had a ship, bringing the fleet to a grand total of six casinor. There was much ahead, but the Tempest scion decided that for now, the Lia could manage her Pod alone. The Tempest himself had the desire to relax. He had asked around in the morning about what was the best place to do so, and while answers varied, the general consensus was that the Travertine Hot Springs was the place to go. Moreover, it was a free place to go.
The Svefra could smell the salty waters of the ocean mingling with that of the spring, the smell of precipitation and saline steam arise as the Tempest climbed the hill towards his destination. And now he could see the steam. It wafted from the aquatic pits much like smoke from a flame, rising into the air and subsequently dispersing. There was a consistent, measurable splashing of water against rocks as mass quantities of liquid fell from what seemed to be the sky itself, down and into beautiful bowls. Tydus marveled in the sight of it for quite a while, decidedly not entering the water and simply watching.
It then occurred to the young man that the steam was actually rising from the liquid water, the heat emanating from the surface with a weak shimmer, the Tempest arching his eyebrows in surprise before he muttered to himself, "Wait a minute... the WATER is hot?" His mouth was agape, the Svefra shaking his head in utter amazement. He had simply failed to connect the dots, the concept of hot water entirely foreign to him. He shook his head in distaste of his own stupidity before peeling the shirt from his shoulder, the garment rolling around his right shoulder in his own personal custom requiring common decency. The ruddy normals and Akalaks had this strange concept of clothing being a necessary thing rather than a source of protection, and the Svefra hated it. But, now, he was free.
The Tempest scion removed his sash, placing his flask on the rocky floor. The Tempest had left the cutlass that belonged to Lia Tatianna above his new vessel, The Tempest Wind. He wound the sash into a roll, placing it atop his tunic before carefully peeling the gloves from his hands. Worn and used to the rough surface of the ship and the occasional youngling shark, the gloves were in a faded, though usable condition, his sandals meeting similar wear at the hands of salt water, but now, they were discarded, put on the floor next to his tunic. His breeches were the next and last thing to go, leaving the Svefra's body entirely bare, Tydus picking up the flask he treasured so as his sun-kissed skin drank in Syna's light. He jumped into the water, flask in hand.
Bad idea. The water's heat pushed into his flesh, the Svefra feeling, for a long moment, that he was being boiled alive, eyes widening, heart pounding in his chest as his arms, independent of his control, cast out in search of the limestone edges of the springs. The flask fell into the water as a result, panic setting in. He grit his teeth, forced himself to remain in the water, and in a matter of a chime's time, his body adapted to the hot water. The Svefra dove into the water, heat intensifying, a tinge of pain registering for the second time upon his flesh, though he quickly retrieved the flask, breaking from the depths of the heated water not five ticks later. Tydus breathed in a sigh of relief as he thought, Huh... this is actually pretty nice.