Dark Woods, Bright Snow
"Here, Yuno! Come!" The petite, possum-eared boy climbed up the snow-covered slope, only turning around briefly to wave to his companion. Clad in heavy winter clothes, the slim woman following him could not help but pant with her every step, her leather boots drawing two parallel trenches across the powdery snow. Compared with her tropical homeland, the vast dark woods of this frozen land was like an alien world. Conifer trees spread as far as eyes can see, separated only by winding trails carved by footsteps of beasts and men alike. There were even some places where the ground was covered with a thin layer of ice, but most of the forest was still drenched in the white blanket of snow, undeterred by the weak sun already sinking toward the horizon. With most animals already preparing to sleep through the long winter, a sense of isolation permeated the chilly air surrounding the silent woods. The only sound that could be heard now was the sound of Yuno's footsteps on the snow; the rest had been swallowed by the icy silence.
"Slow down, Milphy! I'm tired," exclaimed the woman, her breath freezing into fog the moment it escaped her lips.
"Really? I thought you weren't going to be beaten by a pipsqueak like me!" Milphy teased with a grin. His thick, long tail wagged beneath the large backpack as he walked back to the struggling companion and offered her a hand. He was surprisingly strong for his small, almost androgynous statue.
"Not unless you have home advantage," still, Yuno accepted the offer gratefully. Her hands were trembling so hard they felt numb. She had never seen such cold before, nor experienced such harsh weather. Living in the tropical country of Moriji, she was used to hot summer days when everything beyond the snowy Mont Mori seemed to melt away under the merciless sun. The frosty air here was ten times colder than anything she had ever known, and yet there was nothing to shield her from its piercing chill. Even Yuno's fur coat was not enough to keep out the biting wind. It was only thanks to Milphy's presence that Yuno did not have to face the elements alone.
With renewed strength, the duo soon reached the top of a small cliff. A vast lake broke the viridian veil of the boreal forest, fragmented ice gradually spreading from the crooked coast into the calm, teal water. At the far edges of the horizon, the well-weathered mountains wrapped themselves in silvery gowns. Although Mt. Mori in Moriji was much taller, Yuno could not help but feel a subtle sense of homesickness bubbling in her wanderlust.
"Wow...!" Yuno gasped, staring at the pristine beauty before her. In comparison with the dense woods surrounding them, the lake itself was a stark contrast, the crystal clear water reflecting the gentle light of the setting sun.
"I knew you would like it," Milphy giggled at her almost childlike amazement, "not a bad place to camp either. The ground's well-drained and not on a game trail. Just need to find a spot not as exposed to the wind."
"So, what do we do first?" Yuno asked, gazing at the glimmering surface of the water. She could feel her heart pounding faster. This was the first time she had seen something so beautiful. Alien, but beautiful.
"I'll go gather some branches for the tent," the Palkyrie pulled out his axe from the backpack, his small size necessitating a longer handle and axehead, "you should find a good place to build a fire. The night will fall soon."
The sky was dyed in dimming crimson by the time Milphy returned from the boreal forest. Freed from the restraints of his backpack, his prehensile tail was able to carry both the axe and a bundle of light brown tree branches with ease. He carried a heap of twigs in one hand, and a slain grouse in another. Yuno, meanwhile, spent her time setting up a warm campfire behind the shelter of a jagged rock by the cliffside. Flickering fire expelled the powdery snow around, exposing the rocky soil beneath.
"Something to spice up the rations," Milphy made his presence known by handing his harvest to the woman. The grouse had no obvious wounds on its body, although the unnatural angle of its neck hinted at how it fell prey to the Palkyrie. The twigs, on the other hand, appeared to be decorated with some tiny, dark purple berries. He glanced over the surroundings, before his tail passed the branches to his hands. Soon, the long branches joined the animal hide from the backpack, and transformed into two cone-shaped tents. The first, flatter one was a few paces away from the campfire, and the second one was built around it, turning it into the central fireplace. This would be their shelter for the night. Once he finished his work, the Palkyrie stretched out his limbs, enjoying the warmth of the campfire as the bushmeat gradually turned from maroon to golden brown.
"That's quite a haul you got there," Yuno remarked, taking a bite of the bird meat. The strong aroma was not for everyone, but being a traveler had trained Yuno to appreciate the lean, gamey taste, "although I must admit that I've never tasted such a thing before."
"Sotolak? Oh, I don't think they can survive in your country. They eat berries and needle leaves, and they take shelter in fresh snow," explained the boy as he took a bite from the still-raw poultry, "if you're sneaky enough, you can catch them before they fly away. An easy prey."
"You know a lot about these things..." Yuno smeared the crushed berries on the grouse meat and bit down into the flesh, the strong, sour juice dribbling down her chin. The flavor was a strange mix of sourness and savoriness, but the subtle sweet tartness of the juice complemented it well.
"My family lives deep in the woods. Not many things can be grown here even during the short warm seasons," his sharp teeth torn into the game meat, swallowing the crimson ribbons almost gleefully, "you don't survive the... um, second winter without learning how to hunt."
"How many winters do you people have?" joked Yuno.
"Two? Maybe three? We don't really count them the same way."
"It feels like five," commented the tropical dweller, provoking a laugh from the Palkyrie. After all, she arrived at this foreign land soon after the summer solstice, and snow had already begun falling barely a few months afterward.
"Good that I'm traveling with you! Otherwise you won't survive out here alone," Milphy grinned, his eyes sparkling as he devoured a large mouthful of the grilled gizzard. He wiped the grease off his mouth, and took a swig of water from his waterskin, "so, how is it, Yuno? A fan of lean meat?"
"... I don't dislike it," Yuno turned her eyes aside, chewing the last of the bird. Despite the strong flavor, the meat was indeed delicious, and she could see why he enjoyed hunting. It was a good source of protein, and the meat itself was more tender than what she had been eating back in Moriji.
"Well, at least you can stomach it. It would be a waste if you just spit it out or something!" as the campfire began to dim, the Palkyrie picked up the blackcurrant branches that had lost all their fruits. However, instead of throwing them away or into the fire, he bundled them together and tied the end with twine, making what appeared to be a mixture of whisk and broom.
"What are you doing?" despite how familiar it looked, Yuno could not recall this odd object and asked.
"Oh, you'll know soon enough," answered the young boy with a mischievous grin on his face, all the while using his belt knife to trim the end. Satisfied with the product, he sheathed the well-crafted blade and looked up. The pleasant scent of charred birch and grilled meat melted together into a light smoke, ascending through the smoke hole into the sunless sky. Then, noticing something, a smile appeared on his face once more as he turned towards her. "Let's go get some firewood from the outside. I wanna show you something."
Yuno raised an eyebrow at him. Even he would have to agree that the sudden change of topic felt suspicious. Then again, as much an imp he was, he had proven to be surprisingly reliable when it came to the wilderness. Casting the last firewood in the tent into the fire, Yuno stood up and followed the Palkyrie through the flap of the entrance.
Beyond the tent was the almost starless sky of the long winter night. However, what surprised Yuno was that heaven was not obscured by the dark veil of night, but by a brilliant green glow. Adorned with a reddish pink trim, the gentle wave stretched across the firmament, turning the dark blue night into a lustrous teal.
"Is that...?" she squinted at the phenomenon, trying to make sense of the sight in front of her. She had never seen something like it before, and it was hard not to feel awestruck by its beauty. It reminded her of a rainbow, except the color was different and it did not fade away after a few minutes. The colors were so intense and vibrant; Yuno could almost feel herself getting intoxicated by their brilliance. The celestial curtain reflected on the freezing lake, its emerald green tinted with a touch of blue. It was as if a sliver of heaven was captured in this exotic, but still earthly world.
"I think it's called polar light in your language," Milphy was amused by how stunned Yuno was by the spectacle. The heavenly fire was not a common sight beyond the extreme south of the country, but the Palkyrie could still see it multiple times per year. The expression and sensation were incomparable to that of witnessing it for the very first time, "we're lucky to see it this early in the colder months."
"I'll let you enjoy the view all by yourself for the moment," the Palkyrie could not help but chuckle at Yuno being completely absorbed by the sight before her, barely registering his existence. Holding a torch, the bundled twig, and some firewood with his hands and tail, the boy walked into the other tent, leaving Yuno alone in this serene scene. As she gradually broke from the trance, she pulled her steps closer to the cliff. Once she probed the edge to ensure it was solid, she slowly took a seat to absorb the slowly waving sky above the lake, the forest, and the hills. The night breeze, while cold, nonetheless felt gentle, and the cold, somewhat dry ground beneath her started calming her mind even if her racing heart lingered.
The empty space next to her was eventually taken by the returning Palkyrie. He handed her a warm cup of water, and the two were soon absorbed by the nature in front of them. "You know, this is why I wanted to travel in the first place. My father was in the Black Fleet, and he told me all the strange, beautiful places he had been ever since I was young," a sip from the melted fresh snow softened her lips and melted the frost somewhat, and she let the melting feeling seep out naturally.
"He's a pretty bad storyteller," she chuckled as her fingers caressed the rim of the ceramic cup, the pastel eyes reflecting from the fogging liquid within, "and he always exaggerated everything."
"Guess he thought you couldn't tell either way," laughed the Palkyrie as he took a sip from the cup as well. His idle tail snaked in the melting snow behind, "is that why you're a traveler? To find out what's true and what's false?"
"I suppose that's a part of it. Maybe at first," the pink-haired woman glanced aside, her warmed hand moved to catch the tail's end and halt its movement. The sudden warm touch provoked a reaction from Milphy. Amused, she continued, "but the more I see... the more I feel related to his stories."
"Even the overblown ones?" asked Milphy while his tail tried to slip away from the pin. Its muscles eventually relaxed as he felt her subtle touch. It was a strange sensation.
"Especially the overblown ones," the two shared a laugh from the half-joke, "many things I've experienced, like this right now, are almost impossible to share. I like to think he was trying to convey his feelings rather than just reality. Maybe that's how he planted the wanderlust in me."
As stories followed stories, the warmth in their body began to dwindle as well. Caress from the night breeze reached deeper into them, and Yuno finally broke her flow of words to shiver. As much as she wanted to bathe under the ethereal glow more, her instinct knew it was time to leave the coldness. "Ah... how long have we been out here? Maybe we should take our rest soon," with her hand retracted, the cold tail sprung back to life once more. After waving in the night air a few times to shake off the melting snow, though, the tail caught her attention once more, this time holding onto her hand gently.
"Wait, it's bad to sleep without warming up," Milphy gestured to the first tent. Faint, steam-like smoke leaked from its top into the night sky, quickly melting into the green light of the sky. That was his handiwork before joining Yuno by the cliffside, "it should be warm enough by now."
"Mm..." Yuno nodded and walked towards the tent. Milphy got up from his seat and soon followed after her, his tail swinging lazily beside him. Yuno pushed the flap aside and the warmth was immediately welcoming. Filled with warm, wet air, the interior was dimly illuminated by a small fire burning in the center of the room. Contained within a small stone stove, the faint flickering light made it difficult for her eyes to adjust, although it was far less of a problem for the Palkyrie.
Slowly but surely, the dim green light leaking from outside revealed the interior to her. While the stones of the stove were gathered from around, the metal plate keeping the pile of stones at the top was not. Around the fireplace, a mixture of smooth rocks and soft leather made for some reasonably comfortable seats, accompanied by a bucket of water with a ladle floating on it. On one of the branches supporting the tent, she could see the bundled twigs, now dripping with water, hanging at a height convenient for him, and the whole picture soon reminded Yuno of its nature.
"Is this a steam bath?" ask Yuno. She had seen how common steam bathhouses were in this land since her arrival, but this was the first time she saw one being built in a tent at a moment's notice.
"Of course! It's not like those fancy buildings you saw in the city, but it'll do just as well," answered Milphy, his tail holding the tent flap up for Yuno to enter the steamy tent. While originally hesitant, Yuno soon accepted the invitation and entered the improvised steam bath, and sat on one of the leather-paved rocks. The steam seemed to have made it softer and more comfortable against her weight. The tail let go of the flap, keeping the warm air inside the tent as it reached for the ladle. With a casual pour, the cold water landed on the hot rock and transformed into a sizzling gush of steam, further warming and moistening the space.
"Did you do these all just for me?" asked Yuno, her voice slightly muffled by the steam. She could feel the heat on her skin, but the air wasn't particularly hot. Her mind wandered towards the fire, dimly lit and flickering through the stony stove. The celestial light leaked from the top of the tent, giving the poorly-lit space a green tint to conceal the redness on the Palkyrie's cheek.
"It's just common sense around here! Bathing in such cold weather's suicide so steam bath's vital in keeping yourself clean and healthy," Milphy's dismissal and explanation led to a small chuckle from Yuno, causing him to turn back towards the outside with a hmph, "in either case, I'll leave you be for now to prepare the sleeping tent. You shouldn't bathe with your clothes on for too long."
"Alright. Thanks," Yuno waved her hands in acknowledgment. With that, the Palkyrie went about preparing their sleeping tent, which was simple in itself. Warm, dry air around the embers made it trivial for him to rekindle the flame, clean smoke releasing itself from the burning firewood. The pleasant scent of the burning birch soon filled the tent as Milphy took a satisfied breath to enjoy it. With the rest of the night settled, the Palkyrie made his way back to the bathing tent.
It was clear that Yuno had settled herself in. Her thick winter clothes hung from the pole erected next to the entrance, and Milphy could see the unusually deep footsteps she left behind around it. In his culture, men and women bathed together on a regular basis without issues, but he was aware that it was not always the case elsewhere. Together with that, he decided to stop his steps just outside the flap and raised his voice, "the tent's warm and ready! I'll keep the first watch so you should catch some sleep right after bath! I heard it's good for your health and skin!"
"Alright," Yuno's response was quiet, but he could still hear her moving and breathing on the other side of the flap. "Thank you. I'll take the second watch."
"Sure! Good night - " he turned but before he could walk away, his tail could feel something latching onto it. Tightly. The comfortable stay with Yuno had dulled his readiness to the point he could not react until it was too late. With a muffled yelp, the Palkyrie was yanked by his tail into the tent, like prey being hauled into a predator's lair.
"What was that?!" he tried to yell as he felt himself being pulled into a dark corner of the tent. Normally, he could see decently well in darkness, but the dim light from the stove was obscured by the large figure looming over his petite form. Their position and posture only accentuated the already noticeable height difference despite Yuno's relatively lean physique. As a Deadbeat, she did not have to look visibly muscular to have the strength required to drag him inside, and her hand remained locked around the tip of Milphy's tail. The sultry air of the steam bath condensed on her reddened skin, before gently dripping down her smile like a soft, spring rain. "Yuno...?"
"You know, you're way cuter when you're scared," the drenched Deadbeat simpered, her fingers sliding down his frozen tail to a resting position without letting go of him.
"A-are you alright?" the sudden change in attitude alarmed the Palkyrie, but any attempt to resist or flee was met with the fingers clenching deeper into his sensitive tail, forcing him to stay beneath her. Was it the heat getting into her head? Perhaps the sudden change of temperature fried her brain? Or...
"Oh, I'm more than alright. Just getting a bit impatient waiting for you to join in," cooed the woman as her fingers finally let go of the tail, causing it to recoil back to the Palkyrie as he propelled himself onto a seat, still trying to process what just transpired. "I thought you're supposed to make friends and know each other better in steam baths here."
"Oh. Um..." warbled Milphy as his eyes fought over where to lay his gaze upon. Yuno was not wrong - a place like this where everyone was supposed to let go of concealment or earthly possession was the best place to truly express one's feelings, and it was not like bathing with the opposite sex was anything unusual here. Still, being with her here made him feel uneasy, even without the rather violent invitation. "I thought other people don't really do that."
"Maybe, but since we're in your land, we should do things your way, right?" it was impossible to tell whether the crimson skin of the otherwise pale Deadbeat was due to the hot steam or not, but he knew she would not take no for an answer, and his tail rested on the paved floor.
"You shouldn't bathe with your clothes on for too long," repeated Yuno, and without any other retorts, Milphy simply nodded and began taking off his garments. One by one, his tail passed the clothes to the impromptu hanger outside the tent, exposing his flushed skin before the staring pink eyes. Soon, both of them were properly dressed for the bath. "I guess not every part of you looks like a possum."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" the change in power dynamics made Milphy rather uncomfortable, but not enough to actually want to leave. With his body slowly but surely warming up, he felt his body and mind easing up, and the presence of his guest no longer alarmed him as much.
"You're making teasing you very satisfying, you know," giggled Yuno, her eyes glancing across the steam-drenched tent. The venue being very basic did not hinder her interest - if anything, she was even more curious about it than the more conventional bathhouses back in the city. Those were somewhat similar to the hot spring baths her home had, but nothing like this. "so, would you like to show me how you bathe?"
"...sure," he agreed out of a combination of courtesy, pride, and other indescribable feelings, and Yuno's grin grew wider. She leaned back against the wall of the tent and beckoned him to her. He felt as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, where sitting opposite of her made resting his gaze difficult, while sitting next to her made him within her reach, and his aching tail was not sure how to feel about it. Ultimately, the only thing he could do was to follow Yuno's words. The two moved closer, and as soon as their bodies touched, she rested herself against him. The difference in their body temperature disappeared among the hot steam, and even their racing heartbeat seemed to have synchronized with each other through their joined body. However, instead of further distracting his streams of thought, the contact actually calmed his mind a bit. It was not the first time he had bathed with strangers after all, and even with her forceful pranks, she was still a nice person that Milphy would be glad to continue traveling with.
"Well, just like in the city, if you want to make the place warmer and wetter, you can scoop some water onto the heated rocks above the stove," the Palkyrie explained, his tail pointing towards the half-full bucket and ladle. Judging from the water stains around, though, he could tell she had used it in unconventional ways, "um, I think it's warm enough for now. You shouldn't add too much water at once, otherwise it might get too hot too quick."
"Other than that, you just have to relax and enjoy the steam bath. If you're starting to feel too hot or unwell, you can go outside to cool down before coming back in for more," the tail moved towards the flap to the outside, the faint green glow still barely visible through the narrow gaps. Although she felt going from boiling hot to freezing cold would not be good for her heart, her faith in him nonetheless made her want to try it soon. Before that, though, she wanted to ask something that had been on her mind for a while, and she lifted her lithe finger.
"What about that?" asked Yuno as she pointed to the bundled twig hanging near Milphy. Him making it and hanging it at reachable height convinced her that it was not a simple decoration or fuel. Once she reminded him of its existence, the dextrous tail snaked back to grab it, handing it to his palm as he took hold of the branches and leaves.
"Ah, this is a bath whip. Whipping your skin with it helps stimulate your body to make the after-bath rest even more comfortable!" his fingers felt the moistened leaves and twigs. They were sufficiently steamed that he would not have to add any more water to them. "It's kind of like herbs, where different kinds of plants have their own benefits. Usually I prefer birch, but I didn't get any good twigs earlier, so the blackcurrant will have to do. It improves your skin condition and gives off a nice aroma, though, so you might want to try it."
"Can I?" Yuno's question was answered with an affirmative nod, the Plakyrie handing the bath whip to her with a proud smile. Yuno gripped the bundle with both hands and pulled it apart, her cheeks puffing as the steamy steam billowed into her face, and she inhaled deeply. The fragrance from the twigs and leaves was indeed pleasant.
"This is nice. Very nice~" she cooed, and Milphy couldn't help but smile as he watched her enjoying herself. However, instead of lashing the besom on herself, Yuno turned her attention towards Milphy with a smile difficult for the Plakyrie to decipher.
"Yuno, wait! That's not how-" cried Milphy, but Yuno simply laughed before leaning forwards. He tried to move backwards but found himself trapped between her and the tent, unable to escape. His tail tried to protect himself, but her fingers slid down his tail and took hold, and his entire body froze. With her free hand, the woman grabbed the twigs and started lashing his exposed body. Her touch was gentle but firm, and her strokes were neither fast nor slow. She did it with a purpose, lashing his skin playfully until it turned pastel pink as his blood revitalized under the skin - just like it was intended. The sensation tickled, but the pleasure made it feel like heaven. Even when the bath whip came down to hit the same spot, the impact of it was not painful but felt like a blessing, and he could feel himself melting into the tent like butter in a hot pan. "Mm... mmm..."
"... I'm sorry if I went overboard." upon realizing his confused state, Yuno let go of his tail and moved away, leaving him panting and his tail coiling on the floor. Before her worries manifested on her face, though, Milphy raised his weakened hand and waved to dismiss them.
"No... I mean, you're only supposed to whip yourself, but..." his voice trailed off, and he looked up at her before the flustered face turned aside, "... it doesn't feel wrong either."
"Oh, well then, I apologize," Yuno said, but she did not seem very sincere. In fact, it seemed like she was hiding a smirk. Resting the bath whip on Milphy's seat, her hands moved to comb her damp hair gently, keeping it from plastering onto her wet and glistening skin. The pink eyes glanced over the defenseless Palkyrie, her smile widening as she looked down, "what if I let you return the favor as compensation?"
"I-I'll pass..." he replied, his tail moving back and forth as he crossed his legs. His face was blood-red, and his racing mind found itself in a tug-of-war as he struggled to decide what to do next. The thought of touching a girl in this situation made him feel inappropriate, yet he could not deny the excitement that coursed through his veins. A part of him wished that she would leave him alone and let him calm his mind by bathing in the hot steam bath, but another part of him wanted it to continue, one way or another.
"Hahaha~" Yuno giggled in amusement. She leaned back against the wall of the tent and crossed her arms in front of her chest, resting her chin atop them, "so, do you need a moment to cool down? I promise I won't look."
"... I do," answered Milphy, realizing that attempting to hide it would only backfire on him, "but not in the way you think."
"...oh?" Yuno tilted her head slightly at his answer before tilting it back again with her arms still folded, "do tell?"
"Well... I mean, it's not good to stay in the steam bath for too long. You might get heatstroke," explained the Palkyrie, even though he knew well that the heat he was suffering from was not due to the hot steam, and a Deadbeat accustomed to tropical weather would be able to withstand the steam bath for much longer. Still, talking about bathing customs would calm him more than letting her continue asserting her dominance over him, "in the city, they have cold water baths for you to bathe in between steam baths, but doing that in freezing wilderness will kill you."
"So, how do you do it?" asked Yuno, and confidence began to return to Milphy's reddened face. His tail regained its strength and tucked open the tent flap, showing the green-tilted snow outside. Once he stabled himself on his legs, the Palkyrie led Yuno out into the cold night breeze. Then, seemingly without a warning, he leaped high in the air and dived into the powdery snow! Even with his light weight, his body easily left an impression in the snow, before it was quickly overwritten by the chuckling boy rolling in it. With the ground frozen, his body was covered in a mixture of snow and icy water, cooling him down without sapping too much of his heat away.
"That's how!" exclaimed Milphy, his mind at ease both from him being cooled down quickly and the strange, nostalgic comfort from this mundane ritual. "You should try it too!"
"Maybe next time..."
"Come on, didn't you say you should compensate?" Milphy rolled aside to clear the imaginary trajectory as he stood his upper body up with a grin, "you aren't afraid of the cold or breaking the ground, are you?"
The tease from the revitalized Palkyrie was enough to convince the competitiveness still lingering in Yuno to go through it. Taking a deep breath, the Deadbeat leaned forward and let gravity bring her into the snow. As she touched the surface, she gasped as she felt her entire body sink through it like a knife sinking into butter, and her stomach lurched as she fell through the layer of soft snow and landed with a loud thud. "Ahh!" she screamed, but the cry was soon cut short, with her lips forming into a smile. The feeling of the cool snow running between her toes, the warmth from her skin seeping into the melting snow - she felt like she had dived into a soft, comfortable bed despite her hard landing. Just like Milphy, Yuno began to roll into the snow, covering her sultry skin with a thin layer of calming white, before her face turned to meet the smiling one on Milphy as the two lay next to each other beneath the polar light.
"See?" asked Milphy, his smile turning more childish as the Deadbeat continued to stare at him. "It's not so scary."
"Yeah, it's not," agreed Yuno, "it's actually really nice."
"You can go to sleep once you've cooled down, or you can return to the steam bath for another go," Milphy explained, before turning his still flustered face towards the sky. The gentle green glow illuminated the silent world around them. The almost starless sky and the dark woods made it feel like, for this brief moment, they were the only people in this secluded world. This shared solitude made the lingering emotions within their body transcended into something else. It was not just lust; it was something deeper. Something primal and instinctive, but also warm and welcoming.
"This place looks like a painting..." said Yuno, her voice trailing off as she gazed into the curtained stars. Milphy answered with an affirmative tone, and the two stared into the vast heaven above them. Eventually, though, the snow had received enough of their warmth that they had to break away from this gentle rest. Wiping the melted snow off their skin, the calmer Palkyrie looked towards the Deadbeat, her naked body shimmering under the faint light of the aurora, barely concealed by her long, pink hair.
"... you wanna continue?" asked the Palkyrie.
"... yes." Yuno responded immediately, looking at Milphy with a smile as the two returned to the steamy tent.
This would be a long night for them.