Slowly like a dam being opened, the warm sunlight reclaimed the sky in the name of the incoming day. Streaks of crimson red and amber yellow grew in intensity as the light conquered the inky darkness driving it to the lands far in the East. The world still slumbered as its new puffy white blanket revealed itself to the few humans who woke up before the sun rose up from under the horizon.

On the roof of Adventurer Guild a tall damestar raven hid her precious creator under her wing. She hadn't closed her eyes for even a bell nor did she delight in the peacefully sleeping kitten next to her. Yet her insomnia wasn't caused by her undead nature, similar to her creator she could enjoy resting her constantly awake mind in the comfortable and dark embrace of sleep nor was it even a great mystery like many things regarding her body and its inner workings.

The elf had been soaked so utterly by the nightly snowfall that she couldn't focus on anything else other than the slushing slurry under her bottom. Unlike the living, her body temperature never dropped due to the snow remaining constant throughout the night, constantly melting the snow landing on her. If her body was alive and she had frost resistance at least the blanket of snow would have developed over her without her dying to the element.

The risen found a small silver lining to her discomfort, her mute sense of touch didn't register the freezing temperature of the water which clung to her skin removing half of the discomfort brought by being so soaked, water dripped down from her elbow.

Turning her head, the elf found the reason why she stayed outside. The petite undead lay next to her. If not for her silky black hair the pale girl was perfectly camouflaged in the virgin snow which covered her from head to toe in thick yet fluffy blanket. She had clung to the elf through the night but as the patch of melted snow grew the traitorous kitten curved her body to avoid it, slowly furthering away from the elf before ending up sleeping perpendicularly to Iris while wrapped around the elf's arm. One would think that her right arm remaining dry would be a small silver lining for the undead elf but it wasn't as water travelled through the fabric and froze because of the necromancer.

"Did you sleep well?" The elf scratched the cat under her chin as the toll of the first bell began to fade.

The girl purred contently as she rubbed her cheek against the only part of the elf's body which remained dry. Not long after the necromancer soaked up enough yolk to begin slugishly open her eyes.

"Ibis," The half-asleep girl muttered. "You learned a new spell?"

"You forgot?" Iris helped the ancient sit up, resting on a snowy pillow. "It was snowing at night."

The elf quickly stood up feeling the uncomfortable sensation of wet fabric sticking to her body. She watched as the stunned necromancer rubbed snow between her fingers still seemingly not coming to terms with this simple reality as she felt its texture.

"Did you like my surprise?" Iris said, picking up the plates of food on the table nearby.

"I did." Kia said, causing the elf to frown regardless.

The elf felt stupid for feeling jealous about the snow. It felt like her devious plot was folded by the most mundane of snowfalls and she felt like she was being divinely punished by the Aspects for her actions. For the sake of Kia and her psyche, she couldn't bring herself to make the girl who had stolen her heart to say I love you but that wouldn't stop the elf from trying to squeeze those words out of her favourite plush monster through ordinary means, however foreign they might be to the former slave.

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The undead hoplite produced a loud sigh before looking at her sagging clothes and feeling she had lost this battle. She straightened her back preparing herself to wage this war until the sun rises from the East but before she could wage war she had to clean herself.

"Kia, can you conjure hot water in the tub, I need to wash myself." The elf asked while opening the door to the staircase leading down.

Carefully Iris set the dirty plates on the counter before going to her room, feeling bad for the staff for adding them work as they worked hard in mincing doe for the bread used later in the day.

The tall undead unlocked their room before swinging the heavy doors wide open, letting the mage walk first before nimbly closing the room with a latch. The girl walked into the bathroom, her tall leather boots tapping loudly on the floorboards. The elf felt the time repeating itself again as Kia casted a spell, the empty tub quickly filled with hot water which caused a thick wall of steam to erupt from the tub creating a grey wall between the elf and the mage.

"You want to join me?" The elf offered as she grabbed her back and pulled off the sticky white shirt with one swift move.

"No." The girl responded surprising the risen who expected the repetition of their previous morning to continue.

"You're not going to leave the room without me and start wondering the city?"

"No." The ancient's seemed frustrated by the elf's response causing the steam in the room behind to glimmer as it froze mid-air.

"I was making sure, Cryoicu." The elf ruffled the cryomancer's hair who purred loudly before she slipped and walked to the other side of the room showing that the cuddling session was over.

The risen so unfamiliar with this side of the ancient stood there, her hands still feeling the cold hum of the girl's aura before she stepped into the steamy bathroom.

With practiced motion, Iris undressed herself revealing her martial-noble-like body, her whiter than usual skin giving off an etherial aura as she strolled through the foggy room dragging the steam behind her like a nine-tailed fox. She raised her leg, dipping her toes in the water. As she expected her mind simply informed her that the water she was stepping into was hot but the feeling itself barely registered through the thick body suit she felt she had been wearing since her resurrection.

Without a splash, the tall elf submerged her body in the water, steam rising in long serpentine tendrils around her. She reclined in the tub and relaxed, stretching her long legs as far as she could. Closing her eyes she felt her always vigilant mind relax allowing the stresses of life to rise from her core and like an acorn's bitter poison, the hot water leeched the stain from her skin leaving her with a feeling of being born anew. Sleep did well to keep her feeling energised but without anything to focus on, except the feeling of water brushing against her skin, Iris felt even the deepest worries leave her alongside the steam.

The room echoed with the occasional drip of water or muted rumble coming from the floor below as on her long, sinuous legs stretched out before her, beads of moisture began to condense.

The rounded edge of the tub lost grip on her head and the elf's face suddenly slipped below the surface. Splitters of wood fell to the ground as Iris gripped the tub's sides. Her undead mind didn't panic quickly calculating the danger she was in. Bubbles of air rose to the top of the water's surface, the elf choosing not to rise as she felt the gentle touch of water caress her cheeks. Iris held her eyes open, the water around her was as clear as the purest of diamonds and she had no problem seeing the ripples on the surface as water condensed and dripped back into the tub.

When she felt her mind calling for her to leave the tub Iris rose from her bath, water cascating onto the floor as it slid from her body. She reached for her towel and began to dry herself, running the rough fabric along her body. She reflexively checked for any bruises on the parts of her body which would have been seen in public but instead of a malnourished body, she saw an alluring physique of someone who could have been.

The elf smiled, she would never imagine the time when she would stop thanking Kia for giving her a chance, although she spared the etiquette-hating undead from hearing her thanks choosing to offer a silent prayer for the unholy monster in the next room.

The risen forgot to buy a full spare set of clothes she could use when not travelling. She leaned her body to the side, taking a peek at what Kia had been up to and noticed the necromancer standing on their bed, her muddy shoes still on and watching the snow-covered world outside.

"She really does need to see things." The elf whispered to herself as she wrapped a towel around her body. She is like a pheasant, curious beyond belief.

Iris thought to herself before grabbing the uncouth mage and slamming her on the bed frame before unleashing her weapon on the girl causing a giggle to fill the room.