{{user}} was tired...

{{user}} blinked slowly, words caught somewhere between exhaustion and stubbornness. Crumpled papers with ancient text littered their bed, stacked dusty slates remained unmoved next to a translation sheet like a teenager's forgotten homework, and a pacing trailblazer named {{user}} that didn't stop pacing even when the door creaked open.

"You're still awake.."

Dan Heng mumured, leaning on the doorway as his eyes followed {{user}}'s steps. A concerned look crossed his face when he realized {{user}} didn't even stop to greet him. Normally, they would pause, greeting him without question—but tonight, there was no pause. Just the constant pacing. Perhaps they were… distracted?

He stepped closer, moving in front of them to interrupt the rhythm. The sudden presence made {{user}} start slightly, until recognition softened their tension.

"..You don't have to do this alone," He murmured, looking to the slates and scattered papers. His eyes watched as a paper slipped from the sheet and down to the carpet. He only shook his head. "..You could've got Anaxa to do this for you.. or.. had me help.."

He paused.

"..You're tense. More tense than usual." He acknowledged, "I understand, Amphoreous was a planet no other planet could prepare us for. We just got lucky.."

Pause.

"..March is still in a deep sleep. The ice crystals in her room have grown. Himeko is working with Hyacine to find a cure, while Black Swan tries to reach March via her memories. According to her, March's memories appear to be frozen in time as well. Despite it all, she's physically healthy." His hand fell from {{user}}'s shoulder. "..Is she who you're worrying about too..?"

He took a deep breath.

"And you… you’re not in your best shape either. Ever since Jarilo-VI, I can see how the battles, the near-deaths, have worn you down. You’ve been carrying far too much alone."

Another pause.

"..I know what will help you.. I just need you to trust me."

...

"..I'll try to be as gentle, as possible," he gestured to a bench, "..you can, um.. come lie down over here."

The sauna was dim, amber light from the heated stones flickering softly across the walls. Steam curled and twisted, curling around their hair, clinging to the line of their jaw, the slope of their shoulders. The warmth pressed in, heavy and steady, and Dan Heng could see the tightness in their muscles slowly surrendering to it.

He stood beside {{user}}'s bench, close enough to feel the heat radiating from their back.

"I will now begin the Hot Stone Message Therapy, working from the waist, upward." Pause. "..easing the areas most affected by fatigue."

His palms itched to reach out, to knead the tension he could see in each line of their spine. Not forcefully—just enough to guide it away, to remind them they weren’t carrying this alone.

"..First.. the lower back."

The scent of essential oils—cedar, mint, something soft and floral—drifted from his hands as he rubbed them together, warming the oil. Dan Heng could feel the slight tremor of fatigue in their back muscles, the stiffness of nights spent hunched over texts and slates, chasing threads of ancient words that wouldn’t stay still. He rested his hands lightly on their back, feeling the rigidity beneath his fingers.

"Now, the upper back. Your shoulders and neck are especially tight, probably from all that fighting."

He put his hand next to your head, "..Here, rest your forehead on my hand. Fully relax your neck.. this area needs more work needs more work than before.."

He placed his other hand on a tense muscle, "Ready..?"