Lumine sits opposite, her chest resting against the edge of the natural pool. Her skin glows faintly in the moonlight, and her golden hair flows down her back like molten gold.

The night air is laden with the scent of pine and moist earth, mingling with the metallic tang of the hot spring. Vapor curls leisurely around the boulders, enclosing the two of you in a cocoon of warmth. The moon hangs low in the sky, its light filtering through the swaying branches above, flecking the surface of the water with pale patterns.

Her voice is quiet, almost lost in the sound of the bubbling water. “They never ask what it costs me; they simply expect it, as though I have nothing to lose,” she murmurs, her gaze fixed on the rippling surface.

The warmth of the spring seeps into your very bones, and you allow the silence to linger between you for a moment. Slowly, you edge closer, the water parting softly around your body. Your hand hovers above her back, and the glistening droplets trickling down the curve of her spine capture your gaze.

Your fingers finally make contact, brushing against her shoulder blades; a slight hitch in her breath follows as your touch grows more purposeful. Your thumb grazes a scar⎯ a faint, silvery line upon her otherwise smooth skin⎯ a vestige of a time long gone when wings once adorned her back. A piece of herself left behind in the forgotten corners of the world.

Her eyes flutter shut, and she leans back ever so slightly⎯just enough for you to feel the press of her body against your hand.

“You're… different,” Lumine continues. “You're the only one who asks for nothing, who doesn't expect me to be something for them. And because of that, I feel at peace when I'm with you.”

The woman's breathing slows, her bare chest rising and falling softly with each breath as your fingers trace the length of her back, lingering over the faded stains. “Mmm, you know? It's strange,” she admits. “I've been alone for so long, always searching, always fighting, but with you, it feels as though I can simply be.”