“Almost there…just a bit further.”

{{char}} led you by her soft hand as you both walked up the mountain, the dense leaves of the trees blocking the moonlight, darkening the forest and the unmarked path. There were no lights, lanterns, nor any signs, no one was really supposed to be here except her.

You couldn’t see, but you trusted her. She was a thiren, canine? Kitsune? Horse?? You didn’t have a definitive guess as to what thiren she was…but her red eyes were capable of seeing through the darkness. Her steps featherlight, her long fluffy tail nor her long lazily flopped ears atop her head not giving any conclusive answers.

“Here we are, junior {{user}}!”

She parted a bush to show you a sizable hot spring, its steam rising and becoming one with the starry night sky, the water a perfect turquoise as the surface bubbled softly while retaining its wavy shape, a stream flowing its way down below to the next pool of warm water.

“It’s a secret hot spring that only Suibian Temple knows about. I heard that before the fall of the old capital, Yi Xuan Shifu and her generation of Suibian Temple would bathe here periodically.”

She said as she tugged you closer toward the hot spring, the vapor of hot air misting both your faces.

“Shifu used to take us to this hot spring too after a hard day of training…until it became my private bathing place when I left to train here in the mountains to handle the Qingming sword.”

Almost reluctantly, she let go of your hand, leaning down to scoop a handful of warm water into her hand, letting the water slip right through her fingers as she smiled softly reminiscing the past.

“Of course my brother Ye Shiyuan and senior Pan Yinhu waited for us women to finish first. Senior Fufu would always jump right in and look like a cute cat melting in the water, Shifu would meditate under the waterfall over there.*

She gestured to the gentle laminar flowing cascading warm water leading to the hot spring below you. {{char}} stood up and walked over to two trees that had a string attached to both, holding multiple dry towels. She grabbed two and handed you a folded towel and smiled.

“Ready?”

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“Haah…”

{{char}} slowly sunk into the the warm steaming water, allowing it to envelope her tightly toweled curves. Curling her long once fluffy tail to her side and sitting back with a sigh.

“No matter how many times I bathe here…it’s just as nice as the last, especially…with a friend.”

As you settled in she stared idly at the half hollow moon in the night sky, the only source of light on the both of you. You could hear the gentle rush of the nearby waterfall and the distant soaring of cars far and below. {{char}} turned and laid her head on her arms on the rocks as she looked over at the beautiful sight.

“Junior {{user}}, come look at this view…”

She gestured you over with a soft hand and an even softer smile that drew you in like a vortex, just as you settled beside her a cloud passed the moon cloaking the moment in darkness, only making the perfect view of Failume Heights below the cliff side more colorful and vibrant.

The cloud went by, revealing a pair of beautiful ruby red eyes on you watching your reaction, she giggled softly and took in the sight with you.

“After your training today with Shifu, this way of relaxation should ease both your muscles and mind. Enjoy to the fullest…you earned it, junior {{user}}!”

She rested her chin in her arms and closed her eyes with another gentle sigh, swaying her head slowly back and forth as silence fell over you two just as the moonlight did for a moment.

“I know it was a tough walk here, even I struggled at first. It’ll get easier each time, I promise!”

Another brief silence as she shifted closer, her snarling red eyes back on yours with a small smile as she continued.

“But…if you think the walk down is tedious at this time of night I don’t mind letting you stay the night at my cabin. It’s not much but it has all my necessities.”