Lauren was exhausted. The battle against the rogue ice users had pushed her powers to the limit. They had refused to recognize either her or Isabelle's authority and instead attacked them, forcing the zebra and vixen to defend themselves. With no other alternative the two women engaged the fortress full of Talwyn rogue warriors.

The zebra mare was inside the main hall when an ice user had struck her in the back with a sphere of ice. Disoriented, she saw someone about to knock her unconscious. At the last moment, someone intervened. She looked up to see a male phoenix.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Sora." It was his only answer.

"I'm going to assume you're on my side, thank you." She stood, seeing he was shackled. Spotting the key on the unconscious guard's belt, Lauren removed it and freed him. It was evident her new friend was their forced labor.

He rubbed his wrists and nodded in gratitude. "You are here to stop them?" The phoenix gestured over his shoulder at the rest of the ice users coming towards them just as Isabelle entered the room and stood beside them.

"We are," Isabelle said.

"Then I will help you. I owe them."

With that, the three entered battle, fire, water, and ice at their command.

Afterwards, Lauren rubbed her bruised body as the phoenix addressed her. "You are exhausted?"

She looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Aren't you?"

"Follow me." He led her to the sauna, where some rocks sat in the center of the room. "They forced me to do this for them quite often. I should find it infinitely more pleasureable to do so for my rescuers." He began to use his powers to heat the rocks, each one glowing with orange warmth.

Lauren undressed, wrapping a towel around her, and extended her hand to moisten the heated stones. The steam expanded to fill the room, and soon Isabelle stood at the doorway.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm exhausted. Besides, I just captured a few dozen rogue ice users. I deserve a little frivolous abuse of my powers. So either come in or get out. You're letting out the steam."

Isabelle looked at both of them with disbelief before grabbing her own towel and sitting on the other side of the room.

Sora is  Ryuusei
Lauren and story is  LaurenRivers
Art by  fox-die