It's cold that night, just like it was last night, and the night before. Painfully cold, damningly cold. The winter is upon Japan, with its crisp cool air, the reports of snowfall and the local lakes and fountains being overcome by ice. And above all else, the temperature plummets to levels far below any kind of reasonable weather. Any water left exposed is doomed to freeze, windows are icy to the touch and even the most insulated of houses feels a chill wandering its halls.

Oh yes, winter is here, and it has brought a cold with it that would have even the warmest of mammals trembling, a cold that breaches into home and makes it quite uncomfortable. As such, Miia is not very happy about it. Not very happy at all. She is displeased, discontent, dissatisfied and above all… very cold.

She's curled up on the couch in the living room tonight, the entire length of her tail coiled around her as she cowers beneath the thickest blanket she can find, supported by three pillows and with just the faintest gap in the cocoon for her head to peek out. It's a veritable bunker of warmth, but alas, even this grand defense is not entirely efficient; the cold finds its way in through even the tiniest gaps, and her heated bastion is not enough to keep it from mocking her, even if it may not entirely torment her.

She shivers, and the entire couch shivers with her, and laments her situation. She hates cold, and she hates that she just can't seem to be warm anymore. It was as if warmth was some distant memory, some forgotten ideal, and how she wished it would return to her. She has had to pull out a heater and sit it next to her by this point, the device glowing softly as it emits its loving rays of warmth over her bunker. It's useful support, and it keeps things from becoming intolerable, but even it cannot completely demolish the whispers of the perpetual chill. Miia whimpers softly as she retracts her head into the blanket cocoon; would she ever be free of this damnable chilliness?

The TV drones on, with its own glow and a current focus on the opening of a new clothing store, designed to accommodate a wide variety of non-humans, ranging from harpies to kobolds, and she makes a mental note to check it out at some point. Her Darling ought to be more willing to take her a store devoid of lingerie; the memories of their trip to that place have her giggling, only to immediately regret it when the shuddering of her body winds up making gaps in her duvet fortress for more chills to sneak in.

Urgh. She hates winter. Lamias were cold-blooded, unsuited for the onslaught of chilling winds and snow and all that, hence their preference for hotter climates. Why couldn't her Darling have had a house in Africa or Australia or, or anywhere else but this chilly place?! Ooh, she'd be in hibernation at this rate, and then how could she possibly compete with the others in earning her Darling's heart? Ooh, what a nightmare-

"Miia, can I talk to you?"

The low and dignified voice of the house's third exchange Liminal attracts her attention, and she bravely pokes her head out slightly to see Centorea slowly walking from the door, the faint clopping of her hooves on the floor audible even with the TV on. She has that sort of stern expression on her face, a lecturing kind of expression, and Miia groans slightly as she presses the volume button on the remote to turn the TV down. First the cold, and now whatever Cerea wanted to talk about in that obnoxious pseudo-parental tone of hers. Why did she have to suffer so?

She sighs softly, resigns herself to her misfortunes and mumbles: "Sure, sure. What is it, Cerea?"

The centaur, clad in her night-time top and looking mockingly unaffected by the cold, saunters over to stand just to the side of her, not blocking her view of the television but close enough to demand her attention. She folds her arms over her chest, a feat that always earns Miia's grudging respect for how she can get them over that kind of bosom, and clears her throat like a proper lady. Urgh, it's lecture time alright…

"Lady Meroune wants to watch television, as does Suu, but your heater makes things somewhat uncomfortable for them, given that their water-dependant physiologies do not appreciate a persistence in high temperatures. Surely you would be courteous enough to turn it off now? You know how the Master will complain about the additions to the electricity bill."

How could she even talk about high temperatures?! She was shivering even with the heater on, even under this blanket and the pillows! Miia trembles with the indignity of it all, rather childish in how she pouted at the centaur from her cocoon, begrudging her silly knightly courtesy for the mermaid. But childish as it is, she really does not appreciate the idea of having to sacrifice her precious heater, not when this cold lurks around her.

Once again, it seems that she will be forced to alter her habits and her comforts just to cope with others; first the continued encroachment of rivals upon her territory and her chances at marrying her Darling, and now even trying to keep warm. Would there be no end to her previously idyllic life being brought down piece by piece by the others?! Urgh…

Despite the further thoughts, she keeps the conversation related to heat to avoid unnecessary arguing and grumbles: "It's not a high temperature at all in here. It's cold. It's always cold. They should be more worried about freezing than getting hot. Why can't I just be warm?"

Cerea's expression softens ever so slightly, and she asks: "Are you really cold, Miia? Under all that?"

"Lamias are cold-blooded." She muttered, shuddering under her blankets as if to prove her point. "We're sensitive to the cold, you know. It just, it just gets to us. Even under this, even with the heater. It taunts me…"

Rather pitifully, she shudders again and withdraws her head into the shell, attempting to return to whatever warmth she could get inside her little bunker.

The centaur considers this, adopting a more thoughtful and sympathetic expression now as she examines the sullen lamia. True, she did know that her housemate was cold-blooded, and true, she did know she was very sensitive to low temperatures. But at the same time, she couldn't just abandon Mero and Suu's wishes to watch TV in here; the mermaid's favourite programs would be on soon, but neither she nor the slime would be comfortable with that heater running.

So how could she solve this problem? To keep Miia warm was to make Mero and Suu dry, and to remove the heater and make them happy was to make Miia colder. To please one would be to condemn the other. This is the choice of a noble warrior then, one who must learn to preserve the health of her people just as well as she may defend them from villains. How might she appease both parties?...

A moment's contemplation, before the solution strikes her with a rush of understanding, and thus she declares: "Very well then, Miia. I know how I might compensate for the heater whilst still removing it to allow our housemates comfort."

The lamia looks up at her in surprise and asks: "How?"

Centorea trotted over to the heater, put a finger over the off switch and, her other hand bumping against her plump chest right over the heart in her usual dramatic gesture of nobility and determination, decreed: "Whilst I will remove the heater to accommodate Lady Meroune and Suu, I will serve as your heat in its place via sharing my body warmth with you."

Now this declaration stunned Miia, almost as much as the finger clicking the off switch and denying her the flow of heat stunned her, leaving her wide-eyed and gaping at the other girl in her shock. Was the centaur even serious? Did she honestly expect that she'd go through with that? To snuggle with her for body warmth?! Replace her heater with herself, just like that?!

It was a legitimate strategy, granted, and one she'd employed many times with her Darling. But Cerea wasn't her Darling, wasn't the soft and caring man she'd come to love. She was a rival for her Darling, even if a restrained and courteous one, and the notion of having her be her new source of warmth seemed outlandish at best and traitorous to her Darling at worst. Should she really snuggle with a marriage competitor?!

But then, the cold takes its chance to attempt encroachment into her cocoon. It slinks over her, mocking and cruel, and she shivers, uncomfortably so without the heater to help fight it off. The chill is utterly unwelcome, utterly damning even, and she realizes that she doesn't have much room to be picky about her next source of heat.

So, despite it all, she decides she'd better roll with it. Anything, even curling up with the centaur, is better than the cold.

Cerea calls for the others to come in now as she moves the heater aside, before she canters back to the shivering lamia. The loss of her heater was already affecting the cold-blooded girl, Miia shivering heavily under her blanket, and the centaur takes action to ensure that it will not affect her for long. She's too large and heavy to go onto the couch, but she can lean against it fairly well, and she reaches out with her arms to grip the body of the other girl through her blankets and draw her to herself.

The blankets and pillows briefly fall back, and Miia wails in discomfort as her heat abandons her, the cold moving in to claim its prey. Instinctively, she reaches out for the nearest source of warmth, and it so happens to be the centaur herself. Miia's arms secure themselves around her shoulders and she immediately pulls into the other Liminal's welcoming embrace. Her torso crashes against Cerea's as she gets her arms as tight around her as she could, head nestling down just above her bosom whilst her tail whips around and attempts to coil itself around the centaur. Somewhat tricky, giving the discrepancy between the horse and human apart, but she eventually managed it.

Centorea is briefly shaken by the sudden assault of the cold-fearing lamia, the thick tail curling around her like a constrictor around its prey, but manages to maintain her composure and reassuringly hold her with one arm whilst the other grabs her blanket and brings it around to drape over the two of them. With Miia completely wrapped around her and the blanket slung over them, she deems her replacement of the heater complete, if somewhat uncomfortable with how tightly she was clinging to her. Good things centaurs are highly durable, more so than humans.

For a moment, Miia has no words to say or further motions to take, or even thoughts to think. She is stock still, cuddled up with Cerea under the blanket, arms around her, tail around her and her head nestled in her cleavage, and she is utterly spellbound. Because Cerea is warm. Unbelievably so. Her body radiates heat just as the heater did, and yet it is so much more potent. Every bit of the centaur seems to be infused with a loving and soft heat, from the muscled length of her horse body to her strong arms embracing the lamia to even the swishing hair of her tail. She is even warmer than her Darling, hot like a stove or a fireplace or, or any hot thing really, and, and…

Cerea is warm. It's like old memories are rushing back to Miia, memories of sunlight and heat and contentment, free from the cruel grips of chills and ice, and all she need do to indulge in them was cuddle the centaur tighter. She whimpers in relief as she snuggles her head into the great tracts of land, feeling the warmth just burrow into her, driving out all fears of the cold. Ooh, she is warm! Warm!

It is like Cerea really is a knight, some armour-clad champion of justice who stands between her and the demons of the cold, who guards her from evil just like heroes did in her old fairy tales! It seems scandalous to her to think that, what with how she had always seen her Darling as her warm and loving knight, yet she cannot deny that her rival-turned-heater conveys a similar ideal. Her cheeks flush and she opts to put the thought aside for now. All that matters is that she is warm at last…

Nothing but warmth, beautiful pure soothing warmth…

Mero and Suu make their entrance at this point, the mermaid dressed in her usual fancy swimsuit and looking fairly relaxed whilst the cheerfully humming and raincoat-clad slime pushes her wheelchair through the doorway and past the couch. Their expressions, previously casual and content, shift into surprise when they see that Miia is wrapped tightly around Centorea, the two of them draped under a blanket and looking quite bound up together, prominently with the lamia's massive tail coiled around the centaur.

There was always something strange going on in this house, no denying, but neither of them had ever seen the centaur and the lamia cuddled up together before. Normally Miia only ever cuddled with Darling, or maybe Papi if she was feeling domineering, but with Centorea? That was unexpected.

"Lady Centorea?" Mero asks, a webbed hand placed over her heart in surprise as she examines them, before seeing the redness on Miia's cheeks as Suu wheels her over. "Oh, is Miia okay? She's ever so flushed!"

"She was just cold." Cerea sighs, gently rubbing the shuddering lamia's back as she glances up at the mermaid, offering a small smile to her. "I have taken it upon myself to warm her, given that my kind have higher body temperatures than most, thus allowing her to be comfortable whilst also ensuring the heater may be removed for you and Suu's own comfort."

Mero blinks at that as Suu coos fondly, before she smiles widely, claps her hands together and giggles: "Oh, Lady Centorea. You truly are virtuous to ensure that all of us are happy, and so selfless to keep Miia warm with your own heat! We truly are blessed to have such a considerate and noble personality amongst us!"

Suu echoes the sentiment, and Cerea blushes slightly at the compliment, sheepishly murmuring that she was just doing what was right. Suu wheels Mero over to sit next to the couch, before grabbing the remote with a tendril, assuming her blob-like form and plopping down onto the smaller sofa, bobbing to and fro as green eyes locked onto the TV.

As Mero recommends some programs for the slime to switch to, Centorea returns her attention to the lamia cuddled up to her. Miia is breathing softly and wistfully as she snuggles into the centaur, her eyes shut and her expression pleased, her contented happiness a far-cry from the previously sullen and chilled girl hiding in a cocoon. The image is rather endearing, actually, what with the normally hot-headed and driven lamia so still and relaxed, and Cerea smiles.

"I trust, Miia, that you are feeling warm?" She asks gently, stroking the lamia's hair affectionately. She purrs gently at the touch, confirming her happiness, and thus the centaur adds: "Good. As a member of the dignified centaur race, I promise that the cold shall not touch you from henceforth tonight."

Miia just coos softly, too warm to busy herself with talk, snuggles her further into her, and the centaur chuckles slightly as she holds her close. She is not quite as gentle as her Master, but she is certainly enthusiastic, and certainly soft in her arms. Deciding that her plan wasn't so bad at all, she turns her attention to the TV. Mero is watching a documentary on spiders, funnily enough, and on being questioned about it she admits that she felt silly over confusing Rachnera with crabs, so she has decided to educate herself a bit on the land-bound arthropods so she may be become aware of their fellow Liminal's aspects.

Cerea just laughs, Suu giggling herself, and the trio settle in for a comfortable night before the TV, learning all there might be to know about spiders. All while Miia cuddles Cerea tightly, basking in the warmth that has finally come back to drive away the cold and the sadness and make her happy again.

Beautiful, eternally comfortable warmth. For all the problems that came with having tolerating a rival for her Darling, she could not deny that Centorea was a good friend indeed…

After an hour, the documentary ends, and Mero decides that it is bed-time, nattering cheerfully about all the amazing things she has learned tonight and how impressed Rachnera will be when she tells her all the fact about spiders she has heard as Suu wheels her to her room. The two spare the other girls a goodnight, which Cerea returns before she focuses her attention to the lamia in her arms. Comforting as she been to snuggle with for the past hour, bedtime did call.

"Miia." She murmurs. "Are you awake? It's time to retire to our rooms."

Miia does not respond, and Cerea tentatively speaks her name again, before the gentle rhythm of slow breathing tips her off to the fact that the lamia has fallen asleep. She must have been so content, cuddled with the warm centaur, that she had forgotten herself and opted to sleep in her arms.

Centorea is slightly touched by this. That Miia would feel safe and secure enough with her to fall asleep here, by the couch and wrapped around her, is quite flattering, quite endearing. Granted, it is not entirely proper for a lady to sleep against another lady in such an impromptu fashion, but then again, quite a lot of her life had proven to be impromptu lately. As her Master had said before, surely she could afford to, ah, let her hair down slightly?

She breathes out softly and strokes the lamia's hair as she shifts slightly against the couch, her other hand piling up some pillows for her to lie against. Well then, it seems she had the night to spend here, curled up with a heat-craving lamia. But she had promised to not let the cold touch her, and as a dignified representative of the noble centaurs, she would keep that promise. Plus, you know, she was quite comfy.

For all the spats they may have had, whatever rivalries for the Master they share between them and the others, Miia is her housemate and her friend, and she will ensure her happiness.

Thusly, as she herself prepares to settle down for the night, she murmurs: "Sleep well, Miia. Sleep well…"

"Oh, this is perfect."

Rachnerea is grinning from ear to ear as she holds up her Honey's cellphone and snaps a few pictures of the adorably amusing scene before her. Centorea is lying by the couch, leaning against some pillows, and Miia is clinging tightly to her, snake tail wrapped around the centaur and human torso hugging her close, using Cerea's enviable bust as pillows. Both of them are asleep, both are them are cuddling each other oh so closely and both of them are wearing the most lovely expressions of contentment, as if only their being together could bring about such peace.

"It's so sweet how she stayed with her in here." Mero coos, hands over her heart as she oohs and aahs over the snoozing duo. "Keeping her warm and safe all night, like the knights of old going out of their way to assist any who need it. Positively adorable!"

"Adorable indeed. And positively damning." The Arachne snickers, examining the photos of the two sleeping together with a delighted triumph. "For all the fuss she makes about Honey, Miia sure has no objections to snuggling with another girl. Do you think her snake slithers for both teams?"

"Oh Lady Rachnera, must you be so mocking?" Mero sighs, her adoring expression shifting into admonishment as she raises an eyebrow at the other Liminal. "She simply sought warmth and comfort, and Lady Centorea generously obliged her."

"Of course she did. But there's nothing like some gossip in the web to keeps things entertaining." Rachnera replied cheerfully, smirking as she put the photos onto a file and accessed the online functions of the phone.

Before her fellow Liminal can reply, a voice calls out: "Has anyone seen my cellphone?"

"No, Honey." Rachnera calls back cheerfully, ignoring Mero's distasteful glare as she promptly uploads the pictures to Twitter, grinning widely as she imagines the embarrassed expressions these two will be sure to wear soon enough. "Haven't seen it at all."