Dust away the winter

A bit more time passed before she eventually heard Lia enter the room, looking up at her slightly less soot covered friend as she came over to see the surprise Briar had prepared. As expected, Lia gasped and scolded her for it to which Briar only grinned and chuckled. "Oh stop, it's not that much." She motioned for Lia to get in while she reached for some of the soaps she had prepared. "You did so much work cleaning out that fireplace and fixing up our room. The least I can do is help you get cleaned up afterward!" She waited for Lia to step into the tub of warm water before she started frothing up the bar of soap in the water and building up a good amount of suds on her paws. She started working her paws through Lia's fur, bringing back the fire-hued colors in it while the soot started to rinse out into the water around her.

"One of these days you'll stop acting so shocked every time I do something nice for you," she insisted with a chuckle, giving Lia a smirk. She knew that adjusting to this new lifestyle had been difficult for the former slave, but Briar was determined to get through to her how much she mattered and how much she was cared for. She wouldn't take anything less for an answer. Once most of her fur was pristine once more she reached for a rag and dipped it in the soapy water, ringing it out so it wouldn't drip in Lia's eyes before she started using it to wipe Lia's crystal antlers clean.

"Briar Fatalis"