While the trio flirted, the water started to heat up.
At some point, Xeno decided he had fulfilled his quota. He placed Visha on his lap, and while the three talked, he kept touching and sniffing.
If Visha didn't know any better, she would think he was just a big dog.
As soon as she noticed the water was hot enough, she leapt up. Not because she didn't want to touch him. Rather, it was because of the thing that was poking her.
She has come to realize that beast men have a high sex drive. If this week was anything to go by, she wondered how they managed not to be pregnant all the time.
Even Krag and Chi join the fray.
Yes, Visha has not learned to distinguish the sound of each couple's marital sounds. She also feels that she is being a little unfair to the two men. Everyone else was able to get along with their partner, except them.
However, she wasn't sure she was willing to take that step with them.
It was one thing to touch and taste, but penetration is something else entirely.
If she does that, it means she is giving herself to them completely. Something that both terrifies and excites her.
She knows they want her. And she knows they are willing to give her time. However, she still feels like the bad guy.
The only thing she could do was to promise to compensate them later, if she decided to do it.
Later, Visha was glad she never actually said this thought out loud. If either man had heard it, there was a chance she would never be able to leave their bed.
Quickly dousing the fire with water, she watched as the steam rose from the basin. She placed approximately a spoonful of sap in the water, using a large stick to stir. Once dissolved, she started putting the clay moss in the water.
As she stirred, the mixture became thick. Because of the binding agent, the clay moss became smooth and mixed well with the water.
Now, she needed to wait until the paste was lukewarm before applying it to the cave holes. When it becomes completely cold, the paste should solidify.
Visha made sure to find flat boards they could place the lukewarm mixture on and use to cover the hole. Having to get rid of it from their hands would be too much of a hassle. So, she came up with this solution.
Before taking a cave, they made sure to take caves that did not have any obvious holes. Holes mean the cold could get in. But not seeing holes didn't mean there weren't any.
The two men worked in the cave.
Visha looked at them, spreading the paste on the cave ceiling. She couldn't help but sigh and think that being tall has its advantages.
When they were finished, they realized they hadn't even used half of the basin. None of them expected that such a small amount would be able to cover the cave.
"Do you think we should give the rest to the others?" As she looked at the paste in the bowl.
"Give it. If the effect isn't what you want, it will be no different than before." Uri shrugged.
"I'll give it to Ba and Ma first," Xeno said, looking at the basin. "If we don't move fast, it's going to get hard.
"You don't need to send it to them. Call everyone out so they can collect it. That way, everyone gets to use it before it's unusable." Uri said, stretching out his hand to stop Xeno.
Xeno nodded, then proceeded to shout so loud he could wake the dead. Beast men already had sensitive hearing, so Xeno doing that was like sounding an alarm. The shout, or rather the loud bark, worked. Everyone stepped out of their cave and practically ran toward them.
Uri lifted his head, looking up to the sky.
Beast god, are you sure he won't drive me crazy sooner or later?
Uri knew Xeno was an active person, but sounding an alarm for something like this seemed excessive. He could only shrug. What's done is done.
He watched the people coming towards them. Saw their confusion as they saw them standing there with no threat in sight.
Uri didn't make them wait too long. "Everyone, grab a board. The big one." He pointed.
"Visha found a way to make the cave warmer. The thing in the basin is getting colder. Everybody needs to put it in their cave. Spread it on the walls and over any holes."
Not seeing anyone moving, he quickly pressed them, letting them know that if it gets cold, they can't use it again.
The grotto was already cold; if they waited for too long, all their work would be for nothing. Uri wouldn't allow Visha to go through the trouble of making it again. Everyone would have to make it themselves.
Unsure of what it was, no one complained. Even Heta, whom Visha thought would have something to say, said nothing.
She hadn't spoken to her for a while. She usually kept her head down around Visha these days. Most likely ashamed of her behaviour, but she didn't apologize.
Uri and Xeno helped everyone cover their caves.
By the time they were done, all five caves were covered. While it did not feel much different now, Visha was sure they would feel the difference soon.
Now that the moss was dry, Visha took out the ever-embers.
She placed three of them in the cave. She could feel the heat in the cave rising, even without her having to move the stone door. She was sure her plan could work.
"Xeno! Uri!" she called excitedly.
The two came running over. As soon as they stepped into the cave, they felt the difference. Especially Uri.
As part of the Snake tribe, he is sensitive to the cold. Although he has been moving around a lot lately, winter is not the ideal time for him.
"It's warm," Uri exclaimed. He savoured the warmth for a moment.
[Task complete: Insulate the cave]
[Reward: Cold adaptation, basic weaving skill]
When Visha saw the reward, her face couldn't help but turn blank. What was she supposed to do with cold adaptation when she'll be staying in a warm cave all winter?
Is the system planning to send her out in winter?
Visha could only hope that wasn't the case.