Cael came to Lio’s cave in the afternoon, carrying something hard, heavy, and awkward from the hunt.
It had taken effort to cut it free. The creature’s outer layer was too thick for an ordinary blade, so he had waited for the right moment, aimed for the joint, and released a mid-level spirit wind slash. The cut had gone through cleanly.
The flesh inside had been juicy and bouncy.
Cael had enjoyed eating it.
The girls had wanted no part of it.
But Titania had said the hard outer piece would be useful for many applications, and whenever Titania said something was useful, Lio usually wanted it.
So Cael brought it to her.
At the entrance of the cave, the guard golems raised their weapons. Their crystal eyes glowed for a moment, recognized him, then lowered again.
Cael passed between them and stood before the thick steel door set into the stone. It had been modeled after the automatic doors in the lab, though this one used mana technology instead. It could not copy every function of the original. There was no true biometric reading, no perfect autonomous judgment, no living intelligence inside the mechanism.
But it was still Lio’s work.
Strong.
Clever.
A little excessive.
Cael entered the password.
The door opened with a deep metallic groan.
“Lio,” he called inside. “I came to deliver something.”
His voice echoed down the tunnel.
The cave was lit by low-grade mana crystals, their pale glow running along the reinforced walls. Ceramic plates covered the stone to prevent collapse. Pipes and wires followed the curve of the tunnel, disappearing into the deeper passages. A narrow railway ran along the floor toward the mine below.
Lio’s workshop and living space were not deep in the mine. They branched off to the side, in the safer shallow part of the cave.
Cael waited.
No answer came.
“Lio?”
Still nothing.
He adjusted the heavy thing against his shoulder.
Maybe she was in the lab.
Maybe she was deeper inside.
Maybe she had worked herself half to death again and fallen asleep somewhere she should not.
He sighed and opened the workshop door.
Then he stopped.
Lio was asleep on the bed she kept inside her workshop.
The blanket had fallen to the floor. One hand rested lazily near her stomach, where her loosened shirt had shifted just enough to reveal the smooth, pale skin around her waist. Her hair was messy against the pillow, and her lips were slightly parted.
For once, she was quiet.
Cael stood there for a moment, caught between amusement and something warmer.
Lio was petite and youthful-looking, with a delicate face that made people underestimate her. But Cael knew how dangerous that mistake was. She was sharp, mischievous, reliable, and far too clever for anyone’s peace of mind.
Still, seeing her asleep like this made him soften.
“You’ll get cold,” he murmured.
He set the heavy thing down as quietly as he could and picked up the fallen blanket.
When he leaned closer, a faint scent reached him.
Not metal.
Not oil.
Not mana dust.
Something softer.
Milky.
Warm.
Sweet enough to make his heartbeat quicken.
Cael froze above her.
He should have simply covered her.
Instead, he bent down and kissed her forehead.
Softly.
Only once.
Lio’s eyes opened.
For one heartbeat, they were round with surprise.
Then they curved into sleepy half-moons.
“Hehe,” she whispered. “Little Cael… what are you planning to do with defenseless little me?”
Cael jerked back.
“No. I came to deliver that thing. You were sleeping, and the blanket was on the floor, so I—”
“So you came close?”
“To cover you.”
“And kissed me?”
Cael’s face warmed. “That was…”
Lio smiled.
Before he could finish, something shifted beside them.
His hard thing he had slid under its own weight. It scraped against her cave, tilted forward, and pressed into a dark opening beneath it.
A slick sound followed.
Cael froze.
Lio glanced down.
Then back up at him.
“Oh?”
The hard thing pressed again.
A clear, slippery liquid began to leak around the place where it touched, slowly dripping onto the stone floor.
Lio’s smile widened.
“Cael,” she murmured, “why is your hard thing touching my cave?”
His throat tightened.
“It slipped.”
“It keeps pushing.”
“I know.”
“And now my cave is wet.”
More liquid dripped down.
Cael tried to step away, but Lio caught his wrist.
Her fingers were small and warm, but her grip was firm.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To fix it.”
“Then fix it.”
Her voice was still soft from sleep, but her eyes were completely awake now.
She sat up slowly, the loosened fabric falling back into place as she moved. Then she slipped from the bed and stood beside him, close enough that her shoulder brushed his arm.
The hard thing remained caught at the entrance, unable to go deeper, unable to pull free cleanly.
Lio looked at it.
Then at him.
“Mine is small here,” she said. “So you have to be gentle.”
Cael closed his eyes for a moment.
“Lio.”
“What?”
“You know how that sounds.”
“Yes.”
She said it without shame.
Then she reached down and touched the slick edge around the opening. Her fingers came away wet. She rubbed them together slowly, testing the texture.
“It is ready,” she said. “But the angle is wrong.”
Cael swallowed.
“It may not fit.”
“It will.”
“It is too big.”
“It can take more than it looks.”
Her tone made the cave feel warmer than the mana crystals should have allowed.
Lio took his hand and guided it to the hard surface.
“Here,” she whispered. “Hold it properly.”
Cael did.
The thing was heavy and smooth in places, rough in others. Its curved edge pressed stubbornly against the narrow opening. The wetness around it made his grip uncertain.
Lio stood close at his side.
“Slowly,” she said.
Cael adjusted the angle.
The tip pressed in.
The opening resisted.
Lio inhaled softly.
Cael stopped at once. “All right?”
She looked up at him.
“Yes,” she said. “Just slowly.”
So he moved slowly.
The hard thing slid in a little deeper.
A soft, wet sound echoed beneath the workbench.
Liquid squeezed out around the edge and ran down to the floor.
Lio held the opening steady with both hands.
“Do not let it spill,” she whispered.
“I am trying.”
“You are tense.”
“It is heavy.”
“And big.”
Cael looked at her.
Lio smiled sweetly.
He pushed again.
The hard thing went deeper.
Lio’s fingers tightened around the opening. Her body leaned closer to his, guiding him with small movements, her breath warm against his sleeve. The cave around them seemed to fall silent except for the slow drip of liquid and the hum of mana crystals.
“A little more,” she murmured.
Cael obeyed.
The opening stretched around the widest part.
For a moment, it refused to accept more.
“It is stuck,” he said.
“Do not force it.”
“I am not.”
“You want to.”
He said nothing.
Lio smiled, but her voice softened.
“If you rush, you will tear it.”
Cael drew in a slow breath and shifted his grip.
Lio placed one hand over his.
“Lower,” she whispered. “Then forward.”
He followed her instruction.
The hard thing slid forward with a thick, slippery sound.
Lio gasped softly.
Liquid spilled over her fingers.
Cael stopped.
“Too much?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Keep it there.”
Her voice had become quieter now.
Warmer.
Almost purring.
Cael held it steady while Lio worked around the opening, her hands careful, her cheeks faintly flushed. Every time he moved, she guided him. Every time he paused, she told him when to continue.
The hard thing sank deeper little by little.
The cave smelled of stone, metal, mana crystal, and that strange sweet wetness coating everything between them.
“Again,” Lio whispered.
Cael pushed.
The resistance tightened.
Then gave slightly.
Lio leaned closer, almost against him, trying to keep the opening sealed around the hard surface.
“It is overflowing,” Cael said.
“Then put it all inside.”
His breath caught.
Lio looked up at him.
“Don't spills any.”
Cael tightened his grip.
The last part was the hardest.
The opening clung tightly, refusing the widest curve. Lio’s fingers slipped, caught, then slipped again. Cael leaned closer behind her to help, his arms bracketing her as he held the weight steady.
For a moment, their hands overlapped.
Their breathing grew uneven.
The mana crystals hummed softly above them.
“I cannot hold it much longer,” Cael said.
“Inside,” Lio whispered. “All of it.”
Cael pushed.
The hard thing sank fully into the wet cavity.
Liquid surged up at once, spilling down both sides in shining streams.
Lio tightly hold her opening.
“I won't let any go to waste.”
Cael held it.
“So Tight.”
He pressed harder.
“Do not let it slip out.”
“I will not.”
Lio pulled the rope.
It slipped through her wet fingers.
She tried again.
The thing inside shifted heavily, stretching the slick container around its shape. Cael moved behind her and reached around to help. Their hands closed over the rope together.
Once.
Twice.
The third pull finally caught.
The opening sealed.
The spilling slowed.
Then stopped.
For a while, neither of them moved.
Cael’s hands were wet.
Lio’s hands were wet.
The floor beneath them was wet.
Lio leaned back slightly against him and looked down with a satisfied smile.
“That’s filled good.”
Cael exhaled slowly.
“Yes.”
Only then did the workbench light catch the thing clearly.
It was the bug shell he had brought.
The hard outer plate was now deep inside Lio’s elastic treatment container, fully submerged in shell-softening fluid. The container bulged around it, stretched tight but holding. The rope seal kept the opening closed, though the surrounding floor had already become a shining mess.
Cael stared at it.
Then at Lio.
“That was your elastic container?”
Lio smiled proudly.
“Yes. This is my first time using it.”
“You could have explained that earlier.”
“I did explain.”
“You did not.”
“I said my cave was ready.”
Cael closed his eyes.
Lio giggled.
Then she placed a rag into his hand.
He looked at it.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I delivered the shell.”
“And made my cave wet.”
“You told me to force it all inside.”
“And you did.” Lio smiled sweetly. “Very well.”
Cael sighed.
It took them an hour to clean the cave.
The shell leftover fluid clung to everything. The floor, the workbench, the tools, their hands. Every time Cael thought it was gone, another slick patch shone under the mana crystal light.
Lio helped, though she spent most of the time smiling to herself.
At one point, she slipped.
Cael caught her by the waist.
For a moment, she stayed there, hands resting on his chest, eyes lifted to his.
The teasing softened.
“You really came to cover me?” she asked.
Cael looked away.
“Yes.”
“And the kiss?”
He said nothing.
Lio smiled gently.
“I knew.”
His eyes returned to her.
“You were awake?”
“Half awake,” she admitted. “Enough to know it was you.”
“And you let me?”
“If I did not want it, you would have lost a tooth.”
Cael believed her.
Lio leaned closer, her voice softer now.
“Thank you for worrying.”
He cleared his throat and released her waist.
“You were sleeping in a workshop.”
“It is my workshop.”
“You had no blanket.”
“I was tired.”
“You were also drooling.”
Lio froze.
Her face turned red.
“You saw?”
Cael smiled.
“Yes.”
“Forget it.”
“No.”
“Cael.”
“I will remember it forever.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I will tell Mira you kissed me while I was sleeping.”
“I will tell Mira you drool.”
They stared at each other.
Then Lio laughed first.
By the time the cave was clean, the container had stopped leaking. The bug shell remained sealed deep inside, soaking properly in the fluid. Lio checked the rope one last time and patted the swollen container with satisfaction.
Cael washed his hands twice and still felt slippery.
As he prepared to leave, Lio sat on the edge of her bed, swinging her feet lightly.
“Next time,” Cael said, “I am leaving the delivery outside.”
Lio smiled.
“But then you will not get to explore my cave.”
Cael pointed at her.
“One more word and I am taking it back.”
“You cannot.” Her smile turned smug. “It is already deep inside.”
Cael sighed and walked toward the door.
Behind him, Lio called sweetly, “Bring another big one when you find it.”
He did not answer.
But Lio heard his footsteps slow before he left.
And she giggled to herself for the rest of the evening.