"I'm cold."

DawnFire and JulyFlame looked at firemagic, who shrugged slightly. "Well, I am."

"This is a ploy to steal another one of my blankets, isn't it?" JulyFlame shook her head. "It's not going to work, firemagic. I'm onto you."

"You always are." firemagic snuggled in closer against JulyFlame's side. "But I'm still cold."

"I'll grab another log." Being careful not to dislodge the quilt wrapped around her shoulders, DawnFire shuffled across the floor to the woodpile. She pulled out the largest bough and placed it carefully on the fireplace, then quickly made her way back to the heap of cushions. "Okay, now I'm cold."

JulyFlame chuckled. "Come here, then." She held out her arm and wrapped it around DawnFire, pulling her in. "Honestly, you two are such wet blankets."

"If the blankets were wet," firemagic pointed out, "they'd be frozen by now. Why is it so cold?"

"It's not." JulyFlame ruffled firemagic's hair. "You're just both pathetic."

DawnFire raised an eyebrow. "Then you won't mind if I do borrow this." She snatched the topmost blanket from JulyFlame's collection and huddled into it. "It's not heeeeelping..."

"Good grief." JulyFlame looked from one to the other, then got to her feet in an abrupt motion. Grabbing a single blanket, she wrapped it around herself. "I'm going to make some cocoa and fill up the hot water bottles. And if you two don't stop whinging by the time I get back..."

DawnFire giggled and shuffled over to wrap her arms around firemagic. Nuzzling in against the other woman's neck, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "That's not an idle threat, either. She bites."

"I heard that!"