"Very well," Gaby replied, using a stronger hand. After seeing it in action, she realized the process was not all that dissimilar to the Aufguss in German saunas. The movement of the branches concentrated the heat of the steam much like the towel in Aufguss. She began making circular movements with her wrist to concentrate the heat before she struck him, focusing on his spine and the lean muscles of his back.
After several silent moments, she stopped hitting him and tossed the venik into his lap. She glanced over at him through narrowed eyes. "How is it that I wind up doing all the work, hm?" That was not an invitation for him to return the favor, whether he chose to read it that way or not. Her expression quickly softened the longer she looked at him. "It is still strange to me that you are not the Illya I have come to know." He felt familiar, like a memory, and yet the familiarity the two had cultivated over the past few months was missing. It was an odd feeling, one that she knew Solo shared.