for @citer

[cashewlater]

Comments

[citer]

[ it's an honest response. tighnari had only asked for cyno to consider his request seriously. he has been, he thinks, considered seriously, with the same weight that those making the same request would deserve.

it's a novel feeling, to know that he is being treated on equal footing as all of the other children of sumeru. he is pleased by it, and it shows in the dip of his ears. ]

Please do. [ he says, and means it. then: ] Are you going to finish that biryani?

[cashewlater]

Not right now. I'll have some more in an hour or so. You're welcome to some, if you'd like.

[ there's plenty more still left in the serving dish, after all. cyno reclines again, crossing one leg over his knee, both arms now resting along the sofa's back. his expression tightens again. ]

There's one more thing I'd like to address.

[citer]

What is it?

[ says he, half-way through burying a small plate with biryani. ]

[cashewlater]

[ this topic clearly makes cyno a little uncomfortable, despite how he tries to hide it, but he's not the sort to beat around the bush. and so, onward. ]

I know what is expected of you. How one of your many duties is to see to my.. satisfaction. I need you to know that that isn't required of you, unless you -

[ ahem. clearing his throat. ]

You're even welcome to your own quarters, should that be your preference.

[citer]

[ ........

it's such an unexpected thing that tighnari has to pause to reorient himself. his ears cock, first to one side, and then to a confused other. there are some rapid reassessments being made right now, and he's not sure what to address first. ]

You're speaking of the duty to satisfy you sexually. [ he says, slowly. because just making it clear - is this the thing that they're not saying outright right now??? ]

[cashewlater]

[ that sure is the thing they're not saying outright right now?? cyno is trying to be tactful here, but well, he should have guessed that tighnari would be content simply saying it outright. ]

.. yes.

[citer]

[ ah. he shoots cyno a discerning look from across the divan. ]

I appreciate you giving me the choice of it. I assumed that this was simply a need that was commonplace, to be fulfilled between people. [ a hesitant beat. but in full disclosure: ] It should not surprise you, but as Valuka Shuna, we are trained.

[cashewlater]

No, I suppose that doesn't surprise me at all.

[ not that cyno has spent much time thinking about it, given the fact that he only learned of the valuka shuna's presence entirely in the last handful of hours. but he had been.. summarily filled in on the distinct pleasures of having tighnari for his own. ]

I suppose it is commonplace. [ if the popularity of sumeru's pleasure houses is anything to go by. ] But I have no interest in taking something that isn't freely given.

[citer]

[ like a spear amongst the reeds, tighnari thinks. ]

And if it's freely given, you would accept?

[cashewlater]

[ at that, cyno's ears warm. not the answer he had expected, but tighnari continues to surprise him. still, he can't help but feel that this question is testing him. ]

I'm not blind. Despite your sleeves, you know full well that you're dressed to provoke. [ and cyno might be a reserved man, but he's still a man. ] Still, you're not an object for my pleasure.

[citer]

[ integrity is a word that he's learned, but never seen in action. ]

If I know that, and you know that, then there's no issue, right? [ he says, entirely reasonably - but he's smiling as he does so. ] I apologise - I was teasing you. But something tells me that you aren't aware of how you look today.

[cashewlater]

[ tighnari's smile eases him somewhat, and the slight tension in cyno's shoulders vanishes. he's soon reaching for his until-now-neglected lassi, though he pauses midway lifting it to his mouth. ]

How I look?

[citer]

[ how does he look? sun-kissed, a wild thing never quite having been made tamed. even the regalia could not keep at bay the fierce sandstorm of his gaze, the silks and gold never quite managing to soften the rigid set of his shoulders, as if he holds an entire world aloft through sheer willpower alone. a justice-made man viewing the world through a single, angular lens the colour of a titian sunset.

to train a valuka shuna for beauty, you need them to first recognise beauty. ]

Like a king. [ he says, simply. ] Given my background, you should know that I mean it only as a compliment.

[ after all, valuka shuna were meant for kings. ]

[cashewlater]

[ at that, cyno looks genuinely surprised. unlike tighnari, a man crafted to exude beauty, cyno has lived his life as something of an outcast, though he supposes.. perhaps they aren't so different at all. in many ways, cyno, too, has been used, many hands attempting to mold him to their specifications. first, as a child with a strange, violent power, and later, as a soldier, a matra. nevertheless, no one has ever said such a thing, to him. ]

A king. [ the low rumble of a chuckle rolls in his throat. ] I'd accuse you of exaggeration, but you don't seem the type. You realize how absurd that sounds, given my upbringing.

[ comparing a feral street child to a king.. ]

[citer]

King Deshret was also an orphan from the desert, was he not? Perhaps you have more in common with him than other people would suppose.

[ but he's smiling there as he observes the lassi not quite having made its way up to cyno's lips. he takes his own into his hands. his ears perk, surprised.

... the cumin seeds are crunchy. creamy, and just a little salty. ]

... this is good.

[cashewlater]

.. hmm.

[ cyno's gaze flickers, thoughtful. being compared with the scarlet king himself was certainly not something cyno would have expected to hear today, or ever. nevertheless, they've addressed what cyno had wanted to address. his lassi at last reaches his mouth, where he takes a generous sip. ]

I'm glad you like it. It might've been presumptuous of me to order it on your behalf, but I'd hoped you would enjoy it.

[citer]

[ his tail flicks. ]

Is this your favourite beverage? [ and then, because even concubines can be nerds: ] I see. The salt content is there to bring out the creaminess; without added sugar, the health benefits of the drink can better be appreciated, especially in people struggling with their electrolytes. The cumin seeds are a nice touch; the antioxidants promote positive gut health.

[cashewlater]

Favorite? I suppose it is.

[ though not for the reasons tighnari lists. cyno just, you know, likes it. that tail tickles his thigh as it twitches. ]

You're Amurta, all right. So, I have a few guesses, but tell me more about yourself. What you enjoy.

[citer]

In name, perhaps. I wouldn't be able to graduate from the Akademiya in any official capacity. And in terms of what I enjoy - was one of your guesses that I enjoy letting plants have their time in the light?

[cashewlater]

[ a quirk of his mouth. ]

Yes. You've made your interest in plantlife abundantly clear. I look forward to seeing what you do with the gardens, should it interest you to maintain them.

[citer]

And if I decide to turn your ornamental garden, which was designed not to be walked in, into a herb patch?

[cashewlater]

Do you think that would bother me? Do what you like, with it.

[citer]

Good. [ another flick of said tail. ] Because I was thinking of it when I was being walked in today.

Did you know that half of Sumeru is experiencing a water shortage? With the way your groundskeepers have been watering that thing, I feel as though they're afraid you won't have a swamp on your hands by the end of it. I get a headache just looking out onto the terrace. At the very least, a herb garden will grow the medication needed to mitigate migraines, rather than create them, wouldn't you say?

[cashewlater]

You have an opinion on everything, don't you?

[ said without bite, only amusement, as cyno takes another drink of his lassi. ]

Very well, I'll tell the groundskeepers that you're their new lord. [ he's sure they won't love that. ] Everything regarding its maintenance goes through you. You're the expert, after all.

[citer]

[ his eyes glint at this. yes, he will be looking forward to their faces. ]

I am not an expert in all things that I have opinions on, but in this, I do. You seem eager to offload responsibility of this estate. This isn't to your taste, is it.