for @citer

[cashewlater]

Comments

[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.

[cashewlater]

[ at this, cyno grunts his displeasure. ]

I've no need of all of.. this. It would be rude to reject it, of course, but no, it's not to my taste. [ clearly enough. ] But it is what it is.

[citer]

Make it to your taste, then. Otherwise, the resources put into it will go to waste. You might as well make do.

[cashewlater]

Make it to your taste. Like as not you'll be here far more than I will, and I want you to be comfortable.

[citer]

Do you have a second abode in the city? Or are you speaking of the Matra quarters?

[cashewlater]

Neither. I spend a lot of time working.

[citer]

You must eat. Sleep?

[cashewlater]

Of course. Still, sometimes I'm out of the city for days, or longer, if I'm tracking a suspect. Especially if they attempt to escape to the desert. Even in the city, my days are long.

[citer]

[ finally, tighnari lifts his head to take in his surroundings proper. the opulent room they're in stretches more than several wing-spans, doors with arched doorframes leading to mazy corridors upending in more rooms, and even more rooms to boot. the singular door leading to the bedroom is one that he'd explored earlier, while trying to figure out where they were hiding all the cacti.

his ear curves. tighnari stretches his toes. ]

I see. [ is all he says. ] I'll make do, then. Be sure to tell the relevant people of my newfound authority. You won't like the arguments that will break out otherwise.

[cashewlater]

I will.

[ he'd rather tighnari not be mistreated and belittled in his absence, though he gets the impression that tighnari can look after himself easily enough. ]

Are you displeased?

[citer]

[ there may be a new flower patch when he returns. there may be bodies in it. ]

Displeased? No. I was taking a measure of the place. It's smaller than the Sanctuary of Surasthana. The only thing two the places have in common is that neither were built to be lived in, but I've made do before. I will again.

[ his ears tilt back as he finishes his lassi. stomach full, he pulls his second foot up, his tail a comfortable curl around him as he smiles. ] But we are off topic. I only intended to tell you how we've spoken, and also that your contact who consulted me gave me a brief overview of what you are capable of. You were speaking of your powers - go on.

[cashewlater]

[ ah. at that, cyno needs to backtrack the conversation in his mind, a little, to remember why he had brought them up in the first place. ]

You'd asked if I'd resided in the Matra's Quarters my entire life, and my answer was no. Before that, I was kept privately by the Akademiya. [ a beat. ] For research purposes.

[ cyno, too, sets down his mostly empty glass of lassi, and reclines again, his gaze dropping briefly to that very plush looking tail, then back to tighnari's face again. ]

It's public knowledge, that a second spirit resides within me.

[citer]

[ his smile fades. tighnari's ears pull back, a quick flicker of a thing. his solemn gaze rests upon cyno, considering. ]

Hermanubis.

[cashewlater]

Yes, Hermanubis. The sages were very interested in my abilities. I was taken in by a Spantamad professor, until I was able to graduate and become a Matra.

[ tighnari looks somber, but cyno speaks matter-of-factly, his expression smooth, and easy. ]

And after that, well. Here we are.