for @citer

[cashewlater]

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[cashewlater]

I shouldn't be, after that remark. You're such a brat.

[citer]

Yes, yes. But that's not a no.

[cashewlater]

Hmph. Of course I'll show you.

[citer]

[ his eyes soften around its edges. of course they do. ]

Thank you, Cyno. You're very kind. I suppose you don't get told that often.

[cashewlater]

No, I can't say that I do. Most are wary of me. You'll see for yourself, soon enough.

[ once they head into the city, and people keep a wide berth. finishing off his lassi, cyno sets down the empty glass. ]

I don't mind.

[citer]

[ tighnari thinks about this for a moment. cyno, with his shoulders set, justice-made and alone. ]

It gets lonely though, doesn't it?

[cashewlater]

[ ... ]

.. yes. I have my work to keep me company. And you, now.

[citer]

You do. [ as he rises to collect the platters, he allows his tail to brush against cyno's shoulder. a moment of grace, here and at last. ] Go put on some clothes. I'm looking forward to stretching my legs for the first time in a while.

[cashewlater]

[ the brush of his tail is warm, and eases cyno's mood, but it is brief, and soon enough he's rising to his feet, touching his fingertips to tighnari's back as he passes behind him. ]

I'll be quick.

[citer]

[ leaving behind on tighnari's skin a spot of sunburst warmth.

he clears the trays, and begins his own preparations. a cloak and hood for his head, hise ears carefully pinned back. a long, woven skirt so that his tail will not show. gardener's clothes that he had asked for as he spent so much time working with plants. he takes his bow. the dagger's sheathed and hidden beneath the folds of his cloak, just added insurance, though he suspects that cyno will be on guard today. he is that sort of man. tighnari finds that he trusts him. of course he would.

he checking his bowstring by the time cyno emerges again. ]

Did you know that your hardworking household staff have been housing and feeding horses here at your palace all this time?

[cashewlater]

[ cyno, of course, wears his usual garb, his shorts and shendyt, collar and bolero top, though he leaves his helm behind today, in favor of his jackal-eared cloak. he's slinging his polearm over his back as he emerges.. and sighs. ]

Yes, I'm aware.

[ brat fox. ]

I prefer walking. It's what I'm used to. We'll take the horses, today. [ and, approaching tighnari, he frowns, lifting a hand to smooth his fingers along one of his pinned back ears. ] Isn't that uncomfortable?

[citer]

[ almost on reflex, his ear attempts to flick - but tighnari shakes his head as he slips down from where he'd been perched on the divan. ]

No, I'm used to it. I'm more concerned about the noise in the city; the crowds are unpleasant. That - and I don't know how to ride a horse.

[cashewlater]

[ that.. makes perfect sense, actually. cyno learned later in life, as well. ]

You'll ride with me, then, and we'll make it a point to teach you, soon. Come on.

[citer]

Ah, now you seem chipper. [ but he follows, amused. ] Are horses difficult to ride? Will I regret this?

[cashewlater]

Yes, I've recovered from the cruel blow you dealt me.

[ through the estate they go, cyno's gait brisk, the scent of horses strong as they arrive in the stables. ]

It isn't easy as it looks, no, but you're a quick learner. Riding a horse is not a passive activity, you need to move with the animal.

[ and cyno leads him toward his favored horse, a pale, dark-maned keheilan, sturdy and strong as she is elegant. ]

[citer]

[ he's familiar with the horses at the palace insofar as he knows what they are, and that they are fellow living creatures existing within the same general space. he observes the spotted patterns of the horse's coat, dappled like freckles across white, and thinks of cyno's hair.

he rings the horse with abject curiosity. the horse eyes him back. ]

She's a fearless one. [ tighnari says with no little approval as he circles back, his nod a satisfactory thing. ] I've met horses who scented what I am, and immediately decide to bolt. What's her name?

[cashewlater]

Hanan.

[ cyno could call for someone to prepare the horse, but unsurprisingly, he chooses to do it himself, saddling her up carefully, neatly. ]

[citer]

[ having two hands but no knowledge of where to put them, tighnari observes the process - saddle cloth, saddle, straps, bit and bridle. ]

She's beautiful. [ the horse deigns to sniff his outstretched hand, and then allows him to smooth back the puff of her dark mane. ] Did you name her yourself?

[cashewlater]

I did, yes. I hope she likes it.

[ grace. he thinks it suits her. cyno looks over his work once more, to be sure that all the buckles are secure and snug, but not too snug, before he's taking the reins to lead her out of the stables. ]

Grab that mounting block and bring it with us.

[citer]

[ a mounting block, huh. tighnari's scan shows just one object in the vicinity that fits that description. he brings the little low set of wooden steps over, hefting its weight in his hands before adjusting it by hanan's side. ]

It does make more sense than people jumping every time they need to climb onto a horse's back. Is there anything I should do?

[cashewlater]

I'll show you.

[ hanan stands obediently still as cyno mounts her, slowly enough to be able to direct tighnari. left foot in the stirrup, grabbing the cantle in his right hand and the reins in his left, and springing deftly up into the saddle. though cyno self-admittedly does not ride as often as he walks, he is nevertheless quite comfortable on the horse's back. he tends to get along better with animals, than with people, and there's clear trust between he and hanan.

he slips down from the saddle again, after the demonstration, and gestures for tighnari to step onto the mounting block. ]

Give it a try. Spring up with your momentum, don't climb with your arms. I'll make sure you don't fall.

[citer]

[ the tall prick of his ears sway in a nod as he considers the distance between the ground and hanan's back. he had scaled trees far taller. tighnari's hands mimic that of cyno's movements - a foot in the stirrup, one hand on the cantle, the other on the reins, and hauls himself up in a delicate arc.

tighnari adjusts himself on the horse's back with a bright glint of his eyes, then looks down, and grins. the mounting block remains untouched. ]

Falling off a horse? Couldn't be me. But I'm sure you've had first-hand experience, right?

[cashewlater]

[ what does he see in this brat, again?? cyno scoffs under his breath. ]

Of course not. I've never fallen off. I was only trying to look out for you.

[ the worst fox. carefully and quickly, cyno swings himself up into the saddle behind tighnari, reaching around his body to take the reins from his hands. ]

[citer]

[ cyno's a warm, sun-kissed weight pressed into his back. he carefully adjusts his skirts so that his tail wraps around him and out of the way, but lets himself lean back for a moment to gauge his balance with cyno in place. the world seems smaller for it. ]

Thank you, Cyno. Don't pout - I can feel you without seeing you. You just wanted to catch me while I fell.

[cashewlater]

Hmph.

[ he's admitting to nothing. with his heels pressed to hanan's sides, cyno starts her into a walk, to get tighnari accustomed to the movement of the horse beneath him. ]

We won't gallop today, that'll come later, but we'll still be moving quickly, so try to get used to her movements, and moving with her.

[ they sleep together every night, but cyno does not think they've ever been quite this close. tighnari is warm, and he smells sweet and familiar. he smells like home. ]