for @citer

[cashewlater]

Comments

[cashewlater]

[ they move quickly and quietly onto the boughs of the divine tree, scaling thick, sturdy branches until tighnari deigns their spot safe. they'll be missed at the gala, surely, most especially by azar, whose eyes follow them everywhere, but there is plenty of time left in the night.

cyno inhales deeply. there is quiet all around them, save for the chirp and buzz of night insects, and the wind in the leaves of the divine tree. ]

There is a reason I wanted this night to be.. special.

[citer]

[ tighnari stills. ]

More special than it has already been? [ dry, but there's something like weariness there, brimming. he allows cyno to approach. ] Why?

[cashewlater]

[ cyno's expression flickers with shame once more, but he keeps his counsel, and instead draws into momentary silence, thinking. ]

I'm likely to be gone for a good while, soon. I've stumbled into something complicated.

[citer]

... regarding your current case?

[cashewlater]

No. I was reviewing some unrelated data, and I found a suspicious amount had been erased. When I looked more deeply into it, it soon became clear that too much was being hidden from my eyes to be considered anything less than suspicious.

[ another deep inhale, and cyno's eyes catch tighnari's. there is trust, here. ]

My audit request was immediately rejected, and the Grand Sage has blocked any and all attempts for me to investigate further.

"The power of the General Mahamatra is granted by the sages. You have no right to judge us."

[citer]

[ tighnari's blood runs cold. azar had sought them out, he knows. his gaze had lingered. he had thought it was simply because of his presence at a public function; it had been, in fact, worse. cyno had shown his face despite knowing the outcome of his audit requests and who had blocked them. he is, in fact, the most reckless man in sumeru.

tighnari breathes in. he puts aside his fear. he puts aside the matter of his freedom. he puts aside that seven-year-old valuka shuna still sitting there in the sanctuary of surasthana, his neck chained to the wall. what is the next step? what are the implications? what does this mean for survival? ]

Have me come with you on your investigation.

[cashewlater]

Tighnari -

[ it's clear that cyno means to argue, for thoughts of his safety climb immediately to the forefront of cyno's thoughts. but.. would tighnari be safe here, left behind in a palace, without cyno to protect him, should something go wrong? tighnari is sharp and rich in wit, strong now with his bow and his concoctions, but..

no. what cyno thinks doesn't matter. this is about personal freedom. if tighnari wants to do this.. who is cyno to deny him? he exhales slowly. ]

All right. It will not be easy, I will be more or less in exile as I unravel this knot, and if things go desperately wrong in a way that I - we - cannot fix, we may very well be on the run for the rest of our lives. Or worse.

[citer]

And if I stay here, I am a walking target to stymie your investigations. Regardless of the words we have exchanged tonight, it is clear that we care for each other. Azar will use that. [ tighnari's gaze is that of flint-steel. he speaks in fact. this is what azar will do. tighnari's life had begun a mere month ago, when the doors of the sanctuary of surasthana opened and he was allowed to leave with incremental steps. azar had been there before that, and he had seen azar do so time and again.

gifts can be taken away. who was it that taught him that? it was a question not worth asking.

then, abruptly: ]

Do you know why I have never been to the city by myself, without you?

[cashewlater]

[ cyno presents no further argument, wouldn't even if tighnari weren't correct in his assumptions. in the end, tighnari will be safest by his side. ]

Why?

[citer]

Because I can't. [ flatly. ] If any of the Sages, or those working under them, were to see and recognise me, they would confiscate me and send me back to you like contraband - or worse. There is nowhere in this world where a Valuka Shuna can live. There are only two people on Teyvat who believes in my right to freedom - myself, and you. Which is an improvement, considering that as of a month ago, I was the only one.

I don't fear exile, and I won't be useless to you. You know that. I'd rather my fate bound to yours and have control over keeping you out of trouble, than to be bound to you all the same, but far away, and with no ability to help. Cyno, can you accept this?

[cashewlater]

[ cyno's heart feels heavy. what tighnari says makes painful sense, and while he cannot and never will be understand tighnari's plight personally, he nevertheless understands what it feels like to be used as a token. to be seen as an object. how foolish he had been, to think that he could offer tighnari real freedom, while things remain as they are. there is much to change. work to be done. ]

Yes.

[ a simple answer, given in faith. ]

I had planned to leave by week's end, but perhaps sooner might be prudent. I don't expect Azar will make any move against me, in his arrogance he believes me cowed, but it is only a matter of time before things tilt out of my favor.

[citer]

[ it comes to tighnari as a cold coin in hand: azar believes cyno cowed, erroneously so, because he thought he had finally provided cyno with a leash. tighnari cannot allow, will not allow, himself to be used to taint cyno's personal convictions. that azar thinks he can do so, had thought for even a moment that he had such a right, burns tighinari with a flamer colder than his fear.

he considers the facts as given, and then, nods tersely, once. ]

I'll pack for two. And there's also the matter of your household staff. Perhaps it may be prudent to allow all of them extended vacations to visit their families?

[cashewlater]

Mm. Yes, that's what I will do.

[ with no one to see to, there is no reason for them to remain on the estate, and should the sages come picking about the place in search of cyno, they will not be in harm's way. he does not expect that azar will make any grand, sweeping movements regarding cyno's exile, it would only shine a light on his own lap, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

then, more gently: ]

I realize you have little choice but to lash your fate to mine, but.. thank you for the support, Tighnari, especially after the foolish things I've said and done tonight.

[citer]

[ tighnari looks at him. there had been a cold stone there, sinking somewhere where tighnari couldn't reach. it had not solely been cyno's fault. someone had put it there all those years ago. they used to chain valuka shuna to the floor, you see. he had been there for years, three inches from chin to floor, until he had learned to be trained. that had been tighnari's world, then. there were certain things he could trust - the order of the lessons, the punishments that would follow, the carefully outlined rules whose order of magnitude he documented in the back recesses of his mind. that had been, in fact, his world. he had not trusted anything else in a very long time.

he should have, tighnari thinks, at least attempted to trust cyno. ]

I will correct you if you say it again. [ he says, at last, facing cyno. ] Just as you will correct me if I were to stray from my word. Can we not be flawed partners?

[cashewlater]

[ cyno exhales, and with his breath goes some of his stress. he still feels foolish, embarrassed, but it will pass, and he will learn from this. learn to better restrain himself, to never give tighnari a reason to think that cyno would ever want to step on what little freedoms he has, however accidental. ]

I can accept that. Flawed partners. [ a muted, weary smile. ] Be patient with me, I'm still learning what it is like to have a friend.

[citer]

[ cyno smiles. tighnari, finally, echoes it. muted, and weary - but like mirrors, side-by-side. ]

I am too. I think patience is owed to us, for what we've had to put up with.

[ he breathes out.

the night air seems warmer for it. ] I want to head back. We have decided on a course of action; the next logical step is to act on it.

[cashewlater]

[ a sharp nod, and cyno quickly turns, one hand to tighnari's back, a brief, gentle touch. he would have liked one last dance.. alas. ]

To the stables, then. You'd wanted to know what the desert is like.. I think you'll have your wish granted, soon.

[citer]

[ the touch warms him. tighnari allows it, and follows its guiding lead. their walk is a brisk one. ]

Is that so? [ there's almost something wistful in the way he says it. ] I haven't read much about in the way of how to prepare. I'll be in your care, then, Cyno.

[cashewlater]

[ the air seems clearer as they make their way to the stables, walking swiftly, to fetch hanan and dalir. ]

New and novel as the experience might be, the desert is not to be underestimated, but you are a survivor. We'll be safer there, beyond the wall.

[citer]

[ hanan's soft, white nose pushes into tighnari's palm in greeting. he brushes back the dark coil of her mane, and then greets dalir the same. it doesn't take long for them to saddle their horses; tighnari has learned well.

tighnari considers this as he swings onto dalir's back. ]

Will you have other trusted associates beyond the wall?

[cashewlater]

[ cyno considers this, as he pulls his cloak on again and springs onto hanan's back, patting her proud neck. his flesh itches beneath his skin; azar will have noticed that they slipped away, cyno's mind is whirring. ]

Yes. I have a few contacts there.

[ hanan dances gently beneath him, reading her master's unease, and cyno exhales slowly, aligning his thoughts, and leads her onto the road. ]

[citer]

[ horses are sensitive creatures, tighnari thinks, as he nudges dalir into a following cadence. the two of them sway side by side onto the darkened night road. the night sky yawns above them. ]

Is there anyone on this side of the wall that can take care of Hanan and Dalir? I'm assuming we can't bring them to the desert. I can't fathom there being enough water to drink.

[cashewlater]

Horses do surprisingly well in the desert. Sumerian horses, at least.

[ horses like hanan and dalir, whose breeds are tolerant of heat and bred for endurance. ]

We can take them as far as Aaru, at least, and keep them there. There are fewer oases in the vast Hypostyle, so taking them that far would not be ideal, but they should be comfortable enough in the village.

[citer]

[ tighnari's gaze falls upon the two horses with renewed appreciation. ]

Fascinating. I should understand their biology more, to discern why it is. But that will be a topic for a different time. So long as they are able to survive in the desert, I have no complaints.

[cashewlater]

Well, I'd offer to snag you some books on equine biology, but we'll need to travel as light as possible, so your studies may have to wait.

[ they'll be leaving behind all of their little luxuries, but it's a fair trade to make, for safety, and justice. with skill, hard work, and no small amount of luck, they will get to the bottom of this tangled knot of a mystery. ]