for @citer

[cashewlater]

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[citer]

[ tighnari, who has never once spoken to a child, considers this in his imagination - cyno, patiently finding himself on one knee so that a child can whisper into his ear. it's a charming thought in itself. ]

We should follow the song, I think. It's telling us so.

[cashewlater]

[ oddly enough, children are one of the few that aren't afraid of cyno. they have no reason to be, and know no better, and he is always gentle with them. ]

As you wish.

[ cyno does not like the detour, this will delay their arrival in caravan ribat, but he trusts tighnari's instincts almost as deeply as his own, and really, he should probably rest. tighnari is strong and resilient, but he's not used to hard travel. not yet.

with a click of his tongue, cyno eases hanan off the road and between the trees, the clop of her hooves softened by the thick grass beneath. ]

[citer]

[ hanan moves to cyno's orders, and tighnari moves with her. the night's chill is abated by the gentle press of cyno to his back, ever-present, ever-sure. the song continues, a faraway lilt made by an inhuman tongue. they never quite close their distance to it. yet tighnari is sure, so very sure, from the bottom-most dredges of the instincts of a valuka shuna that had yet to be beaten out of him - that they were meant to follow this song to its intended conclusion.

the forest grows deeper. the forest grows darker. darkness does not, however, mean the absence of light. bioluminescent flowers bloom along the wayside, unfurling their petals upon their approach like an evening's welcome. fantastical mushrooms scaffold off of ancient trees, casting their unearthly light upon the animal trail. tighnari hears rustling in the forests, little feet pattering along leaves and the trailing streams. he sees nothing. it evokes not fear, but curiosity. the song continues.

out of the forest rises a round, dome-like structure. it looks to be made of clay and stone, with a little round door and leaf-thatched rooves. it looks like nothing human hands would have built. tighnari looks to it, his ear cocked. the singing has stopped. ]

There. [ he's never been so uncertain. he's never been so certain. ] I think that's where we're supposed to go.

[cashewlater]

[ cyno does not love and cherish sumeru's flora the way that tighnari does, but that does not mean he does not appreciate the hushed beauty of this place, of this moment. the glow of flower and fungi alike light their path, and hanan seems to relax beneath him, her walk gentling, and he trusts an animal's instincts even more than he trusts his own. this place is safe. the movement in the brush is not threatening, but friendly, and the eyes he feels upon them are curious, gentle. familiar.

some of the tension fades from cyno's shoulders. ]

I trust you.

[ and his own instincts as well, as he always has, even if his mind is urging him to keep moving, to stay ahead of the danger, his spirit knows this is right. the song has put his heart at ease, for now, the sound of it still lingering in his ears even after it fades. pulling hanan to a halt, cyno slides out of the saddle to help tighnari down. ]

We'll rest here tonight, then.

[citer]

[ three simple words, but they carve through tighnari. it's not as if he didn't know. cyno had lain for him and allowed him to put his hands on him. he'd taught him to shoot a bow and to use a dagger. he allowed him to see sides of him that others likely wouldn't. how easy it is for cyno to trust him; how easy can the process be.

tighnari breathes in, and takes cyno's hand as he dismounts. his fingers slot into his so easily. ]

We're being allowed to. I suspect that if anyone were to follow our path here, they won't receive the same welcome, or the same guidance. Did you notice how only our path was lit by flowers?

[ the little round building is lit from the inside. luminescent moth and little leaf-lights that spark when tighnari reaches up to touch them. there's a loft were a few jars full of carrots and radishes sit, a little leaf rug decorating the floor, and a single, wooden bed beneath a small canopy.

tighnari explores, his tail trailing. ]

Oh, mint. [ excellent. ]

[cashewlater]

[ while tighnari explores their little unexpected inn, cyno leads both horses to the nearby brook to drink; they've ridden hard. he is not out of earshot. cyno thinks on these words, and when the horses have had their fill cyno attaches their lead lines and lashes them to a tree to prevent them wandering. they of course have plenty of slack to graze, drink, and sleep comfortably. ]

Aranara, the children call them.

[ he feels a little foolish saying it aloud, for aranara have always been perceived (by adult minds) as faerie tales - exciting, wondrous, magical, but also entirely fantastical, a figment of a child's playful mind. still.. cyno can't help but remember a small desert boy, feral and afraid in a strange, tangled jungle, lulled to sleep by a gentle song. ]

Do you need help?

[ he's refilling their waterskins, and removing some rations from hanan's saddlebag. they're hardly delicious, but cyno is grateful to always have some packed, just in case. ]

[citer]

[ the aranara, cyno says, and tighnari is enchanged. he recalls the annals of his studies, knows that he has never come across such a term, but somehow, somewhere, it resonates, like a single droplet of water on a familiar leaf, sliding from its precarious perch. tighnari knows it like his own name. the aranara, the children call them - therefore, there is no name that adults would call them by, no way of doing so without reaching back for a past they cannot return to.

he nods gratefully at cyno's return, and gestures with his good hand. ]

I found a mortar and pestle, though I don't know how long it's been here. It seems sturdy enough. Can you wash it, and see if you can pick one or two lotus heads? I'd like to make a salve for my hand.

And as for anything else... [ his ears swivel as he looks about, and then, tighnari shakes his head. ] No, we have all else we need. Are Hanan and Dalir alright?

[cashewlater]

[ cyno nods, and takes the mortar and pestle. ]

They're good. Resting, now.

[ and they'll need plenty, to ride hard tomorrow. cyno sets the rations down on a little rickety table, before he's off to the brook again to rinse the tools well, scrubbing them free of dust and debris before returning them to tighnari. ]

You did very well.

[citer]

[ the mortar and pestle are cool to the touch when cyno returns. he takes them with a thankful nod, and begins to take fresh mint out from one of the jars so that he can begin the slow process of grinding it into paste. it's slow work with a single hand. he directs cyno to hold the mortar still as he does so.

tighnari glances up as cyno makes his remark. his ears flicker, pleased. ]

I have a good teacher.

[ ... ] I've never asked: when was the first time you held a weapon in hand?

[cashewlater]

[ cyno is as obedient as ever, of course, holding the mortar with both hands as tighnari works. his question, however, has cyno's expression tightening thoughtfully. ]

Mm.. for the very first time? I can't remember. Very young. But, properly - [ he rolls a shoulder in a noncommittal gesture. ] I began training with a teacher not long after I was adopted. I learned many weapons.

[citer]

Why were you taught?

[cashewlater]

I wanted to be. I asked. I suppose I was.. afraid.

[citer]

[ it is the first time that tighnari has heard cyno say the word. he considers this. ]

Because of Hermanubis? Or because of those who wanted Hermanubis' power through you?

[cashewlater]

[ his gaze drops, brow pinched. ]

Both. When I was abandoned, I had to defend myself against all sorts of assailants, and.. yes, people who wanted to use me.

[citer]

And so you wanted to learn to defend yourself.

[ another click of a missing piece in place - it must be also why cyno wanted tighnari to learn as well. because defending yourself is an intrinsic weave in cyno's life, a piece of thread long-since worn into something inseparable from the fabric of cyno's soul. ]

Did it work, learning how to hone your powers? Have you felt safe since?

[cashewlater]

I never feel safe. Not entirely. But I am much more prepared to defend myself, now. [ his gaze flicks to tighnari's eyes. ] As are you, now, though I'm sorry you needed to see combat at all.

[ and he's well aware that it's his fault that they're in this situation to begin with. ]

[citer]

I feel safer. [ tighnari says, and knows it to be true. ] For being in a world where I can hold a bow and a dagger.

[ a laden beat. and then: ] And for being a world where there is you.

[cashewlater]

[ at that, cyno's brows lift, but then.. he smiles, slow and soft. ]

Thank you. [ it's not often that cyno is thanked for doing what he does, after all. ] I'm glad to have met you, Tighnari.

[ his life is richer, for having tighnari in it. ]

I'd like to learn more about you.

[citer]

[ at this, tighnari smiles. ]

I daresay you know more about me than anyone alive on Teyvat right now. Not enough?

[cashewlater]

Well, I know you, but I can't say I know about you. Your family. Your upbringing. Though I understand if you'd rather not disclose.

[ he knows little enough about valuka shuna - only what tighnari has told him. ]

[citer]

[ tighnari's ears flicker. he considers this. the scent of mint between them is overwhelming. ]

Family... huh. Like you, I don't remember much of that. Family has always been an academic concept. I learned about it in books after I gained access to the House of Daena. Here is the logic of it: all Valuka Shuna must come from other Valuka Shuna. And yet all Valuka Shuna are eventually given away to belong to those within the Akademiya. Where do you think new Valuka Shuna come from?

[cashewlater]

[ oh. hmm. ]

I suppose.. I had assumed that not all Valuka Shuna were given away, I suppose. Is that not the case?

[citer]

I thought the same. [ the paste is done. tighnari adds a little bit of river water to dilute it, and then, mixing it, begins to unwrap the silks of his wound. the layers come apart one by one, dyed first in black, and then the red of something fresh. ]

I thought there would be a breeding stock of Valuka Shuna kept behind. But there aren't enough of us. I'd learn this later. There are five of us left, and not counting myself, three have already been given away.

[ a beat. ] I am capable of having children. If I were to have a child, they would return to being the property of the Akademiya.

[cashewlater]

Five?

[ cyno's eyes widen in abject shock, and soon after his expression settles into quiet, dangerous fury. tighnari's predicament has never sat right with him, but this.. his mouth presses into a thin line. ]

I see. I'm sorry that this is happening to your people. To anyone at all. It isn't right, and once all of this passes..

[citer]

[ cyno's fury is like that of a lit flame. it starts in the startling, titian sunset of his eyes, the set of his shoulders, and it ends in the tension of his hands. tighnari looks at him. something in him stirs. ]

Cyno. [ he calls out to him. ] I understand how you feel. But one thing at a time - Azar has resources, and the Valuka Shuna are one of them. The people that they are given to are rewarded for a reason - they are capable, and they are also at his beck and call. There will be many people to dismantle before you can get to the root of a system like this. We can't rush.