cashewlater | ic inbox @ hotel caelum;

[ cyno can't smile, but he certainly looks fond when he looks into tighnari's face, blinking blearily. he stretches his front arms out, toe beans all separating as he grunts. ]

Mm.. I'm not good at sleeping for long periods.

[ he's a restless soul. but he rumbles softly as he nudges his nose against tighnari's soft, furry cheek. ]

Ready to get moving?

[ or they could keep cuddling he's fine with that. ]

[ a light bob of the fox's head at that. ]

Makes sense.

[ in cyno's line of work, napping for very short periods is logical. ears twitch forward at the rumble, eyes closing at the light nudge of that nose against his cheek. the ends of his tail swishes again before he tilts his head to gently touch their noses together. a soft boop!

the contact is brief though, pushing to stand and hop over cyno to approach the basket of shrooms. ]

Yeah, I'm ready. Do you want to continue exploring this floor? Or should we head back? I think we've gotten plenty so - I'd be fine with either.

[ oh hey, there's a lot less grass in his fur than there was, now.. huh.

anyway, cyno stands and stretches his front half luxuriously, then his back half, before he shakes all over from nose to tail, still warmed by their little nose boop. his tail sways behind him, before he's picking up the crystals in his mouth again, and depositing them into the basket beside the many shrooms. ]

Mm, we should probably head back for now. We'll start getting hungry, soon.

[ it's nearing dinner time! and they don't have any rations. once again, cyno dips his head to put it through the basket's handle, looping it over his neck. ]

[ mystery... who could have done that...

one ear flops to the side with a tilt of his head, before they perk again with another nod. ]

Ah, that's true. Then we'll head back to your room?

[ he offers a little peek to gauge if that idea is fine, but with the basket secured by cyno does he start to trek back the way they came in. fortunate the path here is still paved through so going back won't be too difficult for him.

excuse this small fox as he trots on back with his tail held high like a flag. come come, let's go. ]

[ tighnari leading the way! liddol fox so brave..

cyno chuckles, then pads off behind him, having no problem following along. the grass is pushed down from their previous trek through, so it shouldn't be too hard for tighnari to navigate it without cyno in front of him. but cyno will be here and ready to pick him up by the scruff, should he get himself stuck in a clump of tall grass!

soon enough, though, they're returning to the elevators. poof! cyno is cyno again. he stumbles onto the elevator, wobbly in his two feet now, and honestly were he not a well trained matra he probably would've fallen right over.

he still has the basket around his neck tho.. ]

[ pick him up by the scruff, he dares you x2.

no but their walk back is pretty uneventful, which is good in itself. to not have any dangers for them to face in this state.. it's very good. he's a bit relieved that he can see the elevators though. in this fox form his stamina seems a bit lower than he's used to. anyways, while cyno is trained enough to not fall over, this player has decided to rest tighnari's own fate dependent on the dice roll.

..which is to say the roll is low help, so while tighnari stumbles as he changes back, he is quickly falling over. cyno is free to catch him - or let him fall. fate is in his hands now. ]

[ oh nooooo.. down he goes..

but of course cyno catches him, there's no other outcome tbh, as funny as it would be for poor tighnari to fall onto his face. quickly, cyno lunges forward and snags tighnari in his arms before he can hit the floor. ]

You okay, there?

[ didn't twist a weak ankle did you?? ]

[ there he goes... to the floor the fox goes...

a breath exhales as soon he's caught, gripping at cyno to secure himself. well, he certainly saved tighnari from some shame of faceplanting the ground, even though it's pretty embarrassing to have tripped like that at all. ]

Y..eah. Ugh, that really surprised me.

[ granted, how quickly it was when he arrived, he should've known. he straightens to stand but the moment he puts pressure on his left foot he does wince. ouch. he may or may not in fact have twisted it! ]

[ ah, cyno knows that look. he's been general long enough to know when others are hiding pain, he needs to see it in his matra, after all, even if they try to hide it. ]

Lean on me.

[ he says, slipping an arm around tighnari's waist, using his free hand to press the elevator button to his floor, before he's pulling the hood of his cloak back up over tighnari's head, and.. removing the basket from his neck finally.

the doors close, and the elevator glides downward. ]

It isn't that bad.

[ he says, however he knows if he puts too much pressure onto it - it can get worse. and he'd rather avoid that if at all necessary. so he rests his hand along cyno's back before settling on his shoulder, leaning on him to settle weight more on his other foot. ]

I can carry that for you, here.

[ with cyno pulling the hood back over, he secures it a bit more with his other hand until he holds it out for the basket. it's the least he can do since cyno is helping support him here on their way back. ]

[ with a nod, cyno hands over the basket. and if tighnari is going to be fussy about the fact that cyno asked him to lean on him, well.. he's going to be even more fussy in a moment, because the moment the doors slide open to the desert floor, cyno is sweeping tighnari right up into his arms, bridal style.

they're of similar height, but cyno is a heinously strong man, even when he isn't channeling hermanubis. lifting tighnari is easy, for him. he strides onto the sands with the fox in his arms, moving quickly, not only to get tighnari out of the sun as fast as possible, but so he can see to that ankle soon, too. ]

I'm sure you want to protest, but it'll be faster this way.

[ he shifts the basket in his free hand, ready to step forward as the doors slide only to be caught completely off guard. he yelps in surprise as his body is swept right up, almost dropping the basket until he adjusts his grip to secure it firmly with his other arm clinging at the man. ]

Wha-- Cyno?!

[ certainly, tighnari can't really be too surprised by his companion's strength, the man is a force to be reckoned with and never to take lightly. but it surprises him that he decides to do it this way. there is definitely a complaint hanging on the tip of his tongue but, it's quickly gone as they step out onto the sands and already he can feel the heat bearing down on them.

he sighs heavily and buries his face against his shoulder, ears pinning back beneath the hoodie of the cloak, making use of the cover to hide himself from the sun. ]

... No, you're not wrong. [ even if he's a bit disgruntled to be a burden like this, but he knows cyno is right. ]

[ cyno knows tighnari well, knows that it's not too difficult to get past his pride by appealing to his sensible side; though he could be stubborn, tighnari still always seemed to know when not to push himself, and accept help freely offered. not only would it be faster to carry tighnari, it would also be safer, the less of a burden he put on that ankle, the better.

besides, cyno knows the way across these sands quite well by now. when tighnari's head rests against his shoulder, cyno smiles, hefting him a little more securely into his arms.

the walk didn't take terribly long, cyno moved quickly and efficiently, and soon enough the door slid open for him and he was stepping into his nice, cool, climate-controlled room again. the cool air against his skin felt good, and he sighed softly, then carefully set tighnari down on the sofa. ]

Let me get something to wrap that up with. Are you getting hungry?

[ fortunately cyno really does know him well enough, even if his pride and stubbornness did clash but... he has to be sensible with something like this. it's the same when he was struck by lightning in the clash with the traveler at his side - knowing he had to sit back and recover rather than try to push on.

he can't be foolish and make things worse for himself, or his companion. he emits a soft huff when cyno secures him more in his arms, but he does not complain and merely tries to chase off the heat of the sun by burying a bit more in the soothing warmth that is cyno, his scent filling his senses.

the tension leaves him once they return to the nice, cool room and his tail slips from the ends of the cloak with a light wag. whew, relief. once settled on the sofa, he starts to carefully maneuver himself, first by removing his shoes and socks to ease the pressure around his ankle. he's much better about hiding any sharpness of pain, only his ear flicking back as he hears him. ]

I am starting to get hungry, yes. Is there something in mind you want to eat?

[ cyno watches carefully and critically as tighnari slowly removes his shoes - he doesn't seem to be in much pain, but.. he could be stubbornly hiding it as well, cyno can't know for sure. what he does know is that that ankle needs some ice and some support.

so he moves to the kitchen area. thankfully, the entire space is very open plan, so he can still hear and see tighnari from the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder as he fills a small bag with ice. he brings it to tighnari, handing it down. ]

I was just going to warm up some leftovers, if that's all right with you. I had shakshouka last night, and there's plenty still left. I've also got some hummus and pita if you'd like something lighter.

[ hardly a substantial dinner, but he'll offer it all the same. ]

[ he takes the small bag, shifting to position himself to alleviate the pain while he applies it to his ankle. the only reaction that shows is the sudden flick of his tail before it settles against the sofa, though the end idly tapping against the furniture. he brings his other hand to map his ankle out- making his own diagnosis. as he said earlier, it isn't that serious. resting and keeping himself off his feet until tomorrow should be enough.

which means staying here tonight, which he's sure cyno won't mind - might even insist on it. but he's distracted briefly by the discussion over food. ]

That's perfectly fine by me. That sounds good.

[ he leaves the bag of ice settling on his ankle, reaching to pluck the basket from the floor that he settled earlier to place it on a nearby end table. even though his gaze lingers on the shrooms inside, he will have to leave his proper research for another time. ]

Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I should take it easy for the rest of the day and I don't want to trouble you helping me back to my own room.

I don't mind at all.

[ he was, in fact, going to insist indeed, so it's a good thing that tighnari brought it up on his own. cyno nods, then turns and pads back to the kitchen to begin heating up the leftover shakshouka. he'll go ahead and warm up some pita as well, to go with it.

while the food is warming, he leans onto the island counter. ]

What's the diagnosis?

Then if you don't mind, I can just take this sofa to sleep later.

[ tighnari passes him a glance, giving him a reassuring smile, until he tries to sink back onto the sofa to get a bit more comfortable. but he does tap his fingers on his hand... there isn't much to do but he wishes he could do something.

though, there's something quite homey just sitting here relaxing, with cyno heating up food for them both. his tail idly swishes side to side before he looks around the room to take in the surroundings once again. ]

It isn't sprained, so I should be better after some rest. I just need to make sure to not put any pressure on it.

[ cyno wants to protest tighnari's sleeping on the sofa, because he's a guest, and cyno is a self-sacrificing sort of man. he can take the sofa while tighnari has his bed!

but he knows that isn't an argument worth fighting, and one that he likely won't win anyway. he's already bent tighnari's will and tested his stubbornness enough tonight, he won't push any further, even if his expression says he's not pleased. he's frowning!! ]

.. all right.

[ it does feel nice and domestic, doesn't it? cyno could get used to this sort of thing, however dangerous it might be to allow himself to enjoy it too much. at any rate, the food is soon warmed, and they exist in a comfortable silence as cyno arranges two bowls and some glasses of water, carrying it all over on a tray and setting it on the low table by the sofa. ]

Your dinner, good sir.

[ ah, it's obvious to see cyno isn't pleased by that decision but also not daring to push any more on it. it's fine. tighnari will leave it at that. it's far too much trouble to push cyno out of his own bed and if tighnari is capable of falling asleep at a table during high research hours then he will be just fine with a sofa.

as cyno makes his way over with the tray, he starts to move himself to allow room beside him for the other man to sit. he can still keep the bag of ice tending to his ankle with no issue. and just to make it obvious- he pats the spot beside him, looking up at him. here, sit. ]

Thank you, General. How kind of you. [ peers at warm food... it smells wonderful. ] It looks good.

[ tighnari pats the space beside him, and so cyno sits, unloading the tray and handing tighnari his bowl, before taking up his own. the pita sits on a plate between them. without hesitating another moment, cyno begins to dig into his food, humming his satisfaction. ]

It's not bad.

[ he says after swallowing, and washing his mouthful down with some water. with that, they tuck into their meal together! ]

[ carefully he takes the bowl in hand, digging in himself into the food, warmed and satisfied himself by the taste and heat of it. his tail sweeps along the sofa behind him before plopping behind cyno with gentle taps. ]

It was delicious.

[ it doesn't take long for him to finish, setting the cleared bowl down back on the tray and taking a long drink of his water. though his gaze keeps flicking to the area until it draws back to cyno. ]

Maybe we'll save a proper tour for tomorrow.

Glad you liked it.

[ he's always subconsciously making things a bit less spicy, just in case tighnari comes by, and this meal was no exception; it's well-flavored, but not overwhelming, perfect for tighnari's sensitive palate.

with a sigh, he sits back against the sofa, loosely crossing his legs, and shooting tighnari a smile. ]

Yes, no walking around for you tonight. Tomorrow will do fine. Do you need more ice?

[ fortunate for that, because tighnari would certainly be whining about the spice levels if it was too much for his sensitive taste. truly unfortunate having his sensitivity. but it's just right and he knows it must be because cyno had given it consideration with tighnari in mind.

he carefully maneuvers to rest his ankle on the end of the sofa, settling the bag of ice over it before leaning back to rest against cyno's side. one ear flops as his head tilts, squishing it a little against white hair as he hums with thought. ]

No, I'm fine for now. Thank you.

[ when your best friend slash husband has specific tastes, you find yourself planning around them without even thinking about it tbh..

anyway, when tighnari leans against him, cyno smiles and hums, a bit of his usual tension easing away. he reaches for that tail, rubbing at it idly with one hand, smoothing his fingers across warm, dense fur. it feels nice beneath his palm. ]

Mm, okay. I'll get you something to sleep in in a minute.

[ not right now, tighnari is comfortable, so cyno can never move again. ]

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