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Chapter Text

Tighnari

You know it’s never a great day if the sun is shining and the birds are chirping happily. 

Tighnari naively believed that the day would be like every other day. Happily getting out bed that morning expecting to be perfectly fine…and then he collapsed on to the ground. AlHaitham passed by his open door at that moment with his usual cup of black coffee, scoffed, and walked off. Even from that far away, he heard AlHaitham say a curse under his breath.

“I heard that.” Tighnari muttered to himself.

He was on his hands and knees, balancing himself on two feet suddenly became the hardest thing in the world. Tighnari used a hand to push himself up using a nearby desk only to wobble a bit before sitting on the bed. A sharp spike of pain rattled through his spine and his tail bone was being pulled. 

“What?” He reached back to feel a cushion of heavy dark fur. He pulled a chunk of it and felt a tingle of nerves register the pain. It felt odd, a new appendage he was able to fully control without anything to tell him how. As if it was a third arm or a fifth finger, perfectly natural. Tighnari brushed his fingers through it. It felt like another part of his hair, smooth and healthy and even tipped in the neon green dye he tried on last month with the hair on his head. He felt the same feeling when he reached up and felt two tall ears standing from his head. He didn’t like to think about the fact that his ears were completely missing, his hair completely covered it anyway. A bitter smell permeated the room from the doorway.

AlHaitham was leaning on it, cup of coffee still in hand but his hair was straightened out for the first time in weeks and staring into the green display of the Akasha. When Tighnari looked over to glare at him, he waved a hand.

“How’s your morning?” He said as if it was another perfectly normal day.

Tighnari scowled. “Is this some sort of sick prank?”

“Ah, the classic. No, I have better things to do than mess with your Forest Ranger life.” AlHaitham raised an eyebrow to what he sees in the Akasha and his eyes grew more nonchalant which could only mean something had become urgent. “Well, I need to go. A cup of coffee is sitting on the dining table. If you can get there.”

With that, he threw on his coat and left. An asshole, that’s what he was. Not a scribe, not a temporary roommate, a complete and utter asshole who somehow was still not a bad guy but still insufferable as hell. If only the Academia hadn’t required him to stay with AlHaitham while he was visiting, he could’ve figured this out by himself without someone sneering at him bright in the morning. 

Tighnari spend the next thirty minutes steadying himself on two feet once again. It felt…odd, to say the least. The new features moved instinctually and although he had some control over how they moved, it was best they moved on their own. Once he thought about moving his tail, it would turn stiff and he would need the nearby furniture for support again. It was like thinking about breathing and ten times worse than it. He felt every twitch his ears made when it turned to each sound. The quietest chirp outside, the ripple of the grass, or the rustle of the trees. He felt the nerves on his ears but by then, he had learned to simply leave them alone lest his ears get another cramp. The first one hurt enough.

Sighing as he sat down on the dining table, coffee in front, and his mind finally cleared from sleep, he could only think further on the headache it would be to attend the meeting in three days with the Sages. AlHaitham doesn’t pull sick jokes like this but that was the only person he has had contact with since he’s arrived. He hadn’t even met Cyno yet.

His phone rang and he lit the screen up to see who was calling.

Speak of the devil, it was Cyno.

“Hello? Tighnari?” Cyno’s familiar voice said.

Tighnari winced at the sound and quickly lowered the volume. “Hi Cyno, could you quiet down?”

Cyno was clearly confused but lowered his voice anyway. “What do you mean? This is the same volume I’ve always had whenever I speak with you.”

Tighnari made a sound of frustration. “I…something has happened and I can’t deal with the noise for the moment.”

“I really don’t get it.”

“It’s fine, I’ll explain it later.”

With a chance to change the topic, Cyno said, “So is the date still on tomorrow?”

“We’re married, Cyno, and you’re still calling it a date.”

Tighnari could almost hear the shrug through the phone. “It’s easier to explain to people what a date is than an outing.”

Tighnari sighed. “Fair enough. Yes, whatever has happened won’t change the date we’ll have tomorrow. Same time and place?”

“Yeah, same time and place. The chef wanted me to try a new recipe claiming that-ahem ‘If the General Mahamatra likes it, then it’s going on the menu. Also, bring your husband.’ Seems like a fun guy.”

Tighnari smiles at that. “Sure does. Okay, then I’ll see you then.”

“Take care.” and Cyno hangs up.

Tighnari didn’t even get a chance to tell him about Collei’s progress. Oh well, he’ll just tell him tomorrow on their…date. Despite being three years married, Tighnari’s heart still did jumping jacks when he went out with Cyno. Call it a crush or a maiden’s heart or whatever, but he truly loved Cyno with all his heart. They had no problems, no issues, no emotional baggage to take care of, just the love they had between each other was enough in their mundane lives.

Between making a solid plate of breakfast and boiling more water for tea rather than bitter black coffee, Tighnari got used to leveraging the weight of his tail for balance. It was awkward and definitely needed time to get used to but progress was progress. He remembers absentmindedly dipping tea leaves in the mug of hot water when he realized that the balance of his tail felt so natural only for him to topple over and spill the hot cup of water while he caught himself. Luckily, he didn’t burn himself as he still wore the mitten glove he was using to hold the metal handle of a pan. 

Cleaning up made things easier as he distracted himself more and more with old lullabies and other work-related things. Speaking of, Albedo had said that his apprentice was an avid student of bio-alchemy. Perhaps he can get a letter sent to Dragonspine for some answers on this sudden phenomenon. Though he found it unlikely he’ll get an answer by tomorrow so might as well get writing.

The ink and quill worked quickly, reasonably summing up his experiences in a few sentences and giving a brief description of his ears and tail and how he felt with them. Asking Albedo to pass a message along to Amber that Collei is doing well even though he was well aware of the alchemist’s more introverted nature. Swiftly wrapping it up in a vibrant green ribbon and sending the most capable hawk he had, the message was sent and all Tighnari had to do was wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Yet waiting on the dining table was like watching paint dry so after a few minutes of waiting with a logical conclusion of nothing was going to change while he moped around, he summoned his bow out and limped out the door to a nearby clearing to go practice his archery form.

Thankfully, even after the morning fuss, his archery form was as steady and consistent as ever. The tail didn’t prevent him from flexing the muscles of his back to draw the string. In fact, while he leapt through the clearing, releasing arrow after arrow as he moved, the tail seemed to help him move better. His turns were sharper and more precise. It grounded him in an unusual way. Normally, he would have to carefully root his feet into positions that allowed him to be able to quickly shift his weight but the tail seemed to act as an anchor for that. Every crack and rustle rushed through his ears clear as if it was happening right next to them. It was uncanny. 

Then again, what hasn’t been uncanny today?

“Masterrrrrr! I’ve received a letter that was written for you!”

It was Collei’s voice. If Collei’s voice was put through a blender and then microphoned into a mega speaker. The resulting sound was a shriek that rang his ears.

He wasn’t exactly sure what he was try to do when he pulled down the tips of his ears and crouched as low as possible. It wasn’t like Collei became a bolt of thunder though it certainly sounded like one.

Keeping his own voice low, he said, “Collei, please do not yell so loudly in the morning.”

“Sorry, was I being loud? I was kind of far so I thought you wouldn’t be able to hear me? What are these? Are these ears? Oh my Archons, you look so cute! I need to let others-”

Tighnari caught her arm before she let her excitement get the best of her. He smiled as softly as he could while he let his ears sprout up again.

“You said you had a letter for me?”

Collei was caught a bit off guard but otherwise returned the smile. “Yes! Says it’s written by Xiao.”

Oh Archons, Tighnari thought.

“I don’t know how to read Liyuen so I thought you would know.”

She hands over the letter written in the traditional parchment paper and sealed with a red stamp recognizable as Xiao’s signature stamp. He notes that there isn’t a returning address.

“Thanks Collei.”

“No problem, Master.”

Right before she hops off again, Tighnari calls her.

“Collei, take your usual long patrol route today along with Abdul. And don’t tell anyone about these just yet. I need to sort it out.”

Collei solutes with a as serious of a face she can pull with her innocent eyes and blushing cheeks. “Aye, Master.” her bright smile returns. “See you around!”

Now whatever the heck this letter is, the trouble of going through a translator better be worth it.

Chapter Text

Albedo

As a newly established throuple, the first thing Albedo felt in the morning was the ache on his lower back. He can’t believe his boyfriends convinced him to go to that party. The wild people in it last night, Xiangling handing out slime filled lizards, Chongyun letting his yin side go nuts, Aether belching out high notes he shouldn’t be able to reach on the karaoke, and Xiao nearly chopping off someone’s head with his spear because of a fight with Aether.

He loved his boyfriends, really, but did they have to fight literally every breathing thing that went remotely close to him? Xiao once described Aether as Childe in one of their many fights. And although Albedo could confidently argue that it applied to Xiao just as much as Aether, it didn’t help the fact that they all left the party frustrated and tired. Which led to their first threesome. It was actually quite a pleasurable experience. Albedo was disappointed they hadn’t done it sooner. But it still was tiring and they failed to clean up. He was happy though as he hummed quietly and pulled the blanket closer to himself.

It was then when he felt Aether to his left startle awake and jumped off the bed with a scream, still pantless from last night. Aether was checking his body left and right. Xiao, on the other hand, yawned and stared.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao asked, his voice still rough and tired.

Aether brushed off some imaginary dusk off his shirt.

“I felt a freaking snake.” he said, still anxiously searching for said snake before landing his eyes on to the top of Albedo’s head.

Xiao rubbed his eyes and reluctantly sat up only to stare at what Aether was also staring at.

“What?” Albedo turned around to see Xiao staring. “What?”

Aether walks a little closer to the bed. “You don’t, like, feel it?”

Albedo pumped his fists into the blanket. “What are you guys talking about?”

Xiao raised an eyebrow, “Seriously?”

He stretched an arm out somewhere above his peripheral and pulled.

Albedo immediately reacted by instinctively slapping the hand away and covering the ears only to feel for himself what Aether and Xiao had been staring at. 

He looked at Xiao and Aether for confirmation and only saw tight faces.

“Ugh.” Albedo said.

Aether seemed surprised at that. “That’s it? No, ‘Oh my Archons, what happened?’ or any ‘Xiao, did you do this?’”

“Hey! What are you trying to imply here?” Xiao snapped.

“If anyone else ever gets close to Albedo, because he’s a freaking introvert” Aether waves apologetically at Albedo. ”Sorry, Albedo–it’s you, because it’s definitely not me.”

Xiao only grunts as he climbs off the bed to chase Aether down the hall.

Albedo laughs as he also slides himself off the bed to follow them. He takes one step and nearly collapses. On one hand, his hip hurt way more than when he was standing rather than sitting. The cold suddenly cramped his legs and stiffened them, a reminder that while last night was pleasurable, it definitely had consequences. On the other hand, a long spotted tail made itself known, curled in the air and weighing him back. He grabbed the edge of the bed and shifted himself back on it. Right about now…

Xiao returns from the hall with Aether in a chokehold.

“Sup. What’s wrong?” Xiao says as if Aether struggling in his arms wasn’t a huge deal.

Albedo giggled to himself. Honestly, ever since they made this relationship official, Aether’s and Xiao’s bickering and physical fights have never escalated to serious  injuries or feelings getting hurt. They just have a personal gag of continuing their quiet rivalry when they were still childhood friends. Quiet would be a stretch though.

Aether eventually struggled off of Xiao and playfully kicked him. “Suck it.”

Xiao kicked back.

“I’m fine.” Albedo said, cutting them off of their bickering. “It’s just this.”

He lifts the tail up for them to see.

“I think you’re a snow leopard.” Xiao said, nonchalantly as he opened a nearby drawer for some fresh pants and underwear. 

“Like a hybrid?” Aether asked, also pulling out his own clothes in his worn-out book bag underneath the bed. 

Xiao shrugged. “I guess so now.”

Both of them looked towards Albedo who was deep in thought. His eyebrows scrunched up with his hand on his chin. He looked cute when he was concentrating on something. Something they could only see when he was at work which, considering each of their individual hobbies and jobs, wasn’t very often.

“Hmmm…” Albedo hummed in thought.

Xiao vanished in the middle of Albedo’s thoughts. Aether jumped in surprise but focused back on Albedo.

“We should contact Sucrose.” he said. Aether nodded in agreement.

“And-”

Xiao appeared back. “Tighnari?”

Albedo looked up. “How’d you know?”

Xiao turned to Aether who shared a smirk. “Great minds think alike.”

Albedo got up to see the letter Xiao was reaching out to him. The letter was sealed with a ribbon signature of Tighnari’s letters, so much so that Xiao and Aether slowly began recognizing his letters as Tighnari’s. Aether watched the long tail bounce back and forth leisurely while Albedo concentrated on the letter’s contents. The ears too, though short and closer to his head, twitched each time Albedo’s eyes widened slightly. 

Xiao reappears a few minutes later, a towel wrapped around his shoulders and wearing clean clothes. Aether and Albedo sit on the bed with Aether stretching a bit to see what was written.

“What does it say?” he asked.

Albedo glances worriedly at Aether and Aether sighs.

“Tighnari is also asking for answers. Features of a dark-furred fennec fox has appeared on his body and he wants to ask Albedo to ask Sucrose what has happened to him.”

Xiao reaches out to pet Albedo’s ears. “You mean why these appeared?”

“I know my area of science isn’t in Bioalchemy and that’s why I also wanted to talk with her about this but I know enough that this phenomena still confuses my alchemist brain.”

Aether rubs the back of Albedo’s back. “Don’t worry about it too much. Perhap, she may have an answer. It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Aether plucks the letter out of Albedo’s hand and float it in the air with anemo, swiping it quickly to Xiao who effortlessly catched it without creasing or grabbing to hard. He too, like Aether, floats the letter in his palm.

“So what do we do with this?” He asked.

“I will write a response to Tighnari.” Albedo gets up, still in his dirty pajamas and tangled hair. 

Aether immediately pulls in back so that he accidentally sits on the tailbone. 

“Ow.”

“Sorry.” Aether turns serious. “Though really, you should take a bath or at least a shower.”

Xiao meets Aether’s eyes and for once, they come to an agreement.

Albedo stares them down, already knowing what they were going to say. 

“I’ll write the letter.” Xiao offers.

“But-”

“No buts”, Aether says over him. “You are taking a bath and that’s final.”

Albedo pouts. “Fine.”

Silence.

Aether goes to his bag again and zips open another section.

“Pick me…”

Aether was digging for Albedo’s spare clothes. 

“What?” he said.

Aether looks up to see Albedo blushing. His tail was curled up against him and his ears flat on his head.

The blush got even deeper when he said. “Can you…pick me up?”

Aether got that little twinkle in his eyes before flexing his forearms. “Sure.”

Without too much effort, he grabbed Albedo by his legs and back and carried him to the bathroom. On the way out, Albedo fussed a bit, his tail swinging wildly to keep him balanced while he panicked. 

“Wait-, hold one-I forgot to tell Xiao-” but he was already out of ear shot.

Xiao looked at the pile of parchment paper on his desk. His inkwell almost used up and a brush he hasn’t used in weeks still in freshwater. His desk was by no means messy. More like, he had forgotten it existed and sort of abandoned it. He picked up the black totem and grinded some new ink into the inkwell. He used the bottle of water reserved for the inkwell on his desk and mixed the water in. When he was done, the writing was legible but he also forgot one more thing. He couldn’t write in Sumeruan, only in Liyuen.

Xiao bit the bottom of his lip. A loud splash from the bathroom with Albedo and Aether’s laugh echoed through the hallway. Should he…just send it? He didn’t really want to disturb them while they were having some fun for the first time in weeks. Albedo had told him of the extinguished scholars in Sumeru, surely it wouldn’t be too hard to find a translator? Xiao thought frustratingly that he should’ve written the letter in the common tongue. Oh well, it was no use thinking about spilled milk. He rolled the parchment up and stamped it with his rectangular mark of a signature before wrapping it in a red ribbon.

Xiao whistled loudly which temporarily silenced Albedo and Aether but it only lasted a moment before they resumed what they were doing. The bird resting in the shade of the tree right outside shook in understanding. It landed on the window sill, carefully trained so that it doesn’t grip too hard to damage the delicate wood the sill was made of. A strap of a makeshift bag rested in one of its powerful claws with the flap still open from when he had received the letter.

Xiao opened the bag and placed the parchment inside. As careful as he could, lifted the hawk from the sill and onto his own arm, wincing slightly at the sharp well-kept claws and giving it a boost to fly off. Xiao watched it go. The powerfuls wing pushing itself through the air freely. He almost felt his own back sting from the loss thousands of years ago.

“Aether!” Xiao hears and he smiles as he turns towards the bathroom down the hall.

He enters with Albedo covered in bubbles and Aether holding a bucket of hot water. In Aether’s other hand, there was a wet towel. He was naked but also half covered in bubbles. Otherwise, his hair and skin was clean. Albedo was sitting in the metal tub furiously shaking every time a bubble landed on his ears. The tail that wasn’t submerged in water stiffened every time Aether lifted the bucket.

Xiao sighed internally.

“What are you guys doing?” Xiao said.

Aether’s eyes brightened. “Hey, Xiao! Take a look at this!”

He brought the bucket up to Albedo and took the towel to dump some of the hot water on his hair, inevitably touching the animal ears.

Immediately, or more accurately instinctively, the ears shook the water out as quickly as possible.

“Aether, stop!” Albedo complained. It was clear that under the massive amounts of bubbles he was still attempting to clean himself but Aether was constantly making him shake out the hot water on his head.

Aether smiled at Xiao cheekily. “See?”

Xiao didn’t stop the smile on his face but he did pull Aether away from the tub and out the bathroom, dragging his clean clothes. Aether quickly wrapped a towel around him.

“Aw, come on. You’re no fun.”

“Just get dressed, Aether. Besides, I just needed to tell you that I sent the letter.”

Aether raised an eyebrow as if it was obvious. “Okay, and?”

“It’s in Liyuen.”

Aether facepalmed himself. “Of course, I forgot that you can only write in Liyuen. Goddammit, I should’ve wrote the letter. Did you tell Albedo yet?”

There was a quiet humming within the closed door.

“He already knew…I think. He was trying to warn me before you dragged him to the bathroom.”

“Oh Xiao, you sweet summer child, why couldn’t you have told me?”

Xiao was most definitely not as sweet as Aether thought as he stared at a droplet of water dripping from the tips of his hair down to his collarbone and down his waist. Though his thoughts were currently somewhere more urgent to be distracted.

“I didn’t want to. Besides,” he tried to reason, “you guys sounded like you guys were having fun.”

Aether nodded in understanding. “Fine, I understand. Just don’t hesitate like that again. We’re supposed to be here for each other.”

Xiao internally cried hearing that but all he could say was, “Thank you.”

Aether brightened again. “Anyway,” he clapped., “right now, let’s support Albedo, alright?”

“Sure.”

Speaking of the devil, Albedo opened the door at that moment.

“Hello, guys.” he said.

He was already dressed in a blue tshirt and black shorts. His hair was still a mess and not tied up properly. His ears waved curiously between them, aware of the tension in the air.

Aether raised an eyebrow, hoping to ease the tension. “You’re going to work?”

“I’m going to see Sucrose.” Albedo said.

He says that and yet, the second he lets go of the door, he falls forward only for Xiao to catch him by the waist. 

“Careful.” Xiao said.

“Sorry.”

“Perhaps, we should wait before meeting with Sucrose.”

“But we can’t.” Albedo pushed off of Xiao’s arms and staggered.

Aether watched the tail wave uncontrollably before pulling Albedo down to ground.

“Goddammit.” Albedo muttered to himself.

Aether smiled. “Come on.”

He stretches an arm out for Albedo to grab and when he grabs it, Aether pulls his arm around his shoulder. The way Albedo walked, it was like a limp but without a type of injury. Aether practically dragged him forward. When they reached the doorway of Xiao’s bedroom, the bed was already stripped of its covers and sheets by Xiao who was bundling them up and ready to send it down to Verr Goldet to get a worker to wash. 

When Xiao noticed them, he said, “Sorry, the covers were stale and sticky. I’m going to be right back.”

“Thank you, Xiao.” Albedo said.

Aether thanked Xiao as he left.

Once they've settled on the bare bed, Albedo curled up and relaxed.

Aether stared out the window, seeing the willow tree leaves sway with the wind he couldn’t feel.

“Aether?”

“Hmm?”

“When are you going to put your clothes on?” 

Albedo was smiling and Aether blushed to his chest. He had forgotten his clothes in front of the bathroom door. Albedo started laughing uncontrollably.

“Oh hush. I just forgot is all.” Aether said before bolting out the room and down the hall.

Listening to the quiet sounds within the walls and outside the window, Albedo rolled over on the bed to stare at the ceiling. He could hear Aether getting closer to the bathroom, the private conversation Xiao and Aether had while he scrubbed himself in the tub, and every. Single. Minute. Sound. All the time, everywhere.

Honestly it was driving him crazy. How would Tighnari even deal with this?

He didn’t want to bring it up to Aether or Xiao. What would they even do with the information besides worry more? But he knew it was genuinely driving him insane. He wondered how he would sleep tonight before passing out again from exhaustion.

Chapter Text

Gorou

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!”

Itto practically stomped through the house to pull back the slide door to Gorou’s room.

Gorou looks from whatever he was panicking about and looks at Itto, only to scream again.

Itto looked down at himself in confusion. He was wearing a apron with some old stains and a full baby blue waterproof gloves and a pink spatula in hand. He wouldn’t look any different any other morning. Maybe except for his hair, he regretted not combing it before waking up.

“Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, Gorou.” Itto crouched down to his level to hug him, eyeing the ears and tail. They were cute on him.

Gorou was practically crying while he grabbed it and winced in regret.

“What is this? Why did this happen? How am I supposed to go to work?”

Itto patted his back as gently as he could. “Hey, calm down. I’m sure Kokomi will understand. I’ll give her a call.”

Itto released Gorou from the embrace only for it to tighten.

“No! Don’t go. Just-just stay here with me for a moment.”

Itto moved himself from crouching to sitting on the edge of the futon. After Gorou visibly relaxed(he was always such a open book, even more so with the ears and tail), Gorou reach up to his head and patted a had and smooth appendage from Itto’s head.

Itto’s own hand followed Gorou’s and he pulled on the horns only for it to hurt his head. It was Itto’s turn to freak out.

“WHAT! HORNS???” Itto jumped in surprise and paced around the room touching and grabbing and poking his horn with his hands.

Gorou chuckled a bit as he wiped some leftover tears on his face.

Itto stopped pacing and gave him a wide smile. “You figured it out? Come on, Gorou. Cheer up.”

Gorou yelped when Itto picked him up, settling him against his chest comfortably.

“It’s your birthday after all!” Itto finished.

Gorou laughed against him, a lot calmer than a while ago. “Thanks, Itto!”

Walking awkwardly with Gorou in his arms, he wobbled to the kitchen to finish the breakfast.

“The reason I didn't notice the horns, “Itto began as he piled up the porridge and tea eggs into separate smaller bowls. “Was because I committed myself to waking up early.”

Itto plops Gorou on to a chair next to the kitchen stove. He began using a ladle to scoop some miso soup into another bowl. “But haha, I woke up late.”

Itto gave himself a proud smile.

“But I figured out if I just skip my 30 minute bubble bath and my hair routine in the morning, I’ll make it before you wake up.”

Gorou looked at Itto, his eyes still rounded in a bit of red from crying and laughed a bit.

“You are such a dork.” Gorou laughed.

Itto kissed Gorou in the cheek and smiled wider than he already has.

“But I’m your dork. Eat up.”

“Aren’t you hungry though?”

Itto laughed though it was laced with nervousness. “I’m good, I’m good! This breakfast was for you, not me!”

As soon as he finished the sentence, a loud growl from his stomach could be heard from his stomach. It echoed in the air for a second before Gorou burst out laughing again. He picked up a spoonful of porridge mixed with century eggs, chopped pork, and scrambled eggs and held in in front of Itto.

Gorou smiled genuinely. “Ahh…”

For Itto, it felt like time slowed down. Should he take it? Gorou has never fed him before! It’s always been Itto feeding him when he was sick or special because he liked to and he was a strong man, he didn’t get sick.

“Idiots don’t get sick.” Kokomi had told him when they were both twelve. “It says so in this book.”

But this breakfast was only for Gorou. He knew Gorou had a large appetite and he would be taking some of it away. What about him? While his mouth was left open contemplating, Gorou forced the spoon inside and Itto resigned to his fate and slurped the rest in.

Gorou stared at him for a moment.

“Pfft-hahaha!”

Itto turned bright red. “Come on, bro! What’s so funny!?”

Gorou calmed down again, his ears and tail situation seemingly forgotten as they twitched involuntarily. “I’ve always wanted to do that. You were cuter than expected.”

Itto put his face in his palms. 

“Gorou…”, he whined, “I nearly had an existential crisis.”

It was difficult to tell if Itto was joking or being an airhead. Either way, Gorou loved him.

Gorou patted his back in fake remorse. ‘I know, I know.”

He couldn’t suppress the small chuckle that came out.

Itto stared at his accusingly. “See? You’re just making fun of me.”

Gooru pulled him into a hug this time. “Fine, fine. You win, I am.”

Itto grinned to himself before getting up from his chair and lifting Gorou with him. He loved doing that, carrying Gorou in his arms and walking everywhere. They just stood there, or I guess in Gorou’s case, sat there for a while. It felt nice having someone who was willing to be with him. Someone he could call precious and irreplaceable. Someone that grandma described he would have one day.

“One day, you’ll find your significant other. If not you significant lover, it could be your platonic soulmate.” She slammed down the grinding pot and huffed annoyance. “Whatever you kids are up to these days, once you find the one, don’t let them go. Even if they change physically. Hold their hand til death do you part.”

It was a cheesy line she only repeated a few times in his childhood but he understood. It was sheer bliss and he felt that even if he wanted to, he would never let go. No matter what.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. And those plans involved Kokomi and Sara barging into their house after their little moment together and immediately panicking. Well, one was panicking. The other was trying to keep her under control.

Kokomi was clearly worried. So worried that her dead fish eyes almost shined with light for the first time since she was borned.

“ITTO!!!” She called from the front door, just conveniently out of sight by a wall.

Itto went around the corner to greet them.

Kokomi’s eyes lit up with recognition before immediately turning to dread once she spotted his horns and Gorou’s ears and tail. Gorou turned away, burying his face in Itto’s chest in embarrassment. Itto analyzed his new friends’ features.

Kokomi had two horns of pink and purple sprouting from her head. Her hair has also been mysteriously dyed pastel pink fading into pastel blue. Her eyes were of the same color as her hair, still dead-fish eyes but now matching. Itto suppressed the urge to laugh.

Sara, who hasn’t spoken a word since they’ve arrived, also seemed worried but she was too professional to show it. On her back, beneath a capelet and a dark backless casual crop top with her usual leggings. Her plaid sweater was wrapped around her hips. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until he realized that hidden in the shadows of the doorway created by the heavy sunlight were two pairs of wings, one smaller and lower on her back than the other. It matched her dark choppy hair in both color and texture. 

Itto watched a feather fall out from a flap of her wings.

“What happened to you two?” Itto asked, still sort of in shock.

Kokomi, “I don’t know!” she was getting too panicked, too worried. It reminded him of a certain someone this morning.

“I was just- working on papers for Watatsumi Island. The land needed to be fertilized and the farmers needed to get paid and there was an issue with payment of the farmer’s servants and taxes and salaries and internal family issues and deadlines and-”

Sara held Kokomi close to her, cutting her off. “Calm down, Kokomi.”

After a few moments of audibly long inhales and exhales, she turned back to Itto who had gotten distracted by Gorou’s tail curling up on one of his arms and Itto patting his back for some reason.

Kokomi took another deep breath. “I-is something wrong with Gorou?”

Itto looked up. “Oh, Gorou? Nah, he’s good.”

He continues to pat his back and lowers his voice almost to a soft whisper.

“You good, Gorou?” Itto raised his eyes to meet Kokomi’s more worried ones. “Sorry, sorry. He…got a little scared this morning so seeing other people with his problem is probably stressing him out.”

A pause.

“I think.”

Kokomi quietly laughed at that. Somehow, no matter how serious the situation is, Itto still manages to lighten the mood. Though it didn’t last long as she noticed a particular sob louder than the rest that came from Gorou. She was so worried before when she contacted Sara about her horns and hair. But looking at Gorou, like actually looking closer. His tailbone grew out to accommodate the tail. The ears on the side of head only had bare skin and his ears stuck on top of his head moved independently and instinctually.

“Hey, hey. You’re alright. You’re fine. Sara and Kokomi has them too.”

“I KNOW!” Gorou uselessly punches Itto’s chest. “I knew…but what if-”

“Hey hey hey, we talked about this. No what ifs. This isn’t your fault.”

Gorou punched Itto’s large shoulder. None of the punches ever dealt any damage to him. It was simply an act to let out some stress.

“Then. Whose. Is. It?” Gorou grabbed his tail. “Am i going to be like this forever?”

Itto didn’t have a response to that. He looked over Gorou’s shoulder to give an apologetic smile to Sara and Kokomi. Sara looks up from her book and waved casually as if it was another day. Kokomi had calmed down enough to try giving him a reassuring smile back.

Kokomi knew them too well but she wasn’t immune to stress and worry. As the Watatsumi Island’s Priestess, it was probably something she was well acquainted with. Just never something so…mystical must’ve crossed her mind in happening to her. Her panic was well founded but she was used to dealing with the process enough that she calmed quickly with reassurance. With Gorou’s retirement as a war general in the last five years, his life has been fairly relaxed and he was never good with adapting to high pressure or stressful situations in the first place.

Itto thought of things that may cheer him up. The Irodori Festival was fun. He could see Gorou was happy to help even though he had no direct responsibilities to the Watatsumi Island residents at the time. Come to think of it, Yae Miko is fairly knowledgeable in the art of transfiguration, perhaps he could ask about that. She also commissioned an artist that was super famous for being smart.

What was his name? Itto closed his eyes to imagine the day he met the artist while he was explaining something about alchemy. His name…his name…That last painting he did was pretty cool. Calx is a great artist. Oh right, Calx. Though he explicitly said Calx wasn’t his name.

Itto shook Gorou a bit. He was calming down already, that’s good.

“Do you remember the Irodori Festival?”

Gorou bit his lower lip and nodded.

“Good. You know the main artist Calx? What was his real name?”

Gorou’s eyes widened. “Uh…Calx…Artist…I think–I think it was Albedo.”

Sara flapped her wings creating a small breeze.

“Yeah, a registered artist. His name is Albedo and his alias was Calx.”

Itto hugs Gorou tighter. “You’re a lifesaver, Sara. Let’s go find Albedo then. He’s in Monstatdt, right?”

Kokomi, “Yes, that is where he lives but he often visits his boyfriend’s place in Liyue. Aether has told me that he and his sister were visiting Childe and Xiao with Albedo in tow.”

Itto grins. “Thanks Kokomi! I’ll get going now.”

And out the front door he goes. The almost finished breakfast sitting on the table going cold. Otherwise, the house was cleaned and tidy. The kitchen sink has dirty pots and pans from Itto’s cooking. The door is left carelessly open though it’s not like they had many valuables in the first place. It seems all they needed was each other.

Kokomi looks at Sara was rebinding her book onto her waist. 

“I know. Let’s help them clean up.”

Kokomi smiled. “Sometimes I’m glad we know each other so well.”

Sara sighed. “I can just read people well. It comes with being a general.”

“Huh, Gorou never seemed to pick up that skill.”

Sara carried over the small bowls to the sink where Kokomi was already rinsing the flatter pans.

“Oh he did alright. He’s just too empathetic.”

She grabbed a towel and Kokomi moves over for her to rinse it out.

“And he’s very sensitive to emotion, including his own.”

Kokomi smiled. “You know all that because you’re a General?”

Sara wiped down the table. “No, I know because I was just like him at some point.”

She remembers the high mountains, the peaks so high that normal humans would get sick at the altitude her people climbed. Her lungs trained in breathing the thin air since she was little before she fell to the valley below, abandoned by her people. She learned to be tough, to not be emotional. If Ei never found her, she may still become a General but a General that leads with a lot of emotion like Gorou is now. She would be soft, not like it would be a bad thing, but she couldn’t imagine herself commanding her men like Gorou does. Emotionally linked and caring of all her soldiers.

“Besides, he seems to get too carried away in battle. I didn’t take him to be the type to change faces within battle.”

“Oh that,” Kokomi nervously laughs. “I never got to address it with him but when in battle, the thrill overpowers his judgment skills and he often takes too many risks.”

“Seems like something you were already aware of.”

Kokomi sighed. “He’s already retired. There’s no point in pushing it. It’s not like he’ll get in battle anytime soon with Itto by his side.”

Sara made an indifferent face. “Despite the difference in size and supposed physical strength, I’m sure Gorou could wipe the floor with Itto.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. But a tall, muscular, and angry looking man is enough to deter most people” Kokomi washes down the plates and bowls and places them on a drying rack. “Unfortunately, Gorou’s physique makes many underestimate him so having that physical intimidation is necessary.”

“I suppose.”

They spend the rest of the time laying on the couch, talking about their favorite war tactics. Particularly from Sun Tzu The Art of War quotes. One particular inside joke between them being “Whatever you do, don’t post your tactics on a public bulletin board. You fool, you moron.”

They still laugh about it to this day.

Chapter Text

Unknown???

Short and sweet. It grew in small bunches, located somewhere down the deserted hills. The soil lining the top of the cave as a steady drip of water kept the small bunch alive. Many myths were made of it.

Some say it brings eternal youth. Some say it does nothing but was one of the final gifts the goddess of flowers gave to the forest. Some say it holds magical properties, able to cure any disease, illness, virus, bacteria, or fungi infection.

The Sages scoff at its existence and the scholars could not be motivated to look for such an obscure flower. The other Archons have attempted to confirm the truth of the myth out of curiosity only to end up in mystery. The Raiden Shogun claims to have memory of the unique crystal shape of the flower petals that glowed pale rainbow, but when questioned and her memories extracted, no visible image could be found which most certainly puzzled Ei.

Zhongli held no interest in the flower. Long forgotten in history and almost certainly a myth, he had no time to observe this myth for himself due to his duties as a nation. Though he held curiosity about it, he yeilded in favor of watching over his people. The hydro Archon followed hi beliefs and they too, continued ruling their nations without much interest. By far ironically, the most interested archon was the pyro Archon. Her prideful attitude leading her and her descendents to search for the flowers that glowed with unparalleled beauty and power.

Her search came back fruitless though it was mentioned in writing that the ancestors’ attempt came with limitations as their blue and purple hair would burn the surrounding forestry, often leaving patches of burnt grass in their search. Nevertheless, they weren’t so restricted that the investigation should’ve been fruitless so the pyro Archon eventually gave up and returned to rule their people.

Near the back of the forest, though, laid the dying spirit of the Goddess of Flowers. Her thoughts filled with nothing but bitterness and the creatures around her weaved in and out of her long silky hair. Her almost black skin reflected the moon as she mourned in her own sadness. Some of the creatures around her like the deer and birds chirps happily, innocently. The others, the fennec foxes, the gray wolves, and the mythical dragons surrounded her with comfort and warmth. She petted them, only smiling briefly, temporarily soothed by their presence. 

Even the reptiles, the snakes and lizards seemed to sympathize with her.

Even then, she could only think of death, the only thing lingering closer each day. Her last days were spent caring for a patch of common flower weeds, lightening them to the color of the moonlight with the reflection of a faint rainbow. Their pollen would circulate throughout Teyvat, infecting people unknowingly. What they did, not even the Goddess herself knows but will it bring destruction? Happiness? Was it a wish she wanted to fulfill? Or a curse for the lingering people?

The writer closed her diary, the ink slightly smudged as she did so and the leather bounding it worn out over hundreds of years. She waved a hand and the plant by her desk illuminating light closed its leaves over the central bulb. The room was dark again and the lady let out a sigh. 

It was getting late. This was no time for reminiscing.

Chapter Text

Tighnari

Tighnari was irritated all afternoon, which was saying something.

Usually his attitude would drop after a long day of dealing with stupidity or a couple days into his heat. Neither of which were the case today. Today, it seems like simply living seemed to irritate him. He barely got half an hour of training down before needing to retire in his hut for the day.

The plants in the hut seemed to lean towards him in comfort as he refilled the watering can with a pump. The clear water splashed onto the concrete surrounding the catching bowl of the pump. The sun shone through the slightly matted windows, making some of the more delicate flowers shine brightly. The sun was beginning to set and each hour, he could see the bright white and yellow shine of the sun turning more and more orange. When Tighnari had finished watering all the plants their appropriate amount of water and prepared a pot of tea with two cups, he sat gratefully on the small wooden table he had in the center of his kitchen. He eased the wooden chair slightly back and forth to hear its familiar creak.

With a tea cup full of hot tea and a book in the other, Tighnari was content for the time being. His research throughout the day had led him to an obscure myth of a batch of flowers that were related to the Valuka Shuna, fennec foxes as the modern term. It was characterized as an animal with large pointed tall ears and a bushy tail. Though the fur matched his darker natural hair rather than the light cream-colored coating of the ancient fox, the similarities were very apparent.

One skeptical part of the discovery was that it was a myth. A old folk’s tale passed down to children to explain the disappearance of the Goddess of Flowers. Nobody truly knew and nobody could really know. Tighnari must admit that when he was younger, he was curious on such a thing but that was history. Sometimes there was no need to look deeper into children stories. Well, now those stories circled back to his predicament.

The ending of each of these stories were vague but it can be inferred that it could be seen as a simultaneous curse and blessing as the people who inhaled the pollen must now be one with nature to survive. It was rather amusing imagining his father adventuring and randomly inhaling ancient mythical pollen but no. It was likely several tens of generations ago. His father couldn’t have known and even if he did…Tighnari shivered. Running after him in the desert wouldn’t be a good idea right now. He couldn’t tolerate the heat before, now imagine how fast the excess dark fur would absorb the heat.

He wondered how Albedo was doing now. Surely the letter should be sent and almost arriving. When he had asked the merchant for a translator, he was directly laughed at before the merchant stared through his deadpan eyes.

“Oh, you’re serious?” the merchant looked bewildered. 

He reached over to pat his back. When Tighnari dodged his attempt and glared at him, the merchant backed off but he kept staring at his ears.

“Fine, be a prick. Very few people in Port Ormos know Liyuen. Best chance is to find Liben.”

Tighnari’s eyes had lit up. “Liben is here?”

“That weirdo is everywhere kid. Lord knows how he knows all the languages of Teyvat. He even knows the ancient Khaenri’ah language.” The merchant laughs. “Who dedicates so much to time to learn a dead language?”

Tighnari stopped listening after he confirmed Liben was in Port Ormos.

“Thank you, sir.” Tighnari said and he quickly walked away.

The mix of clothes Liben wore as well as his unique hairstyle stood out among the Eremites and Merchants. He was in a conversation with Dori who was trying to scam him out of precious Hero's Wit but Liben was not speaking Sumerian.

“对不起，我不能卖给你这些东西.” Liben said.

(“Sorry, i can't sell you these things.”)

Dori stomped her feet in frustration, greedily eyeing the things in Liben’s basket. “I don’t understand you, you buffoon! I want YOUR GOODS!”

Tighnari steps in. “Alright now, Dori, leave him alone. He can’t even speak Sumerian. You can’t scam people like this and he can’t understand you.”

Dori huffed. “Fine.”

And she marched off, not before glancing once more at the valuables in Liben’s basket.

Liben stared at Tighnari through his sunglasses. “Thanks, bro.”

“No problem. She’s just very persistent.”

Liben pulled out a towel to wipe his forehead with. “You can say that again. You have a request? I owe you one for that.”

“Actually, yes. You read and write Liyuen, right?”

LIben nodded. “Known all the languages since I was six. What do you need?”

Tighnari sighed in relief. “I need a letter translated.”

He pulled out the carefully folded letter in his waist pocket, the knot slightly crooked. TIghnari handed it over to Liben who stroked his beard thoughtfully. 

“Here.” Tighnari said.

LIben picks it up from Tighnari, towering over him as he unfolds the letter with his rough calloused hands. Even to Tighnari, LIben was a complete mystery. He just appears and disappears at will. His basket is always full of items so valuable people would sell their soul for it but he would only accept the most mundane things from close friends, particularly Aether and Lumine. Now that he thought about it, the letter Albedo sent last month talked about a potential relationship between him, Xiao, and Aether. Considering Xiao’s name, it might’ve been him who wrote the letter. 

But why, Albedo?, he internally complained, Why LIyuen?

No matter, he got someone to help translate it. Lucky for him.

LIben hummed. “Seems like a fairly serious letter.”

TIghnari snapped back at attention. “What does it say?”

Liben squinted his eyes at the letter as if he hadn’t just read it.

‘Well, it says that a second stage of alchemy has grown ears. Wait…no, it is a name. So Albedo had grown ears, specifically from the animal snow leopard. They’ve had-” Liben rereads a line”-problems with Albedo’s balance.”

Liben makes a confused face and Tighnari cringes at the familiarity.

“Actually, it might be because of the sex they had last night.”

Tighnari face palmed. “Oh god, did they have to include that?”

Liben continues. “Anyway, it says further that he is currently contacting Sucrose. If you were to ask what Albedo thought of it because of his minute experience in Bioalchemy, he has no idea. Perhaps he may be able to find some notes about it but currently with the way their morning has gone, Albedo is due to pass out any moment.”

Oh right, Tighnari thought, it’s Xiao who’s writing this.

“Aether will be helping me get Sucrose while that happens but she might not be available until tomorrow. As for observations, Albedo hasn’t written an organized report so I just wrote a short description of his features. Black spots, white fur, unstable but moves on its own during panic, a lot of different instinctive movements are present. For example, the tail pulls away when touched, the ears flattened when pet, and his eyes have dilated slightly more vertically. Huh, it’s like a report.”

Something primal made Tighnari shiver. Imagining the bright blue eye holding a sharp pupil. It was an aggressive image despite Albedo’s naturally soft eyes and long eyelashes. Was it because of his nature being half-animal now?

“There seems to be a note here.”

Liben brings the paper closer to his face to read the scrawled characters.

Tighnari picks up on Liben’s confusion. “What is it?”

“TIny note. Very, very blurry. I think it mentions a meet-up.”

“What time?”

“Day after tomorrow. Xiao has decided to drop Albedo off here potentially with Aether.”

“Oh.” TIghnari receives the letter back from Liben. “Thank you, Liben. I will write a letter back to him myself.”

LIben smiled and pushed up his sunglasses. “No problem. This was a simple task for how much you saved me there.”

“With Dori? She’s no big deal. She’s just really pushy at times.” 

“I know. Her sister would be proud.”

TIghnari caught it but he still asked, “Huh?”

“Yeah, her sister is dead.”

“Oh.”

Then the atmosphere went silent.

“Anyway…” Tighnari cleared his throat, “thank you again Liben. I wish you luck in your endeavors.”

“Thank you. You are too kind.”

And then they split.

On his way home, Tighnari’s head hurt. A lot less from irritation and more about the enigma that is Liben. Appears and disappears. Knows all the languages under Celestia, trades valuables for everyday objects. And now, his knowledge on the most obscure of things.

Tighnari knew that Dori’s sister was dead. It wasn’t much of a surprise to him as to how Liben knew. It was a hidden dark secret Dori carried with her at all times. It was only barely over 7 years ago when she revealed it casually in one of their many secret meet-ups. It had caught him off guard. They had known each other very well for several years by that point. Due to the nature of her work, that was a rare occasion of which she bonded with someone as a friend. Even then, it’s not like he told anyone. Not even Cyno. Though that was more of a situation of him not really having a chance. Talking about a friend’s dead sibling isn’t exactly a conversation starter nor is it very suitable for many conversation topics.

How Liben knew was beyond him. 

Regardless, the trek back from Port Ormos took a couple hours back. It was a couple hours to but he was too distracted to think about his fatigue then. Now he was both not distracted and distracted by random thoughts at the same time. 

At some point, the dirt trail became darker. The trees began to tower over him, the sun seemed to shine brighter through the cracks and the shadows stretched farther. And the scent. The scent was stronger than ever. The dew still hanging on from the leaves of this morning, the mud created from the small puddles between the roots of large trees, and the humid air. It almost made him pull off his outer coat just to enjoy the sun spots. What didn’t escape his sight-or rather-his ears was the unusual rustling of the leaves and branches. The lighter sound of a barefoot and lightly clothed traveler. The quietest sound of a buckle jingle. Those combinations of sounds could only originate from one person. Cyno.

Tighnari smiled to himself, watching his surroundings, his ears twitching on instinct.

30 meters, north. Running quickly. A small weighty bag over his shoulders.

Tighnari skillfully climbed the closest tree to gain some vision. His darker clothing concealing him from view, blending into the shadows. A flash of white hair peeks out of the treetops and Tighnari leaps. This time, his tail is in tune with his practiced body. The landings of his carefully marked and swiftly executed. This allows him to travel much faster than he was used to. Almost like adrenaline was pulling him forward. The faintest scent of Cyno touched his nose. Warm sandstone, dry cacti, and oasis water. It was such a Cyno smell that Tighnari couldn’t have mistaken it anywhere else. To anyone else, Cyno may have been seen as in a rush, a hurry. But really, he’s just excited. His days off were few and far between. The days where he could visit Ghandarvaville, even scarcer. Just as Tighnari was about to sneak up on Cyno, his back turned towards him innocently unaware. A sudden feeling hit him.

His stomach burned, his temperature rapidly rising so fast to dangerous levels. His vision swam and blurred. He heard a strained voice call for Cyno and Cyno responded near immediately. But despite his heightened senses in hearing after obtaining the animal ears, Cyno’s voice was a mixture of muffled echoes and indecipherable shouts.

Tighnari struggled to breathe. Air didn’t feel like entering his throat and his tail twitched forward to warm him despite being too warm.

Tighnari took a pained breath in. It felt like his heat but hotter. Like his heat but the pain times a thousand. Cyno was shaking him now but Tighnari still couldn’t hear a thing. Cyno roamed his body for poison, an injury, or an explanation for the collapse. When he inevitably didn’t find one, Tighnari felt his entire body being picked up off the ground and escorted into the hut. Tighnari moved his head to the side to avoid Cyno’s body heat. Any form of heat currently was unbearable. Why was his genetics like this?

“WHAT’S WRONG, TIGHNARI? YOU HAVE TO ANSWER ME!” The question rang through his ears, both muffled and deafening. A soft pillow was stuffed beneath his head.

TIghnari needed to speak. This was something new triggered undoubtedly by his genetics and by these new features. Cyno needed to know. He needed to somehow know.

He felt a brief reprieve when a splash of cold water hit his face. It was from the waterskin Cyno carried around. He raised his head to get Cyno’s eye contact. His concerned ruby eyes were already locked on to him. He desperately pointed to a cabinet above the sink in the same room. Cyno was familiar with where his medicine was.

That alone, took too much attention away from breathing and his throat inflamed, causing him to cough harshly. Cyno, on the other hand, seemed to get the message and began rushing through the medicine cabinet. Eventually he landed on a bottle he’d seen a thousand times. Pale yellow with a green rubber band around the container.Cyno quickly dumped the appropriate dose out and moved to pump water into a cup, the lever as heavy and clunky as always. Cyno rushed back to the bed, holding the pills in his hand and Tighnari almost dry swallowed them if not for Cyno forcing him to also gulp the water down right after. The symptoms subsided as he expected though some of it still lingered annoyingly. Tighnari couldn’t afford to take more than his normal dosage for fear of additional side effects.

“What happened?” Cyno whispered, his eyes watching the very real ears twitch and turn with the surrounding noise.

Tighnari sighed. “Unfortunately, I have no idea either. I just woke up with these.”

Cyno counted the hours. “What do you mean ‘you woke up with them’? You barely get any sleep as it is.”

“I get enough sleep to satisfy my body, thank you very much. I am not Albedo.”

Cyno smiled. “I only heard that Albedo’s boyfriends are the problem, not his sleep schedule.”

Tighnari removed his outer hoodie to breathe and took off his sash. “Albedo’s sleep schedule is from the devil himself. His boyfriends just make it worse.”

“I should really visit more often then.” Cyno pondered.

“Don’t even think about it. I’m not losing sleep because of you.”

Cyno stepped forward to wrap his arms around TIghnari’s waist. “You wouldn’t?”

Tighnari grumbled to himself about something and detangled himself off of Cyno. “We don’t have time for that right now.”

The light rays of gold and orange were quickly dimming over and casting bright reds mixed with royal purple. The day was almost over and yet, no further clues. Only a potential tomorrow of Albedo coming over and then comparing notes. Even then, it’s not like it would solve much. If it solved anything at all. Tighnari collapsed backwards on his bed, wincing slightly, and then staring at the ceiling with a confused Cyno sitting next to him.

“Did Albedo say that he’s coming over with Aether or Xiao?”

Tighnari groaned. “What?”

“Is Albedo coming tomorrow with Xiao or Aether?”

“Oh…umm, I think he said that Aether was going to be with him.”

Cyno sighed in relief. He didn’t mind Xiao, honestly but he was too…similar to him. The karma that radiated from him pulled out his spirit’s hunger to try to feed on it. The struggle was that Cyno himself was human and cannot contain the karma that Xiao has built up over thousands of years. It was merely difficult for the both of them. 

Tighnari turned over to look at Cyno who sat next to the bed on a handmade short stool. The headache was dying down and his head was only slightly flushed. The fever quickly died down to almost a freezing degree but other than that, it felt like a normal heat after he had taken the medication. Which was a whole lot better than the state he was in a few minutes ago. Tighnari reached out a hand and Cyno gladly took it.

“You are staying for the night, right?” he said, fully knowing the answer but wanting it confirmed out loud.

Cyno nodded firmly. His bag was forgotten on the doorstep of the hut but the food was neatly and tightly packed, enough so that they could wait until tomorrow.

After a few moments of silence, Cyno noticed the piles of papers on Tighnari’s desk and the ink well almost drained with the quill on the side. A half drained glass of water held the last sheet of paper in place from the wind blowing through the window. The falcon that Tighnari raised was perched outside the window and cawing every now and then. A light snore echoed through the dimly lit room.

Once the grip had loosened for almost an hour, Cyno went to the kitchen in the next room. He pulled an empty clean pot off the shelf and started to prepare some soup. Despite Tighnari denying his schedule being perfectly healthy, and most of the time it was, it seems that Tighnari had neglected to eat dinner and went to prepare some. Cyno really didn’t really want to wake up Tighnari but a meal before bed would be better than starving until the morning. Especially when the slight fever from his heat would persist through the rest of the week. Cyno knew exactly how carried away Tighnari could get once Albedo arrived and they started theorizing on why this was happening. He just hoped they both didn’t move around too much and exhaust themselves. Hopefully Aether would help with that once they arrived. He would understand Cyno’s worries.

After the soup was brought to a boil and the vegetables were thrown in along with some thin slices of meat, he brought the bowl to Tighnari’s room to wake him and placed the bowl on the nightstand next to the bed.

Tighnari ate quietly and enjoyed the gradual change of sounds from the evening to pure night. The howls of owls from miles away heard perfectly clear by his new ears. Cyno watched him in peace, not that he minded anyway. With the empty bowl washed and put up to dry on a rack, Cyno and Tighnari changed into more comfortable sleepwear and settled in for the night.As Cyno cradled Tighnari to sleep, he wondered what it was like to have his features suddenly changed. To have his balance completely thrown off by a new appendage. 

He didn’t even want to get started on thinking about the lack of ears on the side of the head. That image was weirder than it needed to be. Eventually he slept. Tomorrow’s worries are tomorrow’s worries. It wasn’t like things could get worse.