Chapter Text
If any of her not so nice former teachers were around when she took the fox boy under her wing, Collei knew they would have little to no kind words to say to her or her new mentee. She could almost picture their disapproval over her decision, telling her that it's not worth it to let a broken and damaged boy cling to her, that he would only bring trouble to her.
It was one of those thoughts that made her glad she left the city.
Though, beginning a mentorship with someone who had several issues lying underneath was anything but easy to her. Collei did possess extensive knowledge about the forest, but that doesn't necessarily equate to being a good mentor or caretaker. She was still a bit of a klutz, and her voice isn't the kind one would expect from a mentor, but she was entrusted with this responsibility, from a friend who knew her well. There must be a reason why Cyno trusted her enough to help Tighnari, and no matter what it was, she was going to do her best.
He did lay down some concerning facts to watch out for before he left him in her care.
"Don't try and force him to speak." Cyno said, both of them in her own house while Tighnari was resting in his own. His voice was quieter, and for some reason, it sounded more threatening when it was lower.
"It's that bad?" Collei whispered, having a basic understanding of the curse he was given. It could not be comfortable, she knew that well, even though she never experienced a world of constant sound. She can only imagine how it feels, but never truly understand it. Nevertheless, it must be horrible to think of your own voice as a curse of its own.
"Yes." Cyno nodded. "And I recommend you only speak to him with whispers. The more quiet a sound is, he would tolerant it more."
"I understand." If it were anyone else who found him, they would've just taken him to a busy city or town that was always bustling with energy and life. While that is a logical move for any other person, it was the wrong one for someone like Tighnari. Cyno wasn't just anyone else. He was understanding and caring, despite what others may think. Collei knew him well, considering the amount of terrible jokes he told her back in her Akademiya days, and the times they played rounds of that trading card game, it was a stark contrast to the popular belief many had about him. "Is there anything else I should be wary of?"
"If any Fatui comes around, eliminate them immediately." Cyno's red eyes practically glowed with fury. "Especially if it's him, that damned Doctor."
"I promise I won't let any of them step into Gandharva Ville." Collei had a steely expression on her face, placing a hand where her heart is.
The first few weeks weren't easy, but they weren't troublesome either. Collei taught him some basic skills a forest ranger should know, like planning patrol routes and checking the weather to see if it'll change at any moment.
Tighnari was particularly interested in the latter lesson. He never said it, but his expression did all the talking for him.
Collei was very careful when it came to their lessons, making sure to take her medicine for her Eleazar before every session in order to decrease the chances she might knock a bottle or a cup over and aggravating his hearing. Of course, being the clumsy person she is, it happens sometimes, and she was quick to apologize for it and compensate by giving him a break from lessons.
But no matter how much she apologized, the look of pain on Tighnari's face hurts her too, because she's usually the one the cause it. What kind of mentor is she if she keeps getting him hurt?
Every time those thoughts came up, she pushed them to the side as quickly as possible. Wallowing in self-pity wouldn't help anyone. She had to be strong, prepared to teach, to protect, to care for, if things go wrong one day.
It was nighttime in the Avidya Forest - and by extension, Sumeru - and it was always beautiful when the day turns to night in Gandharva Ville. The sunlight was nice too, but the night was astonishingly lovely.
Collei had her lights on in her house, reading a book about the plants and herbs the forest had to offer. It was one she read several times back when she was a student, she isn't pursuing new research or anything, she already completed that long ago, it's just nice to refresh some knowledge in her head every now and again.
She was halfway through the book, still on the page where it described what Lunar Lotuses are and their properties, when she heard deliberate, careful footsteps coming towards her house. Now, her hearing isn't as strong or destructive as her mentee's, but they were still in the perfect condition to hear quiet footsteps when they walk on wooden floors.
She turned around to find a cloaked figure stopping in his tracks when he was spotted, his gaze moving away from hers.
Collei smiled reassuringly and performed a motion with her hand, one that invited him to come in. He doesn't visit her often, in fact it's usually the other way around. So it's quite interesting to see that that has been reversed for this night, but she sensed that the reason for this wasn't pleasant. Almost all of Gandharva Ville should be asleep at this hour, him included.
Tighnari resumed in his walk, looking down at the planks and avoided stepping on any that looked loose until he was finally in her home, immediately going to her bed and sitting down, fiddling with the clasp on his cloak.
"What's the matter?" Collei asked, carefully putting a bookmark between the pages and closing the book, making sure to move the chair so that it doesn't creak against the floor when she got up.
Tighnari didn't respond verbally, instead he lifted his head to face her, pointing to the dark smudges under his eyes, a hollow and haunted look in those eyes. It was the next best way for him to communicate with people, other than writing down his thoughts or using hand signals, while many others in the ville still don't know how to adapt to this way, Collei was a little faster than them.
"Can't sleep?" She slowly made her way towards him, sitting down beside him once she did.
She received a nod in return.
"Memory?" Another nod, and she saw slight trembling under the cloak that hid his body well, including his tail as long as it was curled around him. Collei would move her hand to cover his own, but touch wasn't something he was comfortable with still. That fact both enraged her and saddened her. It had some unfortunate, eerie implications that she didn't want to think about.
"Do you need anything? Water? Fruits?" This time, he shook his head.
"Do you want to stay for the night? You can take the bed."
Tighnari nodded, but pointed at the floor, then at himself.
"I've slept on tree branches before. It'll be fine." Collei shook her head, grabbing a few pillows and a spare blanket off of her bed and sliding off the bed before he could do anything about it. She only slept on a tree branch once, maybe twice, and it was very uncomfortable. The floor was a mercy compared to sleeping on tree branches.
She didn't hear any movements from Tighnari's end to indicate that he was still against this as she was setting up her makeshift bed, but she still looked back at him, finding a look of guilt on his face.
"I'm not mad, I promise." Collei reassured. "Just try to get some sleep. If you need anything, talk to me."
Tighnari gave a reluctant nod in return, wrapping himself up in the other blanket - one that was bigger than the one she took for herself - before lying down properly, indulging himself in the other pillows on the bed, some were used to cover up his ears better, while others were used to make his sleep more comfortable.
Collei smiled as she got up to turn off the light sources in the house.