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It was Wednesday noon as bird chirps and flew above the city, a couple merchants walks back to their stands after some lunch breaks as some scholars roams the streets of Sumeru City to buy some supplies before heading back to the Akademiya for their last classes of the day, whilst mercenaries patrol left and right, greeting some denizens of the City whenever they've passed by some who greets them back happily
As Cafe slowly buzzling with crowds of plentiful scholars, and mercenaries of all ranks filling each Cafe to the brink it was full for the night
Two prominent figures seemed to be on a table for two, eyes focused their deck in hand as the chatter of the crowds covers their awkward silence as one of them place his cards down with a smile
"Fuck, not again!" Cursed one of them
"How in archons' name I lost... Again?!"
"I suppose I can go now since you've lost--"
"N-No, I will and still not admit defeat untill I won! That's the deal!" One of them shouts to the other with a huff, as the other figure and shakes his head
"The deal was once you are defeated I can leave" the other reiterated as it only makes the figure infront of him fumes with frustration
"Just... Just... One match and I PROMISE I'll let you go to whenever you need to be right now"
Red scarlet eyes glares to the diamond red ones of the other, seeing if what they said is the truth or a lie before he sighs
"Alright.... One match and that's it. Deal, Kaveh?"
"Deal!" Says the person called "Kaveh" as the man infront of him rearranged their decks and began setting up for the next and hopefully final match.
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Tighnari came by Sumeru City on the occasion that he needed to resupply some mechanical parts for his assistant, Karkata as well a couple supplies for tonight's dinner as a certain General has promised him that he'll be visiting and staying for week due to the Akademiya or moreso the Dendro archon finally giving him a week of vacation
To which Tighnari was happy when he received a letter from that certain General about it days before
Although coming to the City is not really to his liking especially how loud it can be when he stays for longer, as well some old scholar friends of his finding him there and nagging him for help would probably add more stress on his day off from the patrol today.
To which Tighnari hopes he won't to get to stay here long before heading back to the Avidya Forest after gathering and buying the supplies he needed
As the day goes by and it turns to an afternoon, Tighnari was about to leave Sumeru City and head back to The Forest, his ear twitched a picked up a familiar voice on his way to leave the City
Tighnari blinks and looks over the Cafe beside him, to which it's the Puspa Cafe; The Cafe where plentiful scholars would come in and order some coffee or two before they endlessly worked their butts off to finish a project before their due date. Though he don't usually goes here anymore after leaving the Akademiya
But remembers Cyno usually goes here on his break time
"I wonder..." Curiousity fills his mind as he took a few steps into the Cafe holding tight on his bag of supplies and gets inside only to be welcomed with a quiet pleasing atmosphere, where's there's not much scholars in the room than it usually is, but most there are a couple mercenaries and normal citizens, talking and chatting to one another about a project, or catching up on their daily lives with one another
Tighnari hummed to himself as he entered the Cafe, eyes looking around, scanning for a spesific individual in the room as he wondered if Cyno's here currently
"Kaveh please... This is already the 10th time you've lost. Please let me leave, I'm promised Nari I'll be visiting him today..."
That Voice... Tighnari's ears perked as he heard a familiar deep voice right around the corner and finally noticed the man he's been looking for
Tighnari smiled when he spotted him and walks up to him as he noticed he's looking a bit... Annoyed. But not the kind of annoyed look that he's about to be angry, the annoyed look that he seems to be tired of dueling this familiar blonde scholar in front of him
"But but..."
"No buts, please I really need to--"
"I knew I would find you here"
Cyno's eyes widened at the voice behind him
"Nari? What're you doing here?" He asked, turning back to the green fox who just approaches them out of the blue
"My ears picked up something familiar which makes me curious if you're here and I was right" Tighnari says proudly as he blinks and looked over at the table
"Huh? Did I interrupt a match or something?" He asked "Seems like you both had been at this for quiet some time I see" he says after as the blonde on the chair in front of him spoke up
"Why of course and Cyno I still think you owe me another rematch, hhmm?"
Cyno let's out a groan and a glare at Kaveh in annoyance as now he wished he wasn't given a vacation break if it's going to be him getting dragged by Kaveh in a long game or well by Kaveh's words "A bet" between him and Cyno
"I don't owe you another rematch,Kaveh. We'll be here all night if we do another rematch for the 11th time" Cyno says, sounding almost pleading and eyeing slightly at Tighnari for help here.
Tighnari saw this, looked at Cyno then at Kaveh before his brain spins for a moment before an idea popped in his mind and he gave Cyno that tells him that he has an idea to get him out of this predicament
Cyno furrowed his brow and mouthed 'Okay...' at Tighnari as Tighnari shot Kaveh a challenging smirk
"Well since my boyfriend owes you a rematch, you wouldn't mind if I joins in and helped him out right~?"
Kaveh stares at him in disbelief and frustration slowly fumes up to his head
"That's... That's cheating! You can't do that!"
"Oh really?" Tighnari asked, brow raised as he looked at Cyno
"Love, wouldn't it be cheating for me to help you in duel against him?" He asked, sounding ever soo innocent
Cyno hummed as he eyed the frustrated Kaveh in front of him then back at Tighnari, a small smirk curves under his lips as he spoke
"Why in a normal game it would be considered cheating. But... For this round I'll allow you to help me" he said, looking right at Kaveh with a challenging look as Kaveh only stares at Cyno and Tighnari with a pout as he felt like he's been put in disadvantage against these two as if they have pushed him against a wall trapping him on what at first was a fun duel, as now he feels like it's just a punishment for him for keeping Cyno to duel him multiple times
Note to self, never ever duel Cyno for too long or his boyfriend will bend the rules of this game Kaveh thought, slowly regretting of inviting Cyno for a game of Genius Invocation TCG earlier
"Next time, write to me if you ever get stuck on a game with him again, Love"
"I could... But I didn't bring any paper nor the City would provibited anyone to bring a untrain Dusk bird to a Cafe just to send you a letter"
"Well... You can always asked your old friend, Nilou to sent the letter to me. Or.... You always add something under your letters so I know if you ever get yourself stuck like this"
"... I'll keep that in mind"