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Tighnari was incredibly good at hiding it if something was wrong or if anything was bothering him. Unfortunately for him, no matter how well he hid it, there was something that always gave him away without fail — His ears.
Collei wouldn't have known anything was up that morning when she met up with Tighnari at the edge of Ghandarva Ville to prepare for their patrol together. Tighnari had his back turned to her when she approached, but Collei could tell something was amiss before she even saw his face. His long, slender ears were always upright on his head, occasionally tilting sideways at any sounds or during conversations. That morning they were visibly pulled back against his head, occasionally twitching irritably.
"Morning, Mr Tighnari!" Collei greeted as she approached.
At the sound of her voice Tighnari's ears pricked for a moment, before they returned to their former position. "Morning Collei."
The trainee forest ranger bit her lip, thoughtfully rocking back and forth on her feet. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask Tighnari whether something was amiss that morning, but she resisted the urge to pry. Personally, she'd hate it if two large ears on her head gave away her every emotion.
Collei hastily stopped her rocking, putting on an eager smile when Tighnari turned around, holding one of their bags out to her. It has been a while since he allowed her to take on any patrols, and she was admittedly looking forward to it, especially after her last flare up had left her out of commission for a couple of weeks.
Tighnari still had his ears backwards, but they were no longer flat against his head. Aside from that small detail, he looked completely focused and aware as he always did. He even smiled at Collei.
"Are you feeling up to today's patrols?"
"Yes." Collei said eagerly, clasping her hands together and beaming.
"Don't look too excited now." Tighnari said as he walked past her, gesturing for her to follow after him. "We're not going too far from the village. There were reports of—"
"—unusual Rishboland Tiger activity en route to Sumeru city." Collei finished before he could, her voice almost strained with excitement.
Tighnari's glanced over his shoulder with an approving smile, and his tail even wagged a couple of times. "That is correct. Good job, Collei." Strangely enough, his ears were still back.
Collei tried not to pay the small detail much mind, instead focusing her attention on the forest they were patrolling. It was important to keep an eye out for any unusual fungi activity, or newly formed withering zones.
Almost an hour of hiking had passed, when Tighnari proposed the idea of taking a short break.
"Already?" Collei asked. "I'm fine to go further."
"Collei, the agreement was that you take frequent breaks if I let you come on this patrol." Tighnari was matter-of-fact, already emphasizing his point by taking a seat on a nearby stone beneath a large tree.
Collei's shoulders sunk, and she dropped her head slightly, before giving a solemn nod. "Yes, Mr Tighnari." She slipped the leather pack off her back, gently tossing it onto the grass, before taking a seat as well with her legs crossed beneath her. Collei hadn't been lying when she said she was fine to continue on further, but the break wasn't unwelcome either. She had worked up quite the appetite on the walk so far, and the freshly made pita pockets she packed in were beginning to call her.
Tighnari remained sitting beneath the tree where he had taken a seat earlier. He had his arms folded with his head tilted back against the mossy tree trunk behind him. His eyes were closed, although the twitching of his ears and tail indicated that he was still awake and aware.
Collei had only just begun digging into her lunch, when Tighnari got up again. She lifted her head, giving him a puzzled expression.
"It's rather warm out today, we should stay hydrated." Tighnari explained. "I'm just going to walk the short stretch to the creek and replenish our water supply. Stay here and rest up so we can resume the patrol shortly."
Tighnari didn't wait for Collei to respond, already turning away. She watched as he disappeared through the shrubbery, footsteps quickly fading into the forest. This didn't bother Collei at first — She was still quite familiar with the area around them, and being alone for a couple of minutes didn't bother her.
It wasn't until Collei had finished up her lunch and packed her leftovers back into her bag, that she began to question her mentor's absence. The creek wasn't far, Collei could hear the gentle rush of water just a little ways away. Why hadn't Tighnari returned yet?
"Mr Tighnari?" Collei called softly, craning her neck in an attempt to see through the bushes.
There was no response. Alright, now Collei was feeling a little anxious. Tighnari's hearing far exceeded that of any other person she knew. If he had only gone to the river, he absolutely would be able to hear her. Swallowing nervously, Collei eased her bag back over her shoulders, and began walking in the direction her mentor had disappeared off to a short while ago. As she pushed her way through the shrubbery, the sound of the flowing creek became more clear, and Collei soon reached the water's edge. Glancing around, it didn't take her long to spot Tighnari. Collei opened her mouth to call out to him, but stopped short. Something was clearly wrong.
Tighnari was kneeling beside the creek, resting his one arm on his knee, and his forehead on his arm. His ears, that had been turned back all morning, were now pulled flat against his head.
"Mr Tighnari!" Collei hadn't even realized that she began running, until she reached her mentor's side. "Mr Tighnari, is everything alright?" Internally she kicked herself. Of course he wasn't alright.
Tighnari didn't speak, but the brief flicker of one of his ears indicated that he did hear her. Collei reached for his shoulder, but stopped herself, her hand awkwardly hovering in the air.
"Please, do not worry." Tighnari finally spoke, although his voice was strained and somewhat hoarse. He swallowed audibly, before lifting his head. Collei was taken aback by how pale his face had gotten. "I am… alright."
"M-may I?" Collei asked hesitantly, waiting for Tighnari to nod, before she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I… forgive me, but you're not alright. Something's been amiss all morning, hasn't it?"
Tighnari chuckled softly beneath Collei's touch. He cut himself off, closing his eyes for a moment and swallowing again. "You're more observant than I give you credit for. But I assure you, you don't have to be concerned about me."
As if his body was deliberately trying to contradict what he was saying, Tighnari's stomach rumbled loudly. He flinched, hunching further over himself with one hand pressed to his middle.
"Are you hungry?" Collei asked immediately. She was desperate to help. "I have pita pockets! I made them just how you taught me too, let me just—"
"Collei." Tighnari gently grabbed her hand before she could get up. "Don't."
"I don't mind, really-"
"No, it's not that, I…" Tighnari grimaced again and closed his eyes. Collei could have sworn his face had gotten even paler. "I am the furthest thing from hungry right now, in fact, I am quite nauseous."
Collei didn't miss how Tighnari flattened his ears further, while his tail shamefully curled around his legs. She knew he didn't like admitting to anybody when he was feeling unwell, much less to his trainees. Collei could count a few times Tighnari had returned to Ghandarva Ville, suffering some adverse reaction from one of the mushrooms he was studying. Usually he retreated into his hut during that time, away from any prying eyes.
"Is there anything I can do?" Collei asked, lowering herself back to the ground so she was sitting next to Tighnari on the mossy forest floor. One of her hands were still resting on his shoulder, although her fingers were trembling more than he was.
"No need." Tighnari lifted his head, and gave Collei a weak, half-hearted smile. "Really, don't fret. I just need to, hng , sit down for a moment longer, it should pass." He'd stop a few times mid-sentence to swallow or take a deep breath. "I- ugh I promise we'll resume the patrol.. hng shortly."
Collei started opening her mouth, wanting to protest. She didn't get a chance, when Tighnari suddenly brought a hand up, pressing his fist against his lips. She could see his throat visibly bobbing as he tried to swallow, squeezing his eyes shut again. His shoulders hitched slightly, and his cheeks bulged out. Quickly Tighnari turned his head away, and Collei let out a surprised yelp when he let a mouthful of watery brown vomit splatter on the ground beside him.
" Uugh… I'm sorry." Tighnari managed to say, before he hiccuped, dipping his head to empty another mouthful of his stomach's contents onto the ground.
Collei tried not to look, her eyes anxiously darting around as she gently rubbed his shoulder she was still holding onto. She wanted to do something, she was desperate to help in some way, but what could she do?
Tighnari coughed over the ground, although only a trickle of bile left his lips. He had his eyes squeezed tightly shut, one hand still forcefully clutching his abdomen.
"I'm… I'm sorry." He panted softly. "I didn't think it would come to this. I haven't felt this nauseous since last night. I sincerely thought the worst would have passed by now."
"Mr Tighnari… you've been unwell since last night?" Collei asked in a small, horrified voice. "Why didn't you call off this morning's patrol?"
Tighnari wiped his mouth on his glove, turning to face her again. His face was still horrendously pale, and Collei could now make out dark bags beneath his eyes.
"Your condition has held you down for so long, I knew how eager you were to work again." He responded, making a small shrugging motion with his shoulders. "How could I disappoint you by calling off this patrol because I got bested by a mere stomach bug?"
Collei's expression softened. She let her hand slip down from Tighnari's shoulder to his hand.
"Mr Tighnari, I understand needing a sick day better than anybody." She said. "It's alright, really. We can patrol together another day. I have plenty of other work I can do in Ghandarva Ville."
Tighnari managed another vague smile.
"Come on." Collei scrambled to her feet. She tossed her bag back over her shoulder, before holding a hand out to help Tighnari stand as well. "Let's go back. You did teach me how to brew medicinal herbs. It's time I put that knowledge to use."