Chapter Text
When Cyno arrived that evening at Gandharva Ville he immediately noticed that something was amiss. He looked to Tighnari, then to Collei and then finally back to the food on the table, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Collei wasn't that talkative that day, sure, but that wasn't entirely unusual. Actually, the strange thing would have been if she had been talking their ears' off.
Tighnari wasn't in the mood for chatting either, but Cyno had a solution for that. He mentally recapped his book joke, looking for the suitable one.
"Hey, Tighnari, do you know what the flower said after telling a joke?" he was met only with silence, but that never stopped him. "I was just pollen your leg!".
More silence. Collei wasn't even looking at him. She didn't scoff or roll her eyes as she usually did. She simply kept staring at her empty plate. That was the confirmation he needed. There was definitely something amiss there.
"Ok, don't worry. I'll expla–", but he was then interrupted by Tighnari: "No, no, there's no need to!" he turned his face to his student, "Collei, can you help me clear the table?" "Sure...".
After taking all the plates to the sink, Tighnari sat down again next to Cyno. He was going to ask the Forest Ranger, but Collei spoke first: "I think I'm going back to my hut. Good night."
"Good night, Collei"
"Rest well."
The moment she left Tighnari's house, Cyno assailed his friend with the question that had been haunting him since he set foot on Gandharva Ville that day: "Care to explain what happened between you two?"
"So, you've noticed, right?" Cyno gave him a look to encourage him to go on. "I think I really upset her this time." Tighnari said while supporting his forehead with his hands.
"You see, Collei had been improving a lot recently, so she has been rather mirthful lately. But she ended making a couple of mistakes in yesterday's exam somehow. They were nothing big. I know she knows how to write those words, I've seen her do it before, but I also needed to remind her to be careful."
"You can't imagine her face of disappointment. She must have seen this as another step back. I tried brushing it off, telling her that, so long as she pays attention next time, she'll improve her marks. I think I only ended up upsetting her more," Tighnari let out a long sigh.
"We ended up fighting. She screamed that, at that pace, she would never get to be a doctor in her entire life. I told her that she should be pariente. She said that that was easy for me to say because I at least knew how read properly. She left crying and I didn't know what to do."
"She doesn't seem to be mad at you though," Cyno finally interjected.
"That's what I fear: she doesn't resent me because Collei feels like she is the problem... and I don't even know how to talk to her without ending up hurting her feelings," Tighnari hid his face with his arms to muffle his words. "I'm such a sorry excuse for a teacher. I don't even know how to encourage her to not give up."
Cyno tapped his shoulder rather amused. "Hey, hey, don't be so hard on yourself. See? This bad habit of yours ends up rubbing off on her."
Tighnari looked up at him frowning, but before he could complain, Cyno kept talking: "Actually, I have an idea? Why doesn't she come with me for a week or so? That way, she can finally take a breather. Well, what do you say?"
"I was thinking about giving her a couple of days off anyway. But I'm not so sure she'll agree. I think the last thing she wants now is to have more distractions in her life," but Cyno didn't seem convinced.
"I'll talk to her and we'll see how it goes. I'll go see if she's still up"
It was really dark outside and the idea of Collei being already asleep assailed him. He didn't want to disturb her well-deserved slumber. That's why he actually felt relieved when he saw the dim light that shone through the leaves that blocked the entrance.
He tapped the wood wall to make his presence be known. "Collei, can I talk to you?"
He heard something falling to the ground and the sound of a chair scratching the ground. "Give me a moment, please!"
He waited patiently until she finally pushed the leaves aside, gesturing him to enter. His eyes darted to a book that laid on the ground next to her desk. Collei hadn't seem to notice it because the moment Cyno looked at it she dashed to the ground to hide it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for her, this ended up causing all the papers hidden inside the book to fall to the ground.
"Here. I'll help you." Cyno picked one of the fallen sheets and realized that they were all filled with a couple of words written time and time again. So this was her writing practice...
"Still studying at this hour?"
Collei was blushing intensely, ashamed that somebody had caught her red-handed. She refused to make eye contact with him. "This has nothing to do with you..."
It was her way of saying Go away and let me study in peace!, but also Please, don't go! Because I know you'll only be going to tell Master Tighnari.
"Well, I came to suggest something. Do you want to go with me to Sumeru City for a couple of days?"
Collei's eyes widened. She thought he was there to scold her. "Go to Sumeru City?"
"I talked to Tighnari," Collei's expression instantly darkened, "and I think you need some vacations."
"Master agreed to this?"
"He gave me his approval, so it's up to you whether you wanna come with me or not. But you don't have to agree because it's me! It's fine if you refuse."
"...Of course he agreed. After what I said he probably wants me as far from him as possible..." Collei mumbled to herself, but Cyno was close enough to hear. He suddenly had a saddened gaze.
"You think Tighnari is... mad at you?"
Collei sat on the bed and hid her face with her legs and arms. "I don't 'think' so. I know he is. I said some things that I shouldn't have and, well, he looked... genuinely hurt. He has showed me nothing but kindness and I only keep causing trouble."
Cyno sat next to her, but leaving enough distance between so she wouldn't feel overwhelmed. "He's not mad, he's just worried. He simply wants what 's best for you," Cyno saw how Collei looked back at him. "So, do you wanna come with me? "
Collei pondered over it, but then shaked her head. "I would like to, but I'm afraid I have much to study."
"You can study at my place, so don't worry about that."
"Mr. Cyno, how long are you planning on taking me with you?"
"Well, I told Tighnari that it would be around a week or so, but that is up to you. If you want to stay longer, then you can stay for as long as you wish. If it's the opposite, it's fine too."
Collei closed her eyes and meditated on the possible outcomes of this trip. It allowed her to delay the inevitable talk with Tighnari, but the hustle and bustle of a big city was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. But on the other hand, she felt rather curious... She sighed.
"Ok, I'll go."
Cyno smiled fondly. "I should have bet Tighnari that you would say yes," he got up and approached the door. "We depart tomorrow after breakfast. Be sure to pack everything you wish to take with you."
"Mr. Cyno, wait!"
"Yes?"
"Can you not say a word about this to Master? I know he'll worry and–"
"Don't worry, your secret will be safe with me."
•••
When the time for breakfast arrived, Collei had everything prepared already. She wasn't taking much with her, but she thought that it was for the best. The less things she carried, the easier it would be to walk.
Breakfast that morning was notoriously quieter than usual, but they all thought it was acceptable this way and thus, none of them started a conversation.
"You have everything ready?" Cyno inquired.
"Y–yes!... or so I think at least," Collei confessed.
"If there's anything else you need we can always buy it in Sumeru City," while he spoke he observed how Tighnari approached them
"Collei, can I talk to you for a moment?" her whole body stiffened. She had wanted to avoid this, but in the end it was inevitable.
However, the conversation didn't develop how she had anticipated. "I would say the usual: 'Behave yourself and listen to what Cyno says', but I already know you will. So, take this," he handed her a small bag full of Mora. "I know Cyno will give you as much as you want, but I wanted to give you a little myself. Spend it on whatever you want."
"Master, I can't accept this." Not after how I have behaved these past few days.
"Nonsense, take it and have fun. I don't particularly enjoy going to Sumeru City –you know it's too loud for me–, but a change of scenery will do you well," and to think that the main reason why she agreed to Cyno's idea was to escape from him. Collei nodded and went back to the General. She would talk to Tighnari like she should after she came back.
The road to Sumeru City wasn't long nor difficult, but Collei felt like it was an adventure. She hardly ever left the Avidya Forest –only when Kaveh or Tighnari invites them for dinner–, but this time she is going to stay there for entire days. She hoped the sudden change of pace wouldn't feel too abrupt.
They arrived shortly after. Cyno took her to a small house in Treasure Street, near the entrance of the city. He took his own keys and opened the door. The moment he entered, he started to collect all the papers scattered on the floor and tried to tidy it up a little. "I apologize for receiving you in such a state. I decided it on the spot, so I didn't really have time to clean at all. Nonetheless, I hope you can make yourself at home."
Collei felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of reports and other kinds of bureaucratic papers that surrounded her, but tried to look unfazed. "I'll show you around," the General offered. "Well, this is the living room. Next to it, there's the bathroom," he moved to another room with a table and the walls full of cupboards. "This is the kitchen," and he opened the final door, "and this is my room. I know it's not a big house, but it's enough for myself."
"It's kinda... cozy?" Collei didn't really know what to say. How do you even compliment a house anyway?
Cyno smiled back at her and announced the decision he had made: "You'll be sleeping here these next few days. I'll sleep on the couch, but let me take my things to the living room first."
"I-in your room? B-but, I can't accept it. It's your room afterall. Let me sleep on the couch," Collei tried to decline the offer, but Cyno had already made up his mind.
"You're my guest. I can't let you sleep on the couch. Besides, it's on me for not having a guests' room." Most people, in fact, didn't have a guests' room, but Collei decided to argue no further and simply let her bag on the bed.
"Look, Collei, I have to get back to Akademiya to finish some work I had for today. I expect to be back by lunch's time. Then, I'll cook something so we can eat together. It's that okay with you?"
"Then, at least let me cook! It's the least I can do for letting me stay at your place," the girl complained earnestly.
"Very well, you win," Cyno smiled proudly at her. "Oh, I almost forgot," he opened one of the drawers in the living room and placed on the table the biggest bag of Mora Collei had ever seen before. "Take all the money you need. Just be careful and don't carry the entirety of it with you. If you're seen with a wealthy amount, some people might try to steal you."
"And I knew I was missing something!" he draw another key from an empty flower pot near the window. He handed it to Collei. She was still stunned, but managed to catch it.
"Wait, wait! Mr. Cyno, you can't give all that money. I already have plenty with myself. I couldn't possibly abuse your kindness like that."
"You're not abusing anything. Oh, and if you need more, just let me know."
"MORE?!"
"Well, I need to head to the Akademiya. See you at noon," Cyno closed the door on his way out. Collei stood there staring at the door until she came back to her senses and decided to start preparing the meal. She really wanted to show Cyno how grateful she was for letting her stay there.
She took a peek at the ingredients he had and felt a little bit disappointed when she realized Cyno was running low on practically everything. 'Maybe this is why he gave such a large sum of money' she thought.
Collei had been to Sumeru City many time before, but never on her own. Venturing outside alone seemed like an adventure in her eyes, but she remembered Cyno's warnings. She ought to be careful: she was no longer under the protection of the Rangers of Gandharva Ville.
As she usually did when she was out of ideas, Collei decided to prepare Pita Pockets. She bought some pita bread, lettuce, meat and tomatoes. She went back almost running to Cyno's house. She prepared them with utmost care and waited.
At first, she was scared that the Pita Pockets had been prepared too much in advance. Maybe they would get cold before Cyno arrived, but thankfully all her worries swept away when she heard him enter through the door. "I'm home!"
Collei could have sworn that he look way more tired than when she had seen him that morning, but she didn't pay it too much mind. "Hmm, something smells nice...," Cyno put down his headwear and sat down next to her at the living room table.
"Yes! I made Pita Pockets. I don't know if they'll be to your liking, but I poured my heart in it and..." Collei stopped when she saw Cyno's hand approaching her. He was about to ruffle her hair, but stopped midway when she halted her rambling all of the sudden.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I almost forgot you hate this kind of thing," Cyno turned his attention to his plate. "Well, it's better we eat before it gets cold." He ate a bite of it.
"I don't mind," Collei said looking down at the floor.
"Hmm?"
"I don't mind if it's you. You can go on doing... you now," she moved her hand next to her hair, "that."
Cyno positioned his hand right atop of her head. "Are you sure?" Collei looked up at him and nodded. He started ruffling her hair gently. He was tracing circles on top of her head in a way that seemed to soothe her. "Is it really okay? Doesn't it... bother you?"
"Well, it's not that bad if I can see your hands."
A few seconds passed.
"Collei," Cyno stopped moving his hand and looked her directly in the eye. He was smiling lightly, but it was a smile, "thank you. Thank you for cooking. I love them. I'm so grateful."
He retreated his hand and went back to eating. Collei started into nothingness. For once in a long time she felt like things were finally going her way.
She chewed down a bit of her own Pita Pocket. It really tasted nice. She smiled to herself. She could count this as a small victory.