Chapter Text
The florist opens at 8:00.
The rain starts at 1:00.
Police officers trade shifts at 6:30.
The rain stops at 2:00.
The flower shop closes at 6:30.
Tighnari flips the "open" sign at the door to read "closed" from outside, locks up the shop and starts off toward the police station.
He only half-regrets leaving his bike at home. It would certainly make this walk faster, and it's not like the police station is an unsafe place to leave a bicycle - there are few places more protected from ill-willed citizens than the headquarters of the city's peacekeepers. But, it's only around a corner and down a street, and he's walked farther distance for less payoff many a time. Any half-hearted complaints he'd had drift into nothing when the glass front door pushes open as he's walking up the block. A quick glance at his free hand's watch states 6:47 PM. Hopefully he can cheer up the 'peacekeeper' walking down the steps after staying a quarter-hour (and two minutes) too long.
There's a certain skip to his step whenever the florist notices him. It's a detail he's observed many a time, but never commented on. It'd be a shame if his words were to halt this behavior; he finds it endearing, especially after a 12-hour shift of running around or filing paperwork or answering questions or ASKING questions. His body aches, though there's a flash of tingling that covers it when his eyes land on the man waving cordially a half-block down. Restraining the smile that jumps to his face is no easy task, proven impossible after the fox-eared man on the sidewalk fails to restrain his own.
"You walked?" asks Cyno, eyeing the neat but noisy paper bag in the other's hand. "Sure," replies Tighnari, extending the bag in his direction, "I thought I'd treat you."
Treat him? The officer raises a brow, gingerly taking the bag and stowing his phone in his jacket pocket, swiping unbrushed bangs from his eyes and peeling the paper open. Ah. So the darker spots at the bottom of the bag *were* oil, he thinks, returning his eyes to Tighnari's. "You know," he starts, a mischievous grin rising to his face in light of his coming up with a joke on the spot rather than planning to say it, "you really do-nut have to buy me donuts all the time."
"I'll take you seriously if you ever say that again."
"Noted."
Tighnari decides to pretend he hadn't heard anything, lest he really did think about his stupid jokes any further. His smile is strained, wanting so badly to absolutely berate his friend for it, but instead, he gestures with a hand, shifting on his heels to continue on the sidewalk. "Walk with me, if you're not busy." he offers, and unsurprisingly, Cyno steps forward to keep at his side. He steals a donut from the bag, earning a glare he's well aware means absolutely nothing, and takes a bite before looking over. He blinks at Cyno's hair. Usually it's messy, but not actively littered with debris. Tighnari sighs, reaching up and picking a couple tiny twigs out. Cyno gives up and allows this after a singular grunt of disapproval.
"How was work?" Tighnari eventually pipes up, flicking a burr off his fingers and placing a hand into his pocket. Cyno considers his response to this carefully. Anyone who knows Tighnari knows that any word of injury or weakness can and will result in a lecture, followed by extensive treatment, no matter how small the problem. "Fine." He decides to say. This earns a thorough side eye from Tighnari.
"What is it." Tighnari stares. "Nothing happened." answers Cyno.
"You're a terrible liar, I'm sure you're aware?"
"I am."
The botanist hangs his head, dramatic. The deputy takes another bite of his donut.
"Hey, look." Cyno distracts him, only looking for something to distract with after saying this. Tighnari's eyes gradually narrow, but then Cyno points down to the ground, several feet ahead. "A penny."
He blinks, and then he blinks again, and then he speaks. "..What about it?" His voice conveys 'exasperated'. In no way has he forgotten the dodged question; it's clear that he's not in the mood, though, so he'll let it slide for now (keywords: for now).
"Isn't finding pennies on the sidewalk lucky?.." Cyno looks over, "did you not learn that as a kid?" Tighnari tilts his head. "I did, I just don't know why you're pointing it out."
"Because it's.. lucky?"
"You're lucky."
"Why?"
Tighnari picks up the penny. He offers it to Cyno, who takes a full step away. "Keep it. It's lucky." He's entirely deadpan saying this. The florist doesn't even know how to reply, so he doesn't, shoving it into his pocket and resuming the walk.
It's not like this is a rare occurrence - being told random things for random reasons by not-so-random people. It's also not like he minds. One less thing that needs to make sense throughout his day is Cyno. Through the other's eyes, Tighnari is just logical enough to mess with, but not quite logical enough to misinterpret his actions as serious. They walk home together most days, occasionally hanging out and talking or watching a movie or playing a video game until late in the night when the other must rush home to not miss the curfew. Or they'll sleep side-by-side after challenging each other not to hit the pillow first at midnight, because this is what friends do, especially if they really see each other as friends and not as unofficial partners, hoyoverse this is directed at you, and nothing about their relationship is at all romantic! Not even the pocky game! That's right, the pocky game. Friends do the pocky game! Of course, silly, why wouldn't they? Anyways...
The pair stop in front of Tighnari's house, and he takes the long-empty donut bag from Cyno, crumpling it in his hand. "Alright, see you tomorrow. Same time?" He asks, standing at the gate. "Same time." Cyno affirms, giving a wave before continuing down the sidewalk.
"Cyno."
"Hm?" He halts, turning his head over his shoulder. Tighnari's face is softer than what's often visible, forcing his own expression to shift.
"If you need me," he pulls out his phone, smiling gently, "text me. I get that you're tired, in more ways than one."
Cyno takes this in, opening as though to respond, but nothing comes out. He closes his mouth. An earnest nod. "Alright."
They go their separate ways.
...
Tighnari has been trying to sleep for two hours.
He looks at the digital clock on the wall. It's 12:01.
That's not right. Everyone sleeps at 12:00.
His phone blinds his eyes, but it reads the same. 12:01.
12:02.
Something isn't right.
They've had COMPETITIONS seeing who could stay up even one second longer, and they always ended at about 12:00:04. Even when you aren't tired, you do not stay up beyond 12:00, that is not how this world works.
So why is Tighnari awake?
His phone blinks to life again. It's an automated 'GOOD MORNING!' message that all phones receive. You aren't supposed to see it until you've woken up.
He inputs the passcode. He sits up against the headboard, taps on his bedside lamp. He pulls up Cyno's contact, and hits call.
RINGING . . .
RINGING . . .
RINGING . . .
RINGING . . .
...
"Hello? This is Cyno."
Tighnari sighs, defeated. He hangs up. A spark of hope had ignited for a moment, snuffed out by the fact that he's fallen for Cyno's voicemail message being "Hello? This is Cyno." far, far too many times. When he ACTUALLY picks up, it's always a 'hi' and nothing else until he initiates conversation.
So, Cyno was asleep.
Well, that can't be good.
He would try and continue to sleep, but it's not like there's ever been a punishment for remaining awake past midnight. Everyone sleeps at midnight. That is how this world works. There's not supposed to be exceptions. Why is there an exception?
His heart hammers against his chest. Stiff ears planed back nervously, he runs his hands through his hair, messy with how much he'd been tossing over the last two hours. Calm down, he tells himself, it's not worth stressing over. There's a mistake, here, somewhere. He just doesn't know what it is, yet, and it'll be fixed in time as everything in this city is.
Tighnari pulls the cord to open the curtains.
He quickly wishes he hadn't.
He doesn't know what he sees, but he doesn't need to know. There's a thing on the street, and that's all that he knows, and that's all that he wants or needs to know.
Maybe this is why nobody stays up at night.
He pulls the opposite cord, very slowly. Alerting it doesn't seem very smart. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to, and he falls back onto the bed after it's closed. God, he wishes Cyno were here to confirm he's not gone crazy.
Even seeing it instilled a sense of dread and sheer terror in him that he doesn't remember experiencing, not ever; a thing that should not exist, a thing that breaks the rules of existing.
Tighnari stands from the bed, shakes his trembling hands, wipes them on his shirt and cautiously walks out into the hallway.
For a few months now, his younger sister's been staying with him thanks to how busy their parents have been, though it didn't take long to discover she isn't someone who really needs babysat. He makes breakfast and dinner, and she often helps at his instruction, but she handles lunch and the majority of her day on her own.
If he's got any luck, he's not completely alone on this.
He steps into the guest-turned-Collei's bedroom, turning on the light without warning and approaching her bedside despite his usual politeness. "Collei," he says firmly, reaching out to shake her shoulder upon receiving no response. And yet she does not stir, does not snore, does not grumble at him even as he grabs her shoulder. Clearly, it's a 'him' problem and not a 'them' problem, and this in of itself is a problem; a sick reality he's been pushed into, a few short minutes beyond what has been his normal for 25 years.
It's then that he spots his reflection in the pocket mirror left open on Collei's nightstand. He wouldn't pay this any mind if the sclera in his right eye weren't pitch black. He stares at it for a long while, rubs at it, blinks a number of times. He looks at his left eye, and then back to his right. What. That can't be good, but it also can't be too harmful (yet) since he can see out of it..
"Okay.." he murmurs, lacing his fingers together anxiously and returning to his room, pacing the width a number of times. He could lay down and hope it passes, or he could do everything in his power to get support on this. Preferably not from his already anxiety-ridden, already-stressed teenage sister. Preferably from someone who might know how to piece together what's going on better than the local florist. He happens to know just the guy.
Five minutes later, he's got a cell phone and a flashlight for the journey.
The sight from one step out the door is enough to tell him he is not walking in the open. The creature outside his bedroom was not the only one of its kind. They have too many eyes, too many limbs, too many teeth, too many mouths, too many bones or all of the above. Did he want to do this? Maybe not, but hell, at least he'd die trying to get to the one he'd prefer to die with.
So Tighnari retraces his steps, back into Collei's room. He turns off the light, adjusts the blankets over her shoulders, and slides her window open. Before he goes, he pulls the curtains completely shut, climbing out of the gap and dropping to the ground. He shuts the window behind him, lowers his ears close to his head, and begins the long walk.
Walking behind near-identical houses is both comforting, due to the lack of complications, and terrifying, since he can't see what's happening on the streets. He can certainly hear it, though; words of which he cannot comprehend the meaning, nigh demonic laughter and footsteps far too heavy to be any creature that should be in the city's roads.
The sound of movement atop shingles alerts his ears, but he barely has the time to look up, a shadow bolting in front of him and knocking him to the ground.
He hits hard, wind knocked from his lungs and a strangled squeak forced through gritted teeth. His ears pin to his head, both hands grasping in front of him. To his surprise despite his panic, it's not skin or blood or fur that he grabs, but fabric. Tighnari wasn't aware that his eyes were closed, but he opens them, and on top of him is a man who appears no older and almost as human as himself. The fear in him shifts to confusion, and the strange person(?) detects it, significantly loosening his grip on his shoulders. Before Tighnari can say a word, a hand covers his mouth, to his offense.
"I don't know what you're doing out here. But they know that someone is awake." He pauses, voice low. "They're looking for you. If they find you..." he trails off, shaking his head to clear his mind. "..No matter. Why are you awake?"
Better question, Tighnari thinks, why are you tackling me, but he doesn't say that even when the boy removes his hand.
He clears his throat. "Not a clue." He confesses, ears flipping up to rest on the grass above his head. "I'm going to my friend's house.. I know he's asleep, but if I woke up, he could also wake up, in theory." He then blinks at the silence. "Mind an introduction? I don't really know why you tackled me."
The man's stare is cold. And his sclerae are black - both of them - but maybe that's just part of.. being awake too early. Regardless, he obliges. "Xiao." He says nothing else, so Tighnari eventually speaks in his place. "..uh, I'm Tighnari." He pauses, "Why are YOU awake, if it's so strange?"
"It's a duty I have to fulfill." Xiao says vaguely, taking a quick look around them and standing, grabbing Tighnari's arm to pull him up with him. He nods, grateful, deciding to ignore the fact his reply granted more questions than answers. "Okay, and you.. don't know why I'm awake?"
"No." He casts his gaze down to the ground as if irritated, bringing focus back to Tighnari in time. "It's why I stopped you. Civilians are not permitted to roam at this hour."
"Well, I've never heard that."
"You are not supposed to."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
It's quiet between them. "Oh, and.. do you have any knowledge about what those.. things.. are?" He points with a thumb to the street, indirectly through the house they stand next to. Xiao isn't sure whether to answer him or not. "Demons." He says blandly. ..At least that's something. "And.. it's normal for them to be here at night? Right?" He doesn't seem eager to become the subject of interrogation, nodding curtly. "They're supposed to be."
Before he has the chance to ask further, Xiao steps away. "Whatever you're doing, do it without getting their attention if you value your life." He eyes Tighnari suspiciously, "..Although, I'm already in doubt that you do, given that you're outside even knowing they exist."
"I'll do that.." Tighnari nods awkwardly, shaking grass out of his hair. "So, wait, does that mean the curfew doesn't affect me anymore?"
Xiao seems equally contemplative. "I don't know why you're unaffected to begin with. That comes first." He brings a hand to his chin. "Don't stay out assuming it won't."
And then he twirls a spear in his hand - from where it came, Tighnari has no idea - and jumps effortlessly back onto the roof, looking down with a flawlessly neutral expression and seemingly vanishing.
... Huh.
The sense that something less human is aware of him is enough to push him forward, careful not to bolt between houses without checking that he's clear of the demons' sights. Demons? Why are there demons here? And why are they SUPPOSED to be here? And what role does Xiao play in all of this? It's certainly more questions than he'd hoped for, but at least he knows two things for certain: one, he's not crazy nor dreaming. And two, nothing is wrong. But it IS wrong, surely. Demons aren't supposed to traverse human cities. Actually, demons aren't supposed to exist, at all, anywhere. Whatever.
When he arrives at Cyno's house, Tighnari stalls at the back of the house for quite a while, mapping the layout of the interior. Cyno's room is upstairs. Could he scale the wall? Yes, probably. Will he?
He stalks to the east wall, peering around the corner of the siding. If his door is unlocked, it'll certainly make things easier. So, in a burst of confidence and stupidity he finds himself unable to control rationally, he keeps close to the wall, making his way to the front of the house.
It sees him.
Uh-oh.
Locking eyes with a 12-ft shadowy silhouette is NOT a situation Tighnari wanted to be placed in, but here he is.
And so instead of waiting for it to kill him, he does the thing his instincts are telling him to do: get inside. A few-second sprint, deciding not to look behind him to see if it's pursuing, and he's at the door, grabbing the knob and twisting it. He could collapse with relief when it turns, but the adrenaline doesn't let him - instead, he yanks the door open and yanks it shut behind him. The fact that all he sees looking through the peephole is equally shadowy darkness tells him enough, and he runs up the stairs as fast as his legs can carry him.
Now, is this safe for either of them? No. No, it isn't. Had that occurred to Tighnari even once before he reaches the top of the staircase? No. No, it hadn't.
That won't deter him. He'd rather be here than alone, even if he's still alone here.
Opening his bedroom's door and peeking inside, sure enough, Cyno's sound asleep. He doesn't even bother saying his name. Instead, he kicks off his shoes, lays his flashlight on the opposite nightstand and climbs onto the bed next to him. Actually, it might as well be "his" side of the bed, at this point.
"What do I do here, Cyno..." Tighnari mutters, resting his forearm over his eyes. "You're dumb, but at least you can fight." He pauses. "Sometimes."
Now that he's with the person he needs to wake, he pulls out his phone. The time reads 1:03. He taps on the camera, and even with the darkness obscuring the quality, it's clear that his right eye is still tainted black. He puts his phone down.
What had he done today specifically that had resulted in this? Today was overall normal; and it's clearly not something he subconsciously did, yet not out of his control, either. This would not be unheard of, even by those wrapped up in it, if it were a phenomena as regular as his day had been.
The man he'd met - Xiao. Both of his eyes had the blackened color. Is that because he's connected to it, to them? ... By extension, is Tighnari also partially connected to them, now?
He groans. This is going nowhere.
Tighnari looks up at the ceiling, letting his gaze fall and rest on the fan above. Going through his day: he'd woke up, cooked pancakes, ate with Collei, biked to the flower shop, gone through a day's work (and broken a pot at some point), ordered donuts, packed and left, and walked to the police station to walk with Cyno.
Nothing was added or removed from his life (aside from the pot).
Except a penny.
He stares hyperfocused at the fan blades. Could a penny have caused this, really? He'd like to say it's the only thing that makes sense, but no, it really doesn't. If everything normal makes 0 sense, the idea of a penny wrecking his life's path makes about -8 sense.
He remembers Cyno's words. 'Keep it. It's lucky.'
What a turn of events.
Reaching into his pocket, he finds that the tiny coin is still there. Despite being against his body for hours, it's completely cold, as if left on the sidewalk in the dead of winter.
Oh, and the fact he'd changed pants before going to bed might also be an indicator of something being wrong with it.
So he pulls it out. He holds it. He finds Cyno's hand under the blankets, pulls it up to his pillow, and puts the penny in his hand. Wow, this is stupid, he thinks. Imagine a penny revealing so much about your life to you, then almost getting you killed, along with meeting some creature of the night with black eyes. What a crazy thought. He laughs under his breath. And then Cyno opens his eyes. Tighnari nearly falls off the bed he's scared so bad.
They say each other's names at the same time, staring intently for a long while. Cyno's sclerae are white. Tighnari tilts his head, puzzled. Cyno, meanwhile, just yawns. "What time is it?"
"I'm laying next to you, on your bed, uninvited, while you're asleep.. and that's your first question?"
"Yes?"
"Maybe I don't trust your instincts as much as I thought I did."
"You wound me." Cyno pauses, blinking a couple of times. His face changes from sleepy to concerned in a matter of seconds. "..What happened to your eye?"
"I dunno..." Tighnari's voice trails off. His ears sink gradually lower the longer he sits there. Cyno takes notice. "What happened to YOU?"
He picks up his phone, clicks onto the lockscreen, points a finger at the time and turns the screen so Cyno can see. "1:12." He reads, processes, and then reads again. "1:12?.." He repeats, looking between the phone screen and Tighnari. "I'm starting to think I missed something."
"You..." He hums. "You could say that, yes." His eyes are downcast until his attention is drawn back to Cyno. His right eye's sclera is pale silver. Apparently, the change shows on Tighnari's face, because Cyno frowns. "What?"
"Well, the penny you had me take earlier is magical."
"What."
"And there might be a demon outside your front door."
"What???"
"And also, your eye is starting to turn."
Cyno grabs Tighnari's phone from his hand, swiping to the camera and squinting. "I can't see it."
The latter internally facepalms. "It's dark. Phones aren't good with that. Turn on your lamp."
He does that, sitting up and looking again at the camera. He blinks at the grayed eye, and then rubs at it, and then blinks some more. "That's what I did." Tighnari comments, taking his phone back.
"So..." Cyno starts, stretching his arms out. "Why is there a demon outside, again?"
"Because I got scared and ran inside."
"You were outside my house?"
"Yes? I needed to wake you."
"Oh. You ran the whole way?"
"No. I walked. And then got tackled, and then walked.. and then ran."
Cyno looks deeply confused. Tighnari eyes him. "I'm not joking, you know."
"No, I know that." Cyno shakes his head, pushing his hair back away from his face. "That's a lot to take in. I just woke up, and I've been asleep two hours, if your clock is anything to go by."
"....Wait, you got tackled?"
"Yep."
"Wow." He stares. "What by?"
Tighnari grabs his ears, runs his hands up them and flicks his fingers afterwards. A few broken blades of grass fall sparsely onto the bed. "A guy."
"There's demons outside, and also a guy who likes tackling people?"
He deadpans. "I don't really know what he likes. Didn't seem like he liked tackling me, though."
"No?" Cyno crosses his arms, visibly displeased. "Why'd he tackle you?"
He thinks on it, planting his head down on the pillow. "I think it's his job to be awake while the demons are around."
"While they're around?? Is this normal?" He hates asking so many questions, but when there's so many questions to be asked, he can't muster the apathy needed not to ask them.
"Yep."
Cyno kicks the blankets off, walking over to his closet and grabbing a t-shirt & khakis, which he puts on while muttering all of this information to himself. Tighnari just watches, zoned out. He's dragged back by a hand poking at his ears, flicking them away from the touch and furrows his brows at Cyno, who's back on the bed. "What?"
"You tell me. You've been staring into space."
That doesn't surprise him. There's a lot to think about. A lot to worry about. If it were up to him, he'd rather have kicked the penny into the road the minute Cyno pointed it out, but now they're here. "Not sure. I don't think I've had a thought in the last few minutes."
It's quiet between them. A light, respectful knock at the door. Both look to each other. Cyno opens his nightstand drawer, retrieving a pistol. They're silent. As anticipated, the next set of knocks is far more aggressive, like it'd rip the door off its hinges.
And then it does.
A single, violent pound sends the door audibly flying into the house, landing loudly and slamming into the ground. Both jolt, fear flashing across their faces. Three heavy stomps later, and the long-legged Thing is peering into their room.
"Did it-?" Tighnari murmurs, glancing briefly to the stairs and the eerie lack of sound climbing them had made. "It did." Cyno echoes, pistol aimed at the antlered monster. It's quiet. And then it screams, Tighnari's ears pinning to his head and volume forcing Cyno's free hand over one ear while Tighnari covers his other. It sounds like metal scraping metal; a grating, deeply disturbing sound. Cyno's hand shakes, but he fires nonetheless. The bullet blows through the left side of its face, thick black liquid dribbling onto the carpet and into its unhinged mouth as the shriek dies out.
A long, thin arm reaches through the doorframe and lands on the floor, and it picks itself off the wood, crawling into the room slowly enough to see yet too quickly to react to -
and then it's stabbed through the neck from the figure standing on its withers.
The creature rears back, dark antlers piercing holes in the ceiling as it screeches. Cyno, taking the initiative, fires several shots into what can be assumed to be its chest or stomach, to which its head twists unnaturally to stare at him. The pair freeze.
Another stab through the back and the demon groans, twitching its head twice before ramming its antlers into its own shoulder. A scream can be heard, a more humane one, before its throat is slit by a weapon somehow familiar to Tighnari.
And then the demon breathes, sinking to the floor before dissipating into particles, melting away like plastic before the only evidence of its existence are the holes in the ceiling and the man kneeling that had defeated it.
Tighnari is the first off the bed, ears lifting but not quite swiveling forward. After all, a medical student's first thought is not to watch their savior bleed.
"..Xiao. Are you alright?" He asks, walking quietly over to him. Cyno watches on. "Fine," Xiao spits, wiping his hand over the three wounds he'd sustained - one on his shoulder, one through his arm and one in his side. Tighnari cringes. "That was mostly rhetorical." He mumbles, shaking his head. "Cyno, do you have a first aid kit?" Tighnari doesn't need to ask twice. He's up with a nod, gun left on his nightstand, and out of the room.
"You don't need to help me." Xiao says sharply, glaring up at Tighnari. "You didn't need to help us, either." At this, Xiao quiets for a moment. "Keeping demons in line is my job. Tending to the wounds of someone you should not be aware exists is not yours."
"I went to medical school. Shut up and let me wrap them." Tighnari snaps, ears pinned back with irritation. Xiao doesn't breathe for a few seconds, forcing a breath in. "..Fine."
A few minutes pass. Xiao's sat cross-legged on the floor, and Tighnari's demanded that Cyno finish the treatment of the numerous stab wounds. After all, he's a police officer; he knows first aid well enough. Meanwhile, Tighnari has taken to cleaning (studying) the black, goopy 'blood' the demon had left in its wake. If you asked him, he'd claim to be entirely focused on this task. If you read his mind, it would be filled with the nerdiest thoughts known to man. Cyno is well aware of this, but decides not to heighten his friend's emotions further - his tail fur had been puffy ever since he'd woke him up. Generally, queries about his animalistic traits are met with silence or a feisty remark, but it's not so hard to pick up on correlations.
Cyno, for one, has never met this 'Xiao' individual - a hunch of his says this is the guy who tackled Tighnari, if the ability to kill the demons that apparently decide when they sleep is anything to go by. He's sitting there patching him up, but it's really one of the less comfortable silent interactions he's had. Given his line of work, it says something.
"You guys are quiet." Tighnari comments, walking to and from the bathroom with towels and pausing in the doorway. "I sort of hoped you would get along, since both of you are kind of the.. 'cold-silent-weird' type."
"What?" They say this in unison.
"It's not like you really did much for introductions, 'Nari," says Cyno, taping gauze over Xiao's arm, "we know each other's names through you saying them."
"I don't know, I thought I'd leave that to you. Since you're actively interacting while I'm busy." He deadpans. "Come on. You're not that introverted."
Cyno narrows his eyes, so Tighnari narrows his own. "All right. I'm Cyno, Tighnari's friend, and he woke me up.. using a penny, I think. I'm a police officer, hence the whole gun-thing."
Silence.
"...Are you going to introduce yourself?" Cyno blinks. Xiao just looks straight back at him. "Am I supposed to?" Wow. This is going well, Tighnari thinks, resuming his task with open ears. "I did. And Tighnari said to."
Xiao sighs. "Call me Xiao. I'm..." he trails off, "someone exempt from the midnight curfew." He thinks of what to say, when his brows furrow. "Wait. He awoke you using a penny?"
"Yes?" Cyno stares at Tighnari as soon as he enters the room. Coincidentally, so does Xiao. "You didn't tell him about the penny?" Tighnari looks between them. "I didn't figure out that that's what did it until I was here."
Cyno looks tired. Xiao looks mortified. "The penny. What did it do to you?"
"Cyno decided it was a good idea to call out the lucky penny on the sidewalk.." Tighnari starts, sitting down on the bed, "..and I couldn't fall asleep, even after midnight. Turns out, it was in my pocket.. and when I placed it into Cyno's hand, he woke up."
Xiao isn't even going to question this relationship dynamic. "..A penny?" He clarifies.
"A penny." The others say together.
How is he supposed to respond to this? Historically, the only objects known to negate a demon's curse over mortals are supposed to be long destroyed or missing. And a penny, one found on a well-kept sidewalk, no less, negated and even reversed it. ... H̶e̵ ̵w̷o̷n̷d̶e̴r̵s̸ ̷w̵h̵a̴t̸ ̸h̵i̸s̴ ̴M̴̨͓̑̉a̵͇͘s̶̫͂͘t̷̜͎͝ȩ̵͠r̵̫̋̓͜ ̷w̶o̷u̸l̷d̵ ̸s̵a̶y̶ ̸t̸o̵ ̶t̴h̷i̶s̵.̴
"Can I see it?" Xiao asks cautiously. Tighnari reaches back on the bed, fumbles around for the damned coin and throws it to him. He catches it with his uninhibited hand, flipping it between his fingers. It looks ordinary. It does not feel ordinary.
There are things an Exempt can feel that a mortal citizen cannot.
This is one of those cases. He holds it between his fingers for a long while, expression entirely serious.
"You look so amazed by that penny," comments Cyno, receiving an unforeseen pillow to the face as well as a quick glare from the one it's actually directed at.
Xiao then takes it, stowing it in a tiny bag neither citizen had realized he'd been carrying. They glance to each other, but they don't say anything. The Exempt stands from the ground, stretching out his shoulder with a subtle wince. "I appreciate your hospitality." He nods, grateful (though he'd probably manage to fuck up the whole treatment process in a few hours' time), walking from the room and pausing at the stairs. "I'll set your front door back in the gap, so the rest won't notice it's open." He carefully walks down the stairs, evidently not accustomed to them, "But don't come out until morning. Next time, I might not get there as soon." He warns, doing as he'd said and re-setting the door where it should be. It looks indiscernable at first glance, if you didn't look too hard at the cracks or the hinges. With that, Xiao leaves.
"Think bullets even affect them?" Cyno asks after a few moments' silence, to Tighnari's dismay. "I don't think he'd be using a medieval polearm if guns worked wonders, Cyno."
Tighnari checks his phone. It's 1:49. Another four hours before the morning bells sound. He sighs, flopping back on the bed. A few seconds pass and Cyno joins him on his own side. "Hey." Cyno says quietly, getting a hum in return. "Do you think Xiao and I share an opinion about our jobs?"
"I thought you must've been thinking about something."
"What? Did you think there were no thoughts going through my head?"
"When you're with me, it's anyone's guess."
Cyno audibly sighs. Tighnari smiles innocently.
Eventually, he responds to Cyno's question. "I think you're on to something, there." He looks over, "Why do you think that, though?"
"Our names have four letters."
"You are pathetic."
"... It felt like there was a lot he left unsaid about himself and his work. Almost like he isn't proud of it.. or maybe there's conditions that are harder than the ones we see."
Tighnari nods. "I'm glad that we agree on that, at least." He turns onto his side to face Cyno. "I doubt people are supposed to know he exists. He seemed surprised when we met."
"I don't think people are supposed to know that there are demons in the city at night, or that there are people to kill the ones who get too aggressive, Nari."
"Yeah." Cyno turns onto his side to face him.
...
"Master," Alatus speaks, a low & subdued tone matching the kneel he takes before her, "one of them attacked two civilians tonight."
"What?"
"They were awake." He looks upward, averting his own eyes from her clearly angering ones. "They found a sacred object by chance, and accidentally used it to reverse the spell."
"And you killed them?"
Alatus bites his tongue. "No. I killed the demon when it turned on me."
A single step of a steady crystal heel, and a solid kick to the sternum. He'd seen this coming, a gasp forced out as his kneel falters, though he returns to it in a few seconds' time. "You kill demons only when they cross a line, ██."
"..Breaking the curfew was an accident. They meant no harm." His voice trembles. "I found it unnecessary to kill them."
"They will know our secrets."
"I did not tell them anything I am not supposed to disclose."
He can feel her scowl laid upon him. He's used to it. His chest stings.
"I said that I was exempt from the curfew."
Another kick; this time to the throat. He flinches away, backing up a few inches even while resuming his kneeling stance. "Fool. They are not to KNOW about the curfew. How did you refer to it?"
He's silent. If he says, she'll kick him again. No, this might be more than that.
Silence is a reason to be punished. She does just that. This time, it's to the chin.
He coughs, blinking as his consciousness wavers, muscles stiff with fear. "I said.. 'the midnight curfew'. I wasn't thinking clearly. I was already woun-"
"You what?"
Alatus shivers. ".. I'm sorry."
"How many sentences, total, did you say to either of them?"
There's not even a moment of thinking. He'd seen this coming, too. "Too many, Master."
"A number, ██."
"Thirty-seven."
"Lovely." She manifests a jade-adorned whip to her hand. "Stand up."
"Yes." He chokes on his voice, doing as told. He can't help that his hands tremble or that his eyes blur or that his teeth chatter behind his lips. He's sorry. He'll apologize if he needs to.
Or he'll just live up to his title as the Lord of the Mountains's favorite and take the lashings without a word.
...
At 5:30, Tighnari climbs back through Collei's window for two reasons: 1. The front door is locked (he knows this, he locked it). 2. Her window is unlocked and he needs to lock it. To the surprise of his logical side, the journey goes without a hitch; no demons see him, and none come banging on the door after he's inside. It's less surprising to the Exempt that had been ensuring his safety, but he doesn't know that and as far as the latter is concerned he doesn't need to.
Collei wakes at 6:00 sharp, painfully aware that her bedroom light is on. At first, she thinks it'd just been flipped on, so she groans irritably, only to look up and see that her door is shut. ... That's not at all odd.
"Tighnari," she whines, fully aware he can hear her from across the hall, "did you turn my light on?"
"Yes, Collei, I had to grab something from your room a few minutes ago. I thought it would help you wake up." He replies with a slightly raised voice, fully aware she cannot hear him at a lower one from across the hall.
"Okay..." she drawls, pushing herself out of bed and stretching herself out. "You're up early.."
"I..." he trails off, finding a reason, "..was having bad dreams, so I woke up as soon as I could." It'll make her feel bad, which he doesn't want, but he figures it's a lot easier than explaining what he'd Actually spent his night doing. "I'm going to make breakfast for you and go back to bed." Damn, he needs a nap.
"You don't have to do that!" Collei replies quickly, shaking her head and hands, realizing he can't see her shortly afterwards and dropping her hands to her lap. "I can make something for myself, promise!"
"Are you sure?" He frowns. "Last time I woke to the pan on fire."
"Errr- I know not to freak out if something starts smoking now. I'll be okay!" She says this while straightening out her pajamas and putting in her contacts, emerging from her room with some level of excitement her brother can't even comprehend at the moment. "Okay?" she tilts her head, peeking into his doorway. Some of her excitement dims. "Uh... Are you alright?" She murmurs, standing upright rather than just leaning. "You look tired... You're not sick, are you?"
"What? No, no." He pokes his head up, ears straightening from where they'd been splayed outwards, exhausted. "I'm just tired, Collei, really. I trust you to take care of yourself for a while. I'll just be in here whenever you need me."
She pouts, walking over to his bed to sit on the edge of it. "You always pretend like everything's fine, and then when I'm a little off, you insist I tell the truth!" She pokes his ear repeatedly, moving her finger when he'd move his ear out of the way, albeit with delayed readjustment. "I think you're lying."
"Yeah, I think you're prying." Tighnari deadpans, playful at heart. "Go make breakfast, Collei, I'm just having a nap." He's not sure she'll buy it, but she stands up regardless, hands on her hips. "Someday, I'll get you to let me be the caretaker."
He laughs and waves her out. "All right."
He, for one, is tired. The kind of tired you get when you can't really move beyond making your family stop worrying about you. His phone lights up. It's a text from Cyno.
< u up? >
He stares at it for a long while before he replies.
> yes. i'm tired, though, don't make me worry about you
< u should ask me to come over. >
> why?
< i dont like sleeping in a house with no functioning door. >
Oh. He'd forgotten that.
> okay, door's unlocked.
< what for? >
> you??
< ur supposed to invite me. >
Tighnari lets his phone fall onto his face.
> the door is unlocked, i am inviting you
< ok >
He sets it down next to him. "Collei," he calls out, met with a "whaaat" from the kitchen. "Unlock the door, Cyno's coming over."
"What? I thought you were tired!"
He hardly takes a second for a half-decent reason. "I am, he just can't stand being without me for a few hours."
"Okay." Collei doesn't question this. Sounds about right to her ears.
It's about five minutes later that the door is opened without warning. From what Tighnari can decipher, the door opening scares the daylights out of Collei, who jumps so hard she drops an egg she was cracking onto the floor, to which Cyno says "be eggstra careful next time" and oh he's so going to slap him for that and then Collei apologizes awkwardly, Cyno helps her clean up the floor and finally comes down the hall, barging into his room by kicking the door open lamely. "I'm here."
"I hear that." Tighnari narrows his eyes.
"Don't make Collei deal with your stupid jokes, one of us is enough."
"Why? And they're not stupid. She finds them funny." Cyno takes off his cap, hanging it on the door knob and shutting it behind himself.
"What? Why do you think that??"
"She's told me so." He shrugs nonchalantly, walking over to the bed and laying down on his side.
"I told her you couldn't stand being without me a few hours and she took that as an acceptable answer for why you're coming over even though I'm napping."
"Brutal."
"Brutally honest."
"You don't know that." Cyno says coolly.
"I do. You've complained about it before. To me." Tighnari sighs. Cyno just continues smirking as if he's expecting Tighnari to place metaphorical sunglasses on his face.
"Now, are we gonna spend three hours in a two-sided therapy session, or are we actually gonna nap so Collei doesn't catch on that I didn't tell her everything."
"'Night."
"Goodnight, Cyno."
Both of them simultaneously get under the covers, and both of them fall asleep in seconds.